Tainted Hearts by Sasaui Uchiha
Summary: Taint is a dangerous poison. Once it begins, it spreads without limit. It will swallow everything in its path if it is not stopped. Such as all poisons, taint begins somewhere.

Uchiha Sasaui only wanted to become a great Konoha kunoichi and make her family proud.

Mokushi Hikaru fought to simply feel what her own heart told her.

Gisei Kataki became caught up in a fate given to him by his family before he was even born.

Ueda Takao wanted to know what it was like to have a soul.

None knew just what the taint had planned for their own paths.
Categories: OC-centric, General Fiction > Naruto, Het Romance > Fluff, General Fiction > Pre-Series Characters: Itachi Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, OC, Sasuke Uchiha
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst
Warnings: AU, Death
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 4 Completed: No Word count: 17313 Read: 4552 Published: 27/06/13 Updated: 24/08/15
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and only own my ocs and original ideas.

1. Little Lights by Sasaui Uchiha

2. One Word by Sasaui Uchiha

3. Uchiha Pride by Sasaui Uchiha

4. Murderous Intent by Sasaui Uchiha

Little Lights by Sasaui Uchiha
Author's Notes:
From this point on, you shall be reading Uchiha Sasaui's beginning of taint.

Also, as a note, this is a "prequel" to Tainted Guardian as it will go through the life of those important to the series. Kind of a way to avoid having lots of flashbacks and things for very important characters. Some have been excluded from the summary actually because of me waiting until after the "sequel" is published and her full team is revealed. Because, you know, I think I'm being sneaky.

7-12-13
It was the merest thrum of energy – the smallest patch of light among pure darkness. Although the energy was only there for a moment, it was enough to inform her that he was close. She had to be careful. The slightest of mistakes could give her away. Despite her hint of anxiety, a smile spread across her face. After all, even if only for a moment, she had been able to sense her opponent.

The wind blew, rustling the bush the girl hid behind. Although it hid her well, it also took away her ability to view the clearing before her. If the purpose was not to remain hidden, this would prove a great problem. The girl leaned forward. Her eyes widened when she noticed a figure in the clearing. When she had sensed him, he had been much farther away. She should have known better. Her opponent was extremely fast.

He stood completely still, letting his head fall back and closing his eyes. The wind blew his hair, sending it dancing behind him. Nobody would guess he was in the middle of a fight.

The girl shifted uncomfortably. It was when he was calm it was most dangerous. Should she attack before he located her? No, she decided. If she even began to use chakra, he’d know where she was. It would be best to wait. Escaping a fight was always better than unnecessary conflict. As long as she was noticed second, she actually stood a chance.

Once again her view was taken away by the bushes as the wind calmed. She chewed on her lip, lifting herself ever so slightly. When she saw the teen over the top of the bush again, he had slipped his hand into his kunai pouch. She flinched. Either she had been found or she needed to be ready to dart. In both cases it was necessary to be ready to move.

Her answer in what to do came a second later. The boy’s eyes opened. Onyx orbs flickered in her direction only a moment before a kunai flew toward her. She leapt from her hiding space into the clearing. Rather than move, though, she remained still, her eyes darting between the boy and the kunai marked tree playing as their base. Again the boy chose what she was to do next. He rushed forward, grabbing the girl by her shoulder as she cried out in surprise. Without any effort, he sent her flying to the side.

Right into an object that fell down to the ground with her.

“Sasaui(*1),” the object whined.

The girl, Sasaui, giggled as she rolled off. “Sorry, Sasuke, but it’s not entirely my fault, you know.” Both children rose to their feet, redirecting their attention to the teen who had thrown Sasaui. “Think we can make it to base?”

Sasuke grinned. “No way, but we can go down fighting.” He suddenly rushed forward, going for his left side. With a sigh, Sasaui followed his lead and took off the opposite direction.

The teen barely glanced at either of them. Having moved before Sasaui, Sasuke reached the male first. Sasuke slid to a stop, lowering his hand to the ground. A quick spin on it sent a powerful kick at their opponent’s legs. The teen jumped to avoid it only to find Sasaui in the air attempting a punch to his face. Smirking slightly, he twisted in the air, barely avoiding the girl’s punch, and then shoved her back.

Sasaui nearly slammed into Sasuke again as he scrambled up. Before she could, though, the teen kicked him in the chest to send him down a few inches from where Sasaui hit the ground.

“Or we can just go down,” Sasaui grumbled, rubbing the shoulder she’d hit upon impact. While she remained on the ground with her legs crossed, Sasuke charged forward. Against her body’s protest, Sasaui prepared to attack again after he was sent to the ground a couple more times. Once on her feet she pulled out a few shuriken. Her eyes narrowed, watching as Sasuke fought the older boy. If she wasn’t careful, she would hit him as well. Sasuke jumped back, breathing heavily while the teen just watched him with a smirk. Seeing her opening, her shuriken were sent flying.

One barely missed Sasuke. “Hey, Sis, watch it!” he shouted, twisting slightly to glare at her.

“I was,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.

The teen, who had easily batted away the shuriken with his kunai, smiled. “I think I’ve given you enough of an opportunity to go for the base.” His movement was so sudden neither saw it begin. A second kunai suddenly in his other hand, the teenager shot into the air. As he moved above Sasuke, he flipped so he was upside down over him, throwing one kunai down so it just barely missed Sasuke’s nose. He completed the movement by landing in a crouch in front of Sasaui, the second kunai resting against her collar bone. “I believe I win.”

Sasaui blinked, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

“Not fair, Itachi,” Sasuke complained. “If you’d only given us a little bit more time, I’m sure we could have won.”

The eldest of the three chuckled. “Really? Because the objective was to run for base,” Itachi reminded them. “Which neither of you two was even trying to do.” He straightened from his crouch, returning his kunai to his pouch. The one Sasuke tossed back to him soon followed.

Sasuke crossed his arms as he walked over to join the other two. He was still convinced he could have won given more time. “We still could have at least done a bit of damage if you hadn’t killed us.”

“Sorry, but I doubt that, Sasuke.”

Finally snapping out of her dazed state, Sasaui frowned a bit herself. Had they really been defeated so quickly? Maybe they were only eight and facing, well, Itachi, but he’d been going very easy on them. “Did we do any better than the last time we played?” She yelped, swiping at Itachi’s hand as he ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, you two did pretty well. Your teamwork was also better with your combination back there.” His gaze flickered between their two young faces. “Did either of you sense my chakra?”

Sasuke’s frown deepened. “No, not yet. I know I nearly had it, though!” A small grin from Sasaui changed his face to one of shock. “Did you, Sasaui?”

Her grin widened to a full blown smile. Although she had been told not to brag, when it came to Sasuke, it was impossible not to. “I sure did. I finally managed it for the first time today,” she replied.

Itachi nodded approvingly. “Very good, Sasaui. How long could you manage it?”

“Only for a few seconds,” Sasaui admitted. “But I was able to track down your chakra before it stopped.”

“Can we stay here long so I can practice it, Itachi?”

He smiled slightly, gazing between the two and the sky. “Sorry, but you’ll have to practice on your own at home. Dinner should be ready soon.” When Sasuke opened his mouth in protest, Itachi poked him in the forehead. “Maybe next time, little brother.”

A slight glare of annoyance met the action. “Not fair.”

Sasaui rolled her eyes, pulling slightly against her brother’s arm. “Come on, Sasuke. I’ll race you home,” she offered.

His competitive side instantly kicked in as he grinned at Sasaui. “You’re on.” He didn’t even give her time to say another word before he darted off, calling over his shoulder, “I’m going to beat you home, Shrimp!”

“Hey!” Although they the same age, Sasaui was a couple inches shorter than Sasuke. It just wasn’t a subject she enjoyed. With a new drive to beat her brother, Sasaui ran with all her might in the same direction Sasuke had gone.

The forest quickly blurred past, stone streets replacing the earthy path. Sasaui darted through any openings she saw, earning a couple of rude remarks from some of the Leaf Village citizens. She ignored them. Her gaze was narrowed on the dark shirt Sasuke wore as she struggled to catch up with him.

Her luck suddenly picked up when Sasuke glanced back to see how far away she was. Even if he grinned, it didn’t last long before he slammed into an adult. Sasaui laughed as she ran passed them. She could hear the other’s apologizes to the elderly woman for a couple of seconds before it changed into hurried footsteps.

“Don’t think you can beat me, Shrimp,” Sasuke huffed, managing to catch up to her with his slightly longer stride.

Rather than waste her breath, Sasaui simply stuck her tongue out. Things grew more complicated as they ran through the more crowded part of the village, but by the time they made it out of the shopping area, they came out nearly right next to each other. With Sasuke slightly ahead.

Drat, Sasaui thought, straining to go faster. In only a few more turns the compound would appear. A stitch was already forming in her side. But she pushed on, and only a few moments later the large Uchiha compound came into view. Just gotta keep on pushing!

Calls from family members were mostly went unanswered. Neither child had the time. They were completely focused on defeating the other. As a familiar house came into view, each picked up their speed to as fast as they could go. Both stumbled over and over again, but they refused to go down. Only a few yards between them and the entrance. A couple of feet. Mere inches….

“I win!” both cried simultaneously as they lunged through the entrance. “No way, I did.” Once again they spoke together, but were too tired to push on anymore. They doubled over, grasping their sides as they gasped for breath.

A small chuckle drew two shocked pair of onyx eyes toward the porch. “It took you two long enough.”

Their mouths fell open. “How….?” Sasuke voice drifted off as he continued to stare. Thoughts of their previous race left either child’s mind. “Itachi, you were still standing there when I took off!”

Sasaui added, “Same as for when I first moved. You hadn’t even taken a tiny step.” Their brother didn’t even look like he’d run. If they didn’t know better, he could have been in the same spot for an hour or so.

Rather than give an answer, Itachi smiled. He nodded in the direction of the door. “You should get in and clean up. I believe dinner is supposed to be done soon.” There was no time for them to protest. He rose to his feet and entered the house themselves.

With nothing more to do, the still tired duo followed behind him. As Itachi had said, dinner seemed close to being done. The smell filled the entire room. Sasaui inhaled deeply, her mouth watering at the thought of eating. Her stomach rumbled. All the activity had left her hungry. As Itachi had mentioned, though, they needed to clean up after training.

“So, we never knew the winner of our race,” Sasaui mentioned. “I bet I’ll beat you to the bathroom.” This time she took off before Sasuke could truly understand what she had said. She rounded the corners, a wide grin on her face. It vanished, however, when she ran into something. “Ouch.” The young girl stumbled back. Seeing who she had run into, Sasaui innocently smiled, rubbing the back of her head. “Hey, Mother.”

