I know you guys have read this part before. But chapter 7 will be out soon!

XXX

Chapter 6

Sasuke stared at the blonde who was now glaring coldly at him in front of the door. If it were possible, she was even more beautiful now than she was nine years ago.

She had a regal, graceful air about her as she held herself up. Her body, which was more toned and lithe than the last time he saw her, screamed raw splendor and strength. He could sense the plethora of chakra that swirled inside her and he had to suppress the shiver that passed through his body – it had been a long time since he had met an opponent with such immense power – and a part of him itched to spar with her.

But the other part of him, the bigger part, was focused not on her chakra but on her face. Her face that was the essence of loveliness. The red blush against her tan whiskered cheeks, the wary expression furrowed into her thin eyebrows, the distinct cerulean eyes that held such a sharp, penetrating look… A look that pierced straight through his heart. Sasuke felt his throat constrict. From shock, wariness, or grief, he didn't know.

"They told me you died."

His voice sounded so hoarse to his ears.

"They told you wrong. I'm alive."

She looked dead and apathetic. The only thing that gave way to Naruto's discomfort was her bright cerulean eyes, which were afflicted by a storm of conflicting emotions.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm the babysitter."

Sasuke felt a pinch of something he couldn't identify. "How long have you been living here?"

"Four months."

"How long are you staying? "

"I don't know." A strange inflection colored her tone.

"Narut – "

"I don't know," the woman repeated again. A dark look passed through her angelic face, and he noticed she had clenched her fingers into a tight fist. "Why do you care?" The last word was said with a hint of subtle contempt.

Silence.

She had hurt him, she could feel it. She could feel the intensity of the awkwardness and discomfort that radiated from where he was standing, but strangely, she didn't care. Almost with a sadistic thrill, she realized that she wanted him to be hurt.

He deserved it.

"Naruto…"

She didn't answer, and Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Can we just – I mean, well… Can't you just – "

His voice died at the sudden look of hatred scorched into Naruto's face.

"Forget?" Naruto finished for him, narrowing her eyes and pulling her lips back into a fierce scowl. She had become furious at the simple question, and the snake of hatred that was coiled in her chest lashed out. The room suddenly became a phantasm of black and red, and pain, intense shooting sparks of pain, burst throughout her delirious body.

"You want me to forget what you did?" she hissed in spite. "Do you think that's how life works, Sasuke? That the world revolves around you? That you can fuck over the rest of us however you want, and when you wish for it, let bygones be bygones?"

Naruto laughed sharply, the sound eliciting goosebumps on Sasuke's arm. He could tell that she was within an inch of transforming into a human Kyuubi, but he felt no fear. Instead remorse and anguish blossomed in his chest, and he felt his knees go weak. And she must've seen the look of despair which briefly passed through his face for why else was there now a spark of sadistic satisfaction gleaming in her chilly demonic red eyes?

"I'm sorry." Sorrow burned in his throat.

There was a brief pause.

"Sorry's not enough," Naruto stated tersely. She willed her anger to dissipate, and she felt Kyuubi's chakra slowly recede. Weariness ached at her bones from her sudden outburst. She felt like she had run through hell and back. "Sorry will never be enough."

"I know."

"But I'll take it."

Sasuke directed shocked midnight eyes at the blonde. Could he… Did he dare to believe…

Naruto blew out a long breath.

"I made a promise to your brother that I will stay here and help... him. And I don't go back on my promises." Naruto became stiff. "Whether I like it or not, I'm stuck with you in the same house, Uchiha Sasuke."

He could not see where the conversation was headed.

"I don't want to be a bad influence on your kids," Naruto continued. "I've never told them we were 'acquaintances' in the past, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"What do you want?" he asked slowly.

"Leave me alone and I you."

Sasuke could not believe his ears. She really meant to…

"You're just gonna erase me from your heart just like that? Like we never knew each other?" He could not keep the disbelief from his voice.

"You've been erased years ago, Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said frostily. Her eyes were two blue chips of ice.

"Naruto –"

"You've become nothing to me, Sasuke, just like you wanted." The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Or are you going back on your words now?"

"I don't understand – "

"Sasuke, understand this." Her voice was akin to a dagger piercing his soul. "I wish you were dead."

Sasuke felt the blood that was pulsing through his veins freeze to ice. Her words seemed to be crashing down on him. The room became suffocating. A strange deadness took over his body, and peculiarly his pain ebbed. The coldness spread from the center of his being until it consumed his entire body, and although he felt disconnected from everything, at least the hurt was now gone.

