DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto or any of the other characters except my OC Haruna/ANBU Wolf.
Any grammatical errors are proof that letters can be ninjas too because I swear I spellcheck every five minutes.
Please R&R and enjoy Chapter 3 of the Once I had a Sister series!
Once I had a Sister
Chapter 3
Of pranks, rebellion and subtle revenge
It is scary sometimes, how far a person's hate can go.
She's seen it all before. It isn't new. Because Naruto is kept a secret, the other countries do not know of his existence. This however also means that anyone who seeks to hurt him belongs from the jinchuuriki's own village itself.
On night watches she prefers to keep her blades sheathed. Instead it is only a jab to the neck, side and kidney in rapid succession to have the perpetrator slump into her, out cold. And Konoha's jinchuuriki is safe again.
Naruto doesn't need to see this side of her. He doesn't even need to know that there are people in his own village who want him dead in the first place.
As she had expected, Haruna's actions hadn't gone without notice or opposition.
"ANBU Wolf what is this I've been hearing of? Are you honestly interacting with the jinchuuriki without authorised consent?"
Another man, a captain of the ANBU, spoke, "Your intervention with the mask stall-owner hasn't gone unnoticed. This chain of events is alarming."
"I do believe you already know that your own comrades even, do not agree with your recent proceedings."
ANBU Wolf, who knelt before the seated elders with her wolf-painted mask lying on the ground beside her foot, broke the silence she had maintained since the council had adjourned. "Oh, they do?" the ninja asked blandly. "I could hardly tell."
The one-eyed man she recognised as Danzo-sama frowned. "Your sarcasm isn't welcome here, Wolf. Were it not for worth within our village, I would have dispatched you on lengthy missions on a regular basis."
The two hazel eyes darkened ever so slightly.
"I understand your motives to be for the boy's wellbeing Haruna, in fact I even support it." The Sandaime paused, aware of the sudden tension his comments had generated. "But your actions alarm the others, the villagers, those who bear grudges against the Kyuubi."
"Hokage-sama," she said earnestly, hoping the man would care more about the wellfare of the Yondaime's son than the rest of the stern-faced elders judging her, "even if Uzumaki Naruto is the jinchuuriki that gives no reason to treat him any differently. The current state of affairs concerning the manner with which Uzumaki Naruto had been treated gave me no choice but to intervene."
There was a brief silence as Haruna's words sunk in. Danzou spoke again, his voice cutting across the room. "Then explain your decision to have him address you as his big sister."
Yes. And how about you explain what happened to your right eye too, hm? As nice as it be to say something witty, the young woman knew that these were dangerous waters that needed to be played safely. So it was with affected politeness that she replied, "The jinchuuriki stated that he was lonely. In order to comfort him, I told him that I could be there should he find the need for company. "
The elder woman, her white hair pulled back tightly into a bun, held in place with a simple hair stick frowned heavily in disapproval. "You should not speak too carelessly ANBU Wolf." Lady Homura said gravely. "The neighbouring countries do their best to keep their jinchuurikis in isolation. It would be prudent of you to do the same."
The younger woman searched the aged face for a long moment before lowering respectfully. "I agree, however, I see Uzumaki Naruto as a child - not a Tailed Beast's jailer, Homura-sama."
The elder womans' glare was scorching. "You would do well to remember why you were given that mask in the first place. We exist to protect Konoha, not relate with our jinchuurikis."
"And be that as it may," the Hokage voiced, his rank adding considerable gravity to his words "as one of the ANBU's youngest this will reflect on how you and Uchiha Itachi are seen. Attachment to the Uzumaki, particularly by an ANBU kunoichi, may be perceived as an insult to those who lost members to the Kyuubi."
At this moment, Haruna wished she had her mask on her face. It would have made the reply she was going to say less of an angry outburst and more of a calm justification instead. "I believe the village then needs a shift of perspective. I understand that I have gone against orders but I will not go against my better judgement…" She took a deep breath and laid all her cards on the table. "If we leave Naruto at the mercy of his isolation, in time Konoha will be fighting against a monster they have created. And as a member of the ANBU," her eyes flicked upwards and made contact with her commanding superior, "I exist to protect Konoha. That is all."
A thoughtful silence followed her words and she almost hoped her message had come through when the mistrust and scepticism still apparent on her audience's faces forced it down again.
The bandaged elder spoke again. "This is exactly what we had hoped to prevent, why we left the boy to himself in the first place. You, Wolf, would never be able to understand. Let me make myself clear, as head of the Konoha black ops. If you continue to visit the boy or, kami forbid, grow even closer to him, I will be forced to assign you to more S rank missions to keep you two apart."
