Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I have not been granted permission to own Naruto. Masashi-sama has yet to respond to my emails...
WARNING: IMMINENT MULTIPLE TIME SKIPS.
"Dear Misaki-nee,
I have recently been granted membership of the organization Akatsuki, who claim to seek world peace, yet employ s-class missing nin from various villages. I admit to not completely understanding Leader-sama's thought processes on the matter. Seems rather contradictory to me, but alas. At least now I have a roof over my head, however temporary it may be until my new partner and I have 'suitably accustomed ourselves with the other's fighting styles,' as another member, Akasuna no Sasori, put it. A puppet user from Suna, though that is all he has bothered to reveal to me. You'd like him, he's extremely sarcastic and strange, like you. The other member, not including Leader-sama and his 'angel' Konan, is an old, supposedly immortal, miser hailing from Takigakure who calls himself Kakuzu. Neither of them have partners yet, though we shall soon be rectifying that for Sasori. A missing-nin from your ever-hated Iwa, named Deidara. I have yet to be informed as to how we will go about bringing peace to the shinobi nations, but it is my assumption it won't be in a particularly pleasant fashion. Pity really, though I'm sure you find the whole 'World Domination' aspect amusing.
Tell me, my dear sister, how it is that you always seem to know things you shouldn't? If I didn't know any better, I would think you were aware of my future partner and his... distinctive... features. Hoshigaki Kisame is indeed rather shark-like, with blue skin and hair, along with gills of all things. Actual working gills, on his shoulders of all places. He's also rather enormous, taller even then Owl. But at least he has good taste, as Kisame seemed to rather enjoy one of the bento you made for me. You've always told me that nothing brings people together more quickly than sharing a meal together. He didn't seem to like being called 'fish-face' though... Kisame is a little messy, but at least he keeps his mess contained in a general area. Specifically, his side of our shared quarters.
How is Sasuke? Is he doing well in the academy? I have the utmost confidence in him, of course I do, but it is nice to have it confirmed. Perhaps you could send along a copy of his next progress report? Speaking of progress, how are Naruto's grades doing? Hopefully, they are not as abysmal as when I left. Please tell me you've managed to stop him from wearing orange... And Owl? How is he? I heard he was retiring from Anbu soon, so I assume he must have by now?
Any apology gifts you'd recommend me purchase for Hana that you would also be willing to deliver? Because I'm your favorite brother?
Sincerely,
One of Your Many Foolish Little Brothers,
Uchiha Itachi
うちはイタチ
P.S. Recently, I was perusing a bookstore and found a book written by someone named 'Kishimoto Misaki.' Thoughts, dear sister?
"Bye Misaki-nee, Seitaro!" shouted Naruto as he and Sasuke stampeded out the front door. They were running late this morning, which meant hightailing it through the village to get to the Academy. They were much more eager to escape the house today than usual though. It might have been the stony silence between Sei and I. I hadn't bothered to wake him up after his accidental revelation the night before, and instead thought long and hard into the night about it. Should I just ignore it? Confront him about it? Leave it be until he decided to tell me? And from the look on Sei's face, he really was dismal at hiding his emotions around me, he remembered our little conversation as well.
I stopped my glaring at Seitaro and yelled back, "Be safe boys! Have a good day!" Once the door had slammed shut and their footsteps faded into the distance, I whirled back around, just catching the ex-anbu getting up from his zabuton. Slowly, he slid back onto the cushion. "So... Laputa, huh?" I began conversationally in english, not sure if I wanted him to actually understand me or not.
He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Misaki..." I felt my grip around my coffee cup tighten. He did know english. "Misaki... I meant to tell you."
"But why didn't you?"
His voice was low, and sad. "I was afraid... that I was wrong. That you weren't like me." That he was imagining things, or was alone in this world. There were quite a few things to be fearful of, in a situation like mi-… No, a situation like ours.
"What's your real name?" Mine, however, was cold as ice.
"My name is Yokoyama Seitaro Misa. You know it is. You know I can't lie to you."
I felt frustrated, angry tears welling up. I couldn't stop them, no matter how I much I wanted to. I hated crying. "You know what I mean!"
Liquid gold solidified and Seitaro slammed his hands down onto the low table. "Yours first!"
"You knew... You've known this whole time, haven't you? HAVEN'T YOU!?" I screamed back.
He roared, "I SUSPECTED! OF COURSE I DID! NARUTO DOESN'T HAVE A SISTER!" Seitaro's breathing was quick and ragged with emotion. "HE'S NEVER HAD ONE! He wasn't friends with Sasuke until after the formation of Team 7, and even then they weren't nearly as friendly as they are now. He didn't know anything about his parents, who certainly never took in a little girl!"
My breath was shaking too. He was right of course, those were all clues that something was different. I didn't really care though, I was so tired of hiding. "….. Kathy." I said, murmuring into my coffee. His head snapped up.
"What?"
We were still speaking english, and it felt strange to use after so long, "My name... is, was, Kathy Woodward. I died on December 11th, at thirty-five years old. I was assassinated by a shot to the heart while at a protest." A feeling almost like phantom limb pain spread across my chest, and I sucked in a breath. There was no reason for the pain in this world, but They apparently didn't want me to forget. I touched the birthmark over my heart and then grasped Obito's pendant. The metal was cold to the touch, despite the warmth of both my body and the room.
"Nathan Wilkes was an electrician who died at the age of thirty-six after being hit by a train in a Seattle Subway tunnel." Seitaro's voice was low, and held a slight bitterness to it. "A hot day, July 12th." We shared a look. I had died the day of his rebirth and he on mine. I had thought it a coincidence... I should have known better.
I laughed without humor and sipped my coffee. "Sick bastards, ain't They?" Letting out a surprised snort, the ex-anbu nodded. It was silent for several minutes after that, both of us contemplating this new development in our relationship. "…. What are we going to do now?"
He sighed and rubbed at his eyes, shaking his head. I glanced at him, before sighing myself. Carefully grasping my coffee cup, I moved over to his side of the table and placed it down again. Slowly, his arms found their way around my shoulders and I was pulled up against him, cheek pressed against his chest. The fabric of his plum colored shirt was soft to the touch. He kissed the top of my head lightly, and sighed deeply once again. "I... I don't know, Misa."
"You'll go with them right? On their dangerous missions?"
He chuckled, "Of course. There's no way in hell I'm going to let those brats get themselves killed."
I looked up and into his golden eyes. "Even Wave?" He held me even harder.
"Especially Wave." It was probably the most infamous Arc in the whole of Naruto, that damned mission to Wave. It was where the fans got their first real taste of just how the world of Naruto worked. It was brutal, twisted, full of horrible, depraved people, such as Gato. Where we first saw the potential power the Kyuubi held, the badass villains the show was famous for. The sheer creativity of the battles, the jutsu, the awesome badassery that Kakashi and Zabuza had radiated throughout the entire arc. We saw Naruto's first use of what the fans had nicknamed 'Therapy Jutsu.' In my personal opinion, it was one of the best Arcs in the series, though I would admit to wearing Nostalgia Goggles when I had watched it again.
I elbowed him, ignoring his pained 'oof.' "Good, because if you die, I'll kill you." I picked up the cups containing the dregs of our coffee and went into the kitchen.
