I decided to change everyones age, Naruto & Garra are seven. Kana is nine.

Previous Chapter:

"Settle down." He commanded, and the class slowly quieted, "Today we are going to work on ninjutsu."

--- 2 week later ---

The bright light from the sun filled Naruto's cold broken down house; the warm rays rested upon the small sleeping boy, who twitched in annoyance at the light turning over to avoid it.

"Naruto," Called Kana walking into his house, not even bothering to knock, "Wake up."

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and turned to see Naruto slowly walking towards her, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"What time is it?" He mumbled, looking out of the broken window at the sun.

"It's five 0'clock, and we have some training to do. Here." She handed him a white t-shirt, black pants, and blue ninja sandals, "These are your new training clothes, we'll get cha' some better normal clothes and stuff. I hope they fit, I didn't exactly know what size you needed." She winked.

Naruto walked back into his room to change and then minutes later he appeared in the door way glaring at Kana. The shirt was a size or two too big, but the pants and the shoes seemed to fit perfectly.

Kana held her hands over her mouth, trying best not to laugh at the over sized shirt that went down the Naruto's knees. Garra smirked, he too trying not to laugh.

The blond turned around and was about to take it off when Kana stopped him.

"Wait, I think I can fix it." She then made a motion for him to give her the shirt. Next she took out a kunai and cut the excess fabric off. It wasn't the straightest line but it was much better than having him trip over it while he was trying to train.

"There!" Kana exclaimed presenting Naruto with the white shirt. He put it on and it reached his waist line, "Perfect!"

Clapping her hands together she then hurried Naruto along to get ready so they could go train.

As the three walked the streets, many civilians hadn't even woken up yet; they were still sleeping comfortable in their warm homes. But those like Naruto, with little money, were already up looking through dumpsters and such for food and other necessities. Naruto shivered slightly remembering how he used to have to do that. Used too. It had only been two weeks sense he had meet Kana and Garra and they already were like family to him. In a way they protected him from the civilians and children. No Academy student dared try to pick on or hurt Naruto when Kana and Garra were with him, especially Garra.

They were all scared shitless of Garra after he had effortlessly thrown those bullies around. But in truth, it had been hard for Garra to control his sand, he had to concentrate really hard to do it; Shukaku had told him that over time he would get the hang of it and it would soon become effortless to do such things.

The civilians were different however, they were not scared of some little academy students, and had tried to hurt Naruto numerous times. Kana and Garra tried their best to keep them at bay by using a hint of demonic chakra to scare them off but it only worked some of the time.

As the three walked, they passed a fruit shop that had just opened. The ripe juicy apples looked delicious as Kana's mouth began to water.

"Excuse me?" She asked tapping the vendors back; the old man turned around and smiled at the young children, "How much are your apples?"

The old man picked three up and set them in her hands, "They are free, but just for you three." He smiled again, "Don't tell anyone else." The elderly man then turned around and continued setting up the rest of his fruit.

Kana smiled happily as she cut bite into it.

"How did you do that?" Asked Naruto his mouth full of the apple.

"It's called being cute," Winked Kana, "Just smile sweetly and they give you free stuff. It's actually quite fun."

Garra chuckled, and shook his head knowing that if he tried to do it, it wouldn't work for him.

Itachi followed the three children by roof top, keeping a close eye on them. He trailed them all the way through the village until they entered the forest just before the borders of the village. Having an idea of where they were going, the young ninja jumped off the roof and followed them on the ground.

Kana led the two boys through the overgrown path for a good ten minutes before it thinned out and revealed the river where she had almost drowned in. It was much calmer now, and looked less intimidating.

"I was reading last night about chakra control, the thing that Iruka-sensei keeps saying is so important, and I read about some exercises that are supposed to help us get better at it: Tree climbing and water walking." She then turned to Garra, "I think it's the same concept as walking up walls and ceilings, kind of like the stuff we did in Suna."

Garra nodded, "Okay, let's try it then."

Kana closed her eyes and began to concentrate on moving her chakra to her feet. Once she thought she had enough chakra, she ran at the tree and was amazed that her feet stuck to the tree. But loosing her concentration for a second made the chakra flow stop and she fell to the ground. Hitting the ground with a 'thud' she got up rubbing her butt.

"Ouch…" She mumbled.

Naruto laughed, "I bet I can go higher than you can!"

Kana smirked, "You're on!" Grabbing a kunai to mark her progress, she ran at the tree again.

Garra shook his head at the two; he concentrated then slowly began to walk up the tree. He continued till he was almost half way up. Marking the tree, he then jumped off the tree landing lightly on his feet.

The other two stared at him, "How did you do that?!" Kana cried her progress only a fourth up the tree.

"Concentrate, you have to put the right amount of chakra into your feet and keep it steady until you reach the top. Put too much chakra and you'll destroy the tree, too little and you'll slip off." Garra advised, and then he began walking back up the tree again.

'Okay,' Thought Kana, as she began to mold chakra at her feet, then she ran at the tree but her foot sank into the tree, 'Too much chakra,' she then molded less chakra and ran at the tree again. She got about four steps before the chakra faded out and didn't stick.

"Not enough," She whispered, this time closing her eyes and molded just enough chakra.

'This time for sure!' Kana then ran up the tree again, keeping the amount of chakra steady, she past Garra's mark, and then reached the very top of the tree.

