Itachi's eyes widened slightly, a crack in his mask for just a split second, but it was enough for Harumi to catch. She bit her tongue. She really wished she was wrong, but with that slight movement, she knew she was right. Her eyes softened immeasurably as she took a step forward towards him, but judging by his stiff posture that one wouldn't notice unless they really knew him, told her that if she got too close, it would end badly. He was on edge, was he angry? Frustrated? Or…was he getting ready to kill her now that she knew?

"Itachi, why did he tell you to do it? And why did you? Did he blackmail you, o-or threaten you? I know you didn't want this, so how did he force you into doing it? Why was the annihilation of a clan necessary? Please, talk to me-" Harumi was saying but was cut off by Itachi disappearing. The hairs on the back of her neck raised.

MOVE Harumi.

She jumped up off the ground as fast as she could and not a millisecond later, Itachi slashed the spot she was standing in with his sword. Her eyes widened and she felt her heart stop. Had she not jumped, she would've been dead. He looked up into the air, his sharingan clear as day. She quickly weaved the hand signs faster than she had ever done before.

"Earth style, earth prison!" she yelled as the ground around Itachi created a larger barrier.

She wasn't stupid, she wouldn't bother fighting him right now, her chakra hadn't fully recovered and she didn't want to test her skills against the boy when he was trying to kill her. So, she ran the other way as fast as she could, knowing he'd break it any moment. Her heart raced more than it had when she ran last time. She didn't want to die, she didn't want to die, she didn't want to die!

'You're so proud of your speed, so let's see how fast you can run before I hunt you down,' he said as he laughed. Harumi could hear that man's words circling her head as she ran, and it made her heart clench.

Faster, faster, faster! She could feel her chakra spiking up at her feet as she picked up her speed, yet it wasn't intentional. Run to live. She had been running her whole life, it wasn't anything new, so her body eventually developed unbelievable speed and stamina. People always praised her for it, but they didn't understand the deep rooted trauma it came from.

Behind you.

Harumi had only a second to dodge the fireball jutsu that was aimed at her. She intensified the chakra in her feet and threw herself to the side as far as she could. Seconds before it hit the ground, it felt like time slowed down as Harumi analyzed the angle and speed in which the fireball was coming. Since she was able to sense it without feeling the heat first, it meant it wasn't as fast as his normal ones which she'd counter or dodge. That meant he was quite a distance away. Judging by the angle, he was watching her from high ground. So…

The fireball came down hard, destroying the ground, but with all her thinking, she prepared her counter move.

"Earth style, Great Wall!" she yelled before the earth began to rise exponentially high. A five hundred hundred meter long and tall wall rose from the ground, providing her a cover by blocking his view of where she was while forcing him to go around it if he tried to continue chasing her. The chakra around her feet began turning electric, causing her to go faster than someone four times her age could using all their chakra, yet this was not her limit. She was trying to save it in case she ran into another enemy.

Itachi managed to go around soon enough, but she was already out of sight by the time he did. He could try and look for her, but he understood that he wouldn't have been able to catch up with her at the speed she was going. What confused him was how she dodged his sword attack, he was very quick. He knew she was faster, but her reaction time shouldn't have been that fast, and she wasn't using any chakra when he did, so how did she realize? He didn't ponder much on it. She was just about as much as a mystery he was, especially those eyes of hers. They were unlike any other eyes he'd seen, those purple ones surprised even his mentor, Shisui.

Shisui always liked Harumi, he said she was a smart girl. Once though, after coming back from a joint mission with her, he mentioned to Itachi that she was really strong, but also dangerous, and not to underestimate her. When Itachi asked him what he meant, he only told him to figure it out himself, and he knew that Harumi would never put those she loved in danger. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that his mentor had seen her do something bad that made him say something like that. He found out what his mentor meant a year ago, when he was on a mission with her and their teammate died.

