Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1: Man in the Mirror

"The devil

is in the details"

- German idiom

Sakura could not remember the first time she met the demon in her mirror. He had simply been there for as long as her young memory could stretch. His baleful stare burning out from the small, ornate silver hand mirror that her father had gifted her mother long ago.

Nor could she recall how the mirror traded its rightful place on her mother's rich wooden dressing table, to her own girlish white one. The mirror with its beautiful engraved frame and winding handle became as much of a permanent fixture in her room as her bed, desk and curtains.

But she always kept the mirror face down.

Instinctual awareness alerted her that she did not want the being in the mirror's eyes to trace her movements.

For any time the glass was upright, a shiver would scuttle down her spine and the fine hairs dusted across her body would stand to attention. She had not known at the time what exactly the man in the mirror was- only that he was trapped there. And she much preferred him on that side of the glass.

It was not that he was hideous to look at. On the contrary- her own emerald eyes had greedily taken in his face on more than one occasion.

The being had a shock of bright red hair that seemed to be in a permanent state of disarray- with locks falling over his arched eyebrows. His bone structure was angular with sharp cheekbones and a jutting jawline, adding to his refinery. Alabaster skin spoke of his confinement- for the creature had not a mark on him to suggest that he had ever met sunlight. Thin red lips would pull into a taunting smirk every time she dare cast her own stare in his direction.

But despite his beauty, Sakura had never felt comfortable meeting his eyes for more than a moment. For on his chiselled face, feathered with dark lashes, the man, whom Sakura could not truly call man had crimson eyes.

She had seen other people in the village that had similar coloured eyes. Rich wine colours, vibrant maroon- but nothing could quite match the deep crimson colour that looked so much like blood. And sitting within those ominous coloured irises, were oval pupils, with a dark line through each of them- truly showcasing his inhuman nature.

And it was those otherworldly eyes that prevented her from ever looking too closely at him. From ever opening her lips and letting the barrage of questions slide off her tongue. From letting her never- ending curiosity be satisfied. It was those eyes that made her keep the mirror face down, collecting dust amongst the vast array of girlish clutter on her dressing table.

It was not until she had turned ten years old did she finally come to understand exactly what sort of inhuman creature the man in the mirror was.

Demon

It was a world that was hissed off the tongue in a wary whisper. A word that most people spoke with furtive looks and fearful hushing. A word that the village of Konohagakure knew all to well.

For, ten years ago a demon had come to the village bringing death and destruction to both shinobi and civilians alike. And while Sakura had only been a baby at the time, ten years later the people of Konoha still talked about the attack that had claimed their infamous fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and his wife's lives.

How the nine tailed fox demon had stormed upon the village in a monstrous rage. How allied together, even the mightiest shinobi fell victim to the beast's murderous chaos. The tales of the demon's bloodlust still haunted the eyes of the survivors.

And yet, the fourth Hokage had managed to defeat the demon.

And while Sakura had not known how the man did it, she felt a fierce sense of pride and inspiration that he had. A man, granted, an extraordinary one had defeated a demon. And while the pride was tempered with the fact that Minato Namikaze had paid for his triumph with his life, Sakura knew that she too wanted to be a great shinobi like him one day.

And whilst the nine tailed fox demon had a large impact on everyone in Konhoa's life, it wasn't until truly after the beast was gone that it had the biggest impact on her life.

The shinobi council, with one Danzo Shimura rallying it, were absolutely paranoid that a similar threat could break out in the future. That another beast like the nine tails would wreck havoc upon Konoha again. It was not a problem that could be solved using common shinobi tactics. No amount of heavy hitters, or espionage experts in any of the types of jutsus would be able to find a solution against a non-human foe.

So, the scholars were called in.

Sakura's father, Haruno Kizashi, was called in.

When he was an academy student many of his classmates would tauntingly call him 'a scroll'- a shinobi who possessed underwhelming physical skills, but excellent test scores. As he grew older and yet remained in genin ranks, Haruno Kizashi would often watch as his previous classmates moved from chunin to jounin, never bothering to notice him, expect for the occasional passing scornful glance.

It hadn't bothered him – not excelling up the ranks. For he was exactly where he loved to be- the shinobi library. A place filled with a wealth of knowledge. And what Haruno Kizashi knew that most of his former classmates took for granted, was that knowledge was the sharpest, deadliest weapon there was.

