A.N: Thanks for the reviews, I do read every one and they make me smile. Constructive criticism is always good as well. Keep in mind, I don't have a beta so I am sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors made. With that said, I'd like to remind everyone that this will be ItaNaru. I'm sorry it's not up for discussion. I'm open about pairings, but this story is going to stay Itachi/FemNaru. I do love Jūgo and think they'd make the cutest couple. There should be fics with that pairing seriously. I can't be the only one who can imagine Naru flip over his hair and eye color right? Orange obsessed maniac that he/she is. I am not going to start another story until I'm done this one, at least I have no plans to. This might sound weird but I kind of want to do a MinatoFemNaru story next. Not sure how I'm going to play it. It would be time travel of course, but as to whether they share the same DNA or not I don't know. I find incest so gross in real life, but in fanfiction anything goes-still birth defects if they have kids um ew. I've read stories where Naruto's DNA changes to prevent two Naruto's existing (even if one doesn't already). Anyways, enough rambling. Someone asked for an update schedule. I am not in a place where I can commit to something like that at the moment unfortunately. I have a job and various other things that keep me busy daily. I will mention that I have a rekindled-so to say-interest in this story at the moment. So you can expect a few updates before one thing or another happens to distract me. I'll apologize in advance but, that's just how life is right? Anyone who has been keeping up with this from the beginning probably knows that I have a pattern like that.
DICLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, the characters, or the plot, My claim to ownership ends with my ideas and original characters. Who else loves the triplets?
The Cursed Sharingan: Chapter Thirteen
Last time...
Besides feeling protective there were a bunch of other emotions he had been feeling for Naruto that day. Respect when she remained civil with him despite their past. Interest as she talked with Karin. Wonder and adoration when he watched her with their children. It was obvious in every action how much Naruto loved the three toddlers. Desire when she returned from her shower. Oh did he ever feel desire. 'That was worse then my teenage years' he noted, scowling. 'and from that I can deduce what exactly?' he asked himself, processing slowly. 'I don't want her to be with anyone else, the thought makes me jealous' he admitted uncomfortably. 'I want to be with my family and I lust after Naruto. All these things point to one conclusion. I need to be with Naruto and my children as a real family' he concluded, eyes tightening at the corners. 'Is that even a possibility?' he wondered wistfully, turning over to sleep.
The next morning was somewhat awkward for Naruto. After waking up, she proceeded to go about her usual chaotic pre-training schedule. So in true Naruto form, she was rushing around the house in a barely organized mess. In a happy change, Satomi was the first to wake up. The moment Naruto moved on the bed, she was greeted by sleepy obsidian eyes and a happy smile. Having made sure to wake up extra early and prepare meals, Naruto was surprised the little girl wasn't in tears. After moving her boys to their cribs, she scooped up her only female offspring and went to the kitchen.
"What would you like for breakfast Mi-chan?" Naruto asked, brushing Satomi's messy locks from her face. Her daughter's hair was a little passed shoulder length now and the blonde had no plans to cut it. Having rocked a boy cut for her entire childhood and some of her preteen years, long hair was a must for her own child. 'When Satomi gets older she can decide whether to cut it or not' she decided. The boys though, were due for hair cuts. Naruto was debating taking them to the barber in town, or doing it herself. She was responsible for cutting her own hair in her youth, so the blonde figured it couldn't be harder than cutting her own hair.
"Owange" the Uchiha female chirped, waving her arms excitedly and narrowly missing Naruto's face. Those ninja reflexes sure came in handy during parenthood. Laughing, the blonde settled Satomi in Takeo's high chair, it being the closest to the counter tops. The blonde quickly peeled and sliced some oranges, made some dinosaur oatmeal and heated the milk. Placing breakfast in front of the toddler, she lent down and kissed the crown of her blue-black hair.
The blonde quickly set about preparing breakfast and lunch. She was in the process of scooping rice into two separate lunch containers when she paused. 'Should I make some for Itachi? I did tell Sasuke I would try to get along with him. This is something I can do easily at least. Much easier than talking to him'. Satomi spoke, startling her. "Mama where?" she asked making Naruto blink in confusion. "Where's who honey?" she asked, turning to give the tot her full attention.
The blonde had to cover her smile as her daughter's face scrunched up in concentration. "B-brosers?" Satomi asked more than said. The blonde grinned at the cute stutter and mispronunciation. "Well Mi-chan, your bro-thers are still sleeping baby" Naruto answered, enunciating brothers for the tot.
The little girl nodded her head and went back to getting oatmeal everywhere, making Naruto snort. Having finished packing up the lunches for training, Naruto put away Itachi's wrapped lunch. She laid out the two plates of pancakes she made and hesitated. 'Do I wake him up or what? Man this is so awkward. There should be a help-book for this. How to Get a long With Your Rapist" the blonde thought bitterly.
