Pretty!

by Piro-san

Rewrite of my first FanFic! Naruto is an intelligent and pretty child, when a chance encounter reveals many secrets it unknowingly causes a ripple effect that unleashes a storm that will shake Konoha and the Shinobi World! Feminine!Naruto! Smart!Naruto! Bloodline!Naruto! Godlike!Naruto! Elements from The Avatar Series! Naruto x Futa!Itachi! NOT a Yaoi. Rated M!

2. Chapter 2

..::..

So here we are at last for the second chapter of the rewritten story. Once again I thank you all for your patience and your overwhelming support … it really does make writing far more enjoyable ne?

..::..

Now for a reminder on Itachi and her Sharingan -

Itachi unlocked her Sharingan and chakra at age 4.

Itachi was personally trained by the Uchiha Clan and the academy. Upon mastering the Sharingan became a Gennin at age 6.

Itachi was on a special Gennin squad that consisted of only Shisui Uchiha and herself under the command of her father, Fugaku Uchiha.

Itachi and her team-mate Shisui became Chunin at age 9 and Jounin by age 10.

Itachi and Shisui joined ANBU shortly after obtaining Jounin rank.

Itachi and Shisui were propositioned to join ROOT ANBU at age 11.

..::..

Also remember that ROOT ANBU will be considered legal and known by the Hokage; while Danzo runs ROOT he reports to the Hokage.

..::..

I've gone back to Chapter 01 and added Naruto telling them that he's a boy and I fixed the Orphanage blunder with his now informing Masahiko that he met Kurama 'last night' but the orphanage threw him out 'over a week ago'

Thank you

Well then; onto the chapter then.

..::..

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER!

..::..

"Ramen" – Speech

'Ramen' – Thoughts

"Ramen" – Biiju/Summon Speech

'Ramen' – Biiju/Summon Thoughts

..::..

The declaration that they'd be leaving immediately was instantly shot down by his wife, Kaoru; who had reminded her husband that Naruto was still adjusting to the pace around their castle and that he still jumped around people who he hadn't met before, and that lead them to realise that they needed to take a deep breath and think this through. Consequently, that was the wisest move as Asuma had realised that it would be best to plan their journey for any and all eventualities. After they'd agreed, they realised that, the most direct way for safety and speed's sake to the Imperial City was to leave Konoha and head west, then cross at Konoha's Western Outpost and make the straight length up the Imperial Highroad to the city.

It was a sound plan and shaved off about several weeks off of the scenic route that the Fire Daimyo and his family usually took, not to mention that it'd give credence to the Daimyo's message of arriving for the Capital for important business; the Sandaime Hokage may suggest the same route and if he did then he'd send a team to supervise the crossing … the only problem: how were they planning to hide Naruto; the Western Outpost was regularly used and as such the many Border Troops dispatched were frequently rotated at random to prevent the possibility of bribery and other inappropriate or illegal activities and since they were randomised there was the off chance that one of the Ninja or Kunoichi would recognise the adorable blonde in their company.

The Fire Daimyo instantly suggested using a Henge to fool the Ninja or Kunoichi there but Asuma quickly replied that it'd be impossible to use a Henge on Naruto to fool them as not only was there the chance that a Hyūga Clan Member might be there, but they also had Sensors as a precaution. Chiriku also added that the Four Outposts of Konoha, each labelled for their directions; North, South, East and West; all possessed Uzumaki Seals that not only added Barrier Protections but made the use of Henges and their advanced variant Henge Seals completely useless; then the fact that they were designed by Mito Uzumaki and then maintained by Kushina Uzumaki and even the Yondaime Hokage … they were likely to be impenetrable.

They were deep in thought, pushing ideas back and forth for hours before it was Masahiko's wife, Kaoru; that provided the answer that they needed. Her genius idea was to disguise Naruto the old fashion way; using cosmetics and clothing. The Guards would be on the lookout for a blonde haired boy … so they'd dye Naruto's hair and dress him as a girl; then they'd use makeup to cover his faint whisker like marks and give him the appearance of a nobleman's daughter. The added brilliance of Kaoru's plan was that if the various Ninja and Kunoichi did notice the makeup, then it wouldn't be suspicious because nobility often taught their children these things young so as to entice offers of marriage by other noble houses or families, while this wasn't their intention for Naruto … it would be the perfect disguise.

It hadn't taken long to find Naruto; who was spending time with Yuki in the garden. Yuki had taken great pleasure in teaching Naruto the little things that he hadn't been taught, simple things that had Yuki feeling even more depressed as time went on for the little boy that had effortlessly made his way into her heart. They were small things like what colours were called or names of flowers; just meaninglessly little things but Yuki had been patient in describing names and other such facts to the awestruck child; though his ability to retain and recall that information and his ability to comprehend her more detailed explanations was simple remarkable and even a little scary, considering that Naruto was only four years old.

Kaoru relieved an exhausted but happy Yuki after revealing their plan for getting safely across the Western Outpost and Yuki was more than happy to oversee the selection of clothing for Naruto. Kaoru nodded and informed her of the colours that she was going to use with Naruto so that Yuki wouldn't waste her time; the poor Kaguya had been constantly tired as she didn't want to leave their Naru-chan alone.

Kaoru watched Yuki leave and then turned to the ever curious Naruto; who'd instantly noticed the departure of his white haired mother, he tilted his head in question to Kaoru and after a tight hug and squeal from her, she lead him to a room that held all manner of bright and colourful items. Bottled items that gave off various smells; be they horrible or heavenly littered the shelves with a large bathtub in the centre of the room.

