Uchiha Itachi was a person who rarely believed in miracles. For him, they were nothing but superficial misconceptions that had been cherished from generation to generation. People who believed in them had this very ridiculous perception of their world according to him. A perception that someone dwelling somewhere unknown was looking after them, ready to intervene if something terrible seemed to occur.

It was a preposterous intuition.

There was no one above them. They were the governors and slaves of their own life. A God according to him was a product of the fear that resided inside the minds and hearts of his species.

The fear of death.

They created God to counter that fear because with the concept of a God emerged the notion of Heaven and Hell. People who used to be afraid of death in the past began to fear it less as their minds submitted to the crazy belief of them being alive in one of those two places even after their demise.

He hated the entire concept of God's existence. There was no way it could be genuine because it was then his sister would have been a lot happier than she presently was. If there was really a God above there then Itachi was sure he wouldn't have given his sister a life full of sorrows and pains.

"Stupid concept…" He whispered as his soft onyx eyes stared at the cup of tea in front of him. It was still, just like his life.

"Itachi, drink your tea dear. It'll get cold otherwise."

His eyes veered off to the kitchen where his mother was preparing lunch for them, smiling as she did so. "I don't want to drink anything right now." He answered.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

His words prompted Mikoto to take a break from the cooking. "Itachi…" Her eyes fluttered with worry as they saw his blank face, devoid of every feasible emotion. It was heartbreaking and awful to even look at. Her child was not supposed to amass such things on his face, not under her watch at least. "What happened?" She asked and raised an eyebrow when her son began to shiver suddenly. "Itachi-"

"Why do Sayuri have to suffer so much, mother?"

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two as they both continued to stare at each other, one waiting for an answer to his question while the other forging it in her mind. It was a sensitive subject for both of them, especially Itachi, after all the boy cared for his sister very much. "I don't know Itachi, I really don't," she whispered, a pathetic frown blooming on her beautiful face as she dared to lock eyes with her son. He was angry and sad, she could easily see that, but that didn't mean he would refuse to eat his food, something that was very essential for young ninjas like him. "It's her fate, and we can't change anything, Itachi. Sayuri was born like that and no one in this world can change her destiny, not even Tsunade-sama. The best we can do is smile and support her through her hardships." her words managed to affect him a little as he began to look away from her.

"I-"

"I'm back, mother."

The mother and son closed their mouths as soon as Sayuri's voice entered their ears. Soon, the door to the room skid opened and revealed something that they had thought they would never see again. A happy and smiling Sayuri. That beautiful smile was unlike any other smile they had ever seen on her face. It was bright and full of mirth, even more than they could fathom while smiling.

"Sayuri…" Itachi was fast to react with a smile of his own. "H-how are you?" he added, unable to keep himself calm because of the surprise. Why was she smiling? He thought as his mind began to ideate many conclusions for his sister's smile. Did the children of his clan finally allow her to play with them? No, that couldn't be the case. Daisuke wasn't the type of person who would allow his sister to join them. That boy was a pest of his clan and Itachi was sure he couldn't be the reason behind her smile. Then what? He looked back at his sister's face and couldn't stop himself from smiling when he saw her smile again. It was beautiful, a piece of art that he could admire for eternity.

Sayuri slowly turned towards her brother and began walking in his direction, making sure not to hit anything in the process. She had already destroyed a fair share of precious ornaments in the past and didn't want to be the bane of new ones too. "I'm happy, nii-san!" She never thought she would say these words to her brother ever again but today, everything was flowing oppositely. "Very happy!" The happiness in her voice filled the room with warmth as both her mother and her brother stared at her in surprise and joy.

Mikoto didn't waste any time joining the conversation. Her daughter was smiling and she needed to know why. If it was because of Daisuke then she had to remember to thank the boy the next time they meet and if it was someone from the civilian side then she would shower that child with money, an inconceivable amount of money. Sayuri's smile was invaluable and she was ready to pay any price for that. "S-Sayuri" Words wrapped in sorrow and happiness escaped her mouth as she left the kitchen and sat down beside her children.

"Yes, mother?"

"You are looking very happy for some reason. Did anything special happen in the park today?"

Resting her hand on the table for support, Sayuri looked at her mother and smiled, nodding her head in positive. "Yes!" The warmth and hope in her voice again overwhelmed the surroundings and silenced Mikoto and Itachi for a second.

"What?" A smile finally bloomed on the face of Mikoto.

"I finally made a friend!"

Yet again, her words silenced the mother and son duo, rendering them as nothing but spectators to her smile. It was unbelievable how those simple words of her were having such a drastic effect on her family, so much that every syllable that was fleeing her lips was shocking them to their core.

