Spark:
Behind the now screened veranda, they sit side by side, but there's a certain intimacy between them now. And then there's the fact that Itachi has their hands casually intertwined. And thus Naruto cheeks remain in a perpetual blush every time she glances at him. He stares straight ahead, but there's a telltale smirk on his lips that tells her he's aware of her gaze and welcomes it.
"Did you know your mother was my Okaa-san's best friend?" Itachi asks suddenly.
Naruto nods in the negative.
"She had every intention of adopting you, but she passed before negotiations could go through. My father did not carry on with her plans..." Here Itachi becomes subdued, "Okaa-san was always sickly… I think our mother's death scarred him the most." Naruto's all astonishment upon hearing those words, she was wanted beyond Minato, Kushina and Jiraiya. There's now a distant figure that joins the picture Naruto has of her parents and god father.
"Nevertheless, can you imagine Sasuke, me and you growing up as siblings?" There's a wry twist to his lips.
Naruto shakes her head, "I always wanted to have siblings, so I think it would have been fun. I think of Sasuke as my brother now, if that had come to pass then it would been official."
Itachi gives her a sideways glance, "I do not think I would want you for a sister. If you were my imouto, you would be denied to me."
Naruto does not know what to say to that, and simply tightens the hand wrapped in his.
He leaves her yearning with a lingering kiss. The Uchiha may be infamous for the sticks up their asses, but Itachi shall turn the tides of their reputation with his skills in subtle seduction. She finds him rather...distracting (a fact that amuses him to no end, perhaps now she will know what he has felt for these last few months).
They reluctantly separate.
She is late to attending a previous engagement, a friend's dinner invitation—Sarutobi Konohamaru and Hyuuga Hanabi have moved into a new apartment together. Itachi can imagine the look on Hiashi-dono face upon finding out another daughter has defied his expectations. His father must be laughing beyond the grave; at least Fugaku has two worthy heirs.
Itachi holds up a hand in parting as Naruto disappears within the confines of her home. As he waves sayonara, he feels an effervescent sensation rise within him. And he identifies it as seldom felt happiness, and he smiles.
(Uchiha Itachi has denied himsef happiness for a long time.
Seemingly content to protect his brother and village. Willing to sacrifice himself for them without question. For much of his life, his one joy has been his brother.
From the death of his mother, his father became a distant figure, leaving an eight year old Itachi to raise a toddler Sasuke. Their grandparents stepped in when his father proved to be emotionally compromised, when confronted with the sight of his children.
He had grown up years beyond his age.
From shielding Sasuke, becoming a double agent, and doing his hardest to stop the inner Uchiha conflict. He failed and it resulted into a bloody affair that killed most of his relatives.
Shimura Danzo isolated the Uchiha clan from the outside, circling like a bird of prey, waiting to strike. Uchiha Madara/Obito fanned the flames of discontent from within. His family stood little chance—from those in favor of a coup toppling Konoha's central government, to those who were fervently against destroying their home.
Itachi saved who he could from within, and protected his village. And yet despite his attempts, in the end the man he and his brother once adored, the man who cared for them, even if it was from a distance. The man they called father, sacrificed himself for his sons. Fugaku's words and final actions are forever ingrained into in his mind:
{In the midst of the mêlée, the Uchiha compound was the battle ground, the Hokage sent ANBU to subdue the bloodshed taking place amongst one of Konoha's founding clans. But there are spies hidden within the Hokage's elite guard. Agents that have a dual loyalty to Shimura Danzo and his vision for Konoha. They had orders to render the Uchiha clan obsolete, and it is one of these agents that was tasks with killing the heirs and making it appear as if they were caught in the melee.
Itachi at this point had achieved his prodigal reputation, but he had yet to attain his urban legend status. And he will not earn it here, for as he defended his otouto, no one was there to watch his back until there was.
His father appeared like god of vengeance within the smoke of a shunshin.
Fugaku fended off the Ne agent aiming his tanto for Sasuke. Grappling the operative, and then slitting his throat via kunai. To his sons he said, "Itachi and Sasuke, you are both good sons, but it is a father's job to protect his children."