"Who?" her daughter asked, causing Naruto to spin toward the door where Itachi was standing. The elder Uchiha looked distractedly rumpled. His long hair was down for once, sharingan dormant and clad in a loose pair of black sweats and a black tee. 'He looks so human and kind of cute like this'. "Honey that's Itachi. Remember mommy told you his name" Naruto answered, nervously brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Why here mamma?" 'Shit!'. The blonde bit her lip nervously. Automatically her eyes met Itachi's to find that he was watching her expectantly. 'It seems like he's leaving this up to me. Well I wasn't expecting that...How do I want to go about this? It would be a lie if I said we were friends and it isn't really fair to either Itachi or Satomi to verbally deny their connection. It would also cause even more confusion to the kids if I told them later on'. The blonde tried to imagine interacting with her children without them knowing she was their mother. 'That would be so painful. I've no choice it seems', she thought with resolve.
Her pause felt way too long to Itachi and his poor oxygen deprived lungs. 'Would she really lie to them? Of course she would. I did r-'.
"That's your daddy honey" Naruto stated cautiously. Itachi's wide eyes were focused on her, but all of her attention was on Satomi who she had scooped up.
Naruto watched Satomi closely, tenderly brushing her hair. The little girl was noticeably confused. "Wa dat?" the tyke asked, looking at Naruto expectantly.
Naruto giggled slightly. 'She called Itachi a what! Bet that's a first for him hehe'. "Not what, a person is a who. When babies are born they have a mommy and a daddy" she explained, trying to think of how to put it. 'I wonder if she understands this'.
"Where he was?" the little girl asked, now looking at Itachi curiously. Itachi's heart squeezed in his chest for one painful moment.
"Your daddy was on a super important mission that's why he wasn't here. He's a very strong ninja. Even though he was gone, he missed you and he loves you lots. Almost as much as mommy" the blonde explained, smiling sweetly at her daughter. 'Please don't make me more of a liar Itachi' she begged internally.
Itachi could only stare at the blonde in fascination and a little bit of adoration. 'How is she like this? She's such a good person'. For the first time in a while, Itachi really looked at Naruto. From the messy blonde bun on the top of her head-random chopstick skewered through-to the short, white silk bathrobe and bare legs. 'She is very beautiful, even like-no especially like this. I really do want her. It's frightening how dark my mind turns at the thought of not having her, how desperate I feel at the thought of her rejecting me'.
Naruto happened to turn her head at the moment and everything inside her flinched at the intense look on his face. 'Why is he staring like that? I never thought I'd say this, but I prefer robot Itachi. Scary!'. For some inexpiable reason, the blonde blushed. Naruto cleared her throat loudly, startling Satomi.
Glancing at the clock idly, Naruto's eyes went wide her mouth gaping. Without a thought, the blonde handed the toddler to her father and scrambled for her breakfast. At the same time, the baby monitor screamed to life.
"Mommy!" called Takeo's voice rather insistently, followed by Naoto's wail of reluctant wakefulness-courtesy of his elder brother. The blonde let out a tiny sigh. She stuffed half of a pancake into her mouth and took off for the stairs at a run.
The closer she got to the room the louder the boys were. She laughed slightly hearing Naoto's wails of no, while Takeo desperately tried to call for her over the racket. Naruto cracked up when she remembered that Itachi could hear everything via baby monitor. She was still giggling as she cleared the doorway.
"What's all this noise about now?" she joked, grinning at the cribs. Takeo was standing up in his, hands griping the top railing. His little face lit up when he saw Naruto, arms shooting up into the air with an enthusiasm that screamed pick me up. Naoto-in a comical portrayal of polar-opposites-was stubbornly laying down in his crib and crying.
"Hey there sweetie. Good morning!" she chirped, scooping up her eldest. She placed a kiss on his cheek and brushed his hair away from his face. Moving on, the blonde stopped before Naoto's crib. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cribbbbb!" she sang, smirking as Naoto said no loudly once more. She gently brushed Naoto's hair, holding Takeo to her hip. "It's such a shame that you want to sleep. I guess that means Mi-chan and mommy can eat your oranges" the blonde drawled, grinning mischievously.
"No Mama!" the little boy stated, sitting up and glaring furiously. 'Uchiha death glare at it's finest' the young mother mused. "Well then let's go have breakfast!" she exclaimed, waiting patiently for Naoto to get up.
It took some maneuvering, but by now she had mostly mastered the baby juggle. She deftly scooped him up with one arm. Naoto proceeded to bury his face in her neck miserably.
