Hello dear readers and I have to say, I was pretty overwhelmed by the number of reviews I got. Thank you all SO much, for spending time to read my work, I very much appreciate it. It's not an empty saying, I truly mean it! ^^
Morning came early, the sun radiating everything in sight as it silently rose from the dark horizon. As tiny rays of the light peeked through the curtains of a certain room, illuminating the pillow, it came to a notice that there was no one present on the said, well-made bed. However, it did find the person it was seeking to wake, and did it as so as to annoy her.
Haruno Sakura was dozing peacefully under a tree, after a hard training session, only to have bright light shining in her eyes a few minutes after she lay down. Scowling, she opened them, letting the rays shine into her eyes and making the emerald eyes sparkle before she closed them again with a groan. Seemingly annoyed, the pinkette uttered an array of colorful words before finally standing up, dusting herself as she did so.
"I hate mornings..." She mumbled as she stretched as far as she could, in the process, letting a warm feeling rise up in the body as some sore joints popped audibly, showing the extent of her training. Sighing in pleasure she let herself relax. Well, perhaps mornings weren't that bad. But now that she was yet a child, she could not have access to her otherwise, lovely daily morning tea or coffee, depending on her choice.
Right now the rosette wanted a deep drink of pure, hot steaming coffee while reading a scroll in her kitchen table. Quietly, she made her way back to the Uchiha mansion, as slow as her legs could take her, screaming out pure laziness. It surely wasn't her fault that she wasn't a morning person now was it?
Sakura had been unable to sleep throughout the night, even though she was thoroughly exhausted after the time traveling. Though she was used to sleeping in odd places with each mission that required leaving Konoha, she found herself to be extremely uncomfortable in the Uchiha mansion, as the fact that she was now living in a once dead corner of Konoha continued to haunt her. Having had enough with the constant tossing and turning after a long time, she had silently made her escape through her window around three in the morning, and found herself in the training ground where she first landed in. And so, she trained and meditated, all the while thinking of her situation.
A quiet nagging in the back of her head informed that she was forgetting something important, but she soon dismissed it. She could recall it later. Maybe after she relaxed a bit with some green tea and dango. Part of her wanted to turn around and skip into the Dango Shop and help herself to several delicious sweet delights. But knowing that her disappearance would alert the members of the household, she held back against it. It wasn't like she had any money to spare anyway.
As she approached her current residence, she caught sight of Itachi moving out, looking around as if he were searching for someone. She greeted him, keeping sure to keep her voice low in fear of waking up the neighbors. It was early in the morning after all and she did not find it right to talk in her normal voice that would otherwise, disrupt the serenity and tranquility.
Itachi, upon spotting her, let out a heavy sigh and relief flooded over his face, making her raise an eyebrow in question. Had she done something wrong now? "Where were you? I have been looking for you for a long time now. You had me thinking that you ran away." She blinked as he hissed, now looking extremely annoyed.
…Ah...she had forgotten that she was kept under the Uchiha as a sign of trust for now. If she were to disappear or get killed, the blame would be hung on their heads.
"Sorry." She apologized, holding her hands up in front of her as she smiled meekly. "I couldn't sleep so I sneaked out to go training."
"I can see that." He said quietly as he eyed her up and down. "You look like a mess."
Sakura noted that he looked extremely pale as well as exhausted. His tear troughs seemed more pronounced than yesterday and he seemed strained. Cautiously approaching him, she asked him the cause of his distress. Had her sudden disappearance frighted him that much or something? Surely he did not think that she would run away after being sent back in time to complete a tremendous task? Of course, she had contemplated escaping but she would not really do it now...
"My chest..."
She flinched and mentally berated herself for letting something like that slip off her mind. Honestly, what kind of a medical shinobi was she now, forgetting about injured people?
'It can't be helped I guess,' she thought to herself as she motioned him to get back inside. 'I have a lot to think about the current situation. Stupid Tsunade Shisou making me do this...'
"Your powers remained with you even after you came here?" He questioned in a voice bordering around a whisper as they entered the house, making it clear that the two senior members of the household were asleep, as well as the obsessive little brother of his. She was glad; Sasuke was adorable but he was just as loud as Naruto from back in her time at this age and she would like some silence for a while.
"It seems like it did. I'm glad. I won't have to practice my hard earned work of years over again." She answered, sticking her hands inside her pockets as she followed him upstairs. "Though I have to practice my shurikan-jutsu again...I have to spend a lot of time making calculations again...what a drag..."
"Well...then it seems like you have an advantage over me in the little match we have today." Itachi commented, "I doubt that you are really Chuunin though...they would not send shinobi of..." He watched a confused expression pass over her face and quickly came to a realization that she had completely forgotten that she had accepted the challenge his father threw at her the night before. He wasn't surprised though; she had a lot to think about and it probably slipped her mind.
And so, he began recounting last nights events, until she finally remembered. With a sheepish smile, she scratched the back of her head, nodding slowly. "I...completely forgot. When is it again...?"
"After breakfast." He responded and then halted at a door before opening it. She peered inside with mild curiosity, growing disappointed as she realized that the room was only furnished with the most basics needed. There was a medium sized bed pushed up against one wall where the window was, neatly made. A full sized mirror was attached to the wall beside it and a working table scattered with different documents and scrolls at the opposite wall. Two large shelves with numerous books and scrolls were at it's sides.
She made her mind to ask him for a few later. Stepping inside, she noted that the walls were painted a very dark blue instead of black; the sunlight streaming through the window gave it away. It all seemed a bit too...grown-up for a kid. Then again he was Uchiha Itachi.
"Remove your shirt and sit on the bed." She instructed, "I need to see how much damage had been done."
He seemed to hesitate a bit before doing as said and sitting on the edge of his bed. She noted how lean and trimmed he was, despite his age. He was probably much slimmer than most kids his age, but obviously more well built. Moving forward, she winced inwardly at the large purple bruise that was spreading over his side and more so as she noticed a few outlines of healed scars near his abdomen. This boy was really...
"When did this happen again?" She inquired as she inspected it, using her thumb to slightly press down on it, watching him wince.
"Chuunin exams."
"Ah I see..." She let green chakra encircle her hands as she placed it on his chest. "Bear with me. This may hurt." He flinched again but otherwise, did not utter a word as she inspected the level of damage done to his side. "Two fractured ribs and one broken one. As well as some muscle tears..." She muttered, shooting a glare up at him for being careless.
"Honestly you are so irresponsible Itachi-San! I am sure this would have caused you immense pain up to until now. Why didn't you go to the hospital immediately? Did you at least apply first-aid?"