And then and there he proceeded to show his sons why he was once feared amongst the shinobi, and ensured their survival. In the aftermath when he tried to find his father amongst the survivors, he instead found him with the casualties.}
And then he was called upon to be a double agent again. His mission was to infiltrate the Akatsuki, and discern the ultimate goal of a group composed of notorious missing nin. The Hokage gave him the parameters of any means necessary. Itachi took those instructions literally. A reason was needed to become an infamous rogue shinobi, and Itachi took full advantage of that.
With information provided by Jiraiya of the Sannin, Itachi had all the means of killing Danzo and razing Ne to the ground.
He killed Danzo to protect his brother, his remaining family, in vengeance for Uchiha Shisui's death, and the remains of his family that were desecrated to turn Shimura into an abomination.
But most of all he killed Danzo to protect Konoha, Danzo's will of fire would have bloodied the chapters of history… well more so than they already are.
This alone nearly destroyed Itachi's relationship with Sasuke, who had been left in the dark about the reasons surrounding the Uchiha massacre, and why his brother turned on his village by killing a prominent member of Leaf. Sasuke remained loyal to Konoha, hell bent on redeeming the Uchiha name.
However, five years after Itachi left Konoha and left Sasuke reeling, his otouto encountered Madara and was thus pulled into the web their crazed ancestor created. Sasuke found out the truth surrounding the Uchiha massacre. The story was twisted beyond belief, Madara's interference was not mentioned, and in the end his brother came to the conclusion that Konoha needed to be destroyed. From there at the age of sixteen, his foolish brother became a missing nin.
Manipulation thy name is Madara.
In the all this madness, where Itachi has only ever done his duty, is Naruto. Shaking up people's world and leaving a chance of redemption in her wake. He says he's spent the last 10 months attempting to court her. But it was within his years AWOL that he noticed, and came to admire this girl.
But she, he denied himself.
For there is an intense connection between Naruto and Sasuke, one that can't be denied. After the war where they fought together, Itachi returned home after all his perceived crimes were pardoned, and he watched from afar.
He fell back into the motions as if he had never left home. He steadily repaired his relationship with his brother, but all the while he observed as Sasuke and Naruto danced around each other. Or what he perceived as a never ending dancing, however, Sasuke never rose to the occasion and Naruto lived her life.
How mistaken he was.
And then he realized they saw each other as siblings. Itachi by then had waited years, not wanting to infringe on his younger brother's potential happiness.
But for once Itachi gave in to a selfish wish, and decided to pursue his heart's desire.)
He is chasing happiness, and within that small cottage is the object of his admiration, a key component in his future contentment.
He places his hands within his pockets and prepares to walk away, but pauses.
As he passes the fence of her home, he notices a glass structure behind the cottage… Naruto has a green house? Hmm, how curious.
Now that she is aware of his suit, perhaps she will now accept courting gifts.
It will be a surprise until they meet again in three days time.
Fireside.
There's the telltale odor of animal underlining the valiant attempts of nontoxic cleaning products that keeps the lobby of the animal hospital from smelling of the kennels it houses within its perimeters.
The smell hardly registers on Itachi's radar, he's smelled the stench of decay, rotting flesh, and freshly spilled blood. Quite morbid, but one of the side effects of the shinobi profession.
He walks past the receptionist, who simply gawks at his backside as he passes by—a usual occurrence. Itachi hones in on a familiar chakra signature, and finds himself outside the infirmary. There amongst her ninken is Inuzuka Hana, veterinarian extraordinaire.
Inuzuka Hana has the appearance of sensibility, her reputation proceeds her as a medic nin. That is, until she opens her mouth, and then one realizes that she did not leave all the stupid in the womb for Kiba, she took an abundance of it herself.
"Nehhhhhhhh! Is that Itachi-chan darkening my doorstep?"
"Aa. Good afternoon."
"Neh, neh, nehhhhhhhhhhhhhh! What's this!? Itachi-chan is smiling and looking relaxed…." Hana looks downright suspicious, and she stage whispers, "Did you have a quickie? Did you have to work out the frustrations concerning unrequited love? Did you…" She continues on.
….She's a moron, and lewd.
(However, many of those traits she adopted after the death of Shisui, to keep his memory alive.)
Itachi, as he always does, wonders if he made the right decision in coming here.
