Aiko was reading a book in her room. She turned the page, scanned it, and then sighed. "No good... there's no way I can obtain it on my own... what should I do...?" At that moment, Itachi entered her room.

"Hey." The older child began in order to get her attention. When Aiko looked up at him, Itachi continued, "Why didn't you say something to Sasuke earlier? Even if you can't throw shuriken, you still could've come, or we could've done something you could do."

Aiko sighed as she closed her book and sat up, watching as Itachi sat down beside her. "He wouldn't have liked the intrusion." She explained, "He's not used to me being here yet. If I start tagging along when he trains with you, he'll feel like I'm stealing you from him. Besides, he doesn't even notice when I'm within ten feet of him unless I say something, regardless of whether I'm trying to conceal my presence."

"Sasuke can be a little single-minded." Itachi admitted, "But sooner or later, he's going to have to learn to accept that having you here means sharing, well, everyone."

"I know, but I just feel like I should build a bond with him first before I try tagging along with both of you." Aiko admitted, standing up and putting her book away, "I mean, sure, I could've said 'let's all play hide-and-seek', but I would probably beat him, and I don't think he would like that. He's very competitive."

"That's true, he is." Itachi admitted, "What makes you so certain you could beat him though?"

"All of my training has been focused entirely on stealth. My father was a specialist at infiltration, remember?" She told him as she walked back over to him, "But I'm not just sitting around you know. I have a plan."

"What is it?" Itachi asked, his mouth twitching slightly with interest. Aiko's thought process was highly complex compared to Sasuke's, or even his own at that age.

"Your Chuunin exam is coming up soon, right?" Aiko asked, "I'm sure you'll pass the first test, and the second test takes five days, which means you won't be around for Sasuke to follow around. I think during that time, I'll ask him to teach me how to throw shuriken and kunai so that I can join you guys later. Maybe if he teaches me how to do it, the sense of achievement he'll get from doing so will make him more comfortable with having me come along."

"That's a good idea." Itachi agreed, rubbing her head, "Anyway, it's time for dinner."

"Okay." Aiko replied, getting to her feet and hurrying to go to the dining room. Itachi was about to follow her, but paused to look at the book she'd been reading. It was a catalogue on poisons and how to compound them. Why did she even have such a book? She was only four. Then again, it might've originally belonged to one of her parents, so perhaps the better question was, why had she been reading it?

兄弟

"Itachi, your chunin exam is tomorrow, isn't it?" Fugaku began at dinner a few nights later, "Put everything you have into it."

"Right." Itachi said.

"I wonder what the first test is this time?" Aiko wondered, "They change it up every time. The second and third tests are always the same though."

"Really?" Itachi asked, "What kind of test is most common?"

"It's entirely up to the proctor, but... I think at least part of the first test is to test your resolve as a shinobi... whatever that means." Aiko replied.

"Ohh... So there actually are words you don't know." Sasuke remarked with a grin.

"Of course there are." Aiko replied with an annoyed look, "I'm still little. Most of the time when I explain things, I'm just repeating what I heard my parents say. I think it's called 'parroting'." Mikoto laughed awkwardly at her adopted child's statement, though Aiko seemed unconcerned as her expression turned thoughtful. "That reminds me. I need to run an errand tomorrow. More specifically, I need to take a document from my mother to the Hokage. I found it among some of the things she left for me."

"Just how many of those documents did she leave you?" Fugaku asked incredulously.

"Mama liked to be prepared for any eventuality." Aiko said matter-of-factly, "That reminds me. Itachi, if you happen to see an older man, around the Hokage's age, at the exam with a bandage over his right eye and a cane, I suggest you keep your distance. That's Shimura Danzō. He's the head of my mama's clan. He's very dangerous and he hates the Uchiha Clan."

"Why would somebody hate the clan?" Sasuke asked innocently as he munched on some food.