"That doesn't make any sense Misa-chan!" called Seitaro from behind me.
Smiling, I yelled back, "Well, I don't give a damn!" He appeared in the doorway, eyes full of amusement.
"I see how it is. I thought you loved me."
"Oh, is that the feeling in the pit of my stomach? All this time, I thought it was just indigestion..."
The jounin pouted, "Hmmph. You don't get indigestion."
"Shut up."
He wandered over to the window and propped it open, just in time for a rather large crow to grace the sill. "Looks like you have a letter from Itachi..."
"Wha-? How did you-?" I began before realizing and rolling my eyes. "Damn you and your eagle eyes Seitaro." I took the offered claw and detached the small scroll, unrolling it. After feeding the bird a piece of meat, I began purposefully skimming Itachi's latest update on his adventures as a missing-nin. Not meaning to, I gasped tightly and sagged against the counter.
"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Sei, eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"He's in. He's joined the Akatsuki."
"Oh..." was the ex-anbu's response.
I snorted at his oh-so-intelligent reply. "Yeah." Well, there went my good mood.
Time Skip, Two and a Half Years Later. 1 Year Six Months until Canon.
*CRACK*
"Ow! Sei-ni, that hurt!"
*CRACK*
"Would you just stop!?"
Seitaro's grin could be deemed nothing less than diabolic as he once again cracked the ivory whip over the heads over the heads of the two boys as the pair did a lap around the village. He was balanced rather precariously on the wall itself, using the tree-climbing technique of course, and happily using one of his longer battle whips. Specifically, the twenty foot one. "Run, my little minions, RUN! HAHAHA!" yelled the sadistic jounin, laughing maniacally.
Sasuke skidded to a stop and glared at the brown-haired shinobi. Scowling, he reached into his weapon's pouch and selected a kunai. In a single practiced throw, the knife went sailing towards the ex-anbu. Seitaro simply rolled his eyes and caught it nonchalantly, and tossed it back, handle forward. The 'Last Uchiha' grunted, scowl widening as the butt bounded off his head. Wordlessly, the jounin leapt off the wall, and used a laughing Naruto's head as a springboard.
Ignoring the blonde's complaining, he slapped the both of them upside the skull. "Come on you two, time for lunch." The sun was high up in the expansive blue sky, one of the many things that the Land of Fire was famous for. They had been training for hours, the boys working on their speed and dodging, while Seitaro took the opportunity to work on hitting moving targets. Specifically, small ones.
Naruto jumped up and down excitedly, "Yatta! FOOD!" It wasn't long before he was nothing more than an orange speck in the distance. As one, Seitaro and Sasuke sighed.
"See, why can't he have that much energy during training?" questioned Sei as he rolled up his whip, a sweatdrop forming on his head. Sasuke only shrugged. He really didn't talk very much these days. The ten year old was of the opinion that his family did enough talking as is. Besides, Naruto could usually speak for Sasuke anyway, and often did. So why bother? Seitaro simply smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, making his scowl widen even more.
I looked up from where I had been gardening and wiped my hand on my apron. The boys were apparently done with training today. Smiling, I stood and meandered back inside. It was hard work, gardening with only one hand, but I managed. It was a past time I had enjoyed in my first life, having found weeding rather relaxing. Of course, in the Naruto World, only the ridiculously rich had a bed of only flowers, so my new garden mostly contained vegetables and herbs, though they weren't nearly the same level of quality that the Aburame produced, so we still visited their stall regularly. Somehow, Naruto had convinced Shino to come by and rid it of harmful insects once a month, so it did do quite a bit better than most other peoples'. This year, it was particularly bountiful, because Seitaro had risked going into Training Ground 44 to gather some soil. Even now, the area was rich with the potent chakra of the Senju clan, and because of that, my garden thrived. As long as nothing grew fangs or something, I was happy.
"How was training?" I asked over lunch, curiosity peaked by the various welts, cuts, and general bruises on all three of them. In my old life, such injuries would have induced a trip to the hospital. Now, I just threw a first aid kit at their heads and told them to mop up the blood dripping onto the floor. How things change.
Seitaro smiled proudly, "I'll have to see if any jounin are open to giving Naruto some tips or even a recommendation to go into the Espi Squad once he makes chuunin. His trap skills are phenomenal. He actually got me a couple times." Briefly, he reached to feel the thin, yet moderately deep, scratch on his cheek. Epsi Squad, otherwise known as Konoha's Espionage Division, was infamous for its technically under-the-table missions and its skilled operatives that no one really knew was a member. Similar to both Anbu and the Intelligence Division, Espi took care of some of the more underhanded requirements of being a shinobi, like blackmail, corporate AND government sabotage, and lots of other nasties. Anbu was normally assassinations, while Intelligence was almost purely spies. All three hid their member's identities, for security reasons of course, yet Espi was probably the most secretive of the bunch. If you knew someone well enough and they were in Anbu, you could probably tell by their hair alone, if it was unique enough. Like Kakashi. Even Iruka was rumored to be a member of Anbu, from what Sasuke and Naruto had told me. Personally, I'm pretty sure that if he was secretly in any of those groups, it was probably Espi. Iruka was no slouch at traps either.
Sasuke snorted into his water. "If Research & Development doesn't scoop him up first." He had a point, actually. Naruto had begun to show a rather startling ability to improve and adjust seals on the fly, and had even started making his own custom sealing scrolls and exploding tags. When Jiraiya finally got his mitts on my little brother, the old perve was going to have a field day. I just looked forward to seeing the old bastard again after so long.
Naruto looked up from his food, slurping the last little bit of instant ramen into his mouth. The rest of us had simply gone for sandwiches, but the blonde had insisted on ramen for his mid-day meal. Like that was surprising."Wu-? Ju gos takling 'bout me agun?" Sasuke made a face and scooted to the side, away from his best friend and the flying bits of food.
"Chew your food, Uzumaki Naruto." I jabbed my chopsticks at him to make my point. The blonde quickly swallowed the noodles and repeated his question.
"Are you guys talking about me again?"
"Yep. We're thinking about throwing out all of your ramen and replacing it with boiled turnips." responded Seitaro, causing Naruto to scream in horror and go hide his stash. The boy hated turnips, especially when they were boiled. Of course, he hated vegetables in general.
I shook my head as both males let their heads hit the table, bodies shaking with laughter. Bringing my coffee to my lips, I smiled.
Time Skip, Six Months. 1 Year Until Canon.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?! You're leaving for how long!?" exclaimed Naruto, sapphire eyes looking up at both jounin. Sasuke wasn't too pleased about this development either, from the ever-deepening frown on his oh-so-pretty face. The sun had only just began to peek over the horizon, pre-dawn light reflecting off the jounin team's headbands. The boys had insisted on seeing them off, even if it meant getting up ridiculously early on a school day. Normally, I saw Sei or Kakashi off by myself, but with the both of them leaving? I was glad Naruto and Sasuke had decided to accompany me. I was so proud of them, I really was. I couldn't believe they were only a year from graduating the academy... a year from the beginning of Canon. The beginning of the end of the World. Wow, that sounded really fucking dramatic. I've been spending far too much time around these damn ninja, remind me to slap myself later.
