Whew! D: It's finally revamped! Today was my deadline, so here ya go! x3 By the way, from now on, you can expect me to upload something every other Tuesday. The next Tuesday I will upload is the 24th of March.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Chapter 2

-Five years later-

"Furthermore, when one overuses their jutsu extensively, over a period of time, the after-effects will begin to show—usually during heated battle, when the technique is most needed. The user will not be able to call forth the required amount from his recess of chakra, and the jutsu will, as a result, be either very weak or not useable at all."

"Very nice, Suki," Iruka said, praising Suki for her efforts as her classmates just sat and stared. Not a single one of them was left unsurprised—every single jaw was dropped in amazement. This was just another average day in the life of Uchiha Suki, but a miracle to everyone else. "So, for your homework tonight, I want you to research the effects of pressure on the keirakukei, the Inner Gates, and the chakra reserves within the body when the shinobi is ill." Iruka turned to the rest of the class to finish the announcement. Already the kids were bemoaning the homework that awaited them. "As for the rest of you, I'd like a one-page essay on the positive and negative effects of using one jutsu all the time. And remember, a 'page' means both sides of the paper. All right, that dismisses class for today! I'll see you all again tomorrow. Keep practicing that transformation jutsu!"

There was a loud clamor as the students scrambled to get out of the door, carelessly snatching up their belongings by making only a halfway attempt to gather all of what was theirs, and leaving the rest behind—mostly notebooks, lunchboxes, and pencils. Suki remained patiently at the front of the classroom, waiting for her peers to leave so there would be peace and quiet for at least a few moments. It was only after the other kids were long gone that she finally moved to begin gathering up her own belongings. She did not scramble, as the others had, because she was not in a hurry, as they had been…and for a very good reason. She was waiting for someone.

That someone made himself known with a slight knock on the partially open door and a question. "Hello…? May I come in?"

Suki stared at the door, breaking into a smile when she heard the person speak. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei," she answered quickly. Kakashi slid the door open and sheepishly scratched the back of his head with one hand.

"I'm not…late, am I?"

Iruka looked over at him. "No, actually," he said, grinning. "You're right on time."

Kakashi straightened and put his arm down. "Am I? Well, that's nice for a change."

"It is," Suki said, stepping in front of him. "And I am ready to go now."

"So you've already gotten your assignment?"

"Yes."

"All right then. See you later, Iruka."

"Bye."

Suki was nine years old, and even more intelligent and powerful than five years before. She was now considered to be one of the strongest ninja in the village, although this was kept secret as she was still very young and subject to disapproving seniors who firmly believed she was nothing more than a kid. But most others who knew of her would have to disagree. People on that side of the line believed that her brother Sasuke was more of a child than Suki had ever been. But Sasuke was different, too. He had discovered the usefulness of façades and masks; how he could hide his true self by shutting down and turning cold eyes on the world. Those who had already deemed him childish could not meet his intense gaze, because even if you knew nothing about him at all, looking into his eyes hurt. And since this was true, he was ignored by adults but looked up to by children, as it seemed only they were invincible to his insensitive glaring technique. Only Suki did not have to face his cold exterior. In fact, she was the only one who could get him to actually smile. He showed kindness and love only towards her, for she was all he had left of his family, his old self, his past…

Kakashi and Suki stopped when they arrived at the training grounds.

"What are we here for?" Suki asked.

"We are here to test your strength and stamina," Kakashi replied. "But there is also something else you need to be aware of."

"Yes?"

"The Chuunin Exams."

"You mean the exams one needs to take before they become a Chuunin?"

"Yes. You will take the exams along with your brother and his team."

"But…who am I to be teamed with?" There was a hint of fear in her voice. After all, she was still a child.

"Don't worry. You'll be with Iruka and me."

"But both of you have already passed the exams. And I'm not graduated as a genin yet anyway…"

"You're different," was all Kakashi answered her with. "And anyway, you seem to be strong enough to handle it. But back to the present."

"Hai," Suki answered, easing into a fighting stance. This was standard combat practice. Lately she hadn't been doing so well, as taijutsu wasn't her forte, but she was starting to get better. With any luck she would master this art too.

