Grocery Shopping
Dojutsu Bunch #1
"Toilet paper, toilet paper," Itachi murmured to himself as he clutched the wrinkled grocery list in one hand and pushed the cart with the other. "Already got the ketchup... and eggs... Oh yeah, I can't forget the bubble bath-hush, Hanabi, it's okay. Don't cry," he prodded the two year old toddler who began to bawl in the front seat of the cart. "We're almost done, almost done." He handed her a bottle of milk and she quieted her fussing.
"Alright, got the milk and grape juice," Neji announced, placing the items in the cart with a thunk.
Itachi scanned the items on the shelves to his left without looking up. "Tomato juice for Sasuke?"
"Done," Neji replied, patting Hanabi on the head, who had begun to reach one chubby arm out for him.
"Cinnamon buns for Hinata?"
"Got it."
Itachi's eyes swept down the list again. "Shampoo?"
Neji scrunched up his nose as he thought. "We're almost out already?"
The Uchiha raised a brow at him. "You tell me, you have the most hair to use it on."
Neji rolled his eyes.
"Nii-san, nii-san," Itachi looked down at the boy who had started to tug at the back of his shirt. "Can we get this?" Thunder God Flakes, it said in big, capital letters. God-like chakra levels come from a nutritious breakfast! The face of the Hokage smiled at him from the box. Sasuke's spiky messy hair matched the spark of excitement that radiated out of his smile.
"Itachi-nii-san, c-can we get this instead?" The other small face with wide white eyes pleaded to him as she held out a box of Very Berry Chakra Berries cereal. Itachi softened at her voice. Hinata had taken a liking to calling him nii-san, like she did Neji. He found her calming and soothing, a big contrast between his spitfire of a younger brother, and he found her worming her way into his heart. It was hard to refuse her.
Sasuke nudged his new sister with his shoulder, shoving his box in front of hers. "This!"
Hinata's normally sweet face twisted into a scowl that was usually reserved for Sasuke. "No, this!" she insisted as she returned the favor.
Itach and Neji exchanged a look. "Hai, hai," Itachi finally sighed. "We can get both."
"Yay!" they both squealed, reaching to climb the cart and place their treasures inside.
Neji grabbed them both by their shirts and said, "No climbing. Give them to me. You both look for the toilet paper."
They handed their items to Neji eagerly and raced off.
"Come on, Hinata," Sasuke said, "Let's see who can find it first!"
"W-wait for me, Sasuke!" she cried, her feet pattering off after him.
"Hi, Itachi," came a deep voice.
"Oh, Kakashi-senpai," He glanced up at the older white-haired masked man with a book in one hand and a shopping basket in the other.
"Doing some grocery shopping with the family?" Kakashi asked, nodding to Neji who just stared blankly at him.
Itachi replied. "Yeah, a little." A quick glance to the other ANBU member's basket showed a bag of rice and some toothpaste.
"Well, have fun," Kakashi waved. "See ya."
"Which reminds me," Itachi asked after he had nodded his goodbye, turning to Neji who had been crossing things off of their list. "Did you get what you needed for the academy?"
Neji shrugged. "We already have stuff. I found some in that big box Hokage-sama gave us. And I could just use your old things."
"How about your kunai?"
He pursed his lips. "Well, after today, we might not have enough extra money to get new ones."
Itachi cocked his head thoughtfully. "We're already almost past our budget for this week, huh?"
The two boys, even still being 12 and 8, did not seem like they were mere children. Observant onlookers would notice by they way the held their heads and chins high with grace and the wisdom in their eyes, they were more than short kids pushing around a shopping cart. They would see the quick flashes of byakugan in Neji's eyes as he scanned the store, the tight grip Itachi held on the cart, his body angled toward the two Hyuuga that were with him. Neji, although being one year older than Sasuke and Hinata, carried himself with more maturity, possibly due to the fact that he had taken complete responsibility of taking care of his younger cousins, especially hailing from the branch house of the Hyuuga. Besides, it would Neji that would be in charge when Itachi was gone away on missions.
While the eldest were wary of each other when they first received the order from the hokage that they were to live together, they were impressed by the other's genius, and slightly overprotective of their younger family members. Once Sasuke and Hinata had taken a liking to each other, the rest came easy and adjusting to life together as a family came almost naturally, even though they did live by themselves and were only checked on once a month by the hokage. Many of the council members thought the remaining Hyuuga and Uchiha would even attack each other at one point, just as their clans did. But now, after a year together, they nigh inseperable. They were protective and defensive of each other. They were all they had.
They pushed their cart up and down the aisles for few minutes longer, grabbing needed items off various shelves and placing them in the cart, ignoring the whispers of other shoppers. The new family was quite the focus of attention whenever they went out, whether it was to the store, out for a picnic, or especially if Itachi and Neji decided to spar, although the kids didn't know which one was worse-the look of pity for the orphans, intrigue and awe at their looks, or fear that somehow the same clans that ruined each other would also decide to set out and destroy the rest of Konoha.
"Uwahh," some people whispered. "I've never seen the people from the two clans this close before!"
There were in the middle of discussing whether or not they could wait another week to buy more miso until a voice interrupted them. "Uchiha, Itachi," the intercom said boredly overhead. "Please come to cash register number 2. Uchiha, Itachi; cash register number 2."
itachi gave a confused look to his adoptive white-eyed brother.
