A.N. The only part of the storyline I'm divulging from is the ages. It was something I struggled with for a bit, but I really needed Itachi to be older so I could establish a good pre-massacre romance. So, he was 15 when he killed everyone, and Sasuke was 9. It's been three years since that time, and Sasuke is under Tsukiko's care.

Now, was can all agree that Naruto has...quite a few flashbacks, to put it mildly. In the spirit of that, I will have "THEN" sections intermingled with the "NOW" to incorporate the past.

Unfortunately, Itachi will only be showing up in flashbacks for quite a while. I want to focus on Tsukiko's dynamic with Sasuke first. I need their relationship to be believable. So, I'm going to feature the Chunin exams (not line for line, don't worry), Sasuke's curse mark, and the death of the Third Hokage all before Itachi reappears. This is a loooooong story.

Now, I use mostly the canonical anime episodes for the dialogue, and the Itachi books for the flashbacks, as I think they explain his story better than the anime.

I would think my inspiration for the Gensogan is blatantly obvious, but I urge you to keep reading, as there are several significant limitations placed on her power.

Thank you all, and please let me know what you think!

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THEN:

Tsukiko Amaya learned very early on what it was to experience pain, loss, and terror so strong that destroyed the fragile peace she took for granted.

She lived quietly with her parents in a small farming village on the outskirts of the Land of Fire. It was a quaint and beautiful place untouched by the Third Great Ninja War, a vicious conflict that seemed to affect everyone but her village, small and out of the way as it was. The only problems they had were the crops that hadn't done well this summer, leaving many to wonder how they would make it through winter. Supplies were hard to come by this far away from civilization, filling the town with a sense of approaching dread that even Tsukiko, despite only being four years of age, could feel.

Yet even with all that, she was content and happy with her parents.

Tensei Amaya and Hisano Amaya had come to the village four years ago, wanting to keep their newborn daughter away from the fighting and danger of the shinobi world. Tensei was a handsome man in his early thirties, with short brown hair and onyx eyes. His wife, Hisano, was in her late twenties and quite beautiful. Her long white hair was very distinct against the forest, and her brown eyes were full of kindness and strength. Though she was only an Amaya by marriage, the woman was privy to the clan's secrets and fighting techniques. It had been a necessity. Their arrival was met with a rather hostile greeting, where they were told in no uncertain terms that ninja were not welcome in the village, and that should they choose to live there, the Amaya family would live in the forest outside the town.

Desperate to keep the knowledge of his daughter's abilities secret, Tensei agreed, and the family lived hidden away for over three years.

But things were not meant to last. Tsukiko quickly developed an affinity for the elements, suggesting that she would indeed awaken her powers someday. Somehow, the village leaders found out that they were harboring a child with a rare kekkei genkai that would surely bring dangerous ninja into their quiet life, either to steal her powers or eliminate them.

But they faced a dilemma. Tensei Amaya, while not having the Gensogan, seemed to be able to grow plants faster and more bountiful than any they had ever seen. Their village had been relatively poor, and close to starving every winter, before him. If they banished his family, the whole village would suffer the loss. In the end, they decided to bite their tongues until the girl actually awoke her powers. Until then, they would wait for an opportunity to get rid of the family without too much detriment to the village.

Soon, the leaders saw exactly the opportunity they were looking for. The Village Hidden in the Mist was badly in need of new shinobi, and were offering large rewards for gifted children. With the money, they could easily shore up enough supplies to last the village through several poor winters. The Amaya clan was no longer necessary, especially the hated Tsukiko.

And there was no doubt that she was hated. Villagers met her family with violence the few times they wandered into town, and the other children bullied her mercilessly. As she grew, she could see the toll their isolation took on her parents, though they never wavered in their affection for her. They were a happy and loving family, a bubble of peace in a hostile environment.

That is, until the village betrayed them.