It was several hours before Kakashi declared Suki's training officially over for the day, and several minutes more before he gave her the final verdict on her progress from the day's training.

"Well, all I can say is you're definitely improving from before. Keep it up and I'll be able to teach you some advanced moves like the jutsu the Hokage's been teaching you. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow here again, okay? Now let's get you home."

--

Midnight is a magical time to be awake. It is both the end of yesterday and the beginning of tomorrow, and it is therefore free from the boundary of time itself, blending both one and the other, past and future, black and white into something entirely new that defies all laws for just one moment. For just one moment…the stark contrast between black and white becomes gray, and we can see two things in one briefly… And then time moves on. This was the moment in which I awoke only to find the atmosphere a little different. My older brother was missing. Upon realizing this, I went outside and saw him, sitting on the rooftop and gazing into the moon.

Jumping up to join him, I said, "Onii-chan, why are you out here all alone?"

"Suki-chan…" he said softly, hugging me in response. I relaxed into his arms, taking a deep, peaceful breath before I spoke again.

"Daijobu, Sasuke…" I told him, and he only hugged me tighter. I smiled and hugged him back, waiting in silence for what I already knew he was going to say. I cuddled him a bit, and he gave a soft chuckle. Yes, this was the side of him that no one else got to see…

"Suki-chan…I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, but…I got my Sharingan."

"That's wonderful, Sasuke. Perhaps I shall get mine soon too…" I answered, still smiling. But of course, he couldn't hear what I was thinking: If only you knew, Sasuke…if only you knew…

--

The next day, Suki handed in her homework and sat down in her seat in the front row. Her expression did not change, even when Iruka nearly passed out upon seeing the amount she had turned in.

"S-Suki-chan…I didn't ask for this much…"

"But you also did not specify the exact amount you wanted," Suki replied calmly.

"Heh…that is true, isn't it? Well, nevermind then." He turned his attention back to the class. "All right, listen up! Rouin-sensei and I swap classes today, so all of you who are in the advanced class please make sure you have any homework ready that he gave you last time… In a few minutes, we'll line you up and you'll go to his classroom quietly, this time."

--

"Today, our mission is to help at the Ninja Academy…" Kakashi began. My eyes grew wide. That meant I'd get a chance to see Suki!

"Can I help in Rouin's class?" I asked abruptly, cutting Kakashi off. He looked at me, apparently not too happy that I'd interrupted him but more interested in my reason for asking that question.

"Rouin…? Doesn't he teach the advanced class?"

"Yes…Suki's in that class; Rouin and Iruka swap out on certain days."

"Ooooh…can I go with Sasuke?" Sakura chimed in.

Kakashi shook his head. "No. You must each go to your own classes and help the teacher there. Yes, Sasuke, you may go to Rouin's class. Sakura, you can help Iruka, and Naruto…do whatever you do."

--

I walked into the classroom and everyone's eyes immediately focus on me, but before I even got a chance to explain myself, my younger sister hopped up and ran to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and enveloping me in a warm hug.

"Sasuke-nii-chan! You came to visit me!"

"H-hai."

"Sasuke-san, please state your business," Rouin said, effectively ruining the tender brother-sister moment.

"Um…" I swallowed hard. "Our mission today is to help out…can I…do you need help in your class?" I asked.

"Well…" Rouin began, running a hand through his shaggy, dark brown hair, "You can help with her, if you like. She is your sister, after all."

I nodded. "Yes, I would like that."

Rouin nodded as well. "Very well, then. Take a seat, but be careful to make no interruptions."

While I couldn't really help my sister with the jutsu itself, I did manage to help her by just being there for her. I showed her the minute errors in some of the more difficult problems and applauded her strength in jutsu that at her age would have been too difficult for me. And that was the most amazing part of it—she was so strong that, in addition to being a member of the advanced class at the Ninja Academy, she was also receiving special training from my sensei, Kakashi, as well as the Hokage himself! Furthermore, it was within question that she would soon be chosen as the Fifth Hokage. Now that was news that shocked me. My little sister, at the age of nine, was not only indefinitely stronger than me, but also an option for Hokage? It made all my training seem like child's play!

After class ended, I tried to leave, but Suki held me back.

"No, Sasuke-nii, I'm not free to go yet."

