Fun Fact: This is hands down the quickest turnaround I've ever had with a new chapter.

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Nepotism

[nepotism—noun : patronage bestowed or favoritism shown on the basis of family relationship, as in business and politics]

"You're more than ready for a hitai-ate."

"No thank you," I rasped, leaning against the edge of the table with my arms crossed. "I'd like to be back at the Academy come Monday." I tugged at the sleeve of my uniform. "And Sai?"

"You will need to be legally recognized first. Once the paperwork for that is complete, then we could work on the logistics of Sai-kun's legal situation. I would estimate in two days, or thereabouts."

"Ah." I pushed off the table and turned. Running my fingers across the plate affixed to the back of the chair next to me—it was engraved with the symbol of the Sarutobi clan—I asked, "I'll be getting one of these?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. We'll vote when everyone gets here. However." Hiruzen looked down at the paper I'd given him, the one I'd had clan heads sign. "Given this, yes. I feel confident you'll have a chair soon. Truly impressive, Mirai-chan."

I tilted my head to the side, glancing at him in consideration. "Thank you." Then I looked towards the council room's doors as one of them opened.

Shikaku stepped inside, slouched over with one hand in his pocket and one on the door. His gaze roved over the room for a second, skipping over me initially before coming back to me in the end. "Hokage-sama," he greeted, meandering over to his chair. "Mirai-chan." He slumped into his seat. "You're alive."

My shoulders raised as weight lifted off of them. It was my first honest grin in forever. "I am," I said proudly. "So are you, though that's less of a surprise." My chest was tight, but this time it wasn't from fear. Or panic. My heart was pounding. This was excitement. The culmination of a year of work. Of torture.

I looked towards the door as I felt more chakra approaching. This one was vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure who it was. For most of the people that would be showing up, I'd never studied their chakra in depth and it had been a year at least since I'd heard them. The door opened.

"—few purin. Chiki's been getting creative with the recipe."

"Ah, well, I'm always up for being a tastetester," Inoichi said, stepping in with Choza at his side. "Hokage-sama, Shikaku," he greeted, bringing a hand up to hide his yawn. Then he faltered, hand stilling. "Mirai-chan?"

I bowed my head, careful to not look completely away. "Inoichi-sama. Choza-sama."

"Tch. Respect for them and not for me," Shikaku drawled. "I'm almost hurt."

"What's going on?" Inoichi asked. "Where have you been?"

I blinked. And then I gestured to my uniform. "Busy."

Inoichi's brow furrowed, and he seemed to fumble for words for a second. But then the door was opening again, and then someone was pushing him out of the way. "You make a good wall," Tsume grunted at him. As she dropped into her chair, Kuromaru at her side, she arched an eyebrow at me. Then she grinned something sharp and leaned forward. "Well, look at you, little wolf," she growled happily. "Was wondering when you'd be around again."

I offered a grin in return. But then as Himura and Utatane stepped in, I took a step back. Looking towards Hiruzen and keeping my voice low, I asked, "Where should I be?"

Hiruzen flicked his gaze to me and then motioned to the ground by his right side. I shuffled over to that, using it as an excuse to ignore the next person coming inside. I'd never actually met her, never seen her before, but there was only one person they could be. The civilian rep. I wasn't exactly thrilled about her presence, so I focused instead on the other chakra sources I could feel approaching.

One of them, I was very familiar with.

"Uzumaki," Danzo said, moving to sit in the chair to the Hokage's left.

I returned the greeting with a hum, standing at attention beside the Hokage with my hands clasped behind my back. As a couple more people filed in—Shibi, Hiashi—I listened to the one close behind. When he stepped inside, I lit up.

Yosu's gaze found me immediately, and I could only describe the look that crashed over him as relief. He completely bypassed his own chair and moved straight for me. I bounced on my toes a little as he approached, looking up at him when he stopped in front of me. He didn't move any closer than that, giving his father a brief glance, but he did drag his stare over my face. "You're okay," he murmured.

"Promise." I tightened the grip my hands had on each other. "How's Kono-kun?"

Yosu gave a smile at that, just a little tired. "He'll be excited to see you again."

"I'm excited to see him." And then I dropped my hold on my hands, letting them relax back to my sides as I stared at the door. I knew the chakra that was approaching. I knew both of them. I moved past Yosu, past the other council members, to the door just as it opened again.

Kakashi looked like he'd been struck. His eye was blown wide, and he was pale. Pale even for him. "Pup?"

"Neechan!"

That was all the warning I got before Sasuke slammed into me, making me stumble just a touch. I jerked my stare away from Kakashi and to the person grabbing me. "Ke-kun," I murmured, wrapping my arms firmly around him. When I felt him start shaking, I tightened my hold. "No, no, it's okay. I'm here."

"Mirai," Hiruzen called. "Everyone is here. Let's begin." And then a half-second later. "Kakashi."

I could see Kakashi give me another desperate look before he pulled himself away and moved to sit down. I pushed Sasuke out at arm's length, wincing when he tried to claw for a grip so he could stay with me. "Shh," I urged. "All you have to do is vote yes," I said softly. "Okay? That's it. Then we can go."

Sasuke stared at me with wide eyes. "Yes? And then we go? Together?"