"I don't know exactly..." Aiko admitted, "I think it has something to do with an old grudge about our great-grandfather naming the current Hokage as his successor instead of him? That, and he was mad about my mama leaving the Shimura Clan when she married Papa."

"I remember that." Mikoto said thoughtfully, "Megumi was one of the brightest members of the Shimura Clan, and Lord Danzō was livid when she eloped with Nichi. Megumi ended up cutting all ties with the Shimura as a result."

"Yes, and because of that, he especially hates me." Aiko said with a nod, "He hates that the blood of the Shimura has mingled with that of the Uchiha."

"It's just the opposite here..." Fugaku said, "Even if we don't have the best relationship with the Shimura, since you've been born Aiko, we've all had high hopes that you would inherit the best of both of your parents' abilities."

Aiko wasn't sure whether to be pleased by that statement or not, so she ignored it, "At any rate, I don't feel safe going to the Hokage's office alone. Mama told me before that Danzō pulls a lot of strings in the shadows, and I get the feeling that he won't want me to deliver this document."

"In that case, I'll go with you." Itachi said, "We can go before I have to turn in my registration form at the Academy."

"Okay."

兄弟

"Why were you afraid to go by yourself today, Aiko?" Itachi asked as he walked through Konoha with Aiko's hand in his, "Didn't you used to go out by yourself all the time?"

"Yes, but... Ever since what happened in Sora-ku... I've been scared..." Aiko said reluctantly, stopping and placing her other hand over her eye, "Because I have these eyes, my mama and papa were killed. And even though I'm back in the village now, there are still people who hate the clan... who hate me..." Tears began to fall down her face as she cried softly and Itachi let go of her hand, kneeling down so that he was at her level. "I'm scared!" Aiko admitted, "I'm so scared...! Every night, my dreams are filled with horror... I try to stay awake, but I can't!"

Itachi was at a momentary loss, but acting on what he might of done when Sasuke was a toddler—he hardly cried these days—he wrapped his arms around the younger child and held her close. "Don't cry, Aiko. Even though your parents are gone... Chichiue and Kaasan... even Sasuke will give his all to protect you. And of course, I will too."

Aiko sniffled and looked up at Itachi, "Really?"

"Yes, really." Itachi promised with a gentle smile and a nod.

"Promise?" She asked, holding out her pinky. Itachi was taken aback, because that was something Sasuke had never thought to do, but he smiled gently and nodded again, wrapping her much smaller finger with his own.

"I promise." Though he didn't show it, Itachi's heart was breaking for the young girl. She was only four-years-old, yet the childhood innocence and naïveté that even he'd had at that age had been stolen from her. It wasn't even possible for her to feel safe within her own village.

兄弟

The Third Hokage looked up from his desk when he heard a knock at his door, "Come in."

"Shitsureshimasu." A child's voice replied, and Uchiha Aiko entered the office with the same air of business as an adult, even though her cousin Itachi had had to open the door for her because she was too short to reach the knob.

Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise, "Aiko! What brings you here?" He asked, watching as the tiny brunette walked around his desk to face him directly, since she was too short to see over it.

"I brought you an important document from my mother regarding the upcoming Chuunin Exam." Aiko stated as formally as she could, reaching into the small bag she was carrying and pulling out the scroll before handing it to Hiruzen. She then leaned forward, stood on her toes, and whispered in his ear, "She said you should read it if Itachi-niichan passes, which I'm sure he will. Maybe you should read it before, just in case." Hiruzen nodded to her and then she walked back over to Itachi. "Well then, shitsureshimasu." She said, bowing politely to the Hokage before taking Itachi's hand and walking out the door with him. Hiruzen sighed, feeling that the little girl was maturing entirely too quickly for her own good.

兄弟

"I should have just enough time to take you home before I have to go to the Academy." Itachi told Aiko, trying to assure her that she would be safe.

