Chapter 7

A Day with Itachi


Chapter Summary: Arashi works on her new project and spends time with her oldest friend.


Naruto Shippuden OST - Senya

I just wanted to go into detail with my thanks for the reviews I have received so far. It really does mean a lot to me to know what you all think. I'm going to start including something for the people that review at the end of the chapters, just to let everyone know that I do pay attention and keep them in mind. I know a lot of people don't care to read about OCs that are inserted into fanfiction and I know I'm guilty of being very critical of them myself, so thank you to everyone who likes Arashi. I've never written a spoiled, bratty girl before and I have to say that it has been fun so far (even if I can't wait for her to grow up at times).

This chapter has a lot of Itachi and a lot of the Uchiha in it. I feel awkward and cliche when I focus on them, but I'm fond of young Itachi and his friendship with Arashi does play into development for her.

Sorry about how long this took. Busy with a new job and such.


A Day with Itachi

The grass tickled her skin.

Arashi shifted and settled again on her stomach on the ground. She decided on wearing a turtleneck that day. She usually chose something sleeveless because she did not like feeling restrained, but she had the day off from missions and training. It was not often that she got to wear anything other than her 'on duty' clothing.

In front of her was a stack of scrolls. She had been busy studying for weeks to find a way to put her concept into action: to seal a medical ninjutsu into a person's body to carry with them that would activate when needed. She was not sure how effective it was or if it would work the way she hoped it would in practice, but she was determined to find out. It had the potential to save the lives of many shinobi - like they had a personal medic with them, but in a limited supply.

I haven't even gotten to live testing.

The distinct sound of sparring drew her attention away from her work and toward two Uchiha. She smiled to herself and pushed the scrolls away for a break. Itachi and Shisui were training together a short distance away. The two had a bond she almost envied, but instead of being jealous she chose to be glad they let her occasionally watch their matches.

There was something brotherly about them that was endearing. The Uchiha were undoubtedly loyal to each other - a far cry different than the members of the Hyuga clan she had seen. The pale eyed members of that clan were prisoners to their own traditions and most of them acted as little more than slaves to the head family. She had never seen them happy to further the goals of their clan. If anything, they came off as more bitter than anything.

It was like they were all caged birds.

Maybe it's just the ones I've seen or something.

Itachi and Shisui moved so quickly that sometimes she had a hard time following all of their movements. Their chakra flared readily, and in measured bursts like it was natural to them by now - something that only advanced ninjas portrayed, except in rare examples. It made her senses tingle in excitement.

They were in the forest not far from the Uchiha compound. It was displaced enough that the sounds and smells of the city were not present with them. There was just the wind and the smell of nature it carried with it.

I can't lay here and watch them all day if I expect to get anything done.

She shifted to sit upright and turned her attention back to her work. She almost cringed at her handwriting. It was a wonder her grades were even half as good as they were in the Academy just because of how messy it all was. Everything was orderly and organized, at the very least, even if it was hard to read.

The sound of the two boys approaching almost made her glance up for a second, but she was determined to make progress. She could not afford to be constantly distracted. Their breathing was heavy and they were covered in sweat. While Itachi's expression was passive - which was the norm for him - Shisui's eyebrows rose a little as he peered down at the scrolls.

After a moment he broke the quiet, "So, you're still working on your new project?"

"Yeah. It's not being very easy."

"What has you caught up?" Shisui shifted his position so that he could get a better look. "I mean, other than how it looks like a massacre on paper."

She glowered at him.

He held his hands up in surrender, "Just teasing! This stuff is advanced for a Genin and even for Chuunin. Most people struggle with fuinjutsu concerning stuff other than just the basics. Have you thought about conspiring with a Jounin for some help with it?"

He's right, she begrudgingly admitted to herself, "But I want to accomplish this on my own. If I can finish filling in the ground work for it and successfully test it, then I'll be more confident to share it with someone else."

"I see. What's keeping you from sharing it now?"

"I don't know if it'll even work."

"Oh!" He laughed, good naturedly. "I think every jutsu starts off like that. I mean, sometime in the past someone decided they were going to breathe fire and tried until they did."

She sighed in exasperation, "I just wish not everything I'm interested in required so much work!"

"Hey, when you finally do get it working, it'll be even more gratifying because of it, right?"

"I'll probably sprout wings and fly."

"Well," He looked up at a bird circling over them. "I hope to see you fluttering over my head soon. I need to be going." He excused himself. "Good luck, Arashi-chan."

"Thanks, Shisui-kun."