"What? Why not?"

"Rouin-sensei has to give me my assignment, and then I have a lesson with Kakashi-sensei, and today is one of the days I learn a new jutsu from the Hokage."

"Wow, you've got a lot to do today, huh?"

"Sasuke, thank you for helping out today," Rouin told me. "Suki, your assignment for tonight is to research the cause of chakra drain and how it can be stopped, slowed, and/or prevented."

"Okay."

We left, not really heading in any particular direction since I didn't know where Kakashi had gotten off to. Unfortunately, we didn't get very far without being interrupted.

"Hey, Sasuke!" I sighed. It was Sakura…

She ignored my sigh. "Hey, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei said we could do what we wanted now, since…"

"No."

"Doshite? You don't even know what I was going to ask."

"If you could go out with me on a date. I said no."

"Actually, I was wondering if you and Naruto wanted to have a picnic with me by the Falls."

I was surprised. "What?"

"Yeah."

"Umm…Suki-chan was…"

"My training was with water-style jutsu, anyway," Suki said, cutting me off.

"Right! So let's all go," Kakashi said, poofing out of nowhere.

"A picnic?" Naruto asked, running up to join us.

Sakura smiled. "Yeah."

"Sounds kinda boring," Naruto replied with a frown, but just as he was about to get clobbered by Sakura he grinned and punched a fist in the air. "But it's a great idea anyway! So what are we standing around here for? Come on, let's go!"

--

Just the fact that I went to the picnic in the first place was unbelievable, but it was even more unbelievable that I actually had fun. I had been expecting to just sit off to the side while everyone else 'socialized' or whatever, but as soon as I tried to do so, Sakura dragged me off to go help Naruto get everything set up because apparently she had spent half the morning putting it together and didn't want to be bothered with it. And of course, since she was going to make Naruto do it anyway, she wanted me to help, if only to make sure he didn't mess anything up. After that, I tried again to isolate myself, but Suki pulled me back so we could all eat together, and afterwards we all had to help clean up before we could watch Suki train with Kakashi. During her break, Suki tagged along with Naruto, who was following Sakura while she picked flowers, and I ended up heading in another direction with Kakashi, because he wanted to talk with me about something important.

Inwardly I hoped the 'something important' was my little sister, because if there was one thing I knew nothing about, it was her. I guess I was lucky, because she was the exact subject Kakashi wanted to discuss.

"You know, Sasuke…you've really got a lot on your hands. Suki-chan, I mean."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, ready for a full-out explanation of Suki's tremendous powers.

"Your younger sister is far beyond anything I've ever seen. I mean, I knew that your clan has a history of shinobi prodigies, but this is unbelievable."

"How so?"

"Suki-chan…has a large amount of chakra, and not only that, she's a genius…almost more than a genius, if you know what I mean. She has such a profound understanding of things that it would take an average person years to even begin to understand all that she does. On top of that, she is capable of using very difficult, high-level jutsu with ease…and she's only nine years old."

"Suki-chan…"

"That's why she's been receiving all this extra training, both from me and the Hokage. She copies the jutsu I've copied, and then…"

My eyes widened. "What?"

"Eh?"

"She copies your copied jutsu? How?"

"With her Sharingan, of course."

"Sharingan?!"

"She's had Sharingan since birth, Sasuke…you mean you didn't know?" No, I hadn't known. In fact, Suki herself had told me 'Perhaps I will get mine soon too', which meant that not only was I being kept in the dark about all of her abilities, but she had also lied to me! All this time I had trusted her with everything, and she had been lying to me about her power from the very beginning!

"W-what form? How many tomoe?" I asked, because I had to know. If it was more than mine, I would be angry but also a little scared. Why angry? Because that would mean she's more able to avenge the clan than I am, I thought bitterly. But I would also be scared because of her potential.

"Three, same as mine."

Silence.

"I really thought you knew."

So it was as I had feared. She was stronger than me, and I would be standing in her shadow just as I had been in Itachi's. Geez, I thought to myself, I can never win.

There was one more factor in this equation that I could not figure out on my own, so I asked.

"Is…" I struggled to get the words out, as they were more than difficult to say. "Is she—stronger than…than…Ita—Itachi?"