"Um, actually, Itachi-niichan, I need to go to Naruto-kun's house." Aiko replied, "I need Auntie Kushina's help with something. You can drop me off there and then go to the Academy, and I'll ask her to take me home."

"All right." Itachi agreed. He idly wondered what exactly Aiko needed Uzumaki Kushina's help with. Usually the younger child was upfront about her intentions. He didn't feel the need to question her about it though.

兄弟

"Oh, Aiko-chan!" Kushina said in surprise when she answered the door, "Naruto isn't here right now. I think he's at the park."

"Actually, I came here to talk to you, Auntie Kushina." Aiko said politely.

"To me?" Kushina asked in surprise.

"I have to head to the Academy for my chuunin exam." Itachi told the redheaded woman, "Is it all right if I leave Aiko here with you?"

"Oh, yes. It's no problem." Kushina said with a nod, "I'll bring her home later."

"Thank you." Itachi said with a polite bow before he left.

Kushina stood aside to let Aiko in and then closed the door. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"I need your help, Auntie." Aiko admitted, "I want to obtain a gift for Itachi-niichan, to help him in the second round of his Chuunin Exam, but I can't acquire it on my own."

"A gift?" Kushina asked in confusion, wondering what on earth Aiko would want to give Itachi that she couldn't obtain by herself. Aiko reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to Kushina.

"It's this." Kushina looked at the paper, her eyes widening slightly as she realized it was a type of poison for coating weapons. "I know that nobody in Konoha is going to sell it to somebody my age, and compounding it on my own is too dangerous." Aiko explained.

"But... why are you wanting to give this to Itachi before the second exam?" Kushina asked awkwardly.

"It's not that I think he needs help. He's more than skilled enough without it." Aiko said simply, "But I want to make things easier on him mentally."

"Mentally?" Kushina asked with a raised brow.

Aiko looked down, her expression a bit awkward, "Uncle Fugaku doesn't realize it, but... Itachi-niichan doesn't like fighting... There's no point in trying to explain that to him though, and Aunt Mikoto wouldn't get it either. Sasuke-niichan would probably be just as confused, but he'd at least help me. The problem is, he's only a year older than me."

"Ah." Kushina said. She was friends with Mikoto, so she knew her and Fugaku well enough, and could easily see Aiko's point.

"I've been thinking for days about how to obtain it, and I'm almost out of time." Aiko continued, "I have enough money to purchase it, but like I said, I can't because I'm too little. Then it occurred to me today that I could ask you, since I was coming into the main sector of the village anyway."

"I see." Kushina said with a soft smile before holding her hand out to Aiko, "Well then, let's go out to buy it."

兄弟

Aiko was in a very good mood by the time she returned to the Uchiha District with Kushina. Naruto had noticed them as they had passed by the park and decided to join them, and now the two little ones were chattering happily as they walked beside Naruto's mother. When they reached Aiko's house, she eagerly called out, "I'm home!"

"Ah, welcome back." Mikoto replied, drying her hands on an apron as she walked into the entryway before her eyes widened in surprise, "Kushina! What are you doing here?"

"Aiko-chan wanted my help with something earlier, so Itachi-kun dropped her off with me." Kushina explained, "I decided to see her back home once she was done."

"Aiko!" Sasuke exclaimed as he hurried into the entryway, "Do you wanna go play while we wait for Niisan to come home?" Apparently, he'd become fond of killing time that way.

"Sure." Aiko said with a smile, walking over to the step and slipping off her sandals, "Just let me go put my bag away in my room."

As Aiko disappeared around the corner, Kushina turned to Mikoto, "Um... I know that things have been... awkward... since what happened five years ago, but... now that that's been sort of cleared up, we should all get together to have dinner sometime. Naruto doesn't have many friends and to be honest... it's been kind of lonesome since Minato..."

Mikoto blinked and then nodded with a soft smile, "Yeah. I'll have to bring it up to Fugaku."