When she arrived in the kitchen it was to see Itachi seated at the table. Satomi was sitting in his lap drinking her milk and watching them curiously. Her tiny hand was playing with one of Itachi's large calloused ones. Secretly, the tiny girl was making her father melt from a cuteness overdose. The two had conversed slightly after her mother's disappearance. The conversation consisted of questions mostly, why being the most prominent. Itachi didn't mind though, he knew that this inquisitive period would be tantamount for Satomi's development and learning. He was using his other hand to eat his breakfast, eyes curiously watching the mother of his children.
After depositing both boys in their high chairs, she set out their prepared breakfast. Placing a kiss on both of their heads, she made a dash for her breakfast. Sitting down heavily on her cushion, she stabbed a piece of pancake and stuffed it in her mouth.
The display was rather unladylike and if Itachi were less of a man, he would have laughed. He settled for a smirk, continuing his observation.
The blonde was making her own observation as well, her eyes trailed over his plate and almost popped out of her skull. The blonde choked for a second, alarming Itachi momentarily. True to form, Itachi's pancakes were smothered in syrup, icing sugar, and cut strawberries. 'I shouldn't be surprised, that Teme never lies. He'd probably say something condescending like Uchiha's don't lie dobe. What a sweet tooth', she thought humorously. The toad summoner quickly finished her breakfast and placed her dishes in the sink.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu" she stated, bringing her hands out of the cross seal. Two Naruto clones appeared. Without words, the first started doing dishes, while the second started cleaning up the boys' high chairs and faces.
The original Naruto headed upstairs to get ready. The blonde threw on a black tank top, black short shorts, and an orange tie-around skirt. She slipped on her thigh high black shinobi boots and went into the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face and put her hair into a high ponytail. Satisfied, the blonde made for the door only to back track and strap on her shinobi pouches. 'That would have been bad. I need every advantage I can get in spars with Ero-sennin' she lamented, pouting childishly.
Rushing downstairs, Naruto scooped up Naoto. The little boy was drinking his milk and gave her a slightly affronted look at the position change. Naruto laughed and kissed him on both cheeks. "Nao-chan be good for mommy's clones and daddy okay" she cooed, hugging him to her for a moment. Sighing, Naruto deposited him in the play pen. Going back to the kitchen, Naruto repeated the process with Takeo only saying "Be good. I'll be back soon. Aishiteru". With that said, the blonde turned to where Itachi and Satomi were, only to find him standing beside her. She accepted Satomi from him, feeling slightly embarrassed with him watching her so closely. 'I shouldn't be embarrassed. These three are the world to me. I'm a really affectionate person, if that isn't obvious by now then he isn't as much of a genius as they say' she mentally chastised herself. She kissed Satomi noisily making the child giggle happily and try to squirm away. "Training time for mommy. Be good for daddy okay musume" she said gently. Placing one last kiss on Satomi's forehead before handing her back to Itachi. She met Itachi's eyes and let out her breath loudly. Naruto could feel her anxiety bubbling. 'How do I know if I can trust him? What if this is a mistake? He does seem like he cares about them though. It's too late now anyways and my clones are here'. "If you need anything you can ask my clones, they will be around. If it's important one will dispell. I'm trying to trust you and you owe that to Sasuke. I'm not quite there yet though. If both of my clones disappear you can count on me returning in a heartbeat and it won't be an ask questions first thing, you get me?" She asked seriously, blue eyes threatening. At his nod, the blonde scooped up her packed lunches and made for the door. She stiffened at his quiet "Thank you" then immediately relaxed, feeling much less nervous than before her tirade.
From anyone else a simple thanks wouldn't mean much, especially with how little his tone changed. From growing up with Sasuke, Naruto knew just how much I'm sorry or thank you meant to Uchiha. No matter how much either would deny it, they were very similar in some ways. Sasuke could be a cold bastard on a good day and while being a step up from Itachi, he was also hard to read for others. The blonde had no doubt that given enough time, she would learn to understand Itachi. 'I'd like that. I didn't realize how much I want things to be okay between us and not only for the kids either. Strange...'. Naruto was frowning thoughtfully when she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
- - - -
"You know today I'm going to run you twice as hard for missing yesterday right?" was Jiraiya's greeting making Naruto gape. 'Rude. I don't get a hello Naruto how are you? Or a good morning even' she grumbled internally.
"That isn't fair at all Ero-sennin! You know I wouldn't miss training without a good reason. Besides I packed your lunch!" the outraged girl snapped back, hands on hips scowl on lips.
With a small 'hah', Jiraiya threw his head back dramatically, placing his own hands on his hips in a cocky pose. His eye twitch was the only tell to give away the effect of her threat. "Double all of you're warm up exercises and our end spar will last two hours instead of one" he stated in a bossy voice. When Naruto opened her mouth to complain, his head whipped around to face her. "If you complain it's triple" he deadpanned. At Naruto's scathing look, he adopted a self-satisfied smile.
