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Twelve years ago, a demon fox with nine tails existed. When that tail was swung, it would destroy a mountain and cause a tsunami. To counter it, the people gathered ninjas.
"Hold it here until the Fourth arrives!" A wounded ninja shouted as blood dripped from the side of his face.
"Don't let it get any closer to our village!" Another had shouted just as a giant toad appeared on the battlefield with a lone ninja standing on top of his head. This one man faced the nine-tailed fox in mortal combat in a life or death battle. The battle was won but the man had died in the process. That ninja was known as the Fourth Hokage.
Everyone knew the story and the history of that battle. It's been two years after all. Many lives were lost in the battle but with loss comes a new day, a new life, a new beginning. Nearing the end of July and Autumn just around the corner, in the blistering heat, there was a hospital room that was nowhere near quiet. Three different noises surrounded the room; one was a scream of unbearable pain, another was words of encouragement, and finally, a soft cry that came from a baby, The voices in the room toned down and was brought to a silent hum. Just then, there was a soft knock at the door and everyone in the room turned their attention to the sound. The door opened and a young boy with long black hair tied into a low ponytail stood there but made no move to enter the room. In his arms was a child. no older than two, who gazed around curiously around the room, enjoying the surrounding colors and pictures. "May we come in?" He asked. He had a blank expression on his face, but on the inside, he was shaking with excitement. A new member of the Uchiha clan was born. A new sibling. Another life. The older man in the smiled softly, but it was barely noticeable. "Come right in, Itachi." Fugaku stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed and his head held up high. Being the head of the Uchiha clan and captain of the Konoha Military Police Force he couldn't show of any weaknesses, and he had no intention of doing so with his sons and newborn child. He turned his stern onyx eyes toward the small bundle resting in his wife's arms. "They're resting now, so stay quiet." Itachi hesitantly took a step inside, then another, and another until he was standing beside his father. The first thing Itachi noticed was the pink clothing and pure white blanket wrapped around the newborn. When Sasuke was born he wore blue clothing with a yellow blanket wrapped around him. Sensing her son's confusion, Mikoto softly beckoned him to her side. "Come here, Itachi, Sasuke." Seeing his mother's gentle smile, Itachi made his way to her side, adjusting his hold on Sasuke, who was squealing at the sight of his mother after what felt like an eternity. When the two were close enough, Mikoto pulled the blankets to the side, revealing the pale, sleeping face of the child. "Say hi to your little sister." A little sister. Itachi's eyes widened and he leaned in closer to get a proper look at his little sister. She had pale skin and tufts of black hair framing her face perfectly. Sensing that people were around, the baby squirmed softly in her mother's arms and slowly opened her eyes, eliciting a small gasp from Itachi and a small squeal from Sasuke. Instead of the dark color of onyx-like the rest of the Uchiha, what stood in place was a bright color of forest green, expressing such innocence it could make any frozen heart melt. Mikoto looked at her son's and explained the reason for her odd eye color. "Remember grandma Noriko? Our little baby got her green eyes." Mikoto told her child, her eyes not leaving the little bundle of joy in her arms. Itachi nodded, understanding what she meant now. He remembered his grandmother very clearly, her long black hair and unique green eyes that made her different from the rest of the Uchiha. Unfortunately, she died only a year after Sasuke was born, so Sasuke won't be able to remember her when he gets older. Sasuke didn't pay attention to the conversation going around him and instead held his hands out towards the newborn. The baby cooed and giggled happily reaching out to her big brothers. Mikoto smiled gently, seeing all her children looking so happy. Itachi, afraid of dropping Sasuke from how much he was squirming in his arms, gently placed Sasuke on the bed next to his mother. Sasuke quickly crawled onto his mother's lap to get a closer look at the baby. The two stared at each other without making a sound, green eyes meeting onyx black. She blinked at him once, then twice with curious eyes before splurges of tiny giggles escaped her lips as she stared at her brothers, a smile so bright and adorable that it could melt any frozen heart. She squirmed in the blanket to pull out her hands before using them to reach for her brothers. Sasuke cheered and giggled happily, taking her small hand into his slightly bigger hand. Mikoto's smile grew as she held her two babies close to her heart. Itachi couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of how affectionate his little sister was to Sasuke, he wanted that smile to be for him also. He only met this child for merely a couple of minutes but already he was willing to devote his life to ensure her safety and protect her with his life. A small whine interrupted his thoughts and he saw his little sister holding a hand out to him, tears in the corner of her eyes as if she would cry if he didn't hold her hand. Smiling softly, Itachi gently took her hand in his and felt a spark of joy seeing the bright smile on her face. "She already loves her big brothers," Mikoto said with a small laugh. She watched all three of her children hold hands and exchange bright smiles. Though it was silent except for the occasional giggle from the newborn, it was a calming atmosphere. "Itachi, have you thought of a name?" The sudden question made Itachi turn his attention away from the baby to his mother. "Me?" Itachi asked, pointing at himself. Mikoto laughed softly and nodded her head in confirmation. "That's right. Your father had the honors of naming Sasuke and you, so I thought it would be best if you named her instead." While it was true she would like it if her first-born son named her, there was also the silent issue that Fugaku had no girl names prepared, strongly believing their next child would be a boy as well. Itachi stared at his mother for a moment before looking at his younger siblings, Sasuke staring at the youngest, who stared at Itachi with curious eyes. What name would be good for her? Hayami{1}? No, it sounds too grand. Maybe Shinobu{2}. But that sounds too boyish. Natsumi{3}? It's almost autumn though. Itachi kept on thinking about the name after name that would be perfect for