He nodded slowly, growing slightly amused at her face, deciding against telling her that no matter how hard she tried to look furious, she ended up looking no less threatening than Sasuke. "I have also taken some pain medication."
"Pain medication aren't supposed to be off the counter you know. They are dangerous if taken in wrong doses. But putting that behind, I'm going to heal now so be still okay?"
At the inclination of his head, she pushed her chakra in, spreading her warm chakra through the wounded area. Itachi relaxed visibly as she did so, some signs of strain draining away from hisface. He was surprised with her amazing skill, feeling the bones push back into place almost immediately. She must be extremely gifted or have mastered it very well to reach this level of healing. Even the old medic's with years of experience could not do this in under a few minutes.
The pain soon faded away and all he could feel was the gentle, warm chakra that slowly moved around within his chest, searching for more possible injuries. Finding everything to be normal, she withdrew it and removed her hands, grinning at him. "I'm done!" she announced, "Stand up and move around a bit to see if you still feel any pain."
He did so, moving his shoulder blades and breathing in deeply as he threw around a few punches in mid air.
"There wasn't too much damage done so I healed it up completely." She murmured, watching him move towards the mirror to inspect his side searching for any signs of the nasty bruise, eyes widening slightly as he realized that there was none.
"If this is the level of your skill I dare not imagine how powerful your teacher must be," he said, sounding impressed as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Thank you for healing me. Oh and, please feel free to take a change of clothes from my wardrobe." At her nonplussed expression, he elaborated, "...Since your clothes are dirty. We're about the same build so they should fit well."
He noted then, that he chakra was significantly lower than what was from last night. She must have used nearly half her reserve for training and another bit for healing him. Though her reserves were still massive compared to his, wouldn't that place her in a disadvantage for today? Before he could ask her however, she stood up and took a few steps around the room before offhandedly picking up a scroll and scanning it.
"Reading about complicated things like nature release...hey, are you an old man or what?"
"GO ITACHI NII-SAN~!"
Sakura was sure that almost all their neighbors would have woken up now, if they hadn't already. Sasuke was eagerly cheering for his big brother to win the match, which they were about to start right now. She smirked at Itachi who stared back expressionlessly. Fugaku was watching, an expectant look on his face as he watched on, his wife on the other hand looking a bit worried.
"Don't hold back." She smiled as she faced her opponent. An amused look flickered across his face as a slight smirk settled on his own lips. The two observed each other quietly, eyes running over any expectant movement. The match seemingly had already begun, and yet the two made no move to land an attack. Both shinobi stood still, not moving an inch. An onlooker might have wondered whether they were breathing or not
Confused, Sasuke tugged on the hem of his mother's dress. "Why are they just staring at each other?"
"It seems they are waiting for each other to attack." Mikoto said quietly, already getting the feeling that the match was not going to end soon. She knew Fugaku shared the same thought and they watched in silence, ignoring their younger son's remarks on how boring this was. If Sakura was expecting Itachi to make the first move, this would take an impossibly long time. As far as Fugaku knew, his son never made the first move; he always acted in defense.
After three long minutes, Sakura decided to make the first move...by making her fingers twitch. His pupils constricted and she deflected the first kunai thrown at her, throwing an extra one which he blocked. And so, they were engaged in a fierce battle of shurikan-jutsu. No one could tell who had the upper-hand because, all they saw where messy blurs and sparks in between the space where they stood, emitted from the many kunai that clashed against each other.
As abruptly as it started then, the two shinobi disappeared only to reappear in the middle of the ground, each holding a kunai that was attempted to stab the other with, and each blocking the weapon that were going to pierce them. With a kick Sakura swung at his torso in defense, they both jumped back, eying each other intently.
"So...fast...when did that happen?" Mikoto wondered out loud, obviously fascinated and taken aback by the display she just witnessed. Fugaku was impressed by just one thing; she had managed to keep up with him easily with his sharingan on. Itachi never usually activated his dojutsu unless he was up against an extremely difficult opponent; he was often on par with most Konoha Jounin without the use of his sharingan. Which meant that this girl was no mere Chuunin as she claimed. To think a prodigy who leveled up to his son lived...
"Take this!" Itachi dodged a punch that was thrown at him and blocked another kick that she aimed for his head, mentally reminding himself to never do that again with his bare hand; it hurt terribly to block her attacks. Her raw strength was fearsome and even then, he knew that she was holding back. And so, with the next one aimed to throw him off balance, he jumped high up into the air. It proved to be a bad move.
She threw at least a dozen kunai with explosive tags attached to it the moment he was airborne and by the look on her face, he realized that she had planned this from the very beginning. Taking her lightly would prove to be fatal he knew, now that he was suspended in mid-air and virtually helpless against the bombs that were flung at him.
Weaving his hands together quickly, he made a shadow clone that pulled him out of the way just as the kunai reached him and exploded. They landed in front of her, mirroring triumphant smirks. Twiddling another kunai with a finger as she regarded him lazily, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "Not bad...you managed to escape that. Then again I expected it so I am not surprised at all." he ran a tongue across the metal and grinned, humor making her eyes twinkle. The crimson splattered over the weapon made him stop in place.
A stinging on his shoulder made him place a hand over it, drawing it back to reveal his palm wet with blood.
First move.
Impressed eyes scrutinized the battle that was being displayed in the glass ball. Blowing out a puff of smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a low chuckle tinged with amusement. "Impressive. Very impressive." He mused. "No one has ever managed to make a scratch on that boy in the starting of a match."
He knew that, if this girl was an apprentice of Tsunade, she would probably have medical ninjutsu as well as inhuman strength to her advantage. Considering her speed and the time she was from, she might have been acquainted with Might Gai, if Kakashi were her teacher. Itachi Uchiha was at a great advantage right now, even if he had his specialty to aid him.
Right now the old man was trying to think of whether he would let the pinkette be in a team with other shinobi or not. She probably would get bored from being indoors all day, without going on any mission. Also, assigning her to duty would give him a chance to see her abilities in full potential. He was not sure of which rank she would be, but he was sure that it was surely above Chuunin rank.
"You called for me, Hokage Sama?"
Sarutobi nodded and motioned for the ANBU to come closer. "You can take off your mask. It's just both of us."
The 19 year old paused before taking off the dog mask, revealing yet another mask beneath, a single onyx eye regarding the Sandime curiously. What could be so important as to have to call off all his meetings for today and to postpone his mission? He wondered what exactly had happened. Perhaps it was regarding Naruto again.
"A match against the Uchiha genius?" he asked quietly as he saw what the Hokage was observing. "Who is it this time Hokage Sama?"
"Yes. It is a girl who I placed within the Uchiha as trust," he chuckled at the look of disbelief over the boy's face. "She is on par with the boy. Actually I reckon she has the upper-hand in this match."
