A/N: Actually, this chapter has been written for a long time now... But I thought I already posted it so that's why it's only now that I got it up...

(Sasuke's POV)

The day passed without so much as a single form of productivity. And just when you thought that nothing worse would come, the rain poured more heavily as the sun set from the far horizon and as night arose; it would be quite impossible for the academy to resume if this kind of weather kept up. The thunder roared and the lightning flashed noisily about the night sky as howling winds strolled to and fro through the darkness of the hallowed evening.

You had quite some trouble sleeping what with the fracas going on outside; plus, with the cold weather Konoha was having, it was quite futile to try to sleep. You nonchalantly stared up at the ceiling, finding it pointless to rid yourself of your restlessness. Unintentionally, your thoughts drifted toward your very dear friend – the young girl named Aiko. You wondered where she could be. Was she out in the storm with nowhere to go? Or was she safe inside the warm walls of a home?

"SASUKE-KUN!!! SAVE ME!!!"

Her frightened cries echoed inside your head repeatedly. Those were her last words before she was taken away and before you gave in to the darkness, as far as you could remember. You recalled how you reacted when you had woken up the next day, lying safely upon your bed. You had hopefully thought that you were only dreaming when you saw Aiko being kidnapped but both Itachi's and Takeshi's faces showed otherwise.

"I AM GOING TO FIND AIKO! AND SAVE HER NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES - THAT'S A PROMISE!"

You had blurted out those words out of anger. You had blamed yourself for you had let the kidnappers get away with Aiko. You were weak and you hated yourself for that though the fact that you were a mere five-year-old would've been a valid reason for your inability to rescue your friend.

You blinked your weary eyes once...twice and you thought you saw a figure of red and black...thrice then you heard her sweet, silent whispers as she called your name...and again you blinked and then your onyx eyes met crimson ones. She was waving her hand, greeting you her innocent hello. She stood in front of a flourishing Sakura tree. Clearly, you were in your room no more.

Her blood red eyes dug deep within your soul, penetrating through all your defenses. A light breeze blew in, making her long black hair thrash behind her. The white kimono with beautiful red, dragon designs she wore brought out the colors of her eyes and her white complexion. Her warm smile melted the cold-hearted Uchiha like wildfire.

"Aiko..?" you muttered almost inaudible, full of uncertainty.

This couldn't be the girl from years ago. You haven't seen her since you were both five so how in the world would you ever believe that this was Ichiro Aiko? You wouldn't be sure of her appearance now that she was twelve-years-old either. There's no way this was her.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun!" she replied in a voice much like your childhood friend only in a more mature and lady-like manner. "How are you?"

It was her and there was no doubt about it. She was here right in front of you, ready to be rescued. You slowly walked toward her, taking small strides, somewhat hesitant. She just stood there, grinning as you inched to her. She seemed so...real. You could tell that she was shorter than you, which was only natural since you were a boy after all. You lifted your right hand up beyond her shoulders; your hand was shaking slightly as it got closer to her face. Inch by inch you tried to touch her, to see if she was just some kind of genjutsu but...

"Where have you been all these years?" you asked quietly as your hand stopped when you felt her smooth cheeks; she not only looked real, she felt as if she was really there.

She answered you but all that came out of her lips were: "RING! RING! RING!"

Your deep black eyes instantly shot open as the alarm resounded in your ears. It was just a dream; she was just a figment of your wild imagination. You sat up and sighed. You should've known better than to believe that she was real; for all you knew, she could be dead by now.

You got off of your bed and looked out your window. The sun shone brightly up in the cloudy blue sky. The rain had passed awfully quickly in your opinion but you were not one to complain. A whole day of supposed training was wasted just sitting around your apartment doing nothing to improve your skill. Through your entire discontentment, you had done all your daily routines (bathe, brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, etc.) and you were now prepared to go to the academy.

You left your apartment at half past six, somewhat excited about today's events. At last, this was your day of reckoning; today, you were one step closer to your ambition to avenge the Uchiha Clan. In other words, it was the day you take the graduation exam, pass it, and then officially become genin.

The walk toward the Ninja Academy was quite peaceful since not many villagers were up this early in the morning. When you arrived at the later destination, it was barely inhabited, considering how punctual you were. The main reason as to why you did this was to avoid those annoyingly persistent fan girls from trying to seduce you or from arguing about you with other girls right in front of your face with the hope of delaying those said encounters even for just a few minutes.