The blonde turned to start her stretching in a sour mood. "Naruto, we will talk about your reasons for missing yesterday when we break for lunch" he tried to say seriously, but Naruto could see the concern written on his face. Her lips twitched into a tiny smile despite her best efforts. 'He's terrible at being a hard ass' she thought affectionately.
After completing her warm ups, Naruto summoned the necessary clones to practice different tasks. Some worked on chakra control, others on jutsu, and the last group worked on cutting a waterfall with wind chakra.
The eighteen year old girl mentally groaned as she took her stance across from Jiraiya. 'Kill me now' she whined internally.
'From the looks of your sensei you might get your wish brat' Kyuubi voiced, startling Naruto enough that she barely avoided a roundhouse kick to the head. The demon's amusement doubled making Naruto even more annoyed. 'You did that on purpose!' she snapped at her tenant.
Her thoughts cut off when she caught a punch to the gut that had her tumbling head over feet across the field. 'Kuso!'. Naruto rubbed her smarting stomach, standing quickly.
"I doubt this is a result of missing only one day of practice. Take this seriously and pay attention. The Akatsuki won't wait for you to get your head straight, take this seriously Naruto!" the older man ordered harshly.
Naruto nodded mutely, pushing all her thoughts away and charging Jiraiya.
Needless to say, the two hour spar had Naruto black and blue. 'I feel like I have internal bleeding. Uhhh. What crawled up Ero-sennin's ass anyways?' the blonde thought, shooting a gaze at Jiraiya. The sannin had been much more aggressive than usual. During their previous spars he tended to stay on the defensive and let Naruto attack for the majority. This time he was 100% on the attack, keeping Naruto on the defensive. The blonde was barely able to hold her own. 'Experience is a scary thing. Despite getting my ass kicked three ways to Sunday, I'm kind of proud I didn't pass out. Though there were a few close calls. My stubbornness saves the day once more' the blonde noted cheekily, mentally flashing the peace sign. Even thinking about making a victory pose right now hurt. The blonde didn't move from the stretched out position she dropped into when Jiraiya called a stop for lunch.
Her head rolled to the side to look at Jiraiya when he spoke. "Naruto after the information you gave me, I've been trying to locate Konan, Nagato and Yahiko. I believe I've found them in Ame. I'm going after them tomorrow. Hime already approved the mission" he stated in a grave voice.
Naruto sat up immediately, her muscles screaming in agony. "What?! No you can't do that Ero-sennin. If they are in Akatsuki then they are S-ranked missing-nin. They are not the children you trained! Who knows what their abilities are now. It is way too dangerous to go alone! What is Granny thinking?" the blonde raged, eyes alight with fright and worry.
Jiraiya sighed. "Naruto I'm positive I can get them to back down. I know the three of them well. They were young when the Great war happened. As you know from the academy, Ame was our battle ground. Knowing and seeing are two different things entirely though. Experiencing, well that's another thing entirely. All three were orphaned and formed a rag-tag group together for survival" he explained, a far away sad look in his eyes.
Naruto leaned forward in interest, listening attentively. 'Ero-sennin hardly talks about his past, even dad is hardly mentioned. I can tell he misses those three', she noted, feeling sadness for her aged sensei.
"The three of them were a family" he added, smiling softly. "They looked out for each other. Somehow I ended up getting coaxed into training them despite Tsunade-hime and Orochimaru's protests. I just felt bad for them and thought it wouldn't hurt to teach them to protect their selves. When we got the order to go back to Konoha I left them" he finished quietly. "I should have done more for them, tried to get Sensei to accept them as refugees. Those three hated war and death. Yahiko was the first to share my dream of peace and where he went the other two followed" he explained wistfully. "I know they would not willingly go along with this. I don't know how, but they are being misguided and used. There's not a doubt in my mind" he finished, fixing Naruto with a serious gaze.
The blonde deflated immediately. 'How can I protest that?' she admitted defeat mentally. "I believe you Ero-sennin. If you need reinforcements though I'm a summon away. No matter what I will drop everything and come to you" she stated earnestly, unwavering blue eyes locked on him.
'That look is purely Minato' he noted with fondness. "I promise. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that though" he replied, before looking at her. "So why did you miss training yesterday?" he asked curiously.
'Oh shit'. Sweat beaded on Naruto's forehead. "Okay you need to promise not to get mad or yell until I finish explaining" Naruto pleaded, making Jiraiya straighten and his face turn wary.
"What did you do?" he asked in a nervous voice, eyes already narrowing.
Inner Naruto felt momentarily outraged before scampering away at the scary look. 'Thanks for the support jeez'. "You didn't promise!" the blonde snapped, crossing her arms.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Fine, I promise" he deadpanned, making Naruto scowl.