Sasuke looked much the same at eleven as he would at twelve, unfortunate haircut and all. However, I had refused to let him wear the traditional high-collared top most Uchiha children wore. It had the fucking clan symbol on the back, practically screaming 'HEY! LOOK AT ME~ I'M SPEEECIIAAAL~~~' I understood why he wanted to wear it, but I was much more concerned about his survival. He had been pissed at me for days, even after I had explained. He understood, and even agreed with my reasoning, but he still wasn't happy about it. But the boy calmed down after I bought several yukata tops in various colors, like the kind Fugaku had worn off-duty, and had the symbol sewn on in discrete locations on the fabric. Turns out Sasuke didn't really care where the symbol was as long as it was there. The short sleeved shirt he wore most often was charcoal grey with yellow borders, with standard fishnet underneath, and tied with a white obi. With the top, he also wore fingerless gloves, though the one on his left arm, which was the one he often blocked with, was actually an arm guard that reached his elbow. His pants were standard issue, though a pale blue, instead of navy. He was considering attaching his father's headband to the obi after graduating, which I thoroughly agreed to help with. Even though he wasn't actually supposed to carry around weapons of any sort, being still in the academy, Sasuke had recently started keeping his bow and quiver with him at all times, though sealed away in a small scroll hidden in his obi. I certainly wasn't going to stop him. Constant vigilance and all that.
Naruto, however, looked about as different from his canon self as I could possibly get him. Throughout his whole life, I had kept his hair trimmed short, much shorter than it was supposed to be. Part of this was practicality, and the other was because the blonde looked far too much like his father already, and we couldn't afford to risk it. I mean, as far as Sei and I knew, no one had managed to figure it out in canon, but I hadn't existed either. People knew me, knew my connection to the Fourth. Kushina hadn't bothered to hide her pregnancy. It wouldn't take much to connect the dots, so Naruto's hair was short. I couldn't do much about that smile of his though, which was so Minato my heart twinged when I saw it. Naruto actually dressed rather similarly to Sasuke, mixing traditional with the standard attire most Konoha shinobi wore, except his top was orange with cream borders, and he really did wear the standard pants. He had never had such a need to draw attention to himself, despite the antagonistic attitudes of the villagers, because he got it at home, and so, had never bothered to wear a solid orange jumpsuit. Orange was still his favorite color though, that hadn't changed. Both boys wore their clan symbols, no bigger than a coin, somewhere along the bottom of their shirts. It varied from top to top actually. Vaguely, I wondered if there was some way to convince Sakura to wear a similar outfit when Team 7 formed, to give them a sort of 'team thing.' Maybe if Sasuke suggested it? Though, now that I looked carefully, the outfit reminded me of the standard Ame shinobi uniform...
Kakashi sighed, "At least two months, probably more. It can't be helped. Orders are orders, and this is a long-term assignment." Beside him, Seitaro nodded and adjusted his pack. He really hadn't spoken very much at all this morning, being a grumpy-gus about going on such a long mission.
Sasuke's pitch black eyes stared at the pair, team leaders for this mission, steadily, hands stuck in his pockets as usual. "You promised to help us study for the graduation exam." You almost couldn't tell he was truly upset about it. This upcoming one was when Team Gai was supposed to graduate, and neither of them were really ready for it. Sasuke still couldn't get his clone to match the shade of his clothes, or even move correctly without failing. Naruto couldn't even make a clone yet, even though he'd been practicing for months. But they wanted to at least try, so I granted permission to let them take the exam. There's no harm in trying.
"I'm sorry guys, but like Kakashi said, orders are orders. Trust me, given the choice, I wouldn't be going." said Seitaro, finally speaking up. He hated leaving us unprotected, even if it wasn't his job anymore. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Naruto frowned, making a funny face, and Sei cocked his head to the side in affectionate amusement. It was nice to see. Either I had simply grown used to the action over years, completely possible, or the ex-anbu had stopped doing it. Finally, Naruto lunged forward and grasped Seitaro across his middle, tugging Sasuke into the hug as well. Sei had been a part of Naruto's life for as long as the blonde could remember, whether as his ever slightly disturbing 'Owl-niisan' or 'Sei-nii,' the man had been a constant fixture. Sasuke and Seitaro were close as well, in a different way, not quite brothers, but also not friends. They were… fond of each other, I suppose. The only person Sasuke could bring himself to call 'brother' besides Itachi was Naruto, and then only sometimes.
My family wasn't the only one making a similar scene though. Many of the other jounin were saying their goodbyes to friends or lovers. I walked up the Kakashi, letting my other boys have their goodbye, and kissed him on his masked cheek. Then I gave him a nice swat on the other. "You come back now Hatake. Hear me?"
"Of course Kishimoto. Don't I always?" asked the silver-haired man before eye-smiling at me. I smiled back and swatted his cheek again, then switched places with Sasuke and Naruto. That was all that needed to be said between the two of us.
Seitaro finished tying his headband as I walked up to him. He didn't often wear it, unless he was going out of the village. Like most, he wore it across his forehead proudly. It also had the benefit of holding back his long bangs. Cocking his head at me, a small smile spread across his face, but his golden eyes held nothing but softness. "Hey..."
My heart felt like snapping and I fought tears. "Hey." Seitaro slowly grasped my hand in both of his, and we touched foreheads, simply basking in each other's presence for a moment. This is why I hated seeing him off, the feeling of my heart about to shatter into a million pieces at even the thought he might not come back. But it was even worse if I didn't come, because what if I really didn't see him again? Because I wasn't there to say goodbye? So come I did. I breathed in his scent, trying to truly imprint it into the back of my mind. Ozone and leather oil and iron. Blood... The very things I smelt every day, whether after a lightning storm, or when he returned from training. Together, on his person, they collected and made such an addicting aroma, it made my head swim and the hairs on my neck stand on end. His chakra, what little I could sense of it, was like the static left behind after rubbing a balloon on your head combined with that at-peace feeling you got when looking up at the sky on a clear autumn morning. Crisp, and cold.
We had only been together for a little over a year, yet it felt like a lifetime. As I suspected, living in true proximity to each other brought out our true feelings, which were decidedly not platonic. He was still my best friend, and I his, but it was in the way lovers were. We could be away from each other, had to be, for extended periods of time. We had never really had a honeymoon phase like a lot of couples, probably because the both of us were mentally well into our fifties at this point. And if it didn't work like that, we were still in our thirties, either way, we hadn't been all mushy about it. Hell, we couldn't even tell when we got together. Sometime between New Years and my twentieth birthday, but otherwise? Not a fucking clue. I like to think that pretty much summed up our entire relationship though. The 'clueless' bit, not the whole 'we weren't mushy-wushy' part.
"Hey..." My blue eyes snapped open and met his, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine Misa." He placed a gloved hand against my cheek and I grasped it. They were thicker than most shinobi gloves, though they didn't heed his dexterity at all. I could almost feel the thin lining of rubber between the layers of fabric.
My voice was raspy from holding back tears. "Just... Please, just try and come back to me." Simultaneously, we looked to the ten year olds, one of which was cheerfully yammering Kakashi's ear off. "… to us."
Seitaro nodded and our foreheads met once more. "I'll try. Kami above, I know I'll try."
The boys and I knew that it was impossible for a shinobi, especially jounin, to promise to come home. We took what we could get though. "I love you..."
