AU, this takes place just after the fight on the bridge - all characters will be OOC, this is a short story but I wanted something to write during a time when I don't have time to flesh out proper chapters for my other stories and so this came up - I liked the idea so... yeah.

Naruto sat on a branch half way up a tree at the edge of the clearing, as Sasuke entered he looked up and spotted him almost instantly.

"You saw didn't you?" Naruto said looking at him.

Sasuke nodded, "I don't know why but you're using a henge – my sharingan spotted it as soon as it awakened."

Naruto sighed, "I don't suppose there is any chance of you dropping this is there?"

Sasuke shook his head, "I need to know."

Naruto had a pained expression, "I need you to promise not to tell anyone."

"What, you have a big scar or something?"

Naruto scoffed, "If I did I would just live with it – this is not optional."

Sasuke frowned, "What is it then?"

Naruto jumped down and walked up to him stopping about a meter away, "Please Sasuke, don't judge me; your opinion means a hell of a lot to me."

Sasuke gave a sharp intake of breath; that was not something Naruto would normally ever admit to. Sasuke nodded, "I'll try."

Naruto looked thankful, "Kai."

As the smoke cleared Sasuke was no longer looking at a short blonde boy but instead a fairly attractive redheaded girl. Her height was the same as Naruto as was her build, she shared the same whisker marks on her cheeks and her mannerisms where the same but she was undoubtedly a girl. Where as the male Naruto looked a lot like the fourth this Naruto was blatantly the split of her mother; fiery red hair, piercing green eyes and a figure that was oddly mature.

"Wh…what?" Sasuke asked at last.

Naruto sighed, "After… certain events in my childhood the third saw fit to have me 'become a boy' as it where – I have played the part for as long as I can remember."

Sasuke was dumbstruck, "Why?"

Naruto sighed and sat down on a nearby low branch, sweeping her long red hair over her shoulder as she did so.

"That is quite a complicated question, and one that I wish I didn't have to answer – but I guess I trust you. Please Sasuke I beg of you, understand that this doesn't change who I am."

"Thirteen years ago when the Kyuubi attacked the village, the yondaime defeated it, not killed, defeated. His only option was to seal it into a child – me."

Lifting her top slightly she channelled some chakra revealing the seal, Sasuke said nothing so she continued.

"As for why this meant I had to become a boy, well, the villagers knew the Kyuubi was sealed into a child but they did not know who – until my third birthday."

"A pair of ANBU discovered my identity and took it upon themselves to assassinate me, fortunately there plan was foiled, but, when they where caught…" She shuddered lightly and held herself.

"They had already kidnapped me and taken me to an abandoned house – when the rescue squad arrived they had stripped me naked and had me bent over a stool."

Sasuke was beginning to feel sick.

"One of them was… preparing to…"

"Stop!" Sasuke shouted at last, "I can guess – please skip that part."

Naruto nodded shakily, "The medical report confirmed that I was still a virgin but if they had been even a little later…"

She shook violently, repressed emotions surging to the surface, "I WAS THREE YEARS OLD!" she screamed causing several nearby birds to take to the air.

She pulled her knees up against her chest and shook, unsure of himself Sasuke sat beside her and put an arm around her, she gratefully rested against him taking comfort in having someone to lean against, even if it was the stoic bastard.

"After that the third explained some things to me, from that point on my identity was made common knowledge, I was always under a genjutsu cast by nearby ANBU guards that made sure nothing got out of hand. You see they couldn't risk it happening again – if word got out that I was a redheaded girl…"

Sasuke nodded sadly, "It could happen to someone else."

"They made me a boy to reduce the risk of similar occurrences and the ANBU made sure that I never got too injured though allowances had to be made."

"That was how I met Kakashi-sensei you know – he was in charge of guarding me, he used to talk things through with me every morning and evening, make sure I was holding up ok. He was disgusted that I was treated as I was but it was a case of allow the villagers some hate or have it build up. So they where allowed to through me out or throw things at me, he would only step in if attacks became more… serious."

Naruto sighed, "And now you know – now you know that your team mate is a lying piece of shit who deserves to be erased from the village – someone who can't even tell her friends her gender."

Sasuke held her tighter, "That's not true."

Naruto scoffed, "Go on then Sasuke – tell me your opinion hasn't changed – tell me you feel the same about me as you did before."

Sasuke sighed, "You're right I don't."

Naruto shrunk into herself and tried to hold back the tears, "See."

Sasuke smiled, "My opinion of you has changed, and because of that I was wandering if you would like to go see a movie sometime?"

Naruto's eyes snapped up and she smiled, "Seriously?"

Sasuke smiled, "Seriously. I can honestly say that now I know you're a girl I am interested in you, unlike the others you care about being a decent Shinobi and you are one hell of a looker."

Naruto blushed, "This could prove interesting though."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Naruto smiled, "Because I have to walk around the village as a boy."

Sasuke turned several shades of red before calming down, "Who says?"

Naruto frowned, "The third!"

"But the immediate danger has passed, everyone in the village knows you as a loudmouth blond boy, if you date me as a loudmouth redhead girl then no one will know it's you – and it has the added benefit of soving you from my fan girls."

Naruto grimaced and nodded, "Ok then Teme – it's a date."

Walking back to Konoha across the 'Great Naruto Bridge' team seven where celebrating a mission well done.

"Ne, Ne, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura was asking excitedly.

"What kind of girls do you like?"

Sasuke stared off into the distance for a moment, "I like redheads, with beautiful green eyes and lots of energy."

Sakura stopped in shock, partly because she got a serious answer but mainly because Sasuke seemed to be thinking of someone specific – and it was not her.

Kakashi meanwhile raised an eyebrow and looked over to a blushing Naruto, he smiled under his mask, 'good' he thought, 'It's about time she told someone, and I get the feeling this will help both of them.'