Title: cabbage patch

Author: paws-bells

Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Itachi

Type: Continuous (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 8835

Theme: LJ Community, 50-shinobi theme #23, cabbage patch

Rating: M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-san.

Summary: Non-massacre AU. Their story began long before anyone could realize it. The story of a little pink-haired girl child, and a stoic young boy.

Created on: 22/06/09

Completed on: 29/06/09

Chapter Last Revised on: 04/07/09

Chapter Three

"Chuunin Exam Final match; Konoha's Uchiha Itachi versus Kiri's Seiryoku Tokui…Commence!"

The officiating Jounin moved swiftly out of range of the two Chuunin hopefuls currently locked in a standoff, and all around them, the spectators within the crowded stadium roared with anticipation. This was the fight that they had all been waiting to see. The climax of this exciting examination, the showcase of pure talent from all the shinobi nations, it all stemmed down to this—the best of the best of the Genin participants matched against each other in one last, no doubt epic, battle.

The young ten year old child prodigy of the Uchiha clan was facing off against a much larger, meaner-looking, fifteen year old Genin from the aptly named Village of the Bloody Mists. This was the third battle for both combatants on this day, and both had rightfully won their places in the finals, systematically defeating their opponents in their respective matches.

Uchiha Itachi, the boy child of the proud clan of Sharingan wielders, was blank faced and calm, the very epitome of stoicism and cool composure that his House actively encouraged amongst its members. His narrowed eyes were pools of unfathomable onyx, the stance in his young body one of alert readiness, and his immaculate attire reasonably clean for one who had just participated in two matches—and won.

His adversary, however, was a study in contrast compared to the much younger Leaf Genin. Seiryoku Tokui was by no means an elegant person; the harsh regiments of his brutal village had ensured that his mind and body were conditioned perfectly for warfare and nothing else. The aggressive, feral-looking teenager was bigger and taller than his opponent, and whereas Uchiha Itachi had successfully subdued his previous opponents in non-hostile manners, allowing them to yield the match in his favor, Tokui was covered in the fresh blood of his previous victims, having mauled and viciously attacked the Genin unfortunate enough to fight against him until the Jounin referee had been forced to step in to call the match. The Mist-nin was certainly living up to the bloodthirsty reputation of his village, to say the least.

The young Uchiha did not appear perturbed by the show of savagery that he had witnessed earlier, firsthand. Itachi observed the other Genin with sharp, intelligent eyes instead, his smaller form showing no signs of intimidation or fear as he firmly stood his ground against Tokui.

The Kiri-nin sneered at the pretty-looking boy child.

"Ready to run crying back to your Mommy, little Uchiha?"

Itachi did not even react to the taunt, merely watched and waited for the other to make a move first.

Tokui did not disappoint.

Without even the need for hand seals, the trademark Kirigakure no jutsu was quickly utilized, and thick mist started to pour into the arena. Visibility became drastically limited, and so the young, raven-haired Genin closed his eyes, relying instead on the rest of his unhindered senses to detect the enemy. He had noted from the previous matches that Seiryoku was mostly an ambush fighter, cleverly using panic and psychological warfare to unsettle and downright terrorize his opponents into making mistakes that he did not hesitate to exploit viciously. There was also no doubt that the older Genin had killed before; the impressive amount of bloodlust he was currently exuding was telling enough.

Therein laid the mistake that the Uchiha tensai had been looking for.

It was common knowledge amongst higher ranked Chuunin and all Jounin that even though killing intent, no matter how little, had the ability to disorientate and strike terror in the hearts of those not used to being subjected to it, it was also an effective homing device that could be potentially turned back on the user who was radiating such rampant thoughts of violence and bloodshed. It was for that exact reason that it was highly discouraged for any nin below Jounin-level to attempt such techniques when trying to conceal one's position from an enemy—a stronger opponent with a greater willpower and enough experience with encountering and negating the effects of bloodlust would have no problem shrugging it off and then using it to track down his enemy.

And so, the predator became the prey.

With nary a whisper, the younger Genin suppressed his chakra and concealed his presence completely, silently fading into the chakra-imbued mists and out of range of his opponent.

Or so Tokui thought.

The Mist-nin narrowed his eyes; where had that damn brat gone? One moment, he was fifty meters away, and the next, he had disappeared. Just like that. But it wasn't possible; he had given out enough killing intent to stop Genin much older than this Uchiha. There was no way the boy could have so easily shrugged out of it, which meant that he should still be right there, only suppressing his energy in the hopes of breaking its hold—

The thought of the older Mist-nin went uncompleted when a rain of kunai bore down upon him out of nowhere. He reacted immediately out of pure instinct, abruptly releasing the Kirigakure no jutsu and substituting himself with the nearest object he could see with a quick Kawarimi.

Damn it; that Uchiha was a lot better than he had thought! How had he managed to get so near without even briefly flaring his intent? Not to mention, how had the kid broken out of his Kanashibari so easily? The Mist-nin cursed under his breath as a swift, flying kick greeted him even before his body replacement technique was fully completed, and realized that he had just been caught in a trap of his own making.

The Leaf-nin had anticipated his reaction, read him before he could even make his move, and had been waiting for him, neatly turning his little ambush back against him.

All without the use of the Sharingan.

Tokui was unable to completely avoid the oncoming collision, and had no choice but to take the chakra-enhanced hit right across the face. The Kiri-nin was tossed back a few feet by the heavy impact, his head snapping to the side as he hit the floor harshly, the air knocked out of him, together with a few pieces of teeth. Anger filled his being as the sharp tang of blood exploded in his mouth and dribbled down his chin; the brat had drawn first blood! He forced himself to recover quickly, rolling to his feet just in time to block another kick as the young, expressionless Uchiha landed soundlessly on his feet and homed in swiftly on his target.