"Yes!" Kana yelled happily.

Down on the ground Naruto was still having trouble, and was beginning to get discouraged.

'Calm down, and take these exercises slow,' Kyuubi advised, 'this is all about trial and error. Did you see how Hime-sama had to try three times before she got the amount of chakra right? Just mold chakra and concentrate it at your feet, then run at the tree and keep the flow steady.'

Nodding Naruto took a deep breath then, he molded his chakra at the bottom of his feet then began running up the tree.

By this time Garra had made it to the top as well and they sat watching and waiting for Naruto.

"He hasn't done anything like this before. Should we go help him?" Kana asked, feeling sort of sorry for him.

"No, he needs to learn things on his own just like we did." Garra answered quietly, looking down at the boy, "He has a lot of potential, and his village has treated him horribly, so if we stick around for awhile I'm sure that he won't have a problem coming with us."

"Yea," Kana mumbled, her heart ached for Naruto. "The pain of being alone for so long must have been unbearable." She whispered just loud enough for Garra to hear, "I want…I want to make it better for him. I want to make his pain go away."

Garra stared at Kana then lowered his eyes remembering his life in Suna, "You made my pain go away…" He murmured, "I think you can make his go away too…"

--- Later that night ---

Naruto had feinted from chakra exhaustion, and rested in Garra's room. Garra himself sat on his favorite perch, atop of the Hokage monument where he could see everything including the moon.

He went there almost every night, after he had slept a couple of hours, to think and talk with Shukaku. Tonight he was wrapped up in his own memories and thoughts that Shukaku laid dormant in the back of his mind, not wishing to disturb the young boy and his thoughts.

Garra stared up at the bright full moon, 'Kana…' A picture of her smile entered his mind in front of the moon, 'Where does your cheerfulness come from? Even though you're a Jinchuriki just like me, you aren't morbid and quiet. You're… like the sun…warm and kind…' He then thought for a few minutes remembering something, 'Are you really happy? Or is it just a mask? I want to find out…I want to see if you are the one truly hurting inside…'

---

Kana awoke the next morning before the sun, and like always she walked over to the bathroom, washed her face then stood staring at herself. Her expression was nonexistent, as her face showed no emotion what so ever. She stared intently back at herself, then she turned away disgusted. Turning on the hot water Kana stepped into the shower and sat down underneath it, letting the steaming hot water pour down on her body like rain. The tears were indistinguishable from the water that ran down her face, and her quiet sobs were drowned out by the sound of the water hitting the tub. Slowly she stood up, using the wall for support, and turned off the water stumbling out of the shower. Wrapping a large towel around herself then setting a smaller one atop her head Kana opened the door and walked back into her room. The cold floor and air felt nice against her warm face and skin.

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she began towel drying her hair then her body. Walking over to her closet she then picked out comfortable black pants and a loose dark purple t-shirt. The house was quiet as she quietly walked through the hall way, once she passed the kitchen and reached the front door she pulled on a pair of black ninja sandals then left the house.

Kana jogged through the deserted village, the absolute silence made her mind at ease. She didn't have to worry about anything. No villagers, no stupid academy students, not even the guy that kept following her and Garra around. It was too early for him to be even up yet. The girl smiled to herself, this was her alone time where she could think and do whatever she pleased. Even Takatsu wasn't here; he was usually off working anyways. Her thoughts drifted to Takatsu.

She sighed, 'something has felt off about him lately' Thought Kana, he was barely home and when he is he hardly speaks to anyone. The man doesn't have 'time' to train them anymore. 'I guess things in Konoha aren't going to be the same as they were in Suna.'

Even though she couldn't put her finger on it, Suzaku could. She had an idea of what he was planning yet the wise and aged bird chose not to say anything.

That man practically raised her; Suzaku couldn't destroy the image Kana had of him. But if she didn't tell her, then that could be just as bad. 'Later, I will tell her when she is old enough and ready to handle the full truth.' Suzaku decided.

Once Kana had left the main streets of the village, she ran along a paved path that circled around Konoha. It was like a giant race track only with one lane. Tree leaves covered most of the ground making the young girl tread more carefully so she wouldn't slip and fall. She was just finishing her third lap when light began to show on the horizon. Looking up, Kana left the circular path and ran towards the Hokage monument where she met Garra to watch the sunset.

"If you had gotten here five minutes later, you would have missed it." Garra commented once she arrived.

"Sorry," She apologized, breathing heavily, "I woke up earlier and was running some laps around Konoha."

"Why do you like running?" He asked, once she sat down.

They both stared at the slowly rising sun, "I'm not sure. I just like the feeling I have after." Kana answered.

"And what feeling is that?" Muttered Garra, "Exhaustion?"

She smiled, "No, silly. It's more of the opposite; I feel…alive when I run. I like training, its something I enjoy." She then turned her attention back to the sun rise.

Garra turned his head and looked at Kana; the rising sun's glow hit her face lightly making her look as if she was glowing herself, not the sun. He smiled warmly at her as she dangled her feet over the edge and moved them back and fourth.

'What's this feeling in my heart?' He asked, touching his chest.

'It's called happiness.' Shukaku answered quietly letting the words linger inside the young boys head.