'That's the best I'm getting'. Letting out a gust of breath, the blonde inhaled loudly. "First I guess I'll start by asking if you know the truth about the Uchiha massacre" Naruto stated, fixing Jiraiya with an accusing look.
Her face hardened more when the older man deflated. He ran a hand through his hair wearily. "Yes I am one of the few that know. Itachi is actually my contact in the Akatsuki. After the massacre sensei assigned him a long-term infiltration mission to discover their goals. He had to go off the maps after the hotel incident when they tried to take you in Tanzakugai. His cover risked being blown. When I heard about what he did to you I was honestly shocked. I guess people change" the white-haired male explained.
Naruto's frown let up at the end part. "Sasuke and I had our suspicions about the massacre. At the very least we knew he had help" she started, getting cut off by Jiraiya.
"Naruto please tell me you did not put these suspicions in Sasuke's head! Though I shouldn't feel sorry for that boy after what he did to you, I still do. His only wish was to have Sasuke spared and kept from the truth" Jiraiya lectured, making Naruto wince and feel guilt. The old man groaned loudly.
"I already did Ero-sennin. He confronted Itachi and Itachi told him the truth. Sasuke knows" she stated seriously, adopting an apologetic face.
Jiraiya cursed. "Naruto how can you be this irresponsible? What happened to a second opinion? You should have come to me with these suspicions so I could have shut them down then and there!" the writer exclaimed, anger visible. "That boy was and always has been revenge driven, he will go after Konoha!" Jiraiya shouted, fixing Naruto with a look of utter disappointment.
Naruto's own anger reared up. "Hey remember that promise you made at the beginning of this conversation!?" she snapped. Jiraiya's lips tightened to show his displeasure, but he remained silent.
Naruto took a second to visibly calm herself. "First off Ero-sennin, Sasuke is my best friend-teme that he is-of course I told him and even with this freak out of yours, I still don't regret that decision. Itachi and Sasuke kissed and made up like good boys and the only revenge that teme wants is against the council. I think Ba-chan can arrange that-quite happily too. In fact, Itachi offed Shark-brains, sent in-tel to Sasuke-who offed Bomb-bitch and info that lead to Konoha taking out Zetsu. There are only three members left in Akatsuki Ero-sennin!" she explained, voice filled with satisfaction at the end.
Jiraiya's expression had lightened during her explanation and turned thoughtful. "If what you say is true"-ignoring Naruto's scowl. "Then Itachi has done a great service to you and Konoha. Sasuke as well, who'd have guessed that he was the 'concerned civilian' HAH! Wait a minute-three members? No that isn't right, there should be four. Nagato, Konan, Yahiko and this Madara want to be. Are you sure Itachi said there are three remaining members?" The sannin questioned, fixing Naruto with an intense stare.
Naruto hesitated, than nodded. "The remaining members are Tobi, Konan and someone who goes by the name Pein" she answered, frowning at Jiraiya's expression. "What is it?".
"This changes things. I'm positive this Pein is either Yahiko or Nagato. They would not separate, which means that one is dead. It is possible that the death of one would cause the others to do something like join a terrorist group" he explained, worry evident in his tone.
"Wait so you are saying maybe they weren't tricked and will come at you guns blazing?!" she somewhat shrieked. "Even two to one I don't like those odds. You're an old man Ero-sennin!" she ranted worriedly, voice progressively getting louder.
"OI BRAT!" he yelled over her mumbling, eye brow ticking dangerously. "This old man just kicked your ass for two hours" he snapped, making Naruto eep. "Or do you need a refresher?" he asked in a deadly voice that combined with a face similar to Yamato-taichou's had Naruto frantically shaking her head.
Satisfied and feeling more than a little cocky, he turned to his unopened meal. "Hurry up we've wasted enough time. Fukusaku is waiting. After lunch you will dispel your clones and make new ones" he ordered, making Naruto lunge for her bento.
Through a mouthful of rice Naruto added "There's just one more thing...".
...
"ITACHI IS WHAT?!" he screamed with rage, choking on his own food. Naruto ran with her lunch.
- - - -
After Naruto left, Itachi had a short moment of panic before his pride kicked in and vanquished it. He carried Satomi into the living room and made eye contact with a Naruto clone reading on the couch. After the initial look, the clone went back to reading and ignoring his presence. 'History of Uzushiogakure' he noted, turning to look at the two boys in the play pen.
'Well it seems some bonding is overdue. Maybe a little learning. I can at least do this while Naruto is gone' he decided, strengthening his resolve. It turned out Naruto had flash cards that he used to teach the triplets various words with varying success. Naoto and Satomi participated actively with some pronunciation errors, while Takeo refused to join and simply observed.
