A little recap of what happened last time. Damaru, Rin, Yuki, the children and pups were captured by Danzo (stab voodoo doll of Danzo) and his root shinobis. They then forced Kakashi, Itachi and Gin to kill his clan. Midway Damaru and Rin manage to escape and lead everyone away. Damaru go find the men and when they reunite Tobi appears and began killing everyone. The little group manage to escape and flee Konoha.
And now I give you the first chapter of the sequel! Please read and enjoy!
VERY IMPORTANT! Please read: I will be absent the next two weeks, so I will only post next chapter around the 19/04 if I can, the 26/04 if I can't. I apologise in advance for the future late uptdate.
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Chapter one
An aftermath, a decision and a sickness
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The room was deadly silent, the flames of the torches creating shadows on the faces of those sitting around the table.
"Tazuki-chan." Damaru finally said with a sigh "Kisame-san, you aren't forced to stay here. You can go. It isn't your problem."
"Don't kid me." Tazuki grumbled "I'm staying because I want to. I got attached to those little monsters. And you'll need all the help you can get."
"You offered me a roof and helped me when I was in need." Kisame retorted "And Samehada would scold me if I didn't help you."
The group eyed the sword but didn't comment.
The door opened and Kakashi stepped in.
"So?" Damaru asked, looking up to him.
"Offically Itachi and I brutally massacred the Uchiha clan and kidnapped Sasuke Uchiha." The man answered grimly, sitting beside Kisame "And the last Senjus still in Konoha disappeared in the fire. They also suspect we started it."
"Figures." Tazuki rolled her eyes "Now what do we do?"
On instinct they turned to Damaru and Itachi.
"Well." The girl said, trying to find something "We sure can't stay here forever. The Hokage surely sent out patrols and teams to arrest Kakashi and Itachi, and to try to find us since they didn't find any bodies. They will find this hideout one way or another. The question is when."
"You can't do like most missing nins and roam the lands without a fixing point." Tazuki added "You've got children."
Damaru nodded silently while Itachi narrowed his eyes.
"How about what we found during the chuunin exams?" the boy proposed.
"The place isn't exactly a safe one." Damaru frowned "And even if we could, it would take years to investigate and secure the place enough to make it liveable."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Tazuki said.
"We could always lead the research teams on false trails and kill anyone who gets too close." Kisame added, giving a smile full of razor sharp teeth.
No one commented on this. They unfortunately knew it would be necessary eventually.
"Alright." Itachi said, seeing everyone was agreeing "In two days Damaru, Kakashi and I will go. We'll return before the end of November. Tazuki and Kisame, you protect this place. Rin I want you to take care of the children while we're away."
Everyone nodded and got up, ready to fall into their beds and sleep the few hours there still were before sunrise.
The hideout was a lot littler than their home at Konoha, so everyone were forced to share a room with others, except Rin and Kakashi who got the only bedroom on the ground floor for themselves.
"I'll go check on the children." Damaru whispered to Tazuki whom she shared a bedroom with, not wanting to wake up the little ones who were asleep.
The red haired girl nodded and went inside their room, careful to not wake the little Amaru who was sleeping with them.
Damaru went first to check on Naruto, Sasuke and Haku, who were sleeping in the same room, Itachi following her.
Once she readjusted Naruto and Inazuma in their bed and kissed the two other boys, she waited for Itachi to finish tucking in Sasuke and Haku before closing the door behind them.
They went to Shin and Sai's room next, silence settling comfortably between them. While walking Damaru noticed Itachi's stance was still tense.
She smothered a sigh. He had been like that since they arrived here. She didn't blame him of course, because, who wouldn't be angsty after everything that happened.
And she couldn't help him much.
Nonetheless it didn't stop her from trying. So she grabbed and squeezed Itachi's hand, smiling softly at him when he turned inquisitive eyes to her.
The boy sighed softly but didn't let go of her hand until they reached the boys' room.
He wouldn't admit it, but Itachi was actually glad to have Damaru at his side. Sure her presence and the children's was a great responsibility. But he selfishly, for the first time in his life, wouldn't exchange this situation for anything else.
But would he be strong enough to protect them?
As if sensing his troubles, Damaru squeezed reassuringly his hand again and he felt magically calmer.
He wasn't alone, and he wouldn't be alone anymore.
They entered the boys' bedroom and he let Damaru tuck in and kiss the two before walking with her back to her room.
Once they reached the door Damaru opened it with a smile that quickly disappeared when she saw Tazuki kneeling over Amaru.
"Damaru-chan!" the girl said urgently, turning to her "She's burning up!"
Quickly the white haired girl went to sit beside her friend, her hands glowing green as she bent over the little girl to check her vitals.
"Please Tazuki." She asked "Go fetch Rin-chan."
The red haired kunoichi nodded before briskly walking out.
"Is she going to be alright?" asked Itachi, kneeling beside the two.
"I'm not sure." Damaru frowned "It seems to be an infection. But which one I don't know."
Rin entered the room and Itachi scooted away, letting the woman assist the twelve years old girl.
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"Okaa-chan?" Sai asked curiously while munching on his slice of bread "Where is Amaru-chan?"
"She's sick dear." A tired Damaru said before picking up a napkin to wipe his mouth "Don't speak your mouth full."
"Can we go see her?" Naruto asked once he finished drinking his chocolate milk.
"Sorry sweetie." Rin apologised, caressing his blond mane "She's too weak and needs to rest as much as possible."
The little boy pouted slightly but nodded in understanding before returning to his breakfast, thoughtful.
"She's going to get better, ne?" Sasuke asked.
"Of course she's going to heal Sasuke." Itachi assured him "Okaa-chan and Rin-obaa will find an antidote. But for that you need to leave them to work."
