Disclaimer: Yup, I don't own Naruto. Isn't that shocking?
Last Chapter: Besides she didn't want to wind to give her tears to her father.
Ch 3: How everything was
Sakura grew quiet. The wind died down. Sighing she began to eat her dinner. She nibbled on a bit of the onigiri and continued to watch the sunset. A few hours after the sunsets Naruto would show up. It was what Naruto did. He had some sort of sixth sense when Sakura sits alone talking to her dad, and he would show up at exactly two hours and two minutes afterwards. Sakura took a deep breath before opening the bento.
It wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It was the usual things that Uchiha-san packed for her on these types of occasions, sticky rice with sesame seeds and few vegetables along with some eggs and meat. Sakura smiled a bit when she saw that the sesame seeds were in a shape of a sakura blossom. She knew it was Uchiha-san's hobby to make different shapes on the rice. Sometimes when she was feeling creative and had the time she would color the rice into shapes of animals. Once she even made a naruto flake shape on her rice with pink coloring. Naruto laughed when he saw it and asked if Uchiha-san could make a ramen bowl design on his rice next time. Funny thing, she did and for Sakura she made the noodles. She said they go hand in hand. "A ramen bowel without the ramen is pointless to have." She said when the duo opened the bento together. They laughed really hard at that.
She began to eat. After a few bites Sakura reached out to grab something to drink. She smiled a bit and knocked herself on the head lightly for forgetting to bring something to drink with her. So she entered her room and grabbed the can of unopened juice can that was on her desk. She was going to drink it that morning while going to the park, but forgot it since she was in a rush. Thankfully for her, she had something to go along with her dinner.
She went back to her dinner, taking a big bite out of the onigiri. Some rice came loose and fell on the floor.
"Just my luck," Sakura sighed in exasperation. She took a napkin to pick up the mess, when she saw the pickled plum was lying among the rice. Sakura smiled to herself as she cleaned it up.
Sakura was seven. Her hair was longer than when she met Naruto. Their friendship was enviable. For the past year they've done some wild things, mostly of which consisted with pranks. Surprisingly Sakura sometimes was the one coming up with the ideas. Both she and Naruto made it their goal to prank as many people as they can and not get caught for it. Even if they did, they would always come up with clever ways to escape their predicaments.
At that day, both had begun devising a plan to trick their teacher. It was simple, something a bit different from the others. They only came up with the outline of the plan though. First they had to sneak in when no one else was there, than go to their teacher's desk and rig up lecture podium, chalkboard, and the platform on which the podium stood on. What the prank was a secret, even to them. Which meant they hadn't made their objectives clear yet.
Both were finished with classes and were heading to a secret base they found. During the year, they made it a point to find hidden areas all around the town, incase they needed a quick place to hide when they got caught. And they even managed to find a few in the academy itself! And there was one hiding place in the academy were they used the most. It was accessible even during the dead of night as well as the day. The teachers so far haven't found it, not have a clue it was there. They weren't quite sure who built it and why, because it was clear that someone did build it on purpose.
Right after they were dismissed both disappeared among the throng of students leaving. After a point they slipped away. The only entrance to their base was a hidden door in one of the storage rooms. The storage room was always locked, and rarely used.
In the course of one year they had picked up impressive burglary skills, and one of them was lock picking. Though they would never break into someone's home and rob him or her blind. But these skills usually helped them with their pranks. So they picked the lock, slip inside, lock the door again, and went to the furthest corner that had brooms and a few boxes covering it. The storage room had a window leading to it. It wasn't guarded at night nor had a good lock, so they leave it unlocked.
The door to their base was well camouflaged, and had only one little notch that can open the door. The notch was right in the corner. Sakura acted as the look out, making sure there was no one near the window and making sure the storage room door was locked. While Naruto slipped his index finger into he notch and pushed. The panel slid open like a shouji screen would. Naruto ducked as he walked through the opening and moved his hand along the right side until he found the light switch. He flipped the switch, illuminating the flight of stairs leading to their base.
