JennyTheWhiteWolf: Alright now this note shall be short and sweet. This is actually a pretty quick update for me and I hope that the rest of the chapters can go as smoothly.
DO NOT OWN NARUTO
Naruto looked around himself confused and frightened. Why was he always in the dark, always alone? Why did it seem that it was always him? Did he do something wrong that he wasn't aware of? He shook the thought out of his head though the pain in his heart still ached. He tried to search around himself in vain. Nothing could be seen through the darkness, but strangely he began to hear a sound far off in the distance. Slowly he began to make his way to what sounded like a dripping noise. The closer he got to the noise the stranger it became. There was no water anywhere to be seen and the noise simply echoed off of empty space. Naruto was surprised that in a rush he found himself in what appeared to be a sewer network. Torches were lit along the walls and now he was in water that came up past his ankles. The sudden change startled him and hurt his eyes that was used to the darkness. The water dripping noise made sense now seeing that he was surrounded by water, but the growling noise that filled the air certainly did not. He was afraid to find the source of the growling, but something pushed him forward and continued to walk down the halls until he found himself in a very large room. It was as if the room was made for giants and he felt every fiber of his being screaming to turn and run. Curiosity won however, as he looked upon a large cage like wall stretching from one side of the room to the other. In the middle of the enormous gate he could see a single piece of paper with kanji written on it, though what it said he was unsure since no one had been willing to teach him to read. Malice saturated the air as two large crimson eyes opened from behind the gate as well as a large smile that held many razor sharp teeth. What was truly terrifying besides the size of what he could say was a fox, was the fact that the smile directed at him was filled with so much malice and amusement that he stood frozen to the spot unable to move. After a moment he found his voice.
"W-what are you?" The smile upon the large fox widened if possible.
"I am the nine tailed fox Kyuubi and you sniveling child are my jailor." The fox began to sneer towards the end, but soon enough a mischievous grin took its place.
"Come closer boy." Afraid and unsure of what to do Naruto crept closer to the cage. Without warning three large claws struck out from the cage nearly hitting Naruto who stumbled back at the last second. A loud growl of a laugh rose from behind the iron bars of the cage shaking the room and creating ripples upon the water. Naruto clenched his fists and gradually stood, his small body shaking slightly. Naruto stared hard at this creature who was mocking him. Anger of the likes he has never felt swelled up in his little body as he glared at the fox.
"Shut up." Naruto glared up at the fox defiantly. The fox stopped laughing to stare down at the one bold enough to dare give him a command. At the look that was directed at him from Naruto he began laughing a new though louder and more boisterous than before. No one has ever dared show such blatant disrespect and here this whelp of a child in a moment of anger showed not even the slightest bit of fear facing him.
"Well, well, well, so the little whelp has a backbone huh?" Naruto continued to glare too angry to be afraid anymore.
"What do you know about it huh? Just leave me alone." Kyuubi continued to smile wickedly at Naruto.
"Silly little boy you already are alone." Kyuubi having been stuck within the boy only having the power to watch, knew he hit a sore spot. Most of Naruto's anger deflated as he stared down at the water at his feet. His thoughts turned to the villagers and how they had treated him or simply ignored his existence, but then out of all their hate he saw Atsuko's face, the one person to truly care for and protect him. She never hurt or said mean things to him. Courage came to him as he thought of her and he once more glared back at the fox.
"You're wrong, I have Atsuko." Kyuubi continued to chuckle as he looked down at him.
"Yes, but how long will that last before she gets sick of you? Before she leaves?" Naruto glared up at the fox not able to say anything because deep down he was right. He didn't want to admit it to himself so he was never going to admit it to the fox. He did the only thing he could to get away from the hurt and that was to run. The entire way he could hear the echoing laugh of the monstrous fox. Soon enough he found himself immersed in darkness only this time he didn't mind it. In fact this time he almost welcomed it. He was away from the fox, away from his hurtful words that rang so true to his heart. He simply sat and held his knees close to himself, but a loud crashing noise made him jump in panic.
Shooting from the bed Naruto looked around the room in a panic. It was dark and the sound of rain hit the roof and window with loud clarity. Naruto then looked out the window from his spot on the bed clutching the blankets close to him. The room suddenly lit up and a second later a loud crashing noise could be heard. Naruto was scared out of his mind and ran across the room in seconds. He opened the door to Atsuko's room and saw her sit up in alert as he stepped through the doorway. Naruto didn't think when he ran to the door and now that he was looking at Atsuko he was no longer sure if he should have come in. He didn't want to bother her and end up making her leave him. Atsuko was looking back at him in confusion and concern.
"Naruto?" Atsuko seeing the storm outside through the window quickly came to the conclusion that Naruto was scared and so opened her arms to him. Any other thoughts going through Naruto's head vanished as lightning struck. He ran to Atsuko and jumped into her arms. When the thunder followed Naruto buried his head into her chest. Atsuko in turn held him tight and brought the covers around him. Naruto clutched Atsuko with as much strength as his little body could muster and cried into her side. Atsuko lay on her side and held onto Naruto rubbing soothing circles into his back.
"Shhh, its ok Naruto, I'm here." After a time Naruto too tired fell into a dreamless sleep. Atsuko merely held Naruto close still whispering comforting words in his ear. Soon enough she found herself falling into a deep sleep, something that has eluded her for years.
Naruto awoke feeling warmer than he had ever felt in his life. Slowly he opened his bright blue eyes to see none other than Atsuko holding onto him. He looked up into her face to see her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. His heart swelled at the sight and hope filled him. Maybe, just maybe he could stay here with her. He smiled and breathed in deep and held her a little tighter. Atsuko after several moments opened her own eyes and saw the cerulean blue eyes looking into her onyx black ones. The smile that graced his face brought a similar smile to her own face. Without thought she bent down a placed a kiss upon his forehead. When she looked at him again his smile grew if at all possible and felt him burry his face into her shoulder. It was in this moment she realized how close Naruto was to her, how precious he has become to her. After all it has only been a month or so, but the boy was slowly and surely working his way into her heart.
