Naruto 1. Encounter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own the ideas I come up with in this fic.**

**A/N: Okay, so this is my first story, so please tell me what you think. I know where I want to go with this story, but I'm still not sure if I should put any romance in it later on. Anyway, feedback is welcome, as is criticism and tips. Thanks for your time, and please review!**

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**Chapter 1: Encounter**

It was late in the afternoon when a calm breeze swept through Konoha.

It made its way through the busy streets, blowing past the eager customers and salesmen, and past the children playing ninja in the alleys, their wooden shuriken flying through the air. The breeze wound around these streets, carrying laughter and shouts, and finally made its way to a silent park.

It was deserted for the most part except for one little girl who sat gently rocking back and forth on a swing.

Her bangs covered her emerald green eyes and her abnormally large forehead. She had always thought it was slightly bigger than normal people, but that didn't mean that they had to be so mean about it.

She had been here for a few hours just thinking and sulking.

It wasn't her fault that she was so weird. If only she was prettier, and maybe not so clumsy. She couldn't even live up to her own name_ cherry blossom. _Everyone always associated cherry blossoms with beauty, grace, and delicacy.

Apparantly no one regarded her that way. No one wanted to play with her, and she didn't know what to do to make them like her.

And so she sat, swinging gently, back and forth, just listening to the sound of the leaves and the birds chirping in the almost silent park.Getting away from her depressing thoughts, she marvelled at the beauty of the park she was in.

The Sakura trees stood tall and proud, their blossoms floating to the ground in a flurry of pinks and whites.

Sakura shivered, it was beginning to get slightly chilly, and all she had on was a short sleeved red shirt and black capris slacks. Deciding that she should go before her Kaa-san got mad; she started to rise to her feet.

She was about to move when she heard voices filled with laughter coming her way.Tensing slightly, she looked over in curiosity and dread.

"Ha ha! I got you Ami-chan!" shouted a girl with poufy red hair and light brown eyes.

"Hmph, you just got lucky Miki-chan!" huffed an annoyed looking girl.

She had short purple hair with bangs that matched her violet eyes. At her feet were two wooden shuriken.

"Hey you guys, don't go so fast!" Another yelled.

This girl had maroon, bordering purple colored hair that spiked a bit, and she had dark brown eyes. Following her were a couple of other little girls, who all caught up, panting.

"Geez! You guys are so slow!" Ami berated, still annoyed at being hit by Mika.

They were playing ninja, and she was the last one who remained hidden, so when Mika finally found her, everyone followed to see if Ami would get caught.

Meanwhile, Sakura looked at the group with wide green eyes. This was certainly not good, the last thing she wanted was for Ami to see her.

Discreetly, she tried to slowly move away from sight, but Ami saw her and rounded on her, spotting the perfect person she could take her anger out on from being so humiliated.

"Well, well, if it isn't billboard brow!"she teased.

The others stopped whispering amongst themselves about Ami's loss and turned in Sakura's direction. Upon seeing her, they immediately took up haughty and superior looks.

Sakura whimpered slightly, but sat frozen to the spot, while Ami advanced. She got in front of Sakura and bent down slightly to be eye-level with her.

"What's a weak little forehead girl like you doing out here alone?" she questioned.

Sakura just looked at her feet, trying to sink into the swing and hopefully disappear.

Not one for being ignored, Ami pushed her hard so that she fell backwards, off of the swing and into the dirt.

Laughter erupted at the sight of Sakura in the cloud of dust coughing.

"Oh that's right," stated Ami mockingly, "you don't have any friends!"

If it was possible, the girls laughed even more.

Before Sakura knew it, tears were streaming down her face as she soaked up Ami's mean words and their laughter.

She had landed on her head, and it hurt really bad. Her vision was blurry from the tears and her eyes stung from the dirt.

She was disoriented, and all she could make out was a bunch of faces surrounding her and chanting "forehead-girl". What did she ever do to them? Why were they being so cruel? Perhaps they found it amusing or maybe she was just easy to pick on.

She just didn't understand what separated her from them.

Realizing that she needed to get out of this situation, Sakura backed up from the group as fast as she could before scrambling to her feet and dashing off in the opposite direction.

