Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto….T.T

I do, however, own every child except Mirai, Boruto, Himawari, Inojin, Chocho, Shikadai, and Sarada. Oh, and Neji didn't die cause I'm not an ass like Kishimoto.

"What do you mean, someone knows about the Nine?" Ino growled, slamming her fists onto Naruto's desk.
"Calm down, Ino." Shikamaru said, rubbing his forehead.

"Getting angry isn't going to solve anything." Iruka added.

"Our children are in danger." Ino aid.

"But it isn't your child in the hospital, now is it?" Yuko countered.

Ino straightened, glancing at Kurenai and Kakashi, who had chosen to stand off to the side. She turned her attention to the green-haired kunoichi who had married Shino.

"Not exactly fair of you to decide for all of us, Ino." TenTen said.

"What can we do?" Kiba asked, preventing Ino from answering. Tamaki stood behind her husband, silent.

"We can tell them. They have a right to know." Naruto said.

"They aren't ready." Ino said.

"And who are you to decide that?" Sasuke asked.

They all fell silent.

"I am the one who gets to decide that." Naruto said. "And I am deciding they are ready, and they will be told."

"We want to be there when you tell them." Kakashi said.

Naruto nodded. "Of course. All of you can be. I mean, we can't fit everyone into my office, but-"

Sasuke cut him off. "We can all fit into my house. We can do it there."

Sakura squeezed his hand, smiling at him. "We'd be more than happy to let you use our house, Naruto."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. What time works best for everyone?"

After a few mumbles, Naruto sighed.

Kurenai spoke up. "We can do it tonight. Kaede is feeling better. She's not a hundred percent, but she's okay."

"I'll make dinner for everyone." Sakura said. "It's been a while since we all had a meal together anyways."

"Only six years." Kiba muttered.

"Everyone got busy." Shikamaru told him.

"But we did let our tradition slip." Temari added, glaring at her husband.

"It's settled then. Let the kids know we're having our traditional meal together." Naruto said.

Everyone agreed, and began filing out, except for Shikamaru, Sasuke, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Sakura.

"You really ready to tell them?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto nodded. "We've all suspected for years they were the Nine. But, after that, there's nothing left to doubt."

"Ino was very angry about this." Kurenai said.

"I know. I'll smooth it over with her later. I'm sure she doesn't want Hideki blindsided. She's just worried." Naruto told her.

"Worried? She's scared, Naruto." Sakura corrected him. "Knowing your child could be the target of almost every defected shinobi out there? That's a terrifying thought."

"I know it is, Sakura. My child is in that as well." Naruto told her.

"Which is why we need to tell them. They can prepare themselves." Sasuke added.

Naruto nodded. "I know. I'll see you guys tonight."

Kaede stood outside of the Uchiha house, staring at it. They would have chosen tonight to do the dinner. Her leg was still hurting. She really just wanted to go sit down and not move it. She hobbled up to the door, only to have it flung open before she could knock.

"You're late." Kosuke said.

"Sorry. I'm kinda hobbling."

"Eh." Kosuke helped her into the house, and to the dining room. Everyone was in there, already laughing and joking.

She sat next to her brother, who looked insanely bored.

"What's your deal?" Kaede asked.

"This shit bores me."

"Kasai, language!" Kurenai told him.

"Dig in, guys." Sakura said.

The talking became a murmur as everyone got their food. Once everyone's plates were full, Naruto cleared his throat.

"There's a reason we decided to do this dinner tonight. Well, a reason besides missing tradition, that is." He looked at all of the older children. "I know all of you are close, and you all know what happened to Kaede. Well, Kosuke and Kegawa demanded an explanation of the Nine and we agree you all deserve one."

Ino glared at him.

"Well, everyone does except Ino." Naruto corrected.
"So what's the Nine?" Kosuke asked.

"You don't waste any time." Shikamaru commented.

"I am my father's son." Kosuke retorted.

His response was Hokona stomping on his foot.

"Ow!"

"Be nice." Hokona told him.

Kosuke made a face at her.

"Kosuke! Papa said you have to be nice to your woman!" Sarada said.

"Hokona isn't my woman, squirt." Kosuke told her.

"So you say." Sarada went back to eating.

Hokona smiled. "I'm really not."