"Good morning Naruto. Did you sleep ok?" Naruto gave a nod to which Atsuko simply smiled. "Good how about we get some breakfast, get ready, and then go out?" Naruto didn't say anything for a time not wanting to leave. He wanted to stay with Atsuko and he let his gaze drifted over to see her ninja attire on a chair in the corner. He stared at it a while before an idea came to him.
"Hey Atsuko do you think you could train me to be ninja?" It was only a matter of time before he asked. Its a good thing to since the academy was to start in a couple months. He did say before that he wanted to be a ninja, but she had to be certain that was what he wanted.
"Are you absolutely sure that is what you want? The life of a ninja is hard and dangerous?" Naruto nodded his head.
"Yeah I want to be like you." Atsuko smiled down at the boy and ruffled his hair.
"Alright I'll personally train you then, how about that?" Naruto smiled brightly and jumped off the bed seeing Atsuko getting up.
"Yeah you bet. I'll be the best ninja ever." Atsuko shook her head smiling at the boy.
"Go on and get ready for breakfast, after that we'll go to a training field." Naruto in his excitement ran to his room and began to change. He quickly stripped to his boxers and put his pajamas away and pulled out a pair of orange pants and a black shirt with a red spiral printed on the back. After putting on his black ninja sandals he got the pair of orange goggles and put them on. He turned and looked to see that his bed was still a big mess turned to go make it. He really wanted to simply ignore it and run downstairs for breakfast, but knew Atsuko would be upset if he didn't. So he made it as quickly as possible. It took him a while to do since the bed was huge and him so small. When he finally finished he raced down stairs nearly falling down in his haste. When he came down he saw that Atsuko was wearing her jonin attire. She had a pair of black pants, long sleeve shirt, ninja sandals, and her green jonin vest. On her hands looked to be fingerless gloves with a strip of metal on the back. The two sat down at the table eating a simple breakfast when a messenger hawk tapped at the window.
"Hm, what do we have here?" Naruto watched as Atsuko made her way over to the bird and took the note that was strapped to its foot. Naruto being curious boy he was watched Atsuko's face to see if the message was either good or bad. It must have been good because she smiled and shook her head after a bit.
'Hamako as ever you are taking on more than you can chew, but this would be good for Naruto as well.'Atsuko made her way over to Naruto and smiled down at him.
"Well it seems a good friend of mine would like for you to meet someone. I have a feeling that you and this someone will become friends. What do you say? Want to meet them?" Atsuko watched as Naruto contemplated whether he wanted to meet this person. On one hand he might make a friend and on the other this person could try to hurt him. As quickly as the thought entered his mind he pushed it aside. Atsuko was there to protect him and she herself said that he'll like this person. Besides if he wanted to be a ninja he can't be scared of everyone he comes across.
"Yeah, but we're still gonna train right?" Atsuko smiled.
"Of course and who knows, maybe your new friend will be your new sparring partner." Naruto was finishing his food just as Atsuko attached her reply to the messenger hawk. He watched as she began collecting the plates and began to think on the people that he was to meet. She said that they were old friends, but other than that he knew nothing about them.
"Ready Naruto?" Atsuko was waiting in the doorway of the kitchen watching Naruto pout. As soon as she called his name she saw him snap to attention and jump from his seat. He ran to her side and raised his hand to hold on to her left. As they were outside Naruto wondered at the small rays of sunshine and the still very damp roads ahead. Not many people were out, but then again they were going in a direction that not many people went.
"Atsuko-chan?" Atsuko made a soft sort of humming noise in her throat in response to her name.
"What are the people like? The ones we are meeting. What are their names?"
"Well we are meeting Hamako and Hinata Hyuuga. I haven't met little Hinata, but I know Hamako very well. We were on the same gennin team when we were around your age. She is a nice and caring individual and has what can be a fearsome temper when provoked." Naruto nodded his head as if agreeing with Atsuko's assessment of her friend. That was when he noticed the shops and people surrounding him. The people of course would glare, but they held their tongues around Atsuko. That was when he wished that he too could run atop the buildings as Atsuko had done that one night.
'One day I'll be ninja and be able to run on the roofs too.'Naruto beamed at the thought completely ignoring the people around him. He then felt himself come to a stop and looked at Atsuko in question. The shop that the two stopped in front of held a sky blue sign with sea green lettering that appeared as flowing vines that read 'Yamanaka's Flower Shop'. Over all the sign was elegant and cast an image that appealed to Naruto. He looked at the window display and saw several beautifully arranged bouquets.
"What are we doing here?" Naruto looked at Atsuko confused.
"Well Hamako told me that Hinata was feeling sad so I thought that a flower might cheer her up. Besides a flower is a great ice breaker for you."
"Ice breaker?" Atsuko shook her head and ushered Naruto through the door which gave a series of rings as they entered. Not a moment later a woman's voice rang from behind a counter towards the back.
"Welcome to Yamanaka's Flower Shop." Naruto looked up and saw a tall slender woman with platinum blonde hair and bright sea green eyes. Naruto looked between the woman and Atsuko not helping, but think how this woman appeared to be the exact opposite of Atsuko. The woman was bright and held a smile that stretched from one side of her face to the other. Atsuko though able to smile at him seemed strained while doing so as if she never really smiled before. When it comes to appearance the woman has bright eyes and hair and Atsuko was dark. It was like light and dark meeting. The woman having felt eyes upon her came to look at Naruto. Naruto fully expected her to glare, to hate him, or ignore him, which stung all the more. He was not expecting what actually did happen. The woman bent down to his level and her smile actually grew which completely surprised him. He in response gave a face splitting grin in return after realizing that she was specifically smiling down at him.
