A.N. Whoo! Happy Late Mother's Day! I actually got a chance to sit and write for a couple of hours, and made a ton of progress! I think I'll be able to go back to weekly updates, now that I'm a couple chapters ahead. And, as a special thank you for all the reviews I got, there will actually be two chapters this week, the second being on Friday. After that, updates will be on Fridays from that point on.

Thank you and please review!

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Naruto series, and give all praise to Kishimoto for his creation.

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NOW:

The Chunin Exams had finally arrived, and the entry room was filled with tense energy and scattered conversation quickly squashed under the weight of suspense. Well over a hundred candidates from allied villages from all over the Five Lands were present, including the rookie Leaf genin, who had all passed their preliminary test with flying colors.

Tsukiko waited patiently by the door, listening to the muffled chatter of the young ninja. Ibiki intended to make a dramatic entrance of sorts, something to start the psychological assault.

'Poor kids,' she thought with a smile. 'They have no idea what they're getting into.' Ibiki was a master of psychological torture, as they would soon see. And after that...Anko.

She gave a quiet shudder. Anko was a little bloodthirsty for Tsukiko's tastes, but she was nice enough. And strong too. And merciless. She had quite cheerfully told Tsukiko that even with her watchful eye around, there would likely be several deaths once the Forest exam began.

'Of course, anyone trained by that guy is sure to be terrifying…' Her hand twitched at her side, an old instinct briefly resurfacing.

"Ready?" A gruff voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Ibiki Morino towered over her, his scarred face unsmiling. He wore a dark blue bandana with his forehead protector attached, and a grey button-up shirt under a long black coat. Dark blue gloves with knuckle protectors hid his hands from view, the metal flashing dangerously. All interrogators dressed in this way, but there was no question Ibiki was the best. Two long scars marred his face, which, added to his height, made him a terrifying person to find glaring at you. The effect was dulled slightly, however, by his eagerness to begin. It was the first time he had been put in charge of this exam.

Tsukiko smiled knowingly. "Yes sir!"

Behind her, she heard shouts and exclamations of surprise. Fighting.

Ibiki's gaze hardened. "Someone's eager." Looking over his shoulder, he shouted. "We move, NOW!" Pulling a few smoke bombs out of his pocket, he threw them out the door.

Tsukiko found herself surrounded by other ninja, most of them from Ibiki's interrogation squad, and they all entered the waiting room swiftly, Ibiki's voice instantly quieting the rowdy genin.

"All right you baby-faced degenerates, pipe down and listen up!"

The smoke cleared, revealing the absurd amount of faces in the room. 'We'll have to weed quite a few out,' Tsukiko thought idly. She glanced over and saw her team, standing in a group with the other rookie Leaf genin.

Ibiki smiled chillingly. "It's time to begin. I am Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And from this moment, your worst enemy."

Stunned silence met his words, most of the genin speechless.

The interrogator pointed out into the crowd, easily picking out the ninja who had been fighting. They were all loosely in a circle, a group of Sound genin standing over an older Leaf genin. Tsukiko was mildly surprised to see he was about her age, clicking her tongue in astonishment that someone that old hadn't yet passed. He had grey hair pulled back into a ponytail, a kind face, and glasses. Kakashi's squad, including Sasuke, was standing near him protectively.

"First off," Ibiki boomed. "You candidates from the Village Hidden in the Sound...knock it off! Who told you you could fight?! You want to be failed before we've even begun?!"

One of the genin, a boy seemingly completely wrapped in bandages except for his leg eye, turned. He was hunched over, a large furry thing on his back. "Sorry," he said insincerely, his voice rasping slightly. "It's our first time. Guess we're a little jumpy...sir."

Tsukiko raised an eyebrow. The Sound Village was relatively new, and there wasn't a lot known about their abilities. Still, she had expected them to sound a little more...musical?

Ibiki smirked at the boy's insolence, nodding his head in acknowledgment. "I'll say this once, so listen up!" He said sharply, his eyes fixing them with a piercing glare. "There will be no combat between candidates, no attacking each other without the permission of your proctor! And even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited." He glared at the Sound, his voice deepening. "Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?"

Another Sound genin, a boy with spiky black hair, additional face protection, and a camo scarf, scoffed loudly. "No fatal force? That's no fun."

The ninja, mostly chunin, around Tsukiko chuckled, and she found herself smiling slightly. The kid had guts, that's for sure. Hopefully she wouldn't be seeing them anytime soon.

