A small child with dark hair dressed in a blue shirt and white shorts ran. Tears streamed down his face as he pushed on to his destination. The white and red fan that symbolised his clan stuck to the back of his shirt like a target. His legs burned with the effort, his lungs yearned for more air and yet he continued. He couldn't stop, not when his imoutou was in trouble.

"Please be safe, Natsu-chan," he thought as he ran. "Why did you do it aniki? Did you really have to kill the whole clan?" were the thoughts that dominated the young boy's mind as he neared his destination. "Maybe it was for the best. They were becoming too obsessed with their doujutsu. They thought they were invincible because of those damnable eyes." the five-year-old thought bitterly.

His thoughts flew out of his mind and he stopped cold when he heard angry shouts coming from his younger sister's bedroom.

"Damn demon!" a man's angry voice echoed in his ears. "Why don't you just take it? If you stay still it will be so much better for you," the man continued.

"Please stop it!" a young girl's voice sounded from the same room. "I never did anything to you." A round of raucous laughter was the reply to her pleas.

"You never did anything to us?" a new voice said. "You killed our families! You ravaged this village until it was almost gone! You took our hokage from us, our sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and children!"

"I didn't! It wasn't me!" the girl denied all accusations.

"What we're about to do to you isn't enough of a payback for what you have done!" the sound of tearing fabric reached the young boy's ears and he tensed.

"No!" Sasuke shouted from the living room. His chakra flared, his eyes flashed red and then he was a blur of motion. The intruders never knew what came to them. In the next moment there was blood everywhere and Sasuke had taken a small blonde girl into his arms. Both of them were soaked in the red liquid and yet they acted as if nothing was there.

"Sasuke-aniki?" the small girl turned frightened blue eyes to the young boy holding her.

"Shhh..." Sasuke soothed. "It's alright Natsu, they won't get you. No one will hurt you as long as I'm here." He promised.

"I know aniki," Natsu smiled even as her eyes drooped. "I'm so tired..."

Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the once great clan, cradled the small body of the four year old girl. He held her protectively as he looked around them, face impassive as he looked at the dead eyes of the men who were about to attack her sister.

"Hawk was supposed to be here," he thought. "It's his shift tonight. Where the hell was he? There's no point in looking for him. I need to talk to the hokage." He thought decisively. The small girl moved in his arms, her small hands clutching at his shirt; he smiled softly at her. He wrapped her snugly in a thick blanket before setting off.

Sasuke was once again on the run. His pace was slower as he had a small bundle in his arms but he kept going. The hokage tower loomed over him and his lips turned into a thin line as he thought about the upcoming talk with the old leader. He entered the double doors into an empty room which was usually filled with ninjas reporting after a mission. He climbed the stairs up to the third floor where the office of their leader was.

The two ANBU tensed at the sight of the bloody boy with an equally bloody bundle in his arms. The dark haired young man walked calmly towards them, his dark eyes brimming with determination. He came to a stop in front of them; the look he gave them seemed to pass through their porcelain masks.

"I need to speak with Lord Hokage," he said formally despite his appearance.

"He has given specific instructions that he was not to be disturbed," the one with the tiger mask said just as formally.

"This is an emergency. The Uchiha clan has been slaughtered," Sasuke said. This made the two ANBU even more wary of the boy.

"Impossible!" the one with the dolphin mask exclaimed. "Stop lying you little brat!" he shouted as another ANBU came speeding through the window.

"I must speak with Lord Hokage at once," the cat-masked ANBU said hastily. She froze at the sight of the small boy and the small girl covered in blood.

"Sasuke-chan?" she asked the dark-haired boy.

"Neko-neechan, thank God you're here," Sasuke turned his attention to the newly-arrived person. "I need to speak to jii-chan; something terrible happened!"

"You were there?" Neko asked. "Sasuke, were you there when it happened?" she asked frantically.

"No I wasn't," Sasuke replied. "I was out late practicing. When I came home I saw everyone dead."

"The Uchiha clan cannot be killed! They are Konoha's strongest clan!" Dolphin argued.

"It's true," Neko confirmed Sasuke's story. "They are all dead. I passed by the Uchiha district on the way back from my mission. Now will you let us in or do I have to kick your ass?" she turned angrily to the two guards.

"Neko-neechan, please stop shouting," a small voice said. They all turned to Sasuke whose bundle was moving. Blonde hair popped up followed by a small head. Sleepy blue eyes looked around and smiled at the sight of the cat-masked ANBU. "Are we here?" Natsu asked Sasuke. He nodded in response. Natsu smiled widely at him then turned towards the door. "Can you put me down aniki?" wide blue eyes stared pleadingly at onyx orbs. "Please?" she begged cutely. Sasuke sighed then let her down. She started walking to the door but was stopped when Dolphin grabbed the nape of her neck roughly.