"Hi little guy how can I help you?" At the end the woman looked to Atsuko directing the question to include her as well.
"The two of us are here for some flowers for a friend. She has had a rough experience the last couple nights and we wish to cheer her up."
"Well you have come to the right place…" The woman faulted for a moment. "What are your names?" Atsuko placed a hand on Naruto's head as she introduced him."This is Naruto Uzumaki and I Atsuko Uchiha." The woman smiled and held her hand to Naruto and instructed him to grasp hers to give a hand shake.
"Well met Naruto and Atsuko. I am Kohana Yamanaka. Now lets see what I can do for you. Did you have something particular in mind?" Atsuko gave a small nod.
"Actually I was thinking of Lavender. I have a feeling that she will like it." Kohana gave a bright smile.
"That is an excellent choice. Hold on a minute while I go get your purchase. Is that all you want?" Atsuko gave a small nod and watched as the woman went to one of the shelves holding many assortments of flowers. She came back quickly with the flower in her hand and went to the counter with the cash register and rang up the item. After Atsuko had paid for the flower Kohana bent down and handed the pretty little flower to Naruto. Suddenly a noise could be heard followed by a girl's voice.
"Hey momma when can we go home, I'm bored." A little girl came from the back of the store wearing a pale pink shirt and dark purple pants. She was a miniature of her mother with long platinum blonde hair and bright sea green eyes though hers had a darker blue rim along the iris. When her eyes landed on Naruto and her mother she instantly became curious and walked over to the two of them.
"Who are they momma?" Kohana introduced the two to Ino and she became confused.
"Is she your mom? If so how come you don't look like her?" Naruto fiddled with his hands, but shook his head.
"No I don't have a mom." Ino couldn't understand that. Everyone had a mom, didn't they? Naruto on the other hand looked sad. He always wanted a mother of his own. He wanted to know that no matter what someone in this world loved him. He envied those that had mothers and felt his chest tighten knowing he would never have one. Kohana felt bad for Naruto since she knew of his predicament and felt sorrow for his situation and the harsh treatment of the village. She and her husband knew that the child was not the demon, but the container of the Kyuubi. The both of them have complete faith in the fourth's ability at sealing. Not many saw that though and treated the boy poorly. She did not like it, but she did not have the power to do anything about it. She did however have the power to help influence her daughter into making the right decisions.
"Not everyone has a mom Ino. Some don't have a dad either. You should be careful of who you ask or you'll make them sad." Ino contemplated her mother's words and nodded.
"Sorry if I made you sad Naruto." Naruto shook his head embarrassed.
"It's ok." Ino smiled as well as Kohana.
"Naruto you may not have a mom, but you do have Atsuko here who obviously cares very much about you." Naruto looked over to Atsuko who gave a smile and nodded her head. Naruto smile stretched across his face and ran to Atsuko who bent down to embrace him. After a moment or so Atsuko stood once more and held Naruto's hand firmly in her own.
"Thank you Kohana, but now the two of us better get going." Kohana smiled at the two.
"Alright, but don't be strangers ok? The best part of this job is the customers and I find little Naruto adorable." Naruto blushed at the compliment not really used to hearing them from someone besides Atsuko.
"I'll see what I can do, but now Naruto is to meet a new friend." Kohana nodded.
"Well have a good day."
"Bye Naruto." Naruto smiled and waved back at Ino. With that Atsuko led Naruto out who in turn held the lavender tightly. Time went by quickly for the next thing that Naruto saw was the training field rapidly approaching. The training field held a few trees here and there and a little further off he could see a rather large pond. The area felt peaceful and the sun was casting warm rays of light upon the surface of the water. As he looked closer at the pond he could make out two figures waiting at the bank. When he got closer he could see that the elder one was around Atsuko's age and the smaller looked to be about his age. The elder of the two has dark brown hair held in a small ponytail and she has white pupil less eyes. Instantly he remembered the woman at the hospital with the hawk mask. Her outfit is identical to Atsuko's although she didn't have the gloves. The other girl's hair is short and a dark blue that framed her face nicely. Her outfit consisted of black pants, sandals, and a lilac colored shirt. Interesting was that she too had white pupil less eyes. Naruto wondered about the eyes, but decided not to say anything.
"Well look who decided to show. It's about time." Atsuko raised her hand in greeting and then set Naruto on his feet.
"We had to make a little side trip that took a little longer than expected." The elder gave a small nod and then smiled at Naruto.
"It's good to see you again Naruto though if anyone asks this is our first meeting. My name is Hamako Hyuuga and this young lady is Hinata Hyuuga. Anyway when I was told to guard little Hinata here I thought the two of you would be great playmates and here we are." Naruto watched Hinata cling to the pant leg of Hamako trying in vain to hide from the two new comers. Atsuko gave Naruto a nudge toward Hinata while also gesturing towards the flower. He still didn't understand the concept of the flower and its purpose, but decided that Atsuko knew better. The moment that Naruto got within reaching distance of Hinata he thrust the hand that contained the flower forward. Hinata gave a small eep and hid her face from view. When nothing happened she peeked around the fabric to see Naruto with his hand extended offering the flower to her.
"Here you can have it." Hinata stared at the boy for a long moment before she hesitantly uncurled one of her hands to reach for the flower. She took extra effort not to touch Naruto as she gently took it from his hand. She then examined the flower and brought it up to her face. She inhaled the sweet fragrance and a small smile graced her face.