"C'mon!" Naruto said to Sakura s he ran the flight. Sakura glanced at the window one last time and entered. She turned around and slid it shut. And she ran up to Naruto.
They decided that they'd eat the rest of their lunches while finishing up their plan. The room was filled like a child's play room, which it practically was. The room had extra desks and chairs. Even one podium. For days Naruto and Sakura dedicated their extra time to find things to decorate their base. They found old sheets that were still clean, given to them by an old woman that was moving out of Naruto's apartment building. They also had a chest filled with rusted tools and weapons, and an old bookcase that was originally there.
Combined they couldn't afford anything maybe a few snacks, but that was it. And they bought just that! With all their money combined they bought as much onigiri as they cold and a few drinks. They sat down on the rug and laid out their food.
"Itadakimasu!" the two shouted and dug into their delicious lunch. In between bites they began to discuss their plan. They took turns voicing out ridiculous ideas for the prank making both of them laugh.
Finally they were on their last onigiri. The two glared at each other daring the other to make their move. A moment ticked by slowly as beads of sweat began to form. And then the two with all their speed tried to snatch the last of their meal. Both grabbed it at the same time but refused to let the other take the prize. So they did the only thing seven year olds did they pulled. The rice ball tore in half, but since it was rice some of the rice would fall to the ground and it did with the pickled plum.
"Awwww!" Both shouted as they saw the mess. They glared at each other again and pointing an accusing finger at the other. "It's your fault!" They shouted in unison. And they began to glare at each other again, sparks flying from their heated gaze. "Hmph!" and they turned the opposite direction and ate their halves of the former rice ball.
Sakura shook her head out of the memory. They still go to the base when they want to escape from whatever that was bugging them. It was their secret place and not even Itachi-nii-san knew about it or so she thought.
She began to eat again, more slowly than usual. She spent most of them time thinking what had happened in the six years she and Naruto met. They still played pranks on the villagers that would probably never change. And they were still the best of friends. And there was Itachi.
"Konbanwa, Sakura-chan!" –Good Evening- Naruto shouted jumping up to her balcony. It was Naruto's typical greeting. He took a seat in front of her cross-legged and grinning. "Eh? Daijoubu ka?" he asked after Sakura made no indication that she knew he was there. Sakura sighed and nodded. Naruto's grin faltered.
"We were seven when we first met Itachi-nii-san, right?" Sakura asked in a whisper. She briefly turned her gaze to Naruto and then to the Uchiha compound.
"Eh? Yea," Naruto responded, his grin back in place.
"Do you remember?" Sakura looked at her dinner. She only had a bit of the egg left and two more onigiri. She offered one to Naruto. He took it hesitantly though, not knowing if she was still hungry and needed the nutrition, or she's full enough to offer her meal.
"Yea, don't you?" He asked eating the rice ball in one swallow. Sakura giggled as Naruto began to choke on the rice. She patted him on the back, till he stopped.
"Yup, and I still don't know the answer. Do you?"
"Ano…" Naruto drifted off, his face scrunching up in concentration. "Hehehe," he laughed nervously. "I forgot the question…"
A vain popped on Sakura's head. She glared at Naruto, who began to sweat. "Then what's the big idea of saying you remembered?" She shouted, grabbing the poor blonde by his jacket and shaking him violently. She let him go after she was sure he was dizzy. It took the boy a few moments to compose himself.
The two seven years olds sat on the bench right outside of the Police Headquarters. They were on a pranking streak. Which meant they pulled off several major pranks within the span of one week.
The first was at the local playground. They had smeared honey on the monkey bars, swing seats, jungle gym, basically anything and everything. And it just so happened that there were a few hives of bees near by. The second was at the hot springs. The water was usually a healthy green, meaning herbs were added. But the two added green dye instead. So the results were green people coming out of the water. And it goes on from there.