She ran as fast as she was able, their jeers ringing in her ears. She wasn't even sure where she was going, but she finally stopped when she realized that they weren't chasing her.

Slowing down, she glanced around at her surroundings and found that she had somehow wandered off of the path she had taken and was now surrounded by trees. Even sadder than before, since she was now lost, she decided that standing around would probably not help.

Listening to the sounds around her, she heard a slight sound in the air of metal clinking together. In hope that there was someone out there who would help her, Sakura proceeded to follow the sounds she heard.

After many scrapes and twigs getting tangled in her hair, she spotted a clearing up ahead and through the brush. She remained hidden as she glanced around looking for the source of the noise.

That's when she saw him.

He was wearing baggy gray pants and a black shirt that was currently slightly lifted, seeing as he was about thirty feet off of the ground. His black hair was tied in a pony tail at the base of his neck, though his bangs flew about his face that was tight in concentration, the lines under his eyes even more pronounced.

She watched as he twisted in the air, flinging kunai around him in all directions, and she watched as he sailed them at each other at just the right angle in order to hit certain targets.

Even as he landed gracefully, she still stood frozen and hidden behind bushes.

It was then that he glanced up, the hair falling out of his eyes, and looked at her directly.

She was sure that she was well hidden, but he seemed to know exactly where she was, and gave her a blank look. Not knowing what to do, she just stared back, traces of her awe and fascination still raw upon her face.

The man with the black hair and obsidian eyes continued to stare for a few moments before releasing her from his stare and resuming his training.

Sakura just watched him, entranced by his grace and fluidity, and oblivious to the growing darkness.

It was only after an hour or so that the cold and darkness finally got to Sakura, and she decided to head home. The only problem was that she had no idea where she was. Luckily for her, the boy in front of her seemed to think that it was gettting late as well, for he started walking off of the training grounds.

Sakura was unsure of whether she should follow him or not, but she really needed to get home, so she decided to follow the young man. Running after him, she slowed to a stop next to him.

Turning to face this new boy she met, Sakura questioned, "May I walk with you? I can't find my way home."

Her mother had always taught her to be polite.

He gave her a sideways glance, but otherwise did not acknowledge her presence.

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He had seen her watching him earlier, and wondered what gave her the impression that she could walk with him. 

Either way, it did not matter to him.

Taking his glance as a "yes", the girl continued to walk with him, picking up her pace to a walk/jog as she tried to keep up with him. The silence around them was rather uncomfortable, and it seemed that the girl found a need to say something.

"You're really good at throwing weapons, I've never seen someone throw them that well." she said quietly, waiting for him to reply.

When he remained silent, she tried again,

"Are you a shinobi?" she questioned.

And then, glancing at him again, she spotted his headband, "Oh I see, so you are. Wow, you're pretty young."

Hoping to stop her from continuing with her questioning, he answered her without much thought, "I was taught to fight at a young age."

The girl didn't need to know he was called a genius.

The last thing he wanted was to see the envy in her eyes that he knew would appear. It was doubtful she would understand anyway, she looked to be very young, about seven if he was to guess, and his guesses were usually correct.

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"Oh" she replied, unsure of how to respond. 

She looked at him again, and then something clicked in her mind. She had seen him before!

It was at one of Konoha's festivals that she always looked forward to. Her mother would dress her up in a kimono and put pretty clips in her hair to keep her bangs at bay. Festivals were always so fun, there were many games and there was always tasty food.

Yes, now that she thought about it, she remembered seeing him along with several others with his same black hair and with fans on the backs of their clothes.

What had her mother called them? Hmm. . oh yes! They were called the Uchihas, and many of them were policemen. They were also said to be exceptional shinobi. Her mother had told her that they were a very important clan in Konoha, one of the oldest ones, next to the Hyuggas. That's why she was required to bow to them as they passed in the parade. She remembered this particular boy, along with another who was much younger and had less weary eyes.

Forgetting her manners for a moment, she inquired bluntly, "Are you an Uchiha?"

He looked at her once more, and she thought that she saw annoyance flash through his eyes before he nodded stiffly.

Even more curious now, Sakura gathered up her courage and asked, "What's your first name?"

Even though she could tell that he was annoyed, he responded anyway, "Itachi."