the child but none of them seemed right. Mikoto and Fugaku watched and waited patiently for Itachi's answer but could sense his struggle. Mikoto had thought about giving Itachi a few suggestions but was interrupted by a high pitched voice, "Midori!" All eyes turned their attention to the source of the voice and it was none other than the second Uchiha child, Sasuke. Sasuke saw his parents and his older brother looking at him in confusion. He vaguely remembered that when they were teaching him colors, Midori meant green. Believing they hadn't heard him the first time, he pointed to his sister's eyes and repeated, "Midori!" "Sasuke, don't point at your sister." Makoto scolded and held her child's finger down. She had told Sasuke many times before that it wasn't polite to point at other people but because he was only two years old, it still didn't seem to sink in completely. "Midori... I like it." Itachi mumbled softly, but it was loud enough for Makoto and Fugaku to hear. "What was that, dear?" Makoto asked. Itachi faced his parents, a bright smile replacing the emotionless mask he held before. "Midori. I want to name her Midori." The name was perfect. It was simple yet beautiful. Midori Uchiha. Makoto smiled just as bright as her son hearing the name he had chosen. "Midori. A beautiful name for a beautiful baby." Makoto smiled gently and pulled Midori in closer, rubbing her cheek against her small chubby one. "It's perfect." Fugaku stayed silent the whole time, watching his family gather around the newborn. Not once did his eyes stray away from the baby or her eyes. "The name is fine." He agreed, bringing all the attention to him. He uncrossed his arm and started walking towards the bed, standing beside Makoto, barely giving Itachi enough time to pick up Sasuke and take a step back from the bed. Fugaku stood beside Makoto and the newborn Midori, staring down at her green eyes. "That just leaves one problem to solve..." He lifted his hands and started to do hand seals: Dog, boar, and finally the ram. He gently placed his fingers on her eyes shutting them closed. The room was silent and the comfortable atmosphere had grown tense. Fugaku pulled his fingers away and when Midori opened her eyes, her forest green eyes were replaced with the same black onyx color the rest of the clan held. "This information is to not leave this room. No one is to bring up or mention the color of her eyes. Is that clear." No one uttered a word of defiance but Itachi desperately wanted to ask why was this to be a secret. Why couldn't Midori anyone know about Midori's eyes? Would he ever see that bright color again? He didn't say anything though, for fear of his father's answer and actions. They had no choice but to accept if Midori was to be a part of the clan. "With that said, we have a new addition to the family and the clan. Welcome to the Uchiha Clan, Midori Uchiha." Itachi stared down at his baby sister and her onyx eyes. Even with this change, he would now and forever love and care for her and Sasuke."Welcome to the clan, Midori..."I swear, for as long as I live, I'll protect you and Sasuke from all harm... {1}Hayami is a female name meaning "Rare and unusual beauty"{2}Shinobu is a unisex name meaning "Recall" or "Stealth/Endure"{3}Natsumi is a female name meaning "Summer child"
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The sun shined brightly above the village of Konoha, casting its bright light of protection over everyone. The village was at peace as the villagers were hustling with their daily activities. In a certain household, they had their own little sunshine up bright and early in their own house. "Come on, Midori. Come to mommy." Mikoto Uchiha was sitting on the floor in her daughter's room with a small stuffed teddy bear in her arms, coaxing her child to go her way. She smiled brightly as she watched her child, a one-year-old Midori, sitting in front of her, sucking softly on her pacifier and holding a stuffed rabbit that was nearly as big as her. Midori energetically waved her arms, squealing around the pacifier. Mikoto cooed and awed at her adorable daughter as she watched Midori try to stand up by herself on shaky legs only to fall onto her butt. "Poor baby, you can't do it yet." Mikoto gently puts the bear to the side and picked up her child, gently patting her back. Mikoto snuggled into the corner of her mother's neck. Mikoto couldn't be more thankful for the blessing she held in her arms. Midori was a very good baby, rarely fussing or making a mess. There were times she worried that her child was very quiet but she came to realize that it changes quickly in the presence of two certain people. "I'm home." The voice of one of her son's called out. Hearing the voice, Midori squealed loudly, her pacifier falling out of her mouth, and squirmed in Mikoto's arms trying to go to the voice. "Why do you only get excited when they come?" Mikoto pouted and proceeded to head downstairs to greet her eldest son. She stood at the entrance and saw Itachi helping Sasuke take off his shoes. "Welcome back." Sasuke perked up and once his shoes were off he ran towards his mother and hugged her legs. "We're home." He cheered. Mikoto smiled softly and looked at her eldest son and gestured to the squirming bundle in her arms. Itachi chuckled at Midori's actions and took her into his arms. Midori cooed and babbled happily, finally in her brother's arms. Sasuke pouted and held his hands out to his brother. "I want to hold Midori, too." He complained. Mikoto laughed softly as she watched all three of her kids interact with one another. "What's with all the commotion?" Midori stilled completely in her brother's arms as everyone went silent. Everyone looked at the entrance and saw Fugaku enter the house as he took off his shoes and hanged up his cloak. Fugaku swept his gaze over every member of the family before landing on his three children. "Welcome home, father." Itachi greeted but never loosened his grip on Midori. Sasuke hid behind his brother's leg and stared at his father from behind while Midori snuggled into Itachi's neck, attempting to use his hair and neck to cover her. "Welcome home." Mikoto greeted her husband. "I was about to go out and do some grocery shopping." "I'll go with you," Fugaku said. "Itachi, we'll hold off on training for today." "But..." Itachi was going to say he didn't want to hold off but was cut off by the stern look his father gave him. Itachi looked down and gently bounced Midori in his arms as she softly cooed and patted her brother's face. Fugaku gathered his coat and stepped outside. Mikoto looked back at her children and smiled softly. "Itachi, why don't you take Sasuke and Midori out to play." She suggested. "You've been spending more time training than playing with them. Spend some