"Who is she?"
The copy nin watched the humor disappear from the Hokage's face and blinked as he cast a jutsu to sound-proof the room. What was going on?
"Her name is Sakura and I bought you here to discuss about her." The old man began, puffing on his pipe once more, not taking eyes off the glass ball. "She is a time traveler who arrived just yesterday."
"..What?" Kakashi's visible eye widened imperceptibly as he took in the information. A time traveler who arrived in Konoha?
"She is a 21 year old woman from the future who also happens to be your student."
His student? This was big news! "Hokage Sama!" he finally spoke, feeling his heart start pounding deep within his chest. "She can't stay here for long! If she were to, it would greatly disrupt the time! Do you know where she belongs to-"
"Calm down," Sarutobi interrupted the copy nin as he leaned back into his chair. "She is staying in Konoha. Initially we had deciding to send her back; however we had found out that the future is not so pleasant as most of us would have thought. She has decided to try change it."
"To change the future? Wh-"
"Bad things happened in the future Kakashi. Very bad things. She came to fix those things from happening. As her future mentor, I decided to tell you all this as we will need your help. Sakura told us that you played a great part in your past that lead some things to happen in the future." Hiruzen looked up from the glass ball then, to see an alarmed look on the ANBU's face.
"Hokage Sama...what sort of trouble happened then?"
"...I came to stop a war from happening..."
Sighing, he looked back at the glass ball. It seemed that Sakura had disappeared and Itachi was trying to find her. He looked pretty beaten up and bruised; something he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Kakashi." He stood up with a smile, ignoring the now near hyperventilating shinobi. "Let's go observe the match shall we?"
Fugaku was wary. It was nearing mid-day now and the battle didn't even seem to have reached to it's climax. If anything, the two were playing a game of cat and mouse, occasionally switching between each.
Right in between the fireball jutsu, the girl had released a smoke screen and disappeared, nearly tricking Itachi more than once. First was when she threw clones disguised as windmill shurikan at him. The moment the boy had jumped between them to avoid being injured, the clone below transformed back and sent him flying upwards. Itachi had acted quickly and instead of letting himself being pummeled to the ground, he grabbed hold of the clone and kicked her back down instead.
As he landed however, another clone embedded deep within the ground and nearly punched him unconscious, once again owing to his Sharingan. She was amazingly nimble on her feet as well as had skill at masking her chakra to the extent that the eyes itself could only detect finger-tip worth of chakra that escaped into the air.
Truly she was a remarkable shinobi who would become a perfect assassin later on, if she wasn't already one. The way she licked up Itachi's blood sent goosebumps down his arm; the last time he witnessed something like that was when he was up against an extremely terrifying woman around a few years back, in his chuunin days...
It was clear that the rosette was the taijutsu expert among the two. While she possessed strength and speed, he possessed speed and quick reaction time, making it hard for the girl to land a blow on the Uchiha. And yet she managed to every now and then, and every time she did, he would either be sprawling away, flying in the air or embedded deep in the ground.
It seemed to be somewhat comical for little Sasuke who laughed every time he saw his brother 'flying like a bird' as he called it while Fugaku was relatively unamused. If anything, her temper reminded him of a certain, now deceased red-headed best friend of his wife, who was also the wife of Minato, a close friend of his own. She had pink hair; could it be that she might be a distant relative of the Uzumaki clan?
"STAY STILL! GODDAMN YOU SON OF A..." She started yelling, pausing as she realized that a very bright eyed boy was watching them expectantly as well the parents of the boy she was trying to assault. "...BEAUTIFUL WOMAN YOU ARE A BIG BASTARD!"
"Oh my," He saw his wife blush at the compliment, bringing up a hand to touch her warm cheek while smiling sheepishly. "She is so sweet."
Her being beautiful was of course, true. However, for a little girl to use such crude language was unheard of. But if she truly were Tsunade's apprentice, it was no surprise. The compulsive gambler had a habit of cussing, especially when drunk. In which case he had to be careful about keeping Sasuke away from her.
"Tousan, what's a bastard?" Sasuke began tugging on his hand, a confused look on his face innocent face. The Jounin paled, wondering on how to explain it when his wife jumped in to save him, dragging his son away.
"It's something girls call to boys to annoy them. If you use it people will call you a girl. So don't use it."
Blinking he nodded slowly before turned back to the battle. It changed back to ninjutsu, where the rosette seemed to be at a disadvantage with the Uchiha with his perfectly mastered fire ninjutsu. It was to be expected of course; Uchiha were masters at the fire jutsu (hence their clan name), and it would be foolish to think that a person from another clan could be as well mastered.
But just as Itachi released a fireball, the kunoichi, released a water type ninjutsu. With a hiss, a thick mist formed, concealing them and the whole grounds. It amazed Sasuke and he stared on, his lips formed into a perfect 'o' shape and his eyes wide. Heavy movement was heard from within dense clouds and within a minute, everything fell silent. As the grounds cleared, Sasuke burst out laughing while Fugaku tried to refrain a scowl from rising up to his face.
Sakura was straddling Itachi by his torso, holding a kunai to his throat, her face placid and her posture completely relaxed, uncaring whether there was his clone behind her with a kunai pointed at her back. The match was clearly over and it was evident that who had won. Even if his clone would deliver a bit of damage, she would have killed him and be done with it should this were a real battle. And the head of the Uchiha clan was not pleased that his son was taken down by a strange girl.
"Jeez Uchiha do you always have to plan steps ahead for everything?" She muttered as she removed the knife and standing up, prompting the sharingan master to make his shadow clone disappear.
"It's primary steps of a shinobi." He answered, following her and dusting some dust off his shirt before raising an eyebrow at her. "You caught me off guard with the man-like punch."
No sooner after the last sentence left his mouth, he was bought up near her furious face, hands tightened around his collar. So she had her own weak points did she now? He made a mental note to preserve that in order to annoy her later on.
"I AM NOT A MAN! TAKE THAT BACK!"
"No." His simple statement served to agitate her further, and she began shaking him back and forth, to the point he felt something shake inside his skull.
"TAKE THAT BACK BEFORE I SHOVE A TREE UP YOUR NOSTRIL UCHIHA AND I PROMISE YOU IT WON'T BE PRETTY!"
Itachi somehow managed to free himself of her hold and staggered back, only to have to face her chakra infused fists and she charged at him again with a war cry. It was certainly an amusing situation and he tried his best to avoid her blows with a wide smile on his face. Now that she was riled up, dodging them would be slightly easier considering she was blinded by anger.