Hana is one of his few childhood friends, she's seen some of his most embarrassing moments—was an instigator of many of them—and helped him and Shisui raise hell, earning the ire of their guardians and the victims of their follies.
There's not much else he can say that can make him lose face. Besides is there such a thing known as dignity amongst childhood friends? Itachi has long since learn to laugh at himself amongst them.
"…No, I confessed to Naruto, and asked her on a date; she said yes."
Hana is up out of her seat, with an arm companionably clasped around his shoulders. Dramatically she wails, "Itachi-chan is all grown up! This calls for sake and beer. How do you feel like visiting Matsumoto's?"
Like he has any choice in the matter.
Fireside.
Contrary to Naruto's sunny, loud-mouthed disposition, and wearing her emotions for all to discern, this too is somewhat of a guise.
With a childhood of discriminatory isolation, in order to receive attention her natural optimism was necessity that kept her going, and the fruits of her exertion did not appear until she became a ninja and proved her worth. And yet as a child this was not the case, and so Naruto learned over the years to keep her cards close to her chest.
Thus she says nothing of this novel development between her and her supposed assassin. Death attempts are not in her near future, but rather it remains filled with limitless possibilities and choices and amongst them is Itachi.
Naruto thinks this prospect is a welcoming one.
This morning she walks back to her home. Through the familiar streets of Konoha with a slow gait, as she squints blurry eyed against the gaze of the sun. The hangover she woke up with is slowly but surely disappearing.
Last night she bought Konohamaru and Hanabi a housewarming gift of six bottles of Ta no Kuni's best rice wine and sake. Vast amounts of alcohol is needed to intoxicate Naruto, and she ended up having decimating four bottles on her own, and then passing out in the couple's spare bedroom.
She barely stumbles into the door way and is on alert. For something here is wrong, something here is not right, she draws on a kunai, and stretches out her senses. She searches for suppressed chakra and only finds the fluctuations of nature chakra.
She places her hand upon a wall and calls forth her chakra, and the matrix beneath her hand comes to life, glowing as it spreads out to show the intricate dimensions that secure her home. Naruto studies the seal with a deft eye, and sees no foul play, no indication that someone was able to unveil the multi layered seal, let alone intrude through it. That would take seldom seen skill, for fuinjutsu is an obscure art, one that Naruto barely grasped when Jiraiya beat the subject into her thick skull.
She flicks on the lights, and what is unveiled in the light makes her release a gasp of surprise.
There are blossoms, flowers filling her living room, placed upon every available surface, creating an aromatic atmosphere. Many blooms she recognizes at first sight, some having medical purposes, some with poisonous toxins that will work well into coating kunai.
There's a note perched within the largest display of flowers, she takes it and opens it, revealing an elegant script, stating the following:
Pardon the intrusion, but if you are reading this note, perhaps you find my gift pleasing. After departing with you, I happen to notice you have greenhouse behind your home. I've come to the understanding that you garden as a hobby, and now that I have your attention, I thought perhaps a gift would be necessary to commemorate our understanding.
Once more please pardon the intrusion into your sanctuary, I have gained allies in my pursuit of you and they have proven to be eager in helping me gain your favor. They we're indispensable in helping me accomplish this feat, and they have my gratitude.
There are flowers and seeds from my family's storage facility, from the Yamanaka's and the Nara's. Please enjoy them.
(By the way the seals securing your home are fascinating, I hope when we are better acquainted that I will be able to study them in further detail.)
Yours,
Uchiha Itachi.
There is a single mindedness about Uchiha Itachi. From her past interactions with Itachi, particularly on her missions with him, she has first-hand account of witnessing him on the prowl and pursuing a goal relentlessly with that calculating mind of his.
It appears she is now the target of that single mindedness. It's an exhilarating, if not creepy (stalkerish) feeling to contemplate.
She takes a moment to smell a few bulbs and gather the seeds accompanying them.
Once the wonderment wears off, Naruto becomes suspicious. How the hell did Itachi get into her house? He says he has allies (traitors), who were no doubt willing to help him break into her house, those fuckers!
Naruto's eye twitches and a vein appears on her temple. There is only way Itachi could have possibly made it through the security of her home unscathed—Hiraishin. There is a modified Hiraishin seal placed within the matrixes and dimension of the multi layered seal that encompasses her home. Only a select few people have access to that version of the seal, and amongst is Kiba.