time with your siblings." Itachi looked down at Sasuke and Midori, their eyes shining brightly at the thought of playing with their big brother. "All right." Itachi agreed. He fixed his hold on Midori and headed upstairs, Sasuke rushing ahead of him towards his room. "Oh, Itachi." Itachi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his mother. "Remember, once they start losing color, come back home quickly." With those last words, Mikoto left the house, leaving Itachi to stare and think about his words. Seeing that her brother wasn't moving, Midori started to pat his cheeks gently and cooed loudly. Itachi snapped out of his daze and stared down at his little sister, her onyx eyes staring back up into his. Once they start losing color... Itachi would never admit it in front of his father, but he liked her green eyes better than the same black eyes the rest of his family had. He would always prefer those emerald gems compared to their dull onyx. "Nii-san, let's play!" His little brother's voice broke his train of thought. Itachi looked down and saw his little brother carrying a small backpack and holding his stuffed dinosaur and Midori's stuffed rabbit. Itachi smiled softly at his brother's enthusiasm and poked his forehead as he held Midori with on arm. "In a bit Sasuke, there are still some things we need to pack up," Itachi said. He fixed Midori's position so she was more comfortable and started to head upstairs to pack up Midori's stuff. Itachi walked down the busy streets of Konoha, one hand holding tightly onto Midori and his other hand holding Sasuke's hand while he carried her bag on the opposite shoulder. Sasuke and Itachi were watching everyone move in a quick and quiet manner. Itachi truthfully didn't know what to do with the two. He never really played with Midori or Sasuke since he was always busy with his team or training. He felt bad but he wanted to grow strong enough to protect the village and his siblings. "Oh, is that you Itachi?"A voice called out. Itachi looked up and on one of the buildings, rooftops was another member of the Uchiha clan, Shisui Uchiha. "Shisui..."Itachi said, he quickly glanced at Midori's eyes and was relieved to see they hadn't lost their color yet. Shisui laughed and jumped down from the roof, standing in front of the two. "It's rare seeing you with the princess" Shisui chuckled and gently poked Midori's cheeks. Midori squealed in pleasure and took Shisui's hands in her smaller ones. It wasn't the first time Shisui has met Midori. There were times where he was asked to watch over the Uchiha princess whenever Mikoto was ill and Fugaku or Itachi was unable to watch her with Sasuke. Despite their meetings being very little and for a small amount of time, Midori was able to quickly recognize the older Uchiha and grew fond of him quickly. "Our parents stepped out to do some shopping," Itachi explained. Shisui chuckled and ruffled Sasuke's hair, as the younger boy hugged his leg. "It's still surprising you would bring the princess out in public." It was true, however. When Midori was born, the only people who were able to grace their eyes with her presence was the Uchiha clan, and even then only close family were able to see her. All because of Midori's treatment and her being the only girl born into the head of the clan, she was already known as the Uchiha princess and often joked that Itachi her brothers were her princes. "Sasuke wanted to go out and I think it would be a good time to teach Midori to walk." "Oh, what a caring brother you are." Shisui teased him as he nudged Itachi gently since he was still carrying Midori. "Midori, how about you say onii-chan. Come on, onii-chan." Shisui gently took Midori's pacifier out of her mouth and pronounced the word slow but clear enough for her to say it. "Shisui, she's not going to-" "Nii-cha!" All three boys froze where they stood at the new voice. Itachi and Sasuke looked at Midori, who gave them a toothless grin. "Midori, what did you say?" Itachi asked, exchanging a small look of shock with Shisui. "Nii-cha!" Midori cheered. Midori's first word! "Well what do you know, she is a smart baby." Shisui grinned. "And you said she wasn't going to." Itachi could only stare in shock as Sasuke took Midori into his hands and kept having Emiko repeat her first word. When Sasuke was born his first word wasn't onii-chan or his name it was the word, mom. For her brothers to be her first word, Itachi felt touched and proud at the same time. Shisui saw the look and placed his hand on Itachi's shoulder, snapping him out of his shock. "You should enjoy these little moments while you can. Sasuke is already growing up and Midori won't be that far behind him. Treasure them while you still have the time..." Those words rang in Itachi's head as he watched his siblings play. Treasure them while you still have the time... If only they knew, there was not enough time
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"Foolish little brother." Itachi taunted his little brother, silently staring at him before closing his eyes. Sasuke shivered in fear, clutching his wounded shoulder. He looked around desperately, looking for any source of help but there wasn't any, All he could see was the corpses of the fallen Uchiha clan. Standing in the center of all those corpses was his own brother, his katana soaked in the blood of the corpses.
"Why? Why... Why did you do this?" Sasuke asked. Itachi opened his eyes and looked at Sasuke with a blank stare. Sasuke blinked once and suddenly he saw Midori in Itachi's arms, he cradled her small body in one arm while his other hand still held the blood-soaked katana. Sasuke felt his stomach churn and began to panic. "Don't touch her!" He shouted. He attempted to run towards Itachi but his feet were planted on the ground. Sasuke stared at his legs and tried to move them with all of his might but he wouldn't budge.
Move! Move! He shouted in his head.
"You're weak Sasuke..." Itachi said, his eyes never leaving Midori. Itachi held up his katana and pointed the tip of the blade at her heart. "This is all because you're weak."
"Don't! Don't do this!" Sasuke screamed. "Don't take her away from me too!" His desperate pleas fell on deaf ears. Midori slowly turned her head and looked at Sasuke, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Onii-ch-" Before Midori could finish saying what she wanted, Itachi pushed his blade through her chest, piercing her heart. Sasuke watched in horror, as he saw the life in her eyes dim until there was nothing left. Itachi dropped her lifeless body onto the ground and looked at Sasuke before turning his back on him and walking away.
Sasuke glared at Itachi with tears in the corner of his eyes.
"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" He screamed. "Itachi!"
