We were held back a year in the Academy due to our age. I had known that this would happen because of the Hokage's initial request about graduating with our peers. We could hardly advance with the year above them and then join them for a repeat of the last year, that wouldn't make as much sense as redoing the first year with them and then moving forward, learning with them and getting to know them. Of course, Naruto was devastated about having to redo the year, my reassurances that the work would now be easy and familiar falling on deaf ears. It was Sasuke that brought him out of it, realizing that it meant we would be in the same year as him now. I tried to be happy for Sasuke about starting the Academy and sitting with him for moral support at the ceremony, but the fact that we had now entered into flashback episodes unnerved me. Things were moving forwards.

It had all seemed so slow when Naruto and I were younger. However, looking back it seemed like I blinked and it was all passed us. I had been mentally ancient compared to him, but there I was chewing on blocks and drooling on everything. Walking had been a relief, as well as talking, but nothing had compared to reading. I had never really stopped reading to get rid of the boredom. Once the initial difficulty in the Academy of learning the proper way to behave and act as a citizen of Konoha and how to completely read and write the language of this place it was cake. The history classes were interesting, as well as the theory on many aspects of being a ninja, but mostly we were focusing on basic education at the moment with our PE class being replaced with taijutsu practice. Therefore, it wasn't unusual for me to be seen reading some random book instead of paying attention. Of course doing it over again would only be twice as boring, but I had Sasuke to help this time around, whereas I had Naruto last time. It wouldn't be the same but at least I had a more time to beat the basics into Naruto's head.

All homework was done at my place. I made food, and helped when they needed it. Naruto's place was in no state for visitors, I never had been able to convince him to keep it clean, and Sasuke's place was out. One one hand, I didn't want to run into his father or his older brother. I didn't want their attention. Oh, we would hang out in the compound all the time playing with the cats and using their training grounds, but when I felt the approach of either his father's or brother's chakra Naruto and I excused ourselves politely and left. I was able to memorize their signatures when I identified them by sight when both were busy around the compound at separate times. From there it was easy to watch from them. It wasn't exactly polite to walk around your home compound with your chakra masked, to those who could still sense you, or saw you, it looked totes suspish, was not recommended. On the other hand, the compound was going to become a battleground one day after school and we didn't need to get in the habit of being there around the time when it would be happening. I had the brief thought that Itachi would change things then, but Madara wasn't to be swayed, and he was in charge, so that would only endanger us.

My second reason for avoiding Sasuke's house would forever stay hidden, but the first one was challenged pretty quickly. The day after Naruto and I had beat a hasty retreat Sasuke confronted us outside of the Academy before school, looking me in the eye and knowing that it was me who made the calls most of the time.

"Why do you keep running away from my brother?"

Oh, so he hadn't noticed the father bit yet. I shrugged sheepishly, averting my eyes and letting the natural flush that always happened when I felt any strong emotion overtake my face.

"You always go on about how awesome your brother is, and how much you wish he would teach you something-"

"Exactly, so why don't you want to meet him?!"

I shot him an exasperated look so he would let me speak.

"Because you hardly ever get to see him, duh. He's always busy, so if he's free then you deserve to finally have some time to spend with him without us in the way."

This was accepted easily enough, though he still insisted that one day we meet his 'awesome big brother'. I was wary of the guy for many reasons. One, who he'd grow up to be. Two, who he would be in some short months. Three, I knew how he was supposed to die, and it was up to me to save his life. Well, lengthen it a little bit. I was going to save him from the murder bit, but that sickness was beyond me, medicine had never been my forte. One semester in the pre-med program at college in a past life taught me that swiftly enough. However, Tsunade, Sakura, and Shizune should be able to make some progress if it was eventually brought to their attention. That would be easy enough if Sasuke ever showed signs of illness, Naruto and I would drag him there before he could protest if he coughed up blood for any reason whatsoever.

