Naruto 1. Chapter 1

_Everything was silent for a single moment, a deafening stillness in comparison to the roaring thrashing beast that had been in place just moments before. A split second passed, and an answering cheer rang in the air, civilians and Ninja alike, one that grew louder and louder as more caught on to the Yodaime's victory. If only they knew… It was only just beginning._

_I crouched; picking up the bundle containing a writhing baby, and set off towards the walls of Konoha at a dead sprint. I didn't have much time; I had to make it below the Hokage Monument as soon as possible. Not a single soul could know of the child in my arms, or all of my careful planning would have no chance of coming to fruition. I promised! I promised I would make sure the baby was taken care of. I didn't even have time to see what had happened to Minato or Kushina, the sealing of the baby had taken top priority._

_My muscles ached and I cursed the fact that there was no chakra left in my reserves to shun-shin, having all been spent holding the security seals placed over the most important parts of the village in place. Somewhere throughout my journey over the surviving roof tops of Konoha, I became aware of my raw skin, charred and almost black in some areas from exposure to the demonic chakra. There would be scaring. Even my lungs burned; and as the wreckage of Konoha spread before my eyes, already the keening wails of mourning had begun and the chunin were unable to keep the villagers from spilling from the gate to find their loved one's bodies. Some would never be found, incinerated by the beast's tails._

_Something like this would never be forgotten, or forgiven._

_It seemed like ages had passed, and it took longer than should have to reach the top of the monument, even longer to rush down flight after flight of stairs, farther and farther down into the depths of the mountain. The bundle in my arms cried out, and I stuck my finger into my mouth, cleaning it off as best as I could before popping it between the baby's lips. It seemed appeased for the moment._

_How could a thing so small have such a large thing hidden in inside?_

_It seemed unfathomable. If I hadn't designed the sealing myself, and witnessed the event with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. At last, the door._

_When the blood seal into the room finished activating, the metal doors swung open automatically and I barreled through. Inside, the Sandaime stood near to Kakashi and Mikoto; they seemed to be in a heated argument._

_"She's my sensei's daughter," growled Kakashi, looking for the entire world a wolf backed into a small place. He was leaning over the metal table towards Mikoto, his teeth barred. _

_On the other side, Mikoto stood, backed by a silent, strait backed, Fugaku who simply glared daggers at the younger silver haired man._

_"She's also my best friend's daughter. Come, Kakashi, you must realize she would be better protected in the Uchiha compound. It's what Kushina asked of me." Said Mikoto calmly, her voice soft and explanatory. Kakashi snarled._

_"Who could protect her better than I?" he ground out through clenched teeth._

_"Regardless of your capability, there are strength in numbers, any fool knows that," Said Fugaku._

_Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and Yamanaka Inoichi stood off to the side silently, observing the argument without comment. Despite the argument taking place I found myself sighing in relief._

_Good, everyone was already present._

_When I cleared my throat everyone's attention immediately redirected to bundled up baby in my arms, happily gumming away on my finger, blissfully ignorant._

_Lucky, the little thing doesn't have teeth yet._

_"I believe," said Sarutobi, breaking the ensued silence, "that this discussion can be ended here and now." I gulped as his gaze landed on me._

_Well, shit._

_"Minato… entrusted me with the girl's care," I said softly, looking between Mikoto and Kakashi. I glanced at him apologetically, and he sagged, immediately realizing defeat. "And I believe it is best that Naruto be placed with Mikoto, for now. She will need both a mother and a father. Her life should be as normal as possible for as long as can be possibly achieved."_

_"She looks just like him though," Inoichi said._

_Several nodded in agreement. I looked down at the baby. The resemblance between the girl and her father was far too much, even with the whisker-like scars marring the baby's porcelain cheeks. And when I looked again, I saw Kushina's eyes. There wasn't any time for consideration; at any moment Iwa or Kumo spies could discover her birth._

_Something would have to be done._

_The Sandaime had no trouble keeping the squirming baby in place on her stomach as she wailed at the uncomfortable feeling of cold metal on her small tummy, so that the necessary seals could be drawn on her back. The brush moved quickly in my hands, years of experience combined with the utter urgency of the situation bringing the complicated seal into existence._

_"What should she look like?" I asked, pausing._

_Mikoto looked to Fugaku and he frowned slightly, nodding._

_"We want her to look like her brothers," Mikoto said softly. I nodded, adding the necessary characters to the seal._

_"It's done," I said, as I finished making the last brush stroke. "I'm sorry, Naruto. You're beautiful." I looked to Sarutobi, a slight sorrow was reflected in his eyes, and he nodded._