"R-really?" It was Itachi who spoke this time, looking at his sister in amazement.

Sayuri nodded her head quickly. "Yes. He is very nice, nii-san. Just like Shisui-nii!" She giggled at the end as her mind recalled a few bits from her game with Naruto. It was funny how the boy turned into a whiny child as soon as he started to lose the game, something that her elder cousin Shisui does a lot too.

Itachi blinked at her. "He?" He repeated after her. 'He…' Hismind didn't know how to take in that information. On one hand, he was happy that his sister had finally got herself a friend but on the other hand, he couldn't help but worry that the boy might be using her for his selfish incentives. She was the daughter of the Uchiha Clan's head and Itachi knew very well what that meant. Her name carried power and it was natural for the boys from other clans to use her for that. Females always try to do that with him, so he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case with her sister too.

"What's his name?"

Itachi snapped out of his trance and immediately looked at his sister, eager to know the name of the individual.

"Naruto. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, mother."

And just like that, Itachi and Mikoto were rendered silent once again but this time it was because of fear and stress.

"U-Uzumaki?"

Mikoto gasped, a wave of nostalgia sweeping over her whole body.

'Don't worry about her, Mikoto. I'm sure she will make many friends and if by any chance she is unable to do so, then my boy Naruto will always be there for her. Uzumaki will never leave Uchiha, hehe.'

"K-Kushina…"

Tears finally emerged in her eyes but before they could escape, she brushed them away with her hand.

"Kushina? Who is she, mother?"

The Uchiha matriarch smile at her daughter. "She was a friend of mine, Sayuri."

"Was?"

Itachi, who was listening to the conversation from the sides, let out a small chuckle in order to distract his sister from the topic. The path she was treading on with her questions was full of hurt and pain, and he didn't want to see her sad again. "Tell me more about this Naruto boy, Sayuri. I want to know about the guy who managed to make my sister smile." He spoke with a curious tone to his voice.

Sayuri pouted at her brother. "Don't fool me, nii-san!" Her words startled Itachi. "You were the one who first told me about him, don't you remember?" Black eyes looked at him curiously, making Itachi smile in return.

"Ohh…"

"Idiot, nii-san."

"Absolutely right, Sayuri!" A new voice startled the whole family. Soon they all turned their gaze towards the door and smiled when they saw a familiar face standing there.

"Shisui-nii!" Sayuri didn't even need to see anything to know who was at the door. The exotic voice and its unique tenderness was enough for her to deduce its owner. After all, he was the only one person who talked like that in her clan filled with emotionless men.

"Sayuri!"

The wind around her split for a second as a wheezing sound entered her ears, indicating that her cousin had just used his famous Shunshin jutsu. "Offf!" She gasped when strong hands slithered between her arms and lifted her high in the air.

"Aww look at you. You are smiling today!"

Her face turned scarlet when her cousin uttered those words. Usually, she would have berated him in an instant but this time, she let him do whatever he wanted to.

Shisui must have noticed the unusual behavior of her sister as he gently dropped her to the ground and began analyzing her curiously. Something was wrong, he could feel it but what? His mind couldn't deduce that.

"What happened, Shisui-nii? Why are you looking at me like this?"

The boy jumped away in surprise. "Waah! How did you know I was looking at you? Don't tell me you can see everything clearly now, Sayuri!" He yelled, pointing his finger accusingly at her.

Sayuri pouted slightly at the obvious joke. "Hmph! Your breath stinks, Shisui-nii. I can smell it from a meter away, you know." She retorted with a joke of her own.

"Hey!"

"Sho… stay away from me!"

"Mou… you are so rude to me, Sayuri."

"And?"

"Hmph. You are lucky that I don't have any younger sibling otherwise he would teach you a lesson right now!"

"Sure…"

While the two were arguing back and forth with each other, Itachi and Mikoto on the other hand, were staring at them with tears in their eyes. It was still like a dream come true for them. They had never seen Sayuri smile and argue that much in front of anyone, not even them. Usually, she was one of those people who preferred to remain silent and alone in their own space. So to see her interact with Shisui like that was too overwhelming for them.

"Naruto…" Itachi whispered.

Mikoto nodded her head. "Yes."

"I'll need to keep an eye on him from now on. Can't let anyone hurt my sister's one and only friend."

Hokage Office

"Hokage-sama!" A shout interrupted the leisure time of Hiruzen as the owner of the voice barraged into the old and rugged room without even batting an eye towards the occupants.