It is then she remembers the conversation that happened between her and Kiba a few weeks ago, she recalls it vividly: "Naruto I told him he would have to be very direct, subtlety flies over your head, even obvious moves... Just know Uchiha Itachi is not trying to kill you." And then she remembers Itachi making a similar remark yesterday while he confessed to her.
Dog breath must have given Itachi access to the seal for the Uchiha to pull off such a stunt. That scheming bastard! She's going to kill Inuzuka Kiba, believe it!
Right after she catalogues these plants and puts them into her greenhouse. She's going to need more flower pots.
Fireside.
She's not the kind of girl to put much effort into her appearance. At one time or another she'll have the quintessential freak out about her hair—cause yah that's a nightmare, and best to keep it sheared short—but she's practical, which goes right along with the happy go lucky/transparent aspect of her personality.
However, now that Uchiha Itachi is no longer plotting her murder, and revealed himself to be a fervent admirer, Naruto has a different reason to freak out.
For the last three days she's been anticipating her date with Itachi, but she's been fine, and has not felt any kind of nervousness. But today is different.
X marks the day.
The day of the date, HOLY FUCKING SHIT.
As the time ticks down, Naruto finds herself having a meltdown.
Which entails the following:
Her bedroom looks as if one of the infamous hurricanes that sweep through Mizu no Kuni and off the coast of Hi no Kuni, has taken a detour to Konoha and decided to plant itself in Naruto's bedroom. At the eye of the storm is Naruto pulling at spiked blond hair with frustrated hands. She's surrounded by piles of clothing, most of which she does not wear, except for the shinobi gear. Her civilian clothing are bought by well-intentioned girlfriends, with a pile of gag shirts given to her by male friends—a main contributor is Sai, who is constantly sending back shirts imprinted with rude gestures/sayings from his travels.
On one pile of clothing sits a toad, who has been very unhelpful. As Naruto cries out, "Gahhhhhh! Gamanatsu what am I supposed to wear!?"
The toad in question lets out a croak that sounds suspiciously like laughter.
"Natsu this is no laughing matter, it's a matter of life and death!?"
(No it really isn't, but the thought of a first date is always nerve inducing. Especially with an individual who has the reputation of an urban legend and can kiss like nobody's business. Look at Naruto, war hero, jinnchurki to the kyubi, incarnation of Otsutsuki Asura, number one knuckled headed ninja….et cetera, reduced to a frazzled young woman. What a novel sight!)
Gamanatsu somehow manages to give her a dry look, and points one webbed hand to a pile of clothing. The one with the seldom used kimono and yukata.
Well… one could never go wrong with the classics. Naruto feels relief sweep through her, and she lets out a whoop of victory, "Gamanatsu, you are a genius!"
She proceeds to embrace the small toad, and engage her in a victory dance.
Fireside.
Naruto looks in the mirror, inhales deeply and then exhales.
She moves to put on her sandals, but stops when she feels the telltale sign of weaving chakra. Naruto fights the instinctual need to break the genjutsu as it creeps it's way steadily across her senses. The crow forms from the shadows, twining around Naruto to appear before her, with it comes Itachi's presence. The crow's eyes spinning with the sharingan, its beak opens, spilling forth not a shrill cry, but Itachi's gentle baritione, "I'm at the tea shop on birch lane."
Naruto gapes at the sightand thinks, 'Show off... that's fucking creepy.'
Out loud she replies with a simple all right, and the crow disperses back into shadow.
They've decided to meet up during a small festival—not village wide—celebrating international relations. Merchants, performers, and chefs come from the elemental nations and beyond. It's a festival that started a year after the fourth shinobi war. While it does not garner the crowd that comes during the festival celebrating victory over Kaguya, the rabbit goddess and by extension Uchiha Madara, it still has quite the following that continues to expand each year.
Naruto has no doubt she'll see many familiar faces. If it's Itachi's goal to make a public statement about their change in status—would be assassin and target to potential lovers—then he picked a pretty good time and place.
She leaves her home, and heads to the bazaar district.
When she enters the tea shop she spots Itachi, and sees him roll his eyes, an expression of long suffering on his face as he drinks his tea. Beside him is one Inuzuka Hana gesturing wildly with her hands.