He kissed me, short and sweet, but so full of love. We were running out of time. Pulling away, he whispered, "I love you too. Be home soon." And with that, the team was gone, leaving not a trace but a sudden strong breeze.
No one was there to hear me but the wind, but I said it anyway, hoping it would carry my words. "You better."
It was only then did I let my tears fall and felt the arms of Naruto and Sasuke wrap around me.
A month passed, and we worried just in general.
Two, and it was much the same.
Three months passed, with no word whatsoever, and we were concerned.
Month Four found the hokage pacing irritably in his barricaded office and concerned loved ones trying to break down the whole tower.
But they still weren't back.
It was a total of six months before the team returned.
In that time, Sasuke and Naruto had failed the exam not once, but twice, and I published two more books. Much like the chunin exams, academy graduation happened every six months, so it'd be another half-year before That Exam. My books were selling well, not quite best sellers but getting there. They were popular with civilians and shinobi alike, simply because they were some of the few books decidedly not propaganda, and the fantastical tales of my old world were like nothing ever seen before. For all their shinobi of the fucking Moon and ability to walk on water Jesus-style, the people here were extremely uncreative. The Icha Icha series was pretty much the best you were gonna get, and it read more like any trashy romance novel you could find in the bargain bin of a Books-a-Million than anything actually containing substance. The books I wrote detailing the adventures of the many Studio Ghibli movies I had enjoyed in my old life were steadily climbing the ranks. Magic as a concept didn't exist in the Naruto world, and was thus found fascinating. Several times, I'd been asked if it was actually just chakra abilities, and I found myself stumped. How to explain something so ingrained into me and my past culture to someone who had never heard of it? Impossible, in a way.
When Seitaro and Kakashi returned, it was late in the night. Witching hour. The boys had long since been sent to bed, and I had just lay down myself when the sound of a key in the lock echoed through the house. The front door slid open and I nearly burst into to tears as the pair whispered to each other, probably exhausted yes, but alive.
"You know, I do actually have an apartment. It has a bed and everything." Kakashi...
"Yeah, but you don't have any food remember? Misaki donated it all to the Allied Mother's Force before we left." Seitaro.
I did start to cry when the pair came into the tatami-matted room that Sei and I shared. You know, for someone who abhors crying as much as I do, you'd think I'd do it less.
Seitaro had dark rings around his eyes, which were also dull with sheer tired from the long mission. I didn't know what the assignment had been, and I really didn't want to. I didn't care, because he was home and in one piece and alive. I sat up in my futon, the same floral-printed one from my childhood with Minato and Kushina. It was getting a bit ragged, of course, but I couldn't force myself to replace it. "Long time no see strangers." I whispered into the dark room, drawing tired chuckles from both jounin.
"Hey Misa..." began Sei as he grasped onto my hand with his own and we touched foreheads for the first time in months. The metal of his forehead protector was cold against my skin. We didn't really do kissing, strange for a couple, I know, but neither of us actually liked kissing. "Is it okay if Kakashi and his mutts stay the night?"
Kakashi pouted sleepily. "They're not mutts..."
Laughing quietly, trying not to wake the boys, I nodded. "Sure Kashi, as long as they don't make a mess." He eye-smiled and I rolled my eyes as the pack appeared in the shoji-door. Figures. The bastard knew I couldn't say no to housing a few dogs.
"Don't worry girl, he's house trained." said Pakkun, jerking his chin in Kakashi's direction. Quickly, the rest of the dogs herded themselves together, most asleep before they actually had time to settle down. Even the hounds were exhausted.
I raised my eyebrow, "It was so hard to do, wasn't it?"
"You got no idea." He padded over to Bull and flopped into the large dog's side.
Smiling, I told Kakashi were the spare futon were kept and Seitaro quickly undressed down to his undershirt and boxers before joining me under the comforter. I had long since expanded my old futon by simply laying another mattress down next to it, even if he'd been gone for months. It was unusual for couples to share futon, but it was a leftover habit from our old lives and we honestly didn't care. I kicked him to get his fucking ice cold toes away from me. He whined, but the appendages were removed from my person. Boyfriend, lover, or whatever, Sei had long since learned by heart my threats for when he did that. Usually, they involved the separation of the offending toes from his person instead. The rustle of fabric from my left sounded as Kakashi unfolded a spare futon, printed with red plaid.
It was quiet for several more minutes as the last Hatake undressed, mask being removed and all, before anyone spoke again. Growing tired, I finally snapped. "You both look like shit." The pair on either side of me let out startled chuckles. Several of the dogs huffed as well.
"Gee, thanks," was Kakashi's blasé response, muffled as it was with the covers over his head. A habit leftover from his own childhood, I suppose. Or he was performing a preemptive strike against curious eleven year olds. Maybe both.
Lazily, I fell back onto the mattress and curled into Sei's side. "Seriously, I've seen roadkill look more alive than you two. What the hell is wrong?" The large hallway clock began chiming, declaring to the world that it was three in the damn morning. One of these days, I was gonna take one of the boys' kunai and kill that damn thing. It was a writer's enemy, a clock like that.
Seitaro wasn't exactly coherent at the moment either. "Don' worry 'bout it Misa. Jus' chakra exhaustion…" he said, murmuring, "Got the rest fixed up a' the hospital…"
Kakashi yawned and added, "Nothing that a few decent meals and a good night's rest can't fix."
I rolled my eyes and thumped both jounin with the book that had kept me up so long into the night. "Then go the fuck to sleep."
Both knew better than to disobey my orders. I had them trained so well.
I awoke to the sound of those thrice-damned birds chirping and a warm body in my bed. I had honestly expected it to be a dream, but it hadn't been. They really were back, both of them. Someone, probably Sasuke, he was a sweetheart like that, had opened the shoji doors to let in the sun. I could hear some kind of meat frying in the kitchen. My stomach growled as the smell hit. Mmmm, bacon.
"Whoever's making bacon this early in the morning better not think they're getting any," mumbled Sei, having apparently woken up as well.
I laughed softly. "Oh? Why is that?"
"Because I'm going to eat it all." Came Kakashi's terse reply. "And then I'm going to slaughter those evil birds." I would have believed him if he had actually gotten out of bed yet. To think, this lazy man was deemed dangerous enough to have a 'kill on sight' order in the Bingo book.
Seitaro sat up, blanket pooling around his waist, to glare at the usually-masked-nin. "Fuck you're not. Get your own bacon!" Kakashi glared back, having actually stuck his eyes out from under his covers. Rolling my eyes at their antics, I scooted out of the futon, and pulled on my robe and slippers. Morons. If anyone was getting any bacon this morning, it was me.
Nimbly skipping the creaking board on the path to the kitchen, I kissed Naruto on the head on my way to coffee pot, which was happily gurgling away. "Thanks for making breakfast sweetie."
The blonde waved the spatula in his hand cheerfully, and grinned. "No problem nee-chan! I figured since you always make breakfast, it was my turn. Sei and Kakashi are finally back too, so now it's time to celebrate!" I smiled back. Naruto really was a sweet boy. However...
"Uh huh... And what about the fact it's way past time for the both of you to be in school?" He just grinned mischievously and went back to cooking breakfast. I rolled my eyes.