She...was someone who would likely be weaponized. His eyes saddened, he was making her run for her life, again. He knew she had to do that before, and much like Sasuke, she had no one left. But unlike Sasuke, it was happening all over again for her. Losing those she loved and being taken away from her home, only this time, she was forced out. He knew she would most likely be hunted down by the Leaf when they'd realize her body wasn't there, and Danzo would most likely connect the dots that she was in the hospital when the massacre was taking place, and would probably think she fled before Itachi could find her.

Not only that, Danzo would probably hunt her down to try and put an end to the girl he called a monster, always saying that a girl like her should have never been born. When they found her again, Danzo didn't want her to come back to the village, saying she was a danger to society and some agreed, but per the wishes of the late fourth hokage, the third let her live. No one but the third knew how Minato knew the girl, as he had died before she was found again. But one of the things the third knew was that the fourth had told him that no matter what had happened to her, if they ever found her again, she would be allowed back with open arms.

Itachi sighed, he knew the suffering he was causing her, but it was inevitable. It was the curse of the Uchiha. He turned around and went to the place he was supposed to meet Madara, he'd decide what to do later.

Harumi finally stopped running, looking back to make sure she was far enough. Then, all the feelings hit her again. She fell to her knees and began sobbing, her body shaking as she hugged herself. Her cries were loud as they echoed through the forest, but she didn't care. She lost everyone, again. She lost her home, again. Everyone was trying to hurt her, kill her, again. She fist came down on the ground, punching it repeatedly.

"Damn it, damn it! Not again! Why does this keep happening to me?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!" she screamed, her knuckles becoming bloody as she didn't stop. Her chest physically hurt as her heart clenched at the intense emotions. All the memories came at full strike; the blood, the screams, the yelling, the smell of death, the chains, the cells, it was overpowering her mind as she covered her ears though she knew it didn't help. It was too much, she couldn't take it anymore. She pulled out a kunai and held it to her neck. One movement, one move and it would all be over. All the pain, all the memories, she would be at peace. She didn't want to run anymore, she couldn't keep doing this, she deserved happiness. Tears welled up in her eyes, so did he. She knew he was doing this because he had to, but she couldn't handle it. She smiled. Maybe, by some miracle, despite what she had done, she'd see her loved ones in heaven. She pulled her kunai and swung it-

"Miss? What are you doing?" a small voice asked. Harumi immediately stopped, ceasing all movement. She opened her eyes, which went wide when she saw something surprising. The kunai was centimeters away from her neck, and there was a small girl looking at her with big, round, curious eyes. Harumi slowly put the kunai down, she couldn't traumatize a little girl by letting her witness a suicide, and not mention, she couldn't believe she was about to do something so stupid! This was not the way she wanted to go out, she wouldn't give that man and the elders of the leaf the satisfaction. The small girl gasped and quickly ran over to Harumi, grabbing her hand and looking at her bloody knuckles.

"Miss, what happened?! Are you okay? Do you need help?" asked the tiny girl, her brown eyes filled with worry. Harumi looked at the doe eyed girl with curiosity. Who was she, and what was she doing in a forest alone?

"I'm alright, but what are you doing out here alone honey? It's not safe, the sun is going down, and it's almost dark," said Harumi as she got up and patted away the dust from her knees.

"I was going home, but I heard someone crying so I came to make sure they were okay," said the small girl.

Harumi felt a small tug in her heart, the little kid had such a pure heart, it reminded her of how she used to be. Kind, merciful, weak. That's the only reason she was in this situation, because she was too weak, too merciful. Her hands fisted. She almost ended her life a moment ago, she was pathetic. After all she had endured, was she really going to give up so easily? She tsked, she was really surprised by her own actions. Her eyes dulled, she should probably get away from the girl as soon as possible, she never knew who would pop up and kill her. If the hokage really did want all the Uchihas dead, when they find out she wasn't, they'd send people out to kill her. It didn't matter though, she would make them regret it. Who even cared if Itachi wanted her dead like everyone else she had come to meet? She let out a dry chuckle, she should've seen it coming, 'that man' did tell her that no one would ever truly be able to love her.

