ANBU Allure
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy the grand finale of ANBU Allure. Oh, and feel free to check out my other stories if you're interested. Happy reading.
Chapter Notation: This chapter takes place five years after the previous one.
Chapter 21
Fatherhood had thus far proved to be an interesting experience to say the least, Kakashi muses. Every single day, the Jonin was forced to accept for all his skills, he was utterly powerless in the face of the most powerful Jutsu known to man. The Bubble Eyes Jutsu.
"Up! Up!" The twins giggle in perfect unison.
Yes, twins. In hindsight, none of them should have been that surprised that Hinata had given birth to twins. They did run in her family. Hiashi Hyuga himself had been a twin. Still, it had been rather shocking to find that Hinata's second pregnancy was a multiple one.
"Alright. Alright." He chuckles as he scoops them both up into his arms.
All the while, Hinata and Itachi were watching with undisguised amusement. Not that Kakashi could blame them, he had to look like quite the comical sight.
Anyone would when they were juggling two adorable two year old girls with hair just as silver as his own and their massive bubble eyes. Those lavender irises were quite impressive. There was no denying who had sired these two.
"Rin and Emiko have Father wrapped around their little fingers." Minato Uchiha-Hatake laughs.
Kakashi couldn't disagree with the blue haired miniature Itachi. "That may be so, but we're all wrapped around your fingers equally well. You'll understand when you have children of your own someday."
Itachi had chosen to name his son after the Fourth Hokage. It made perfect sense really. True it likely hadn't been his intention to spur the creation of a loving trio, but he had sent them on the mission that had lead to their marriage. So, really the man deserved some credit.
What could be a better way to honor his former sense than to name an adorable bubble eyed child after him? Yes, all their children had bubble eyes. It seemed those ran in the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans in equal measure.
Minato rolls his eyes with all the annoyance that only a four year old could manage. "I love my foolish little sisters and little kids, but I'm sick of girls trying to get me to play house with them."
Itachi chuckles at that. "You do take after Uncle Sasuke a great. He felt the same way when he was your age. One day though, I'm sure you won't mind the girls wanting to play house with you."
Minato makes a face. "I find that doubtful. It's annoying."
Gods and Goddesses help them all. The kid had one Sharingan, one Byakugan, Hinata's Bubble Eyes, Itachi's brain, and Sasuke's sulking powers. They'd all be doomed if he wasn't so easily bribed with sweets. A trait that he had no doubt inherited from his mother.
"Up! Ups! Big brother!" The girls giggle.
As expected Rin was the first to wiggle out of Kakashi's grasp and dart over towards Minato. She was the eldest and in Kakashi's mind, a natural extravert. Just as her namesake had been.
"Alright!" Minato smiles as he goes to scoop Rin up.
In all honesty, it was really Emiko that one had to watch out for. She was an evil mastermind. As soon as Minato's guard was down, she comes barreling right after her sister and causes her siblings to both fall to the ground.
"Ninja unexpected!" Emiko squeals with pride.
Hinata's nose crinkles cutely as she laughs. "Well, like daughter, like father. Come. We should probably get going. The others will be waiting for us by now."
"Of course." Itachi nods.
So, does Kakashi. Tonight was a family dinner. It was quite simply a bad idea to keep the Uchiha Clan Heads and Hyuga Clan Head waiting to see their grandchildren.
A very, very bad idea. Kakashi still had nightmares about the one and ONLY time he was late to one of these events.
A few minutes later, Itachi privately acknowledges family dinners were always a grand occasion. His mother had certainly outdone herself when it came to the cooking. There was enough food to feed a village here. Albeit a very small village, but still.
"Wow, Grandmother! This looks amazing!" Minato smiles as he reaches for a cupcake loaded with far more frosting than should have been legal.
"Thank you, but those should wait until after dinner." Mikoto smiles as she pokes his forehead.
Sasuke snorts as he walks in with Hanabi. "Now, I see where Itachi got that trick from."
Yes, it was most unexpected, but it seemed there was some merit to that tradition. It had taken quite a bit of persistence on Hanabi's part and the kind hands of Father Time's aid, but now the younger Hyuga sister was of age. She was also being courted by Sasuke (or was it the other way around)? Itachi was never entirely sure with them.
"You know that you would miss it, if he didn't do it." Fugaku smirks at his youngest song. "I'm glad that you made it back from your mission safely and in time for dinner."
"He probably wouldn't have if I didn't catch the two of them in the market district together. Sasuke got dragged into clothing shopping with Hanabi. I can't blame him, though. Hanabi wanted to find a swimsuit."
