Naruto: Heavy Metal Chronicles

by UltimateSmolBrain

What would you do if you knew the future? That is a question Meiko struggles with everyday. By some strange twist of fate she had been reincarnated into the universe of Naruto. Possessing memories of her past life and thus, the future of her new world, she holds the power to completely upend the entire world. For even the smallest ripples can create the greatest waves.

12. Chapter 12: Concussive Learning (Part 3)

Day 28.

Silver rays cast through my window, the only source of light for this dark room. Tiny specs of dust danced in and out of sight. The rhythmic ticking of a small alarm clock beside my bed was the only thing staving back utter silence. The hands read three-thirty two am, two hours until the sun would rise. I lay in my bed wide awake, a strange thing for me lately. Having survived this month of hellish training, I normally slept like a log, requiring every possible second of rest in order to tackle what Misaki had prepared for me the next day.

This night had been a rough one. As usual I had gone to bed early but it had taken a long time to finally fall asleep. Now, I lay awake once more, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. The reason for my strange bought of insomnia was quite apparent. My chest was tingling with expectation and fear thanks to what Misaki had said a couple days prior. Today, she had something special in mind for my training and considering what the rest of the month had been like, I felt quite justified in fearing what it may be. And yet, I couldn't help but feel excited about it. Wondering what she could have up her sleeve for these last few days. Perhaps all those blows knocked something loose in my brain if I was actually starting to enjoy this sort of training.

Training wasn't the only thing to look forward to. In about a week's time the moment I had been working so hard towards would finally come. Admission day. It felt so surreal how close it was while also making me realize how long I had been in this world. Nearly six years had passed since my rebirth. Six long yet surprisingly short years. And so much had happened in that time. I had met so many wonderful people and made so many more wonderful memories. There was a part of me that wished these days could go on forever.

I was getting way too sentimental over this. Starting classes at the academy was the next big step in my life and I was rightly nervous, but it certainly wasn't that big of a deal. Its what came after that I had to be ready for. Some things would be coming a lot sooner than I would like.

A low groan echoed throughout the silent room. I hated when my brain got too awake like this, it loved to start going down thought lines I would rather not at the time. I sat up on the bed and gave my noggin a few good slaps to try and break that particular thought process before I fell down that rabbit hole. While I would need to address them soon, I had things on my current plate that needed finishing first. Namely, I needed rest. But since my body and mind decided otherwise, something else had to be done.

Quietly I slipped out of bed, bare feet flinching when they touched the surprisingly cold floor. The Leaf Village was located in a rather temperate climate but there were occasional mornings like this where the cold slipped in. Small goosebumps climbed my legs as I crossed the floor to my dresser. Pulling out a shirt that I threw over top my pajamas, then my training weights. Dad had been working hard to keep up with Misaki's demands for training. I couldn't even recall how much this new set weighted at the moment. The wristbands clicked as I locked the latch but held back on putting the leg weights on. Wearing them would make sneaking out without waking someone harder.

I very slowly opened my door, trying extremely hard to not make any noise. It was far too late in the night for anyone to be up and about after all. The worst thing to do would be to disturb Sengo's slumber. He was finally at the age where he could sleep through the entire night so Mom was finally able to start catching up on her beauty rest. He could be a bit crabby if awoken however, hence my caution.

Each creak of the floorboards had me flinching, the louder ones would cause me to freeze in place. Listening into the darkness for anyone stirring. Finally, I reached the backdoor and slipped outside. The grass was cold and damp underfoot as I stepped out into the night. The full moon looming high, feeling larger than I remembered. The air was brisk and cool, not freezing but below the normal enough to send chills throughout my body.

Latching on the leg weights I felt a lot more comfortable. After wearing them for so long I now they were akin to a second set of clothes for me, often feeling naked if I had to take them off. Moving to the center of the yard, I bounced a bit on the spot to help get the blood flowing. My plan was simple, get some exercise in, remind my body it was tired then sneak back in and get a few more hours of sleep.

"Hyah!" I cried out, trying to keep my voice down as I threw a straight punch. Going through the few taijutsu moves Misaki had taught me so far as well as just throwing in things that felt right. The point wasn't train, it was just to expend this excess energy after all. I did notice that the weights felt surprisingly light on my limbs, perhaps I grabbed the wrong set in the dark.

Annoyingly, my body was brimming with energy, even my chakra was humming with power. "Strange," I though to myself as I kicked the air, "When did I activate it?" It appeared that Misaki's training was showing results. I must have started flowing active chakra sometime after waking up. Maybe that was why I had so much energy, I had been successfully conditioned to buff myself up the moment I woke up.

After what felt like an hour had passed, I chose to stop my little impromptu session. Not because I was feeling tired, far from it, but at this point I had to try and get back to bed if I wanted any hope of getting some shut eye. A quick breeze blew through the yard, feeling quite refreshing as I returned to the door and removed my leg weights. Tip-toeing through the house I managed to return to my room and put my stuff away without waking anyone.

4:21 my clocked ticked in the dark. I'd need to be up by six at the latest so I closed my eyes and rolled towards the wall. Taking in a deep breath I tried to clear my head and relax my body, allowing the darkness to take me into it's embrace.

The next moment, I was awoken by the loud ringing of the clock sitting on my nightstand. "Ugh..." I groaned, wanting to smash the stupid thing. Controlling myself, I only smacked it with enough force to shut it up instead. My head felt heavy as I pulled myself upright and rubbed my eyes. I was an honest wreak, especially compared to only a couple hours ago. "Today is going to suck..." Moaning, I once again got out of bed and began shuffling towards the bathroom. Hopefully a nice, hot shower would help me wake up.

"You look terrible." Was the first thing I heard as I exited my room. Mom was about to come make sure I was up because I was taking longer than usual.

"Thanks." I grumbled back as I squeezed past her.

"Are you feeling alright?" Mom asked, concerned. "If you need a break I can tell Misaki you're not feeling well."

Stopping at the bathroom door, I turned to face Mom. "Nah, I had a rough night. Just couldn't sleep for some reason." I said and followed up with a very large yawn, feeling like an anaconda with how wide my jaw was stretching. Rubbing my eye again, I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.

Normally, I am very quick in my showers. Especially lately due to being on a time crunch in the mornings. Today however, I spent a few extra minutes just enjoying the warmth. Afterwards, I was feeling a bit better as I went to get dressed for the day. By the time I was ready, breakfast was waiting on the table.

"Good morning Meiko." Mom said cheerfully as she took her seat. "You're looking a bit better."

"Thanks," I said, quickly hopping onto the chair. "I'm a bit more awake now, sorry for making you wait." Breakfast was noticeably larger today. I know I had been eating a lot more recently but this was exceeding even that.

Mom giggled, noticing my reaction. "I figured you would need a bit of extra energy today."

Breakfast had become a thing Mom and I did together since Dad and Sengo usually didn't wake up until after I had started training. It was a nice little period of relaxation and something I enjoyed quite a bit.

"Three days left." Mom said to start up a conversation. "Then a few more days and you're off to the academy." A bittersweet smile crossed Mom's face as she wondered where all that time had gone.

"Mmm." I couldn't give a proper reply in the moment as my mouth was currently stuffed with rice. "Yeah. Misaki said she had something special in mind today. I dunno if I should be excited or worried." I said with a chuckle after swallowing. Mom and I continued enjoying this little bit of small talk until a knock came at the door. Knocking had become a formality for Misaki as she immediately stepped inside afterwards.

"Hey Meiko, ready to go?" She asked before noticing we were still at the table.

"Sorry," I apologized, "Slow morning." I had pretty much finished eating so I began to clear my side of the table. "I'll be there in a minute!"

A short time later, everything had been cleaned and I was ready to go. I gave Mom a hug before heading to the door. "Sorry for the wait." I said with a bow to Misaki as she opened it for me.

"Don't worry about it." She replied, "We're going to take a bit of a detour to our location so we can get a good run in. That should be a good warm up." Misaki wasn't lying when she said it was a detour, although she seriously undersold how 'little' it was going to be. We were practically circling the walls of the village for this 'little' warm up. I hadn't yet had a chance to get out and see a lot of the village for myself so it was a nice opportunity in that sense.

It was interesting to see how different districts operated during these early hours. Residential areas were mostly quiet, a few people heading out for work were the only real bits of activity there. Industrial districts were already buzzing with activity, although considering we were still within the confines of the village these mostly consisted of what I believe were warehouses. Business districts were in the process of waking up, people setting up stalls and opening shops. Occasionally, I also caught a glimpse of blurs whipping across the rooftops as the shinobi were starting their day as well.

Turns out Misaki was quite popular among the people. She was constantly being hailed by those passing by, simple greetings mostly but many knew her by name so it wasn't just common courtesy. I looked upon her with pride seeing how many people she had influenced. I guess she noticed my staring and glanced back.

"What?" She asked rather curtly.

"Nothing," I chuckled. Misaki kept her poker face but I certainly noticed her cheeks turn a few shades of red. As punishment, she kicked the pace up a few notches. Said pace did not last long as we had to constantly slow down so she would have time to respond to more people greeting her.

As the hours passed more and more of the village woke up and soon enough the place was humming with activity. We were near the Hokage Rock at this point, running through the admin district. Seeing the faces carved into the mountain this close really drilled in the sheer scale of them. My home was on the opposite end of the village so I was really only familiar with them being in the distance. Now I was so close I could practically see up their noses. It was funny when I thought about it. Just moving around the place I lived changed the perspective so much.

