Those Mistakes We Make

Chapter 5: Code 00258 – Uchiha Project UNIT 0001: Salvaged Anatomic Intelligence.

The first time 0001 saw Uzumaki Naruto, he could only make out a shaking green and orange blob with little feet sticking out. He was precariously hanging from his room’s window, that used to be a drain, therefore everything his eyes caught had to be street-level or lower.

Fortunately, the green and orange blob was.

“Are you a monster?” he asked curiously, of course he was only two weeks old, normal equivalent, as the master had told him, of eight years and a half.

The blob stood still for a moment before a blond head peeked from what seemed to be a well-worn green and orange duvet.

“I’m not a monster,” the blond head whimpered. 0001 could now see that his blob was actually a child huddled on the streets, wrapped around a comforter and whimpering the night away. “I’m Naruto.”

Pitiful, the master would have said, and 0001 would have agreed, most likely.

But this child was different.

This child struck something inside 0001’s newly formed ribcage that left him panting lightly. Something he had never done before.

“Are you a fish then?” 0001 asked, rather confused.

Naruto blinked his teary blue eyes lightly, shocked.

“If I were a fish I’d be underwater,” he said patiently, maybe this mysterious drain shadow was slow.

0001 nodded, it did make sense.

“What your name?” Naruto asked, staring at the pale shadowed hands, the only part of his new friend he could see.

“0001,” replied the other.

Naruto blinked.

“Shiro Wan?” Naruto frowned. It sounded foreign. “That’s an odd name.”

“Your name is Naruto,” 0001 replied. Naruto smiled lightly.

“Yeah, but Narutos are good, and so am I.”

0001 stared at the boy’s rozy cheeks and wide blue eyes.

“Can I taste you?” He asked, stretching a hand towards Naruto. The blond blinked, then nodded.

What did he have to lose?

Certainly it couldn’t be worse than the guys at the academy. They had kunais, and those hurt.

Slowly, he lipped his hand through the bars on Shiro’s window and felt the other’s cold hands touching his skin.

Then something warm and wet was running over his fingers.

He giggled.

“You are tickling me,” he laughed lightly. Shiro’s eyes gleamed a little, and Naruto could feel the smile on the other boy’s lips.

“You taste better than Naruto,” Shiro said then, a little chuckle rumbling on his chest. He liked Naruto, a lot. Even if he wasn’t supposed to express any sort of preference. His master had to make his options for him.

And yet, a revelious part of him, one he had never heard before, whispered that he could make a choice, even if it was a small one. Master didn’t have to know at all.

Therefore, he chose Naruto and the fluttering in his insides everytime he sampled the boy’s skin.

Suddenly that tasty hand was ripped away from him as the boy himself was pulled away from his window.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, YOU IDIOT!” a voice roared and 0001 could only see the tips of Naruto’s duvet and a pair of small shinobi sandals, most likely belonging to the one who had taken Naruto-kun’s hand from him.

He immediately felt dislike for the owner of said shoes.

“Let me go!” cried Naruto. 0001 wanted to go there and help the little blond, he was HIS choice after all, he had to protect his choice.

The other boy growled then, sizing Naruto by his shoulders.

“What were you doing, you moron! Something could have bitten you down there,” he snapped. Naruto pouted.

“Nothing bit me, you pervert. Shiro was just tasting me.”

Even 0001 with his whole two weeks of awareness (not that he could call it a life per-se), knew that whoever this new boy was, he was protective of Naruto-kun, and therefore, that was not the right thing to say. If he ever heard that someone other than himself was tasting Naruto-kun’s hand he would be angry.

Not that he knew what angry meant, but in his books it didn’t sound like a pleasant feeling.

“WHAT!?!?” the other boy roared, kneeling by the drain. “Who the fuck is Shiro?”

Naruto cradled his hand, somewhere between being pulled from the drain and being shaken, he had injured his hand and it throbbed a little, he would have to ask Itta’niichan for some ointment tonight.