With an agility that was clearly incongruent with his hulking size, the older Genin snapped out suddenly and managed to grab hold of the boy's ankle in an effort to throw him off balance, twisting viciously with the intention of breaking bone. The raven-haired preteen seemed to instinctively understand what was about to happen and tried to twist free from the other's grasp but to no avail. The Seiryoku was a physically strong brute, and he had an immovable hold on his prey. A fierce smirk crossed the Mist-nin's face as he started to apply brutal pressure, and in a last ditch effort to minimize the damage, the Uchiha took to the air and turned his lithe torso sharply in momentum with his opponent's attack, using the abrupt force to bring the heel of his other foot crashing heavily down upon the other nin's shoulder even as the loud, sickening 'pop' of dislocation echoed through the arena.

Despite the throbbing pain of his bruised shoulder, Tokui smiled savagely as he let go of the now injured boy. With a dislocated foot, there was just no way that his opponent would be able to fight effectively now, genius or not—

The same injured foot promptly smashed into the side of the Kiri-nin's face in a matter of mere seconds, with a force large enough to break his nose, dislocate his jaw, and throw the stunned Genin a few feet backwards. Blood spurted out from Tokui's face and he roared in a pained fury, landing on his back with a loud thump a few meters away from the panting Uchiha as he cradled his lower face.

To his credit, the ten year old had made no sound to indicate his physical distress as he landed on the ground in a crouch, unlike his howling counterpart. He placed most of his weight on his good leg even as agony shot up his leg from his dislocated ankle. His stoic face had gone bone white from the pain, though, but his dark, burning eyes were still fixed intently on his enemy. The retaliating injury that he had meted out to the Kiri-nin would buy him some precious time to deal with his own dislocation, although made worse by the powerful, violent kick that he had used to temporarily disable the other Genin.

There was an imperceptible tightening of his jaw as he quickly aligned his twisted ankle against his other foot, inwardly relieved that he had suffered no fracture. Augmenting his injury with precious chakra, he prepared himself for the oncoming pain and brutally forced the joint back into place, a sharp crack that seemed to agree with the pain that turned his vision white for a brief moment. The pokerfaced Uchiha paused for a brief moment to regain his composure, and stood up quickly as he faced his opponent once more, giving no further thought to the now bearable throbbing of his ankle.

The other Genin glared hatefully at him as he, too, used brute force to realign his jaw back in place. Tokui bared his teeth at the pain and snarled at the younger boy, no longer playing. The bloodlust in the air returned twofold, and now that there was no mist hiding Itachi's reaction from sight, the Mist-nin quickly realized that he had made a mistake when he had used his killing intent on the other boy.

The Uchiha was hardly affected by it, and had resumed watching his opponent with his sharp, observant gaze. Strangely enough, the famed Sharingan was still nowhere in sight, and Tokui was beginning to suspect that perhaps the boy did not have enough chakra to sustain his kekkei genkai. He was still a child after all, and no doubt his energy reserves were small and must be very low right now, especially after the two matches prior. For that, Tokui decided that it was safe to use ninjutsu. Besides, the enemy was injured and incapacitated and he was willing to take the gamble that his next technique would be able to defeat the younger boy. He started to flash through a long series of hand seals, pouring all of his remaining chakra into the jutsu, slamming his hand to the ground at the climax and yelling out, "Doton: Ganchusho!"

Immediately, the ground rumbled and shook, and large rock pillars shot up, some heavily spiked, others huge and clubbed. With an unspoken command from the Kiri-nin, the rock formations undulated like gigantic serpents and headed straight for Itachi.

The raven-haired Genin watched, outwardly unperturbed as the lethal pillars rushed at him. At the very last moment though, he bound into the air and affixed himself to the head of one of the pillars with a thin, exact film of chakra, and then started to run swiftly down the length of the stone column, right towards his adversary. The resulting pain from his strained ankle was ignored, and the youth moved purposefully amongst the deadly rock formations aiming for him, weaving and ducking and leaping across the pillars with unerring accuracy as he headed straight for Tokui. The Uchiha's mastery over his body movements was nothing short of amazing. He escaped the thick, twisting columns with deceptive ease, his every action executed with simple precision and practical efficiency, no theatrics, no elaborate gestures, just pure function and reaction that still somehow appeared dangerously graceful and choreographed.

Lethal.

This was not how a normal ten year old should move, but then again, Uchiha Itachi had never been a normal child by any standard.

The young, blank-faced tensai went after his opponent with single minded determination, and Tokui's eyes widened slightly when it finally registered to him that his secret ace was not working on the Uchiha heir, just like about every other thing that he had thrown at him. All his best moves were being shrugged off by this child nearly six years his junior, and Tokui burned with sheer, impotent rage and humiliation. He forced more chakra into the jutsu, and even though the huge rock formations became bigger and faster, it was as if Itachi was simply untouchable. Despite his handicap, he was still moving with swift fluidity—how on earth was he doing that with an injured leg?

The younger Leaf-nin was approaching at an alarming speed, and Tokui had learned from earlier, painful experience not to let the boy too near. The latter was smaller, and therefore had the advantage of being extremely quick and agile in armed combat, and Tokui knew that all the brute force in the world would not matter if he could not land a hit on his slippery target. The Mist-nin had also made the mistake of showing the young prodigy a measure of his top speed when he had managed to grab hold of the boy earlier and yet failed to end the fight there and then, and he was certain that the Uchiha would not give him the chance to catch hold of him unaware again.