"Now, If we're ready," Ibiki continued. "We will proceed to the first stage of the Chunin Exams. Hand over your paperwork. In return, you'll each be given a number." He held up a small, white wooden square with the number "1" painted on it. "This number determines where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you are all seated."

Apparently, there were a few who weren't aware of the written test. Naruto looked like he'd been told he could never eat ramen again. Still, there were no problems with the paperwork Tsukiko collected, one of the jobs she could do. When Midori and Chiyo passed, she gave them a sly wink. The written test should be easy enough for them, and if not, well...that was the point.

Once inside, Tsukiko took her seat, near the front of the room, holding a clipboard. She wasn't actually grading, but she wanted to give the appearance of it all the same. While Ibiki explained the rules, heavily implying that they were expected to cheat without getting caught, Tsukiko sized up the genin.

Sasuke appeared confident, as did Midori, who was sitting next to him. Midori was clever enough to work out at least a few of the questions on her own, and Sasuke was probably in the same boat.

Chiyo looked a little nervous, but also incredibly excited. She kept looking around with wide eyes, a contrast to the silent character next to her.

'A Sand genin…' Tsukiko studied him closely. He had a shock of red hair, and an angry face. There were large black circles under his turquoise eyes, making her wonder if the poor kid ever slept, and he carried a large gourd on his back. His aura was deadly, hinting at an impressive chakra.

Chiyo, sweetheart that she was, turned and spoke to him, smiling in a friendly way.

The boy said nothing, listening intently to Ibiki's instructions.

The dark-haired girl shrugged amiably, and returned her eyes to the front, bouncing slightly in her chair.

Tsukiko bit back a smile, turning her attention to the other genin. Several Leaf, a handful from other nations, one team from Sound, a few teams from the Sand, and a mix of other allied villages. Nothing overly worrying on the surface, but still, caution was never amiss. And there were several...odd-looking genin as well. A boy from the Sand with purple lines on his face, a Leaf rookie with a dog on his head ('He must be from the Inuzuka Clan'), and amusingly enough, a young man who looked nearly identical to Guy.

'That must be Lee,' she thought, biting back a smile. 'I heard he even sounds just like Guy, yelling about youth all the time.' Her sharp gaze also picked out the flat lilac eyes of the Hyuga Clan. Two sets. One young man with long black hair, and the other a timid-looking girl with short hair sitting next to Naruto.

'Is that Hinata Hyuga?' She wondered. Hinata was the heir to the Hyuga Clan. Tsukiko remembered her clearly, as her first major mission had come about while the Anbu were busy rescuing her as a small child. 'I wonder how strong she is…' It would be interesting to have two users of the Byakugan, the kekkei genkai of the Hyuga, during this exam. Among other things, it allowed the users to see incredibly far away, and to also see and block the chakra system.

"One more thing," Ibiki announced. "If any candidate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails."

'Ouch!' Tsukiko winced at the harsh rule. Ibiki was certainly doing things differently than when she took the test, that was for sure. And judging by the glares Sasuke and Sakura were sending Naruto, their team was in big trouble.

As Ibiki wrapped up the rules, explaining that there would be a final tenth question given fifteen minutes before time was up, Tsukiko casually picked up one of the spare tests.

Humming softly to herself, she glanced through the questions. The test was no more difficult than what she remembered, but it was certainly challenging. Still, she herself hadn't needed to cheat, and had finished it fairly quickly. To be fair though, Ibiki wasn't her proctor, and there hadn't been all of these extra rules in place. It had been just a test with an information-gathering twist.

"Begin!"

The sound of papers filled the air momentarily, and then it was quiet.

Tsukiko glanced up from her copy of the test, having completed the easy code-breaking section for fun. If she couldn't grade the genin officially, she could at least watch and see who she could catch cheating. For her own entertainment, she forbid herself from using her Gensogan. If she used Wind, she could read the air patterns in the room, which would likely give away most of them.

It was pretty funny, seeing the faces go from surprise, to confusion, to panic. Chiyo's eyes were popping out of her skull, and Midori was tapping her pencil against the desk, her brow furrowed as she concentrated.

'Come on girls!' Tsukiko encouraged silently. 'Cheat like you mean it.'

Beside Midori, Sasuke put his test down, smiling ruefully. He clearly had no idea what any of it meant. And in front of him, Naruto was holding his head, shaking. Sakura was already filling out her form, obviously the brains of the operation.