We eventually passed by an open gate, my eyes catching what lay beyond brought me to a sudden halt. What I saw wasn't anything special, but I knew this location without even reading the large sign above the building's door. The tree nearby with a single swing was more than enough of an indicator for me to know where this was. I was looking at the Ninja Academy. The building appeared empty at the moment. Soon however, it would be bustling with new activity as the school year began.

"Nervous?" Misaki asked, backtracking to my side.

"No," I responded, still staring at the building. "Maybe..." I then muttered after a few moments, "...Yeah." Finally admitting the truth my gaze fell to the ground. I think it was mostly the idea of meeting so many new people that had me hesitating. Especially a few certain names that came to mind who would become big players on the world stage in about a decade. The actual classes I wasn't too worried about at this point, after surviving this past month I don't think the academy could throw anything at me tougher than that. Well, except maybe math.

Misaki laughed lightly, smacking me on the back. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it in no time. And you won't be alone, your friend Kiyomi will be there too, right?" I nodded in response as she smiled. "Alright, now we still have a bit of running left so get your butt moving before I add in penalties again." I didn't have to be told twice, that twinkle in her eye was more than enough encouragement for me to take off.

By the time mid-morning came around we were running through the outskirts of the village. Buildings around here were smaller and a bit further apart than in other areas. "Almost there." Misaki said, my curiosity perking up as I wondered what could be all the way out here that would help with my training. We rounded a corner and found ourselves running alongside a long white wall with blueish roof tiling. I was surprised to find a compound here in the outskirts of the village, there didn't seem to be anything around here to really utilize besides space. I was far too short to see over the wall, only the occasional tip of a nearby roof peeking over was visible. Still, looking down the road, this compound just kept going on and on. The place must have been huge.

"I wonder who lives here?" I muttered aloud, meaning to simply think it but my mouth took over. Misaki looked back to me with a wry smile but said nothing. Weird.

Well, it was not long until I got my answer. We continued running alongside that wall for a few more minutes until I could make out an entrance gate in the distance. As we approached, A flash of red caught my eye. Painted on the wall was a very familiar symbol, one I had seen Misaki wear many times in the past. A red and white hand fan. "No..." I silently mouthed as we approached the gate, Misaki coming to a stop before it.

"Here we are!" She said cheerfully, standing proud before the gate as if to show it off. The gate itself wasn't anything special. A simple wooden door lay beyond two purple drapes with the Uchiha clan's symbol embroidered upon them and a stone pathway was inset leading towards them. The doors themselves were closed at the moment.

"Is this..." I began to ask but Misaki already knew what I was thinking.

"Yup, this is my home," She answered, a proud smile beaming off her face. "Mine and the rest of the Uchiha clan." Walking forward, Misaki began opening the doors. I followed for a few steps before hesitating to go any further.

"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked meekly, I really wasn't sure of the etiquette when it came to this sort of thing. The Yamanaka compound was intermixed with a business district and were relatively open with outsiders, so long as they had an invite to their private quarters. Perhaps the Uchiha was the same but I also knew about the growing political climate among their numbers.

"Getting shy?" She said back with a cheeky grin before taking my hand and pulling me close. "It'll be fine." Giving me a reassuring pat on my back which doubled as a push shoving me through the doors as she opened them. "Oh, but stick close to me so you won't get lost." That last line felt hastily tacked on as we entered the compound proper.

The inside of the compound was like I had stepped into a different town altogether. The buildings here were best described as traditional Japanese in design. Most buildings in the village could be said as sharing a similar inspiration but had taken a life of their own over the years. Perhaps when the village was first founded it looked a lot like this but time had a way of changing things. Surprisingly, there was actually paved roads and sidewalks here, although the road did not stretch the entire width of the street. Instead it ran down the middle with familiar dirt roads flanking it on the sides.

I could only stare in wonder at just how different this place was, two worlds separated by only a single door. I could hear Misaki chuckling at my side from my reaction. I think what hit me most was the sense of space. Konoha had buildings built on top of one another and pressed up so close that having a backyard like my house did was a rarity. Here buildings were a lot more spread out. Many were still clutched together but only in small bunches before breaking off and allowing space for vegetation.

Misaki and I began to walk down the road and very quickly a sweet scent caught my attention. Only a couple buildings in I spotted a simple little shop. A glass display protected their products while above a small banner simply read 'Uchiha Senbei'. Almost on cue, a portly older woman stepped out with a broom and dustbin. Humming to herself she began sweeping up the sidewalk, something I assumed she had to do multiple times a day due to the dirt road being right there.

"Good morning Uruchi!" Misaki called out, waving her arm cheerfully. The woman was shocked to have someone call to her but appeared to quickly recognize who it was and waved back. I was then pulled along as she made her way over to the shop.

"Ah, Misaki! The woman said happily before her eyes fell to me. For a moment they went wide with obvious worry before she looked back to Misaki. "Oh... who might this be?" She asked warily.

Misaki pushed me gently as an indicator to introduce myself. "My name is Meiko, Meiko Hashimoto." I said, bowing deeply.

"She's my student." Misaki said proudly. I was glad I was still bowing as I felt the heat shoot to my cheeks.

"Are you sure its alright? I mean with everything..." I could tell Uruchi-san was being cautious with her words and could easily fill in the blank. Apparently my presence might not be as well received as Misaki had tried to imply.

Waving her hand as if to swat away the worries, "Its fine, there's no need to worry." Misaki said as she grabbed my shoulder, pulling me to her side. "Meiko has been doing good lately I thought it was time to step up her training."

Urushi's face scrunched up for a moment before relaxing with a slight sigh. "Well, if you say so. You never were one to cause trouble." A sweet smile returned to the woman's face as she turned to me. "Meiko was it? Would you like to try some of our senbei?" I'll admit, I had been fighting back the urge to ask about that. The smell wafting out of the shop was tantalizing, especially after a run.

"Sorry," I apologized with a small bow. "I don't have any money, it smells amazing though." My stomach however, decided to betray my attempt at modesty with a loud gurgling that caused my face to turn the same shade of red as my hair. The two women broke out in laughter, only worsening my embarrassment.

"Two packages of senbei please, one sweet and one soy." Misaki said after getting her laughter under control. Urushi-san immediately got to work, dashing behind the counter and filling two small plastic bags with several of the fresh crackers sitting in the window. I looked to Misaki, hopeful and confused. "What?" She responded with a chuckle, "After this last month, a bag of senbei is the least I owe you."

Urushi quickly returned with the bags in hand. "Here you are, enjoy!" She said cheerfully while handing the bags over to Misaki and receiving payment. "I added a few extra for you as well." She addressed me with the sweetest smile. I could feel my eyes widen as a wide smile involuntarily spread across my face. Darn this sweet tooth of mine.

"Thank you Sensei! Thank you Urushi!" I said gleefully as she handed me the small bag.

"You're very welcome. Be sure to come back again sometime, its nice seeing new faces around here every so often." Urushi replied and waved us off as Misaki and I began walking down the road. Opening our bags my nose was assaulted by the sweet scent of the rice crackers. Mouth watering, I took my first bite. The flavouring was simple, using just a touch of sugar and yet it was absolutely delicious.

As we continued through the compound, I noted how few people were out. The few we did happen to pass by were people like Urushi, business-owners and those who were higher up in their years. Unlike Urushi however, many of them appeared to be less than friendly. Many times they would shoot me suspicious glares, some feeling almost hostile. I found myself moving closer to Misaki, using her as a shield against the eyes.

"Its okay Meiko," Misaki said gently, "People here aren't used to outsiders is all. I'm sure they'll come around if they got to know you." I had to wonder about that, peeking a glance at an older man only resulted in him shooting daggers back at me. Was this how bad things already were? Even Misaki's words sounded like she was trying to convince herself, but that might have just been my imagination. "Hey, if you're uncomfortable we can leave." She offered, seeing my distress. I shook my head though.

"No, I'm okay." I responded, trying to sound confident. "I'm a stranger in their home, I can kinda understand." I still wasn't sure what Misaki had in mind, maybe this was just a break day and she wanted to show me where she lived. That and the fact I understood where that hostility was coming from gave me a unique, if unspeakable, perspective. It didn't make the glares feel any lighter though.

"Alright, we can pick up the pace a bit at least." Misaki said with a bittersweet smile as she began to speed walk down the road. Likely out of consideration for my feelings, we took the nearest corner and began moving down the back alleys. Even then, the compound had a certain charm about it. It really felt like it's own small world, separate from the Hidden Leaf. That, of course, was a big problem in it's own right. I tried to put on a strong poker face, not wanting her to notice how I was really feeling. Other than saying that the angry stares were making me uncomfortable, I had no other excuses. I could only hope Misaki couldn't seeing through that.

Some time later, we came to the edge of what I assumed was the compound's residential area. The area opened up a bit and the road split off in several directions, Misaki following one that led us to the entrance of a wooded area. "This is what we came here for." She finally said, breaking the long silence. "Beyond here are the training grounds. I figured your back yard was getting a bit small for what we're trying to do and, let's be honest, its extremely inefficient for shuriken training." That was a bit of an understatement, our spars were certainly increasing in intensity and my backyard was quite small.

Without access to more official resources, intensifying my training would be quite difficult. Not coming from an established clan or having family who were already shinobi was quite the limiting factor. Whether it was for safety concerns or the concealing of secrets from the public, if you didn't have an 'in' it was quite difficult for a kid like me to gain access to good equipment and areas to train. Even when I visited Kiyomi's place, access to the training areas was restricted.