"Not yet." Sarada retorted.

Kosuke glared at her while everyone laughed. "Little sister, you're asking for it."

"So you say." Sarada repeated.

Kosuke turned his attention back to Naruto. "You were saying?"
"I was talking about the Nine." Naruto said, grinning.

"What about them?" Kosuke prompted.

"The legend goes that the Nine will come from one village, and will be friends who grew up together. They will bring out the best in each other, helping to enhance each other." Naruto told him. "The Nine have strength and powers no one else has. The nine powers are brought out by the nine strongest qualities the members have. But it's not the members who decide what their strongest qualities are. It just happens. Each member has an aura when they invoke their strength and power as a member of the Nine. The color is different for each member."

"What are the powers?" Maemi asked.

"To bring back the dead temporarily with just a thought is the one most consider best. Then there's the ability to duplicate anyone with a thought. One can control any element they think of."

"Shinobi can already do that." Hideki interrupted.

"Not like that member of the Nine can." Naruto said. "Shinobi need chakra and jutsus to do it. That member can do it with a thought, and without any jutsus. The fourth one is to enter a person's mind and see everything. All of a person's memories, thoughts, everything. The fifth one is to see any trace a person has ever left. If a person has been in a place, that member can see it if they choose to. The sixth is to be able to decipher an enemy's plan, past or present, if they touch that enemy. The seventh is to see what has happened in a place if they touch an object. The eighth is to change a person's perception."

"Like a genjustu?" Mirai asked.

"In a way. A genjustu is a temporary alteration. The member of the nine can alter it for however long they please, but they have to be able to touch the person periodically so that they can keep it up." Kurenai explained.

"Damn." Mirai went back to eating.

"The ninth one is the ability to locate a person as long as they are touching something that belongs to the person they are trying to locate." Naruto sighed. "We think you all may be the Nine."

"You guys apparently aren't the only ones." Kegawa muttered. He sat his fork down.

"What happens to make the Nine become apparent?" Rokuro asked.

"Well, only one member needs to bring out their power. Then all the powers are unlocked. What brings it out is their strongest quality leads to the need to protect someone." Naruto answered.

"If that's the case, Kaede would have already been given these powers." Kosuke argued.

"Not if it wasn't her strongest quality that made her fight." Naruto said. "Now we should eat and leave it alone for now.

The subject was dropped, and everyone went back to their previous conversations.

"How does anyone know about the Nine if only the Kage are allowed to know?" Kaede asked after a few.

"I wish I knew." Naruto answered.

"Well, my leg is hurting. I'm sorry to cut it short, but I'm gonna go home and relax." Kaede said.

Sakura smiled at her. "No need to apologize, honey."

"You need me to come home?" Kegawa asked.

Kaede shrugged. "That's on you."

Shippo, Kegawa's older brother, looked at her. "Yeah, she needs you to go home with her."

"Thanks, Shippo. Pretty sure I could figure that out myself." Kegawa said as he stood up. He threw a piece of meat to Shippo's dog, Ginmaru, before turning to his dogs. "Come on, boys. Gotta get our lady home."

The dogs bounded to the door, tails wagging. Kegawa followed behind Kaede closely. Once they were out of the Uchiha house, Kaede nearly fell to the ground.

"Why didn't you say something earlier?" Kegawa asked, holding her up.
"Didn't wanna interrupt Naruto." She leaned on Kegawa as he headed to their house.

"No one would have cared, Kaede." Kegawa told her. He sniffed the air. "Your father is following us."
"Ugh. That man is forever overprotective." Kaede complained.

Once they reached their house, Kaede leaned against the wall while Kegawa unlocked the door. As they were walking inside, someone cleared throat. Kaede turned around to see her father.

"I'll be inside." Kegawa said.

Kaede gave him a single nod before turning back to her father.

"You should've said something." Kakashi told her.

"I don't want the third degree from you, too, Daddy." Kaede said.

"I'm not here to give you the third degree. I just wanted to check on you." Kakashi told her.

"I'm fine. Hurting, but fine."

Kakashi sat down on the bench outside, looking up at the stars, Kaede sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I remember when you were a little girl, you used to sit outside with me for hours, listening to the stories of the stars and all our ancestors." Kakashi said.