Truthfully they had planned a prank a day for a week. But today right in the middle of setting up their preparations, the police showed up. They busted the two children before they could finish their finale.
"This suck!" Naruto muttered as he crossed his arms behind his head. Sakura was frowning too while she swung her legs. They were still too short for their legs to touch the ground when they sat.
Sakura was nervous. Her mother had become increasingly irritated at her each and every day. And even more so when she receives news that her daughter was in trouble. Sakura knew she was in a lot of trouble, but she knew the fun she had with her best friend was worth it.
Whenever her mother needed to pick her up for bad behavior, she would send a friend. It was rarely that she came herself. And when she showed up, it wasn't an easy day.
It was late afternoon now. A lot of the police force was off work right about now. As time passed, the number of people filing out of the building increased.
"It's almost time," Naruto whispered to Sakura. The little girl nodded. They would sneak off when a large group exists. The officer that brought them there was calling Sakura's parents and informing the Hokage. The second officer told them to stay there while he gets something to eat, when the two complained that they were hungry and didn't eat lunch.
"Now," Sakura said jumping off the bench with Naruto. They quickly raced to the group and pretended, that they were with their parents. The group didn't seem to notice as they continued to chat.
They were only a few feet from the gate. Both were chanting in their minds to not get caught. They came closer and closer till…they were out! But as they prepare to make a break for it, someone pulled the two by their collars.
The duo yelled as they were being yanked. Quickly the turned around to see who had caught them, hoping against hope that it wasn't an officer. It turned out to be a stranger.
The stranger was two times taller than them, had black hair and eyes. And two scars running along his cheeks.
"We were just going home." Sakura piped up, slightly blushing. Even though she didn't know the stranger, he was still cute.
He bent down till he was eye leveled with the children. He glanced from one to the other slightly smiling. It seemed like he knew what kind of trouble they were in.
"C'mon, you two need to wait for the officers." His voice was deep and gentle. He held both their hand and led them back to the bench.
"Hey who are you?" Naruto shouted rudely. Sakura elbowed him. Naruto glared at his companion.
The young man smiled down at them. "Uchiha, Itachi." He said after a moment.
"Aaaaa! Itachi-kun why were you here." The officer that went to get something to eat asked. In his arms he had a few snacks and drinks. He gave them to the children and turned his attention back to Itachi.
Naruto scowled at the two older people. But immediately grabbed the snacks and began to eat. After a moment Sakura joined him.
"Shoot, that guy caught us!" Naruto whispered to Sakura as he finished swallowing.
"Now I have to wait for Haruno-san…" Sakura's voiced dripped with dread. She had a hard time swallowing. She knew that she would be scolded again, but this time was different. Sure they have been busted a few times, but never by the police. The pink haired girl didn't know what to expect. She was scared.
"Daijoubu ka?" Itachi asked, taking a seat next to Sakura. The officer had to leave and check out what was taking his partner so long. He asked Itachi to look after them till he came back.
Sakura took deep, slow breaths to try and calm herself. But it was making it worse. With each breath she felt warm tears gathering in her eyes. Finally she began to sob, the tears began to shed. Something soft touched her face. She looked up and saw the stranger wiping her tears away with a napkin. He offered it to her. Trembling she took the napkin, not thanking him for it.
Naruto sat there uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do. Every time they got caught, Sakura never cried. This was her first time crying because she got caught. Usually she would be smiling and saying "Well we messed up!" And from his experience with Sakura crying, him trying to console her just made it worse.
"You ok?" Naruto asked, when it seemed she had calmed down. Sakura said nothing and looked down. "Something wrong?" he tilted his head slightly, trying to look at her face.
"Haruno-san…" Sakura whispered. Tears began to flow again. She dabbed her eyes.
Naruto saw Itachi look towards him hinting in a questioning manner. Naruto quickly avoided eye contact. He didn't like the stranger already. Trying to act all nice, but he knew he was just like all the others. Everyone in the village except for the Hokage, and Sakura, hated him. For what, he couldn't say. But Sakura-chan was always there, so he didn't mind the cold stares as much as before.
