Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

AN: Thank you very much for the follows, favorites and especially the review. Thank you for reading and your continuous support to my story.

"Speech"
'Thoughts'

Chapter 9: Finding the right allies


—oOo—


Mikoto's POV


—oOo—


It has been 3 months since she decided to give her sons a helping hand in finding their special someone. Sasuke is becoming skilled in evading her and her attempts in setting him up with someone. Itachi is still elusive and his mystery woman still remains a mystery. 'Why can't others understand that she has good intentions in her heart? She's not being pushy. Pushy is when someone use forceful methods to make others do what you wanted them to do. She's not using forceful methods; she did not drag Sasuke bound and tied to show up in his dates. She only kept reminding him of his unplanned engagements. Lastly, she certainly did not make others do what she wanted them to do because if she did there should already be some grandbabies in the making. What was she thinking when she asked Shisui regarding an investigation on Itachi's mystery woman.'

She has two eligible and capable sons and though she loves them equally, she would not be able to accomplish the mission alone. She needed allies who would be loyal to the cause and who would convince those that will stall the cause to see the importance of it. She had to get started with the visits.


—oOo—


She was searching for a certain Konoha jounin known for wandering the streets of Konoha while reading Icha-icha Nirvana, the new series written by the ghost writer of Jiraiya. Said jounin was found exiting the house of his friend/rival Maito Gai.

"Kakashi, I am so happy to see you. We've matters of great importance to discuss." She greeted the jounin as she dropped from the roof.

Hatake Kakashi, previously known as (1) copy ninja Kakashi and Kakashi of the Sharingan, managed to mask his surprise upon the unexpected encounter with the Uchiha Matriarch. He nodded his head towards her and answered. "Please lead the way Mikoto."

She looked at her surroundings and upon seeing few people and no familiar faces that could eavesdrop to their conversation. She asked him to have a seat at the branch of a tree nearby. There might be no familiar faces insight but it doesn't mean they could be careless and discuss this matter at plain sight. "You are an excellent shinobi Kakashi, one of the most prized shinobi of our village. Both my sons regarded you with reverence as both of them experienced working with you as their team leader." She mentioned.

"I am happy to know that I am revered but I doubt it was the reason you seek me out." Kakashi replied.

"You got me." She said with a conniving glint in her eyes. "You may not be interested in starting your own family but it doesn't mean that you can't persuade others to start one, particularly my sons." She explained.

"I am sorry Mikoto but such matters are better left to solve itself. I can't offer you my assistance because (2) in the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash; however, those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash and the ones who abandon their friends' feelings are even worse than that. I won't manipulate my friend's feelings even if you believed it's for their betterment." Kakashi answered without any hesitations.

She unhappily left Kakashi. 'What's wrong with the shinobis of this village? She's not asking much but just a little cooperation to get her sons to the right path. I think I have better chances with the mothers.'

—oOo—

She travelled towards the clans' district and searched for the Inuzuka compound. She heard about the rumors regarding Tsume's son. She would definitely join her cause after hearing her proposal. A tracker is definitely beneficial to the cause since Sasuke is becoming more adept in hiding from her these days and it would definitely help in finding out Itachi's mystery woman.

The Inuzuka compound is a medium sized compound. It's not as fancy as the Uchihas' and the Hyuugas' mansion nor as wide as the Naras' and Akamichis' household but it is still a decent size compound. It's bigger than the Sarutobis'. She headed towards the main house and asked for an audience with Tsume Inuzuka.

An animalistic looking woman with spiky untamed brown hair, vertical slit-like pupils and elongated canine teeth greeted her at the receiving area of the main house and said. "Did the Uchiha Matriarch decide it was time to mingle with the commoners?"

"Retract those fangs Tsume. I am well aware that I don't visit much but I have a proposition that I believed would be beneficial to the both of us." She replied.

"I am all ears. Begin." Tsume demanded; the years certainly did not curb out Tsume's impatience.

"I've been hearing rumors about your son. Allow me to finish before you retaliate." She said upon seeing the woman preparing to counter the rumors. "I know this young woman whom I believed will be an excellent match to your Kiba. She's a grandchild of a family friend and not from the village but she's good with animals and familiar with ninja cats so ninja dogs are not impossible for her. She's patient and kind so her personality will not clash with your son. This is her picture." She explained as she gave the picture to Tsume.

Tsume stared at the picture with a critical eye and asked. "How much patience are we talking about?"

"I'll say very patient. I've never seen her lose it no matter how much errands and demands her grandmother left to her." She answered with a smile threatening to show. Tsume definitely likes what she's seeing and hearing.

"I've also been hearing rumors about you and your sons. What do you want in exchange?" Tsume asked.

"Tracking services from your clan; I would like to be able to find Sasuke faster when he's missing and to know the identity of Itachi's mystery woman." She answered.

"You've got yourself a deal Mikoto." Tsume said.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." She replied as she prepared to leave the house.


—oOo—


That's one ally on her side but it's not enough. Her sons are stubborn. They definitely got their stubbornness from Fugaku because she's a very flexible person. She decided to take the normal road towards the Hokage tower. Going there in a hurry may alert her sons and she's already having a hard time in setting them up; it would be much harder if they become more suspicious of her intentions. She decided to talk with Koharu and Homura before speaking to the Hokage. It's always better to have more support when making requests to the Hokage.