“Shiro Shiro Shiro Wan,” Naruto grinned. 0001 felt suddenly proud.

The other boy growled low on his throat before kneeling by the drain.

“You weird, most likely you got licked by a rat or…” Not 0001 nor Sasuke were expecting to see what they both saw that night.

Separated by bars and shadows, both of them could distinguish features that they knew by heart.

Their own face was staring back at them.

Their own mirrored, shocked face was gapping at them.

Sasuke pulled back with a cry.

Naruto blinked.

“Sasuke-baka, what’s wrong?” he asked, kneeling by his side. 0001 hid himself right away, so only his eyes could be visible. He didn’t want to admit it, and if asked, tortured or questioned by The Master himself, he would not admit it.

But he was scared.

He had seen someone else who had his same face.

His exact same face was staring at Naruto in adoration, his same brows frowned before his same arms wrapped around the blond’s neck in a way he only dreamed he could do.

He had a copy.

And that copy was everything he was not.

Then…

Who was real?

If this other himself was better than he was, and he obviously was since he was outside and 0001 was still trapped inside the lab.

… that would mean he was inferior.

And that… would mean the other him was not a copy of himself.

But the other way around.

A chill ran down his spine.

His other self mumbled something about a genjustsu and quickly dragged Naruto away. The blond protested lightly that he had not said goodbye to Shiro-kun, therefore he could not go, but his other self just growled and stated that there was no one in that drain, and most likely Shiro-kun had already left.

Naruto had pouted sadly but agreed to leave with the other boy.

0001 stared after them, wetness leaving his eyes without his notice.

That’s how 0002 found him, an hour later, his hands tired and aching from the strain of supporting himself against the window he couldn’t reach.

“Are you ok, 0001?” 0002 asked.

The other boy turned to him.

“I think I’m a copy of someone else,” he mumbled, his eyes wide and unfocussed. “That and… I’m in love.”

0002 helped him to his bed and sat with him as he told him all he could of his new friend and the way he tasted, the way he made him feel, almost like he had read in his books. Then he told him about Naruto-kun’s friend, the one that had his face and his hair and his hands.

0002 frowned, running a hand over his long black hair.

“Do you think you are someone else’s copy too, 0002?” he asked finally.

0002 stared at him with warm red eyes and shook his head.

“Copy or not, I can be myself if I want to, and so can you, 0001,” he said gently, poking 0001 on the forehead, he didn’t really know why he did that, but it was almost a custom for them and he didn’t plan on stopping.

0001 didn’t understand either, but that gesture calmed him. He unconsciously snuggled into 0002’s side and smiled.

“I want to be special too,” he whispered. “I want to be different than him, so Naruto-kun likes me better.”

He wasn’t sure how he would accomplish it, but he would be different, he would make himself something completely different from that other self of his, just to prove to Naruto-kun that he was the best.

Years passed.

He would often see Naruto-kun walking around from his window.

Sometimes the blond knelt by the drain and peered inside, whispering a gentle: “Shiro-kun?” But 0001 would not be there. He had promised himself not to appear before Naruto until he was a completely different person, until he was sure he could be better than his other self.

So far, he only had his other self’s name to compete with.

Sasuke.

0001 was pleased to know that he at least had a different name.

Master was pleased with his and 0002’s progress. So pleased, in fact, that he started working on 0003.

This time.

It was a girl.

0001 and 0002 felt an immediate connection to her as she slept, preparing herself to be born.

She looked a little older than them, of course, and sometimes 0001 would feel the need to lay his head on her still lap. Not that he would do it, it would make The Master suspicious.

0003 just lived for a week.

The Master had tested her abilities, then her intelligence, and finally he had given 0003 a mission outside.

She had stared at The Master in fright before shaking her head, her long black curls waving around. Then, she had ran towards her room and that’s where 0001 and 0002 found her two hours later.

