Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Okay, I seriously did not want to be reborn into the Naruto world. I swear I didn't. I never even wished for it or anything, seriously. All I was doing was minding my own business when I saw this freaking adorable black duck just sitting there in the middle of an empty road. Of course I stopped to stare at it. It was adorable, granted I thought almost every animal was adorable, but that's besides the point. After I got my fill of silently staring at the adorable duck(I rarely showed my excitement on my expression and I would die before I was publicly caught giggling, or gods-forbid, squealing), I decided to keep walking. Of course that decision quickly changed when I heard a car screeching as it made a sharp turn and proceed to barrel down the road at a dangerous speed.

And of course, it had to be barreling down the road where that stupid black duck refused to move from for some reason. My eyes darted between the swiftly approaching car and the black duck in its path more times than I thought possible as I felt my heart beat quicken at what I was stupidly thinking of doing. My body acted on it before I had consciously made the decision, the velocity of the ever approaching car seeming to make my decision for me. I dove towards the stupid, adorable duck, grabbing it and startling it as I literally chucked it into the air away from the road, smiling when it quacked loudly in complaint and flapped its wings to land safely.

My smile however was short lived as I felt a jarring impact to my whole left side and blacked out...and that's how I died. Seriously, how lame can you get? Dying because you saved a stupid black duck, not that I regret it but was it too much to ask to die in a cooler way, or at least of old age. Obviously it was. Being dead was actually a pretty boring affair. I wasn't on Earth anymore obviously, but then again I wouldn't know as everything was shock white and I no longer had any other senses. I was just floating in nothing, it was pretty trippy. I have no idea how long I'd been there, not that it mattered much. It could have been anywhere from two seconds to two centuries and I wouldn't have noticed. I tend to get lost in my thoughts much differently than other people did so I felt I was already insane since I could have pleasant conversations with myself or actually entertain myself in other ways, even making myself laugh by telling myself jokes...anyways, who knows how long passed when I finally saw something in the nothing.

Well it's not nothing anymore if something's in it, but that's besides the point again. This tiny speck of pitch black became my focal point as it was the only thing I could see at the moment. I didn't even notice it had expanded much until I realized it went from being a speck the size of a dust mote to being at least the size of my pinkie tip. The growth was just so gradual and I had just kept staring at it, not even blinking, it's not like I needed to. I watched the thing in fascination, not knowing what it was but certainly the most entertaining thing that's happened in a while.

It continued to expand until it was, I imagine, the size of myself, the shape completely, perfectly, round, but not three dimensional, flat like those black holes in cartoons that they use. I wondered what it was for a while, having fun guessing at it until the mystery started to irritate me as I wasn't getting any closer to the answer. It was then I belatedly realized I could just go and touch it. Honestly, what was the worst that could happen to me at that point? I was already dead and nothing was going to happen if I just stayed there. At this point Hell would be an open reprieve from the endless amounts of nothing and sensory deprivation.

I shrugged, or at least I think I did, and approached the thing, wondering how I could move if I couldn't even see or feel my own body. I was more like a self aware disembodied consciousness that only took up a specific area in the air, or well, nothing. I pushed away my confusing thoughts and returned my focus to the thing, the black mesmerizing me as it'd been so long since I'd seen color, any color, and now I was seeing spots of ones in the black thing that I'd nearly forgotten the names of. Of course they seemed to be dark fuzzy dots in the black vortex thing, but any color was better than no color.

It was when I snapped out of the daze the black thing put me in that I realized I was moving closer to it against my will. It was actually sucking me in, not that I could feel the tug or anything, but it was pretty obvious when it got bigger and bigger. It was either I was getting closer or the thing was getting bigger, big enough to erase all the nothing, but I doubted that. The nothing was probably limbo or something and limbo wouldn't just stop existing. I think.

It was when the black overwhelmed the nothing that I black out again. I think. It was hard to tell.

It wasn't that bad to be a kid again, to be reborn as a baby and all that. It's not like I had much awareness in the first few months but it was probably difficult to hold back fresh memories of a previous life or some crap like that so I was more aware of what was going on than other babies and kids.

The first thing I noticed in my awareness as a baby and later on child was who the hell my parents were, which is harder than it looks considering my very large family all seem to look the freaking same. They all had the same pale skin, black eyes, and black hair, so yeah, my baby brain considered it somewhat of an accomplishment to be able to identify my parents.

The second thing I became aware of was that I was born into the Uchiha clan, which made me one of those Uchiha bastards. This awareness was soon followed by the fact that the Uchiha clan existed which meant that I was in the Naruto universe. This came as both a relief and some fear. Relief because thank gods I was a fan and actually know about things and fear because oh shit I know about things and most of them aren't good. I mean I already knew that the Uchiha clan was going to get slaughtered by Obito and Itachi sometime and I was obviously an Uchiha. Unless I was born in the time before Itachi was, but that was unclear when I was a baby.

The third thing I became aware of, before I fully regained memories of my past life and lame death, was that I was indeed born in the time of Uchiha Itachi. In fact I was the only other kid born around the same time as the second child of the clan head, aka Uchiha Sasuke. That was a weird bit of information, but it made sense as there were no other Uchihas that I knew of in ninja academy flashbacks or even Uchiha memory flashbacks. Really weird but I wasn't about to waste time puzzling over it, it was just fact.

Things became both harder and easier after I remembered my lame past life(I still wasn't over my lame death, seriously it pisses me off), easier because shit man, being a supposed 'genius' at a young age and not feeling pressure because I wanted to be a kid or normal (I was mentally a teen man) was pretty kickass. It was harder because they kind of expected me to be perfect after that, not even saying good job anymore when I actually tried at something and succeeded(the novelty of being called a genius wore off fast.) And it was also harder when my indifferent, cold, sarcastic, quiet attitude fit in better with the Uchihas than I had ever imagined(I never liked those stuck up bastards.) I then remembered that I had long ago clarified to myself that I would dislike anyone that was like me. Apparently it took me dying to connect the dots between my dislike of the Uchiha and that old fact.

It was pretty nice, though, after I got used to the fact that I was part of a clan of douches. It was expected of me to be a snide, sarcastic little shit and the Uchiha tended to look at me with approval when I was an ass which made the enraged faces of my victims, Uchiha clan or not, seem that much funnier. That was one thing I liked. While I had certain expectations and a standard to uphold here, it was a different set than the one that I had in my last life and therefore less stifling. Not to mention easier as I technically had a leg up by having the mind of a teen and therefore able to better fulfill the Uchihas' horribly high standards of perfection and overall dickery.

