A/N: Hey there everyone! The fall semester is coming to an end and finals are breathing down my neck...but I have returned with another chapter. Think of this as a mid-season finale of sorts as there's plenty more to go from here on. Enjoy! And please review!

Kichiro sat quietly on the porch, his black eyes staring blankly ahead. In the yard in front of him, Takuma and Honami sparred. Kichiro couldn't tell who was winning and honestly, he didn't care. All he wanted to do was go back into the house and sleep. Anything it took to escape his current reality.

He was sure that Sosei had killed Hensou. The look in his older brother's eyes had left no questions about that. Kichiro thought that by telling Sosei, he'd keep his secret. After all, he was an ANBU Black Ops and as Sosei had told him multiple times before, he was a professional secret keeper. But instead, he had stormed out of the house and went across town. Kichiro didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling.

On one hand, he was glad that Hensou had been dealt with. He was relieved that the monster in his dreams had been slain by his brother. However, on the other hand...he felt even more hurt. In a strange way, Kichiro felt that Hensou had cared for his well-being. He had looked out for him when he was insulted by Kataki. He had taught him how a true shinobi acted. The only flaw in his character was becoming the monster.

Was even that a sin?

"Are you alright, Kichiro?" the young Uchiha's ear perked when he heard Setsuka's soft voice. Absently, he nodded, avoiding her piercing purple gaze.

"Mhm," he nodded. "I'm okay." He felt Setsuka's eyes on him still and turned to look at her. He didn't bother to frown and say something mean. He didn't have the energy and it wouldn't make him feel any better. Instead, Kichiro rose to his feet and went inside the house.

"Kichi," Hikari said. Kichiro turned, slightly annoyed that his little sister followed.

"What?" The pink-haired girl blinked inquisitively.

"Why did you come in here alone?" she asked. Kichiro sighed.

"Because I want to be alone right now, Hikari," he replied.

"Well, I don't want you to be alone." Kichiro stood still as Hikari walked forward and hugged him. "I love you, Kichi. You're my big brother. If you're sad and alone, I'll be sad and alone. We're better together," she said. Kichiro didn't attempt to push Hikari or squirm away from her tightening hug. Instead, he let his hands touch his sister's back. Her head rested on his chest and Kichiro felt a wetness on his shirt. He knew all too well that that meant that she was crying. Strangely enough, she wasn't weeping and being loud as she usually did. It was a silent cry.

My five year old sister is crying, Kichiro thought. All because of the things I've gone through.

The young Uchiha didn't want anybody else to cry over him or for him. He wanted to heal. He wanted things to be better, but could they? It had taken him being mistreated at the hands of his teacher for his family to take notice of him. For anyone aside from Sosei to even take the time out to talk to him and guide him. Now, Sosei was imprisoned, Takuma was concerned with his relationship with Honami, and Kichiro's father was...

"Papa?" Hikari said. Kichiro hadn't realized his sister had stopped hugging him. She was turned, facing the front door to the house. Past the threshold, a larger, mature and bandaged version of Kichiro stood. Sasuke Uchiha was home.

Kichiro's father walked toward him, limping slightly. From his torn clothes and his bandages, whatever mission he had been on had been a very rough one. He gingerly knelt down and winced when Hikari grabbed him and hugged him.

"Hey, little one," Sasuke said softly. He brushed his daughter's tears from her eyes and then looked to Kichiro. Under his father's onyx gaze, Kichiro felt himself break. He didn't want to cry but the tears came anyway. Before he knew it, his father's hand pulled him forward. One gently patted his head and the other held Kichiro close to his father's chest. This man, so renown throughout the world as the fiercest shinobi in the present era, whispered softly to Kichiro. "I know you think nothing's going to be ok ever again...but you're wrong," he said softly.

"Dad...I...Hensou, he..." Kichiro said, taking in sharp breaths. Again, his father quietly shushed him.

"Naruto told me everything. I just want you to know it's not your fault. I failed you and I'm sorry," he said. Kichiro was in shock. He had never heard his father apologize to him or his brothers. He'd never even thought his father was capable of any kind of wrongdoing. The man seemed like the dark, brooding personification of perfection. But to hear him say that he was sorry and that he had failed...

"Yes, sir," Kichiro said. Sasuke's eyes were locked onto Kichiro's.

