After walking Sasuke to the Academy, Michiko had to start training, even though she was training by herself. She went into the forest, and sat on a large rock, sitting in a meditative stance, balancing on the very tip. She regulated her breathing as she closed her eyes, clearing her mind of her problems, but there was a dark stain, one she couldn't wash out. Her senses broadened, and she sensed another chakra signature in the trees. She could see the chakra in the ground and the trees, even in the rock she was sitting on, but this one was darker. "Whoever's there, you can come out now! I know you're there!" she opened her eyes once the person landed in the small clearing, and she smiled, saying, "Itachi-sama! I would have thought you'd be off on ANBU missions." "And I wouldn't have thought you could sense me." She giggled. "That's true. But just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I can't be strong. You graduated the Academy when YOU were seven, so it shouldn't seem strange to you."
There was a moment of silence before he said, "But you're still a kid…you don't take things seriously." Her eyes hardened. "I DO take things seriously! It's not like this is a battle! We're just talking!" "And you take offense easily." "Only when someone calls me little…" she muttered, looking at the ground. "But you are…" a vein pulsed in her forehead as she gripped the rock tighter, keeping herself from attacking blindly, and broke a handful off, saying, "Let's stop this where it is…" He looked at the chunk of rock in her hands before nodding. She calmed herself before asking, "Is there a specific reason you came to see me?" "I heard you didn't have a team, and since I don't have any missions, your dad suggested I train you."
Her eyes lit up. "Really?" he nodded. She smiled brightly, jumping off the rock, and said, "Then let the training begin!" The training was harder than she expected, but that suited her just fine. She needed a challenge. This went on for a few weeks, until, during their breaks, they actually got to having conversations. One day, after some particularly hard training, Michiko sat on a fallen log, drinking deeply from her water bottle.
Itachi sat next to her, saying, "You always seem distracted by something when you're fighting…" he looked at her. "What's bothering you?" The normally talkative girl receded into her shell, something she usually only did with her father. Her eyes became downcast as she looked at her hands, saying, quietly, "It's nothing…really…" "Why can't you tell me?" she looked up at him with sad eyes, and said, "I don't want to talk about it…" "You'll have to eventually." She contemplated it, and said, "Just don't tell anyone…" he nodded, and she sighed, beginning her story. "My mom loved to travel, and the whole family left Fire country for a…vacation…I was only four at the time…" a layer of tears covered her eyes, but they didn't fall. "We stopped at a village to rest, and it was attacked by…something…I don't remember that night very well…my mother was weak the next morning, so my dad decided to go ahead of us a little, and see about something. We were attacked while he was still gone…my mom tried to protect me, but…" a tear slid down her cheek, to be angrily brushed away. "But he killed her! He made me watch as he cut her throat!" the rage filled her eyes, but it disappeared as she continued. "I would've died, but my father came back, and fought him off…he saved me…but it was too late for my mom…"
She smiled softly. "She was the first one to start training me…so every time I do, I always think of her…I always feel like a mother…but I'm never the child…I take care of others…but no one takes care of me…" she looked at the clouds, and almost saw her mothers face. Her mother…she still remembered exactly how she looked…angelic…that's what she'd tell her when she was little…with her bright blonde hair, light blue eyes, and pale ivory skin. "What about your father?" "He's in ANBU, so he's always off on missions…he left yesterday on one…he won't be back for a couple weeks at the most…" "…You're not alone…a lot of people care about you…" she looked up at him questioningly, forcing the tears back. "You have all your friends…your father when he's here…" he looked down at her.
"The Third Hokage has taken a liking to you…and not because you're a prodigy, but because you're a good person…" "…So are you…but everyone else thinks of you as a prodigy?" "Everyone else?" she smiled. "I think of you as a friend…and a teacher…it would be the same, even if you weren't a prodigy…" he seemed surprised at her answer, and she stood up, saying, "I have some errands to run, so we can cut this training session short. Bye, Itachi-kun!" He still sat there long after she left, wondering if what he was planning was right…