A/N: Yay Sequel to Nightmare. I told you it wouldn't be too long before I posted it. So this chapter might be a little boring. There is a lot of talking going on. It's just to start to set everything up. This is technically four and a half months after Nightmare, five and a half months since Itachi came back to the village and all of that goodness happened. I wanted the time skip, because there is only so many chapters you can write about nothing. There wasn't any more drama I could put into it. I just needed the time to pass to let Sasuke heal. So I decided to end Nightmare where I did so I could start a new story for the series. Sasuke is all healed up, but don't let his good mood fool you; he will have many problems mentally and emotionally in this story. I will also be filling in the Chouji/Shikamaru story so you will get to see what happened to Chouji to make him change. It will also be about Kakashi and Itachi raising a traumatized Sasuke and dealing with missions. The Sound will make an appearance; there will be hospital trips, drama, drinking, cutting, and maybe even some lighter drug use. Things will also get more intense with Kakashi and Iruka as things play out. So there will be a lot of drama and angst.
Summary: Sasuke is about to start his first year at his school. Kakashi and Itachi are trying to figure out how to be two parents raising Sasuke and as the days go by they start to question just how ready not only Sasuke is but themselves. Kakashi struggles to handle Sasuke in a parental way and Sasuke is pushing every button Kakashi has just to make him leave. Kakashi has to fight with not only Sasuke, but with himself to prove that he won't walk away from his son. Problems only get worse when Sasuke gets into the wrong crowd at school and starts to let his trauma self-destruct him. Sasuke is going downhill, the Sound is threatening a war, Kakashi and Iruka are at odds, Itachi has his own problems with flashbacks and to top it off Shikamaru is taking the heat from the other Genin for Sasuke's decisions and his friendship with him. Konoha is dividing and it seems like they are running out of allies. Can everyone pull together to keep Sasuke safe from the Sound and himself? Or will Sasuke be just another lost cause that gets forgotten with the stress of life?
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Chapter 1
It had been eight and a half months since the kidnapping and attack. It had been five and a half months since Sasuke was released from the hospital. Four and a half months since Sasuke, Itachi and Kakashi moved into a new house together. The last four and a half months had been good for them. The drama of everything seemed to have calmed down and that allowed Sasuke to just heal. It also allowed the three of them to get into a routine and to get to know each other. At first Sasuke wasn't sure how sincere Kakashi was about getting to know him on a deeper level, but Kakashi had stuck true to his word. They had spent some time together just one on one learning all about each other. Sasuke learnt about Kakashi's childhood and some of his demons. The three of them had made a silent rule that they needed to be honest with each other. That within those walls they were just themselves and not ninja or guarded. It was hard at first, but now they had all come to enjoy being just themselves around someone. They had actually became a family. They would make dinner together and they would both make fun of Itachi for his poor cooking skills. They would train together in the backyard and go out for meals. They had actually become a real family and for the three of them they couldn't have been happier. It had been a long time since any of them had been able to say they had a family and the three of them just fit perfectly together.
Over the last four and a half months Shikamaru had been by as often as he could be. Sasuke and Shikamaru had grown to be best friends and they were around each other as often as they could be. Neji had even started to come around more and Sasuke was comfortable with him around. The two of them had managed to get Sasuke out of the house and around the others. Sasuke didn't say much to the others and the others didn't say much to him. They were all divided with how they felt about the whole situation. Kiba was supportive of Sasuke and was a silent support system. He wouldn't push, but if Sasuke needed him he would be there. He had defended Sasuke when others spoke poorly about him. Neji was on Sasuke's side and believed that Chouji and Naruto were in the wrong for what they did. Lee, Tenten and Shino were indifferent. It wasn't their business and they didn't go poking their nose in where it didn't belong. Hinata was understanding and supportive of Naruto. She believed that Naruto would be back with them soon enough. Sakura felt caught in the middle of two ex-teammates. She wanted to be supportive of both, but she didn't really know how to do that. Ino was the worst out of them all. She was angry at Shikamaru and Sasuke for what happened to Chouji. She felt that Shikamaru was too hard on Chouji. She felt like Sasuke could have spoken up to save Chouji from losing his status. As a result when Shikamaru had to work with Ino the atmosphere was very intense and awkward. The only people that knew that Sasuke was not returning to ninja duty were Shikamaru and Neji. They hadn't told the others, because they felt that it wasn't their position to tell them. The others would ask, but Sasuke never commented on it. He truly didn't care what the others thought about it, it was his life and he was going to live it the way he wanted to. He was still training so he could defend himself and the village in the time of a war. Sasuke felt that he was fulfilling his obligations to the village by still training. Sasuke didn't want to be a ninja and he was thrilled that he would be starting school next year.
Sasuke took the aptitude test and sure enough it said he would be able to be in grade eleven, third year. There were only four years, but Sasuke took Tsunade's advice and went into grade nine, first year. He wasn't in a hurry to graduate and it would be nice to be around kids more his age. There were two semesters each with four courses. Sasuke looked at the courses and he was going to take ones that would help in his career. He was excited to get stated next month. Today him, Kakashi and Itachi were going to go down to the school to hand in the rest of his forms and get his courses setup. Then next month on the third he would be in school for the next ten months. It was only a twenty minute walk to school from the house so it wasn't like Sasuke would have to leave Konoha for school. He could still come home every night and that was something Sasuke liked. Sasuke finished getting dressed. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, with a t-shirt and black wrist bands. He was still cutting, but it had escalated slightly since he first started almost five months ago. Before it was just three cuts once a week. Now it was getting to be eight cuts every three days. Sasuke still felt like he was in control and he wasn't in the danger zone. He felt like he could quit whenever he wanted to. Two months ago he started to cut down on the sleeping pills, which made the nightmares come back. That was around the time the cutting picked up slightly. He was still on the sleeping pills, but only twice a week. The other nights he would have to deal with the nightmares and push through it. It had gotten better though, before he would get the nightmares all night long. Now he was getting them each night, but only once or twice so they were getting better. Sasuke put on his black converse shoes and then headed out into the living room and kitchen area.
The house was an open concept so you could see the beautiful kitchen from the living room. It was nice, because that way they could still talk to each other when someone was in the kitchen. They had really gotten into a routine with each other. Both Kakashi and Itachi had made the point in letting Sasuke know that he was to be just the kid and not the adult. They made the point in letting him know that his job was to be his age and go to school. That was all they asked of him. Sasuke still had access to his own account with his own money in it, but he wasn't to worry about paying the house bills or groceries. Both Kakashi and Itachi were very adamant about it. It took some getting used to, but Sasuke was now used to being just the child in the house and not an adult and he had to admit it was nice to not have to worry about paying bills again. Sasuke walked out into the living room to see Kakashi and Itachi sitting on the stools in front of the island talking with a cup of coffee. Sasuke looked at the time and saw that it was just after nine in the morning and they didn't need to leave until ten. Sasuke went over to the fridge and grabbed and apple before he sat down in a stool beside Itachi.
"Morning little brother. How are you feeling?"
"I'm good. How are you both?"
"We're good. Are you excited for today?" Kakashi asked.
"Ya I guess a little, but it's not like I'm starting for another two weeks anyways. I just hope I can get into the courses that I want."
"What are the courses you want to take?" Itachi asked.
"Literature, chemistry, biology, math, art, intro to criminology, creative writing and psychology."
"You are going to have so much homework." Itachi said lightly with a smile on his face.
"You don't take all of them at the same time. You take four each semester so it won't be that bad." Sasuke said with a smile on his face.
"Plus he has art and creative writing so they will give you a break part way. I didn't know you liked art." Kakashi said to Sasuke.
"Since I was little. I used to draw and paint all the time, but training took over and I didn't get to do it often. It'll be nice to get back into it."
