Hi- this is a REUPLOAD. I am not stealing from Sailor Sunset, I am Sailor Sunset. My account is currently inaccessible right now, so I have entirely reuploaded the story. It is exactly the same, and there will be an extra chapter (alas it is not too long). I have finally plotted out the plot! Or the beginnings of it. Hopefully I shall persevere. Please excuse any spelling errors; I am not as vigilant as I would like to think. The pairing is SasuFemNaru and it is therefore AU. The events, however, will be fairly similar. I may diverge during Shippuden, however (the recent plot is boring me. I am on the verge of waiting for Tobi's identity, though! I think it's Kagami Uchiha. Look him up; you can't blame me! Not to mention, it would explain why Tobi is still alive. He's not that old. Not to mention timey-wimey jutsu and shit).
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, any of its characters, locations, etc. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and this is purely for creative purposes/I am not planning on making profit from his work. Thanks!
Please enjoy the chapter!
The sea was both soft and sweepingly turbulent.
Its white horses swept themselves up into royal blue pyres, frothing at their peaks, before colliding with the bay, a bubbling spray soaring upwards before raining back into the midnight depths. The depths were aquamarine, an emerald tint to the darkened surface. Tiny sparrows washed themselves in shallow patches, dipping themselves into the water elegantly before shaking the drops of salted water off their plumage. The water simmered, silent in its midst yet ominously waiting for something to interrupt its delicate routine waves. Across from the pier, was a small coastal shelf, and here, lay a girl who bathed her feet in the water absent-mindedly as she remained deep in thought.
Ripples sailed in all directions from where she dipped her toes. The water was cold as a small breeze swept past her, and she shivered, her feet reeling from the water and drawing up close to her. The silken purple night gown was no salvation from the cold, and it blustered weakly in the wind. Her hairs stood on end, and silvery hair glistened in the moonlight.
She weakly clutched a tiny green purse, tucking it away from sight as the cold breeze wore away. The sun had long ago sank below the horizon, leaving her to nought but her own company. The girls long hair coated her somewhat, giving her the slightest shred of warmth against any oncoming weather. She looked upward to the starry night. The lights in the village were off, the only light the occasional lamp used to light the dreary streets; the stars were clear, winding in a path of distant galaxies, tiny stars that were somehow huge (she still didn't get that) and a distant reddish planet.
The girl shivered, and curled up to conserve warmth. "I should count the stars," she whispered in a low voice. It was an effort to ignore the cold, that might become horrific sometime later. She pointed a dainty finger at each star, 'til her eyes gave in and she closed them. Sometime later, her breathing evened out, and the girl slumbered.
Uchiha Sasuke thoughtlessly dragged himself down the path. He picked up the various stones and pebbles that littered the ground along the way. His coal eyes were looking toward the ground for the entirety of the small journey, and after collecting a considerable amount of rocks in his little satchel, he reached his destination. The wood creaked warningly beneath his feet, as it did every night, and squeaked in protest as he sat down on the end the long line of planks.
Absent-mindedly, he brought out his satchel, fishing out a series of small rocks with his left hand, and picking one out with his right. Sasuke brought his obsidian gaze to the moonlit stretch of water, and a shine from a short distance away caught his eye; ignoring it, he lunged forward, skipping a rock across the somewhat unsettled sea before him. It bounced off the tiny rippled waves, being eventually enveloped by a larger one and sinking downwards.
When he was somewhat younger, his father would guide his hand, telling him what angle to throw it out, and providing surprising force to aid his throw. What he heard from his brothers friend told him that his father had died with a bad final memory. Sasuke had heard low mutterings of a 'coup d'etat', whatever that may or may not be. It doesn't sound Japanese, though, Sasuke thought silently. He had loved his father, despite his harshness and disappointment sometimes. Nor, was it because it was his duty to love him as his son. The opposite; Sasuke had loved him because Fugaku, though harsh and biting with his reprimands, truly wished the best for him at heart, and forced improvement upon him. The boy wondered whether he was glad for that.