Startled by the sudden interruption, Hiruzen paused his ongoing conversation and decided to acknowledge the new man's query. "What happened Shiro?" He asked, his voice as warm as it had been since the first time he had accepted the title of Hokage.

"He is at it again..."

The irritation in Shiro's voice was enough for the old man to decipher the cause of the problem. 'Naruto' he thought, a grim expression lingering on his wrinkled face. From the moment Naruto had learned to speak and walk, that boy had become the bane of his existence, at least in front of the people of his village.

Just like his infamous mother, the boy was a very well known prankster. While Kushina's pranks were limited to her friends, Naruto on the other hand was slightly ahead of his mother. His pranks knew no bounds and usually ended up with either him getting knocked down by the villagers or him destroying their shops and houses with that nauseous hue of orange.

"I'm sorry for his behavior, Shiro. I'll take care of the damages as usual." He ensured the man.

"Thank you so much Hokage-sama." Shiro bowed to his leader and was about to take his leave but stopped midway through the walk. "Can I suggest something Hokage-sama?"

"Of course you can Shiro. You are a proud resident of this village."

The man paused a little before he began to speak again. "You have to do something about that brat. For how long are you going to pay for his stupidity? We civilians aren't that fond of him either and I'm afraid that one day someone from our side might end up being a victim of him in ways that I don't even want to think about."

"Then don't think about it." Another voice, that belonged to none other than Danzō, broke the silence of the room. "What we do with our funds is our concern and you civilians should not worry about it. We are shinobi, tools forged to protect weaklings like you, and that boy is no different from us." The one-eyed man turned his gaze at his friend. "Hiruzen send this man out of the room right now. He's only wasting our time."

Hiruzen was fast to notice the tension between the two individuals. "Shiro" he glanced at the man with the most apologetic look on his face. "Right now, we are having a very important conversation, so I'll be really happy if you please leave us alone for the time being."

Shiro nodded his head quickly, although one could see the tinge of discomfort clearly on his face. The man was no doubt irritated by how Danzō had regarded him and his fellow civilians earlier. "Sure, Hokage-sama but remember if the boy tries to do those pranks again, especially around my house, then we will be forced to take severe actions." His words were followed by an equally hard look.

"Sure. You can do whatever you want with that boy. We shinobi won't interfere with your job unless the situation turns life threatening for the boy."

A sigh of relief escaped the dry lips of Hiruzen as he saw the man leave the confines of his lovely room. People like him were common in his room and almost every one of them had the sole purpose of the visit. A purpose who had been haunting him ever since he had appeared in this world.

"Uzumaki Naruto..." The old man whispered as his eyes slowly wandered off to one particular picture that was hanging on the rugged walls of his room. A picture of a man with hair as bright as the Sun and eyes as blue as the deepest ocean of the world. "Your child is a nuisance Minato. In the past, I used to think that he would turn out to be like you, a loyal servant, but instead he picked up the traits of that woman."

"You hate him, don't you Hiruzen?" Danzō whispered from the side.

"No. I don't-"

"You are lying. Tough as you might act, you're still a human, and we humans have this tendency to give up against our emotions once in a while." The cold yet truthful words of Danzō made Hiruzen silent. "That boy reminds you of the death of your beloved wife. His smile haunts you, doesn't it?" The one-eyed man asked his friends, his voice as apathetic as ever.

Hiruzen's lips twitched a little as the hurt that he had stored inside for so long, began to sneak its way to his face. His friend was right. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't hide the fact that he hated that boy. Naruto was the container of that beast that ravaged his precious village and killed his beautiful wife. "You shouldn't be-"

"Answer honestly Hiruzen. This is a question from your old friend Danzō, not the commander of ROOT."

Brown eyes widened in surprise. It was rare for Danzō to act like that in front of him. His friend was too impassive for his good. "Old friend ehh?" Wrinkled lips curved up with mirth and sadness. "Then I won't lie. No, I don't hate that boy. He holds no importance to me. His existence only has my attention because he holds that beast and that beast is very important for our village. Even if I want to, I can't let anything happen to that boy."

A smirk surfaced on the marred face of Danzō. His friend's answer was exactly what he had speculated it would be. It was what he wanted it to be. An apathetic attitude towards that boy. "I see." He whispered, satisfaction apparent in his hoarse voice. "You're right about the conclusion Hiruzen. We can't afford to lose that boy. He is too precious for our village. But that doesn't mean we can't let him have his own opinion about other villages and people."

"Letting him have his own opinions? What are you trying to imply, Danzō?"