_"Fuin no Jutsu: Negaiai no Henkan!" Shouted the Sandaime, pumping chakra into the newly made seal; it glowed blue and then golden as it took effect._

_I watched sadly as black shot from the girl's scalp, starting at the roots, consuming her blond hair until it was no more, and her skin became noticably paler. When the baby was turned over, her features had become refined and delicate looking, almost identical to Mikoto's. Her eyes opened, revealing twin onyx pools. There was no doubt about it, she looked like an Uchiha._

_Slowly, Inoichi and Hiashi stepped forward._

_"Both seals are functioning normally it seems, no abnormal chakra fluctuations. I would recommend keeping an eye on it though, just in case," Hiashi said, byakugan activated._

_"Inoichi, you know what to do," the Sandaime said, gravely. Inoichi nodded, making the owl seal with his hands._

_"Akuma no Supichi Kabe," he whispered, before entering the child's mind._

_I watched Inoichi's body slumped forward to be caught by Hiashi. Someone patted my back._

_"Good Job, Jaraiya," the Sandaime's gravelly voice sounded close to my ear._

_"And now to plan the child's future within the village," Shikaku murmured, the analytics already running through his brain._

~XxX~

If the father is a frog, so shall be his offspring. – Old Japanese proverb.

A dignified Uchiha didn't run through the streets like a wild animal, yet that's exactly what I happened to be doing this morning. That Sasuke, I couldn't believe it. He knew I would fall asleep again even though Kaa-san had woken me up once. Thanks to him I had to start the first day of the academy on an empty stomach, and late. I darted around an elderly civilian lady out for morning shopping before the crowds arrived. She stepped nimbly to the side, seemingly unflustered. Hmm.. A retired Ninja perhaps. I didn't know, and at the time I definitely didn't care.

My breath came out in small pants, small arms pumping furiously as I ran towards the academy.

Shuwip.

A rock flew past my head and I groaned. Not again. I skidded to a halt in front of an alleyway, turning to face my attackers. Another rock flew towards me, from the hand of a rather large boy, probably around ten or eleven. I caught it in my fist, dropping it to the ground in disgust.

The boys slowly began to surround me and I slid my left leg back and put my hands up, bending my knees slightly as my breathing became slow and controlled. Why now of all times? Just my luck.

"Hey there, Naruto, were you just gonna run off without even saying hi?" said the older looking boy.

He was a little dirty looking and the occasional scrape or bruise could be seen on his tanned, dirt marred skin. His two younger counterparts joined him in laughing at me in mocking tones.

"It seems like little Naruto thinks she's better than us, guys." He began stepping forward and I felt my stomach rise into my chest as he approached.

I knew I needed to make a move or they would all dog pile on me at once.

My foot came back and swiftly flew forward as I let out a strong shout; the tip of my shoe making contact with the rock I had just dropped to the ground. It stung slightly, I could feel the hardness through my black tabi, but my pain proved fruitful as the stone arched through the air, striking the older boy directly between the eyes. I took my moment and rushed forward, delivering a forceful blow to the middle of the ugly boy's face, ensuring that he would only grow to be even uglier in coming years. He fell to the ground with a hard thud that was accented by my own grunt from the boy to my right charging into my side and knocking me into the brick wall of a dango shop to my left. I brought my elbow down on the top of his head and he groaned and stumbled backward. Smirking, I shifted my weight and spun towards the right. My right foot came up as I jumped, aiming a kick into the side of the boys head, instead I gasped as I was pulled to the ground by my black pony tail.

I growled as I felt the hard rock ground smack against the back of my skull, but I found I missed that feeling dearly when my eyes opened to the sight of the third boys boot coming down on my face. I felt the warmth of blood as the teeth cut into my upper lip. He held his foot there twisting it, smashing the already partially shredded flesh. I brought the palms of my hands up quickly, smacking the front of his calf, striking hard into the bone. I heard him grunt as I brought my leg up and kicked at the back of his knees, forcing him to topple over. My feet both came up over my head and I rolled into the momentum to force myself backward over my shoulder and onto my feet. Not a moment too soon, as the second boy had jumped over the third in an attempt to tackle me. I could also see that the older boy had recovered.

"Really now, three strong men like you against a little girl? That's just rude. Not that it matters with how you're all getting your butts kicked."

I stuck my tongue out just as chiming was heard from the south end of the city. I gritted my teeth in realization, class had just started. In an instant I was hi-tailing it away from the boys and on to my future. Leaning forward on the balls of my feet I ran as fast as I could.