When I turned six, I realized that despite not being born into the clan head's family, I was expected to be more perfect than Uchiha's twice my age. Why? Well, let's just say that being an Uchiha not closely related to the clan head's family and being near their second son's age was mighty convenient...for them. I didn't know whether to laugh at the situation or throw a very un-Uchiha like tantrum over the news I received. Apparently the reaction they expected was that my family should feel honored that a non main family Uchiha was chosen as dearest Sasuke's fiance.

Of course, in order not to show how pissed I was at the situation and do anything drastic like oh say pounce on the face of the wonderful news-bearer and claw his face off I kept my own completely apathetic, staring at the man dully as if he was the bane of my existence or laugh and get my parents in trouble for my disrespect. Obviously the man and my parents could see the silent fury behind my eyes and the two emotionlessly uttered words "I understand" as the messenger took a nervous step back while my mother kneeled and put two firm hands on my shoulders while my father hurriedly rushed the man out as politely and respectfully as possible.

After giving me a few days to silently...or not so silently fume(throw a violent tantrum) in the confines of my now broken, shattered room, my parents decided it was safe enough for me to finally have a play date with my future husband. They seemed very nervous when they caught a real look at how much damage I'd done to my room, well old room, I had to get a new one obviously, and hoped that my violent, private outrage of a few days was enough for me to not violently beat the clan head's younger son into a bloody pulp. While I was obviously bad at having my life decided for me as it brought out my rare and unbridled fury(I'm usually set on apathetic and/or sarcastic), I knew that taking it out on Sasuke was stupid as he could do as much about the situation as I could and while I was pleased that my own parents regarded me wearily, I was also upset that they would think me lacking enough common sense to realize that Sasuke wasn't the one at fault. It was that asshole father of his. I'm glad he would die, the sexist elitist bastard. It was all because of him that my parents forced me to wear a freaking traditional heavy kimono for the first meeting between fiances. I loathed that man.

A deep frown that came off as more of a pout on my young, round face seemed permanently etched on my admittedly pretty face. Being born a stuck up Uchiha had its benefits. I could tell I was gonna be a bombshell when I got older, looking like a perfect Uchiha lady, if I lived past eight years old that is, but that was besides the point right now.

My hands balled into tight, small fists inside my kimono sleeves. I had always been enamored with Japanese culture in my past life and loved kimonos because of their beauty but never wore them because they never suited me and now that I finally get the chance to wear one and look good in it, it has to be because I have to be presentable for my six year old fiance and his mister-shits-ice-and-eats-dicks father. I was very unhappy. The only consolation I got out of any of this was that maybe I could change Sasuke a little for the better in the next two years so he won't become such an arrogant, revenge thirsty, prick in the likely event that I won't escape the massacre.

I never liked Sasuke because he was arrogant and an overall asshole, as expected of a typical Uchiha, but if I gently shoved him in the right direction maybe I may even tolerate him and allow others to tolerate him better as well. Hell, maybe my small violent nudges in the proper direction will even allow Naruto to befriend him more solidly than that frienemy crap in the manga. I barely spared a glance at the passing Uchiha in the district that sent me long looks, knowing who I now was, my status obviously having been passed around on the grape vine during my days in self exile in my old room.

The walk wasn't unpleasant, it wasn't stifling or any of that crap. My festering anger over the situation was already fizzling as I knew there was nothing I could do about it anyways so why get pissed over it. It wasn't like it'd be that bad as long as I molded Sasuke to be tolerable early on and I never expected to find love anyway, either in my past life or in this one. Love or relationships in general seemed much more of a hassle than anything so in a way it was kind of nice not to be expected to find a suitable husband, which I'm sure would have happened considering I was part of the stuck up Uchiha clan and I was a woman in one of the more obviously sexist clans(of course I would be.) It was during these times I was glad for my ability to accept things as they come, be able to let go of my emotions, and to not be able to feel a lot(I only feel occasionally and when I do I feel intensely, hence my burning, violent rage.)

I easily recognized the clan matriarch when she opened the door in greeting. Uchiha Mikoto was as elegant and welcoming as I expected and I gave her a polite, but not overly warm greeting in return, making her warm smile wane a little at the slight cold shoulder, not that I cared. She did seem to have a glimmer of understanding in her eyes and I knew that she could at least empathize with the injustice of having my partner chosen for me. She ushered us into their house and took us to a room, I wasn't paying attention to their inane chatter, when we ran into Itachi in the hall. My response when I saw him was to straighten respectfully as if I was looking at a superior, one I actually respected, which I was, but the subtle action seemed to gain the attention of, and surprise of, both the Uchiha matriarch and my parents.

I bowed respectfully to Itachi, deeper than the bow I gave Mikoto, making her look more shocked than offended, apparently I had something of a reputation among the Uchiha for being a disrespectful snot that didn't respect authority and while that was true, Itachi was different. He was my superior, not just in strength alone, but in sheer strength of will and goodness of character. I never believed myself to be a good person or pretended to masquerade as one, but I respected purity when I saw it and protected it when I could. I knew that I'd be unable to stop the massacre and therefore be unable to save Itachi from the tragedy that was his life, dying as an unsung hero and unappreciated by history, but that didn't mean I couldn't show him respect now, show him my affection(non romantic dick wads) in the only way I could, being as cold and hateful as I was towards people, and that was by showing respect. Hence why I bowed meaningfully, sincerely, deeply and sent him a look of utter respect, awe, and empathy for what he was going through.

Since I was six and Sasuke was six, that made Itachi eleven by now and I knew that by that age Itachi was already a chunin and had already joined the Akatsuki. I didn't even want to fathom how he balanced the two positions as an eleven year old, but Itachi wasn't called a prodigy, a genius for no reason. While I was considered a genius, it was more in the sense that I simply picked things up more quickly because of my already developed mind while Itachi was literally a natural, a true genius and prodigy in the truest sense of the words. Itachi's eyes seemed to glimmer with interest and sharpen in curiosity and a hint of suspicion, ninja paranoia no doubt.

"You must be Rumi, my future sister-in-law. My otouto is lucky to have such a pretty fiance," Itachi said with a small smile, apparently hoping to cause a reaction in me. Well he made me react... My lips twitched in amusement at his compliment and I bowed a little as I spoke.