"I learned long ago that just because the cause of your problem is dead, it doesn't mean that the source of your problem is gone." Kichiro's father looked at him. "I want you to become stronger. I see your potential. You just have to see it. I'll train you until you do." Kichiro nodded. Takuma's Chunin Exam was fastly approaching and he'd probably need their father to train him. Kichiro sighed.

"Will Takuma be with us too?" he asked.

"No," Sasuke replied. Kichiro blinked.

"No?" he repeated. Sasuke nodded and lightly smiled.

"Just us."

Takuma was shocked to see his father. The momentary pause that he took had allowed for Honami to strike him and put him on the ground, right as his father stepped out of the house. Kichiro and Hikari were close to him and Takuma noticed that his younger brother's face appeared to be brighter and more encouraged. Takuma smiled and rose to his feet quickly to meet his father.

"Father," Takuma said with excitement. Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward and nodded. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as his black eyes traveled from Honami and back to Takuma. The young Uchiha felt unnerved under his father's gaze.

"Sasuke-sensei?" Honami said. Takuma's father began to speak.

"It's a shame Shogo isn't here...I spoke with the Hokage about you during our mission. I told him about how you three performed during your bell test and he has approved you for advancement to the Chunin Exams," Sasuke said. Takuma's eyes widened and he looked over to Honami. Her face shared his excitement and she held her up to her body and shook.

"This is so great, ya know!?" she said. Takuma heard the excitement oozing from her voice in a way he hadn't heard before. His father looked almost amused.

"Just when I thought you weren't anything like your father," he quipped. Honami blushed slightly and then laughed. Takuma just blinked. He was lost.

"So, when are the exams supposed to begin?" Takuma asked.

"In about two months. It'll be a winter exam. Usually, we'd be heading to Sunagakure instead of having it here but that won't be the case this year," Sasuke replied. Takuma gawked and Honami raised an eyebrow.

"Wait...why not?" Takuma asked.

"Sensei, didn't you and my father defeat those rogue shinobi that attacked us?" Honami asked. Takuma wondered the same thing. His father had seemed to be more content than usual. If he had failed his mission, that certainly wouldn't be the case.

"We did," Sasuke said, not changing his tone. "This is just the decision that the Hokage has made. However, this doesn't mean that Genin from around the world won't be participating." Takuma nodded. He suspected that his father was hiding something. He never shared mission details with his children, or at least he hadn't with Takuma and Kichiro. But Takuma could tell that his father was overcompensating and hiding something. Perhaps his eyes were just that much more sharp now.

"Well, this is great!" Honami said. "I need to go tell Shogo." She looked behind Takuma's father and the young Uchiha saw Honami's adopted sister nervously walking up to Kichiro. The brown haired girl said something and Kichiro shook his head and smiled politely, before waving goodbye to her. To Takuma's surprise, Honami grabbed him and hugged him.

"Thanks for coming over," Takuma whispered.

"Of course. By the way, you might want to work on taijutsu before we fight each other in the final rounds of the Chunin Exams. Don't want to spank you in front of the world," Honami snickered in Takuma's ear. The young Uchiha remained unflappable and instead dipped his head. He smirked a little when Honami winked before she and her sister disappeared down the road.

"So," Sasuke said when the girls had gone. His voice sounded far more serious and Takuma turned to face him. "I presume you know that Sosei was imprisoned?" he said. Takuma nodded.

"Yes, sir. Kichiro...told me what happened to him." Takuma's younger brother looked up at him and then to their father. Sasuke folded his arms.

"Well..." he said softly. "Let's go visit him."

Sakura had made provisions with the Hokage for Sosei to get more comfortable bedding. The Uchiha was grateful for that. Lying on stiff plastic cot had almost made him regret killing Hensou. The ANBU guards outside of Sosei's cell had switched at least once since then. The Uchiha hadn't bothered to ask who they were since he woke up. He just stared at the ceiling with his Sharingan activated. He had gotten used to his eyes now. Keeping them activated barely consumed a drop of chakra now. He wanted to try to use the Mangekyo and adjust to the massive power boost as well as the chakra drain, but he feared the ANBU outside would take it as a threat against them.

Sosei sighed and shifted in his bed to sit up. The noise caused the ANBU to turn towards his cell. Sosei stared at them. He almost didn't realize his Sharingan was still activated until one of the ANBU seemed to drop in a defensive stance. The other ANBU placed a hand on the operative's shoulder.

