Chapter 4: Rising Tensions

As tensions within the village grew, and the Uchiha Clan became ever more isolated from the rest of Konoha, Itachi found himself relying more and more on the notes from Naruto to get through the day. The dark-haired boy had been fulfilling his various duties- to his Kage, to his clan, to his family, and to his brother- to the point that Itachi was on the edge of shattering. There were only so many hours in a day, and the teen was forced to exchange time spent with his younger brother for spying on his own clan, or skipping family dinners to keep up with the requisite mission intake for the Uchiha. Even training with Shisui was emotionally exhausting, because while his older cousin sympathized with Itachi's situation, he was firmly disapproving of spying on the clan.

No matter what decision Itachi made, he felt like he was betraying somebody. If he sided with the village, then he might be forced to fight his own kinsman, but, to do otherwise, was to sanction a civil war. The teen knew that the Uchiha Clan had legitimate complaints, because they had been slowly pushed out of village affairs for decades, but a coup d'etat would lead to the outbreak of the fourth shinobi war! Not to mention that they were likely to be defeated during their revolt, and cause several council members, such as Danzo, to advocate for the worst possible punishment.

All of these tensions were weighing down on Itachi, and the thirteen-year-old's response was to become ever more withdrawn in public. He had never been particularly social before, but tolerating Miroku's lewd comments or Yugao's well-intentioned mothering, through the facade of the aloof Uchiha heir was maddening.

In these difficult times, Naruto's innocent friendship and guileless affections were nearly addictive. She didn't know that he was the Uchiha Heir or the ANBU prodigy, and thus, held no previous conceptions of him. The girl's expectations were modest; a note every few days would make her happy, and a small gift often lit her up for weeks. And there was something immensely satisfying about gifting Naruto a shinobi technique, and seeing her master it. Itachi had spent enough time as her guard to know that Naruto Uzumaki was an indifferent student at the Academy, so it made him a little smug to know that she would study diligently at his request.

Her most recent note had detailed her experiences with the water-walking technique, and her frustrations about keeping the skill to herself.

'I've finally learned how to stand still on top of the water, but every time I try to move, I lose my concentration and fall. My clothes always end up soaked through after practice, and I have to walk home, shivering in the cold air, but at least I'm making some progress. I think I almost felt how much chakra I was putting into my Henge yesterday, and I can't believe that I've been wasting so much! Between water-walking and tree-walking, my chakra control has improved by leaps and bounds, though I still can't get that stupid leaf to stick to my head.

That teme Uchiha thinks he's so great, because he can balance four leaves now, but I bet that I'm the only kid in the Academy that can walk on walls. I'd love to show him that, and wipe that smirk off of his annoying, teme face, but that's impossible for now. I'm not going to get you in trouble for teaching me a Chuunin skill, and it's kind of funny that all of the other kids are mocking me for my leaf, when I know that I have a way more awesome technique to practice in secret. Let the teme call me inferior after seeing them! Anyway, you mentioned before that the Intelligence Division covers foreign shinobi, but why do they publish their information in the Bingo Books? And how do they know if…'

Itachi personally considered it a shame that Sasuke had no intention to befriend the loudmouthed, troublemaking dobe of his class, despite his older brother and mother's encouragement. And Naruto Uzumaki's opinion on the spoiled clan child had been fairly well-described by the scornful jinchuuriki.

He would have liked to send his reply now, but Itachi had another one of those dreaded meetings with the Sandaime about the Uchiha clan's coup. It was unlikely that he would be able to swing by the girl's apartment, and then race halfway across the village to the Hokage's Tower without being late. The blonde-haired girl preferred to use this time to train though, and the Uchiha heir felt that he could make a brief visit to her favorite training grounds.

As expected, Naruto was balanced precariously over the center of the lake bordering Training Ground 2, eyes narrowed into a glare towards the water. What Itachi hadn't expected to see, was the blonde girl channeling violet-tinted chakra to both her hands and knees, as she tried to crawl along the water.

"I'm not going to let you win," Naruto swore softly, almost making Itachi jump. Had she noticed- oh, she was talking to the lake. "This time I will make it across the water."