"Now Naru-chan" Kaoru gently spoke as to draw the attention of Naruto's wandering gaze "To get to our new home without anyone finding you and taking you away from us we need to disguise you."

"Disguise me?" Naruto replied questioningly

"Yes little one," Kaoru responded with a giggle, sometimes Naruto was just too adorable "It means we change how you look so others won't recognise you."

"Oh" he replied thoughtfully "That means that I become someone else right?"

Kaoru beamed at Naruto "Very good Naru-chan and yes; you get to pretend that you're someone else."

Naruto's eyes suddenly took on a mischievous gleam that had Kurama sighing in pride "What do I need to do Kaa-chan?"

"Well …" Kaoru trailed off as she explained the various uses for the products and how to match colours and scents for different occasions … how the different scents had meanings and how colours also had meaning in certain events, such as weddings, funerals and formal occasions. Naruto absorbed all the information she was feeding him with ease, he was enraptured by his mother's knowledge and when he asked her how she knew so much she smiled and gave him a little of her family's history.

Kaoru was born into a noble family that made perfumes, fragrances and beauty products. She was betrothed to Masahiko at an early age; at first they got off to a rocky start as he was a warrior type leader and she, a pacifist type at heart, unless you got her angry that is. She explained that they truly fell 'in love' when he stopped her uncle from slapping her by taking the blow and then instead of harming the man; he let her uncle leave without punishment. Her uncle had just lost his wife and child in childbirth and hadn't been thinking straight … it wasn't an excuse for his actions but Masahiko could've had his head for even glaring at him if he wanted. It was then that she realised that Masahiko, despite having no problems with war or fighting, was able to be a good man as well as a good leader and … the rest was history.

Naruto was awestruck by the man that was now his father, he could've retaliated but he didn't … he gave a second chance but only the one if her later stories were accurate. Naruto vowed to be a good man; just at all times but unmerciful to those that had no chance of redemption … he learnt from his Kura-nee that he'd inherit her ability to see the intention of others by their emotions and it would enable him to know the hearts of those he met.

Whilst Naruto was deep in thought on his impromptu lesson, Kaoru was debating what colours to use, it would be best to use colours that were less likely to draw attention; so it had to be colours from the three new parents. Black would be best as it was a common hair colour in the Land of Fire but everyone knew that she was barren and unable to give birth and since Yuki was the only other wife/concubine, then her hair colour as a Kaguya would overwrite the common black haired trait and then her pure amethyst coloured eyes were closer to Naru's blue … glancing at Naruto's blonde hair and his skin tone was enough to convince her … Yuki's colouring it was!

So Naruto spent the morning with Kaoru being educated on how he was going to look and how he needed to act like a young lady; his mother spent extra time in educating him on how to behave, his mannerisms and any other things that he needed to know in order to pull off their escape plan.

After they'd gone over everything a final time, Yuki had come back looking much better rested and then all three spent some mother-son time. They helped bathe Naruto properly and then dress in some basic robes so they didn't mess up the good clothes, they then began his transformation. They started with the hair and eyebrows; Yuki was a godsend for Kaoru as Naruto was very nervous and twitchy around the chemicals due to his heightened senses, and having the white haired woman there kept their Naru-chan calm. Once the dye had worked and Naruto's eyebrows and hair were done, they took a step back and observed their handy work … Naruto looked like a blue eyed Yuki … it was amazing to look at and even more adorable after Naruto, himself realised that very same thing as he bounced happily on his feet and hugged the two while babbling on how he and Yuki-kaa-chan looked like each other.

Properly dressing was next and since they'd gone with Yuki's colouring as a guide to Naruto and his new appearance, they settled on blues and softer colours. Yuki and Kaoru had selected a simple but exquisite pale blue coloured Kimono that had a beautiful snowflake pattern on it with a tasteful embroidered crane to give the illusion of the crane being hidden in the snow and all of this was completed with a darker blue obi that perfectly set the scene of snowfall … Kaoru and Yuki had lost it at this point due to the sheer cuteness of the scene as Naruto had spun in every which way to get a better view at the luxurious, and warm Kimono … he'd never worn many styles of clothing before and even though he was a boy; the comfort of these clothes, despite being girl's clothing made him feel safe and warm … and they were pretty.

The Makeup was simply some foundation and lip gloss with a little brush of powder to make him even more adorable … next went a special Uzumaki Seal that Chiriku knew … it was a Suppression Seal that would shield his chakra network and give 'her' the appearance of being a civilian. It was only something that even the Byakugan and Sharingan couldn't see and they placed that on his back just below his shoulder.

Masahiko, Asuma and Chiriku all stared at Naruto when the two women returned with a white haired girl instead of a blonde haired boy … it took Naruto pouting at them and then giggling at their shocked faces to get them to realise who he was because instead of a long, blonde haired boy in generic traditional clothing (that he received by bathing with Yuki the day of their meeting) there was a gently bred young girl with soft white hair and deep blue eyes.

Naruto was told that he'd be sharing a carriage with Yuki, as to continue giving the illusion that 'Naru' was her child and they all shared a moment when he'd tilted his head in thought and asked why he had to act any differently then, after all; he was their child and it didn't change the fact that they were his family.

The carriage ride was long but surprisingly not as bumpy as Naruto had been expecting, but that may have been because half of the time was spent curled up next to his Yuki-kaa-chan and listening to her stories or just enjoying her humming while she brushed his hair … he'd never felt so safe and even though he loved his whole family he knew, and he suspected they knew it too; but he knew that Yuki-kaa-chan was his favourite.

