Naru: Misty Eyes (A Naruto Fanfic) [Complete]

Chapter Three: To See the Wind

"Naru, slow down. You'll get hurt." The blonde-haired girl barely paused her fast-paced walking at the statement. Her hair still fell to her waist, but her bangs covered her eyes entirely. Even if they hadn't, she kept a strip of dark blue fabric tied over the top half of her face. It matched the dark blue tunic she wore over black leggings. As usual, her feet were bare.

"I'll be okay, Weasel-kun. I'm being super careful." Naru, now nearly six, angled her head to the side as her staff swept back and forth in front of her, efficiently discovering any obstacles in her path before she could run into them. She smiled softly in his general direction. "Thanks for caring though, ya know?"

Itachi was saddened by that statement, by how happy she seemed that he was concerned about what was such a trivial thing to her. "Of course I care, Naru. You're practically my little sister."

He saw Naru's smile widen into a mischievous grin and paused. That might have been a mistake. His theory was confirmed a moment later when Naru asked, "Does that mean I get to call you Weasel-nii instead of Weasel-kun?"

Itachi sighed, hanging his head in defeat. She wouldn't stop asking until he said yes, so he figured it was smarter to just get it over with. "Sure, Naru. You can call me Weasel-nii."

"Soooooo... Where are we going again?"

"I told you three times already," Itachi said, actually having to suppress a chuckle. "Hokage-sama asked to see you."

"Oh, yeah. What do you think Jiji wants?" Naru looked contemplative. "I haven't caused any more trouble, have I?"

"Naru, you aren't the one who causes trouble," Itachi said sternly. "Other people cause trouble for you."

"They wouldn't have to if I were normal."

"If you were normal, I wouldn't get to call you my little sister."

Naru paused. Itachi stopped and turned to face her. "Y-You really mean it, Weasel-nii? Not just for pretend?"

Itachi felt his heart break even more for the little blonde. "I really mean it, Naru." He wanted to cheer her up but wasn't entirely sure how to do so. Itachi suddenly got an idea. "Don't panic, ok, Naru? I'm gonna pick you up."

Naru nodded hesitantly. "Ok."

Itachi lifted Naru up onto his shoulders, settling her so that her hands rested on top of his head. He held her staff in his left hand and lightly gripped her ankle with his right. "There."

"Whoa, I feel so tall now!" Naru exlaimed, hands pressing down on his head as if she was trying to lift herself higher. She swung her legs lightly, although Itachi was careful not to let her go. "Hey, Weasel-nii, let's go real fast to Jiji's office, ok? I like hearing the wind. If I listen hard enough, sometimes I can even see it."

"Alright. Hold on tight, Naru. On your mark, get set..."

"Go!" Naru called the last word happily, laughing. 

Itachi smiled beneath his mask. She had cheered up after all. He ran fast enough for her to hear the wind, circling the Hokage Tower once before stopping just so she could listen a little longer.