The woman in front of her placed her hand on her hip. “Sasaui, how many times do I have to tell you not to run in the house?”

“Sasaui, that wasn’t-“ Sasuke had just rounded the corner, but skidded to a stop when he noticed the situation. “I mean, I told you we aren’t supposed to run. Mother doesn’t like us to.”

Mother shook her head. Her scolding eyes switched to Sasuke. “And there’s the other twin, doing the same as the other. Again, how many times have I told you you’re not to be running in here?”

The children found the ground incredibly interesting at that moment. “Um… How many have we ran in the house?” Sasuke murmured.

Sasaui giggled. She mentally searched for some kind of distraction. One of them needed to stop Mother’s scowling look somehow. Finally grasping an idea, she raised her head. “Hey, Mother, I’ve finally come up with a dream.”

Like she had hoped, this made her attention waver as she raised an eyebrow. “Oh, and what would that be, Honey?” Mother asked, a gentle smile replacing her previous look.

“To be taller than Sasuke so I can call him Shrimp,” Sasaui declared, pointing at Sasuke in a form of accusation. It was as if it was his fault she was shorter than her twin. Her mother burst out laughing while Sasuke slammed his palm into his forehead.

Still chuckling, Mother gestured toward the bathroom they’d been heading toward. “You two just go get cleaned up while I finish dinner.”

Sasaui and Sasuke nodded, taking off for the bathroom, their mother calling, “I just said no running,” after them. The two hadn’t had much time to gather speed, but they both still slammed against the bathroom door. Sasuke only a split second ahead of her.

“You butthole,” Sasaui said, punching him in the arm.

“Better a butthole than a shrimp.” Before she could attack him, Sasuke slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Since they were just washing their arms and face, usually they went in together. Now, however, Sasaui was outside the door, yelling at her brother. If not fearing her mother’s wrath, she’d be banging against the door as well.

By the time Sasuke came back out, Sasaui had calmed down. She still glared at him, though. With an irritated sigh, Sasaui walked into the bathroom to wash off. It was a quick process, yet everyone was already at the table waiting when Sasaui returned to the kitchen. At least almost everyone.

“Where’s Father?” she asked, taking her spot between Sasuke and Mother. The food was set across the table, and Sasuke was pout while rubbing his hand. A red mark was spreading across his knuckles. Sasaui’s guess was he tried to grab some food before everyone had gathered.

“Apparently he just got home a little after us and is changing,” Sasuke replied, still eying the chicken and rice before them.

Speaking of him must have summoned him. A moment later the head of the Uchiha clan walked into the kitchen in his kimono rather than the police outfit he wore for work. Father took a seat between Mother and Itachi.

Sasaui felt her back straighten, her shoulders pulling back. It wasn’t a conscious action, but not one she stopped when she realized it had happened. A quick observation revealed Sasuke had done the same. There was just an air to their father that made them feel like they had to be at their best.

“Well,” Mother said, breaking the slight tension that had built since Father had walked in, “let’s eat.”

His prior eagerness fading, Sasuke waited until after the adults had put food on their plates to do so himself. Sasaui soon followed, and then Itachi. Now that everyone had food on their plate, Father finally decided to speak.

“How was the training today, Itachi?” he asked between bites, barely lifting his eyes.

Any relaxation the twins had gained vanished. A shared look between them verified that both were now worried. Sasaui glanced at her oldest brother. What he said decided what Father thought no matter what Sasaui or Sasuke said afterwards.

Itachi met their gazes, thinking of how to answer. “They both did a great job. While Sasaui managed to sense my chakra-“

“She did?” He didn’t even give Itachi time to continue about Sasuke before turning his attention to Sasaui, his mouth downturned skeptically. “What was it like?” Father asked.

Feeling suddenly bashful, Sasaui lowered her eyes. She slid her food around her plate as a way to buy time. “It was just like seeing little bits of light, I guess.” The silence that followed caused her to raise her eyes again. Both Itachi and Father were giving her a surprised look while Sasuke was examining the older males of their family. “Is that not how it’s supposed to be?” she hesitantly asked.

“Usually people simply sense the person rather than see the chakra.” Itachi’s voice was equally slow, though he was more from thought than anxiety. “It’s not unheard of to see it, just rarer than simply feeling it.”

Too uneasy to say anything else, Sasaui just nodded in understanding. It was weird that she would see the chakra if it was rare. After all, her chakra and chakra control was normal for one her age. But she could only take the stares for so long. “Sasuke did a great job, too. I mean, Itachi sensed me before Sasuke and Sasuke is the one who was always attacking Itachi no matter how many times he was knocked down.”

Sasuke was slightly taken aback by the sudden change of subject, but the approving smile Father turned to him made it worth it. Even if he refrained from showing it on his face, Sasaui could see the way her brother’s eyes lit up.

“This true, Itachi?”

He nodded. “Both did an excellent job for children their age. They even demonstrated some teamwork that, if I had only been going slightly slower, could have ended with their success,” Itachi explained.

Father looked at his children appraisingly. Although his face showed little emotion, his lip did pull up ever so slightly. “Very good. Maybe one day they’ll be as good as you.”

Sasaui winced as she bit into her food. Their feel-good moment had quickly faded. Then again, what had she been expecting? Father always did the same thing. Any time the twins were praised, they were also compared to Itachi. Their success would never be great enough until it was on the same level with Itachi. But he was a prodigy, and the chances of that happening were quite slim.

Dinner passed as it normally did after that – only a bit of talk about how their day had been and the sounds of plates being cleared. It was Sasuke and Sasaui’s turn to do the dishes. Afterwards Sasaui was given the task of mopping up the floor. The two had dropped a lot of water on it while splashing each other. Sasuke had to take out the trash while Sasaui did so.

Not too long after they finished the dreaded chores, Sasaui and Sasuke found themselves in their bedroom. And the next ninja war was beginning.

“Take that!” Sasaui cried, swinging the pillow in her hand.

Sasuke dived out of the way, his own ammo tightly in hand. Using his pillow like a sword, he performed a slashing-like motion. It knocked Sasaui off balance. Before she could regain it, Sasuke threw his pillow at her. While she was blinded, Sasuke tackled her into her bed. Once in close range, they fell into a bout of shoving and rolling, at one point falling off the bed with a loud thud.

“Ouch.” Sasaui winced, rubbing her head as she glared at Sasuke. “Butthole.”

“Shrimp,” he retorted.

The two glared at each other for a moment before bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Although failing to stifle their laughter completely, Sasuke and Sasaui climbed into their respective beds, though Sasuke had to turn the light off before doing so himself. The darkness was only occasionally broken by their laughs. Gradually they began to fade into nothing.

Even in the silence, Sasaui found she couldn’t sleep. Her own brain was too noisy. Only moments before their pillow fight broke out, she had spoken with her brother about the Academy they were to start in a couple of days. The reason for it beginning was the two trying to prove who would be the number one student in their class.

What would it be like? Itachi had very easily breezed right through to genin. Would she or Sasuke be able to do that? Sasaui tried to imagine different classes she may have. Aside from those in the Uchiha compound, she didn’t know too many kids. Even less was her age. Although she was nervous, she was also excited to make more friends. Most of all, though, was her eagerness to learn to become a ninja. One day she’d be just like Itachi – bringing great pride to her clan and village.

Even as Sasaui’s thoughts quieted, she couldn’t help but do one last thing before she drifted off. She closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she explored the darkness in her mind. A dull throb formed in her temple as her focus sharpened, proving more difficult than the first time. After a few minutes of continual focus, though, she saw the first one spark to life – the light of someone’s chakra.

Sasaui expanded her search, eventually finding three other chakra signatures. The one closest to her was obviously Sasuke’s. It was smaller than the others and very near her. Two close to each other had to be Mother and Father’s. Unsurprisingly, Father’s was much greater than Mother’s. The fourth one shocked her. She recognized it as Itachi’s, but she hadn’t expected it to be so close.

As if on cue she heard the door open. The lights of her family blinked out as Sasaui lost her focus. She heard footsteps walk to Sasuke’s bed. A silent moment followed before they returned, only now walking toward Sasaui now. She kept her eyes closed, trying to feign sleep.

Cold lips pressed against her forehead. A small chuckle followed as a hand suddenly ruffled her hair. “Get some sleep, Sasaui.”

Her onyx eyes opened. “How’d you know I was awake?”

His grin was barely distinguishable in the darkness. “Same way I know Sasuke is awake as well.”

“Not fair, Itachi. How do you know everything?” Sasuke asked. He made some sort of noise that sounded like he was rolling over. “I thought I had faked it so well, too.”

“Just get some sleep, you two. Rest is always important.” Itachi retreated to the door. As the light framed him, forming a mere silhouette, Itachi paused. “Goodnight, Sasuke. Goodnight, Sasaui.”

“Goodnight,” they echoed.

Sasaui finally began to drift off after he left. Sasuke was the same, soft snores coming from his bed. Before Sasaui did, however, she once again searched for the lights, if only for a moment.

The last thing she saw before sleep took her was the three little lights that made up her family.
End Notes:
1 - Her name is pronounced Saw-say-you.
One Word by Sasaui Uchiha
Author's Notes:
*peaks out from under a camouflage sheet like Naruto uses* Hello? There’s no mobs with pitch forks, right? *slowly sneaks out* Gosh, I am so sorry. This has taken me eleven extra days to get this out. I could give you an excuse, which is mostly me never really being in the mood to sit down and type until my family and I went on a three hour trip to my aunt’s house and I had no distractions like my boyfriend or the internet and I could just focus on this. Yeah, that boyfriend thing? Apparently there is a downside to having a beau who lives right beside of you – it takes from your writing time.

Anyway, again I feel iffy about this chapter, but that may again be mostly because I’ve written the scenes with Sasaui being a kid about three times now and this is the first time in third PoV and with my writing style now, so I keep getting worried about it for some reason. I’m pretty sure old readers will notice the differences such as the start, but I think besides that there are only a few minor differences that aren’t very noticeable. Also, could you tell me how I’m doing with writing Sasaui’s maturity levels? Because I’m not sure. Not too much action really has happened, and that probably won’t change for a couple of chapters, so please bear with me if you’re new and don’t know the fun stuff coming up.