The other half of the journey however, was spent by Naruto playing with a peculiar device that they'd given him … it was merely cosmetic to his disguise but Naruto was still fascinated by it … it was a Tessen or a Fan; it was a simple young Lady's Tessen that matched the colour of the Obi on his Kimono and was made from a sturdy wood. Despite being a mundane item, as many others believed, Naruto spent hours playing with it, flicking it open in various ways or at different angles and spinning it around his wrists; the feeling the simple wood and fabric paper that they used to line it was addicting to the now white haired child … he'd never had toys before but the items that he did find, either broken or just trash took a place in his mind for life … he spent time with the items, seeing how they worked and how they could be fixed … it was just how his mind worked and this Tessen was no different. He analysed anything that his eyes could pick up and it was only as they approached that Naruto found himself humming that tune he'd learnt from Yuki during their first bath and smiling with delight over the simple piece of equipment.

What Naruto failed to realise was that apart from a cooing Yuki, he had managed to attract an audience.

..::..

Itachi Uchiha was very bored, she was a Ninja and she and her best friend Shisui Uchiha; had been sent to Konoha's Outpost with her father Fugaku Uchiha to oversee the Fire Daimyo's crossing personally on orders of the Sandaime Hokage. Upon their arrival to the Western Outpost, they'd informed the Ninja and Kunoichi stationed there to be on the look-out for the Fire Daimyo and his family's caravan … they then had to wait a further three hours before it was a Hyūga Border Ninja that spotted their approach.

Itachi looked at her father in sheer disgust as she watched him puff himself up like a peacock; she muffled a giggle at the terminology. He was exactly like a peacock, prancing around and puffing himself up to look more important than those that weren't Uchiha. That was something she didn't agree with; her father, the Clan Leader and their esteemed elders of the Uchiha Clan … they pranced around belittling any of the other clans for being inferior to the Uchiha Clan and it wasn't endearing the clan to Konoha; in fact it was having quite the reverse affect in that other Clans and even the Villagers themselves, were growing weary and wary of them.

She and Shisui were on guard quite often now, even when they took something simple like a stroll through the village these days; sure they were greeted kindly and praised as they were hailed geniuses of the Uchiha but underneath? Underneath the polite façade was fear and distrust. The rest of the village distrusted the Uchiha since it was rumoured that an Uchiha was suspected of instigating the Kyuubi attack four years ago. No one knew where the rumour started, she suspected the council, but her father had all but ignored the diplomacy of the Hokage and instead puffed himself up to make the Uchiha Clan and in turn him seem more important. If this continued she was unsure for the Uchiha Clan's future.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Shisui who had decided that it'd be a brilliant idea to elbow her quite harshly.

"Ne, Itachi-chan?" he whined, she ignored him and he repeated several times before grounding out an "Itaaaaaaaachi-chaaaaaan?"

"What Shisui?" she whispered harshly, eye twitching but you could make out the tiniest of twitches to her lips "What do you want?"

"Nothing; just thought you should stop looking like a fun-sized Shinigami, all morose and grumpy with that gleam of death in your eyes" he spoke getting very creative as he described the traits before he chuckled at his own words.

"I do not look like a 'fun-sized' Shinigami!" she exclaimed harsher than she expected, she then blushed; he was riling her up to get a reaction.

It was a weird hobby of his, examining the responses given and learning how the brains of others worked … she could hear him laughing softly so she let out an "Hn" and glanced down the road once more ignoring the childish grumbles of Shisui.

As the Fire Daimyo's Caravan arrived at the Western Outpost; Itachi and Shisui were given an extra lesson on checking for threats by the guards. After they were no longer needed Shisui had immediately wandered off to talk to the Ninja that were guarding the Fire Daimyo and his family; she knew that one was the son of the Sandaime Hokage but the other was a monk? She pondered on how a monk could be a shinobi and if that was in fact a conflict of their beliefs … when she saw her.

The adorable child in question seemed completely engrossed in learning everything about her Tessen. The child was a delicate looking child with long pure white hair and mesmerizing blue eyes that sparkled each and every time she discovered something new about her fan and her dazzling smile when she succeeded in accomplishing a spectacularly well executed spin release was as mesmerizing as her eyes were.

Itachi ignored the outside world as she stared at the child; even with her remarkable skills born from hours spent training in Emotional Control she was failing as she gazed on the extremely cute little creature in front of her and if the slight pink on her cheeks was any indication; she was blushing. The child spotted her staring and squeaked; she hid behind the fan and blushed in embarrassment, hitting her head as she hid.

'Eh? Kawaii!' Itachi's inner girly nature squealed before it was ruthlessly squashed down. The absolutely adorable girl peeked slowly over her fan at her and Itachi managed a cough to cover her moment of girly weakness; though when the young girl heard the cough she perked up and glanced curiously at her.

"Are you okay?" Itachi managed to ask finally.

"Eh? Y-Yes I'm fine, thank you." The girl responded, her voice soft and sweet while caressing the spot where her head had been struck by the fan with delicate looking hands.

'What a nice voice, like chiming bells' Itachi thought to herself, unknowingly staring once more. 'And what small hands.'

"Naru-chan? Who are you talking to little one?" she heard come from the carriage

'Naru? Her name is Naru?' Itachi pondered to herself before noticing the girl start and cutely pout to the unidentified voice. 'Little one? How … appropriate.'

Itachi heard the girl respond and then quietly but not quietly enough say "You're going to embarrass me!"

"Oh? Making new friends already? I'm so proud of you Naru-chan." He heard the voice say again.

Itachi couldn't help nor stop the quiet laugh that came from her throat and she found herself on the receiving end of the most adorable glare she'd ever seen. It didn't stop the laugh, in fact, her shoulders shook slightly and her laugh became more pronounced. The young girl seemed to sigh in resignation before murmuring to the person in the carriage.

