Chapter 11

"Wake up!"

Akari slowly opened her eyes. She lay on her side staring at the window. Sunshine poured in causing the room to have a warm glow. It was a nice morning. Only thing that ruined it was her strange dream. Sasuke was in it but that wasn't all that weird. She had to admit he was on her mind a lot more lately. Then there was Neji. He was in it too, along with the Hokage and…Itachi. She hadn't dreamed of him in quite a while. In this dream she was an Uchiha like him and his younger brother. How crazy was that!

"Seriously Woman! Wake up!" Riko pounded on her door.

She turned to it in surprise. What did he want?

"We want to know what happened yesterday." Mizuko said through the door.

Yesterday? Nothing happened…SHIT! Now she remembered! It wasn't a dream, it all really happened! She had really spoken to the people in her dream. Which meant it was true. She was an Uchiha! Quickly she kicked away her sheets and sprung from her bed. She ran to the door yanking it open and startling her siblings.

"Oh you're…" Riko started.

She didn't let him finish. Akari grabbed their wrists and pulled them into her room. She stuck her head out and scoped the hallway. When she was certain it was clear she closed the door and locked it. She crossed to the room and pulled the shades over the window. Her siblings stood in the center of the room watching her.

"What's going on?" Mizuko asked.

Satisfied, Akari motioned for them to sit. They did as they were told and planted themselves on the ground.

"I'm about to share some top secret information that nobody and I mean nobody can know about!" She whispered.

"Um. Then are you sure you should be sharing it?" Mizuko said with unease.

"Yes! Don't you know its nice to share and rude to keep secrets! Seriously, Mizuko were you raised in a barn?" Riko stared at his sister.

Mizuko glared at him and smacked him upside the head. Then she sighed and motioned for Akari to continue. Akari sat on the edge of her bed and took a deep breath. When she felt ready she started her story. Her siblings listened intently. Their eyes widened as she got towards the end. Finally she finished and waited for a response. Mizuko was quiet but Riko immediately stood up.

"WHAT?" He yelled. "You. An Uchiha. All this time, and our parents knew about it?"

Akari only nodded.

"Itachi. He's alive. And he wasn't the bad guy after all?" Mizuko asked.

"And the Uchihas wanted to take over the village!" Riko told her.

"Yes Riko I heard. Now lower your voice."

He glared at her.

"So you have the Sharingan. Well, that explains how you learned to throw kunai just by watching us." Mizuko stated.

Again Akari nodded.

"Our little sister is an uchiha who will be trained to use her cool yet creepy red eyes by a mass murderer. What a great way to start the morning."

Riko threw himself on the bed face first in exasperation.

"mmfgmfggfmg"

"What?" Mizuko and Akari said in unison.

He turned his face away from the pillow.

"I said, when are you going to tell Sasuke." He repeated himself.

"I don't know, but not anytime soon." She answered.

"Good, because he's going to have to be eased into this." Mizuko said.

"That means you will be spending more time with mister tall, brooding, and handsome." Riko smirked.

"I don't think she'll mind that at all." Mizuko teased.

"Shut up! You guys joke but do you know how hard it's going to be being around him? It's going to take all my will power not to say anything!" Akari cried out.

"Yeah, seeing as how you blabbed to us the moment you woke up." Riko said.

Akari smacked him with her pillow. He grinned and lifted himself off the bed.

"Well I think it's time we went to breakfast. I'm hungry and would also like to stare at our parent in silence until they feel guilty for keeping such a huge secret!" He said as he walked to the door.

Mizuko shrugged and stood. She followed her twin out into the hallway. Akari was left alone. She sighed lightly to herself and rose to get dressed. Her siblings took that pretty well. Almost as well as she did. She had really thought she'd be freaking out but instead she felt…like a weight had been lifted. She always knew there was something about her. Akari walked to her nightstand to grab her headband. Next to it was small folded up piece of paper. Funny, it wasn't there before. She picked it up and glanced around the room. Whoever had left it was obviously gone. Gently she opened it.

"The Cliff. Midnight. Burn the paper."