It was a hot sunny day near the end of summer, and Tsukiko was training with her father. She was very young, but her father already began to teach her the skills needed to be a successful shinobi. Her parents had decided that it was better for their daughter to learn to control her powers even before they had awoken, and were taking her through the forms to control the elements. It wasn't Taijutsu, exactly, but four different types of movement. Tsukiko wasn't a particularly aggressive child, and didn't want to hurt anyone, so her father called the movements "dancing."

From her mother, Tsukiko learned the dances for Wind and Water, while her father taught her Fire and Earth. And indeed, they truly were dances, expressions of the elements. Wind used sweeping, slicing motions, like spins or kicks, all accomplished while being on one's toes, lighter than a feather. Water was more graceful, using flowing, yoga-like moves that blended seamlessly with one another. Earth was the most difficult for her, being small. It's aggressive movements expressed weight, a sense that you were stronger than the ground. Fire, her favorite, was also aggressive, but more like water in that the disciplined movements flowed and flickered. It was a dance that made her feel strong without being overly hostile, and even her parents agreed it was her best form.

That day, she was working on Earth, trying to force her body to find the rhythm to the harsh movements and stomps. She was doing well, matching her father's movements carefully, hoping in the back of her mind that she'd be able to play soon.

And then, she heard her mother's agonized scream.
It was a sound that never left Tsukiko, a sound that would haunt her nightmares for years and remind her of what she learned that fateful day: there was great evil in the world.

Her father turned toward the house, a cry of pain leaving his lips at the sight before him.

Tsukiko spun around, trying to find her mother, and froze in terror.

There was a man standing there, a stranger to the village. His headband marked him as from Amegakure, the Village Hidden by Rain, though Tsukiko didn't know that yet. The man had long blond hair, and wore a gas mask of some kind, covering half of his face, but not enough to mask the greed in his eyes as he watched the father and child.
And in his arms, the man's scythe still stuck through her chest, was Tsukiko's mother.

"M-Mother?" The young girl whispered, shaking. Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she looked up at her father. "Father, what did that man do?! Will Mother be okay?"

Knocked out of his own anguish by his daughter's voice, Tensei Amaya moved quickly to block his daughter from view. "What do you want?" He called angrily, fury rushing through him at the sight of his wife's body.

The ninja chuckled. "So those Mist fools were right after all...For decades it was lost, and now the Gensogan returns to us? Did you think we wouldn't come for the child? How naive." His voice had a strange, gravelled quality to it, probably from his mask. "With her abilities, perhaps we can turn the tide of this hateful war."

Tensei growled low in his throat, and turned his head, keeping one eye on the ninja. "Tsukiko, I need you to do something for me. Can you do it?"

Something in her father's voice made Tsukiko nod her head wordlessly. She knew that the man holding her mother was incredibly dangerous, and she had been trained well for such a small child.

"Run."

That word, spoken just above a whisper, freed Tsukiko from her remaining paralysis. Adrenaline filled her body, and despite the tears blocking her vision, her legs propelled her into the nearby forest, heading toward the village.

Please be okay, Father.

The run to the village was short, but seemed to take centuries. Bushes snagged in her clothes and tried to pull her back, but fear of something chasing her made sure the girl never wavered.

Finally, Tsukiko saw the shapes of the houses that dotted the village, and a sob of relief escaped her. Surely someone there could help her mother?

"Please! Somebody!" She called, racing to the first wooden house and banging on the door. "Help us!" She pulled on the locked door desperately, trying to get someone's attention.

No one answered, and Tsukiko turned desperately to the next house, getting the same response. Slowly, she began to realize how quiet it was, how she could hear her own heartbeat. There was no movement in the village, nothing alive but herself. The villagers had all vanished.

Fear again struck her, at the thought that the scary ninja had hurt everyone she knew. She fell to her knees, sobbing quietly. In the back of her mind knew she needed to hide, but the thought that she was all alone was too much for her to take.