'Happiness…'

---

After the sun had risen a little above the mountains, Kana and Garra left to go and wake up Naruto. The young blonde boy was already up by the time they got back to their house. He ate an orange happily, while drinking tea.

He smiled at the two, "Takatsu told me to help myself to anything."

Kana laughed, "Okay, well we should start training before we have to go to the academy."

The two nodded and they headed back to the river to continue tree walking. Kana, Garra, and Naruto, did the tree exercise till they could do it perfectly with minimal effort. They then moved on to water walking. But they only got about an hour of training in before they had to leave to go to the Academy.

Arriving in damp clothing, Kana sat in her usual spot in the back. The young Hyuuga heir shyly said good morning before scurrying back to her seat. 'She seems nice,' Kana thought. Her eyes shifted to a dark haired boy with a duck butt hair cut. He was a year and a half younger like the rest of the class, but he was almost as tall as her. The boy was top of their class both physically and mentally, even though Kana had a feeling that Shikamaru was smarter than he let on.

'Uchiha Sasuke…' Kana thought watching him arrive to class then sit down two rows in front of her.

'What an interesting guy, he doesn't talk much, pretty strong for his age, and he's kinda cute.' Kana laughed softly to herelf; then began trying to picture herself talking to Sasuke.

But then Naruto and Garra walked in and her attention and thoughts automatically shifted towards them. Naruto wore clean, brand new clothes, and his hair was ten times shinier than it usually is. Kana nodded approving his clothes, they were similar to his training clothes only these clothes were more expensive and fitted him better. Black cargo pants, a dark red t-shirt with a black spiral, and black shoes where his clothing of choice.

"Very nice," She commented as they sat down, "You didn't spend to much did you?"

"No, we only spent half the money Takatsu gave us. The rest is yours if you also want to get new clothes." Garra handed her the money.

But Kana shook her head, "I got some the other day," Then she motioned to what she was wearing, "This is actually more comfortable than that short skirt." She still wore the loose sweat pants and dark purple t-shirt.

"Well it looks just at good as the skirt," Naruto complemented, "So why not where what comfortable right?"

Kana nodded, "Yeah…" Her words trailed off and so did her thoughts as she looked out the window. Winter would soon be over; she had noticed earlier that morning that it wasn't as cold as it usually was. She sighed and got out the scroll she had been studying.

'Genjutsu- The first stepping stone: Genjutsu's are illusions that trick the minds senses into believing something is happening when really it isn't. This may include: making them see an illusion, or feel pain when really none is being inflicted.

But not all genjutsu's mess with the senses, the more advanced and deadly Jutsu's deal with the mind itself. Finding what the enemy is most afraid of, or inner secrets of that person is one way the genjutsu specialist are able to frighten the enemy giving them an opening. When dealing with an enemy within their own mind, you must be extremely careful. There are things that you may never expect to find there and you should only enter as a last resort.' Kana closed the scroll as Iruka walked into the classroom calling out the names of each student. Once that had been taken care of he began to lesson.

---

As Kana, Garra, and Naruto left the Academy the young girl felt the same eyes watching them.

"Garra," She mumbled, becoming a bit uneasy under their unwavering, watchful eyes.

"I know," He replied, "Let's split up, to see if we can see who it is and who he is really after."

Kana and Naruto nodded then once they came to the corner they each walked in different directions.

---

Itachi turned his head left and right trying to find the other two boys and saw they were walking away from the orange haired girl. Grimacing, the young boy decided he had to continue following Kana.

She led him on a path full of twists and turns, forcing him to take to the streets instead of the roofs. When she finally left the crowded market places, he saw her enter the forest walking on the familiar path leading to the river.

Kana stood in a clearing next to the river, watching and waiting for her pursuer. She turned left, right, then behind her feeling his eyes fixed on her.

"Quite hiding like a coward, show yourself!" She demanded her voice sharp and loud.

'What are you going to do?' Suzaku asked, 'fight him? You wouldn't stand a change against him…'

Kana ignored Suzaku's remark; her full attention was on the boy that stood before her. He was at least a head taller than her and four years older; his dark blue hair was tied back in a low pony tail, and he wore standard the standard Anbu uniform. She studied his face; it seemed so familiar to her like she had seen it before some where. His angelic red eyes were not intimidating but entrancing and beautiful. She laughed softly; she had imagined him being an adult from his presence and ever present vigilance.

"Who are you? Why do you keep following me?" Kana asked.

"Uchiha Itachi," The boy answered. The young girls eyes widened. She had heard of him through rumors and lectures at the Academy. He was the youngest shinobi to graduate the academy even before the famous Hatake Kakashi.

But she quickly shook off her shock, "Why are you trailing me?" She repeated.

"I'm only following orders. Hokage-sama just wants to make sure you are not a threat to the village and his people." Itachi replied, his voice dead of any emotion.

"But you have been watching me even before I met with the Hokage." Kana reminded, "Sense I entered the village, what do you want with me?"

Itachi stared at her for a moment then answered, "You are correct, but I do not wish to harm you or your friends. I have been watching you because I see potential and great strength within you, and I am willing to train you so you can achieve it."

Kana stared at him skeptically, "Would you train Garra and Naruto as well?"

Itachi tilted his head, "Why should I?"

The young girl crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, "Because if you don't train them, I won't train with you."

'Kana, don't be stupid! This boy can prove to be a very useful ally in the future!' Suzaku advised.