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Vaguely he wondered why he was even responding to the girl, he had only come out here in search of training, not the company of some random pink-haired girl. 

Still, he supposed that conversation, no matter how short, was rather welcome after only talking about missions and the future of the Clan for such a long while.Many had already forgotten that he was but 12 years old.

Besides, it was rather rare to find someone who did not know him, even if she was just a little girl.

Children her age often thought of him as their supposed idol, much like his brother Sasuke did. The boy thoroughly annoyed him with his constant admiring gaze. He already did missions with the Anbu, and his fame had risen over the years.

Naturally he was widely known, he was the pride of the Uchiha Clan.

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Sakura considered the name, deciding that she had heard it before. It was rather strange that he was named after a weasle, but then again he was rather strange, to her at least. 

He only answered in the shortest way possible, and had a rather cold aura surrounding him, not that she was bothered by that too much.

After he answered her question, she resolved to stay quiet no matter how curious she was. Most likely he would not be amused at her curiosity, so far he didn't seem too happy with her.

Then again, it was hard to tell since his face was so blank.

Firm in her resolve, she continued walking with him and just taking in the scenery. It was now almost completely dark outside, and the moon was getting clearer with each passing minute.

Her kaa-san would surely be very upset with her upon her return.

It seemed that at last they had come to a familiar road to Sakura, one that lead past the flower shop and to the Academy where she had recently enrolled.

So far they had only started learning the rules about being a shinobi, which Sakura quickly soaked up, though she found it rather dull. At least she didn't fall asleep in class like some girls did. She was suprised that they were even able to.

Their sensei's voice was so high and squeaky!

Turning to this strange new person that she met, she thanked him for allowing her to walk with him, and when he did not respond she took that as her signal to leave. After giving a quick bow, she hurried off in the direction of her house, leaving behind a slightly amused Uchiha.

He had noticed that the girl had suddenly become quiet, no doubt somehow detecting his annoyance at her innecent questions about him. She was quite perceptive for such a young girl. 

Sakura did not notice though, she was too focused on hoping that her kaa-san wouldn't be too mad at her.

She was worried about her kaa-san.

Lately she had become disintrested in her daughter, and spent much of her time brooding in her room. Ever since her otou-san left them, she had always been depressed, but that was two years ago.

At first she seemed to be getting better from her depression, but now it's worsened. Maybe it was because Sakura was no longer at home all the time to distract her mother. Now that she was enrolled in the Academy for a few hours in the afternoon, she spent less time with her mom, since the mornings was when her kaa-san worked.

It was actually pretty shocking to Sakura when her kaa-san finally said "yes" and allowed her to study at the Academy.

Sakura had been persisting for a long while, and her kaa-san finally gave in, even though she was very much against it.

She kept saying that Sakura was a civilian, and that there was no way she could hope to compete with others who were far ahead of her in their training. Sakura had argued that she would try harder than them to make it as a kunoichi, she didn't understand what they could possibly have that she didn't. Still not convinced, but willing to relent, her kaa-san reluctantly agreed.

Reaching her house, she stopped and just stared at it under the moonlight.

It was small for a house, but inside Sakura knew it to be cosy. There were only the two of them living there, so much space was not needed. The house two stories tall and was painted the standard tan color of all the houses on the street.Its door was dark brown like all the rest on the street as well.

Their garden was the only thing that set them apart from the other houses.

Her kaa-san had taken to gardening, as it helped to distract her and she found it rewarding and refreshing. Sakura would help occasionally, but she was no flower expert, and often her mother would send her inside for accidentally messing up a plant or two. They had a number of bushes and flowers in their mini garden.

Sakura's favorite were the daffodils.

Finished with her musings, she went up to her house, gently knocking on the door.

Immediately she heard footsteps coming towards the door, and soon it was thrown wide open as her mother stood there in her nightwear.

"Sakura! There you are! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Come inside this minute! It's dark outside, how could you be so careless!" her kaa-san scolded.

Apoligizing over and over again in-between her kaa-san's lecturing, Sakura quickly stepped inside, her encounter with the strange young man she met still lingering in her mind.