💚💚💚💚💚✵💚💚💚💚💚 Sasuke quickly sat up and took in desperate gulps of air. " A dream..." He muttered to himself. No, if anything it was more like a nightmare. He gripped his covers and grit his teeth at the memory. Itachi... He looked down at himself and saw he was covered in sweat. Sasuke let out a grunt and was about to move out of the bed before he felt a small tug on his shirt. He quickly turned around and saw his little sister in his bed, her small hand holding onto his shirt. Sasuke's eyes softened and gently stroked her hair. At least it all wasn't a memory. It's been five years since the Uchiha massacre where Itachi killed everyone in the Uchiha clan except for his younger siblings. While Sasuke witnessed what happened, Midori was asleep through the whole ordeal. He can still remember how hard she cried when she was told that her parents weren't ever coming back and one of her beloved older brothers was the murderer. If only he was stronger... If only Itachi wasn't selfish... If only there was a way to stop this from happening, then he wouldn't have to see his little sister cry. Sasuke shook his head at the thought and gently pulled Midori's hand off his shirt. He quietly climbed over Midori and moved her to the center of the bed, tucking her into the covers. When he was sure that she was still asleep and comfortable, Sasuke made his way to the bathroom. Hearing the shower go on, Midori woke up and looked around. Onii-chan? She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes letting out a little yawn. Midori tiredly climbed out of bed and put on a small navy robe over her white nightgown. She silently put on her slippers and made her way downstairs towards the kitchen to make breakfast and their lunch. After thoroughly rinsing the rice and placing it in the rice cooker she started to make miso soup, grilled fish, along with pickled vegetables for breakfast while frying up a few side dishes for their lunches. Sasuke stepped out of the shower with a towel over his head and wrapped around his waist. He was welcomed with the smell of miso soup and fish in the air. He walked over to his closet and put on his navy blue short-sleeved shirt with a high collar, white shorts, and white arm warmers. When he was fully dressed, he headed towards the kitchen to find Midori standing on tiptoes trying to reach for the bowls. He let out a small sigh before walking over to her, easily grabbing the bowls. Midori glanced up after seeing a hand reach for the very bowls she was reaching for, only for her head to bump into a hard chest. Sasuke looked down at her and held up the bowls. "This is what you were reaching for right?" He asked her. Midori nodded her head and smiled gently at him trying to reach for the bowls but he held it up higher out of her reach. She pouted, her bottom lip sticking out cutely as she jumped and tried to reach for the bowls. "Get dressed, I'll get the table ready," Sasuke ordered her. "I'll be up in a bit to help you." Midori looked up at Sasuke before letting out a silent sigh and headed up the stairs to their shared bedroom. When he saw that she made no signs to come back down he started setting up the table and filling the bowls with rice and placing the rest of the dishes onto the plates. Once everything was set up, Sasuke started to make his way up the stairs to the room and found Midori patiently waiting there, already wearing her nagajuban{1} with her kimono and obi laying on the bed. Seeing that Sasuke was back in the room, she started to put on the kimono with Sasuke helping with adjusting the length and tying the obi around her body. When they were done, Midori was dressed in a pink furisode with a floral pattern and a red obi. She gave a little twirl and walked around a bit to see if any more adjustments needed to be made for her to move. When she saw she was capable of moving in the kimono she smiled brightly up at her brother. Sasuke couldn't help the small smile on his face seeing how happy his little sister was. Midori walked up to Sasuke and gently tugged his hand, dragging him along downstairs. With her back to him, she couldn't see Sasuke's eyes darken. Sasuke watched his little sister from behind as she dragged him to their table. If I was stronger we would have been a happy family... If I was stronger she wouldn't have to know about that day... If I was stronger than she would be able to talk like she did back then. Sasuke wasn't the only one affected by the massacre, Midori was also affected by it, and it cost her her voice. The doctors say it could have been from shock or trauma but as time slowly passed, Midori started speaking less and less until she wasn't able to make a sound. Due to this she was taught sign language and had to carry around a notebook to write down what she wanted to say. There was no telling when or if she'll ever speak again... Midori glanced up at her brother with curious eyes, seeing that he was just staring at his food. She set down her chopsticks and walked over to her brother gently tugging his shirt. Sasuke seemed to snap out of his daze and looked at the younger girl. "Is something wrong?" She signed to him with worried eyes. "You're not eating..." "It's nothing," Sasuke answered, picking up his chopsticks. "I was just thinking about some things." "Is it about graduation?" She asked. It was very close to the time where Sasuke would graduate and become an official ninja of Konoha. While he would be an official ninja, Midori would move up a grade in the academy. In truth, this did worry Sasuke. He knew he had to graduate in order to become an official ninja of the leaf village but that would mean having to go on missions and being away from home longer than usual, which means leaving Midori alone longer than usual. One of the worrying things about leaving Midori alone was that there would be boys who would go after her with him out of the picture. Just like her older brothers, Midori was very popular with the opposite sex despite being two years younger than Sasuke. Sasuke lost count of how many times she came back with a love letter or a story of a boy who confessed his love to her, it was after that he started making his presence known to those guys that his sister was off limits to them. While the majority backed off, there were some who dared to challenge him only to lose in a humiliating manner. Once he was gone, there's no telling how many guys will go running back to her. "You could say that." He answered. Sasuke started eating, suggesting he didn't want to speak about it anymore. Midori noticing his behavior went back to her seat and resumed eating. Midori finished up pretty quickly since she started eating earlier than her brother, placing her dishes in the sink and doing the finishing touches on their lunches. Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye, taking in her complexion. Her skin was very fair and there weren't any bags under her eyes, in fact, she looked refreshed. She doesn't seem to be having those nightmares before. That was another thing Sasuke was worried about, her reoccurring nightmares. Before they started sharing a room, Sasuke would wake up to Midori's screaming. The first time it happened he thought Itachi had come back to finish the job, he quickly grabbed a kunai and rushed towards Midori's room. When he opened the door, instead of finding Itachi, he saw his little sister squirming on the bed screaming with tears in her eyes. He dropped the kunai and started to shake her awake. Her eyes opened wide, tears in the corner of her eyes, as they locked with Sasuke. She started crying even harder as she told him about her nightmare through broken sobs. That first night, they slept together but it wouldn't be the only time it happened. The only times Midori would be able to sleep peacefully was when Sasuke was right next to her. Since then, they've both decided to share his room to avoid it. Sasuke let out a sigh, picking up his empty dishes and putting them in the sink. He started making his way to their front door and put on his sandals and stood there waiting for Midori. Midori grabbed her little bag and put their lunch inside of it, making sure it was tied tightly so nothing would spill out. When it was safe and secure in her hands, she rushed towards the entrance, with Sasuke holding up her slippers. This was a normal day for the Uchiha siblings...{1} Nagajuban: The undershirt or slip of the kimono.
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Naruto... What did you do?