You took your normal seat in the second row, enlacing your hands together before your face. You stared at nothing in particular and no one dared bother your intense thoughts because there was no other person but you at the moment.

You weren't nervous at all about the Graduation Exam today since you knew you could do anything that they ask you to; after all you were the number one academy student by far. Besides, you were part of the Uchiha Clan – the clan of geniuses. You were ready for anything they throw at you (not literally speaking, of course).

You untangled your hands for one of them touched the shiny silver charm of your necklace. You had worn it for good luck though you might not even need it at all. It's just that it inspired you to do your best since you had vowed to one day find and save Aiko and now that you were strong, you wouldn't lose her to some hired thug anymore.

Suddenly, you heard noises. They were voices. Oh no, it looked like you were doomed for your fan girls have arrived!

(Back to Aiko's (Your) POV)

Your deeply battered body failed you as you attempted to stand back up and pursue your losing battle versus this skilled ninja. You had already beaten the other man some time last night during the strong rain. There was still one more though you doubt that you'd fend him off.

"Give it up, Iris." The muscled man announced, coming toward you.

You heard the approaching sound of his footsteps as you tried harder to get back on your feet. He grabbed the collar of your ripped blue shirt and pulled you up in the air with much ease. With both of your tired hands you grasped his obviously stouter wrists, trying to make him put you down.

"We can end this now if you want..?" he asked tauntingly.

"NO WAY! I'M NOT GOING BACK WITH YOU!" You yelled a sudden burst of energy erupted from deep inside you.

Your nails penetrated his skin, impairing him enough to let you go. You stood up unsteadily in your fighting stance, determined to bring him down; there was no way you were going to surrender now, you've gone too far to turn back.

"YOU BTCH!" he screamed, irritated by your obstinacy.

All of a sudden, he appeared behind you, his slightly long blonde hair tickling the side of your face. He aimed a quick punch at you but you crouched down just in time to evade it. Your hands touched the ground and you used them to balance yourself as you turned and kicked him where IT hurts. He stumbled back and you smirked. You still had a pretty good chance to win.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT, FILTHY BTCH!" he cursed as he quickly charged back at you, enraged.

The next thing you knew, you were eating even more dirt. You forced yourself back up once more and ran at him at the fastest pace you could, only to be thrown back onto a trees trunk by another powerful strike.

You groaned in pain. You had spoken too soon; this wasn't going to be as simple as you thought it'd be. There you were, lying on the ground, coughing out thick red blood, extremely weak and tired. You just wished he would arrive and save you. Your eyes glazed over from the tears that were forming in your crimson orbs.

You had promised him that you'd return some day; no matter how long or hard it took to accomplish that task. You had thought that the fulfillment of this promise was within reach but all your hope was lost when you were once again thrown against the tree painfully and back to the muddy ground.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun. I guess we won't be seeing each other again after all..." you whispered, salty tears escaping your eyes, leaving trails upon your smooth cheeks.

Your eyelids were dropping and were much too heavy for you to control. You did your best but it just wasn't good enough. Why must you go back to the hell-of-a-life you lived through for seven years? You just wished that someone would arrive and save you from your inevitable fate...wasn't there someone? Anyone?

(Takeshi's POV)

It had already been six years since you last saw your beloved sister, plus the one-year when you had almost given up hope of ever locating her. You had gone back to the village you grew up in, only to find that your best friend – Uchiha Itachi – slaughtered his entire clan with the exception of his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, who was Aiko's dearest (if not only) friend.

Sasuke was a complete wreck. He was no longer the cheery boy both you and Aiko have known; he became cold, distant and hungry for power much like his older brother – the guy he swore he would kill. You couldn't blame him though for his sudden change; he had witnessed the bloodshed of his family, who wouldn't be traumatized? He lost everything that night; his family, his whole clan by the bloody hands of his own flesh and blood, his treacherous brother. You had tried by all means possible to revert him back to his old self but he just wouldn't listen; your closeness to Itachi didn't help much either. So, you had done the only thing you thought that would make him happy; you had offered to be his sensei and knowing that you were an exceptionally skilled ANBU, he eagerly accepted. Thus, this bright young boy became your first student. He would never give up on a technique until he successfully master it and you admired his solidarity.