"Hinata, Atsuko and I need to talk so why don't you and Naruto get acquainted. We will be just by those trees over there so if anything were to happen we'll be there in a flash." Hinata looked terrified at the thought of her protector leaving her with someone she knew nothing about, but nodded her head accepting it. Hamako though had to nearly pry Hinata's hands away before she could walk freely. Once the two children were out of their hearing range though still close enough to protect them should something happen did Hamako's smiling face turn serious.
"There was a kidnapping attempt on Hinata the previous night. After the first attempt three years ago tension is running high in the compound. It's a miracle that they let me escort her, but Hiashi has been so tough on little Hinata. He forces her to do grueling training and so far it has done more harm than good." Atsuko regarded the information silently as she watched the two children looking for stones. Naruto was apparently determined to teach Hinata how to skip stones.
"So you yourself have offered to train her in his stead." Hamako shook her head.
"No, only that I guard her. I actually wanted your opinion on whether I should request such a thing. They after all are not very fond of me, but Hinata's confidence is shattered and Hiashi is growing all the more frustrated that she is not meeting his expectations." Atsuko nodded as she watched Hinata gently toss a stone across the lake, but instead of skipping it had sunk upon the first impact. She looked down looking about ready to cry, but Naruto came over and placed a small hand on her shoulder giving her what she could only assume as encouragement. Naruto may not have realized himself what he had done, but Hinata gave a small smile and began to look for another rock.
"I think it's a good idea. I myself was thinking of training Naruto. He is so full of energy and always wanting to prove himself. He's a smart kid and I know that he'll be a great ninja one day." Hamako smiled at Atsuko.
"Growing attached are we?" Atsuko smiled at Hamako who in turn looked at her in inquisitively.
"You know the moment I began to watch him I was far more attached than I should have. Which was why I fought so hard to be able to do more. I'm not letting this chance slip and I am going to try and run with it." Naruto chose that moment to run up to them dragging a blushing Hinata by the hand. Atsuko instantly gave a smile at his approach and Hamako watched her in silent wonder. She had never seen her smile as much since they were kids. It seems little Naruto has done her friend some good.
"Hey, hey Atsuko-chan! Hinata said that she had started her ninja training a long time ago. When are you gonna help me start mine? Do you think that I can learn some awesome jutsu? Maybe a fire one?" Atsuko smiled at Naruto's enthusiastic behavior and ruffled his golden locks.
"Sure kiddo, but it might be a while before learn a jutsu. It all depends on how hard you work. If you work hard and practice I'll teach you that fire jutsu." Naruto's eyes lit up and with new found energy jumped up and pumped his fist in the air.
"I'm gonna work really hard and be the strongest ninja ever." Both Hamako and Atsuko smiled at Naruto. Atsuko then directed her attention to Hinata. She was poking her index fingers together trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.
"Hinata, have you practiced with your chakra before?" Hinata shook her head.
"N-no I have o-only p-practiced taijutsu, but they e-explained it to me." Atsuko nodded her head. It wasn't uncommon to drill in theory before actual practice took place, but then again she was always more of a hands on sort of person. Naruto was confused and crossed his arms waiting for someone to explain things to him.
"What's chakra?"
"Chakra is essential to even the most basic jutsu; it is a mixture of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience." Naruto gave Atsuko a blank look and she came down to his level.
"Close your eyes." Naruto looked confused, but trusted Atsuko so did as he was told. "Now tell me what you feel." Naruto squirmed a bit and eventually began to rock back and forth on his heels. Atsuko placed a hand on his shoulder and he calmed down some.
"Well I feel warm." Atsuko nodded.
"Good now bring forth as much of that warmth as possible. I want you to imagine grabbing that warmth and pulling it closer to you." Naruto gave a nod to Atsuko and to Hamako's surprise Naruto began to glow a light blue.
"Naruto open your eyes." The moment he opened them and saw the glow of his chakra he gasped and stared at it unbelieving, but his control lapsed and the glowing receded.
"What was that?" Atsuko smiled.
"That would be your chakra and by the looks of it, you have quite a bit of it. Hinata, why don't you try the same thing?" Hinata's face grew red as Atsuko's dark eyes met with her light ones.
"O-ok…"Hinata closed her eyes and began to feel for her chakra. She was told about chakra and knew the concepts of chakra, but never actually been able to draw upon it. She was also told that when directed at the eyes would bring out the Byakugan. Unconsciously she began to do just that and was greatly surprised when she opened her eyes to see not only Atsuko, Hamako, and Naruto, but the lake behind her as well. She was so shocked that like Naruto she gasped, but unlike him she quickly brought her hands up to block out the sudden enhanced image and realized her effort was in vein when she could see past her hands. Becoming panicked she stopped the flow of chakra. She was relieved when her vision was normal again.
"It seems Hinata has awakened her Byakugan with little to no trouble." Hamako smiled at Hinata who was still recovering from the incident.
"Yeah wish the Sharingan was that easy." Naruto was confused and openly expressed it.
"What is the Sharingan and the Byakugan?" Atsuko pointed to her eyes.
"They are both very powerful eye techniques that are unique only to those of the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clan. The Uchiha have the Sharingan and the Hyuuga have the Byakugan." Naruto scrunched his eyes together and crossed his arms.
"So you have the Sharingan and Hamako and Hinata have the Byakugan." Atsuko nodded before Naruto continued. "So when your eyes turned red before that was the Sharingan?" Atsuko gave a wide smile this time impressed by how observant he really was.
"Yes it is, but now we are getting off topic. The reasons I told you about your chakra is so that you can learn to use and control it." At that Atsuko plucked several leaves from the tree behind her and gave one to Naruto and one to Hinata. After that she brought one to her forehead and the two were surprised to see the leaf stay in place on her brow.
