Strong Like You: A Naruto Fanfiction ON HIATUS

Chapter 1. How We Met

The first time I laid eyes on Itachi Uchiha, I was four years old. It had happened not long after the death of my father Kagami Uchiha, who had died during the 9 tailed fox attack on Konoha. I remember watching as one of my older brothers became fast friends with the boy whom I soon learned was only a year older than me.

Shisui, my eight year old brother and Itachi were nearly inseparable, training often through the years to come. After Father died, Shisui trained and trained solely focusing on reaching beyond the level our father had been in hopes of preventing further death. He seemed somewhat closed off towards the rest of the family. However, Itachi somehow managed to bring his smile out, a feat the rest of us had a hard time accomplishing after the gruesome sight that was the 9 tailed fox attack. The events from that day were merely a blur to me, one who was still too young to understand what it all meant at the time. Shisui on the other hand, he remembered it all and with the patriarch of our family gone, something told me my brother would never forget. 

Shisui didn't give me the time of day very often during my younger years since he was always focused on getting stronger and learning new jutsu. The prodigy didn't take long to become a ninja himself. He had become a Genin earlier than our older brother Tamasu despite being younger. Tamasu was two years older than Shisui and when the boys weren't training, Tamasu was playing with me. He'd always been my favorite person, taking care of us especially since our mother wasn't very present after the loss of her precious husband.

There wasn't much for us to do with mom absent both physically and mentally and our other brother Tamasu went off on missions to support our little broken family. I'd sit and watch Shisui and Itachi play and train until we left for the day or when Tamasu would come to bring us home.

Occasionally, Itachi's mother Mikoto would come to pick him up, a picnic basket hanging on her forearm. She'd talk to Shisui for a few minutes and ask us how we were, always calling me cute and telling me I should be friends with Itachi too. She had always seemed like a nice woman, big heart and beautiful smile. She definitely had some skill in the cooking world too.

Shisui had awakened the Sharingan, an ocular jutsu that enhance his visual prowess and increased reaction time to external attacks. This jutsu usually was obtained through emotional growth through extreme conditions. He obtained this after seeing the death and destruction of the attack on Konoha and the death of Father. Not long after followed his Mangekyo, a very powerful advanced form of the Sharingan. The exact design of each Mangekyo differed for each user as well as the abilities. He quickly surpassed our eldest brother who had only awakened his Sharingan, though like the greatest big brother he was, he only praised the middle child. He had been such a gentle soul.

"I want to grow up big and strong like you and Shisui," I told him.

He only smiled and pat me on the head as we watched the two younger boys train one day. Itachi had begun to catch up day after day to Shisui's level. I couldn't help but watch him with fascination, which only grew as time went on. I turned to my big brother with a huge toothy grin, completely entranced by how strong and fast they had become as they jumped through the air throwing shuriken and kunai at several different targets with such precision.

Tamasu's gentle features turned into a chuckle.

"One day Hizumi, you are going to be a very strong shinobi, one that we all can be proud of. You might even be stronger than me or Shisui," he said with a tender smile.

I had been so happy by those words that I began to train as well. At six years old, I wanted to be just like them. Of course, Tamasu always had enormously encouraging words for me which gave me the strength never give up even when I failed. Even when our mother died that same year, Tamasu continued to care for and encourage me to move forward. While saddened by the unknown events of her death, we didn't let it bring us down. Shisui seemed to distance himself from us a bit more than usual. We chalked it up to the grieving of our Mother. I didn't let it stop me from my dream of being a strong shinobi like the both of them.