"I thank you for the generous compliment. I look forward to having you as my brother-in-law in the future," I responded back politely, sincerely, this time shocking all present, including Itachi, if his slight widening of eyes was any indication before he recovered quickly and smirked.

"Hn," was his only reply. I openly smirked this time, knowing it was a sound of approval, learning to speak Uchiha-bastard language early on being surrounded by them as I constantly was. He gave his own bow in goodbye before leaving and letting his mother continue leading my parents and I after they gathered their thoughts again. It was too bad that he wasn't going to see my meeting with his father. He's one of the only five Uchiha that I think would find it amusing rather than tense or stifling.

My eyes and expression went back to being dull and painfully bored and uninterested, even when giving the minimal bow required to be polite when we reached the room where Fugaku was sitting in his high-and-mighty Uchiha glory. I resisted the urge to scoff when his eyes narrowed at noticing my show of minimal respect and disregard to him, not tense at all and looking in the distance with disinterest. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that my parents were already showing signs of discomfort, Mikoto frowning at the situation already.

"So you are the child we have chosen for Sasuke. I am thankful that you are more talented than other Uchiha children as we wished for someone his age rather than someone older," he said dismissively, making it clear that half the reason I was chosen was because I was his age, the other half being because I was smart. It had nothing to do with my personality or my moral compass and his reminder of that pissed me off, but I kept my expression blank. "What is your name, child?" Fugaku demanded more than asked.

"Her name is-" I cut off my father before Fugaku could, seeing his intense gaze on me and feeling pissed at it. The asshole was testing me. He hadn't even spared a glance at my parents or his wife and kept those cold eyes on me. If I was my actual age, Uchiha or not, I might have been intimidated, even terrified, but being me, his obvious scare tactics pissed me off.

"I believe he was addressing me, chichiue," I cut my father off sharply, startling him and making Fugaku's gaze sharpen. I as well didn't bother looking at my startled father. "Though it's apparent you should already know my name, I shall introduce myself. My name is Uchiha Rumi. I am here to meet my fiance," I stated in a steely voice, not doing much to hide my distaste for his attitude. I smirked internally when I saw his frown deepen minutely in displeasure.

"You are as disrespectful as the rumors say. I had expected you to at least show proper respect towards the head of your clan. Uchiha are raised to take pride in not only themselves but their clan then their village. You seem to show little of the former," he stated. I had to struggle not to scowl openly at him, keeping my blank expression in place.

"It takes much to earn my respect, Fugaku-sama. I have given it only to my parents and that is because they created me and have taken care of me since my creation. If they had not taken responsibility for what they had a hand in creating I would not respect them, biological parents or not," I responded easily, stating a fact, one that did not surprise my parents as I had said as much before. This did not escape Fugaku's attention, but he was much better at hiding his surprise and displeasure at the statement than his wife.

"You hold so little regard for your clan, your family? Yet you have made no secret of your respect for the hokages and your loyalty to the village." I openly allowed myself to frown at his choice of words, saying 'the village' rather than our home or at least our village, as if the clan was not apart of. It was obvious that they were already planning the coup.

"The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," I quoted icily, shocking them all with the statement as it wasn't a quote from their world and therefore one they'd never heard before and believed was my own. Mikoto and my parents shifted uneasily as Fugaku and I exchanged steely glares. It seemed whatever the bastard saw in my glare satisfied him as his shoulders relaxed a fraction, his glare becoming a passive gaze, and his frown uplifted minutely.

"Hn," another Uchiha approval. "I trust that being affianced to my son will tie your loyalties more closely to home," Fugaku stated simply as if he knew for a fact it would, apparently believing I would become loyal to them through that alone. I didn't have a chance to negate his obviously parting statement as my parents hurried to get me out of there before I exploded on the ass I was forced to call my clan head. Mikoto led us nervously to their large backyard, occasionally sending me a worried glance as I remained expressionless and silent, inwardly fuming at the infuriating man named Fugaku.

"Sasuke-chan, there's someone I want you to meet!" Mikoto called to the the boy throwing wooden kunai and shuriken at multiple targets. I raised a kimono sleeve over the lower half of my face to hide the smile and warming of my cheeks when I saw Sasuke's cheeks expand and redden as he pouted adorably. I had to admit that kid Sasuke was adorable.

"Kaa-san! I told you not to call me that! I'm a boy! Only girls are called 'chan'!" He continued as he made his way over to us. I frowned and my hand lowered back down to my other one.

"Is there something wrong with being a girl?" I asked him a tad snidely, frowning slightly as I addressed him without so much as introducing myself. His eyes found me after he turned his attention away from his mother and his brows furrowed, frowning at me as well.

"What?" My frown deepened, becoming a slight scowl.

"Are you implying that being considered a girl is something to be insulted about? Should I be ashamed for being born a girl?" I asked, my voice getting slightly louder in my anger. Sasuke scowled at me openly, glaring at me in a way I would have considered cute if I weren't pissed off right now.

"It's not my fault that girls are weak! Except for Kaa-chan, all girls care about is their clothes and their hair and they always bother me," Sasuke stated petulantly, crossing his arms and glaring harshly at me, one I returned whole heartedly.

"So just because a few air-headed girls go ga-ga over you, you immediately label them all weak idiots? If I judged all boys by just the few I've met I would consider them all stupid jerks who don't know how to do anything but brag about themselves and insult girls!" I responded angrily. Sasuke looked stunned for a moment before he recovered and scrutinized me more thoroughly, looking me over with a serious expression.

"You're different from the girls I've met," Sasuke stated. I crossed my own arms and raised a brow.

"Is that you're way of apologizing and saying you were wrong?" I questioned, having to bite back a smile when Sasuke's cheeks reddened and he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Hn," I let myself smile at this, giggling at how embarrassed his monosyllable response sounded. Mikoto decided that it was safe for her to interrupt now, seeing Sasuke struggling not to smirk at seeing me show him any positive emotion.

"Sasuke-chan, this is the child I told you about, Uchiha Rumi. She's a very distance relative, hardly related to us besides our shared clan. You two are going to academy together," she said, surprising me as that was the first I'd heard of me going to academy with Sasuke. Sasuke turned back to me fully, openly staring at me, but I stared back, not backing down. He looked away first, looking up to his mother.

"She's my future wife?" Sasuke asked her, making Mikoto giggle and smile.

