Twelve year old Sora Uzumaki carefully snuck out of her apartment so she didn't wake her little brother.  She had left him a note explaining that she was leaving and that she loved him.  She jumped quickly across roofs and into the forest going to her and Itachi's meeting place. She leaned against a tree waiting.  She sighed softly unsure of how anyone could accuse him of such a thing.  It was Itachi for heaven's sake he would never do anything that would hurt Sasuke that deeply. 

     She looked up at the moon smiling when he landed in front of her. 

     "Finally Itachi I thought I was gonna have to come and get you" she folded her arms playfully lecturing him. 

     He chuckled smiling at her "let's just go Sora we don't need them catching us here"

     She nodded climbing the tree and taking off Itachi right behind her the whole way.  She glanced at him slightly worried she knew this hit him hard too.  She turned her eyes back ahead of her as they kept going in silence.  The two of them worked together like a well oiled machine they always had.  They didn't need words to know what the other was thinking they just did.  This also applied to their fighting style they pushed off each other and no one had beaten the two of them working together yet.  They stopped at the edge of the border.

     "Are you sure you want this Sora you can turn around now and go back like nothing happened" Itachi looked at her waiting for her answer.

      "Yes Itachi I'm going with you you are stuck with me got it Uchiha" she smiled at him her eyes twinkling.

     "Alright then we better...." He trailed off looking at his headband. 

     "Itachi I can put them in my bag but it might be best if you left your mask and my vest I hate to say it but we need to fake our deaths I think" she held her hand out slowly. 

     He handed his headband to her.  She put it in her bag along with her own before taking off her vest.  Using her kunai knife and she strategically put cuts in it. Slicing her palm she smeared her own blood on it.  She took Itachi's mask shoving a shuriken in it also covering that in blood.  She stood up wrapping her hand with the bandage she had. 

     "We can go now we'll have to think of aliases now though" Itachi looked at her for ideas. 

     "I'll think of some let's just go quickly before they catch up i'm sure they already found you're gone" she turned going over the border.

     He followed her swiftly.  She glanced at him as they slowed at the first village they came across.  She looked around for a hotel for the night knowing they had some money between them but clearly not a lot. She had left the majority with Naruto only taking enough to last for maybe a week.  She walked up to one that looked to be reasonable getting them a room.  She turned to him smiling brightly.  He smiled back as took the key going to the room. 

    She woke up the next morning and got them food for the next couple days.  She sat across from him in their room frowning trying to think of what they were going to do now.  She sighed laying flat on the floor annoyed.

     "We could be ninja for hire" Itachi spoke slowly like he was talking to a hungry lion or something.

     "Yeah that works also about our aliases I have some" she sat up.

     "Oh?" He looked intrigued at what she could have possibly picked. 

     "Kage Ichika for you and Saki Katou for me that way if we do end up being in like the bingo book or something no one knows who we actually are which means," she looked through the things she got tossing him a new outfit "..there put that on".

     He stared at her for a minute before doing as she said changing clothes. 

     She came back out of the bathroom her long red hair now in a fishtail braid also in a new outfit.

     "We better leave this place soon then" she packed up her bag looking at him smiling.

     He nodded picking up his own bag following her out of the room.  The two of them walked out of that village entirely different people than they were when they entered it. 

One month later.....

    They were kneeling at the side of the road waiting patiently.  She glanced at him smiling spinning her kunai knife clearly ready to do something.  He nodded at her and they jumped out taking down the people they were supposed to with ease.  She knelt in front of the girl they were tasked with with bringing home smiling gently.  He walked over picking the girl up onto his back and they took off back to the people that hired them. 

     When they landed Itachi set the girl down watching her run inside.  She turned to the old man that was standing there.

     "Here 1500 ryo just as we promised". She took the money smiling bowing to him "Thank you sir".

     She and Itachi disappeared into the night as quickly as they came this was the third successful mission they had completed and being ninja for hire was turning out to be quite profitable.  They checked into a hotel then went to find a restaurant. 

     "I think we made the right decision but I do miss home sometimes" she looked at him not really eating the ramen she had ordered.

     "I know but this was the best decision we could have made"  he took her hand to reassure her.

     "Yeah I know but I'm still worried about him you know?" She looked down.

     He nodded his mouth full.  She laughed at him.  He smiled at her gently before paying for their meal standing up.  She stood with him walking out they went back to the hotel to sleep. 

     Over the next several months they kept gaining a reputation as some of the best ninja for hire there were.  They were almost unstoppable together but they were also amazing apart. 

     She walked up to him quietly holding a box behind her back.  She jumped on him laughing showing the box to him.

     He looked at her "what's this?".

     "It's your birthday silly your fourteen today remember? Just open your present".

     He stared at her "You didn't have to do that So...Saki".

     "I wanted to idiot just open it".

     He opened it looking inside curiously pulling out a new set of ninja tools.  He looked at her surprised.

     "I saw you were running low so I got you some brand new ones"  she smiled at him.

    "Thank you it's perfect really".

     "You're welcome" she leaned back thinking.

     He watched her for a moment before standing up heading towards their next destination.   She looked around sighing softly.  He tapped her shoulder lightly making her stop.  He slipped a necklace around her neck.

     "I know i'm a little late on this but happy birthday Sora" he whispered where only she could hear him.

     "It's beautiful thank you Itachi" she looked up at him smiling brightly.

     They kept walking both smiling happily.  They didn't really care if anyone had heard their real names at that moment they just knew that as long as they were together things would be ok.