With painstakingly slowness, the girl lifted one chakra-glowing palm from the water, leaned forward and placed it against the clear, fluctuating water. The fluid wavered, but the surface refused to break. A brilliant grin forced the whiskers on her cheeks to bunch together.

"Ha! You've fallen under the might of Naruto Uzumaki, dattebayo! You will- eek!"

The chakra pooling under her left knee chose then to snap, causing one limb to sink into the water, unbalancing the others, and ultimately, causing the blonde's waifish body to tumble into the lake. Bubbles formed above her position, as she was fully immersed, before Naruto's head broke the surface of the water. Sputtering and rapidly blinking the water out of her eyes, Naruto Uzumaki let loose a litany of curse words that Itachi had only ever heard from Shisui before.

'How very ladylike of her,' the dark-haired boy thought, hiding a grin. When Naruto was done painting the air blue, she swam back to land, and wrung the water from the bottom of her shirt. Then the Uzumaki bared her slightly-longer than average fangs at the lake, rather like an Inuzuka, before returning to her stumble-crawl method.

"This isn't over, lake," the blonde growled, "I promise that I will one day walk over you! And Naruto Uzumaki never breaks a promise!"

'I wonder if I should tell her about how inefficient that is?' Itachi wondered, 'Keeping her mind on four points of contact instead of two, will only make it harder for her to learn water-walking, and waste a lot more chakra too. But it'll improve her concentration and chakra control more than the regular method, and it's not like she doesn't have energy to spare.'

The teen was tempted to stay a little longer- incremental progress meant more amusing falls, after all- but he had a responsibility to his Kage first. So Itachi sent one last half-smile to the oblivious Uzumaki, before bringing his hands together in a Shunshin, and disappearing from sight.

When he arrived at the Hokage's office, Itachi saw that the Sandaime was ending a meeting with his advisors. The teen stood by the wall, face blank and eyes cold, as the elderly shinobi and kunoichi made their farewells. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane both looked at him curiously, but didn't initiate a conversation as they stepped out. The third advisor though, a man with over half of his body wrapped tightly in bandages, paused before him, and offered a nod.

"Danzo-san," Itachi murmured, angling his head forward minutely. He was wary of the older man's interest in his cousin's eyes, and despised his aggressive foreign policies, but the Uchiha heir knew the importance of a public appearance. And, if nothing else, Danzo Shimura had earned those bandages in his zealous defense of the village.

"Itachi," Danzo's voice was bereft of any warmth, but there was a respect in his sole, visible eye for the Uchiha's actions. "Have you come here to report?"

"It is to be a private report to myself, Danzo," Hiruzen said, gesturing for Itachi to come forward. The teen neatly transitioned to a bended knee, watching for Shimura's expression out of the corner of his eye. There was a brief twist of displeasure on the War Hawk's face, and then a resigned nod.

"I'll discuss the pertinent information with the advisory council later," the Sandaime added, as Danzo shuffled out. Once the room was clear of everyone but the Hokage, the ANBU Guards, and Itachi, the old man's keen eyes fastened on the kneeling shinobi.

"Have there been any changes amongst the leadership, Itachi?"

"No, sir. The Uchiha Elders are determined to instigate a rebellion, and the older generation are still fine-tuning their plans for attack."

"Have you been given any specifics yet?"

"My heir status only affords me vague descriptions of the plans. They do not trust me enough to bring me further into the council's confidence. As a whole, the younger generation are not being brought into any plans for the coup."

"A plausible defense for the future of the clan, then. Are there any members of your generation that will rebel against the elder's dictates during the coup?"

"I… I do not think so, Hokage-sama. Shisui is the only one both observant enough to know of the coup, and powerful enough to risk the clan's censure. Many of the other ninja are dissatisfied with the village's suspicion, and may support the clan's rebellion."

"And Fugaku?"

"My father was not one of the early supporters of the idea, but he believes that a rebellion is inevitable. He's currently working on plans to minimize the damage to the clan, when they attack."