Beside her, one of the sentinels marked down a cheater, deducting two of their ten points. Five tries, that's all they had. There was no way for most of them to answer these questions correctly, so they had no choice but to try and cheat without getting caught.

Some of them were quite good. Tsukiko could guess how a few of the Leaf genin were cheating, knowing their family skills, but she hadn't actually caught them yet. The Inuzuka boy was certainly getting answers from his dog, but she couldn't prove it. The Hyuga boy's Byakugan was activated, no doubt looking at someone's paper, but there was no sign of that other than his eyes being activated, which in and of itself, wasn't proof.

Sasuke must've caught on, because his eyes were red with his Sharingan, copying someone.

There were several chunin with answers in the room, and they were easy to spot. They were the ones who were writing slowly and steadily, not hurried or panicked. They wanted the kids to copy them, so they were going out of their way to be slow and confident.

Midori's left hand moved, tapping nonchalantly against the table. Tsukiko grinned, her cheek resting against her fist. It was a code they had developed together as a team, one of their first exercises. While it was good to know the normal nonverbal commands, it was better to have a subtle silent language, perfect for times like this.

Two rows behind her, Chiyo as writing quickly, her eyes flickering between Midori's hands and the paper rapidly. Her head never moved though, so she drew no attention to herself.

As to how Midori had gotten the answers, Tsukiko wasn't sure. Maybe she was smart enough to get them on her own. Her intelligence was quite high, but more strategic than booksmart. Or, so she thought.

'These kids surprise me everyday,' she thought, proud to be their sensei.

A sudden flash of light startled her, and she looked over to see that one of her fellow sentinels had thrown a kunai knife at the rest of a candidate sitting one row behind Naruto.

"Aaaaah!" He screamed, his chair screeching as he pushed himself back. The genin stared at the kunai for a moment, then glared indignantly at the sentinel, standing up. "What the—What was that all about?!"

"Five strikes and you're out," the chunin said smugly. "You just failed the test."

The genin's mouth dropped open. "What? It can't be!"

The sentinel pointed to the poor boy. "You and your teammates will leave the room immediately."

Two other ninja rose silently, disappointment and anger on their faces. All three left the room, the first genin still shaking.
After that, it was like the floodgates had opened. There must've been some time limit in place for the sentinels, where they couldn't dismiss genin, because suddenly, several people had failed. To think that they all got their fifth strike so close to each other was ludicrous.

"Candidate number twenty-three, fail."

"Number twenty-seven and forty-three, fail."

"No! It's not fair!" One boy cried, being forcefully removed from the exam room.

"No! No way!" An older Sand genin shouted, slamming his hand down on the table. "Who says I cheated five times?! Where's your proof?!"

Tsukiko watched him expressionlessly. He didn't make it because he wasn't good enough. That was the truth. He should accept that and use the time he had to train until he was good enough. Arguing was meaningless.

One of the sentinels stood up as the boy continued to shout.

"How can you keep track of all of us?! You've got the wrong guy. How do you know I wasn't just—uurgh!" The boy was slammed into the back wall and held in place by the sentinel's arm.

"Sorry pal," the chunin explained warningly. "We were chosen for this because we don't make mistakes like that. You can't even blink without us seeing it. We're the best of the best, and you my friend, are history." He released him. "Now get out, and take your teammates with you."

The boy slumped to the ground, defeated.

Testing resumed, all of the candidates more frantic and paranoid. Occasionally, a few numbers would be called out, and those teams would leave. So far, Tsukiko counted fifteen teams taken out.

Scanning the room again, she saw Sasuke writing away, a faint smile on his face. Midori had her test flipped over, completed. Not being able to look over her shoulder and see Chiyo, she continued the movement of her fingers, slowly repeating the answers over and over.

As for Chiyo, her pen had stopped writing, and she was glancing curiously over at the red-headed ninja to her right. He was completely calm, unfazed by anything going on. His attention was focused on his hand, two fingers in front of his face. Chiyo's eyes widened slightly as the boy made a fist, then returned his attention to his test, his fingers still over his eye.

'What did he do?' Tsukiko could see no outward sign that anything had happened, but a few seconds later, he began writing away, having discovered the answers somehow.

Impressive. She had no idea how he'd done that. 'That one's crafty,' she thought, tilting her head contemplatively. 'I'll have to keep an eye on him.'

With twenty minutes left, the Sand kid with the face paint went to the bathroom, and most people began to slow their writing. She imagined that more than a few were waiting for that magical tenth question, hoping it would bail them out.