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**A/N: Okay, so that's the first chapter, tell me what you think! R&R!**


	2. Itachi

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own the ideas I come up with in this fic.**

**A/N: Okay, so here it is, the next chapter. Once again, comments are appreciated!**

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**Chapter 2: Itachi**

The first thing that Itachi noticed about the man was his rather prominent hunch-back. Perhaps he noticed this first since he had been taught from a young age to read body language and use it against his opponent. However, there was no doubt that this sickly man would be easy enough to take down.

The elder man's face was wrinkled, the lines a testament to the life he'd led. His skin too looked as if it would peel off. It was so thin that the blue veins underneath could be seen. Most probably his bones would be brittle and muscles weak.

Yes, even a genin could take the scroll that the old man possessed, if not for the three Mist jonins accompanying him.

Itachi gazed on as one of the jonin leapt from branch to branch, the old man held securely in his arms. Just watching the old man's vulnerability was disgusting.

Yet Itachi could not help but wonder what it would be like to live to such a ripe old age. Would his bones ache at the prospect of walking? Would he need to be carried by others younger and stronger than him because of his frailty?

No, definitely not.

He would die young and at the decline of his prime. His death would involve him being beaten by a formidable opponent; he would die a brutal death. Perhaps a kunai to the heart would suffice? Or maybe he would perish at the hands of a powerful jutsu.

No, he would never know what it's like to live for so long and experience so much. His fate was decided the day he was born into the Uchiha Clan. The day he was born into the life of a shinobi. A stalker of the shadows and drenched in blood, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was a killer, and couldn't see himself any other way.

Moving on from his morbid thoughts itachi glanced at his Captain. They had been tracking this old man and his escorts ever since they left Tea Country. Now that they had caught up with them, their mission must be completed. The escorts were from Mist, and judging from their performance and chakra, they were of moderate level, for jonin that is.

"We have not been detected, move into ambush form. Fox from the right, I'll follow." their Captain's voice buzzed in their ears.

Names were not used, they were unnecessary. Itachi was the fox. Cunning, manipulative, and fast, he had proved himself exceptional in these areas, and was recognized for it. The fox was best in the team at distraction, he was swift and efficient. For this reason he was often used as such in ambushes, the assignment was not unexpected.

Immediately the fox picked up his speed so that his movements were unnoticeable to the untrained eye. Faster than could be seen, he cut in front of the enemy, using a kunai to slash at them.

He effectively startled them completely, giving the Anbu the advantage. It was obvious that the shinobi were oblivious to the fact that they had been followed, as they were now frantically trying to make out the blur they saw while reaching for their weapons.

In the next instant, a barrage of kunai was shot out from an unknown location, decapitating one of the injuring a jonin, who had to drop his charge as a result. The old man pulled himself against a tree and ducked down to avoind being hit. More kunai and shuriken were launched as the jonin finally gathered their wits about them, dodging most of the weapons.

Then the onslaught paused while one black blur joined the Fox Anbu, lunging at the jonin at the same time as itachi.

Itachi took the one on the right while his other two comrades took on the remaining two. The jonin, battered and weary from the surprise attack and his long journey, gazed up at the Fox, and in that instant his fate was sealed as his eyes widened while he tried to escape his opponent's eyes, blazing red and spinning wildly.

The jonin tried desperately to avert his eyes to the tell-tale sign of death, but to no avail. His horrified gaze remained as genjutsu fell upon him. At this moment, the jonin would be feeling the effects of falling head first off of a 40 ft. cliff. He would fall through trees and slam against rocks, until he would hit the ground, a crater surrounding his mangled body. Just as soon as that happened he would start falling again while feeling incapable of breathing. An anguished scream pierced the air. The pain would surely be unbearable.

It seemed that Mist did not place much emphasis on genjutsu. Itachi gazed at the jonin with contempt. He had fully expected for the jonin to have broken out of the genjutsu, perhaps his expectations were too high.

Yet Itachi did not remotely pity the man. Such was the fate of the poorly trained. He was unfit to be called a shinobi if he was not at least competent in all the arts.

Making quick work of his now non-existent opponent, Itachi made his way towards his Captain who was making his way towards the terrified old man, finished with eliminating the jonin he faced. The Hare was just finishing up her opponent.

Lifting the old man up by his neck, the Captain stared him in the face, his eyes almost glowing under his mask because of their darkened surroundings. The old man chocked and sputtered until he was dropped to the ground.

