Title: Memorial Conversation

Rating: T

Summary: They've been nominated. Wasn't really a surprise, they're more ready now than they were the first time. But this time the Chuunin Exams are being held in Suna. As the boys gets ready to leave Iruka and Itachi get to know each other just a little bit better. They do have a lot in common after all.

Warnings: gen

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does.

Author Note: Oh my! You guys! Thank you so much :) I just love opening my email up lately! All these lovely reviews and fav's and alerts... Thank you.

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"Why are we leaving a week earlier than everyone else? I mean, it's only going to take us a few days to get to Suna, I don't see why we can't leave with the other teams." Naruto complained to Iruka as he sealed away his clothes and toiletries for the trip to the chuunin exams.

Iruka ruffled Naruto's hair, "You guys are leaving early because you're younger."

"Ahh man," Naruto groaned, "We can run every other genin team into the ground and they want us to leave early because we might get tired and have to rest?"

"You're young Naruto, enjoy it," Iruka said happily, "Now, do you have time to eat before you leave, or are you going to be late?"

"I've only ever been late for one thing in my life 'Ka-chan," Naruto shook his head. The only thing Naruto had ever been late for was getting Sasuke back to Konoha. It had worked out in the end though.

"Alright, one last bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's and I'll see you off at the main gates, how does that sound?" Iruka asked, nudging the boy out the door.

Naruto nodded and they made their way to Ichiraku's.

Sasuke and Itachi were at the ramen stand when they arrived.

"Hey 'Ke, 'Tachi-san," Naruto greeted the solemn Uchiha brothers as he sat beside Sasuke, leaving the stool next to Itachi free for Iruka to take.

"Naruto." Sasuke pushed a steaming bowl of pasta to Naruto, "Are you all packed?"

"Yep," Naruto mumbled around his first bite of ramen.

Itachi watched Naruto eat with fascination. He'd seen the boy be completely polite at the genin introduction dinner held at the Uchiha house, so he knew that Naruto could eat like a civilized being, but watching the boy slurp down his food like a garbarator was seriously disturbing.

"You've never seen a starving street rat eat before have you, Itachi-san?" Iruka's question was voiced low enough that the elder Uchiha brother was the only one who heard it.

"No I haven't," Itachi turned to Iruka curiously.

Iruka shrugged a shoulder, "We learn to eat whatever we have fast so that no one will take it away from us."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, "'We'?"

"I may have a house that was left to me by my parents, but I've been an orphan for seven years. I know what it's like to go without. It's not something that I'll ever let happen to Naruto again."

"Aniki," Sasuke tugged the edge of Itachi's sleeve, "I'd like to go to the Memorial Stone before we leave."

"Hn."

"I wish to say goodbye to some people," Sasuke answered Itachi's unspoken question.

"Me too!" Naruto waved his flimsy wooden chopsticks around in the air, "I gotta say bye to 'Ka-chan's parents!" Naruto looked at Itachi, "Did you know that Izumi-baa-chan and Ikuta-jii-chan died fighting the Kyuubi?"

"I did not know that," Itachi shot a discreet look at Iruka to check his emotional response to his parent's death being practically shouted out to a stranger. To Itachi's surprise it didn't seem to bother the scarred ninja.

Iruka smiled modestly, "I told Naruto that I would introduce him to my parents before his first chuunin exam. I wasn't expecting it to be within five months of his graduation to genin."

"The joys of a child genius," Itachi spoke serenely.

Laughing, Iruka shook his head, "Oh if only I had been. No; you, Kakashi-sensei and the children are the genius'. I was smart, but nowhere near close to your guys' levels."

Naruto threw his arms around Iruka's waist with a large grin plastered on his face, "You lie 'Ka-chan, I sneaked your IQ scores from the Tower. Your mom was a Nara."

Rubbing the defining scar that crossed over his nose, Iruka flushed, "Alright Naruto, you're right. I did lie. I am very smart. I could take on any Nara alive right now and probably come out on top in terms of IQ, but I'm not a natural ninja like you five. I have to work very hard to keep my skills sharp. All five of you tensai could stop being ninja for months and come back to the plate fresh as daisy's and ready to kick anyone's ass."

Itachi looked down at the ground. For an eleven year old prodigy he was startlingly modest. Iruka liked that.

"Memorial Stone?" Naruto reminded the two older ninja and they stood.

Both reached for their pockets to pull out their wallets and Itachi gestured for Iruka to put his ratty leather purse away, "Allow me."

"Right," Iruka muttered. It wasn't like he was poor; he could pay for himself and Naruto without a problem. Iruka shook his head to clear it and firmly told himself that Itachi was only being kind, not condescending. "Thank you Itachi-san."

"You're welcome Umino-san." Itachi said by route.

"Oh, please, just Iruka is fine," Iruka corrected Itachi's use of his name, "I'm only five years older than you."

