Miyeko had risen up earlier that day and was already sitting at her desk at the Konoha Ninja Academy, calmly reading a book on shinobi team strategies. Her sister had given that book to her, hoping it would complete Miyeko's team work training. The Graduate Information Session was taking place in half an hour yet not one single soul was here from her graduate class. She sighed. She heard the door open and she saw him. Itachi Uchiha, wearing his forehead protector, stood still in front of the class, gazing at her. With a creeping blush, Miyeko quickly returned her attention to her book. She could hear his footsteps getting closer to her. This was ridiculous. Uchihas are too cool to speak to anyone or make friends for the matter. So why was he approaching her all of a sudden?

"Good morning." Was what he said to her. She rose her gaze from her book to look at him. His parents neglected to cut his hair, it seemed. His long black locks covered his face a little, held back by his new Konoha forehead protector. She looked into his onyx eyes softly and raised an eyebrow. "Funny it is that we've been at school for a year together, yet you never spoke to me." She said back to him. He looked down and smiled.

"I'm sorry. A mistake on my part. Can I sit here?" he asked, pointing at the seat next to her. She sighed. "There are literally thirty seats you can choose from, Itachi Uchiha. Why the one next to me?" she asked him. Again, he looked down and smiled.

"Because your book seems interesting and I thought I could have a peek at it when you're not looking." This surprised Miyeko. He was… brutally honest. This shocked her. She expected another type of excuse but I guess he was a no excuse kind of boy. She nodded and he calmly sat down next to her. She went back to reading but she could feel his intense gaze on her.

"Why did you talk about me to your father, Itachi?" she asked him. Her forwardness seemed to have caught him off guard, thing she didn't expect from him. He laughed a little and very awkwardly. Miyeko couldn't believe it. Itachi Uchiha, the prodigy of this Academy, the number one student of her year and the years to come, was stumbling upon his words to answer her question. Her sister was right. He was a very shy and socially maladapted. He couldn't come up with an answer. Soon, other graduates began to enter the room as Itachi's attitude reverted back to shyness. Still, the small smile on his face showed that he didn't feel uncomfortable towards her. Miyeko didn't understand boys, she decided. She was a bright girl but this was just too hard for her. As the clock hit 9'oclock, the Chunin educators gathered in front of the graduate class and all of them had check lists. Miyeko sat straight as the meeting began.

"Good morning graduates." Said Adamei-sensei. "Today, you are officially beginning your careers as shinobi of Konoha. Being a ninja to this village is very honorable but your life will bear the heavy consequences of your choice. To help you bear the burden, we will assign three-men teams today and you will then, with a Jonin sensei, begin to undertake missions for the village. Now, let's begin." Miyeko knew that, from this point on, her life was changed forever, her future unknown. She was now a Leaf Village kunoichi. "I will now announce the teams." Said Adamei-sensei.

Miyeko didn't care who she was teamed up with. All of her graduate companions have passed the exams and would do their very best during missions. What she was worried about is the progress she would make with those around her. Would she be slowing her team down? After all, she was, along with Itachi Uchiha, the youngest kid in her graduate class. Or would it be her who would carry her team through tough situations? She glanced back at the book her sister lent to her. Teamwork, she thought. Kuri was so smart. She knew Miyeko would ask herself these questions today and that is why she gave her the book. It doesn't matter about progress or success for now. Teamwork was the thing to work on. She smiled. Her sister knew her so well it scared her a little.

It took a while before Miyeko's name was mentioned. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was bored. "Miyeko Nagaki." Finally, she thought. "Brilliant student. I guess we could team you up with Tenma… Help him a little. He'll need it." Adamei-sensei said with a smirk. Miyeko smiled. Tenma was glaring at her from the back of the room. She found him to be a complete idiot, but nonetheless he was nice… and scared of her. This made her smile even more, which Itachi seemed to have noticed. It took a couple minutes and Miyeko was still waiting for the third member of her team to be announced. Adamei-sensei cleared up his throat.

"This team will be completed with Itachi Uchiha, who had the best results overall during the evaluation period. Let us pray that the two best students of this school will help Tenma achieve his goals as shinobi." Snikered Adamei-sensei while the other sensei laughed. Miyeko frowned. She hated the situation she was put in. Itachi being on her team was one of the reasons why, but she found deplorable that Tenma had to endure such treatment from high ranked ninjas.

"I don't see why this is a laughing matter." She said loudly so Adamei-sensei could catch her vibe. There was an awkward silence and Adamei-sensei cleared his throat once again. "Sorry. You are right, Miyeko. My apologies, Tenma." He said. Finally, all assigned teams were given a break to talk and have lunch before the next meeting.

Miyeko headed alone towards the forest next to the Academy where she could vent her negative emotions out. She placed her bento boxes next to a big tree trunk and sat on the ground, hands in a simple chakra seal. She closed her eyes and screened out the environment surrounding her. Sometimes, Miyeko could feel the energy around her trying to invade her body but she was able to block it with chakra control.