"You should take whatever courses interest you in school. That's the point. If you take a course and don't like it then you don't have to take it next year. I'm glad you are starting in year one so you can get more education and see what courses you like and what ones you don't. It also gives you four more years before you are in the workforce." Itachi said.
"Four more years to be a kid." Sasuke said with a smile.
"Oh now you like being your own age?" Itachi teased.
"It might be rubbing off on me." Sasuke said with a smirk.
"Good, you should just be a kid and not some forty year old man." Kakashi said.
"Speaking of old men you guys go back to work soon don't you?" Sasuke said with a smile.
"You better be calling him old." Itachi said as he pointed to Kakashi.
"Old? I'm not even thirty." Kakashi said.
Sasuke just smiled at both Kakashi and Itachi. They hated the word old and Sasuke always thought it was funny to bring it up when he could.
"It's okay everyone gets old." Sasuke said.
"Watch your mouth little brother. You just remember I train you."
"Empty threats. Seriously though, when are you two going back to work?"
"Why the interest?" Kakashi asked.
"Oh I'm just waiting for when you both will be gone so I can throw a party and get drunk."
"You need to wait until you are at least sixteen before you can throw a party and get drunk when we're not home." Itachi said.
"Don't teach him that." Kakashi said.
"Because you're one to talk." Sasuke said with a smirk.
"You're supposed to learn from our mistakes. Not make the same ones." Kakashi said.
"As for your question, Kakashi is going back to work in a five days for a mission. I am going back next month. I was actually just talking to Kakashi about what he thought of the Chounin and Genin ninja. Tsunade has approved of what I would like to do and I would like to have two ninja to train and take on missions. I have one that I would like to train, but I need an idea for the second."
"I was telling Itachi about Neji. He's the ninja to watch out for, especially with you out of the running." Kakashi said.
"Neji and I never fought, who knows which one of us would have come out on top." Sasuke said.
"You would have. You are my brother after all." Itachi said.
"Neji would be the obvious choice. Who's the first one you want to train?" Sasuke asked.
"Shikamaru, but I have not told him that yet." Itachi answered.
"Why not?" Sasuke asked.
"I want to speak to him about it and make sure it's something he would want to do. It's not something I want to make him do. I'll speak to him about it and see how he feels about it. The same would go for the second ninja. It has to be their decision and I don't want either of them to feel like they have to do it." Itachi said.
"I'm sure Shikamaru would be happy to learn from you. Any ninja would be." Kakashi said.
There was a knock on the door and Kakashi went to answer it. It was still locked from last night so he unlocked the door and opened it. They all could sense it was Shikamaru so Kakashi opened the door with a smile as Shikamaru walked in.
"Good morning." Shikamaru said to everyone.
"Morning." Kakashi said as him and Shikamaru headed over to the kitchen.
Kakashi sat back down in his stool and Shikamaru stood at the end of the island.
"When did you get back from your mission?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru.
"Last night around ten." Shikamaru answered.
"How was it?" Itachi asked.
"It was long. No one got hurt though so it was a success. I just wanted to come by and see you before you head out to the school." Shikamaru said to Sasuke.
"What are you doing today?" Sasuke asked.
"Nothing." Shikamaru answered.
"Well why don't you come with us?" Sasuke suggested.
"You should come with us;, you can get out of the village for a couple hours." Kakashi said to Shikamaru.
"Are you sure?" Shikamaru asked the three of them.
"Absolutely, come check it out." Itachi said.
"Ok" Shikamaru said.
"Who do you think is the strongest out of all the Chounin and Genin in the village?" Sasuke asked Shikamaru.
"Well that would depend on you definition of strong. There are a lot of Genin and Chounin that have potential that no one thinks twice about. The obvious choice would be Neji. He's a child prodigy, intelligent and powerful. However, there are other ninja like Shino that come from a powerful Clan and just needs some time and expert help to get to the next level." Shikamaru said.
"That's true that would be one way to look at things. Other Clans do have powerful techniques that you could be considering." Kakashi said.
"But if you want to train elite ninjas you need to know that the person could be able to handle it. Even if you are training them that won't change how much chakra they have or how skilled their potential is. Not everyone has a great level of potential. I stand by my opinion of Neji. He's a prodigy, has a lot of potential and he'll work for it. He would appreciate what you have to say and to teach him." Sasuke said.
"That's also a good point. There's no point in you putting in the time and effort into someone that won't appreciate what you are doing. There are some ninjas that don't want to be in the front lines. They want to keep doing C-Ranked missions, because they are safe." Shikamaru said.
"I think for the first time you are going to work with two ninja, you should pick the ones that are obvious. The ones that will put in everything they have to grow stronger and get better. Then you can work on finding ones that aren't so obvious, the ones that might be a little bit of a risk." Kakashi said.
"It also lets you have more time to watch other ninja and see what ones you might be interested in." Sasuke added.
"You all make good points. It's something I will think about. I need to make a decision soon and then see if either of them want me to train them, they could say no." Itachi said.
"They'd be stupid to." Sasuke said.
"I think any ninja that is serious about their work would be more than happy to be trained by you." Shikamaru said.
"Thank-you." Itachi said.
"We should get going. This is one thing we don't want to be late for." Kakashi said.
"Wow that must be hard for you to say." Sasuke joked.
"I can be on time for things. I have many times in the past." Kakashi said as he stood up.
"Just not in the last ten years." Itachi said back with a small smile.
Sasuke and Shikamaru let out a small chuckle to that. They all made their way out of the house and headed for the entrance of Konoha so they could begin their travel to the school. Kakashi and Itachi were standing behind Shikamaru and Sasuke. They weren't close enough to hear them talking, but they were close enough to be there in case something happened.
"Do you think he's ready for this?" Itachi asked Kakashi.
"I believe so."
"Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't be letting him go this year, that maybe he should be waiting. I know it's been eight and a half months, but three of those months he was really in the hospital. He's only truly had five and a half months to deal with this. Maybe it's too soon."
"I know the past eight and a half months have been hard, but in the last few things have calmed down. We've been in the house for four and a half months now and nothing has happened or come up. He's only taking two sleeping pills a week; he hasn't made any complaints about the nightmares. He seems to be in good spirits. The first four months were hard, but he's seems to be dealing very well with all of this. School is something he is excited for and looking forward to, I think we should let him be happy and go."
"You don't think it's too soon though?"
"I think if he was showing problems then yes, but he seems to be doing very well. He even seems happy some days. I think good behavior should be rewarded. He's earned the right to go Itachi, you are just afraid of him going."
"Of course I am. He's going to be traveling to and from school alone. He's going to be there all day. You are going back on missions and so will I be. At some point we will both be gone on missions at the same time, leaving Sasuke alone. I know I should be happy that Sasuke is alright after everything and going to school. I think he wants to go and is excited, but I'm worried that he isn't okay. His healing seems like it was too easy. I can't help, but feel like there should have been more fights along the way, more problems with everything."
"You think he's not dealing mentally with what happened; that he's bottling it up." Kakashi stated.
"Do you? Don't you think there should have been more problems?"
"Maybe, but it's hard to say what is normal and routine for something like this. Sasuke has been through trauma before with the Clan's death. His mind might be better at dealing with things like this. All we can do is keep an eye on him and make sure he is dealing with everything in a healthy way. If he starts to struggle then we can step in and get him back on track. It's possible he's fine right now and in six months everything could hit him and problems could arise. If that happens then we will deal with them like we have been. We can't keep him locked away in the house forever, at some point he's going to be on his own. For the first few months though we can let Tsunade know that we don't want to be on missions at the same time. She'll understand that."
"Maybe I am just being over protective of him. We still don't know where Kabuto is or who the man was that took Sasuke. I'm also worried that the Akatsuki will come after Sasuke to hurt me. There is no way that they haven't heard by now that I was on a mission."