"I'll see you two later," he said and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Arashi waved the smoke away. Itachi sat beside her and brushed his bangs out of his face. Some of the strands were stuck to his skin because of the sweat he worked up. He reached for his canteen but frowned when he found it empty. Wordlessly, she handed him her own. He closed his eyes in a friendly grin and drank deeply. She reached into a bag and pulled out several sticks of dango wrapped in a cloth and sat it down between them.

"I brought a snack. Have as much as you want."

He picked up a stick of dango and murmured, "Thank you."

"No problem, Itachi-kun." She flipped through her work and placed a couple scrolls in front of him. "Could you check my progress? I've never been really good at math and a lot of this is mathematical. I always have to be extra careful and continuously check over my work because of that. If one bit is off, this will either not function at all or backfire."

He swallowed a mouthful of food and took another bite as he looked over the first scroll.

"It's more complicated than I thought it was going to be at first," she admitted. "I mean, the seals have to be placed strategically through the body while being mindful of the chakra pathways. If that part is sloppy, it will throw off the medical ninjutsu, or it could be worse and mess with a person's chakra flow. It would be no good if they couldn't use their chakra, right? Furthermore, there needs to be some sort of tourniquet failsafe if an artery is damaged and those are possibly going to be extremely sensitive to a person's own chakra, so the fuinjutsu for that has to be on point exactly with another failsafe, just in case."

"So, in order for this to be implemented correctly, the user has to be familiar with the target's chakra pathways, know medical ninjutsu, and be skilled in fuinjutsu?"

"Uh, basically."

The Uchiha hummed and looked over another scroll of her work.

"Once the formula checks out I have to start live testing in order to work out any other problems I didn't expect. I mean, the trigger shouldn't be hard to implement. Kind of like certain paper bombs that only go off when the target is in a certain proximity - except this fuinjutsu reacts to damaged cells around it."

She pulled some dango off a stick and popped it in her mouth. There was a headache persistently trying to make itself known in spite of how hard she was trying to ignore it. With a huff, she pulled her glasses off, sat them in the grass by her side, and laid back to look up at the sky. Her hands were dry from the books and scrolls she had been digging through, but she needed as much information as she could find. She had been working tirelessly and although there was not as much progress as she wanted, it was still coming along.

Her attention drifted over to Itachi. His dark eyes inspected every detail of her work - something that made her breathe a sigh of relief. For some reason she knew she could count on him. She always had. He saw things she did not. It was uncanny how nothing got past him.

"This will shape your career as a shinobi, Arashi-chan."

She blinked, "What? I wouldn't say anything like that. I have this distinct feeling it's going to, well, like kill the first person I put it on. If it even half works I'll be happy."

He regarded her and chuckled.

"This is why people say they don't understand you," she mumbled. "Being vague all the time. It's like you say only a fourth of what you actually think about something, if that."

"Hmm."

His expression softened and became distant.

He's been drifting off like that more lately. She rolled onto her side, "I'd give just about anything to get inside that head of yours."

His attention snapped back to her, "They are just thoughts. It is better to have your own than to adhere only to someone else's."

"I'm told I have more than enough thoughts and opinions. Pretty sure you're going to form some sort of terminal illness if I keep venting every little thing to you. Honestly. I probably sound crazy shallow and stupid when I get into rants. Jut once, for one of my birthdays or something I'm going to make you sit down and just talk to me. Tell me everything you think, everything you can remember. All of it."

He flicked her nose and she squealed.

"One of these days, Itachi-kun, I'm going to beat you up for that!" She jumped to her feet, rubbing her nose. "That hurts, y'know!"

He raised his eyebrows, innocently.

"Seriously! I'm gonna make you bleed!"

He laughed at her. Openly and in her face.

"Oh yeah, go ahead. Laugh. I see how it is." She crossed her arms. "Just you wait. My eventual betrayal will be swift and merciless."

He stood, walked several feet away and turned to face her, "A sparring match, then?"

"Erm, what?"

"You've never sparred with me, Arashi-chan. You could use a break from reading. It will help you focus better."

"Uh."

Arashi had never sparred with Itachi for several reasons. She had never even drawn a kunai in his presence. When they were still in the Academy together, she had seen him drop kids older and more experienced than her. She was convinced he could have taken their instructors on, as well. Since he had entered ANBU he had become extremely more brutal - if Shisui was not such a skilled ninja himself, then she would have felt sorry for him since he often sparred with Itachi.

He's going to wreck me.

"Uhhm." A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. "You sure about this?"

"Of course. My mother expects you over for dinner tonight. Shouldn't you work up an appetite first?"

"Okay." She swallowed over a lump in her throat, "Just, uh, be gentle? I'm just a genin level medic. Combat really isn't my thing."