Gaining access to the training field of the Uchiha clan was something huge. I was actually hesitant to step forward, the place felt like somewhere I wasn't supposed to tread. But since Misaki was continuing onward I had little choice but to follow. "...Hey, Meiko..." She said quietly, her tone sad but she tried to hide that fact. "Please don't judge them by how they were staring at you." Obviously, she was talking about the glares from the other clansmen. "They're normally very nice, its just... Things have been a bit tense lately. I can't really get into it, but please..."

I truly hated that I knew exactly what she was talking about. Hated that I could do nothing to help alleviate her worries. All I could do was try and offer some small comforts. Doing just that, I slipped my hand around hers, giving it a squeeze. "I won't." I replied quietly, "I know they're not bad people."

Misaki squeezed my hand back, turning her face away as she often did when she couldn't quite control her emotions. A moment later, she turned back with a weak yet kind smile. "Thank you." She muttered something else after that but I couldn't make it out. Misaki quickly pulled herself back together and increased her pace a bit more. "Not much further now, there's a great area for practising your shuriken technique just over here."

"Right!" I replied as we both broke into a light jog. It was time to get my head into the game if I wanted to get through this session. If Misaki was taking the risk to bring me all the way out here, then it was a safe bet she wasn't going to hold back on today's session.

The training area in mind lay at the end of a splintered path, this whole place did not appear to be too well developed. Perhaps leaving things in a more natural state was the idea, to train in an environment that would more closely resemble being out in the field. There was a clearing, but compared to the field Kazuma had snuck us into, it was tiny. About twice to three times the size of my back yard yet it still had several trees dotting the interior. Off to the side was a small shed which Misaki was making her way over to.

"Wait here a second while I get the equipment." She said before stepping inside. A few moments later what sounded like the entire contents of the shed came crashing down. Silence hung in the air for a few more seconds until there was some more rustling. I was honestly starting to get worried when the door swung open and Misaki, looking slightly worse for wear, stepped out. Under her arms were several round wooden targets, a cloud of dust followed out behind.

"Are... you okay?" I asked, trying not to laugh. Misaki did not deign to reply, instead just shooting a glare of annoyance before marching further into the treeline.

"Come on, we gotta go a bit deeper to set these up." She said grumpily. I followed closely behind, barely stifling my chuckles. The woods closed in around us again as we followed what was barely wider than a game trail. "Watch your step, the footing here is rough." Misaki cautioned me, her mood noticeably brighter now. Indeed, the ground was strewn with roots threatening to catch me underfoot.

The trail eventually opened into another small clearing, a large tree sitting around the centre of the area. The trunk of this tree was significantly thicker than the surrounding ones. "This place looks good." Misaki said, shifting the targets under her arms to reaffirm her grip. "I'll get these set up and we can get st-" Her words cut off as she dropped the targets. Ahead of us there was a slight rustling and something small and black shot out.

"MEIKO! LOOK OUT!" Misaki screamed as she violently pulled me towards her, my eyes following the strange object the entire time. Thanks to Misaki's quick reactions, the object narrowly missed my head and lodged itself in the tree behind me with a dull but heart-stopping thud. Time felt like it slowed down as my eyes focused on what had nearly struck me, black metal reflecting the little light that broke through the canopy. A worn old kunai sat in the bark of the tree, a few thin strands of red floating downward before my eyes.

"..ko...ko! Meiko!" Misaki's voice brought me back as time resumed. My heart was beating against my rib cage, trying to escape it's prison as I took a sudden, deep gasp. "Are you alright!?" She practically screamed. I couldn't find my voice but was able to at least nod. I could visibly see the relief spread throughout her body before immediately tensing up again and shooting a death glare back where the weapon had come from. "Who's there!? Show yourself now!" A kunai was in her hand and at the ready to strike should the need arise.

I don't think I could remember seeing Misaki this angry, I almost began to worry for the possible assailant. More rustling form the bushes before a figure appeared. He was a young boy, perhaps around my age wearing a black t-shirt with an overly large collar that seemed to be in fashion for the Uchiha. His legs were wrapped in bandages around his shins, grey shorts stopping just above his knees. But what stood out most to me was the hair, bangs split to reveal his forehead while sporting what I could only describe as a back-side cow-lick.

"No... It can't be..."

Misaki was quite surprised to see who it was as well. As the boy emerged from the bushes he called out to the two of us. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize anyone was there!" He said, clearly concerned. "Is anyone hurt?" Standing before me was unmistakably Sasuke Uchiha. Although younger I couldn't see it being anyone but him.

"No, we're fine." Misaki replied, her voice surprisingly formal. "We were at fault too, I didn't think anyone else was using this area." I could almost hear her sigh in relief once Sasuke had revealed himself.

Sasuke silently looked the two of us over, the worry on his face quickly fading as he saw that no one had been hurt from his wayward kunai. After that, his entire demeanour changed. He became a lot more relaxed and somewhat standoffish. "Well, whatever." He said in a slightly lower tone, shoving his hands in his pockets. For a moment I wanted to laugh, in my memories Sasuke was always the 'cool kid', quiet and stoic. Right now it felt like he was trying to emit that sort of persona but instead it came off as him trying to imitate what he thought was cool. He first looked to Misaki, eye drifting to the clan symbol emblazoned on her sleeve before falling to me, "So you I get, but who's this guy?" The Uchiha asked flatly. "You're not an Uchiha."

My eye twitched.

Seriously? Sasuke too? Was it really that hard to tell I was a girl? "I think this is really starting to bother me…" I thought to myself as, to my irritation, a loud snort came from Misaki's direction. She was clearly trying to hold in her laughter.

Coughing, Misaki straightened up her back. "This is Meiko, I brought her here for some training. We're sorry to intrude on your own." Sasuke visibly took a double take upon hearing that news, his cheeks flaring a light shade of red at having been corrected.

My face felt quite stiff as I forced a smile, the corners of my lips twitching as I, very politely and not at all trying to hide any nasty thoughts, bowed and introduced myself, "My name is Meiko Hashimoto, pleased to meet you."

"Y-yeah..." Sasuke replied, scratching the back of his head and diverting his gaze. His 'cool kid' persona collapsing as he found himself flustered over his little mistake. "I'm Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha." Scratching his chin, avoiding eye contact. "Anyway!" He coughed, trying to pull himself back together. "Are you allowed to be here?"

"Yes, I would like to know as well." Came a new voice, cold and controlled. The source of which originated from our backs. Misaki and I spun on the spot and were faced with another Uchiha. My blood ran cold upon the sight of who before me. He appeared to be an older version of Sasuke, however unlike the boy now standing at my back, his eyes were colder. But perhaps that was just an illusion due to the deep tear troughs giving him an almost tired appearance.

"First Sasuke, now Itachi... just great..." I silently bemoaned in my head as I felt my body trembling. I could not read the teen's expression. It was simply a flat mask staring into both Misaki and I. If he was angry with my presence, it was simply impossible to tell. To be honest, I was terrified right now. My memories told me he was a good person, but because of them I also knew what he was capable of. If our presence here was something unwelcome, there would be little Misaki could do about it.

"Itachi! Finally!" Sasuke's voice happily echoed off the trees as the boy rushed past me, accidentally bumping into my shoulder. The sudden jolt helping me to regain my composure a bit. At least enough that I wasn't frozen in fear anymore. Sasuke came to a halt right before his older brother, narrowly avoiding tackling him. The younger Uchiha was positively giddy but quickly managed to compose himself "You're late."

"Sorry Sasuke," Itachi replied, his lips upturning into the thinnest smile I had ever seen. "I got a little caught up." Quickly turning his attention back to us, that tiny smile gone so quick I was left wondering if I had simply imagined it. "So, would you care to answer the question?"

My breath caught in my throat, a massive lump I tried to swallow unsuccessfully. His eyes were locked on me, those pitch black spheres felt like I was staring into an endless void. I could feel the trembling returning, starting from my right arm. Using my left hand, I grabbed and tried to restrain it, eyes falling to Itachi's feet. Yet I could still feel that all-encompassing gaze.

"I brought her here." Misaki said, placing her hand on my shoulder and pulling me to her side. "This is Meiko and she's my student." Her hand squeezed down, possibly to try and reassure and calm me down. I let out a shaky breath and tried to get my trembling under control.

"A student?" Itachi questioned, again I could not read him at all. His expression, his tone of voice, all of it was measured and controlled. A flat, monotonous slate.

"Well, unofficially." Misaki replied with a small chuckle. I was amazed at how calm she was, being able to laugh while facing down Itachi was something unfathomable for me. "As for your question, it's quite simple. We needed some space, I wanted to start teaching Meiko shurikenjutsu but our usual training area is not suitable for it. Plus, she can't get access to official training grounds yet." Misaki shrugged and shook her head slightly, "So the only option I found was to bring her here."

Misaki really made it seem like it was such a simple matter. Like it was no big deal. "I see." Itachi simply replied. "And did you have any trouble?"

Misaki's eyes fell for a moment, her expression stiffening. "No more than expected."

"I see..." Itachi's reply was flat and while it may have been my imagination, it felt like there was a touch of sadness. "You knew that would happen and yet you still brought her along? I'd like to ask why but it is not a topic to discuss here." His eyes fell to myself and Sasuke for a moment before returning to Misaki. "I'd like to speak with you in private for a moment."

I could feel Misaki stiffen up, her grip on my shoulder tightening. I thought the conversation was going well so far but now even she was alert. I couldn't help but feel this was my fault. She wanted to help me with my training and just by bringing me here was now becoming the target of ire from her own family. It would honestly be best for everyone if I just left. Maybe if I took the blame, the clan would be more lenient on her.