"We will figure it out when the time comes. You and Sasuke have been working on your connection and you can now sense where he is all over the world if you have to. Take comfort in that. Sasuke also still has that scroll he can use that you gave him. We can only keep our eyes on him for so long before we have to let him have a life again. The Council hasn't spoken to you yet. Do you think they will?"
"I'm sure they will shortly. If not when I return to active duty they will. I'm sure they have all these plans for me, but I am not going to do as they wish. I want to teach and Tsunade has already approved it. I'm not going to let the Council run my life anymore."
"I'll support any decision you make Itachi and so will Sasuke. You were powerful, but you were still thirteen they didn't have any right to place you on those missions. Whether you regret it or not you still should never have been put in the position to kill your own family. If you ever need to talk about it or someone to be in your corner I am always there for you."
"I appreciate that Kakashi. I never expected for any of this happen, but I am glad that the situation has brought the three of us closer. You and Sasuke seem to be getting along better."
"We've had a few talks in the last few months. We're trying to get to know each other on a more personal level then student and sensei. Sasuke is still guarded, but I expected as much. I have all the time in the world though, I'm not going anywhere."
"These past few months have been calm and quiet. I have a feeling that it will be the calm before the storm. Naruto will be returning to Konoha in a few days with Iruka. Chouji hasn't been out much, but at some point Chouza will let Chouji wander around the village freely. Their group is divided and at some point this will come to a head."
"I know I just hope it doesn't happen at the worst possible time. You and I both know that a war will be coming our way at some point. The Akatsuki will not stay quiet forever. They want a war and one day it will be upon us. At least we can keep track by the number of tail demons they chase after. I hope when the time comes that the others will have moved on from this and work together again."
"It's Shikamaru that is taking the heat of it. Sasuke hasn't even told them that he isn't returning to duty. Even though Sasuke is still training he is a civilian now. Whatever problems they had with Sasuke and this situation cannot be taken out on him now. They risk imprisonment for attacking a civilian. Shikamaru's life might have just gotten harder. It's part of the reason why I want to train him. He's intelligent and does have potential, but he is also a good friend of Sasuke. He's been there for him from the start of this mess. I would like to repay him and help him to survive out there on missions. If he is under my protection the others might think twice before doing something."
"Hopefully. The tension is building; we need a way to relieve that tension. Maybe we should get them all together, not Chouji, but everyone else. Get it all out there and sort it out. They won't all be friends, but they could at least be civil on missions and in the village. Ino has made it very clear she is standing behind Chouji. Shikamaru hasn't said anything, but I know he has been taking some heat from her on missions. We need to try and resolve this before it reaches the extreme again."
"I agree. Maybe when Naruto returns in a few days we should get everyone together somewhere. A training ground maybe, some place that is neutral and everyone can get out what they are thinking and feeling once and for all. I don't want this to blow up any more than it already has. It might also be the perfect time for Sasuke to tell everyone that he won't be returning to duty. Get it over and done with in one shot."
"I think it might be for the best. Hopefully everyone can be supportive, but I doubt it. I think that is why Sasuke hasn't told anyone besides Shikamaru and Neji. He doesn't want to feel guilty for leaving or have anyone guilt him into staying. He truly does want this. At least Shikamaru and Neji are supportive. They are the ones that truly matter. They have become good friends to Sasuke. It should have been Naruto and Sakura that stood by him. I never thought it wouldn't have been or that things would turn out this way. I am grateful for having Sasuke in my life and having you back in the village. I just wish things would have happened in a more positive manner to make this happen."
"I agree, but they didn't. Thankfully something positive has come from all of the pain at least. Maybe now Sasuke can just be himself and follow his dreams instead of trying to please everyone."
"I hope so and if I have anything to do with it he will. I'm not going to let him backtrack on this. You can see it in his eyes that this is something he wants and is happy for. I won't let anyone take that away from him."
"Nor will I. I should speak to Shikamaru on the way back and see how he even feels if I were to teach him."
"I'm sure he would be thrilled to have the chance to learn from you. Shikamaru truly does seem to be interested in improving his skills and growing. With everything that happened to Sasuke it has made him look at things differently. He wants to be more serious and stronger. Not for himself though, but for others. That is a strong motivator for a ninja to have. I don't think he would let you down."
"I don't think he would either, but it might look biased if the first two ninjas I train are Sasuke's friends."
"Who cares what anyone thinks. Both have valid reasons to be trained by you. Besides it's not like people will tell you that to your face. Who you decide to train is up to you and only you. Tsunade has granted you complete control over that. Train who you feel deserves it and wants it. Those two would honestly want it and they will work hard to meet your expectations and they won't take you for granted."
"That's true they won't. I'll speak to them and see how they feel about it. I don't want to force anyone to; it has to be their choice."
"Speaking to them would be a good start. We're almost at the village. We should probably catch up to them."
"Hopefully this goes smoothly."
"It should."
Itachi and Kakashi started to walk a little faster to catch up with Shikamaru and Sasuke. Shikamaru and Sasuke had spent the travel time just talking about Shikamaru's mission that he had just returned from. It was a simple C-Ranked mission that he had gone on with just Kiba and Akamaru. Sasuke knew that Shikamaru had more important things bothering him, but right now wasn't the time to get into it. Sasuke figured that when they got back to Konoha they could truly talk about what was bothering Shikamaru. Itachi and Kakashi walked up beside them, Itachi on Sasuke's left and Kakashi on Shikamaru's right.
"Are you two trading dark secrets?" Kakashi joked.
"No we were talking about Shikamaru's exciting mission that I am going to miss doing so very much." Sasuke said jokingly.
"What was it?" Itachi asked.
"Another C-Rank. Kiba and I were helping an old man harvest his crop for the season. Apparently, his family had something better to do then to help him. The man was almost eighty and still trying to farm to help feed the village he's from. You would think the local people would have helped." Shikamaru said.
"You've been getting all C-Ranked missions unless you are with Asuma in the past five months. Why is that?" Kakashi asked.
"I think it is Tsunade's plan to get me to lead a team again. She'll only send me out on C-Ranked missions solo or with one other person until I agree to a higher leading mission."
"So then just lead a mission already. Shikamaru, you will be great. Your intelligence is what Tsunade needs as a squad leader. This isn't something you are ever going to feel ready for. It's one of those things that you just have to do whether you feel ready or not." Sasuke said.
"Sasuke is right. It's not going to be something you will ever feel ready for. Your first leading mission did not go over well and that would scar any ninja. That doesn't mean you give up and stop trying. For every horrible mission you have there will be a hundred easy missions. All you can do is learn from the previous one so you don't make any of those mistakes. You should have never been placed on that mission. It was doomed to fail before you ever left Konoha. That mission's failure is not on you Shikamaru, but on Tsunade for giving it to you." Itachi said.
"You just need to jump in and go for it again. We've all been there before and trust me it's the only way to move on from a bad mission. Itachi and I are always here for you if you ever need to talk about it." Kakashi said.
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
They walked into the village and headed towards the school. They all looked around to see what was in the village. There was some food stands, restaurants, shops and a library that they walked by. They headed up to the school and it was rather large. There were only a handful of academic schools on this side of the world, so students would come from villages all over the east side of the world. There were dorm rooms offered for students coming from far away, there were also apartments available for students in their final year to rent out. The school was two floors plus a basement. The front entrance was at the top of a flight of stairs that were cement and spread across the whole entrance. There were a few groups of parents and kids outside looking at the course booklet. They knew that inside it was going to be busy. Even though school didn't start for another two weeks, today was the first day that a student could sign up for courses. It was also the first day for people who were hoping to get a dorm room. So inside it was going to be very busy. The four of them walked inside and sure enough it was chaos, an organized chaos, but chaos none the less. There were parents and kids everywhere. There were signs up on the walls to help direct the traffic.
"Holy crap." Shikamaru said.