"I still remember all of them." Kaede told him. "Mom would come outside, frustrated cause I had stayed up past my bedtime again."

Kakashi nodded. "Your favorite thing to do was draw shapes with them."

"The house must seem pretty boring without me and Mirai." Kaede said.

"I dread the day your youngest sister moves out." Kakashi told her.

"Naw. You'll probably be grateful for the peace and quiet when Kabin finally moves out." Kaede countered.

"Peace and quiet is overrated. Even if I didn't use to think that."

"Yeah, well, we are awesome."

Kakashi smiled through his mask. "You know, when I first got Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke as students, they spent quite a while trying to figure out what I looked like underneath my mask."

"I remember Naruto telling us about that. I don't get the mystery."
"You also grew up knowing what was underneath my mask."

"I still know. I look at it every day in the mirror."

Kakashi laughed. "That's very true."

"Isn't everyone going to miss you at the dinner?" Kaede asked.

"No. Your mom told them I was going to come check on you." Kakashi explained. "Mind if I hang out here for a while?"

"Sure." Kaede struggled to stand up. Kakashi stood up and helped her into the house.

Kegawa was in the kitchen, playing with the dogs. "You need anything?"

Kaede shook her head.

Kosuke sat at the dining room table, his hands folded in front of his face.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"The whole thing about the Nine. All of you suspected it, yet none of you deemed it necessary to forewarn us just in case something like this happened." Kosuke said.

"Kosuke, it's not like we did it to be asses." Sasuke said. ""We didn't want to tell you unless we were sure, or unless this happened."

"But look at what did happen cause we didn't know. That asshole got away and now he can go tell anyone and everyone he knows that the Nine exist. Well, at least, he thinks they do." Kosuke started to yell, but noticed Sarada staring at him. "We should've been told years ago, and you both know that."

"Kosuke, don't yell at Mama and Papa." Sarada said meekly.

"Little sister, come here."

Sarada walked to Kosuke until she was standing next to him.

"Sarada." Kosuke said her name. She looked at him, her face sad. "Sometimes emotions get the best of us. You're twelve. You should know that."

"But you still shouldn't yell at your parents." Sarada said.

Sakura stood behind Sasuke, and put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up at her and offered her a smile. She never got enough of watching their children interact. Sarada had always leaned on Kosuke. Sasuke had been gone for the first ten years of her life, and Kosuke had always stepped up for her. When Sasuke wasn't there, Kosuke was. He had been the one to kiss her bruises and scrapes, and he had been the one to help Sakura raise her.

Kosuke pushed Sarada's glasses back up onto her nose. "You know, little sister, you should come with me to the park tomorrow."

Sarada crinkled her nose. "Why?"

"Akari is bringing Boruto."

Sarada's face perked up. "Okay!"

"That took a whole lot of convincing." Kosuke said.

"Hey, Boruto is the only guy I know who doesn't mind being seen with me." Sarada told him.

"That's because Akari would have a nice chat with Boruto if he was." Sasuke said.

"I know. But it's still nice to know he'll hang out with me." Sarada said. "Is Hideki bringing the twins?"

"I think so, but I'm not sure. Kaede is bringing Kaori."

Sarada smiled. "I adore Kaori. She's a lot cooler than most other ten year olds."

"Adore. Since when does a twelve year old use a word like adore?" Kosuke asked.

"I use big words all the time."

"Stop growing up on me, little sister." Kosuke ruffled her hair.

"Hey! Mama spent an hour doing it!" Sarada said as she tried to get out of her brother's reach.

"Isn't it your bedtime?"

"Yes. But I wanna play a game first."

"Again?"

"Yep."
"Fine. But only one round."

"Okay!"

Sarada took off towards her bedroom, Kosuke behind her. Once they were out of earshot, Sasuke looked at his wife.

"I don't like that look." Sakura said.

"I have to leave again." Sasuke told her. He squeezed her hand. "Someone has to figure out who that is that went after them, and where he's from."

Sakura sat down next to him. "Your son is going to be livid. You were gone for thirteen years, Sasuke. You've only been back for two."

"I know. I shouldn't be gone long."

"That's what you said last time."

"I mean it this time. I refuse to be gone that long again."