"It's all my-" I started to shout but another, louder voice drowned me out.

"What? But you said you'd help me with my shuriken jutsu today!" Sasuke shouted angrily. He had been so excited to spend time with his elder brother and now a couple strangers were stepping in and interfering with that. Itachi stood silently for a moment before raising a hand and swiftly prodded Sasuke's forehead with two fingers. "Ah!" He cried out as he recoiled, rubbing his skull.

"Sorry Sasuke," Itachi apologized, "I'll only be a few minutes." He then looked to me and I thought for a moment I could see a smile peeking out from under his collar. "Why not talk with Meiko there? I'll be back before you know it." Sasuke started to complain, but his voice caught in his throat. In its place he emitted an annoyed groan, shoving his hands into his pockets and kicking the dirt.

"Fine… Just make it quick."

"Alright." Misaki said, causing me to look to her in worry. "It'll be alright." She said to me, a sweet smile to give me assurance to her words. My hand started to reach out, to grab her and tell her no but both she and Itachi vanished in the next moment.

A long, awkward silence filled the forest now that us two kids were left alone. I couldn't say what Sasuke was thinking but I really wasn't sure if I wanted to initiate a conversation. Weirdly enough I was feeling extremely shy. Sasuke would be a big deal in the future, such a big deal that his very presence will one day shake the entire world. I was just some daughter of a blacksmith. The only things that really connected us was that Misaki was related to him and we would soon be going to the same school together. There was more to it of course, I still felt hesitant to interact with those who I considered the 'main cast' and Sasuke was practically the number two spot on that list. Sure, I had interacted with Ino several times at this point, that was kind of inevitable due to her being related to Kiyomi, but even then I tried to slide into the background when she came around.

I couldn't help but wonder if I was being a coward.

"Hey," The boy's voice shocked me as I realized Sasuke was standing only a few feet from me. "So… You were here to practice your shuriken jutsu too?" It appeared Sasuke too was a little shy, yet he was attempting to take the first step.

"Y-yeah." I replied, still a bit startled. Both of us were having trouble meeting each other's eyes, awkwardly staring off to the side or the ground, wherever else we could. "I'm not that good," I sadly admitted, "There isn't anywhere really save to practice around where I live so I just use a single target in my backyard." While Misaki had commended me on my shuriken skills, that was hitting a single target from at most, ten meters away. Sasuke had been learning his throwing techniques from Itachi, even at the age of six his skill was likely miles ahead of mine.

"Oh," Sasuke seemed disappointed with my answer. "Well whatever then. I'm going to go practice until Itachi comes back." He spun on his heel and began walking back in the direction he came from. I would soon be left alone if I did nothing. Perhaps that was for the best, we could just leave it at this. A chance meeting in the woods and nothing more. And yet, there was this uncomfortable feeling in my chest. Right now I had a chance to see Sasuke's shuriken jutsu up close. I could get a glimpse of the gap between myself and a legitimate genius. Perhaps I could even pick up a thing or two. But if I was honest, I just wanted to see something cool.

My desires won over my rational mind. "Um!" I called out before he could disappear into the foliage, "Would it be okay if I watched?" Sasuke stopped, peeking back over his shoulder before waving his hand in the air.

"Do what you want." He said, trying to sound like he didn't care at all. I quickly followed along, the two of us moving through some bushes until we came into another clearing. Several kunai and shuriken were scattered around the area, some stuck in the ground but most were stabbed into the trees. Several targets were hung on various branches and these too were skewered with many deadly weapons. Taking a closer look at him, Sasuke's clothes were splotched with bits of dirt and grass. It was obvious he had already been at this for a long time.

"Stand back," He warned as I noticed he was pulling out more kunai, his focus aimed at the tree to my side. Not wanting a repeat of the earlier incident, I quickly jogged to the other side of the clearing. Sasuke leaned forward, his right arm extending back with three kunai clutched between his fingers. I waited with baited breath as he silently took aim and, in an instant, snapped into action. His arm swung forward as he raised his back. The weapons whistled as they cut through the air but what was really impressive was how they flew. They didn't simply fly straight at the target, instead the three of them appeared to follow a sort of spiral through the air before striking the target.

Thunk thunk thunk the kunai went, sticking into their mark in a triangular formation. I stood in awe at the feat but Sasuke only grunted. "Tch, I missed." He muttered before grabbing a second set of blades. He called that a miss? I was honestly bewildered by such a statement. If I had pulled off something like that I would have been over the moon.

"Um, Sasuke?" I asked gently, if he didn't want to listen to me that was fine but I had to know. "You hit the target, how was that a miss?"

The boy twisted his head to look back over his shoulder, mildly annoyed at my interference in his training. He did, however, answer my question. "See the blue line?" He asked, pointing one of his new kunai at the target, "They were all supposed to hit that, instead they landed around it."

"It was still a really good throw." My compliment was quickly rejected as Sasuke shook his head.

"Not good enough. Itachi can throw ten kunai and trace the blue line with them while also hitting the center target in one throw." He replied, his voice a mix of admiration and longing. It was clear to anyone, even without my built-in cheat, that Sasuke idolized his brother. So much so that he was working so hard to be just like him but the difference in talent right now was just too great. Sasuke, to my memory, could be called a late bloomer in that case, yet even now his underlying talent put him several large strides ahead of others his age. Seeing him now, he was just another kid. Special in his own way. yet just a kid longing for his brother's, and his family's, recognition. I could only wonder if Sengo would be like that when he reached this age.

Sasuke threw the next set of kunai while I was lost in thought, his groan of frustration catching my attention. His latest attempt was a bit closer, at least two kunai were touching the blue line, if barely, and the third was on the tip of the outside rim. I looked down at the ground, there were a few kunai scattered around in the grass, likely other misses. One happened to be near my feet, carefully I picked it up. I hadn't used real weapons yet so I was being extra cautious.

Immediately I noticed several things about the tool in my hand. First was the weight, I had grown used to the training wooden kunai Misaki would bring and while it was close, the real thing was noticeably heftier. What caught my eye next was it's condition, this kunai had clearly been through the ringer. The blade's sheen had dulled with age and there were small scratches and nicks everywhere. Even the wrappings on the hilt were worn and should probably be replaced. It was still in perfectly workable condition for the current use at least. Perhaps this was where 'retired' kunai and shuriken ended up.

Taking a moment to adjust to the difference in weight that I was used to, I looked to the target Sasuke was working on. There was already quite a few projectiles stuck in it's surface but there were still some space, namely the bullseye in the center. That was certainly intentional, if his intention was to hit the center I was certain Sasuke would have that area loaded up instead.

Watching Sasuke at work was inspiring, what he was doing wasn't anything fancy. It didn't require precise chakra control, it was simply something anyone could do with enough practice. My initial shyness was quickly fading as the urge to join in on the training was quickly becoming overwhelming. This morning's run was nowhere near enough to satisfy me so I was craving something more intense.

"I think Sensei did knock a few screws loose…" I thought to myself while stifling a giggle. My attention returned to the kunai in my hand, my Dad's words floating into my mind. Some time ago, when he was working, Mom sent me to tell him dinner would be ready shortly and he should get cleaned up. When I reached the workshop he happened to be packing up at the time and I was able to get a glimpse of his latest works. Curiosity getting the better of me, I asked him to show me some of the weapons he had finished.

The shipment, as I assumed pretty much all of them to be, was a bulk order of kunai, shuriken, wire and various other ninja tools. I vividly remembered how they practically sparked in the light of the forge's flame. Unlike the one in my hand they had been polished to a mirror shine. Dad wouldn't let me touch them but he did tell me how I could check for quality even on simple tools like them. The words that I recalled most now however, were related to the balance of a kunai. Dad had taken out one of his new kunai and placed it on the tip of his finger, resting at the base of the handle and blade. The weapon teetered a bit but quickly settled nice and flat.

"See that, I strive for balance when making my kunai. Other smiths may lean more into the blade or the handle, its different for everyone. This includes shinobi, you'll need to find what best works for you but still adapt to what you have on hand."

I repeated Dad's test, the kunai immediately falling towards the blade's end. "Alright." I said as I caught the blade before it could fall to the ground. I took a few more moments until I felt comfortable with out this particular blade was weighted before turning back to the target.

Sasuke groaned after his latest attempt. He was close that time, what threw him off this time was one of his previous kunai intercepting this latest attempt. I took a few steps to the side to ensure I wasn't behind the Uchiha boy in case my throw went wide. Using my left arm to steady my right, I outstretched both and pointed the kunai at the center of the target. I eyed the distance to the target before I began the wind-up.

The kunai flew straight from my hand, rather than trying to mimic Sasuke with his trick shot it was safer to put more power into my shot and have it go right at the target. Sasuke was about to throw his next barrage when my kunai struck the target with a loud thunk. It was an almost perfect shot, just hitting the tip of the center red circle. In reaction to my interruption of his training, he turned to me, slightly annoyed.

"I thought you said you weren't that good." He said with just the tiniest hint of snark.

"Not good enough," I replied, mirroring his words from before with a cheeky smile, "Look, I barely managed to hit the center." Much to my surprise, Sasuke snickered at this. I couldn't help but chuckle myself, I was honestly enjoying seeing this younger version of Sasuke. He was a lot more emotive than the version of him I was familiar with. Approaching the boy, I took a small detour to pick up another kunai from the ground. "Well, got any pointers for me?" I asked, pointing the tip towards him but also using the gesture to measure the weight.