"This is really busy." Sasuke said as he looked around at all of the people.
"Are you alright?" Itachi asked with concern.
"I'm fine, I just didn't expect this many people."
"There are only four academic schools on this half of the world. It's going to be a busy school. Are you sure you can handle this many people Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.
"I'll be fine. Crowds don't bother me anymore. Besides it's not like it's going to be like this all the time."
"No it won't be like this, it's only going to be like this for the first couple of days and then everyone will get into a rhythm. Let's go and get in line for the courses. Hopefully you can get the ones you want." Itachi said.
They headed down the hallways following the signs until they reached the guidance counselor's office. The line wasn't too long; there were only five people ahead of them. The majority of the people were in the line-up for the dorm rooms.
"What courses do you want to take?" Shikamaru asked.
"Literature, chemistry, biology, math, art, intro to criminology, creative writing and psychology."
"That sounds like a lot of work." Shikamaru said.
"For you it would be. You wouldn't stay awake through the classes." Sasuke joked.
"It's all too troublesome."
"Brilliant, but lazy." Itachi said with a small shake of his head.
"I'm trying not to be so lazy anymore. I even train two days a week now, though I don't seem to be getting any better." Shikamaru said.
"Have you been meditating?" Itachi asked.
"I have been. I enjoy it and it has been helping with my senses." Shikamaru answered.
"Itachi and me, we meditate together it helps to create a stronger connection. We can now sense each other no matter where we are in the world." Sasuke said.
"Kakashi you should join us some time." Itachi said.
"I should, I don't tend to meditate. It's been a long time since I have."
"Do you not like it?" Shikamaru asked.
"It's not that I don't like it, it's more that I'm not one to sit still for long. If I do it's to read. It would be good though to create a connection between the two of you. That way if one of you is in trouble then I can help find you." Kakashi answered.
"We can do that. It would be a good idea for the three of us to be able to find each other if something is wrong." Itachi said.
They moved up to the desk as they were next. Sasuke pulled out the sheet of paper with his course choices written down on it. When the lady smiled at them Sasuke handed her his list.
"How long does it take to build a connection?" Shikamaru asked.
"It depends on how focused both parties are. Usually after a month you can start to feel the other person when they aren't around you. It takes a long time to be able to reach the level that Sasuke and I are at." Itachi answered.
"Alright, your courses are still available. This is your list of the things you will need for the start of the school year. This is a list of art supplies that is recommended you have for your art class." The lady said as she handed Sasuke to two sheets of paper.
Sasuke took them with a small smile as the lady continued clearly haven given this speech a hundred times already today.
"Each student will get his or her own locker. You will also have your own text books. It's a hundred dollar deposit on your textbooks. If at the end of the semester you have damaged them or lost them you will need to pay for that book. If the books come back fine you can use that deposit as a deposit for the next semester. If at the end of the school year all of the books have come back in the condition that they were given to you, you will get that deposit back. The school starts September third; however, it will be open on the first for students. Classes do not start until the third though, so it is not mandatory for you to be here. We open a couple days early so students can get their things settled in the dorms and others can be ready for the first official day. You can come in starting the first to get your books, locker and time table for that semester. Are there any questions?"
"Can we look around?" Sasuke asked.
"Be my guest. If you do not need a dorm then please stay out of the dormitory as it is busy."
"We won't go in there." Itachi reassured the lady.
"Have a good rest of the break and we will see you next month." The lady said with a small smile.
"Thanks" Sasuke said.
The four of them headed out of the crowded office and out into the hallway. They started to walk down the hallways to look around. The walls were covered in lockers, all different shades of grey and brown. The hallways held different classrooms and science labs. It was a rather large school and Sasuke was looking forward to coming here. He knew that the first week was going to be hard and hectic, but after everything settles down and he got into a routine then he would be alright. They walked all over the school on both floors and the basement before they left the school and started on the walk back home. This time on the way back home Sasuke was going to walk beside Shikamaru, but Kakashi gently grabbed Sasuke's elbow to hold him back with him. Allowing Itachi and Shikamaru to be a little further ahead and alone. Sasuke looked up at Kakashi with one eyebrow raised and Kakashi just winked at Sasuke. Sasuke nodded his head in an understanding that Itachi wanted to speak to Shikamaru about the training. Sasuke figured that would be just one more thing they would be talking about later when they got back to Konoha. Itachi and Shikamaru were walking a little bit ahead of Kakashi and Sasuke. Itachi knew that Kakashi had done that on purpose to allow him to speak to Shikamaru about the idea of him training Shikamaru. Itachi figured now would be a good time, because he knew that Shikamaru and Sasuke would go off once they were in Konoha to speak about the school. This way Shikamaru would be able to speak to Sasuke about this as well.
"Shikamaru, there is something I have been meaning to speak to you about. As you know Tsunade has granted me the freedom to train existing ninja. I am allowed to pick who I wish. Earlier I had asked you about Neji. Neji would be my second pick and when I see him I will speak to him about it. You however, are my first pick. I would really like to train you."
"Me? Why would you pick me out of all of the other powerful ninja?"
Shikamaru couldn't help, but be shocked. He wasn't the type of ninja that deserved to be trained by Itachi. He was a thinker not a fighter. Even though he has been training two days a week on his fighting skills he still hadn't gotten any better. He just wasn't built to be a fighter.
"The definition of powerful varies based on the person. Neji is powerful in his skills and chakra; he comes from a powerful Clan. You have intelligence and a good heart; that is equally as powerful as Neji's skills. You can teach someone how to fight, but you can't teach someone to have a good heart. Everyone learns at different rates. I'm not expecting you to be able to learn and pick up on things as fast as anyone else. All I expect from you and anyone else is to do your best. You have to want this if not then it's a waste of both of our time."
"How would this work? Would I still go out on missions?"
Shikamaru didn't know what he wanted to do or how he felt about any of this. He wanted to get all of the information first though before he made any decisions.
"It would work almost like a Genin team. I would train you and the possibly Neji, we would go out on missions together. There would still be times though where each of us would go out on separate missions if Tsunade needs us to. As for the training part, I would train you in fighting and chakra control and development. I can help you with strategies and help you gain confidence so when you go back to leading squads you'll know how to survive and how to keep your squad alive."
"Won't people assume you are just picking me, because of Sasuke? People might not trust you because of that."
"I'm going to make this very clear to you. I am not picking you because you are one of Sasuke's friends. I am picking you because I see a great amount of potential in you. You could very well be a Hokage one day, I truly believe that. You are a natural born leader; it's in your heart. I would be honored and proud to call you my Hokage any day. I want to train you so that should that opportunity come to you, you'll be ready and you'll be confident in yourself and in your skills. You deserve this, because of who you are and not who you are friends with. You don't have to give me an answer right now. Think about it; speak to your parents about it or your friends. There is no hurry; I don't go back to duty until Sasuke goes to school. You have plenty of time to think about it."
"Thank-you for this opportunity. I'll think about it and speak to my parents and see how they feel about this. I'm honored to be your first pick, that doesn't really happen with me."
"You have a great heart in you. In life that counts for a hell of a lot more than physical strength. Think about it and you can let me know what you decide."
"I will. Do you think Sasuke is ready for all of this?" Shikamaru asked with concern.
"I think he believes he is. Sasuke has been fighting his whole life, he doesn't give up. I think he will do really well. I think there might be a few bumps along the way, but he's going to do great."
"You don't think it's too early?"
"Do you?"
"Sometimes. I mean it's only been five and a half months since he's really started to deal with all of this and out of the hospital. It seems a little soon, but he also seems really happy and excited for this. So maybe this is what he needs."
"All we can do is be supportive of Sasuke and be there for if or when he falls. I do think he is going to struggle from time to time with everything still. I think he'll pull through though. He does want this and he is excited for it. If he wasn't then I would be speaking to him. He genuinely wants this so I am going to be supportive and keep an eye on him."