Tokui had gravely underestimated Uchiha Itachi and was now paying severely for it. Even without the Sharingan, the kid was still highly dangerous as heck, proving without a doubt that he had not relied on his powerful bloodline limit to build his impressive reputation.

Just what the hell were these crazy Leaf clans doing to their children to make them so powerful at such a young age?

Left with no choice, Tokui forced out a thick pillar from the ground in front of him and sent it slamming towards the younger Genin in the hopes of misleading the Uchiha. He performed a quick shunshin to a safer distance simultaneously, and cursed when the distraction failed. Unperturbed, his attacker merely dodged out of the way and shifted his stance without a pause, heading towards the older Genin's new position a few hundred feet away. Tokui scowled and pulled out a handful of shuriken, hurling them at the boy who moved like quicksilver. The razor-sharp throwing stars were quickly deflected by a kunai that materialized almost magically in the Uchiha's hand, and in sheer desperation, the Kiri-nin released his chakra-eating jutsu and formed a new one, this time calling upon a modified version of the Doryuuheki to protect himself. The ground around him liquefied to mud as they sprang up to form a ball-like barrier all around him, before hardening just as quickly.

The young raven-haired Leaf-nin did not wait for his adversary to execute whatever offensive he was planning from behind the enclosed ball of earth. Using ninjutsu for the first time since the match had began, his hands were flashing rapidly through hand seals even before Tokui's defensive walls were properly erected in place, and the latter would not know that he had made the mistake of assuming that Uchiha Itachi had run out of chakra until it was too late.

It was true that the young tensai was not physically matured enough to develop a sizeable chakra reserve, but what the boy lacked in sheer volume, he made up for in spades with his incredible chakra control, and as such, was able to utilize jutsu to such degree of effectiveness that little to no chakra was wasted in the process, thus greatly improving his efficiency.

As such, there was no abrupt flare of energy, no telling shift of chakra whatsoever, when the Great Fireball abruptly ignited to life with a large roar, growing to massive proportions as the young Uchiha continued to breathe life into the huge Goukakyuu, before finally allowing the mass of scorching flames to travel towards his hidden opponent and hungrily engulf the mud sphere. For a brief second or so, nothing happened.

Then, a loud, agonized scream cut through from within the earthen orb. The rapidly heated, supercharged air trapped within the bubble of mud was all but cooking the nin stuck within it, and the man was being baked alive. With nowhere else to go, the pressurized air kept expanding until the ball of hardened, superheated mud simply came apart in a loud explosion, raining huge chunks of earth and sand all over the arena even as the Kiri-nin was unceremoniously spat out and propelled to slam headlong against the nearest wall of the dome.

Seiryoku Tokui crumpled onto the ground without a sound, and the horrific third degree burns that blackened his exposed face and skin told all who was watching this match just what the outcome would be. The older Genin was still clinging to consciousness—but barely, and the youth who had thoroughly defeated him with nothing but a common C-ranked ninjutsu approached him quickly, and without hesitation, brought out a kunai and pressed it against his opponent's jugular.

"Yield."

For the first time since the match had began, the Uchiha heir spoke, his voice as cold and empty as his face, whose emotionless expression had not changed at all. There was no sense of triumph or victory in that blank gaze, no excitement or sense of smug pride in his detached tone, and for the first time in his life, Seiryoki Tokui felt pure fear.

This boy was clearly not normal; it was as if he lacked emotions, was deadened, and had the most horrifying potential to become a ruthless killing machine.

Monster.

If Uchiha Itachi saw the sudden unspeakable terror, awareness, that was reflected in the gurgling Genin's eyes, he showed no sign of it. He withdrew his kunai when the badly injured Tokui gave a quick, frantic nod, stepped away and waited patiently for the Jounin referee to call the match.

"Seiryoku Tokui is unable to continue! Winner of this match: Uchiha Itachi!"

The aftermath of the Chuunin exams was more or less predictable. The Hokage came down to the arena to give a small speech heralding the end of the examinations, praising the participants who had managed to make it this far, and after explaining the criteria that they had been looking for amongst the individual combatants, the Sandaime started to announce the names of those who had earned the title of Chuunin.

Only four out of the initial one hundred and twenty six Genin who had participated in the exams were called out, and not many were surprised when Uchiha Itachi was amongst one of them. He was the youngest and also the brightest, and he had done his clan great pride when he walked up to the Third and accepted the Chuunin vest. None in his family had achieved such an honor before at his age, and not surprisingly, the House of the Uchiha looked on with delight when their Fire Daimyo came and praised their heir for his quick thinking and brilliant use of simple techniques to such marvelous effectiveness.

Five year old Uchiha Sasuke fidgeted impatiently by his mother's side as he watched his ani with awe in his childish eyes. He had wanted to run down to his Itachi-nii the moment he saw his brother win the match, but his Okaa-sama had held on tightly to his hand and refused to let him go, and the little raven-haired boy had pouted and sulked for a bit before quieting reluctantly when his father frowned at him. Still, he continued to glue his sight on his brother with excited eyes; Nii-san was awesome! The other nin had used such dangerous jutsu but his older brother had faced them alone with nothing more than his speed and a kunai blade! Sasuke really could not wait to express his admiration for his powerful sibling, just as he could not wait for his Nii-san to train him so that he could become just as strong!