Itachi eyed his eldest child speculatively. "Takeo can you say this word? St-ah-p" he asked, enunciating it for the boy. When the boy simply stared at him blankly, Itachi furrowed his brows. 'He's not slow, there is a glimmer of intelligence in his eyes. From what I've heard he should be excelling at this exercise. Why is he choosing not to participate?'. The older male leaned back from his crouching position and instead adopted a sitting position on the floor across from his stubbornly silent child. Itachi's genius brain didn't take long to solve the mystery. 'From what I've heard is exactly right. Anything Takeo has said had been about or to Naruto' he thought, feeling triumphant that after nearly thirty minutes of failure he had the answer to success. Itachi glanced at the Naruto clone before quickly glancing away. 'I resolved to do this on my own, asking for help-even if it is merely a clone-seems like admitting defeat' he decided. Glancing at his silent son, still watching him with an unwavering expression made up his mind. 'He is very intense for a mere child of almost two. How to do this? I haven't much practice in asking for assistance' he lamented, glancing at the clone once more.
Unknown to Itachi, the Naruto clone had been paying more attention to the impromptu lesson than her book. Despite being a clone, she was a clone of Naruto and as such, could not pull her attention away from their interactions. She was quite aware of what was troubling him and knew exactly why a certain little someone was being trouble. After the third glance, she closed her book with a quiet snap and stood from the couch catching Itachi's attention.
Without a word, the blonde sat next to Itachi. Snatching a different card from the pile, she held it out in front of Takeo. There was a large picture of a cat face on it. "Take-chan do you know what this is?" she asked the now attentive child, who had focused on her the second she approached. "Cat" the little boy said quietly, making the clone beam. "I've used these on them twice before. Take has a really good memory. He can say all of them just by seeing the pictures or the written word underneath. I think he has photographic memory. Naoto and Satomi know a lot of them, the harder ones they struggle to pronounce and the odd one they draw a blank at" she explained, making Itachi impressed with both his children and their mother.
"They seem very intelligent from what I've seen" he complimented, making the clone smile at him.
"Ah they are. Here we can try these once more. If you use a reward system it works better. Praise and treats for answering correctly. You need to encourage them if they fail as well. I don't scold them for stuff like this" the blonde explained, to Itachi.
Between the two of them they managed to work out a pretty good lesson for the three chilren. Takeo excelled at the things he was already taught and quickly caught on to the new material. He even answered Itachi's questions a couple of times with the clone's gentle prompting. Satomi and Naoto also proved to be very bright for their young age. After about forty-five minutes-a record-the children started to fidget and lose concentration. The first to go being Naoto, followed by Satomi and even Takeo got tired of the lesson. Either way both parents (or copy of one) felt satisfied and proud at the results. Afterwards they worked on teaching Satomi and Naoto to walk. The two had made great progress with Naruto in the last week. Seeing Satomi toddle around while Naruto and Itachi praised her (well as much as an emotard like Itachi can anyways) lit a match under Naoto's butt. Both toddlers managed to learn to walk and run much to the clone's horror. Needless to say, Itachi and the clone kept a closer watch from then on.
The other clone was upstairs completing any chores that needed to be done and generally cleaning. The clone later came down to warm lunch and help feed the kids. Time passed by quickly for the missing-nin, between the three children and clones' antics.
Next thing he knew, both clones disappeared and Naruto reappeared in all her exhausted post-training glory. The blonde tiredly greeted her children, somehow managing to find the energy to praise her youngest two endlessly when they ran for her-despite knowing when her clone popped. Itachi attempted to distract the children so she could sneak off to shower, but Takeo refused. The little boy went as far as trying to climb the stairs and follow her; therefore, causing Naruto to back track and bring him along for the ride. Always one for snatching opportunities, Naruto took a bath instead and washed Takeo with her. She dressed him in pajamas and prayed he didn't make a mess of himself at dinner. The blonde opted out of her usual shorts/nightgown due to her bruising and settled for long black pajama pants and a white long sleeve of Sasuke's that she stole. The shirt was too large for her frame, draping off her shoulders constantly and hanging well past her hands and hips. The Uchiha fan was small almost unnoticeable and placed near the collar on the back beneath the base of her neck. The tired mother tied her long golden hair up in a messy bun, some water still dripping into her shirt from the damp locks. Scooping up her small child with protesting arms, she awkwardly shuffled downstairs, forgetting her slippers and grumbling about the cold floor.
Itachi already situated Naoto and Satomi in their high-chairs with food already laid out-courtesy of the clone. When Naruto tiredly dragged herself in, he was sitting at the table waiting for her. After depositing Takeo in his chair with a kiss, she dropped onto her seat at the table wincing.