Kushina nodded and leaned forward, lowering her voice so the boys wouldn't hear her, "For the record, I never once suspected you guys when it happened. Finding out about Obito was a shock, but... I knew that your clan would never stoop to that level. The suspicion on all of you was Danzo's doing... Megumi and I tried to protest it at the time, but..."

"I understand. Aiko was just talking about him the other day." Mikoto said with a nod, "There's no hard feelings Kushina, toward you at least. I'm just glad that Megumi was able to free us from being suspected by the village."

Kushina nodded and a moment later, Aiko came bounding back into the foyer. "I'm ready!" She declared while sitting on the step to put her shoes back on, Sasuke following suit, "What should we go do?"

"Why don't we go to the forest to play hide-and-seek?" Naruto asked with a grin before looking at Sasuke, "Aiko-chan is really good at that game!"

"Oh?" Sasuke asked with interest, not noticing as Aiko's expression became a bit downcast.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Naruto-kun." She admitted while fastening her sandal, "I wouldn't feel safe without Itachi-niichan to keep an eye on us."

Both Mikoto and Kushina looked surprised and a little concerned by this, but Kushina smiled gently and crouched down in front of Aiko, "Why don't I go with you? I'm a sensory type, so I'll be able to keep track of you three no matter where you are."

At this, Aiko brightened. "That sounds okay!" She said happily while standing up before realization crossed her face, "Oh, but, we need to be back in time to welcome Itachi-niichan when he comes home. I'm not sure when that will be."

"Let's see..." Kushina said thoughtfully, "The test is an hour long and it begins at two pm, so Itachi-kun will probably come home around 3:30. I'll keep an eye on the time and let you know when it's time to go meet him."

"Okay." Aiko said enthusiastically, rushing out the door with Sasuke and Naruto.

"Come on! I know a great place to play hide-and-seek!" Sasuke declared.

"I'd better go with you." Mikoto said with an amused smile, "Keeping an eye on three little ones can be hard. Especially when one of them is yours." Kushina laughed nervously, unable to deny Mikoto's point.

兄弟

Aiko looked around the forest carefully. It was her turn to find Naruto and Sasuke and while she was looking with her eyes, she was also trying to sense them out. Naruto was usually easy to find but Sasuke... The four-year-old abruptly became distracted when she sensed the presence of another person, but it wasn't Sasuke or Naruto. The aura was, in the best words that she could use, significantly smaller than Naruto's, but it didn't appear to be suppressed as Sasuke's chakra most likely was at the moment. Curious, she followed the signal and found a girl about her own age with bright pink hair kneeling in the hollow of a tree, messing around with something. "Hello there." Aiko greeted with a friendly tone. The girl jumped and slowly looked over her shoulder at Aiko, her bangs hanging in her face. "Did you come here to play too?" Aiko asked, moving to sit next to the girl inside the tree. She nodded silently and Aiko wondered just what it would take to get this girl to say something. "I'm Uchiha Aiko. What's your name?"

"H-Haruno Sakura..." The girl said so quietly that Aiko almost couldn't hear her, but she did.

"Sakura, huh? That's a pretty name! I like it! It matches your hair perfectly!" Aiko said with a bright smile.

"Th-thanks..." Sakura managed. Aiko held her hand out to the other girl.

"Playing by yourself is kind of lonely, right? Do you wanna come play with me, my brother, and my best friend?" She asked.

"Oh, um... I don't know..." Sakura said anxiously.

"Don't worry!" Aiko told her while grabbing her hand, "Naruto-kun is the nicest person ever and Sasuke-niichan is... well... okay, he can be a little rude sometimes, but it's not because he's mean! Just a little... hm... I guess I don't know enough grown-up words to describe him yet." She admitted with an awkward smile before gently pulling Sakura out of the hollow with her, "Come on! We're playing hide-and-seek, so you can help me look for them!"

"Oh... okay..." Sakura replied nervously.