Fortunately, Otou-sama finally decided to vacate the family box at last, and headed down the stadium steps in a stoic, dignified manner befitting his status as the Uchiha clan head. Okaa-sama stood up as well and the youngest son of both clan heads all but leapt eagerly to his feet, though the excitable child was prevented from rushing off ahead of his Father by his Mother's firm grip, and in an orderly manner, the rest of the small, well-dressed Uchiha entourage followed their leader at a sedate pace.

The stern, noble facade of Uchiha Fugaku softened slightly with approval when he met the eyes of his eldest son, who now held a Chuunin vest in his hand.

"Well done, Itachi," he intoned richly. "You have made us all very proud today, my boy."

The newly minted Chuunin bowed slightly towards his Father in greeting, and then, proceeded to do the same for his Mother.

"Itachi, you should get your injury looked at by a medic," the beautiful Lady Uchiha commented serenely. "Are you hurt anywhere else, son?"

The Uchiha heir shook his head in response to that mild tinge of concern in his parent's eyes. "No, Okaa-sama," he replied dutifully. The usual spar-related bruises and damage were insignificant and there was no need to bring any attention to them. "I will make a visit to the infirmary later."

His little brother, who could no longer tolerate the boring series of formal etiquette, burst out impatiently. "Nii-san, train me!" the young boy demanded petulantly, incurring a small frown from his sire, which the youngster tried his best to pretend not to see. "You beat that Mist-nin so easily; I want to be just like you when I grow up!"

Itachi flinched inwardly at Sasuke's jubilant announcement. His outward expression did not change, though, and he stared at the small, pale face, so much like his, looking up at him with such worshipful adulation. It was apparent that Sasuke had no idea what he was talking about, and Itachi slowly crouched down before his exuberant little brother.

Little Sasuke, who was so full of life and mischief, who was the very best of both of their parents.

Itachi silently wished that his younger brother would never have to live a life like his.

The raven-haired Chuunin looked upon the wide-eyed, still-innocent face of his younger brother, and at last gave the squirming boy a small, almost sad smile.

"Sasuke should just be Sasuke."

Meanwhile, in another part of the large Village of the Hidden Leaf, a precocious little girl was kept busy berating her mischievous pet for not following instructions.

"Itachi-chan, stop wriggling!" Sakura chided as she tried her best to build a luxurious sandcastle around her pet. "You are flinging all the sand around!"

Unfortunately for her, that was the young weasel's exact purpose. It was more intent on searching for a comfortable sunning spot amongst the piles of lumpy sand that its mistress had been digging up, and whatever grainy architecture the pink-haired girl child had painstakingly erected, her pet was more than happy to demolish it for her, especially since her pails of upturned sand were blocking the rays of lazy afternoon sun that it was trying to catch.

At last, the exasperated girl flung up her hands, spraying small bits of sand all over herself, and on the rich black pelt of her pet weasel, as well.

"I can't build a house for you if you are like this—acck! 'Tachi-chaaaaan!"

Sakura squealed when Itachi-chan did a full-body shake and expelled all the grains of sand from his body, incidentally transferring most of them onto his slightly miffed owner. He did a belly flop then, lying out in the spot that he had finally patted flat with his tiny little clawed paws, and stretched out to his full length of ten inches beside Sakura. Limp and relaxed, it looked like a living mink rug with its small limbs and tail fully extended as far as they could go, and he turned to give the exasperated little girl a blink or two of utter boredom, before laying its head down and going right to sleep.

It was apparent that the baby weasel was in no mood to play, and Sakura sighed. The playground was empty today, even Ino-chan was not there. Her blonde friend had excitedly mentioned that her parents were bringing her to watch some nin competition called the Chuunin Exam, and would not be visiting the park today. Sakura would have wanted to tag along too, but Kaa-san had adamantly refused to allow her young, impressionable daughter to watch such 'bloody, violent' sport, whatever that meant.

And so Sakura was left all alone today, and even the park seemed empty and quiet.

The pink-haired child sighed again, and stuck her finger into the sand, drawing random patterns that made no sense whatsoever. At last, she got bored with what she was doing and reached over for her small, battered looking backpack instead, dragging it nearer and digging for the book that she had brought along with her today. Placing the worn, dearly beloved book on her lap, she opened it and began to read. Sakura had only started to learn the concept of reading and writing about a year and a half ago, but she had been a surprisingly fast learner and she loved to learn. A child genius in her own way, she was unusually quick on the uptake when it came to devouring knowledge from books, and she simply loved to read.

The little girl immersed herself in the many stories, sitting in the deserted sandbox with her dozing pet weasel beside her as warm, dappled rays of sunlight filtered through the thick tree branches that sheltered them from above.

It was peaceful.

Half an hour later, Uchiha Itachi walked into the empty park, as always, on his way to the training grounds.

The Exams were only barely over, maybe by two hours, but already, the young Uchiha heir had struck out for his private sanctuary the very moment he could, allowing the medic-nin to tend briefly to his ankle before swiftly leaving the stadium. His family had left before him; his clan would hold an extravagant celebration this day but he wanted little to do with it. Returning home now would merely mean that he would have to tolerate the suffocating, simpering presence of his fellow kinfolk as they trampled all over themselves to congratulate him on his latest achievements, loudly singing his praises and capabilities as their esteemed and prodigious clan heir, and then just as quickly, turning around behind his back and whispering stories about how terrifyingly capable he was becoming as such a young age.

Then, there were the clan elders, the pressure and unceasing demands they made wearying and stressful. These old men and women controlled the clan with their tight, wizened fists, and were the ones to plan every single aspect of his life, just like they had his Father before him. Slowly but surely, they worked to erode away any unwanted sentiments of autonomy and defiance with cold blooded patience, seeking to bind him completely to the clan, breaking him in and training him to be subserviently willing to serve their every whim, no questions asked. And now, even though he had gone beyond their expectations and gained the Chuunin rank, Itachi knew that they were going to be demanding more out of him.