It continued on for over an hour, as Itachi listlessly replied to a series of questions that he had answered over and over again. There had been no serious progress with his clan, since the last time Itachi had to shamefully acknowledge his father as a traitor to the village. And his frustration and embarrassment was merely exacerbated by his inability to save his own family from themselves.

"Continue to monitor the situation, and inform me of any developments in the future," Hiruzen Sarutobi finished, signaling the end of the teen's report, "And I thank you for the work you've done."

The Uchiha's mouth tasted like it was full of ash, as he left the room. The Hokage's gratitude was misplaced; Itachi hadn't been able to do a single damn thing for either Konoha or the Uchiha.

The dark-haired boy regained a shred of composure as he placed his note on Naruto's small T.V. A box of chocolate pocky laid on the black metal, presumably for him, and that drew a smile, as Itachi headed back home. The air of lazy contentment surrounding the teen prodigy, as he snacked on the treats, was unusual enough that it drew the attention of several of his clansman.

"By the blessings of the Kami, Mikoto was telling the truth," one of the older matrons exclaimed, astonished, "Little Itachi-chan really is hiding a girl from the clan."

"Shisui claims that the girl is a ninjutsu prodigy," her companion said, conspiratorially, "As Itachi's best friend, he would know, of course. Says that the girl's a real beauty."

"Must have just spent some with her then," another matron contributed, laughing, "Never thought I would see Fugaku's boy so relaxed before!"

Not that Itachi Uchiha heard any of those comments, as the teen was forced to abruptly change direction once he saw one of his distant cousins ahead. He had been peripherally aware of a fair few females of the clan developing crushes on him, but they had never been this persistent. For some reason, many of them were convinced that he was interested in finding a girlfriend now.

'I don't know how, but this is Shisui's fault, somehow,' the Uchiha griped inwardly, swearing that he would have his revenge.

Shino Aburame was disposed by nature to be an observant child. That he was also a socially-awkward and introverted child deepened his inclination to study his classmates from afar. He had many new peers to observe today, as the recent advancement tests had led to an Academy-wide shuffle of students. His class had received an influx of new students from one level above and below his own.

In this event, lied an opportunity for the guarded Aburame heir. He had been encouraged by his father, the Aburame Clan Head, to seek companionship amongst his peers, which was an endeavor that often left Shino unhappy. Many of these students would become his comrades in the future, but, as of the moment, they reacted with a child's instinctive disgust at his allies. This phenomenon was mostly restricted to the civilian students, but even clan children, like the Yamanaka heiress, had vocally denied the Aburame's company.

Shino suspected that his distant demeanor and bulky overcoat contributed to this disquiet, but he could not compromise on these factors. Eye contact was also very important for the development of emotional bonds, as it inspired familiarity and trust, but Shino was rather attached to his sunglasses. He remained a shy child, and the thin plates of tinted glass served as a barrier between him and his fellow children's contempt.

However, the Aburame still thought that he would like to make a friend, and was willing to make another effort to do so. Once again, his mind considered the potential friends available to him, and made the logical arguments as to why a friendship didn't form.

The Yamanaka heiress, and indeed, almost all of the females in Shino's class, were afraid of his kikachu. As they were integral to his lifestyle, and the Aburame was unable to part from them, it would be difficult to secure a healthy friendship with any of them. Moreover, his experiences with his female counterparts, suggested that they would share few common interests, and, on a personal note, would converse in a volume that would irritate his sensitive hearing.

The former reason applied to many of the male civilian students in the class, as well, and the latter certainly applied to the boisterous Inuzuka. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi had neither issue, but Shino was too diligent to enjoy their more slothful activities. The Hyuuga Heiress was kind, but she was also even more painfully shy than Shino himself was. Sasuke Uchiha, in turn, had been well-mannered but aloof, skilled but arrogant, and too attached to the limelight for Shino's comfort. Besides, Shibi Aburame had requested that he avoid the other boy's company for some reason.