"You can't go in there, you demon!" he shouted at the terrified girl. The next few moments were a blur of motion. No one saw how he did it but the next thing both Neko and Tiger saw was a sight to behold. Dolphin lay on the floor with Sasuke on top of him. The dark-haired boy's eyes were red in the signature that was the Uchiha's doujutsu. The single tomoe spun rapidly in his rage. Natsu was on his back, her small arms around the boy's neck to keep herself steady, her legs wrapped around his waist. A web of cracks appeared at the corners of Dolphin's mask.

"Don't you dare call her that!" Sasuke snarled at his captive. "She is not a demon! She is a girl, a human being just like you and me. If I hear you call her a demon ever again I will kill you, got it?" he threatened the elite ninja under him. Dolphin could only nod dumbly, still awestruck that a mere five year old could get him into that kind of situation.

"What is going on here?" the aged hokage asked them.

"Jii-chan!" Natsu exclaimed happily. She let go of Sasuke and jumped happily into the old man's arms.

"Natsu?" Sarutobi said in wonder of the girl's appearance. "What happened?"

"Jii-chan, can we talk inside your office?" Natsu asked, sounding much older than her four years.

"Alright, let's go inside," he conceded. "Sasuke, please get off Dolphin. He will be punished later."

"Jii-chan, can Neko-neechan come with us?" Sasuke asked as he got up. "She will testify to what I'm about to tell you."

"Of course," the old man said. The four then entered the office, leaving the still bewildered Dolphin on the floor with an equally shocked Tiger staring at the door.

"Now tell me what happened," the aged leader said as he sat down with Natsu still in his arms. Red flakes showered the floor as the young girl wiggled about, looking for a more comfortable spot on the older man's lap.

"I was out late practicing behind the school," Sasuke began as he sat down in front of the hokage. "I came home at about seven and I noticed that the whole district was too quiet. I could feel someone watching, it made me wary of the place. It was too dark and I could barely see anything," he started to shake from the memories of the earlier night. Neko put a comforting hand on his shoulder as the tears started to stream down his face. His eyes closed, his hands clenched into a fist as he trembled in anger. "When I reached my house, I found my parents in the dojo with Itachi-aniki standing over them. His back was to me but I could see that he was crying because his shoulders were shaking. He was probably mourning for our mother. He then turned to me and said, 'Someday, you'll understand what I did otoutou.' After that, he vanished and then I heard Natsu's whistle. I ran to her house to find that there were three men in her bedroom. I listened quietly and it seemed as if they didn't notice that I was there. Then I heard the sound of clothes ripping and I lost it. Next thing I know, I had taken imoutou-chan in my arms and then ran here. What happened outside, well Neko-neechan can tell you about it," he said wearily.

Neko embraced the small boy, knowing that he was in so much pain. To find your family dead and your sister in trouble was too much for the five year old. Sasuke shook with the sobs that wracked his chest. Tears flowed freely and he couldn't stop them. Natsu rose from her seat on the old man's lap and ran to her older brother. She hugged him, her small arms wrapped around his waist.

"Don't cry aniki," she said. "Itachi-niichan will be back, I know he will." She said decisively. Sasuke embraced her in return and sobbed into her small neck.

"I don't want to lose anyone else," he cried.

"Don't worry," Natsu replied. "I'm still here and I won't leave you, ever."

It took moments before Sasuke calmed down but when he did, he was coherent enough to understand the old man's next words.

"Itachi Uchiha must be listed in the bingo book," Sarutobi said grimly.

"No!" Sasuke protested. "He should not be listed in the bingo book for saving everyone's lives!"

"What do you mean Sasuke-chan?" Neko asked.

"My father was planning a coup d'etat," he replied. "He wanted to rise against the village, start a civil war so that the Uchiha clan can lead Konoha."

"Do you have any proof of this?" Sarutobi asked.

"If you need paper trails and other documents proving this you can search the Uchiha district. Anything you may come across with that you can't open, just call for me," Sasuke sighed. He looked so much older than his five years.

"What do we do about Natsu?" Neko asked.

"She will either stay with me or I stay with her," Sasuke said before the aged hokage could say anything. "I refuse to allow those barbarians to hurt her anymore than they already did."

"Sasuke, you must understand that no one could know that you are with her," Sarutobi tried to reason. "They will hurt anyone close to her."

"I don't care. We are staying together or we are going to run and find aniki," Sasuke threatened.

"Where will you stay?" the leader asked.

"We'll find someplace else to stay. I don't want to go back to the Uchiha district and she is not going back to that hellhole you call an apartment." He clutched Natsu closer to him. She had fallen asleep sometime during the conversation.

"But the villagers will find your new home and ravage it just like they did to her old one!" Sarutobi said.

"If you had been paying attention to your ANBU you would've known that they were not doing their jobs!" Sasuke retorted. "Hawk was nowhere to be seen when I got to Natsu's place. He was supposed to be there, protecting her. He must've been out as usual screwing some whore he picked up from the bar."