For the good of the clan, Itachi, you must…

You must.

It was always for the good of the clan.

The ten year old's pale face tightened, looking almost strained even as he struggled inwardly to regain his outwardly composed features. Sometimes, he almost wished that he could get away from his family for just a little while, but the traitorous thought had always appalled him enough to immediately abandon that line of thinking. It was frustrating at times, and slightly bitter, and the youth wondered bleakly just where that feeling of euphoria and accomplishment that he should be feeling was, on this day, when he had reached an important milestone in his life.

A small hand touched his cautiously then, jolting him abruptly from his thoughts. It took all of his control and split second judgment not to retaliate instinctively, not to lock his fingers around that fragile wrist with the speed of a striking viper, use it as leverage to flip and slam the perpetrator to the ground and twist her arm painfully behind her shoulder before grinding his knee into her back in a brutal subduing fashion.

He stiffened slightly though, and automatically, his face schooled into a blank canvas. Had he been so consumed by his own thoughts that he had failed to detect the presence of another? Itachi looked down sharply, and then, his tensed demeanor relaxed imperceptibly when he saw the familiar mop of flyaway pink hair, the large, innocent green eyes that peered up curiously at him.

So that was why his well honed instincts had not alerted him to the breach of his privacy, and the young heir was hardly perturbed. He had been silently watching over her on and off for the past few months, after all, and almost always in this little park that she seemed partial to. Used to his brief, silent surveillance of the little girl child, it was no surprise that his senses had automatically registered her presence without need to alert him; she was his curiosity, but it was clear that she posed him no harm whatsoever.

This was the first time little Haruno Sakura had seen him since her little nighttime jaunt in the woods nearly a year ago, and he was almost certain that she wouldn't recognize him. He had made perfectly sure to keep his strange interest in her a secret, made sure that she never noticed him in her vicinity in the rare handful of times that he had passed by this playground en route to his training ground, pausing only briefly to check up on her, to gauge her growth even though he wasn't quite sure himself what exactly he was searching for. This pink-haired child who was more than she appeared to be was his hobby of sorts, one of the rare, little oddities that he had allowed himself to have amongst the usual routine of strict clan life, duties, and rigorous training.

Watching the little civilian girl live through her childhood in a normal, happy manner, even if only for short minutes at most and between biweekly intervals at least, served to bring a small smudge of color into the raven-haired youth's otherwise dull existence. It certainly wasn't in the lengthy schedule that the elders had ordered him to follow religiously; this was something that he had decided to do on his own and in a strange manner, it gave him a small sense of perverse satisfaction and contentment to be able to watch over her.

At least in this, he had a choice.

"Nin-san?" her small, childish voice called out then, bringing his attention back to her.

It was not his intention to reveal himself to this child who had been his excuse to experience a somewhat more normal life. He had not expected for her to be here; the period of the Chuunin Exams had always been treated like a national holiday, a festival of sorts, and he had assumed that she would have been enjoying the festivities with her parents, not left all alone here in an empty park. He had been travelling on ground; the medic had warned specifically for him not to aggravate his ankle if he wanted it to heal properly, which restricted his mode of travel to a normal walking speed. Running into her was an oversight he had neglected to consider, but it was of no particular consequence to him, and so, he decided to wait to see what the little girl wanted.

Five year old Sakura clasped her hands behind her back and watched the older raven-haired boy currently staring at her blankly. He was the first person she had seen in this small, quiet park today, and even if he did not believe it, she clearly recognized him. He did not look like he shared her memory, though, and the happy, excited gleam in her eyes dimmed slightly with disappointment.

"Anou…do you…remember me, nin-san?" she asked a tad forlornly, looking at the ground in a slightly dejected manner, almost as if preparing herself for his rejection. He had been nice to her that time when he had saved her pet and herself, and Sakura had always remembered kindness, especially when it was given to her.

And so she had remembered this older boy.

She had remembered the color of his hair, the shape of his face clearly; her photographic memory ensured that she had imprinted the special events of that evening firmly in her young, impressionable mind. She had been fast asleep by the time he delivered her into the grateful arms of her mother, and even though she hadn't seen him then, she still remembered him clearly despite all that because he had left such a lasting impression on her.

Besides, he was the only person she knew who shared the same name with her Itachi-chan.

"You saved me and Itachi-chan before, remember now?" she continued hesitantly, almost shyly.

He looked at her impassively, not revealing his thoughts whatsoever. She was being uncertain and almost timid now, nothing like that fierce, utterly furious entity that he had witnessed a few months back. He saw that her precious red ribbon was tied neatly in place on the top of her head, her fringe parted to reveal the forehead that she had been so often teased for in the past. She possessed a bit of confidence now, it seemed, and had chosen not to hide from the bullies who used to torment her about her looks.

At last, he spoke.

"Aa, I remember."

Almost immediately, her gloominess cleared, replaced by a brilliant smile as she beamed at him with pure, childish pleasure. He remembered her!

Itachi was inwardly startled by how his simple admission could make her so happy, though before he could ponder more about her reaction, she caught sight of his feet and sobered quickly, a growing furrow between her brows. She pointed at his bandaged ankle.

"Are you hurt, Itachi-kun?" she asked innocently, addressing him by name, looking up to him with guileless eyes.