Itachi seems to immediately notice her presence, for he quickly looks up and Naruto is able to witness warmth enter his features and a small smile curve of his lips. Naruto suddenly feels shy, but she shoves the feeling aside and grins brilliantly in response.
"Ehhhh! If Itachi-chan is smiling like that, then that must mean Naruto-chan is near," Hana turns around in her seat, and goes on to show she has no shame or scuples. "Ah, Naruto-chan how good of you to join us! And don't you look hot, doesn't she Itachi!?"
As Naruto approaches, she rolls her eyes at Hana's comment, but upon feeling Itachi's admiring gaze she suddenly feels self-conscious.
"Ohohoho, you can practically feel the UST!"
Itachi does not look away from Naruto when he says, "Hana was just leaving."
Hana immaturely sticks her tongue out at him, but gets up to leave, before she goes she stops beside Naruto and says in a stage whisper, "Don't drop your panties yet. We have a betting pool going and I have two hundred ryo riding on this."
Naruto sputters indignantly, and a spike of killing intent comes from Itachi's direction; he glares at his childhood friend. Hana cackles madly, "All right, all right I know when I'm not wanted, bye-bye."
She leaves, and Itachi drops his head into the cocoon of his arms. Naruto's had some embarrassing moments so she bounces back from Hana's comment rather quickly—there isn't anything more mortifying than the incident with the flying squirrels. She, Sasuke and Sakura have sworn to never mention it… ever.
Naruto lets out a small laugh, "Maybe we should trade in our friends for better ones."
Itachi groans, but looks up, small orbs of pink tinging the apples of his cheeks. He runs one hand through his long hair, and gives her a small smile, "With friends like these who needs enemies."
He takes her hand. It's a subtle gesture, they walk side by side closely. Naruto looks up at his profile and knots her fingers through his. It's a simple gesture of affection, but it speaks of volumes of the growing intimacy between them.
"I want to say thank for the flowers and their seeds," Naruto tells him.
Itachi gives her a genuine smile and squeezes her hand in response.
Barring Hana's insanity, the night is auspicious.
Itachi is prone to silence, but Naruto is gregarious enough for them both. Naruto draws Itachi out, her boisterousness even manages to draw out three grins and two full bellied laughs. These reactions draw attention from bystanders both familiar and strange, but the two of them seem to exist in a bubble. Naruto has no doubt she will face an inquisition from her friends, Itachi's fan girls and nosy individuals. But tonight she does not care, and Itachi focuses solely on her, and greets any outside influences with apathy. Nothing can penetrate their bubble.
However, that does not mean Naruto is not suspicious of their unperturbed bubble. She's under the keen impression that Itachi casts a subtle gentjustu, influencing the nosy individuals more inclined to acting on their curiosity. That would explain the telltale flicker of crimson in his onyx eyes that appears when Naruto's distracted by the food stalls.
She's grateful for his consideration, she's not interested in answering questions from inquiring minds. This is a night to test the waters, to dip their feet into shallows shore to see if there is any inklings of compatibility between them. From here they will see if they should walk cautiously into deeper walkers, holding newly joined hands.
Fireside.
Two days later…
She does her best not to be late.
As much as she would like to do her sensei proud and keep the legacy alive and well. She going to do this her own way.
She's going to leave one hell of an impression on those cute genin before she even has a chance to meet them.
Naruto has enough time to get to the Academy on time but somehow she ends up being tardy. She gets lost on the road of life. Or rather she encounters Nara Shikamaru and his wife Subaku no Temari, Kankuru and her ex/very good friend Gaara. Of course Naruto has to exchange courtesies, coo over Shikamaru and Temari's newborn son. Which leads to attending brunch with them, and catching up.
And now she's twenty minutes late.
The ninja Academy comes up on the horizon, Naruto may be late but she's still going to make one hell of an entrance. There's nothing like traumatizing the new initiates.
She uses henge and transforms herself her tan skin into a sickly white pallor. Markings in the form of swirls imprint themselves onto her skin, reminiscent of a kabuki mask. She puts on her fiercest scowl, she cackles madly.
Woe to the green genin.
'So the torture begins?' Kurama states more than questions.
'Hell yes!' Naruto shouts.