Um…. I can’t think of too much else to say really, so please read and enjoy. If you don’t mind I’ll take reviews as well. I’m a writer – they’re my food. Or do you want me to starve? *gasps* Fine then. I see how it is. Also, random note – this is my first chapter release for the new year. Fun XD

1-12-14
"What do you mean I can't use it?" Sasaui demanded, crossing her arms defiantly as her lower lip plopped out in a pout. She was very confused with the new situation. After breakfast Sasaui and Sasuke had been sent to make their beds before coming back to wash dishes. Once they'd finished they'd gone into the family room to find both Father and Itachi discussing something quietly. When they'd noticed her, they sent Sasuke away with Itachi promising to go training with him later if he got ready while they talked. Sasaui hadn't expected just what it was they'd needed to discuss.

Father's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the disobedience. "Sasaui, I have my reasons. For now I don't want you using the chakra sensing ability."

After a few attempts of opening her mouth but having no argument, Sasaui stayed quiet for a moment and glanced at Itachi with pleading eyes. Why would Father suddenly order her not to use a technique he had seemed so proud of her learning? Itachi would have an explanation, wouldn't he? At the very least he would defend her. Couldn't he tell how much Sasaui enjoyed her ability to see the little lights?

Rather than help her, however, Itachi simply glanced at Father, trying to get some unheard message through to him. Deciding she'd have to do this herself, Sasaui finally forced out some kind of defense. "But, Father, if this is rare shouldn't I try to use it? If I'm good at it, maybe I can bring more pride to the Uchiha clan," she added gleefully, the mere thought drawing forth a wide grin. Wouldn't that be great? Maybe then Father would accept her rather than always compare her to Itachi. Sasuke may even look up to her like he did Itachi.

"That is enough," Father said sharply, leaving little room for the conversation to continue. "I don't want you to use this technique just yet. Maybe in the future, but not yet, Sasaui."

The protest didn't even have time to form this time. Finally deciding Father wasn't going to understand what he wanted him to, Itachi knelt down before Sasaui, placing his hand on her head. "Father does have his reasons, Sasaui. For example, think of Sasuke," Itachi explained. "Don't you think he'd be jealous if you became super good in a technique he couldn't do? You also will learn things in the Academy that will make handling the sensing ability and learning about it easier in the future. So it may not seem like it, but helping will help more later on."

The fight previously building in the young girl faded at the mere mention of Sasuke's jealousy. She wanted him to look up to her, but she felt cruel wanting to make him jealous. Maybe she didn't like the reasons, but like Itachi said, Father did have ones for her not to use her sensing ability.

"Thank you, Itachi. You as well, Sasaui, for listening."

Sasaui simply nodded, trying her best to hide her growing disappointment. Understanding something and liking it were two totally different things. But it was what Father wanted, so she couldn't complain.

Before she could walk away, Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you come train with Sasuke and me? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Although she wasn't entirely sure that was true - Sasuke enjoyed the special attention of training alone with Itachi - Sasaui didn't argue. "No, thank you," she answered. "I was going to Reinami's today."

Itachi smiled softly, ruffling her dark hair before nodding. "Okay then." His eyes rose to the door. "Sasuke," he said, only slightly raising his voice, "I know you're there. You can come in now."

The small boy peaked into a room, a guilty smile on his face, though he appeared to only have tuned in recently because there was still a gleam of curiosity in his eyes. He was out of his pajamas and in his usual training outfit. "So are we leaving now?"

"In a minute. I just have to grab a few things first."

While Sasuke eagerly waited for Itachi, Sasaui slipped back to their room. By the time she changed and returned to the family room, it had grown empty. Father had apparently gone to work and the two boys left to train. "I'm leaving now, Mother!" Sasaui yelled over her shoulder, knowing her mom would hear her.

"Be back before dinner time," Mother called back from another room.

Sasaui took off after that. The Uchiha was slowly coming to life as the sun rose higher into the sky. Children were beginning to play in the streets and adults headed to their jobs. The occasional animal ran across the street, one frightened dog running for its life from a couple of older kids already in the Academy trying to practice their capturing skills. After all, the next day they'd be back in their classes. They were able to practice and have their fun.

Since they only lived half way through the compound, it didn't take Sasaui too long to find herself at the Compound gates. Just like there, the village was awakening to the new day. The citizens of Konoha were beginning to occupy all the space in the village. Sasaui frowned. Maybe it would have been better to leave at a different time. Everyone was out doing stuff now. With the rush it would take her an extra twenty or so minutes just to get to Reinami's house.

Hm…. What should I do now? Sasaui wondered, doing the best she could to intermingle with the adults until she could find an opening. If she remembered correctly there was another way to Reinami’s house near the edge of the village. Usually it was a longer way, but with how crowded the streets were today, Sasaui doubted that was still true.

Once she found an open area, Sasaui darted out of the throng of people, heading in the direction of the other path. Its opening was in a less populated district, so it proved no problem to find it. Grinning with her success, the young Uchiha slowed down her jog as the concrete road turned to a dirt path. As she suspected very few others were using the path, and most of them were the elderly who knew the village from their years of citizenship.

Because it was so close to the village border there were many trees, though Sasaui could still see a few buildings peaking over the tree tops. It was like training with Itachi in the forests. Aside from the few human presences, nature overtook everything. Despite what her father had said, Sasaui’s grew fascinated with the thought of all the little lights she was sure inhabited just the little path she was on. What was hidden to her eyes on their own?

The temptation began to grow despite her attempts to repress it. Nobody would really know what she was doing, and even if they did, they wouldn’t tell Father. As long as it was only one more time, she wouldn’t be doing anything too bad, right? Sasaui tapped her thighs nervously, biting her lip as she glanced nervously around.

She finally decided one disobedience couldn’t be too bad. After this, though, she couldn’t do it again until Father allowed her. This would just be a temporary goodbye to her newfound ability. Sasaui stepped to the side so she wouldn’t be in the way of the few people walking past. Taking a deep breath, she let her onyx eyes slide shut and focused. Just like the night before, it proved harder than the first time. It took a few minutes of focusing before the first of the lights began to shine. Unlike Sasaui had wanted, it was the light of the humans she had already seen instead of the little creatures she had not. No matter how much she concentrated, though, all she succeeded in doing was give herself a headache.

Maybe she wasn’t able to see the little lights of the life in the forest. Not yet, at least. Sadly she didn’t think she’d get the chance to practice doing so for a very long time. Sasaui sighed, just about to release the sensing jutsu when she finally noticed something different. The was a presence she had not noticed before, which wouldn’t be that big if it was just someone walking around a turn like a couple of lights were in front of her. No, this presence was above her in the tree branches.

Curiosity finally motivated her to let her focus falter. Sasaui opened her eyes, just about to raise her eyes to investigate when she realized the two presences she’d noted before were a couple of men. And they were walking right toward her.

Now that she could see their actual physical appearance, Sasaui had to do all she could not to openly gape and laugh. Both men appeared to be in their thirties. They also looked like they’d been attacked by scissors and paint. The shorter of the two was bald with insults scrawled on the top of his head, his face painted to look like a clown. A poor clown, but a clown nevertheless. His shirt mirrored his head, only with a few more creative insults that Sasaui most likely would have been punished for saying. The taller one did have hair, but it was a black mess of random paint and bald patches. Many holes were cut into his shirt and beneath the holes were random faces. His left side had a huge splatter of paint like it had randomly been thrown on him.

The men’s attempts to look serious as they marched toward Sasaui was ruined by their ridiculous appearances, but it did give away two things. For one, Sasaui was positive they were ninja. There was a way to their movement that made them appear like a shinobi. However, unlike a ninja should be, these two were drunk. The smell rolled off both of them, and although they were acting sober, Sasaui knew they’d had a bit too much sake by the glassiness in their gazes. She had seen very few drunks, but that lack of clarity was something she remembered well.

“Hey, girlie,” the taller of the two said, glaring down at her. “Have you seen a blond boy around here?”

Sasaui shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

The other man examined Sasaui, his dark green eyes boring into her. “You’re not lying to us, are you?”

Even if she should be more afraid, Sasaui grew annoyed rather than backing down. “I told you, I haven’t saw any blond boy.” She crossed her arms, staring defiantly at the two men as she waited to see what they would do next.

The bald man still appeared skeptical, but the taller one grunted and began glancing around. “Guess we need to keep searching if we’re going to find that demon brat,” he grumbled, beginning to walk off. After a moment the other man followed.

After they had rounded a corner, Sasaui sighed and sagged against a tree. Thankfully the men had been rather controlled. She had heard stories from Father about the drunken actions of men. Finally remembering what she had been about to do before the two men had walked up to her, Sasaui craned her neck back to examine the branches above her.

At first she didn’t see anything. All that was above her was a forest of green leaves occasionally broken by the light blue sky. Confused, Sasaui pushed off the tree and backed away to try and get a better look. There was no figure above her that she could see. Had they moved? Her question was answered by a sudden creak. With a jerk of surprise, she turned to investigate the branch beside the tree she’d been leaning on. She had just located the figure when they suddenly launched themselves off the tree. Right in her direction.

They must have been meaning to tuck and roll because Sasaui glimpsed bright blue eyes before her forehead collided painfully hard with the other person’s forehead. Sasaui yelped in surprise and pain before she went down to the ground, the other landing on top of her.

“Ugh.” The figure got onto their knees above Sasaui, rubbing the place of their collision. “Sheesh, you have a hard head.”

“You’re one to talk,” Sasaui retorted, holding her own painful spot. It was then Sasaui finally was able to see the owner of the little light that had been in the trees. He was a boy around her age with spiky blond hair and six strange lines on his face, three marking each cheek.

The boy’s eyes flickered down to her. Finally realizing he was sitting on top of her, the boy scrambled off. “Sorry about that. I didn’t really look before I jumped.”

Sasaui rolled her eyes, though a smile did spread across her face. “What were you doing in the trees anyway?” she asked, taking a hand he offered to help her up. The answer came before the boy could speak. It wasn’t the blond hair that gave him way, though. It only filled in a piece of the puzzle. The answer came from the bit of red paint staining his green sleeve and the edge of his white shirt. “Hey, you’re that one boy that….”

Her words drifted off as she registered the outright fear that blossomed in the boy’s eyes as Sasaui spoke. He began to slowly back away, his jaws locked and his eyes growing hard. What had happened to cause such a change? Had she said something wrong? She had only realized he was the boy who must have pranked the two men. Was he afraid she was going to go get them?

“Listen, I’m not going to-“

“I’m sorry,” the boy said, not giving her time to finish. He simply turned and took off, leaving Sasaui staring in confused shock. Rather than chase after him, though, she only watched as he vanished into the trees in the direction of the village.

It was only his sudden action that left Sasaui staring. Instead it was because of his eyes. How could a boy no older than her hold such pain in his eyes?