"I want you to use your chakra to hold the leaf in place on your forehead. You need to use just the right amount of chakra to do so. Too much chakra will send the leaf flying and too little will allow the leaf to fall." Naruto looked to Hinata who gave a small smile and a blush. Naruto returned the smile with one of his own and put the leaf to his forehead. The moment he brought the chakra to his forehead the leaf shot off his head and he watched amazed as Atsuko caught the leaf just as it was about to hit her. Hamako gave a small chuckle.
"That's a little too much chakra Naruto. Try again, just use less ok." Naruto smiled at Hamako and tried again. Hinata who was watching Naruto brought her own leaf to her forehead. For a few moments the leaf stayed in place before gently falling to the ground. Naruto who saw this beamed at Hinata.
"Wow Hinata you got the leaf to stick." Naruto continued to smile despite the fact that his own leaf just before sky rocketed at Hamako. Hinata was blushing at the praise and wanted nothing more than to hide.
"Atsuko it seems that you have a message." Atsuko looked up to see a dark brown hawk heading her way. As it got closer the hawk swooped down to land upon Atsuko's outstretched arm. She made sure to reinforce the area the hawk was to land with chakra so the talons of the hawk would not damage her. Atsuko reached for the message and placed the hawk on her shoulder so that she could read it. Her eyes grew large at first, but quickly her face became blank as she was contemplating what to do.
"Must have been some message. Is everything ok?" Hamako asked Atsuko. Both Hinata and Naruto were looking at her strangely.
"Yes everything is fine. It was from Mikoto. She has asked to see me regarding a favor." Hamako's eyes grew large.
"Are you going to see her?" Atsuko gave a nod.
"Of course I will. I promised to protect her and I never go back on my word even though she went back on hers." Naruto watched Atsuko closely and absorbed the words as she turned to give him a smile.
Mikoto had woken early and glanced at her sleeping husband. His hair was askew and his face was peaceful, a deep contrast to his waking hours. A small smile graced her face as she looked at him and then as quietly as she could slipped out of the bed. He had a long night and she didn't wish to wake him. She dressed quickly in a navy blue kimono with the Uchiha symbol on the back. She did a quick scan of herself as she finished brushing her raven black hair. Her dark eyes met her reflection and she deemed herself acceptable. She then began walking down the corridors of her home and passed one of her son's rooms. She could hear his light breathing and smiled to herself. She eventually made her way outside where she found her other son absentmindedly throwing shuriken at a target about fifty feet away. He had dark eyes like the rest of the clan and his black hair hung near his cheeks to frame his face and a long ponytail in the back. His most distinguishing feature is the long pronounced tear troughs under his eyes. He wore a black shirt with a large Uchiha clan symbol on the back, and black pants with a weapons pouch strapped to them. At the moment his face was passive and his eyes unreadable, but she knew that his mind was buzzing. He was trying to figure something out as he usually does during shuriken practice, but there were other hints as well, ones that perhaps only she knew. One would be the slight pursing of the lips he is sporting at the very moment.
"Something on your mind?" Her son sighed and threw his last shuriken into the target with the others clustered at the center. Afterward he crossed his arms over his chest and turned to her.
"I'm trying to figure out my next course of action." It was a simple statement, but held fervor, meaning once he figured out how to get what he wants no one was going to stop him.
"Then you still wish to join Itachi?" Itachi's eyes were unwavering as he nodded his head. She knew at that moment that no matter what she said he was going to follow through with his plans.
"Then I will support your decision and help you in any way that I can." She saw the shock cross his features and his arms hung done by his sides.
"What of father?" Mikoto smiled at Itachi.
"What of him? This is something that you want and I only want you to be happy, so don't you worry about him. I will take care of it. I may also have a way to get you into ANBU." Itachi gave a slight smile as he contemplated his mother's words.
"How do you plan to do this?" Mikoto smiled knowing Itachi never really smiled for anyone other than her and Sasuke.
"I was thinking of getting you apprenticed under an ANBU captain that I know. I believe that she will agree, but there is a chance that she may say no after all we didn't exactly leave off on a good note." Itachi took in her words and nodded.
"Who is this person?" Mikoto smiled.
"My younger sister Atsuko. She had always been very gifted, much like you. It didn't take her long to get into ANBU herself. She was the youngest member ever recorded at age twelve." Itachi eyes became contemplative.
"I did not know that you had a sister."
"Yes, but we had a fight a long time ago. I said things I never should have and I had distanced myself from her. We had almost mended our relationship when you were born. She was actually very fond of you when you were young. She hardly left your side if not for brother. That was lost when your father gave me an ultimatum and that was him or her. I chose him and she has never forgiven me. It doesn't help that the clan does not approve of her."
"Then why do I not know her?" Mikoto sighed.
"Atsuko was always too gifted for her own good. She was the prodigy of the clan and Obito, her twin and my younger brother, was considered a failure. He was considered so, but only because he refused to, as he said, become a prick and look down on others. He was always smiling and joking and people believed he did not take his training seriously. He was viewed as the clown and they looked down on him for not awakening his Sharingan. His fire jutsu were really something, but no one cared about that. He died at twelve and Atsuko took his death hard. The clan was too busy congratulating her on her battle prowess in her latest mission to notice her emotional state. She was brought before the clan council to determine her status in the clan when someone talked very poorly of Obito, called him a failure and an embarrassment that the clan was happy to be rid of. She snapped and with a single look of her new sharingan sent the man into a comma who died a month later. It is with the third hokage's interference that she was spared harsh punishment. After that she joined ANBU and cut off all ties to the Uchiha, not that they cared much. She had become shunned by the Uchiha and I have not seen her since. You were two at the time." Itachi took it all in silently and saw the sadness upon his mothers face.