Her tears watered the hard ground for several minutes before she forced herself to move. As she rose to her feet, she looked around for a suitable hiding spot. Now looking closely, she could see something odd. There were footprints leading out of the village, dozens of them leading from every house and down the streets.

Tsukiko followed the prints curiously, stopping once she reached the edge of the forest. Glancing back at the empty village, the little girl made up her mind and raced ahead. She was relieved that the people were alright, but confused as to why they'd all left. Did they see the scary man and run?

Instinct triggered in her body as she felt rather than saw the projectile aimed at her right leg. She threw herself to the left, rolling and landing in a crouch among the dead fall leaves.

"Not bad, child," a gravelly voice complimented.

Tsukiko looked up and saw the scary man watching her from a tree branch. His shirt was completely soaked in blood, but his scythe was clean, it's gleaming point thirsty for more. He was holding two shuriken in his hand, the source of the projectile.

"Where's Father?" She heard herself ask, still crouched defensively.

"Dead," the man said casually, as if the taking of a human life meant little. "And you'll be dead as well if you don't come with me right now. Alive would be preferable, but I can just bring your eyes back with me."

Shock froze her veins, and Tsukiko stared disbelievingly, her brain trapped by that one word, so callously spoken. Anger and desperation crashed through her system, and her small body shook as her fists clenched.

'Father, dead? Dead. Deaddeaddeaddead-'

A warmth flowed to her eyes, a wave of power that wiggled and spun her retinas. Her breathing became ragged, and she curled up even tighter, that awful word pounding in her brain even as her eyes swirled. There were different powers, different feelings, and Tsukiko felt her heart thunder in her chest as she made her choice.

"Stop that weakness," the ninja commanded. He saw the child's body tense, and when she looked up to glare at him, he saw that her onyx eyes had turned red.

"Stay away from me," Tsukiko hissed, her emotions running wild. She leapt to her feet and thrust her hand towards the man, rewarded with a stream of fire that shot towards him.

The fire seemed to emanate from her palm, it's bright orange color setting nearby trees ablaze as she tried to follow the man's movements.

The ninja dodged easily, his hands moving rapidly. A moment later, water enveloped her fire, extinguishing the bright orange with blue.

Tsukiko fell to her knees, the power gone. She gasped for breath, trying to find enough strength to do that again, whatever it was. She felt as if she had run several miles, and was completely exhausted. The smell of burnt wood and wet leaves filled her nose, and consciousness seemed to fade in and out.

She heard another noise, the gravelly voice of the man. He was laughing and saying something, but she couldn't hear it. A buzzing filled her ears, and she felt rough arms pick her up. Struggling against the blackness behind her eyes and the painful grip of the man, Tsukiko did the only thing she could.

Her teeth sunk into the arm holding her, as she desperately bit down.

With a cry of rage and pain, the man dropped her, grasping at his wounded arm.

The little girl hit the ground hard, the taste of blood in her mouth. It was salty and made her throat tingle unpleasantly, distracting from the pain of her fall. She hadn't broken anything, but it hurt nonetheless. Bile rose up in her throat, and she felt her body reject the liquid in her mouth. She turned and threw up, gagging as the coppery taste left her. Her body felt worse than before, weak and like she was choking on air.

A movement above her was all it took to remind Tsukiko that she wasn't out of danger. Gasping, she raised her head to look at the man, and found herself staring into the yellow eyes of an enormous purple snake.

It was a massive creature, its head twice the size of her body and its scaly torso longer than her house. Powerful coils splayed behind it, the purple scales rippling with strength that ended with a deadly tail moving like a whip.

A whimper left her throat as its tongue flicked out, licking her cheek. It opened its mouth, finding the taste of her agreeable enough, and showed her foot-long fangs, dripping with venom.

Certain that she was about to die, Tsukiko tried to move, but found herself transfixed by the snake's eyes as it suddenly reared its head back. A scream left her throat as it struck.

