I Don't Own Naruto

Cradle of the Uchiha Clan - Chapter 1

'Just a little darker on this side…' muttered a little boy in his mind as he gently slid his pencil across a piece of paper on his small table. There was a smile on the boy's face as his eyes looked up at the scene he was trying to illustrate; it was simple scenery, just a grass field with a large oak tree in the middle. There were small yellow flowers along the edges of the tree, and the wind was making them sway side to side.

A young woman walked over to the boy and smiled when she saw the beautiful sketch. "That looks beautiful, Naruto-chan, you are very talented in drawing!" chirped the young lady as she knelt down to the boy's height and patted his spiky blond hair.

The boy returned a smile to the lady as he looked up at her. "Thank you, Tsubaki-nee!"

The woman smiled back and nodded. "Now why don't you go back to the main group and play with the other children?"

Naruto shook his head and turned his eyes back to his drawing. "No thank you. I want to keep drawing."

Tsubaki sighed and nodded back. "Okay then, I'll come get you when lunch is ready." With that, she walked back to a large group of children along with a few adults. They were the few nurses that took care of the orphans in the Konoha orphanage, and they brought the children of one of the largest parks to have a picnic. The orphanage just received more funding from the Hokage, so they admin staff planned a small event to make the children happy.

It broke many people's hearts to see so many orphans living in the orphanage, but it couldn't be helped; many parents died four years ago. No one would ever forget the day the Kyuubi attacked the village. Hundreds of people were killed, almost half of the village was burnt to the ground, and left over two hundred orphans alone in the streets. Naruto was just one in many, but he was one orphan that was very different from the rest.

"He's growing up to be a nice boy, isn't he?" asked an old man quietly to the man beside him as they both stood inside the canopy of a very large tree, overlooking the park. The man was wearing long red and white robes along with a hat that had the Kanji of "Fire" on it; he was the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"He looks just like his father," said the man next to the Hokage who had thick white hair that looked like a lion's mane. This was Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin and the Spy Master of Konoha. He had a solemn expression on his face as he looked at the boy that was supposed to be his Grandson, and loathed at the fact that he can't be close to him.

The Hokage nodded as he puffed on his pipe. "He's a smart boy; he likes to think according to his caretaker; he is one of the few children his age that wonders where his parents are and why aren't they with him?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes and sighed. "Are we ever going to tell him?"

Sarutobi was silent for a few seconds as he just stared ahead at the boy. "Yes, I will tell him when he is ready."

"And when is that?"

"I don't know."

After four years of rebuilding and reflecting, Konoha had finally regained most of its former glory. The younger generation of Shinobi was ready to take the lead, and more and more missions were flowing into the village. New names and legends from Konoha were spreading through the world, and the village was slowly regaining its position as the most powerful Ninja Village in the Elemental Nations.

The younger Shinobi really have a huge gap to fill, losing someone as powerful as the Yondaime Hokage will cripple the strength of Konoha for a long while. Real powerful Shinobi were very hard to produce, and even though Konoha still possess most of the Sannin, they no longer had someone like the Kiroi Senko on their side. No longer did the village have a man that could turn the tide of an entire war by himself; no longer did they have someone who could render even the greatest of Shinobi powerless.

But the Hokage had good faith in the boy that was just four years old at the moment.

"Naruto-chan, it is time for lunch!" chirped Tsubaki with a kind smile on her face. "Come on!"

Naruto smiled at his kind caretaker and took her hand as he followed her to the large tarp for lunch. It was seldom for Naruto to actually communicate to the others in his age group; he was one of the most isolated boys in the entire orphanage, and Tsubaki was a little concerned about him. The other children would have their own play groups and friends, but Naruto would only sit by himself as he drew the sceneries that interest him. She had tried putting him in play groups before, but it didn't work.

"Thank you," said Naruto politely as he accepted the sandwich one of the male caretakers gave to him.

"You're welcome, little buddy!"

All the staff really liked Naruto; he was a smart and bright boy that had a very cute baby face. He was one of the more articulate children, and was always very polite. He had become a wonder of a sort to the staff; no one could really explain where he learnt his manners from, and when asked him, the boy merely said that he learned from watching the adult's converse.

His pencil sketches have also been some of the most talked about subjects by the admin staff; it was hard to believe that such a young boy would be able to create something so beautiful and complex. Naruto had gifted Tsubaki with several of his sketches, and she had one of them in her office, and several more in her own home.

"How's the sandwich, Naruto-chan?" asked Tsubaki as she sat down next to the boy. "I made it myself!"

Naruto smiled as he chewed. "It's really good!"