He nodded once, wordlessly, watching her as she tipped her head slightly to the side and considered his injury with a tiny frown marring her small, elfin face. A slight movement from behind her alerted him to the presence of her small, furry pet that clambered out from the sandbox with little difficulty and approached his mistress in a rapid blur of black. Sakura didn't react when the now larger forest critter streaked up her leg and proceeded to make its way up to perch on her shoulder. His namesake then sat on his hind legs in an impressive show of balance on his young owner's slender shoulder, nonchalantly using its forepaws to daintily clean its face and whiskers as it groomed itself after a lazy afternoon nap.

The weasel did not seem threatened at all by the raven-haired Uchiha, judging by the way it was relaxed and going about its own business without a care in the world. Had Sakura been trained to be more observant, she would have wondered why her normally wary pet was behaving in such a relaxed manner around the young Chuunin.

"Did you fall down?" Sakura asked at last, drawing his focus back to her. She gave him an understanding grimace before he could answer her. "I fell and hurt my knee once, too. There was a lot of blood and I cried," the little girl admitted honestly. "It was painful, so you must be in pain too, right?"

He didn't know how to reply her.

No one had ever asked him this question before, for as long as he could remember. The fact that this little girl had enquired about the state of his health first and foremost, paying no heed to his position or his results from the Chuunin exams, stunned him in a way that caused him to freeze up quickly, not sure how to react. It didn't matter that she was probably too young to understand, or perhaps, she was not aware that he had been involved in the competition, but against all odds, her innocent question had touched him on an instinctual level.

He stared at her, but she didn't seem to register his intent regard, didn't seem to understand how her simple question borne from concern had affected him in a way that none had accomplished before.

In pain? Him?

He was but a mere tool to be used for his country, his village, his clan. Pain was not a concern to him; he was supposed to be above it, just like he was supposed to feel for nothing other than his duty, his training, his clan.

But he had already broken that rule; the fact that he was so irrationally fixated on this young girl child had proven in spades that he was not as emotionless as the elders had wanted him to be, and somehow, that pleased him.

His dark, remote onyx gaze warmed imperceptibly.

"It is…inconvenient," he admitted quietly, gently, to Sakura. "But I will heal in time."

I will become stronger. I always do.

She looked confused, adorably so. Her Itachi-chan quieted and watched the Uchiha heir with inhumanly intelligent, black button eyes. "Inconvenient?" she echoed unsurely, and he was reminded that this strangely astute, empathetic girl was still but a little child.

He nodded slightly. "It is a bit difficult for me to move about right now," he explained with patience, watching as understanding lit up her expressive eyes. "I will get better soon."

Itachi turned then, and moved a few paces away to the park bench facing the play area. Despite his young age, he sat down with a quiet, unconscious poise, his advanced training in stealth evident in the way he moved with lithe, soundless efficiency. Sakura followed his example, ever the inquisitive child, only too glad that she now had someone to talk to, even if for a little bit.

"Why are you alone?" the raven-haired youth asked quietly. It was something that he had never had the chance to find out before, but now he was becoming just a bit more curious about her, and he wanted to know why she always seemed to be in this little park all by herself, without the careful supervision of a parent or guardian. She was the same age as Sasuke, still so little, and he couldn't imagine why a young, defenseless civilian child such as her would be left unwatched for long periods of time.

Sakura shrugged unconcernedly, playful swinging her short, dangling legs to and fro in the air as she sat on the bench beside Itachi. Her pet weasel protested her rough motions in a ruffled chitter; she was unsettling him, and at last, she stopped.

"Kaa-san has to work, so Sakura-chan has to be a good girl and stay here in the playground," the bubbly pink-haired little girl recited cheerfully. "Sakura-chan cannot leave the park with anybody, cannot talk to strangers and must wait here until Kaa-san comes back."

She looked at him with pure trust in her deep green eyes. "You are not a stranger."

Itachi stilled, his gaze leveling on the precocious, seemingly carefree child. At last, he nodded slightly in agreement, she had no idea how right she was; he would never, ever be a stranger to her now.

The boy hesitated slightly, his curiosity waging a brief war with his natural inclination to keep to himself, before he questioned again. "…when will your Kaa-san come back for you?"

"Erm…" Sakura looked briefly at the cloudy late afternoon skies above, before returning her clear, innocent verdant gaze to the Uchiha heir. "Kaa-san always comes back before it becomes too dark," she told him, looking a bit more seriously than before.

Her sentence was telling—and the implications disquieting. Itachi quickly found himself paying close attention to the little girl. "Are you here every day?" he probed carefully. "Alone?"

Something flitted past her large, doe-like eyes then, as she briefly studied him in perfect silence, something startlingly wise and matured for one her age, and he wondered inwardly what she was thinking. The moment passed as quickly as it had come though, and she nodded at last.

"I'm not always alone," she told him in her sweet, young voice. "Most of the time, I have friends here. Itachi-chan is here too." She reached up and petted her little weasel affectionately. "I'm never alone," she told him determinedly, and in that very instant, he saw again in her that same flare of fierce courage he had witnessed during her desperate fight against her two bullies those months ago.

It was gone just as quickly, hidden by that shy, tentative smile of hers.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and before he could speak, she hopped down the bench abruptly and ran back towards the sandbox, her startled pet hanging on to her neck for dear life. She stooped slightly to pick up a worn backpack that had seen better times and an open book, before turning and trotting back to him. She placed her belongings beside the foot of the bench neatly and climbed up to sit beside him again, proudly showing him her precious book.