His face scrunched up, "I came here to train myself, not you." Sasuke shot back, slightly annoyed once more and grumbling under his breath. "Where the heck is Itachi?"

"They are taking a while…" I responded, trying to hide the hint of worry that came with it. I got distracted by the possibility of learning something new that I lost track of time. Although it still couldn't have been more than a few minutes, I took a few quick breaths to calm down. "It hasn't been too long yet, don't get all worked up yet."

"I'm sure they'll be back soon." I said, trying to convince myself as much as I was Sasuke. "Let's just focus on training, they'll be back before we know it."

"If you hadn't come here, Itachi wouldn't be busy again." Sasuke snapped at me, clearly angry now. I recoiled at the sudden vitriol aimed at me. Indeed, although inadvertently, Misaki and I had intruded in the precious time Sasuke had with his brother. I could easily imagine something like this happening to me and Sengo in the future. If I managed to become a ninja I would certainly be a lot busier and wouldn't be able to spend as much time with him. Anyone would be rightly frustrated at some stranger stumbling in and screwing that up.

"Sorry…" My apology probably rang hollow considering my testimony earlier. Sasuke stared angrily at me for a few moments, then turning back to the wooden target before him.

"Do whatever you want." He finally said, grabbing more kunai and preparing his next barrage.

"Mmm…" I sounded back. For a minute there I thought we had a bit of a good rapport going between us. Guess I screwed that up. To my left was another target, only a few kunai were stuck in this one compared to the one Sasuke was using. I figured I'd just use this one for myself.

Looking back, I watched Sasuke once again throw his kunai. This time I paid very close attention to his body and how it moved. How he held the three weapons in his right hand, how his arm twisted to put a spin on them. I tried to absorb as much information I could so I could try and replicate what he was doing. It took several demonstrations before I felt I had the basic understanding in my head. Now I just had to replicate it.

Running around the small clearing, I piled up a small stockpile of kunai for my own use. Looking to my target, I took up a similar starting pose as Sasuke did, although I held only a single kunai. I wanted to get the motions down first before attempting to throw multiple weapons at once. Should I just jump straight to three they'd likely all fly wide and possibly put others in danger.

I took a deep breath, forcefully slowing my heart rate. I felt my chakra pulsing towards my arm and tightened the grip on the weapon between my fingers. My eyes focused on the target before me, the red circle in the center to be precise. "So I need to twist my arm in the direction I want the kunai to go." I said to myself as I envisioned the movements. "Okay." I was ready for the first attempt. My arm started moving, slower than Sasuke as this was the first trial run and I released the kunai with a flick of the wrist. The kunai flew with a small spin on it but still went relatively straight. My aim was unfortunately off as I was not used to this sort of motion and it stuck itself into the trunk of the tree rather than the target.

"Hmph," I snorted and grabbed the next one. "Too much spin on the kunai, it needs to curve in the air instead." I muttered as I assumed the position. Several more times I made my attempts, the kunai inching closer to the target. The hard part was getting that spiral motion, in other words curving the weapon through the air. Like a pitcher throwing a curve ball. This would probably be easier if I was using shuriken as you naturally add a spin to them when throwing. Kunai were designed for more direct attacks.

I looked back to Sasuke for reference again. He looked to be growing more frustrated the longer this went on. Looking around the treeline, that hint of worry came back. It had been at least ten minutes at this point, more than enough time for a quick chat. Had something happened? I really hoped that wasn't the case. "I'll give it a few more minutes, then I'll do… something…"

Making another throw, this time the kunai flew with a small arc, going off to my right before banking left and striking the target. "Oh!" I cried out in surprise, it wasn't a bulls-eye but I hit the target and got that arc I wanted. I had to recall that sensation quickly so I grabbed another kunai and repeated the motion. Again and again, my pace quickly increasing. Thunk thunk thunk went the kunai getting closer and closer to the center.

I had gotten into the groove at this point so when my hand reached for the next kunai and felt only hard dirt it came as a bit of a shock. My little stockpile had been used up so quickly I could only moan in disappointment. Well, I'd just have to pry them out of the target, and tree and start over.

"Hey…" Sasuke's voice caused my ears to twitch, "If you need more, there's a box over here." The boy pointed to a small wooden crate nearby, a slight pink hue on his cheeks.

"Oh, thanks!" I said happily as I strode over.

"If…" He said as I was passing behind him, "If you want a few pointers, you can come over here." That stopped me in my tracks as my head snapped towards Sasuke. He was facing away from me now, focusing on the target before him.

Blinking a few times, I posited the obvious question. "But I thought you didn't want to help?"

Sasuke flinched, "Well…" He began, searching for the right words. "You doing it wrong is distracting me, it'll be easier to focus if you aren't screwing around over there." Scratching the back of his head, he refused to turn and face me. Feeling the urge again, I managed to suppress a laugh as I grabbed some kunai and stood beside him.

"Well then, Sasuke-sensei, please show me how its done." I really did not know why I had such an urge to tease the poor kid, but it certainly felt like this chance would never come again. Only now did I remember my initial hesitation to even speak with him when it was far too late to stop.

"If you're going to make fun of me then you can just leave!" He snapped at me, this time I could see him blushing a lot brighter than before.

"Okay, I'm sorry." I quickly apologized, my facial muscles straining as I tried to keep up a poker face. "So, please," Politely bowing I sincerely asked of him, "Sasuke-san, help me."

"Only until Itachi gets back." He replied, rather curt and once again turning away from my sight.

"Of course," I replied, looking once more into the trees for any sign of Misaki or Itachi. "Where are you, Misaki...?" Worry was giving birth to frustration, not at Misaki or even Itachi who had taken her away, but at myself. How I could do nothing more to help her should Itachi deem her actions in the wrong, and the dread that came from that thought. I turned back to Sasuke who was now clearing the board of kunai so we could start fresh.

Once done, he hopped off the tree and, much to my panic, threw several of them in my direction. Yelping, I hopped backward as they stabbed into the ground a short ways away from where my feet were. "Scaredy cat." He humphed as he returned to his position, this time it was his turn to have that teasing smile. Awkwardly, I laughed it off, unable to think of a come back.

Picking up the kunai, I looked to Sasuke as a guide. Almost immediately he called me out on an error. "No, hold them closer to the blade." He held up his own hand as an example, in comparison I was holding the kunai closer to the ring at the end of the hilt. "Itachi said this gives you better control when you throw them." With my grip corrected I took a few practice swings, holding tight to ensure they didn't accidentally go flying.

Sasuke's grunt caused me to stop mid-swing, looking to him quizzically. "Too stiff." He said, grabbing my arm and repositioning it. "You're using your shoulder too much, use your whole arm." Proceeding to puppet my arm through the proper motion.

"You're pretty good at this," I complimented with honest surprise.

"I'm just copying what Itachi said..." He replied, diverting his eyes and quickly releasing my arm. "Remember that motion and you shouldn't be too terrible."

"Well, I guess I should thank Itachi, he seems to be a good teacher." I said with a smile.

Sasuke immediately sprung to life at this, "Of course he is! My brother is the best!" This time I couldn't help but laugh at this sudden mood whiplash.

"What's so funny!?" He demanded but I just waved it off, saying it was nothing and turning my attention to the target. As was usual, I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to help focus my mind. Recalling how Sasuke had moved my arm I took up the ready position. Three kunai grasped between my fingers this time I swung my arm forth, remembering to keep my joints loose as I released my hold on the weapons. It took less than an instant to realize I had already messed up. The kunai's rings bounced off my fingers, throwing them all way off target.

"Ah, crap." I said, gritting my teeth as two kunai flew into the nearby bushes. At least one of them hit the tree, that was at least something. Right?

"Never mind, you were right." Sasuke said, shaking his head. "You do suck at this." I had to bite my lip to keep from snapping back at him. He was certainly correct but that didn't make it sting any less. "Here, watch me." Sasuke then threw his kunai in a smooth, fluid motion. Once again, all three hit the target and to his surprise, two of them landed on the blue line as intended. The third was close but had strayed towards the edge. Quickly recovering from his own shock, Sasuke pointed to the target. "See, like that. Try releasing them one at a time, it should give you more control."

We proceeded to take turns taking shots at the target, Sasuke clearly the superior one between us. I was struggling to get the timing on releasing three kunai almost simultaneously while keeping my aim on target. At best, one kunai had the possibility of hitting the target and the others might not fly off into some bushes. It was going to suck finding them later.

Several rounds later, a familiar voice called out from behind. "Yo, looks like you two are having fun." Immediately I swung around, a smile beaming on my face.

"Misaki-sensei!" I cried out and was just about to channel my inner Kiyomi by tackle hugging her. What stopped me was the figure standing beside her. Itachi.

"Itachi!" Sasuke mirroring my excitement but not stopping himself from running foward. "Finally! You took so long! Can we get to training now!?" He was clearly hopeful that his brother was finally free of obligations but even I could sense the hesitancy in his voice, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Itachi, much to Sasuke's joy, nodded. "Yes. We can start right away if you like." Itachi then turned his attention to me, "You could join in too, if you want." That offer caught both Sasuke and I by surprise. I glanced at Misaki, her expression telling me the choice was my own. Next I looked to Sasuke and knew what my answer had to be.

"Thank you, but I'm sorry. I'll have to decline." I said politely with a bow. "I think Sasuke has been waiting long enough for you. Sensei and I have intruded long enough." Once again Sasuke was surprised at my answer, he most likely believed I'd want to butt in further on their time together.

"...I see." Was Itachi's response, turning back to his little brother. "We should get started then."