Itachi nodded his agreement and they were silent for the rest of the walk. Naruto wasn't silent and talk enough for all three other people that were in his group. Sasuke made remarks here and there in between Naruto's rapid speech that garnered a chuckle or two from Iruka.

Sasuke was the first to the Memorial Stone and he sunk to his knees in front of it. He traced over his cousins name as he whispered, "Hello Obito-ni-san. I'm going to Suna for my first chuunin exam. Kakashi-sensei is making us leave almost a week before everyone else leaves, but I think that's because he's being cautious."

Obito Uchiha was the only Uchiha other than Itachi that Sasuke had any real respect for. He had found out about the betrayal that the Uchiha had been driven to and though he didn't approve of how Itachi was told to handle it, he didn't blame his brother for following orders. Sasuke had come to realise that if his clan was still around when Naruto ascended to Hokage, he too would have wiped them all out to save Konoha from civil war. He trusted Naruto far more than he would trust any from the Uchiha clan and he could now see that Itachi trusted Sarutobi in the same way.

Obito was lucky to be dead when the coup d'état was planned. He would have been killed for being the Hokage's former student. His loyalty wouldn't have been trusted and Kakashi would have lost his friend either way.

Having learned about Obito from Kakashi, Sasuke was glad that his entire family wasn't made up of assholes and pompous bastards. Sometimes he thought that the Hyuga had nothing on the Uchiha pride, no wonder Itachi had been under so much pressure.

This time around would be different. This time Itachi wouldn't have to kill everyone. There wasn't as much pressure on the Uchiha either, what with a second Uchiha genius on the same team as the Sacrifice. If a Uchiha was content, even pleased, to be teamed with the Sacrifice, it showed two things. One, that the Uchiha were willing to play nice with anyone if need be, and two: the village trusted that the Uchiha were strong enough to survive, perhaps even win, if the Sacrifice succumbed to the monster inside.

Not that Sasuke cared what others thought. The only reason he was on Naruto's team was because they had planned it that way. Naruto was his Hokage and he was his Hokage's right hand.

Sasuke finished his conversation with Obito and moved out of the way so that Naruto and Iruka could knee at the stone. He'd kept his conversations with the future dead silent. He returned to his place at his brother's side and grabbed his hand, "Thank you," Sasuke hesitated then continued with forced nonchalance, "Nii-tama."

Itachi glanced quickly down at his little brother and a smile broke over his face as he squeezed Sasuke's hand, "You are welcome Otouto."

"Mother, Father," Iruka pulled Naruto close, "This is Naruto Uzumaki. I've, erm, I guess I've unofficially adopted him. I know that I'm young, but I had to grow up fast after you died. I'm a chuunin and just started my second year of teaching at the Academy. I think you would be proud of me."

"They are! Believe it!" Naruto hugged Iruka spontaneously. Iruka hugged him back. Turning to the Memorial Stone, Naruto became sombre, "Hi. I'm Naruto and I'm gonna call you Grandma and Grandpa. 'Ka-chan is really awesome. He's really strong and really smart, just like me." Naruto frowned, "I think he needs some help looking for a lover though. Mizuki was a right bastard," Naruto sneaked a look up at his guardian, "I wouldn't mind a girl this time. I know that 'Ka-chan don't really care about gender, but sometimes girls smell really nice and they're so soft too. I think 'Ka-chan needs someone soft. Mizuki-teme was too hard. I almost killed him. He was threatening my mom! No one threatens my mom and gets away with it."

"Naruto," Iruka shook his head with a rueful smile, "I thought we agreed that I would be your father, not your mother."

"Nah, we didn't 'gree to anything. You wanted to be my dad, but you're already my mom 'cause you make me clean behind my ears and do my homework and eat veggies. You even put me to bed at night and kiss my cheek. That's more of a mom thing. That's what 'Ke say's anyway." Naruto raised his voice at the end and grinned widely.

Sasuke scowled, "I don't care what he's saying Iruka-sensei, he is lying."

Iruka and Itachi both laughed and Iruka turned his attention back to the Stone, "Well, now you've met your grandson. I hope you approve."

Naruto clambered up Iruka to hug his neck tightly, "They do. Nothing you could do would make them not approve."

"Double negative Naruto-chan," Iruka reprimanded as he stood, Naruto in his arms. "Are we ready to go?" Iruka asked of Itachi.

The preteen nodded, "Yes. Sasuke has his belongings sealed in scrolls."

"Naruto as well," Iruka put Naruto down, "Okay then, race to the main gate. Rules: No ninjutsu, no genjutsu. Body only; you may augment with chakra. First one there gets a week of take-out when you guys get back from Suna. Annnnnd, GO!"

Sasuke was the first one out of sight, but Naruto wasn't much more than a millisecond behind him.

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