"Now let's see, where could those two be hiding?" Aiko wondered. She'd given up on spotting them with her eyes from here, so she closed her eyes and concentrated, then opened them with a grin, "Gotcha, Naruto-kun!" Pulling Sakura by the hand, she ran off, darting between a few trees before she stopped at the base of one and looked up, "I found you, Naruto-kun!"

"Aw man..." Naruto muttered from where he was sprawled on a branch, "Why do you always find me first?" He let himself fall from the branch and landed on his feet.

"Because you're terrible at concealing your presence. You should work on that. Now for Sasuke-niichan." Aiko was no longer pulling Sakura along by the hand, but both the pink-haired girl and Naruto followed her anyway as she made her way back to the place where they had started this round.

"Hm? What are you doing?" Naruto asked in confusion as Aiko knelt down on the ground.

"Unlike you, Sasuke-niichan knows how to suppress his chakra, so he's not as easy to detect." Aiko replied, "But what he hasn't learned how to do yet is cover his tracks." She observed the ground around them carefully, apparently looking at something that Naruto and Sakura couldn't see. She walked along with her eyes on the ground for a bit before suddenly darting to a bush and parting it. "Found you, Sasuke-niichan!"

"Oh come on!" Sasuke said in annoyance. "You're almost as good at this as Niisan!" He stood up and stepped out of the bush.

Aiko giggled and then turned her attention to the other girl, "I want you two to meet somebody. This is Haruno Sakura-chan. I invited her to play with us." She looked at Sakura, "This is my best friend Uzumaki Naruto-kun, and my big brother, Uchiha Sasuke-niichan."

"Yo!" Naruto greeted with a huge grin.

"Hey." Sasuke greeted more mildly.

"N-Nice to meet you." Sakura managed shyly.

"All right!" Aiko declared happily, "Now that Sakura-chan is joining us, let's split into teams! I'll team up with Sakura-chan and you two will be the other team!"

"What?! Why do I have to team up with him?!" Naruto complained.

"Same here. I don't want the usuratonkachi on my team." Sasuke agreed.

Naruto blinked in confusion and looked at the other boy, "The... what now?"

Aiko sighed, "Sasuke-niichan, that isn't very nice. At any rate, this makes the most sense. Naruto-kun is from the Uzumaki Clan. As much chakra as he has, he might as well be screaming his location if someone doesn't teach him how to suppress it. Meanwhile, Sakura-chan has significantly lower reserves, so she can hide more easily, but may not know the best places. It makes better sense for me to teach Sakura-chan the strategy of hiding while you teach Naruto-kun about sensing other people's chakra and suppressing his own. Also, I'm not certain of Sakura-chan's abilities with regards to physical fitness, but judging by her appearance, Naruto-kun is probably more agile and can keep up with you on a physical level more easily."

Sasuke sighed in exasperation, "Fine..."

"Good!" Aiko exclaimed happily, "Now you guys count and we'll hide."

"Can he even count high enough?" Sasuke asked.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly.

"Sasuke-niichan..." Aiko began in a warning tone, "You'd better stop or I'm telling Aung Mikoto." Sasuke sweat-dropped at that and didn't say anything more as he and Naruto began counting.

Aiko grinned and grabbed Sakura by the hand, pulling her away from the two boys as quietly as she could. "So how old are you, Sakura-chan?" She asked while looking for the best place to hide.

"U-Um... I'll be five at the end of this month." Sakura replied.

"Really? You're only a few months older than me then." Aiko remarked, "But you'll get to enter the Academy before I do." She pouted slightly, "You're so lucky. You'll get to be in the same class as Naruto-kun and Sasuke-niichan next year. I'll get left behind..." Having apparently made up her mind, she began climbing a nearby tree.

"Your brother Sasuke is really handsome..." Sakura said as she followed Aiko.