Maybe that was the reason you had found him to be the most appropriate suitor for your one and only sister – Aiko. You smiled sincerely at the thought. You would hardly admit that you were protective of Aiko; you would never allow her to fall into unworthy hands. Her special gift might have set her aside from others but she was still human and she was your sister; it's only right for you to watch over her since you were her big brother. No other girl could compare to the importance of Aiko in your life, not even your girl friend and you'd do anything to save her from her inevitable fate.

Your long bangs whipped passed your masked face as you jumped from tree to tree on your way back to Konoha. The deep blue eyes behind your fox-like mask scanned the area as the only things you heard was the rustling of your black cloak and the sound of your sandals hitting the thick branches; the eerie silence raised your suspicions. You stopped abruptly upon sensing the sudden clash of chakras nearby. The funny thing was, the feebly weak presence was quite familiar to you.

'Could it be..?' you had mentally asked yourself.

You quickly ran to the direction of the on-going battle and found yourself in a huge clearing. No one had noticed your arrival so you surveyed the fighters carefully. One was a cloaked guy such as yourself but he had a more muscular built body purely because of your age difference; the second one was a twelve-year-old who was lying on the ground hardly even breathing.

The cloaked figure walked closer to the helpless girl, chortling loudly like a maniac, most probably amused by the proceedings. You couldn't just stand there and do nothing as he hurt a defenseless girl. So, with your unnoticed presence to your advantage, you attacked her assailant. Shock filled his brown eyes as you easily killed him.

The man fell backward towards the ground, lifeless. Death was what he deserved, you thought. He fought an innocent and powerless girl though you were not sure if she was really your sister or not. You knelt beside the bruised young girl and gave her a look of pure concern. She had scratches everywhere on her body and a deep gash on her left thigh, which was bleeding heavily. You removed your ANBU mask and stared at her intently. Was this really who Aiko grew into?

"Aiko...is that you..?" you asked her, starting to lift her up from the ground gently to avoid further pain.

She moaned slightly at your touch and answered in a very soft whisper, "Hai..." Her answer caused you to grin despite the ill situation; you had found Aiko. You were glad that she was alive and well in the most part. You were lucky enough to locate her before she did or else Aiko would've faced seriously perilous circumstances.

You sighed in obvious relief as you quickly ran back to Konoha. Your number one priority was to take Aiko to the hospital. She was loosing a lot of blood from her deep cut and to add to your anxiety, she was developing a fever. Speaking of which, you noted to yourself to tell her off for staying out in the rain; her clothes were damp and wet, no wonder she was sick.

When Konoha gates came into clear view, your heart started racing. You had been running so fast that you had almost bumped into the guards that watched the entrance.

"Who are you? State your business." The man in front of you asked.

"Ichiro Takeshi. Konoha ANBU." You replied as serious as he was. "I'm in a hurry though, as you can see."

"Oh, it's just you, Takeshi." The other less-strict guard had told you. "Long time no see..."

"Same to you..." you retorted, running swiftly towards your chosen destination.

The Konoha Hospital, which was a fair distance from the gate you entered, was - within a few minutes - in sight. You hastily crossed the threshold and requested the help of any available medical-nin. A familiar face heeded your pleas. She was a woman in her early twenties with long black hair and be-spectacled hazel eyes.

"Takeshi? What happened?" the young woman asked you, worried.

"I don't have time to explain, Kaori-san. But Aiko needs your help!" you explained hurriedly.

She willingly complied and took Aiko away from you, leading her to the emergency room on a wheeled stretcher. You felt all the more relieved once you saw Kaori, with all her other nurses, take Aiko through the double doors of the room; you knew she would be safe now that she was back in Konoha.

'I will not let anyone else take you away from me again, Aiko – I'll make sure of that.' You thought as you patiently sat at the waiting area while staring hopefully at the doors of the room wherein Aiko was being treated. Just then, another masked ANBU tapped you on your shoulder, getting your attention instantly.

"The Third Hokage wishes to see you, Takeshi." The cloaked man told you, somewhat urgently.

"I'll go see him later, Jiro." You uttered nonchalantly. "I cannot leave until I'm sure of my sister's safety." You added, knowing he'd protest.