"Miss…?" the small girl blinked. Harumi smiled at her as kindly as she could in the moment before taking the small girl's hand gently and leading her out of the forest. Once she safely escorted the girl back to her house, she thanked the girl for saving her though the girl didn't understand what she meant.

Harumi left the small girl's house and wandered through the town, looking by the stalls.

"Oh, I forgot to thank you! I would have died if you didn't tell me to jump," Harumi said aloud, looking like she was talking to the air, causing some people to glance at her oddly. When she didn't hear a reply, she sighed. He was back to ignoring her, huh? She let out a small laugh. She walked through the village with a smile. It contradicted the thoughts she was thinking about the people she could sense following her, which she found amusing. She began skipping like she didn't have a worry in the world as she turned in an alley, wondering if they'd try and ambush her. Just as she thought, they did. Four anbu black ops came out from their hiding spots, two in front of her, two behind her.

"My, I wasn't expecting visitors. I'm Harumi Uchiha, and you are?" she spoke.

"You know why we're here, a monster like you should never have been allowed to live. We'll make it quick," one of the anbu pulled out a weapon, his teammates doing the same.

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't make the same promise. I need to squeeze some information out of one of you, you see? And if you refuse to comply…then you'll be taught exactly what a monster like myself can force you to endure," she said. She saw his foot twitch, that was her signal.

"Earth style, earth prison," she whispered as the ground lifted and created a dome of complete darkness, and the anbu didn't know why, but she trapped herself along inside with them.

"Water style, water wave!" she confidently yelled as water began to fill the dome. She felt someone's fingertips touch her shoulder and a presence to her side, so she used the kunai in her hand and shoved it deep into the stomach of the person behind her before taking it out and pushing it into the chest of the person beside her. She quickly jumped to the top of the dome before smirking. It was almost fully filled with water, and it had only been six seconds. She pulled out a kunai and threw it into the water, before attaching a puppet string of chakra to it. This was going to hurt them, a lot.

"Lightning style, Electric Shock!" she yelled as the electricity traveled through the chakra string and straight into the water. The screams of the anbu filled the dome as she intensified her chakra. Once she stopped, she undid the dome, watching as all four anbu fell to the ground. She smiled in victory, not feeling any sympathy for the two who were especially injured from the shock and stab wounds. She looked at them in thought, she didn't expect them to go down so fast, but soon remembered that not all anbu were as skilled as the killer of the Uchiha.

She felt bad for calling him that, but she was hurt, she couldn't help it. She was able to numb most of it, which was useful. She usually didn't like to, because it was 'that man' who had taught her how to stop feeling, but it came in handy when she wanted to numb out intense hurt or pain.

"You…monster…" panted one of the anbu.

"Jeez, you really shouldn't call a woman that, it's not very polite," she said with a lopsided smile. "And I'm not a monster, you're just freakishly weak compared to me. Don't confuse the two." She walked over to him and pulled off his mask, revealing a young man, maybe in his twenties. She didn't recognize him, she only knew a select few of them. The third hokage -Hiruzen- wanted her to become a part of the anbu, but Danzo refused. Harumi only ever took it as a compliment, she found it flattering that a man much older than her found her so threatening. She laughed to herself, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had tried to kill her earlier, people like him always killed people who got in their way-

Her heart stopped for a moment…Danzo. Itachi was in the anbu black ops, working for Danzo, a man with nearly as much power as the hokage. She bit her lip, how did she not think of this earlier? That man was much more heartless than Hiruzen, so it made a lot of sense. Her hands fisted as she unnecessarily punched the anbu black op, not being able to control the sudden rage she felt. The man looked so confused at her actions, he could see the wheels in her head turning as her glare intensified.