The caretaker giggled and leaned down to kiss the top of the boy's head. "You are so sweet!"

Jiraiya smiled at the sight of the boy interacting with the staff, and was silently thanking Kami-sama above that no one found out about the Yondaime's legacy. It was the decision of the Sandaime and Jiraiya that no one except for the two of them would know of the true identity of Naruto and the thing sealed into him. It was handled swiftly and carefully. Jiraiya made sure that every potential threat to Naruto thought he was killed along with his parents, and that included his own snake-like teammate, as well as the Sandaime's teammates. The last thing they would want was for Danzo to take Naruto under his wing, if that actually happened, Jiraiya promised himself and his student that he would stop at nothing to kill the man.

"Keep your eyes on him okay; I have to go."

The Sandaime nodded before he looked over at his student. "How long are you going to take this time?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm not sure, it depends if Iwagakure and Kumogakure are really plotting something against us, if they aren't then I'll be back in a few months."

"Okay, I'll make sure that he is taken care of."

The Sannin sighed and turned around. "He's almost five years old; it is time to let him learn."

I'm not going to push his learning; I want him to have a normal and peaceful childhood." The Sandaime looked up to the sky as he puffed on his pipe. "Kushina would have wanted the same thing for her son," muttered the old man as he looked back down at the boy. "These are peaceful times, Jiraiya; let the boy make friends, play around, and just enjoy his life."

Jiraiya sighed as he crossed his arms. "Sensei, you know as well as I do that Naruto is going to be a huge part of Konoha's future," The Sannin looked over at the Hokage with stern eyes. "I'm not saying that we should train him like the other villages are training their Jinchuriki; I love the boy like my own grandson, but despite all this we have to make sure that he has the power to control his Bijuu when the time calls for him to."

"And how do you propose we do that?" asked Sarutobi as he looked back at his student through the corner of his eyes. "There is nobody with the Shodai's powers around, so how are we going to train him to control the Kyuubi?"

"Fuinjutsu," said Jiraiya calmly without any needed thought. "He is Minato and Kushina's son, so I'm sure that he'll be very talented in Fuinjutsu." The Hokage closed his eyes as he exhaled some smoke. "Let him learn about the arts of sealing, and maybe when he is older, he would be able to control the beast like his Mother did."

"Fine," muttered the Sandaime as he opened his eyes to his student. "I will have my people slip some Fuinjutsu books into his room; maybe he'll read it and learn, but I will not give him formal Shinobi training until he is at least six years old."

Jiraiya smiled and nodded. "Well that gives him two years before he could start learning," The white haired man looked back down at the little boy who looked so much like his surrogate son. "I know it's not certain, but I have a feeling that Naruto would be as talented as his Father."

The Sandaime sighed and held his hands behind his back. "Let us hope so."

Naruto had a smile on his face as he chomped down on the sandwich that looked gigantic in his small hands, and Tsubaki had to smile back at the cute sight. The caretaker felt bad about seeing such a delightful boy without parents or any relatives; he was so smart and bright that he was starting to think about where his family had gone. It was one of the worst things a caretaker at the orphanage would ever face; trying to answer a child when they ask why he or she doesn't have a mom and dad.

"Are you full, Naru-chan?"

The blond boy smiled and nodded as he diligently wiped his mouth clean with a napkin. "Yep, thank you!" Naruto looked over to the east end of the park before he looked back up at his caretaker. "Tsubaki-nee, can I please go over there?"

Tsubaki smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Of course you can, but be careful."

"I will!"

The boy grabbed his sketch book and pencils before he excitedly ran over to the other side of the park. Unknown to him, Tsubaki along with two of the most powerful men in the village were looking at him. They all smiled a little when they saw him run as fast as his little legs could carry him towards the pretty rose garden. There was a smile on his face that only a child could muster; it reflected the boy's playfulness, his innocence, and love of beauty. Just that moment, as the sun shone brightly on Naruto's blond hair, Jiraiya knew that Minato was watching over the boy from heaven.

Two Years Later

A child, no older than six years of age, was standing in front of the Konoha River tossing a small rock. It was a young girl, and she had a small pout on her lips as she watched the flat rock she threw fall hopelessly into the running river. It was the evening of a hot summer day, and the girl's white sundress was covered in a light shade of orange sunlight that illuminated the village. Her obsidian black eyes darted around the ground for other pieces of rocks with flat edges as she walked around in her little white sandals.

"Stupid river! I swear I will get a rock across today!"