Mikoto bit down a laugh as she saw Fugaku's nonplussed expression. He had not witnessed this side of his son, having spent time with him only during training and when on duty. She asked her husband whether it shocked him to see that his own son could have a playful attitude that normal children had. The head of the Uchiha clan could only watch as a laugh escaped from his son as he jumped to prevent himself from being kicked.
"Itachi laughs a lot; not just with Sasuke" She stated quietly, looking at the small scene unfolding in front of them. "He is a ten year old child who is just as normal as other children...you just won't let him be."
"Well, well!" At the hearty laugh, the two turned around to see their Hokage walking up to them, a broad smile on his face. His appearance was noted by both Sakura and Itachi and she stopped her acts of trying to crush him. "I see you both are getting along?"
"We are." Itachi nodded with fake seriousness, making Sakura growl and deliver a punch to his shoulder.
"I can see that." He felt a bead of sweat running down his temple. "Is it over?"
"Not until he apologizes." The rosette huffed, crossing her hands over her chest.
"I hope you enjoy the disappointment."
Leaving the two to continue their bickering, Sarutobi turned to regard Fugaku and Mikoto who bowed in respect. "Hokage Sama." The Uchiha Matriarch greeted quietly, letting a large smile grace her face. "What may we do for you?"
"I came to inquire whether things are going alright for you. Are you doing well...Fugaku?" He asked gently, looking straight into the eyes of the Captain of Konoha Military. Understanding what he meant, Fugaku gave a dry smile.
"We are alright. A bit of few problems here and there that will time some time to take care of."
Nodding, he turned to Sakura and called out to her, prompting the girl to run to the old man. "We need to talk. Fugaku San, is it alright if you could come to my office later on perhaps around four?"
"Of course." He bowed.
But as the Hokage led her away, Sakura stopped abruptly, forgetting something important. "Give me a second; I'll heal up Itachi San before I go." She looked up at the Hokage. Before anyone could react, she ran back to the much confused ten year old. Sasuke followed her, possible to bombard his older brother with questions.
"She seems to be getting along quite well with the two brothers, even if she still haven't seemed to forgiven Itachi for that comment." He commented lightheartedly. Fugaku just frowned. Sensing his doubt, the Sandime placed a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't worry Fugaku. She poses no threats to the Uchiha clan. If anything, she is here to keep Danzo away."
At their flabbergasted expressions, he sighed inwardly. "I will explain in detail later. All I can tell you now is that she will not let Danzo or the Konoha Council harm the Uchiha." He turned back to where Sakura was now telling Itachi to 'shut up' in order to heal him up. "She is an extremely powerful kunoichi."
"Who is she?" Mikoto asked quietly, curious about this girl. "She didn't get lost on the way and stumbled here by accident did she?"
"Ah she did get lost." He puffed on his pipe. "From what I've heard, this girl has been nearly killed a whole lot of times before she finally stumbled here. Konoha is her home and she is grateful to be here of course. But she has no family, no friends here. And in course of her mission, I decided it would be best if she stayed with the Uchiha."
"I see." Fugaku sighed after a long while of silence. Silently, he decided to trust the Hokage. He was of course, angry at the Konoha Council for boycotting them and for mistrusting them. He personally held no grudge against Sandime himself, seeing how he was peaceful and tried to avoid conflicts. If this was an attempt at trying to fix everything between the Uchiha and Konoha, he would very well welcome it.
Still he couldn't see how a little girl could do as much as to protect the Uchiha. She seemed to be warm and friendly, and very willing to obey him so far. Was she just a pawn in the board? Or was she the one controlling the game? In due time they would all know. For now, he would let the Hokage and this girl do whatever she wanted.
This change of plans meant that he would have to talk to the Konoha elders. It probably wouldn't be easy to convince them to try postpone the coup they were planning. But to be truthful, he personally took no interest in violence either, finding it troublesome. Also, it would not bide well for his two children growing up steadily, whom he were trying so hard to protect. Despite his stern attitude, he truly loved them, regardless of what choices they made and would make for the future.
If there was even the slightest of chance to save them from the unkind fires of the war that was lighting, he would snatch it. And that was what he was going to do; keep the girl safe in turn for saving the Uchiha. Turning to the Hokage, he made a humble promise to keep the girl safe within their home, away from the cruel elders of his clan as well as the Konoha council.
Sarutobi was pleased that Fugaku was more than willing to accept Sakura within them. A spark of hope lit then, signalling that the silent feud could be halted, and the peace would once more return. The two shook hands then, agreeing to try their best to solve the matter peacefully.
"I have one more request Fugaku San." Sarutobi smiled, making Fugaku nod, slight curiosity settling in his eyes. "Since little Itachi doesn't seem to be getting along with his genin teammates...I propose we move him into a new one with more experienced shinobi. They resent him and lack of teamwork would hinder his progress. What do you say?"
"I agree." The Jounin turned to look at his son. "His two teammates resent him for being superior." There was a slight pride in his voice as he did so, and it did not go unnoticed by Hiruzen. This was was indeed, very much proud of his eldest. It was really no wonder he paid a lot of attention to whatever he did.
"Then I will assign him into a new group. Sakura will be included in it, if you are alright with it?"
Fugaku agreed readily. As much as wary he was of the girl, he knew she was a powerful Kunoichi. Having her on his son's team would enhance their performance greatly, opening the chance for his son to move up in rank.
"The next one," He turned around to face a tree behind him. "Is Kakashi Hatake. Are you alright with that?"
Fugaku was more than alright; he was definitely pleased. Kakashi was a powerful nin who possessed one of their eye techniques. Despite the fact that a few Uchiha, -Usually the elders- found Hatake guilty of letting his teammate die, he was pleased that the boy kept his priorities in order. Besides, Obito died to protect Konoha; a self sacrifice. It was unavoidable.
He watched as the ANBU jump out of the tree and nodded as he bowed in respect.
"The last one would be Shisui Uchiha, master of the body flicker technique." He laughed gently. "Itachi would be glad to have his best friend on the team."
"Shisui? I see, that is all?"
"Indeed." Sarutobi grinned as the three children arrived. "Itachi, there has been a change of your team." He looked at Itachi's confused expression and decided to continue. "It will now consist of you, Kakashi, Shisui and Sakura."
"WHAT?!" Her scream made everyone jump a bit, particularly Kakashi.
"It's not like I have a choice over it." Itachi shoved his hands into his pockets, turning to her slowly. "Besides, how bad can it be?..Sakura?"
She was gaping at the masked nin, a completely shocked expression on her face. "Y-Y-Y-You.." She raised a trembling finger up at him. Kakashi, clearly uncomfortable and not sure of how to react to her, forced a grin and raised his palm in his signature response.