Itachi then noticed that the Hokage's son approach the carriage, Shisui hot on his tail and by the look on the younger Sarutobi's face, he was trying to shake the pest that was Shisui Uchiha. He spared her a glance before turning to the carriage door.

"My Ladies" he stated (he was in character as Naruto was in disguise after all) "The horses for the Fire Daimyo's carriage have been injured and we have no choice but to hold our position until the horses have been rested and treated … if you wish to leave the carriage then you must be escorted by Chiriku, myself or one of the guards here."

..::..

Naruto suddenly paused as it felt like someone or something was watching him, he glanced out his window and spotted a nice looking boy staring at him with slightly pink cheeks. While Naruto had come out of shell quite quickly considering his childhood he was still shy around strangers, particularly nice strangers. So he did the only thing he could think of; he squeaked in embarrassment and hid behind his fan, blushing all the while. He somehow managed to hit his head on the fan on the way though. His heart was pounding and he fought the urge to hide and despite his usually shy nature in front of strangers, he managed to gather the courage to peek over the fan and look back at the boy.

The boy coughed and Naruto took that as a 'go for it' sign and perked up, squashing down his nerves he looked curiously at the boy in front of the carriage.

"Are you okay?" the boy asked kindly

"Eh? Y-Yes I'm fine, thank you." Naruto responded softly, rubbing his head gently, the boy was staring again.

"Naru-chan? Who are you talking to little one?" Naruto started, he forgot that Yuki was in the carriage still … Naruto pouted softly as he turned to Yuki.

"Mou! I'm not that little Yuki-kaa-san." Naruto replied softly "You're going to embarrass me!"

Yuki stifled a giggle and glanced out the window through the curtain. "Oh? Making new friends already? I'm so proud of you Naru-chan." She announced just a little too loud for Naruto's tastes.

He heard the boy start laughing quietly and mustered all the strength he could to give the strongest glare he could manage. It didn't help; if anything the boy started laughing a little harder and his shoulders shook in a futile effort to stop. Naruto sighed in surrender and muttered mutinously to Yuki who was also giggling to herself. Naruto heard somebody approach the carriage door and breathed a sigh of relief to hear Asuma's voice.

"My Ladies" he stated; Naruto glared at Asuma (failing to see that it wasn't doing anything but entertain the man) "The horses for the Fire Daimyo's carriage have been injured and we have no choice but to hold our position until the horses have been rested and treated … if you wish to leave the carriage then you must be escorted by Chiriku, myself or one of the guards here."

..::..

Asuma glared back at the Uchiha boy that was still bothering him, he didn't know what Chiriku had said to this boy but the brat wouldn't leave him alone. He was doing his best to ignore the Uchiha brat when Chiriku approached him.

Chiriku came forward from the front carriage and whispered a message to relay to Lady Yuki and the little one from the Fire Daimyo. Asuma sighed and spared a glance to the messy haired Uchiha brat that wouldn't leave him alone before glaring murderously at Chiriku … he started to walk down towards the carriage that contained Lady Yuki and the Little 'Lady' … he heard Naruto say something about being embarrassed before he noticed another Uchiha boy trying and failing not to laugh.

He saw the glare Naruto gave the boy and Asuma, being the protective person he had unknowingly become, started to entertain thoughts of seeing how many wind blades the Uchiha brat could take before being repentant of his actions.

He was pulled from his darkening thoughts when he arrived at the door to the carriage.

"My Ladies" he stated, he had to resist the urge to choke after he received a look from Naruto, "The horses for the Fire Daimyo's carriage have been injured and we have no choice but to hold our position until the horses have been rested and treated … if you wish to leave the carriage then you must be escorted by Chiriku, myself or one of the guards here."

Asuma glanced at both of the Uchiha boys; the one that had been annoying him was now annoying the other boy 'Yes … freedom; I can finally have a cigarette.'

He pulled one out of his pack and was ready to light one when he felt the gaze of expressive blue eyes. Naruto was glancing at him with curiosity and whispered something to Yuki. When he heard a quiet response, Naruto's curiosity filled eyes changed to ones of worry.

"Ne? Ne? You shouldn't use those things Asuma-san." Naruto said forcibly. Oh God; he was giving him that look, and were those tears coming? "Yuki-kaa-san said that you could d-die early if you use those!"

Naruto had practically sobbed the last bit out and he felt all his defences come crashing down.

"Ah! Don't worry little one; I won't use them (without you around) again." He hastily said to calm the adorable creature down.

"P-Promise?" Naruto whispered with a hiccup and pleading eyes.

"Absolutely." He replied promptly

"Good!" Naruto said sternly

Asuma turned quickly to escape and in doing so failed to see the vulpine grin that had made its way onto Naruto's face. 'Kura-nee you're a genius. He totally fell for that.'

"You're very welcome Naru-chan" was the reply from deep in his mind.

..::..

After getting permission from Yuki to take a walk, Naruto gracefully stepped out of the carriage and made his way over to the boy he'd seen and briefly talked with from before.

The boy had shoulder length black hair tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck and was wearing black shorts and a dark blue short sleeved high collared t-shirt with a weird looking red and white fan on the back. He possessed the standard Kunai and Shuriken pouches and had a Tanto or short sword strapped to the small of his back. His look was completed by his Konoha Hitai-ate strapped to his forehead.

The boy he was talking to (being annoyed by) was dressed similarly except for the wild black hair he possessed as opposed to the straight hair of the first and that his Tanto was slightly longer and strapped to his shoulder instead of his lower back.