Sakura sighed. And sat back, out of his reach. "I'm going to go to bed."

She got up and left the room. Sasuke put his head in his hands.

"Are you kidding me?"

He looked up to see his son. "I thought you were going to play a game with Sarada."

"I was until I heard you saying you're leaving again." Kosuke crossed his arms. "You cannot leave my sister."

"I won't be gone long, Kosuke. I'm doing what any father would do to protect his children."

"Then why isn't anyone else going?"
"There are others going. I'm not going alone. Kakashi, Ino, Kiba and Shino are all going as well."

Kosuke sat down across the table, his eyes never leaving Sasuke.

"You'll break her heart."

"I know. But again, I'm doing my job as a father."

Kosuke stayed silent. "I'm going."

"Like hell you are." Sasuke stood up.

"I'm an adult. I can do what I please."

"Not if I have Naruto ban you from leaving the village."

"Like I'd listen." Kosuke stood up. He only an inch shorter than Sasuke, having taken after him height wise. "Does it hurt?"

"What?"

"To look at me and Sarada every day. To look at me, your carbon copy, and see what should have been yours. To look at me and Sarada, and to know you missed out on what you did."

"No, it doesn't regarding what should have been mine. It make me glad, Kosuke. It makes me glad because that means even after everything I did to this village and to your mother, I was given a second chance. It means that I gained someone back that I consider a brother. It means that I got to marry someone who never gave up on me, even if I did leave her behind countless times. And it means that I got a chance to do something I never thought I would."
"What's that?"

"Be a father to great kids. Which leads me to yes, it hurts to know I missed out on so much. But I did it for you two. To keep you safe. I couldn't ask for better kids than you and your sister. You stepped up when I wasn't here. You gave your sister someone to lean on besides your mother."

"I shouldn't have had to."

"You're right. You shouldn't have had to. You should've been able to be a true kid. And for that, I truly am sorry."

Kosuke stayed silent. "You better come back soon."

"I will. And when I do, I expect you to talk to me. Take your anger and frustration out on me, no one else."

Kosuke slumped into his seat. He looked away, refusing to look at his father.

"Kosuke."

He kept his eyes averted.

"Dammit, Kosuke. I may not be the perfect father or husband, but I do love you, Sarada, and your mother."

Kosuke looked at him. "How long we looking?"

"I don't know. But I will come back."

Kaede stared at her father. "Mom know about this?"
"Yes."

"So you're going to just leave? For an indefinite amount of time?"

"Someone has to do it, Kaede."

"Why did you volunteer? Daddy, you're in your fifties, for crying out loud."

"But I can still do what needs done." Kakashi told her.

"I'm a big girl, Daddy. I can take care of myself.

"I know you can, baby. But this is me being your father."

Kaede glanced at Kegawa. "I can't believe you're doing this. What about Kasai? Kaori? Kabin?"

"They'll be okay. They have you, Mirai, and your mother."

"Dammit, Daddy." Kaede stood up, wincing at the pain in her leg.

"Kaede, sit down." Kegawa told her.

"Why aren't you more upset? Your father is going, too." Kaede snapped.

"Women." Kegawa leaned back in his chair. "Cause what's the point of arguing? They're going to go whether or not we like it."

Kaede glared at him.

"You know I'm right."

Kaede growled before walking away.

"Keep an eye on her, Kegawa." Kakashi said.

"I will. You know that."

Kakashi inclined his head. "I better go tell her goodbye."

He got up and followed his daughter to the kitchen.

Kegawa looked down at his dogs. "We're gonna have our work cut out for us, boys."

Parents and Children:

Naruto and Hinata: Akari (OC), Boruto, Himawari

Kakashi and Kurenai: Mirai (Kurenai only), Kaede, Kasai, Kaori, Kabin (last 3 are OCs)

Sasuke and Sakura: Kosuke (OC), Sarada

Shikamaru and Temari: Maemi (OC), Shikadai

Iruka and Anko: Arata (OC)

Choji and Ino: Hideki (OC), Chocho, Inojin

Kiba and Tamaki: Shippo, Kegawa (both OCs)

Shino and Yuko (OC): Rokuro, Ayane (both OCS)

Neji and TenTen: Hokona (OC)