Not all of Sasuke's family was avoided, in the end. We ran into several of his cousins when practicing taijutsu at their training grounds, and more often than not they were very willing to hand over a few tips or tricks to the clan heads son and his little friends. The twins Kado and Kazuo, the only twins in the clan as far as I knew, were regulars. They seemed more like Sasuke, fun loving, friendly, though a little bit holier-than-thou at times. They helped us with shuriken and kunai throwing, which neither Naruto or I had been good at our first time going through the first year of the Academy, and it was during one of these sessions that Itachi stopped by to see his brother. I tried to bow out but Kazuo (I think), the little twerp, grabbed me, with Kado taking Naruto. They presented us to Itachi like human sacrifices before a sun god, identical cheeky smiles making me want to punch 'em.

"These are the little friends we've been telling you all about!"

Sasuke was trying to keep from laughing at my utterly done expression, whispering to me once I was released and had staggered away a few steps trying to keep my balance.

"See, if other family is here too then you aren't stealing time at all."

The kid was trying to make me feel better about it. Joy. I didn't want to disappoint so I plastered on a smile, it turning to a real one once I noticed how Naruto was all over Itachi with questions about the life of a ninja and 'cool jutsu'. I couldn't hold in an eyeroll.

"Naruto, you know we can't do jutsu yet."

He squawked, looking offended and whirling to look at me,

"What!? Why not?"

"Do you ever pay attention in class? They don't awaken your chakra system until the second year, supposedly to give you more time for it to form and levels to build up. Mostly it's so that those can't make it to the second year can't fuck themselves over or the too eager can't get themselves killed."

My liberal use of foul language, learned when exploring Konoha and mostly accidentally eavesdropping on shinobi and various old men, didn't surprise any of those present. Well, I couldn't tell about Itachi really, but the others were used to it. No, Kado, Kazuo, and Sasuke were looking horrified for different reasons.

"They don't let you use chakra?"

It was Sasuke who asked, so it was to him I had to explain it to.

"Well, no. Clan kids get to because they have family who knows what's going on and can make sure that they don't hurt themselves or others. Orphans and Civilian children don't have that option, so they're forced to wait for it to come up in the Academy curriculum."

Sasuke looked dumbstruck.

"I thought you just didn't want to use jutsu, not that you couldn't."

I rolled my eyes, punching his shoulder lightly,

"Yo, it isn't some medical issue, we aren't completely incapable, we just have a time limit until we can."

At least I hope not. I had that 'static' in me that I was positive was chakra what with how I could feel the same thing from everyone else and animals, but there was always the possibility that I wouldn't be able to use it, like Lee. I pushed the fear aside, elbowing Naruto so he would remember his manners, he finally remembered that he hadn't introduced himself. He didn't get the hint, but Sasuke was already seizing the lull in conversation to do so.

"Aniki, this is Uzumaki Naruto and Asuka. Guys, this is my Aniki."

He looked so damn proud that I felt guilty for putting off meeting him. But the guilt mostly disappeared when the guy shifted and I felt his chakra brush against mine again. Dayum. It was slightly frightening, but Naruto dragged me along to visit the Hokage enough that it was easier dealing with large chakra signatures, but at this stage they had to be mostly at rest, which was useless really.

Itachi was a quiet guy. He didn't participate in the conversation much, mostly watching with a small smile on his face as we bumbled around. He did end up showing off a bit once Sasuke begged a few thousand times, though he didn't get around to teaching it. A bird circled overhead and he quickly said his goodbyes and begged off. The twins wandered away shortly afterwards and Sasuke was still pouting. I considered telling him that his brother really had been busy when Naruto jumped in.

"Is he afraid of birds or something?"

Sasuke gave him a withering look,

"Of course not, Aniki isn't afraid of anything!"

Naruto held his hands up in surrender,

"Just asking, he saw that bird and ran."

More observant than I had thought, a thrill of pride ran through me and I cut in.

"They're messenger hawks, they're used to summon ninja from across the Village, discreetly. You aren't supposed to recognise them, just read the message in the flight patterns and then get moving."

I was faced with two wide eyed kids,

"How'dya know that?!"

They looked indignant and I smirked,

"I actually pay attention in class. We actually haven't gone over that yet this year, though, so Sasuke had no way of knowing it anyway."