As he approached he heard the one with wild hair say something that must have annoyed the first as the first boy turned around and poked him square in the ribs, causing the wild haired boy to wince and struggle to catch his breath.

"H-Hello there Ninja-san." He began softly only to be interrupted by the wild haired boy who had miraculously recovered and instantly took hold of Naruto's hand.

"Hello, hello; my name is Shisui Uchiha" the boy started and after energetically waving hands for a minute stopped and got in Naruto's face "Wow. You have really blue eyes. Did you know that? And wow, your hand is really soft and …"

The boy, Shisui was interrupted with a sharp slap to the back of the head with the other boy glaring at him. Whilst Shisui was crouched on the ground pouting and grumbling about abusive friends, the other boy took a step forward, and remembering his etiquette training; bowed while gently taking Naruto's hand.

Placing a soft kiss to the back of the knuckles he looked the blushing Naruto in the eyes and introduced himself "I am Itachi, Itachi Uchiha, 1st child of the Clan's head My Lady."

Naruto could hear his big sister giggling loudly in the back of his mind as he blushed a crimson red, Itachi let out the faintest of smirks 'Works every time. A little suave for my tastes but even young girls are taught proper etiquette these days'

"Prince charming strikes again," Shisui drawled blankly with just a hint of bitterness; he then chuckled and prodded Itachi "Adding another member to your ever growing Fan Club eh?"

Itachi slapped him in the back of the head again and Shisui went right back to poking the ground whilst sulking. Naruto laughed softly and both Uchiha stopped and stared at the adorable child with her bell like chiming laugh.

"You are both acting like the comedy act that I saw one once when they visited" Naruto giggled 'Well from what he could see from the room in the basement with the mud stained and cracked window.'

"They were well rehearsed, just like you two seem to be" Naruto continued until he heard a menacing cough from the depths of his mind "Ah. I've forgotten proper etiquette; my name is Narut- … Naru, Naru Shinji. 1st Child of the Fire Daimyo. It's very nice to meet you both Itachi-san, Shisui-san"

Naruto remembered to bow politely to both and was rewarded by stunned looks of awe by both boys. Naruto smiled his dazzling smile and caused both boys to gain a light pink tint to their cheeks but for different reasons.

'S-so adorable. So K-Kawaii!' girly Itachi squealed in her mind.

'I knew I'd win the fair lady's favour!' Inner Shisui thought with a fluttering sigh.

Naruto paused after his introduction and appeared deep in thought, he sniffed the air for a moment before returning to his thoughts and then repeated the process … he tilted his head briefly and chewed on his bottom lip before he glanced to Itachi and then to Shisui. Despite the training that he'd received he was still a child and as such he didn't know why he asked or even where the courage to ask came from but there was something about the smell coming from Itachi that put him at ease and he found himself asking nonetheless.

"Ne? Ne? Itachi-san a-are you a boy or a girl?" Naruto asked, innocent face tilted to the side in thought "You certainly look like a boy Itachi-san … but you smell like a girl."

It was unknown at that moment in time but that would be the start of a relationship that would be the start of a glorious future between the two of them.

..::..

Itachi gasped softly as she awoke from her restless nap, she never slept anymore; it was the price she paid for being not only the eldest child of the Clan Head, but also the prodigious Uchiha Clan pin up Ninja … she snorted to herself.

'That's the only way my father uses me after all.' She thought to herself. As Itachi proceeded to brush the tangles out of her hair she reminisced on the curious child of the Daimyo.

-Flashback-

The adorable child seemed deep in thought, she sniffed the air for a moment before returning to her thoughts and then repeated the process many times … she tilted her head briefly and chewed on her bottom lip before she glanced to Itachi and then to Shisui.

"Ne? Ne? Itachi-san a-are you a boy or a girl?" the girl asked, innocent face tilted to the side in thought "You certainly look like a boy Itachi-san … but you smell like a girl."

It was a simple question but its effect had hit Itachi like a Doton Jutsu to the stomach.

She remembered hearing Shisui cough next to her in surprise but before she could answer the child that Monk/Ninja; Chiriku she'd learnt later, approached them, apologised deeply for her curiosity and led the apologetic child back to the carriage as they'd found replacement horses for the Fire Daimyo's carriage.

The Daimyo's child watched them from the window of her carriage as the caravan began to leave again. She had bowed her head once more to each of them and whispered an apology to Itachi quietly.

Despite the quietness of the apology, Itachi heard it clear as day … it was as if the very breeze itself bent to the child's whim and carried the simple message to her.

-Flashback End-

That life changing moment had happened nearly a month ago now but despite the length of time since the encounter; Itachi continued to replay that moment over and over again in her mind. How would she even answer that question? The answer to that question was complicated and something that she was ashamed to speak about out loud.

You see, Itachi was born with a medical condition so rare that it had only been recorded three times in Shinobi history. The texts were far too old to decipher now but it was still documented none the less. Itachi was born a Hermaphrodite or Futanari … calling herself a Futa, short for Futanari was easiest, she had decided and those that knew also called it the same.

Being born a Futa was considered a good sign, a blessing for most Clans but the Uchiha Clan was not one of those Clans; it also made her a freak to her father as her father had commented on many times. Her father was disgusted with her 'birth defect' he called it, though Itachi wasn't sure if it was a defect or just something that made her unique.

Most of the time, she would shrug that line of thought away but when she couldn't; she turned to her mother, Mikoto Uchiha.

Her mother was her pillar of strength in their family, she was the one Itachi had come to whenever she had nightmares or needed a shoulder for her tears. Her little brother, Sasuke thought she was a boy; just like everybody else. Even her name, Itachi, was deliberately given by her father so they could 'hide' her femininity. Then there was the 'personal training'.