"I would like to meet her." Mikoto smiled half heartedly.
"I thought that you would, so you can collect your shuriken while I go and write to her." She ruffled his hair and chuckled at his half hearted glare and watched as he tried to straighten it back out.
Itachi watched his mother walk inside. It was hard to believe that he had an Aunt or a deceased uncle though not an impossible feat. He didn't know what to make of her though. Would she help him? She did after all cut her ties to the Uchiha and may want nothing to do with him. Then again he doesn't know her or anything about her so trying to predict her was the same as predicting a perfect stranger; tiring and pointless. When he went inside he saw his family at the table eating a simple breakfast.
"Brother sit next to me." Sasuke was grinning brightly and his raven black hair stuck up in the back while the rest framed his face. He wore his usual blue shirt with the high collar and black pants. Every morning he said the same thing and every morning he would take a seat next to him.
"Good morning Sasuke, mother, father." Mikoto and Sasuke gave a smile and Fugaku merely gave a nod in acknowledgement. Fugaku has short brown hair and onyx eyes. He wore a standard ninja vest, a black t-shirt with the Konoha Military Police Force symbol.
"Brother can you teach me how to throw shuriken today? Please?" Itachi was about to answer, but Mikoto beat him to it.
"I'm sorry dear, but your brother will be busy meeting someone today." Mikoto saw Sasuke's dejected face and hated to upset him, so with a smile she added, "but if you want you can come along?" Sasuke immediately began smiling again and nodding his head vigorously. Fugaku, however, had crossed his arms and began glaring at his empty plate. Itachi watched him closely fully expecting him to say something, but he remained silent. It was then that he realized that his mother must have talked to him. Inwardly he was relieved a scene wouldn't take place. He didn't want Sasuke to be drawn into it.
"When will you return?" Fugaku looked at Itachi, but shifted his gaze and focused on Mikoto.
"I'm not sure, but we'll definitely be back by dinner." Fugaku nodded his head and stood.
"I have some business to do at the Police Force. I will see you later on today." With that he left and Itachi watched him go.
Naruto was trying to keep several leaves sticking to his face while waiting for whoever this Mikoto person was. He didn't mind knowing that Atsuko was there beside him. He felt safe and cared for with her around. She cared what happened to him and not because of her duty as a shinobi. He could see it in her eyes. No one has ever looked at him like that. She praised him for what he did right and protected him from the people around him. For once he didn't care what the villagers thought of him. He felt the panic once more when he remembered that she might not stay forever, but he squished it wanting for now to believe that she would.
"How are you doing Naruto?" The leaves had been staying in place so far, but with the sudden question the leaves shot off like a rocket making Atsuko chuckle.
"It's hard, but they're starting to stick." Naruto beamed up at her. He quickly went to collect some more leaves, but saw people approaching, two boys and a woman. The youngest was smiling and tugging at the older boy's sleeve. The woman smiled at their antics, but when her eyes landed on Atsuko her smile vanished to be replaced by a sad look. She looked nervous to him, but couldn't understand why. Atsuko was nice, well at least to him. She wasn't so nice to the villagers.
"Hello Tsuki." Atsuko gave a curt nod while Mikoto found a certain part of the forest floor very interesting.
"Hello Koto. It's been a while." Mikoto looked at Atsuko with a small smile and gave a nod.
"Yes it has. These are my sons. Itachi and Sasuke as you might know. Itachi is eleven now and Sasuke is six." Itachi gave Atsuko a blank look while Sasuke was smiling at Mikoto. Naruto felt a little out of place with the little family reunion, but stayed by Atsuko's side.
"This is Naruto and he is six as well." Mikoto smiled at Naruto and brought her sons a little closer.
"It's nice to meet you Naruto." Naruto blushed slightly as she smiled at him. He felt awkward and didn't want everyone's attention directed at him. He noticed as Atsuko examined the newcomers her eyes softened as they landed on Itachi.
"I would know that face instantly, though no doubt you would not recognize mine." Itachi shook his head confirming her statement. Mikoto looked to Atsuko trying to apologize though knowing that nothing she could say would ease the hurt of the years gone by. Naruto simply watched the exchange and noticed that Sasuke was looking at him and he lifted his hand in greeting. Sasuke gave a small smile and returned it.
"Hey Sasuke do you wanna practice chakra control with me?" Naruto didn't like long silences and somehow an awkward one fell upon them. He was looking at the leaves in his hand and the idea of practicing with someone again came to him. Though he didn't mean to blurt it out the way he did. Sasuke looked to Mikoto for permission and she gave a nod.
"Itachi do you think you can supervise the two while I speak to Atsuko?" Itachi gave a nod and led the two a little further from the two adults.
"I know its wrong of me to ask, but I don't know anyone better to help my son. He wants to become ANBU and I fear for him. I just didn't know who to turn to. He is stubborn like you and just as gifted. He would eventually get what he wants, but this way I know that he can be better protected." Atsuko once more nodded at Mikoto.