Danzō placed his hand on the table, his eye still staring at his friend. "Emotions are trivial and should hold no importance to any shinobi but opinions, they are a totally different aspect and help a shinobi to struggle hard for the ultimate prize, that is sacrificing himself for the betterment of his village. While emotions cloud one's judgment during a battle, opinions, on the other hand, allow them to perceive what is wrong and what is right, especially if we only let him form opinions that we want him to have." His dull black eye crinkled a little as it slowly turned away from a silent Hiruzen. "Take us as an example" He whispered and noted that the walls of the room were still as rugged as they were in the past. The past where he had a chance to sit on the seat that was stolen from him because of a trivial mistake on his part.

"Us?"

His attention shifted from walls to Hiruzen fast but didn't stay there for too long. "Yes, us. We are different, aren't we Hiruzen?" Danzō's words might have been directed towards his friend but his attention was still lingering on the glorious seat on which his friend was sitting. A chair that amassed a lot of power and he was someone who adored power. Power guaranteed fear and fear guaranteed the security of his village. "You are a man who possesses a lot of power yet chooses to remain soft and kind to our enemies but I, on the other hand, I'm different. Unlike you, I don't sympathize with people who are willing to kill me the moment they get a chance."

Hiruzen shifted slightly on his seat, no doubt a little peeved by the straightforward words of his friend. "What does this have to do with our opinions?" He asked.

"Everything. Our opinions are what makes us think like we do, Hiruzen. You hold an opinion that this world is grey and hence you sympathize with everyone, even your enemies because to you, they still might have a sliver of light left within them. I, on the other hand, hold an opinion that this world is black and white. I either respect an individual or outright hate him. I don't believe someone can be both good and bad at the same time."

"Hahaha" A boisterous laughter interrupted Danzō. "You're a very interesting individual Danzō."

"May I ask what made you conclude that, Hiruzen?"

Hiruzen smiled, knowing very well that his friend was a little annoyed by the earlier interruption but made no motion to calm him down. "Your words, Danzō, your words. Your words contradict your presence. Here, you are telling me that a person can't be good and bad at the same time while you, yourself, are a prime example of such a person. You-"

"I…" Danzō took a deep breath. "Am not a good person, Hiruzen."

"That's where you are wrong Danzō. Your actions may seem a little odd and evil but in the end, you only mean good for this village."

"And what made you think that what we do is good?"

The old Hokage paused. "We work for the betterment of our village. Isn't that-"

"It's not. There are no good or bad actions in this war torn world. Actions that would make us heroes in our village would make us the most hated people in some other village, Minato is a prime example of this very thing."

The redhead's name caused Hiruzen's mood to sour a bit, remembering the actions of that idiotic man during the Kyuubi's attack. Putting the little amount of annoyance aside, he decided to continue his little exchange with his old friend.

"So you think that there can be no absolute good or absolute bad? Well, I would beg to differ. Many of your actions have prevented all out wars, saving millions of lives, I think that counts as an absolute good."

"Those actions of mine costed lives, of both my operatives as well as the targets and sometimes even their families. How could they be considered as absolute good?"

"It is the sacrifice of the few for the betterment of the many."

"It is still bringing sorrow and sadness to the ones who were harmed."

Seeing that his friend had a point, Hiruzen was forced to concede to his argument. Try as he might, he just could not find one example where someone, somewhere didn't have to suffer due to his actions as a leader. It was quite baffling to look back at his actions as 'good' after hearing his friend's thoughts.

-Near Uchiha Clan Compound-

Sayuri was confused. What was she doing here in this open field near the river? Wasn't she supposed to be playing with her friend on the swing? "Speaking of Naruto. Where did he go?" She asked quietly, still not sure where her friend went to. He just told her to stay here for a while and then left in an instant. "He is-"

"S-Sayuri!"

Her eyes squinted a little when his soft voice reached her ears. "Naruto!" She spoke as she looked in the direction from where his voice had come. "Where were you?" Her lips formed an adorable pout, indicating that she was very annoyed by the fact that he had left her alone in this field for no reason.

"Hehe… I just- oww.."

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the pain in his voice. "Naruto! Is everything ok?" Raising her hands she began to search for him, hoping to find his face so that she could analyze it for any physical injury. From what she had heard from her caretaker, Naruto was a pretty popular target for the bad people of her village. He hadn't told her the reason for that but the fact alone was enough to make her sad for her friend.

"I'm fine, Sayuri!"

She immediately distinguished the fake enthusiasm that he was trying to conjure in order to appease her. It was as apparent as the sun in the sky above. She couldn't see it but the heat was enough for her to know it was there. "No you are not. Your voice is cracking, Naruto." She grumbled in concern. "Here, sit beside me and let me check" her hands again hovered in the air to find him but the boy didn't dare to come close to her.