Itachi looked at her, a bit surprised, but gave in, "You will meet me at training ground 62 at 4 o'clock sharp every morning. Then your friends may come at six. I will train all three of you till eight then you will go to the Academy at nine like none of this ever happened. You tell no one, not even your friends, that you are meeting me earlier. Do you understand?"

Kana nodded her head, "Yes."

"Good, add twenty more pounds to your chakra weights." He commanded before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

The young girl stood staring at where Itachi had once stood, 'Suzaku…' She mumbled inside her mind.

'Yes?'

'What did I just get myself into?' She wondered, a bit scared for their first training session.

'I can tell you one thing; with this boys training, you will be able to obtain your second tail in less than four months. Then I begin to train you as well.'

'Four months!?' Mentally yelled Kana.

'It usually takes six to eight months.' Countered Suzaku, 'so be happy that he is going to train you.'

'Yeah, I guess.'

Kana did as she was told and added twenty pounds to her chakra weights. Her limbs immediately cried out in pain at the added load. Slowly she took a step forward, her arms and legs feeling like lead.

It took her over an hour to get home as she sluggishly put one foot in front of the other. She almost cried in relief when she saw her house come into view, and she made her way there moving a bit faster than before.

Naruto tapped his foot anxiously against the hard wood floor, growing more and more concerned by the minute.

"Are you sure we shouldn't go look for her?" He asked, ready to turn the whole city upside down looking for her.

"Yes, she's fine by herself, quite worrying; besides she's here." Garra assured opening the door for an exhausted Kana. She dragged her feet across the floor and wasn't able to dodge Naruto, who ran to her but lost his footing and didn't stop in time sliding right into her.

She crumbled to the ground and they laid awkwardly with their legs tangled together. Kana lay on the ground unmoving.

"Naruto," She mumbled a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yes?" He replied meekly.

"Move."

Quickly untangling himself from her he jumped and took a couple steps back giving her some space. But she just continued laying there.

It was Garra's turn to speak up, "Kana?"

"I can't move, Garra. I added twenty pounds." Muffled Kana her face practically kissing the floor.

"Twenty each or total?"

"Each."

The red haired boy sighed, then bent down and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulder, "Naruto grab the other and help me get her into her room."

He nodded, grabbing her other arm and helped Kana to her feet. Leaning heavily on the boys, but mostly Garra, she managed to get to her bed and lay down.

"Thank you," She breathed, "Oh before I fall asleep," Kana mumbled her eyes already starting to close, "I found us a sensei. Be at training…field 62…at six tomorrow…sharp…" Then her eyes finally closed as her head slumped over, falling asleep.

They closed the door quietly and Naruto excitedly jumped up in down. Garra contained his excitement, but he was equally happy and eager to begin more intense training.

"This training will be harder than anything you have ever done." Garra said to Naruto quietly.

Naruto slumped down, "Yea, I know. But I want to get stronger, I want to be able to keep up with you two, I don't always want to be the one who's struggling."

Garra shrugged, "You have to start somewhere, but you'll get use to it and soon the stuff that seemed so hard becomes much easier, you'll see; so don't worry about it, just get some sleep and I'll wake you up a half hour before we have to leave."

"Thanks," The blonde smiled, "I am pretty tired, I'll see you in the morning."

---

Garra once again sat atop on the monument, 'I wonder who our teacher is? Is it that guy that kept following us or someone different?' I hope that he's strong and knows what he's doing, not some idiot like some of the shinobi in Suna. Takatsu isn't even around anymore, it's getting kind of weird. I've gotten so use to seeing him all the time and now…' He shook his head, 'He's just working hard, taking extra shifts at the library to get more money. He does have to feed another kid now…' His thoughts shifted to Naruto, 'I guess he'll be living with us from now on, the poor guy is probably tired of being alone…'

He turned his head to look at the moon, 'My birthday's in a month… I wonder if she'll remember.'

---

Kana woke up at three thirty, courtesy of Suzaku, and slowly moved out of bed. Stretching her sore muscles, she walked into the bathroom. Brushing through her hair, she put it up in a high pony tail then changed into blue pants that touched her knees, and white tank-top and blue ninja sandals. But thinking of the weather she grabbed a elbow length grey jacket before leaving the house quietly.

Arriving at the training ground with ten minutes to spare, she sat down and pulled out her genjutsu scroll she had been reading. Yawning quietly when it reached four o'clock exactly Itachi appeared in the clearing. Putting her book away, she stood up and waited for his instructions.

"Half a mile swim." He stated throwing extra clothes at Kana. It was an oversized t-shirt and short spandex shorts.

"Put those on," Itachi ordered turning around. He waited until she was dressed before turning back around, then pointing to the river that flowed through Konoha.

Kana shivered slightly, and stared at the river; memories over her almost drowning flooding her mind.

"Fear is just another obstacle that get's in the way of becoming strong. Crush your fears, conquer them, and move forward." He whispered into her ear.

His sudden voice sent chills down her spine as she thought about his words.

'He's right, Kana…' Suzaku agreed.

"Oh, and keep your weights on." He added walking back into the clearing.

Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes then leapt off the boulder plunging into the cold water. Fighting against the current and icy water, Kana struggled for a few minutes. The sudden shock of the water pumped adrenaline into her system, as she slowly worked her way up the stream. Her body became numb, the temperature of the water no longer bothering her. She couldn't feel anything, the splashes of water, and the cold air when she moved her hand out of the water, nothing. Only her mind was awake, the bitter sense of being in the water yet not feeling like you were was all mental. But she kept telling herself to keep moving; to keep the blood flowing or else she would surely die.

It took her twenty minutes to swim to the half mile mark before she swam back, only this time with the current to push her along faster. She returned, the swim back only taking her half the time it took going against the current. The dry warm clothes she had arrived in sat neatly folded on the rock waiting for her along with a towel. But before she changed she looked around for Itachi, she saw him in the clearing turned the other way, respecting her privacy. Wrapping the towel around herself, she undressed then redressed in the warm clothes. Her body tingled in the sudden change of temperature, her blood rushing in every direction from the top of her head to the toes of her feet.

Ringing out her hair, and retying it, she then walked back into the clearing where Itachi stood waiting.

"Thirty-five push ups, and then we will begin your lesson for today."

She did as she was told and after ten minutes she was finished.

"You were reading a genjutsu scroll earlier, right?" He asked, once she nodded Itachi motioned for her to give it to him. He flipped through it the making a one hand seal, he blew a small flame at the book burning it. The young Anbu then reached into his own pocket producing a very different kind of scroll. It was worn, and much bigger. The thick red scrolls edges were torn from normal wear and tear but other than that it was pretty much intact.

"This scroll will teach you everything you need to know about genjutsu. Do not loose it, rip it, burn it, or give it to anyone else. It is for your eyes only. Now, I expect you know that basics of genjutsu we will first start on how to counter it."

Itachi then created a simply genjutsu. Kana's vision went black; she immediately created a hand seal, stopping the flow of her chakra then flared her own chakra making the illusion disappear.

"Good, have you tried to create any genjutsu's?" He asked.

Kana shook her head, "No, I've been working on my chakra control so that I will be able to without difficulty."

The older boy nodded then pointed to the tree; understanding what he meant, Kana ran up the tree then back down to Itachi in one fluid motion.

"Water walking is next, once you have mastered that we will continue from there on genjutsu. For now, you need to build up your stamina and strength." He then walked over to the same tree, and began walking up the tree only using his hands. His body was straight as a board, and he seemed to do it without breaking a sweat.

Kana stared at him eyes wide, "You want me to do that?" She gasped.

"Yes, all the way up then back down. If you can't, start doing more push-ups, until you have built up enough muscle to support yourself. You are my pupil now, and no apprentice of mine is going to be weak. Your friends will not be doing the same training I put you through. It will seem like a cake walk."

She looked at the ground then with determination in her eyes she said, "No, please give them the same training, or at least some what of the same. Its bad enough going behind their backs, I just want them to train at the same level as me."

"And what if they aren't ready?" Referring more to Naruto than Garra, "What if they are too weak?"

"They aren't' weak!" She protested, raising her voice louder than she intended, "they just need to develop muscle like I do. Just teach them the basics first, please." She pleaded, puffing out her bottom lip and watering her eyes like she was going to cry.

Itachi scowled at her attempt to use her cuteness to her advantage, "Fine," He muttered, looking away, "But if they don't keep up then…"

"I know I know, thank you!" Kana yelled hugging the boy, out of habit more than anything.

Itachi stiffened then shoved her off him, "Don't thank me just yet. Be back in an hour."

---

Kana walked home with more pep in her step, and cheerfully greeted Garra and Naruto. Pouring a cup of tea, she sat down next to them at the table, "Are you ready for your first day of training?"

Naruto nodded happily, "Yes, I could barely sleep I was so excited."

Garra rolled his eyes at Naruto, "You won't be so happy after the first twenty minutes."

The blonde glared at the red head then continued eating his grapes and orange.

"So who is this mystery teacher?" Garra inquired, eager to learn who it was.

"Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto stopped chewing and stared at Kana, his eyes the size of saucers. Garra smirked, "I guess I won't have to worry about it being some idiot…"

Kana laughed at his remark, "Did you seriously think that I would get an idiot to teach us? No, I got the best of the best." She smiled proudly.

"And how exactly did you get the best of the best?" He asked.

"The details don't matter, but if we sit around any longer we are going to be late…" She reminded, nodding towards the clock.

Naruto, still trying to recover from his shock, looked at the two then bolted out the door.

"He's scared out of his mind now isn't he…" Kana grumbled, hoping that he could pull himself together by the time they got to the training ground.

"Yes he is."

---

'Naruto, calm down. CALM DOWN!' Kyuubi yelled, wanting to smack his host, 'Why the hell are you so scared? Do you want to hold those two back? Do you want to look weak?'

Naruto shook his head, 'No I don't, but…'

'But what?! Honestly Naruto pull yourself together, stop being a baby and go train as hard as you can. If you don't I'll take over your body and you will never see the light of day again. Because I can't have a weak host, you technically have the strongest demon sealed within you that can easily take over your body. This is my first and last warning.'

The blonde looked down at the ground ashamed, 'Okay…'

---

Once they reached the training round, Garra and Kana saw Naruto all ready there waiting patiently. It was six o'clock sharp when Itachi appeared in the clearing.

"Forty push-ups, sixty crunches, then run a lap around Konoha."