Haruna answered before she thought about it. "You can put me on all missions you want, Danzou-sama, I do not mind the pay. She knew her tone was too arrogant to be interpreted as the anything but disrespectful but would not retreat. "Furthermore, I need only to complete them in less time and no difference would be made."
"ANBU Wolf." Her commander, a muscled, war-chiselled man, had dropped his disappointed tone from the adjourning of the summons. Perhaps he was beginning to decide in her favour?
"Hai, danchou?"
"I expect to know the reason behind this sudden interest in the jinchuuriki. Why now?"
There was a pause as she thought it over. There were a lot of things to say if they were looking for an honest answer. Because I care about him. Because the rules aren't fair. Because I want to be a big sister again.
"I do not know, Sir," was her reply at length. No one would understand what she really meant to say. "I was not aware one needed a reason to treat a child like a child."
In his seat, Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief, satisfied with the Wolfs' reply. Just in time he composed himself, lest his actions be perceived as anything other than vague involvement. "Very well. We will allow your interaction to continue." Everyone tensed at the announcement but held their peace. "However, I warn you. You will take responsibility for any trouble that resumes from now on. And I have also decided that you will be kept under surveillance until we see fit. With that I close this meeting."
Haruna lowered her head respectfully as the elders and superiors filed out of the room, the majority less than pleased. Damn, she'd let her emotions slip in front of her own superiors. Willing herself to stay composed, and ignoring the ANBU member now watching her from the ceiling, Haruna took out her wolf mask and slipped it on.
But not before revealing the beginnings of a mischievous smile.
It could have been worse, after all.
Uchiha Itachi took the tea with a grateful smile and made his way to the corner nearest to the window. It was break-time in the shinobi headquarters, and he was one of many tired, disheveled or recuperating Konoha nin enjoying the respite.
He however, couldn't exactly enjoy the break. Sasuke had wanted to train with him that morning and like always since he joined the ANBU, his missions clashed with his little brothers' free time. Itachi missed spending the whole day outside with Sasuke. Especially now where his days were marked by how many enemies he defeated and whether missions were successful or not.
As the raven-haired youth waited for his tea to cool, his ears zoned in on the snippet of conversation he could make out from the buzz of voices in the room. He was pretty sure he'd heard something about…
"Did you hear -?"
"Wolf was summoned a while ago – even the Hokage was there…"
"Danchou's been in a black mood since he came out. Do you know why?"
"She was with the jinchuuriki without orders."
"Oh. Damn. What on earth was she thinking…"
What was this? Itachi wondered as he took a sip of his now cool tea. Unlike the rest of the shinobi in the ranks, ANBU Wolf was Haruna to Itachi, just as he was Itachi to her. Her animal title was what most people knew her by but as teammates, they stuck to each other's first names instead.
Haruna had been adamant about keeping her first name. Something about wanting to be a totally different person without her mask. In all honesty Itachi didn't really mind. Names were names after all.
So his teammate was in trouble (again)? From what he could remember, she hadn't seemed any different on their missions the past few weeks. The recent rapid completion time of their missions came as no surprise since their team was always like that. Nor was the news of her befriending Konoha's young jinchuuriki - Haruna befriended anyone, it wasn't really anything new. Or maybe, he pondered, having zoned out of the conversation completely, he'd been so caught up with clan meetings and taking care of his little brother to notice anything new.
"Hey Uchiha, what's the deal with your teammate?"
Itachi considered his reply, aware of the multitude staring at him around the room.
"I think she actually likes to be around the kid..." Itachi said before he finished his tea and walked away.
"Hey Naru-chan."
"Yeah, Haru-ne?"
"Remember that water ballon prank you did last week?"
Naruto nods. "They didn't even catch me."
"Good." A diabolical chuckle. Nothing wrong with rebellion. "Wanna do it again?"
.
.
.
The completion of the new playground in the Konoha Village Park was well received among its inhabitants. It was the topic on every kid's lips that week- let's go over there this weekend! I want to try the swings! I heard the slides were really awesome- Even the teachers and the rest of the adults looked forward to its opening, speaking of the new playground with unmasked anticipation. So did a certain blonde loudmouth and his equally loud sister, except for different reasons. A new playground meant lots of people, and lots of people meant…
Much whispering and detailed planning went on behind the closed curtains of Naruto's apartment.
And so it happened that two masked, black-clad ninjas took the initiative and were now in the playground-to-be-opened early the following morning.
"Okay Naruto," Haruna whispered conspiratorially. "Let's get our plan clear. Are you sure you know what to do?"
"Hai, hai dattebayo! Did you get the balloons, neechan?"