*~*~*~*~

It had been ridiculous. How could he think, even for a moment, there would be someone who didn’t know who he was? Naruto’s hands tightened around the swing ropes, his lips pulled down in a sad frown. Even if the girl had not recognized him immediately, of course she would eventually. Everyone knew who he was, and they knew they were supposed to avoid him.

He raised his eyes to look over the mostly unfamiliar faces in the park. Unlike usual he was at the park on the other end of the village. If he had gone to the other one, he was sure the two men he’d given make overs would find him. In no way would that end well. If he saw them anywhere near this park, he’d just make a getaway to the other one closer to the apartment. If worse came to worse, Naruto could simply escape to the safety of the Hokage. The old man was fun to play pranks on, and he was kind enough to protect Naruto when needed. Of course, he had to pay for what he had done, but not in the way the men would make him if they found him.

Naruto had been so lost in his escape plan he didn’t notice the uneasy glances sent his way by parents as a few of the herded their children out of the parks until one of them started whining loudly about it. When he finally did tune in, he felt a painful wrench at his heart. Another kid who would forever hate him because of their parents. They’d see him and recognize him as the monster their parents told them to avoid now that they’d gotten an actual look at him.

Maybe it would be best if he just went home. At least in solitude he didn’t suffer the constant glares and insults thrown his way. His hands curled into tighter fists around the rope swings, a strong bitterness climbing up from deep within him. Naruto tried to focus on the anger, knowing it was better than the emotion that followed behind it. Anger was better than the stabbing pain and sadness that was his other option to feel. What had he ever done to deserve this?

He was growing fed up with the angry glances and whispered words. If it continued much longer, he decided, he would just head home. It wasn’t worth it to see the other kids happy with their families to enjoy his time at the parks. He didn’t like the angry, depressed moods that sneaked up on him sometimes, but at the moment he saw no reason to fight it.

Despite his better judgment, Naruto continued his torture, watching a couple more families walk away from the park. At least they weren’t leaving because of Naruto, but they were still a happy family. With a sigh, Naruto was just about to drop his gaze when a near arrival caught his interest.

He recognized her immediately. Dark hair and dark eyes standing out against fair skin. A pink short sleeve shirt with a raised color and white shorts. No doubt about it – it was the girl from before. Naruto openly stared at her, glad she didn’t glance his way. After all, it had appeared she had already recognized him earlier today. He’d seen in her eyes that she remembered him. Most likely her parents had described him to her so she knew to avoid him. The marks on his cheeks tended to give him away.

Unlike before, she was no longer alone. Now a blue haired girl walked with her. She was one Naruto actually recognized because she used to go to the other park. He couldn’t quite remember her name, but he did remember that she, like most kids, had held a strong fearful contempt toward him. It was official – the other girl would definitely not like him if she was friends with her.

Naruto yanked his gaze away from her, feeling his heart and stomach twist into knots as he thought of his encounter with the dark haired girl before. For just a few minutes he had hoped to make a friend for the first time. Of course, they had not met on the best terms, but she had not instantly shown any form of hate toward him. He had run away before she could begin, fearing the pain it would undoubtingly bring. Despite trying to force back the hope, he still saw that smile she had given him moments before she’d began to recognize him.

That was it. He couldn’t stay here if that girl was here. It would hurt too much. He’d been given a shred of hope just to have it yanked from him. Seeing her again was the final push. Maybe a bowl of ramen would cheer him up. It was sad his greatest friend was a bowl of ramen he only made to eat.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

The familiar voice drew Naruto’s attention despite his best attempts to avoid looking. His bright blue eyes once again found their way to the girl. She had raised to her feet, her body angled toward the swings while she was looking back at the blue haired girl, who glared up at her. As if feeling her gaze, the dark haired girl turned to face Naruto. And then she did the last thing he expected. She smiled.

*~*~*~*~

She had felt the eyes on her the moment she’d walked into the park. It had taken Sasaui a couple of minutes to realize the stares were coming in the direction in the swings, and when she did, she was shocked to see the blond boy from before. Rather than stop and stare back, though, she’d moved her eyes away, remembering the fearful expression he’d had before running away from her. She didn’t want to cause that again.

In letting her eyes wonder, though, she noticed something. There was nobody around the swings. Any other time she came to the park the swings were one of the main attractions, but now they were vacant except for the boy. Even the area around the swing was avoided. Some kids were playing tag and were making sure not to run too close to the playground equipment. Sasaui’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

Finally letting her curiosity get the best of her, she turned to Reinami and asked, “Why isn’t anybody playing on the swings?”

Reinami appeared slightly annoyed, Sasaui’s question interrupting something she had been saying. She still looked over at the swings, though. When she did, her face instantly paled. They were both on rocking horses, but they’d grown still with the new subject. “People don’t go around that boy,” she explained, sending a quick glare in his direction.

The answer caught Sasaui off guard. “Why don’t they? Has he done something wrong?” she demanded.

“My friends told me to stay away from him. They were saying how they were told he’s such a monster and that he shouldn’t even be here.” Reinami almost appeared proud, warning her friend from a danger she had not previously known about.

Sasaui didn’t see it that way. If anything she was shell-shocked. A monster? How could someone their age be a monster? Even if he was older, he’d only known a few things when it came to ninja arts. It wasn’t like he could kill anyone. “That’s stupid,” Sasaui decided, shaking her head in disagreement. “How could a little kid be a monster?”

Whatever Reinami said was lost on Sasaui. Most of it was simply about what her friends had told. She couldn’t stop thinking about her brief encounter with the boy. He hadn’t seemed monstrous at all. If anything, he had seemed lonely and sad. Was that why he ran away? Did he think she would hate him, too? Those pained eyes she’d seen just before he left flashed in her mind.

If she were to look at the little lights again, would he appear any different than the children around her? He’d be the same, but he’d be all by himself. She thought of her own home when she’d seen the lights. They’d all been there, together, just like they would always be. Nobody deserved to shine by themselves.

It was this line of thinking that caused Sasaui to move before she was even aware of it, one leg swinging over the horse so she was on her feet. She was just becoming conscious of her movement toward the boy when a hand clamped down on her arm. Sasaui flinched, looking over her shoulder at Reinami. “What do you think you’re doing?”

For a while she hadn’t felt the eyes on her, but the moment she did, her head turned so she was facing the boy once more. His eyes were locked on her, wide with surprise as he watched the scene playing out before him. For the first time, Sasaui noticed that even if he tried to hide it, there was pain hidden in his eyes. Not knowing what else she could do to comfort him, she let a friendly smile greet him.

“What do you mean what am I doing? I want to know what you’re doing,” Reinami countered, glowering in turns at Sasaui and the boy. “I just told you people aren’t supposed to go around him. Can’t you just listen?”

It was Sasaui’s turn to glare. “I’m an Uchiha – I’m not afraid of anyone. Even if I was, it’s not a good idea to avoid someone just because others say to. That’s worse than anything he’s done, I’m sure.”

Reinami faltered, dismay evident on her face. It was quickly replaced by fury. “So you’re saying you won’t listen to me as a friend? You’re not a very good friend, then,” she snapped. “If you go over to him and don’t listen to me, we’re not friends anymore.”

Sasaui paused this time, taken aback by her friend’s threat. How had a day she’d been planned to be a nice, happy time with Reinami turn around so much? First with the ban of her little lights, and now the possibility of losing Reinami. Sasaui bit her lip. Would she really risk a friend for a couple of years for a boy she’d met less than an hour before? She didn’t even know his name.

Yet she couldn’t stop imagining his lone little light or those hurt light blue eyes. Her resolve began to harden as she met Reinami’s eyes with a resolute stare. “If you were my friend, you wouldn’t make me choose.”

Before she could change her mind, Sasaui pulled her forearm out of Reinami’s grip. She stood there for only a moment longer, giving Reinami time to retort. When she didn’t, Sasaui continued in the direction she’d meant to go before. Once again she felt eyes on her, only now nearly everyone in the park was watching her. I’m an Uchiha, she reminded herself. Don’t let all these people scare you from doing what you want.

The boy’s eyes never moved from her as she stopped right before him, still smiling kindly. It was hard to not try to comfort him with the constant pain dwelling in his eyes. Sasaui gestured toward the swing beside him. “Is anyone else using this?” It was a stupid question, but she was hoping to get the boy to respond.

He did, but it was with his own question rather than a reply. “Are you serious? This isn’t just some joke, is it?”

The question made Sasaui feel sick. He was so used to being avoided he didn’t believe her attempt to become friends. No person should think that way. “No, it’s not. I promise.” Sasaui sat down in the swing, pushing herself lightly back and forth on her feet. “So, I wanted to ask back on the path before you ran away – were you the one who pranked those men?”

It took the boy a few moments to finally get over his shock enough to speak again. “Yeah, that was me.” After scrutinizing Sasaui a bit more, a grin began to force itself onto his marked face. “You’re serious? You’re not going to run away from me?”

Sasaui was sure then that she had made the right decision. A light had begun to shine in the boy’s eyes that hadn’t been there before. She smiled even more, nodding in answer. “I’m not running away. I want to be your friend.”

Rather than hold it back, the boy let a full blown smile show. Despite this, a few tears spilled from his eyes. It was the first time Sasaui ever saw someone start crying while being so happy. “My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Believe it!”

“I’m Sasaui Uchiha. It’s nice to meet you.”

Naruto rubbed his eyes, his smile never fading. “Sasaui, huh?” he said, testing the name as it rolled off his lips. Never before had he felt so elated saying a name. “So you liked my handiwork with those two bozo drunks, huh?”

She chuckled, commenting on the fabulous art skills Naruto had shown with his job on the two men. Maybe she had lost a friend that day, but already she was happier hanging out with Naruto than she had been with Reinami. Not only that, but it was worth the price to see happiness overwhelming the sadness that had been there before. If she had to do the day over, she wouldn’t change a thing.
End Notes:
So what do you guys think? Like? Hate? What?
Uchiha Pride by Sasaui Uchiha
Author's Notes:
Okay, I actually didn't plan on getting this out for a couple of weeks because of how busy I am, but a problem with homework gave me freetime. Anyway, this chapter, like honestly probably most of this arc, will just be set up for relationships (not bf/gf before you jump to that, just friendships and such), personalities, things like that. This is more of a chapter to flesh out Sasaui, and it ended up longer than I planned. I apologize if it drags on a bit or is boring. Also, I end this with a bit of foreshadowing that even those who read the original never had. I just honestly could not figure out any other way to finish this chapter XD. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

12-9-14
The sky grew closer and closer, eating away anything else that may be in Sasaui’s line of sight. A moment later a sense of weightlessness overtook her. The distant blue blanket drew away as she began falling back, gravity taking its hold on her. The surroundings began to fill in once more, but the park was no longer her focus. It was the blond boy attempting to go even higher than she had. The swing carrying him buckled a bit, sending a spike of fear through her.