"Yo. How do you do?"
"KAKASHI~!" With a high pitched squeal that Itachi thought would be impossible for a human to make, the pinkette lunged at the ANBU captain, making them both fall to the ground into a heap. "IT'S YOU! IT'S YOU! IT'S REALLY YOU! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"
"She...knows Kakashi?" Mikoto asked, cocking her head to one side.
"She was here before. He saved her once so she is glad she met her savior I guess!" Sarutobi lied easily, fully expecting that something like this might happen. 'She must be glad to see him again after a long time. I cannot think of what she may be going through right now.'
Deep down, Sakura knew that she shouldn't be acknowledging him like this and was grateful that Sarutobi covered up for her. The sight of seeing her sensei alive and well, after she had witnessed him pass away was all too much. The rush of emotions that went through her made her almost giddy, her eyes stinging to let out tears of gratefulness.
Never mind that he was completely, utterly dazed right now. She would explain later. Right now, she just wanted to hug him, to make sure it was really him.
"Um..." His voice broke through her thoughts. "C-Can you let go? I'm finding it hard to breathe..."
She obeyed at once, grinning down at him. "Sorry about that, I couldn't resist it after seeing your porcupine-styled hair cut. It's adorable!" She squeezed his cheek before getting off. "Also, what kind of an ANBU are you, letting a little girl tackle you? For shame Hatake. For shame."
"Pfft." Sarutobi and Mikoto both tried to stifle their mirth while Fugaku raised an eyebrow. Sasuke burst into peals of laughter and Itachi just stood there, staring at both of them. Kakashi was not amused a bit. She was kind of cute and innocent looking; the type which any person would be smitten by immediately. However with that shrewd smirk, she reminded him of someone who loved playing around with his victims.
With a snort he stood up, jamming his hands inside his pockets before following her and the Hokage away.
"I'll heal your minor injuries when I get back," she called towards Itachi who nodded in response. "If you can't wait, get your ass over to the hospital and have a doctor heal you!"
"She's so awesome." Sasuke murmured as he watched the new member of their family walk away with the Hokage. "You should've seen her! She used green chakra! How come you don't have green chakra Nii-san? Everyone has blue chakra and she has green! That's not fair!" Sasuke started to throw a rant. "I want to have special chakra too! How come she's special!?"
"Because..." Itachi's voice stopped him and they all turned to regard the Uchiha who had a small smile on his face. "..she is unique."
Fugaku clenched his fists, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he heard those words. He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder. "Fugaku? Are you alright?" He heard her concerned, soft voice. Shoving his hands into his pocket, he walked away without another word.
"You are by far one of the irritating people I have met so far."
"I love you too Kakashi sensei!"
Kakashi felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. Was this kid really his student? If it were so, then he pitied his future self. 'On top of that...the spoiled Uchiha kid and the prankster Naruto is there too...' He thought glumly. Just when he thought the universe would pity him and let him have some peace of mind for his future...
That was the thing about life. Sometimes you thought that things could go from bad to worse in a jiffy but in reality, life was just so bad it could not possibly ever get worse. Ever.
"Lighten up!" She slapped his back, in an effort to cheer him up. Unfortunately she hit him too hard, and so the copy nin found himself lying face flat on the ground. Sarutobi turned back as he heard the commotion and saw Kakashi shaking a grinning Sakura by the collar, a bright red bruise on his forehead.
"Cut it out." He muttered. "Kakashi I don't deem it fine for you to be killing your student."
"She's annoying! And that Sasuke brat?!" Kakashi turned to the Sandime, demanding an explanation. The old man just shrugged, a smile itching at his lips.
"I won't change the original team." He announced, much to the masked nin's dismay. "Whatever happens, little Sasuke, little Naruto and little Sakura will be on your team."
"Don't worry." Sakura patted Kakashi's head as if understanding everything properly. "My baby version is nowhere like I am now."
"I hope so...for the sake of my sanity." Kakashi stood up, letting go of her neck and shoving his hands into his pockets once more. At this point, Sakura began to wonder whether the 'shoving hands in pockets' was a trait that passed on to anyone with the Sharingan, regardless of whether they were Uchiha or not.
"You probably were like this since the beginning. I could tell." Sakura's mood suddenly turned serious as she began walking. "The future is very different from now; your personality was not the same either."
"What happened to me?"
Sakura refused to meet his stare. "I will tell you later." She said quietly, making Kakashi snort in annoyance. From then on, she talked not a bit, instead keeping her calm face on. She knew both Sarutobi and Kakashi were a bit confused at her sudden change in mood. But then, it really didn't matter.
As they approached the Hokage office, Sakura mentally prepared herself to reveal all what happened to her. It was going to take a lot of willpower to force herself to tell them every single thing that happened, without breaking down. She thanked her inability to cry silently as she entered the room.
Sapphire blue eyes closed tightly and arms drew up to try protect the face it belonged to as a scream emitted from tiny lips.
"Fox brat! Shut up!"
Tears spilled as a fist made contact with the blond boy's cheek, making him fall backwards. The child repeatedly expressed his apology, only to be ignored by a cruel sneer that only served to make him even more scared of what was going on. Usually that meant that more blows were on the way. He wasn't disappointed.
"Why don't you do us all a favor and disappear?" He coughed as a foot jabbed at his stomach, rather hard. "You are nothing but a nuisance! My mommy told me you are a monster!"
Eyes dared to open to hesitantly look up at his assaulter. The bully was no older than two years to him, and from what he heard was already enrolled in the Shinobi Academy. Brown eyes expressed utmost disgust as they looked back at his own blue ones.
"I'm not a monster! My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" He tried to defend himself, only to be rewarded by a stomp on his head. He started to cry loudly then, both at the pain and the emotional hurt that was growing inside of him.
He did nothing wrong. All Naruto asked was to play with the boy. The next thing he knew, he was being pummeled to the ground and being beaten to the inch of his life. What did he do to deserve this? He was a normal boy like everyone else! He didn't hurt anyone either! If he unknowingly did, he had already apologized countless times, only to be ignored over and over.
The whole village shunned him of a reason he wasn't aware of, a reason he wasn't allowed to be told. 'It's not fair!' He sobbed inwardly as the seven year old continued to make fun of his present state. He could only lie on the dusty ground, waiting for it to pass. A few minutes later, he heard footsteps walk away.
The five year old Kyuubi vessel waited for a few more seconds to make sure he had really left, before attempting to sit up. With every move he made, pain shot up his entire body, only releasing more warm tears to roll down his cheeks. He sniffed loudly as a hand rubbed an itchy eye, the other helping him off the ground.
