Hitomi and Soruto are now 13
Hitomi's POV
"Large bag....check." I mumbled, stroking my brush against the scroll, "Food will be covered later...soldier pills...weapons." The ink on my brush started to fade as I wrote the kanji for weapons. The scroll I was writing on was the scroll of my future, my plan to leave the village and get closer to killing the one who had murdered my parents. This scroll has been secretly stored and sealed into my drawer, where it was stuffed underneath all my clothes. I was close to ready to leave for my goal, and things had been going perfectly fine.

I would leave when the Chunin exams occur, for the villagers and many ninjas will go and be in one place. Before the exams occur, I would give Soruto a note saying something that I had to say. I would collect enough food for two days, and enough for two people. I was planning on releasing someone who had been hidden for many years, trapped underneath the weight of the Earth. Of course I will set him free with a cost, and seal him so that he could not kill me. I had purchased multiple weapons from TenTen's weapon shop without suspicion, for I said that they were a gift for Soruto's upcoming birthday.

I had so many things I had to prepare for this "mission" so that I could succeed. It was difficult to lie to everyone I cared about, especially Soruto. Soruto was my closest friend and someone who I could trust. He was always there for me when I was down, and he always tried his best to be perfect for me. He made so many sacrifices too, just so that he could hang out with me and some of his friends. Though Soruto wasn't perfect, he was always inspiring in my eyes.

I dipped my brush back into the ink and started to write again. I made sure I was ready with materials, and clothes. I also made sure I had a big enough cloak for my future partner. The only things I needed were some of the Uchiha scrolls of my fathers clan. I wanted to bring some scrolls so that if I unleash a more advanced stage of sharingan, I would be prepared.

Once I left the village with my partner, we will travel to the land of the Sand. We will head there first so that I could get a new body for my partner. I know that the Sand Village is known for its mastering of puppetry, so I am confident I could get my hands on a suitable, strong puppet body for my decapitated partner.

Then after we head to the Sand Village, we will travel to the Land of Fire. I wanted to reside in this certain land for a while because I wanted to master the art of fire. Though I could connect the fire element with the some of the Hyuga's secret clan jutsu's, I am not able to create anything else with fire nature. I want the use of fire by my side so that I could be ready for whatever is going to come at me.

I will collect the needed scrolls today, and arrange a plan to gather enough food and clothes for my partner and I.

My head leaned back as I rested my brush on the table. I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes.

"Mom...Dad...I'll make you proud...I promise."

***

"Aunt Hanabi, I will be going out right now. I am going to meet up with Soruto, and I will get the groceries on my way back." I said, passing by her door. I put on my warm gray vest and slid on my shoes. I saw Hanabi exit her room with a tired face. I stood up straight and started opening the door.

"Be back by eight Hitomi. And have fun." she said with a smile. I nodded and left the house. Aunt Hanabi was so tired because she was not used to being the heir of the Hyuga clan. It was now that grandfather decided that he should trust Hanabi to answer all of the clans questions and handle the responsibilities. Hanabi was trapped inside of her room for most of the day, and only came out when it was time to eat and to say hello to me and grandfather. I hoped that she could get a well nights rest tonight, for I know she will be staying up late when I leave.

I started walking on the gravel path to Soruto's house quietly and held the package in my arms firmly. I was going to visit Soruto and his mother, for Sakura was pregnant and ready to give birth at any moment. The baby was going to be a boy, and was going to be named after my father. It surprised me when they told me the baby's name was going to be Sasuke, for I did not know back then that my father was Naruto's and Sakura's teammate. It hurt me whenever I heard the name 'Sasuke,' but I had to learn how to cope with it.

I wanted to give my gift to Sakura early, for I did not know whether or not I will be able to see her with her child. I will most likely be gone when Sakura finally welcomes her third child into this cruel world.

My gift to baby Sasuke was a big stuffed orange toad, for it resembled Naruto's skill to summon in many great frogs. I hope Sasuke will like it when he is born.

I made it to the Uzumaki household at last with my gifts in my hand. I knocked on their door and waited for someone to answer. Soon, a pink haired girl opened the door with a Popsicle in her mouth.

"Oh!" Minako said with surprise, "Hey nee-chan. What brings ya here?" She took the popsicle out of her hand and smiled at me. I smiled back and held out my gift.

"I wanted to give this to your mother, as a early baby gift for your little brother. I am sorry if I am bothering you, Minako." Minako smirked and shook her head.