Short and to the point. Itachi hadn't changed much. She stared at the paper for a moment before catching it on fire. Then she went to her mirror and tied her headband on her forehead. Looking at herself she saw all the same features of an Uchiha. Now she understood why people confused her for one. She might have been raised a Yoshida but she was definitely born an Uchiha. She probably would've realized it sooner had Itachi not dealt with the others. Would she have joined them?

"AKARI!" Her father yelled.

No. Her family was here. She walked out of her room to join them. She found them in the kitchen. Riko was stuffing his face with food and glaring at their father at the same time. Mizuko hadn't touched her food yet. Their mother was preparing more at the stove and their father was reading the paper. She walked to the table and sat between Mizuko and her father. Her mother placed a plate in front of her.

"Glare all you want. We kept it a secret for a reason." Their father said without looking away from his paper.

This only made Riko glare even more. He shoved rice in his mouth angrily.

"You're going to choke." Mizuko commented.

"Yes dear. Slow down please." Their mother said before sitting down.

Finally Riko gave up. His face relaxed and ate his food slightly slower.

"I just want to say that I understand why you waited till now to tell me. Telling a five year old something this important wouldn't have been a good idea." Akari said as she picked up her fork.

"Were glad you know now. It's as if a burden has been lifted. No more secrets." Their mother smiled warmly at her.

"Are you sure? Me and Mizuko aren't secretly twins destined to save the world and rid it of all evil?" Riko poined his fork at them.

"If by evil you mean the weeds growing on our front yard then yes, you are." Their father muttered.

"Oh come on dad! Its Akari's turn this week!" Riko complained.

"Anyways, how do you feel Akari?" Her father asked.

"Honestly I'm fine. A little excited even. I've discovered another part of me and feel as if I now know who I am."

"You already knew who you are. You are Akari Yoshida and finding out you're an Uchiha doesn't change that." Mizuko stated.

Riko put down his fork and turned to his twin. Then he nodded vigorously, agreeing with her.

"Your one of us Akari. You're not going to leave us are you?"

"Of course not! I just meant that I don't feel as if there's something wrong with me anymore. I'll always be a part of this family, but I'm not going to ignore the fact that I'm an Uchiha. I want to learn more about them and try to understand them better. I've always found them quite fascinating."

The twins nodded and then Mizuko smiled.

"Are you sure it's not just one in particular that you find interesting." She teased.

"Shut up!" Akari blushed.

"What did she mean by that?" Her father rose an eyebrow.

"Ugh…I…"

Before she had to answer there was a knock at the door. Quickly she volunteered to open it and left the kitchen. Thank God! That would've been an awkward conversation. She reached the door and opened it. Hayama sensei stood on their porch.

"Good morning." He said politely.

"Good morning, Hayama sensei." She smiled at him.

"I need to speak with you and your siblings about your one month of training."

"Oh yeah! Come in!"

Akari held the door for him and let him in. The twins came out of the kitchen and greeted him. The four of them went to the living room and were soon joined by their parents. Hayama sensei accepted a cup of tea and took a seat.

"Alright. All three of you made it to the final exam. Thing is, I can't train the girls together seeing as how you will be up against each other first round. What will happen is I'll train with the twins seeing as how they already know what the other is capable of anyways. Hayate has offered to train with you again, Akari."

"That sounds good, um how often?" She asked.

"Only in the mornings. That way you have time to rest before training with Itachi."

All three of their mouths fell open. How did he…what?

"Yes, I know. The Hokage informed me before I became your sensei." He smiled.

"Seriously? How many people know exactly?" She said a little miffed.

"Just me, your parents, the Hokage and Itachi. Plus I assume you told the twins." He raised an eyebrow.

"Well I couldn't keep it from them." Akari muttered.

"That's okay. Anyways, were starting today so we need to get going. Hayate is waiting on the training grounds." Hayama said.

The four of them rose and said goodbye to their parents. Once outside Akari split from them wishing them luck. She made her way through the village to meet Hayate. On her way she noticed Naruto. He was talking to an old man with long spikey white hair. They seemed to be arguing. Then Naruto made some hand signs and transformed. Akari blushed when she saw the end product. Only Naruto would come up with something like that. The old man got way too excited, creeping her out.