"Hai, Sasuke-chan." He nodded and walked up to me, stopping and bowing respectfully.

"It's nice to meet you, Uchiha Rumi." After the formal introduction he stood up straight and stared at me again before speaking. "You're different from the other girls I've met." He repeated. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Why thank you, Uchiha-sama," I drawled sardonically, making him frown, but then he smirked a little and took my hand in his.

"I like you. You're cooler than they are," he announced proudly, making me giggle a little at his childish attitude. "And you're prettier too," he added, sounding equally as proud and sure as before, making me giggle as I felt my cheeks warm slightly at the compliment.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. I like you better than the other Uchiha boys I've met too. You're not jerks like they are. You're actually kind of nice," I replied. And hopefully it would stay that way. At least if I had anything to say about it. He squeezed my hand a little harder, looking away as his cheeks reddened again.

"Hn." I just giggled at his innocent reaction, my parents and his mother doing the same. I started to feel something warm rise in my chest, something I hadn't felt since my past life. Hope. Maybe him warming up to me, maybe the guidance I'm planning for him in the next two years will help him be a better person when the canon story line starts to get rolling. Maybe I'll be able to make sure Sasuke doesn't end up becoming obsessed with getting stronger, maybe he won't be so arrogant and he and Naruto can become true friends, good friends with a healthy relationship. Maybe this time I can at least make sure that Sasuke is capable of moving past the hatred and finding happiness. Maybe...

Sasuke and I got a lot closer during our 'play-dates', something I had to attend every other week at his house and after our first meeting I was allowed to wear what I wanted. What I wanted consisted of a loose black long sleeved shirt with a wide neck and white shorts. The only thing I disliked about the shirt was that it had the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. I couldn't get many clothes that didn't have the stupid symbol on it.

My change in wardrobe was apparently a good thing as the play dates began to consist of us basically training, practicing throwing kunai and shuriken as well as meditation and chakra control exercises when we unlocked our chakra(I may have suggested meditating in order to do just that.) Fugaku seemed more than pleased with his son's accomplishment as he hadn't expected his younger non-prodigious son to do so until they told him how at academy. I frowned at how happy Sasuke was at the small amount of pride Fugaku showed him. I would have to make Sasuke think that his father's approval wasn't what mattered most.

After a month or two of just training with Sasuke in his backyard, I got bored. I threw all the wooden shuriken I had in one hand, all of them hitting their intended target as I looked to Sasuke who gave my throw a look of approval. " 'Suke-kun, I wanna do something else besides train," I told my young fiance. He frowned as he tossed his own projectiles and hit the same targets in the center before he walked up to where I sat on the porch, my legs swinging slightly.

"Well, what else do you want to do." He wrinkled his nose in distaste when he continued. "Don't tell me you want to play those stupid pretend games like 'house' or 'princess' or 'tea party' or something stupid like that." I gave him a look of utter horror and disgust, much to his amusement apparently.

"Ew! No! I hate those games! No, training is fine, but I don't want to do that every time I see you. Besides our aim and chakra control is as good as it's going to get until we go to academy and actually apply it," I told him and he nodded in understanding. He sat beside me, looking in the distance like I was and enjoying the silence, letting me think. "I want to go to the park," I stated suddenly. Sasuke gave me a cute funny look.

"There's no park in the Uchiha compound," he replied in return. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Of course not, genius. The park's outside the Uchiha compound." He scrunched his eyebrows in thought, his nose wrinkling slightly. It was adorable.

"I've never been outside the Uchiha compound. Have you?" I almost wanted to smack myself when I realized I hadn't. It wasn't exactly necessary. The Uchiha compound was a self efficient and separate part of the village, no doubt its isolation was one of the many reasons that they planned a coup. I thought on the situation and remembered the maps that my parents and private tutors had drilled into my head. I shook my head.

"No, but I know a way out." I answered in return. Sasuke seemed unsure and I immediately knew how to persuade him. "Consider it a mission. The objective is to get to the park and play for a while and the mission parameters are that we have to get out undetected and come back before your mom comes back from her lunch date with her friends to make dinner. No one will be the wiser and it'll be harder because we're trying to get out of and into one of the most protected compounds in the village," I told him. He seemed to warm to the idea when I mentioned the idea of a mission. I smiled when he nodded seriously and I took the hair band from my wrist and tied my hair in a high ponytail, like I always did when I got serious. Sasuke recognized this too and smirked.

Getting out of the Uchiha compound was woefully easy when I knew the emergency evacuation route. Of course it was hidden because in case of attack and imminent defeat it would be needed to transport women and children out safely. I should have taken into consideration Uchiha arrogance and expected the route to be all but abandoned as the Uchiha never thought they would be taken down and therefore would not need said route. Sasuke also seemed slightly disappointed at how a possible entry point for enemies wasn't well guarded. When he pointed this out to me I wondered if this was how Obito got in or if he just used kamui to get in, not that I dwelled on it long as soon as we were out of the compound.

In the end it was more difficult finding the park than it was getting out of the walled compound. Eventually Sasuke and I were forced to ask vendors where it was and they were thankfully kind enough to point us in the right direction. When I could see the park in the distance, I sped up in excitement. I hadn't had a real chance to act like a kid since my past life. Being an Uchiha sucked balls on that account. They didn't let you really play like a normal kid needs to and even I was feeling the very strong need to unwind and have fun.

"Rumi-chan," Sasuke called, and I looked back, realizing that I was walking too fast. I trotted back to him and twined our hands together, pulling him along with me and almost missing how his cheeks flushed when I turned back to the park. Almost.

"Come on, 'Suke-kun. We already wasted almost twenty minutes just getting here. Now we only have two and a half hours to play!" I said. We had calculated the time we would need to get back and decided for precaution that we leave the park for home half an hour early to give is a time cushion in case of stalling events. I didn't know what to expect when I got into the park, but I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when I saw all the laughing and screaming kids running around, a few parents sitting on benches watching them, some holding younger children or babies in their arms or on strollers. I turned to see Sasuke also shocked at all the children near our age and I couldn't really blame him. I was technically the only other kid his age he had hung out with, probably the only one he'd ever seen.

We both cringed when another ear piercing squeal was let out by some children running around. "...Are all non Uchihas this loud and obnoxious?" Sasuke asked quietly, unnerved and miffed at how different non Uchihas were. I nodded my head sagely.