Kakashi looked at me directly. "Huh? Itachi?"

I looked away, whipping my head to the side so fast that my neck popped.

"Well…if you really want to know what I think…I believe she has the potential to surpass even the sannin…she dwarfs Itachi in strength."

My heart almost stopped.

--

To Sasuke, the rest of the day went by like a movie playing in the background, though no one was paying attention. There were no words to describe what he was feeling, nor why he was feeling the way he was, nor why it was all so perplexing. But at least he was finally getting to be by himself like he had wanted, partially because no one could get him to respond to anything they said. He couldn't find words to offer anyone other than his preprogrammed "Hn."

After a few times of trying to get Sasuke to respond, the others finally gave up, realizing that he was not entirely present. After a little while, Kakashi approached him calmly, intend on at least getting something out of him.

"Obviously you're not paying attention, but everyone's worried about you and we're almost done here. You're not going to be able to take Suki to her next lesson."

"Huh? Kakashi…?"

"What?"

"Why? Why is she so strong?"

"I don't know. That's just the way it is."

Sasuke pushed himself to his feet. "H-How long have you been trying to get my attention?"

"A little while. Naruto tried more than the rest of us, though."

"What did he want?"

"I don't know. Go ask him."

--

"Uh…okay," I agreed somewhat awkwardly and ran over to Naruto, who was sitting some distance away and staring into space like I had been. "Naruto!"

Naruto looked up. "Sasuke?"

"Hey! Naruto, I'm sorry, I was thinking about something."

"Well, you must've been thinking really hard, cuz I couldn't faze you. At all." Naruto pouted after explaining.

"So…what is it you want to do, anyway?"

At first Naruto didn't respond. But then he shot me a cheesy grin and said, "Swimming!"

I was a little surprised. Swimming? Was that all?

"Okay," I told him, now surprised at myself for agreeing to his proposition, and he laughed.

"Yes!"

He jumped up and ran off. "Hey, Sakura! Sakura, we're going swimming!"

I, now interested, followed him at a pace somewhere between a walk and a run. I heard Sakura's reply:

"Naruto, you pervert! You only want to see me in a bathing suit!"

"No, I don't!" he protested. "I asked Sasuke first!"

"Oh, so now you're gay?!"

"No! No!"

I laughed out right. Naruto's misfortune was often the funniest thing—well, series of things—that I could ever see. But he always somehow managed to beat his previous record with something even funnier.

Sakura, Naruto, Suki, and Kakashi all gathered around me, staring. At first I didn't realize why they were so stunned. Then I got it:

They had never seen or heard me laugh.

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said quietly, "You're laughing."

I only laughed harder. They looked so stupid!

Naruto glomped me as Sakura squealed "WAH! SASUKE!!" before glomping me too.

--

Yes, I did end up going swimming with everyone else, except Kakashi, who preferred to sit on the sidelines and watch us make fools of ourselves. Even though I felt somewhat self conscious the majority of the time because Sakura wouldn't stop staring at me, I managed to have a decent time.

After we were all exhausted and what not, we took showers at Sakura's house (I still don't really understand why it had to be her house—maybe it had something to do with me) and changed clothes. As I stepped out of the house, I saw that Suki was already there, waiting for me. After staring at me for a brief moment, she came up to me and held out her hand. I stared at her, then her hand.

"What?" I asked stupidly.

"It's time for my training with Hokage-sama."

"Oh." I took her hand and we walked up to my sensei. "We have to leave now. Suki-chan has more training."

"I know," he said. "And you may accompany her, but she's learning many forbidden jutsu, so you are not allowed to learn, copy, or observe them, do you understand?"

"Uh…y-yes."

"I'm serious, Sasuke. Exposure to such powerful jutsu could kill you."

"I've…never heard that before."

"It's true. Now…I've got to catch up on my reading…" As he pulled out his book, I rolled my eyes, tugged on Suki's hand, and we both left.

I didn't notice Kakashi cast a shadowed glance in my direction as we walked away.

--

True to my word, I didn't watch Suki train. Instead, I waited on the roof outside so I could be alone and think. So she had the potential to surpass even the sannin? They were pretty dang powerful. And she outmatched Itachi? I didn't even want to know how powerful he was. How could such a little girl be so strong?