"You think so?" Aiko asked, "All the boys in my clan look the same to me." She added with a shrug as she sat on a branch, "Maybe it's just cause I'm used to seeing them."

"Maybe." Sakura said thoughtfully, "I don't really know too many people in the Haruno Clan. We don't all live in one part of the village like a lot of the others."

"Really?" Aiko said with interest as she helped Sakura onto the branch. Sakura nodded and Aiko, unable to think of anything else to say, changed the subject, "When hiding in a tree, it's important to choose a spot where the trunk will shield you from the sunlight enough that your shadow can't be seen on the ground. Because of that, it's not a good idea to hide in one around noon, but it's late enough in the day now that it won't matter. From here on out, we need to be quiet."

Sakura nodded and watched with Aiko as they waited for the boys. Before long, Sasuke and Naruto wandered into the area where they were and began looking around. Aiko grinned and formed a sign with her hands. Suddenly Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened and they darted off for a bush in the opposite direction.

"Found you!" Naruto exclaimed as he leapt over the bush. Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion. Why was Naruto pointing at thin air?

"Wow. That was faster than I thought." Aiko said as she stood up from behind the bush with Sakura.

Sasuke furrowed his brow. Something wasn't right. Aiko would never choose to hide in a place where they would be so openly exposed... Suddenly his eyes widened in realization and he put his hands together. "Kai!"

"Huh?" Naruto said in confusion.

Sasuke sighed and placed his hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Kai!"

Naruto's eyes widened into saucers as he watched the two girls disappear. "Wah! Where did they go?!"

"You idiot..." Sasuke sighed, "Aiko used a genjutsu to send us in the wrong direction."

"Huh? Genjutsu?" Naruto asked cluelessly.

Sasuke face-palmed and then made his way back over to where they had been, scanning the branches of the trees until he spotted the two girls. "Found you! It's cheating to use genjutsu, Aiko!"

"No it's not!" Aiko replied with a slight tease in her voice, "It's just misdirecting your opponent by taking advantage of their weakness! If you haven't noticed, Naruto-kun is extremely weak to genjutsu, but it was only a feint anyway, since I knew that you would see through it pretty quickly. It's not like I can cast very strong genjutsu yet." She allowed herself to fall gracefully off the branch and landed on her feet, Sakura carefully climbing down behind her.

"I still don't get it." Naruto said cluelessly as he joined Sasuke, "How is that you guys were in the tree and not over there?"

Sasuke sighed again, "It was an illusion, you..." At the sight of Aiko raising a brow, as if daring him to insult Naruto, Sasuke shut up.

兄弟

The four of them continued for a while, only stopping and gathering to say goodbye when they heard Mikoto and Kushina calling for them.

"You guys... take hide-and-seek... very seriously... don't you?" Sakura panted, apparently out of breath from the forays of that day.

"I don't know about Naruto-kun, but in the Uchiha Clan, basically everything is seen as a means to train." Aiko admitted before looking at Naruto, "Naruto-kun, you should ask your mama about how to use your sensory abilities. If you get good at it, you'll be able to find us much easier."

"Yeah!" Naruto said with a nod.

Aiko smiled brightly at her brother and two friends, "Let's meet at the park to play tomorrow! And the day after that and the day after that! And if there's a day when we can't come, we'll find a way to tell each other!"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically.

"That sounds like fun!" Sakura agreed, having finally opened up to them.

"Let's promise!" Aiko exclaimed, holding out her pinky to them, "No matter what happens, we'll always be friends!"

"Yeah!" The other three exclaimed, joining their fingers to Aiko's.

"Prick your finger and make a promise. If you break it, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles. It's a promise!"

I have no idea what happened to my original notes... Oh well...

Anyway, this chapter is about Aiko's growing bond with Sasuke and Itachi, as well as her friendship with Naruto and Sakura, who I decided to add to the group. Also, the song that the four children sing at the end is an English translation of a nursery rhyme that Japanese children sing when making a promise.