She decided to quicken her pace. It wasn't smart though. Just a few moments later she was on the floor rubbing her forehead. What the hell?

"That's twice. Give me a reason not to kill you." A cold voice said menacingly.

Akari glanced up. She was looking up at the boy with the gourd. Sand swirled around him and a small portion of it was hardened into a small shield. No wonder it felt as if she ran into a wall. She was on the ground with a bloody elbow and he was perfectly fine. Akari knew she should run but she tended to ramble when she was nervous.

"Well if you had given a warning it wouldn't have happened. You were quick enough to shield yourself so why not get out of the way. It would be the obvious thing to do. Instead you let me walk right into you. That is considered rude you know, and you should be apolo…"

She stopped talking. The boy's siblings were looking at her like she was already dead. They took a step back. The boy was glaring at her. Quickly she got up. If she ran now he would definitely catch her. She would end up worse than Lee. What he had done to Lee…thinking about it got her angry.

"You shouldn't have done that to my friend. You could've won without causing so much damage! Lee is seriously injured thanks to you." She yelled.

He looked slightly startled. He must not have been expecting her to stand her ground. His siblings took yet another step back. She glared at the boy, not willing to back down. Finally he spoke.

"If you mean the loser with the green jumpsuit, I couldn't care less. I came here to destroy all of my competition. He was in my way so I dealt with him."

He said it without batting an eyelash. What was wrong with this guy? She was so angry with him and then she realized that she didn't even know his name. This caused her to calm slightly and she looked at him curiously.

"What…what's your name?"

Temari and Kankuro stared at her confused. The boy looked dumbfounded.

"I threatened to kill you and nearly killed your friend and yet you…want to know my name?" He questioned.

"Well…yeah. I mean it would be nice to know who wants me dead. Plus if I'm going to be angry with someone then I want to know who they are. Telling me would be the polite thing to do." She muttered.

He stared at her in astonishment. His siblings looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Finally the boy seemed to make up his mind.

"Gaara."

Then he brushed past her and started to walk away. Temari quickly followed glancing at Akari one last time. Kankuro turned to her before he left.

"You just got lucky. If I were you I'd keep my distance." He said.

Then he went after his siblings. Akari watched them then realized she forgot something. She cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Nice to meet you Gaara! Im Akari!" She yelled after them.

The three of them turned around in shock. Gaara seemed taken aback. Akari raised an arm and waved before turning to leave. Not wanting to push it she ran the rest of the way to Hayate. He was waiting patiently on the training grounds.

"I'm not late!" She stated.

"Almost, but no." He smiled at her.

He led her to the center of the clearing. He sat on a rock and had her stretch.

"Nice job during your match. You're getting the hang of the Transparency Jutsu."

"Thanks! Learned from the best!" She grinned at him.

"Next time you use it make sure you keep moving. Don't stay in one place to long or you could get caught." He advised her.

"Got it" She muttered as she did some lunges.

"That's enough. Let's continue your Kenjustu training."

Akari nodded and he handed her a spare katana. She didn't want to start carrying one until she was sure of her abilities. So far she had been doing pretty well. He gave her moment to prepare before attacking her. She blocked and fought back. The two of them crossed swords for a while before he gave her an opening. Quickly she produced two clones and attacked simultaneously. He did the same and blocked her with ease.

"Ah man! I thought I had you that time!" She huffed out of breath.

"I'll admit your Dance of the Crescent Moon is getting better, but you still have some ways to go." He grinned at her.

"Hayate Gekko! The Hokage need to see you immediately!" A voice called out.

A ninja was waving at them from across the field. He motioned for Hayate to follow.

"Guess we're cutting this practice short. Same time tomorrow." He told her.

Then he placed a hand on her head ruffling her hair before leaving with the ninja. She watched him go and felt a little uneasy. Why, she didn't know. She shook it off and made her way back to the village. She still had the katana he gave her. She stopped at her house and went through her bedroom window. If her parents saw her they'd want her to stay. She placed the katana in her closet and left.