"I told Itachi I would try to give you a second chance." She paused, then plowed on in the same ruthless manner. "But I realized as soon as I saw you. I can't. I hate you."

His heart was hardening into stone. Every breath taken felt like the stabbing of knives into his chest. The seconds passed by.

"Hn." Now Sasuke's voice had gotten as flat as Naruto's. Empty of emotion. Vacant, lifeless. The blonde scrutinized Sasuke. She had noticed the sudden change in his demeanor, and she realized that he was now, truly, an Uchiha. The emotional Sasuke was gone – obliterated in less than thirty seconds. It paid sometimes to be an Uchiha, Naruto thought wryly. So easily rid of your emotions. No matter whom they concerned.

"Good," Naruto said grimly. "Don't worry. This Manor is huge. We don't have to get in each other's way. You're always on missions."

Sasuke knew the last comment was actually an accusation towards the amount of time and care he had put into his kids. Which, as they both knew, was zero.

"I'm not good with children," was his flat response.

"No." Naruto's voice had turned bitter. "No you're not." Pause. "I need to talk to you about business."

The Uchiha didn't bat an eyelid. He raised one brow, silently giving the blonde permission to proceed.

"It concerns Sakura." Naruto's lips became one taunt line, and she stared at the Uchiha with piercing eyes. "You need to make things right with her again. The kids can't live without their mother. Biological mother," she added.

"We're getting divorced," he said tersely. The fuck did she know. He was impressed that Naruto's steady stare didn't waver at the news. Nor did it change its empty expression. "I have the papers."

"Running away from your problems doesn't actually make your problems disappear."

There was an underlying meaning behind her words, but Sasuke didn't care.

"I'll take care of my problems myself, idiot."

A muscle in Naruto's jaw twitched. "Calling me names? You are so mature, aren't you? I can see us getting along so nicely in the next few months."

"If it goes to your brilliant plan, we won't be seeing each other at all."

"Well said." Naruto's pokerface was back. "But you shouldn't deflect."

Sasuke slowly took out the divorce papers hidden behind his ANBU jacket and tossed it at the blonde, whose lightning fast reflexes deftly caught the documents. "She filed it."

Naruto quickly scanned the papers before confirming their validity. "Sakura's not mentally stable to be making such choices," the blonde countered.

Sasuke wondered if Naruto was actually attempting to save his marriage. "Her head cleared enough to sign this last week, the Godaime had told me."

"So you didn't get the papers from Sakura?"

"No. Tsunade."

"Did you visit Sakura?"

Sasuke raised a condescending eyebrow. "Are you really asking that question?"

There was no sign from Naruto that she had even noticed the revulsion in the Uchiha's voice. "Is she still at Hinata's?"

"I haven't heard otherwise."

"Are you going to sign it?" Naruto asked bluntly, inclining faintly at the papers in her hand.

Sasuke hesitated for the slightest of seconds. "I don't have a choice. It's a divorce document, not a counseling appointment, stupid."

Naruto didn't show any acknowledgment at the derogatory nickname. "You don't have to make everyone suffer along with you in your self-pity." Her voice was soft and listless, but her furious eyes said otherwise.

"It's just a divorce."

"Suppose they want to spend time with their mother?"

"I'm not stopping them from living with her," he retorted acerbically. Fat chance they would.

Disgust was etched into Naruto's face. "Is this how you alleviate your guilt?"

"Again, none of your business, usuratonkachi."

That was the final straw for Naruto. The blonde brought the divorce papers she was holding crashing down on the glass dinner table. There was a loud, crushing blast that split throughout the room as her fist made contact. The glass shattered in an instant, shards of the table surface flying chaotically everywhere.

"Eat shit, bastard."

A flash of yellow, and she was gone. The divorce documents fluttered onto the ground in disarray.

Sasuke closed his eyes and let the tiredness wash over him. He brought a chair from the now demolished dinner table and slumped into it. He hadn't meant to call her those names – it was so incredibly inappropriate at the given time – but something about Naruto just made him lose his cool. Sasuke was renowned for being able to keep his feelings in check, his emotions reined in, but Naruto had always so easily broken the barrier, over and over again.

She doesn't even try.

The Uchiha became aware of a wetness in his eyes. Horrified at the thought of the shattered glass pieces having cut his eyes, Sasuke quickly wiped at his face before inspecting his fingers. But when the red telltale sign of blood wasn't smeared on his fingers, the man stared in confusion at his wet hands…

Then he realized that for the first time in years, he was crying.