"So will I and Neji to. He's not alone anymore."
"He isn't and I am very grateful for you and Neji for being in his life. You both stepped up, especially you when he needed someone. I truly appreciate it."
"It seemed wrong to walk away and leave him alone with all of this. I never expected to become best friends though; he's a lot different than I thought he was. I hate the situation that surrounded us, but I am glad we are friends."
They were just outside the front gate and Itachi stopped causing Shikamaru to as well. Itachi waited until Kakashi and Sasuke stopped as well.
"Is everything okay?" Sasuke asked.
"Everything is fine. I just wanted to speak to you both about something before you go running off together to gossip." Itachi said with a smirk.
"We don't gossip." Sasuke said in their defense.
Itachi smirked before he continued. "Kakashi and I were talking and we think it would be a good idea to get the others within your group to talk. Not Chouji, because Chouza has him still on house arrest, but everyone else including Naruto. I know it won't be easy for either of you, but I think it's something that needs to be done."
"The whole group is divided and there is tension within the group. You both know that a war will be here in the near future. It could be in six months it could be in four years, but a war is coming. Plus the Sound is still out there even with Orochimaru dead. You all don't have to be friends, but you all need to be civil with each other and fight beside each other. It would also be a good time for you Sasuke to tell them that you won't be coming back to duty. Get it done and over with all at the same time." Kakashi added.
"It's not any of their business if I am returning to duty or not." Sasuke said.
"In a way it is. You are a fellow ninja, but I don't think it's any of their business what you are going to be doing. You can tell them, but you don't need to justify yourself to anyone." Shikamaru said.
"That is true, you don't need to justify yourself to anyone. It was your decision if you stay a ninja or not. You have every right to walk away from that life if you wish. And we all support you in that decision." Itachi said.
"Is this really necessary?" Sasuke asked.
"I think it is yes. We can't afford for things to blow up like they did five and a half months ago. We need to get everyone civil with each other and the best way to do that is by getting everyone together for it. Including the sensei to help keep everyone calm and in line." Itachi answered.
"When?" Sasuke asked.
"When Naruto and Iruka return in a few days." Kakashi answered.
"Fine" Sasuke said and they could all tell he wasn't too happy about it, but he was willing to try to help make things easier.
"We should go and see Neji. He was returning from a mission yesterday as well. We should go see how it went." Shikamaru suggested.
Shikamaru knew he wanted to talk to Sasuke about a few things and he knew that Sasuke would be wanting to speak to him. This way they could both speak to Neji who they had grown close to as well at the same time.
"You two go ahead. Itachi and I are going to head back to the house. We need to do some cleaning and get some groceries." Kakashi said with a smile.
"Is there anything you want at the store little brother?"
"Not really."
"Shikamaru what are you doing for dinner?" Itachi asked.
"I don't know. My dad's away on a mission and mom is away on a shopping trip with some friends."
"Come for dinner. How does tacos sound?" Kakashi asked.
"Sounds good." Both Shikamaru and Sasuke said.
It wasn't a secret that both of the boys loved tacos, so it wasn't the first time that they had done them as a group. Itachi and Kakashi didn't care they were just happy that Sasuke was open to having Shikamaru around. They had truly become best friends over the past five and a half months.
"Alright, dinner is at five; make sure you are at the house. Invite Neji if he wants to come as well." Itachi said.
"We'll ask and see what he is doing." Shikamaru said.
"I'll see you in a few hours." Sasuke said to Kakashi and Itachi.
"Be safe you two." Kakashi said.
"We will be." Shikamaru said for the both of them.
They all headed inside Konoha and then they split up and went their separate ways. Kakashi and Itachi were going to go to the grocery store first before they went back home to do some cleaning. They had come to a routine between the three of them in the past five in a half months since Itachi's return. Now after living in their own house for four in a half months they had become a family. Once Kakashi and Itachi went back to work they would have to try and come up with a new routine and a system to make it work between Sasuke being in school and them going on missions. It would take a bit to work out, but they were confident that they could make it happen.
Sasuke and Shikamaru headed towards the training grounds where Neji usually spent his free time at. Neji enjoyed training and working out so he was often found in the training grounds. The three of them had become close. Sasuke liked Neji and Shikamaru, because they didn't act differently around him. They treated him like a normal person and to Sasuke that meant the world to him. There was no judgement with them. Sasuke could tell them anything and they would just listen and be supportive of him. It was nice having someone in his life that was his own age that he could talk to. He could talk to them about Kakashi or Itachi and not have to worry about them telling on him. He could literally tell them anything and they wouldn't hold it against him or tell another soul.
They found Neji in the training grounds working on his Ninjitsu. They approached Neji and Shikamaru was the one to call out.
"Neji, hey."
Neji turned around to see Shikamaru and Sasuke walking towards him. Neji took a few deep breaths to try and get his breathing back to normal. Sasuke and Shikamaru walked up to Neji as Neji spoke.
"Hello. How are you both?"
"We're fine. We were just at the school that Sasuke is going to be starting next month." Shikamaru answered.
"That was today? How was it?"
"It was good. I think it went well. It's huge and it was really chaotic with everyone trying to get courses and dorm rooms." Sasuke answered.
"Did you get the course you wanted?" Neji asked.
"I did and I can go back on the first to get all my books and a locker." Sasuke said.
"Well that is good that you got the courses you wanted to take. Is it always going to be chaotic or is that just because it was the first day everyone could get a dorm room and their courses?" Neji asked.
"I think it's just because it's the first day. After the first week of school I think everyone will get into a routine and it'll calm down."
"That's good. What are you guys doing?" Neji asked.
"Wanna talk?" Shikamaru asked.
"Where do you want to go?" Neji answered knowing that Sasuke and Shikamaru needed to speak to him about something.
"Why don't we go to my place? My parents are away and it's close." Shikamaru suggested.
"Sure." Neji said.
Sasuke just gave a nod and the three of them headed down the street towards Shikamaru's place. It wasn't the first time they had gone to Shikamaru's place to talk. They had also gone to parks later on at night when they were empty. Kakashi and Itachi didn't like Sasuke being out after eight at night, but they had come to be okay if he was out with Shikamaru or Neji. They still wanted him to be back home by ten just for their own piece of mind and Sasuke didn't have a problem with that.
"Kakashi and Itachi said you can come over for dinner if you want. We're having tacos." Sasuke said to Neji as they walked to Shikamaru's place.
"That sounds better than what I'm supposed to be doing tonight. Family dinner with my Uncle and the rest of the head branch of the family." Neji said with a sigh.
"Ya that doesn't sound like fun." Shikamaru said.
"So you and your family still aren't really getting along?" Sasuke asked.
"Not really. It's better than it was since the Chounin exams, but it's not that great yet. I don't think it ever will be, but I'm hoping it reaches a point where it's not hostile when something goes wrong. It's going to take some time, but its' better than it was a year ago so it's progress." Neji answered.
"Well at least it's getting better and not worse." Shikamaru said as he unlocked his front door.
They all walked in and went into the living room. Sasuke sat down in the chair and Shikamaru and Neji sat down on the couch.
"What happened?" Neji asked now that they were inside and not in a place where others could hear them.
"Itachi and Kakashi think it would be a good idea to get everyone together minus Chouji to talk it out." Sasuke said.
"They think we need to relieve the tension within the group before this war comes. The tension must be worse than I thought if they even notice it." Shikamaru added.
"I haven't been around anyone really. I only see people in passing and no one says anything to me. Though, Kiba nods and smiles at me every time he sees me." Sasuke said.
"That's because Kiba wants to speak to you, but he is waiting for you to come to him. So that is his way of showing you he's supportive and there for you for when you are ready." Shikamaru said.
"Kiba doesn't even like me, he never has." Sasuke said.