Akari decided that she could use this free time. She made a stop at the hospital only to find out that Sasuke and Hinata had been released. Lee wasn't receiving visitors just yet. All of her other friends were probably training. Having nothing to do, she went to the river hoping to take a swim. Better than doing nothing. Before she made it she saw Naruto with the pervy old man from before. His hair was wet and he was grinning.

"Hey Naruto" She called out.

"Akari! Hey! You're not going to believe what I just learned!" He ran up to her.

"How to swim?" She teased.

"Nah! I only fell in a couple of times! I'm about to go have some ramen, want to come? Pervy Sage is buying!" He grinned.

"Whoa kid! I'm not made of money! And my name isn't Pervy Sage, it Jiraiya. The only way I'd pay is if this young lady is your girlfriend." The old man winked at her.

"What? No!" Naruto blushed.

Akari laughed. Then she got an idea. Time to start operation "Hinata"!

"No sir. We're just friends. But as for your offer Naruto, I don't have time. I know someone who could really use a bowl of ramen though."

"Really? Who?" He asked.

"Hinata is out of the hospital. She's probably at home right now if you want to go by." She said.

Naruto thought about it. Jiraiya was watching Akari as if he knew what she was up to. She winked at him and he smiled. Finally Naruto nodded.

"That sounds good! She could use it after her match with that idiot Neji." He smiled.

"Alright, here kid."

Jiraiya handed Naruto some money.

"If you're treating a girl then I'll help you out. Besides, I need a break from you to do some…research."

His eyes turned hazy and Akari could have sworn he was drooling. Naruto looked annoyed with him. The two of them left him there caught in his own world. They made their way to the Hyuuga's.

"You don't think we'll run into him here do you?" Naruto muttered.

"Neji? Nah, he's probably training somewhere."

"Your friends with him." He stated.

"Yeah…he's rough around the edges but he's a good guy. You just have to get to know him." She told him.

"I'll believe that when I see it." He said sourly.

They were now at Hinata's front door. Akari knocked and they waited. A young girl opened the door.

"Hey, you're Hanabi right? Is Hinata here?" Akari asked.

"Yes I am and yes she is. Who may I ask are you?" The girl said.

"Friends of hers. Can you get her for us?" She told her.

The girl nodded and went to find Hinata.

"Is that Hinata's sister?" Naruto whispered.

Akari nodded. She heard small footsteps making their way to the door. Hinata poked her head out shyly. She saw Akari first. She smiled before noticing Naruto. Immediately her face turned red.

"Hi, Hinata! I came to invite you for some ramen!" He smiled at her.

"Wha…what? I…" She stuttered.

Akari saw her legs beginning to sway and quickly steadied her.

"Don't faint! This is your chance so don't blow it!" She whispered in Hinata's ear.

"Is she okay? Maybe she should rest more?" Naruto said in worry.

"NO! I mean…yes. I mean, no I don't need rest and…yes I'll go with you." Hinata recovered.

Akari grinned at her. The Hyuuga stepped outside. Naruto was smiling and held out a hand to help her down the steps. This made the girl blush but she took it. He let her go once she was safely down. The three of them walked silently to Ichiraku Ramen.

"Well, I should go. I've got…lots of training." She said when they arrived.

"You're leaving?" Hinata said in shock.

"Yeah. You'll be fine with Naruto. Right?" She asked the boy.

"She's in good hands! Come on Hinata, I'm buying."

Naruto led her inside and Akari gave Hinata a thumbs up before leaving them alone. She smiled to herself. Hopefully Naruto enjoys his time with Hinata. She sure hoped so. As she walked through the village she passed Yamanaka Flowers. Ino and Sakura were talking outside. They noticed her and waved. She smiled and waved back. This was nice. Akari was glad she worked things out with them.

She continued on her way. The village was calm this time of day. It was a good day for a stroll. Akari saw a few of her friends. Choji was at Shushuya with Kiba and Shikamaru. She asked Shikamaru why he wasn't training and he said the exams were a drag. Shino was buying a container for who knows what. He asked if she wanted to see his bugs, but she kindly declined. She also ran into Tenten and Neji. They were on their way to the training grounds. They greeted her and continued. Neji smiled warmly at her before leaving. Seemed things were back to normal between them.