"Promise." Shin swore while Haku and Sai nodded solemnly.
"How about you go play until lunch?" Kakashi proposed.
The boys except Shin nodded and hopped off their chairs to the little square where they had piled up all their toys.
"Can I go train?" Shin asked.
"I'll go with you squirt." Kisame said "I'll show you some sword moves-of course the basic ones-." He added quickly when Itachi threw him a warning look.
"Are you two going to manage?" Tazuki asked once the children (and by extend Kisame) were out of hearing range "You don't have any analysing instruments and you lack materials here."
"We'll manage don't worry." Rin reassured "It'll just take more time it is all."
"We decided that Rin would scout the way we came here to see if Amaru could have touched something dangerous." Damaru added, yawning before taking a big gulp of her hot tea.
"I'll go with you." Kakashi said to his wife with a smirk "In case you fall asleep on the way there."
Rin frowned at her husband and smacked his head.
"Don't push it." She warned "I'm not in the mood."
Kakashi, if possible, smirked more and was about to add something when he was distracted by Tazuki's foot crashing against his knee.
He chocked painfully and Itachi took the opportunity to talk before things degenerated.
"We'll postpone the mission we talked about yesterday until Amaru is out of danger. I'll go install traps around the perimeter of the hideout."
"I'll go with you." Proposed Tazuki "I'll help with the seals."
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"We need to do something." Naruto suddenly declared, putting down the toy he had been playing with.
"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, looking up from his construction game.
"The adults are abvosly tired." The blond boy explained very seriously "They're always working, patrolling and making sure no one will find us. If we were a bit more inpendable we could help them."
"It's obviously and independent baka." Sasuke scolded before agreeing "But you're right."
"But the adults are too busy." Sai argued "How are we going to train?"
"Can't we do it by ourselves?" Haku proposed "I know I saw books on medicine and chakra control scrolls in the library."
"Okaa-san also told me a bit of her training when she was five, before entering the academy." Naruto added "We don't have weighing seals but I'm sure we can reproduce what she did back then."
"But we can't go outside often enough." Sai argued.
"We'll just do everything we can inside." Sasuke retorted.
"I think we should research a bit before creating a training schedule." Haku proposed "I remember okaa-chan saying that theory was as important as the practice."
Naruto grimaced, the boy preferring action over reading books, but nonetheless nodded.
"Alright." he said "Today we research and form a training schedule, and tomorrow we begin training."
"We should ask the adults too." Sai added "In case we need help."
Naruto nodded at him and got up.
"Let's go." He decided before bulleting out of their play square "Books and scrolls here I come!"
The other boys blinked before smiling at their brother's exuberance and getting up to run after him.
Rin, who was entering the house with a tired sigh, gasped and took a step back when the little herd of children rushed through the entrance toward the stairs leading to the basement.
She lost her balance and Kakashi had to catch her.
"Gomen Rin-obaa-chan!" Haku yelled before disappearing after his brothers down the stairs.
Rin blinked, a bit surprised, but in the end chose to sigh and smile.
"They're growing up fast." She observed.
"They still have a few years to go though." Kakashi said, helping her straighten "You should go sleep. You look ready to collapse."
Rin sighed tiredly "I need to report first."
"I'll do it." Kakashi firmly nudged her to their bedroom "I want you to go rest at least a few hours."
For a moment Rin thought of protesting, but she was so tired she finally just nodded and went into the room.
Kakashi made sure his wife was actually sleeping before heading in the basement, where they had moved a few furnitures to make a little lab for the girls.
He raised a curious eyebrow when he saw the boys busy reading, scrolls and books littered around them.
"Don't forget to tidy up when you're finished." He warned.
Receiving a chorus of 'yes', he smiled before pushing aside the curtain separating the library from the little makeshift laboratory.
He found Damaru asleep on one of the tables, surrounded by samples and sheets of paper.
For a moment he envisaged to not wake her, to let her sleep. But he also knew how angry she would be if she found out.
So he went to shake her gently.
"Kakashi-nii?" the white haired girl mumbled sleepily before realising she had fallen asleep "Oh no!"
She jumped off her tool, running to the fire and checking hurriedly the content of a glass vial.
Sighing in relief, she put the container away from the fire and rubbed her eyes before turning to him.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Rin and I found no evidence of dangerous plants on the way we took to get here." Kakashi said "But we didn't go too near Konoha so..."
"Where is Rin-nee?"
"Asleep. I convinced her to rest at least a few hours. You should do the same."
"Someone needs to take care of Amaru." Damaru countered, walking out of the laboratory "I'll go check on her."
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Damaru blinked, made sure to re-check her results, and smiled.
She grabbed a sheet of paper and hastily scribbled down the informations before bolting out of the makeshift laboratory.
She ran all the way to the room she, Tazuki and Amaru shared and opened the door, waving the paper triumphantly in front of Rin.
"I found it!" Damaru exclaimed happily.
Rin took the paper before smiling.
"Indeed it seems to be." She said "Did you re-check?"
"Of course." The white haired girl assured "And I did every test I could think of and I could do."
Rin re-read before frowning.
"But if you're correct, then we have a problem." She said "I remember that one of the components for the antidote is a rare flower growing in the desert of the wind country."
"Really?" Damaru grimaced "Then yes, it will not be a piece of cake."
"We'll have to go search for it." Rin sighed "I don't think you have this plant in your herbs. I just hope that Amaru is going to resist long enough."
They looked at the little girl sleeping. She was extremely pale and had a slight perspiration coating her skin.
"Let's just hope she does." Damaru said softly.
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I hope you liked it. Don't hesitate to leave a little review for the author. If you do I'll give you a Danzo voodoo doll!