“Naruto, be careful!” she called. “At this rate, you’re going to fall of the swing.”

He just laughed at her concern. “You just don’t want me to go higher than you,” Naruto shot back, but as he fell back toward the ground, he made sure to stop himself. “I’m sure I went higher than you there.”

Sasaui stuck her tongue out, debating whether she should risk going higher than Naruto. On one hand, she could fall from the swing and get hurt the day before the Academy started. However, if she didn’t try, that would mean Naruto won. Which outcome was worse? Finally pursing her lips in determination, deciding she’d make sure she didn’t fall, she once more began to swing her momentum upward.

Although her instincts, and Naruto, warned her she was being risky, she continued to climb higher. Once she reached her previous height, she made sure to fling her legs forward even more. As she flew through the air again, a spike of fear shot through her, the metal chains beginning to give. No, she had to go higher than Naruto. There was no way she would lose this.

Her determination proved idiotic as she ascended once more, and it wasn’t simply the chain that reacted. Her backwards weight proved to be too much. The swing flipped, and before she had time to process what was happening, her hands slipped, sending her face first toward the ground.

“Sasaui!” Naruto cried, mixing with her own scream of terror. Except, it wasn’t only his voice she heard, she realized. Before she even had time to register who the second one belonged to, arms wrapped around her falling figure only moments after it had left the safety of the swing.

Sasuke had been the second voice, she discovered, seeing her other brother’s face gazing down at her. “I-Itachi,” Sasaui stammered, both shocked and embarrassed upon seeing him. How could she have been so foolish as to nearly injure herself like that? “When did you get here?”

“Just in time to see you swing that high like an idiot!” Sasuke cut in, stepping around Itachi as he set her down. “What in the world were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt.”

Smiling sheepishly, Sasaui averted her eyes. They knew she was competitive, but looking back, Sasaui even knew how ridiculous taking the risk had been. After all, what did she gain from beating Naruto? Sure, it meant she won, but how in the world could she consider it a win when it would hurt her badly enough to delay her training as a ninja. A face-to-earth collision didn’t sound like something to just laugh at.

“Well, Sasaui?” her twin demanded.

Before she could answer, she paused. Something was off. With a start, Sasaui realized that despite her fall, the other person who had yelled for her still wasn’t around. Glancing around both Itachi and Sasuke, she saw that Naruto was still by his swing, the ground holding all of his attention. “I was trying to beat Naruto,” Sasaui murmured. Something flashed in Itachi’s eyes, but Sasaui didn’t pay it any time. Instead she shouldered past both her brothers to approach Naruto.

Once she was close, Naruto glanced up. His blue eyes held the same fear as when she’d seen before he had run from her on the path about an hour before. “You okay?” he hesitantly asked.

Why was he so worried? “Yeah, I’m fine.” Sasaui grinned, pointing behind her at Itachi. “That’s my older brother. His name is Itachi. He’s an amazing ninja, so he caught me without me getting hurt.”

“Who are you?” Before she could introduce him, Sasuke had walked up, standing protectively beside Sasaui. His eyes were narrowed and his arms crossed in a defensive stance.

Realization dawned on Sasaui. Of course he would be fearful of Sasuke and Itachi appearing. Everyone besides her had been avoiding him before. She elbowed Sasuke in the ribs, hoping to get him to loosen up. “This is my new friend Naruto,” she replied. “And this idiot here is my twin brother, Sasuke. Please forgive him for being a bit over protective.”

Naruto eyed him warily. “He’s your twin?” he repeated. Naruto scrutinized the two of them, then his gaze slowly slid to above her, where she guessed Itachi had moved to stand. “And then this is your older brother?”

She nodded in confirmation.

There was still a hint of fear in Naruto’s eyes, though it had dimmed upon finding out the two near arrivals were related to Sasaui. “I told her not to go that high,” he blurted, most likely trying to end Sasuke’s glare.

Deciding to try to act as before, Sasaui grinned. “That’s just because you didn’t want me to beat you,” she countered.

“Then again, not even Sasuke could beat you, Sasaui.”

Sasaui frowned in confusion. It was very rare Itachi said anything to compel competition between her and Sasuke. Why would he do that now? Did he want to instigate an argument between them as the question of who was better at something usually did?

As she had expected, Sasuke immediately jumped on the challenge. “That is not true, Itachi. I’m sure I could go higher than both Sasaui and the Naruto kid combined!”

“Hah!” Because of his previous silence, Sasaui jumped when Naruto laughed. Rather than being frightened as he had been before, now Naruto appeared to be trying to act tough, as well as a bit defensive. “I bet you couldn’t even go higher than me.”

The challenge hung in the air as the two boys glared at each other. It appeared they had not gotten off on a good foot. Though, Sasaui had to admit, it was nice that Naruto wasn’t hiding and being afraid anymore. After a few minutes passed and Naruto and Sasuke were still glaring at each other, Sasaui sighed and whacked Sasuke.

“Ow!” Sasuke exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head.

Naruto laughed just be to whacked next.

Sasaui snickered while the two boys turned their narrowed eyes on her. The glare finally ended as Itachi ruffled Sasuke’s hair. “Maybe you two could try something else. That way nobody will go flying through the air again.” He glanced at Sasaui, a slight glint in his eyes.

A moment passed before she understood. “First one to the slide is the winner!” She took off before either boy truly registered what she had said. Shouts and speeding footsteps indicated the two boys had taken off to catch and beat her. The race was on.

Itachi watched the children with a small smile playing on his lips. He had pulled at each child’s competitive spirit to try and break the ice, and thankfully it had worked. Admittedly he had always hated seeing the way the young Uzumaki was treated. However, he thought, his smile slowly turning into a frown, I never expected these two to bond. This could end very badly.

*~*~*~*~

“You’re going to join the Academy too?” Sasaui asked, kicking her feet from her place on the slide steps. Most of the other kids had left already, and those who hadn’t avoided them because of Naruto, so it wasn’t like it mattered if she sat on the steps. If they were going to be jerks, they didn’t deserve to play on the slide anyways.

Naruto sat in front of her cross-legged, looking up at her and the twin brother who rested at the top of the slide. “Yup. I’m going to become a super awesome ninja,” he beamed. “Then I’ll be better than both you and the baka.”

Sasuke scoffed. “That will only happen in your dreams.”

“Right. You’ll never be better than me,” Sasaui chimed in, grinning teasingly. “Sasuke, however…”

“Hey!”

Even after all the “insults,” the children found themselves laughing at each other. In the hour that had passed, the trio had grown close. The tension had broken between Sasuke and Naruto, though both still acted ready to start a fight with the other. At one point they actually had begun to wrestle, only stopping after Itachi pulled them apart. The two acted the same even after that, though.

“Sasaui, Sasuke, we should probably head home.”

Itachi’s sudden appearance caused Sasuke to jump, losing his place on the top of the slide. He tumbled down, yelping as he rolled off the end. Naruto and Sasaui laughed while the eldest Uchiha went around to check on Sasuke. “First you twist your ankle, and now you risk busting your head open. It seems you want to be injured before you begin the Academy,” Itachi mused.

“You shouldn’t just suddenly appear, Brother,” Sasuke grumbled, rubbing the new sore spot on his head.

Sasaui climbed to the top of the slide before going down it, Naruto choosing to follow right behind rather than go around. “Do we have to go?” Sasaui asked, hopping off at the bottom with Naruto close behind.

“Dinner should be ready soon, and all three of you need your rest for tomorrow,” Itachi reasoned, ruffling Sasaui’s hair.

She pouted, both she knew that there wasn’t anything she could say. Whether she was happy about it or not, Itachi was right. Anyway, they would be able to see Naruto again tomorrow. The children said their goodbyes – if one would count Sasuke and Naruto glaring at each other before turning away with a huff goodbyes. Sasaui chided her twin while Itachi just chuckled.

“See you tomorrow, Naruto!” she called to the boy as they each went their separate ways.

*~*~*~

The dinner table was noticeable tense, mostly because Father had was slightly grumpy. When they had arrived home, Father had requested to talk to Itachi, and the twins had eagerly decided to sit in on the conversation. After praising Itachi, Father had gone on about how he would join Itachi in an upcoming mission the following day, much to the children’s dismay because that was when the opening ceremony was. Noticing this, Itachi had easily swayed Father’s choice by claiming he wouldn’t do the mission so a family member would be able to attend the ceremony. Father, seeing what he was doing, conceded to going to the ceremony. Not exactly a bad loss, but in his eyes, a loss most likely nevertheless.

Mother glanced between Itachi and Father, but before long they settled on Sasaui and Sasuke. “So, kids, are you excited for tomorrow?”

“You bet!” Sasuke exclaimed. “I’m going to become the best ninja in the entire Academy.” Although he tried to hide it, Sasuke sneaked a glance at Father, but he was too distant to pay much attention. Sasuke’s wide grin pulled down into a frown.

Sasaui playfully bumped her brother. “You can’t be the best ninja. That’s gonna be me.”

The small grin slowly flickered back to life. “There’s no way,” Sasuke disagreed. “A shrimp like you could never defeat me.”

A small argument ensued, only ending after Mother said so. Apparently flinging a noodle at Sasuke was going a little too far. “Okay, remind me not to ask that again,” Mother laughed. “How was both of your days?”

“We made a new friend,” Sasaui piped up before Sasuke could answer. “It’s really strange. Everyone seems to avoid him, but Naruto is-“

She stopped. Maybe it was because he had been distant the entire time, but the moment Father’s gaze snapped toward her, she could feel it. When she faced him, a small shiver travelled up her spine. There was just something about her father’s eyes that made her feel like something was terribly wrong.

“Father.” Itachi had been watching the discussion between Mother and the other two with amusement. With the change of events, however, he had slipped into a nearly scary calm state. His voice was low, carrying a cautioning tone with his single word.

If Father heard Itachi, he didn’t acknowledge it. However, he did visibly force himself to begin to relax. “Naruto as in Naruto Uzumaki?”

Sasaui shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Speaking suddenly seemed like one of the most difficult tasks in the world. Sasuke, however, either was very brave or didn’t notice the strange aura their father was suddenly giving off, because he replied, “Yeah. Though I wouldn’t really say that dobe is my friend.”