Her clan, after all, specialized in morphing their bodies and their energy with their surroundings's energy so they could melt in the shadows and perform the trickiest stealth missions. Kuri had told Miyeko that her energy foreboding was even better than hers and that, one day, she would be able to perform a secret Nagaki clan technique, which was the Shadow Sage mode.

"Of course, it is very rare, even for people like me that possess our clan's bloodline limit, to achieve such a state. Such chakra control… it's unthinkable. Actually, it's been decades since a Nagaki clan member could manage it. I guess I'll have to try harder!" she had said to Miyeko, laughing. All this theory had made Miyeko weary of her clan's techniques and she had decided to push back the learning and mastering of those to concentrate on what was important: graduating. Now that her goal had been achieved, these techniques intrigued Miyeko even more. Suddenly, Miyeko's own energy was distrupted by another's. She frowned, keeping her hand seal firm.

"I thought I sensed your energy, Itachi." She said, opening her eyes, looking at his presence, in a near tree. He smirked.

"I didn't know you were a sensory type." He said.

"I think's it's much more than that. I can feel everything around me. The energy around me is trying to break in my own energy barrier, but I won't let it." She said, releasing her hand sign. She looked at her bento boxes. She looked back at Itachi and sighed. "Looks like you don't have a lunch, Itachi." She said. He jumped down from the tree and walked towards her.

"My mother was busy taking care of my baby brother this morning and I was running a little late. It's not a big deal." He said, sitting next to her, his back against the tree trunk. "Well, my mother cooked double portions, as always. I can always share what I have with you." She said, handing half of her lunch to Itachi.

"Oh, it's fine, you don't have to- your mother made homemade dumplings?" he asked, his interest piqued. His eyes were round. Miyeko was surprised. Itachi had a sweet tooth! She smiled. In a matter of minutes, both kids had eaten every single bite of Miyeko's lunch. "Your mother is a great cook. I'll be sure to stop by and thank her later." He said. Miyeko blushed.

"She's a medical ninja. She'll probably be at the hospital healing patients, knowing her. There's not need for that." Replied Miyeko with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"And your father?" Itachi asked. "Where is he working?" he continued.

"My father works in the Torture and Interrogation Force with Ibiki Morino. They're busy lately. Loads of spies caught by the Leaf, from the looks of it." Itachi raised a brow, surprised.

"Who takes care of you then if your parents are never there?" he asked.

"My big sister Kuri. She's ANBU and she's Konoha Shadow Dweller, but she always has time for me. My big sister is the best ninja I've ever seen. She possesses our clan's sacred bloodline limit, after all. Lord Hokage is very proud of her." She said, smiling. "What about you? You mentioned you have a little brother." She asked Itachi.

"Yes. I'm the big brother in my family. His name is Sasuke. He's… very important to me. Much like your big sister Kuri is to you. I'll do anything to protect him. That meant becoming ninja for me." He said, but he stopped there. "Hey, you two losers! Lunch break is over! Let's get back inside." Said Tenma in the distance, waving. The rest of the day was a blur to Miyeko. Her team was, overall, an interesting mix up of kids and their sensei, Yuki Minazuki, was an alright jonin with good principles. That day, they had their first genin mission, which took almost two hours to complete. Miyeko never thought that mowing the lawn for an elderly could be so annoying.

As the team left the Hokage's room and were dismissed by Yuki-sensei, Miyeko noticed that Fugaku Uchiha was waiting outside, his arms crossed, obviously waiting for his son to finish his first day as Genin. Kuri wasn't there. She was probably still on mission and her parents were too busy to catch up to her. Her eyes lowered as Itachi waved goodbye at her. He ran in the distant to join his father and they ran together back to the new Uchiha compound. Miyeko was about to walk home too when she noticed something shiny in the distance, lying on the ground. She walked towards to notice that Itachi had dropped his forehead protector on the ground. He must've put it in his pocket, she thought, and it dropped. She grabbed it and headed home. She frowned. She could always walk past the Uchiha compound and drop it at Fugaku Uchiha's place so Itachi could have it as soon as possible. She nodded and smiled.

The newly appointed Uchiha compound was built specifically to meet the Uchiha clan's needs, located next to Konoha's training fields. She could still smell the fresh paint of the high walls surrounding the compound and the flowers in the exterior gardens. She stood in front of the main gates, which bore the Uchiha crest, a red and white paper fan. As she walked inside the compound, all eyes turned to her. The flower shop lady, the baker and even the shuriken seller on the street, all of these people were looking at her like she was a stranger in a strange land. After all, it was unusual for a non Uchiha folk to come to the clan's living quarters.

