Okay. I know a lot of people out there want my blood for not updating my other stories. Explanations are in my profile, but yes, I am still planning on finishing them all.

About this fic: I started writing it in January, just as a little random thing for fun, because I adore Itachi and the Yondaime and I have yet to see a good fic where they interact together. That made me sad. So I wrote this. By the time the manga revealed Madara's version of the truth about Itachi and the massacre, I was already finished with chapter 3 and crying my eyes out. So I didn't post this, thinking that we would soon see even more interaction than I wanted. It never came, so my editor talked me into posting this. Yes, I am aware of the fact that as soon as the manga tells us what really happened, this fic will probably seem very silly and AU. But for now, it makes sense to me.

Target

Chapter 1: June 1st

Itachi straightened up, smirking at his latest achievement.

Bullseye.

Nine in a row.

Not every almost-five-year-old could pull that off! Father would be so proud….

Itachi started at the sound of clapping behind him. He turned. Who would possibly be up this early…? His eyes widened as he took in a form that even he knew of, even though the man wasn't in his clan. Quickly, he bowed in respect to the village leader.

"You're good," the Yondaime commented lightly, stepping forward.

"Th-thank you, Hokage-sama," Itachi stuttered out. His face burned. He had just been complimented by the Hokage himself! What would Father think of this??

The Yondaime strode past him to the nine targets he had set up for his training, pulling out the nine kunai one at a time and examining each one carefully.

"Very good…," he murmured. Itachi felt another wave of heat at the continued praise.

What was better was the fact that he knew exactly what the Hokage was complimenting him for this time. It wasn't the fact that he had managed to land each one in their respective targets, but that he had been strong enough to get each one in deep enough for the Hokage to have to yank them out with difficulty.

"You're the Uchiha heir, am I correct?" the Yondaime asked politely. "Itachi?"

"Yes, sir," Itachi answered promptly. The Yondaime smiled.

"Good. I've been hoping to talk to you sometime soon. But maybe… you could do something for me?"

"What do you need me to do?" Itachi asked eagerly. The Yondaime smiled and handed him back his kunai. Itachi took them, looking up at the Hokage.

"Try it again," the Yondaime said, moving back towards the targets. Itachi brightened. He was being asked to perform for the greatest ninja in the village? Quickly, he readied his kunai, preparing to show what he could do.

But, just before he let the first weapon fly, the Yondaime reached out, grabbed the target he was aiming for, and pushed it to the ground. Itachi blinked in surprise, hesitating. The Hokage just smiled at him as if to say "Well? What are you going to do now?"

Quickly, Itachi aimed for the target next to it and let the kunai fly. However, just as the knife left his hand, the Yondaime pushed over that target too. The kunai bounced off a tree behind it.

"Oh dear," the Yondaime said cheerfully. "It looks like you missed one."

Now, Itachi was slightly confused. Didn't the Hokage want to see what he could do? Wasn't that the purpose of this exercise? He focused on the third target.

It too fell over as the Yondaime knocked it down, before Itachi even had a chance to properly aim.

Now he was starting to understand. He could aim for the other targets, but the Yondaime would push them over as well. He straightened, even as the Hokage pushed over the fourth target.

"What's the matter, Itachi-kun?" the Yondaime asked innocently. "I thought you would be eager to show me what you were made of."

"You're pushing over the targets," Itachi pointed out.

"So I am," the Yondaime agreed, nodding. Itachi frowned, frustrated.

"You can't change the rules in the middle of the game," he said. The Yondaime laughed.

"Yes, but you see, that's the fundamental nature of targets in the shinobi world," he said, leaning up against a target lazily. "They keep changing." He grinned at Itachi. "But that doesn't mean they're not still there."

He shoved the target he was leaning on, causing it to clatter to the ground as well. Itachi stared. This little exercise wasn't for him to show off what he could do, he realized. It was a test. The Yondaime expected him to be able to adapt to this new element in the game, and overcome it. Find a solution.

Itachi closed his eyes. If he understood the Yondaime correctly, the targets would continue to move in this game. Usually, both the thrower and the targets remained stationary throughout practice. But if the targets could move, then so could he!

He ran at the targets. There was no way he could get close enough to them to touch them, but in this game, the Yondaime was helping the enemy and he was near the targets. Itachi already knew he couldn't beat the Yondaime, so that meant he had to focus on getting as many kunai into the remaining targets as possible, before the Yondaime rendered them useless as well. After all, they might still be there, but he couldn't really hit a target that was face down, now could he?

Another target fell over as the Yondaime realized what Itachi was planning to do. Quickly, Itachi released seven of his eight remaining kunai, just as the Yondaime pushed down yet another target. The remaining two targets got hit by five of Itachi's kunai, a couple of them bouncing off, but the rest buried themselves deeply. Itachi smirked even as he rolled away from the targets and the Yondaime. He came up into a crouch, watching the Yondaime, who was staring at the targets.