Hiashi rolls his eyes. "I'll confess to being guilty of doing the same thing at his age, but Sasuke had better have treated Hanabi with the utmost respect! I'd love some more grandchildren, but not until after a marriage."
This was getting a little extreme. Itachi was now feeling a bit guilty and he hadn't even been the one to do the teasing. Perhaps it was time to step in.
"Minato mastered the Fireball Jutsu yesterday." He smiles.
Thank goodness his son was a prodigy and it was an easy matter to divert attention away from Sasuke.
"Really? That's wonderful." The Uchihas all smile while Hiashi politely claps.
Fire Jutsu weren't as important to Hyugas, but it was a powerful attack. One that most four year olds would never be able to master. So, the Hyuga patriarch had to give credit where it was due.
"Yes, we're really proud of him." Hinata beams as the twins clap for their elder brother.
The family dinner went on for hours. It was never a simple affair to go to one of them, but Hinata always left the event with a smile on her face. She still couldn't believe that somehow, against all odds, both of their families had accepted their marriage.
"Have to?" The twins look up at her with giant Bubble Eyes.
They went through this every night. It seemed that the girls were going to be Night Owls. Mercifully, Minato thus far had turned out to be a morning person. Hinata wasn't entirely sure how she would have handled THREE children resisting their bedtime. As it was, it was a group effort to get them all to sleep.
"Yes, you do." Itachi smiles at them. "Get some sleep. Morning will be here before you know it. There will come a day when you'll want nothing more than to sleep in. Enjoy this while it lasts."
Itachi was the more practical of her husbands when it came to parenting. Kakashi was well, Kakashi.
"Indeed. Perhaps we'll have pancakes in the morning as well." The silver haired rogue smiles at his daughters.
"Okay! Daddy and Papa!" The girls beam as they snuggle into their beds and finally, the parents were all able to slip out of the room.
Only to be interrupted by both Minato's. "You said not to answer the door to strangers, but I saw him with my Byakugan and he knew the password." The younger Minato nods at them with all the dignity that a small child could muster.
Hinata rubs the back of her head sheepishly. Goodness only knew what the three of them would be like when they got older. That, and her husbands were also hoping to go for baby number four.
"That's alright." What could she do really? They were both so persuasive and Minato the Second looked utterly adorable at the moment. Well, he always did, but that was behind the point. "Go back to bed. We'll see you in the morning. We're going to have pancakes."
Pancakes was apparently all the boy needed to hear because he kissed his parents on the cheeks and darted upstairs. That boy was fast. One day, he'd be a great ninja. Hinata was sure of it.
"I am sorry for disturbing you all." Minato laughs softly. "I see that the time honored tradition of bribing children to behave is still alive and well in the Leaf Village."
"Well, perhaps it is not the most regal method of gaining compliance. Still, we prefer to think of it as rewarding good behavior. Bribe has such a negative connotation. What can we do for you Lord Hokage?" Itachi shoots the elder man a bashful grin.
Minato smiles at them in that disarming manner only he possessed. Though Kakashi sometimes took a good stab at mimicking. That could only mean one thing. He was planning something outrageous.
"Well, I was planning on visiting sooner, but I got lost on the road to life as Kakashi would say." The blond laughs with undisguised mirth. "I'm pleased to see that your marriage is still going strong and I come baring some news related to Lord Rai."
There was a name Hinata hadn't heard from in awhile. It was also one that made her blood run cold. "It's been years and we're married with three children. He must have given up by now."
"Well, it's more that he's in prison for an unrelated crime. More information about your mission has come to light. It appears that he was the one who organized those horrific places." Minato nods at them. "So, I doubt he'll be bothering your family or anyone else ever again. The man will be imprisoned for the rest of his life. Given that he's still a reasonably young man, that is likely going to be for quite sometime. Decades would be my guess."
Hinata sighs in relief. For a few terrifying seconds, she had assumed the worst. This was excellent news.
"I'm glad to hear that he's being suitably punished. To a pampered, spoiled noble such as him, living the rest of his life in prison is far worse than death. Though I am still grateful that you assigned us all to that mission. There's just something sexy about an innocent goddess wearing an ANBU mask." Kakashi smirks as Itachi swats him upside the head playfully.
"Forgive him, Lord Hokage. As you know, Kakashi is something of a deviant, but we love him anyway. As we love each other, our Clans, and the rest of this village." Itachi smiles as if he were the perfect picture of serenity.
"That may be true, but he's right. You both did strike quite the dashing image in your ANBU uniforms." Hinata giggles. "Very alluring."