As I was left to my musings, Suki was inside, training with the Hokage. Apparently she was learning some new jutsu that would be effective on any opponent at any range…all you needed was their name and extremely precise chakra control. I didn't hear anything that was going on, save for one phrase that jerked me out of my thoughts and sent me plummeting to the ground: "…Jutsu! Uchiha Sasuke." Since it had caught me by surprise, the next thing I knew was pain.

"Ow," I declared to the world.

It was several minutes before I could manage to get up, but when I did, I turned and immediately headed inside to see what the heck had happened. I didn't care what Kakashi had said…I wanted to know why Suki had just used a jutsu on me. I was already having a few issues with her now that I knew she'd been lying to me, so for this to suddenly happen, well…it didn't make matters any better.

Throwing open the door to the room I had last seen Suki in, I demanded, "What was that for?!"

Suki whipped around to face me. "Sasuke-nii! Gomen nasai!"

I growled. "What did you do that for?"

"Hokage-sama suggested we use you for the target since you were just right outside…"

"You never really know how the jutsu is going to work," the Hokage interrupted, "so will you tell us exactly what happened?"

I growled again. "I fell off the freaking roof and shot into the ground. It took like ten minutes to even get up! What sort of crazy jutsu does that?!" Okay, so I didn't usually talk like that, but I figured no one else would hear it ever again, so it was okay for this particular moment.

"Please accept my apologies."

"Tch."

"Sasuke-nii-chan, gomen ne… Please don't be angry with me. I didn't mean to put so much into it."

I glared at her, but within a few seconds I quickly discovered that it was impossible. Her eyes were too sweet… Adoration washed over me, cooling my anger but also making me a little ticked off that all it took to lose the battle was just one look into her eyes. But at the same time I was relieved, since I didn't really have much reason to be angry with her over that anyway. I hadn't been truly hurt, so I could forgive her. But that didn't mean I could forgive her for lying to me.

Irritation became my main emotion again, but I didn't let it show. "Oh, it's fine," I said. It was a bluff, and they knew it, but I didn't care. "Now, anyways, is Suki's training over?"

"For today, yes. But I'll see her back here the day after tomorrow."

"She'll be here."

Suki and I left. I pretended to act like everything was okay, but only out of habit. It wasn't long before she spoke up and pinned down the problem like she had known it all along.

"I just want you to know, Sasuke, that I tell you the things I tell you to protect you, because I love you."

"You didn't have to lie to me!" I snapped.

"If you had known for all of these years, you would have felt even more isolated than you do now. You would have been jealous of both me and Itachi-niisan, and you would have had much more to live up to."

"I still do," I said through clenched teeth.

Suki shook her head, and her long hair undulated with the motion, in addition to being softly swept back by the same gentle breeze that was rather rudely forcing my bangs into my eyes. "You're wrong. That is only true if it is your choice. You were not destined to be like us, but to be shaped by us."

We had reached home now, and we stood at the front door, Suki perfectly content to let the wind play with her hair; me just getting more and more ticked off by it. Why didn't it understand that I needed to see?!

I shoved the key into the lock (probably a lot harder than I needed to) and glanced up to find a flash of white. Leaving the key in the lock, I pushed my bangs out of my eyes with one hand and pulled the piece of paper off of the door with the other. It was a note—the contents of which only served to annoy me further.

It said: 'Sasuke, remember, if you want to take the Chuunin Exams you have to notify me. Also, don't forget to turn in your form—you still haven't done it yet.'

I glared at the note as if by just glaring I could somehow kill it. Of course I had forgotten. Isn't it just natural to forget a deadline?

Crumpling up the piece of paper in my fist, I unlocked the door and went inside. Somewhere in the back of my mind I dimly realized that Suki didn't even try to follow me in. At first I paid no attention to this fact. If she was so strong, she should know how to use a relocation jutsu, right?

After closing (okay, slamming) the door behind me, I locked it, then headed into my room to gather clothes and get a shower. I gave no thought to Suki, as she could very well take care of herself, completely unconcerned about where she was or wasn't, or where she could be. But when I woke up the next morning, I discovered that one horrible truth that panicked me indefinitely.

Suki had never come in.