'Half an hour,' she mused, watching Midori. 'I wonder if she cheated or not.' Either way, it was quite an accomplishment. And, if she did it on her own, she might be rewarded bonus points for correct answers that were obviously her own work. The chunin plants had the answers, but showed none of their work. A genin who did would be rewarded for it, just as she had been.

Tsukiko smiled to herself.

**********
THEN:

It soon became very apparent that Itachi and Tsukiko would not be making friends with their classmates, much to the younger girl's displeasure. She had been prepared to be friendly to everyone, but fate had other plans. The entire class was divided into two groups, those who were jealous of them, and those who were so in awe that they couldn't string two words together. This group made up the majority of the class, and they avoided the two talented children like the plague. And when someone did manage to speak to either of them, both Tsukiko's and Itachi's answers were so precise and grown-up sounding that the person became too intimidated to ever talk to them again.

As for the jealous ones, they made the mistake of thinking Tsukiko or Itachi actually cared what they thought. These classmates were especially annoying, because they seemed determined to try and make one of them mess up. Rude notes, whispered remarks, even small pranks, they all seemed to bounce off the two. Tsukiko was sometimes bothered that the people she'd wanted to befriend were so petty, but she was used to it. The kids in her old village would actually physically hurt her, small as she was back then. Compared to them, the antics of her classmates were about as harmful as a pebble was to a mountain. Of course, it was nice to know that, due to their jealousy, they were training harder. At least her presence was helpful in that regard.

"Itachi and Tsukiko," their teacher called out. "Could you come to the front?"

Obligingly, they both stood and proceeded to the front of the classroom.

"Here you are. You both did very well." He handed them the results of their last exam. On both papers, there was a large circle drawn around the score "100." "You two are the only ones to get perfect scores on the test."

Amidst gasps from the class, one voice stood out. "I'll bet she cheated off of Itachi."

'Kikyo, again?' Tsukiko thought crossly.

Kikyo Aihara, a pretty girl with long brown hair and green eyes, had taken quite a liking to Itachi, and a dislike to Tsukiko. She was the leader (if you could call her that) of the jealous group of girls, and was particularly annoying to Tsukiko, listening her brag about the one time Itachi had handed her a fallen kunai.

"No, Itachi cheated off of Tsukiko!"

'And there's Toma.'

Toma Fujishiro was Kikyo's opposite, and led the boys against Itachi. A handsome boy with brown hair and dark eyes, he was a bit of a loudmouth, and seemed to somehow be popular with boys his age. He had at least tried to befriend Tsukiko, but was so obviously jealous of Itachi that she couldn't really stand to be around him. Plus, Itachi always got grumpy when she talked to him.

Itachi scowled slightly, bowing his head to the teacher. "Annoying," he muttered out of the corner of his mouth, glaring at Toma.

"Thank you, sensei," Tsukiko said politely, also bowing her head. As she turned to walk back to her seat, she whispered conspiratorially to the older boy beside her. "Right? As if I'd cheat off you."

She giggled as his scowl deepened, and he walked quickly to his seat, ignoring her laughter.

Itachi and Tsukiko were a near perfect team, but that was partly due to their weaknesses. When it came to the academic part of training, Tsukiko had a slight edge. Sure, they'd both gotten perfect scores, but Tsukiko did it faster. To Itachi, the time it took to do something was almost more important than the score itself, and he became quite irritable whenever Tsukiko beat him in an assignment, which was nearly always.

But, he had an edge on her. Physically, he was more advanced. Again, though the two never missed any of the easy targets set up by the teacher, he was faster than her. Even if she used the Gensogan, (which she used only during their private training) he could still beat her most of the time. In that sense, they balanced out, and made the other work harder. This was a relief to Tsukiko, for it was a hidden fear of hers that Itachi would become so strong, he would begin to treat her like he did their classmates, as if she were a bother.

She couldn't exactly pinpoint when it was precisely that the thought occurred to her that Itachi might outgrow her. Perhaps Kikyo's harsh words had reached her subconscious, creating the fear that her best friend would look at her with the same uncaring eyes he directed to his peers. The thought was paralyzing to the young girl.

Unknowingly, Itachi had become the most important person in her life. He was her friend, her brother, her trainer, her partner, her reason for existing. In truth, if he hadn't been so kind to her when she'd first arrived at his home, hadn't invited her to train, she might've given up on life altogether. In the end, it was he who had saved her, and she couldn't lose him. So, she forced herself to train harder, to keep up with Itachi Uchiha and be worthy of being his sister. But there was a problem.

