Sensing a familiar chakra signature closing in on her location, she stood there for several more moments when she felt the air stir around her and turned her head to look at Itachi's raven mask and blood spattered uniform.

Reaching up, the tall ten year old tugged his mask off and gave the girl a small smile before leaning down and kissing her cheek and then noted the Hokage a few feet away and asked curiously, "What did I miss?"

"A lot, apparently." Uzu replied under her breath so only he would hear her. The Uchiha prodigy only hummed in response and watched the Village Hokage through dark calculating eyes. His mind already racing about the reason's why the Kage would be here, in this particular place, at this current time.

Had he come out to make sure that Uzu went through with the mission? Or had he come out to do something more nefarious to her? The thought alone made his gloved fingers twitch some as he hand slowly went for his weapon's pouch, his eyes narrowing at the man in a malicious glare.

His hand was almost to his weapon's pouch when Uzu's hand shot out and grasped his wrist in a careful grip, so that she didn't accidentally harm him. "Don't." Uzu hissed out softly. The one word coupled with her tone, could easily freeze the blood in his veins. Yet he wasn't scared.

He had no reason to be afraid of her.

Not when he knew she held affection for him. Just as he held affection for her. He did however give her a peculiar look that pretty much said that he'd listen to her order for now and casually observe the Hokage to see what he was up too. But if he discovered that he was up to no good- she'd better not try and stop him.

Uzu nodded her head in silent understanding as the Hokage finally seemed to finish his internal freak out and returned to the here and now only to notice that Itachi Uchiha was present. In his full Anbu black ops uniform, his mask thread clutched tightly in his gloved hand.

The ten year old boy stood half in front of the five year old girl in a somewhat possessive/protective manner. His dark eyes held a calculating light as he practically glared at the elder. As if he didn't care much for his presence. Or as if he thought he was planning to do something hurtful to Uzu.

"Itachi." He said politely, with a small nod of his head in the boy's direction.

The boy thinned his lips and narrowed his eyes at the elder before he bit out from between clenched teeth, "Hokage." There was no suffix after the word, no show of respect of any kind. There was only the venom in his tone.

Ah. So that's it, Sarutobi after a moment of careful thought before realizing that Itachi was protective of Uzu,. And as such probably thought that he was the one who sent her on all of those missions, and okayed the abuse that she had suffered and thus, the boy was trying to think of the best way to get her away from him safely. The realization hurt him. Knowing that these two children did not even trust their Kage with their well being.

It hurt even more to think that Itachi probably had no idea that he had been out of the village for the past few months- leaving the village, and Uzu's care in the hands of the council. And how they had misused the authority he had granted them to cause great harm to the child and possibly to others.

I need to straighten this out now! He thought as he walked over to Itachi slowly, watching as the boy tensed and prepared for him to attack him. He also noticed that the boy pushed Uzu completely behind him and took up a fighting stance in front of her.

The purpose of doing so was to give the child time to escape while Itachi fought him. Assuming of course that he didn't think of making shadow clones of himself to send after the girl.

It was a flawed plan on Itachi's behalf, but that just showed him just how desperate the boy was to protect Uzu.

Stopping just shy of the two kids, Sarutobi stared at them impassively for a moment and felt a surge of pride in these two. That through great and nearly insurmountable odds, they showed their will of fire. And their little sparks burned most brightly.

Blindingly so.

It was in that moment that he could almost see the two of them in the future, many years from now. Itachi standing with his back to Uzu's as her whole body glowed with a radiant almost otherworldly light. The likes of which shone so brightly that he almost felt his eyes begin to water.

It was a nice vision. A wonderful one.

He imagined Itachi would still be in Anbu later on. And Uzu...he could imagine her as two things. A medic nin or Hokage. It was right then and there that he came to an important decision about Uzu's future. He pointed at her and said, "To be Hokage is your dream." Causing both Itachi and the little girl to snarl at him.

"That's not her dream old man! Stop trying to force her to be something she doesn't wanna be!" Itachi snapped angrily, his sharigan activating as he glared at the elder in rage.

How. dare. he! How dare this stupid old man try and place Uzu in a position like Hokage. It wasn't her dream! Dreams were for people who could afford them or for people with futures- Uzu had neither. So telling her that she would be Hokage was just plain cruel!

Sarutobi said nothing else for a moment as he slowly put his hand back to his side and waited for a second before noticing that it was getting late. Before he took her to her new home, he'd need to find her one first. Preferably one with a nice landlord.

He had a few ideas on where to start looking, but who to send? After all, he also needed Uzu to be checked out at the local hospital to see what else he would be committing murder of the council members for.

"Itachi, I wonder if you could do an old man a favor while I run an errand?" The boy's angry snarl was instantly replaced by a confused look. "I need you to go to the village and see if you can find Uzu a new apartment. I'm not sure if you're aware but the one she's been living in isn't fit for more than cockroaches. She needs someplace without mold, insects, it should be a little big. A three bedroom should do, with one bathroom and a nice kitchen and dinning room. Think you can find one of those with a nice landlord for me?"

Itachi looked at him like he'd grown another head for a moment before thinking that it was the man's way of trying to separate him from Uzu and carefully schooled his emotions as he made several shadow clones and sent them to do as the Hokage had bid.

Sarutobi, realizing that the child simply didn't trust him enough to be alone with Uzu for any length of time, sighed but said nothing to him as the boy shot him a somewhat smug look. "Very well Itachi, you may come with us. I only thought to spare Uzu some embarrassment." Sarutobi said before explaining his purpose behind trying to occupy the boy so that neither child would fear what came next as he began to walk back towards the village not bothering to check and see if the kids were following since he knew they were.

He could feel their anxiety in the fluctuations in their chakra.