Somehow, even though it was scarce that they had a 'love' based moment, Sasuke felt this horrific aching in every cell of his body. A choking in the back of his throat, something that prevented him from speaking, a pounding headache, a pain that was so intense, yet something that painkillers nor sleep could cure.
If only sleep would come.
Once again, a similar glimmer appeared in the corner of his eye, and Sasuke directed his gaze towards it, only to discover it to be what seemed to be hair.
His eyes widened, a thick blush coating his cheeks that was barely visible in the dim lighting of the moon. Sasuke was not one to flatter women, but the girl it belonged to was very pretty, at the least.
The hair was long and luscious at least, wavy at its ends. The boy imagined it to be a pain to tend to in the mornings, yet looking at it, it seemed so perfect. The girl attached to it, had her eyes closed, a hand resting on her stomach. The ebony haired boy studied her as intently as he could from such a distance, and began to notice the ribs that jutted out of her silken nightgown. She looked terribly underfed; it was such a shock to him. Sasuke found it hard to believe that someone was struggling to eat properly in a village like Konoha, which was a prosperous ninja village.
Yet somehow, he guessed she wasn't sleeping on a coastal shelf optionally, and she certainly didn't look as though she was fed very well at all. Dubiously, but with no other option, Sasuke decided that what he saw in front of him was a small angel who had lost her wings.
Sasuke watched her silently for half an hour, ignoring the Moon's slow travel across the night sky as time passed. After watching her slumber motionlessly, with only the rise and fall of her chest to indicate if she was breathing, the young boy skipped the rest of his rocks. He stood up, wary of the creak of the wood, as though the slightest noise would wake her up. It did not. The Uchiha walked away delicately, looking back and wondering if he was asleep at last, and if this was a dream.
He resolved to return another night, as he wandered back to the Uchiha district to sleep. Sleep came.
In the early hours of morning, young Sasuke awoke, and trotted down the stairs, rubbing his eyes wearily and slipping his house slippers on as he entered the kitchen. His brother was already settled at the table, the only sign he had eaten the small crumbs that remained on his plate next to him. Itachi had, however, pushed it aside, reading a dull looking mission report and emitting almost inaudible sighs as he did so. Startled, he turned to his younger brother, and let a small smile show.
"Good morning, Sasuke," he said nonchalantly, standing up and picking up the mission report. "What's made you get up so early?"
The young boy twiddled his thumbs, looking downward and trying to smother a blush that fought to flood his cheeks. "I'm just going out on a long walk, Nii-san."
Itachi's eyes visibly softened, and he ruffled Sasuke's hair in mistaken sympathy. Sasuke realised that his elder brother assumed that he was missing his dad, and needed time to think. "Thats mine, Otouto. I'll be here all day- I think Mother has gone out. She might be at the shrine..." Itachi's eyebrows knotted, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Take all the time you need, Sasuke."
Sasuke kept his head lowered, nodding fervently, putting on his shoes and jacket and exiting the house swiftly. He paced quickly through the Uchiha district, soon realising that it was pointless; no one was up this time of morning, except Itachi, who just enjoyed mornings. He soon found himself on the path he had been on the night before. After a sufficient time walking peacefully, the pierhead came into view, and the boy stepped along the creaky wooden planks before settling at the end. He turned his head, to see if the girl was still there; the Uchiha squinted his eyes. As he looked, he couldn't even see the coastal shelf...
Sasuke saw a glint of silver in the water, and realised with an aching jolt that the tide would have come in by now. Shocked, he looked at the water and tried to see the glinting silver again; there it is! Bracing himself, Sasuke put down his ninja bag and dived in somewhat gracefully.
Though he could swim fairly well, he had less than perfect sight in this salty ocean. His eyes stung, however Sasuke propelled himself forward, searching for that glint of silver he had saw before. It shone. His lungs burned, and he came up for air, swimming over, and there he saw, on a submerged coastal shelf, the young girl who he had seen the night before. Ducking under, he wrapped his arms around her (it felt almost as though she would break in his hold) and pulled with all his might. She came with little resistance; her body was light. Sasuke pulled her, and himself, over to the bay, pushing her limp body onto the grass before pulling himself up.
