Age 6/Year 6

"How am I so strong?"

I nod.

"Yeah. You're already a chunin and almost a Special Jounin!" The show didn't give enough credit to your brother. He was already as strong, if not stronger then most of the ninja in the village.

Itachi hums in though and bends over, gently pulling my nose.

"I don't run away, crybaby Sasuke." He chuckles at the pout I made. "Though, strategic retreats are a sound tactic when necessary."

What was the difference? No, better yet, was he never going to let that go?

Huffing, I crossed my arms and sent him an annoyed glare. He just smiled and shook his head.

"I guess you want a real answer?"

I nod.

"In that case- find something you want to protect." He pauses and looks down at me. Steel mixes in his gaze; my brother reaches out and gently pats my head. "People can do incredible things If they have a reason they can't fail."

It goes without saying I knew what his reason was. Itachi loves his family and me, but he also adores Konoha. He's got the perfect mentality for ninja, so it's no surprise that he's so strong.

"Umm, what are you going to do after?" Is he still going to join Ambu?" "Do you want to be the Hokage?"

"Hokage?" Itachi utters the words skeptically. To him, just speaking them feels alien. "No. I'd make a terrible Hokage."

I shake my head.

"I don't think so. You're strong and kind."

Itachi nods.

"Hokage's can't be kind."

"That's not true." I protest. "Sure, there's a lot of bad things they have to do, but that doesn't stop them from being nice."

My brother hums in thought.

"Do you think so?"

I hesitate.

Naruto proved it was possible, though that was after the world united as one. Maybe... maybe I'm wrong. People die, lie, and betray each other right now. The four villages are filled with ninja; paranoid people that can't trust others.

Maybe Itachi's right.

"I don't know." I answer softly. "Still, there's nothing wrong with being a good person and also being Hokage."

I want to beleive it. S-Some things have to be done, but that's just how the world works. Outside of that, I believe it's possible to trust others.

"Do you want me to be Hokage, little brother?"

I pause.

Time waits for no man. My brother is young, but soon he'll be an adult.

"I just want you to be happy." I say softly. "I know you hide your true feelings because that's what being a ninja means to you." He shouldn't have to do that. "Everyone sees you as the ideal ninja."

Itachi stares at me, an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes hold a kind sense of understanding within them. I haven't even finished and he's already seen through me.

"I want you to be yourself more, nii-san." There's no need to steel himself and put on a brave face. "We're family."

His cool mask cracks slightly and I see him smile.

"I remember the smile and tears you shed that day." It's really foggy, but I won't forget his face. "You don't need to be a ninja around me, mom, or dad. Just be yourself."

That's all I want. He's always reserved and smiles are rare occurrences. It can't be helped, as that's just how he's trained himself.

A ninja doesn't show weakness to his enemies. Well, I'm  not his enemy. Not now or ever.

"Sasuke." At a loss for words, he looks down at me with a shocked expression. "Is that really how you feel?"

I nod.

"Yes. Please don't hold yourself back with us, nii-san." It hasn't even been a decade, but I've grown to love my family. They're no longer characters on a page. This is my life now and he's family. As I've always done, I  will look after my family.

"Very well," Itachi answered. "I love you, little brother." I felt a tap on my nose and raised my head. The brilliant smile on my brother's face was breathtaking. It was something born out of true happiness.

I reached up and gave my brother a tight hug. Soft arms wrapped around my back.

This was nice. The bond between brothers was a strong one indeed.

"I know you'd make a great Hokage." He'd be perfect for the job.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

I smiled and nodded.

The time was quickly approaching, and I felt all but powerless at the impending death. I wasn't a genius and had no idea how to stop it. Telling the Hokage wouldn't change anything.

All I could do was hope that my existence had changed something.

[Reward: +1 Soul | +1 WP]

========

I really shouldn't have expected anything different. My peers were children.

"Sasuke! Want to play hide and seek?" Even with my more childish perception, their games felt boring. I played, but only because I were supposed to do so.