"Kiba was more jealous then dislike towards you. He's learnt that he was wrong to be jealous of your skills because you were born with them. He's now supportive of you and has a great deal of respect for you. Every time I see him he always asks me how you are doing. If there is anything he can do to help. He's genuine and supportive of you. I think he feels bad for being an ass to you because of something so juvenile like jealousy." Shikamaru said.
"I get tortured and now he has respect for me. It's stupid." Sasuke said as he shook his head.
"It's not because you were tortured Sasuke. It's because you didn't give in. Sasuke you didn't make a sound. Kiba respects you because of your strength, because you did something that he would never have been able to survive." Neji said.
"Kiba knows he made a mistake from growing up. I think you should give him a chance or at least be civil with him." Shikamaru said.
"I'll be civil as long as he is, same as the others. I'm not in the mood to deal with bullshit anymore. Same with telling them that I'm not returning to duty. It's my life and if they don't like it too bad." Sasuke said.
"You're going to tell them?" Neji asked surprised.
"Kakashi and Itachi think it's a good idea to tell everyone at the same time to get it over with." Sasuke said.
"Well doing it all at the same time is a good idea. That way you don't have to drag anything out." Neji said.
"I told Sasuke that he should tell them, but he doesn't have to justify himself to anyone." Shikamaru added.
"You don't have to justify yourself to anyone. It's your life and what you chose to do with it is your decision. Don't let them tell you otherwise or try to guilt you into staying. The four of us completely support you with this decision. We have your back on this." Neji said.
"Thanks and I'm still going to train with Itachi just in case something does happen. It's not like I'm completely turning my back on the village." Sasuke said.
"Even if you weren't training anymore, you still wouldn't be turning your back on the village. It's your life, which means you get to do whatever you want with it. You're going to school not joining the ranks of an S-Class criminal association." Shikamaru said.
"Speaking of S-Class associations, how is Itachi doing being back in the village?" Neji asked with concern.
"He's doing pretty well. He's not going back on missions until I go to school. He's had a few problems here and there with nightmares and not being able to sleep. He's getting used to being back in a village and not having to be on guard all the time. The Council hasn't spoken to him yet so we're all waiting for that to happen." Sasuke said with worry.
"They might never speak to him about what happened. Only a handful of people know the whole truth about his leaving. I don't see the Council willing to risk Itachi leaving or the village going against them if the truth came out." Neji said.
"I think the Council will speak to Itachi, but it'll be about going on missions for them or the ANBU. I don't think they will even acknowledge his return and what was said about it. Itachi could kill them and they all know it. I don't see them risking his anger being directed towards them." Shikamaru added.
"I think Itachi is more worried if they will turn their attention to other places." Sasuke said.
"He's worried they will come after you and Kakashi." Shikamaru stated.
"I don't think they will though. If you don't want to piss Itachi off then you wouldn't come for Kakashi or me, especially me. Itachi would lose it and kill them instantly. Coming after either one of us would be suicide and they know it." Sasuke said.
"I think they are going to put their head's in the sand and act like they don't know what's going on. They also have a war to think about, potentially two wars if the Sound decides to do something. They need Itachi, whether they want to admit to it or not, they do." Neji said.
"There has been no Sound activity at all since Orochimaru's death. We can't even find Kabuto." Shikamaru said.
"Can we please not talk about the Sound." Sasuke said with discomfort to his voice.
"Sorry" Shikamaru said apologetically.
"Its fine, I just don't want to think about what might still happen." Sasuke said sadly.
"We have your back no matter what Sasuke." Neji said as he looked right at Sasuke.
"I know and I appreciate it." Sasuke said sincerely.
"So Shikamaru, how bad is the tension between you and the others?" Neji asked changing the subject for Sasuke's sake.
"You know a lot of them don't really care. I shouldn't say that, they care, but they aren't taking sides. They're being indifferent. Shino and Hinata don't even talk about it. Lee is just hopeful it will all work out. Tenten doesn't seem to care at all. Kiba is surprisingly supportive of Sasuke and myself. The only ones that have been giving me any problems are Sakura, Naruto, and Ino. I haven't even seen Chouji yet. His parents have him on lock down. Naruto is mad that he is back in the academy and he feels like I could have defended him. He feels that Sasuke could have and I'm picking sides with Sasuke when I should be defending him. Sakura is mad at me, because I'm on Sasuke's side. She seems to think Sasuke let this blow way out of proportion. Ino is just completely furious and blaming me for everything that happened with Naruto and Chouji. She won't even speak to me all she does is glare at me and when she does talk to me she's just hateful."
"I'm sorry you shouldn't be going through any of that. They're mad at you for being on my side and being my friend. None of this would have even happened if we weren't hanging out." Sasuke said.
"Don't do that Sasuke. None of this is your fault. Everyone is old enough to be able to understand and accept that everyone has different friends. They didn't need to react this way. They could have respected Shikamaru's choice to be your friend, to stand by you through all of this. Their actions and words are on them and them alone." Neji said as he looked right at Sasuke.
"It's still not fair for them to be taking this out on Shikamaru. What are they going to be like when they find out I'll be a civilian? What if one of them attacks you?" Sasuke said as he looked at Shikamaru.
"They won't. They wouldn't be that stupid. This will blow over eventually and if it doesn't then they weren't really my friends. I don't regret hanging out with you. I don't regret being your friend Sasuke and I never will. I don't care if you are happy or screaming at me, I won't regret it and I'm not going anywhere." Shikamaru said seriously.
"That goes for me as well Sasuke. You're moving on and starting school next month, but things might come up. You feel fine now, but you might not feel that way every day. I'm here if you ever need to talk or to scream and rant about something. You could still have problems after what happened to you." Neji said.
"I appreciate that, I really do. You guys really don't have to. I would understand if you don't want to be friends anymore. The tension might just get worse once everyone knows I'm not coming back."
"We're not going anywhere Sasuke. I'm not about to end a true friendship with someone only to pick up a fake one. If someone can't understand and accept that we are friends then that's their problem and not mine. Neji and I can handle ourselves with people and their words. Don't worry about it." Shikamaru said.
"And remember it's not your fault." Neji added.
"I'll work on that." Sasuke said softly.
Shikamaru and Neji could tell that Sasuke needed a topic change. He needed to get away from these problems and focus on the here and now and not what could happen. Shikamaru decided to change the subject to Neji's mission. They spent the next four hours just talking about missions and training. They talked about nothing really and it was exactly what all three of them needed. When it was four in the afternoon they all decided to head back home, Shikamaru went with Sasuke back to his place for dinner and Neji went back to his home for his family dinner. Shikamaru and Sasuke stuck to the back streets so they wouldn't be watched by any of the villagers or risked running into someone they didn't want to deal with. They got back to Sasuke's place and saw Kakashi and Itachi in the kitchen cutting up things for dinner. Shikamaru and Sasuke couldn't help, but smile at Kakashi and Itachi cooking together. Itachi was over at the stove cooking the ground beef with Kakashi commenting behind him as he was cutting up peppers.
"You're going to burn it, you need to turn it down." Kakashi said.
"I am not going to burn it. You can't burn ground beef."
"Yes you can, you can also start a grease fire from it. Just turn it down please." Kakashi said annoyingly.
"I don't tell you how to cook."
"That's because I can cook, unlike you. You really are only good at grilled cheese." Kakashi said jokingly.
"Hey, I'll have you know I can make more than grilled cheese. I kept Sasuke fed for seven years, almost seven in a half if you count the last five and a half months."
"Frozen yogurt isn't cooking."
"Who would have thought the great copy ninja and the top S-Class criminal would be so domesticated." Sasuke said jokingly with a small chuckle.
Itachi and Kakashi turned around to see Sasuke and Shikamaru standing behind them. They were so lost in their conversation that they didn't even notice them coming inside the house.