The back door opened and entered Sasuke, carrying a basket of food from the storage cellar. "Oh Misaki, you're awake." He greeted as he placed the wicker basket onto the counter. Smirking, he grabbed a potato and tossed it at Naruto's head. There was an indignant squawk that we both ignored.
"Morning Sasuke." I kissed him on the head as well, though only because he had pushed into my outstretched arm by an irritated Naruto. He hated it when people bothered him while cooking, much like I did. Momentarily, I considered torturing the ebony-haired preteen by holding him in my grasp a little longer, but ultimately let him go. The boy couldn't help with breakfast if I was hugging him after all. That's right. I had my priorities straightened out. I mean… it's bacon.
There was a zombie-like groan from the doorway as I settled into my normal seat at the head of the low table. Oh yeah, fuckin' matriarch. "Coffeeeee... oh glorious caffeine." said Seitaro, shuffling into the kitchen and pouring himself some of the aforementioned liquid. Not even bothering to turn away from the pot, he quickly downed his cup. "Ah, that's the good stuff..." Sighing deeply in bliss, he poured himself another cup and then sat down heavily on the cushion next to me.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to get down your chakra pills Seitaro?" Over the years, Sasuke had become the one to really notice when anyone was in need of medicine. He'd never be a medic, his chakra was far too volatile and 'physical' for that, but when it came to first aid, the uchiha was the best in our family. To be any good at medical jutsu, your chakra has to lean more towards the spiritual naturally. Yes, over time, you could train it, but you'd still never be all that good. Sasuke was interested in healing, yes, but he was much more a front-lines fighter. He liked to be well-rounded and it was always could to have a back up in case something happened to your team medic.
The jounin nodded and began massaging his temples. "Yes please, and some headache relief while you're at it. Thank you Sasuke." He always gets a headache when running low on chakra. Pretty much, his body went 'Haha, FUCK YOU!' after particularly grueling missions, and so Sei kept a rather large collection of over-the-counter chakra pills, because while his stamina is nothing to sniff at, the level of chakra Seitaro has is rather average for a jounin. Chakra pills are very similar to the military ration pills used in the field, but instead are purely for helping replenish your chakra. They can't do shit unless you take them regularly, eat plenty of food, and sleep like the dead for a week, unlike ration pills which keep you at the very least standing for three days. In theory anyway/
The boy shrugged and handed him both bottles. "No problem." He then turned to me. "Naruto and I are getting together with some classmates after the Academy lets out to do a project on information collection. No one else in our group has enough room, can we work here?"
"Depends on how many there are, and just how quiet you lot can be. Kakashi and Seitaro are going back to sleep as soon as they finish eating." And with timing so perfect it must have been on purpose, Kakashi finally meandered into the room and plopped down onto a zabuton just as Naruto was carrying in breakfast. The thing about post-chakra exhaustion meals is that they have to be extremely calorie dense, so a traditional breakfast just wasn't going to cut it. Not that we minded all that much, as none of us actually liked the idea of soup first thing in the morning, especially during the warm months. There were a few things, like onigiri and grilled trout straight from the river leading out of the Forest of Death, but there was also bacon and a few omelets stuffed with cheese, tomato, and other vegetables. As a civilian, I didn't need to eat as much, so I just grabbed a couple onigiri, a piece of fish, and some bacon, leaving the rest of the large meal to my boys.
Already digging in to an omelet, Seitaro tossed the bottle of chakra pills to Kakashi, who deftly caught it and dry swallowed a capsule. By now, both Sasuke and Naruto had grown accustomed to the idea that Kakashi's face would forever be a mystery to them and so simply turned the other way when the masked-nin wanted to eat. Oh, they still gave it a try every once in awhile just for the principle of the matter, but it wasn't their number one goal in life anymore.
Sasuke shrugged and sipped his water. "There's about maybe six of us total, including me and Naruto." He began counting off his fingers, "Me, Naruto, Shino, Kiba..." He trailed off.
It was Naruto's turn to chime after swallowing his mouthful of food, "Choji, and Shikamaru too." I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Almost none of the boys in that group were particularly motivated when it came to academics, barring Sasuke and Shino. But while Sasuke was most certainly in line to be Rookie of the Year, the young Aburame kept his grades happily in the middle, none being either too high or too low. On paper, Shino was perfectly average. He wasn't of course, and if you'd ever met the boy, it was obvious he was tanking his grades on purpose. Paranoid, just like his father.
"Oh? And Iruka-sensei just let you pick a group like that for an assignment?" I asked. That didn't sound like something the chuunin would do. He was smarter than that. Admittedly, all of the boys in that group had to potential to be some of the best minds, or at least shinobi, the village had ever seen. Shikamaru, of course, was doomed to be Naruto's Jounin Commander, the rest to be rather exceptional clan heads, especially if my meddling went the way I wanted it to and Hana became an Uchiha. At this point, she was still heir-apparent, as the oldest, but again, meddling. Anyway, the group, at this point of time, even so close to graduation, was almost entirely made up of slackers, excluding Sasuke. There was no point in it letting them group together like that. As a teacher myself, once upon a time, I had learnt that lesson the hard way.
Naruto shook his head. "Nah, Mizuki-sensei is the one who put us in groups. Iruka's been sick." Sasuke nodded in agreement.
I felt my smile sharpen and heard the creak of my chopsticks as they strained under the pressure of my hold. Mizuki... The very thought of him made my blood boil. There are not many people in this world that I would call 'irredeemable.' Naruto had seen to that himself, personally, for the most part. But if there was such a person, Mizuki would be the first one who came to mind. Oh, how I despised him. This was a man who's sole purpose in life was to be a lying, manipulative, murdering son of a bitch, hungering only for power and fulfilling his own twisted ambitions. He had killed a teammate while on a mission simply because they hurt their leg. He tried to kill Naruto and Iruka, not once, not twice, but three times. Mizuki had simply strung along his poor fiance, a woman who loved him with all her being, until she herself could have been considered a traitor, and was by some people, simply for almost marrying him. He made Iruka's life a living hell, all the while pretending to be his friend. And he wouldn't take no for an answer. As I discovered at the last parent-teacher conference I attended. Yeah, loyal fiance Kurama's left ass cheek...And not the pretty redhead from Yu Yu Hakusho, either. Actually, as constructs of pure chakra, do the biju even have asses?... Did they have basic anatomy period?... Hmm, note to self, ask the Sage of Six Paths, or at least have Naruto ask for me... These were important questions people.
I took a sip of coffee as calmly as possible. "So... what's Iruka have anyway? Maybe I'll bring over some soup next time I get the chance."
Both boys winced. "You might not want to do that. He's got food poisoning." explained Sasuke at my confused expression.
"Yeah nee-chan, that'd just be mean..." responded Naruto. I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, I'm sorry. How cruel of me, to tempt an unknowing Iruka with non-existent soup." I said in a deadpan voice.
Seitaro and Kakashi snorted in amusement, though the silver-haired nin almost choked on a piece of egg. Sasuke, as usual, simply smirked his glass of water, that boy drinks so much and yet NEVER NEEDS TO FUCKING PEE, while the blonde beside him burst out into loud guffaws and fell over. Whether the pair of were laughing at my sarcasm or their future sensei's near death, I didn't know. But I was reminded of my personal favorite of the many infamous sayings in the Land of Fire. I had seen much evidence in support of it over the years, first with this pair's mothers, and themselves. I assume there must have been a rather spectacular story behind it, seeing as it dated back to around the time Mito and Madara should have met for the first time.