"I hope you brought backup, or those friends of yours are going to bleed out soon. Not to mention that the shock knocked them out. Oh well, I guess they're going to die," she tilted her head boredly.

"You would let your own fellow villagers die? Of course you would, you're not even really part of the village, you're just a ghost of the girl who died. You're not even human, you're a mon-" the anbu boy was saying before he screamed in pain as Harumi pushed a kunai deep into his leg.

"I never died, and I'm not a monster. You all just assumed I was, which is why you're here now. Maybe if you treated me with more respect, you wouldn't be here, your comrades dying and a kunai in your leg. I wouldn't be surprised if the nine tails jinchuriki took revenge on you lot as well with how you treat the poor boy. If he did, you'd only have yourselves to blame. You keep calling people who are different from you 'monsters', but that's only because you know that if you got into a serious fight with us, you'd be dead in moments. I would watch what I say if I were you, or your tongue is the next to go.".

"Give it up, I won't speak," the anbu boy spat.

Harumi sighed before walking over to one of his bleeding friends. Her eyes softened slightly, she could see the sweat coming from underneath his mask. She bent down and took off his mask with a sigh, before she took out a kunai. All their bodies were mostly paralyzed from the electric shock, but that didn't mean they couldn't feel pain.

"Hey, I know it hurts, and I know you were only doing your job, I'm sorry. I'll knock you out and leave you somewhere where the villagers can see you so you get medical attention. Just don't come after me, okay? Or I'll kill your friend I'm taking with me before I cut out your eyes so you can never see where I go again, understand?" said Harumi, her words starting off kind, before they turned dark. She was bluffing, but with her poker face, the other anbu really thought she meant it. She knocked out all other three ninja before putting on one of their masks. She summoned a dark cloak and put it on, making her unrecognizable. She dragged out the bodies of the three ninja out of the alley and into broad daylight, causing gasps and even screams from those who passed by. She announced that they needed medical attention before grabbing anbu boy -who was now tied up- and taking him with her.

He couldn't figure her out. One minute she told him they'd bleed out, the next, she's getting them medical help while threatening to gouge out their eyes. What was with her? He looked down at her bloody knuckles, he wondered if Itachi was the one who did that to her. Did that mean he had encountered her and simply let her live? Or did she get these when facing an enemy? Was she the one who killed the leaf shinobi guards in the forest? All these questions circled his head, and he didn't know an answer to a single one of them.

His eyes widened as he could start to feel his finger moving again. He smirked evilly to himself. Maybe if pretended to be paralyzed, he could get an upper hand on her and kill her while he had the chance. Or better yet, bring her to Lord Danzo to do as he pleased with her. Whether it be to torture her, or force her to be an assassin as well. Lord knew she had the skill and power for it. He couldn't help but feel excited, this was his chance! Suddenly, they stopped at a random point. She turned to him and took off her mask and cloak, revealing her mischievous smirk.

"Twenty minutes and thirty five seconds, that's how long it took for you to get some feeling back. I estimated you'd get at least some feeling at the fifteen minute mark, but I guess you're just not all that strong. Pretty pathetic actually," she laughed a bit before noticing his shocked eyes. "Why do you look so surprised? Did you think I wouldn't notice? Oh please, I was counting down the seconds to see when you'd twitch even a little. Nice try though," said Harumi.

She began tying him to a tree- she had been doing a lot of that lately.

She smirked before speaking, "Now, you're going to answer all my questions about Itachi, Danzo, and the leaf village."

The anbu boy struggled against the restraints, this is the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to him. This girl was what, twelve? And she had him in restraints and had knocked out his teammates! They were specially trained anbu black ops, they had been trained for assassinations, protecting the hokage and stealing information from other lands or villages! Yet here was this twelve year old girl, who had him tied against a tree and was going to interrogate him. He could never live this down, it would forever haunt him.

"Why did Danzo order Itachi to kill the Uchihas?" asked Harumi.

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