The girl suddenly smile when she found a coin shapes rock and quickly leaned down to pick it up; not caring that it was covered in dirt and made her hands dusty. Her eyes were twinkling with excitement as she ran over to the edge of the river and pulled her arms back. With a silent encouraging phrase to herself, the girl whipped her arm out and threw the rock as hard as she could.

But after five skips, the rock was taken over by the water and sank.

The girl pouted and stomped her feet on the ground. "Dammit!" cried the girl using the word her mother would use whenever she would lose something in the house.

"You're arms movements were wrong," said a voice of another child from a small distance from the girl.

The girl looked back at the sudden voice and saw a boy around her age walk out from the road that led back to the village. He had weird hair in her opinion; it was bright yellow and seemed to spike up randomly, but she also saw that he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing a black shirt with white khaki shorts, and he had his hands in his pockets as he walked over to her.

"Who are you?" asked the girl with her hands on her hips; she was a little mad that the boy saw her fail at throwing.

The boy ignored her question and picked up a relatively flat rock from the ground. "When you throw the rock, you have to make sure that your arm is moving in a straight line so you don't waste any strength behind your throw." The boy stepped forward and just flicked his arms out; the rock flew out of his hand and skipped multiple times before it reached the other side of the river.

The girl's mouth was open but she didn't know what to say.

"See?" asked the boy kindly with a smile on his face.

The girl huffed and turned her head to the side. "Lucky throw," she muttered softly as she tapped her foot against the ground.

The boy smiled and picked up another rock from the ground. "Come on, try it again." The boy said as he held the rock out to the girl.

The girl looked at the rock through the corner of her eyes and eventually gave in.

"Fine!"

The girl took the rock from the boy's hand and walked back over to the edge of the river. Her mind was thinking through how she should make her arm move in a more controlled manner so she wouldn't waste any power behind her throw. She closed her eyes and played through the scene a few times in her mind before she looked back at the river that looked as wide as ever.

With a quick exhale, the girl whipped her arm out and threw the rock across the river. This time she felt the difference in her arms, and she was slightly surprised to see the rock going further and further across the river. Then, after a few agonizing seconds, the rock landed on the other side.

"Wow, it actually worked."

The boy smiled and nodded. "Wow, you're pretty smart; you got it right after I said it!"

The girl's pride was a little wounded from taking such simple advice from a stranger, but was grateful nonetheless. "You know I would have thought about throwing it like that eventually; you didn't have to rush out just to make me feel stupid."

The boy was surprised and quickly shook his head as he waved his hands in the air. "I didn't mean to make you feel stupid; I-I just wanted to help!"

The girl giggled a little at the boy's shocked expression. "It's okay, thank you for teaching me!" said the girl with a sincere smile.

The boy blushed a little and nodded. "You're welcome," said the blond as he walked up to the girl and extended his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, by the way."

The girl shook Naruto's hand as she nodded. "I'm Uchiha Sayuri, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Sayuri-san."

"SAYURI, WHERE ARE YOU?!" cried the loud voice of a woman from within the woods behind the river.

Sayuri suddenly looked a little scared and quickly looked over to that direction. "Sorry, but I have to go; my Kaa-chan is looking for me." The girl ran back through the woods to find her mother, but she turned back and waved a goodbye to her new friend. "See you later, Naruto!"

Naruto stood in the same spot with a smile on his face, "Uchiha Sayuri, what a funny girl!"

"Yo, Naruto!" cried another voice of a young boy from the other side of the river as a few loud barks of a small puppy reached his ears. "Why are you on the other side of the river; we're meeting at the park on this side, remember?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming Kiba!"

As the blond boy ran over to the other park to meet with his friends, he couldn't help but think about the girl he just met; particularly her smile.

'Uchiha Sayuri, I hope that I see you again.'

The Uchiha Clan home was one of the largest properties in Konoha, which was understandable since it was the second estate ever built in the village. It housed over three hundred members in fifty different homes, and the largest one of them all was the main clan house. It was owned and lived by the leader of the Uchiha Clan; Uchiha Fugaku and his family.

Fugaku was not only the head of the most powerful clan in Konoha; he was also the in command of the Konoha Police Force, which consisted of mainly other Uchiha members. The man was known throughout Konoha as the one who keeps order in the streets, but was equally known for having a very talented son.

"Itachi, I want you to cancel the mission you have next week, I need you here for a clan meeting," said the strict father as he looked down at his bowing son.

Uchiha Itachi was the most talented Uchiha to be born into the Uchiha Clan for many years. Just eleven years old and he has already been drafted into the ANBU Black Ops. He was the pride and joy of the Uchiha Clan, and one of the possible Hokage Candidates of the future, at least it was what most villagers thought.