In the end, even with my deteriorating maturity, I was still too old for this sort of stuff. Rather than give up and accept the inevitable, I tried introducing more mature games to the children. Chess was the first, which Shikamaru quickly picked up. He had a blast playing with the small coloured stones I dug up.

Sure, he only knew the basic rules, but he went on to crush everyone at it. I wasn't an exception. Really, how was he not one of the strongest ninja in the original series? Naruto and Sasuke were touted as geniuses, but they had nothing on Shikamaru. Yes, he was still just a kid and not as smart as he'd become later on, but he was already more intelligent than most teachers.

Shikamaru was terrifying.

Sadly, he was so good that the other students completely gave up on chess. The next game I made was dodgeball, though, the ball was replaced with kunai. The teachers approved of this particular idea.

To put it simply, I was the best student in the class at this 'game' followed by Hinata- at least when she actually tried. To help her out a bit, I spent a good few days just letting her kunai graze my side. Every time she hit, I praised her and urged Naruko to do the same. Slowly, but surely, she put more effort into her throws and I  actually had to dodge or get hit.

Shino was almost mute, but he did speak one or two words here and there. He was a very stoic individual, but I assumed that was because of his bugs. The girls definitely didn't like being around him. The only ones unaffected were Naruko and Hinata. The former didn't really care, saying they were 'just bugs.'

"I see em all the time."

Hinata just wasn't affected by them at all.

"B-Bugs are nice. I-I don't like hurting them."

Sakura and Ino had completely different opinions. They both basically called them gross and kept their distance. I was happy to see the two were still friends, but I didn't know how long that'd last. What caused them to split up in canon? I honestly couldn't remember.

Choji was constantly eating, but I knew that was just part of how his clan worked. As a show of peace, I made some special dip with tomato sauce and a few fruits. When I gave it to him, he almost cried after the first bite. He shared his chips with me and Naruko. Admittedly, the chips were delicious; they were also filled with a lot of vitamins and such to help our bodies develop.

"Don't eat too many unless you want to get round like me!"

Judging by how many Naruko was eating, I suspected she didn't worry about her weight. Hey, I didn't judge a girl on that.

Finally, there was Kiba. The young boy was basically always challenging me to a fight. He had gotten it in his head that since I was the strongest person in the class, he could get stronger by beating me. That wasn't technically wrong since to do that, he'd actually need to train. I humoured him and used it as practice. Both of us grew stronger and a small rivalry of sorts started to bud.

Overall, the year was full of socializing and a bit of fighting.

I enjoyed it!

[Reward: +1 to all stats! | and extra +1 to CHA!]

======

"This is too hard." Naruko huffed. She looked down at the leaf in her hand and crumpled it in annoyance. "How come you can do it so easilly?"

The frustration in her voice was evident.

"Because I'm weaker than you." It was the truth. Maybe I was stronger when it came to technique, but Naruko blew me out of the water when power became the focus.

"But you're the strongest person in the class!"

"Maybe." I nodded." But you have more chakra than all of us combined."

She blinked at that.

"R-Really?"

"Yep." I smiled, walked over, and gently patted her head. "It's not so surprising you have trouble trying to control it."

I bent over and picked up a stray leaf.

"The fact that you can keep it from falling for even a second is impressive." Naruko's eyes sparkled at my praise. "I'm actually a bit jealous."

"Hehehe." She gave me a large grin and rubbed the back of her head. "Y-Yeah. I-I guess not everyone can be like me."

I chuckled at that.

"True." Coughing, I handed over the leaf. "So, keep trying. Eventually, you'll succeed. Just stand up when you fall and no one will ever be able to beat you."

I could tell those words sunk deep into her mind. She repeated them quietly and then nodded confidently.

As she practiced her chakra control, I thought about what to focus on next.

---------

With a soft plop, I fell through water and into the lake. I hadn't expected to actually get it right, so it was fine.

"Are you ok?!" Naruko shouted from the shore. "D-Do you need help?!"