"We are my family; of course I will help. I promised to protect you all those years ago and I have continued to do so. I can't deny the fact that what you have done and said hurt, but I still care for you. The one thing that I regret is that I could not be there for my nephews." Mikoto smiled sadly and couldn't help the guilt she felt at their last parting. Their mother was dying and all the medical shinobi had given up on trying to help her, all but Atsuko. She studied and trained vigorously with medical jutsu in the hopes of saving her to no avail. She died and Atsuko and Obito were there to witness it. She at the time put all her hopes into her younger sibling hoping and praying that she would heal their sick mother through some miracle. When she died she blamed Atsuko, said that she didn't train hard enough. That being the prodigy of the clan did little good to her if she couldn't help when it mattered. It took a long time for the anger to pass and the guilt to set in, but by that time it was too late. Both Atsuko and Obito were gone. It was only when Itachi was born was there hope for them. The moment that she set eyes on him she knew that she would go to the ends of the earth for her son. There was so much tenderness and love there for the child and the way Itachi looked back at her she knew that he felt it. When Atsuko again looked to her, it was neutral. Devoid of any feeling and as rigid as the trained officer she was. It hurt her, but she knew that she deserved it.
"I'm so sorry for all the things that I have said and done. If you do not forgive me I understand, but please help my son." Atsuko gave a sad smile to Mikoto.
"I understand why you said the things you did and I will try to forgive you. I was hurt and so alone. The fact is I know it was my fault. I should have done more somehow. If I did not do half the things I did maybe I would have been able to know Itachi and Sasuke. The one thing thought that I want you to know as fact is that I will always protect my nephews, always." Mikoto looked on sadly at Atsuko.
"It was wrong of me to have done so and I regret it every day. However, I am most sorry for me not being there to help you. I abandoned you. I abandoned both you and Obito to fend for yourselves and you were both so young. If anyone is to blame for the rift between us it's me. I just want another chance to finally set things right. I know I don't deserve it, but I hope to make amends by giving you the chance to know Itachi and Sasuke." Atsuko gave a small smile towards Mikoto who could honestly not recall the last time one was directed toward her.
"I don't know about blame, but I am happy to have that chance of having my sister and nephews back." Mikoto smiled and nodded.
"I do too. So how did you come to know little Naruto?" Atsuko smiled at the change in topic. Though thinking about how she had first met Naruto made her angry. She explained to Mikoto everything. From the time she met him to her meeting them here today.
"It sounds to me like you have grown close to him." Atsuko nodded.
"Yeah I'm trying to become his permanent guardian, but I don't know if I can. How do I know if I would be a good mother? What if I am not strong enough to protect him?" Mikoto gave her a smile and looked over to Sasuke and Naruto, who were both trying to ambush Itachi, but even their combined efforts were futile and they landed in a heap on the ground. They both laughed and then turned to each other looking as if trying to come up with a strategy to get Itachi. Itachi in that time simply stood his ground though curious what the two could come up with together.
"You never fully know whether you're a good parent until it happens, but I know that you will be a great mother. I can tell, after all I have known you all your life and because of that I know that you care for Naruto. As for strength you are the strongest person I know." Atsuko smiled.
"Well how about we finalize my apprenticing Itachi? It is getting late and I know that Fugaku will be waiting for you." Mikoto sighed not wanting to leave, but knowing that she was right.
"I promise to protect him Mikoto. You can trust that." Mikoto gave a grateful smile and nod as she and Atsuko went to the boys and held the hands of both Naruto and Sasuke. They were both going off about how they tried to ambush Itachi. Itachi in the mean time walked beside Atsuko who was trailing behind the three.
"Why do you want to be in ANBU?" Itachi responded, but kept his eyes ahead.
"I want to protect those I care for and not just my clan, but the village as well. I believe my talents would be best suited there." Atsuko wasn't fully convinced though.
"Is that the only reason?" Itachi turned to regard Atsuko and actually gave the briefest of smiles.
"No, but I did not wish to upset mother. I want a way out. I can't stand father's pushing me into leading the clan. I don't want it and I think that Sasuke would be far better suited. This is the only thing that I can think of." Atsuko gave a smile of her own.
"I can understand that. You can trust me. I will protect you with my life and will do all that I can to help you. I promise you that." Itachi gave her a brief smile feeling as if she really did understand his reasons for joining. She felt familiar and he trusted that. It came as a surprise when they stood outside the hokage building. Atsuko told Naruto to stay with Mikoto while she and Itachi went inside to speak to the hokage. The two walked in silence to the hokage's office. They now stood in front of the office for admittance. The secretary seemed uncomfortable with the two standing beside her and tried to discreetly scoot further away from the two.
"I'm sure the hokage will call you in any minute." Every moment that passed by, the more uncomfortable the secretary felt and the more her fidgeting only increased. The two were silent and their faces were identical in both physical characteristics and the fact that not a single emotion was displayed. What was getting to her though was the intensity of their eyes so dark and calculating.
'Oh please hokage-sama call them in. I don't want to be stuck here with them, they scare me.'As if the hokage could hear the silent pleas of his secretary he called the two inside.
"Well good evening you two. This is quite a surprise. I am glad to see the two of you here together. I trust that Mikoto and you have patched things up then?" Sarutobi gave a warm smile as Atsuko nodded her head. How the hokage seemed to know all should surprise her, but living within a ninja village did make one difficult to surprise.
"We met on earlier in the day. We have come so that I may request an apprenticeship. I would like to take Itachi under my wing. Since I am in reserve I can use that time to teach and guide Itachi in the ways of ANBU." Sarutobi quickly became serious as he looked at Itachi who held his gaze unblinkingly.
"Is this so Itachi?" Itachi nodded.
"Yes I wish to serve clan and village alike by doing this sir." Sarutobi sighed and grabbed the necessary forms. It was an annoying process, but a necessary one. Once the papers were signed by each party he filed the papers away.
"Realize that you will not begin active duty immediately. You are to be evaluated and once you are deemed worthy of your post you will gain your mask and begin working with your fellows." Itachi nodded in understanding.
"Good. Is that all the two of you wished to ask me or is there something more?" Atsuko nodded her head.
"Yes sir there is one more matter I wish to discuss." Sarutobi raised a brow. Atsuko was never really so formal with him out of ANBU uniform unless she felt nervous for whatever reason.