"Stand down, Shōheki. He's not going to do anything," the ANBU said. Sosei perked up when he heard the man's voice and stood up from his bed.

"Komuji...?" Sosei asked. The ANBU nodded and lifted his mask. Shoheki seemed to gawk as Komuji grinned.

"Yeah. Took a bit of maneuvering to be assigned as your cell guard, but here I am." Sosei stood and walked over to the door and stopped in the middle of the floor. Shōheki was staring at him with wary eyes. Sosei remembered him. He was the blue-haired beauty Aori Hasuya's boyfriend and from the looks of it, he had been promoted by the Hokage to the rank of ANBU. The two shinobi stared at each other through the bars. Sosei wondered if Aori had mentioned him to Shōheki. That would explain why his eyes hadn't left the Uchiha since he moved.

"Is there a problem, Shōheki?" Sosei said with a smirk. Shōheki glowered and Komuji sighed.

"Don't start..." he said. "I came down here to talk to you, Sosei. Not to break up a fight," he said. Sosei chuckled and stretched. His stomach silently rumbled and he flexed his hand.

"If you can get me a bowl of rice and chicken, then I'll be ready to talk to you," the Uchiha said. Within five minutes, Sosei's captain had returned with a medium sized bowl of white rice and steamed chicken. It was bland and tasteless, but it cured Sosei's hunger quickly. After gulping down the bowl, Sosei felt his strength return to him.

"I wanted to ask if you were alright," Komuji said. "Everyone has been pretty beat up since Noboru passed, especially you and Suzume. I thought that maybe that was a reason for you killing that teacher. One of the subtle reasons," Komuji said. Sosei frowned.

"No. The only reason I did it was to make sure that monster never touched another innocent child again," the Uchiha boy said. Komuji didn't flinch.

"So it had nothing to do with us not being strong enough to save Noboru?" Sosei paused and allowed Komuji to continue his thought. "I know how things work with you, Sosei. I've known you for a little more than two years and I've fought alongside you. You're very emotionally distant, but you establish attachments to people. Being human doesn't make you any less of a shinobi. Even if that humanity makes you feel weak."

Sosei blinked. "So what are you saying?" Komuji shook his head.

"I don't want you to believe that having emotions makes you a weak shinobi. All you need to do is learn how to harness it and let it fuel you. Just not in a way that causes suffering for yourself and your family," the silver-haired young man said.

"I haven't caused any suffering for my family," Sosei retorted. "I helped free Kichiro from that piece of shit when my family hadn't even taken notice." Komuji's eyes stared into Sosei's.

"So you honestly think your little brother is better served with you in prison, awaiting either a death or life sentence?" Sosei blinked and felt his heart racing.

"W-what?"

"That's right," Komuji said. "As an ANBU Black Ops, you serve directly under the supervision of the Hokage. No one in the Police Corps or any of the other ANBU operatives can arrest or command you unless directed by the Hokage himself. But when you disobey a direct order from the only person that is allowed to give you directives, the punishment is severe," Komuji explained. The ANBU captain folded his arms. "Can you live with that?"

Sosei thought on that briefly. It was true that he had disobeyed the Hokage and had acted purely out of his emotions. He had been willing to preserve the bastard's life under the orders of the Hokage until the monster had taunted Sosei. Whatever punishment or trial Hensou would've gone through wouldn't have been nearly as swift as the justice that Sosei had dealt to him. At that moment, Sosei had felt peace in knowing that nobody would ever have to deal with that bastard again...but now he was troubled by the fact that all he had were claims made by a emotionally distressed ten year old boy and himself. A young shinobi that the world would see as a killer of his own. A traitor who disobeyed his Hokage and took the life of a shinobi whose job it was to instruct the next generation in the shinobi arts.

No matter what crimes that teacher had commited, they'd be treated as mere rumors. The unavoidable fact was that an Uchiha had murdered an instructor, despite his Hokage telling him to stand down. But his little brother was safe, if only from that monster and his actions had caused his father and Sakura to pay y more attention to the boy, at least he'd hoped. If dying was a result of saving Kichiro from a predator's grasp, then...

"Yes, I can live with it...or die with it," Sosei said solemnly. Komuji stared at him and the silver-haired shinobi slowly nodded. Sosei could tell from the wrinkles under his eyes that he was smiling.