She had killed herself.

The same mission was assigned, then, to 0002.

This time, the threat was hanging in the air.

0002 went to the mission.

He never came back.

Days after his body was brought back to the lab, 0001 found a note stuck in his window, obviously someone had hiden it there.

The note had 0002’s hand writing.

You were right, 0001

We are copies of another family, other people that lived a long time ago. People that many love, and many hate.

Be smart, 0001, play the obedient pet and puppet for The Master, but keep Naruto-kun’s face in your mind. The Master will let you out in due time, and you will be able to get the information about our originals, The Uchiha.

We were not made to feel, 0001, but I love you. I only wish I had gotten a name for myself that you could remember me by.

0002 - Copied from Uchiha Itachi. V. 2.0.

0001 cried that day for the last time.

In his mind, 0002 became ‘niisan, and his smiling face was secured around his heart, beside’s Naruto’s.

He did as niisan said, he trained, he killed, he played his part of emotionless puppet. The Master was pleased.

He got missions outside the lab.

He succeeded each and every one of them.

The Master was proud and didn’t hesitate to tell him so. Even if the Uchiha Project was a failure, even when all other UNITS had to be destroyed, 0001 was stable and perfect, and The Master was almost considering cloning him.

The Master had cut his hair, then, explaining that he could not go around during missions now that his face was similar to a missing nin’s.

0001 didn’t have to ask about it, he could imagine who The Master was referring to.

Uchiha Sasuke had left, most likely he left Naruto-kun behind.

0001 would never forgive him.

He continued to work, continued to gain his Master’s trust. He would stab him in the back as soon as Naruto-kun was within his reach.

Then the Hokage came to the lab to talk to his master, he was rather surprised to see her, since he was sure the lab wasn’t something she was expecting.

“You sick bastard,” Godaime Hokage muttered as she stared at the failed test Units. He didn’t pay much attention to them any longer, since the Uchiha Project had been dismantled.

The woman paused for a while, staring at 0001.

“Oh, my… god…” he gasped.

“Impressive, isn’t he?” The Master asked with a grin. “My master piece, as you can see, completely loyal and obedient, not like those Uchiha bastards.”

Godaime growled low on her throat, her hands clenched.

“I need him for a mission,” she mumbled. The Master raised an eyebrow.

“Mission, hum? What type of mission?”

“Assasinate Uchiha Sasuke,” she answered curtly. The Master gasped, 0001’s widened.

It was a perfect chance, without the original, he would be unique.

“So, you found him,” The Master laughed, stroking his chin. “I want the corpse,”

“The corpse,” Godaime agreed. “But not the eyes, I shall remove them myself.”

The Master’s eyes strayed towards him.

“Deal,” The Master and Godaime-sama shook hands before she turned around and left. Not once did she look at him again.

0001 didn’t mind.

He had his chance to finally be the original, the one for Naruto-kun.

He studied the situation, created a plan of action.

Tested the other shinobi around his age. Naruto-kun seemed to be strong, but was surrounded by pesky other boys who refused to let him show his real powers.

He hated them all.

And he would always remember fondly the way Naruto-kun’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open as he stood by Godaime-sama’s desk.

“Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto,” Tsunade said firmly, her eyes hard. “This is Sasuke’s replacement.”

0001 thought about it for a moment, he couldn’t be Naruto’s Shiro-kun any longer, he had a cover to keep.

He thought about it.

He was, after all, Uchiha’s Salvaged Anatomic Intelligence.

It would have to do.

“Nice to meet you all,” he grinned. “I’m Sai.”

To be Continued.

A/N: Please raise your hands whoever saw that coming (and no, you don’t count!) I rather liked this chapter, though I’m not sure about Sai’s inclusion into the story, I just couldn’t help myself. Let’s see how Sasuke takes the good news, hmmm?

As always reviews and comments are most welcomed.

Next Chapter: Uzumaki Naruto.