Here is the 11th chapther!

To everyone who reviewed, thank you thank you. There were some really important points that you guys mentioned, and I made sure to keep those things in mind (though some of your concerns would've been resolved if you'd waited just a teeeeeeny tiny bit).

As per usual, my brilliant beta winteralley checked things over and edited out some really embarrassing mistakes. I would be nowhere without them.

Edited: 04/25/18


The screen flickers with light, the black frame of the monitor emphasizing the brightness. The whirling of the desktop fills the room, drowning out her excited breath. A new window on the screen pops open, and the plane of the program is black, save for a few scattered orange dots. There is a little timer with green numbers at the bottom right of the program's corner.

She reaches out hesitantly, and when her small, chubby fingers touches the cold screen, she inhales sharply.

"I… made this?" She asks.

"Yeah," her uncle laughs. "You did it. Now, go on and try it."

She uses the mouse to click on the orange dots, which disappear once clicked upon. When she has clicked all twenty dots, the plane of the screen returns to its original black canvas, before a blaring message appears, declaring 'YOU WON.' The game is simple: click on the orange dots and return the screen to its black state before the time runs out. And even though it is simple, with simple rules, she feels immense pride at her creation.

"I made it," she repeats. "This is mine."

Her uncle's hand is big and warm when it sits on the top of her head. His voice is fond. "That's right. I am very proud of you."

It was the first dream that Eri remembered after she woke up from her sleep. It was also the first dream that she woke up from without a scream climbing halfway up her throat. Instead of fear and self-hatred, it left her with a feeling of comfort and love.

This scared her more than any of her previous memories had.

The remnants of love after she had woken up left her sick with loneliness. Tears replaced the fondness in her heart, and she wanted her kaa-chan and tou-chan to come home now. But they were not with her, and were on the battlefield, fighting, clawing, screaming their way to survival.

So Eri just reached for the closest source of warmth, and once again succumbed to sleep in the arms of her best friend, Uchiha Itachi.

The tip of the brush dragged on down the page, stopping briefly before flicking up to the left. It returned to the page, pressed hard against the surface of the white sheet, pulling in a line from slightly above back into the straight line, then flicking out downwards to the left. It was lifted, and left a similar mark on the right of the straight line, only flipped onto the other side.

"Good," an effeminate voice approved. "Now, in gyoushou form."

Eri lifted her brush, and painted the same kanji for 'corruption' from before. Only, this time, the lines were slightly more cursive. She allowed the brush to briefly remain on the surface of the page as she dragged it across, creating a line that connected her previous points to her new lines. But she made sure the foundation of the kanji remained most clear, as random stray lines would change the meaning of the kanji completely.

"Your line here," a pale finger pointed at her brushstroke on the left, "is too thick. Repeat it."

Biting her lower lip, Eri dipped (just the tip of) her brush into the ink palette, and repeated the kanji for 'corruption' in gyoushou form. She was careful to not press the brush against the surface too hard when drawing the left flick. She looked up from her paper, and allowed a ghost of a smile to dance across her face. Orochimaru was leaning over Itachi's shoulder, his eyebrows pressed together, was murmuring comments on how Itachi could improve. The boy, in turn, listened eagerly, nodding along. The two turned to look at her simultaneously, and something warm blossomed in Eri's heart when she watched their auras react fondly to the sight of her.

"Done!" Eri smiled.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes as he strolled over, and inspected her kanji. "Much better. Now, write it in soushou form."

Eri drenched just the mere tip of her brush ink ink, and began to draw the strokes of 'corruption' again. Her brush never left the paper, allowing the kanji to take a more fluid and cursive form. When she was finished, even she had a hard time relating her product to its real kanji.

The Snake Sannin clucked his tongue. "It's not perfect, but it'll do. Now, I want you to move on to 'flood.'"

Eri suppressed her groan, and reached for a new piece of paper. But just as she was about to coat her brush with ink again, the door to Orochimaru's office swung open. Eri's eyes widened as the Sandaime walked in, his head held high and expression endlessly amused.

"Sensei," Orochimaru bowed, showing a rare form of respect. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

The Hokage gave him a soft smile. "Now, now, Orochimaru. Since when have I needed a special reason to visit my own student?"