Neji only gave a long sigh. "When was the last time you saw The Two?"
Itachi grimaced. "It's been awhile." He started to push the cart towards the front of the store. "We got everything?"
"Yeah," Neji replied.
"Let's go."
When they reached the cash register, the cashier was holding the back of Sasuke's shirt in one hand and the back of kid with blond hair's shirt in the other, trying to prevent the both of them from kicking each other. Hinata was tugging at Sasuke's arm, a look of worry plastered on her face.
"Let me go, you stupid old man!" the blond kid shrieked.
"He pushed me first!" Sasuke was shouting.
"Oh yeah? Come fight me 'ttebayo!"
"Excuse me," Itachi said calmly, as he walked up to them with Neji and Hanabi in tow. "Is there a problem?"
The exasperated cashier turned towards him in relief. "Is this yours?"
Itachi pointed his chin to his younger brother. "That one is."
The cashier dropped Sasuke and he huffed, grabbing the forgotten stack of toilet paper and stomping towards his family, Hinata following after him after a sheepish grin to Itachi and Neji. Sasuke crossed his arms after throwing the toilet paper in the cart and turned his face away from Itachi's questioning glare.
"Come on, let's go, dattebane!" a woman with long red hair prodded, clambering up to the cashier and pulling at her son's arm. Uzumaki Kushina. Wife of the next hokage, Namikaze Minato, both people with great strength that Itachi respected. Faintly, he remembered she used to visit with his mother sometimes. "Gomene, Itachi-kun," she smiled apolegetically. He nodded absentmindedly, his eyes dragging from her face to her son's, who was sticking his tongue out at Sasuke. So this must be...
"Naruto!" Kushina seemed to growl, her wild red hair beginning to fly. "Let's go!"
Itachi finally turned to Sasuke as the Uzumakis walked off, catching him and the blond kid stick their tongues out at each other.
"I didn't do anything," Sasuke muttered, who avoided his older brother's stare and reached to help Neji put the items on the cart onto the register belt while Hanabi giggled and stuck her hand out for him from the front of the cart. Hinata quietly took her place beside him too.
Itachi turned his attention to the cashier, who had given him a wary look. Neji stuck out his arm to hand a small scroll to the cashier. "Here. It's from the hokage."
The cashier quickly its contents and his eyebrows raised in understanding. "Yes. I see," he muttered as he started to scan their items. The steady beep beep beep of the cash register was the only sound they heard for a while.
Hinata and Sasuke went to the end of the register belt to help Neji bag their stuff.
"I don't know why you were so nice to him, Hinata," piped Sasuke suddenly.
"H-he was nice to me!"
"He said you were a wierd-looking kid, how was that nice?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"He said I was p-pretty cool-" Hinata said, frowning at him.
"Yeah, 'pretty cool for a wierd looking kid.'"
Itachi and Neji exchanged another knowing look above their siblings' heads. Itachi scooped Hanabi up and placed her on one of his hips, letting Neji thank the cashier and finish bagging the last of their things.
Hinata only pouted, her cheeks tinged with pink.
"He couldn't even tell you were a girl," he sniffed.
Hinata reached up and took the bag that Neji handed her and hid her face behind it. "W-well, he was nice to us," her hand reaching up automatically to find one of Itachi's hands as they began the walk back to the small home the hokage had given them.
Sasuke snorted, pretending not to strain under the weight of his bags. He had taken two extra to be extra helpful. 'No one's ever nice to us."
At that, Neji shrugged in agreement.
"But he helped us find the toilet paper."
"I don't care. I hope I never see that blond idiot! If anyone else insults my family ever again, I'll-"
"Enough, Sasuke," Itachi said gently, letting go of Hinata's hand to reach over and poke his younger brother's forehead.
"Ow!"
Itachi chuckled at the familiar sight of Sasuke's glare. "You know, he'll likely be in your class in the academy. He's around your age."
"He is?" Hinata and Sasuke asked in unison.
Sasuke turned his glare towards Hinata. "Why are you so happy for?"
"I-I'm not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Hinata," Neji interrupted sharply, stepping in between them. "Sasuke. That's enough."
Sasuke scowled up at the older boy, turning away with a huff.
The wrinkle between Hinata's brows smoothed when she looked up at Neji, who shook his head in exasperation.
She gave another teeny smile in guilt before taking his hand next.
"Like I said," Sasuke proclaimed adamantly. "If anyone else-"
"Hai, hai," Itachi interrupted.
Sasuke shot a dirty look at his brother.
"If anyone else messes with your-" Itachi stopped himself and, looking at the expectant eyes of white and black, his lips turned up into a soft smile. "Our family..." Which brought wide smiles from Hinata and Sasuke. "...Ever again..." He nodded to Neji.
Neji sighed, but his lips settled into a smirk. "They'll have to deal with us."
Sasuke and Hinata glanced at each other, black and white eyes flashing with shared excitement and pride.
"All of us."
A/N: I think they would all have different personalities if they were raised in a different household than in canon. Also Sarutobi is still the hokage, but Minato is already chosen to be next in line at this point.
Ages:
H 2
H/S 7
N 8
I 12