"Keep it up little brother and you will be cooking." Itachi said jokingly.
"I enjoy cooking and you are going to burn the meat. You shouldn't cook it any higher than four and you need to drain the grease from it." Sasuke said with a smirk.
"Alright I'm turning it down." Itachi said with a sigh.
Sasuke went over to the fridge to get a water bottle for him and Shikamaru.
"You know you two should watch out. Once people in Sasuke's school find out he has two dads they are going to think you're gay." Shikamaru said with a smirk.
Sasuke couldn't help, but laugh as he closed the fridge door. Kakashi and Itachi turned around to look at Shikamaru. Itachi had a glare on and he pointed to both Sasuke and Shikamaru.
"Run, both of you now." Itachi said in a serious voice.
Sasuke just laughed and tossed a water bottle to Shikamaru before he spoke.
"We'll be in the backyard."
Sasuke and Shikamaru left still chuckling as they headed outside.
"Well we told him to act his age." Kakashi said lightly.
"We should have told him to act twenty and not forty." Itachi mumbled.
"It's too late for that. Now drain the grease honey." Kakashi said with a smile.
Itachi glared at Kakashi as he spoke. "Don't ever call me that again."
Itachi moved the frying pan over to the sink so he could drain some of the grease out.
"And I wear the pants in this relationship." Itachi added jokingly.
"You wish you did. I'm the oldest. Maybe you should start acting your age. You're going to be twenty-one in a couple of months. It wouldn't hurt for you to start acting your age every now and then. Maybe even date."
"I haven't acted my age since I was five. As for dating if someone caught my eye then I would, but no one has yet. Besides you're not one to talk."
"I'm not one for dating just casual sex."
"We make terrible role models." Itachi said with a smirk as he went back over to the stove.
"Thankfully Sasuke is smarter than us."
"There's still a chance for him to enjoy dating." Itachi added.
"With our DNA, he probably won't." Kakashi added.
Itachi nodded in agreement as he went back to cooking the meat. Sasuke and Shikamaru went outside and sat down on the patio couch. It was a nice day out and after spending so many hours inside at Shikamaru's it was nice to sit outside for a bit.
"What's on your mind that you didn't want Neji to know?" Sasuke asked knowing that there was something bothering Shikamaru.
"On the way back to the village Itachi spoke to me. He wants me to be one of the two ninjas he trains."
"I know; he spoke to me about it this morning. How do you feel about it?"
"I feel like there are other ninja that deserve this opportunity more than I do. It kind of feels like he's only picking me because of our friendship honestly."
"That's not the case. If Itachi wanted to train you because of our friendship then he would do it on the side. Itachi doesn't do things that are a waste of time. You are his first choice and that has nothing to do with me as I'm sure he told you. He sees something in you and he wants to train you so you can survive and reach your full potential. He sees something special in you and he wants to be a part of your growth."
"He did tell me he saw a lot in me and he said I had a different kind of strength. He believes that I could be Hokage one day. He said he would be proud to call me Hokage. I never thought about it. I've just been the lazy smart guy my whole life. I never thought about potential or what I could be doing in ten years."
"You would be a great Hokage. You have heart and a high intelligence you can't teach someone that. You can't teach someone to care and have determination. Anyone can learn how to fight, anyone can learn how to survive in extreme situations, but you can't teach someone what you have. That is what makes you valuable to the village. That is what peeks Itachi's interest in you. It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with how rare of a person you are. Itachi would be honored to train you and that isn't something that happens often. Itachi is picking Neji because of his fighting potential and how strong he is, but he's picking you because he would be honored to train you. It seems like it would be worth the risk of the villagers and fellow ninja talking trash to me. You have something that only two people in this world has with Itachi, his honor and complete loyalty. How can you say no to that?" Sasuke asked gently.
"I can't. I think I'm afraid to say yes. I know these past eight and a half months haven't been easy for you at all. It's just a little unreal at times though for me. If someone came up to me eight and a half months ago and said that all of this would have happened I would have thought they were crazy."
"I know, Chouji is banned, Naruto is back in the academy, I'm not a ninja anymore and Itachi is back. Not to mention Kakashi is my biological father. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up one day and all of this had been some dream. It's crazy when I think about how much has changed."
"How much is still going to change. Your brother, possibly the strongest ninja in the world right now wants to train me. I was second from the bottom in the academy. Naruto was the only one worse than me. I never thought Itachi out of all people would want to train me. He looks at me and sees a Hokage, that's insane." Shikamaru said in disbelief.
"You would be a great Hokage. You might be too lazy though, but Tsunade doesn't do much during the day if she can help it either so you might just fit right in." Sasuke said with a smirk.
"This blows my mind. I'm actually thinking about saying yes to Itachi."
"Then say yes. You would be retarded to say no."
"I know. I have to talk to my parents first though and make sure they are okay with it. I don't want to do something that they would hate me for. We have yet to speak about any of this. They have been quietly supportive and I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing anymore."
"Then talk to them. See how they feel. It's not like they don't know Itachi is here when you come over. If they had a problem with it I would imagine they would have said something by now."
"They would have I'm sure. I think they are just waiting until I am ready to bring it up. I don't have a problem talking about it, I've just been enjoying the quiet." Shikamaru said with a smile.
"Your parents can't be that bad."
"They aren't. You should meet them, they'd like that. They always ask about you and how you are doing. Maybe you can come over for dinner one night or we could all come here or something."
"Ya we could. If you are going to say yes to Itachi training you they would probably like to know him more."
"Probably. Maybe we should do it here that way if things go crazy we can always leave." Shikamaru said with a smirk.
"That's sounds like a good idea. See how they act when you tell them Itachi wants to train you first before you bring up the idea of dinner."
"I will when they get back in a few days."
"A few more days to enjoy the quiet before it all goes insane. Naruto will be back in a few days with Iruka. It's been nice with him gone."
"He's been gone for like three months hasn't he?"
"Ya Iruka finished up the classes and then they left. I think Iruka needed to get away more than Naruto did. The tension between Kakashi and Iruka was pretty intense. Hopefully these past three months have been long enough to calm both of them down. Maybe learn from all of this."
"Who knows with Naruto. He's either going to grow up and move on from it or he won't. Unfortunately we won't know which he is going to do until he gets back. Hopefully he has grown up since he's been gone and is ready to go back into the academy with determination to get out of it and not anger."
"I think he's still going to be angry at the situation. Angry that I didn't step up and say something to change what was happening. I'm not looking forward to this meeting when they get back. I really don't see it ending well."
"Probably won't, but at least it will be over and done with. Maybe with the other sensei being there we can bury the hatchet and everyone can be civil with each other."
"What about Chouji though? He won't be there, but Chouza isn't going to keep him locked down in his house forever. What's going to happen when he is allowed outside on his own again?"
"I have no idea. He's probably only grounded for six months. I overheard Ino talking with Sakura about how Chouji can come outside in a few weeks. That was a week ago."
"Great. I start school in two weeks, Naruto starts the academy in two weeks and Chouji might be off house arrest in two weeks. I can't wait for when the shit hits the fan." Sasuke said sarcastically.
"Hopefully it won't be too bad. Chouji and Naruto must have learnt something from all of this. Maybe they will just keep to themselves and stay away from us."
"You don't actually believe that though."
"No, but I am going to be hopeful none the less. There's no point in stressing about something that is still days or weeks away."
"Ya"
The backdoor opened and Itachi stood in the doorway as he spoke.
"Dinner is ready guys."