"Since you became the Hokage," Orochimaru's voice held no venom, but Eri saw the very brief and well-hidden flicker of anger and hurt in his aura. She reached over and grasped onto his hand, giving it a small squeeze before letting go.

It was clear the Hokage was blind to Orochimaru's internal insecurities, as the man took Orochimaru's words as a joke. Instead, Sarutobi chuckled. "That is true. But when I heard one of my favorite students was acting as a sensei himself for two little geniuses, I knew I just had to come take a look."

Eri felt her face flush at his compliment. "Orocchin is a good teacher."

The corners of the Hokage's eyes creased. "I'm sure you have your own merits too, Eri-chan. This student of mine would never teach people he doesn't deem to be smart."

Orochimaru sniffed. "For a damn good reason, too. It would simply be unreasonable and a waste of my precious time to teach a child who wouldn't understand my lessons."

The Hokage glanced at the silent (and awestruck) Itachi. "Has he been kind to you?"

Itachi nodded his head rapidly. "Orochimaru-sama is very good at teaching. He is very patient, and knows exactly where and when I made a mistake, and how I should fix it." Itachi paused before adding, "He's a much better teacher than most of the people over at my clan."

Now, it was Orochimaru's turn to blush, but only just ever so slightly that the skin across his cheeks seemed to be blemished. The Hokage released a loud, boisterous laugh, and patted Itachi's head. "That is good to hear, especially with what I'm about to offer him."

Orochimaru crossed his arms across his chest. "Oh? So there was a specific reason why you bothered to visit me."

The Sandaime gave Orochimaru a sheepish smile. "I wouldn't use the word bothered. I am never bothered to visit my students, after all. Though I do admit that I don't—and apologize for—not visiting often enough. But yes, there is a specific reason as to why I came. Orochimaru… How would you like to have your own team?"

Eri gaped, and her eyes flickered to Orochimaru in expectation.

"I refuse," he said flatly.

Sarutobi frowned. "Why not? You are a great teacher, as evident from what these children are saying. You are also an effective teacher—"

"That is because these two have the skills and talent to keep up with my lessons," Orochimaru said dismissively. "As I have previously stated, I have no intention of wasting my time on—"

"But your students will be very smart," the Hokage insisted. "They were ecstatic to hear they might be trained by the great Snake Sannin."

"Well, it is too bad for them, I suppose, that I already have two students, and that I am very busy at the current moment," Orochimaru deflected. "I have to complete the seal against the Iwa soldiers for the sake of Konoha, after all."

The Hokage's lips pressed tightly, and he opened his mouth as though to continue his rant. Eri noticed a faint mist cloud the area behind the Sandaime very briefly, before an ANBU member popped up behind the Sandaime.

"Hokage-sama," a low voice said. "A messenger from the Daimyo is awaiting you in the hall."

Sarutobi sighed, his eyebrows knitted together, and his face seemed to age once more. "Very well. I will head to my office this moment." He glanced at Orochimaru. "But please, give it some more thought, Orochimaru. I know you'll be a great teacher. I will visit again, when I can." With that, the Sandaime left.

Orochimaru clenched his fists in a tight grip, before relaxing them and returning to Eri. "Now, as I was saying, finish writing the kanji 'flood' in—"

"You're done with your research, aren't you," Eri accused.

"Yes, I—"

"And you finished your seal days ago. In fact, it's being used on the battlefield against the Iwa soldiers this very moment," Itachi added.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "Uchiha, it seems Namikaze hasn't been a good influence on you. Your social skills seem to have deteriorated—"

"Stop changing the subject," Eri interjected. "Is it because of us?"

"Is what because of y—"

"Are you refusing the job offer because we're taking up all of your time?" Itachi clarified.

Orochimaru used his index and thumb to press hard against the bridge of his nose. Silence filled the room, an oppressive atmosphere encompassing the air among them.

"I think," he said slowly. "It is time for you two to return home."

"You didn't answer my question," Eri said dryly.

"The sun has long set," Orochimaru crossed his arms again. "Mikoto-san would be worried that the two of you aren't home yet."

"In the few weeks that you've taught us, we've gone home much later than this," Eri noted.

"I didn't realize you were aspiring to become a politician, Namikaze, what with your amazing ability to annoy someone with your words," Orochimaru flashed Eri an unimpressed look. "If your sensei says you need to go home, then you must go home. Unless you need lessons on discipline again."