That's how their training went, the first hour was always physical training then immediately following they worked on either ninjutsu, genjutsu, Taijutsu, weapons training or whatever Itachi decided they needed to work on.

Today they worked on chakra control, "If you can't control your own chakra flow, then you will fail as a shinobi. Not matter what you specialize in, chakra is apart of the everyday life of a ninja."

As they trained, Kana pretended to struggle a bit with the water walking, getting herself drenched a couple of times before she 'finally' got the hang out it and stayed dry the rest of the hour.

Naruto also had some difficulties in the beginning but through sheer determination he was able to stay above the water.

Garra on the other hand completely loathed water, and therefore he made it his top priority to make sure he stayed above the water in order to stay dry.

The next few weeds flew by the children, Garra's birthday small yet fun and Kana began herself enjoying her training with Itachi. He was extremely intelligent as he taught her tactical analysis, and battle strategies; he had even taught her how to play shoji, even though he never actually played with her. She soaked up all the information, listening to every word he said and then thinking about how she put it to use in a real battle.

Itachi's physical training was brutal for her, his training methods absolutely draining her.

"The most common weakness among genjutsu specialist is Taijutsu. They are weak in the body because they are strong in the mind. Many forget to work on their weaknesses and only train and sharpen their skills in what they know and do best."

His words often made her head spin, sometimes even confusing her. But if she really thought about it, taking each word in at a time her mind was able to process what he was teaching her. Itachi gave her advice like that once in awhile pointing out only the things she needed to change and work on. So she began to get use to his silent approval shown only with a slight nod when she did something right.

It had become hard for Kana to lie to Garra and Naruto, especially Garra because he was so observant. She could tell that he noticed that she wasn't giving the training all her effort, because he had seen her train harder than this. And it didn't help that as she began spending so much time with Itachi, that she slowly talked less and less. She remained just as cheerfully only she took in her surrounding more, observing every detail and looked at people's faces to remember where and when she saw them. Her absentminded old self was a thing of the past, yet the young girl tried her best to continue to be happy.

Suzaku liked the change in her host, and had seriously considered training her even though she hadn't reached her second tail yet. But in the end she knew that Kana needed to have her second tail for her to even grasp what Suzaku wanted to teach her.

The three children didn't notice their own improvement over the months until one day at the Academy, when they had to spar with the other children. Iruka divided them into groups of two so it would be two-on- two matches. Kana ended up partnered up with Uchiha Sasuke against two other academy students, Haruno Sakura and Inuzaku Kiba.

The loud pink haired girl yelled loudly pumping her fists in the air, proclaiming her love for Sasuke. Rolling her eyes she turned towards Sasuke, "Sakura will be the easiest to defeat, and then we can team up on Kiba who will be more difficult."

Sasuke nodded, "Inuzuka's have a strong sense of smell, so I suggest we try and confuse him giving us an opening."

"I'll cast a genjutsu and take care of Sakura. You go for Kiba; once I'm done I'll help you out 'kay?" Kana suggested.

"Okay," He replied getting into a fighting position. Kana jumped back putting more distance between her two opponents. She shook her head as she saw Sakura not even get into a fighting position. Then when Iruka called for everyone to begin, Kana ran threw hand seals. Her hands moved slow as she concentrated on the correct amount of chakra needed, and the right hand seals.

Then when she was finished she disappeared before her opponent's eyes. Sakura looked around then she all the sudden began to feel sleepy, her eye lids feeling heavy she swayed back and fourth. But she realized she was under a genjutsu and quickly cancelled it.

Kana again shook her head appearing in front the pink haired girl, "You should have just fallen asleep. It would have saved you a lot of pain." Before Sakura could reply, Kana punched her stomach, kneed her in the face, and then kicked her to the ground. "How does the dirt taste?' She spat, and then went over to help Sasuke.

Kiba defiantly proved to be much harder than Sakura. He used his Nin dog, Akamaru and they were almost over powering Sasuke. Seeing they hadn't noticed her, Kana created another genjutsu, blinding Kiba she then yelled to Sasuke, "Now's your chance!"

Sasuke ran at Kiba and mimicked a combo similar to the one Kana had used to KO Sakura.

Iruka watched the fight stunned, at the flawless genjutsu's Kana created and in such little time too. He then turned his attention to the other two boys who were already finished with their match. Garra and Naruto stood talking while Akimichi Choji and Hyuuga Hinata lay on the ground unconscious.

The instructor shook his head, these children had surpassed this class they either moved up to a more advanced class or took the final exam. He thought for a moment thinking of what's best for the three. Then he called them over, "I think you three are ready to graduate, meet me back at the academy tomorrow morning at eight to take the test."

--- A few hours later ---

Iruka stood in front of the Hokage, already having told him about his exceptionally strong students.

Stroking his beard, Sarutobi nodded, "Okay if they pass I will have an instructor for them tomorrow, you may go Iruka."

Once he left the aged Hokage sighed heavily. 'So Itachi's been training them, I guess it's time for them to begin their shinobi career's…'

He snapped his fingers and Itachi appeared, "Kana, Garra, and Naruto will take the Genin exam tomorrow and their instructor will be Hatake Kakashi. He will train them from now on, but I want you to train Kana in genjutsu. She seems to have a knack for it, and it's not Kakashi's specialty like it is yours. When he notices that Kana is getting extra training I want you to tell him, but only when he figures it out."