"Mixing an Uchiha with a Senju brings you nothing but pain and suffering.
The results are much the same after bringing together an Uchiha and an Uzumaki, but you're more likely to die laughing, even as the buildings around you are in various stages of 'on fire.'"
-Senju Tobirama
Poor Tobirama. Truer words have never been spoken.
"Geez Naruto, your house smells awful." sounded the ever subtle voice of Inuzuka Kiba from the genkan. That celebratory breakfast had long since ended, and Sasuke and Naruto had spent the next few hours tidying the house quietly in preparation of their classmates' arrival. Afteral, Kakashi and Seitaro did need their sleep. It had been a long time since Kiba had been here, the group as a whole not wanting to disturb my writing simply because they were skipping classes, so I wasn't surprised to hear such an exclamation from one with such a sensitive nose as his. The house itself didn't stink, just the surrounding area. An unfortunate side effect of living so close to the Forest of Death, I suppose. There was a reason the village had to extend the fence every few years. All the residual chakra leaking out had to go somewhere and seals could only hold so much.
I could almost hear the amused smirk on Sasuke's face when he spoke, "Sure that's not just you?"
"Oi!" The rest of the boys, except for Shino and Shikamaru, burst into immature giggles.
"Tadaima nee-chan." said Naruto as he stuck his blonde head in the doorway of my office, Sasuke and the others following behind.
"Okaeri Naruto-chan, Sasuke-chan, boys." I smiled. They had only been gone for about an hour, gathering supplies for their project and waiting for the other four to get out of school, but the fact they had made it home safe always brought a smile to my face.
"Hey Misaki-neechan!" waved Kiba from the back and over Shino's shoulder, and Akamaru let out a low 'boof' as his own greeting. Choji was, of course, speedily making his way through a pack of chips, cheddar by the look, while Shikamaru looked about ready to fall over, but that was normal. He had looked like that from the day he was born.
Shino spoke, "I notice Seitaro-san has returned from his long term mission. Why? Because my kikkai sense his chakra signature down the hall."
Naruto grinned, but whispered... for you know, him. "Yeah, he and Kaka-jii came back last night. They're sleeping though, so we gotta be quiet." He shushed the group loudly and they nodded in understanding.
A low huff of amusement came from the floor beside my desk, where Pakkun and Bull had been resting. I took the opportunity to remove my socks, as they had been slowly drenched in Bull's slobber. "You lot couldn't be quiet if your very lives depended on it." said Pakkun in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Naruto may be able to walk silently, but it doesn't matter if he can't learn to shut up. You're all about to graduate, become shinobi. Even you, Inuzuka, can't managed to hide your scent yet. I wouldn't be surprised if you lot don't even survive your first c-ranks." My blood ran cold, and I had to stop myself from crying out, taking deep breaths. Pakkun didn't know, couldn't know, the true extent of just how utterly jinxing his statement was. I knocked on the polished wood of my writing desk, just in case.
Shikamaru sighed and put his hands behind his head. "Troublesome." The Nara then shuffled down the hall and into the dining area, Shino and Choji following him. Naruto and Kiba scowled, while Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah Pakkun. Whatever. Loser, Dog-breath, let's go. I actually want to get a decent grade this time."
"Oi, who you callin' Loser/Dog-breath!" they both shouted, rather insulted, and chased the Uchiha down the hall. They shushed each other, but continued running after the black haired boy.
I looked down at the pug by my feet and frowned. "That was a little mean Pakkun-chan." I wasn't really upset though. Naruto and Sasuke were used to it, as was Kiba, though such criticism usually came from his mother. Shibi didn't tend to hold back either.
He snorted and lifted an eye to look up at me, "But tell me it isn't true."
It was my turn to roll my eyes, though I was grinning. "Mmhmm. You're just grumpy because they interrupted your nap." He did the equivalent of shrug and laid his head back down.
Several hours later, after dinner had been eaten and Kakashi had left to check in with Gai and sleep in his own bed, found Sei and I curled up together in the sitting room, listening to the radio, while the boys rather rambunctiously 'worked' on their project. The last time I had checked on the lot, Kiba and Naruto had attached pairs of glue sticks to their heads and were running around belting 'Dancing Samurai' at the top of their lungs, Akamaru acting as back-up.
"DANCING IN THE NIGHT!
I'm out, taking the floor with rhythm and precision,
To the guys, I do APOLOGIZE!~
DANCING ALL THE NIGHT!
This age partied away.
We'll overthrow the morning sun so viva SAMURAI!"
"Whoooo!" howled Akamaru. Okay, so he might have also been howling in protest. They really were awful singers. But despite the volume in the next room, under all the noise, a chillingly familiar sound reached my sensitive hearing. I stiffened, and couldn't help but start shaking. Oh noooo.
Seitaro frowned. "Misa, you okay?" I shook my head and with a trembling hand, turned off the radio. "Whu-? Hey, they were just about to start..." He trailed off as the sound reached him as well.
*thump*
*thump*
*swiiiiisssh*
The jounin had paled considerably under his olive skin and shot out of his seat, body flickering into the other room. I tried to move, to follow, but found myself frozen in place. Damnit, why did it have to happen tonight?
"Sei-nii, what's wrong?" question Naruto as the brown haired man herded the six eleven year olds into the room, turning off lights or blowing out candles as he went.
"There's been another breach." That was all the explanation Naruto and Sasuke needed to join him in darkening the house, pulling the blackout curtains across all the shoji doors and windows, latching them in place. We were a beacon in the night, out here on the outskirts of the village. Tonight, we wanted to be anything but.
Shikamaru turned to me, even as Akamaru began to whimper and Kiba gagged as the smell truly hit them. "Breach? A breach of what?" From the look in his eyes, the question was more for everyone else's benefit then his own though.
*scitter*
*scitter*
*creaaakk*
I closed my eyes and pulled the boys close, while Seitaro pulled two of his whips off their hooks, a determined look overcoming his golden eyes. He was still exhausted, barely recovered at all, yet willing to put up a fight. There was no way he could body-flicker everyone to safety, not while running so low on chakra. Of all the times for Kakashi to go home... Naruto and Sasuke shuddered, huddling closer to me, eyes wide.
In a voice quaking with more fear than I have experienced in my life, oh kami please not a centipede, oh my god, it's on the roof, I whispered, "The Forest of Death." I didn't dare flinch as a horrendously deep growl sounded just outside the front door, as the house trembled and shook with the weight of the giant bug on the roof.
"Shino," murmured Seitaro, "send some of your kikkai to your father, tell him what's going on." His mouth barely moved as he spoke. Wordlessly, the Aburame heir nodded and the faint buzzing of a small cloud of insects filled the room. It dispersed, leaving through the cracks in the walls and other such places. "Now, everyone, it's important that you don't mo-"
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
*BOOM*
He was cut off as the giant centipede seemingly fell off the roof, causing the ground to shudder on impact. Within seconds, the tiger roared and the bug screeched once more, and the battle over prey began. The prey being us, of course. A sudden white light crackled in the corner of my eye and the air smelled of ozone. As one, the boys and I turned to look in Seitaro's direction, mouths agape. That idiot.