"How do you know that?" Neko asked.

"I saw him once when I was out late practicing again," Sasuke replied. "It was aniki's turn to watch Natsu. I was already late for dinner so I thought 'why not go out to see my imoutou?' I was on my way to her place when I saw Hawk drunk off his ass with two women clinging to both his arms. I asked aniki about it when I got there and he only said that people have their own ways to cope with life."

"Is this really a five year old child?" Neko thought. "He speaks as though he's years older. And he's already activated his Sharingan and made his first kill."

"Sasuke, are you aware that you've just taken a life?" Neko asked.

"Yes, I am," he replied calmly. "It wasn't my first kill if that's what you're worried about," he said.

"It wasn't?" Sarutobi asked.

"The first time was about two years ago when I first met Natsu," he relayed. "She was in trouble then and I thought I needed to help her. A mob was chasing her and they were carrying all kinds of weapons with them. I had just gotten a kunai set for my birthday so I started throwing blindly from my spot behind a tree. I hit two of them before the ANBU showed up."

"When did you activate your Sharingan?" Neko asked.

"That happened tonight when I saved Natsu again," Sasuke said tiredly.

"You can come home with me," Neko offered. "Even if it's just for tonight while Lord Hokage and I try to clear up this mess."

"Thank you Neko-neechan," Sasuke said gratefully. He then turned to the old hokage. "Jii-chan please, promise me that you won't try to erase our memories of tonight," he begged. "It won't turn out well. If I think that Itachi killed our clan in cold blood, I will betray the village for power."

"I promise Sasuke," Sarutobi replied. "Now, off you go." He turned to his ANBU. "Neko, will you please call Ryu and Hebi? I need them to investigate the Uchiha clan for me."

"I will sir," she said then picked up the two children. "Don't let go of Natsu alright Sasuke?" she asked.

"I won't nee-chan," he said.

"We'll have to stop by at the HQ to call for Hebi and Ryu and then we can go home," she promised. Sasuke only nodded in reply.

Neko jumped through the window and moved in the direction of the ANBU headquarters. She was careful not to jostle the children too much as she ran above the roofs. She reached the HQ and was allowed permission in.

Sasuke looked around the headquarters for the two people they were sent to call. He spotted Hebi in the locker room. She was wrapped in a towel, her hair still damp from her shower. It looked as if she had just gotten back from a mission.

"Neko-nee, Hebi-nee is by her locker," Sasuke told the woman carrying him. Neko was quick to look in the direction Sasuke told her.

"Anko!" she called to the woman who was dressing up. The purple haired ninja looked up to find Neko walking in her direction with a bloody package in her hands.

"Yuugao!" she exclaimed. "What the hell happened to you?"

"There's no time to explain right now," Neko, now known as Yuugao said. "Lord Hokage has asked me to call for you and Iruka. The Uchiha clan has been slaughtered by Itachi and he needs you two to find evidence of the coup that Sasuke had told us his father had been planning."

"Sasu-chan how is he?" Anko asked worriedly.

"I'm right here Anko-nee," Sasuke spoke up from Yuugao's arms.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Anko exclaimed. "What are you carrying a bloody blanket for?" she asked when she finally noticed that Sasuke's arms were filled as well.

"It's Natsu," he said quietly. "There were some men who were trying to hurt her. They were in her bedroom and they tore her clothes off. I didn't have time to put new ones on her because I had to tell jii-chan about the massacre."

Anko stared at the bloody bundle, appalled at what had been said to her. "Did they hurt her? Is she alright? I swear, if I get my hands on them I will..." she couldn't finish what she wanted to say, her anger getting the better of her.

"There's nothing to worry about," Sasuke began. "I killed all three of them before they could go any further. And no, it wasn't my first kill," he answered the question that bubbled in her lips.

"Ok, I'll have to report to Lord Sarutobi then," Anko conceded. They were then joined by the other person they were supposed to look for.

"Anko-chan, are you done?" Iruka Umino, teacher at the ninja academy by day, Ryu-ANBU at night froze at the sight of the bloodied Sasuke.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?" he asked as he walked to the boy worriedly.

"I don't have time to explain," Sasuke began. "Long story short, my clan has been killed by my brother and Natsu was about to be raped but I saved her. Now, jii-chan needs you and Anko-nee to investigate. He'll explain everything. If you need me or Natsu we'll be at Yuugao-nee's house." He said tiredly. By the time he had finished talking Anko had finished dressing up in her signature mesh shirt and skirt topped by a beige coat.

"Let's go!" Anko called to Iruka. "We'll drop by when we're done," she promised Sasuke then dropped a kiss on both children's heads and they were off.

"Alright, let's go home so we can clean you up and then you can go to sleep," Yuugao told the then tired Sasuke. He simply nodded, too emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted to argue.