To his surprise, her hair was not silver at all; it was a bright, shining blonde, and it was incredibly long. It stuck to her like a second skin now that she was soaked with salty water, and it suddenly occurred to him that the rise and fall of her chest was terrifyingly slow.
"Crap! Crap. What did Itachi tell me about this?!" Sasuke muttered to himself in a state of worry and horror. "100bpm, you don't need to liplock, just do 100bpm on her chest..."
Sasuke pressed his hands on her ribs, his arms completely straight as he pushed downwards in perfect beat. What if I can't save her? What if she dies? The compressions didn't seem to be working. Kami-sama will never forgive me if I let an angel die...
Wet, harsh coughing hit his eardrums, a sound that he was fully grateful for, as he saw the young girls eyebrows knot and heard the horrible, hacking coughs that rattled her chest. He moved to beside her, taking it upon himself to shakily slip and arm around the girls side and lift her upright. The coughing died down, and her eyes opened, and turned to him.
Bluer than the skies above him, and bluer than the sea below, were her eyes. Piercing, with cyan tones and wide, coal pupils that stared at him in shock and confusion. Her bones seemed as fragile as glass, and her collar bone jutted out. Sasuke waited for her to speak.
"I didn't ask you to save me!" she snorted loudly. She folded her arms in front of her chest, pouting. She looked at herself; the once beautiful, silken nightgown was marred with various sea debris, and it stuck to her. So did her hair; which too, had various miscellaneous bits of sea life in it. The angel looked him up and down, and looked downward, as though in submission. "...thank you."
Sasuke was fairly confused by these progressions. "What's your name?" he asked, deep in confusion. She lifted her head, and brush the hair off of her face, revealing whiskered cheeks, and a grin so bright that it could shame the sky.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, also known as the future Hokage!" she said cheekily, her eyes glinting with determination afresh. Sasuke nodded, one eyebrow raised at the young girl who had unchallenged mood-swings. "I'm gonna surpass..."
Sasuke looked at her, pondering her sudden stop in her loudly-voiced thoughts. Her eyes rolled back up into her head, and she fell into a heap, crumpling as easy as paper. The boy leaned down, heart pacing with worry as he took her pulse in her neck. It was a steady, strong pulse. Thank God, he muttered inwardly.
"Sasuke?" a deep voice resounded from behind him. He turned abruptly, locking sight with a pair of eyes as black as his own. "Otouto, what have you been doing? Is that little Naruto you have there?"
The young boy nodded, guiltily almost, and hooked his own hands behind his back as he looked downwards. "She was drowning, I saw her here last night, on the coastal shelf, but the tide came in and I..."
Itachi smiled, allowing a small laugh to come through. He closed his eyes, looking towards the clear sky. Today, Konoha was bathed in light, a beautiful sight to behold. The water was calm, and in it, you could see the Sun, a queen of all queens. Shining, unchallenged by any other star; the Sun made them thrive, by thriving itself. Though, he supposed, it would one day pass away, like any other star. "Its quite alright, Sasuke. Let's go home."
The elder Uchiha picked up the almost weightless young girl, and with Sasuke in tow, proceeded back to the Uchiha district. Sasuke took a glance at the young Naruto. Despite her spindly limbs and gaunt looking body, he had never heard such a strong voice, though many times he had heard her stutter. Such confidence was almost enviable.
Perhaps she is an angel, he mused silently.
Naruto awoke quietly. She did not open her eyes, instead listening intently to her surroundings. Instead of cold air and water teasing her sides, there was something warm and insulating enveloping her, and she was wearing clothes that felt odd on her, not accustomed to her shape, unlike her others.
She turned onto her side, hair lolling over onto her face, a familiar feel in odd surroundings. Why am I here? Pondering that, she realised that someone had saved her life, and she had yelled at them, and then passed out. Cosy and comfortable, she drew up her legs to her chest, before wondering exactly where she was. Warily, she opened her eyes, wincing at the light that seeped through. It was all... cream.
This must be Sasuke's room, she thought absent-mindedly. On the walls, there were picture frames. One of his father and him, one of them all as a family, and one of him and his brother. They were hung up in dark wooden frames, and looked very... well, family-like.