Eri suppressed the shiver that climbed up her spine at the thought. (After Orochimaru's lessons on discipline, Eri learned that Kagami's lessons were a walk in the park of mercy and kindness).

"We just want to know if we're a burden to you or not," Itachi said.

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru said in a soft tone, "You're not. Trust the Hokage when he says I am not the type to bother getting students for political purposes." He sighed. "The parents of my soon-to-be students always protest vehemently when they find out I'm going to be their children's teacher."

Itachi's eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

Eri resisted the urge to smack herself in the face. As much of a genius as Itachi was, he lacked in the department of "understanding humans".

But Orochimaru took no offense, and instead ruffled Itachi's hair. "They fear me."

"Because they're stupid and superficial," Eri interjected angrily. "And insignificant and shallow."

Orochimaru snorted. "I suppose that sums it up nicely. But yes, their mistrust of me stems from their fear of my appearance."

Itachi stared at Orochimaru, his eyes roaming the Snake Sannin's features. "Why?" He asked again. "I don't understand."

Orochimaru blinked, and turned to Eri, who shrugged. "I… am not sure how to explain it to you, actually."

"But I don't understand," Itachi insisted. "You aren't scary or ugly or anything."

Orochimaru blinked again. "Ah… Yes, uh, thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" Itachi pressed. "It's not something to be thankful for. It's just a statement."

"You're right," the tips of Orochimaru's lips curled. "I stand corrected."

Eri smiled at the scene, but gasped when she took a look at Itachi's paper. "What!"

"What is it?" Orochimaru asked.

"Why is he already on seal formation?" Eri cried. "While I'm still practicing kanji calligraphy?"

Orochimaru gave Eri a flat look. "Because Itachi-kun's kanji vocabulary is far superior to yours, and his calligraphy is nearly flawless."

Eri whined, "But I want to make seals too."

"She could learn along with me," Itachi added.

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "I refuse to allow a student of mine to advance without having a firm grasp of the basics."

Eri pouted. "Fine." She added, "So you're going to think about it more, right? What the Hokage asked?"

Orochimaru sighed. "Since I have a feeling you two will continue to bother me about it, yes, I will take it into consideration." He glared at the two children. "But if even one parent of the children complains, I will never take a team under my wing again."

Ignoring Orochimaru's last angsty proclaim, Eri asked Itachi, "So how do you get better at knowing kanji?"

"I just know the ones I read in books," Itachi admitted. "I think they sold books with kanji and pictures in the Konoha bookstore."

"Then we should stop by while we head home," Eri decided, and turned to her paper. "OK! I'm going to finish this and more until Orocchin lets me advance!"

Itachi too turned to his paper, and resumed to organize kanji into a balanced form across the seal (whatever that meant). Orochimaru roamed over the two's shoulders, correcting mistakes and making important criticisms when appropriate.

That night, Itachi and Eri had to visit three places to find a book on advanced kanji. The war had interrupted everyone's business; no one had the money to buy books when they were busy trying to save money for their next meal, or sending extra weapons to their loved ones on the battlefield. (But Eri and Itachi didn't mention this, didn't even bring it up in their conversation).

Eri made it another one of her goals to master all joyo kanji. So in the morning, the two would go through their physical training, and in the afternoon, be picked up by Orochimaru and head to his office, where they studied the art of fuuinjutsu. Both Eri and Itachi rarely saw Mikoto, who was constantly in meetings with demanding elders and unreasonable clansmen. Letters for the two children were rare, if there were any; Fugaku apparently only saw fit to write to Mikoto, and that was to instruct her on how to lead the clan; Minato wrote one-sentence letters; and Kushina saw fit to just send her seals for the two children to study.

Surprisingly, as time passed, Eri became used to their absence.

Because Itachi was there, helping her return to sleep at night, reminding her to eat her vegetables, encouraging her through her training. He was her brother, and she his sister. They were siblings, separated only by blood.

She couldn't have asked for a better brother.


"Father," she freezes, her fingers held mid-air right before the off button on her desktop. His eyes skim over the screen.

"Was it Jeffrey?" He asks.

She wants to lie and protect her uncle, but she answers him with a brief "yes, sir", and finds herself in the posture that her father has instilled in her: straight back, hands held behind her back, and feet shoulder width wide.