One of the few female individuals that did not seem to like the Uchiha boy- and, for that matter, seemed to actively dislike him- was a civilian, orphan girl. Naruto Uzumaki was the loudmouthed, troublemaking dobe of the class, but, from Shino's observations, she should have lost that title months ago. The blonde girl may have been demoted from the class above them, but that was due to her decision not to take the advancement exam, not because she failed. Her class standing was still low, but the dubious honor of the deadlast title belonged to the genius slacker Shikamaru. The Uzumaki wasn't nearly as loud or disobedient as the older students' claimed either. Shino had seen one ingenious prank attributed to her so far, but the girl was a lone wolf that hurriedly left the Academy as soon as the bell rang.

Shino wondered where she was going, and why she was in such a hurry to go there. The Aburame heir wondered a lot of things about the Uzumaki actually. Like why his father, the head of a noble clan, recognized her name immediately, the one time that Shino mentioned it. Or why a so-called trivial orphan bore the surname of a famous, foreign clan from the Aburame's history texts. And Shino would really like to know why his kikachu buzzed apprehensively around a delicate blonde waif of a girl.

He had met Jounin that elicited a lesser show of concern from his allies than Naruto Uzumaki, and that made her utterly fascinating to the Aburame.

'She's not the best student, but she's not a fangirl either,' Shino mused, 'Her chakra pools are large, and she's determined to become a powerful ninja, so it is likely that she will graduate. Naruto has a loud, boisterous personality, but it's not nearly as bad as it could be, and she spends half her time scribbling in that notebook of hers, anyway.'

That was another matter that piqued Shino's curiosity. What was Naruto writing in her notebook?

For these reasons, and because Shino cringed at befriending the Inuzuka, his next-best option, led to the Aburame's action the next day. And, like Itachi Uchiha, Shino Aburame had no idea of the repercussions his minor variance would have on the world.

Though, many years down the road, as a beautiful blonde woman handed him the bundled form of his newborn godson, Shino Aburame would claim that he made the objectively correct choice.

Naruto Uzumaki had been too immersed in her latest note from her pen pal to notice when the silent Shino took a seat beside her in class.

'The amount of chakra you have makes training your control a lifetime priority, but I don't think you'll ever reach the point where you can keep one leaf stuck to your body. Conversely, you will have an easier time learning higher level jutsu then your peers, and have a natural talent for elemental ninjutsu. I've seen you practice- I apologize for the secrecy, but ANBU agents are not allowed to reveal their identities- and your Gale Palm is field-ready now. It can be used effectively against multiple opponents in battle, but the jutsu will be far more devastating when you learn how to use it in conjunction with the Great Fireball jutsu. On a side note, your vocal display of displeasure during the water-walking exercise is another effective tool against enemy shinobi.

I would still caution you to keep those skills to yourself for now. Deception is the cornerstone of shinobi life, and a hidden ace or two may draw the line between survival and death one day. Also, while the Hokage has not explicitly forbidden your training, it would not be to our advantage to flaunt your knowledge. And I'm sure that the Uchiha boy did not mean to belittle your shinobi skills.

The Bingo Book only publishes the basic information available to almost every shinobi village, and does so for multiple reasons. One benefit is that Konoha receives more prestige if another village labels a Leaf nin with a high ranking, and vice versa. Another benefit mitigates diplomatic crises by clearly labeling missing-nin, and yet another is to provide incentives for the successful capture/death of Konoha's enemies. They're also a good way to spread intelligence of foreign shinobi amongst the ranks, which lowers the risk of coming across specialized opponents on the field…'

The blonde girl couldn't help but compare this half-page of detailed information, genuine encouragement, and even restrained teasing, to the one-lined compliment of her first note. The Uzumaki still treasured the first kind words to ever be directed at her messy, tangled, neon-yellow hair, but was even more glad to have reached this level of closeness now. Though the Yosei comparison was never too far from her mind, as her initial reaction to this note had proved.

Naruto's immediate response to reading about her training session had been to blush a deep red, and cringe at the memory of her mid-practice appearance. The blonde-haired girl had looked as far from a beautiful woodland sprite as it was possible to be, and it kind of dismayed her that the ANBU would see that. Then her common sense kicked in, and reminded her that kind, strong, older boy that liked her hair or not, Naruto Uzumaki was not a fangirl. And as her former ANBU Guard, he had probably seen many other embarrassing, unsightly moments that didn't leave her as pretty, perfumed, and perfect as the popular girls in her class were.