"If that's what you want. I have no right to tell you what to do." He responded. " Just make sure you report to him A.S.A.P. (as soon as possible). That order came directly from the Hokage himself." He continued as he left, looking back at you as you nodded in agreement.

You heard him sigh and you smiled at him slightly. It felt good to be back in Konoha; you felt secure here than in other villages. You were even happier when you had found Aiko, at last. After at least an hour, Kaori exited the emergency room with a warm smile on her face.

"How is she, Kaori-san?" you asked anxiously.

" Don't worry, Takeshi. She's fine. Though she may be knocked out for another day or so. And she will need plenty of rest so her wounds will heal quickly." Kaori said happily. "You may go in to see her if you wish to." She added.

You returned her smile and stood from your seat. You went in the room and saw Aiko sleeping peacefully, all her wounds were now bandaged and have stopped bleeding. Now that she was safe, you could freely present yourself to the Hokage but you felt unsure. You weren't so keen in leaving Aiko here without protection. You barely trust anyone with her; they could just be her kidnappers in disguise or worse her. You just couldn't go with the knowledge that she might just be around the corner, watching Aiko or that she was still being followed by those no-good ninjas. No, she would never be safe at all. The safest she'd be was with you with her or with her wounds healed.

Hours have passed as you just stare at her, keeping your guard on as your mind wandered through your past. You were well prepared for any type of attack and it was as if someone would magically appear out of thin air and take Aiko away. Then, an arm grasped your shoulder and squeezed it lightly. It caught you by surprise so with a swift shift of position; you threw the hand off of you and immediately stepped into your fighting stance.

"Take it easy, Takeshi." An old man's voice told you, slightly smiling at your antics. "It's only me."

"Hokage-sama..." you whispered in acknowledgement. "Gomennasai..." you added, showing your respect by bowing slightly.

"It's all right, Takeshi. I understand your concerns. But don't you trust the security of this village?" the Third Hokage replied, standing beside you but facing your sister.

"Not at all. It's just that they have successfully kidnapped her once and I cannot let that happen again." You simply retorted, turning around to watch Aiko once more.

"I see. By the way, have you informed him yet?" he asked.

"He knows nothing yet. I haven't got the chance to tell him. But I heard he passed the genin test?" you stated grinning.

"They just took the test this morning. In fact, he was declared the number one rookie genin." The Hokage said in response, quite joyfully.

"That's good to hear. He's just like him, isn't he?" you stated, showing your happiness with an even bigger smile.

"MASTER HOKAGE, NARUTO TOOK THE SCROLL OF THE FORBIDDEN SEALS!!!" another ninja who barged into the room yelled noisily.

You were taken aback by the outburst and spoke nothing. You regained your composure and smiled when you finally realized that they were talking about the Kyuubi-boy. You found it funny that a boy with such power would commit that sort of crime; you knew him to be the prankster of the village so someone must've tricked him into doing it. He wouldn't be able to think of that as a joke if he knew it was forbidden; he was much too foolish to realize that. In any case, you didn't desire to be included in such activities; you were much too busy and besides the Hokage could handle this kind of situation.

Hours more passed as you remained in silence, simply standing beside the hospital bed where your sister slumbered. All the while she was in a seemingly blissful sleep until...

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM! LEAVE US ALONE!" she suddenly started to yell, clenching her fingers and shaking her head furiously. "NO! PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM! STOP! SASUKE-KUN!"

"Aiko..." you whispered grabbing a hold of her hand while trying to calm her down.

(Back to Aiko's (Your) POV)

You breathed heavily and your face contorted with both pain and rage. She was going to take him away from you and then she would hurt him.

"Wake up, Aiko. You're just dreaming..." someone told you as he took your hand in his and began rubbing it with the sincere purpose of calming you down.

His voice was familiar to you somehow. That calm yet sweet sound of his voice, which held pure seriousness and authenticity was owned by your older brother; there was no doubt about it.

"Ta...ke...shi..." you mumbled dryly.

You forced open your eyelids and indeed saw Takeshi's smiling face hovering over yours. You had double vision for a moment and it was quite blurred too. You blinked a couple of times until you were able to focus your sight and by then you were too tired to speak.

"Would you like anything, Aiko? A glass of water, maybe? Or something to eat?" your oh so caring brother inquired, brushing your hair softly; concern flashed in his eyes when he felt your slightly heated temperature.