Itachi nodded, "Yes, she is grasping the concept faster than most shinobi her age."

"Good, I want you to train her mentally; if this turns out the way I hope it does, she will be a great asset to the village."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi stood and looked out at the falling sun, 'I'm doing what's best for the village, I must put my kindness aside. I just hope it doesn't back fire…'

--- 4 o'clock the next morning ---

"Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi," Itachi stated, "He has a huge ninjutsu library so learn what you can from him. We will continue to train in the mornings. Do not say anything to him about our training."

"Okay I won't, but why?" Kana asked, not quite understanding.

"I want to keep your training a secret. I don't need people asking questions of why I have taken a student, when so many others have pushed to be trained by me." Itachi replied simply.

"Oh, that makes sense. What are we working on today?"

"Tactical analysis, in other words, studying the way someone fights so you can counter it," Itachi then made a cross hand seal then six copies of himself appeared, "You will watch three battles, when they are finished you will tell me what each of the clones strength and weaknesses were and how you would have countered their attacks." Itachi explained then he sent his clones into the center of the large clearing.

The first match was against a clone with a sword and the other a ninjutsu specialist. It was an interesting match and Kana watched it intently as watching every move they made.

The kenjutsu clone was obviously a close ranged fighter and kept running at his opponent head on, while the ninjutsu clone tried to keep distance between them so he could execute this Jutsu's. But the fight eventually turned to a close ranged battle when the ninjutsu clone didn't have enough time to finish his hand seals and was puffed away when cloned stabbed his in the heart.

"Well?" Itachi asked, waiting for her answer.

"The only way to counter a weapons specialist or in this case a swordsman is with your own weapon. They are fast, agile, and are able to dodge long ranged attacks forcing their opponent to engage in Taijutsu." Kana explained, "A true ninjutsu specialist wouldn't run out of time to complete their jutsu, they would just have to make sure they hit their target or else it was wasted chakra."

Itachi shook his head correcting her, "There is another way to counter a weapons specialist, actually a few. One: You are faster than they are. Speed is the key in any battle no matter how strong they are or what they specialize in. If you can strike before they do, then you will walk away victorious, and unharmed. Two: Genjutsu, even though it is long ranged, if you execute it before they attack, you will immobilize them making them much easer to kill. And three: As you said, defeating them with your own weapon." He paused for a moment to make sure she was listening to him, he then continued.

"Your second analysis was correct about the ninjutsu clone. He did not hit his target and that was his down fall." Itachi then waved his next set of clones, to move to the center of the clearing.

At first Kana wasn't sure what was going on, sense no one was moving but as she looked closer she noticed one of the clones had his hands together in a boar seal. His opponent swayed a little then 'shook' off the genjutsu. He ran at the genjutsu clone engaging in Taijutsu battle. As the genjutsu clone dodged the punches, effortlessly, he had his right hand in a seal she had never seen before. The Taijutsu clone seemed to slow down, as if his arms and legs were made of lead, and each punch became harder and harder till he fell over.

Kana stared at them, her mind soaking in all the information, "This battle is different than what you would normally expect to happen, like say if you read it out of a book. A genjutsu specialist is supposedly weak in Taijutsu because they don't engage in it, but in this battle the genjutsu clone won."

Itachi nodded, "And why did he win?"

The girl continued to stare at the clones, replaying the battle in her mind, "Because, while dodging attacks, he was able to create a genjutsu that crippled his opponent giving him the advantage and eventually making him succeed."

"So if you were the Taijutsu specialist how would you have defeated the clone?"

Kana frowned, and thought for a moment then answered, "By disrupting the flow of my chakra during the whole battle. It would be extremely hard to continuously do it, but if you become immune to their attacks, a genjutsu specialist has nothing left in their arsenal ultimately defeating them."

"Correct, that is the one weakness of genjutsu, is if your opponent becomes immune to genjutsu. That is why you will never rely on just one area, because if something fails like your genjutsu, you have to be able to kill you opponent some other way or you will die." The young Anbu stated.

The last and final battle was the most interesting out of all of them. It was a medic versus ninjutsu/ Taijutsu specialist. The medic was fast, as he dodged the incoming Jutsu's and slowly made his way closer to his opponent. Even though one of the clones specialized in Taijutsu he quickly lost when he was immobilized by the medic's glowing blue hand.

"What the…" Kana muttered, confused as to why the Taijutsu clone lost. She then sat down cross-legged and shut her eyes, again replaying the fight within her mind.

It took her ten minutes before she came up with an answer, "Medics do not have any weaknesses." She concluded, "They are fast, have extensive knowledge of the human body and its functions, and are able to dodge attacks better than anyone else even Taijutsu masters. Plus the fact that if you do hit them, they are able to heal themselves to the point where they are as good as new. Medics have better chakra control than even genjutsu masters, making it easy for them to disrupt their own chakra flow; thus cancelling any genjutsu."

"They are by far the most dangerous type of shinobi to fight. The only way to defeat one is if they are lacking in an area such as genjutsu, giving you the advantage in that aspect. You should never let the battle drag on; you will eventually tire while the medic will have solider pills and chakra replenisher pills to keep them going for days. End the battle quick."

Kana nodded, "Will I learn medical techniques?"

