A/N: I've gotten a couple reviews mentioning ages so I'd like clear up how that works in this story. Let me start by saying that everything up to this point has happened from the middle of May to about the second week of July. That being the case the ages are as follows:
Naruto: 17 (October 10th)
Hinata: 17 (December 27th)
Sakura: 18 (March 28th)
Sasuke: 17 (July 23rd)
Itachi: 23 (June 9th)
Neji: 19 (July 3rd)
Sorry I didn't make that clear before now, but hey, better late than never. Anyway, I appreciate all the reviews. Many of them sparked some great ideas and all questions will be answered sooner rather than later. Lastly, this is a pretty short chapter. I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Chapter 11: Before the Council Meeting
Accusing blue eyes of a five year old bore into the young ANBU that was kneeling before him.
"You told me that you'd always be here!" the child yelled.
"I remember what I said, Naruto-kun, and I don't want to leave you, but I have to. Hokage-sama said I have to," the ninja answered.
"But you promised, Itachi-san!"
Hands that only recently ended the life of his father reached for the angry orphan, but they were slapped away.
"Who is gonna to protect me now? No one cares about me but you!"
"Hokage-sama cares about you greatly. That's why he sent me for you."
"He's doesn't have the time to take care of me or he'd be doing it himself. You're the only one who actively protects me from the people who would hurt me."
"He will find someone else to protect you like I have and I will come back for you."
Instantly, Naruto evolved to his current age of seventeen. Itachi stood up, the blue eyes of the orphan now older and colder.
"Then where were you? Do you know what I suffered after you left? Do you care?"
"I hated leaving you to the wolves of Konoha. I was determined to return to you even when we fought against one another," the sharingan answered transforming into his current self. "Stopping you from hating the village was one of the main reasons I asked to protect you. The hate of the village was what destroyed my clan and if I could change what happened I would in a heartbeat, if only to save you."
Violent orange chakra erupted from the Namikaze's body to form nine orange tails. Four grabbed the former Akatsuki member and pinned him to the wall. A fifth tail stabbed Itachi below his heart. The pain was beyond excruciating, but the Uchiha prodigy ground his teeth and bore it.
"Don't lie to us, Itachi-san," Naruto barked with the voice of a monster.
Another tail rose and stabbed Itachi above his heart. An intense burning sensation filled the Uchiha's body. He had never known pain so powerful, but the man refused cry out. The tails then morphed into six Kusanagi swords (1) flowing with lightning. Naruto converted into Sasuke. A sickening sneer marred his younger brother's face.
"What about me, aniki? Why was my suffering less significant than his?" Orochimaru's former apprentice asked.
"It was never my intention to make you feel that way. I never wanted to make you suffer or make you deal with the weight that was placed on my shoulders. It's why I pushed you away," Itachi said through clinched teeth.
The lightning was tearing through the older Uchiha's body and keeping a grip on the pain was near impossible. Sasuke's sneer turned even more malicious. He slowly drew another Kusanagi sword, channeling lightning chakra through the blade. The young sharingan user aimed the weapon directly at his brother's heart
"You're excuses are meaningless, aniki, but I'm feeling merciful. Allow me to end your suffering. Consider it a parting gift from those you failed."
The snake summoning Uchiha slowly pushed his blade into the heart of his brother (2).
Itachi opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of Naruto's guest room and moved to start his day. He put the dream behind him, knowing he couldn't chase the demons of his past. Despite that, one thing lingered, when would his past with the blond come to the light? It was going to eventually. Naruto had already pressed into what interest the raven had with him and there was also their looming marriage to one another that the Namikaze wasn't aware of yet. The Uchiha took a deep breath, deciding to focus on his most immediate concern, the council meeting.
0-0-0-0-0
Sakura was making her rounds in the hospital. She was on cloud nine being newly engaged to the man of her dreams. Yes, the cherry blossom felt as though nothing could rain on her parade until she heard a couple of nurses gossiping. Clearly hearing her name, green eyes narrowed as the medic nin confronted the two women.
"I couldn't help but hear my name in the little conversation that you were having," the pink haired woman stated with sickening sweetness. "Care to share?"
The two nurses quickly shook their heads and lied about what they were gossiping about. They may have thought the way the girl carried herself in regards to her personal life was scandalous and that she deserved what was coming to her, but they knew the girl's temper and strength was nothing to trifle with.
"Are you sure?"
The nurses nodded.
"Then do yourselves a favor and keep my name out of your mouth," the cherry blossom said leaving the two women behind her.
Once the former Tsunade apprentice was well out of earshot, the two women looked at each other.
"I can't wait until she finds out that her beloved Uchiha is going to be marrying a Hyuuga," the older nurse said to her companion
"Agreed," the younger nurse answered (3).
0-0-0-0-0
An annoyed Sasuke finally returned home from another meeting with Mitokado Homura (4), a power player in the Konoha council and his legal guardian after the massacre. The man was good to him and allowed him the autonomy he desired. When the Uchiha was brought back at the hands of Naruto, Homura had fought the hardest to have the former Orochimaru apprentice rehabilitated rather than killed or locked up for the rest of his life. While the raven would never say as much out loud, he appreciated and respected the man. Even with that being true, he hated when the man brought up the Clan Restoration Act.