"Get to the gym," he orders. "You're already late. Your brother is waiting for you."

With that, he pulls out his phone and leaves her room. She wordlessly changes into a tank top and shorts, and steps out of her room into the hallway. She walks through a fog down the stairs into the basement, and towards the ring. Her hands shake violently, and the sinking feeling in her stomach does not go away.

Her brother has his back towards her, and from the way his arms are moving, it is clear he is tying his fists with bandages. Kick boxing today, then. She heads to her own corner at the right of the room, and after sliding into her running shoes, wraps her fists with bandages as well. It takes a while, because her hands are shaking harder than ever before. Once she's ready, she climbs onto the ring. Her brother's piercing blue eyes gaze into hers as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

"Father is very upset at you," he says casually.

She does not answer him, and puts her mouthguard in. She resumes the standard stance. Her left fist is raised to eye level, kept away from her face ever so slightly. Her right fist is held at her chin level. She stares at her brother through the gap created between her two fists. After a pause, her brother mirrors her stance.

"Three rounds, each lasting three minutes," he instructs.

With that, she slides forward, faking left, before ducking under his jab. She twists behind him, but before she can land a punch on him, he has already turned around and is aiming a right uppercut at her. She jerks back, lifting her arms to shield her. But that was what her brother was aiming for all along: his right arm drops limp beside him as his right knee shoots up and lands right on her left stomach.

She flinches, because her brother's knee jab is not something to take lightly. She grasps onto his leg, under his knee, and tries to trip him onto his back. He falter slightly, but he uses her hold as a balance to try to land a left hook. She's forced to shuffle backwards, releasing his leg.

Her brother doesn't wait for her to raise her guard as he shoots a right jab. She ducks, pops up to his left, and twists her hips to land a roundhouse kick on him. But he slithers past her leg, clambers towards her in that impossibly fast way of his, and lands a left jab right at her face. She twists her face just slightly enough that his punch lands on her cheek and not her nose, but the pain is all the same.

She lets out a small 'unph' and lifts her arms in defense in case her brother tries to land another punch on her. She lowers her guard slightly to block his left kick, and throws her left arm up for an uppercut.

Her brother jerks his head back, and hops back with one leg. Both lower their guards immediately, the internal clock their father has programmed in them letting both of them know that three minutes is up.

"One minute break," her brother instructs, and heads towards his corner.

She returns to her own place, and wipes her face with a towel. When she takes a sip of water, she recognizes the familiar taste of bitter iron in her mouth. Her brother's punch must have knocked her gums hard enough for them to start bleeding. She has to make sure she retaliates properly.

But two rounds later, she sits in her chair in the corner, her breath heavy and body bruised and bloody. Her left eye has swollen up so much that she can't see out of it. Her left leg keeps shaking violently, and she's pretty sure she's fractured her right rib. Her brother, on the other hand, merely sports a small bruise on his thigh from a lucky kick that she managed to get in during the last round.

"Father has ordered you to run ten miles by 1300. Then, you must head over to the Uncle Tom's shooting range for more training." Her brother clambers out of the ring. "Your control over assault rifles is atrocious."

"I've been a bit busy," she tries to say, but the words sound jumbled with all the blood in her mouth.

Her brother turns to give her an unimpressed look. "Algebra should not be taking so much of your time."

She watches in silence, wiping blood off her chin, as her brother puts on his shirt and pants and belt and combat boots. His shirt and tank top remain dry; he did not break a sweat in their little workout. When he sees that she is not standing up, he turns and narrows his eyes.

"Hustle," he orders, and reaches for his knife attached to his belt.

By pure instinct, she notices herself follow his orders as she stands and climbs out of the ring to her brother. Without a word, he slashes the skin above her swollen eye, and blood gushes out rapidly. She grits her teeth in surprise, and almost misses the towel her brother throws at her. She holds the towel over the area that is gushing out blood, and stares at her brother, who returns his blade into its sheath and heads out of the gym.

She is left alone, standing in the cold, brightly lit gym. She tries hard not to hate him, his perfection, his superiority.

Because he is the only brother she has.