He looked at Sakura, silently asking her if he should answer. Sakura was sworn by her mother, to never tell others, but she did. When she first told Naruto her little secret, she was severally punished, no money for a month, grounded to her room only, just enough food to survive on, and all her books, even her school books were taken away. So she failed major tests and was bored to death for a month. Worse of all she wasn't allowed to be with Naruto. Sakura didn't dear go against her mother's word. She had ways of knowing if she talked to Naruto. But now since another soul knew her little secret, they can speak for her.
Sakura glanced up at Naruto for a second and looked down again. Inside she was battling her conscious. Half of her wanted to tell another of her misery and maybe gain enough sympathy to get out of punishment. The other half was arguing that if Haruno-san found out that another person knows and an Uchiha at that, and then her last punishment for the same crime would be child's play.
But Sakura knew something was different with this person. He didn't pretend to care for people he didn't know. When he asked her if she was all right, he was just curious, but he only wanted to know the reason, not try to help her. There was an honest truth about him, which the little pink haired girl could sense. Or maybe it was the developing crush, either way she wanted to trust him.
For a seven year old she was smart. After a few years becoming the maid to her mother, she knew how to weight consequences. What to do and how to do it. She developed her knowledge and wits. That in turn developed her judgment on people. She had pretty good analysis for people. She could tell right away what general thing they're thinking at the moment and their over all personality by observing them. One of the things she does everyday and takes notes on is her time people watching. She paid extra attention to ninjas though. She found their personality fascinating.
From her analysis of Itachi, she could immediately tell he was an observer just like her. That means he already knows her evaluation of him. And if she knew observer types, even if she told him her secret, he wouldn't act on the knowledge. So much for getting out of trouble.
She slightly nodded.
Naruto frowned. His eyes squinted as he did his own evaluation on the stranger. He still didn't trust him. But if Sakura wants to tell someone else, she can. But inside him something squirmed. It made him feel uneasy, as he looked Itachi over. Sakura wanted to tell him, but he's her best friend. Naruto wasn't really used to sharing. One, because he had nothing and no one to share with and two, when he finally gets something he tries his best to keep it. The squirming increased. He wanted to be the only other person knowing Sakura's secret, but he had to be a good friend and do as she asked or risk having her get mad at him. Naruto didn't want to get his best friend mad; she was his only friend after all.
"Haruno-san is Sakura-chan's kaa-san." –mom- Naruto said looking away again. He continued softly so that the stranger and Sakura were the only ones to here. "After Sakura-chan's tou-san –dad- died, Haruno-san started to act weird. She forgot Sakura was there. And she made everyone think that Sakura-chan, died with her father. So no one knows Sakura-chan is Sakura-chan. Just a girl who lives with Haruno-san as a maid." Naruto finished his explanation. The squirming feeling grew worse with each sentence and now he was having a stomach ache. The little boy wrapped his arms around his stomach trying to subside the pain.
"Naruto!" Sakura said surprised. She reached out to the boy, touching his shoulder. Her green eyes wide with fear. She looked around for something. Haruno-san told her that a certain drink helped with stomach aches, after she had one that prevented her from any cleaning. Luckily it was there, the officer bought the drink while getting the snacks. "Drink this!" she said hurriedly pushing the can into his hand.
Naruto's eyes were obvious showing his pain and it took much effort to drink down whatever it was in the can. But he managed. The effects were slow, but it did ease the ache.
"You ok now?" Sakura asked softly rubbing Naruto's back. It was what her father did when she didn't feel well. And she liked the habit. The blonde nodded. He slowly sat back against the bench.
"So what's gonna happen now?" Naruto asked no one in particular. He tilted his head up to watch the clouds. Sakura followed his example.
Right at that moment, both the officers came out. They looked harassed.
"Arigatou Itachi-kun," One of them said bowing his head slightly with a wry smile.