"It's about Naruto sir." Sarutobi instantly became tense and feared what may have happened.
"Is he hurt?" Atsuko shook her head.
"No sir he's fine." Sarutobi instantly relaxed and saw Itachi looking at Atsuko in question.
"I was actually thinking of adopting him sir. You said if all goes well that we can make this more permanent and I think that they are. I can't stand the thought of leaving him. I was hoping that you could draw up the papers and I can speak with this to Naruto later on in the week. I also plan to speak to Fugaku on the matter. I know a way that I believe that I can get him to allow me to fully adopt him." Sarutobi gave a large smile and pulled out a stack of papers within one of his drawers. Things had gone far smoother than he would have dared to hope for and had set out for the necessary papers knowing it was merely a matter of time before she asked.
"I had a feeling you would ask this of me and have already drawn up the papers myself. All that is left is for you, Naruto, and me to sign on the dotted lines. If you wish for him to be an Uchiha then you would need Fugaku's signature as well." Atsuko thanked the hokage. She knew it would cost her, but the idea of making Naruto family appealed to her. She liked the idea of adding Uchiha at the end of his name; Naruto Uzumaki-Uchiha. The more that she thought about it the more she liked it.
"How did you know that I would ask?" Sarutobi merely smiled at her.
"I have watched you grow from a small girl to a grown woman. I know that Naruto makes you happy and that it was only a matter of time before you asked me. He has brought out the better part of you and he needs you just as much as you need him. After you gain the necessary signatures you can bring that and Naruto back to finalize the adoption." Atsuko smiled at Sarutobi and gave a small bow.
"Thank you Sarutobi-sama." Sarutobi smiled fondly at Atsuko and gave her a nod.
"You're quite welcome." Itachi followed Atsuko's example and thanked him for his time. After that they left the office and much to the secretary's relief had left promptly and without paying her the least bit of attention. When the two came upon Mikoto they saw that she was watching Sasuke running after Naruto hoping to catch him, but every time he got close he would evade him by pulling away at the last second by maneuvering around him. As sad as it was Naruto has had too many personal experiences of people trying to catch him and it was that experience that he was able to evade Sasuke as he has.
"So how did it go with the hokage?"
"It went well. Itachi is officially my apprentice and can not enter active duty until I feel that he is ready for it." Mikoto looked relieved at this and smiled at Itachi who nodded back to her.
"There is also something that I must do and I will need your help to do so. I wish to speak to Fugaku. I want to at least be civil and I believe that I may have a way to do just that. I will, however, need the opportunity to speak to him." Mikoto looked concerned, but trusted her judgment.
"I believe that I can help you, but how are you going to smooth things over?" Atsuko sighed and then followed up by smiling a tiny smile at both Mikoto and Itachi.
"I have abilities that could greatly benefit him. I will offer to help him on occasion so long as it does not come between either Naruto or my active duties." Mikoto looked worried, but Itachi was the one to voice her concerns.
"Are you sure that is wise? The situation may only escalate." Atsuko shook her head.
"That is not the case. Trust me; I know what I am doing. I do not want to make things difficult at home for you and if I do not do this, things will deteriorate within your family structure and I do not want you to have to choose between me and him again." Mikoto gave a sad smile and called out to the two boys who came running.
"Alright you two, it's time we to go home and have dinner." Sasuke nodded his head and smiled over at Naruto.
"I'll see you later." Naruto smiled at the dark haired boy.
"You bet!" Atsuko smiled at the display and waved goodbye to her sister and nephews. As the two made their way home she noticed that Naruto was practically radiating happiness.
"You have a good day?" Naruto swung her hand as he bounced up and down.
"Yeah I had made two friends in one day. Today is the best day ever." Atsuko smiled at him and notice him frown once they stood in front of her home, their home. That was when she noticed Kakashi standing there. Atsuko had explained the other day that she had another mission coming up and that Kakashi was going to be watching him.
"You're leaving aren't you?" Atsuko nodded to Naruto and the two approached Kakashi. Kakashi followed along silently waiting for her to address him.
"Yeah, but Kakashi will be here to protect you while I'm gone, right Kakashi?" Naruto continued to frown as the three of them made their way inside.
"Yeah and she will be back as soon as her mission is over."
"I don't want you to go." Kakashi sighed, but knew how attached that Naruto was to Atsuko.
"I will be back before you know it and who knows I may bring you back a present. Be good for Kakashi ok." Naruto still didn't look too happy, but liked the idea of a present.
"Ok." Atsuko ruffled his hair and smiled at Kakashi.
"Thanks for doing this Kakashi." Kakashi nodded his head.
"It's fine it's not really that big a deal." Kakashi gave Atsuko a smile while he scratched the back of his head.
"Well it means something to me so thank you." With that Atsuko bent down to Naruto's level and placed a kiss on his brow and a soft smile in Kakashi's direction. Naruto was still pouting, but knew better than to say anything. With that she made her way upstairs to deposit the adoption papers and to change. After checking her gear she left promptly to meet with her team.
"Alright, so are you hungry?" Naruto wasn't sure, but he suddenly felt scared over the concept of Kakashi in the kitchen. He ignored the feeling, but later that night wished that he would have listened and ran away as soon as those words left his lips. Kakashi was a horrible cook.
JennyTheWhiteWolf: So that was the chapter. I hope that you all liked it and will think about reviewing and telling me your opinions and suggestions? I do love to hear those. It is in fact proven that reviews equal faster updates ;) Anywho I welcome feedback and don't mind criticism really. I do want to improve my writing capabilities after all. Alright so there will be no more ranting from me. You all have a good night or day depending on when you read this.