Sasuke and Shikamaru got up off the couch and headed inside. They all went over to the table and they sat down. This had happened multiple times in the past months where Shikamaru, Neji or both would be over for dinner or lunch. They all sat down at the table and began to eat. They talked about nothing practically for dinner just like they tended to do. It was a silent rule they had in the house. At dinner you talk about your day and simple things. Afterwards if you wanted to you could have a serious discussion when everything was cleaned up. Dinner was meant to be fun and a family time so they always tried to keep the conversation light. It also helped to give a break from all the stress in the day. Once dinner was done Sasuke started to do the dishes while Kakashi helped to dry them. Shikamaru had said goodbye, he needed to fill out his mission report for tomorrow.
"Itachi, can I talk to you for a minute?" Shikamaru asked.
"Of course." Itachi answered.
They both went outside to the front porch. Kakashi looked at Sasuke before he spoke.
"What was that about?"
"Itachi asked Shikamaru if he would be alright if he trained him." Sasuke answered.
"Well we saw that coming. What did Shikamaru say?"
"He told Itachi he had to think about it. When I spoke to him before dinner he was going to say yes, but he wanted to talk to his parents first to make sure they would be okay with it. That's what they are probably talking about right now."
"Well I can't imagine his parents would have a problem with it. Itachi would be a great teacher and he is the strongest in Konoha. It would be a great opportunity for Shikamaru."
"He was worried that people would think Itachi picked him because of our friendship. Itachi told him that wasn't the case and so did I. I just think it surprised him more than anything. Shikamaru doesn't see himself as the strong ninja type."
"Most who are intelligent have a problem with confidence in their fighting skills. Society has it set that you are only strong if you are physically strong. People forget the strength behind intelligence. Shikamaru just needs a confidence boost and I'm sure he will be amazing."
"He would be. I'm sure Itachi is going to help with that."
"He's good at being there for people." Kakashi agreed.
Outside on the front porch Shikamaru leaned against the railing before he spoke.
"I would like to accept you offer if it still stands."
"It will always stand. Are you sure?"
"I talked to Sasuke about it and he helped me realise a few things. I do want to speak to my parents about it when they return in a few days. I want to make sure they are supportive of it. I believe they will be, but I still think I should tell them first."
"Of course I understand that. I would wish the same thing for Sasuke if he was in this position. I am more than happy to speak to your parents should they wish it."
"They might just do that. I told Sasuke it might be a good idea to get everyone together one night for dinner. They always ask about Sasuke, but they haven't seen him yet."
"We should probably do that. I'm sure they do have concerns with my being around you."
"I don't think they do. They haven't said anything and if they did have a problem with it they would have said something very loudly by now. They are being quietly supportive. I just think if they are okay with you training me it might be a good idea for everyone to meet and have some form of a friendship. We're all going to be seeing a lot of each other. If everyone could get along that would make things easier."
"It would. When they do return we can do dinner or a lunch one day and see how it goes. Maybe they could come over for a BBQ something simple and not so formal."
"I think that would be a good idea. When are you going to speak to Neji about this?"
"I will when I see him next. I want to make sure he is who my second choice would be."
"I understand; he won't hear anything from me."
"I appreciate that."
"I appreciate the offer. I'm honored and I would be crazy not to accept it. I should get going I have that mission report to fill out for tomorrow."
"Be safe and I will see you soon."
"Thanks again."
"It's my pleasure."
Shikamaru smiled and headed down the front steps and down the street back to his place. Itachi walked inside to see Kakashi and Sasuke finishing up the dishes.
"How did that go?" Kakashi asked as he turned to face Itachi still drying a plate.
"It went well. He's going to accept my offer to train him. He just wishes to speak to his parents first to make sure they are okay with it. Shikamaru thinks it would be a good idea to have everyone together to meet soon. I said we could do a BBQ here one night."
"He was talking about his parents wanting to get together one night outside. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later." Sasuke said.
"It's a good idea to get to know them. I know of them, but I don't really know them too well. Shikamaru does spend a lot of time here I'm sure his parents are interested in knowing us better." Kakashi said.
"Another ally is also not a bad thing right now." Itachi added.
"Ya I guess. Well a BBQ would be good, because then it's not so formal." Sasuke said.
"That is what I was thinking. So we can do something in a few days when they return and go from there." Itachi said.
Sasuke finished the dishes and dried his hands off with a different towel. Itachi could tell that something was bothering Sasuke so before Sasuke could sneak away Itachi spoke in a more serious voice.
"What's bothering you little brother?"
"Nothing" Sasuke said as he looked down at the towel in his hands.
Kakashi looked over at Itachi and they were both on the same page. Something was said while Sasuke and Shikamaru were outside earlier.
"Sasuke don't do that, don't close up. What's wrong is it school?" Kakashi asked gently.
"No I'm looking forward to school." Sasuke said honestly.
"What is it then?" Itachi asked.
Sasuke let out a sigh and he put the towel down on the counter behind him before he spoke.
"Shikamaru just overheard something a week ago. He told me about it when we were in the backyard. It's nothing it shouldn't be bothering me."
"But it is bothering you so it must not be nothing. What is it?" Kakashi asked gently.
"Shikamaru overheard Ino and Sakura talking. In a couple of weeks Chouji won't be grounded anymore. He'll be allowed outside on his own again. It's stupid, because it shouldn't bother me. It was bound to happen eventually."
"Just because it was going to happen one day doesn't mean that you don't have a right to feel bothered by it." Kakashi said.
"What bothers you about it?" Itachi asked.
"I don't know; the unknown I guess. Same with Naruto coming back. They will either have moved on and have learnt from this or they are going to be mad still and cause problems. I just… I don't want Shikamaru to be taking any heat from this because they can't attack me now. And I'm worried that Chouji is going to cause Shikamaru all this drama and problems once he can be outside by himself again."
"Shikamaru can handle himself and if Chouji or anyone starts to give him problems then we can deal with it. Hopefully they have learnt from all of this and are just going to focus on themselves. Unfortunately this isn't something we have answers for right now. We just have to wait and see what will happen when Chouji is no longer grounded and when Naruto returns. Don't stress over it little brother. It won't do you any good. Just try and focus on being happy about school and looking forward to that. The rest will work itself out."
"Itachi is right. Stressing over something that hasn't and might not even happen won't help and it isn't good for you. Just focus on the positives and not the unknowns." Kakashi added.
"Ya. I'm gonna go shower and then do some reading. Thanks for dinner." Sasuke said.
"No problem. You need to talk you know where we are." Itachi said.
"Ya. Good night."
"Night Sasuke." Kakashi said.
"Night little brother." Itachi said.
Sasuke headed upstairs to his room to grab a change of clothes and his small black pouch that he keeps in his bedside table in the back behind his books. He headed into the bathroom and locked the door. He placed his things down on the counter before he turned the shower on. Sasuke then turned his attention to removing his thick black bracelets. Underneath the two bracelets were multiple cuts and scars all in different stages of healing. Sasuke hadn't cut in about three days and he was actually feeling pretty good until now the reality had hit him. Naruto was coming back into the village in a few days. He would have to speak to everyone and tell them that he wouldn't be coming back to duty. On top of that in two weeks Chouji might be no longer grounded and who knows what he could do. Sasuke could feel the overwhelming of the situation hitting him and he needed that control. He needed that release to be able to breathe. So he picked up his small black pouch and took out the new razor blade he had. He brought it to his left wrist and made five cuts on it before he did the same to his right wrist. He let the blood flow from his wrists for a good ten minutes allowing his body and mind to go numb before he put the razor blade away and removed his clothing. He got into the shower and watched as the pink tinted water ran down his arms and into the drain. Sasuke knew he shouldn't be doing this, but a part of him couldn't see the harm. If it worked to help relieve the stress then why not? No one knew about this and he wasn't planning on telling anyone about it either. This was his secret, the only one he truly had at this point. It helped him be able to get through life so Sasuke didn't see the problem with it.
Once he was finished in the shower he got dressed and headed into his bedroom. He closed the door before he got into bed with the current book he was reading. He spent the rest of the night reading until he fell asleep.