She hooked her legs out of bed, knocking into an unfamiliar bedside table and stumbling into a yet again unfamiliar wall. Leaning against it, she rubbed her eyes, and spotted a pair of slippers by the bed. Naruto slipped into them, and began to wonder what exactly she was wearing. Looking down, she saw that she was wearing a very casual yukata; a small white and red fan was emblazoned on the left breast, and very autumn like patterns and colours were on it. She shrugged, stumbling out into the hallway. The floors were varnished dark wood, and the doorways were also. The entire house was very tasteful, she noted. Walking into the kitchen, she was met with a pair of coal eyes, but a smile unlike Sasuke or Itachi.
"Mikoto-san!" Naruto squealed, happiness enveloping her as she threw herself at the woman's midriff, gripping her tightly as the woman had the air squeezed out of her. The woman smiled, ruffling Naruto's hair before gently prying the girl off of her. "I haven't seen you since the last festival!"
Mikoto nodded. "I was the one who dressed you, it was not one of the boys."
Naruto expressed a sigh of relief, a blush flooding her cheeks as she fiddled with the obi of her yukata. "Mikoto-san..." Naruto lowered her head, and she twiddled her thumbs awkwardly as she stuttered, trembling and trying to get her words out. "Thank you very much for this yukata, and for letting me in your home... could you help with my hair, please?"
The woman glanced at her hair, double-taking when she saw the tats that riddled it and the various objects entangled in said tats. The mother felt a slight pinch of sympathy for the girl, as she knew how immaculate Naruto had her hair- and how difficult it must be to maintain. Mikoto nodded, grabbing a small brush and sitting Naruto down.
As Mikoto battled various tats in her hair and removed odd items and tried to tackle the frizz that had developed from the salty water, the girl remained deep in thought. Worriedly, a lead-like weight settled in her stomach as she remembered why she had slept there that night. Though the night sky was fascinating, and much clearer away from street lights, it was far from optional; her landlady had kicked her out that night, as she did many, with a perplexing statement:
"Demons don't sleep, right?"
Naruto bent her head slightly, tears of anger and confusion filling her eyes. She blinked them back, only letting one sleep that she quickly wiped away. Why? What did I do wrong? She blinked back more tears that threatened to leak out. As the Uchiha's mother finished working through her hair, the small girl turned around and buried her shaking head in her midriff, searching desperately for solace.
"Naruto," she murmured, running her fingers through the young girls hair. "Naruto..."
There was little comfort she could provide to the tearful little girl.
"I will go home now, thank you very much Mikoto-san," Naruto grinned, forcing a wide smile onto her face and bowing slightly. She tied her hair up into a lengthy ponytail, before slipping out of her house slippers and walking barefoot away. Mikoto felt a twinge of pain strike her in the chest as she saw Naruto walk away, evidently upset about something.
The Uchiha mother waved, guilt smothering her as she closed the door.
Naruto kept her line of sight directly at the cobblestones below, ignoring the sharp pains as various stones went into her feet as she tread along the path. I should have wore shoes last night, she thought painfully as she walked. She felt the stare of disgusted villagers boring into the sides of her head, and felt the knocking pain of a stone hitting her in the back of her head. Naruto stumbled, tears filling her eyes as she hurried to stand back up, brushing off her yukata as quickened her pace. Faint shouts could be heard, from both kids and mothers alike as she desperately tried to cross the marketplace without incident.
"Why don't you just die?" an elderly woman hissed in her ear, making Naruto wince and quicken her fast pace to a jog as she tried to get away from the harsh jibes at her, the painful words that just had no foundation. Why she deserved all of this, was beyond her. She felt glass cut her leg, and the sound of a smash shortly behind her. Her eyes quickened to fill with tears.
Why is it that nobody wants to speak to me?
She rushed up the stairs to her apartment, closing her eyes tightly to ignore the whisperings that she could hear below, and sometimes the loud insults that resounded from the more bitter ones. The blonde didn't get it. Naruto just didn't understand why she was so hated. She didn't feel as though she had done anything particularly heinous, nothing that would really harm anyone. She rarely even performed pranks anymore. It was completely beyond her what she had done to deserve this treatment.