He grinned, boyishly, "Are you ready?"

She pulled her hair away from her face and quickly braided it to keep it from getting in her way. Her glasses were going to stay on the ground beside her scrolls. The last thing she needed to do was break them while being badly beaten by her friend.

Lightning on your feet, Arashi. Lightning on your feet. She shifted her stance, "As ready as I'll ever be!"

He closed his eyes and opened them to reveal the sharingan.

"That's cheating!"

He threw two shuriken so fast she didn't even notice - until her left sleeve separated from the rest of the shirt and fell on the ground. Her mouth dropped open and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Blood ran down her arm and seeped into her glove.

He gave her a pointed look.

Crap, crap, crap! Move!

Her legs felt like limp noodles, but she managed to throw herself into a run. She was a medic, not a fighter. Her role was to support, evade, and analyze. In no way would she have been advised to enter into direct combat with anyone if it could be helped.

She made for the cover offered by the trees.

Itachi remained behind her. She knew his signature just as well as she knew the signatures of her parents. If he moved, she would know it, unless he had a secret way to cloak his chakra. If he could manage to do that, then she had nothing to use against him. There was no time for her to set up fuinjutsu traps, paper bombs were more dangerous than anything she wanted to utilize against a friend, and she knew no offensive jutsu.

Without a team or someone to work with, she was basically defenseless.

Okay, so he's following at a distance-

Two kunai flashed by her and her right sleeve slid off her arm - followed by blood running down and filling up her other glove.

"You can't be serious!"

Then again, he was so fast and well trained in tracking that she really stood no chance, anyway.


Arashi walked beside Itachi through the compound. She looked down at her torn sleeves and pouted. It had been a mistake to wear a turtleneck that day. Then again, she did not expect to be talked into training with Itachi. Not that it was really training. It was more like a failed attempt at hide and seek in which she never managed to hide.

Doesn't matter how expensive the clothing is - no shirt will stand up to shuriken. Or kunai.

She imagined it went just about as well as Naruto's fights with Sasuke. Not a speck of dust on Itachi, whereas she looked like she just got back from an enthusiastic walk in the middle of a hurricane.

Arashi clenched her fists and shuddered when her fingers squished audibly in the bloody gloves. She had been able to wash the blood off her arms, but her gloves were a lost cause. They were the pair that she wore when she became a Genin. Maybe she was sentimental, but it bothered her to get rid of them now.

Here I am, fussing over clothes. What kind of ninja am I? This is embarrassing.

She looked up and forced the pout from her face. Itachi had a few of her scrolls cradled in his arm. Like she had wanted him to, he looked over all of them before they left the solitude of the forest for the compound. He had a great eye for detail.

The compound was a testament to the clan's pride. They had been a part of Konoha since the founding and the country owed much of its strength and prestige to them. All of the clan members wore the telltale fan on their back and even the walls bore the symbol.

Most of the members had a natural affinity with fire.

I wonder if that's why they named our country after fire? Are they the flames that dance behind the leaves or does it just apply to the Will of Fire? Or does it apply to everyone who lives in this country?

Itachi plucked a leaf out of her hair and let it fall to the ground. The corners of his lips twitched up into a slight smile, but he seemed distracted.

He's often distant, but he seems more tired now. It's probably ANBU.

Arashi frowned. She did not want to even think about the things he had to do for the Black Ops. She just hoped it was not like what Ibiki did.

"Itachi-kun, Arashi-chan!"

A stout Uchiha woman approached them with a wide smile on her face. In one hand she held a broom, the other was on her hip. Arashi recognized the woman as Uruchi. On the other side of their shop her husband, Teyaki, was in a chair with a newspaper in front of his face. The smell of senbei made her mouth water.

"Uruchi-san," she used her most familiar smile - she picked it up from her mother who used it when greeting customers she liked - and lifted her hand in a wave, "How have you been? Teyaki-san?"

"Oh, we've been doing well. What about you? I haven't seen you around in a while." She cooed. "I remember when the two of you were just little things, shorter than my hip. You'd both come here all the time for some senbei. Don't tell me you forgot all about us?"

"Never!" She gave the older Uchiha woman a quick hug. "I'm lucky I didn't get fat on those senbei of yours. Just busy with missions and training, really."

"Busy growing up." She sighed, wistfully. "Both you and Itachi-kun. Makes me feel old."

"You're lovely." Arashi replied, reflexively. "Worrying will make you wrinkle up and turn gray."

Itachi disguised a chuckle by clearing his throat.

Crap. I sound like my mother now.