It was easy enough to swim back up, smile, and wave at her.

"No! I'm ok!" Waterwalking was incredibly difficult, but it was an excellent way to increase one's control of their chakra. There was no way I'd be able to master it this year or the next, but that wasn't my goal. I wanted to get a feel for it and improve my discipline.

Unlike me, Naruko was still trying to work on making a single leaf stick to her palm.

Swimming back to the shore, I tried again and failed.

"H-How's the water?" Naruko asked nervously.

I smiled.

"It's nice and cool. Are you sure you don't want to come in?" She'd always been evasive about that. Was she afraid of water or something?

"Nope!" Naruko answered swiftly. "I'm fine out here!"

Hmm.

"Are you sure." I grinned and sat by the edge, kicking my feet and splashing some water. "It's really fun."

Naruko hesitated.

"If you want to be a good ninja, you've got to learn how to move in water." That did the job. She stood up and slowly made her way to my side.

Flustered, Naruko took a look at the water and then at me.

"I-I don't know how to swim."

...

Oh, that makes so much sense. I must have been absolutely blind not to notice!

"How come you never told me?" There were plenty of opportunities to teach her. All she needed to do was ask.

"Ca..e I w.. a....d."

She spoke without confidence and as low as a whisper.

"Sorry. I didn't catch that."

Naruko took a calming breath and answered with red cheeks.

"Cause I was afraid you'd think I was a loser."

Just because she couldn't swim? Well, I guess kids are supposed to be dumb.

"Come on, I'd never think that." I replied, gently clonking my fist against her head. "I mean, if not being able to swim makes you a loser, then since it took me so much longer than other kids to talk, then I must be a big dummy."

She gasped and shook her had.

"No way! You're the second smartest kid in the class!" And how that hurt. Shikamaru was a freak! I had a good 20 or so years on him and he was still smarter than me!

"It's the truth." I chuckled and held her up. "No, come on. I'll teach you."

She gulped and took a good look at the lake before turning back to me.

"O-Ok."

--------------

Much like Yue, Naruko ended up liking swimming once she got the hang of it. By the time the two of us stepped out, she could doggie paddle and keep herself afloat. It'd probably take the rest of the year to get her up to speed, but I was willing to wait.

"I have an idea!" The completely naked Naruko shouted. I  told her to keep her pants on, but that just had the reverse effect. Little kids could be really stubborn at times.

I watched as Narko grabbed a bunch of leaves and threw it all over her body. At first, I thought she was trying to do something funny, but it quickly became clear what had happened.

"Huh. Good job." I said with a smile and a thumbs up. Naruko might not have been able to keep a single leaf on her palm, but two dozen was apperantly perfect.

"I did it!" The small girl shouted happily, losing concentration and dropping the leaves. A second later, she tackled me with the force of a freight train.

"Did you see?!"

I grinned and nodded.

"Yeah. Now, lets dry off and put our clothes back on."

She shook her head.

"No way! I want to practice more!"

...

I knew that determined look on her face. She wouldn't stop pestering me untill I agreed.

"Fine, but not for too long."

Hopefully, this wouldn't become a habit. At least I had the whole kid angle going for me right now. This would have been much more awkward if we were both older. Actually, I should probably teach her about modesty and stuff. It doesn't look like her caretakers really said anything about that. Though, to be fair, my parents haven't officially told me anything either.

...

God, that's going to be a really awkward conversation. I'll have to find a way to make it entertaining instead of cringy.

Anyways, by the end of my training session, Naruko had increased her control enough to hold a single leaf for a few seconds. It was slow progress but compared to before, she had made leaps and bounds!

[Reward: +1 Soul! | Naruko Control Up!| +1 SP!]

========

Cats; cute little fluffy things that love being looked after like kings. Some people love cats, others love dogs. I personally never had a preference.

"Nya!" The small kitten in front of me purrs and starts nibbling on my fingers.

"Big brother..." I take a small breath and gently poke its head. "Since when could you summon cats?"