What was supposed to be a peaceful morning in Konoha was quickly changed to a hunt and chase? The village's very own troublemaker, Naruto Uzumaki, had just vandalized the Hokage rock drawing funny faces and symbols all over it. His actions ended up with him being chased down with no luck of anyone catching him until his own teacher, Iruka Umino, caught him. Naruto was then dragged back to his class, all tied up with no way to get out."Now listen, Naruto. You failed the last graduation test and the one before that." Iruka started to lecture, the short blonde. "This is no time to be goofing off, you fool!"Instead of being good and obedient, Naruto looked away and let out a loud hmph. Iruka gained and irk mark and glared at Naruto in anger. He stomped his foot down but just as he was about to Naruto's sass, a soft knock was heard on the door. "Who is it?" Instead of answering, the person knocked once more. Iruka let out a sigh and walked over to the door and opened it only to see no one there. He looked left and right but saw no sign of anyone. He was about to close the door before he felt a small tug on his shirt.Looking down, he saw Midori, standing in front of him with a small box wrapped in a dark blue scarf. "Midori, what's wrong? What brings you here?" Hearing the girls name, nearly all the boys in class perked up and leaned over to get a peek at the youngest Uchiha. Sasuke looked at their direction and stood up in his seat.Midori held up the box and pointed inside the classroom, showing why she was there. Iruka looked at the box and then at his class, quickly putting two and two together. "Sasuke, it seems like you forgot your lunch with Midori." Iruka stepped to the side and let Midori in, letting the whole class see her. The girls squealed seeing the adorable little girl while the guys had hearts in their eyes and a deep blush. Midori seemed to pay them no mind and quickly went up to her brother, holding out his bento. Sasuke didn't say anything and instead just took the bento and placed it beside him, petting Midori's head in appreciation.Iruka stared at the two siblings, or rather, Midori before glancing over at Naruto. A wicked grin appeared on his face and he clapped his hands getting the class's attention once more. "Midori, if you don't mind staying back for a bit, there will be a demonstration that will be useful to you in the future. I'm sure that your teacher won't mind if you stay back for a bit and learn, right?"Midori tilted her head in thought. She was only allowed to come over because her class was having a small break. Also, their lesson involved throwing kunais and shurikens into the center of the target, something she already excelled at. I'm sure if Iruka tells Ms. Shouko that I'm learning something new, she will let me off for staying back a bit. With much thought and consideration, Midori nodded her head in understanding. Iruka's grin grew as he pointed to the whole class. "We will have a re-test on the Transformation Jutsu Even those who already passed will take it!""Whaaaat?!""Furthermore, you have the choice to transform into either me or for extra credit, Midori." Midori blinked and tilted her head before looking at her brother. Sasuke could only sigh and take his sister to the front of the class as everyone lined up for the test that was forced on them because of Naruto. Iruka took out his board and started calling the students names one by one, having them transform into either him or Midori. Up right now, was Sakura Haruno."Sakura Haruno. Here I go... Transform!" Instead of doing Midori, she decided to transform into Iruka, taking the easy route. The transformation, while wasn't perfect, was enough to fool most."Ok!""I did it!" Sakura cheered, trying to appear cute on the outside but her thoughts and actions were different from the inside. Cha! "Did you see that, Sasuke?" Sasuke didn't pay the girl any attention as he was next to go up."Next, Sasuke Uchiha.""Yes." Sasuke stepped up and quickly transformed but instead of Iruka, he changed into his little sister. Every detail was exact from the length of her hair to the details on her kimono. Even though Midori was supposed to be harder, for Sasuke, it was easy. Who else would be able to look perfectly like his sister than the one who is with her the most? Midori smiled and bounced in her seat, happy her brother chose her as his transformation."O-Ok," Iruka confirmed. The transformation was so accurate that he had to convince himself that the real Midori was sitting right next to him. Sasuke turned back and went to his seat, watching as everyone else continued the test while at the same time keeping a close watch on his sister. "Next, Naruto Uzumaki.""This is a real pain." The class's lazy genius, Shikamaru Nara, commented looking at Naruto."And it's all your fault." Sakura's long-time rival, Ino Yamanaka, added in."Like I care!!" Naruto stepped up for his turn. Midori, seeing the hyper blonde, smiled and gently waved at him. Naruto blushed hard at the girl and quickly looked away. Ok... Midori looked further down the line and saw a shy girl fiddling with her fingers as she watched Naruto. Good luck, Naruto... The girl, known as Hinata Hyuga, thought."Transform!" A large amount of chakra surrounded Naruto before it was suddenly replaced with smoke. Instead of changing into Iruka or Midori, Naruto changed into a teenage female version of himself that was completely naked, the only thing managing to cover the body is the smoke. Naruto looked at Iruka and gave the man a seductive wink. Iruka's eyes widened before his nose started gushing out blood, causing him to pass out. As for Midori, she didn't even get a second to look at Naruto because her vision was clearly blocked by a hand. As soon as Sasuke saw the blonde pigtails and no hints of clothing, he quickly got out of his seat and moved in front of his sister, blocking her view of the scene. It didn't help that he had to hold his sister still since she was struggling against his hold to see what was going on."How was it? I call it the "Sexy Jutsu"!" Naruto laughed hysterically, at Iruka's reaction. Iruka, on the other hand, didn't find it so funny."You fool! Stop making idiotic spells! In front of a child no less!" Iruka lectured Naruto, his nose plugged up with tissues so no blood would leak out."Sensei, I'm going to take Midori back to her class," Sasuke said, picking up his sister, carrying her bridal style, and started to walk out the classroom."Ah, if her teacher asks, tell her she can speak with me so I can explain why Midori wasn't there." Sasuke nodded and once he was out of the class, he removed his hand from her eyes, letting Midori see. Midori blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the sudden light. Midori looked up at her older brother before pouting."Don't pout. You're too young to see what happened in there." The two siblings stared at each other neither side seem to be giving in until Midori let out a silent sigh. She could only nod and stay quiet as her brother took her back to her class. Would he be mad if I asked him what is a Sexy Jutsu?"We are now about to begin the graduation test." The day had finally come where all the senior students took a test to finally graduate from the academy and get one step closer to becoming a ninja of Konoha. All the other students were allowed the day off so the academy could have enough room to test each student individually. Midori patiently waited outside, swinging on the swing set