The ninja behind her roared in pain as the snake's lethal fangs easily pierced his shoulder. He staggered, dropping the scythe he'd been about to plunge into Tsukiko's unprotected back.

The serpent pulled back as if to strike again, but instead wrapped its body twice around Tsukiko before she could blink. Struck dumb with terror, she felt its coils tighten painfully around her body as it launched itself backwards and into the air. The little girl closed her eyes as the snake squeezed the breath out of her. It pulled her up into a tree and released her just as suddenly, depositing her onto something soft.

"Well now. You're an interesting one, aren't you?"

The voice was soft and hissing, sending shivers of fear down Tsukiko's spine.

Her eyes snapped open as she realized she was being held by someone. Her frightened gaze met the golden gaze of yet another snake.

No. Not a snake. A...person?

The man certainly looked like a serpent, with extremely pale skin and slanted yellow eyes. He had long black hair and a headband identifying him as yet another ninja.
Overwhelmed by scary men, all Tsukiko could do was stare as the ninja chuckled.

"Jiraiya," he called behind him. "I have the girl. She'll need an antidote though. The silly child bit Hanzo."

Indignation at being called silly swept away some of Tsukiko's fatigue, and her onyx orbs narrowed in a glare.

Before she could say anything, the man leapt to the side and she was forced to hang onto him tightly. Kunai knives embedded themselves into the wood of the tree, exactly where they had just been.

"Leaf ninja," growled the masked man. "Why are you here?"

"We could say the same to you, Hanzo," another voice responded cockily. "You're a long way from the Land of Rain." The voice belonged to a white-haired ninja with a confident grin. He had odd lines trailing from his eyes, and a mole on his nose.

"Jiraiya," the man holding Tsukiko hissed. "Take the girl to Tsunade and run. I'll hold off Hanzo."

Jiraiya sighed. "I suppose this isn't the time for an all-out fight. Fine, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru set Tsukiko down without a backward glance, easily breaking her death grip, and leapt at Hanzo.

Immediately, she scooted away from Jiraiya's kind face. She was still feeling dizzy, and her stomach hurt, making her want to throw up again.

'Another enemy.'

Jiraiya stopped at the sight of Tsukiko's tearstained face and noticed her shaking form and wide, frightened eyes.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," he said, holding up his hands in surrender.

Dizzy, all Tsukiko could think to whisper was, "No more snakes."

The white-haired man sighed angrily and looked over his shoulder. "Great job, Orochimaru! You traumatized the poor girl!" He shook his head, and tried again, smiling warmly. "I'm sorry. Orochimaru is just a big meanie. I, on the other hand, and the legendary Jiraiya!" He struck a pose. "You're safe with me! I promise, no more snakes!"

Tsukiko might've found the strange man funny, if it weren't for the dizziness rising in her head. "I don't feel good," she said simply.

Jiraiya immediately dropped all humor and knelt beside her. "Look, kid. I need you to trust me. You're sick, and I can take you to someone with medicine."

"Ok," She said, allowing the man to pick her up. Dimly, she thought that the person with medicine might be able to help her parents. She closed her eyes as they moved quickly through the trees, the man holding her head to protect her from whipping branches. How far they traveled, or how long, Tsukiko had no idea. It could have been a few seconds or a few hours.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted, landing lightly. "She's been poisoned!"

Tsukiko opened her eyes tiredly to see a very pretty woman with long blond hair and brown eyes leaning over her. They were back in the empty village, the houses staring at her disapprovingly.

"How did this happen?!" She said angrily, pushing Jiraiya out of the way.

"Well, Hanzo had her, and she sort of...bit him," Jiraiya explained, laughing as he rubbed his head.

"She bit him?!" Tsunade cried in outrage, lunging for her medical bag. "I only hope I still-yes!" She held up a container holding a needle. "This is the last antidote for Hanzo's venom I have with me. I didn't expect to run into him here of all places!" Without preamble, she uncapped the needle and stabbed it into Tsukiko's arm.