As she slipped the key in her lock, and slid the door open, she felt a harsh push on her back that caused her to tumble into her own apartment. The door slammed behind her.
Naruto wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her yukata. Showing her tears, she decided would make her weaker. Show everyone that it hurt. She knew it did, they probably knew it too, but never, ever would she admit it to their faces. She walked towards the small bedroom, and sat down on her bed. She had woken up in Sasuke's room, and in there, there had been pictures, pictures of him and his family. There had been someone there to take the pictures, someone to take the pictures with...
So much more than I'll ever have.
Somehow, jealousy filled her, filled her to the brim, from her fingertips to her toes, she was oh so jealous, so jealous that someone could have companions, people to speak to that wouldn't ridicule him, criticise him and hate him. Naruto was jealous. Irrevocably jealous.
She sobbed.
Sarutobi took a long, thoughtful draw on his pipe.
This Hokage garb had been far too fancy for Minato, he recalled. Only at the Hokage meetings would the young man be caught wearing them, stating that it made him feel old. Then again, he was not a Hokage for very long anyway; as any mighty Hokage, however, he had sacrificed his life for the greater good. Silently, Sarutobi paid due respect to him. Looking up at the sky, he faintly remembered that that was the blue that had been so sharp and coloured in his eyes.
His newborn daughter had had those eyes too.
Closing his eyes, he puffed out smoke that swirled upwards like a grey-scale dragon. He had been fully prepared to retire, in his old age. Though, if his successor passed away, it was his duty to take up the Hokage title again, as he was still alive. Though when he passed, (he suspected soon) they would have to recruit another Hokage.
Looking over this large, busy village, he wondered about Uzushiogakure. Konohagakure was a successful, flourishing village, full of diverse ninja clans and plenty of civilian businesses. Trade was good, and they held good relationships with most villages, considering the ninja war a good few years ago. Uzushiogakure, was mere ruins now, a wrecked village that was completely destroyed. It was home to the Uzumaki clan, the clan of longevity and chakra that was both plentiful and powerful. Those born into it, were almost destined to live many years. They were mostly red-headed, also- evidenced by Kushina.
How rare, for a Jinchuuriki to survive extraction. Somehow, though, it seemed strikingly common in the Uzumaki generation to survive unlikely situations. What a pity Minato never inherited that trait.
"Hiruzen-sensei!"
Sarutobi turned, and smiled softly at his former student. "Jiraiya. Come here." The man complied, stepping out onto the balcony, the humid air stifling as he overlooked the village. "What is it you wished to speak to me about?"
Jiraiya snorted, his deep voice resonating. The teacher remembered a time, that seemed not so long ago- when he was younger, a brand new jounin, when he had taught his team. They had, all in all, turned out odd. Tsunade had become a master of healing techniques but had left to gamble, and grew a chest somewhere along the line, the man in front of him spied on the Akatsuki and ended up writing porn, and the other one became a mad scientist and potential paedophile, by the looks of it. There was no one who had turned out normal; they were all blatant extremes. How very odd.
"Its about Minato's girl." He turned to Sarutobi, sighing. "Itachi tells me that she must have been kicked out last night, because she slept on a coastal shelf. Fugaku's youngest found her drowning when the tide came in." He shook his head, white hair waving as Jiraiya thought deeply about the young outcast. "I don't think making the subject taboo will solve anything right now, Hiruzen-sensei."
Sarutobi looked downward, feeling a slight pinch of guilt as he thought about the grinning young girl. "Are you suggesting she leaves? Where will she go? She is so young, Jiraiya." The Third Hokage looked out to the busy village that was bustling with people. "This wasn't what Minato intended at all."
"He was an idealist," Jiraiya stated bluntly. "Its not always a good thing, but it sounds like one." He shut his eyes and leaned on the fence that overlooked the village. "I think we don't really have very many options here. She is bloody traumatized, Hiruzen-sensei. On her own, she's a grinning, bouncing ball of confidence, but the moment she gets a bad look from a villager, she's a trembling mess."