She glared at her reflection in the mirror.

The moment that she'd awoken her Sharingan and chakra was the day her 'father' started training her; he was brutal on her and refused to acknowledge her as a girl, so a boy she became to the world.

Yes; Itachi referred to herself as a girl, not a boy. Her body was that of a girl with extra parts that belonged to a boy but she knew from the Clan's physician that as she grew older, her body would not shape itself more than necessary. What he meant was that when she grew up, she'd still be able to have children but she would never look like a 'womanly' woman; at best she could expect to look like a below average woman, at worst; she may look like a pretty boy. Luckily, her breasts would grow and function as normal, with the exception of a massively reduced rate of growth but if she were to have children they'd operate properly. She was told that her testicles were internal and that her penis functioned properly.

'Of course it works; I piss through it every morning after all.' She thought to herself irritably.

She had studied her body herself though, while not a common condition Tsunade Senju of the Sannin had published works regarding the 'Phenomenon of the Futa'. Through Tsunade Senju's thesis she discovered that while she used her penis to urinate, she didn't get hard or feel pleasure, so it could be fixed but the problem was that it was still connected internally and that meant that only two people had the ability to fix her … Tsunade Senju or Orochimaru. It was laughable to her that the only two people in the word that could help her wouldn't; Tsunade Senju while acclaimed in her skills not only hated Konoha for sins that couldn't be healed but also because she loathed the Uchiha Clan. And with Orochimaru, he'd more likely heal her, but take her Sharingan, her blood, her organs and probably even her chastity: both were out of her reach and it tore her up inside.

The deepest but most unobtainable of her dreams was to eventually settle down and have a family of her own. A family where SHE could be herself and free to be a mother … she had never told anyone of this dream but she knew that it was one that might never come true; so she kept it to herself.

She supposed that it was for the best to keep it a secret; apart from her family (minus Sasuke) and the physician only one other person knew, her best and only friend Shisui Uchiha. While Shisui could be really annoying, he was dependable and she'd rather have him watching her back than the entire Uchiha Clan combined.

That wasn't the problem for Itachi though.

The main problem was that once the clan's physician informed her father of her condition, and how it would affect her in the future he was positively gleeful. He used it as an excuse to increase the intensity of her training to mould 'him' into the perfect shinobi for the clan's image and that was why she continued to exist as a shinobi and not a kunoichi.

So when a child that had never met her before asked her such a question, she froze.

'Come to think of it' Itachi thought to herself 'How did she actually pick that up? The Inuzuka Clan certainly couldn't and they are famous for their sense of smell. Curious.'

She completed her task of taming her hair and tied it in its usual ponytail; she was tempted to put it up in a more girly look but the last time her father caught her mother and her doing that he went ballistic and not only punished her but her mother as well. She eyed her own reflection with distaste for a minute or so before strapping on her kunai pouch and retightening her Hitai-ate.

'Another day in my glorious life' she thought bitterly … at least with her father's attention all on her, Sasuke could have a normal childhood. 'And I'd rather die than have father put Sasuke through my childhood hell.'

Itachi bid good morning to her mother and sat down at the table for breakfast. She glanced to the left and right with trepidation and her mother must've picked up on it.

"He's in a meeting with the esteemed elders Itachi-chan" Mikoto reassured her daughter. "When you see Hokage-sama today inform him that your father and the elders are up to something. I don't like how the future looks if they are plotting something."

"Yes mother" Itachi replied in her monotonic voice.

Mikoto sighed to herself; her husband had all but destroyed her gentle little girl, she remembered how close they used to be before that damned physician opened his big mouth to her father. After that her little girl vanished, replaced by the perfect image that her husband expected his 'son' to be.

Fugaku only ever cared about his own position anyway but with the clan beginning to become ostracized from the village, some of the other men were starting to come around to her husband's propaganda. 'I fear for Konoha should Fugaku achieve his goals.'

Itachi finished her breakfast and bid farewell to her mother … she was looking forward to today as it was her day off and she all she had on that day was an appointment with the Hokage to vocalise her report from last month's meeting at the outpost. It meant no 'father – 'son' time'

'I wonder why the Hokage has been so frantic lately,' Itachi pondered 'Did he lose something?'

It wasn't just the Sandaime acting that way though; ANBU and even ROOT had been a buzz of activity as they combed through the streets, alleyways and even the sewers for something. Itachi suddenly came to a stop … the Jinchūriki! That was the only answer she could come up with if both ANBU and ROOT were out in such numbers.

Itachi had heard the rumours of the 'Demon child' of course but she understood Fūinjutsu to some degree and knew that if the Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi, then it wasn't going anywhere and harming a container only lead to a leaking or broken container. She had even caught a glimpse of him once; just the back of his dirty blond hair but it was a glimpse anyway. He was being shouted at by the matron of the orphanage and Itachi just assumed that he'd misbehaved or something along those lines. Itachi continued to think about the little blond as she continued walking towards her destination: the Hokage Tower.

..::..

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared out his window and he gritted his teeth in frustration and guilt; the guilt he felt had never been as strong as it was right now. Five weeks ago his predecessor's son disappeared. It was bad enough that said predecessor's son was the Jinchūriki but he was also the heir of two clans and the heir to the Royal Throne of Uzu. If word got out to the other nations, Konoha would be crushed; not just physically but politically as well. It was because of Naruto and his family's blood that half of their treaties existed in the first place as they were not signed by Konoha but by the Royal Family of Uzu.