"Civilians and their children are people we must avoid for they're all obnoxious suck ups, though there are exceptions. Other clans and their kids are less obnoxious and tend to be more mature because their parents are more than likely ninja. The ones that we would most likely get along with are the Aburame and Nara clan, the former because of their logical, quiet nature and the latter because of their quiet intellect, though their tendency to be lazy may irk some Uchiha. But we should also befriend the Akimichi and Yamanaka if we want to be friends with a Nara as their clans are close and the Inuzuka while generally boastful and loud, are loyal to a fault and tend to be amusing. We would also get along well with a Hyuga if our rivalry was ever forgotten as our prides are quite similar, but I doubt that would ever happen," I lectured with my eyes closed, one finger pointed in the air. Sasuke chuckled and was about to speak when a yawn somewhere to their left stopped him.

"You sure know a lot about the clans for a kid," a lazy young voice drawled. We turned to see a boy with his black hair tied up in a pineapple style leaning against a tree with a pudgy boy with swirly cheeks sitting next to him eating a bag of chips. I smirked and gave a bow of greeting, Sasuke doing the same when he saw me do it, sending me a questioning glance that would soon be answered.

"Nara-san, Akimichi-san, I never thought we'd run into two clan heirs on our first trip to the park." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he recovered and analyzed the two clan heirs carefully, sizing them up...at least until I discreetly elbowed him. He scowled at me but stopped his rude, pointed stares and looked away in disinterest. Shikamaru's eyes sharpened at me before he let them shut lazily again.

"Troublesome...I also never expected to see two Uchiha here. The only Uchiha I see around the village are adults. I didn't think they let their kids out of the compound," he drawled tiredly, his hands behind his head.

"They don't," I said bluntly.

"We snuck out," Sasuke finished, just as bluntly. Boisterous laughter interrupted Shikamaru before he could say anything and a boy with two red triangles on his cheeks and spiky brown hair joined in the conversation, his eyes black slits and his canine teeth noticeably sharp as he grinned.

"Who knew anyone from that stuck up clan would do something rebellious," the boy said, just as boisterously as his laugh. Sasuke seemed irked by the blatant insult to his clan, but kept his tongue when he glanced at me. I had already educated him on the fact that the Uchiha were not as perfect as he thought. I barely spared a glance at the boy before I turned away in disinterest, lifting my head up slightly.

"Our clan may be arrogant, but at least we have the bite to back up our bark. I doubt the same could be said for the more boastful Inuzuka clan members," I uttered blandly, making Sasuke smirk when Kiba got angry.

"What did you say, you-!" He seemed surprised when I turned to him with an amused smile, even Shikamaru and Choji were laughing a little. "What's so funny?!" He shouted. I let myself laugh a little then too.

"Nothing, I just didn't know before today that the Inuzuka could be as easily angered as I'd heard." He seemed miffed by my statement before grinning sheepishly and rubbing a finger under his nose.

"My name's Kiba, by the way, Inuzuka Kiba!" He announced proudly. "What about you guys?" He said, pointing rudely to the rest of us. Shikamaru yawned again and sat up, slumping.

"Troublesome, Nara Shikamaru," he yawned again.

"*munch munch* I'm Akimichi *munch* Choji," the chubby one said.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said simply and he looked to the trees near Shikamaru, hands in his pockets. "Are you two going to introduce yourselves as well?" Everyone turned to the two trees that Sasuke was looking at, some with surprise when they heard a small 'eep' come from one of them. A tall boy and a cute girl with a hime cut stepped out from two different trees, one standing stoically with his hands in his pockets and the other poking her two fingers together, shuffling nervously in place, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"S-s-sorry. I d-didn't m-m-mean to s-spy on y-y-you," she stuttered out. My eyes softened when I recognized the Hyuga heir and Sasuke sent me a look saying he knew that this Hyuga was different. I nodded and sent Hinata a gentle look.

"It's fine. Why don't you come join us and introduce yourself as well," I coaxed softly "You too, coat man," I told Shino who nodded once. She nodded meekly and walked over with Shino.

"M-m-my name is H-H-Hyuga Hinata...," she mumbled weakly. Shino raised a hand to adjust his sunglasses, his high collar hiding the lower half of his face.

"I am Aburame Shino." I was about to introduce myself when another loud and more obnoxious voice had everyone present either stiffen or cringe.

"Shikamaru! So this is where you've been lazing about!" A shrill voice shouted at the poor boy making him groan in displeasure. A girl with platinum blond hair came stomping up, a girl with pink hair shyly following behind her. I saw as Sasuke paled and looked at me in slight worry and it was obvious why. I looked at Sakura's hair with unadulterated horror and disgust. I had never made my blatant and powerful dislike of the color pink a secret and even Sasuke feared bringing up anything to do with it when he saw what I did to two older boys that tried to make fun of me being a girl and the color pink.

Shikamaru sighed despondently and grudgingly introduced the girl to the group. "Everyone, this is Yamanaka Ino, I don't know who her new friend is."

"Her name's Haruno Sakura! I just met her today!" Ino announced proudly. I smirked at the group of kids we miraculously managed to meet today.

"He~h, what a nice assembly, almost all of the clan heirs are present," I said in amusement, making others look at me in confusion while Shikamaru looked at me sharply. My smirk widened at his sharp look as it seemed we both knew that all the 'official' clan heirs were already here, but before he could question me I caught a glimpse of vibrant yellow from the corner of my eye. I turned sharply in the direction of the source and felt recognition and outrage in my mind when I saw a sad, scruffy looking Naruto sitting alone on the swing set, a visible empty radius around him as both children and adults stayed away from him.

Sasuke saw where I was looking and asked what I wanted to.

"Who's that kid?" Sasuke asked, jerking his head in the direction of the boy. Everyone turned to look with varying expressions, but thankfully I noted none of them were the beginnings of hatred or disgust.

"I don't know. Sometimes he comes here, but he's always alone," Kiba said, seeming to think now on his appearances.

"The civilian children seem to avoid him for some reason," Shino stated factually.

"My parents never told me to but, I...I've heard their parents tell them to stay away from him...that he's dangerous, that he's a bad boy," Sakura admitted reluctantly, wanting to be helpful to her new friends.

"T-that's not true!" Hinata shouted, surprising everyone as they pegged her as someone shy...which she was if her tomato red face was anything to go by after her outburst. She looked down shyly at her shuffling feet and poking fingers. "H-he saved me f-f-from a g-group of b-b-bullies o-once." I saw some glimmers of respect in some of their faces.