“You are not to be friends with that… boy,” Father said, a thin layer of ice coating every word. Even when reprimanding, his voice had never taken such a cold tone. It almost sounded like he was angry and, as ridiculous as the thought was to Sasaui, a little bit fearful.

Once again Sasuke ended up the one speaking. “What do you mean, Father? Why can’t we be friends with him?” Apparently with the threat of losing their friend, Sasuke’s previous uncaring façade had vanished.

For once Father’s eyes unlatched from Sasaui to focus on Sasuke. It was then he seemed to at least notice the aura because his face paled slightly. Considering how pale the Uchihas were, that was saying something. “Because there’s something not right with that boy. You two are not to be friends with him.”

“Not right with him?” Sasaui questioned, thinking back to Reinami’s reaction to Naruto. Why did everyone act as if he had a disease? The only reason she was able to regain her voice was she felt a flicker of her previous anger toward Naruto’s treatment.

Father nodded, choosing his next words carefully. “That boy is just a little brat. He has no respect for those around him and is constantly causing trouble. He is simply a pest that isn’t good for this village, both for who and what he is.”

“What he is? What do you mean by that?” Sasuke asked, refusing to meet Father’s eyes.

“You will understand when you are older.” One of the most annoying responses a parent could ever give, but neither Sasaui nor Sasuke dared question any more than they already had with the growing chill emitting from their father.

“Fugaku.”

Upon hearing Mother’s voice, Sasaui’s range of focus finally expanded beyond the three that had been speaking. Mother was staring in shock at her husband. Itachi was regarding their father somewhat angrily, but there was something in his eyes that reminded her of the caution he’d advised earlier with simply saying “Father.” It felt like there was something Sasaui was completely blind to, but she had no idea what it was.

Father had done the same as she had, taking in both his wife and older son. He finally fully met Itachi’s eyes with his own. Even Sasaui could tell a silent conversation was passing between them. He sighed. “I am simply trying to protect the reputation of the Uchiha clan. That boy will only bring trouble to the both of you, and from you, the Uchiha clan.”

Sasaui’s heart sunk. Being friends with Naruto could trouble the clan? But Naruto was just a boy. How could a simple friendship with him cause so much trouble? Turning to Sasuke, she knew the same thing was going through his head. This couldn’t be true, could it?

“You can be friends with Naruto if you two want to be,” Mother assured, sending Father a warning glance. “I’m sure he’s really a nice boy.”

Father said nothing. Sasaui snuck a peek at him. Was he right? Would being friends with Naruto just damage the Uchiha clan? She didn’t want to not be friends with him, but she didn’t want to bring any form of shame to her clan either. Or anger her father. What could she do?

The question plagued her for the rest of the night, as well as when she lay in her bed that night. She was anxious for the next day. Not only was she joining the Academy, but she was going to see Naruto once more. How would she act when she saw him?

“You both need to sleep.”

Sasaui jumped upon hearing Itachi’s voice. “Darn it, Itachi. You did it again,” Sasuke grumbled from the other bed. It was the second day he’d entered the room and automatically knew the twins were awake.

However, this time Sasaui didn’t even bother wondering how their older brother did it. “Was Father telling the truth?” she murmured, voicing the fear that refused to go away. “Would being friends with Naruto really be bad for the Uchiha pride?”

Itachi took a seat on Sasuke’s bed. The younger boy quickly sat up, but realizing he appeared too eager for the answer, he froze. He attempted to appear nonchalant by fake yawning and snuggling back into a comfortable position. Nevertheless, his eyes sparked as they glanced toward Itachi.

Sasaui, however, rolled onto her side to face them, her stomach twisting painfully. Whereas Sasuke was eager, she was nervous. Sasuke would be upset, though wouldn’t be unbelievably bothered losing him, but Sasaui truly didn’t want to. She didn’t want her pleading expression to slip through. She wanted nothing but the truth from Itachi without influence from her. The desperation easily seeped from her, though.

“Well, I guess that all depends on what you consider Uchiha pride, doesn’t it?” Itachi bent down, placing a kiss on Sasuke’s forehead. He responded by making a face and wiping it off. Despite this, when Itachi moved over to Sasaui’s bed, Sasuke grinned. “Whatever you decide is Uchiha pride, that is what you go for.” Itachi kissed Sasaui’s forehead as well. “Now both of you need sleep,” Itachi said.

Sasaui pulled her blanket closer. Maybe it would find a way to shield her from her confusion. “Yeah yeah. We know,” she grumbled.

Before he exited, Itachi paused. “Don’t worry. You’ll both do fine tomorrow in the Academy,” Itachi assured, for the first time addressing the other anxiety-driving event. “As for Naruto, I have faith in both of you to make the right choice.” With his final words, Itachi closed the door behind him. The two children were left alone with their thoughts, mauling over them until, eventually, sleep overcame them both.

*~*~*~

“This is boring,” Sasaui groaned under her breath. Her complaint did nothing to stop the old Hokage from continuing his speech. It was simply to welcome them into the Academy. Why couldn’t it be just short and sweet? As nervous as she was for her first day, she still wanted to get started.

Sasuke elbowed her, glancing over his shoulder where Father stood. “Quiet, Shrimp. Father may hear you,” he whispered. He scowled when she stuck her tongue out at him, and then he returned the action. A moment later Sasuke and Sasaui grinned at each other before turning forward again. They stood in a different lines full of kids that were having to suffer through the Hokage’s speech as it droned on. Sure, it meant something, but not when everyone buzzed with nervous energy.

As the Hokage continued speaking, Sasaui unconsciously allowed her mind to examine the crowd of kids. It wasn’t until she saw a flash of blond she realized she had been searching for a certain blond haired, blue eyed boy. A pang of queasiness and pain reminded her of why she shouldn’t be. Sasaui still didn’t know if they were going to continue to be friends.

“Well, I guess that all depends on what you consider Uchiha pride, doesn’t it?”

Sasaui sighed as those words repeated in her head. Wouldn’t everyone consider the Uchiha pride the same thing? It was just doing what was best for the clan, wasn’t it?

The Hokage’s voice pierced through her thoughts before she could delve too deeply into them. “The entire village is like a large family, so protect them as you would your family. This is the basis for what is known as the Will of Fire. This shall one day be passed to you as shinobi, and it will be your duty to follow it.”

For some reason, as the Hokage drew to a close, his words rang through Sasaui. Something about them persistently whispered to her, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. It was so close, taunting her with whatever secret knowledge it held.

“Finally over,” Sasuke yawned, stretching as the crowd of children dispersed to meet up with their parents one final time before their first day at the Academy began. “Come on. We should probably go to Father.” Without checking if she was following, Sasuke began walking in their father’s direction.

Sasaui followed.

Once they reached Father, they realized they didn’t have very much time to speak. A chunin that had known Itachi spoke to them with a cheery smile. “Well... I still remember the day when Itachi entered. As expected of siblings,” the man said upon their arrival.

Sasaui opened her mouth to speak, but all words stuck to her throat as a yellow speck caught her attention. Her onyx eyes flickered toward the source, freezing when they met deep blue eyes. Naruto grinned upon meeting her eyes. He sat alone on a swing. Before they had noticed each other, Sasaui could have sworn he looked depressed. It was hard to believe with the large smiled he now donned on his face. Because of this it made Sasaui’s chest squeeze when she simply dragged her focus back to those around her. Father said that it could possibly hurt the Uchiha clan for her to be friends with Naruto, so why did it hurt so much turning away from him?

“You two should become fine shinobi like your brother.”

Her father’s direction statement to them caused Sasaui to jump. It wasn’t surprising to hear from Father, though. Hearing it sparked a small bit of annoyance to once again be given expectations because of Itachi. Still, both she and Sasuke nodded in response.

A bell shrieked, piercing through all the conversations. “Looks like that’s your signal to get to class,” the chunin remarked. “Well, it was nice to see you again, Fugaku. Now, kids, let’s get going.”

The Uchihas trailed behind him, waving goodbye to Father before they entered the Academy for their first time. Even if she knew how foolish she must appear, Sasaui found herself grinning grandly at every detail. They had finally taken their first step toward becoming ninja! She was going to be so amazing. One day, she’d not only take down Sasuke, but Itachi, too. Somehow she would become the best kunoichi there was. The thoughts were quite farfetched, but that didn’t stop Sasaui from dreaming.

“I believe we were told that we’d be in class 4?” The previous statement ended in a question as Sasuke double guessed himself. Glancing back at Sasaui, he quickly realized she probably had even less of an idea than he did. With a sigh, he grabbed her wrist, drawing a shocked yelp from Sasaui. “Come on, Shrimp. Time to get out of Lala Land.”

Sasaui stuck her tongue out. “You’re just jealous that I can think of such a cool Lala Land.”

Rather than argue, Sasuke simply jerked her forward a little too hard, sending her bumping uncomfortably hard against a wall. He simply snickered before dragging her into the classroom he believed was there’s.

The new environment quipping her interest, Sasaui stopped to take in everything. There were three columns of four desks, each desk big enough to fit about three people. Each row was on their own little level except the first so there were steps leading down to the front of the classroom. The front was a big open area with a podium and a board attached to the wall. A handful of seats were already occupied. These were the other students who were going to attempt being a shinobi, just like her. Somehow, it felt like having about thirty different rivals.

“And you are?”

Her attention was so centered on the classroom before her she hadn’t noticed the dark haired chuunin standing beside the door, a clipboard in his hand.

When Sasaui began to idiotically gawk, Sasuke sighed. “I’m Sasuke Uchiha, and this is my dipstick of a sister, Sasaui.”

The man glanced down at his clipboard before nodding. “I see you both on my list,” he said, giving them each a small smile. “I’m Iruka and I shall be your sensei. Just find yourself a seat. The class will start after everyone is given time to get to class.”

“What in the world was that about?” Sasuke murmured when the two found a seat. “Iruka-sensei asked you a question and you just stared at him.”

Sasaui eyes darted behind her toward the chuunin again before returning to her brother. “I can’t help it. I’m so excited that we’re actually going to be in the Academy, and he’s our teacher, so that automatically makes him so cool. But, I mean come on.” Sasaui made a small gesture toward him. “Did you not see how cool of a scar he has?”

A small thud sounded as Sasuke dropped his head onto their desk. “Sasaui, at times I seriously question you being my sister.”

The only response he received was a laugh because before she could retort, a shriek pierced the air. Every child turned toward the door where Iruka-sensei stood, two other students near him. One was a girl who had backed up into a desk, trembling in what Sasaui guessed was fear due to her scream. She furiously wiped at shoulder as if there was a disease residing there. The girl stammered out something that sounded like, “It touched me.”