"Stupid people..." He muttered to himself, trying to dust himself off. "I'll show em that I can fight back too...ow!" He winced as his cheek throbbed, where the boy had punched him. A metallic taste filled his mouth and he felt warm liquid slide down his lips, trailing down his chin. "Aw man they got my tooth- ow!"
Slowly, he began to walk deeper into the playground. Towards sunset, more kids might come here. It was highly unlikely but it just might happen. As should they see him like this, they would just laugh at his expense. Nursing his aching face, he sat behind a tree, thinking of how to explain this to Hokage jiisan. He knew that the old man told him to tell him if anyone physically hurt him. But if he did, they would hate him more. Life was hard enough already.
Looking upwards, he caught side of orange and yellow tinted clouds flying among the sky. "I bet..." He whispered to himself, once more the feeling of hurt settling deep within his chest. "..if I had parents...they would never do this to me..."
A soft wind ruffled the leaves, making his spiky yellow hair wisp back and forth. It only added to the melancholy mood. Unable to contain himself once again, the boy burst into tears. And that was how Sakura found him.
The rosette was walking aimlessly through the town, feeling completely depressed and heavy as her mind kept on replaying the unwanted memories she forced herself to resurface. Over the last two hours she had visibly paled and grown lost. Not wanting to give any reasons to the Uchiha family she was residing with, she opted to go to a nearby park to cool her head off.
Besides, seeing Sasuke again, no matter how innocent and cute his was right now, she wouldn't be able to look at him without tears stinging at her eyes. She had forced herself not to flinch when Kakashi started shaking in fear, as she told of how everything happened. Speaking about his deaths in front of him was the hardest. And yet she forced herself to go through it.
'Thank god..' she thought as she saw that the park was vacant. Moving noiselessly, she sat down on a swing and taking hold of the ropes, let herself swing back and forth. She had planned to try seek out her little self and Naruto today, but after all that, she wasn't sure whether she could bear with it.
A loud sob made her stop short then, and she turned her head around to a nearby tree. Was someone there? There was no trace of chakra so she guessed it was probably a civilian. Standing up, she walked towards it, thinking it was probably a lost child. She prepared a warm smile on her face as she did approach, only to have it wipe off instantly as she saw who the boy was.
Eyes widened and lips parted slightly as she trembled at the sight of who was sitting in front of her, face buried in his knees and crying his heart out, occasionally repeating the word 'why'. He was dirty and had several tears in the clothing he was wearing, as well as large bruises here and here.
Run, her mind urged her. She wasn't ready to face off with this, and images of an older Naruto dying in her arms began to reappear in her mind. But then his cries began paving a way into her heart, and she immediately decided that whatever she was going to go through, she was going to comfort him. Bending down, she raised a hand and placed it softly on his head.
The reaction was immediate, and he raised his head at once. The moment he saw her, she saw visible fear cross over his tear streaked face. A burst of anger went through he as she saw that his cheek was swollen and bruised, a thin line of dried crimson caked over his chin. Someone had obviously abused him, badly at that.
"DON'T HURT ME!"
The cry was followed by him slapping her hand away and standing up. She guessed he was couching here a while, as the moment he rushed up, his legs gave way and fell back down. She caught him easily, encasing him within her arms. How she missed the feeling of his touch, the familiar scent of him. "It's okay. It's going to be okay." She reassured him, hugging him tightly to prove it.
Naruto stopped thrashing about at once then, and stopped crying. Curiosity took over at once and he hesitantly looked up at her face. She flinched inwardly as those familiar cerulean eyes bore through hers. Now, it was filled with tears.
She made a mental note to report to the Hokage about this.
"Who did this to you?" She demanded, focusing on him.
"N-No one..I tripped." He lied, averting his gaze. At the same time, a tiny hand raised itself to try cover the purple mark that was swelling up on his face.
"Don't lie." She narrowed her eyes. At his uncomfortable expression, Sakura forced herself to relax and then smiled. "Come." She spoke gently, taking his hand. "Let's go take care of those wounds."
At his shocked expression, she smiled wider, inwardly cursing whoever did this to him.
"Y-You mean it? You aren't gonna hurt me?" He suddenly looked hopeful, a bright smile making way to his face. It seemed as if the crying, hopeless child cowering behind a tree was someone else then, and she felt her own mood brighten up from his.
"Of course not!" She raised an eyebrow. "Why would I hurt you? You are the most adorable kid I have seen so far!" She bent back down. "Oh jeez...that looks painful. Maybe I should patch you up right here before I move you eh...don't move."
With this, she placed a hand over it and started releasing her chakra to heal it up. He began to mildly complain then, loudly at that. Typical of him really. Within seconds, the bruise was gone. Pleased with her work, she moved to his arms.
"How do you do that?" He asked, sounding awed as she released green chakra, making the wounds visibly disappear.
"I'm a medical shinobi." She answered him as she moved on to the other. "I heal people to-"
"A shinobi? You are an actual shinobi!" He exclaimed, looking at her as if she was a celebrity of some sort. "That's so cool! I've never seen one up close!"
"Oh really." She pursed her lips. "Who did this to you again?"
"Um..." He started to fidget once more. "If I did tell you, you'd go tell old man Sarutobi. And then the old man will punish the bully. And then the bully would come back to-"
"I won't tell the Hokage." She said impatiently. "Was it a civilian?"
"What's a...ci-vi-len?" He blinked, cocking his head to one side. Dear kami, this kid was so clueless! But then, it couldn't be helped. He didn't have his parents to teach him simple words as that. She explained the meaning to him and he shook his head. "A boy from shinobi academy." He answered.
"I see." She nodded. "Jeez...what a little brat..why did he beat you up?"
"I don't know..." Naruto looked down, sadness coming over him once more, to the extent she felt his loneliness herself from where she was sitting. "All I asked was to play with him..." He looked back at her. "Do I look like a fox? Why do they call me a monster? I'm not one! So why..."
She bit her lip as the boy began crying once more. Moving forward, she hugged him, hoping to comfort him. But the act of kindness only made the blond child wrap his tiny hands around her and cry even more loudly.
"To be truthful, I don't see any monster in you." She spoke gently, making him quiet down once more, looking up at her. "All I see is two sparkling, big, blue eyes, a tiny nose and lip on a cute face with whiskers on it! You look like a little kitty!"
"I don't!" He puffed his cheeks out, turning red in the face. "Don't call me that! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Not kitty!"
The kid's mood changed like a cyclone in the tropical areas she thought, highly amused.
"Well then Uzumaki Naruto, my name is Sakura and I want to ask you something."
"Ask away! I'm gonna be a powerful shinobi one day you better believe it!" He crossed his hands over his chest, grinning like an idiot he was. She no longer had to keep the forced smile on her face; it remained there as if it always belonged.