She doesn't understand…

XXX

Fury raced through her veins as she flash stepped towards the ANBU headquarters. The fucking nerve of him. How dare he call her those names. How dare he toy with her emotions like the manipulative bitch he was. He was lucky the table had been the only thing she broke. Fucking bastard.

The blonde skidded to a stop as she came face to face with an ANBU sentry guard. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realized she was already at the front doors of the building.

"Name?" the masked shinobi asked.

"Forget that," Naruto snapped. "I want Uchiha Itachi."

"What's your business?"

"You very well know I wouldn't be here to meddle with ANBU shit. I need Itachi!" Annoyance spiked Naruto's escalating temper.

"Orders are orders. Non ANBU members are not allowed in the building without Godaime's spoken or written permission." The masked ninja – Naruto knew without a doubt it was Shino by the way he reeked of bugs – tensed. "I will fight you if you resist."

"God fucking damn it, Shino. I'm going to murder you, you piece of – "

"What's going on here?"

Comfort flooded Naruto at the sound of that familiar voice, and she managed to dodge past Shino in his split moment of surprise. Naruto sprinted towards the man walking down the stairs. "Itachi," the blonde cried as she flung herself into the man's open arms. "Thank God."

And with those words, Naruto fainted.

Itachi grimly grabbed the unconscious blonde bridal style before turning to the very confused Shino. "Godaime has given me permission to leave my ANBU duties earlier than usual if presented with an emergency," the Uchiha said gently and yet still with an urgent tone. "You can check with Tsunade-sama if you wish."

Shino bowed. "No, Itachi-san. I believe you." He stepped to the side, allowing the Uchiha to pass. Hesitantly, the ANBU sentry touched Itachi's sleeve as the Uchiha walked by him. "Give Naruto-san my deepest apologies. And I hope she feels better soon."

Itachi smiled a small graceful smile at Shino. "I will. Thank you."

XXX

"Ita… Itachi?"

The Uchiha man, who had been sitting in the sofa chair across the room, staring stonily at the faded wallpaper designs, quickly got up at the sound of her voice and strode over to the bedside of the stirring blonde.

"Naruto." Relief colored the man's voice.

The blonde coughed. A cup of water was placed against her cracked lips, and she gratefully drank. The liquid refreshed her mind slightly, and the hazy room soon cleared. But she still didn't know where she was. "How… how long was I out?"

"Five hours." Itachi sought out Naruto's hand and squeezed it tightly. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry."

"You could've told me you couldn't sleep at night." There was a hint of anger in Itachi's voice.

Naruto lowered her eyes guiltily. "I went to your room that night I couldn't sleep, remember?"

"Naruto I'm not stupid." Itachi's eyes flashed for a split second. "I told you, I'm here for you."

"But I couldn't sleep ever since… ever since I heard of Sasuke's return," the blonde whispered, her lower lip trembling. "And I didn't want to startle the children. I'm sorry, Itachi. I know I should've told you."

The anger immediately deflated from the Uchiha. "It's not your fault." Itachi smiled wearily. "I'm sorry. I was worried."

"I know," Naruto sniffed. She then felt a surge of gratitude at a sudden realization. "Y-you didn't take me to the hospital."

"I know you don't want people talking."

"Thank you." She didn't know how to express her appreciation, but she knew he understood how she felt.

Itachi brushed away a stray strand of hair from Naruto's face. "I'm glad you woke up." A second's pause, then Itachi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did he hurt you?"

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"Did my baby brother hurt you?" Itachi's voice had dropped to a near hiss, and his dark eyes were now two blackholes of apathy. Naruto – as confused as she was – shivered at the iciness emitting from Itachi, and she was so glad that his anger this time was not directed at her.

"I don't understand, what – "

"Your hand."

Blinking rapidly, Naruto turned to look at the hand Itachi wasn't holding. It was bandaged neatly, and now that Naruto had noticed it, the wound also stung slightly, but how did she… get… it…

"Oh."

"Naruto?"

She grimaced. "I'm sorry. I broke our dinner table."

"You – broke – our what?" Itachi's eyes widened the slightest. "Why?"

"I was angry," Naruto explained. She saw the ghost of disbelief in Itachi's face, and the blonde sighed. "Your brother made me angry."

"And… you broke our dinner table."

"Well it's not like I could break his neck."

Itachi took Naruto's shoulders and forced the blonde to look at him square in the eye. "Tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened! I met him, we had a heated exchange, and I lost my temper. That's all."

"Naruto."

"They're getting divorced," the blonde said.