She was greeted by an old woman with her hair pulled back in a twin bun locked by a traditional hair pin with one big pearl and two smaller pearls dangling off the side and by an old man with grey hair, a beard and glasses. "It's rare for you to seek an audience with us." The old woman said.

"I apologize for the sudden visit but a sudden issue in my clan came to my attention. It came to my attention that though we have plenty of Uchiha shinobis, we have scarcity of Uchiha members building a family. The war took a toll in the population of the Uchiha clan. I feared that if this continues sooner or later the sharingan will no longer exist in Konoha." She explained her plight.

"The loss of sharingan will be a huge blow to the strength of Konoha. How can we be of assistance to prevent it from happening?" Koharu asked.

"I have this request to have the younger generation of the Uchiha clan to be paired with kunoichis that I believed will be a good match for them when they are given mission. I was hoping that I could have your support in having it approved by the Hokage." She proposed.

"Rest assured that you'll have our support Mikoto." Homura replied.

"Thank you for your cooperation." She thanked the elders as she left to schedule a meeting with Tsunade.


—oOo—


Silence enveloped the Hokage office. The normally procrastinating or sleeping Hokage was wide awake and staring the people in front of her with calculating eyes.

"Shinobi mission is a job and not a chance for a date. I would not subject my shinobis to this ridiculousness." The brown eyed blond Hokage objected.

"You won't subject all your shinobis in this program only those selected few on the list." She reasoned to the Hokage.

"This program could compromise the mission." The Hokage pointed out.

"I understand your concern Tsunade-sama but we're talking about very capable shinobis here and the program is not applicable to S and A ranked missions." She supplied.

"Tsunade-hime, the loss of sharingan will be a tragedy for Konoha. We have to prevent it from happening." Koharu added.

The Hokage sighed in resignation toward the topic. "I'll only allow the program in the condition that it will only affect the single Uchiha shinobis ages 18-30 years old." The Hokage checked her shinobi roster. "And that will be 3 active shinobis in the village." She finished.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama." She thanked the Hokage.


—oOo—


It was a productive day for Mikoto. She managed to recruit some allies and established a permanent chance for her sons to be in close contact with Kunoichis without arranging surprise date. She even managed to have her nephew Shisui added to the program. Uncle Kagami would be happy of her good deed. She decided to visit the cemetery to inform her husband and relatives on her good deeds.

She decided to visit the Yamanaka flower shop to purchase some flowers and if luck is on her side Yamanaka Ino will be manning the shopping. She can inquire about the development on her relationship with her son. It's really sad that the girl got over her Sasuke-kun days. It was really cute in her honest opinion.


—oOo—


The bells jingled as a sign that a customer entered the shop. She's definitely lucky today. Ino was manning the shop. She better gets started in her information gathering.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop. How may I…" Ino was reciting the customary greeting for customers but stopped upon noticing it was her. She continued the greeting with: "Mrs. Uchiha, it's a surprise to see you. Was there a mistake in the flowers that Sasuke picked up?"

"The flowers are exquisite. You did a wonderful job in arranging them. I was in the area when I decided that I should visit Fugaku and some of my relatives." She assured the lady.

"I'm glad that you liked them. How are you Mrs. Uchiha? Is there anything in particular you want for the flower arrangements?" Ino asked.

"I'm good but I could be better if my sons would finally found their woman. I would like a wreath made with white cattleya and blue hydrangea and a wreath made with angel's breath with blue carnations." She answered.

"When would you like it to be ready?" Ino asked.

"As soon as possible, I'll wait for them to be finished." She answered brightly. Making wreaths will take more time than arranging bouquets and vases. It would be more time for information gathering.

"I understand. I'll get started right away Mrs. Uchiha." Ino replied.

"No need to hurry dear. We have plenty of time. Work at your leisurely phase, we can chat while you work." She suggested.

"I do not want to take much of your time Mrs. Uchiha. I'm not much of a conversationalist." Ino answered.

"Nonsense, I'm sure we can find something we both can talk about like Sasuke for example." She will not give up on her mission.

"Sasuke seems healthy when he picked up the flowers this morning." Ino said unsurely.

"He is. Don't you agree that his healthy complexion enhances his handsomeness?" She asked.

"I guess so." Ino replied as she weaved the wreath.

"Do you think his voice has the rich baritone in it?" She continued asking.

"I haven't notice Mrs. Uchiha." Ino answered still weaving the wreath.

"What would you like for your man Ino?" She asked. She guessed it would be easier to compare it to her son's characteristics and personality.

"I'm not really looking for a romantic relationship right now Mrs. Uchiha." Ino answered.

"But surely you have some must haves and must not haves for your man." She persevered.

"Perhaps when I was younger Mrs. Uchiha but when you fall in love the must haves and must not haves really doesn't matter." Ino answered.

She was going to continue her questioning but Inoichi Yamanaka arrived. There's one thing that Inoichi Yamanaka is known for in Konoha and it is not something related to his job to the Torture and Interrogation Force. Inoichi Yamanaka is an overprotective father.


—oOo—


AN: Thank you for reading my story. I would love to hear your opinions.

1. He got his sharingan from some no name Uchiha member but lost said sharingan in the war.

2. Kakashi's famous quote to team 7 and Obito