The other person was Naruto, his face unnaturally pale.

“Aki, that is enough,” Iruka said. Class hadn’t even begun and he already seemed to have aged a decade just with the current events. “You’re being overly dramatic. Just find a seat.” Iruka warily regarded Naruto. “As for you, Naruto, you should do the same.”

While Aki continued being stunned in horror, Naruto nodded. Dropping his head, he dragged his feet to an unoccupied desk in the corner and slid in. All alone.

Just as he had been at the park.

“I am simply trying to protect the reputation of the Uchiha clan. That boy will only bring trouble to the both of you, and from you, the Uchiha clan.”

Sasaui buried her face in her arms, attempting to not only block out the chatter around her, but the growing pit in her stomach. Mother said that it was fine for them to be friends, so of course it was alright if they were. But she couldn’t shake the fear of doing any damage to the Uchiha clan. Maybe, she thought, we can be secret friends.

Her thoughts were disrupted when class began shortly after. The excitement from before began to slowly return, but her worries for the Naruto situation lingered around the edges. Every once in a while she’d find herself losing concentration and sending questioning glances toward Naruto. One time she caught him staring back. She quickly averted her eyes after that.

Their first lesson wasn’t anything special. Iruka-sensei reiterated some of what the Hokage had said. Afterwards he discussed what we would be learning first – how to control chakra. Although Sasaui was already fairly good at doing such for her age, the thought of furthering her ability excited the young girl.

“During the middle of each class day, we have a break period. It is during this time you can eat and talk with your friends,” Iruka informed his new students. “You will be given forty-five minutes before we resume class.”

Once their teacher stopped speaking, the chatter instantly began to pick up. Before she became aware of what she was doing, Sasaui twisted around so Naruto was in her peripheral view. He had a small bento out, poking at whatever was inside with his chopsticks.

“I’m going to go train outside,” Sasuke randomly muttered, sending a slightly glare at the kids sitting behind them. Sasaui raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless she rose to follow her twin. As they were walking out of the room, though, she paused, checking on her “friend” one last time. This time he wasn’t alone.

A group of boys stood around him, and judging from the angry, yet sad expression Naruto wore, they weren’t there for tips on bentos. After only a moment’s debate, rather than follow Sasuke out, Sasaui inched toward the boys.

There were four of them besides Naruto, though it appeared only one of them was actually speaking. He had dark green hair that spiked out, reaching as far as his shoulders. His lighter green eyes leered at Naruto, but something seemed off. “There’s no way a stupid kid who is going to just pull pranks will ever be a real shinobi,” the boy said.

Naruto glowered, raising to his feet so he was in the other boy’s face. “That stupid bald guy?” he questioned. “Not my fault your dad was too drunk to escape my prank.”

The boy faltered slightly, glancing between Naruto and his friends. When he noticed they were slightly thrown off by Naruto’s counter, rage flashed across his features. “At least I have a dad. And a family at that.”

It was an extremely low blow, one that obviously hit Naruto hard. His annoyed mask faltered, almost revealing the pain the boy’s remark caused. Even one of the other boys muttered, “Taro,” as if in warning. So the green haired boy’s name was Taro. And for once, Naruto was left speechless, trying to regain himself from what had basically been a slap to the face.

“Hey!” Impulse ceasing control, Sasaui stepped forward, shouldering past the other boys to get to Naruto and Taro.

Something sparked in Naruto, somewhat clearing his distraught feelings. Taro raised an eyebrow as he examined Sasaui. “Oh, you’re that Uchiha girl. Come over here to test yourself against this disgraceful brat?” he asked. Once again, something seemed off to Sasaui, but at the moment, she had other things on her mind.

Father was right. If she was around Naruto, people really would look at her differently. Because of her renowned clan, that would also reflect on the Uchiha. She couldn’t bring herself to do anything to disgrace her clan.

However, wasn’t it the clans’ job as part of the protectors of Konoha to protect whatever it was the Hokage mentioned before? The will of fire, Sasaui recalled. One was supposed to protect their family, which was their village. Wasn’t that what the Uchiha pride was? After all, the Uchiha were the Konoha police. It was their job to protect everyone anyhow, right?

Sasaui did everything she could to keep the mental battle from showing outwardly. The complications of the thought process were causing her great confusion, but it made sense. The Uchiha pride meant protecting one’s family. That meant all of one’s family.

“You’re wrong,” Sasaui began. “Naruto does have a family, because he has me. And if you morons keep messing with him, you’ll have to deal with me.” Sasaui crossed her arms stubbornly, scowling venomously toward Taro and his friends.

Taro blinked. “Wait, did you just say you’re family with it?”

“Naruto is not an it,” Sasaui snapped.

“And if you have anything to say otherwise, she’s not the only one you’ll have to deal with.”

The boys whirled around, jerking back when they saw the glare that Sasuke was giving them. Apparently realizing Sasaui wasn’t following, the Uchiha boy had returned. The previously confident boys suddenly seemed to shrink in size. “Hey, Taro, maybe we should go.”

The gears were visibly turning in Taro’s head. If he backed down, he looked weak. If he stayed and lost, there was no doubt whatsoever he was weaker. Finally, with a grunt, Taro backed away from Naruto. “Let’s get going, guys. I don’t want to stay by these freaks any longer.” With that final order, the eight year old gang-boss-wannabe walked away, his friends quickly escaping behind him.

“Hn. They’re idiots,” Sasuke remarked. He studied his sister, and then Naruto, and Sasaui was sure she noticed relief in his eyes. “Well then, are you two coming with me to train or not?”

“Wait, what?” Naruto was completely thrown off guard. First the Uchiha siblings hadn’t sat with him, so he had figured that for whatever reason their fantasy friendship had come to an end. Yet somehow now he was being invited to train?

Sasaui rolled her eyes and yanked Naruto up by the arm. “Come on. We’ll eat outside then get to work.” With a snicker, she released Naruto and darted towards the door. “After all, we all know you two needs a ton more work to catch up with me.”

With one look between the two of them, Naruto and Sasuke took off after Sasaui, calling out protests with Iruka’s fading yell at them not to run in the Academy falling on deaf ears. Why wouldn’t they be excited? The first day of Academy took the best possible turn for the trio.

*~*~*~

“I still cannot believe she’s friends with that boy.” Fugaku rested on his porch, watching over the three children in his backyard. After school his children had requested Naruto be allowed over and Mikoto had instantly agreed. It wasn’t that Fugaku disagreed, but he also wasn’t sure this was the safest option.

Itachi sighed, pushing off the wall he had been leaning against. “I know, Father. This could prove quite dangerous for Sasaui, but you need to have faith in her. And in Naruto.”

Fugaku replied with a small grunt. “Keep an eye on them though, Itachi. If things go badly, Sasaui could end up in a very bad spot.”

“She’s not the only one, Father,” Itachi muttered, continuing forward in order to go join the children.

Deciding they would be alright with Itachi around, Fugaku rose. As he made his way into the house, however, he paused to look back only for a moment at Sasaui and Naruto. It was a funny way how fate worked. Even with such minimal odds, it had paired together two people who, with just one slip, could bring the end of the other.
End Notes:
So, what do you think of that foreshadowing? Was it evil? Any ideas what it means? Also, that one brat Aki who shrieked? If anyone reads CS as well, that is the same name of the girl who was a butthole to Sakura. Yes, I did do that on purpose XD. Again, sorry for the, well, kinda filler-ish feel of this (at least I get that feel).
Murderous Intent by Sasaui Uchiha
Author's Notes:
I feel like I overuse the above too much this chapter... Anyway, hope you enjoy. Finally getting to drag this away from the cliche it appeared to be. As for the ending of this... All I can ask is for you to trust me XD Also, sorry if it seems too fast for you guys. If so, just tell me.
"So, who believes they can do this?" Iruka asked, standing with his hands crossed as he stood before his students.

There were six boards scattered across a few trees, each varying in position. The Academy stared wide-eyed at the challenge before them. Whoever took the challenge would have one chance to hit every board with only one throw of shuriken, one between each finger to give them the necessary amount.

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Nobody then?"

Just before he gave up and was going to give the true assignment – something much easier, a certain trio's voices carried to him.

"There's no way you can do it!"

"You don't know that," another countered.

"I nearly did something like that with kunai."

"Sasuke, Itachi told me you failed –"

"Shut up, Sasaui!"

"Well, if he fails to do something like this, I have to prove I can do it!" As Iruka had predicted based on their voices, a blond boy shot up. "I'll do it, Iruka-sensei," Naruto announced.

Many of the gathered children sent Naruto a mixture of wary and angry glances. It was obvious most kids didn't like him, and his random outbursts only annoyed them further. Despite this the boy somehow had two friends he had been conversing with only moments before.

"I don't know him," one of his friends, Sasaui Uchiha, murmured as she tried to appear invisible.

The other friend, the girl's twin brother, Sasuke Uchiha simply shrugged. "He's a dobe. What do you expect?"

Iruka sighed, shaking his head at the children's silliness. "Come on up then, Naruto," he said, though dubious of the end results this would produce.

Although he knew Naruto trained by occasionally catching him in the process, he also knew Naruto's aim wasn't the best. For this reason, he made sure to stand behind Naruto while he got ready to throw the shuriken. He also gestured for a few students to shuffled back a few steps.

"I'll show you all what I'm made of," Naruto declared before setting the shuriken free, whizzing through the air with great speed.

The throw itself was good. However, there was too much of an angle from trying to hit the two trees at the side. This sent the shuriken too far either right or left. One went way too high, flying over the wall around the Academy. A shriek could be heard from the other side, as well as some not-so-kind words.

After calling over a quick apology, Iruka turned to face Naruto, who was staring at something in the direction of the trees. Before he could even turn to see what it was, the boy let out a cry of jubilee.

"I got one of the targets right in the middle!"

Sure enough, when Iruka examined all of the target boards, he found that one of the targets farther to the left had a shuriken planted near the bull's-eye mark.

With an impressed chuckle, Iruka nodded. "Yes, you did. Now get back to your spot while I tell all of you what we're going to do next." After Naruto obliged, Iruka once more turned to the gathered students. "Now, class, we're going to practice throwing shuriken at these boards, though unlike the previous show, we're only going to throw one at a time. This will get you used to the feel of throwing the shuriken at different angles," Iruka informed. "So, line up, and we shall each get our chance."

Instructions given, the children instantly set into motion.

*~*~*~

"See! I actually hit one of them," Naruto exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. His joy flowed off him in waves. "I really am awesome."