"Please" he gasped, "h-have mercy –cough- on an old man."

With fearful eyes, he looked up, but he found only icy stares in response to his plea. Resigning himself to his fate, he reached into his bag and pulled out an ancient looking scroll.

No words needed to be exchanged after that.

The scroll was taken, and in a flash the old man's blood was spilt, staining the ground in dark red.

"Mission complete." stated the Hare in a bored voice.

Neither responding, the Captain and young Uchiha took off into the trees leaving the bodies behind to rot, the Hare trailing after them. It was silent on the way back, and so was handing in the scroll. Their team was rather anti-social; they hardly spoke even a few sentences on missions.

After a brief "well done" and warm smile from the Third Hokage, his comrades were dismissed. It was then that the Sandaime addressed him.

"Itachi Uchiha, twelve-year old member of Anbu and the protege of the Uchiha Clan. A heavy responsibility for one so young, ne?"

A bit thrown off by the Hokage's sudden questioning, but not wanting to be impolite, he answered noncommitally, "Hn."

The Third smiled, and Itachi noticed that his face looked weary, wrinkles adorning his forehead.

"As responsive as ever I see, but let us get to the matter at hand. I have recieved your application to become Anbu Captain."

Itachi stiffened, "Indeed, however I was not aware that I would recieve a reponse so soon."

The Third smiled while continuing, "Your position is still to be determined, however I express my concerns at your choioce."

Itachi now understood, his capabilities were being questioned. After all, he was twelve, asthe Hokage has stated. "I am qualified." he stated, with confidence.

"Yes, you are, however that does not mean you are ready. Your age is a factor, and you will have to prove much better than the others in the upcoming exam in order to be chosen." The Hokage explained seriousley, a hint of weariness in his voice.

It was true, many were apposed to having someone as young as he as their superior, no matter how skilled.

Itachi smirked inwardly, insubordination will not be tolerated.

"Your advice is taken and caution heeded, Hokage-sama." he informed firmly. He would not back down from this challenge. He would reach Captain status.

"Very well then, you may proceed in your endeavor. I wish you luck." the Third responded.

He was still uncertain and wary of the idea, but he would give the boy a chance. Besides, the Uchiha Clan would be frustrating to deal with if their request was denied. They were too important to the village to upset.

With a nod, Itachi left, leaving the Sandaime to wonder if he'd just made a grave mistake.

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Itachi walked out of the tower and glanced at the almost setting sun, it would be dark soon.

His Clan desperately wanted him to be a Captain of Anbu, but that was not the only reason he had agreed to submitting the exam.

He would grow stronger faster as Captain, and he was always in search of ways to become more powerful. He was taught long ago that the weak never survive in this world.

He would succeed in becoming Captain, and neither the Sandaime, nor anyone else would stop him.

He was now free to do as he wished, seeing as there were no other missions he was needed to complete, how unfortunate. No matter how tedious these missions could get, at least they distracted him somewhat from his ever demanding Clan. His only other option to going home was to go to the training grounds. Yet as of late, he couldn't even have time to himself there.

The person of his frustration was the little, innocent, completely harmless, pink-haired girl who had taken to watching him train in the later hours of the day. It had started one week ago when she had stumbled upon his training site. He remembered catching sight of her, and also her nonchalance at the prospect of walking with him.

Every day after that she had been coming there regularly to watch as he trained.

As the days went by she had slowly come out of her hiding spot (which was completely useless, as he knew exactly where she was) and now regarded him in plain view. She would sit on a rock and watch as he flipped in the air and practiced his maneuvers.

It was annoying, if anything. Yet he would not move to another ground just because of her bothersome presence. No, it was not his business how she wasted her time, however if she got it into her head to become more troublesome he would demand of her to leave.

As of now he had a choice to make, or rather a dilemma. He could either return home and submit himself to being interrogated by his father about his recent mission, or he could train and be annoyed by the gaze of the little girl. Both situations were rather unpleasant.

He headed for the training grounds.

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**A/N: There you have it! The next chapter will have more Sakura and Itachi interactions. I just thought I'd give a little insight on Itachi.**

** I'd like to know how I can improve and just anything else that comes to mind as you read this. Please read and review!**


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