"Then why do they tell their kids that he's dangerous?" Kiba questioned aloud and I scoffed, unable to help it and making them all look at me.

"Please, ninja are dangerous. Civilians are known to have illogical and unfounded fears," I stated bluntly, Sakura wincing at the naked truth. Sasuke scoffed as well, adding to my argument.

"I'm surprised they aren't afraid of their own shadows sometimes," he stated a little arrogantly, but I allowed it this time. Though I smirked at the saying, Shikamaru doing the same for obvious reasons.

"We should invite him to join us then," Shikamaru suggested, looking at me pointedly, telling me he knew what I was doing. I smirked at him knowingly, not denying that I discredited the civilians and brought him up in order to get Naruto with us.

"W-we s-s-should. N-N-Naruto-kun is a g-good p-person," Hinata added. Ino smirked deviously as she sidled up to Hinata.

"Naruto-kun, huh? Sounds like someone has a crush~!" Ino said in sing-song making Hinata 'eep' cutely and turn red. I ignored the little scene and looked straight at Kiba, pointing at him in a superior and elegant fashion(think Suoh Tamaki).

"You," he looked at me startled as I put my other hand on my hip and looked down at him, "go fetch him." I ordered loftily, making others snicker.

"What?! Why do I have to do it?" He shouted in complaint. I just crossed my arms.

"Because no one else here is rude and obnoxiously cheerful enough to drag him here if he hesitates," I stated seriously, making him scowl as the others laughed again. He crossed his own arms.

"Fine!" He turned and was walking over when he looked back. "Oh, yeah, what's your name anyways?" He asked, reminding everyone that I hadn't introduced myself.

"Rumi. Uchiha Rumi," I said with a smile, making him grin back...at least before I put on my superior face and shooed him. "Now fetch," I reiterated, making him scowl again.

"I'm going! I'm going! Geez!" He shouted, stomping off towards Naruto. I smirked in satisfaction and nodded as we all sat down to wait for them.

"Do you know why they don't like him?" Shikamaru suddenly asked, making everyone turn to him in surprise then to me when they saw who he was asking. I looked at him in disinterest.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked, my voice slightly sharp and startling a few, not Shika though. He just shrugged.

"Just curious," he replied. I nodded, knowing that was the case.

"I'll tell you when we all become good friends...and when he himself finds out why," I answered cryptically, making Shikamaru stare at me intensely. He seemed ready to question me again when Sasuke stepped in.

"Don't bother Nara-san," he said, making everyone look to him questioningly. "Rumi-chan has a reputation among the Uchiha for seeming to know a lot of things she shouldn't. Random people go up to her when she walks down the street to start a conversation with her because sometimes she drops cryptic comments that later make sense when it happens in the future. I can't tell you how many times my father has been infuriated after having a conversation with her because she refuses to tell him if she can see things." They all seemed startled that even the Uchiha clan head was interested in my 'ability'.

"Can you see the future?" Ino asked eagerly, obviously wanting her fortune told as if I was some cheap palm reader. I frowned at her and glowered.

"If I said yes would you pester me with questions of your future love life?" I questioned icily in return. She sat back, squirming guiltily.

"...no." I scoffed at the obvious lie before my expression turned somber.

"It's not that wonderful, you know." They seemed caught off guard by my sudden shift in mood. "People aren't meant to know the future. If it doesn't drive you crazy, it lulls you into a false sense of security, it makes you arrogant...or it makes you hate the world. People don't realize that your future can change. Every action, every decision you make shapes your future. Every choice you didn't make was another possible future that never happened. But some things are set in stone. You can't change them, they are fixed points in history. 'A person often meets his destiny on the road taken to avoid it.' People who know their future and wish to change it often end up getting there faster or making things worse. You can change what happens in between, but the destination never changes." Everyone was quiet as they struggled to absorb, to understand my words, but Shikamaru seemed to understand and was disturbed by what I said.

"Why are you telling us this? From what Sasuke said, you haven't even told your clan head that you can actually see the future." He said, making everyone wonder the same. I smirked then.

"I have to say I wasn't all that surprised that we all somehow met up today, though we're missing a few more," I said, confusing them all. "Your meeting was inevitable. Our fates were tied together as soon as we were born. All of you have a great destiny ahead of you, an important one and it's all centered around the child of prophecy," I answered. Shikamaru sighed as the others seemed to think on this.

"Troublesome. So we're all important to future events and it's all centered around this 'child of prophecy' who sounds even more important to the future." I smiled.

"His decisions will bring about world peace, or bring its destruction," I stated, making more than a few gasp.

"Who is this guy?!" Kiba shouted, making everyone aware that he and Naruto had been there for a while.

"Kiba?! When did you get here?!" Ino shouted at him, making him flinch and scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Er, around the time you asked if Rumi could see the future," he answered.

"Ne, ne, so who is this 'child of prophecy' guy? He sounds really awesome!" Naruto said excitedly from where he was sitting, making everyone look at him strangely and it was easy to guess why. This is the kid people thought was dangerous?

"That..." I started, making everyone lean in, "is a secret." I finished with a smirk as they all fell.

"What the heck, Rumi-san!" Kiba shouted indignantly. Shikamaru just sighed.

"Given the information she's already provided, we can easily narrow it down to it being one of the people already present." They looked from Shino who made the valid point to looking pointedly at me as if I was the one. I just laughed at them.

"Heck no, it's not me! Sorry guys, I'm not the save the world, hero type person. Though it'd be the most ironic thing if an Uchiha was the child of prophecy," I said with dark humor, making Sasuke frown and the others just look confused as they hadn't learned much history, especially about the Uchiha clan.

The rest of the time was spent playing together and getting to know each other better. Sasuke and I promised to be back whenever the both of us had play dates together and they promised to try and come then too. Sometimes a few of them couldn't make it, but Naruto always could. Something I found interesting was the small shifts in dynamics between the group of future ninja with me as part of the group. Naruto, not having grown up to be as obnoxious and attention seeking as in canon, gained the recognition he wanted early on from people that counted, real friends, and therefore seemed to mellow out and not be as loud and annoying as canon.