waiting for her brother to leave with his headband. She wasn't worried that her brother wouldn't pass, she knew with all of her heart that no matter what the test was he would pass with flying colors. Midori let out a silent giggle and looked up at the sky.She planned to have a small feast with all of his favorite foods to celebrate and the rest of the day would be spent relaxing. Although, the latter may be harder because she knew her brother would rather train than relax. Maybe she could convince him to take a walk instead of training. She looked down and lightly stroked the box in her lap. Originally, she planned on giving him his present later after eating but she couldn't contain her excitement and decided to give him his gift as soon as he stepped out.A few minutes passed and the academy was surrounded by other family members, waiting for their son or daughter to come out with their headbands. Eventually, one by one, students started coming out, the majority filled with joy as they showed off their headband with a few upset that they didn't pass. Midori quickly moved away from the swing set and hopped around, searching for familiar spiky black hair. Sasuke came out eventually, surrounded by many girls congratulating him and complimenting him. He was slowly getting agitated and was close to telling the next girl who asked him out off before he felt a small body collide with his. Sasuke looked down and saw Midori clinging to him with a small box in her hand, slightly panting.Sasuke's gaze softened and he took his little sister's hands, taking her away from the crowd, making sure they were far enough that they were alone. Midori eventually caught her breath and looked up at her brother with a smile."Onii-chan, did you pass?" Midori signed to him, after setting the box down. Sasuke gave her a small smirk before taking the leaf headband out of his pocket."Did you doubt me?" Midori quickly shook her head and hugged her brother, her smile growing bigger. Sasuke gave her a small smile and stroked his little sister's hair. Midori snuggled into his shirt, tears of joy in the corner of her eyes. Her brother passed and was officially a Konoha ninja. They stayed like that for a few moments before Sasuke stared at the box she set down. "What is that?"Midori perked up and quickly left her brothers embrace, picking up the box and holding it up to him. Sasuke raised a small brow before taking the box from her. He looked over at his little sister before opening the box. Inside of the box was a set of kunai's with the Uchiha symbol but that wasn't the most important thing. On top of the kunai's was a bracelet with marbles that were a mix of black and green. In the center was a small charm with the Uchiha symbol but on the back was a small photo of Sasuke and Midori for a small celebration they did when she got into the academy. Sasuke picked up the bracelet and with no hesitation, put it on his wrist. "Thank you."Midori grinned at her older brother. "Onii-chan, congratulations on graduating!" Sasuke held his sister close, hiding his face in her hair. Midori tilted her head in confusion but she ignored it and hugged her brother back.He was one step closer to his goal.If Midori was here, he would be alone on this day. He would be full of rage. As much as he wanted Itachi to pay, he was grateful that he at least left her alive.
Midori... Thank you for being born and not leaving me alone
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sasuke let out a small grunt as he was shaken back and forth. He tried to go back to sleep but the shaking got only harder. Sasuke pushed aside the hands and they seemed to stop their attempt at waking him before he felt a sudden weight on his stomach and it started to bounce. Sasuke groaned and sat up to see who or what was trying to wake up him up. He saw his little sister had fallen on her back from him suddenly sitting up, already dressed in a dark navy kimono with a light purple obi. He could already smell breakfast downstairs which was also evident by the white apron she wore over her clothes. "Onii-chan, wake up! You'll be late for orientation!" Midori signed. Today there was an orientation meeting at the academy for those who graduated. "Breakfast is all ready and so is lunch." "All right... Midori, why are you dressed?" Sasuke asked. Many people would think it's just fine that Midori was dressed but because it was an orientation meeting today no classes were meeting for the day so Midori could have stayed home and rested. Midori had a sheepish look and looked at Sasuke with puppy eyes. "No." Sasuke could immediately tell his little sister wanted to come with him to the orientation meeting. Midori pouted and stared at her older brother. Sasuke didn't avoid her gaze and stared back with a stern look. "Midori, this meeting is for graduates only, you can't be there." "Please! I'll be good and I'll leave if they ask me too!" Midori wanted to see what the orientation would be like because she would soon graduate. If anything she wanted to at least know who was on her brother's team. Sasuke saw that Midori wasn't going to give in as easily as the other times so with a reluctant sigh he looked away and agreed. "You can come but once the meeting begins, wait for me at home. I'll join you for lunch." Midori grinned and happily bounced on the bed before Sasuke ushered her out so he could get ready. Sasuke may have been the top in his class and a ninja of Konoha but he was sure even the Hokage would be unable to say no to Midori. Sasuke looked down as Midori was fast asleep on his lap. So much for her leaving. Both of them had arrived early for the meeting but no one was there yet. Midori had woken up very early, earlier than the time she would normally wake up so she ended up falling asleep on Sasuke's lap from exhaustion. Sasuke was then stuck in the same spot as graduates after graduates came in. Many of them glanced at Sasuke to see the small girl resting on his lap but they were all met with a harsh glare that dared them to try and wake her up or ask what she was doing here. No one dared to sit near Sasuke. If the girls sat by there would be a war and the guys would be met with a harsh glare considering they would be near Midori as well. The only person who had managed to get close to them was Naruto. He didn't make any moves on Midori and instead seemed to be oblivious to the two next to him. Sasuke could have sworn that he had failed though. Naruto was on cloud nine at the moment. After failing the actual graduation test, he was tricked by a teacher to steal a forbidden scroll to learn a new technique. After fighting the teacher and helping Iruka, Iruka had given Naruto his headband saying he was now officially a Konoha ninja. Shikamaru was walking past Naruto and was surprised when he had passed Naruto. "What the? Why are you here?" He asked. "Today's meeting is for graduates only." "Hey, don't you see this headband? As of today, I'm a ninja, too!" Naruto explained with a wide grin. Shikamaru looked at Naruto with a suspicious look. He was positive that the boy did something to convince the teachers to let him graduate when it was already declared he would fail. However, he found it too much of a pain to even think of a reason. "How can I put it, it really suits me." From a distance, Hinata had been watching Naruto. So Naruto... was able to graduate. Suddenly, outside there was a loud sound of feet stomping and the door was slammed open. Sakura and Ino were both