Misaki moved to my side, "Thank you," She said while also bowing before guiding me back to the clearing we were first at. As Sasuke and Itachi were almost out of sight, the younger Uchiha called to us.

"Hey!" Looking back, I could see Sasuke waving to get my attention. Once he had, he suddenly couldn't look directly at me again. "You're going to the academy too, right? I'll see you there..."

With a snicker, I waved my hand back in his direction. "See you there!" I called back as the two brothers vanished behind the foliage. Misaki and I returned to the shed where she grabbed the box of equipment she had to drop earlier. Picking it up with a small grunt, "Let's go to a different location," She said, her eyes falling on the stray kunai in the nearby tree. "Just in case."

I nodded, rather not wanting something like that happening again. As we walked down the narrow path, my curiosity could not be held back any longer. "Sensei, what were you two talking about? You were gone quite a while." It was most likely their conversation was about me so I would at least like to know what they discussed. While everything seemed to have worked out, much to my relief, I still wanted the details.

"It was just some formalities I may have skipped over…" Sticking out her tongue and making what I could only describe as an 'oopsie' face before chuckling to herself. Skeptical was an understatement for the expression I wore on my face. Upon seeing it, Misaki broke down in laughter, nearly dropping the box of equipment. "Not buying it, huh?" She said while trying to wipe a tear on her shoulder.

"Nope," I replied flatly, "You're way too serious about that sort of thing to make that mistake." I had seen several times over these past few years her scolding Touma-san for trying to skip out on work, especially paperwork. Misaki was a stickler for that sort of thing there was zero chance she would simply 'forget' if there was a process for bringing in outsiders.

"Busted then," She chuckled, "Would you believe we were having a nice little chat and lost track of time?"

"Itachi doesn't appear to be much of a talker." I retorted once again.

Misaki sighed, defeated. "Alright, we were talking about you being here. Don't be worried, I got it all sorted out." She gave me a reassuring smile, "See, with Itachi's word, we shouldn't have to worry about it. Believe it or not, he and Sasuke are the heirs of the clan. They're practically nobility around here." She chuckled, this certainly felt more truthful but she was probably still holding back certain details.

"Are people not from the clan allowed here?" I asked, trying to pry a bit further.

Misaki needed a moment to ponder her response. "Well, there's no real rule against it, people here do have relatives outside of the compound. But as long as I can remember the Uchiha have been pretty insular. Lately, that's been getting worse..." She readjusted her grip on the box, it's contents clanking around inside. Her eyes shading over as she lost herself in thought for a moment. Realizing things had gone quiet, she suddenly snapped back, shaking her head and cheerfully continuing. "So technically, we did nothing wrong. People might not be happy about it but we broke no rules!"

"I guess I've been a bad influence on you." I said jokingly, thinking I'd not get any more details out of her at this point. Since Itachi had appeared fine with my presence in the end it felt safe to assume things would work out. I'd just have to settle with that.

Misaki froze, eyes wide as she stared at me for a moment before bursting out into a, rather unhinged, fit of laughter. The box falling from her hands and crashing on the ground so hard I feared the old wood wouldn't be able to take it. Misaki was literally holding her sides as she just couldn't control herself. I could only stand and wait for her to finally calm down.

"It… wasn't that funny." I said in awe as the laughter finally died down.

Wiping the tears from her eyes but still occasionally letting out a laugh here or there, Misaki tried to speak. "I know, its just… Old man Gento has been, hehe, saying that a lot to me lately." Finally getting herself under control, she exhaled one last time to make sure the giggles had finally ran out. "He thinks a month is too much time off, but also says I should be taking more time to work on my own skills before training someone else." Picking up the box again, we resumed our walk. "He does have a point though. My skills have… stagnated over these past few years. I think I just got too comfortable with my position. I love what I do but, watching you train, reminded me I too should be aiming higher."

We finally broke into a new clearing, Misaki checking to make sure this one was unoccupied before placing the box in the center. "You'll be graduating in six years, so in that time I'll do my best to try and achieve the rank of Jonin." She said proudly, pumping her fist against her breast. "… And maybe a boyfriend…" The latter she muttered but not quite quietly enough. I chuckled quietly to myself upon hearing it and, while she tried to play it cool, I could see the slightest hint of pink kiss her cheeks.

"Anyway! That's enough about me!" She quickly yelled, changing the course of the conversation. "Time to get to work!" With a swift, but light kick, the lid of the box flipped open. "I'll go set up the targets. Don't touch the weapons until I get back, people often just toss them in there carelessly so you might stab yourself." Nodding, Misaki quickly went to work. From what I could see the targets had two compartments in their backs. One held a long nail that unfolded and could be driven into the tree, the other a rope used to dangle from branches.

It did not take long for her to set up the seven targets. Each one was set at a different height and angle with the last being partially concealed for extra difficulty. Once complete, Misaki materialized before me, a smarmy smirk on her face. "So, how was Sasuke-sensei's lesson?" She chuckled. I was about to answer when my mind suddenly clicked in to what she had said.

"We were-wait…" The realization causing me to cut myself off, "You saw that? How long were you watching!?" I shouted, surprised by the amount of anger that was in my voice.

Misaki flinched, realizing her mistake. "Uhh… well…" She stammered, eyes falling down to the crate between us. Quickly reaching down and pulling out a kunai. "That doesn't matter!" She declared, spinning the kunai by the ring, "We're here to train now so get your butt in gear!" There was no way to make it more blatant she was dodging the question. I was actually getting quite annoyed at this point, I had been so worried about her and the entire time she had just been watching from the shadows. That… actually ended up raising a different question. If she was watching for that long, did that mean Itachi was too? What would be the point of that?

"Haaah…" Misaki sighed, plopping a hand on my head and ruffling my hair. "Alright, I'm sorry." She apologized, "I'll explain everything later okay? So let's get started." Grunting, I peered up from under her palm. With little choice but to accept this compromise I begrudgingly mumbled a 'Yeah'. A pat on the head later and she got to work removing the weapons from the box. As she had said earlier, they really were just thrown in there haphazardly. It would be so easy to stab your hand reaching in while distracted by training, saying nothing about simple cuts. I knelt down to help, there was quite a bit here to get through so the extra hands would speed things up.

"Thanks, but be careful." Misaki warned as we dug through the box. Kunai and shuriken were the most plentiful of items but I was surprised at just how messy this thing was. To the point I had to wonder if Misaki had purposefully taken the worst of the boxes from that shed. The most annoying bit we encountered was the wire. Whomever had used this particular box last had been a real jerk. Wire was tied to various shuriken and kunai then just thrown back into the box before untying it. The end result was a massive clump of tangled weapons more akin to a hairball than ninja tools. After several minutes of fiddling Misaki threw in the towel. "This is ridiculous!" She shouted angrily, dropping the ball back into the crate. "Screw it. We'll work with what we have, I'll throw in my personal supply. Let's just get started."

After adding in her own, we had a small but not insignificant pile of kunai and shuriken to work with. Getting the crate of annoyance out of the way, Misaki was ready to lay down the rules. "So here's what you're going to do. I've set up seven targets which you can choose to go for in any order you like but you can't hit the same one twice in a row. As usual, you gotta keep up the pace and, since you were having so much fun earlier practicing it, use that new throwing technique you learned exclusively. But stick to one kunai for now, we'll see about upping that depending on how well you do."

I nodded, this was certainly a big step up from the previous shuriken training but compared to the rest of this month it was still pretty simple. "Thinking it'll be too easy, aren't you?" Misaki said, my face likely giving away my thoughts again. "Well, you'd be right, so I have a couple tweaks." She held up her hand and with a slight flourish, three wooden shuriken appeared between her fingers. "As usual, you miss a target, you get hit. Too slow, get hit. But now I'll also be throwing them randomly and," Her eyes wandered to the treeline, "You won't see them coming." Another flourish and the shuriken were gone. "There's one more thing." This time she produced a small scroll. Unrolling it revealed a detailed pattern of kanji. A moment later, the scroll was engulfed in a small cloud of smoke and several objects fell to the ground at Misaki's feet, each landing with a dull thud.

"They aren't as good as the ones your dad makes," Misaki stated, motioning to the objects at her feet while rolling up the now-blank scroll. The objects were worn from many years of use and a faded blue in colour. To my best guess, they were some kind of wristband. "So you'll have to wear several of them." She finished. Picking up one of the objects it became obvious what they were. Training weights. These were pretty light compared to what I was now wearing, but were adjustable thanks to a Velcro strap. There looked to be about twelve bands in total and a single one weighted a couple kilos from my estimate.

"So, think you're up for it?" Misaki asked.

A wicked grin spread across my face. "Now you're talking." My mouth said before my brain could provide input.

"Wait, did I just?" I was quite shocked by my reaction. My chest was swelling with anticipation, my body wanting to get started as soon as possible while my brain attempted to keep it in line. "Yup, I've definitely lost it." The thought was both funny and concerning.

Once I had the bands on, my limbs had the very familiar sensation of heaviness, it was time to get started. Misaki gave me the signal and flickered out of sight. Immediately my body sprung into action, long conditioned to know that if I did not start right away I was going to take a hit. I threw the first kunai, replicating Sasuke's motions to the best of my capabilities. It would be a long time until this new motion felt more natural so the kunai wasn't exactly flying how I intended but I at least hit the target. "Next!" I said, grabbing the second. I couldn't do the same target twice in a row so I spun to my right, aiming for one dangling from a branch. As I was about to throw it however, my attention was drawn to the bushes to my left.