Shikamaru slept less than in academy as he actually had interesting people to talk to and play shogi with, namely me, Sasuke, Shino, and even Hinata, Choji was a given. Hinata gained more self confidence along with Sakura as the two and Ino had become girlfriends, something I was happy to not really be a part of though I was good friends with Hinata I was only 'normal' friends with Ino and Sakura as they weren't my type of 'crowd'. Sasuke, being out of reach of more Uchiha influences, and having some of it pounded out of him by me, was less arrogant and more open to making friendships, his childish eagerness to play with his own age group helped greatly in that regard and he got along well with most of them despite his more stoic and quiet personality.

The most interesting thing was Naruto and Sasuke's relationship. Unlike in canon, Naruto no longer had a reason to be overly envious of Sasuke. Sasuke was not being practically worshiped just because he was an Uchiha, he was not showing off how much better he was, and he wasn't being admired by a bunch of girls as I was there to chase them off permanently. This changed the way they saw each other and it changed how their friendship was formed. It did not turn into a rivalry, it did not become them acting like enemies, in fact, they got along amazingly well. They became best friends almost immediately and while they still occasionally got into almost canon-like arguments, they still acted more like super-bros than anything, and that more than anything reassured me that Sasuke's future was already going to be better. With me inadvertently laying out a strong foundation of friends to support him when the inevitable tragedy happened, they wouldn't allow him to wallow in misery and ruin his future.

I wondered how their friendship would be without the rivalry, but it was still there, but it was different. Rather than fight against each other, they worked together to overcome obstacles and pushed each other further along. Another welcome surprise was that a third person was added to their group. Kiba. He was the more competitive 'rival' that the two needed, being the most like canon Naruto, he issued challenges, he goaded them, got them all fighting, he pushed in a different way, but no less friendly. The three made great entertainment and while Kiba wasn't either of their 'best friends' he was a good friend that neither would give up, not that either Naruto or Sasuke would admit that out loud.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the way the group evolved when they met each other early, especially when we finally started attending academy together. Out of everyone in the group that originally did not involve me, the ones I was closest to were, of course Sasuke, Hinata, Shino, and Shikamaru. Shikamaru was the one that knew more about what I knew of the future than anyone, even Sasuke, because Shika was the genius that had the easiest time deciphering my cryptic comments even if he didn't know what they connected to yet. Shino also knew at least as much as Sasuke did as, while he was not a certified genius like Shika, he was as intelligent as Sasuke and Sasuke was pretty darn smart.

While I was still friends with Ino and Sakura, it was more of a tentative friendship as we all seemed to understand that we were not the type of girls that usually got along so we tended to tip toe around each other so as not to inadvertently insult each other. My relationship with Naruto and Kiba was more as an older sister and bro respectively. I saw Naruto as a younger brother, knowing as much of him as I did and wanting to make him happy and he in turn eventually started calling me Rumi-nee-chan, much to everyone's amusement, though it wasn't weird as some of the others took to calling me that as it made sense since I acted like someone older than them without coming off as superior or arrogant(mentally I was well above their age).

Sasuke approved of the boys seeing me as an older sister or as a bro rather than a friend or a girl as I easily confirmed he was the protective and jealous type. I was actually glad of my general reluctance to touch even close friends as every time I deigned Kiba, Shika, or Shino a hug or friendly pat or any contact whatsoever, Sasuke tended to glare daggers at them or sulk when I was the one to initiate. Naruto he didn't even see as a threat as the two were best friends and Naruto was still pretty clueless, especially when it came to Hinata's obvious affections. He seemed to see Naruto as a brother and trusted him more than he seemed to realize if the way he didn't react at all to us hugging, even smiling sometimes when I showed him sisterly affection.

That was another thing that changed between the time we got new friends and starting academy. Sasuke's feelings of affection for his first friend and labeled fiance started to grow into a true affection for a possible romantic partner. Of course it wasn't love or anything that intense, but more like the budding of puppy love that would evolve into true love later...as long as I didn't rebuff his advances and reject his affections. I could say I didn't entirely mind the arranged marriage as much as I did at first. Even at this young age, Sasuke proved to be a deep thinker and was able to hold meaningful and interesting conversations with me, obviously not up to an adult's level, but insightful and meaningful nonetheless. My nudges and lessons in the right direction, and the subtle changes he got from socializing with people outside the Uchiha clan, helped rid him of his arrogance and toned down his pride for his clan quite a lot. He became more friendly towards the future Konoha 12, hopefully as long as Sasuke doesn't defect.

He also, surprisingly, became more cool(less open) with fellow Uchihas...save his brother whom he still acted like an excited younger brother. I credited this to the private history lessons I gave of the Uchiha, all of it truthful and unbiased, giving other people's opinions of the Uchiha as well as what I thought of it. To say Sasuke was disillusioned was an understatement. Sasuke had taken pride in the Uchiha and thought them superior because of their strength, their skill as ninja, and their sense of loyalty, but when I told them of the Uchiha history, edited of course, he started to see things differently. He was not proud of how Madara had grown power hungry, how the situation had to call for his brother to sacrifice himself to give Madara more power, how the clan's response was to banish him despite him doing it for the clan. He disliked when I told them of how they treated his uncle Obito for acting like Naruto or Kiba do, how they isolated him and scorned him like the villagers seemed to do to Naruto.

And when I told him how I disliked the pressure the Uchiha put on me to succeed, not allowing me a normal childhood, he thankfully drew the parallel between myself and his brother, finally putting himself in his brother's shoes rather than putting him on a pedestal. This revelation had knocked his father's pedestal right out from under him in Sasuke's mind and he began to see his Father as not someone to look up to, someone invincible like most boys tend to do, but as a human being with flaws. I honestly would have felt bad about this, even if Fugaku was a bastard he at least deserved a loving son until the end, but the tragedy that would soon happen didn't allow me to give him the undeserved luxury. Sasuke's respect and blind devotion to his father would be one of the key factors in his desire to seek revenge because he'd know his father would be proud of him for taking that course of action, would encourage him.

Pulling Fugaku down in Sasuke's mind and putting him at the level of just another person would help Sasuke begin to see his flaws; how cold he was towards his sons, how he put clan matters before his family despite claiming otherwise, his desire for power rather than strength, his loyalty towards the clan rather than the village, it would put things in perspective and Sasuke needed to see this. I felt horrible when Sasuke became withdrawn from his own family, looking up even more to his brother Itachi for guidance, who while surprised was grateful that his otouto was beginning to think on his own. He also began to be more broody and somber as a result of his disillusionment, only showing his other emotions around close friends and Itachi and I. This worried me, but as long as he didn't withdraw from those that mattered, I wouldn't push him to be different. While I could help push him in the right direction, I couldn't change who he was, who he would eventually become and hopefully it would be a better person than he was in canon.