Three months had passed quickly, and the two ninjas-in-training had received outstanding scores in each and every class thrown at them.

But it was too easy, and both children were worried that they weren't improving. After all, 100 was the top score, and they couldn't ever get higher than that. This meant that there was nothing left for them to learn, and they were essentially wasting their time. School grades and actual ability were not the same thing. As Itachi had pointed out on their first day, it was one thing to plan something out, and a completely different thing to put the plan into practice. That is what school felt like, compared to their own intense training.

"Um," a sweet, hesitant voice said suddenly, gaining Itachi's attention. He turned around slowly, almost unwillingly breaking the staring contest he'd been having with the library doors. Tsukiko had insisted on visiting the library to get a book on advanced kunai and shuriken moves, so he was stuck waiting for her.

In the hallway after school, most of the boys were waiting for friends to go play with and girls were chatting and squealing with laughter. Filled with a sense of liberation from the formalities of lessons, they were excessively energetic.

"You're Itachi Uchiha, right?" The girl asked, looking at him with upturned eyes. Her brown hair reached down to her shoulders, and she had both arms crossed in front of her chest. The eyes looking at him from under thin brows had the same flat onyx color as he did, marking her as an Uchiha.

He would never understand how it was that the color black could look so different. Tsukiko's eyes were just as dark as his, yet hers seemed to shine with a certain charm that made him feel bittersweet somehow. She had seen horrendous things, seen her mother's dead body, yet somehow managed to remain cheerful. Her eyes told her story, shining with unshed tears and a hope that she could protect others. This girl in front of him had flat black eyes, still innocent of the world's horrors. He was immediately on-guard, wary that she would be like Kikyo, a loud fangirl intent on wasting his time.

"I am," he answered, impatient.

"I-I'm also a member of the Uchiha clan."

"You are?" He returned curtly.

It wasn't just with this girl. Itachi always had this attitude at school. Most people would crumble at this point in the conversation. And then they would never try to step into his space again.

"My name's Uchiha Izumi. I'm in the class next door."

"So?" It wasn't that he was trying to be unfriendly. On the contrary, he had nothing against any of his classmates (save perhaps Toma), and would quite like to have a good relationship with them. But he was a naturally impatient person, and liked people to get to the point. He wasn't going to change just because he rubbed someone the wrong way. If they didn't like it, then they could go stutter around someone else.

'Where is Tsukiko?'

Shisui had the day off today for the first time in a while, so once school was over, they were supposed to train together. He didn't have time to dawdle, making small talk.

"We take the same way home, huh?"

"There's only one Uchiha compound. Of course we take the same way."

"Itachi! Be nice!"

Tsukiko's bossy voice echoed down the hall, making him wince slightly as several heads turned in his direction.

"You're loud, Tsukiko," he responded, turning his own head to look at her.

She made quite the picture, holding three enormous books easily in one hand, a faint line of chakra indicating that the books had been heavy enough to warrant a little boost in strength. At his reprimand, she stuck her tongue out at him, and he felt a spark of amusement.

"I wouldn't be if you weren't so mean all the time!" Tsukiko glared a moment longer to make her point, then directed a softened expression to Izumi, bowing her head. "Hi, I'm Tsukiko. Nice to meet you."

Despite his impatience, Itachi couldn't help but feel affection for Tsukiko. She was gentle and kind, always willing to help anyone. She made him more relaxed and open around others, because as long as she was happy, he was content to waste time talking.

Izumi returned the bow, her smile seemingly a little awkward. "Izumi Uchiha."

"How can we help you, Izumi?" Tsukiko asked cheerfully, not at all put off by the girl's sudden change in attitude.

The brunette girl lowered her eyes shyly, looking back at Itachi. "I was wondering if maybe we could walk home together, since we're both going to the Uchiha compound?"

While not trying to be rude, it was clear that she wasn't certain what to think of of the white-haired girl, her target obviously having been Itachi alone.

Tsukiko paused, her face tightening before she smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but Itachi and I aren't going home yet."

Izumi looked confused. "Why would you walk home with Itachi? Is your house on the way?" She seemed to be under the assumption that Tsukiko was some nobody bothering the Uchiha boy. Not an impossibility, considering how talked about he was.