"Tou-san, I already accepted the mission and Hokage-sama has already confirmed it; it would be highly irresponsible of me to cancel the meeting at this time."

"This is not up for discussion!" said Fugaku with no place for argument. "I will talk to Hokage-sama myself tomorrow and have him use someone else for the mission; I need you here with me next week for the clan meeting!"

Itachi sighed inwardly and just bowed his head to his Father. "Okay. I understand, Tou-san."

"You're free to leave; I believe your mother is looking for you."

"Thank you, Tou-san."

The Uchiha prodigy walk out of the room silently and closed the door behind him, but his foul mood was immediately lifted when he saw his baby sister practicing her Shurikenjutsu by herself in the backyard. The girl was concentrating very hard as she threw her metal weapons, and she was doing much better than she did the last time Itachi watched her.

From what he could see, Sayuri had already gotten rid of her mistake of letting her elbow flail out of control when she would throw her weapons; her technique had become more polished and controlled, and she was finally developing some muscle memory. Sayuri managed to hit eight out of ten targets, which was much better than the five out of ten she had just over a week ago.

"Sayuri," said Itachi as he walked over to his sister.

Sayuri and a bright smile on her face when she saw her brother. "Nii-san, come here!" The girl ran over to Itachi and grabbed onto his hand. "Look, I got eight targets!"

Itachi nodded with a rare smile on his face. "Yes I can see that; you've gotten rid of your arm problem." The young man looked down at the beaming girl and poked her forehead with his fingers. "Did you ask Kaa-chan for help?"

"Nope!" chirped the girl as she rubbed her forehead. "I met this boy at the river today, and he showed me my mistake."

"Then this boy is pretty smart; is he a Genin?" asked Itachi as he knelt down to Sayuri's height.

"No way, I think he is about the same age as me," said the girl as she tilted her head in thought.

"Wow, then he's really smart." Itachi was genuinely surprised that someone so young could have spotted Sayuri's mistake; it was a very small error that most people wouldn't have been able to see, much less a six year old. "What was the boy's name?"

Sayuri smiled. "His name is Naruto!"

Itachi smiled at his baby sister and ruffled her hair. "If you see him in the academy next year, try to sit next to him; he knows what he's doing."

The girl pouted. "Hey, Nii-san!" she cried loudly. "I know what I'm doing too, I don't need his help!"

The young ANBU member chuckled and patted the girl's head. "Okay, you're smart too."

Sayuri smirked and crossed her arms. "That's right!" The girl raised her chin as she looked at her brother. "Just you wait Nii-san; I'll beat you and graduate the academy even sooner than you did!"

Itachi wanted nothing more than for his baby sister to have a happy and peaceful life; he wanted Sayuri to keep her childish innocence for as long as possible; he didn't want her to become like him. "Take you time at the academy, Sayuri; graduating faster is not necessary a good thing."

"Did you take a shower, Naru-chan?" asked Tsubaki as she stood by the door of Naruto's room.

Naruto looked up from his desk and nodded at his caretaker with a smile on his face. "Yes, Tsubaki-nee, I just finished."

Tsubaki smiled and nodded. "Okay then, goodnight Naru-chan; don't stay up too late." The young woman closed the door and made her way back to her own room just in the building next to the main building. With the large amount of funds gathered for the orphans of the village, they were able to build a building large enough so each child could have a room of their own, and Naruto had one on the top floor of the building; one with a beautiful view that he would enjoy sketching almost every night.

But tonight he was sketching something entirely different.

On his desk, instead of the usual sketch of the night sky, was a detailed depiction of Uchiha Sayuri. It was the same scene that was at the river; the girl was standing in front of the river with a gentle smile on her face. She was wearing the same sundress that was bathing in the orange sunlight, and the wind was blowing through her silky black hair just as before.

'A little darker on this lip,' thought Naruto to himself as he added a darker shade to Sayuri's bottom lip. 'There, done!' The boy held the sketch in front of his face and admired his own recreation of the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life. 'I'll give this to Sayuri-san the next time I see her!'

The End!

This is the first chapter of "Cradle of the Uchiha Clan", which is essentially a rewrite of Uchiha Legend. I am going to change things up a bit, but the overall premise will still be the same as before. The Sharingan will be a Kekkei Genkai that is like Mokuton, only one person has ever awakened it; the Uchiha Clan will only be known for their powerful Chakra and unsurpassed Fire Jutsu.

The pairing is obviously going to be Naruto x Sayuri, just like the previous version of this story. There will be absolutely no harem or second girl; this will be a monogamous story all the way through.

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK AND LEAVE A REVIEW! XD