An ethereal glow filled the room as Seitaro began to run through a series of hand signs, far too quick and practiced for me to discern. My very hair was beginning to stand on end. He pulled the two twenty foot bullwhips from off his utility belt and began channeling chakra into them, their metal tips glowing red, shooting sparks as lightning arced through the leather, conducted by the silver-aluminum core of ninja-wire in the whips themselves. A very creative way of using his lightning affinity to the best of his abilities, while also keeping his enemies on their toes.
With an echoing, to-the-bone roar, the tiger slammed the centipede through into the house, its head getting stuck in the doorway. We scrambled out of Sei's way, away from what was sure to be an interesting skirmish. His weapons having finished 'charging,' the grin forming on Seitaro's face was most definitely not sane, even as the whips flared out in a graceful arc and the hand seals were finished. "Lightning Release: Lightning Burn!" One wrapped itself around the giant bug attempting to make its way into my house, effectively cooking the creature from end to end. Charred centipede is not a pleasant smell, by the way. The other was used to attract the tiger with the bright lightning gathering at its tip, leaving a trail as he spun the long leather. "HERE KITTY KITTY!~" yelled the ex-Anbu cheerfully, leading the enormous feline away from us. It snarled and chased after him.
Away from the house, and us, was when Sei really began to play. He gathered up and began spinning both weapons above his head and to the side, all the while dodging murderous swipes from the chakra-mutated creature. More hand seals, for a longer amount of time, and just the littlest bit slower, showing not nearly as much use for this jutsu. He was interrupted as the tiger's paw finally managed to connect, sending the jounin flying into a tree, blood gushing from his side where a claw had 'nicked' him. Pressing a hand to the wound in attempt to stem the flow, Seitaro slowly sat up, gasping for breath. He didn't know any healing techniques, and was paling fast.
I felt a breeze beside me and managed to look away from the horror of the battle, of seeing someone I loved in such a situation, to see Sasuke had disappeared. Beside me, looking just as confused and horrified as I was, Naruto shrugged. But the uchiha reappeared soon enough, holding a large bottle of... blood replenishing pills. "Shinobi First Aid Rule #7: If you're in the middle of battle and get severely injured, with no medic available and no time to bandage the wound, stuff yourself full of blood replenishers until there is." explained Sasuke.
I couldn't help but crack a smile at the matter-of-fact way he said it. "And rule #1?"
The boy rolled his eyes and handed the bottle to Naruto. He had better distance. "Don't get hurt in the first place. Duh."
Naruto scrambled up and jumped onto the back of the very dead bug in my living room. "HEY! SEITARO! HEEREEE!" shouted the boy, throwing the bottle in a style reminiscent of american football. Sei even caught it like it was, launching himself up into the air to intercept it before rolling as he hit the ground running, popping three or four in his mouth. The color returned to his face and he began doing hand seals again, grin widening even more.
"OI STRIPES!" he shouted, catching the tiger's attention once more. "FUCK OFF! LIGHTNING RELEASE: DRUMS OF WAR!" With whips swirling so fast overhead they left an almost full circle trail of light, one arced far to right, the other straight on to the tiger's head. Neither connected, but that was okay. They weren't supposed to. The thing you absolutely must be aware of when it comes to whips, is that they break the sound barrier. As you crack one, the tip reaches high enough speeds that it creates a vacuum and the 'crack' is the sound of air rushing to fill in that vacuum, thus creating a miniature sonic boom. The theory behind the Drums of War technique, which Sei invented, is that you take chakra and enhance that boom, while also electrocuting your opponent. At the very least, you'll deafen them and throw off their balance, similar to Dosu's melody arm, as it does work best in close quarters, amusingly enough, seeing as the only known way to get the effect is by using whips, which are long-range. But, if you get the timing right, you can also do some devastating damage. Or at least, that was how Seitaro had explained it to me.
As mentioned before, the whips did not connect. It was only because I had the brilliant idea to stop enhancing my hearing that I didn't go deaf, though it was a close thing. The force behind the sonic boom sent us all pretty much flying, or in Choji's case, rolling. I probably would have laughed if I wasn't worried sick for Sei. The tiger roared in pain as the blasts hit it, though he didn't go down. Seitaro smiled widely, happy he'd get to use his technique more than once. It had come in handy in the war, cutting down whole platoons of enemy shinobi in one fell swoop. Companies in two or three, depending on the size, even a battalion in six cracks. Whips weren't the most popular of weapons, weren't even really all that lethal, but Sei had made them that way with sharpened, sometimes poisoned tips and his skill at handling long whips. Most only averaged about four or five feet, ten if you went with a long one, but Sei had his custom made at fifteen, twenty, even twenty five feet, though that one was only used in a war situation. He was Konoha no Shiroi Hoippu. Konoha's White Whip, named so for his preferences for the white leather that wrapped his signature weapons, and it was said that during the Third War, it looked more as if he held a whip of pure lightning, so thick was the electricity surging through it.
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
Went the whips, slamming their power into the enormous feline who had dared to attack us. Seitaro wasn't smiling now. He had finally registered us, the state of the house, the scrapes and tears in our clothes. The shivers of fear wracking our bodies. No. Now, Seitaro was angry. Like a vengeful god, his weapons ripping, tearing into the tiger, leaving lacerations and slashes to match the one in his own side. With one final surge, the very dregs of his chakra, Seitaro loosed one last Drum of War. Finally, the beast fell, dead before it hit the ground. The jounin was breath heavily, lungs working overtime to balance out the lack of oxygen carrying liquid, which was slowly staining his clothes a deep brown as he began the trek over to us. We rushed to meet him, I just managing to catch him as he finally lost the energy to even stand.
"Seitaro!" I shouted, desperate for some kind of reaction. But there wasn't an answer. I was glad Sasuke appeared almost like a ghost on the man's other side, quickly checking his vitals, as it stemmed the threat of tears. 'Kakashi, if I have to watch another precious person's name carved into that damned stone, I might just go mad...' The words bounced around my head, like some horribly scratched record that had gotten stuck on repeat. Not now, please not now.
He jerked his head at Naruto and was instantly tossed the medic kit. "He's alive Misaki. Going into shock, but alive." This was said as chakra pills and another blood replenisher was forced down Seitaro's throat. Sasuke frowned once he got a good look at the gash carved into the man's side. "This is beyond what I can do though, it needs an actual medic. But... I can try to stop the bleeding and clean it." I began to tune him out, as now he was simply talking to himself, going over his lessons. I could barely take my eyes off of Seitaro. He was so pale and there was so much blood...
There was a surge of chakra behind me and more than one boy gasped. "KAA-CHAN!" shouted Kiba as he was instantly pulled in a bear hug by Tsume, Akamaru being picked up by the scruff of his neck by Kuromaru. A medic quickly took over for Sasuke, mystical palm technique well and alive in their hand.
I clutched him to me and Naruto followed soon after. Slowly, the three of us sunk to the ground, boneless. I only sobbed in relief once the head medic on scene announced that Seitaro would make a full recovery, and it really did look worse than it actually was.
