hello hello! here are the promised extra's!

will have up the next chapter in... 3 days at most.

hope you like these little tales. i enjoyed writing them :)

EXTRA #4:
MADARA AND THE APPLES
- For Noir Fox -

EXTRA #4:
MADARA AND THE APPLES

When Madara was eight, there was a game that became popular with the Uchiha children. They filled up buckets with water and placed apples in them, and putting their hands behind their back and using their mouths and teeth to get them out of the water.

At first, he observed with a scowl and disdain. It was ridiculous, watching the kids act so foolishly, getting wet and looking stupid on purpose. But after a while, he started to see the smiles on their faces were radiating happiness, and their laughter rang out.

Madara felt jealous.

He'd never had the opportunity to feel as free as that before, nor did he particularly like the idea of publicly making a fool of himself.

So Madara did what any embarrassed eight-year-old shinobi would do. He stole a basket, went down to the river, filled it with water, found a hidden area in the forest and gathered apples.

Madara spent weeks alone in his little grove, his head bobbing in and out of the bucket.

Weeks. Actual weeks.

And he never once managed to capture an apple.

Weeks.

At eight-years-old, Madara had already - unfortunately - killed people. He'd been called a genius, a prodigy. Yet he couldn't figure out a way to bite an apple. Just one.

What was wrong with him!?

Madara took out his frustration by building structures made out of the hundreds of apples he'd collected. He didn't really know how he'd managed to find so many, but somehow, he'd found himself surrounded by apples of all shades and colours: bright red, green, yellow-green, red-pink.

He quickly gave up trying to bob for apples, becoming far more interested in building his little city made of the fruit.

It wasn't until he'd managed to build a small fort out of the apples that he noticed the little girl staring at him, through the trees giggling behind her hand. He froze with wide-eyes and stared at her, panicked at what to do. Looking around, he looked strange, completely insane. Even he could admit that. There were apples everywhere, organised into ordered rows and stack neatly to create structures representing buildings.

"Wh-who are you?" Madara asked her girl nervously and defensively, crossing his arms over his chest in the way he remembered his father did.

The girl, with long, silken black hair, dark eyes and rose-red cheeks dropped her hands from her face smiled brightly at him.

"I'm Matsuri. Who are you? Apple boy?" She asked cheekily.

Madara huffed, feeling defensive in his panic.

"I'm not Apple Boy," he said glaring. "I'm Madara."

Matsuri's eyes widened slightly and Madara felt smugly satisfied that she knew who he was. He expected some reverence, being the son of Tajima, the clan leader. To his surprise, Matsuri began to giggle again.

"What are you doing?" She asked, taking little steps closer.

Madara's face burned red.

"Nothing," he snapped. "Mind your own business."

Matsuri pouted.

"You don't have to be so mean," she sniffed. "Stupid Madara, stupid Apple boy!"

She picked up an apple and threw it at him. Madara ducked and the apple flew past him, hitting a tree trunk and landing in the clearing. He watched, horrified, as the apple rolled and rocked over the tallest construct he'd made, which resulted in a domino effect of the entire village of apples he'd created being destroyed.

Madara and Matsuri stared at the devastation with shock.

Little did they know, the apples would be the beginning of a lifelong friendship, but it would take another year of Matsuri's determination before she broke through Madara's hurt, embarrassment and anger about her destroying his secret apple village.

But she had blackmail for the rest of her life, so it didn't bother her at all.

EXTRA #5:
HOUSEWORK

"You do know that I'm not the only one who lives here?" Sakura said.

She stood before Itachi, her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed and frustrated. She had a white apron on over her clothes and a ladle in one hand.

Itachi looked up from the scroll in his hand and frowned.

"I believe that's obvious."

She took a very deep, slow breath, closed her eyes

"Itachi. If you don't want me to punch you into next week, I suggest that you clean up this mess before I clean you up."

Itachi saw the look on her face - one that had made Shisui tremble with fear, that had caused Naruto to backtracked on whatever he had said - and met it with an even expression of his own. He looked from her to the scrolls around him. Most of them had not been opened by him. Itachi was not in the habit of leaving unraveled, sensitive scrolls around. In fact, his eyes shifted to the small pile of rolled scrolls on the table in front of him, he had been cleaning up after himself.

"I believe this mess was left behind by you, Sakura," Itachi said calmly, although he knew she was going to blow up.