After several months of mastering the various calligraphy forms, Eri was elated when Orochimaru allowed her to learn seal formatting. She had to memorize some basic ways to organize the foundational kanji, which would apparently help the additional, advanced kanji force her chakra to work in a certain way. Eri squirmed in her seat, her chubby fingers gripping her brush hard. Itachi was working hard at mastering the basic formatting that he'd been taught, already having gone through all of the foundation of seals.

"Now, this is the first basic form," Orochimaru showed her seemingly random symbols that created a circle in the middle of the paper. "After this, you can add on several other kanji to specify what exactly you want the seal to do." With this, he added on the kanji for 'left' and 'right' painted beside another with just a slight amount of space in the middle of the circle.

Eri watched as Orochimaru added on several different kanji, including the five elements, onto the paper. There was something familiar about the structure, the system of being, that resonated with her. She frowned, watching the brush climb from one corner of the page to the other, the complexity of the seal increasing as time passed.

"Do you see how the 'water' kanji is used in the core of the seal, then is referred to in the outer regions?" Orochimaru pointed at 'water' kanji in the center, then at several others that were implanted on the four corners. "From the formatting, can you guess what this seal would be used for?"

Eri squinted. "The fuuinjutsu master's chakra is increasing the pressure in the air, and altering the temperature so the moisture will be condensed into water. Then, using the vast amount of accumulated water, the chakra creates a force of wind that pushes the water into a spiralling mass that originates from the center of the seal."

There was silence in the room. Even Itachi looked up from his own seal to give Eri a strange look.

"Yes," Orochimaru said slowly. "You got it right."

She ignored his questioning aura, and grasped at the edges of the paper, pulling it close to her face. "It's familiar, this seal."

"Oh," Orochimaru's aura relaxed. "I see, that makes sense. Did your parents teach you this seal?"

Before Eri could reply, there was a bold, single knock at Orochimaru's door. The Snake Sannin frowned, before bellowing, "You may enter!"

The door to Orochimaru's room opened slowly. Spiky, brown hair could be seen from the edge of the door, and harsh whispers were spoken behind the door. With a jerk, the brunet boy was pushed into the room, his dark blue yukata crumpled and dirty. He was followed by a familiar looking girl and a calm, stoic Hyuuga boy. The girl wore a sleeveless fishnet mesh shirt, and fishnet armbands that reached her elbows. She wore dark shorts, and knee-length black boots. The Hyuuga boy had light brown hair, which was tied into a ponytail, and wore a simple, grey yukata with dark, standard Konoha shoes.

"Hello!" the dark-haired girl chirped (Eri gasped by instinct; it was chibi Anko). "Nice 'ta meet you, sensei!"

The Hyuuga boy took a brief glance at the look, before asking, "Should we return at a later time?"

At the same time, the brunet boy yelped, "S—Sorry, s—sensei. It's all A—Anko's fault, I told h-her we sh—should wait—"

She glanced at Orochimaru, whose expression was cool and calm; but his aura twitched with irritation.

"I assume you are the children I am supposed to train," he snapped.

"Yup!" Anko chirped. "I'm Anko. I'm goin' to be your favorite student. This over here is Hideaki—obviously a Hyuuga—and the stuttering idiot there is Ishikawa Ryuu."

A snort escaped Eri's lips before she could slap her hand over her mouth. It was interesting to hear the typical brooding boy was 'shining excellence', while the stuttering child was named 'dragon spirit.' An interesting combination of names. Once she exchanged eye contact with Itachi, she knew she wasn't alone in her amusement.

"I see," Orochimaru drawled. He paused, giving them a once over, before declaring, "You may all return home now. I do not want you as my students."

Fierce Dragon gaped. "B—But why?"

Orochimaru crossed his arms. "When Hokage-sama had described you lot, I'd gotten the impression you all would be… more intelligent and sophisticated. Now that I see that this is not the case, I refuse to waste my time to teach you. Now, go on. Shoo. I have more important things to do."

"Like teach those brats?" Anko growled, pointing at Eri then Itachi. "They're babies! You'd have a much better time—"

"These babies are Namikaze Eri and Uchiha Itachi; the female is the child of the Yellow Flash and Uzumaki Kushina, while the male is the heir to the Uchiha clan," Orochimaru interrupted. "And both have far more potential as students than all of you combined."