"Then I'm sure things will work out for you," the young man said. Sosei stared through the bars of his cell door and sighed softly. He hoped in his heart that Komuji was right.

"So are we going to start this meeting or what?" an elderly woman said. Her trademark purple hair was beginning to gray and her spiky ponytail was starting to droop. The older woman next to her touched her shoulder and smiled.

"We're just waiting on one more. You know he's always late," she said. The Sixth Hokage stood against a wall and looked up at the ceiling. He noticed a few cracks that he needed to repair in this chamber, the cobwebs that needed to be dusted and some paint that needed to be reapplied. It must've been the boredom that caused him to notice these things.

Naruto sighed. Although he had no issue with the Konoha Council, he preferred not to have his opinions and decisions questioned. He was stubborn, nearly to a fault, and once he had his mind set on a plan of action, it'd take divine intervention to cause him to change course. The Council had advised against he and Sasuke pursuing the Three Deaths, saying it would leave the village practically defenseless should the terrorists change their course and attack Konoha, despite those Councilors being three powerful shinobi in their own right. They had even spoken against assisting Kirigakure in their reconstruction, citing Konoha's own needs. But Naruto had done so anyway.

The Three Deaths had been reduced to two, one if the injuries sustainted by the kunoichi caused her to be dead and he and Sasuke had discovered some clue as to who the leader of those shinobi were. The Hokage closed his eyes and the image of Yashagoro came to him. Long black hair, a slim, muscular figure and blue eyes that changed to golden slits when he was angered. At first, he believed it was Orochimaru. But there was no way it could've been.

The Sannin had been resurrected during the Fourth Shinobi World War and had been instrumental in evening the battlefield in favor of the Alliance, but after the war had been won, the Sage of Six Paths returned his soul back to the land of the dead. For Orochimaru to still be present was impossible. The man was a mad scientist at his core, hellbent on unlocking the secrets of immortality, but the Sage had ended that struggle for him. There was no way he could still be alive.

Unless... Naruto thought.

"Lord Hokage, if I may?" the purple haired woman said. Naruto opened his eyes and smiled lightly.

"Go ahead, Anko-sensei," he replied. Anko Mitarashi dipped her head.

"We've been waiting for at least fifteen minutes now. This is a decision that needs to be decided on quickly. I motion that we start this meeting without-"

"We can't," the other Elder said.

"Shizune, please..." Anko said, rolling her eyes.

"His input is just as important as ours. He has a habit for lateness, we know this and I'm sure the Hokage does as well. Just a little while longer. We can't come to a full decision without him," Shizune replied. Anko grumbled.

"If that old geezer doesn't bring his a..." The door opened slowly and Naruto looked to see who was entering. His face shifted to a smile.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," the man said as he casually strolled in. "I got a little lost on the path of life." Anko sighed.

"Kakashi Hatake, I would've thought that this habit of lateness would've died as you've grown older." Kakashi smiled under his facemask and took his seat, groaning a little as he sat down.

"Wonderful to see you as well, Anko. Lady Shizune," he said. Shizune smiled politely and dipped her head. The Three Councilors turned to Naruto. When everyone had settled, Naruto stepped from the wall and sat in front of the Council. His heart raced a little, as it always did when he had to speak to the most respected shinobi in his village, aside from himself.

"Alright, everyone. Thanks for assembling on such a late notice," the Hokage started. "As you may know, there's been a tragedy in the village. A very complicated one. Sosei Uchiha, an ANBU black operative, killed an Academy instructor, despite me ordering him to stand down," Naruto said. The Councilors looked at each other.

"That doesn't sound too complicated at all. He disobeyed a direct order from his leader and he should be punished accordingly," Anko replied. Kakashi nodded but then rested his chin on his hand.

"That is true, however, something tells me that there's more to it than simply that. Am I right, Lord Hokage?" Naruto's former sensei cast his knowing gaze towards him and the blonde shinobi sighed.

"Yeah, sensei. It appears that Hensou molested one of his students after using a genjutsu to immobilize him then attempted to cover his tracks by placing genjutsu seals if someone tried to look into it," he said. "That student is Sosei's youngest brother, Kichiro." The room was quiet. The Elders looked between each other and Kakashi hung his head. Shizune turned to the Hokage.

"How do you know that this is true, Lord Hokage?" she asked.