"But some things came up. You two should be happy, we're gonna give you your punishments tomorrow." The other one said looking over at the two kids. They turned to each other and grinned.
"But Itachi-kun, if you can, could you take them back home?" The first one asked, scratching the back of his neck. "We don't want them wandering off and finishing up their last prank…"
"Ahn," Itachi slightly nodded. He stood up and proceeded to exit. It took a moment for the kids to realize to follow him. They happily jumped down and run towards the exit. But before they turned to walk along side the road, Naruto stuck his tongue out at the officers. And would slap his butt for good measure, but Sakura jerked his arm and dragged him off before he could even gesture it.
All the while Itachi walked them home, they played. Sakura's house was closer, so she was leading. And while leading they were playing tag, then switching to racing each other. Itachi kept a close eye on them making sure he knew where they were heading. He was going over Naruto's little speech. There were a lot of holes in the story, and he knew that Naruto purposely left them out. But he didn't mind. He continued to watch them play, completely forgetting that he was there.
He knew right away they weren't geniuses, but he knew the both had potential. He had observed many people and many students everywhere he went. And something in the back of his mind was telling him that they were gifted. Not so gifted to be called geniuses, but higher than average. And subtly the air shifted. No one else noticed it, except for the two. They abruptly stopped playing and stopped. They stood still till Itachi was a yard away and began to walk stiffly. They were muttering to each other in broken sentences. Itachi could clearly hear their words, but they only spoke in five word sentences. From what he could gather it seems like they knew what had caused the shift. And they were arguing on what to do about this latest disturbance.
Finally they reached Sakura's home.
"It must be lonely…" Sakura said softly. She looked shyly up at the handsome teen. Itachi's eyes showed hints of amusement, he knew exactly what Sakura was commenting on. "You're alone, because people think that you think you're too good for them. And I know you're a great ninja, because everyone knows about you. I even heard them still talking about you at the academy…" Sakura drifted off again. And Itachi's eyes still didn't change. Naruto just stood there with a dumbfounded expression. "Since my otou-san said, always try to be a friend to those who are lonely, because they need a friend the most… So can me and Naru-kun, be your friend?" Sakura's blush deepened as she asked. She looked down and began to move her right foot, like all shy little girls did when they talk to their crush.
"Eh!" Naruto shouted, pointing accusingly at Itachi. "I'm not gonna be his friend!" He declared loudly. But Sakura elbowed him, like she always do to stop him from being too rude.
Itachi chuckled at the two children. He bent down to their eye level. "When you are given power, you are isolated. But do you know what you're asking of me?" He looked Sakura right in the eyes. She blushed so hard it was shades darker than her hair. Naruto was still frowning. Sakura shook her head no. She was an observer, but she had never observed a genius before. This was her first time, even talking to one.
Itachi smiled at both of them this time and stood up. "We'll see." He said simply and began to walk off.
"Eh!" Naruto shouted. "Matte!" –Wait- He shouted to Itachi's retreating back and ran after him. He turned his head around to see Sakura still standing there. "Jaa matta ashita!" –See you tomarrow- He called waving too her. He turned back around. "Hey! I said wait!"
Naruto frowned. He folded his arms and squinted his eyes in concentration like he always does when he's thinking over an important question. "I don't know. But does that matter? We're friends now! We don't need to know anything else." Naruto said logically nodding his head while speaking his discovery.
Sakura said nothing.
The first few years she met her most precious friends, she will always treasure. And Naruto was right. What else does she need to know, besides that they were friends? But deep down inside she still wondered, what did Itachi gave up to be their friend.
Sakura got up and walked to the railing and leaned on the metal. She took in a deep breath, breathing in the scent of the village
Everything back then was fun and new. And she just knew after becoming official ninjas, Naruto and herself had something great awaiting them in their paths.
End of Ch: 3
Well that was pretty long. It took me a long time to write this! I hope you enjoyed it. If it isn't too much trouble REVIEW! But I'm happy people read this, thanks to the hit counter!