"Look, look; I have brought a book to read. This is my favorite," Sakura told him earnestly, happy to have someone here to share a bit of her joy, blatantly invading his personal bubble as she reached over and reverently placed the beloved, dog-eared volume on his lap. She didn't move away after that, sitting so very closely to this boy she clearly trusted, her small shoulder brushing against his upper arm and her skinny leg pressed against the side of his thigh, and surprisingly enough, he did not react adversely to her familiarity. She was only a child, after all, and had no idea of proper etiquette and decorum.

Not to mention, he didn't seem to mind her proximity very much; her presence was certainly tolerable when compared to that of some of his obnoxious clan members.

Obligingly, the preteen looked at the book, half expecting to see a colorful, children's picture story, only that it wasn't. He read the title twice just to be sure, and surprised, finally took up the book and started to rifle curiously through the pages. Long strings of words in small print met his eyes, filled page after page after page, occasionally interspersed with pictures of what was clearly their village.

He turned her expectant gaze in surprise. Her favorite book was a history text of Konoha? He could tell by brief inspection that the volume in his hands was clearly meant for academic, educational purposes, not exactly leisure reading material, and certainly not meant for children her age.

Not that he was one who could be allowed to make such observation, since he himself had been reading manuscripts and tomes even more complex and much thicker than this one at her age. Of course, he hadn't known then that it wasn't normal for him to comprehend advanced levels of chakra theory and jutsu deconstruction with such ease, and it was only when he had joined his Genin team, been around children his age, that he had realized that he was different.

And different wasn't always the best.

"You understand the contents within this book?" he asked in a tone slightly sharper than he had intended. She did not take offense, though, and nodded slowly.

"A bit," she told him hesitantly, looking almost ashamed. "Because there are some words that I don't know how to read." She paused, and then burst out shyly. "My favorite part is when Yondaime-sama protected the village by slaying Kyuubi."

She was being perfectly honest with him, not boastful of her accomplishment, instead trying in her own way to please him, to share her small piece of her happiness with him, almost as if somehow aware of his own turbulent, bitter feelings, and it worked. Her complete lack of guile and subterfuge made him relax even more around her. There was no need to wonder cautiously about any dangerous hidden meanings or deception here, in this empty little park with this sweet-faced girl child with the delicate elfin features and soft pink hair.

"Why this book?" he asked, genuinely curious.

The light in her deep emerald eyes dimmed slightly. "Kaa-san says that Tou-san bought this book for me when I was only a baby. It's my one and only present from Tou-san, and so it's my favorite."

Her reply was telling, and it implied to him that her father was most likely no longer in her life; either missing or deceased. It also explained why she was so determined to read the book even when she admitted to not understanding some of the words in it. Judging by the worn quality of the paper, it was not difficult to picture a small, little pink-haired child carefully poring over the pages of the treasured book. Silently, he returned the dog-eared volume back to her, and she took it and hugged it tightly to her chest, a small sigh escaping her cherubic lips.

There was a long silence, one that was not awkward or strained, something that the Uchiha heir was thankful for. It was soothing, and Itachi was mildly startled to realize that he had not thought much of his clan since meeting little Sakura today. It was a small blessing; he didn't think that he would be able to stomach tonight's celebrations with the upper echelons of the clan if his resentment and frustration had continued to brew over like it had earlier. Idly, the boy contemplated just what it was about this five year old child that drew his reluctant attention to her, that calmed his troubled mind and turbulent thoughts.

He came up blank; there was no explanation really, just an innate feeling that led him to watch over her every time he was able. The young Uchiha did not know whether to be disturbed by his own irrational interest in little Sakura; her behavior was matured for her age, she was certainly smart, and small as she was, she possessed a fire within her that made even him stare with quiet admiration whenever she chose to use it. She was a foreign paradox to him, and perhaps that was why he was so curious about her. Instincts told him that she would only become more fascinating as she grew older, and maybe that's why he was always watching her.

Itachi glanced briefly at the sky. The position of the late noon sun told him of the time that had passed since he had come across Sakura and had spoke to her, and inwardly, the rational part of his mind reminded him that he should leave now, that precious time was wasting that he could use for further training.

He made no move to do so, and beside him, Sakura shifted slightly and turned to look at him.

"Itachi-kun, can you…help me with some of the words that I don't know?" she asked shyly, placing the book carefully on her own lap and turning the pages slowly, coming to the chapter on the Nidaime and his famous suiton jutsu.

The Uchiha heir looked at the pink-haired little girl, but said nothing to deny her polite request. Unlike his petulant little brother, as amusing as his spoilt little antics were at times, Sakura was well-mannered and eager, and obligingly, he lowered his gaze to the text that she was looking at, and when she did nothing for a minute or so, he turned his attention to her with a small tilt of his head.

"You must read if you want me to correct you."

Sakura beamed happily at her new friend, and then bent her head over her book and began to read. She started out slowly and haltingly at first, but then gained more confidence when her hard earned knowledge took over. If he was surprised by the level of her fluency, he did not show it. When it came to the words that she did not understand, she would stop and look to him for help, upon which he would calmly pronounce the correct phonetic and explain its definition, exactly word for word as if reading from a dictionary.

She didn't stare at him like he was a freak of nature though, merely listened keenly to whatever knowledge he thought to impart to her, asking small questions here and there, looking at him with childish awe and admiration as he easily provided meanings and answers to previously unknown words that she had struggled so hard with. It was a novel experience for Itachi—to be needed and appreciated with a genuine lack of further motives or hidden intention. She wasn't a difficult student to teach; quick on the uptake and eager to learn. She didn't fidget about or appear bored by his lesson, and he had no trouble tutoring her in the intermediate levels of Japanese grammar and vocabulary.