Naruto got the unspoken message that he should have been paying attention. He looked guilty for all of three seconds before starting up another competition involving shuriken in order to change the subject.

It was that night that we finally managed to get permission for Sasuke to have a sleep over at Naruto's. Apparently Itachi had given his approval of us as responsible enough. I wasn't entirely sure about their sanity, allowing three five year old's, well I was six, but still, alone to care for themselves? Then again, this was a ninja village, and we usually were alone running around, this wouldn't be much different except there would be sleep at some point. Hopefully.

It ended up being at my apartment rather than Naruto's, since mine was cleaner and the kitchen was stocked, seeing as we always ate there. There was a television that had come with the place, broken and super poor quality, but the technology classes I'd taken in college weren't that far back in my memory. I was able to fix it one evening after I had gotten the apartment, so we were able to spend the night watching scary movies, building blanket forts, and throwing popcorn at one another. Of course the scary movies probably weren't a very good idea, what with the others being five years old, but they weren't that easily scared. When they were scared I promptly brought that horrible pre-teen phase I had back to life, making snide, sarcastic, and inappropriate comments, flaming the films for all they were worth. Most of the time it worked and they were too busy laughing their asses off to feel afraid anymore, but other times I sent them to the kitchen to make popcorn or refill all the drinks. They took the escape gladly so long as I didn't recognise why I was doing so.

I knew that we were being watched. Naruto sometimes had an anbu guard, whether it was because they read the civilians moods and deemed if they were likely to snap and attack at certain times, they had intel that someone was going to move on him, or they were just checking in, I didn't know. But a certain anbu was with them tonight, and I knew that he had requested it this time. Uchiha Itachi knew that his brother was going to be spending the night away from home for what was most likely the first time, and he was there to guard him. Sasuke was probably as much of a political target as Naruto, even before the massacre. Dormant Sharingan, kid of the clan head, mostly ignored because of his older brothers brilliance. People could be very tempted to turn him against his family, or even his village. People like Danzo.

I couldn't help but wonder what those anbu thought of us. I was surprised I could feel that they were there at all. I accidentally caught myself staring out the window in approximately the direction of one of them and they dampened it down drastically. Not invisible to me yet, but more on the edge of my mind rather than 'bam ninja outside mah window'. I shook it off after that, only occasionally glancing at them. I couldn't resist sending a knowing look at the one that was Itachi, seeing only the slightest of movements of leaves as he twitched in what was probably shock. No doubt his mother had told him I was some form of sensor. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to let him know I could pick him out of a lineup of hiding anbu. Actually, in hindsight, it sounded like an absolutely horrible idea, but it was too late now.

The boys changed the channel to some action movie that Naruto and I had actually seen before. Naruto seemed just as enthralled as last time so I pulled out one of my books, absently taking notes, glancing up now and then if one of them made a sudden movement or strange sound. It was so much like babysitting back when I was a teenager that the nostalgia hit me like a physical wave and I had to get up and move. As a result we had entirely to much mochi for three children. I distributed a still slightly more than healthy amount between the three of us and then stared at the gigantic bowl that was left. I eventually shrugged, opening the window and setting the bowl out on the window box, on top of the small layer of grass.

"I guess it's for the animals then."

I closed the window with a snap, ignoring the horrified looks the boys gave me before they accepted it as one of those weird things that I apparently do. When I went to get the bowl later to wash up it I felt a thrill of victory to find that it was empty. I had worried that they wouldn't eat it. They should be comfortable with knowing that it wasn't poisoned, they had seen me make it and then eat it myself after all, but I had held out the thought that they might decided to persist in pretending they weren't there. The boys looked at it suspiciously and I shrugged,

"It's a ninja village kids. Either the passerby were hungry or our squirrels have gotten rather sneaky."

Not impossible that the squirrels would be sneaky, they'd have to outsmart the ninja if they ever wanted to make a living stealing from them. That thought was frightening so I let it be, going back to cleaning up and humming slightly under my breath while the boys yelled at the television.

~TimeLordOfPie