I could hear the sound of the boys yelling and charging behind me. I turned right down the next road, which led me into the market place, and I smirked as I turned left and slipped into a food store. The boys were right behind me; something I'd been counting on. I ran towards a man who was observing a set of leeks in the middle of one of the isles. He noticed me at the last moment and turned in surprise as I fell to my knees and slid between his legs. Unfortunately this left him as my barrier, and as I looked back the second boy charged right into him. Sadly, just as I looked forward I ran my forehead into the siding on one of the archways out of the store.

Cursing under my breath enough to make Itachi-nii proud, I pivoted to run out of the archway. My vision was blurred now and I could still hear two boys behind me and I found that I had come running into the Budo Saibai-sha Vineyard. The strong smell of grapes filled my nostrils as I jumped and began attempting to climb the nearest wall. My spinning vision slowed my progress and almost immediately I felt a tight grip on my ankles. I looked down just in time to feel the oldest boy pulling me down to the ground. He grabbed my shoulders before he was knocked back from the force of both my feet driving up into his groin. The other boy rounded the corner and ran for me. I jumped up onto the side of the wall as the boy began to run past me. He was stopped suddenly as I pushed off from the wall, smashing him into opposite one with a loud crack. I landed on my feet and again attempted to climb the walls of the vineyard. When I reached the top I was able to see my way clear to the far edge. I could see the academy across the field in the distance, tantalizingly close.

The wall beneath me shifted suddenly and I looked down to see that the two boys were pulling at the wall, trying to knock me down. I smirked.

If they wanted something brought down, who was I to deny them?

I jumped and came down, kicking hard at the wall. There was a loud crack and several small pops as the wooden frame toppled down on top of them. I jumped off at the last moment and began running across the tops of the remaining walls.

"NARU-TOOOO!" the harsh yell of the vineyards owner came. He didn't understand; I had, had no other choice.

"Sorry, Noka-san!" I called back to him.

I jumped down from the last wall of the vineyard and hit the ground hard, losing my footing as I fell face forward into the dirt. When my adrenaline began to die I slowly pushed myself back up to my feet. My triumphant rise met with a sharp pain in my side as I was kicked across the ground.

I rolled up onto my feet and looked forward at the bruised and scraped up figure of the oldest boy. He was panting heavily and his knuckles were clenched white with rage, teeth bared.

"You piece of scum, I'm not letting you get away without me putting you in your place." He put his hands up and took a deep breath. I was tired of fighting, but he stood between me and the academy at this point.

I dusted off the front of my pants and charged with reckless abandon, both of us yelling with frustration as the gap closed between us. The boy brought his leg up to kick at my head, but I ducked and swiped my leg out, knocking him sideways. I swiftly brought my knee up into his gut giving him a little more hang time before spinning, my right leg rising into the air then dropping down into his back. He gasped and smashed into the ground, unconscious before the dust cleared. I threw my hands up in the air and let out a shout of joy.

"WHOO, I'm even better then I thought!" I said; a grin setting over my features.

With that, I charged forward, hoping the teacher wouldn't be too mad at me for being late to class.


	2. Chapter 2

_Barely contained laughter was heard, along with the thud of small feet hitting bamboo floors at high speeds. A small 'oof' was heard as one of them tripped and was sent sprawling, skidding down the remaining length of the hallway and into an adjacent wall with a small resounding thump._

"_Aw man, are you okay?" _

"_Yeah, I think so." _

_There was a moment of silence before they both fell into another peal of laughter._

"_We're lucky your mom didn't hear us," said the first girl, her voice automatically dropping to a whisper. _

"_Yeah," the second girl breathed. _

_Both of them giggled again. _

"_What are you doing on the floor? You know there's no fooling around in the house! It's not proper," mocked the first girl as she impersonated the second's mother. _

"_I know, she's so…" the second one began._

"_Uchiha," finished the first._

"_Yeah…" the second glumly replied. _

"_Hey, cheer up! You turned out okay, right?" the first girl recovered; she hadn't meant to make her friend feel bad. _

"_I guess," the second said, a small smile making its way onto her lips. _

"_Come on, we still gotta get away from this joint!" said the first girl, grabbing the other girl's hand. _

_She helped the second girl to her feet, grinning as they began creeping down another hallway and out of the house via sliding side door. As soon as they were outside the first girl pulled a small bundle from the front of her shirt, opening it and revealing the prize they had 'stolen' from the kitchen; two, slightly smashed, steaming dumplings. She handed one to the second girl. _