"Huh. You only really aimed the one," he stated, looking at the furthest target, which now had a kunai buried in its center. "The rest were just to distract me, yes?"

"Yes," Itachi confirmed, not moving out of his crouch.

"You only took out one of your enemies, then," the Yondaime said, slowly turning towards Itachi with a smile on his face. A smile that was instantly replaced with shock as he realized that Itachi was still armed with one kunai. And glaring at him as though he expected the older man to attack at any moment.

"One for one is honorable," Itachi said defiantly. "And, who knows? Since I'm still armed and you're surprised, I may get more than one."

The Hokage smiled. "Are you planning on attacking me?"

"You came between me and my targets," Itachi said. "That makes you my enemy, doesn't it?"

"Not necessarily," the Yondaime said slowly, "but I am definitely a hindrance to your mission."

"Then I either need to find a way around you, or defeat you," Itachi concluded. "I know I can't defeat you right now, so I'd have to run away."

The Yondaime smiled and straightened again, clapping.

"Again. Very, very good, Itachi-kun," he said. "Keep this up and you'll make chunin in no time."

"I'm technically not even a genin yet," Itachi admitted, straightening up. He had only just started at the Academy. Even now he was considered young…

"Only in name," the Yondaime countered. "You're already thinking like a shinobi. What you really lack now is experience. That way, you wouldn't have to think twice about whether or not to attack me when I start protecting your targets against you."

"Don't you mean I lack power?"

"Knowledge is power, Itachi-kun. Would you care to share some with me?"

"Huh?"

The Yondaime beckoned. "Come have breakfast with me. We'll talk some more."

…………………

Breakfast turned out to be dango, which the Yondaime made him promise not to tell his mother about.

Itachi willingly agreed.

Not only did he get to have one of his most favorite foods, but he got to eat with the Hokage himself! He almost burst with pride at the jealous looks he saw some the other shinobi around shoot him.

And the Yondaime himself was, in a word: cool. He didn't talk down to Itachi, or call him anything embarrassing like Itachi-chan, or even scold him for gulping down too many dangos at once and having to grab a glass of water to help them down. He just laughed and refilled Itachi's glass while asking him how classes were going for him.

Itachi responded as best he could, trying not to sound like he was bragging. But in truth, most of those classes were easy. The teacher told them one thing and expected them to remember it. It wasn't that hard. He didn't understand why some of the other kids still had problems with it.

In return, the Yondaime told him funny stories about little missions that Konoha had had recently, including one rich woman's new baby kitten, who apparently didn't like her very much. Itachi laughed, knowing that the Yondaime was telling him these stories because he wasn't allowed to tell Itachi anything more classified.

"And then those poor genin brought in about ten different kittens, because the only thing the daimyo's wife could tell us about her precious 'Tora,' was that she was brown," the Yondaime said, grinning and shaking his head. "She's currently up there with all of those kittens, trying to figure out which one is her actual pet."

"But if you have someone up there, is it all right for you to be in the village?" Itachi asked. The Yondaime gave him a look that clearly said, "What? Are you kidding me?" and Itachi covered his mouth, snickering.

"I had to get away from all those cats," the Yondaime said, shaking his head. "Otherwise I might've ended the problem right there by killing them all. Lords above, they can cry… And the worst part is, we'll probably see her again, if she actually gets the right cat. Because from what I've heard, 'Precious Tora-chan' doesn't like being precious."

Itachi snickered again. Then he thought of something.

"What if you were able to know it was the right one next time?" he asked. The Yondaime raised an eyebrow at him. "Like, put something on it, so you would know for sure that it was the right cat," he clarified. The Yondaime's expression cleared instantly.

"You're a genius, Itachi-kun! Put a marker on it! Perfect!" he exclaimed. "Then we can keep the woman's business and not have the Hokage Tower riddled with cats every time she comes! This is great! We'd have to get the woman to do it herself, though… we're not allowed to meddle like that. Hmm… what should I suggest? A bell? No, she said Tora-chan liked to hunt the mice sometimes…"

"A ribbon?" Itachi suggested. "Mother likes ribbons. She says they're cute."

"Good idea, but no, that could get caught just about anywhere. And with all the running poor Tora-chan probably going to do…."

"What if you tied it up? Like in a bow or something?"

The Yondaime brightened immediately.

"Now that's an idea!"

Not so bad, eh? Please review!

But, please, before you try to flame me, saying that Itachi is too young to be doing any of this, much less understanding it, please note that I live with two children under the age of five. It's amazing what they're able to do and understand. A genius like Itachi? Pfft. Piece of cake.