Itachi smiles and taps my forehead.

"I found the contract on a mission." He pauses. "The only ones that know are you, Shisui, and the Hokage."

My eyes widen.

"Wait... you told me a secret that important?!" If only the three of them know, then it has to be something big. I can already feel the assassins coming for me.

To everyone's surprise, my brother laughs.

He never laughs!

"It was a joke," Itachi says with a smile.

A joke? My brother, telling a joke?

I snicker. It's just so... weird.

Itachi furrows his brow and looks at me oddly.

"Was it bad?"

I shake my head, wiping a small tear from my eye.

"N-No. It was really funny!" I never expected Itachi of all people to tell jokes. Maybe he's actually doing what I asked him?

"I'm glad." My brother smiles and kneels down. "Shisui said you'd freak out."

Did he?

"How come?" I'm just a kid. Why would I freak out?

Itachi's lips rise into a knowing smile.

"You're very smart, Sasuke." He reaches out and pokes my forehead. "You hide it well, but older brothers are made to see through that."

My heart freezes.

Do they know? Did I slip up?

"Don't worry." Itachi chuckles. "There's nothing wrong with hiding your intellect." He tugs at my nose. "Though, I see you're still as cowardly as always."

I bite my lip and give him a look; it only makes him smile wider.

"Mother was right. Your pouts are adorable." He says with a perfectly neutral tone of voice. It's honestly a bit disturbing how he can display so much emotion without showing it.

"Are not!" I answer with a pout. Damn! childish brain is messing with me again!

Quick! I have to change the subject!

"So, uh, where did you get the contract?"

Itachi gently picks up the kitten, pulling out a sardine from his pocket. The cute little thing gobbles it up.

"I found it on a mission." My brother continues. "It was hidden in an ancient looking ruin." He pauses. "I'm sorry, but I can't disclose the location."

Make sense.

He pulls out a small, tattered scroll.

"I asked the Hokage- so, would you like to enter the contract?"

...

"R-Really?" Aren't contracts supposed to be a big deal?

"Yes. Think of it as a gift for doing so well this year."

My big brother laughed as I excitedly told him that, yes, I  did want cats as a summon.

"Just remember, you can only have one contract at once, ok?"

What? Why? Actually, I think that was an actual thing in the show.

"How come?" I asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

He answered quickly and happily.

"Technically, there's nothing actually stopping you." He paused, showing off the Cat contract. "It's simply that the contractors dislike their contractees forming other contracts."

Ah, that made a bit of sense. Jealousy was a powerful emotion, and it looked like not even wise, powerful summons were immune to its temptations.

"Think of it like your girlf-" He bit his tongue, taking a second to think it over. He probably thought I wasn't old enough for that sort of thing. -"like if mom stopped giving you your favourite treat and instead gave them to some stranger."

I put on a show of being annoyed and agreed with his point. Still, realizing that summons were basically like clingy girlfriends gave me a bit of a chuckle. Seriously!

"So, umm, I just cut myself and write my name on the scroll?"

Itachi nodded and pulled out my finger. I say him take out and sterilize a kunai. There wasn't a point to prepare myself. I'd been cut plenty of times before, mostly from training with sharp knives and stuff.

"Good." My brother smiled, lifting up the scroll and calling me over.

"Now, let's go meet the boss."

--------

One reverse summoning trip later and I found myself in front of a giant cat. He called himself Nekomata and towered over my form. Was he the boss?

Itachi kneeled and motioned to me.

"This is my little brother- the one I mentioned before." The large, intimidating cat took one look at me before scoffing.

"He looks weak."

My brother shook his head.

"he is quite strong, you'll find."

Clicking its tongue the cat nodded and moved aside, letting the two of us pass through the gates he was guarding. Following a small path, I eventually ended up in a traditional looking room. Beyond a folding screen door, I encountered the 'boss' of the cat summons.

It was a small, black cat. She was cute and her fur was puffy and made me want to gobble her up.