"Sakura and Sasuke?"

"Yeah."

"She filed it?" Itachi asked succinctly.

"Yeah."

"But why did you get angry?" he pressed.

Naruto wouldn't meet Itachi's eyes. "I don't know. He just makes me angry." She paused. "I'm sorry." Another pause. "About our dinner table. I know you liked it."

"Never mind the dinner table, Naruto!" Itachi saw the blonde flinch, and he immediately backtracked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that." The Uchiha sighed and squeezed Naruto's hand. "Are you okay now?"

Naruto nodded slowly.

"He didn't hurt you?"

Another small nod.

"Are you sure?"

Nod.

Itachi's face relaxed. "Are you hungry?"

The blonde was shocked. "What?"

"I asked if you were hungry."

"No, I mean," Naruto said skeptically, "you're letting it go just like that?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Letting it go?" he quoted.

"Aren't you disappointed that your brother and I didn't make up?" she blurted out. Guilt was stamped all over her face. "I mean, I promised you and everything, and I let - I let you down."

"No." Itachi blinked. "I asked you to give him a chance. That's all I ever hoped for."

"So… so you're not… mad at me for it?" Naruto asked slowly.

"Naruto, I was mad because I was worried for your health," Itachi explained in exasperation. "Nothing else."

Tears gathered in Naruto's eyes again. "I don't have to try to fall in love with him?"

Itachi smiled. "At this point, I just want you to stay for the kids. For me. That's all."

"You asshole!" Naruto punched Itachi before hugging him, her heart finally light and free of the burden she had been carrying. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You are so silly. I thought you knew."

Naruto suddenly shot up on the bed, her eyes wide with terror. "The kids! Oh my God, it must be – "

"Relax," Itachi said with a hint of amusement. He was surprised it took her this long to remember the children. "They're at Ino's for a sleepover."

Naruto looked around in a panicked state of utter confusion. "And where are we?"

"A local hotel. I thought you might want to spend tonight away from – the Manor."

Naruto slumped back down onto her pillow, blowing out a big breath of relief. Her pounding heart slowed back to normal. The blonde noticed the smirk on Itachi's face, and she smiled sheepishly at the man. "What would I do without you, Itachi?"

Itachi smiled painfully. "You make me worry too much."

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "How'd you persuade the kids to go to Ino's anyway? They definitely knew something was wrong."

"I convinced them their mother and I needed to go on a very important date."

"A date?" Naruto repeated with criticism. "All the things you could've come up with and you said a date. It's already bad enough that they're hoping we're gonna get hitched."

"I didn't have a lot of room to improvise. I was trying my best to keep you stable."

"Stable?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

"You were hallucinating." Itachi saw the confusion on Naruto's face, and he sighed. He had wished to keep this certain piece of information away from her. "You were… talking to Kiba."

"Oh..." She paused hesitantly. "What – did I say?"

"You told him that… you missed him."

Naruto saw the look on Itachi's face, and she knew that she had said more than Itachi had let on. "Thank you," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome." There was a moment of awkward silence, and Itachi glanced towards the door. "I'll go see if there's anything you can eat." He made a motion as if to stand up, but Naruto's hand shot to his arm and held him down firmly. Slightly startled, the Uchiha stared at the blonde.

"Naruto…?"

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Not really."

"I'm not either." Naruto then dragged Itachi down onto the bed with her. She snuggled into his neck and put one arm around his chest. "Stay."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "You really need to get something to eat."

"Fuck that," she muttered, contentedly closing her eyes. "We get one night off from babysitting the kids. I want to relax."

Itachi ran his hand through Naruto's golden locks. "It doesn't take much time to eat."

"Too troublesome."

"You are so peculiar."

Naruto chuckled. "Keep doing that."

"Doing what?"

"What you were doing with your hand. Pulling it through my hair. It feels good."

Itachi combed his fingers through her long tresses, massaging her scalp in the process. To his amusement, a hum escaped the girl's lips. He continued his stroking, and before long Naruto was purring into the Uchiha's chest.

"I didn't know you could purr. Does it have to do with Kyuubi's influence in your body?"

There was a long moment of silence. Her response took so long that Itachi almost thought the blonde had fallen asleep.

"Yes." A melancholy undertone marked her voice.

"Naruto…?"

"Nothing." The blonde hid her face into Itachi's neck. "Good night."

He knew better than to probe. The Uchiha grabbed the bed covers and pulled it up to Naruto's shoulders. "Good night, little one." He stroked her hair until she fell into a deep slumber.