Still, he was surprised at the burst of irritation he felt at the girl. It had only been there a moment, but hurt had flashed across Tsukiko's face, swallowed by her bittersweet eyes. His jaw clenched with tension. He was a very gentle person at heart, and absolutely hated fighting of any sort, but he couldn't help the swirl of anger and protectiveness that rose when someone hurt Tsukiko.

"I live with Itachi," she said quietly.

"Oh!" Izumi nodded in sudden understanding. "You're the orphan Lord Fugaku took in! My mother told me about you." She seemed to deflate slightly, frowning in sympathy. Like she understood what Tsukiko had gone through. "I'm sorry about your par—"

"We're leaving, Tsukiko." Itachi's curt command cut through the mounting atmosphere.

"Sure!" Tsukiko chirped, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Have a nice day, Izumi."

"B-But—"

"Sorry, we're in a hurry." Itachi turned his back to her, and grabbed Tsukiko's free arm. He dragged her down the hallway, ignoring her spluttered protests.

Izumi sighed, casting a forlorn look their way as her shoulders slumped. "Well, that was stupid of me..."

"Itachi! What's the matter with you?!" Tsukiko yelled, trying to pull her wrist free. Itachi had dragged her all the way to their training site, never once saying a word, his body tight with anger.

Very few people would be able to tell, since his face betrayed nothing. But Tsukiko had been around him long enough to tell that the boy was furious. It unnerved her, knowing something had gotten past his usual calm and gentle disposition.

"It's nothing," he finally answered, releasing her. "That girl was annoying me." He turned to look at her, calmer now that they were back on schedule.

Tsukiko blinked. 'That's it? Seriously?'

"Itachi, you really should try to be more patient," she huffed, crossing her arms, ignoring the happiness that stemmed from knowing Itachi had been irritated by the pretty Uchiha girl. "You won't be able to stop anyone from fighting if no one likes you."

He cocked his head. "Why does that matter? If I'm the strongest, then they'll have to listen." He said it with genuine curiosity, as if he didn't understand his egotistical words. And she understood, to a point. Itachi had known the horrors of war, which had both taught him that strength wins, and stunted him emotionally. He felt impassive towards most people, not wanting to cause harm to anyone, but not especially caring about them either.

"No," Tsukiko shook her head, her white hair whipping around. "If they don't like you, then you're just a bully. If they like you, then they'll listen."

"Hmph," Itachi said, unconvinced. "I am nice."

"Yeah, but no one at school can tell, because you don't smile."

"Nothing they do makes me want to smile."

Tsukiko laughed. "Itachi, you're such a downer!" She shook her head and began doing warm ups, happy that she at least, could make him smile.

In truth, she was glad he was rude to Izumi, and glad that she was the only one who got to see his cold eyes warm with affection or laughter. She knew she shouldn't feel insignificant around him, shouldn't let herself be hurt by someone else's words, but still…

Why hadn't she been formally named an Uchiha? Was she not good enough? That thought haunted her, made her feel timid around other members of the clan. The adults didn't like her very much, but she wasn't sure why. Sure, she didn't look much like an Uchiha, with her unusual white hair and Gensogan, but she was one of the top students in her class. Wasn't that enough?

Perhaps sensing her quiet misery, Itachi said nothing, silently warming up beside her in their training grove.

A few minutes later, she was distracted from her musings by Shisui's arrival. He immediately put her at ease, his teasing and bossy behavior driving the depressing thoughts from her mind.

For training that day, they ran. For about four hours. At their top speed. Maintaining their top speed the entire time, they ran for four hours through the woods outside, ending only when they reached the park at the center of the Uchiha clan compound. Anyone not diligent with their ninja training wouldn't have lasted five minutes.

"So, how's school?" Shisui asked, wiping away the sweat on his forehead with a towel. The young shinobi was breathing hard, and his sudden question caught the two younger children by surprise.

Itachi's shoulders jerked up and down in an exhausted shrug, and he exhaled heavily.

"Fine, I guess," Tsukiko gasped, leaning against a tree. She was proud that she had never wavered, and kept up with the boys the whole run. She knew that her legs would be incredibly sore the next day, but it was worth it to know that she had done just as well as Shisui.

Shisui looked slightly cooler than her or Itachi, and if she wasn't so tired, she knew she would have giggled at the slight glare the younger boy gave the older ninja. "It's way better for us to train with you," Itachi explained.

"But the two of you have gotten pretty good at talking since you started the academy," Shisui teased. "Tsukiko is actually a chatterbox when you get to know her, and you can actually form long sentences now, Itachi."