"Oh? Is this your brother, Itachi?" The boy in question nodded and moved me forward.

"Yes. He agreed to the terms and is ready to join."

The small cat gives me an appraising nod before extending a paw. I, of course, gently gave it a shake.

"Tell me, what sort of partner do you have in mind?"

=======

I look down at my 'partner'. The small cat stands on two paws, looking at me judgingly.

"Well? Is he up to your standards?" Mila, the leader of the cat summoning contract asks. Her sharp eyes look at me for any signs of disapproval.

The small cat I chose hums in thought. He reaches behind his back, grabbing the aged wakizashi-like dagger. In an instant, he's at my side, sword aimed at my nose.

He was so fast I couldn't even see him! Faced with a sharp, dangerous weapon, I stare deeply into his eyes. This is obviously some sort of test, if he wanted me dead, I  would be.

"I guess he'll do." The swordsman cat huffs, sheathing his blade. "You didn't flinch." His eyes lock with mines.

Curiosity drove him to accept me, so there's only one possible answer to his statement.

"You're really fast." He blinks and a second later, I hear a low purr escape his tiny lips.

"And you're also a funny kid." Wait, was that a laugh? "Name's Jubei" He holds out his tiny, furred paw.

I smile and grab hold.

"Nice to meet you."

He chuckles.

"Hopefully he'll be a good comrade," Mila says with a smile.

Jubei grimaces.

"Can't exactly got worse than the last." He says, breaking of the handshake and turning to Itachi. "Your brother know anything about swords?"

Itachi turns to me and then shakes his head.

"No. He's proficient in throwing weapons though."

Jubei hums.

"It's a start." His eyes turn to me. "Kid, get a sword."

What?

"Why?"

The cat sighs.

"If you're going to be my partner, then that means you're going to use a sword."

I don't even know if I  want to use a sword!

"It doesn't matter if you can use it well. So long as you have it, it's fine." He says, dismissing my concerns.

That- that's stupid!

He huffs.

"That's your first task. Get a sword and I'll think about teaching you how to use one."

I've gone and chosen a troublesome partner.

Mila chuckles, her furry coat trembling as her chest rises.

"Amusing. Now, please make yourselves scarce." She points to me and Itachi. "I've got some company coming soon."

"Very well." My brother nods and stands up, carefully grabbing my hand. "Come. I'll teach you how to summon your partner."

I nod absentmindedly.

Huh. Who could be coming over?

[Reward: Cat Summoning Contract Get! | Partner: Jubei get!]

=======

To think, the person that'd have me discovering 'quests' would be Naruko. I had tried everything from making a to-do list and going around asking my mom if she needed anything done. Countless chores were accomplished and all I had to show for it was my mother's love, kisses, and hugs.

...

Ok, maybe that wasn't so hard.

She probably wouldn't be around for much longer.

I grit my teeth and pushed those thoughts aside.

There was nothing I could do.

I was weak-willed and even weaker in body. Telling the Hokage would just make me seem insane or part of somekind of conspiracy. At most, I could maybe tip him off the day before, but that could make everything worse. I had no idea what to do and it was very stressful.

Hopefully, the wishes I made could do something. Nightmares suck, but they were for a good cause! I wasn't 'Greater Good' Dumbledore, but 'Kinda Good' Sasuke sounded alright.

"So, what do you think?"

I sighed and looked at my friend. Her chubby cheeks were puffy and her eyes full of enthusiasm.

"That's a big list." I answered with a chuckle.

If there's one thing my new childish mentality was good for, it was fighting stress. Ignoring it made me feel better.

I just have to keep it out of my mind or risk crashing.

"I thought so too!" Naruko exclaimed. "The old man went way too far!"

Well, it wasn't that bad. Most of the things on it were chores and such. The truly difficult ones weren't that hard. Still, I could see the Hokage's underlying reason.

"I mean, look at this one!" Naruko pointed to the 12th and final task. "He wants us to steal a button from a genin!"

