A/N: My new Naruto fic. I realize that I haven't updated my other ones, but this one was inspired. Reviews/Favorites/Follows are appreciated!

-SoaringOnWings

Chapter One: The Beginning of it All

An orphan from a war-ravaged village in Hi no Kuni, Saito Katsumi was not your average 8 year old girl. She had managed to graduate in the same year as Uchiha Itachi, coming in second only to him and Kataoka Sousuke.

True, she had been adopted by the Nara clan because of her promise in the intellectual field, but she also had a drive—determination, we could call it—to improve, so that nothing would ever make her hurt again.

But, her confidence to improve did not just pop up out of nowhere. It was because of him that she changed.

A six-year old Katsumi squatted behind a shrub, silently sobbing. The memories of her family being slaughtered in front of her eyes were still fresh in her mind. Bile gathered in the back of her throat at the olfactory scent of blood and death from her memories.

After the Konoha shinobi had saved her, as well as one other child who eventually died of infection, they had sent her into therapy, but only so much could be done about her trauma.

She hugged her knees to her chest. It was too much for her to bear. The screams of her mother for her to run, the frantic beating of her heart as she watched her mother being cut into two. It was still too much.

She yelped in fright when she heard a voice speak up, "Are you all right?" She turned to face a boy, no older than her, with raven black hair and cold obsidian eyes. Irritably, she snapped, "Does it look like I'm all right to you?"

If he had been shocked at her small outburst, he gave no sign of it.

"I suppose not," he deadpanned. He frowned slightly, "I apologize for asking a very ignorant question." Her mouth dropped open. 'Just who the heck is this guy? And why is the heck was he apologizing when she had been the one to snap at him?

She slumped and grumbled, "I guess it's not your fault." "You're not from here, are you?" he inquired. "No," she replied shortly. A somewhat uncomfortable silence hovered over them.

"Whatever it is that you're going through, I think that the best way to get over it is to get stronger," he murmured softly. Surprised, she looked to gaze in his once-cold, black eyes to see understanding.

Instantly, she knew that they had undergone similar situations, ones that incur pain and hurt and trauma. Ones that would never fade away, even if they tried.

To acknowledge this, she nodded curtly. The weight, the burden resting on top of her heart eased a little as he attempted a small smile.

But as soon as it was there, the smile disappeared. He frowned again and Katsumi assumed that it was a habit of his. "I suppose that since we have had some sort of conversation, it would be rude of me not to introduce myself," the black-haired boy stated.

He outstretched his small hand out for her to shake, "Uchiha Itachi." She glared at the hand for a moment before shaking it with her own and repeating her name, "Saito Katsumi."

Little did the six-year olds know that that was the beginning of a long, true friendship.

**Time skip** A few months later…

Itachi stood outside of the Nara compound, waiting for Katsu.

Ever since that day, where they had met behind the shrubbery of the playground, they had frequented each other often.

Itachi would guide her through basic katas and she would share with him the knowledge that she had acquired from her daily lessons from one of the Nara clan members.

After a few weeks of doing that together, the two decided that they would begin to utilize their chakra.

Katsumi listened to one of the chuunin instructors at the Academy and repeated what she had learned about chakra control and such. They started on the leaf exercise and, afterwards, the tree-climbing exercise. Itachi obtained strips of chakra paper to test his affinities.

Not surprisingly, Itachi had a major affinity of fire—which was expected of the Uchiha heir—and a minor affinity in water which surprised them both.

Katsu applied some chakra to the paper and, to their surprise, she had a major affinity in wind and fire and a minor affinity in water. Two elements were above average but three?

Wind was also not common in Konoha, stating that Katsu may have had a diverging lineage of people of Hi no Kuni and other lands. Katsu was surprising in many ways, Itachi decided.

**Time skip** A couple of weeks after…

Katsu and Itachi had found a friend in another prodigy, one relatively unknown to most of the shinobi civilization. Kataoka Sousuke was another surprise that they had encountered. He was an expert in stealth.

They had first met him when he was attempting to prank a villager who had apparently been ripping him off with kunai prices because he was a child.

He had successfully snuck into the civilian's house and soundlessly placed a paint bomb in his bed and exited just as quickly as he had come.

Katsu and Itachi exchanged looks before activating the invisibility seals that Katsu had made and following the boy who was around their age.

After trailing him for a couple of streets, he called without looking behind him, "Show yourselves. I know you've been following me since that fella's house."

Trading elusive glances, Katsu and Itachi revealed themselves and the shaggy, brown-haired boy turned around with amused, twinkling, sapphire eyes.

"How did you know that we were tracking you?" Katsu asked curiously. "Well, you were way too obvious. Even though I couldn't see you, it doesn't mean I can't smell you or hear you following me. Your footsteps are very distinctive," he replied matter-of-factly. He stuck his hand out for them to shake, "Kataoka Sousuke, at your service," he grinned brightly.

Ever since then, the trio had been inseparable. One day, as the three were munching on dango from the corner stand, Itachi asked Sousuke, "Have you ever considered becoming a ninja, 'Suke?"

The aforementioned boy stretched his arms casually behind his head, "I have." "And?" Katsu inquired. "I don't know if I'd be able to do it. I'm a civilian, remember?" Sousuke replied gloomily.

"Just because you are a civilian does not mean that you are any better or worse than those spoiled brats from the clans. Sorry, Itachi," she caught herself, grinning sheepishly.

Itachi shrugged. 'It's true," he seemed to say. "If we all are in the same year, graduate at the same time and are on the same team, I am more than willing that we'll become stronger. As a team," Katsu said with a gleam in her eye.

"As a team?" Sousuke murmured. "As a team," Itachi replied.

That was the beginning of the Team Tensai, otherwise known as the Leaves of Konoha.

They entered the Academy the year following, all of them graduating within one year. The Uchihas could not be more proud of their heir, but, what they didn't know was that Itachi was not doing it for them. He was doing it for his team.

Considering that they had all graduated simultaneously and that all of them fit each other's missing pieces, the Sandaime put them in the same genin group.

The next two years of tutelage were crucial to their development, they would soon find out. And their sensei, was a whole different matter in itself.