"Will you be my friend?"
The moment the five letter sentence left her lips, he gaped at her. Was this girl serious? Was she actually offering to be his friend? The wave of happiness that washed over him was too much to contain then, and he found himself crying again.
"Aw jeez...you have a habit of crying a lot don't you?" he felt her hug him again. "Should I take this as a no?"
"NO! I mean, I will be your friend! Thank you! Thank you very much!"
Sakura closed her eyes as she leaned into his shoulder. "You are welcome...Naruto." Her eyes started to sting once more. "You're welcome.."
And later that night, Naruto found himself being treated to a large bowl of miso ramen at his favorite restaurant. With a loud 'Itadakimasu' he began slurping the warm noodles down, lips twitching at the delightfully rich taste that filled his senses. Of all the places he had thought she would take him to, it certainly wasn't Ichiraku's. Initially he had been worried about how he was going to pay for it, but then his Oneechan said she would willingly pay, with the money the Hokage gave her.
"Wow that was quick." He looked up at the amused tone and grinned at his new best (and only) friend. Who knew that she had the same love for ramen as he did? It was absolutely enthralling to know he shared so many things in common with her.
The whiskered boy pouted then, as he saw that she was already done through her second bowl. "No fair! You distracted me!" He whined going back to his bowl. "Mister one more!"
"On the way." Teuchi laughed gleefully as he set on preparing another bowl for the two ramen lovers. He was already starting to enjoy these two regular people visiting and was glad that they did so. What's more, he noticed that the boy who was shunned so much among the village was finally wearing a happy face.
The ramen stall owner never once considered the villagers treatment towards the boy right. He knew about the boy's past and the Kyuubi attack. And yet he could not, and would not blame the innocent child for all the lives that were claimed during the incident. If anything he saw the boy as a hero; someone who saved them by bearing the burden of being the nine tails host.
"Ne Sakura neechan," The rosette smiled at the nickname he gave her and turned to face him as he talked to her. "Where do you live?"
"I live...with the Uchiha clan. At the moment." She answered as she took a mouthful of ramen. Naruto scrunched his face up as he looked upwards before turning back to her.
"Uhh...Uchiha...? Okay...but then why at the moment? Where do you really live?"
Stirring the soup with her chopsticks, she sighed as she propped her chin on a hand, lazily looking at the swirling pieces of noodles. "I live with the Uchiha." She repeated. "It's a temporary home for me. You see, my parents are dead."
"..Mine too." He looked down at his bowl before slurping the soup down. "I bet they won't treat me as badly if I had them. I wonder what they were like..."
An image of a smiling Minato and Kushina flashed in her mind and she smiled. Naruto had told her of them soon after Pain's invasion and she was more than glad to sit there and listen while he recounted his amazing meeting with both parents. Still, she found it hard to believe that Naruto would actually punch his father in his gut the moment he laid his eyes on him.
"I knew your parents. They were such great people." She turned to smile at his shocked face. "Both your parents sacrificed themselves for you, so that you live on."
Naruto remained silent for a while before frowning and looking down on his lap. "I...think I would've been happier if they lived on instead..."
"You don't understand yet. When you grow older you will understand the situation that forced them to do it..." An image of the masked man appeared in her head out of the blue and on instinct, her hands clenched, only to make the chopsticks in her hand snap. She sighed as she kept it on the table.
"But your parents loved you Naruto. Your father was a great hero of Konoha. He saved Konoha, and you."
"...D-Do you really mean it?"
"I know so. And I find it right to tell you." She offered him a small smile.
Just as Naruto was about to open his mouth to reply, he was cut off as someone else entered the shop. She smiled sheepishly as onyx eyes glare at her disapprovingly and apologized, making the blond look between them curiously.
"Do you know how many hours we have been searching for you?" Itachi glared at her, making her grin widen and apologize. "We found out that the meeting had been over since long and I had scouted around the whole village trying to find you."
"Ne I met Naruto kun so, I felt like spending time with him." She scratched her cheek, trying her best to look rather sorry. At the age of nine, surely she had cuteness to her advantage. But then again, Itachi was not the whimsical type to be attracted to those sorts. It was not necessary thought, as he forgave her and after hearing her excuse, sat beside the boy.
"Uh...who's he Sakura oneechan?" Naruto tried his best to whisper but it came out in a normal tone. Poor boy being used to screaming so much, couldn't so much as to lower his voice. That was going to prove to be a disadvantage later on. Feeling a little bead of sweat on her temple, she looked at both of them.
"Anou, he's a friend of mine..." She gestured to him. "Rather anti-social but can be funny and pretty much a cool person. Naruto kun, this is Itachi Uchiha."
"Uchiha..." A sudden realization went through the whiskered boy as he recounted what his new friend told him a while back. "Sakura oneechan is staying with- MMPH!"
Forcing a grin, all she could do was to place a hand on his mouth, in order to stop him from screaming it out to the entire village. Quietly, she told him so and the golden haired boy quickly nodded at her tone, knowing not to argue. At the same time he stared curiously at the Uchiha.
If Sakura Onechan were to stay with him, it meant she stayed there everyday. Surely it would be alright if he borrowed her for one day now wouldn't it? So the boy turned to his senior and asked him so, making both shinobi surprised. From this point on, Itachi guessed that she was extremely good with children, seeing how they trusted her openly and so quickly.
"The choice is purely hers." He answered, an amused look coming over his face at the joy that crossed the kid's face. Whipping around, he shook his best friend's arm, asking whether she'd stay with him for the night.
Sakura nodded at once, agreeing to do so. At that moment, two ramen bowls were placed in front of them. Yelling the loud greeting, Naruto started slurping the ramen down at once, and that was when the Uchiha genius caught sight of the empty bowls once more.
"How can you eat so much in one sitting?" He asked quietly as he turned to look at Sakura. But the pinkette didn't seem to hear him, and he caught a happy and gentle look on her face as she observed her younger friend attack the bowl of noodles. "...You got the habit from him didn't you?"
"It was to remember him." She answered him truthfully. "It was a habit that grew on me. I got lonely and depressed and this place was a place I could visit to remember the good times. Still," an uneasy grin spread its way on her face. "Watching him eat makes me uncomfortable. I still can't eat as much as he can."
"I can see that." He sighed and then turned serious. "Tomorrow, we will probably be meeting with our new team. Shisui is returning from the mission tonight so he should be able to attend. It will be just a simple meeting so you don't have to be nervous."
"Please mister genius," She smirked. "I've attended a lot of meetings in the fu- past. In the past." Coughing up to cover her mistake she grinned. "And...about the match..."
"It ended in a tie."