"Simply consider it since you are planning to restore your clan," the council member had said to Sasuke before he left.
"Consider it," the genin user scoffed.
In snake summoner's mind, there was no need. The CRA had been brought up before he defected. He didn't want to entertain it then and he had no desire to entertain it now. That wasn't about to change. He had made his the decision to be with Sakura. All that was necessary was that the pink haired medic bare one child that could activate the sharingan. Other than that it was only a matter of reestablishing what he had lost the night that Itachi had killed their clan, a family. A heavy knock on Sasuke's apartment distracted the Uchiha.
"Uchiha Sasuke," an unnamed chuunin said. "By order of the Hokage, you are to report to the Konoha council meeting tonight at 7 p.m. ANBU will escort you. Failure to comply with this order and to the ANBU escort will be considered a violation of your probation and will result in you being turned over to the Interrogation and Torture department. Do you understand what is being asked of you?"
"I understand and will comply," the genin replied.
With that, the chuunin dismissed himself. Sasuke shut his door and refocused his thoughts on why he was needed before the council.
0-0-0-0-0
Hinata was beating up a training dummy at Team 8's former training ground. She had cried for most of the night and all that was left was anger at her father for signing over her right to love who she wanted. The question of 'how could he?' repeated like a broken record in her mind as she continued to pummel the training dummy.
"Hyuuga Hinata," a voice called to the girl.
Turning around, the Hyuuga saw a chuunin head toward her.
"The Hokage has requested your presence at the council meeting tonight at 7 p.m. because the treaty you are a part of will be discussed. Failure to report will be deemed as insubordination on your part and will be punished by incarceration (5). Do you understand?"
"I understand," the byakugan said begrudgingly.
The chuunin dismissed himself and Hinata turned back to the training dummy. The last thing the dark haired girl wanted was to be reminded further of the marriage she had no desire to take part in. Despite that, she would attend the council meeting while wishing that she had the courage to defy the authority of her father, the treaty, and the Hokage.
0-0-0-0-0
In Kusa (6), a very sick man lay on the verge of death as two young people sat quietly at his bed side. Akiko, a pixie-like, seventeen year old girl with long orange-red hair and soft violent eyes, held the man's hand as though hoping her vitality might make the man well again. Beside her was her older brother, Akihiro. The tall and lean young man was eighteen with short, messy, rose red hair. His mischievous gray eyes, usually filled with mirth, were full of sadness as he watched his father take ragged breaths.
"My dear children, my time here on Earth is drawing to a close and I have two final requests before I leave you," the man wheezed.
"Anything, father," answered the siblings simultaneously.
"I want the two of you to find my sister's son," the ill man coughed violently. He regained his composure enough to finish. "Before I was struck down with this awful sickness, I finally found what became of my younger sister, Kushina, and learned that she bore a son by the name of Uzumaki Naruto. Find him. Become the family he wasn't blessed with because of the untimely death of my sister (7) (8)."
The man had another coughing fit. The two teens drew in that much closer praying for just a little more time before their father passed. The fit finished and the man took another breath before he spoke again.
"In my study, you'll find out all that I have found out about this unknown cousin you have. You'll also find detailed histories of the Uzumaki clan and Uzushiogakure. Share them with him. If you do nothing else I have taught you or asked of you, do as I have instructed you now. Promise me."
"We promise, father," the two answered as one again.
Calmness came across the ailing man's features. It was the best he had felt since becoming sick. He gave a small smile to his children, who were his reason to live. He hated leaving them, but he could feel the last of his life force exiting his body. So he mustered what he had left to say one last thing to his beloved son and daughter.
"I love you more than anything, Akiko and Akihiro," the man said closing his eyes and greeting oblivion.
A silence filled the room as the man's final breath left his body. Akiko, feeling her father's hand go completely limp, began to sob. Her brother comforted her, tears streaming down his face.
# Explanations
(1) Apparently the sword that Sasuke carries is called the Kusanagi sword. It's not like the one that Orochimaru has, but it's still called the same thing. Learn something new every day.
(2) I really couldn't shake this whole dream sequence. I did try, but at the end of the day, this had to be part of it.
(3) I was originally going to save this scene for the next chapter, but I couldn't resist. I love the gossip angle.
(4) I'm a big fan of playing with lesser characters if you didn't already know. There is also the fact that I don't believe that Sasuke would consider the Clan Restoration Act without the influence of someone in the council. Mitokado Homura fits the bill for that very reason.
(5) The punishments for Hinata and Sasuke are different because Sasuke is obviously on thin ice being a missing nin in all. Hinata is a different story. The explanations are also different because Hinata knows a little more.
(6) Kusa (or the Village Hidden in the Grass) is located in an unnamed country that is between Fire Country and Earth Country if you don't know your Naruto geography.
(7) We have seen random Uzumakis pop up out of nowhere, namely Karin (won't be making an appearance) and Nagato (dead), so why not throw more into the fray?
(8) If I wasn't killing this man off, I would go into how he found out this information now but fear not. This and other plot holes will be taken care of in due time.