"Rumi-chan," Sasuke addressed me and I looked to see he was still staring at the sunset, his legs dangling over the dock like mine were. "What is strength? Is it mastering a bunch of jutsu? Activating and mastering the sharingan? Or is it being able to protect the village? Being able to give up your life for it?" I easily recognized Fugaku's and Itachi's clashing opinions but was hesitant to answer him, knowing that my reply would possibly be the deciding factor in how he handled the massacre.

"Why are you asking me, 'Suke-kun?" I asked him softly, looking down at my lap.

"...you always seem to have the right answer, Rumi-chan...well not the answer, but you always help me see the truth. You...opened my eyes to the Uchiha clan I guess and I figured you could help me find my answer with this," Sasuke answered honestly. I thought long and hard of what I should say and decided something, standing up. He looked up at me as I offered my hand.

"I want to show you something," I said, making him nod and take my hand as I led him through the village, weaving effortlessly through the crowd as I made my way to the hokage tower, planning on borrowing a few peoples' words. Our walk was silent as we trekked our way atop the monument and I only stopped when we got to the top, the village being illuminated in the orange light of the waning sun. "What do you see, Sasuke?" I asked, catching his attention by saying his full name with no honorific and he stood at attention, straightening and looking at the breathtaking sight before him.

"I see the village," he answered. I kneeled down and hugged my knees as I gazed down at the peaceful village, people starting to make their ways back home and emptying the streets.

"Is that what a village is to you?" I questioned softly. I closed my eyes when I saw him look at me questioningly. "What makes up a village, Sasuke? Is it the buildings they live in? Is it the names of the clans that reside in it? The civilians that live in it? Is the hokage the village? When ninja say they protect their village, what are they really protecting? The buildings, the clans, the people, the hokage; what do you think a village is?" I questioned. Sasuke sat down next to me, his legs crossed as he thought hard on this.

"Isn't it all of them? Every one of them is a part of the village..." he trailed of, unsure.

"You said they are a part of the village and that's true but they cannot be the village. I have heard many opinions of what the village is, some of them are wrong, some of them are right, but that depends on the person and it doesn't mean you can't believe in more than one view." I took a deep breath and stared at the village below. "Some people think that a village is a symbol for power, that only the powerful deserve to rule it." I saw Sasuke frown. "Others believe that the village is a place, a location that houses them. And yet others believe that the village comprises of the people that live within them. I know a few that believe that the village is an ideal, a standard that must be set upon not only our village, but everywhere in the Elemental Nations. I find myself agreeing more with the next two opinions." I saw Sasuke's focus sharpened when I told him I agreed with the ones I was about to say.

"I believe, and I'm not the only one, that this village is an idea, a belief. We pride ourselves in our teamwork and hold strong to our 'will of fire'. I used to wonder what the 'will of fire' was, but then I thought to what it was I was trying to gain strength for. Why did I want power, for what purpose was I wielding it?" I saw Sasuke thinking of his own answers for those questions. "I came to my own conclusions. I wanted power because I wanted to protect. I wielded that power to protect those precious to me. I believe the absolute surety of my answer, the determination I felt within me when I thought of protecting those precious to me, that burning desire, I believe that to be the 'will of fire.' I believe that the village is a symbol of that belief, of that idea that our strength derives from our bonds. I believe the village lives on through that teaching, that above all else, protecting those near you will provide you the strength to persevere, to live, to be happy. I also believe that the village's survival is dependent on the future generation, not on the hokage. In shogi terms, it would be who you believe to be the 'king'. Many would assume it to be the hokage, but the hokage can easily be replaced by another. His death may weaken the village, but it will not destroy it, so he cannot be the 'king'. So who then?" I questioned.

"The future generation," Sasuke murmured. I smiled.

"They are the future. They are the future ninja, the future leaders, one of them is the future hokage. Depending on how they are raised, who they become, they will strengthen or weaken the village, the belief of the 'will of fire'. Without us, without children, there would be no future for Konoha." We were both silent as Sasuke processed all this, both of us looking at the village in the dying light, the sky above us beginning to turn dark.

"It's so small..." he said finally. I looked to him in confusion.

"What is?" I asked. He just nodded back towards the village.

"The Uchiha compound. Compared to the entire village, it's pretty small. It all is, if you only look at one part," Sasuke said. "Dad always makes it sound as if the Uchiha is the village, but I can't believe that when there are so many other clans in Konoha, when I see just how small we are compared to the bigger picture," he said and there had never been a moment before this where I was more proud of Sasuke. I looked back to the village myself, my chest tight with emotion and my eyes watery as I took in what he said. He understood. That was all I could think. He understood what I was trying to tell him. I smiled warmly and scooted closer, letting my head lean on his shoulder, my smile warming more when I felt him stiffen before hesitantly placing his arm over my shoulders. We both stayed silent as the sun disappeared over the horizon.

"I want strength," he stated resolutely. I felt his hand grip my shoulder a little tighter and felt him pull me a little closer. "I want to gain power in order to protect those close to me. You, Itachi-nii-san, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Ino, and Sakura. I want to be strong enough to protect you all." I looked up at him after his declaration and felt my breath catch when I saw the absolute iron will in his obsidian eyes. He has it. He has the 'will of fire'. I smiled at him, my lips trembling as I tried to hold back tears.

"It looks like you found your answer," I said softly. He looked at me and his gaze softened.

"...thank you, Rumi-chan, for everything," he murmured just as softly and I had to look down, burying my head in his shirt to keep the embarrassment away. He had never thanked me so...so sincerely before. It made my chest feel funny and I knew that I was blushing with how hot my face felt.

AN: Yet another start of a story sitting in my doc manager. This one actually predates my Neo-Uchiha Sasuke story so if there are any similarities in my OC's from the two stories, that's the reason. I'm sorry I keep posting new stories that I'll no doubt take the rest of my life to even update, it's a disease I swear, stories pop into my head like daisies and refuse to leave until I start writing and then a new one comes and the cycle starts all over, it's as frustrating to me as it no doubt is to you, so I apologize very sincerely for putting you through that.(TT^TT)