You gave him a quaint nod and gave him a small smile. After he left, you looked around you, absorbing the contents of your current location in your mind. It was a brightly lit white room; the walls, your bed covers, and everything around you were either white or some kind of light blue. As far as you knew, you could already be back in Konoha. At that thought, you felt the burden of having to be on-guard subside even just a little. You sat up with much difficulty and started to think. Was it really necessary to return? You mean, your presence would endanger the life of the people in the village, wouldn't it? Then again, being manipulated in the wrong hands would be even worse, right? You sighed at your own confusion and then a mysterious inside force began to take over your body. You tried to fight for control but the force was much too powerful for you to overcome. You felt trapped within your own mind and were unaware of what was happening around you. Your whole body went numb and you completely lost supremacy.

(Naruto's POV)

It had been a long day for you. You failed to pass the genin test again and were fooled into stealing the Scroll of the Forbidden Seals. Mizuki (chunin instructor) had told you that it contained the technique you could learn to pass but he hadn't informed you that it was prohibited to students like you. Things went downhill from that point on though you found it amusing when you had beaten the Hokage with your "Sexy no Jutsu".

Mizuki had tried to steal the scroll that you took but who else but Iruka came to save you. For once in your life, you felt acknowledged. Now you knew that not everyone hated you and you now realized why most of the people in the village hated you in the first place. It was all because of the Kyuubi living inside you. From what you've heard Mizuki tell you, the Kyuubi was a nine-tailed demon that attacked Konoha approximately twelve years ago, which was sealed into your body by the Yondaime (Fourth Hokage). Then you beat the crap out of Mizuki because he was hurting the only person who ever cared for you with your newly acquired technique – the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique). The best part of that night was the fact that Iruka had passed you to officially become genin! Things couldn't possibly get any worse, right?

Once Iruka gave you his hitai-ate (forehead protector), you were reminded of the many injuries you and Iruka sustained. Both of you opted to take yourselves to the hospital to get treated. Since Iruka's wound took long to get healed, you decided to wander around for a while.

After a few minutes of walking, you found yourself in a dimly lit corridor. Everything was silent mainly because of the lateness of the time; it was probably like twelve midnight. Then, out of nowhere, you saw a blinding light from the room two doors before you. Your curiosity steered you to the direction of the source and you gently peeked through its threshold. The extremely bright radiance was impairing your vision but still you strained to see whatever it was that caused this luminosity. Amidst the brilliance of the glow, you saw a girl around your age standing quite stiffly; you were perplexed when you saw the silhouette of a fierce-looking dragon standing behind her, its snake-like tail wrapped loosely around her feet. Her somewhat hypnotized red eyes were staring right at your blue ones and you simply could not look away. With your eyes locked in an intense gaze, she started to speak words, which were beyond your comprehension.

Three more rounds and my time's gone

To correct the mistake that had been done

Three more rounds and my life is through

So I must complete what I sought to do

To take the life that once plagued mine

Is the sole mission of this angel, divine

But if this task is not done

Till three more rounds around the sun

Then shall it be, I die in vain

Unless the thorn in my life is slain

Her words left you befuddled. What did she mean by 'three more rounds'? Or 'my time's all gone'? What did her speech mean? As you tried your best to be rid of your confusion, the bright light faded and the girl fell to the floor. You came closer to check if the girl was all right, only to find out that she was unconscious.

"Forget about what you heard tonight, Uzumaki..." a man in his late teens told you from the open door.

"What? But why?" you retorted, wanting an explanation.

"What Aiko said earlier must not reach her delicate ears. It's for the best to simply get it out of your memory." He explained as he carried the girl into his arms.

"What did she mean anyway?" you asked, hoping dearly for an answer.

"It's nothing of your concern, Uzumaki. It is something within the borders of secrecy of the Ichiro clan." He told you, smiling warmly as he laid the girl into her bed.

You shrugged at his response and chose to leave it at that. You wouldn't even dream of becoming a part of that secret anyway; that dragon you saw looked very scary and besides you wouldn't want to be nosy; this guy seemed serious. Still, as you returned to your apartment, you couldn't help but ponder over her words...

To take the life that once plagued mine is the sole mission of this angel divine...

...What did it mean?