"_Itadakimasu!~" _

"_Itadakimasu!~" _

_Both girls smiled mischievously at one another before biting into the sweet dumplings and sighing in satisfaction; their small feet dangling off the side of a wraparound porch. The sliding door opened suddenly, and both girls froze, before turning slowly, dumplings in hand. They met the amused, yet stern, gaze of a middle aged man. _

"_You two do know that's one less dumpling for each of you tonight at dinner," it was a statement rather than a question. They both nodded slowly. _

"_Right then, finish quickly, wouldn't want your mother to find out."_

_With a wink he was gone, the sliding door closed. _

"_Your dad is so cool," said the first girl. _

"_Yeah…" said the second. _

_There was a moment of silence as both girls finished their dumplings, watching the sun set over a massive oaken forest. The second girl sighed happily, turning to the first. _

"_I wish you could stay here forever, 'shina" she said. _

"_Me too, 'koto-chan." _

* * *

**"You might as well stand and fight. If you run, you will only die tired." – Japanese Proverb**

"Well… If your face is anything to go by, I'd say your story is pretty plausible," said Iruka, gently dabbing disinfectant on the wound inside my upper lip.

I looked at him, not exactly able to speak but raising an eyebrow anyway. He chuckled.

"It sounds like you were in quite a scrape, any idea why those boys don't like you?" He asked after a moment, letting go of my lip.

I shrugged.

"I dunno."

He looked at me, his eyebrow's turn to rise.

"I don't buy that for one minute," he said. I let out a soft frustrated noise.

"Look, Iruka-sensei, I've known you for about five minutes, and thanks for fixing up my face and everything, but what makes you think I'll start spilling all of my childhood stories to you?" I asked.

My tone was matter-of-fact. He looked me over, shrugging noncommittally.

"I guess you'll have to stay longer after school to make up for what you missed," he said.

I looked up at him, glaring mutinously.

"Fine," I said, huffing. "Wouldn't want to miss anything anyway," I muttered.

"That's the spirit, Naruto," he said, his quiet amusement visible, "Let's get back to class."

I hopped down from the stool, all too happy. The leather was starting to make my legs sweat and stick to its surface. Gross.

* * *

Despite it not quite being the entrance I wanted, I held my head high as I entered the classroom again. I was an Uchiha; Uchiha didn't get embarrassed. Everyone's eyes were on me, and I met as many gazes as could, as directly as possible. Most of them looked away, and I smirked as hushed whispers began to rise. Good, let them talk. A group of girls waved to me, the Yamanaka heiress and the pink haired girl that always trailed not far after her. Sakura, I think. I smiled and settled into a seat on the other side of Ino from Sakura.

"Hey, Naruto, what happened to your face?" whispered Ino urgently, her eyes gleaming in a way that only happened when she was giving or receiving a bit of juicy gossip.

I smirked.

"Later, I promise," I told her.

She pouted slightly, her attention returning to the front of the room where Iruka was continuing a spiel about the subjects we would cover this year. His speech however was completely ignored, as I was currently preoccupied with glaring daggers into the back of my brother's head. He hadn't even reacted when I walked into the room the first time, busted lip and all, that jerk. I crumpled up a sheet of paper and tossed it at the back of his head. He didn't react for a moment, but eventually he turned, smirking.

"I'm going to kick your butt when we get home," I signed to him.

He shrugged, signing back, "Like you can."

I growled.

"Teme."

"Dobe."

"Sasuke, Naruto, if you're done…" drawled Iruka.

I blinked.

"Yes, Iruka sensei." I replied.

"Hnn."

"Alright class, who can tell me who the founders of our village were?" asked Iruka.

Sakura's hand shot up first, followed by several others.

* * *

After going over a boring lesson on how the city was set up and why, along with Fire Country geography, I was already feeling like I should call it quits by the time lunch hit. As expected, Ino had tracked me down leaving the academy gates, begging to get the story on my, now slightly bruised and cut, face. By the time I finished recounting the tale, both Ino and Sakura were looking at me, eyes wide, and moths open. I smirked, leading them into the eating and shopping district.

"And yeah, so how was your morning? Anything eventful happen?" I asked.

Ino snorted, "Nothing like that, though my Mom did say she was letting me run the flower shop all day today after school, all by myself!"

I whistled, impressed.

"That's a lot of responsibility, Ino-chan," said Sakura, clearly sucking up.

"What, you don't think I can handle it?" Ino eyebrows rose in question, her hand moving to her chest as if saying, _me?_

"I'm sure you can handle anything the world throws at you, Ino," I laughed.

Ino grinned.