"Shikamaru, are you hurt at all?" Shikaku asked, sounding just a bit too mellow to actually be. The more relaxed a Nara acted, the more agitated they were.
Shikamaru sighed and allowed himself to be hugged a little too tightly than usual by his father. "I'm fine tou-san, just a few scratches. I think the house got damaged more than any of us combined." He pulled away for a second and looked up at Shikaku. "Though I do feel like I'm getting sick. Maybe I shouldn't go to school tomorrow." The jounin commander blinked down at his son before he burst into laughter.
"Tou-san, I'm hungry. Seitaro took my chips away."
Chouza may or may not have been clutching his only son's, only child's hand a little harder than he normally would have, and if for once, Chouji decided he wasn't going to get embarrassed about it, no one needed to know. Just this once though, as long as he got barbecue later.
Shino walked calmly up to his father, stepping over one of the giant centipede's legs to stand beside Shibi. The Aburame Patriarch was silent, but turned his head to face his son, full moon reflecting off the charm on his sunglasses. His gaze was searching, though only an aburame or someone close to one would realize that. He didn't even react when Shino clutched the hem of his coat like he had as a small child, hand trembling slightly, grip weak. But when no one was looking, Shibi led his only son's hand into a coat pocket, though he didn't remove his own afterwards.
"Inuzuka Kiba! Why in the seven levels of hell do you have a glue stick on your head?!" snapped Tsume, her voice echoing off the trees and the whole clearing went silent.
Until Naruto started laughing, of course.
My Dear Itachi,
I think I have to agree with you on that. Employing s-class missing nin doesn't seem very smart at all. Maybe all he needs is their strength? You'll obviously be in need of decent teamwork, if you have to adjust to each other's fighting styles. Must be some pretty strong opponents. Oh, is he now? Akasuna no Sasori... Hmm, you know, I think I overheard Rasa and Karura complaining over dinner with Minato and Kushina about him, a few months before Naruto was born. Karura was about ready to pop with their third child in THREE years at that point. Busy busy... Of course, you'd probably know them better as the Yondaime Kazekage and his Lady Fourth. Rasa and Minato enjoyed teasing each other quite a bit, and don't even get me started on when your father entered the picture... ANYWAY, Akasuna no Sasori is pretty much the number one suspect behind the disappearance, which of course translates to murder, of the Sandaime Kazekage. He was apparently Rasa's mentor as a child, he seemed genuinely heartbroken about it... Takigakure, really? That's not far from Konoha... Ha, and he's a miser? He and Naruto should get together sometime, trade secrets. Ick, Iwa. You know that I don't actually hate it, right? I just don't... like it. Either way, I'm sure THAT must have been interesting. There are some crazy motherfuckers in Iwa...
Oi, I only find World Domination funny when I'm the one who comes out on top! But of course, all of our plans have to be thrown out, because someone had to go and join an organization with the same fucking goals as us. Now what are we supposed to do with the zombie ferret army!?
I'm your sister Itachi. It's my job to know things about my little brother I shouldn't. Oh, but Kisame sounds delightful. I'd love to meet him someday. Maybe next time you're in the area, we could have some tea? I'll make the dango. You have to share a room with him? Ha! That must be absolutely delightful for you. You hate sharing. No, I imagine he wouldn't, if he truly looks as shark-like as you describe. Like you have any room to talk anyway, Weasel.
Sasuke is... he's okay, I think. Recovering, slowly but surely. He has panic and anxiety attacks sometimes, but those are getting rarer. He'll have a few questions for you though, next you meet. Gradeswise, even better than, well... before... Naruto's doing fine, his grades are still shit though. Except now, he's doing it on purpose. Apparently, they want to be on the same genin team after they graduate. Clever little shits, aren't they? Owl actually did retire, and is now known as Yokoyama Seitaro. He lives with me and the boys.
Sorry hun, you're going to have to figure that out on your own. You know Hana better than I do. However, when you finally figure it out, I am indeed willing to pass it on. Good luck~
Love,
Your Loving Older Sister,
Kishimoto Misaki
岸本美咲
P.S. Yeah! I got published! How awesome is that!?
1) So here it is guys! YAY~
2) I've noticed that the last few chapters have been sincerely lacking in the humor category, and I'm sorry about that. There are IRL forces conspiring to keep me, and the rest of my family, in a rather sour mood. Hopefully, this chapter was a bit better.
3) CAN YOU TELL I'VE NEVER WRITTEN A FIGHT SCENE BEFORE?! This is seriously the first story I've written to have on screen violence. Okay, so thinking back, technically, the scene where Misaki's dad died was a fight scene too... But this one was an actual fight. You have no idea how long I've been looking forward to finally revealing Seitaro's ninja skillz. You gotta admit, it's pretty badass. But if anyone has any tips for me, PLEASE SEND THEM IN. NOT THE HOUNDS, BUT THE TIIIIIPS.
4) So yeah, Sei is indeed a fellow reincarnation, just... because. No, this wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment thing, it's been in planning for awhile. Just decided not to give y'all any hints, cuz Imma bitch sometimes. I believe I got the idea from another SI/OC called... Honorable Daughter, maybe? I know the SI was Hiruzen's daughter, supposedly the one who spat out Konohamaru, and her guard was a reincarnation. Some sort of generational thing... I can't remember, it's been awhile.
5) I'm not sure if the whole 'Sakura by Darkpetal16'esque letters will continue. I figured it might be a fun thing to do. I'll wait a few chapters and decide then.
6) TIME SKIPS, TIME SKIPS GALOOOORE. I realized we were on ten chappies and the main plot had yet to start. Progress needed to be made.
7) Speaking of time skips, yes, I totally just blazed through a romantic subplot and went *PLOP* 'HERE YA GO!~' The thing is, I'm basing a lot of their relationship on the one between my father and his long-time girlfriend. They have been together for about seven years, they don't know when they started dating. Misaki and Seitaro have been friends for years, it's almost painful. But it's not as if they moved in together and were *BAM* 'I LOVE YOU. *patrick voice*' They had to get to know each other in a different way, now that there were truly no secrets.
8) Have y'all realized I focus quite a bit on character interaction? Because if you guys did, it's news to me. This story only has a 'plot' because I have to follow the Naruto storyline. As said in the beginning chapter, many rather 'crucial' decisions are either written on the fly or made via 2/3 coin toss. Because 'professionalism!'
9) Wow, this author's no
10) I can't remember what else I wanted to say...
11) OH! The forgotten measurements from last chapter. Right...
12) Misaki is 177.8 cm, or 5'10 to my fellow americans, and 72.9 kg, or 160.7 pounds. She's pretty much about where a woman her height should be, actually.
13) Seitaro is 185 cm and 80 kg. Otherwise known as 6'1 and 167 pounds. So, not neccesarily a big bastard, but he's not small either. He's only two inches shorter than Kisame, and he's probably one of the tallest, if not the tallest, canon character.
14) CANON CHARACTER. I say this because Kishimoto Jinzaburo, Misa's dad, was 6'7. She weren't alying when she called him a big sonuvabitch. HE WAS.
15) A nice even and round number, perfect to end this rather ridiculous AN. PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW. I LOVE FEEDBACK.
HAVE A GOOD FUCKIN' DAY.