Her momentary identity crisis resolved, Naruto returned to analyzing the note for another reason. She was on a self-appointed mission to discover the identity of her mysterious pen pal. In an unrelated matter, the Hyuuga Clan had been suffering from a rash of burglaries lately, as a petty thief stole mundane documents from under the all-seeing Byakugan.

Thus, Naruto was indifferent to her new seat mate as she compared the note's penmanship to that of the papers she had borrowed from the Hyuuga.

'None of these match at all,' the blonde bemoaned, 'The closest matches are Neji Hyuuga, who's only a year older than me, and Kaoru Hyuuga, who's an old lady! I'm starting to think that ANBU-san had never even been a Hyuuga in the first place.'

Which, technically, was what ANBU-san had wrote, but if he had been a Hyuuga, then wouldn't he have claimed that he wasn't?

The disappointment of having gone through all of this effort for nothing kept Naruto in a quiet sulk for the remainder of the lesson. When her new sensei, a scarred brunette named Iruka, dismissed them for lunch, the blonde stood up, planning to eat alone on the roof, as she usually did. Then the glasses-wearing boy sitting next to her called her name.

Three times actually. Naruto was rather lost in her own thoughts.

"Yeah?" She wasn't trying to be rude, but Naruto didn't feel like dealing with her classmate's mocking right now. If the boy used that annoying 'dobe' title, she silently swore, then she would shave him bald and glue an orange geisha wig to his head.

"I was wondering if you would like to have lunch with me, Uzumaki-san," the boy answered politely.

"Oh," Naruto stared at him. That had been unexpected. "No, thanks."

She grabbed her own battered bento box and tried to leave the top aisle seat.

The boy's voice could be heard again. "May I know why you refused my request, Uzumaki-san?"

'Because I have to juggle my training and an investigation, and I don't have time for strange boys that'll get in the way of that,' Naruto thought. Aloud, she answered. "I don't know you."

"I believe that is a conception that could be corrected by sharing a meal together, Uzumaki-san," the boy adjusted his shaded glasses, and Naruto finally recognized him as the Aburame boy, "Are you afraid of my allies? I ask this because many of our classmates are discomforted by attacks that utilize insects as the main weapon."

"Huh?" When he saw her confusion, the boy extended one pale hand upon which rested a tiny, black beetle. Naruto stared down at it in interest.

"You use jutsus with bugs? What do they do?"

"My kikachu are capable of absorbing my opponent's chakra and transferring that energy to me."

Naruto blinked. "Neat. Still don't want to eat lunch with you, but you have a cool skill, Aburame."

There was a moment that the Aburame merely stood there, adjusting his shades again, before he stepped aside. The blonde girl stepped around him, ignorant of the attention they had gained from some of the other members of the class, and hurriedly made her way to the roof. The sooner she finished her lunch, the sooner she could get to making other plans to find out the ANBU's identity.

Although her brief conversation with the Aburame hadn't made much of an impact on the blonde, Shino had been intrigued enough to make another overture. Then another. And another. And another.

Shino would ask her to eat lunch with him, Naruto would refuse, and, after the small exchange, the Uzumaki girl would flee the room. This managed to catch the attention of the class, though not everyone saw the interaction in the same light.

Ino Yamanaka, and most of the other students, believed that the Aburame heir had a crush on the Uzumaki girl, who was understandably creeped out by his bugs to accept his advances. Iruka Umino saw that it was a simple attempt at friendship, and wondered why Shino was so insistent in befriending the jinchuuriki girl. Choji Akimichi, a secret romantic, thought it was heartwarming while Kiba Inuzuka shook his head at the blonde's apparent coldness. Shikamaru Nara thought the entire matter was troublesome, and Hinata Hyuuga believed that Shino was a figure worthy of her admiration for having the courage to continually approach the other figure of her admiration.