From behind her mask-a-la-Kakashi, the dark-haired nodded her assertion. It was game time.
The first of the villagers began to mill through the gates and a great chorus of oohs and aahs began. The priority was to take it slow and let the poor suckers –that is to say, citizens and fellow nin- create an atmosphere of safety, so the two joined the crowd. When everyone was in and the coast was clear, it was time to put the plan into action. Right on cue, Naruto made his way over to the sandpit, without suspicion, and was innocently digging around in the amazing new sandpit the workers had built and had suddenly caught something from the corner of his eyes in the sand and was picking it up, in great awe and surprise-
"HEY, HEY EVERYBODY! THE SANDPITS ARE AWESOME- DATTEBAYO! LOOK, I FOUND CANDY IN IT! JUST LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND IN THE SANDPIT-TTEBAYO! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE HERE TOO"
He was bouncing excitedly and pointing to the sand he was standing on, a look of utter amazement spread across his face. Unable to resist the compelling enthusiasm of his cries, the rest of the children were up and dragging their parents towards the sandpit in an instant, cries of "Where, where?" and "I think I see, look, over there!" "I want some candy!" eclipsing all previous conversations. Haruna looked around, pleased. She'd been utterly forgotten, as planned. Now was the perfect opportunity to escape, while everyone was shoving to get into the sandpits and start digging, for little surprises added there just for that purpose, of course.
Wolf to Cub. Fall back, regroup, and then proceed to Step B.
A rustle in the bushes opposite indicated that her companion was out of range just in time for the first irritated kids to give up looking for lollies and turn angrily towards where Naruto had been standing a few seconds ago.
"There's nothing there, you freak- hey, where'd he go?"
"Wait, there are no lollies?"
"Aaawww…."
Amidst much muttering and disappointed faces, the parents of Konoha decided it was a good time for their children to explore the rest of the park. Just as the first of the parents made their way to the sandpits edge however, they were cordially treated to the second surprise that day. Yamanaka-san could have sworn he heard a chuckle before his golden haired daughter disappeared in a barrage of water balloons.
In the next ten seconds, the citizens and children of Konoha were treated to a thorough dousing of coloured water balloons fired with precise aim before they had time to think. A certain dark-haired and blonde duo was, on the other hand, breathless with laughter on the other side of the trees.
"Ne, ne, did you see that neechan? They totally fell for it, dattebayo!"
"Uh huh, did you see when I threw it at that kid there-" The rest of the gloats on their success were lost in another chorus of raucous laughter while the rest of Konoha tried, unsuccessfully, to dry off their now-soaking youngsters.
A new voice brought the laughing duo back to the present. "Real mature Haruna." A less-than-pleased Itachi said to his teammate as he did his best to dry his little brother's clothes without burning them with his gougakyuu. "I take my little brother to the park for one day, and this happens." He sighed.
"Oh, Uchiha, what a coincidence! How did you enjoy my latest act of tomfoolery, especially with my new sidekick here?"
Itachi rested his sombre eyes on the whiskered blonde beside his teammate while Sasuke, dripping and sullen, leaned closer to his side defensively. "I suppose you'll explain later," he supposed. There were other matters of importance and the explanation to the jinchuuriki's connection with Haruna could wait until they were in more fitting quarters. Sasuke had been his charge for today, "My parents aren't going to be happy with this you know."
The kunoichi's features immediately washed over with concern. "I know, I'm really sorry. Here, I've got a towel here." Helpfully, Haruna handed her teammate a towel. "That should help."
"Thank you." Itachi took the towel handed to him gratefully. The relief on his face evaporated into something dangerous when he realised the towel had been liberally sprayed with contact dye. It was at this point that Haruna reminded herself of another strategic advantage to staying near the gates—she and her partner-in-crime automatically had a head start on the exit. But she lingered to enjoy the grand finale. Now Uchiha Itachis' sweet little brothers' dark apparel was less than artistically streaked with vibrant pink. "…Haruna-san…"
Sensing the impending danger, Naruto leaned in warningly to his elder sister (who was still laughing uncontrollably even though the joke had died quite some time ago) and tugged her sleeve. "Haru-ne, we should probably leave right now."
"Yes. Yes you should," Itachi agreed, with exasperation even his great self-control couldn't quite tamp down. "Because I'm not the only one who'll be chasing you around for this," he said, gesturing to the loud crowd now beginning to make their way over to the laughing party.
"Of course. If anyone asks, we aren't at Ichiraku!" As if as an afterthought, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "And Itachi, I'll leave you to explain this, thank you very much."
"H-Hey, wait!"