Sasuke smirked. "You was just lucky," he argued. "I bet I could hit at least half of them."

The three children were lined up along with everyone else, though Sasaui was more intent on watching than the boys. Kunai and shuriken had never been a strong point for her. Even the smallest hint of how to actually throw them successfully would be beneficial. She had seen everyone's amused expression when Naruto messed up. Since she was an Uchiha, they expected her to succeed though. What would they do if she ended up completely failing?

Before her fear could progress much farther, an annoyingly familiar voice broke through her fearful state.

"That fatso won't be able to do this at all."

More drawn by the curiosity as to who Taro's next target was than the insult itself, Sasaui glanced over. The green haired boy was in the line to her left with his friends and two other boys. The one with dark hair up in a ponytail had a slight glare on his otherwise bored expression. On the other hand, the brunette with swirls on his cheeks was staring at the ground, his lips quivering. His hands clenched and unclenched at his side as Taro's friends laughed.

The dark haired boy glanced at the other. "Chouji, did you hear something? I think there's an annoying buzzing," he asked.

At first it didn't appear Chouji would respond, but then he just smiled and nodded. "Must be a lot of pests around."

Sasaui smiled slightly. Through the last six months in the Academy, Taro had made it a habit to take every chance he could to pick on somebody. In most cases that was Naruto or Sasaui. There were a few other kids, and none but Sasaui and Naruto really seemed to stand up to Taro. It was nice to see another child doing so.

Noticing her gaze, Taro glared. "What you looking at, Uchiha?"

Sasaui stuck her tongue out. "A big booger head," she responded.

Naruto snickered while Sasuke's head fell. "Big booger head?" Sasuke repeated, rubbing his eyes. "Did she really just say big booger head?"

"Yes, she did," Naruto confirmed as he bit back more laughter.

Sadly, despite the lift in her mood, it did nothing to improve her shuriken abilities. Only a third of her throws hit, and they were mostly near the edges.

"Who's the booger brain now?" Taro shot.

Sasaui seethed and threw her final shuriken. The ninja star clanged off the wall. That settled it. She was getting Itachi to help her with her shuriken.

*~*~*~

It had been such a wonderful day. So Sasaui had never expected her attempt to scare Naruto to go so wrong.

After her failure at school, she'd managed to convince Itachi to help her and Naruto with their shuriken problem. Sasuke had wanted to go, but the day they'd chosen he grew ill. It had been quite a productive training session regardless. Sasaui's aim had increased a nice amount, and Naruto had been right behind her with Itachi's teaching.

While they were walking back, Sasaui randomly sprinted ahead of Itachi and Naruto to hide in an alley. Naruto had been too shocked to chase after her, and Itachi probably had an idea of what she was doing. After making a quick turn to remain out of Naruto's view, she'd jumped into the first alley she'd seen.

Because of her rush, she hadn't seen the large man standing inside of it.

Sasaui had begun by apologizing profusely, but stopped the moment she saw the limp body behind the man.

Now she found herself dangling against the wall, a knife resting over her heart, and the large man's wide green eyes trained on her.

"If you scream, I'm going to kill you."

Sasaui bit down on her lip, salty tears slipping in. Her shoulders trembled and a whimper wanted to squeeze out. However, she made no noise. Instead she glanced down at the knife that threatened her life.

After another moment of studying Sasaui, the man dropped his head and cursed. "A kid. A freaking kid caught me. How am I supposed to kill a little kid?" He glanced up again only to spew more curses. "Guess I'll just have to make it quick."

"Get your hands off Sasaui!"

Neither person had a chance to see who had appeared in the mouth of the alley before a rock slammed into the man's head. The shock made the man release Sasaui's throat. Her legs barely caught her before crumpling beneath her. The trembles coursing through her body left Sasaui an immobile mess as she watched a small figure run up and tackle the man who had been holding her. Already disoriented, the small amount of weight flung against him was enough to take the man down.

Sasaui's eyes widened when she saw Naruto climbing on top the man, slamming his small fists into the other's face. "No hurting my friends!"

Although there wasn't too much power in the punches, the barrage of them was keeping the man temporarily stunned. When it finally seemed to occur to him it was just a weak child, the man slipped his hand forward to grasp Naruto's neck. From there it wasn't hard for him to fling Naruto at a wall.

"All of these stupid brats," the man muttered as he began to sit up. "Killing them doesn't seem so bad now-"

He froze as yet another figure appeared, this one older than the others. As Sasaui recognized Itachi standing over the man, her trembles began to subside. They were safe if he was around.

Itachi said nothing, but his eyes blazed red with the Sharingan. The man stared into his eyes for only a moment before collapsing on the ground.

"Are you two hurt?" Itachi asked.

Sasaui nodded, her eyes drifting to the man's limp form. They remained there until they flickered toward the dead body. All she saw was blood pouring from their chest before she tucked her face into her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Sasaui murmured.

Itachi nodded before turning toward Naruto. "And what about-"

When Itachi's voice came to an abrupt halt, Sasaui finally rose her head to see what was going on. Her eyes widened. Naruto was on one knee, his lips pulled back into a snarl. It was his eyes, though, that made her heart hammer against her chest.

They were red.

Kill.

Sasaui flinched. Her breathing hitched as something pulsed through her. It was a want she'd never felt before, and she couldn't quite place what it was. The only thing she knew for sure was what the word she'd heard hissed in her mind had been.

The want was dark.

The want was... murderous.

"Sasaui, go home. Now."

So lost in her thoughts, Sasaui hadn't noticed Itachi scooping Naruto up. The young boy struggled, but Itachi's grip didn't falter. Itachi sent Sasaui a quick stern look before turning on his heel and shooting into the air.

Sasaui sent a quick glance toward the two forms on the ground before getting to her feet and examining the direction Itachi was going on. Her mind was still befuddled by the odd sensation only moments before, but she knew one thing for sure. There was something going on with her best friend, and she had to know he was okay.

She definitely wasn't going home.

Shoving down the confusion blooming to life, Sasaui took off in the direction she'd seen Itachi going in. The killing extinct thrummed in the back of Sasaui's mind, growing stronger the longer she chased after any blurred image of Itachi she caught. Sasaui refused to acknowledge it, though. As scary as it was, Naruto needed her. She had to get to him.

When she finally came to a panting halt, Sasaui was standing before the Hokage's building. Sasaui doubled over, looking every way in an attempt to find Itachi. Itachi had disappeared off the edge of the building about fifteen minutes ago, but she'd seen the area he'd dropped from. Now he was nowhere to be seen. It was possible he was in the building itself.

Sasaui tensed. Her worry had kept the murderous urge in check, but her small break had allowed it to make progress. Every moment it grew stronger, the less conscious of her own thoughts she became.

Kill it. Keep the world safe from it.

Without being aware of it, Sasaui began to move. At first it was simply a fast walk, but when Sasaui entered the Hokage building, it became an outright sprint. Every turn was a mystery to Sasaui as she simply fought to control her own body. As it was approaching dinner time the building was relatively empty but she did pass a single man who called out for her to stop before she made a sudden turn and barged into a room.

The man from before grasped her shoulder as she froze. The intent had been driving her in a way she couldn't explain, but when she saw what was in the room, it had shocked her back into control. Naruto was held tightly by an Itachi clone while the other Itachi spoke to the Hokage. They'd all been focused on each other, but with Sasaui's sudden appearance, all eyes were on her.

"What are you doing here?" Itachi demanded just as the Hokage said, "Tenzo, thank you for coming."

The man, who was apparently Tenzo, responded, but his words were lost on Sasaui. Even Itachi's chiding went over her head. When her eyes met Naruto's, everything else vanished. They were still red, slits taking the place of his pupils. His cheek markings were suddenly thicker and darker, almost resembling whiskers. At one point, he snarled, revealing sharper canines than before.

Sasaui was reminded of a feral cat.

"Guardian," Naruto growled.

Sasaui trembled, distantly aware everyone was saying to get her out of there. A mixture of emotions clashed. The sadness and fear were most dominant, but the previous urge was crawling back to life.

Gulping, Sasaui murmured, "Naruto?"

At first, Naruto did nothing but continue to glare at her. After a moment, though, he blinked. Then he began to rapidly blink, and the final time his eyes were blue again.

"Sasaui?" Naruto glanced around. "What's going on?"

The thrill that shot through Sasaui chased away the previous feelings. Grinning from ear to ear, Sasaui jogged forward. The movement caught Tenzo off guard, allowing her to break free. She didn't get why the older people were so worried about what was going on. It was just Naruto after all.

Even as the thought was forming, Sasaui jerked to a halt. A dark pit twisted in her stomach as red energy pulsated around Naruto. The red irises and other features had returned, including the enraged snarl directed her way. The energy destroyed the clone and sent the others skirting back. Rather than feel fear, though, the murderous feeling roared to life within Sasaui even as she was also pushed away. Against her will her hand reached into her kunai pouch, pulling one of the knives from its place.

Kill!

The cry sent Sasaui lunging forward, her kunai drawn to attack. Before she could make it to her target, though, arms wrapped around her and tried pulling her back. It was only because she fought them that Naruto's clawed hand made contact with her chest, dragging half way across it before whoever grabbed her moved. Wood sprouted from the ground, forming multiple roots that captured each of Naruto's limbs before he could follow.

Both children struggled against their restraints. Sasaui nearly stabbed who was holding her. Just as she was about to, his voice finally broke through her frenzied state.

"Sasaui, calm down. I need you to listen to me right now," Itachi pleaded, one arm around her waist while the other applied pressure to the wound.

As the murderous haze lifted, Sasaui began to tremble. The kunai she'd been holding clanged against the floor. She stared open mouthed, unable to believe she'd just tried to stab Naruto.

A throb from her torso reminded her of what her "friend" had just tried to do to her.

Sasaui dragged her eyes from the kunai to the very boy it had been intended for and froze. Even though the man who had tried to stop her was standing before him, Naruto still glowered at her. Red chakra still seeped from him. For a moment Sasaui felt the voice that prodded her to kill returning.

Before it could, though, a new sensation resonated through her. Every fiber of her being suddenly burned. Although she felt the instinct, it was dim, overtaken by the new inferno that spread from her wound into the rest of her body. Sasaui screamed, thrashing against Itachi as if it would allow her to escape the newfound pain.

Itachi screamed something. Someone replied. But it was all miles away from her.

She only heard one last roared, "Guardian!" from Naruto before everything was lost to a pain-filled darkness.
This story archived at http://www.narutofic.org/viewstory.php?sid=11104