Itachi scrutinized her thoroughly-had been from the moment she stepped into the kitchen smelling of vanilla and looking so very small in her overly large shirt. The shirt was obviously male's and had him inwardly angsting, until she turned and made visible his clan symbol. 'Ah so it's Sasuke's. It's sad that I am still jealous but to a much smaller degree'. Some small part of him liked seeing that symbol on her-even if it was because of Sasuke-and that small part made sure he was very aware of it. 'Will I ever stop reacting to her like this?' he wondered, cursing his libido. When she leaned forward to clutch her glass of water the shoulder of her sleeve slipped down, his eyes tracking it unconsciously. His feelings did a 360 when he processed the black and blue discoloration of her shoulder blade. On instinct Itachi leaned across the table, hastily pushing her sweater aside to view the extent of her injury.
Naruto yelped the second he made contact, more out of surprise than pain. She shivered as his warm hand gently prodded her bruise, wincing at the tender spots.
"How did you get this?" he questioned, looking at her intensely.
Naruto gave him a 'duh' look. "Training" she deadpanned making his lips press into a tight line.
"Your shoulder would have dislocated from a hit to this area" Itachi stated in a firm voice.
Naruto could tell he didn't appreciate her show of attitude. "Ero-sennin went hard on me today that's all. He doesn't know he dislocated it. I didn't want to tell him and upset him. Plus I had to finish my punishment for missing training yesterday" she explained, turning back to her food.
"What was your punishment?" he asked making her look up at him in surprise.
"Oh um he had me double my warm ups and our spar went from one hour to two" She replied, shrugging with her good shoulder and absentmindedly swirling the noodles on her plate around with her chopsticks.
Itachi frowned. "You fought for two hours with a dislocated shoulder?" he asked a touch of disbelief notable in his tone.
Naruto caught it and scowled. "It happened sometime after the first hour so I only fought with it like that for an hour tops and I popped it bak in as soon as I had a moment. Besides, had I told him he'd have canceled training and I heal fast anyways. Oh by the way, I updated him on everything" she stated, catching Itachi off-guard. "Is there someone named Nagato or Yahiko in Akatsuki?" she asked curiously, fixing him with wide blue eyes.
Itachi lent back in thought. "I have overheard Konan address Pein by the name Nagato before. I've never heard of the second. Why?" he answered, interested in her line of questioning.
"Oh um turns out that Ero-sennin knows Konan and Nagato, but they had a third friend named Yahiko. They were orphans from the war. They are originally from Ame and while Ero-sennin was there he ended up becoming their sensei until he returned to Konoha. He has somehow found out that they are in Ame and Ba-chan approved a solo mission for him" she explained, getting more morose at the end. "He's going tomorrow" she added quietly.
"Pein has the rinnegan and is extremely skilled as well. Jiraiya-sama should not go alone, he must take reinforcements. You have to warn him" Itachi stated seriously, trying to stress the importance.
Naruto frowned in thought. "I have a better idea" she stated with determination, straightening and locking him in a passionate azure gaze.
Itachi's breath caught at the look while his stomach simultaneously dropped with foreboding from her words, the effect was unsettling to say the least.
Taking his silence as a silent request to explain, she continued "We're going to be his back-up" she declared, grinning in anticipation.
For the first time in his life, Itachi's jaw dropped.
There was never complete silence with children in the house, but he still managed to portray stunned silent well. It took much longer than he'd care to admit to collect himself. "That idea is unacceptable for so many reasons I don't know where to start" he deadpanned, making Naruto scowl.
The blonde crossed her arms defensively. "No hear me out okay. I know it's stupid because duh I'm a jinchuuriki, they get me end of the world blah blah blah who knows. You, your a traitor! They'd kill you on sight" she explained, making Itachi's face get darker and darker as she continued. 'Is this her attempt at persuading me? It is failing spectacularly' he thought, sweat dropping.
"Us going, that is just so stupid that they won't expect it. Why would they? Both of us are on the run from them and have gone through great lengths to hide ourselves. If this Pein is as strong as you make him sound then what makes you think even one or two Anbu teams will make much of a difference? Not only that, but that shitty Ero-sennin has it in his head that he can end things peacefully. I believed him at first, but the more I hear about this Pein guy the worse I feel. Ero-sennin needs us. If you don't want to go I will completely understand, but I am going" she finished, making Itachi stare at her in shock and dread.
After a moment to collect himself the Uchiha answered. "While I stand by my original opinion, your reasoning is sound and undeniably true. We would be the best back-up available to Jiraiya-sama. Short of Hokage-sama and Kakashi-san there is no one else on the level required to do this. I doubt Taka is ready either, nor would I want to unleash Pein on Sasuke. You have my participation as long as you agree to my conditions" he mused, looking at her inquiringly. At her nod he continued, "We treat it as an information gathering mission at first, that means we stay hidden and observe. Only after the first attack is made can we interfere. If we are faced with both Pein and Konan you are to allow Jiraiya-sama and I to deal with Pein while you fight Konan" he stated ignoring her scowl. "If things turn badly, your priority is to take Jiraiya-sama and escape to Mount Myobaku" he finished, gazing at her seriously.