The two Uchiha brothers watched as the pranksters made their exit, Haruna twirling over the treetops and leaping over the nearest apratments, Naruto whizzing past the milling crowds until he joined her atop the library rooftop, with mixed emotions.
"Oi, niisan," Sasuke finally said when the two were out of sight. "You know Naruto's big sister?"
"Yes I do actually. She's my ANBU partner."
"Oh." The little boy thought for a minute before continuing gravely, "I didn't think big sisters were like that."
Itachi smiled as he took Sasuke's hand in his own and proceeded to make their way home. "Neither. Come on, I'm going to need to clean you up, we don't want Okasan to worry."
They were sitting in the locker room when Itachi brought up what he'd been thinking over amongst the many other responsibilities his mind had to keep track of. The mission today had been completed with minimal trouble. Neither of them was hurt in any way and could have the rest of the day off unless anyone else wanted a mission.
Haruna would usually walk Itachi home to the Uchiha compound – she lived in the dorms, so there was no need for Itachi to do the same for her –except that lately she had been busy, preoccupied. Or more correctly: needing to dash off on 'important business.'
"I've been curious," the Uchiha commented as Haruna finished cleaning her katana. "What is going on with you and the Uzumaki jinchuuriki?"
"Trust me, 'Tachi, it's a long story."
"And I have all day. You might recall that you did dye my little brother's clothes pink at the park."
Fine. The kunoichi rolled her eyes light-heartedly but concurred to telling her tale, taking out her kunai set so she could clean them while she spoke, since the ANBU life had instilled a need to constantly be productive. She began at the incident with the mask stall, her sense of justice leading her spur of the moment. Visiting him once during her night patrol and finding him in need of someone to listen. Her choice to befriend the Uzumaki wasn't merely out of pity. If she had to be honest, the fact that it had made other people angry spurred her on. She didn't regret it at all. And because it was Itachi and no one else, she told him about how being with Naruto had showed that her sisterly instinct hadn't disappeared even it had been so long since….
Haruna cleared her throat. Itachi, understanding the abrupt pause, passed her his handkerchief.
"I'm fine. Really."
"You're sure?"
"Yes." Please stop being so nice or I swear I'm going to bawl. "Anyway, I'm done. That's it. That's where the story ends."
"Okay."
There was a silence as Haruna packed her kunai set away and Itachi looked out the window. It had been a long time since they first met as children and they had come to a level of cohesion that neither of them really needed to say a word. For example, he had already recognised the subtle retribution given in the incident at the park. It was just so Haruna-like to do so.
"So the council meeting was the result of all this?"
"Yup."
"I see." At least it wasn't the same as his lot – those council meetings, with their simultaneously grave and solemn demeanours, were the only thing that made him regret ever joining the ANBU and becoming the "pipeline between the clan and the village." Each day was heavier than the last. He could empathize with Haruna's defensiveness around Naruto, the way she wanted him to stay a kid and live life as a kid before life showed him how dark the world could be. It was the same as what he felt for Sasuke.
"So I guess we're the same now, right?"
"I'm sorry?"
Haruna held out a hand to him to lift up her companion from where he sat. "Both of us having little bros now. Well, it was always like that but…" she shrugged wistfully, "there when we get home, I guess."
Itachi nodded as he took the hand. "Let's go. Our little brothers would be waiting for us right now."
.
.
.
"Do you think it will always be like this?" Naruto asked. Haruna looked up from the noodle curls she was gluing to the face she'd drawn on the cardboard to where Naruto sat on his bed, looking dreamily out the window. It was a drowsy afternoon, the drone of the bees around the blooming flowers filling the fresh air with its cozy hum.
"Like what? Afternoon?"
"No." Naruto waved his hands around, gesturing to anything and everything. "This." He had no words to describe it; it was too personal, too precious. This. The afternoon. Being together.
Haruna smiled and answered with a smile. "Not always, but long enough."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Ahh, the wonders of fanfiction. Too bad it takes up the whole day just to write it. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hope that you all did too. I like Itachi and I like some fluff to even ought the angst and I love the relationships I'm writing up.
Oh, and does it sound weird to call Danzou 'one-eyed'? Somehow it makes him sound like a Cyclops. Oh well. Bandaged-one-eyed-Danzou doesn't sound any better.
Thanks to all my friends and you readers who are reading this fanfic. Cyber hugs and kisses to you all.
Mini Glossary:
Danchou – Term for Commander. (Yeah, I was looking up Commander Handsome Erwin for this)
Gougakyuu - That fire jutsu that the Uchiha's use. I for one love it the best on Obito and Itachi.
Alatariele C.
-in collab. with NoeticSky