Her eyes narrowed further and her grip on the ladle tightened. She gave him a wicked smile.

"Itachi, have I not been giving your eyes enough treatment?"

"More than enough," he responded.

"Then is it too difficult for you to see that I have been doing almost all the housework since we arrived here?"

Itachi considered.

"Not particularly. I admit you have done quite a lot."

"Exactly. And while I do more, like keep cooking your dinner for tonight, airing out the futon, cleaning in the kitchen, can you just make sure that you contribute a little more to the collective instead of just yourself?"

If Itachi had a chance, he would go back in time and make sure that Sakura spent a little less time with his mother. She sounded far too like Mikoto, which meant they had spent way too much time together talking about the household. He wondered how much his mother had complained about doing the housework, because now that he thought about it, he didn't remember doing much more than keep his own things clean and he never saw his father do much either.

He did have to admit, Sakura's face and aura were intimidating. Her plastered smile made her seem like she ought to have fangs instead of the teeth she did have. He didn't think it would be healthy to argue with her.

He nodded.

"Yes, of course," he replied.

She stared at him for a moment longer, scrutinising him to see if he was lying or mocking her. Satisfied, she gave a short nod and returned to the kitchen, the smell of dinner wafting in the room after her.

A knock at the door had Itachi placing the scroll he was reading down. Before he could stand, Tobirama walked into the house. Itachi looked him up and down, his gaze lingered on the shoes.

Sakura appeared again.

"Ever heard of waiting for the door to be opened?" She asked with sarcasm.

Itachi sat patiently and waited. She would notice soon.

"Apologies," Tobirama said.

He didn't sound sincere. Itachi began to roll up the scrolls around him.

"I have a message from Hashirama."

Sakura tapped her foot on the floor.

"Well?"

A small pile of neatly rolled scrolls was being collected. Itachi picked up the last scroll with some hesitation. It was obscuring Sakura's view from Tobirama's feet.

Better him than me, Itachi thought with some amusement and pity.

"He'd like to invite you for dinner," Tobirama said.

Sakura huffed.

"Well, unfortunately, dinner is being cooked," she signaled at her apron. "So we decline."

"Tomorrow then," Tobirama said, taking a step further into the house now that the scroll wasn't in the way anymore.

Big mistake, Itachi thought.

Sakura was about to answer when her eye caught a glimpse of his feet.

"Run," Itachi murmured quietly.

Tobirama looked at him and frowned with confusion.

Itachi nodded at his feet.

"Run," he said again.

Tobirama looked down and then behind him, before looking back up at Sakura. His boots were covered in mud, the floor was dirtied with his mess. An aura that was frighteningly demonic rose around Sakura.

Itachi watched as understanding and fear crossed Tobirama's face, and then the two of them were gone.

Itachi made certain the house was spotless and dinner was served when Sakura returned later - without her ladle.

The next day, Itachi and Sakura went for dinner at Hashirama's. Itachi didn't ask how Tobirama had received a ladle sized blue-black bruise on his cheek, or where the rumours of a ladle-wielding demon had come from.

He was only too aware.

Better him than me, Itachi thought again, smiling.

EXTRA #6:
SAKURA HARUNO / SAKURA UCHIHA

There were times that Mikoto had really worried about her children. Of course, she was constantly worried about Sasuke. He was out in the world, lost physically and mentally to her. She ached for him like nothing she'd ever known before, and there was a knot of emotion in her heart that never faded and would never fade until she saw him safe and sound and in her arms again.

Itachi was different. He'd always been different. Always so smart, so distant, so very Itachi-like. She'd been worried about him until Sasuke was born, worried that he wouldn't be able to connect with people properly. Having a little brother changed Itachi, and she was glad of it. Shisui was good for Itachi too. He brought out a different side to her son, a more playful side to him that she rarely saw.

After meeting Naruto and Sakura, her worries for Sasuke to make friends had lessened. Her worries for him to have a place to belong and come home too also lessened.

But Mikoto was happy for Sakura to be in both her son's lives, her life, and her husband's life. Sakura was something new and wonderful in her family. Aside from herself, her boys never experienced the subtle influence of a female presence in life. A girl like Sakura who was sincere, strong-willed, effeminate, compassionate and with the potential to become a woman without equal.