"So your suggestion is to shelter her from it for a few years?" Sarutobi questioned. "Where will you take her? To other villages?"
"I have a small house in Lightning Country. We'll stay there. Do I have permission to leave Konoha with her?"
Sarutobi laughed. "Do you even have hers yet? You have mine. Remember that she's involved in this too." He paused after this, stopping himself speaking as though trying to phrase his words properly. "Why are you taking it upon yourself to take care of his daughter, anyway?"
The man stopped, thinking about it himself. "I owe him one. I think we all do, since he saved Konoha. Right, Hiruzen-sensei?"
As Jiraiya walked away, Sarutobi stared at his back, and began to feel incredibly old, as he realized that 4 generations of ninja were below him now. Jiraiya did, eventually, become... mature.
Naruto was interrupted by a light knocking at the door.
Realising that she still had tears in her eyes after all this time, she scrubbed at her eyes, rubbing frantically as she dashed out the door and prepared for any pissed off villagers wrath as she warily opened the door. She looked out, preparing for the worst-
"Naruto!" Jiraiya grinned, ruffling the girls tenderly cared to locks. She pouted in dismay, fixing her hair before returning his wide, toothy grin. He smiled, before letting a more somber look cross his face. "I have an offer for you, Naruto."
Naruto tilted her head, a silent question.
"I'm going to be heading off for a few years, to Lightning Country. I have the Hokage's permission to take you with me, if you want. We'll train, I'll feed you, you won't have to worry. You don't have to come with me. But, I highly suggest you do."
The young girl was left fairly dumbstruck by the suggestion. Jiraiya was a friend of the Third Hokage, and therefore a friend of hers. He had often walked around with her, and they had eaten together and laughed. Sometimes, when the Third was busy with Hokage duties, Jiraiya would look after her, but it was another thing to go to another country with him.
Somehow, it bothered her that she wasn't really bothered at all by leaving Konoha. Naruto felt a bit disturbed that she didn't really feel very much attachment to this village, aside from the Hokage, Mikoto, those two boys, and Iruka. Jiraiya too, of course. Surely she should have felt more compassion for it-
"I will give you 'til the end of tomorrow to decide. I'll be by the gates tomorrow afternoon at 6, bring all your clothes. I'll have the food, and so on and so forth. Just bring all the necessary clothes, personal belongings. Though I wouldn't bring anything big, since Lightning country isn't close." Jiraiya smiled at the still speechless little girl. "Come on, lets go for ramen."
She did not object.
The Next Day
Sasuke groaned as he heard Itachi's low voice calling his name. He would have rather remained in bed. He had gone out for one of his midnight walks after a difficult case of insomnia, and now he was so tired. Why was Itachi so determined to get him up anyway?
"Sasuke." Itachi sounded irritated. "Get up!"
The young boy wondered what he had done, or what someone else had done, to tickle his temper. "Why? What's up?"
Itachi sighed. The young Uchiha supposed that he may have misread irritation for concern. "That Naruto girl you fished off of that coastal shelf wants to speak to you." Sasuke pulled himself up, pushing the blankets off of himself and slipping into his house slippers. Still wearing loose black pyjamas, he stumbled into the hallway, trying to open his eyes enough to actually tell what was going on to an extent that wasn't useless.
He saw lengthy, silken blonde hair trail along the floor as the girl bowed deeply at the doorstep. Sasuke replied in a less than dignified manner; "Wha-?"
Naruto enveloped him in a big, tight hug, and her grip did not relent until Sasuke made a considerate effort to pry her arms off of him. She had an iron grip, he decided silently. "Thank you very very much for helping me the other night, Sasuke." She paused, trying to articulate her sentences in a polite manner. "I... I really needed the help. Thank you."
The obsidian-eyed Uchiha looked, and was, helplessly confused. "Why are you coming to apologise now?" At this bloody time in the morning? Jeez...
He saw her reel, as if sensing the cranky bitterness in his tone. It was as though he'd physically bitten at her with his words, somehow. She began to stutter. "W-Well, you see, I'm... I'm going away to Lightning Country today, and I... I wanted to say thank you, and erm..."