Kushina had been responsible for over 80% of the political power amassed on Konoha's behalf in the last war alone; add that to the fact that the only reason they had the political power of Uzu behind them in the first place was because of the union between the First Hokage and Mito Uzumaki meant that by default, about 90% of Konoha's political 'sway' hinged on a single child. A child that he had ignored out of guilt.

Hiruzen growled at himself; he was weak and in his weakness he neglected the child that held the future of Konoha in his hands. The ANBU Team assigned to watch him reported him missing days after he had disappeared in the first place … he had no choice but to make examples out of them and by the end of their vitriol of excuses and misplaced blame, Konoha was down an ANBU Team; five perfectly trained soldiers dead because they couldn't keep their ignorance in check.

'I'm tired of all of my past mistakes coming to bite me in the arse. First Orochimaru and now Naruto.' Hiruzen lamented before a fire began to burn in his eyes 'Not anymore; no one fucks with my law, my commands any longer. It's time the village remembered that this is a military village, a dictatorship.'

His vow was too little too late though. Naruto was gone and all it took was a single chatty villager to ruin the veil of protection that they'd managed to put up. He was brought out of his reverie by a knock at the door, his secretary nervously bowed; could she feel his power? His resolve? Good.

"Lord Hokage?" she stuttered out

"Yes?" Hiruzen replied

"Itachi Uchiha to see you My Lord." She informed before hastily making a tactical retreat. The Sandaime ignored her retreating form and turned his attention to the young man before him.

..::..

Itachi politely nodded to the villagers and smiled at the excited children as they rushed past her to get to the playground or park. Itachi fought to protect their smiles; she'd seen the horrors of death and witnessed the Kyuubi attack four years ago and would do anything to prevent that war or death to return to Konoha.

Itachi finally made it to the Hokage tower and walked up to the receptionist.

"Excuse me?" Itachi asked cordially "I believe that I have an appointment with the Hokage."

The receptionist glanced up and upon recognising Itachi, proceeded to straighten her hair and blush.

'Great. A fan girl' Itachi shuddered mentally

"Of course Mr. Uchiha! I'll inform the Hokage that you've arrived" she responded with a horrible attempt at a sultry tone. Itachi gagged in her mind; just because she wore a headband and was considered an adult, didn't mean that she wanted to be hit on at eight years old.

As soon as the Hokage's Office door was opened they were swept up in a power that was washing off the Hokage in waves.

"Lord Hokage?" she stuttered out

"Yes?" Hiruzen replied

"Itachi Uchiha to see you My Lord." She informed the Sandaime before hastily retreating past Itachi.

She fought the smirk that threatened to overtake her face and thankfully she succeeded in her attempt. She saw the Hokage scrutinising her and she stood a little straighter.

"You requested my presence Lord Hokage." Itachi clearly stated.

"At ease Itachi" the Sandaime responded and supressed a sigh when Itachi remained rigid. "You are here to give a vocalised report of the successful mission to oversee the Daimyo's crossing through the Outpost. So report"

Itachi gave her report and the Sandaime was pleased. 'If only the other shinobi took the time to report in such a manner'

When Itachi mentioned the child, Hiruzen's eyes sharpened "Explain." Itachi, while confused reported it all the same taking extra care to describe the child.

'So the Daimyo and his family have finally had a child' Hiruzen thought with a smile. 'Has it really been three years since I visited them or had tea with the Daimyo? I'll have to send along my congratulations.'

Itachi fidgeted for a moment and the Sandaime recognised the need to say something. "You may speak freely Itachi."

"My Lord Hokage," Itachi began, she paused for a moment to organise her thoughts before continuing "My father and the esteemed elders are planning something. I do not know what they are planning but they are planning something nonetheless and my mother and I fear that these plans are not for the good of Konoha."

Hiruzen was not surprised to hear the venom in Itachi's voice as he was aware of the manner of training that Itachi had gone through.

"I see," Hiruzen replied gravely, he knew Itachi was loyal to Konoha but just how loyal? "And your intentions? Why report it to me when their plans are still unknown?"

"I'm reporting now to beg for leniency on behalf of the innocents that may be harmed by your retaliation" Itachi stated promptly in a bow "Should it come to violence I need to know that the actions of the fathers, mothers, and adults that are guilty are not going to be placed on the innocent children or families."

Hiruzen smiled. It was nice to see such loyalty and caring from one so young. The Uchiha were in good hands with Itachi as the heir. "Very well. Your words shall be deliberated on and considered with great importance. Dismissed."

"Thank you My Lord" Itachi replied in relief and after bowing once more she turned to leave when the Hokage asked a further two questions.

"Itachi-kun, do you know the Jinchūriki?" he asked in a serious tone.

"I've seen him once Lord Hokage," she replied before continuing at his raised eyebrow, "The Elderly Matron of the Orphanage seemed to be shouting and punishing him for something that he'd done, he was filthy, like he hadn't been bathed but just stood there and took his punishment. The Matron … she seemed like a strict woman"

Hiruzen sighed to himself. That sounded about right, after Ibiki and Anko were done with her she'd be executed in front of the villagers and their representative council as a warning and message saying 'don't fuck with me anymore' and for now; it was working.

"And you obviously know about his treatment? What do you say about it? What's your opinion?" The Sandaime prodded, interested to hear the Uchiha Clan's prodigy and his opinion.

"Permission to speak freely My Lord?" Itachi asked and at Hiruzen's nod continued, "This village has really screwed up. I've studied the law and old Clan treaties. The Uzumaki Clan commanded the highest percentage of political power in not only Konoha, but the entire Elemental Nations. I would suggest a campaign to identify the perpetrators and root them out for any possible information regarding the boy. It is my opinion however, that we are too late. If the child has left the village or been forced to leave then it displays that the villagers are unaware of the power the child wields, and I'm not talking about the Biiju sealed within him."