"It's nice to know _someone_ around here has some faith in me," she joked. We laughed and slapped our hands together. I looked at Sakura, smiling. She grimaced back, rolling her eyes. I frowned. What was her problem? Blinking, I shrugged it off.

"Man, I'm hungry. Where should we go for lunch?" I asked.

Both Ino and Sakura shrugged.

"I have a bento back at the academy," said Sakura, a snotty edge creeping in her voice.

"Second rate cooking, no doubt," I shot back.

"Haha, if Sakura made it, that is," Ino said, going along.

Pain flashed in Sakura's eyes, making the grin slide right off of my face. She didn't say anything.

"Hey Sakura, we're only joking, you know?" I said, "I'm sure your cooking is amazing."

"The best," a small smile slid onto her lips, and I grinned.

"Hey guys, what's that smell?" asked Ino as we passed by a small food stall.

"I dunno," I replied, also curious.

Sakura smiled.

"Mm… smells good," said Ino, sighing.

I laughed.

"You sound like Chouji, Ino," I said, ducking away when she tried to swing at my shoulder.

"That's Ichiraku's, probably the best ramen out of all the elemental nations, if you're into that sort of food," she answered.

"Oh yeah, we pass by this place a lot on the way to the market. We've never stopped here though, let's check it out." I told them, pulling back the flaps to the stall.

After that day I insisted on going there every afternoon for lunch.

* * *

It was the first time Sasuke and I had ever seen snow, it rarely fell in Fire Country, and I could feel a quiet excitement permeating every moment, even as I slipped on a snug pair of black boots over dark blue-black leggings. I couldn't wait to get to the academy today, I was gonna get Sasuke so good during lunch; I never did get payback for the incident on the first day of class.

"Are you up, Naru-chan?" Mikoto's head poked into the room through my bedroom door.

She had been careful to make sure I was fully awake and ready since that day. She had given me a severe scolding for not getting up as soon as she woke me, but Sasuke's punishment had been worse. She actually bent him over her knee and paddled his back-side, right in front of me! I almost felt bad for him as he ran from the room, not hurt, but clearly with stinging pride. After that Mikoto had doted and distressed over my face for hours, hoping it wouldn't scar. I hadn't, luckily, oddly enough my cuts and bruises were healed up by the next morning. I had equated it to Iruka's ointment being magical, and left it at that.

"Yeah, I'm almost dressed too," I replied, reaching for my blue hoodie, the Uchiha insignia covering the back, to pull over long sleeved black undershirt.

"Are you sure you'll be warm enough in that?" She asked, frowning.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah," I said.

"It's yes, Naruto-chan, you know how I hate that word," she chided.

"Yes, Kaa-san," I chanted automatically.

"Good girl, your breakfast is waiting downstairs, so hurry before your brother finds a way to sabotage it. You know how he likes to pick on you," she said cheerily, "And there's a bento waiting for you on the table, it's too cold to be going to Ichiraku's today."

I pouted.

"Thanks, Kaa-san," I said anyway.

She smiled and waved, blowing a kiss to me before walking down the hall and down the stairs. I rolled my eyes, wondering why that made me blush, and continued after her. By the time I made it down the stairs she was already gone… and Sasuke's hand was hovering over my food as he glanced around to see if anyone could see him.

"Touch it, and I'll break your fingers," I threatened.

"Like you could," he said, smirking.

"Is that your only response, ever?" I asked.

He blinked, "Hnn."

"Oh right, I forgot about that one," I drawled, sarcastic.

He blushed angrily and starting eating his own plate. I smiled, happily eating my food and thinking about how I could best him more often. We finished the grilled fish and rice quickly.

"Race you there!" I said; bento already in hand as I dashed out of the house ahead of him.

"You cheated!" he yelled from behind me.

"A ninja doesn't cheat! He does whatever it takes to win!" I yelled back, hopping over patches of ice as I went.

* * *

The morning excitement seemed to trail behind the students to the academy, and when we walked up to the gates I promptly had to roll out of the path of an oncoming snowball from Kiba. I laughed as it hit a surprised Sasuke directly in the face.

"Fifty points, score!" I heard Kiba yell from behind a massive snow fort being built by one half of our class, the other half was set up on the opposite side of the school yard, constructing their own. Some of the older students had begun pitching in, lending a hand. I grabbed Sasuke's arm and dragged him to the fort opposing Kiba's.

"I have a plan guys!" I yelled immediately.

On this half; Ino, Sakura, Chouji and Shikamaru stood, hiding behind the wall of the fort. I motioned for them to crouch down with me.

"What a drag," Shikamaru said.

Typical Shika.

"Alright, this plan is really simple. We're gonna take out their fort and pelt them with snowballs," I said.