"Sasuke told me. He and Sakura were attempting to repair Kichiro's mind after he fell comatose. He saw it and he informed me on his findings. We were going to arrest Hensou and bring him in when we returned to the village, but by the time we got back, the deed was already done. My clone and Shikamaru restrained him and put him in prison," Naruto said.

"Well, that is complicated," Kakashi said as he rubbed his chin. Anko and Shizune nodded.

"What were you planning to do with him? Just hold him in prison?" Shizune asked.

"There's nothing really else to do. If he had simply killed the teacher without cause or for a weaker cause, then life imprisonment is the standard punishment. Disobeying a Kage's order in the old days would've probably have been execution or banishment," Anko replied.

"But, this young man killed an instructor that took advantage of his younger sibling," Shizune finished. Anko titled her head back and groaned softly. Naruto's eyes went to her.

"The problem is, this young man is an Uchiha and the world has already dealt with enough 'crazy' Uchiha. The Alliance barely held together when Sasuke was accepted back into the fold," she said. Kakashi chuckled softly.

"They had no choice, really. Sasuke helped Naruto save the world from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Without them, there'd be no Alliance to speak of."

"I think Anko's point is, the village is watching. Letting Sosei go 'unpunished' would be seen as nepotism because of how close the Lord Hokage is to Sasuke. Punishing him to harshly will alienate the Uchiha from us AGAIN," Shizune said. Naruto folded his arms and wrinkled his brow as he closed his eyes.

"So, doing too little will make it appear as if I'm choosing sides and doing too much will make me seem too harsh?" Naruto said. "What do you three suggest I do?" The Elders kept their eyes on Naruto and the blonde man felt uneasy again.

"What was your original plan of action?" Anko asked. Naruto shook his head. He had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to be appropriate for the situation. He understood Sosei's struggle. If anything had happened to Konohamaru when they were younger, especially on this level, he would've done anything to cause that person pain. This was the only family that Sosei had. He had just gotten past the wall he had built around himself and now, Naruto was forced to make a decision to determine the boy's future.

"Should I punish a shinobi for protecting that which is precious to him? The only thing that is precious enough to keep him grounded?" Naruto asked. the Elders looked at each other and then back at Naruto. The Hokage continued to speak. "The primary goal of every shinobi is to protect the villag, their home. An Academy instructor that preys on children is a danger to the village and I believe it was my failure to react on time that caused this situation to occur. I encourage every shinobi to find something that they feel is worth protecting, outside of this village. I want every shinobi to stay grounded and realize that they are human and not simply tools. I can't and I won't punish Sosei for doing what I encourage others to do."

Naruto paused and sighed.

"However, he disobeyed an order to stand down from his Hokage. For that, I have to discipline him. He just needs to know that no one's word superceds mine in this village," he said. The Elders all nodded and Kakashi closed his eyes as he smiled.

"The same lesson his father had to be taught, if I'm not mistaken," he said. Naruto shook his head and closed his eyes. He remembered during his first year as the Hokage when Sasuke had gone against an order he had made, privately challenging Naruto's position as Hokage and it had taken a near hour long battle to beat sense into the Uchiha.

"Not necessarily the same," Naruto chuckled softly. He wanted to teach Sosei. He wanted to guide him and make sure that he learned valuable lessons about respect and what it meant to be a shinobi. The same lessons that he had learned from shinobi that were much older than he was and had experienced the world when it was at its worst. Naruto's eyes shifted upward to Kakashi. The older man looked a little worried.

"Lord Hokage?" he asked.

"I believe Sosei would benefit from being guided by an older shinobi, with more experience than I. Kakashi-sensei, I want you to teach Sosei until you believe he is ready to stand on his own. I'll demote him from ANBU status and place him under your charge," Naruto said. Kakashi's face mask could barely hide his shock, but he didn't seem dissatisfied with Naruto's declaration. Instead, he dipped his head respectfully.

"If you believe that my guidance will help him, then I'll do what I can," he replied. Naruto dipped his head.

"Good, he'll report to you as often as you see fit but he'll take no missions from the village until you believe he's ready," the Hokage said. With that, he unfolded his arms. "Thank you three so much for your assistance and for gathering at this time. I'll see you all again, soon." The Hokage winked and in a puff of yellow chakra and smoke, he disappeared.