Even Sasuke noticed it, and made a dinnertime remark about how a boy with grades almost as good as his kept trying to gain the attention of the class's deadlast. After that, another personal comment made its way into Naruto's notes.

'The Aburame, along with the Hyuuga and Yamanaka clans, are the three top Konoha clans that focus on instilling chakra control exercises to their children. The clan heir will be taught tree-walking, at least, before becoming a genin, to correctly measure the proper quantity of chakra to feed his allies. It would not hurt you to befriend the young boy that keeps offering to share a meal with you.'

Shino's high-collar jacket and dark sunglasses hid the look of surprise on his face, when Naruto agreed to eat lunch with him the next day. The blonde girl remained oblivious to her classmates' staring, as she grabbed the Aburame's sleeve, and led him up several flights of stairs.

"Are we allowed to do this?" Shino asked, as Naruto lifted a window on the top floor, tucked her bento under her arm, and grabbed the rope hanging down from the roof.

"Nope!" was the cheerful reply, and Shino was just curious enough to follow. They sat down under the shade of the Academy's water tower, and the Aburame could look down at the entire complex. There was a pleasant breeze, slightly-warmed wooden tiles underfoot, and a fascinating blonde unwrapping her lunch across from him. Shino judged that this scenario was worth a possible detention.

"So, has your clan started you on the tree-walking technique, than?"

'She knows about an advanced chakra control technique,' Shino observed, 'Uzumaki Naruto is a very curious girl.'

Shisui Uchiha had never liked the police draft Uncle Fugaku would pull every time the KMPF found itself with more cases than available officers. Mostly because it was a pain to break into police headquarters every time, in order to burn his own name slip from the random draft pick. However, this time fate- in the form of an irate Itachi- had worked against him, and his name had been drawn.

Specifically, every single slip in the lottery had 'Shisui Uchiha' written on it, which was the kind of blatant meddling that the higher-ups would ignore because this was a ninja clan and only one officer was needed anyway.

Shisui had yelled at his younger cousin, Itachi had snapped back, and, after a confusing exchange of accusations, they agreed that this was Mikoto Uchiha's fault. But the damage was done, and Shisui had been slotted for the Hyuuga burglary case. As a means of apology, Itachi had offered to help him with it, and the older Uchiha was vengeful enough to accept.

Now, the two teens were facing Hiashi Hyuuga, who seemed remarkably unconcerned about the thief that was making a mockery of the clan's dojutsu whilst stealing his family's possessions.

"And the thief mainly stole… grocery lists?" Shisui repeated, in disbelief. He checked over his notes again, and saw the absurdity of the stolen documents. To-do lists, old receipts, homework papers, and teen poetry could hardly bring down the powerful Hyuuga Clan.

"I believe I've already said that," Hiashi responded, taking a graceful sip of his tea, "Many of them have been returned, but we suspect that the thief plans to steal from us again, tonight."

"I see," the messy-haired teen said slowly, "Hiashi-sama, do you happen to know who the thief is?"

The Head of the Hyuuga shrugged. It was quite possibly the only gesture of confusion that Shisui had ever seen that managed to be graceful and confident. "My suspicions are unfounded," he demurred.

"I'm sure that any information you offer could be of help to us," Shisui said, barely stopping himself from gritting his teeth.

"My own experience does not lend itself to an investigative mindset." Despite Hiashi's level tone, Shisui had the feeling that the older man was laughing at him. Then the man's unnerving pale eyes swivelled towards Itachi, and a smirk crossed his face. "I will leave you to your work in peace then."

'Asshole wants us to stay up all night watching his house,' the older Uchiha thought, grumpily, as Hiashi stood up, and gave them graceful nods of farewell.

"I did not think that Hiashi-sama would be so petty," Itachi noted, silently mimicking his older cousin's actions, as Shisui stood up, stalked outside, and jumped onto the roof. The two sat near one another, on the Senju-grown trees next to the house, prepared for a long night of nothing.

A short individual, dressed entirely in black, with a few strands of blonde hair escaping from her hat, sneaking across the Hyuuga grounds was not what they had expected.