"Hah! Would you two like some senbei?"

"Ah, no, just on our way to eat dinner soon." Arashi replied. "But thank you-"

Itachi pulled some ryou out of his pocket and handed it to Uruchi. The exchange was quick and in seconds Arashi was holding several senbei wrapped in a napkin.

"Now, you two go along and come back to visit soon!" The woman waved.

"I'll try," Arashi called over her shoulder.

She handed one of the senbei to Itachi. It struck her as odd that Teyaki did not even look up at her, other than a quick glance. As a child, she distinctly remembered climbing in his lap - she did not have boundaries - and that he seemed to like her. Everywhere she looked she recognized faces that now paid little attention to her. They were cold; almost distrusting. She had laughed with some of them and had conversations with others, but now it was like she did not belong.

The compound was feeling less like the place she used to escape to for a evening of play with Itachi and more like a place sectioned away from the rest of the village.

Almost like segregation. And, also.. everyone's being so cold.

The signatures of the clansmen were not as warm as they were before. She could not tell if it was gradual or sudden, but now they felt different. Darker. Itachi was as bright and gentle as always - a special flame - but not even he could illuminate the compound.

It was like looking up into the sky expecting to see an ocean stars, but instead there was only one in the darkness.

It's just my imagination. A cold stare here is like a loving caress or something. These Uchiha..

The persistent headache from before throbbed back into her attention. She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. It was hard, but she tried to push away her thoughts and block out her sensory. Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder and frowned in concern.

"Is the headache from our match?"

"Pfft. That wasn't a match. It was just me running." Arashi snorted. "It'll probably go away when I eat."

"Have a senbei." he gestured at the untouched food wrapped up in her free hand. "You used to like them."

"Mother hen." she murmured and took a bite.

Words could not express how grateful she was to feel his warmth in that cold place.


Arashi would normally describe herself as intelligent, well educated, determined, and confident (while her teammates would describe her as nosy, bossy, over dramatic and moody). Normally, she would be nose deep in some sort of text or helping piece someone back together. That was how her life had been and that was what she was comfortable with. She was well aware what her definition of normal was when in regards to herself.

Normally, she would not be sitting across a table from Fugaku Uchiha, trying to make small talk.

It took all of her concentration to keep her hands from shaking. Simple things were suddenly an obstacle. The moment she sat in front of that table, she forgot etiquette and exactly how to eat. Her left cheek twitched. She tried biting it, but it did not help.

At that moment she was having a hard time stringing sentences together without it sounding sloppy or forced.

"So yeah," she laughed, weakly. "The ANBU in the interrogation ward kind of took my team under their care sort of like a group effort, I guess. Ibiki-sensei is sometimes busy with, uh, work for a long time, so one of the other members of the Black Ops will sometimes try to teach us something useful. It's not all the time or anything, but yeah.." She faltered and poked at her food. "It's probably just to keep us from getting into stuff we're not supposed to see."

His expression hardly shifted, "How amusing."

Well, I mean, he does look tired. Probably a busy day at the Police Force headquarters or something. I also suck at telling stories, so I guess I should be happy I didn't bore him to tears.

There was an assertiveness about Fugaku's presence that she could not help but admire. The head of the Uchiha clan was enigmatic to her. Arashi had a feeling that he did not approve of her friendship with his eldest son, but tolerated it. Their meet ups did not interfere with any of Itachi's work, so there was not much to be said about it.

She might not have been one of the elite like his son, but she was far from the bottom of the barrel.

Am I sitting too close to Itachi? She glanced from the corner of her eye to check the distance from herself and her friend. Okay, I guess this is okay. Don't want them think I'm being clingy or something.

Itachi looked at her from the corner of his eye and then down at his food once again.

I guess he can tell I'm uncomfortable. I don't know why I'm a ball of nerves today. I just get so nervous around Fugaku.

Arashi's thoughts shifted back to their walk and how perturbing it was to be stared at like an unwelcomed stranger. She was not sure what to think of the experience.

Her cheek twitched again, I bet there's food on my face.

"Well," Mikoto smiled, pleasantly, "How has your mother been doing, Arashi-chan?"

Arashi swallowed her rice without chewing, "Good. Very good. Stays busy."

"And Kazika-chan?"

"He's a weird kid." She grinned down at her food. "Weird, but sweet."

Sasuke cleared his plate quickly and sat with his attention divided between his father and his brother. Neither of which were speaking much. Arashi felt like the boy hardly even noticed her presence.

Not that she could judge. She had her own heroes when she was his age, too. Arashi still had a long lock of red hair tucked away in her room. At first after the Kyuubi incident, it pained her to look at it, but with time she came to remember only the good things.

