Chapter 3

Mission by mission was done by Fumiko. Due to her capability, she often time being paired up with Tenzo to do A-rank and S-rank missions. Two years had passed quickly, as the girl now was 8 years old. Fumiko used the ANBU facilities seriously as she now basically lived there in the base. The girl rarely went back home, preferring to stay in the uncomfortable futon that the ANBU provided.

"You're not going home again?" Tenzo scolded as they entered the base.

"No." Fumiko shook her head.

"Don't you think your parent will be worried? I mean, for the past one year you've been living here with me."

"I don't want to go back home."

"At least check up on your family once a while."

"True. Don't you know how Sasuke keeps pestering me, thinking I take his sister away from him?" A voice behind them making Fumiko flinched.

"Shisui-nii." She greeted.

Shisui ruffled her hair. "Yo! Did you two just came back from mission?"

"Yeah, you too?" Tenzo asked.

"Nah, I'm about to go out actually." Shisui, who now had become an ANBU chuckled. "But seriously though, Fumiko-chan, go back home. I'm tired of being accused by Sasuke."

"I understand." The girl mumbled.

"Well, see you guys later."

"Take care." Both Tenzo and Fumiko replied.

"Well, I guess I'm going to shower and rest." Tenzo stretched his back. "Just go home today, Fumiko."

"...Alright." Tenzo patted her head as he went away.

After showering, Fumiko changed her clothes into a normal white kimono top with red strips and Uchiha clan symbol on her back and black shorts. Her long silky hair which usually being tied into a messy bun was now falling free on her back.

"I guess I'll go home for today." She mumbled.

Fumiko walked through Konoha at ease. That was until she saw a kid sitting on a swing all alone in the academy yard. Kyuubi, she narrowed her eyes as she felt the chakra within the boy. Fumiko walked closer, looking down at the kid with full concentration.

The yellow haired kid looked up, totally surprised as no one tried to come closer to him before. He saw how intense her eyes were and got intimidated.

"W-what do you want?"

"What's your name?" Her voice was cold, but there was no malice in it.

"Uzumaki Naruto dattebayo!" He answered. "I'm gonna be a hokage one day!"

Fumiko blinked at his words, which made Naruto got offended. "W-wha—you don't believe me, do you?!"

"I—"

"Nee-san?!" A well-known screeching voice made both Uchiha and Uzumaki looked up.

There, stood Sasuke with girls all around him. He gave a huge grin at his sister, but scowled when he saw Naruto. Both boys sent electrical glare towards each other. Sasuke looked back at his sister and his grin went wider than before. He ran up to her and tackled her—luckily, she did not fall and catch her brother in time.

"Nee-san!" Sasuke snuggled in Fumiko's chest for a bit before he let go his hug and held his sister's hands. "Do you come here to pick me up?!"

Fumiko, who was one head taller than her younger brother, nodded. "I just finished my mission."

The girls and Naruto who were eavesdropping gasped. "Mission?!"

Sasuke proudly looked at his fans and square his chest up. "Nee-san is an ANBU member!"

"No way!"

"Your sister is so cool!"

"Isn't she so young, though?"

"What's with the noises?" Someone who is much older and taller than the rest of the kids came into view. "You guys are not bullying—eh, Fumiko-chan?!"

"Iruka." Fumiko greeted.

"Hey, that's not how you treat sensei!" A pink haired girl scowled.

"Sakura!" Iruka scolded. "Fumiko-chan here was my teammate when I was genin. I could reach chunin level too was thanks to her."

"EH?!"

"It's been a while, isn't it, Fumiko-chan?" Iruka rubbed his back head.

"It is." Fumiko nodded.

"B-but sensei! She must be so young when she graduated from academy!"

"Yeah, she was. Were you 4 at that time, Fumiko-chan? Or was it 3?"

"I was 4." She answered politely.

Sasuke pulled Fumiko's kimono and hugged her side tightly while pouting. He did not like her attention for other people as much as he did not like his fans' attention to his sister.

"Nee-san! Train with me!" Fumiko sighed, but nodded. "Yatta!"

Sasuke jumped to Fumiko's back, forcing the girl to support the duckhead's butt so he would not fall. "Sasuke! Get down from your sister!"

"It's alright, Iruka. We should get going, anyway."

"Wait!" The pink haired girl, Sakura, opened her mouth again. "How do we know that you're actually Sasuke-kun's sister and not some imposter?!"

Sasuke frowned at his fan's words while Fumiko gave her a cold look which made the pink haired girl and other fans back away in fear. Iruka chuckled sheepishly.

Fumiko turned on her sharingan for a second towards them before body flicking to the Uchiha compound. Sasuke was about to come down when the front door was opened. "Ara, Fumiko-chan?"

"Okaa-san." Fumiko bowed.

"Where have you been? Don't you know you're making me worry?" Their mother scolded.

"Gomen nasai." Again, Fumiko bowed as Sasuke got off her.

Mikoto sighed. "Get inside, then. We'll have tea and talk."

"But, kaa-san! Nee-san already agreed to train with me!" Sasuke pouted, which made Mikoto sighed.

"Alright. But be back before dinner, the both of you."

"Yatta!" Sasuke dropped his back inside and then dragged Fumiko away. Watching how easily their mother said yes to Sasuke made Fumiko's chest tightened. Their father was also letting Sasuke did whatever the brat wanted to do. It was not fair.

"—san, nee-san!"

"Yes?"

"We're here already!"

Indeed, they were already at the lake near their compound. Both siblings walked down to the dock. "What have you learnt so far, Sasuke?"

"Nii-san and I have been practicing throwing kunai and shuriken!" Sasuke said proudly.

"What about jutsu?"

"I've been practicing fireball jutsu, but it's still not enough." He answered sadly.

Fumiko blinked. "Let me see you then."

"Okay." Sasuke went facing the lake and made several hand signs. "Katon!"

Fumiko did not activate her sharingan as she knew exactly where Sasuke's fault was. She corrected his posture as she pressed her fingers into Sasuke's throat. "You see here? Focus on your chakra here when you're about to throw the fire, Sasuke."

The boy winced slightly as his sister's fingers dug into his skin, yet the boy still nodded. Fumiko let him go to try again, but the feelings of her fingers lingered. Focusing himself to where his throat hurt, he once again did the jutsu. The amount of the fireball was bigger even though the time was still short.

"I did it!" He yelled excitedly. "I did it, nee-san!"

"You did." Fumiko gave a small smile towards her brother. "You just need to work on your stamina so you can do it in longer time. I'll write down the menu so you can follow it."

"Thank you!"

They were still practicing until dawn. "Let's go, Sasuke. Kaa-san will get angry if we're late for dinner."

Sasuke pouted, but obliged. And for the first time ever, the young pair of siblings walked hand-in-hand. Sasuke told her stories while Fumiko listened to him.

Not far from there, a chuckled was heard. "So you're spying your own siblings?"

"Fumiko knows all the time that we're watching them." Itachi answered.

"I know." Shisui sighed. "Your sister is getting suspicious, you know. She notices that she keeps getting mission by mission without rest and the ANBU hides something from her."

"...It's for the best." Itachi fisted his hand. "Fumiko deserves the world, and I don't want her to carry the burden of this coming event."

"So what are you going to do with the coup de 'tat? What side will you pick on? The hokage? Or the Uchiha?"

Itachi shook his head. "I don't know."

*