She was about to head home when someone else was walking her way. She almost fled but he had already seen her. Sasuke Uchiha made his way towards her. She fidgeted slightly when he smiled at her. Already she was having trouble. She told herself to calm down. She just had to act like things were normal. She didn't know anything about her being an Uchiha. She could do that right?

"Hey." He said.

"Um. Hi, I take it you're feeling better."

"Yes. I'm going to get something to eat before meeting with Kakashi. Do you…want to come?" He asked.

She wanted to say no, really she did, but somehow she found herself at the Dango Shop with him. They found a table and ordered. They sat in silence for a moment with their hands cupped around their teas. Akari didn't know what to say! Well she did, but now wasn't the right time.

"Shouldn't you be training?" He spoke first.

"I was, but the sensei training me was called away." She answered

"Oh, why not find another until he returns."

"I have another. I just won't be meeting him till…tonight." She muttered. Please don't ask who.

"That's good. You need to be at your best if you plan to beat me in the final exam." He smirked at her.

"Don't worry. I won't disappoint." She smiled at him in relief.

Their food arrived and they ate. Again they were silent. When they finished she didn't know whether to stay or go. He spoke again though.

"I didn't see you much after you left our class. Only at a distance. I saw you as a friend and had hoped you would at least keep in touch." He said.

Akari stared at him surprised. He wanted her to say hi?

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you liked me all that much. Also, you knew where I lived. You could have come by. I um, well I almost went to visit you instead but, well stuff happened and I didn't want you to think I was only talking to you because I pitied you." She whispered.

"You mean when my family was killed. I guess you were right. I would have thought that and would've have probably snapped at you." He nodded.

"Yeah." She stared down at her tea.

"You cared for him too. My brother." He stated.

"Yeah." She didn't look up.

"Well, I plan to kill him. I won't rest until he's dead." He said harshly.

Akari looked up at him. He was serious. She bit her lip nervously. What if he found out she had seen Itachi? Or that he was to train her? Sasuke would think she betrayed him. He would hate her.

"What if you never see him again?" She asked.

"I'll travel the world to make sure that never happens. Wherever he's hiding, I'll find him."

"I take it you won't change your mind."

"Would you if he murdered your family?" He asked coldly.

"I see your point, but he's dangerous. He could hurt you. I wouldn't want that." She muttered.

"You don't want to see me hurt?" He stared at her.

"Duh! I see you as a friend too you know! I'd be very unhappy if you went and got yourself killed." She rolled her eyes.

"As a friend?" He still looked surprised.

"Would I be eating out with someone I didn't consider a friend? I like you Sasuke, so yes you're my friend and I don't like seeing my friends get hurt." She told him.

"You like me?" He blushed.

"What. Oh, I didn't…" She blushed as well.

"Akari? Sasuke?" A voice asked.

The two of them jumped and turned towards it. Sakura was standing at the entrance with Ino. She looked slightly upset. Ino just looked surprised.

"Oh! Hi. We were just…eating." Akari stuttered.

"Yes, but I need to get going. Kakashi is waiting." Sasuke muttered.

He paid for their food and left the shop. Akari stood and walked to the girls.

"How long have you been here?" Sakura asked.

Oh man. They were just beginning to be friends.

"Not long. I was just keeping him company till he began his training. It wasn't a date or anything." She answered.

"Oh. He paid for you." Sakura said.

"Um. Yeah, I didn't have any money on me." She said nervously.

"It's okay, Akari. I did get a bit jealous but I'm not mad." Sakura told her.

"You're not?" Akari and Ino said in unison.

"No, I'm not."

"Well, that's good. I um…need to get going, but we should do something sometime." Akari offered.

"Sure. Sounds good." The pink haired girl gave her a small smile.

Akari smiled back and said goodbye. Once outside she let out a huge breath. It was a relief to know Sakura wasn't angry. She was beginning to like the girl. She made her way home.

That night Akari left her house. Her family knew where she was going. Silently she walked out of the village. She made her way up the path to the Cliff. When she arrived, he was turned away from her gazing at the village.

"Okay. Let's get this started." She told him.

Itachi faced her. His eyes glowed red.