"Is he interested in becoming a shinobi? You and your father seem to find the career agreeable?" Mikoto continued.

Arashi laughed, "He has a limited vocabulary, but a good portion of it is made up by 'ninjas work too much' and similar complaints. I guess where I'm gone all the time and Dad's a workaholic, it makes him think it wouldn't be rewarding enough or something."

Fugaku spoke for the first time that evening without being spoken to first, "A good work ethic is priceless. He'd do well to follow after your father. Ookami-san is skilled and very dedicated."

"Yeah," she grinned in agreement. "He's great at what he does. My little brother will come around, I think. He's still too young to really understand much."

Sasuke tilted his head to one side and regarded her, "How old is he?"

"Almost five."

The boy crossed his arms over his chest, "I knew I was going to be a ninja when I was that old."

"Well, sometimes it takes people a little longer to decide what they want to be when they grow up," Arashi replied.

"I guess," he mumbled.

He doesn't have a mother that's a civilian like my mom. It's easier to imagine just being a person and not a shinobi when you live with someone who's perfectly happy just living.

Sasuke perked up, "Hey, brother, will you play with me when you're done eating?"

"Not tonight," Itachi replied. "I need to rest for a mission tomorrow."

The boy pouted. "Alright."

It was cute to see Itachi and Sasuke interact with each other. Mikoto watched them, fondly. For a second Arashi wondered if she would ever be like that - a retired Jounin in love with her family - or if she would focus on her career until the day she died.

Mikoto looked away from her children and at Arashi, "It's good to have you over. You'll have to come over again for dinner, soon."

"Of course. I'd love to."

There was a strange nagging at the back of her mind that things had changed and not just with age. She tried not to focus on it, but it worried her. She knew these people and she could tell that there was something wrong. At the very least, Itachi's immediate family was not treating her any differently.

Arashi looked at a clock and sighed, "It's almost time for me to leave. Let me help you with the dishes before I have to go. I have to meet my sensei early in the morning."

"Oh? So soon?" Mikoto frowned. "Don't worry about the dishes. There's not that many."

Itachi took his plate to the sink and looked at his friend over his shoulder, "I'll walk you home."

Sasuke's pout deepened, but he did not say anything.


They did not speak as they walked.

Most of the time when they were accompanying each other through the streets to a destination, they did not speak. He was quiet in nature and despite common belief, she did get tired of talking on occasion. This time, though, the silence was not peaceful.

She glanced at him a few times and almost brought up what she felt, but each time she decided against it.

Surely, he knows already?

When they made it to her home, she gave him a brief hug, "I would give just about anything to know what goes on in your thoughts."

She released him and disappeared inside. There was a guarded sadness in his eyes as she closed the door.


Thanks to everyone for reading this chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed it. If you have any suggestions, criticisms, or opinions then share them in a review. All input is welcome! Next chapter will have shenanigans in the ANBU HQ with Arashi's squad mates.


Well, I'm going to backtrack a little to take notice of some of the reviews.

Juliedoo - Thank you! I plan on really pushing Arashi as a medic ninja. The concept of being a healer in Naruto fascinates me, so I'd like to showcase it a lot more than the manga and anime did (there's a lot more focus on fighting than focus on healing). It's a bit challenging and I'm not always sure if I'm portraying it well. The seal that activates when someone needs healing was the first thing I came up with for the character, believe it or not. Even before the name. Other seals will follow, but that's for later. Getting this one to work will be hard enough for part 2. Also, I feel like people like the little kids better than they like Arashi. xD

Be-Mindful - I love your reviews. I really try to show Arashi as a kid that's growing into being a ninja and that means showing her life, even if the scenes are silly or seem pointless. It's harder to write missions because it takes time to think of the plot and execution, as well as character development and such. I'm glad that you liked the mission and that you enjoyed Daisuke and Akio (I'm paranoid that they're not very enjoyable characters). I enjoyed writing the music box scenes and let's just say it turns up later, as well. I will be more careful and meticulous about any of the combat scenes in order to keep from confusing people, so thanks for the criticism on that, as well. xD

TamashinoSuzume - Arashi and Naruto are fun to write.

Storytellerlover - I'm glad you enjoy it! haha the name references happened because of a joke I made to a friend. I was not sure what to name the characters, so yeah.

JustHope - It makes me happy that you enjoy the concept. I've put a lot of time and thought into how I wanted to go about doing this fanfiction. The older she gets, the more I'll be able to show a mixture of triumphs and failures, regrets and experiences, goals and determinations.