Sasuke felt a pang of annoyance at that. Why was she going? As stupid as it was, perhaps whimsical, he wouldn't have minded if she'd have stayed. He... might go as far to say that he wanted her to stay, but then again, he'd only spoken to her once. It was just that warm, if sometimes nervous aura that she gave off, made him feel comfortable and safe. Happy, too...
"and... erm, I'd like to write to you, if that's okay," she finished nervously, tapping her fingertips together and fiddling with her clothes as she nervously awaited his reply. Naruto bit her lip.
"Sure," Sasuke agreed. "Itachi, can you write down the address for me?"
Another deep sigh. "Yeah, okay Otouto. You do need to learn it, though..."
"Just write it down!"
The two children heard the faint scribbling of a pen, and Itachi opened the door to the kitchen and passed a small piece of paper to Sasuke, who then passed it to Naruto. The young girl tucked it in her pocket, and let loose a beaming smile, that sent a flooding blush to his cheeks upon sight. Though sometimes anxious, Sasuke decided that the angel he had met had a beautiful, beautiful smile, brighter than any he had ever seen.
"Thank you... Sasuke?" She winced, as though fearing she were wrong.
"Yeah, Sasuke, its Sasuke." He smiled, though it was smaller and not as warming as hers. He could, however, guarantee it was genuine. "You're welcome, Naruto."
She giggled, her cheeks rosy as she began casual conversation with the young boy.
Itachi, tucked away in the kitchen, closed his eyes, but allowed a small smile to creep up on his face upon hearing the animated debates and conversation that Naruto and Sasuke spoke about so wildly.
Its as though they've been friends for a long time... he thought oddly, before shaking off the thought and continuing to listen to the somewhat sweet conversation that passed between the two naïve children.
"Get off my hair, old man!"
The Third Hokage raised an eyebrow at the young girl, before chuckling and continuing to ruffle her hair. "I wish you the best of luck, Naruto. I'm sure Jiraiya and you will have a fabulous journey. Let us pray it is a safe one." Looking down at the young girl, she was as thin as ever. Though, with Jiraiya's care, it was doubtful that would be for long.
"Thanks," she smiled, hooking the backpack onto her shoulder once again. "I'll see you later, old man." She turned to the Uchiha's. Though she only knew Mikoto faintly, she had come to see her again, a small gesture that tickled her and made her feel warm and happy in the pit of her stomach; even if it was just to wave her off. With her, she had brought her two sons.
Itachi had wished her the best of luck. Though she had scarcely spoke to him, she got the feeling that his tone of voice that was cold at first glance, had warm, kind undertones. She smiled at him once again, feeling happy that someone had the decency to treat her as a person, unlike so many others she could recall.
Sasuke, stood on height with her, gave her a big big hug, and shot her a warm smile. Though she had known him for little to no time at all, Naruto felt as though that was a rarity, and treasured seeing that wonderful smile. He should smile more, she thought absent mindedly.
"I promise I'll write letters lots, but you have to write back you know!" Naruto grinned, giggling as she said it. "I'll tell you how I'm doing! You'll have to tell me what its like back here, too."
"Yeah," he smiled. "Tell me what Lightning country is like, too. I've never been. Take a picture, will you?"
"I will!" Naruto smirked. "Don't forget to tell me what jutsus you've learned, too! I'll try and learn some supercool ones." Sasuke agreed, and the adults looked at them in awe, amazed by the lack of ignorance emitted by the young boy towards the girl, normally exhibited by anyone who had witnessed the heinous behaviour of the villagers towards the girl. She wrapped his arms around him, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "I'll miss you."
Jiraiya hurried her along, and the girl waved, hair fluttering in the warm breeze as she stepped away from Konoha, and waved with a smile to those that stood by the gate waving back. As they grew too distant to see, Naruto fumbled in her pocket for the piece of paper. Looking at it, she felt a butterfly-like feeling in her tummy.
"29, Uchiha District, huh..."
Very light hearted so far. It is not always like this. Sorry to disappoint you.