"Sounds simple, but how are we taking out their fort?" asked Ino. Sakura nodded fervently beside her, and I looked to Sasuke. Immediately a smirk started growing on his features.

"Just say when," he told me.

"Alright, perfect. When Sasuke and I take the fort out, you guys have to be ready with those snowballs to cover us. They'll already have some ammunition, I'm sure, and we'll be completely open to attack. You gotta have us covered, got it?" I asked.

"Wait, how do we know when to be ready?" asked Chouji.

"Be ready when Sasuke and I jump to the top of the fort wall."

They nodded; eyes wide and shining with excitement. I grinned.

"Awesome, spread the plan around and start making snowballs, this is gonna take a while to get ready," I said.

Everyone rushed off to other students, a mass of snowballs already beginning to build just behind the wall of snow.

After a few minutes, "You ready, Sasuke?"

"Let's do this."

We jumped onto the wall.

"KATON: HOSINKA NO JUTSU!"

Two twin balls of flame rushed forward from our mouths, Sasuke's a tiny bit bigger than mine, before crashing into the walls of the opposite fort and turning them to slush. An immediate battle cry was heard as snowballs began launching over the walls of our fort towards the other side before they could recover and retaliate. Sasuke and I grabbed hands and jumped down, grinning at each other as we landed safely, unscathed. Around us, the battle continued.

"We were amazing!" I shouted, jumping up and down, both hands in the air.

Sasuke smirked, "I was, wasn't I?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing along anyway. Loud cheering began and suddenly we found ourselves lifted into the air and carried around the school yard in a victory lap. The other half of the students had been scattered or left to lie under small piles of snow. I laughed.

"We make a good team," I shouted at him. "It was nice doing business with you." I added.

"Indeed, but never again," he said.

I grinned and shook my head.

Oh, Sasuke, perhaps my lunch attack won't be necessary after all. Maybe…

* * *

It hadn't snowed again that year, but by the time spring rolled around, a different kind of excitement filled my eight-year-old body. Itachi would be returning home that day after a long mission escorting Konoha ambassadors to Wind Country to talk to the Kazekage. Fugaku would be coming home with him. But, they weren't back by that afternoon and I was beginning to get antsy.

"Can you stop fidgeting, Naruto? They'll be back and moment," Mikoto said, smiling at my antics.

I bounced on the balls of my feet, wringing my hands.

"It's not that, Kaa-san," I said honestly.

"Oh?" she replied.

"Yeah, I mean, yes. I'm not worried, I'm just… so _excited_," I admitted. "Itachi-Nii will be home and he can start teaching me taijutsu again!"

I heard a snort.

"He's teaching me taijutsu, not you, Dobe," Sasuke said as he stalked sullenly into the kitchen.

I raised my eyebrows, was it just me, or did Sasuke seem to be more crabby than usual?

"You're right, I'm already passed that, _we're _moving on to kunai and shuriken. Teme…" I muttered.

Mikoto eyed me, and I ducked away, blushing.

"Why are you moping about, Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto asked turning; her apron on and she had a rubber spatula in hand.

Mikoto had been cooking all day in preparation for their return.

"Nothing, can I have that?" he pointed to the batter covered spatula.

"Sorry, Naruto already asked, you can have the bowl though," she said.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Whatever," he said, stomping away.

"Who shoved a kunai up his butt?" I asked.

"Naruto!"

"Ahh! Kaa-san, I'm sorry!"

* * *

I insisted Itachi teach me not only taijutsu, but kunai and shuriken throwing as well the next day. He seemed intrigued but didn't question the matter, much to my relief. Ever since he had shown me how, he had been on the other side of the training ground, coaching Sasuke through different kata. I grinned when I noticed him glaring at me enviously. That's what he gets for being such a jerk. Maybe I'd show him how to throw them sometime, if only to rub it in his face… Jerk.

"Oi, pay attention to what you're doing, both of you," Itachi said.

"Ow!" Sasuke yelled when Itachi flicked his forehead for continuing to glare at me.

I turned away hurriedly; Itachi's flicks hurt.

