THE MEETING

"Chirp, Chirp!" the birds sang into the rising sun as Sasuke walked slowly down the path of Konoha village, savoring the moment alone in the morning. The trees beside him waved in the wind, smiling as he glanced briefly at them. Today, however, he was not here to have some "alone" time. He was here to train for his one and only goal: Itachi's death by his hand.

"Humph…" he muttered as he threaded through the tricky vines and thorns as quickly as possible. After a few minutes of this exhausting task, he ambled over to the familiar clearing in the woods to rest. Pushing aside a stray branch from a towering tree, the sight that met him HAD to be a dream! There was a petite form huddled next to his personal log, unconscious. Her (it had to be a her, right?) long jet-black hair was sprawled all around her, and leaves fluttered in a miniature whirlwind as Sasuke walked toward the girl.

"Um…hello? Hey, you! Wake up!" Sasuke uncomfortably said. The figure stirred, but he gained no reply. Instead, he started to take a closer look at the young "intruder." He had never seen her before in Konoha, so she must be from another village. But she didn't wear a ninja headband…so who was she? An enemy, or just merely a young girl out for a stroll and tripped? She was about his age, 12. He picked up her right hand, which was pale but had five rings on it, one on each slim finger. After a closer look, his inspection revealed that the rings had strange markings; different on each one of them. On the girl's forehead, she wore a little glowing crystal on a chain that curved downward on both sides of her head and ended with the crystal dangling just right above the spot between her eyes. She was beautiful; he had never seen a girl that looked the way she did. However, her eyes were closed, and her breaths came in ragged series.

Sasuke sighed, and decided to take her to see Lord Hokage. He would know what to do with her. Wishing desperately that no one would see him; he picked up the girl, and ran toward the main tower.