And when the council had ordered him, a genin to research demons, he took to his new task with a vicious sort of hunger.

It was why Sakura has spent her childhood playing with dust motes in ancient libraries. It was why she spent her toddler years stretched out on a plush sofa in her father's study, playing with demonic statues, as much as she did her dolls. It was why at eight years old, her mother, Mebuki, packed up most of her belongings and left.

The day after her mother left was the day Sakura stopped being interested in her father's strange obsession. It was bad enough that shinobi looked down on her father for never seeming to have the ambition or courage to graduate from a rank that only pre-pubescent teens possessed. But if people had discovered exactly what Kizashi had being so focused on with his studies, they would have looked at him with the same sort of furious horror that her mother often had.

She had vowed never to become a man like him.

And yet it was hard sometimes. Sakura had acknowledged that while her green eyes, and small stature had come from her mother- her curiosity had most definitely passed down from her father.

And though at eight years old she had sworn that she was done with her father's fruitless research, two years later her interest in demons was peaked again.

She had been wandering through the vegetable market, when a small blonde boy in a bright orange jumpsuit barrelled into her. Stumbling back, Sakura had looked up into brilliant blue eyes that held both wariness and fear as they looked at her. Blinking her own green eyes, she wondered at the way his lip quivered, as if he expected her to scream. When no such sound came, she watched as a small hesitant smile crept onto his face. It vanished as soon as it appeared, when the strong hand of a vegetable merchant reached out to grab Sakura's shoulder and pull her back.

"Get away from her, demon boy," the elderly lady spat, shoving Sakura behind her apron.

Sakura poked her head out from behind the older lady just in time to watch the happy glint in the boy's eyes fall into despair. Without glancing at her, the boy turned around and ran off into the crowd, dodging the insults and shoves from other vendors.

"Best to stay away from the little demon boy from now on," the lady warned Sakura, eyes stern.

But Sakura hadn't paid her any mind, as she stared off into the space the boy disappeared to. Her brows pulled together in confusion. Sure, the boy looked strange with whisker like markings on his cheeks- but by no means did he look like a demon. She of all people would know. Her house was filled with literature and paintings on demons. All of them took some warped form of an animal- not a young blonde boy with crystal eyes.

Sakura finally turned her attention back to the vendor and asked, "Who was that boy?"

The woman pursued her lips, and scanned Sakura from head to toe, as if she was trying to ascertain whether or not she would chase after the boy, "That's the little demon boy, Uzumaki Naruto."

The puzzle of this 'Naruto' boy followed her all the way home and up to her father's study. Sakura did not bother to knock on the heavy wooden door, knowing it would be in moot. Her father always seemed to detach himself from reality when his books were involved. Ignoring everything from the outside world- including food, sleep, and his family.

She watched his back as he hunched over a large scroll, muttering to himself. Her eyes quickly darted to the scroll, before returning to his figure, "Father."

Kizashi dropped his quill in surprise as he spotted his daughter's impatient eyes. "Ah, Sakura, I did not expect to see you in here."

Kizashi internally sighed as he looked at his young daughter's tense posture. Sakura at times had seemed like an enigma. His daughter's bright pink hair, and large green eyes suggested that she should be some other- worldly creature, like a fairy or pixie on the pages of one of his books. Yet it was the downward tilt of her mouth that mirrored his wayward wife that confirmed she was his. And he hadn't a clue what to do with her.

As a child, Sakura's imagination had been as bright and wondrous as the stars. And Kizashi saw himself within her. But has she had grown older, and his fights with Mebuki grew more strained, he watched as his daughter, like his wife slowly pulled away.

"Why do people in the market think Uzumaki Naruto is a demon boy?"

Kizashi's stomach clenched as the seemingly innocent question trilled from his daughter's lips. And while Kizashi knew that there was no way Sakura could know the truth, he also knew that she could find out the gossip on any street corner if she truly wanted to.

"Its just a silly rumour, sweetheart. You know how the village is after the nine-tails attack. And little Naruto has some, well, some interesting mark on his face. Marks that look-"

"- like a fox," Sakura finished.

Kizashi smiled at his daughter's cleverness, "Exactly."

Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion. In a town full of shinobi, there were hoards of people with all sorts of scarring, tattoos and deformities. It was odd that so many people- especially civilian adults would latch onto a little boy's peculiar facial features. "But demons don't look like humans. Why would people say that?"

Sakura watched as her father's dark eyes seemed to puzzle over the answer. This alone told her that clearly there was more to this Naruto boy than even her father was willing to share.

"Demon's don't have to solely take the shape of animals. Several books suggest that they can disguise themselves as any number of objects, elements, or even humans. But there is always something to mark them as different. An extra tail on an animal, green flames of a fire, or oddly shaped eyes on a human."

Sakura's eyes snapped to her father as she listened to him ramble on about how demons could disguise their forms. Her mind drifted away from the Uzumaki boy to the dusty old hand mirror that sat in her bedroom and the man within it. The man with the crimson eyes, and odd pupils. The demon?

"But why do they disguise themselves? They are powerful enough to not to have to hide."

Kizashi pondered over the question his daughter asked. And while the question was simple enough, the answers were far more complex, "Demons are tricky creatures, Sakura-chan. They are overwhelmingly powerful, and yet like every other being, they can be vulnerable to something. But more than that, a demon's ability to disguise themselves helps them manipulate their prey."

Sakura shivered at the word 'prey'. But even with the unsettling image of a fox tearing into a rabbit on her mind, she still couldn't help but ask, "But why do they need to manipulate people? Why not just take what they want?"

"Demons have to abide by rules, just like humans, Sakura. A demon cannot just take, without offer something in return. It would upset the balance of nature."

Sakura pondered on her father's words for a minute. She supposed it made sense. Humans always had a price to pay for power- why not demons? But try as she might, she could not imagine a demon granting a human a request. "But father, how then could the nine tails attack so many humans?"

She watched as her father's eyes darkened, "Perhaps someone angered him. Or perhaps someone asked for something they did not truly understand. Demons are tricky Sakura- whatever they offer you will not be what you are expecting. And whatever wish you have asked of them has a habit of turning awry quickly."

"What do you mean?"

Her father shifted in his chair, "Say you asked for everlasting life- you would be granted your request, but perhaps be forced to live forever with a painful illness, not truly living... Or if you asked to be wealthy beyond measure, you might find yourself suffocating in a pile of gold."

Sakura bit her lip as she considered her father's explanation, "But then, why do people approach demons if the results are not what they truly desire?"

Kizashi sighed, "Just as demons are manipulative, humans are basely selfish creatures. People often forget the consequences of their actions when the promise of their desires being granted are in front of them."

Sakura remained silent as she mused over the information. "So Naruto-"

"-is a little boy," her father finished.

"Perhaps I could invite him over to play..." Sakura stated, watching her father carefully.

Kizashi stiffened, and Sakura watched his mouth tilt downward, "He is quite the troublemaker Sakura-chan. I'm not sure I want you making friends with a boy like him."

Sakura huffed before spinning on her heal and stomping out the office. As she trudged her feet up the stairs, she couldn't help but suspect that her father wasn't be quite truthful with her. Or at least he was leaving some very important details out.

The young girl shuffled over to her bed and unceremoniously flopped onto the pastel pink bedcovers with a grunt. Eyes staring at the ceiling, she thought over the information she collected from her father. Her teeth pulled at her lip as she thought about demons.

As a child she had been surrounded by her father's research, never fully understanding it. And when her mother left, she never wanted to look at another text on the foul creatures again. But the news she heard today intrigued her.

She let out a sigh, as her green eyes drifted over to the dresser and the seemingly innocent hand mirror that sat upon it.

The man in the mirror had to be a demon. If everything her father said was true, he fit the description. For his face may have mimicked a human's, but those eyes never would.

…But at the same time she couldn't fathom how a being that could be powerful like the fox demon was residing in her bedroom. How did he get there?

Eyes alight with curiosity and more than a bit of fear, Sakura rolled off of her bed and onto her toes. Creeping across her bedroom floor, she approached her mother's old mirror that had somehow claimed a space on her dresser with the same amount of caution one would apply to a poisonous snake.

Small fingers ghosted across the dusty surface before finally settling on the handle. The silver was cool to the touch. Inhaling deeply, Sakura gathered her courage, while reminding herself that this wasn't the first time she had gazed upon the being in her mirror… But this would be the first time she dared ask him a question.