"Eventually yes, every shinobi does because not always do you have a medic with you on a mission." He answered, and then continued to bombard her will questions.

---

Kana arrived back at the house at six o'clock like she normally did every morning, and saw Naruto and Garra eating breakfast.

"I guess training is cancelled sense we are taking the exam and will have our own sensei to teach us." Garra stated, sipping on a glass of hot tea.

Kana sat down grabbing an apple, "I wonder what Iruka-sensei will test us on…I hope it isn't too easy."

"It's probably going to be some simple replacement techniques, and stuff we already know." Naruto stated with his mouth full.

They continued to ponder about the exam, until Takatsu stumbled into the kitchen. Tiredly, he made himself a cup of tea and sat down at the table.

"How's work been Taka? You haven't been around much lately…" Kana pointed out.

"I know, I'm sorry; it costs a lot more to live here than it did in Suna so I needed to have two jobs so we would have enough to pay rent and buy food." Takatsu explained, scratching the back of his head.

Kana nodded understanding, "We are taking the Genin exam today, so we'll be doing missions from now on to help you pay the rent and everything."

Naruto and Garra sat quietly, listening to the conversation. Even though Garra knew Takatsu, having not been around him in awhile didn't feel comfortable enough to talk and be himself.

Naruto however barely knew the young man at all. He knew that he was kind but that's pretty much it. The man was someone foreign and new to him not like Garra and Kana; he had developed a relationship with them, and was comfortable around them.

Surprised Takatsu stared at the three children, "Seriously? That's great, it would help so much."

She then stood up, "We are going to be late, I'll see you later Taka."

Garra looked at the clock, they had over an hour until they had to meet Iruka; but he followed Kana's lead and left the house; he would ask questions later. Naruto did the same, grateful to be away from the young white haired man.

Having plenty of time to get to the academy, they walked slowly through the village. The six o'clock weather was pleasant, and as they passed a park Kana found herself wanting to go swing. Half skipping, she plopped down on the middle swing and began rocking her body back and fourth moving the swing. She rose high of the ground and smiled at the cool sensation of the wind hitting her face. Garra sat on the swing to the right, and Naruto sat to her left, watching her soar high up into the sky then swing back towards them at a high speed.

Kana lifted her feet up onto the swing, then letting go of the chains she jumped off the swing. With her arms out stretched, she soared through the air. She imagined herself, flying over high buildings, and seeing distant lands. But only for a moment was she to be free, gravity decided to finally push her back down to the earth.

Naruto's eyes widened as he jumped off the swing lunching to catch her. But Garra held his shoulder, pointing to Kana as she flipped in mid-air then landed softly on her feet in the sand.

He slowly exhausted, letting all the air he had been holding in out.

"Kana, we should leave if you don't want to be late."

When they entered the quiet school, Iruka, three Jounin, and the Hokage stood waiting for them.

"You will be tested individually then as a group." The Hokage announced.

The only women of the group had long wavy black hair and cherry red eyes. Her whole body was wrapped in bandages with along with a bandage looking dress. She smiled softly down at the children then turned her attention back to the Hokage.

The other two were men. One had a black hair that was cut like a bowel. He wore a green jumpsuit with orange leggings at the bottom. You could easily see his muscles through in the tight fabric.

'Taijutsu specialist,' Kana mentally noted, looking him up and down.

The other man stood a few steps behind the other Jounin, leaning against a window. Looking lazily at the children, Kana noticed that his hitai-ite covered his left eyes using only his right eye.

The one eyes Jounin, had snowy grey hair that angled slightly to the left due to his headband. He wore the standard Jounin outfit consisting of: navy blue pants, blue ninja sandals, and a dark green Jounin vest with a black muscle shirt underneath.

"Kurenai, Gai, Kakashi," Sarutobi said, "these are the children you will be testing. Please asses their strengths and weaknesses, and decide whether they are Genin material."

The three Jounin nodded, understanding.

"If you have no questions, let the rest begin!"

---

Kana opened her eyes, and rubbed her pounding head. Sitting up, she looked around and saw that she was outside.

'How did I end up here?' Kana wondered, getting up off the ground.

Cautiously, she began looking around the clearing.

'Wait a minute…something feels off…' Kana thought, and then she immediately putting her hands in a ram seal. Stopping the flow of her chakra then disrupting it, Kana opened her eyes and saw she was in one of the classrooms at the Academy.

Seeing the young women from before, she got into a defensive position and waited for her to attack.

Kurenai did not approach her, only raced through more hand seals creating more genjutsu's.

Taking a deep breath, Kana again put her hands in the ram seal and broke the genjutsu.

'I need to keep my flow of chakra disrupted. That's the only way I can beat her,' strategized Kana moving her hands out of the ram seal.

Concentrating, she was able to continue to keep it disrupted. Slumping over, as if she had passed out on her feet, Kana stood still. Thinking she was under a genjutsu, Kurenai let her guard down as she walked over the young girl.

Once she was within range, Kana quickly drew a kunai and held it behind the woman's throat expertly as if she had done this before.

"How…" Kurenai muttered, "I put up a multi-layered genjutsu up. How are you still standing?"

Kana increased the pressure of the blade on her throat, staying silent.

Sighing Kurenai mumbled, "You pass my test."

---

Wow well that's it for this chapter. Please review!