"I was in the lead."
"You were at a disadvantage as much as I was."
Sakura pursed her lips and she sighed, annoyed once more. It was true she had been in the lead but it was also true that Itachi's clone could have attacked her at any time.
"Then let's make a promise." He looked up curiously as those words escaped her mouth. She looked determined, as she continued. "We will train our best. And then one day we'll fight again, to see who's stronger. Winner gives the loser whatever they ask."
Was it worth it? Itachi mused on the question with a smile. Another fight with her wouldn't do any harm, besides he loved a good challenge. Despite what awe others take about his genius mind, being smart really left him with nothing in life to strive to get. Achieving things without much work tended to bore him and perhaps this was one thing he could try work for (?)
"I accept." He held his hand out for her to shake and she took his gladly with a smile, only to pause and make a comment on how soft his hands were and that he should always take good care of them. It left his amused once more. Seconds later, the blond boy was dragging the pinkette away promising to 'return' her by tomorrow.
"Why Itachi San, won't you eat any ramen?" Teuchi asked, a queer smile on his face. The Uchiha shook his head.
"Thank you for the offer though." He nodded and walked out, leaving him grinning even wider. Well this was certainly going to become interesting, whatever was going on. With that in mind, the man smiled as another customer entered.
"Oh hello Shisui San. Back from your mission are you?"
"Yeah." The boy smiled as he nodded at the ramen stall owner. "And I'm pretty hungry. Pork Ramen sounds good."
"On it." He turned around to face the stove. "You know, you were being talked about a while ago by two customers who came here." He chuckled as he saw the boy blink in surprise. "Your friend and a pink haired girl."
"Pink haired...girl?"
Q&A section/authors notes
(This chapter has been edited)
~Yes I am very much aware that I am late for submitting a chapter. And I apologize for that. Really. ^^/
Now to answer some questions that some readers have put forward:
1) Itachi is formal around Sakura sometimes when his father is close. But as you can see from this chapter, he is a bit more relaxed now, knowing his father has not much of an objection to it. (At least he doesn't voice it out) He will also drop the 'Haruno san' soon.
2) Sakura's parents are indeed Shinobi in the actual anime. Her mother was shown to be a Jounin and her father the fourth Hokage in the new Naruto movie but that was with some things reversed. Still, they are shinobi, and I am making them both Jounin in PPF.
3) Mikoto adores little Sakura a lot. But Sakura has yet to trust the Uchiha Matriarch and until she is sure, Sakura will absolutely not reveal that piece of information to Mikoto. Even if she does develop a trust, Sakura would not until somewhere far in the future.
4) Fugaku asked Sakura to fight Itachi because he wanted to see how powerful she actually was. And no, he is NOT insane. ^^
5) Romance between Sakura and Itachi will not happen until they are of age. Well, Sakura may develop some feelings for the Uchiha later on (seeing she possesses an adult's mind) but the romance is not likely to start any soon. Sakura is right now, too focused on her mission and Itachi, trying to understand it and carrying his duties out.
6) Sakura may seem a bit different from the first chapter now, but that was because all around her knew her cause of sadness and melancholy. Now though, she knows she cannot waste her time being depressed and is focused on trying to carry her mission out. She is still the anger-fueled kunoichi we know and love, (as seen from this chapter) and she just needs someone to vent her anger out on. (Right now it's Itachi and more coming later on...)
7) Itachi is just 10 years old so it's perfectly logical to think that he would get injured. He is not invincible and we have to remember that he is just a Chuunin as of now. And several Shinobi have landed hits on him, not only Sasuke. Itachi is just developing his skills and once more, is NOT a killing machine whom cannot step into close proximity with him without being mauled or detonated.
Now for some answers to questions about this fiction before you ask. ^.^/
~Those who are confused about the actual result of the match, it ended in a tie...more in Sakura's favour for now I guess, considering she had Itachi pinned down like that with a kunai to his throat. About the thing were she licked off Itachi's blood and the sight triggering a frightening memory in Fugaku's head...it will be explained later on. -nod-
~ About why Fugaku got agitated when Itachi said that Sakura was unique, will also be explained later on. He doesn't want Itachi to get involved with girls, especially ones outside the Uchiha clan for a reason and that will surely be explained in later chapters. Be patient readers~!
~ Itachi has a playful personality and a great sense of humor (as shown from flashbacks and from the manga when he called Sasuke a 'snake expert') and since he's a kid right now, I'm exploring it further. I am making it so that Itachi can maintain that attitude as he grows up. (hopefully) Also, in PPF, I'm making his personality as so as to like making people with temper's annoyed. He will sign multiple death wishes in the future, I can assure you that.
~ Sakura was indeed glad to have met Naruto, her initial reaction for her mind to tell her to run was because she was simply afraid that her emotions would be too great for her to hold when she touches her once deceased teammate. Last thing she would want was to scare the blond boy by crying herself (though she is currently unable to do so, once more) but in the end, she managed to contain herself (thanks to years in ANBU) and ended up making friends with him.
~I am aware that the Hokage carried out a decree that no one could physically harm Naruto. But that doesn't stop the local bullies from acting it out. The elders refrain from it but instead ignores him. It is said that being ignored triggers the same reaction in a person as when he is receiving a great physical injury. So he is in fact, being bullied nearly every time of the day. (Makes me tear up to think about it really) But now that he has met Sakura nii, he is more happy and jovial, as his nature is. All he needed was someone to simply acknowledge him for him to feel happy. Having someone propose to be his friend put him on cloud nine. ^.^/
~I introduced Shisui at the end of the chapter since it's gotten too long already. So he will be re-introduced in the next chapter. I'm making his personality to be kind, social, likeable and very fun loving. He is Itachi's best friend and the latter did mention that Shisui and Naruto were similar somewhat, most being their ideals and ways of the world. Since he is a genius as well, I am not going to really uh, make him any rank lower than Itachi is right now, though I will make his age a bit higher than his. Maybe by two years perhaps? I'm not sure. But it will be decided by next chapter! Since he was said to be like a brother to Itachi, I suppose he would have his share of punches on the head. ^w^
~ The original team seven will meet soon so expect the idiocy and bawls between Naruto and Sasuke to start soon. Especially since Sasuke is a bit of a spoiled kid (the 'brat' side will be shown soon) who basks in the love of his parents and lives in a shinobi family, his clan would have probably poisoned his mind into thinking that shinobi were a hundred times better than civilians. And Naruto looses his temper over little things. Still, they both will definitely become close friends.
Again the authors notes went too long ne? I apologize once more. Can't seem to help it really. ^^"
Reviews motivate me to keep on writing so, keep reviewing!
Owari~! ^.^/