He grinned as two sets of eyes narrowed at him.

"I haven't changed," Itachi said curtly.

"That's true, I guess you've always been pretty mouthy." Shisui laughed and put a hand on Itachi's head. "I guess there's no one in your class who can take you on?"

Itachi said nothing, and Tsukiko blinked at him curiously. 'Why's he waiting? He knows there's no one.'

"Is there?" Shisui asked, surprised.

Itachi shook his head from side to side, his friend's hand still pressing down on it. "I don't know what kind of grades everyone else gets. But as far as I can tell from watching them in the schoolyard, there's no one amazing or anything."

"So you don't know anything about your classmates?"

Itachi shrugged, seemingly unaffected by Shisui's disapproval.

"They don't really talk to us much," Tsukiko explained weakly.

"They're your comrades, Itachi," Shisui said sternly.

"All I've thought about since I was a little kid was how to be the best ninja," Itachi said stubbornly. "I don't have any energy to spend on anyone else."

Shisui knelt down to Itachi's height, gesturing Tsukiko to come closer. She did so, standing before him, feeling oddly guilty. She tried to get along with her classmates, but they were so far behind her that it was hard to find common ground.

"Listen to me, both of you." Shisui's voice was serious, something out of character for him. "I know that it doesn't seem like a big deal now, but those are the people you're going to be going on missions with. It's important to know that you can trust them, and reassure them that they can trust you. If you really want to rid the world of fighting, then those people are your responsibility, your duty to protect. The village is your family, and your classmates are part of that. You'll never become strong if you fight for your own gain. It's by fighting for someone else that you grow."

Wide-eyed, both children nodded, and Tsukiko couldn't help but think of the Nine-Tails attack. When she had been protecting Mikoto and Sasuke, the elements had been easy to control. She was stronger, because she had to be in order to save her loved ones.

Shisui must have seen something in their eyes that convinced him. "I'm not saying you have to be everyone's best friend," he said, smile returning. "But try to at least know their names, okay?" His hand tousled Itachi's hair. "There's no one more amazing than you two at that school. I'll tell you that right now."

"Quit it." Itachi pushed his hand away, his hair a mess.

"As long as we have you two, the future of the Uchihas is secure," Shisui said, laughing. Tsukiko giggled, but couldn't help but notice that his smile was a little sad somehow.

Listening to baby Sasuke breathing softly in his sleep beside her, Tsukiko laid down on her futon. In the dark, she heard Itachi laying down on the other side of Sasuke. It had been just over a year since they moved to the new compound, and Tsukiko was very used to the look of the ceiling above her bed.

Despite being physically exhausted, Tsukiko was having trouble sleeping. Usually she would sit on the front porch watching the moon until she was tired, but Fugaku and Mikoto were still awake as well.

Beyond the bedroom where the three children slept was the family's dinner table, where the two adults were quietly conversing.

"Itachi and Tsuki's grades are amazing, hm?" Mikoto's voice was clear, even behind the sliding door that separated the two rooms. She apparently thought the children were already asleep.

Tsukiko stiffened at the sound of her name, trying hard to not eavesdrop. She stared absently at the ceiling, the adults' conversation as clear as if she'd been standing next to them.

"I'm really proud of her," Mikoto continued. "She brings a lot of honor to the family."

"Yes, it's quite fortunate Lord Third allowed her to live with us," Fugaku's deep voice rumbled. "I don't know anyone who unlocked their kekkei genkai at such a young age."

The girl's cheeks turned pink at the praise, her heartbeat increasing. Mikoto had always been quick to praise, but to hear Lord Fugaku compliment her...It was a wonderful feeling, like sinking into a hot bath after wandering through the cold.

"Yes, and she's learning to control it all on her own," Mikoto said admiringly.

"I spoke with her teacher, and it seems she doesn't use the Gensogan at all in school," Fugaku said thoughtfully. "I wonder why."

"Tsuki told me it made everything too easy!" Mikoto's laugh fueled Tsukiko's happiness further, and the young girl grinned broadly in the darkness.

"Then it's good she's not using it," Fugaku said approvingly. "It's foolish to rely solely on a kekkei genkai. I'm glad she understands that."

"Itachi too! Both of them find the work far too easy. It's really quite incredible."

Tsukiko felt rather than saw Itachi still at his name, and was relieved she wasn't the only one listening. Carefully, so as to not disturb Sasuke, she rolled onto her side and stretched her arm out. Her hand touched Itachi's and she held it tightly, over the sleeping baby's head.