shoving one another out of the way to enter the classroom, entering at the same time. "Goal!" Both girls shouted, completely out of breath after running their homes to the academy. "I won again, Sakura!" Ino boasted. "What're you saying? The tip of my foot got in one-centimeter faster!" Sakura argued. "You must be blind." The girls screaming caught the attention of some of their classmates. Most of them decided to ignore the two since this was an everyday thing. Naruto, however, didn't look away as he stared at Sakura. It's Sakura. As if sensing that someone was watching her, Sakura looked in Naruto's direction. Sakura's looking at me... Sakura giggled and started making her way over to him, Ino calling out to the girl when she suddenly left their argument. "Hey, Sakura!" "Mor... morning, Sakur-" Naruto was going to greet the pink-haired girl only to be roughly pushed aside. "Get outta' the way!" Sakura shouted. Sakura's attention wasn't on Naruto but rather the one sitting next to him, Sasuke. "M-Morning, Sasuke..." Sasuke glanced up from Midori, who was still sleeping, to see who was talking to him. "Mind if I sit next to you?" As soon as those words left Sakura's mouth, all the girls, excluding Hinata and the sleeping Midori got a glint in their eyes. "Hey! I'm going to sit next to Sasuke!" "First come, first served!" "I got in the classroom sooner!" "I did!" "If that's the case, then I did!" "I was first!" "I'm sitting next to Sasuke!" Just like that, nearly all of the girls in the class were arguing about who came in first and had the right to sit next to Sasuke. Sasuke turned his head away from the gathering group of girls, ignoring them, not wanting to get into the middle of who got to sit next to him. How annoying... It was a miracle that Midori hadn't woken up yet. She must have been really tired for her to sleep through the noise. What none of them knew though was that they were all being watched through an orb in the Hokage's room. "Is that this year's top rookie, Sasuke Uchiha?" "Yes." "Ah, his younger sister is there too? I thought she was still attending the academy so why is she at a graduation orientation?" "She is. I guess she wanted to go with him until the meeting started but... fell asleep before it even started." "The sole survivors of the Uchiha clan?" "Yes." All of the Jonins and Hokage's in the room discussed the two siblings of the clan except for one, Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi glanced at the orb as it scanned the room and he watched the blonde ninja who was knocked to the side. Naruto Uzumaki, eh... Naruto had gotten annoyed and climbed onto the desk in front of Sasuke and harshly glared at him. Sasuke glared right back at him. The girls weren't happy with how close Naruto was and the fact he was glaring at their precious Sasuke. "Naruto! Don't glare at Sasuke!" Sakura yelled. Naruto glanced at Sakura with a hurt expression. Sakura-chan... Everyone's all Sasuke Sasuke. What's so great about this guy?! The glaring match between them became so intense that you could see sparks flying. "Just beat him up, Sasuke!" "Yeah! Yeah!" The noise was finally too loud that Midori let out a small and whimper before opening her eyes. She slowly sat up, not noticing the tension between Sasuke and Naruto that she was sitting in the middle of. "What? Really?" A guy sitting in front of Naruto said, before leaning in forward, accidentally knocking into Naruto. "Oh! Sorry!" "Wha?" "Whoa!" The push had made Naruto go forward and he ended up kissing Midori's cheek when she got up at the same time. The force had also pushed her so her other cheek was pressed against Sasuke's lips. Midori blinked innocently as she glanced at her brother and Naruto. Naruto quickly scrambled away, blushing hard as he spat out apology after apology. "Wah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Midori was going to sign to him that it was okay before she felt a strong pull and a pair of arms wrapped around her. She glanced up and saw Sasuke with the scariest look she ever saw in his eyes. "What? I feel rage..." Naruto looked back and saw Sasuke giving him a look that screamed murder. How can he look so scary with someone so cute on his lap?! "You jerk... Naruto! I'll kill you!" "An accident... It was an accident." Naruto tried to explain. Naruto then felt a killing intention from behind and saw several guys and girls glaring at him. "You are annoying!" They shouted. "Yikes!" Midori watched as Naruto got beaten up by the graduates and looked up at Sasuke, who was rubbing the cheek Naruto kissed with an annoyed look. "I guess this means I have to go home?" On his way back Sasuke was thinking about the group he was paired up with. Sakura Haruno, a girl who was obsessed with him though she wasn't stupid. Naruto Uzumaki, the class troublemaker and the one with the worst grades. Those two were just going to hold him back. Sasuke let out a small grunt before he opened the door and saw Midori stirring a small pot with a few rice balls already prepared beside her. Midori glanced over at the door and smiled waving a bit before going back to stirring the pot, from the smell he could tell it was tonjiru, a pork soup. She set the flame on low before wiping her hands with her apron while Sasuke grabbed a rice ball. "Welcome back. How did orientation go?" "I'm paired up in a squad of three and I'm stuck with Naruto and Sakura," Sasuke said. Midori didn't miss the annoyance in his voice. Midori smiled timidly. "Try to get along with them, okay?" She signed. Sasuke grunted before heading upstairs while waiting for Midori to finish the soup. Midori just sighed at her older brothers antics and left the pot alone before grabbing a few riceballs and followed him up. Meanwhile, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji weren't too far off as they were eating their lunch. Ino had just told the other two members that as long as they were in a group she would be the one in charge. "That surprised me though! I can't believe that Midori was put into that situation, it's so pitiful that she got kissed on the cheek by Naruto. At the same time I so jealous that she was kissed by Sasuke!" Ino squealed. Shikamaru sighed as he took another bite out of his rice ball. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if those two got married." He commented. "Huh? Naruto and Midori, no way!" "Not those two." "Eh...? Then do you mean? Sasuke and Midori?" Ino asked shocked and stood up. She did think the two siblings were cute together but marriage?! "Quit joking! Sasuke and Midori are siblings!" "Why are you so surprised? There have been marriages between relatives in clans before, some have been cousins but others have been even closer like siblings to keep the bloodline pure. Those two are the only ones in their clan and I wouldn't be surprised that since they were all the other one had that they would go past that boundary." Ino stared at him in shocked silence. She wanted to scream that he was wrong but... she couldn't. The proof was there that in history there was a marriage between relatives in clans, while it doesn't happen often it did and it even happened in the Uchiha clan several times before the massacre. She didn't want to believe it though. The relationship between those two was completely pure and a sibling love... wasn't it? "Hmm?" Shikamaru looked up and saw that Naruto was slowly sneaking up on the two siblings."Naruto?" Midori didn't seem to notice and had a slightly panicked