"Duh… how would you know I'm hurt or not, Sayuri? You can't see my-"

Sayuri rendered him silent with a cold glare. "I can hear your pain, Naruto. You can't hide that from me." She whispered.

"Fine. Here check my face as much as you want. I'm telling you there is nothing wrong with me, Sayuri."

Her eyes lowered down a little when her hands finally made contact with his soft skin, caressing it gently in order to locate the terrible wounds there. For a while, she continued to scan his whole face before her hands abruptly stopped when they felt a lump lying beneath the soft skin of the boy. Scowling ever so slightly, she looked at the boy. "Naruto…" her lips curved down when she received no response from the boy. "What is this?" She asked, touching the swollen part gently with her finger.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

A sigh escaped her lips. "I'm talking about this" she answered and poked the lump rather harshly this time.

"Oww-"

"See. I know you're hurt, Naruto. You can't hide it from me."

"I-I w-was-"

The stuttering of her friend was very dreadful to hear. At that moment, it seemed like Naruto had lost all of his confidence in an instant and was behaving like a clueless idiot, something that made her very unhappy. His confidence and his happy voice were the things that made him Naruto and she would be a fool to allow him to forfeit them. "Leave it. I don't want to hear about it." She whispered as she began searching for the healing salve that she had started to carry with her frequently these days. "Here, let me mend your wounds, Naruto" her words were met with a small murmur of approval, and soon she began applying the cream on the wounded face of her friend.

"I have brought you some fresh apples and tomatoes, Sayuri."

The girl paused her task for a while and glanced at her friend. Tomato? Did he bring tomatoes for her? Her lips curved up at the mere thought of eating tomatoes and apples with him. "Is this why you are injured right now, Naruto?" She couldn't help but ask because as far as she knew Naruto barely had any money, so the idea of him buying expensive apples and tomatoes didn't sound reasonable to Sayuri.

"Hehe."

She was right. His giggles told her everything. "Did you steal them?" Her words earned her a groan of disapproval from the boy.

"No. I just gathered them from the trees themselves!"

"I see. Still, you should not-"

"Oww! Sayuri that hurts you know."

The girl gasped in surprise and brought her hands back to herself. "I'm sorry-"

"Aww man, now my clothes are all red- no covered with the cream."

'Red… clothes...' Sayuri's mind ceased to function for a second as soon as she heard those words. "Are you bleeding, Naruto?!" She asked, looking every bit concerned about her friend.

Naruto recoiled back in surprise and looked away from the girl. Even though he knew she couldn't see him, her eyes were still always able to get the truth out of his mouth somehow. It was like they knew what he was doing and what he was hiding from her. "N-No" he lied in hope that she would stop asking these stupid questions.

"Then why did you say red?"

But she didn't. She just kept asking them. "I accidentally said that, Sayuri-"

"No!"

He sighed because at that moment he knew she wouldn't calm down until he told her the truth. "Fine. I did bleed a little when that man pushed me away from the wall. Now satisfied?" He asked her with a small pout on his face.

"N-No."

His heart sank a little when her shaky voice entered his ears. Looking at her, he gasped when he saw her crying silently. "Sayuri, why are you crying now? I'm still alive, you know." He tried to reassure her but the girl simply ignored him.

"You are my only friend, Naruto. I don't like when people hurt you."

The boy went silent. After all, there was no way he could argue against that statement. It was as true as it could get. "I know." Was his only response to it.

"Then why do you get in so much trouble for me? We just met a few days ago."

That did it for him as drops of fresh tears began leaking out of his big blue eyes.

"I don't know, Sayuri. I don't know."

He lied again because he very well knew why he was doing so much for her.

Unlike her, he didn't even have a family of his own. Sayuri was all he had and there was no way his tiny mind wouldn't think of stupid ideas to keep her entertained. He feared that one day she would get bored with him too and then just like others, she would leave him all alone.

He didn't want that to happen, even if it meant getting injured daily. He was ready for that. His physical injuries were nothing compared to

"Then try to avoid getting in trouble, Naruto. Find some other hobbies."

He smiled at her, his swollen cheek paining slightly as he did so. "Like what?"

Sayuri turned her gaze at him and frowned. "Shinobi training?" She suggested.

"I don't have anyone who can teach me that."

"Then I can introduce you to someone who's very good at training."

Naruto blinked. "Who?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Shisui-nii!"

-EnD-

I hope you like the chapter.

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Stay safe.