* * *

**A/N: Phew! It took me three days to write this! Over half was written today though; I'm glad I walked the dog this morning or these other ideas might not have come to me. I still haven't decided if I'm going to have Fugaku play any major roles in the story line, other than towards the end of this book when Naruto and Sasuke have to take **_**An Uchiha's Journey **_**with him. Other than that I'll keep him busy with clan head stuffs, I suppose. The next chapter should be out pretty soon… like the next couple of days soon. Or possibly later today, soon. It'll be quite a bit longer (right around 6,000 [think twice as long as this chapter] words) as we are finishing up their first year of the academy and then covering a lot of their summer as a way to sort of build and break relationships. I hope you guys enjoy this one though, I'm sorry it's so filler. D: The story will get better, promise! Review! It motivates me to get the chapters out faster. **

**P.S. Still looking for a beta and co-author guys! Help me out! **

**P.S.S I did proof read this, but I suck at doing it with my own writing. So bear with me guys, I'm sorry. **

**E.M. Santos**


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't get too excited guys. **

This is just a short author's note letting you guys know that I have finished the next chapter. Yay! Why am I not posting it, you ask? Because I am going to write the two after chapters after that as well, this will get us through the last two academy years and on to where the story gets interesting. I'm not exactly certain if I'm going to do the wave arc exactly the same… or if I'm going to do it at all. I need ideas guys! Help me out. This isn't a ploy to get reviews I swear, and if you have any stories ideas for me or things you would like to happen you can get them to me through the personal messaging feature on this site, or you can email me at kitw10_ . Or you know… you COULD be nice and… I dunno… *cough*rev*cough*iew.*cough* But I dunno, that idea may be crazy… . Haha, thanks guys. Look out for the next chapters, they'll be up soon! Later!

**Some Quick review responses:**

From: Anonymous

:though im not sure i like itachi dying, i love this story line so far so i  
hope that you will find a co-author and beta soon, that way you can begin  
writing. i just have a few questions like does naruto still have the kyuubi  
sealed inside of her? what kind of henge is she put under? how do the  
villagers treat her? and what of orochimaru, does he play any sort of role in  
this? im sorry if im asking to many questions but im curious and really want  
to know so please start writing this as soon as you can

Okay, first of all, thanks for being the first reviewer! To answer some of your (not all of them, unfortunately) questions: Yes, Naruto does still have the kyuubi sealed inside her, though I'm sure you deduced that by reading the first chapter. Your other question is also answered in the first chapter in the seal Jaraiya placed on her back along with the Jutsu the Sandaime did on her. The Jutsu name roughly translates into Sealing Technique: A long transformation. Yes! Orochimaru will definitely play a role in this story line. Uh… I don't know how yet though, but when I do, you'll be the first to know! The villagers think the kyuubi was defeated by the Yodaime, so they don't know it's been sealed inside of Naruto. I hope you enjoy the story! :D

**I like the idea of your story! v**

**It's very interesting!**

**I can't wait when you'll write it!**

**Just one thing, Itachi Will be really dead in this fic? **

**I speak French so I can't be your beta but maybe I can help you for ideas!**

Thank you! I like the idea too, haha. I hope I haven't disappointed you so far with my writing. D; Uhm… Originally Itachi was supposed to die… buuuuttt… I really like Itachi. ): So I dunno. And awh, that's too bad. You could teach me French sometime though, it's a beautiful language, haha. Do some searching around for me? ^^

**:this story has an insane amount of potential. i personally think it would be**

**very difficult to write from the end to the beginning but i happy that all the**

**same, your writing this for us readers. im sorry, i would love to help you but**

**im an incompetent writer and would be of no real help. i hope you find someone**

**to help you soon.**

I hope so, jeeze. Along with all of that potential comes an INSANE amount of pressure. I don't want to disappoint you guys! And that's okay, writing takes practice, just remember that it makes perfect. So if it's something you like you should at it, ok?

**genma: If you aren't going to post an actual story (and a 'teaser' from your**

**last chapter doesn't count as a real chapter) then can you stop updating? It's**

**f***ing annoying. The rules of this site are clear, non-story chapters are not**

**allowed.**

You sir, have already been dealt with, you big meanie. And! And, I'm not asking YOU to read my story, or review, so there.

**forget all the haters, your doing a great job. for the record, even though**

**its just the first chapter, im already beginning to love it. its so much more**

**interesting then just seeing naruto being chased by ANBU. please update soon.**

Thank you so much; when you told me about how you were starting to love it, it made my day. ^^ I'm glad that you like the opening! I actually barely had a hand in writing the fight-chase scene. (I wrote the first paragraph after the italics ends though? Haha.) I made my boyfriend write it for me late at night even though he had work the next morning, hehe. Oh well, that's how much I love you guys! Anyway, honestly I only did the cosmetic stuff for that, I hardly changed anything, so you can thank him for that. I hope you like the second chapter!