Time flew by quickly, and before long, the skies started to darken; the sun sank slowly into the horizon and the warm summer temperature started to dip. The little girl slipped her book shut at last, for the first time having gone through an entire chapter without once having to give up halfway. She was elated, though mentally exhausted from all her learning. She slumped against the back of the park bench and heaved an accomplished, happy sigh.

She remembered her manners though, and turned her head to Itachi to give him a smile. "Thank you, Itachi-sensei!" she chirruped gratefully, and he gave her a cursory stare at the suffix she had attached to his name. "I learned a lot today, and I won't forget what you told me earlier, I promise!"

She was so very earnest, seeming to exude an inner glow and such happiness just from the small bit of attention that he had given to her, and it was difficult to remain unaffected by her pure, genuine feelings.

He nodded slightly in response to her gratitude, and then looked around him briefly. The park was surprisingly deserted today, and at the moment, it was completely empty except for himself and the little pink-haired girl sitting beside him. The hours had passed quickly, and Itachi gauged that the celebrations his clan was holding was about to start soon. He would have to leave now if he wanted to attend the compulsory event in time, but he hesitated, looking once more at the child beside him.

"When is your mother coming to fetch you?"

Sakura gave a little shrug. "Soon, I guess." She did not seemed bothered by the way night was beginning to blanket the lands, and that quickly explained why she seemed to exhibit no fear when he had found her in the middle of the forests nearly a year ago.

She busied herself by keeping her book in her bag, and dug out a small box of juice and a packet of biscuits, which she proceeded to tear open and offer to the raven-haired Uchiha. The boy politely refused the treat, and Itachi-chan stirred awake at the familiar sound of crinkling wrapper, quickly unfurling itself from around his mistress' neck and scampering downwards in a quick streak of black to await his share of the food on her lap.

Sakura giggled and made sure to give her pet a small piece first before getting some for herself, and Itachi observed as she cheerfully teased the little mustelid with another piece of food until the irritable creature gave her a small, punishing nip on her finger and proceeded to snatch the biscuit away. The bite did not break skin, though, and Sakura's childish amusement told him that she was used to her pet's antics.

She noticed him watching her then, and promptly shoved the packet of biscuits in his face. "Are you sure you don't want any?" she asked innocently, and he shook his head, drawing back slightly. She looked at him inquisitively.

"Are you going to wait too?"

He did not answer for the longest time, and when he did, there was the strangest expression on his face.

"Yes, I will wait."

::tsuzuku::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

The reason why Itachi did not use his Sharingan in the fight is simple; there was no need. CP-verse Itachi does not rely overly on his kekkei genkai; in fact, I really believe that it was the same for canon-verse Itachi as well, which explains why he was such a formidable nin even at a young age. He utilizes a precise amount of energy just to defeat his opponents, nothing more, nothing less. In this case, bringing out the Sharingan for no reason other than to wow the crowds would be overkill, especially when he had the situation in hand. There's no need to whip out the clan's bloodline limit every few seconds just to show that he could, unlike a certain Uchiha frère we all know and love/hate.

The manifestation of the Sharingan is not a measure of skill, after all.

Besides, Itachi is only ten years old in this chapter. His chakra reserves are likely not as large as his opponent's yet, and thus, there's a need to conserve energy whenever he can. That's not to say that he has run out of chakra in the final match, just that he saw no need to expend his energy unnecessarily.

By the way, Seiryoku Tokui is a figment of my imagination. He is my OC, created especially for 'cabbage patch,' and you just might see him again in future installments.

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I know that a dislocated ankle is not as easy to correct as say, a dislocated shoulder. That's because the ankle joint is inherently stable and a really large force is needed to cause the dislocation, hence the latter is rarely seen without an associated fracture. I had assumed that Itachi had somehow managed to escape the fracture, which was why it was relatively simple for him to force the joint back in place. As for the rest of the match, he had simply augmented precise amounts of chakra to his ankle to minimize the risk of worsening his injury, which was why he could still move about relatively unhindered. It still hurts, of course, but not as intensely as before, and the rest is purely a matter of mind over body.

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I hope Itachi doesn't come off as creepy with regards to his fascination in Sakura. No, he is not stalking her. He looks in on her only whenever he chances upon her, and does not purposely seeks her out. He is also not madly in love with her either, for heaven's sake. At the moment, she is just his curiosity, someone whom he is interested to watch over and wait to see how she will grow. He is clearly protective of her now, without consciously understanding the reason behind his own reactions. That's all for now, though.

I think he's too young to contemplate any other sort of affection for her at the moment, so the rest will come later, when they are older.

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As for Sakura, I'm aware that little five-year olds are normally not mentally developed enough to start reading history texts, of all things. But do keep in mind that canon-verse Sakura has always been exceptionally intelligent, especially when it comes to assimilating knowledge from books. At the same time, although her five-year old self have taught herself to read, she's still unable to fully comprehend everything within the book, so for those who are about to complain about an unrealistic, super-genius Sakura, please don't.

Sakura's not that much of a genius, to be honest, just blessed with above average intelligence, as well as the love for learning.

At the same time, the level of her maturity in 'cabbage patch' has been deliberately raised as well. Considering her family background, a deceased father and a mother desperately working to support herself and her young daughter, you will find that little Sakura is a bit wiser and possesses a more matured mindset when compared to other children her age. I believe that environment has a role in shaping the characteristics of an individual; just like Itachi is being molded by the ideals of his clan, Sakura will be defined by her personal experiences as they happened around her.

I hope this explains a bit about Sakura's character in CP.

For anything else, we will just wait and see where this brings us, eh?

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-paws