A wooden shuriken came flying out, flying right for my head. Instinctively, I ducked down to avoid it. The shuriken flying harmlessly overhead, I then took up the throwing position again and took my shot. As my arm was swinging Misaki's voice called out "Too slow!" Another shuriken flew at me, this one far faster than the previous. I could barely register the blur before it struck me right in the forehead and causing my throw to go wide. With the kunai flying into a bush I already knew what was coming. Another shuriken struck me, this time in the right shoulder.

Wincing, I got right back to work. If I hesitated it would just mean more welts. The next three targets went well enough. No misses and I was able to dodge her attacks so far, thankfully she wasn't throwing them at the same speed as the punishment shuriken.

"Caw! Caw!" A crow cried as it flew overhead. The sky had turned a burning orange as I lay wheezing on the ground. Small bruises likely covered my body from the countless hits I took, I chuckled, thinking I probably looked like I was having a severe allergic reaction to something. It hurt to laugh. Materializing at my side, Misaki offered a hand. "Good work, I know you're tired but we got to get going if you want to get home before dark."

"Tired?" I wheezed back with a weak smile, "Nah, I was just so bored I almost fell asleep." I replied. Chuckling at first, then groaning because it still hurt. Misaki joined in for a moment before grinning back at me.

"Oh? So you're saying my training is getting too easy then? I guess tomorrow I'll really have to turn up the difficulty." Misaki had a wicked grin on her face that would normally send shivers down my spine. Yet again however, I found myself reflecting that same grin.

"Good, maybe this time I'll work up a sweat." What the heck was up with my mouth!? Was it trying to get me into trouble!? Cursing my obviously broken mentality I took her hand and was helped to my feet. We then got to work cleaning up after ourselves and returned the tools to the crate, to the best of our ability at least. I also removed the training weights Misaki let me borrow and they were returned to the inside of a scroll. Seeing her seal them away still hurt my brain, just write down the correct symbols and add a bit of chakra to carry just about anything. I had to force myself to stop thinking about it or else my brain would be twisting itself in knots trying to rationalize it for hours to come.

The walk back to the compound was slow going, despite my earlier jests I was truly exhausted. Normally this wasn't too big of a deal because home was right there. Today however we were clear on the other side of the village. I was honestly tempted to take off my weights and ask Misaki to carry them for me. Although that thought had me feeling like I'd be admitting defeat, to what I had no idea but it was enough for me to continue pushing through. Thankfully, she was understanding and wasn't pushing me to go any faster.

Finally we broke through the treeline, the air becoming noticeably warmer now that we were no longer under the canopy of leaves. But at least it was the evening so the temperature was already starting to drop. It was at this point that my stomach loudly groaned and I almost doubled over, clutching it. My hunger hitting me like a truck as I realized the only thing I had to eat since breakfast were the senbei crackers Misaki purchased for me.

My face was a radiant red, I could tell because the heat it was radiating reminded me of the times I would just stare into the fires of Dad's forge. Misaki was laughing hysterically from the monstrous noise my tiny body was somehow able to produce. "Sorry, I guess we both got way too into training today. I completely forgot to take a break for lunch." Patting my shoulder as she got herself under control. "I'll treat you to something good, but it'll have to be take-out. Your mom will get worried if we're out too late."

While annoyed at her laughter, my mouth was already watering at the idea of food so I forgave her. The hunger pains passed for the moment and I could start walking again. "So where are we going?" I asked, wondering if she had any place in mind. The normal shop she enjoyed was pretty far away and grabbing a karaage tower to go was kind of a difficult thing.

"There's a sandwich shop here, its not much but we'll be able to eat on the move easily enough." Misaki replied. That was good enough for me. Mustering my strength I pressed on, eager to get to the store as quickly as possible.

The road shifted from simple packed dirt to carved stone as we began to near the heart of the compound. A lot more people were out now and that meant more stares, something I couldn't bring myself to care about too much at the moment. The issue came when someone decided to make it a problem.

"Hey, Misaki!" A voice called out from the roadside, I could already tell from the tone in his voice this would be trouble. Three men began to approach us, the one leading them had long black hair but all three were wearing similar outfits. Long sleeves with those big popped collars and knee-length shorts.

"Inaba..." Misaki replied, surprisingly reserved.

The man, Inaba's eyes then fell on me, in those black pits I could feel a wave of anger wash over me. Unlike anything the passive glances from others, this one bore down on me with intention. Thankfully, it was a controlled malice but it still brought some bad memories bubbling to the surface. I found myself slinking behind Misaki, attempting to hide.

"What do you think you're doing?" He grumbled, "Bringing an outsider here, do I need to report this to the chief?" Misaki visibly flinched at this. "I swear, you really are a piece of work. Didn't think you were enough of a disappointment to the clan you had to bring in this brat? Don't you understand the situation we're in!?" His tone was increasingly angry and I could see a vein beginning to pop on his forehead. More than that however, I could feel my own anger quickly growing. "I have no idea why Gento keeps sticking his neck out for you, but even his patience has limits. You should feel ashamed of yourself!"

"SHUT! UP!"

Silence fell over the group as my emotions boiled over. The three men looking down on me in honest surprise I was able to find my voice. Onlookers too were frozen as they curiously turned to watch the situation unfold.

I wouldn't say I was seeing red, but it was probably on that spectrum as I stomped forward, placing myself between the men and Misaki. "Take back what you said about Misaki-sensei you stupid jerk!" I surprised even myself, never was I one for confrontation like this but seeing these men berating Misaki like this just caused something to snap. My body moved and fought back as if possessed by some other entity while my mind cheered it on all the way.

"Meiko..." I heard her say softly.

"Who said you could talk!?" Inaba shot back, sending that wave of anger my way again. This time however, I did not shy away. Instead I puffed my chest out, trying to appear as big as possible and glared right back. "Cheeky little, wait..." Inaba's eyes returned to Misaki, "Did she say Sensei?" Grins slowly grew on the three men's faces and Inaba was the first to start laughing. "Sensei? You? Seriously!? That's a laugh! Hey kid, I'll do you a favor. You want to become a ninja? You'll want to do better than this woman. She barely made Chunin and hasn't done a thing since."

His face then turned stern again as he turned his attention back to Misaki. "As for you, did the kid butter you up or something? She put on the puppy dog eyes and say 'Sensei' a few times and you are suddenly ready to start sharing secrets? Is that it?"

"No, its nothing like that!" Misaki protested, "I've known her for years! Her Mom and I are good friends!"

"That's another thing!" Inaba shot back, "You're getting too comfortable with outsiders! Don't forget where your loyalties lie, failure that you are you're still an Uchiha! Take some damn pride in tha-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Inaba cried out in pain and for good reason. My patience had reached it's ultimate breaking point and the result was a full powered, chakra enhanced kick right into the man's exposed shin. Even for a shinobi that was going to hurt. "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP AND STOP INSULTING MISAKI-SENSEI YOU BASTARD!"

Inaba jumped back and fell to one knee as he clutched at his shin. "You brat!" He shouted, his buddies clearly confused as to what they should do in this situation. I wasn't going to give them a chance to make a decision as I was already marching in for a second kick to make sure he learned his lesson. A tight grip on my shoulder stopped me however as Misaki, pulled me back.

"Thanks Meiko." She said before stepping in front of me. "I think that's enough. We're leaving anyway so there's nothing to worry about." She then glared down on Inaba who was quickly recovering and standing back up, albeit babying his one leg. "Besides, I got permission to bring Meiko here." Taking my hand, Misaki pushed through the three stunned Uchiha. I stuck my tongue out at them as we passed.

Inaba was not happy with that and certainly wasn't finished with us. Faster than I could blink, his arm shot out, grabbing onto my wrist and squeezing tight. "We are not done here!" He shouted, grip so tight and strong I could feel it through the metal weights, crushing my arm underneath. Wincing in pain I was then violently tugged back, stopped only by the fact that Misaki still held my arm. My shoulders felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets for a moment and I cried out in both pain and alarm.

This set Misaki off.

What exactly happened next I couldn't even comprehend. In the time it took me to blink the situation changed dramatically. One moment I was being pulled by two people, the next, Misaki was holding me close to her side with one hand and a kunai aimed at the throat of Inaba with the other. Inaba's companions were just as quick, flanking Misaki with kunai of their own at hers.

"Let. Her. Go." Misaki's voice was cold, very cold. Even Inaba's fury cooled in the face of her silent fury.

"Y-You would take up arms against your own clan!?" Inaba stuttered, flabbergasted he had been bested by one whom he was just recently deeming an incompetent. In any other situation, such a turn around would have been extremely satisfying. Unfortunately I was too caught up with worry due to the massive escalation that suddenly occurred to feel any of that.

"I said. Let. Her. Go." Misaki repeated, even colder this time. The kunai now pressing against Inaba's flesh, any closer and it would begin to draw blood. His buddies reacted, of course, by pressing in further and shouting for her to stand down. Honestly though, their cries fell on deaf ears, from both Misaki and myself.

A tense eternity passed in this pseudo Mexican standoff. The rational part of my mind finally kicking back into gear, realizing that antagonizing an already angry Uchiha really wasn't the best idea.

"You're going to regret this." Inaba threatened, having taken time to cool his own head. "Think about it. You're throwing everything away, over some stupid kid." His grip tightened further on my wrist. I winced again but remained silent out of fear that vocalizing my pain would set Misaki off.

"I won't say it again." Was her final warning.

"...So be it." There was a metallic glint of light from behind naba, at about my eye level. I only saw it for a fraction of a second but it was enough for me to recognize it was a kunai. What happened next was far too fast for me to even try to warn Misaki. Inaba's arm turned into a blur moving upwards and I tried to scream.