look on her face before leaving the room. "Huh?" Ino looked over shocked and was surprised when the boy suddenly climbed into the room on top of Sasuke. "Oh!" The wood panel on the window had closed shut from the impact so they were unable to see anything that happened. All they could do was hear the sounds of them talking and the two struggling in their fight. "Jerk. It's Naruto, isn't it!" Sasuke shouted. "Darn! Just be quiet." Naruto responded. "Naruto! I won't forgive you if you hurt Sasuke!" Ino shouted with a clenched fist. After a minute of hearing nothing but fighting, the panel had opened with 'Sasuke' coming out as the winner. "So Naruto got beaten by the one he challenged..." Shikamaru commented. "Of course! Naruto's no match for Sasuke!" If only the group knew that the Sasuke they saw WASN'T the Sasuke they thought it was, but rather Naruto who transformed into Sasuke. Inside the very same room, Sasuke was tied up with tape over his mouth as he struggled to get the ropes off. I was careless! Sasuke had indeed one the fight in the beginning, but the moment he let his guard down a log had replaced the position Naruto was in and using the shadow clone technique had given him the advantage to jump the shinobi and tie him up. I didn't think someone who couldn't perform the Clone Jutsu properly could do the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Midori had come into the room after a while holding two bowls of soup before stopping in shock seeing her brother completely tied up. Midori set the bowls aside and quickly pulled off the tape on his mouth since it would be more painful doing it slowly, though he did still hiss. She gave him an apologetic look before signing and asking him what had happened. "Naruto, that's what happened. He jumped me and when I let my guard down used the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Sasuke replied. After a few more seconds he was able to undo the ropes. "That bastard, what does he intend to do disguising himself as me. Midori let's go." Midori blinked in surprise when Sasuke suddenly picked her up and jumped out the window, heading in the direction of the academy, the place where Naruto most likely went. Midori looked back at the meal and couldn't help but pout as her brother carried her away. The food is going to get cold... Sasuke and Midori had arrived at the academy. There was a small point where Sasuke was going so fast and with Midori, over his shoulder, she felt sick and told him to let her run on her own. The pair were now holding hands while Sasuke looked around for any sign of Naruto or rather another him. What neither of them expected was Sakura and as soon as Midori saw the girl she had a feeling Naruto caused a lot of trouble for her brother. "Oh Sasuke, you're such a shy bad boy! You didn't need to bring your little sister even if you're nervous! Are you prepared? I'm raring to go!" Sakura squealed. Sasuke ignored the girl, intent on finding Naruto. "H-Hey, Sasuke!" "Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "Oh, there you go changing the subject again... Just leave Naruto alone! All he does is picks fights with you and today he even kissed Midori-chan." Midori looked to the side. She didn't mind it but she wanted to forget about that small moment. "It's because he wasn't raised right! You know! He doesn't have any parents, right?" The moment she said that both siblings seemed to tense. Sasuke looked back at Sakura while Midori looked at the ground with her bangs covering her eyes. "He always selfishly does whatever he wants! My parents would get mad at me if I did something like that! There are no parents to nag you if it's just you alone! So his selfishness comes out at various times!" At this point, Sasuke was filled with an annoyance for the girl but when he felt the small tremble in his hand, he looked over at Midori and was filled with rage. Sakura's words had brought up past memories and words the two wish they could forget... and it caused Midori to cry. Sasuke removed Midori's hand from his and covered her ears so she wouldn't hear Sakura's words anymore. "The loneliness." "Huh?" "It's something worse than getting scolded by parents and..." "W-What's gotten into you?" Sakura had no idea how bad of an effect her words had on not one, but both siblings. One was there and witnessed his brother killing their parents and being the sole cause of the massacre while the other was asleep only to see that the life she once knew was gone and all she had left were her brothers: One alive and the other on the run for destroying that life. "You... annoy me." Those words, the very same words that Sakura had said to Naruto over and over again... It hurt when it was directed at her. Sakura could only watch as the siblings left her behind, going towards the academy without looking back. Midori was still crying a bit and sniffling a bit as she walked with Sasuke. Sasuke glanced at his little sister and inwardly sighed. He was not good with crying girls, especially when it was Midori who was crying. This wasn't like her nightmares, where just being beside her was enough this was deeper. Sasuke let out a sigh before stopping and crouching in front of Midori, wiping her tears with her sleeve and poked her forehead. "Stop crying, you got me, don't you?" Midori looked up at Sasuke with watery eyes and the two stared at each other before Midori timidly nodded her head and wiped away the remaining tears with her kimono and hugged Sasuke. Sasuke looked away awkwardly and instead of hugging her back he simply patted her head. Midori finally smiled and blushed a little bit as she looked up at her brother with a happy expression on her face. The two were interrupted when they suddenly heard running and a loud screech only to see Naruto was running in their direction only to stop. "W-What are you doing here?!" He questioned Sasuke. "I used the Escape Jutsu, the very basic of techniques," Sasuke said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and considering this situation it was. "Oh..." Naruto sweat-dropped a bit because he completely forgot about that. "What were you planning to do... by transforming into me?!" "I thought it'd be fun, so I gave it a try!" It definitely had something to do with Sakura... Midori thought to herself as she watched the two argue. Naruto backed up and did a sign before making multiple shadow clones of himself again. Midori's eyes widened a bit when she saw it, She heard about it from her brother that Naruto could use the technique but seeing it and hearing it was two different experiences. "Tch, the Shadow Clone Jutsu again?!" "I'll show you that I'm really amazing! I'll defeat you... and make you accept me! Prepare yourself, Sasuke!" Naruto had prepared to attack the shinobi but everything was suddenly put to a halt when both he and all of his clones stomachs started to rumble. Midori and Sasuke watched with a bit of surprise as all of them started to hold their stomachs in pain. "Just like that, my stomach again... B-Bathroom!" The two could only watch as Naruto and the clones struggled and fought to get into the bathroom first without even thinking to get rid of the clones. How stupid! "Midori let's go." Sasuke took hold of Midori's hands and lead her away from the scene. If he left her there she would catch Naruto's stupidity. Midori glanced back at Naruto and she just remembered something important. Ah! That reminds me. I have to buy more milk because it's about to go bad.