As she walked past the Uchiha Police Force Headquarters, Miyeko noticed somebody looking at her. She turned around to face a tall, dark haired man. "What are you doing here, little girl?" he asked. Miyeko Nagaki was a kind child but seemed to take badly his tone of voice. However she quickly calmed down when she noticed his Police Star on his shinobi vest, meaning he was part of the law enforcement order of Konoha. "Did I do something wrong, officer?" she asked.

"I'll repeat myself. What are you doing here on Uchiha grounds? I swear, if you do not answer me I'll- Chief Fugaku! What are you doing here?" he said, his tone quickly changing to a submissive one. Behind the tall man Miyeko saw Itachi's father, Fugaku Uchiha, Chief of Police, his arms still crossed and looking not too happy.

"Officer Hendo, I think it's time for you to go home. You look overworked. You must be, for you to seem so agitated by a Genin. Go home and rest." He said, dismissing him. The man complied and disappear in a smoke cloud. Miyeko politely bowed and smiled, her long black bangs covering her face.

"Thank you, Fugaku, sir." Fugaku walked past her, turning his head. "Walk with me." He said.

Miyeko quickly caught up to him and stayed silent. She didn't know what to say after all.

"What are you doing here on the Uchiha compound, Nagaki girl?" he asked. Why did all the Uchiha ask her that? What was so infuriating about her presence in their living quarters? This would never happen in Nagaki territory, not to anyone. Why were they so on edge?

"Um, you see, I, um…" she started but couldn't finish her sentence.

"Speak clearly child. I do not have all day waiting for your answer." He said.

"I'm looking for Itachi, actually." She blurted out. Fugaku frowned. "You're looking for my son? Are you becoming one of those idiotic fan girls running around for him to teach you shuriken techniques?" he asked. Miyeko took insult to that.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't need him to teach me anything for I perform these techniques better than he does." She said. That took Fugaku by surprised and he let out a frank laugh.

"You are a funny kid, Miyeko Nagaki. Who taught you how to use these intricate shuriken techniques? Your run of the mill medical ninja mother or your failed torture specialist father?" he asked with a hint of venom in his mouth. She stopped in her track and frowned, clenching Itachi's forehead protector in her hand.

"My genius sister, Kuri. One of Konoha's best ANBU captains and most respected kunoichi. You must've heard about her. She goes by the name Shadow Dweller." She replied dryly. Fugaku also stopped, frowning at her.

"Yes. I know who she is. So young and so talented. A real shame only one in your family inherited the Nagaki's bloodline limit, is it not? And looks to me like you weren't the lucky one. So what makes you so special, Miyeko Nagaki? What about you caught my son's attention? Tell me, I'm curious because all I see is a scrawny girl with no special trait and angry eyes." He told her with a smirk. The seven year old girl was about inches away from letting the energy surrounding her take over her own but a hand quickly appeared on her shoulder and she stopped, turning around.

"Itachi." She said.

Itachi Uchiha had been standing behind her, his hand gently resting on her shoulder. Fugaku's eyes widen. "Itachi! I thought you were home." He said.

"I heard there was a commotion outside so I went to investigate. I'm glad to see someone else than an Uchiha on these grounds. It's refreshing, actually. Father, thank you for walking Miyeko around and show her the compound. I'll take it from here." Fugaku grumbled something under his breath and disappear in a cloud of smoke. Miyeko angrily turned around and glared at Itachi.

"You could've spared me that altercation with your father, Itachi!" she said, short of breath.

"I'm sorry about my father. He's not used to strangers on Uchiha land and… he's not used to me having friends either." He said, smiling. Miyeko couldn't find this boy stranger even if she tried. She quickly handed his forehead protector back to him. "You dropped that. You should be more careful." She said.

"Oh, I was." He said.

"What do you mean? You dropped it. You could have lost it." She answered, puzzled.

"You see, I did it on purpose. I knew you'd bring it back to me." He said. Oh, the nerve of him! Miyeko didn't know if she should have felt anger towards him or towards herself.

"Why did you want me to come here, then?" she asked.

"Because I wanted to invite you to diner tomorrow at my house." Miyeko blushed.

"But, I- what? I thought, I thought that you- this is confusing." She managed to say, suddenly getting shy.

"My mother insisted to meet you, Miyeko. Also, my cousin Shisui will also be there. He's a fan of your sister, that he is and he's been bothering me forever to invite you over so he can ask all kinds of silly questions about her. Please, for my sake, just say yes." He said, smirking. Well, what do you know. Itachi Uchiha had a sense of humour, too.

Miyeko frowned. "Fine. I'll be there." Itachi smiled. "I guess it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow morning for team training." He said, walking back to the main road and home.

Miyeko quickly exited the Uchiha compound and sighed. That Itachi… was smarter than she expected. She rolled her eyes and walked home, where it was a bit more normal and where dumplings were waiting for her.