She flipped the mirror over and had to bite back her gasp as those inhuman eyes looked out at her through the fringe of his red hair. He did not smirk at her like she expected him to. Instead he watched her with his predator's gaze, eyes fixated on her own, as if he was trying to ensnare her.

"Feeling brave, little girl?"

Sakura inhaled sharply as the demon spoke. Her fingers nearly letting go of the mirror's handle on reflex as she let his voice wash over her. And while his words were a harmless taunt, his voice was something else entirely. It was deep, and rich, and held the promises of both dark and intriguing things.

If she had been a brave girl, she would have jutted her chin out in defiance and narrowed her eyes. She was not the one stuck in a hand mirror after all. But Sakura could not find it within her to mask her fear.

The demon had never spoken to her before.

Steeling her nerves Sakura opened her mouth, "I had a question, demon-san." She hated the way her own words sounded timid.

The male in the mirror cocked his head slightly as he studied her. Sakura tried to hold in her flinch as she felt his oddly shaped eyes scan her young face. She felt the power radiate from his stare he considered her.

After a moment, his lips titled in a smirk and Sakura felt her own nerves crumble at the sight, "Alright little pet, I'll answer one of your questions... if you answer one of mine."

Sakura swallowed thickly. She did not like the way his sharp teeth had peeked through his smile as he said this. Her father's warning about demons being manipulative flashed across her mind, but she hastily shoved it to the side, as his expectant eyes traced her face, "Al-alright."

She watched the demon watch her expectantly; unsettled as the spaces around his devastating face still managed to reflect back the image of her room.

Clearing her throat, Sakura finally asked, "Demon-san, do you know the nine- tailed fox?"

Sakura watched as the demon's almost lazy stare became alert, "My, my little pet, what an interesting question."

Sakura's insides burned as those deep red eyes bore into her own. She tried to keep her hands steady on the handle of the mirror as she awaited his answer.

"Sure I know him, doesn't everyone?" the demon answered, eyes glinting with amusement.

Sakura felt her temper flare and bit down on her lip sharply to prevent the glare from slipping out. She watched as his keen eyes traced the indents her teeth made with a tilt of his lips.

It was just as her father said- he had answered her question, and yet not really. She wanted to know if he knew that demon that had wrecked havoc on her village personally. Sakura opened her mouth to clarify, but he made an odd purring noise, as if to tut her.

"Now, now, little pet, it's my turn," the demon said, sharp eyes, blinking into a more lethargic type of triumph.

Unease prickled at her conscious. But really, what could be the harm in answering a simple question? She was just a little girl after all. What sort of knowledge could she possess that a demon could use in a nefarious way?

"What is the date today, little pet?"

Sakura's eyes widened in wonder. She had never really considered before how long he had been stuck in her mirror. He had simply always been there. But did he feel the passage of time like she did?

"Its April 28th, of the 4th age," Sakura replied and watched as his eyes became unfocused, clearly thinking over the information. She took that moment to breathe an internal sigh of relief. His question after all, had been quite harmless.

His eyes snapped back up to her, "Thank you pet," the demon drawled, dragging out the infernal nicknamed.

Emboldened by her thus far successful encounter, she openly glowered at the creature, frown pulling tighter as she watched his answering smirk grow wider. "My name is Sakura, not pet!"

And the moment her name fell from her lips, Sakura watched as the strange pupils widened, and his smirk grew, showcasing a full smile of brilliant white teeth with sharpened incisors. A sensation similar to ice being slipped down her spine washed over her… Perhaps it was not such a great idea to let a demon know her name- even one trapped in a mirror.

"Well then, nice to meet you S-a-k-u-r-a," the demon said, darkness dripping off every enunciated syllable of her name.

Sakura visibly shivered, but couldn't look away, her gaze trapped in his feral red ones. "What is your name, demon-san?" Sakura questioned almost inaudible due to her fear.

She swallowed hard as his fixated gaze radiated power, "My name, little Sakura," he smile went cold, "is Sasori."

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed my intro!

FYI, this story is going to take pretty major liberties with cannon (as I'm sure you 've noticed). So hop on your suspension of disbelief boats, and enjoy the ride!

Naruto does not seem to have any fixed timeline and it always confused me that it seems old world, but has random technology thrown in. So I made up a date. Lets just go with it.

Please review and let me know what you think!