XXX

"She was not talking to Kiba." The fox demon glared angrily at the Uchiha.

Itachi glanced around. He was standing in a river of red water – at least, he hoped it was water – and four brown walls surrounded him. Kyuubi loomed before him, tall and imposing, its nine tails thrashing impatiently.

"Where am I?"

"We're in the conscious part of your mind," the demon growled. "You're within close proximity to Naruto, so my chakra is able to enter into you."

"So this is just genjutsu?"

"Yes. Physically, I am still inside Naruto."

"You've never done this before." Itachi's face stayed impassive. "I'm assuming you can only enter those who've gotten used to your demon chakra."

The demon snorted. "As expected of an Uchiha. Your intelligence is commendable." It snapped its jaws. "Mortals are born with the fear of demon chakra, and that fear only increases with time. There's a reason why the younger the jinchuuriki, the easier it is to seal the demon inside their bodies. Otherwise the host would immediately reject the foreign chakra. But because you have spent so much time with Naruto, your body has grown accustomed to my chakra and doesn't put much of a fight to resist it."

"It takes a human body this long to grow used to your chakra?"

Kyuubi barked in laughter. "No, Uchiha. I simply never felt the need to seek you out. If I wanted to, my chakra could've entered your body after the first week."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "That's a significantly short amount of time."

"The more emotionally attached you are to my host, the easier it is for you to accept me," the demon replied softly. "That's also why demons are commonly passed down from mother to child. The link between family members can be stronger than the destructive power of demonic chakra."

The Uchiha considered Kyuubi's words carefully. "You feel the emotions Naruto feels towards her loved ones."

"Precisely, you idiot, which is why I'm about to snap off your head." Red chakra shot out of the fox demon's nostrils. "Why the fuck did you tell her she was talking to Kiba?" Itachi didn't answer, and the annoyance Kyuubi held at bay broke free. The demon roared. "IT WAS YOUR GODFUCKING BABY UCHIHA BROTHER SHE KEPT CRYING FOR AND YOU DECIDED TO KEEP THAT AWAY FROM HER?"

No expression formed on Itachi's impassive face. "She was in so much pain when she heard of his return. I didn't want to add to that pain and tell her things she didn't want to hear."

"Oh, like how she kept muttering about how much she loved Sasuke?" Kyuubi answered bluntly.

Itachi stared at Kyuubi. "If you want her to know so badly, who don't you just tell her yourself?"

Kyuubi growled.

"You're not telling her for the same reason I'm not."

The fox demon sighed. "But she loves him."

"She doesn't know that," he replied. The man paused. "What happened between these two?"

"It's a long story."

"And you're not going to tell me?"

"Believe me, I'd tell you if I knew."

Itachi could not stop a look of surprise from flashing across his face. "I wasn't aware Naruto could keep secrets from you."

Kyuubi scrutinized Itachi, before slowly lowering its head until it was eye to eye with the man. "She can't," the demon said flatly.

The words took a moment to sink in. "She has amnesia?"

"You could say that. It's more like all those painful memories are repressed. When the incident happened, her pain was so great that it even affected my memories and blocked them out as well. I can't remember much either."

"What was the incident?" Itachi asked softly.

"Like I said, I'd tell you if I knew. Every time Naruto comes close of retrieving those memories, she goes through a mental breakdown." The demon paused. One of Kyuubi's tails flicked. "She almost destroyed a whole village once in her craze. Of course, this happened back before she had left for that ridiculous seven year mission. But I still wouldn't suggest you go about prodding in these matters. She's a lot more powerful now."

"If she can't remember what exactly happened, then why does she hate Sasuke so much?"

Kyuubi snorted. "If the mention of his name can paralyze her, then I'm pretty sure she wouldn't need much prompting to hate his guts. Naruto was never good with logic and rationality anyway. She acts purely on emotions. You know that."

"I do," Itachi admitted. He considered the information Kyuubi had disclosed. "But she's in love with him."

The demon almost rolled his eyes. "Undoubtedly so."

"Was... my brother at fault?" There was a slight doubt in Itachi's voice. "Do you at least know that much?"

Kyuubi stared at Itachi, noting the man's clenched fists. "Your brother loved Naruto more than anything," the fox then said seriously. "He and Naruto always had a destructive relationship, but..." Kyuubi growled. "Never thought I'd say this about any Uchiha, but that black haired snot was good for her. I am willing to bet my nine tails that the blame Naruto puts on Sasuke is misplaced."

Itachi closed his eyes tiredly. "Thank you."