**Interesting, very interesting. You have a very fluid way of writing and you**

**handle the fighting scenes beautifully. While the idea of a FemNaru X Sasuke**

**is odd to me I have to admit you write well enough that I'll give it a try.**

**Though I am curious as to exactly how they can end up with one another if they**

**are siblings?**

Naruto and Sasuke aren't technically siblings. And Sasuke… well he finds out before Naruto does. As for the fight scenes, all the credit goes to my amazing boyfriend. As I said in the response before, I made him write it late at night. I only smoothed it out from his first draft material. (Thanks, Ben!) Thanks for the compliments! A lot of thought goes into my writing style. I like writing that flows, so I try to emulate that as much as possible. And I hope you do give it a try!

**im really growing to love this. sasukes so childish and naruto is so bad ass,**

**its funny. just wondering though, why does naruto refer to fugaku and mikoto**

**by their names, why not mom, mother, dad, or even father if she thinks theyre**

**her parents? also, do sasuke and naruto think theyre twins since they are the**

**same age? please keep up the good work.**

I'm very glad! And yes… Sasuke is childish, isn't he? It's cute, hehe. Naruto gets more badass as the story progresses, and Sasuke matures a lot, though he will have some more silly moments. I hope I can keep up the good work, haha. Thanks, keep reading! It only gets better from here!

**Thanks for your comments everyone, I hope you like that next three chapters! **


	4. Chapter 4

Summer was already full swing in Fire Country, and even though it was early morning, the sun was already coming down relentlessly, burning fair skin, and baking whatever was covered. The only relief was a hot and dry breeze, but I was thankful it wasn't a humid one.

That day was one of the rare days Sasuke and I had left for the academy on time; actually we were leaving a bit early, so our pace was slow and relaxed. Only a couple weeks left of our first year to go and we'd be on summer break, but the insetting anticipation was tainted by sadness. I wondered what I would do for the three month long break. I certainly wasn't going to hang around with _Sasuke._

"Hey, Sasuke, what're we gonna do this summer?" I asked.

"_We… _aren't going to anything. _I'm _going to train," he said, "I have to be at the top of the class by the time we graduate."

I frowned.

"Why do you want to be at the top of our class?" I asked.

He looked over at me, shaking his head.

"Don't you know anything? Jeeze, what kind of Uchiha _are_ you?"

We didn't talk the rest of the way to the academy, and I spent time pondering his words. What did it even mean to be an Uchiha? Everyone was always saying that, but no one ever explained what it meant; it was like some unspoken set of rules all Uchiha were supposed to automatically know. I sighed. He was right; what kind of Uchiha was I? Obviously, not a good one.

I walked along, a light grimace set over my features. Maybe Sasuke had the right idea… I would have to talk to Itachi about a training regime. After all… Sasuke wasn't just getting rookie of the year handed to him on a silver platter, not if I had anything to say about it. I chuckled darkly and Sasuke shook his head at my antics.

I'll show you… jerk.

~XxX~

"Come on, Naruto, hurry up! Don't you wanna see who your classmates for next year are? Jeeze!" Ino chastised as she dragged me along through the academy hallways. I grunted in some sort of agreement, reaching back to grab Sakura's hand to pull her through a throng of people before she could get separated from us. She smiled gratefully. I rolled my eyes, grinning as I nodded towards Ino as she rudely shoved people out of the way to make it to the display board. Sakura nodded her agreement, letting out a small giggle. When Ino yelled for us to keep up we, good naturedly, obeyed the loud mouthed blond.

When Ino finally pushed her way up to the board, she was quickly reading over the list and committing the entire thing to memory (something to do with some weird family jutsu), people were groaning and whooping for joy as they realized they would or would not be with their same group of friends the next year. Ino grinned and pulled us away into a small clear corner.

"Alright guys, all three of us are in the same class together again!" Ino said excitedly. Sakura and Ino squealed and hugged, and I smiled along, laughing as Ino glared at me and pulled me into the hug as well.

I was truly happy in that moment.

"We're all gonna be best friends forever," Ino said. Sakura and I grinned and nodded along.

Maybe she jinxed it.

~XxX~

**Friendship is not capable of ending; if it does it is only because it never truly began. – Anonymous**

**I'm sorry for the super short chapter guys, I know I said that I had at least this chapter done but when I went to proof read it I hated it. I'm already at a writer's block. Ugh. Anyways, I'm still bouncing ideas off of my boyfriend, so we'll see how things go. For now this is all I have. Not fishing for reviews, but if any of you have ideas for what could be the next scene it would be greatly appreciated. Again.. I'm really sorry and super disappointed with myself and this chapter, but I'm not quitting, so meh.. idk. Sorry guys. -.- **


End file.

Naruto, Romance