"You're overthinking this." I said. "Genin aren't that amazing." Sure, they could kick our asses, but at the end of the day, they were just children; highly trained children that could kill us, but still just children.

"No way! Genin are ninja! I bet even a fresh one could kick your butt!" She said. Naruko was being surprisingly bashful today.

"I'm sure," I agreed. "But we're not going to fight them." I grinned and twirled my fingers. "We could pay them, be stealthy, or even ask," I said with a shrug.

"Gota think outside the box." Hopefully, I sounded a bit cool. It's not every day I get to dish out wisdom to the younger generation.

I'm sounding like an old man now...

"Oh... I didn't think of that." She grinned and laughed sheepishly. "I guess that's why you're number one."

I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe." Stepping up, I moved to her side and raised her little list.

"So, which one do you want to do first?"

Naruko smiled.

"I'm thinking something easy! We can do the hard ones later."

I sighed and looked at the paper. She was a lazy butt.

"Alright. I think I should pick."

"Huh? How come?!"

I smiled.

"Cause I'm 'number 1.'"

"No fair!" She replied with a pout.

[Reward: Gained Quest: Narukoko!]

=======

I focused on the easy tasks first. With the two of us, everything went by really quickly. we cleaned up the Hokage's building, gave it a fresh coat of paint, broomed the leaves and-

...

I were beginning to think the Hokage just wanted Naruko to do his errands. Either way, by the end of it all, the easy tasks were finished. That left the harder ones, and while convincing an active duty ninja to say our name was surprisingly hard- the paranoid ass- everything else went pretty good.

"How are we going to do this?" Naruko asked, stalking behind yme.

Ok, maybe getting a button from a genin wasn't that easy. I'd found a team by staking out the Hokage's tower, but now what? They had come back from a mission and split ways, and if what I saw was right, I was pretty sure their 'teacher' knew that the two of us were following his students. As for the students in question- well, I didn't think they knew, but who knows at this point.

"Should we jump them and try and take it by force?" Naruko asked. I could feel the disapproval in her voice. It wasn't what she or I wanted to do. Besides, it was prety likely that the genin could just beat us up.

"We could also try and steal it by 'bumping' into them." That'd take a lot of dexterity and finger control. I didn't know if I was up to the task, and Naruko wasn't exactly better at that than me.

"Maybe we can just ask them for it?" It was the most obvious approach, but if the Jounin from before was anything to go by- it would take a lot of convincing. Besides, I didn't know anything about these genins.

Hmm.

It was a tough choice.

=======

"You want my pin?" The young genius we stalked asks. His face is full of confusion, but also that paranoia all ninja have. "Why?"

"Cause the Hokage made a list for me to do!" Naruko shouts, a small smile on her face.

That was a mistake. There's absolutely no way he'll ever-

"Really? Ok then." Casualy reaching up, he takes off his button and hands it to Naruko/

"What?" I look at him, completely baffled.

The kid shrugs.

"She said the Hokage sent her."

Naruko grins and turns to me.

"Mission complete!" Behind her, I see the kid sigh and turn around.

Why did he do that?

...

Maybe he's just tired and doesn't want to argue? OR maybe he's going to follow us now and see if something's up?

...

A pair of small, soft hands wrap around me.

"Thanks for the help, Sasuke!"

I smile and hug her back.

"It's what friends do."

She nods happily and hugs even tighter.

Hey, I'm not some sort of hug doll. And I have bones- bones which she's squeezing very tightly!

Naruko lets go and gives me a second to breathe.

"Right! That's the last thing on the list!" She hops up and waves the list in question. "I'm going to go give this to the old man! Do you want to come?"

I hum and look at the sky. The sun's about to set and my mother is probably waiting for me.

"Sorry. I have to go on home."

Naruko blinks and then nods.

"Oh, ok. See you tomorrow!" I smile and wave goodbye, watching as she dashes of toward the Hokage tower.

She's got a lot of energy, that's for sure.

[Reward: +3 WP! | Naruko finishes the Hokage's list!]

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Year Six End

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