"Itachi? Why is your girlfriend stealing grocery lists from the Hyuuga?" Shisui asked, once he had broken through his shock.

"She's not my girlfriend," Itachi corrected, having instinctively pressed into the dark pools of shadows formed by the trees. "And I don't know what she's doing here."

"I don't think Uncle Fugaku could bear to meet his future daughter-in-law in a prison cell," Shisui continued, blithely. "Though I can see why it would be the height of teenage rebellion for a police officer's son to date a noted lawbreaker."

"She's not my girlfriend," Itachi sighed, "And we can't arrest minors."

"You can't just give her special treatment because you like her," Shisui hissed, ignoring him, "We have time-honoured traditions for this, and you haven't even extorted the bribe money yet!"

When there wasn't another refusal of the relationship that Shisui fully expected to occur one day, the teen turned to where his cousin had been hiding. Itachi wasn't there anymore, and a brief scan of the horizon, showed him stealthily following the Uzumaki girl. Since his night had quickly turned from boring to amusing with the blonde's appearance, and this was technically his job at the moment, Shisui decided to follow.

The messy-haired teen thoroughly enjoyed the next two hours of watching Naruto return various useless papers to the Hyuuga clan members, while teasing his younger cousin about the pretty thief that had 'stolen his heart'. Itachi bore the teasing with all of the stoicness he was known for, while inwardly questioning how his means of revenge had backfired so badly on him. Unaware of either Jounin-level stalker was Naruto, who completed her tasks and then happily swiped the plate of cookies conveniently left out on the Clan Head's kitchen table.

Hiashi Hyuuga cloaked his eardrums in a thin layer of chakra, temporarily increasing their sensitivity, and allowing him to hear the elder Uchiha's jibes to the younger one about his love life. It was rather amusing, and even more so, when they saw the baked goods that Hiashi had instructed his chef to leave out for Minato's daughter.

The Head of the Hyuuga Clan had been momentarily taken aback when one of the Branch Members on patrol had entered his office with the news that an Academy student was sneaking around the premises and stealing old papers from the clan. The strange choice of theft, as well as the identity of the thief, had led the man to seek Hiashi before apprehending the girl. Hiashi had responded by telling his concerned clansman that it was a test he had devised on securing important documents, and that they had failed terribly. Naruto had managed to break into five houses, before she was 'caught' by a lucky guard, after all.

Then he decided to use these strange, but harmless, thefts for his own advantage. The main one was that he was able to increase his clansman's own perceptiveness and vigilance, with minimal loss. Another advantage was that he would be able to draft an Uchiha policeman to stay up all night for an Academy thief, which was petty, but amused him greatly. And when Itachi Uchiha was one of the two police officers sent to him- unusual, since he had only expected one- Hiashi was able to explore a growing suspicion.

According to his daughter, who had the poor, if occasionally useful, habit of stalking the jinchuuriki, the Uzumaki was receiving notes from an ANBU member with a mask description matching the Uchiha heir's. Hinata was intensely jealous of this unknown ANBU, who was able to interact with her idol without the awkwardness of face-to-face conversations, and complained extensively to him. Well, complained in a manner that only his kindhearted daughter did, wherein she tearfully hiccuped vague threats and ate her weight in cinnamon buns.

Hiashi had formed his own suspicions from that, and this night had proven them true. Fugaku's boy was indeed romantically inclined towards the blonde girl, and, in a stunning display of forward-thinking, was courting her before any child her own age would think to do so. Since the child had repeatedly rebuffed Shibi's son, the Uchiha Clan had indeed managed to secure the girl's affections, and subsequently, the Namikaze name, fortune, and clan techniques.

It was a shame that Hiashi hadn't thought to push Neji in that direction before. Well, it was too late to make a play for the young girl now. His nephew was a talented boy and a prodigy in his own right, but he wasn't ANBU-at-eleven Itachi Uchiha either.

'One point to you, Fugaku,' Hiashi admitted, grudgingly, 'Stealing the Yondaime's daughter, before she even graduated the Academy was a masterful move.'