Takuma had rarely seen his mother more excited to see his father than she was now. Something about the way she acted made Takuma feel both warm with a flushing embarrassment and a sense of familial love. It was a refreshing sight. His parents didn't really perform public displays of affaection towards each other, especially not around he and his siblings. Perhaps it was just the occassion.

The entire family sat inside of Sosei's prison cell. Padded chairs had been brought in so that everyone would be comfortable, although Hikari insisted on sitting next to Sosei and hugging him. She talked constantly about some of the lessons she was beginning to learn about basic shinobi skills and Sosei nodded with a patience that Takuma hadn't seen before.

Sosei's prison cell was more spacious than Takuma would've thought it was. The ANBU Black Ops outside used a barrier to uncover the barred door so that the Uchiha family could enter. Now, here they sat. Takuma's parents talked with each other and Sakura seemed to be growing more and more disturbed. Takuma wanted to ask what happened during his father's mission but he decided against it. When things were quiet, there was a flash in the middle of the room. A yellow one.

The Hokage's white cloak flapped in the gust of wind that he had created. The blonde man had a smile on his face as he turned around and faced the Uchiha family.

"Well, isn't this a great sight," he said, grinning. "Good to see you all again." Takuma's father dipped his head.

"Naruto," he said. The Hokage cleared his throat and looked towards Takuma. He winked an eye and then looked at Kichiro. He walked over towards Takuma's younger brother, knelt and touched the top of his head.

"Hey kiddo. How are you feeling?" the Hokage said. Kichiro shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll be ok, I guess," Kichiro replied. He then looked past the Hokage and Takuma followed his eyes. He was looking at Sosei. "What's going to happen to my brother?" he asked. Naruto smiled and stood up.

"Well, Kichiro, I have good news. For everyone," Naruto said. Takuma waited with bated breath as the Hokage continued to speak. "As Hokage, I've encouraged the young shinobi as well as the older shinobi to find something of value to protect outside of their village to keep them grounded human beings. Sosei values all of you as his family and as a shinobi, he decided it was his duty to protect the youth of the village from a predatory instructor. For that, I can't punish him. So, I'll be releasing him from prison, effective immediately."

Takuma's eyes widened and he saw everyone in the room light up. Takuma himself smiled until he looked over to his father. The man's face was flint still.

"There's still the matter of disobedience, right?" he said. Naruto nodded.

"Yes, there's still that," he replied. His blue eyes turned to Sosei and Takuma watched him. "Sosei, as you know, an ANBU answers only to the Hokage. It was a position I gave you out of trust that'd you would listen and follow my directives, no matter how you felt about them. However, it was my mistake for placing that level of responsibility on you so soon, simply based on your physical prowess. So, I am stripping you of your status as an ANBU."

Sosei's face fell briefly, but he gathered himself. He must've expected that to happen. He wouldn't leave this situation unscathed. Takuma knew that from the get go.

"So, what will I be doing?" Sosei asked the Hokage. That's when Naruto smiled wider.

"It is the responsibility of the older generation to teach the new what it means to be a shinobi. For this purpose, I will place you under the tutelage of my former master as well as your father and Sakura's. You will serve Kakashi Hatake, the legendary Copy Ninja, until he perceives that you are ready to return to active duty as a Konoha shinobi. Once that happens, you'll have to earn your way back to ANBU status. Understood?" Naruto said. With a measured nod, Sosei agreed. Naruto smiled. "Good." His eyes then turned to Takuma and the young Uchiha looked up at him. All the Hokage did was wink again, before disappearing into a yellow flash.

The Uchiha looked at each other and Takuma watched something odd happen. His father stood up with his mother and walked to the center of the cell. He motioned for everyone to come close and gather around. The four children did as he beckoned and Sakura pulled everyone into a hug.

"I love you all," Sasuke said with uncharacteristic warmth in his voice. "There is nothing I value more than this family."

"We haven't done the best to show it," Sakura continued. "But we are proud and love each of you equally. From this day forward, we will be better parents to you. All of you." Takuma smiled and embraced his family. All of them squeezed and then broke away as they rounded up Sosei's things. The Uchiha family exited Sosei's cell and Takuma felt like their strength had been renewed. Kichiro was smiling more and talking with Hikari. Takuma's parents were arm in arm and Sosei looked down at him and pulled him closer to give him a brotherly hug.

The Uchiha walked out, a shining flame, refueled by loss and strenghtened by love. Whatever came now, Takuma knew that they would be ready. He would be ready.