"Orochimaru-sama," Hideaki said, his low voice rather subdued for a Hyuuga. "If I may be permitted to speak, I'd like to explain that though we speak rashly, we are not unskilled. The three of us graduated at the top of our grade—with the exception of Anko, who is lacking in… test taking skills—but all of us are fairly skilled in taijutsu and ninjutsu." The child bowed. "Please give us a chance."

Eri blinked. It was quite rare for a Hyuuga to willingly bow his head and ask for aid, what with their infamous pride. Eri poked Orochimaru's side, and smiled, "Orocchi—Oro-sensei, you promised you'd think about it and give them a chance." Itachi nodded along with her.

Orochimaru glanced at the children, who stood with their back straights eagerly, and sighed. "That is, very unfortunately, true. Fine. You three, head out to Training Compound Four. I want to see your skill set before confirming my decision." With that, the three fresh genin beamed (with the exception of the Hyuuga), and rushed out of the room.

The Snake Sannin turned to Eri and Itachi, his eyes narrowed. "I want you two to continue practicing the basics. Itachi-kun, teach Eri the other forms while I'm gone. I shall be right back."

Eri laughed as she watched Orochimaru's defeated aura disappear behind the door. "He's such a tsundere."

Itachi laughed along with her. "But we shouldn't tease him too much."

Eri shrugged. "We should tease people as much as we can while we still can."

"Why do you say that?" Itachi cocked his eyebrow.

"Because we're children, and children can get away with nearly everything," Eri deadpanned, and returned to her calligraphy. "Ne, ne, Ita-kun, what's the next basic form?"

Itachi pushed against his chair, and clambered onto the one next to her. "You understand that all basics are based on the idea of balance, right? So since you already did the first form with the circle with left and right, the next basic form would be an upside down triangle with 'up and down'."

With that, Eri gently mimicked the strange shapes to form a triangle, and wrote the kanji for 'up' at the center of the page, followed by 'down'.

"Geh," Eri winced. "It's all botched up." She reached out for a new piece of paper, and turned to Itachi, who gave her a strange look. "Hey, it's normal for a beginner to botch up, OK?" Eri blushed furiously at her mistake.

"Hn," Itachi lowered his eyes. "Ne, Eri, why don't you try with your left hand?"

Eri blinked. "Try what?"

"Try writing the kanji with your left hand," Itachi repeated.

Eri lifted her brush to her left hand, and tried to paint the second basic form on the new piece of paper. To her surprise, the kanji was far more organized and clean. There were no stray lines that escaped the intended path (It was no wonder her kanji was always so messy. How could she have forgotten? She'd always been left handed). She glanced at Itachi, whose exterior unperturbed expression did not match his violent aura.

Ignoring her gaze, he continued, "But for this one, Orochimaru-sensei's example from before doesn't work. Do you…" he glanced at her, his aura suspicious. "Do you know why?"

She pondered on it for a while, before answering, "Isn't it because when you do the last bit, forcing the water to turn into a spiralling force, you need forces to go left and right, and not necessarily up and down? And also, because left and right forces can make the particles in the air vibrate faster to increase the pressure in air—What?"

"...Can you explain why the basic form is an upside down triangle this time?" Itachi stared at Eri's calligraphy.

"Isn't it because it's setting the seal up for an effect that'll go against gravity? The structuring of the foundation is set so that the 'up' will take the brunt of the force. Also, the terms 'up' and 'down' are already defined in the triangle seal, so that it can be referred to later on and be commanded."

Itachi's eyes bore into her own, his aura coiling with curiosity much like Orochimaru's frequently did. "How did you know that?"

"How did I know what?" she frowned.

"How did you know that you need left and right forces to make a spiralling force, and that left and right forces can make air particles vibrate to increase air pressure?" he demanded. "And that 'defining' words means you can 'command' them later?"

"I…" Eri stopped (because she had learned it in another life; increasing velocity increases pressure in air; in programming, the terms must be defined before being used for a command—). "I… just did," she finished lamely.

Itachi stared at her. "And when did you make up this language?"

"I didn't," Eri replied instinctively, before clamping her mouth shut.

"Then who did you learn it from?" Itachi's eyes narrowed.

Eri bit her lips (this was not part of the plan; this was not part of her plan. She didn't—)

"Namikaze Eri," Itachi frowned. "Who are you?"