"You care so much about your brother, but you're not going to help the brat confess her love to him?"

"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I've already put the idea in her mind. What she wants to do what that information is beyond my abilities."

The fox demon chuckled darkly. "You mortals and your strange ways. Very well. But suppose, Uchiha Itachi, that Inuzuka Kiba comes back?"

"Then we'll wish Naruto congratulations."

"No fight whatsoever in you? I'm disappointed. I thought your kind was of a stronger breed."

"If you're referring to your relationship with Uchiha Madara," Itachi said coldly, "then I'm sorry to inform you not all Uchihas are as bloodthirsty."

Kyuubi snorted. "Don't judge things you don't know."

There was a moment of silence. Sharingan met with demonic red, and a feeling of mutual respect passed between the two. Kyuubi's nine tails thrashed one last time before its chakra wrapped around its massive body. The walls began warping.

"Take good care of the little brat. She's not much, but she's all I got."

"I will."

And just like that, Kyuubi disappeared, and Itachi was thrown into darkness.

XXX

A lark sang a long, loud note. It shattered through the still silence of the early sunrise, ringing a few seconds longer in the crisp morning air. But just when the peace was about to be restored, another bird sang the following key. More birds subsequently joined in, and soon a loud symphony of chirping was taking place. And so, however groggily, Naruto was forced to open her eyes.

"Shut up," the blonde muttered incoherently. Annoyance darkened her features. "Fucking birds."

She felt disorientated… Where was she…? Sleep still blocked her senses, and so the blonde blinked rapidly, allowing her blurry vision to clear. She saw sunlight spill onto the floor through an open window, and perking her ears, she could hear the bustling of pedestrians hurrying along on the streets. Naruto was confused; she smelled the fresh dew on the grass – as well as the delicious scent of breakfast cooking in nearby restaurants – but these were not the things she was familiar with every morning she woke up at the Manor. She shifted to get a better look outside the window, and realized she couldn't due to the heavy weight pressed against her body. She glanced down in surprise before smiling gently. The girl stroked the man's long ponytail.

"Morning, gorgeous," Naruto said softly.

Itachi cracked one eye open before closing it again. "Am I suffocating you?"

Naruto grinned. "No, you're not." Amusement twinkled in her eyes. "How did you end up on top of me? I thought I dozed off on you."

Itachi's voice was muffled against Naruto's neck. "You're a messy sleeper."

Naruto's eyes widened comically. "Shut up!" she said indignantly. "You're lying!"

"Ask the floor."

Naruto laughed freely. "Okay, maybe you caught me!" She hugged the man, who grunted his protest at being squeezed in the wee hours of the morning. "Let's go for a walk!"

"Let me sleep."

"But Itachi..." Her voice had dropped to a low whine, and she adopted a pitiful look. "It's such a nice day."

Itachi yawned and rolled over so that he was on his back, blinking sleepily at the pouting blonde. "I'm up."

A huge grin split across Naruto's face. "When are your ANBU duties today? I don't want you to be late." The blonde jumped out of bed before glanced down, suddenly frowning in dismay at her wrinkled outfit. "Crap, my shirt is totally ruined!"

Itachi tiredly pointed to the small bag resting on a chair in the corner of the room. "I got some spare clothes from the Manor." He rubbed his eyes as Naruto bounded across the room to the bag and began digging for her clothes. "And I took two days off from ANBU."

"What!" Naruto exclaimed. She stopped her rummaging as she stared at the Uchiha. "You did? What for? Tsunade-baachan let you?"

Itachi propped himself up on his elbows. The sight of his somewhat disheveled hair made Naruto smile. "She knows I would want to take some time to make sure you and Sasuke don't kill each other."

"Oh."

"Are you okay with – "

"Yes, I'll be fine." Naruto smiled dryly. "I promise to be mature from now on, even if he can't conduct himself in a proper manner."

"I'll hurt him if I need to."

Naruto laughed, but she sobered up as soon as she saw Itachi's solemn expression. "You weren't joking."

"Naruto, I am completely serious about this. If it makes you uncomfortable, arrangements can be made. You are not longer required to stay at the Manor – "

"Itachi." The blonde strode over to the man before cupping his face firmly with both hands. She stared sternly at him. "I want to be with you and the kids. That is a given. Understand?"

Itachi sighed. "If you say so."

"On a more important note..." Naruto held up two socks, one which was blue and the other bright red. "You got me mismatched socks. Are you blind?"

The Uchiha ruffled Naruto's hair. "Don't complain. I'm going to use the washroom. We'll go buy dumplings for breakfast."