Fugaku, at one time, had confessed he'd thought he might've liked a daughter. Both of them were glad they had their boys, but Mikoto had secretly wanted a girl too. It was partly why she had encouraged Sakura to stay close to the family. She knew that Sakura had feelings for Sasuke, and that meant she was curious about the family. It was easy to influence the young girl to stick close. It worked out better than she'd hoped.

Sakura was vibrant and lively. She reminded Mikoto of Kushina in a lot of ways. It made her smile to see and hear her argue with Naruto. She wasn't related to the Uzumaki in any way, and there was no blood relation, but Sakura was almost like a piece of his mother, and that made Mikoto happy. She was sure Kushina would be too.

For Itachi, Sakura was colour and distraction. She didn't know it, but all her efforts to get closer to Itachi were wasted, and only served to entertain him. He accepted her far more quickly than she knew; it only took a few days before Mikoto had caught him smiling fondly at her when she wasn't looking. She knew he had been hiding a lot from her and his father about how he was tired and stressed, and after Sasuke left, he'd become withdrawn. Sakura brought him back - with Shisui's help. It might have been Mikoto's subtle suggestion to seek the older Uchiha out.

It took a little longer for Fugaku to see Sakura. Mikoto knew that her husband was under immense amounts of pressure, he simply didn't have time to look at her properly. But when she entered his vision - as a girl who made his son smile again, as a girl whose name seemed to be known to every Uchiha in the compound, who talked to all his officers on the street, who he heard rumours about every day for her conduct and what she said about the clan - he took notice.

Sasuke didn't know it, but in many ways, he took after his father. Itachi was often seen as the quiet one because he wasn't as outspoken or emotive as Sasuke, but the truth was that Itachi was far more attuned and honest with himself than his brother, and as he grew older, he became more talkative and connected with others more deeply.

Sasuke kept his true feelings close to the chest. He spoke harshly to hide it, he remained silent to keep it locked away. He was very much like his father in that respect. Fugaku showed his pride and growing love for Sakura in non-verbal ways, and often only to Mikoto so the poor girl had no idea at all.

He asked Mikoto to make sure she was resting enough, she looked tired. He asked Mikoto to inform him of the days she was coming for dinner, so he'd be home from work on time to be there. He told Itachi to make sure he was training her properly, but not pushing too hard since she had a lot of work to do at the hospital and with the Hokage. When any of the Uchiha were hurt or injured, he always recommended they go to Sakura for treatment.

It made Mikoto smile to see her husband and son worry about her when she was out on missions.

Within two years, Sakura Haruno had become another member of her family.

She wondered what would happen when Sasuke returned, dragged back to his senses by Sakura and Naruto - she knew they would do it one day, somehow. How would he react learning that she had become so close and important to them all in his absence? She had a suspicion that although Sasuke had been pretty focused on training and his ambitions, he'd preferred Sakura to any other girl he met.

Or would Itachi grow attached to her, the older and more beautiful she grew? It would be reasonable, she thought. Sakura was the first girl he'd grown close to since Izumi. She was too young now, but maybe when she was seventeen or eighteen, he'd start to see her as a woman.

Mikoto smiled to herself as she sat across from Fugaku at his desk at the station.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked her, frowning.

Her smiled broadened slightly.

"I was wondering about Sakura," she answered.

"And?"

Mikoto shrugged, still smiling.

"I was thinking that Sakura Uchiha sounds like a fine name."

Fugaku regarded her a moment before his face softened.

"And which of our sons would you pair her off with?" He asked, his voice lighter than it had been all day.

Mikoto laughed.

"I don't think she'd appreciate being paired off with anyone," she said. "She's already taking after Tsunade with her temper, and she's far too like Kushina already to be told what to do."

Fugaku gave a nod of agreement and a knowing look, clearly remembering Kushina from years earlier.

"She's too young for you to be thinking of her being married," Fugaku said after a moment, frowning slightly.

Mikoto let out a wistful sigh, stood and walked around the desk to kiss her husband on the temple.

"But Sakura Uchiha... she would truly be our daughter then," she said. It was time for her to leave. "I'll see you at home for dinner."

Fugaku nodded. Mikoto was at the door when he called out for her.

"She doesn't need the name to be a daughter," he said to her, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Mikoto looked at her husband with affection and then left, walking through the station and greeting those she walked past with a pleasant smile.

He was right, of course. There was no mistake in her heart that Sakura was the closest thing to a daughter she had.

But the name wouldn't hurt either.