He gripped her hand in return, not saying a word as his father spoke.

"He is my son after all."

"I suppose so."

"How is he in school?"

"What do you mean? Look at these excellent grades—"

"I'm not talking about that," Itachi's father said, cutting his mother off. "Does he have any friends?"

"He doesn't really talk about his friends."

"That boy doesn't know how to take it easy."

"That's not such a bad thing."

"But he goes too far. It's like he's rushing, like he's hurrying to become a full-fledged ninja." Fugaku sounded concerned, not liking the idea of his eldest son already doing missions and being put in danger.

Tsukiko lifted her head slightly to look at Itachi. He was lying on his back, his hand still holding hers firmly. In the faint light seeping in from the dining room, she could see the pink on his cheeks.

'Lord Fugaku sees right through him…'

She squeezed his hand reassuringly, and he turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. "I believe in you," she mouthed, making his cheeks darken further.

"The way he's so earnest about ninjahood, sometimes I feel like I should take lessons from him, even though I'm his father…! But a loose thread stretched too taut is fragile. I'm worried he needs to let loose somehow."

"He's a gentle boy. You just have to watch Itachi cuddling Sasuke to know that. He'll be fine. And lately, he and Tsuki have really been looking up to Shisui like a big brother. They train together, and are all quite close."

"Shisui of the Body Flicker, hm?"

Tsukiko was also aware that Shisui had been drawing attention to himself as a ninja lately, garnering the name, "Body Flicker." It was yet another reason she was so in awe of him.

"It's all well and good to have an older friend too, but it'd be nice if he had someone his own age to talk to, other than Tsukiko. Those two feed off each other and get more intense every day. They're just children. They should know at least a little what fun feels like."

"I have to disagree," Mikoto said mischievously. "I think Tsuki is the only thing keeping Itachi from being completely serious all the time. Just yesterday, I was watching her and Itachi play with Sasuke. They didn't know I was there, of course, or I don't think they would've been this silly. Tsukiko was dancing around with Sasuke, making funny faces at him. At first I thought it was Sasuke laughing, but Itachi was practically on the ground he was laughing so hard! I've never seen him that happy, and baby Sasuke was having the time of his life."

A mortified gasp escaped Tsukiko, and she looked at Itachi with saucer-like eyes, her face flaming. She had felt unusually silly that day, and had decided to see if she could make Sasuke laugh, so she had acted like a fool. Itachi had joined in, and all three of them had exploded into laughter. It was a happy memory, but an embarrassing one.

Itachi looked equally aghast, his own face resembling a tomato. He certainly would not have laughed like that if he'd known his mother was watching.

'I underestimated Lady Mikoto's skill.' It was easy to forget that the woman was also an accomplished ninja, a jounin in her own right.

From the dining room, Fugaku let out a quiet chuckle. "Really? I wouldn't have believed it."

"Yup," Mikoto said giggling. "He really cares about her. And their teamwork is incredible. Have you seen them training? It's amazing."

"I have," Fugaku said, his voice becoming thoughtful. "And you're right, they do make an impressive pair. I'll have to ensure they're assigned to the same team when they graduate…"

Warm gratitude for Lord Fugaku flowed through Tsukiko, and her now sleepy gaze met Itachi's. "We really are a good team," she mouthed at him, smiling.

He smiled back, his gaze heavy with sleep. "I don't need other friends," he mouthed back, echoing her words. "I don't need anyone but you at my side."

Tsukiko closed her eyes, feeling as if she was surrounded by warm and loving people. She gave Itachi's hand one last squeeze before sleep took her.

When Mikoto walked in the next morning, she was greeted with the adorable sight of her younger son cradled between Tsukiko and Itachi, their hands still intertwined above Sasuke's head while they slept.

Quickly, she snuck away and grabbed both her husband and a camera.

Fugaku chuckled at the scene, while Mikoto took several pictures, both parents proud to have such a loving family.

And, for the next several years, that photo hung proudly in the hallway, bringing pink to both Itachi and Tsukiko's faces whenever they passed it.

A.N. Aaaaand that's it for now! I hope you guys liked it!

Note: Izumi is going to have a large role in the past story, as Tsukiko's romantic rival and her best female friend. As such, her personality might seem a touch different than in the original work. She's still going to be sweet and Itachi's cheerleader, but obviously there will be tension between the two girls as they get older.

Anyway, see you on a Friday for the end of the first exam!