"I want shrimp!" Naruto shouted at the man's retreating back. "I swear I'm not allergic."

"Naruto," came Itachi's voice from behind the bathroom door. The sound of running water could be heard. "You're not eating shrimp again. Not on my watch."

"Tyrant," the blonde muttered darkly.

XXX

As Naruto and Itachi were seated in a small restaurant later, sipping their tea and blowing on their steaming dumplings, Naruto noticed the far away glaze in Itachi's eyes, and she could not help but see a troubled expression in his face. She kicked him gently underneath the table, and he blinked out of his stupor.

"Itachi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Naruto," came the automatic reply.

"Itachi…" Naruto growled menacingly. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid, or I'll start to think that's really what you think of me!"

Itachi impassively sipped his tea. "I was thinking."

"And? "

"It is about ANBU."

"What about it?"

Itachi took a bite out of his dumpling. He rubbed his temple wearily. "Chuunin exams start in a month."

"In a month!" Naruto exclaimed. "When are you guys planning to release that to the public? What a short notice."

"Well, because of the ongoing war, we haven't had much time to communicate with the other villages. Only one hidden village, Suna, responded last minute, and they're coming here for the exams." Itachi straightened and stared at Naruto. "The Kagekaze is coming."

Naruto ate slowly, not noticing Itachi's inquisitive gaze. "I wonder if Ino would think Kaira's ready for Chuunin. A month doesn't give me much time to prepare her for it either."

"Naruto. Did you hear what I said?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Chuunin exams are going to be at Konoha, right?"

"The Kazekage is coming."

Naruto blinked. "Yeah. So? Doesn't the Kazekage always come if Suna is participating in the exams?"

"Do you know who the Kazekage is?"

"The leader of Suna?"

Itachi's eyebrow twitched. "No, Naruto. I meant as in who is the leader of Suna."

Naruto was stumped. She bit her lip as she thought deeply. "Crap." The blonde sheepishly grinned. "That might have escaped me. I forgot who took over Suna after Orochimaru killed the last one during my Chuunin exam. Shit I'm old."

"The Kazekage titled switched during your seven year hiatus, Naruto."

"Oh it did? Then I definitely wouldn't know!" Naruto stuffed a couple dumplings in her face and swallowed. "Why are you being so mysterious, Itachi?"

"It's Gaara."

Naruto's chopsticks fell out of her hand as she choked on her food. The chopsticks clattered onto the floor, but she didn't care. Instead, her eyes were riveted onto Itachi as she pounded her chest in an attempt to end her coughing fit.

"I see that information is new to you."

"Gaara? He's still here?" Naruto croaked out in shock. She cleared her throat. "All this time I was back, and I just had ask who the Kazekage was… Holy fuck. How did I never know?"

"You were close with him?" Itachi asked.

"Y-yeah I guess we were close."

"How close?"

Naruto blushed. "Itachi…"

"I'm sorry, but I must ask this."

The blonde blew out a breath. "If you really must know, I dated him."

"As a boy?" Itachi questioned. He somehow could not keep the surprise out of his voice.

Naruto threw Itachi a glare. "Can you not? My dad's henge broke when I turned fourteen. I dated Gaara for half a year or so. This was all before my mission. He was one of the few people who knew I was girl."

"You thought he was dead?"

Naruto looked away. "Not… dead. I thought he left."

"Left what?"

"Left Suna. He… had a personal mission he wanted to complete."

"Can you tell me, Naruto?" Itachi asked. "Konoha has every right to question Suna's actions at the moment. They haven't been our ally for seven years."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What! Seven… years." Understanding dawned, and horror marred her features. "Oh my god, don't tell me it's because of me."

"Gaara was nominated Kazekage shortly after you left for your mission. Suna was very secretive about it. We never knew the full details behind the switching of the Kazekage title. But when he found out you were gone and none of us could explain why you had yet to return, Suna immediately withdrew their alliance. This is the first time we've heard from them in a very long time, Naruto, and people are worried the Chuunin exams are going to be used for an ambush, like Orochimaru did many years ago."

"Gaara would never!" Naruto protested loudly. She saw the curious stares she got from people inside the restaurant, and the blonde immediately lowered her voice. "Y-you don't understand, but I swear, Gaara would never do such a thing."

Itachi locked his hands together and propped up his elbows. He sighed tiredly. "Naruto, are you ever planning to return to the battlefield? The Konoha Council wanted me to ask you."

"Return to the battlefield?" Naruto repeated. Her face cleared as understanding dawned. "Oh… like ANBU duties."

