AN: What?! I'm back after more than a year?! Well yes - yes I am. Here's a chapter to tide any fans over for a bit while I type up the two or three chapters I have hand written already. I have had them written for so long now... They just never got typed. I apologize and I hope there are people that still read Shadow Ninja. It is my only story that is really still in the works. I do intend to eventually complete Naomi's story. There is still so much more to write for her. Please enjoy and please review!

Chapter Eight: The Tree's Secret

Naomi brushed Sasuke's black hair out of his eyes as he slept.

He looked relaxed, but she knew that was only temporary. He would never be the same after seeing the massacre their brother had left behind. Naomi knew it wouldn't be easy for either of them to come back from it, but she was sure that she had to be strong for her little brother. She was all he had left for now. Thirteen years old and she knew that she had to play the role of mom. She didn't know how she was going to make it work, but she was going to – no matter what.

Planting a light kiss on his forehead, Naomi quietly crept out of his new room. Kakashi was sitting cross-legged in the center of the living room floor. The place was pretty empty. Asuma and Kakashi had found a bed each for Naomi and Sasuke, but other furniture would have to wait.

Naomi ran a hand through her long black hair and let out a heavy sigh, slumping into the wall.

"How are you holding up?" Kakashi asked.

Naomi shrugged. "As well as possible I suppose."

"Do you need anything else right now?"

A grimace touched her lips and she glanced away from her friend, staring out the window as she thought.

After a few minutes of silence, she came up with something.

"Could you stay here for a little while? Just in case Sasuke wakes up?"

Confusion crossed Kakashi's face, but he answered, "Of course. Where are you going though?"

A shudder of sadness spread through her, but she held off the tears. She wrapped her arms around herself to conceal the shudder. She would not give in to her emotions again. "There's just something I need to check."

When Naomi looked back at Kakashi, he was standing right next to her. He looped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Her face pressed against his chest and she bit her lip to keep from crying. Both of his arms were around her and she felt safer than she had all day. She was grateful to have friends that cared about her and would help her look out for her brother.

"Take your time Nay. I won't leave until you want me to," he whispered into her hair. She cracked a tiny smile. He always knew just what to say.

Reluctantly, Naomi pulled away and stepped toward the door. She pulled a thin black jacket over her black t-shirt and slipped her sandals on. "I won't be gone long," she promised over her shoulder. She avoided looking at Kakashi as she slipped out the door for fear that the tears would take over.

The cool breeze licked at Naomi's hair and blew it into her face as she appeared in the dark training ground, under the Sakura tree. A stray petal fell a few feet from her and she bent to pick it up. The scent was so sweet as she brought the petal to her nose. Years of memories flooded her mind, triggered by the all-too-familiar smell. She and her twin had spent so many hours under that very tree – training, studying, talking, sleeping. Years of great memories with him plagued that place.

Part of her relished in the memories and another part wanted to burn the tree down. It was only a reminder of her brother's betrayal.

The trees will always be the keepers of our secrets. His voice seemed to float on the air around her as she stared the tree, wishing it to combust. The trees will always be the keepers of our secrets.

The trees.

Secrets.

When the tree did not go up in flames from her stare, as she knew it wouldn't, Naomi let out a frustrated sigh and stepped closer to the trunk. She didn't know what she was thinking. He had destroyed the clan. Why would he leave anything in their secret hiding hole? He was a monster. Monsters didn't leave notes for their sisters in sentimental places.

Those thoughts didn't stop her hand from moving to the loose piece of wood that concealed a hollowed out compartment. As she opened it, a gasp escaped her and the cover fellow from her hand with a muted thud. Inside was a folded piece of paper.

"It couldn't be," she whispered to herself. There was no way it was from him.

Shakily, she reached forward and grabbed the paper. It looked like a page torn from a notebook. On the top flap of the folded page there were three words written. Her throat tightened as she took a closer look at the handwriting. It was unmistakably his. She had spent years looking at his delicate scribble, and the note was definitely written in his hand.

Heat flashed through her as anger bubbled up. What could he have possibly written to her? Did he think anything he said could make what he'd done go away? Their whole clan had lost their lives because of him! And he left a NOTE!

She almost wasn't going to read it. But, then she had a flashing memory of the two of them carving out the hidey-hole and promising that they would never lie to each other. If they couldn't tell anybody else something, they would write a note to the other and the tree would hold their secrets until they discussed it together. It was that that made her trembling fingers unfold the page.

Inside, his tiny print covered the whole page. Slowly, she read the words and the trembling got worse. She stifled a sob by covering her mouth. Her vision swam and she fought to keep the dam up that was stopping the tears. Her hand that was holding the page dropped to her side and she stared at the empty hole for a long time. Her mind went blank and she just stared. Finally, with pursed lips, Naomi threw a wall up in her mind. She would file the letter away in her mind. Nobody could know what it said. She knew she should burn it like all the others before it, but she couldn't. It was the last trace of Itachi she had and she couldn't part with it.

Placing the letter carefully back in its place, she replaced the cover and placed her hand flat to the surface. With the other hand she made a couple of signs. A light puff of smoke and the hole was sealed to everyone else but her. They had never sealed the hole that way, but the letter was the most important thing he had ever left there. It needed to stay protected if she was going to allow it to exist.

With a final sigh, Naomi let go. It had only been a couple of days since the massacre but she made the decision to let go. It happened. They were gone. It was over. She had to focus on what she had left, which was Sasuke and her friends. They were her family and she would cherish them.

Turning from the tree, Naomi started walking back to her new home.