"Come right in! You already know your're basically part of my family. Your my big sister after all!" she chirped. She stepped out of the way as I entered into the large house. The familiar scent of flowers was in the air as well as some food. I saw Soruto sitting on the couch as well as Shikadai. Soruto glanced at me and paused his game. He smiled widely as he stood up from the couch.

"Hi Hitomi!" he waved, "What's that in your hands? A birthday present?" Soruto walked over to the door and leaned against the wall.

I shook my head. "It is a gift for baby Sasuke." Soruto nodded and looked up at the stairs.

"Mom!" he yelled loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth, "Hitomi has something for you and Sasuke!" While waiting, I stared at Shikadai as he stared off into space. I knew that he was going to hate me someday, despise me for what I did to the village and his clan. For now, all he had to do and wait for me to ruin everything.

Sakura soon came down the stairs, her swollen stomach bulging out of her body. Her hands cupped her baby as she stepped down and greeted me.

"Hello Hitomi, how are you doing?" she asked. She smiled as her eyes shifted to the box in my hands. I smiled softly and held out the small gift out to her.

"This is a early gift for your son, Sasuke. I wanted to give it early so that you could be prepared to comfort him at home with my present. I hope you like it." I bowed down my head a little and kept a smile on my face. Sakura's smile widened as she took the gift in her hands. She went over to the couch to sit down with Minako and Soruto.

"Thank you Hitomi, I'm sure Sasuke will love it." Sakura thanked. I nodded and watched her peel off the wrapping paper and open the box. Minako watched closely over Sakura's shoulder to see what it was. Soruto peered over as Shikadai glanced over to see what it was.

"Aww!" Minako cooed. Her eyes widened as Sakura took out the fluffy orange frog out of the box. Sakura smiled widely as her emerald eyes gave me a thankful look.

"This is absolutely adorable Hitomi!" the young mother said, "Thank you. You really are a good kid." I whispered a small 'your welcome' before looking down to my feet. A empty feeling of guilt began to flood my mind as the Uzumaki family cooed over the small animal.

A good kid, huh...that may be true for now...but I knew that will all change once I take a step out of the Hidden Village of the Leaves.

~•~

That same night I asked Soruto to meet up with me at our usual spot, on top of the Hokage heads. It was a tradition for us to see the sunset almost everyday, and even though his duty as a ninja interrupted our schedule sometimes, I always knew he was watching the sun no matter what. It was nice knowing he thought of me everyday, even if he was far away.

He arrived early as usual, and was dressed in casual clothing. This would be the last time I would ever see Soruto, and I wanted to give him something to remember me by. After all, he was my closest friend.

"Yo Hitomi," he sat down next to me, "My mom really loved he gift you got her today. It's probably just hormones but she cried over it when you left, haha."

I smiled. "At least she liked my gift. I'm happy that she enjoyed it, I would've felt bad if she didn't."

"Oh please, anything that you touch Mom will like."

I nodded and looked at the purple sky. I was really going to miss these times with Soruto...especially after all these years. Oh how much stress I would cause him...how many years will he spend searching for me? Knowing his stubborn ways I would say a million, or even more.

"You know, today the sky seems more beautiful. I'm glad you're here with me to see it." I said, looking at him.

Blushing, he laughed and scratched his head. "Well I'm happy too ya know, especially since I just came back from an annoying mission. This is always a stress reliever for me, especially with you here."

The sun started to get low into the ground, firing the sky with streaks of midnight and blue. Stars speckled the sky and it began getting colder.

"Hitomi," he stuttered, "Why do you spend everyday here with me? Just wondering...not like I don't like it or anything."

Soruto looked nervous, which was rare for him.

"Because I like spending time with you. Not everyone is happy and fun like you, Soruto."

He smiled and took a sigh of relief. Laying down on his back, he faced the stars and closed his eyes.

"Thanks Hitomi. Thanks for handling all of my stupidity, I know not everyone can tolerate me ya know." he laughed.

There was a silence for a while, and once it was pitch black and the town was quiet, I bent down and stared at Soruto's face for a while.

Then, gently I kissed him on the cheek and stood up.

Smiling, I took one last glance at him and started walking away into he darkness. "I have to get going now. I want to wake up early to watch you at the Chunin Exams." I said, "Thanks for today. I know you'll beat everyone tomorrow."

And thank you for all the memories, and thank you for being my best friend. I know your future will be bright, and I hope you find somebody better than me.

Taking fast steps, I left Soruto all alone, and disappeared down the dark trail to leave him with something he wanted from me for years.