"No way, I can't promise to do that. There is no reason I can't grab both of you, um hello shadow clones!" she refuted, making him glare slightly. "I said no. Would you be able to face Takeo, Naoto, or Satomi after leaving me to die? No? I didn't think so. Use that big brain of yours. We may not be best friends, or even friendly at all, but how you are with me does not change who you are to them. You are their father, no one else is and no one else will be. They need you to be their father" she explained earnestly, making him back down immediately. "So do I" she admitted quietly, making his eyes widen.
Logically Itachi knew that in conjecture with her previous statement the blonde was admitting to needing Itachi to be the kids' father, but to him it was as good as her saying I need you. His body was rebelling him no matter how much he tried to calm himself, outwardly he stayed stoic-if slightly surprised. Ignoring his frantic heartbeat, he cleared his throat. "I understand" he replied, acknowledging her wishes and taking them to heart. "The previous conditions stand. Can you agree to them?" he questioned, getting back to business.
Naruto nodded instantly. "We need to plan. I have no idea what time he's going to Ame, but from Myoboku he could appear there instantly. Maybe we should leave tonight-" she started, worry creasing her forehead.
She was interrupted by an impatient cry. Turning, the blonde remembered her children. Naoto, already finished dining wanted out of his high chair and was about two seconds away from crying. Looking at the clock, Naruto realized why. 'We've talked for an hour'. Satomi was doing little better, eyes watering with tears. Takeo was quietly playing with his bowl and spoon, but appeared to have been watching her and Itachi. Both parents stood at the same time. Naruto went to Satomi and scooped her up. Itachi got both boys, but as soon as he was near Naruto, Takeo reached out for her. The blonde went to grab him and winced.
"You can't carry both with your shoulder like that" he stated. Skillfully, he swapped Takeo for Satomi. "Let's get them cleaned up and put to sleep first. We can plan later" he decided, making his way upstairs. Naruto followed dutifully, coddling Takeo as she walked.
Naruto lay with Takeo in bed while, Itachi bathed Naoto and Satomi. Takeo was happily drinking his milk and playing with his mother's-now freed-hair. When Itachi emerged mother and son were both asleep. He dutifully preformed the after bath rituals on the kids and put them in bed with their mother and brother. Bottles in hand, the tots drifted to sleep with Itachi rubbing their backs. The Uchiha relaxed against the headboard of the bed, staring at his small slumbering family. His eyes went from face to face taking in what he could and letting the peace fill him. He stayed that way for five hours before waking Naruto. He only had to lightly shake her shoulder to rouse the blonde. She sleepily rubbed at her eyes before startling and sitting up.
"How long did you let me sleep?" she asked, immediately realizing what happened. The blonde couldn't even muster up the anger to reprimand him, instead she only felt grateful.
"Five hours. It's twelve now. You needed to rest. How is your injury?" he replied, eyes dark as night.
"It's pretty much healed now" she answered rolling her shoulder. "Thank you" she added, staring at him strangely. 'He took care of me. No one has really done that before. Even before with him checking my bruise, I was too annoyed and defensive to notice. Does he maybe care about me?' she wondered, gazing at him intensely.
Itachi felt a little unnerved at her gaze, but he nodded to acknowledge her thank you. "I'll let you prepare and go do the same. We can plan downstairs then head out" he decided, standing from the bed and exiting the room on silent feet. Naruto dressed quickly in black shinobi pants and a black long sleeved skin tight turtle neck. The blonde tapped down the edges of her pants with bandages, slipped on her sandals and pouches. She grabbed her extra pouch and stuffed it with some seals she was working on just in case. 'Who knows, might come in handy'. She made four clones two laid on either edge of the bed caging the babies in protectively. The other two took up positions around the room. With one long last look at her sleeping children, she went downstairs where Itachi was already waiting.
"So what's the plan Itachi-taichou?" the teen teased, grinning mischievously.
Itachi's lips twitched slightly despite himself. 'Despite her joking, I can see how determined she is. She truly is an admirable creature, a complete contrast to myself for sure. She's like light to my dark, so animated and positive' he observed, inwardly marveling at the young woman in front of him. 'She doesn't belong in the dark' he mused sadly, not really referring to her dark clothes.
- - - - -
Translations
Kage bunshin no jutsu-Shadow clone jutsu
Aishiteru-I love you
Musume-Daughter (affectionately)
Bento-lunch box
Taichou-Captain
PS. Sorry if I missed any!