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Ash opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the light that seemed hellbent on searing her irises off of her eyeballs.
With a sigh she waited until her eyes adjusted before looking around.
Clear blue skies, lazy white clouds floated against the blue mass, emerald trees all around her, their branches waving slightly in the cool breeze.

She seemed to be on a clearing of some sort in a forest.
'I don't know where I am. How lovely.' She thought sarcastically, looking from side to side.
With a grunt she rolled to her feet and stood up, her legs wobbling slightly.
Glaring at her legs, she willed them to stop shaking. They did so a few moments later.

A splash of emerald and blood red appeared in her peripheral vision. She toddled towards it. A medium sized scroll with jade green edges and a blood red sigil of a Phoenix imprinted on the front laid innocently in the grass. Ash's heart lurched slightly in remembrance of her true parents who couldn't be with her. She swallowed the knot of tears in her throat and picked up the scroll. Flashes and images flew into her mind the moment her skin made contact with the scroll. She gasped slightly but calmly awaited the end of the flashbacks. They ended but a mere two minutes later.

With a sigh she began walking towards the East, hoping she was at least going in the direction of civilization.

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The figure watched the girl from the shadows. His guard was up full time, not only because the girl was an unknown, but because of the large amounts of Chakra she radiated and carried around her like a cloak, or rather, a second skin. And the strange thing was, she did not seem as if she was aware of the massive amount of chakra continuously leaking off her person.

The figure knew she was heading in the direction of Konoha, but he wondered if she did as well. It didn't seem as if she did, as she kept muttering to herself that she was going to be eaten before making it to civilization.

He watched as she checked where Fungus grew on mushrooms to ensure that she was keeping East.
"Never Eat Sour Watermelons." she murmured. The figure blinked, wondering why she would say that, not realizing that the first letters of each word stood for a direction.

"East." She pointed. "Okay." She kept on.

The figure trailed behind her, analyzing everything about the younger girl. On his analysis, he concluded that even though she no older than eight, she was very mature for her age. He saw that in the way she carried herself. No normal eight year old would ever think to look for civilization. Simply because their young minds would have already been overcome with panic at realizing that they were lost with nowhere to go.

The little girl tumbled over a root. She sat up and shook herself off before stumbling to her feet. He just couldn't help thinking that she was adorable.

At that moment she sneezed. It ended up sounding like a kitten's sneeze.
The little girl scrunched up her nose before shaking her head once again and continuing onward.

But the figure couldn't help the small smile that lit up his face.

Cute.

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Ash had finally made it to civilization. Konoha to be exact. Well, she wasn't in the gate yet. More like still in the forest.

Anyway, she studied the gates, noting the guards posted there. Izumo and Kotetsu.

'Okay, I'm gonna have to do a little finessing, but I can definitely get them to carry me to the Hokage if I act my current age, or like a lost scared child.' she thought, calculating gaze looking them over.

'I can definitely do it.' She thought to give herself a confidence boost.
She took a deep breath but froze as she felt cold metal touch her neck.
"Don't move. Don't scream." The male behind her said calmly. She swallowed, but obeyed.

'Okay, stay calm. Breathe.' She thought.
The male swung into her vision, still holding the kunai to her neck. Ash blinked.
There was no way what she was seeing was possible, but there in front of her was none other than ten year old Itachi Uchiha.

Well shit.

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Ash stayed silent, watching him with surprised eyes.
"You don't seem shocked to see a ten year old apprehending you." He noted.
"Trust me I'm still processing." She replied as she looked him over.
Back then he didn't look as stressed. And he was adorable.
"You seem mature for your age. How old are you?" He questioned.
"Eight. And you seem too old for your age too." Ash responded.

She watched as Itachi's eyes filled with bleakness too out of place on a ten year old.
"I was forced to grow up before my time." He said simply.
Ash gave a sad smile.
"Ah, the world is cruel isn't it?" She asked.
He looked at her steadily, seeming to see beyond the skin.
"Did someone put nightmares in your head too?" He asked quietly.
She shrugged.
"Technically I did it to myself. I was determined to see how the world really was. I don't regret it, even though it haunts me." She replied just as softly.
He frowned.

"Why would you do that to yourself?" He asked.
"Innocence is preserved until the world rips it away from you. Better to do it yourself, or the world may just break you."

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