Itachi took a breath before continuing

"Furthermore, the Ninja Academy does not teach the importance of Uzu or the Uzumaki Clan and I fear that even though your law is in place, if the child grew up in Konoha his treatment would not change. It is my opinion that he should have never been announced as the Jinchūriki in the first place."

Itachi waited and recognised the dismissal when the Hokage waved him out.

"Itachi-kun is right" he muttered to himself "I messed up."

Hiruzen pulled his pipe out and lit it with a small Katon Jutsu. He went right back to gazing out at the village. "I fear the future for this village now lies with whoever has Naruto."

..::..

As Itachi left the Hokage Tower she found her mind drifting onto what her father would call frivolous topics for his perfect, poster 'boy' of a 'son'; her mood started to sour at the very thought of him, so she distracted herself with her original train of thought. She thought about her life, her family (her mother and Sasuke), and her village and most important of all, her deepest thought: she even thought about as to whether or not someone, anyone other than her mother and if she squinted just right, Shisui; would love her just as she was.

Her entire being screamed at her to let out the pent up emotion, to release it and stop it from bubbling up inside of her so hastening her pace, she practically flew to the nearest training ground. After checking the log and subsequently discovering it empty, she logged her name on the file and fled into the deepest part of the training ground and once there; she huddled into a ball in the crook of a tree near a small stream and wept.

'It's not fair!' she thought bitterly 'Why can't I have been born normal, either a boy or a girl; just … normal.'

She stayed there for Kami knows how long but by the time her tears of pain, frustration and misery finally halted, the moon was already high in the sky. Itachi sniffled once more before finding the stream and washing her face; if anyone asked about her puffy eyes she could claim overuse of the Sharingan and no one would ask twice, well everyone except for her mother and Shisui. They both seemed to have a knack for knowing what was going on with her emotions, funny considering Shisui couldn't read the emotion in a whole room to save his life and despite his hobby of studying human responses but he seemed to be able to read her like an open book. Oh both of them knew that Shisui would never be more than a really close brother, the annoying one true, but a brother nonetheless; but they were both perfectly fine with that.

Itachi picked herself up from the stream where she had been staring at her reflection once again and made to leave, when she stopped once more. She turned right and left, activating her Sharingan before repeating the process. Once she was absolutely certain that she was alone she reached a hesitant hand up to her ponytail and after a second or two gently pulled on it.

Her hair fell in a soft thud on her neck; it wasn't that long but to have it free was something she dared not to even try. Like the very thought of not having her hair up in its usual ponytail was taboo, she whipped her head around suspiciously, as if daring invisible watchers out of their hiding spots and catching her before it was too late; her breath hitched and she peeked a glance at her reflection and quickly memorised it with her Sharingan.

With her hair down it was clear to see she took after her mother, not that it wasn't noticeable before but with her hair down and still slightly wet from washing her face it was a scaringly close resemblance. Itachi ran a shaking hand through her hair softly and she could feel the fresh tears about to overtake her once more.

She was about to start again when a cough from behind her caused her to violently start and she whirled around with High Chunin speeds as she readied her kunai. Her spin ended and she came face to face with Shisui, his eyes were softer than she'd ever remembered and it was only now she realised that he had probably been there the entire time, but was content to give her the moment without interruption.

"Hey" was all Shisui said but he did open his arms slightly while looking away with a bit of a blush. Was he … was he offering her a hug? Itachi's tears started flowing once more before she accepted the hug with a soft smile.

"It'll be okay Itachi." Shisui stated, as if it was a fact. "One day you won't have to please anyone but yourself … and your husband when, not if; but when you get married. I know you'll meet the right person one day and fulfil your wish of having a big family … I'd be the best uncle."

Itachi remained there in Shisui's arms for a few more minutes before releasing him from her death grip. "Thank you … Shisui." Was all she whispered, her emotions were still running on high and the adrenaline like feeling it caused was starting to fade. When it did she knew she'd be exhausted so she fixed her hair and readorned her emotionless mask.

"We should go back" she said quietly and Shisui nodded dramatically

"As you command My Lady!" he whispered back enthusiastically "I signed you out of the log book."

Itachi just rolled her eyes but you could see the small smile threatening to break through her mask; trust Shisui to make her feel better by whispering something so stupid. Both nodded to each other before they both Shunshined or Body Flickered out of the training ground, destination home.

Simultaneously they appeared in front of Itachi's house and after a shared glance bade farewell to one another. Shisui turned around and headed home with a final wave and Itachi crept silently into the house. She spied the note addressed to her on the table and read it quietly

Itachi;

Your Father has been called to an important meeting and I've been requested to attend. Sasuke is being cared for by Shisui's parents and there's some dinner on the table.

Your Mother,

Mikoto

Itachi felt a little guilty as she was supposed to look after Sasuke this evening but she had an emotional explosion, and after said explosion she was feeling tired so with an uncharacteristically loud snort and a shrug and she went to bed.

Her dreams that night were plagued by visions of her 'training'. The visions were getting worse, each being stronger and longer than the last but then; a vision of a certain little child with her soft laugh and her utterly adorable smile shone through and for the first time since the beginning of her 'training' she slept, not a nap like she was used to but sleep, and it was all possible because of that adorable little angel in her dreams, an angel that kept the bad memories at bay.

..::..

Chapter 02 is done! I hope that this version makes more sense, I added some more mother and son time in with Naruto, Yuki and Kaoru and I changed the essence of Itachi's condition. Hopefully the story had a smoother flow to it as well.

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AS ALWAYS: PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

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