"No!"

I had expected either for a battle to break out, or something far worse but what happened instead was surprisingly different. All four adults froze up, a couple making short, confused grunts before there was some metallic clanging. A couple feet away, four kunai clattered onto the road at the feet of another person. Another Uchiha, of course, he was younger than Inaba and his little gang. Short, unkempt black hair poked out from behind his leaf-engraved headband. On his back, the hilt of a tanto poked out.

"That was quite dangerous, someone could have gotten hurt." Said the boy as he stepped over the discarded weapons. Inaba and his compatriots taking a step back in response. All four adults looked upon the youth warily.

"Shisui..." Inaba muttered, finally releasing his grip. Misaki also loosened up her hold on me.

"Would someone like to tell me what happened?" The young man asked, everyone stiffening up at his words. Whomever this was, he certainly commanded an immense amount of respect.

"Shisui... Shisui..." I repeated the name in my head, it felt familiar but I couldn't quite put a finger on the name. I don't think I wrote it down in my little book, I'd have to check when, and if, I got home.

Inaba stepped up first, "Ah, yes. As you can see, Misaki here brought an outsider into the compound. I we were trying to warn her about doing such a thing when she suddenly got violent." This lying bastard! I remained silent, but stood slack-jawed at the audacity he was presenting here. Shisui then turned to Misaki, waiting for her response.

"We came here to do some training today. As we were leaving, Inaba confronted us and when we tried to push by, he grabbed Meiko's arm..." Misaki sighed, "I'll admit I probably... overreacted when I heard her yelp." She squeezed my hand and I returned the gesture.

"Is me being here... Really such a bad thing?" I asked, stepping away from Misaki. Partially, it was to try and take the heat off of her. There was an underlying thought however, to try and get an idea to just how bad the situation with the Uchiha really was. It wasn't like I could just ask outright so the best I could do was poke around and get as much information I could before making a guess.

"Of course it is!" Inaba shouted at me, "It is humiliating for us enough as it is for someone like you to just come walking in here! But to have her doing it, saying she's training you! Sharing OUR secrets!? Its an INSULT to the entire clan!"

"How is it humiliating to bring a child, a friend here to help her prepare for the academy!?" Misaki retorted, the tension quickly returning. "This is what bothers me so much, everyone here is just getting worse and worse! You're all so angry and see everything as a slight! Look at yourself! You're practically frothing over this!" Misaki's anger wasn't directed just at Inaba, but his buddies and even the onlookers, as though this rant was directed at her entire clan.

""Do you really think anything good can come from that anger!? How can you hope to do anything when you're so full of hatred, you find the presence of someone else to be an insult!?" Her final point however, was aimed at Inaba. Asking him directly what he wanted to accomplish.

Veins bulging on his forehead, Inaba snapped, "And why wouldn't it be an insult!? After everything they've done! Everything we've suffered!? The real question is why aren't you angry!? Why don't you hate them!? It's bleeding hearted idiots like you that are delaying-"

"I think we should leave it at that." Suddenly, Shisui was standing between the two of them, so close I could reach out and touch him myself. Blinking, it took me a few moments to process what happened and when it did, I found myself jumping back with a yelp of surprise. My head spun to where Shisui should have been then back to where he was now. I had seen shinobi moving fast before, but this was on a different level. It was almost, no it was instantaneous.

"Tch!" Inaba clicked his tongue before motioning for his goons to follow him. As he was leaving, he shot one final glare back at Misaki. "You better watch yourself." With that, the three stormed off.

"Whew, glad that's over." Shisui said as he faced us with a smile. "Sorry you had to go through that." He said to me before addressing Misaki, "I don't know how things actually started, but you should be more careful in the future. You know how things are."

"Y-yeah..." Misaki replied, "Thank you for stepping in there. Normally I don't get so... heated." She then sighed heavily, "I knew there would probably be a hot head or two but I really lost control. That's really going to throw a wrench in everything..." Now I could really see the extent of the risk Misaki had taken bringing me here. In addition, I finally was starting to realize how deep the divide was between the village and the Uchiha. My presence alone was considered an insult to them. I rubbed my wrist, stealing a glance at the onlookers who were beginning to disperse. A few eyes still lingered on me, their distrust and anger stinging like multiple small needles all over my back.

"Dammit." Misaki cursed before turning back to Shisui, "I really appreciate the help there. I'd like to say I'll pay you back but I feel it'll be a while."

"Don't mention it. I didn't do much." Shisui waved her off, "If you like, I could escort you two out. It should keep problems like that from happening again."

Misaki shook her head, "No, you've done more than enough. We'll be okay." Once more she bowed and this time I joined in. We both thanked Shisui and said our goodbyes before once more trekking down the road. We were moving quickly at this point, both of us wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. We were still getting glares from onlookers but thankfully no one else chose to make a big deal out of it.

We passed by the Senbei shop, the sweet scent once again tickling my nostrils and causing my stomach to churn in desire. Out front was an old man, reading a book in a chair while Urushi was restocking the display. We waved and passed a few pleasantries back and forth but did not stop this time. Regretfully on my part, we also skipped stopping at the sandwich shop, but we were finally at the gates of the compound. Passing through it finally felt like this long day was coming to an end and with it, so was I.

"Whoa!" I cried as my legs gave out from under me. My landing wasn't painful, I just flopped down on my butt after all, but for the life of me I couldn't get back up. "Hehehe... My legs feel like pudding..." I chuckled, trying to hide my embarrassment. It had been a couple weeks since my body just gave out like this. I could only chuck it up to everything that happened today combined with the fact I was starving. Whatever embers I was running on had finally snuffed out, I was exhausted both physically and mentally.

"Here, hop on." Misaki offered as she crouched before me, the symbol of her clan proudly presented on her back despite everything that had happened. Gratefully, I climbed up on her back.

"Thanks, Sensei." I said as she stood up, receiving a light flick on the nose in response.

"Training's over. I'm just regular old Misaki now. Remember?" She chuckled as my stomach rumbled once more. "Okay okay, we'll get some food, get off my back!"

"But you said to climb on first!"

Our laugher echoed as we made our way down the deserted back street. For a while, Misaki walked on in silence. Both of us reflecting over everything that happened today. Although I was certainly fading in and out of consciousness. Exhaustion beginning to win out over hunger.

"Hey... You still awake?" Misaki eventually asked. Too tired to respond properly, I just mumbled something and nodded to indicate I was listening. "Good. I wanted to... explain myself. About today." She began but fell silent again. Her pinwheel hairpin clicking as a breeze blew by. "I don't know how much of this you will understand and there are some things I can't share but... The truth is I didn't bring you there today just for training."

I remained silent, but was listening intently. Misaki once again fell silent so I gave her the most gentle of squeezes indicating that I was still awake, even if my eyelids were barely able to stay open.

"My clan, the Uchiha. There's been a lot of tension internally lately. Inaba is one of the... Isolationists. They believe that the Uchiha clan should look out for themselves and only themselves. They don't really consider themselves part of the Leaf Village." She finally continued. Isolationist was a good way to explain what I had experienced.

"They've been gaining support over the years and more people are starting to see the winder village as 'outsiders'. They believe the village is jealous and fearful of the Uchiha, so they paint themselves the victim and believe we're being persecuted... The truth is, I was starting to think like them. Thankfully, I met you and remembered why I joined the force and many other things."

I could feel my face warm several degrees. That wasn't fair. I was in no shape to say anything back. Whatever Misaki thought I had done for her she had easily returned ten times over. I don't think I could ever repay her even if I dedicated my life to doing so.

She sighed, "So, I kind of thought that I could maybe do the same for them. I figured if I brought in someone from the outside and get them to interact together, maybe we cold start breaking down those barriers. I'll admit, I got ahead of myself and should have told you. But I wanted to start off small and, well... We saw how that went."

The sun was getting really low now, I guess it was later in the evening than I had thought. My head quickly flopped back down into Misaki's shoulder, too tired to even keep that up for very long. "I guess I was being too idealistic. The hatred runs too deep. Even if it was only Inaba getting in our faces, I saw those stares you were getting. So many people... I'm so sorry for subjecting you to that.

Forcing my eyes open once more, I was able to call upon a small bit of energy I had recovered from this short rest. "Its not your fault." My voice was weak, but thankfully I was right by her ear so I didn't need to speak up. "They're your family, you want to believe in them." I squeezed my arms together, doing my best to give the woman a hug. "And it wasn't all bad. There were some, like Urushi who were friendly even if I was an outsider. Sasuke wasn't... too bad either."

I slumped into her shoulder once more. I could feel my consciousness starting to slip away. My stomach grumbled weakly as one last act of defiance. I could tell I would either be waking up famished in the middle of the night, or Mom was going to be one heck of a breakfast buffet.

Just before I faded away, Misaki spoke once more. "Thanks Meiko, I needed that." She then chuckled, "You know, you always manage to surprise me. Its hard to think you're only six sometimes." A very light laugh escaped me lips as I started to let sleep take me.

"Hey, Meiko. I don't know if you can still hear me right now, but... If you could, no matter what happens..." Her voice was getting so far away, I could barely make out what she was saying as the darkness crept closer and closer. Straining my senses I tried to catch the last bit but I was already too far gone. Yet I still wanted to answer her request...

---

Author's Note: Oh boy that was a big one. Well, we finally have some canon characters making a real appearance. I hope I did Sasuke and Itachi justice. Anyway, as usual I hope you enjoyed it and this arc has one more chapter before we finally reach the academy!