"I know Tsunade told you that the Council gave you back your ANBU duties two weeks ago, and Iruka and Kakashi ask about you a lot."

Naruto bit her lip. She hadn't been able to talk to either sensei since her party months ago, and she felt extremely guilty. "I miss them a lot too."

"Of course, it's completely your choice," Itachi said. "Tsunade-sama still wants you to stay home and recuperate, but seeing how the war is turning…"

Naruto gritted her teeth. "Any sign of my team?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

"Then I don't know what to say," Naruto's eyes misted over. "I don't think I'm ready yet."

Itachi's face softened. "Don't force it, little one. I'll tell the elders to stop pushing." The Uchiha reached over and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Naruto's face. "Naruto, you understand ANBU procedure. I need to know what happened between you and Gaara."

Naruto ran a frustrated hand through her hair. "How are Temari and Kankuro?"

"They're Gaara's council. Last time I checked, they were fine. Why?"

The blonde sighed. "Because the last time I saw the three of them, I was wishing them a safe trip to Water country."

"Water country? Why?"

Naruto's eyes met with Itachi's. "They found their mother."

"I thought… their mother died," Itachi spoke slowly. "Konoha was told that Gaara's mother died giving birth to Gaara. The one-tailed demon Shuukaku killed her."

"That's what we all thought." Naruto began twiddling with her food, as her eyes became glazed with forgotten memories. "I was at Suna for a mission. It was so late at night… I was about to sleep soon, too. But there he was, hurling his sand rocks at my window like an idiot." Naruto shook her head, laughing a little at the memory. "I opened my window to let Gaara in. He looked… out of it. His eyes were wild with excitement.

"I immediately asked him what happened, and he told me he had heard two guards talking about his birth. His mother's name popped up, and they didn't talk about her like she was dead. So right after, Gaara broke into Suna's record-keeping room and took out his mother's history. He found out she was banished to Water country right after he was born, and to cover it up, Gaara's late father told the entire village she had died."

"Why was she banished?" Itachi asked softly.

"She objected to Gaara being a jinchuuriki, and she threatened to overthrow the Kazekage. For her mutiny, her husband made her an outcast."

"Gaara and his two siblings left immediately after they found out?"

"Yeah. Before Gaara and I parted ways, we swore not to let anyone know about our relationship, in case Suna managed to get a lead from me. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro meant to leave Suna for good, and they didn't want any tracking shinobi after them."

"When was this?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "One week before my seven year mission."

"So learning Gaara's Kazekage is – "

"A real kick in the gut, yes," Naruto finished bluntly. "For all these years, I've always imagined him happily reunited with his mother."

"Naruto, is there any way that Gaara would have malicious intent towards Konoha?"

Naruto stared steadily back at Itachi. "No. Gaara wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I'm assuming he's coming to Konoha only for you?"

The blonde reddened into a deep shade of magenta. "Itachi - "

"Just making sure, little one. It's protocol."

"Yes," Naruto replied stiffly, so embarrassed she could not meet Itachi's eyes. "Yes, I suppose so. The Kazekage is traveling this far just so he could see me. I am a creature to be envied."

"The Suna-Konoha alliance rests on your shoulders."

"Shut up."

"Are you going to meet him?"

Naruto glared at the Uchiha. "Well of course I am! He's my ex-boyfriend, not my nemesis."

"If he's interested in continuing your past relationship, would you?" Now it was Itachi who sounded stiff.

The blonde laughed. "Are you being protective?"

The Uchiha's expression was blank. "Would you date Gaara?"

"That's a dumb question," Naruto said, glaring. "Or have you forgotten I'm engaged?"

Itachi noticed Naruto's scowl waver slightly. "Naruto…" He reached over and squeezed Naruto's hand. "Don't give up hope."

"I'm beginning to think Ino was right. Sometimes, you just gotta let go. No matter how much it hurts. I think about him every day, but knowing Kiba... He wouldn't want me to wait forever. Hell, he'd probably be pissed. I'm still hoping desperately for any signs, but... It's been almost half a year. I just don't know anymore." Naruto then returned Itachi's squeeze, smiling painfully. "But I got you here next to me. Everything's gonna be okay."

Itachi's handsome face softened. "It will."

Chapter 7 will be out soon! Thanks for your patience.

Shout out to Shika1929 for catching my Gaara mistake in Chapter 1! haha. Your trollface comment made me laugh. I corrected the mistake, so thank you!

Thanks to all of you guys for supporting me and reviewing!