The little girl screamed, thrashing at the stinging sensation. The antidote quickly flowed into her bloodstream, and she felt the dizziness start to fade as her head cleared. She glared at Jiraiya. "You promised no more snakes!"

Jiraiya threw his head back and laughed. "So I did. But that wasn't a snake, it was a shot. It made you feel better, right?"

Tsukiko thought about it. "Yes, it did," She allowed grudgingly.

Tsunade sighed. "Let's hope Orochimaru has the sense to end the battle quickly and withdraw before he's poisoned as well. We need to get back to the Leaf Village."

The white-haired girl slowly stood, looking around. They were in the middle of the village center, amongst empty buildings and abandoned possessions. But none of that mattered to her. She needed to get home.

Unsteadily, she began to walk down the path to her house. She had only taken a few steps, however, when Jiraiya's voice stopped her.

"And where do you think you're going?"

'That's right. I forgot my manners.'

Clumsily, Tsukiko turned and bowed. "Thank you for your help," She said, remembering what her parents taught her to do. "I need to get home to my mother and father. Mother was hurt, and she needs my help." She lit up briefly as she looked at Tsunade. "You have medicine. You can come help too!"

Pain flashed briefly on the faces of the two older ninja.

"Kid, I'm sorry," Jiraiya said, even as the older female glared at the ground. "But your parents are...well, they're gone."

Tsukiko shook her head firmly. "That was a lie the bad man told," she explained patiently. Her mother and father were fine, and she would go back home and take a nap curled up with her mother. It had been an exhausting day.

"I'm sorry," the woman said gently. "But we were too late to save them. They truly are gone."

A fierce anger suddenly surged through the girl, and she felt the warmth behind her eyes again. She welcomed the feeling of strength it gave her, and she glared harshly at the blond woman. "No. They're. NOT!" She shouted, stomping her foot.

The rock split, and a crack as long as Tsukiko appeared in the earth, making the two shinobi step back in alarm.

"She's already activated the Gensogan?!" Tsunade exclaimed, startled. "Why wasn't the Leaf Village notified?!"

"It must've been because of Hanzo," Jiraiya said sadly. He knelt in front of the furious child, her eyes switching color rapidly. First green, then red, then yellow, and finally blue before the pattern repeated. It was quite terrifying to see, especially on one so young.

"What's your name?" He asked gently.

"Tsukiko," she answered, her voice exhausted. "And Mother and Father are okay, right?"

Jiraiya's voice was gentle and consoling. "I'm so sorry Tsukiko, but the bad man took them away, and they can't come back."

The truth in his eyes shattered something inside Tsukiko, something irreparable. Her eyes flashed red, and she threw her head back with a scream. "NO!"

Fire burst from her mouth and shot up into the sky, making Jiraiya leap back to avoid the flames.

It was strange, the feeling of fire leaving her mouth. It didn't burn, or even feel like something was in her mouth. Rather, it was more likely that the air of her scream became fire as soon as it passed her lips.

Once she was out of air, the fire went out, and she sank to her knees, exhausted and angry. Tears left her eyes as she tried to come to terms with the fact that, at the age of four, she was now an orphan.

"She's used too much chakra," Tsunade warned as Jiraiya gently picked her up.

"Tsukiko," He began, holding her close. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, but you need to be strong for your mom and dad. They used to live in the Leaf Village, where we're going to take you. There you can learn to fight, learn to be strong enough to protect the ones you love, so they never have to leave like your parents did."

Tsukiko listened to his words mutely, her face blank. Her parents were gone, because someone bad had hurt them. Where there more bad people in the world, hurting others and destroying families?

On that day, Tsukiko made a vow to herself. She would become stronger than anyone else, become someone who protects.

A.N. And there we go! Please review!