I nodded once. Sharply. "Together." Without waiting for that to settle in, I turned and guided him to his seat between Yosu and Choza. I ruffled his hair as I pulled back. Then I met Hiruzen's expectant gaze and walked back over to my spot beside him. I resumed my pose, standing at attention again with my hands once again behind my back.

Hiruzen cleared his throat. "This should be fast," he said, his voice bringing all other conversations in the room to a close. "We are here for a simple vote. The motion is put forth to recognize Uzumaki Mirai as the Uzumaki clan head and thereby establish her as a member of this council."

"Yes," Sasuke gasped out immediately. When all of the attention swung around to him, he suddenly looked so small in his seat. He hesitated, glancing towards me.

I gave him a nod and a small smile.

Sasuke straightened up a bit. "Yes," he repeated.

"That is one vote in favor from the Uchiha Clan. As Hokage, I also vote in favor."

I snapped my head around to stare at him. What?

Interesting.

I smoothed away the frown that tried to fight its way into my expression, searching Hiruzen's face to see if I could find any clues to his thought process there. There was nothing. He wasn't even looking towards me.

"Hatake Clan votes in favor."

I moved my gaze to Kakashi to find him watching me. There was something brittle there. I straightened and gave him a smile, hoping I was conveying confidence. That I was conveying just how happy I was to see him.

"Two votes in favor. As Nara clan head and as Jonin Commander."

I resisted the urge to look at Shikaku as he said that, instead staying focused on Kakashi. He was frowning a little now. Kakashi reached up and touched the right side of his face, and I had to resist the urge to touch the scar I knew he was looking at.

"Two yeses. As Shimura and advisor."

At that, Kakashi snapped his gaze away to stare at Danzo. Everyone turned a stare to Danzo—except for Shikaku, who now looked incredibly bored and apparently found the ceiling more interesting that the actual vote, and Hiruzen. Danzo glanced around the room coolly, obviously not planning to address the situation further.

"In favor," Yosu cut in.

"Hell yeah," Tsume said, grinning.

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Eight votes in favor."

"Absolutely not," the civilian representative cut in. "For a number of reasons!"

"I agree," Himura murmured. "Uzumaki-san is still a child, not to mention—"

"We're here for a vote," Hiashi cut in smoothly. "Not a debate. The Hyuuga Clan is in favor of this motion."

Utatane frowned. "I cannot in good conscience vote for this."

"Then don't," Shibi said. "Aburame Clan votes yes."

"As do the Akimichi," Choza cut in, leaning back in his chair and grinning widely.

Hiruzen looked to Inoichi. "Well?"

Inoichi nodded. "In favor."

I risked a glanced towards the advisors to find that Himura and Utatane were exchanging frowns.

Hiruzen leaned forward. "This motion passes, thirteen to three. Senju Clan abstains. Uzumaki Mirai?"

It took me half a beat to realize that he was addressing me now. I straightened and squared my shoulders, looking towards him. "Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"By majority agreement of the council, I would like to welcome you as the Uzumaki clan head. And as a council member."

At that, I finally gave a real bow. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

When I straightened, it was to find Hiruzen giving me an appraising look. Then he nodded and turned his stare to the others. "This council meeting is concluded."

And just like that, Sasuke's chair squeaked loudly against the floor. I was at his side by the time he managed to stand up, dragging him into my arms. He twisted his hands into my uniform and tucked his head down into my shoulder, already shaking again. I didn't say anything, just keeping one arm around him and using my other hand to thread my fingers through his hair. Something rough and sharp tapped against my fingers and I pulled back just enough to see Chisai where she was clinging to his shoulder.

I smiled. "Thank you, Chisai," I murmured. "You can go."

Chisai watched me for a second. Then she nodded. "Farewell, Sasuke-kun," she said softly.

Sasuke made a choked sound and nodded, still pressed up against me. Chisai vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Uzumaki-dono."

A hand still in Sasuke's hair, I looked up to find Hiashi standing only a few feet away. "Yes?" I asked, not willing to release Sasuke just yet.

Hiashi inclined his head a bit, as if he understood my reluctance. "I would like it if you came by the Hyuuga Compound sometime this week."

I managed a smile. "I will. Thank you, Hiashi-dono." And then I leaned my head down against Sasuke's. "I love you, Ke-kun," I whispered.

A hand dropped onto my head, and I tensed for just a second. Then the hand started to withdraw just as I realized who it was. "Niisan," I murmured.

The hand stilled. And then it rested on my head again, fingers burying into my hair. "Pup," he rasped, sounding absolutely broken.

And that? That, I could release Sasuke for. I pulled away, despite his whines of protest. "Not going anywhere," I reassured him. Then I turned and looked up at Kakashi. "Niisan," I said again.

His hitai-ate was up and he was watching me with his sharingan, eyes tight. His hand moved from my head to brace my chin, and his thumb pressed into the scar on my face. He took a shaky breath. "Naruto's waiting outside," he murmured.

I watched him for a moment. And then I nodded, reaching up and sliding my hand into his. "Okay. I've missed him." I gave his hand a squeeze before moving to let Sasuke latch onto me again. Kakashi stuck close by me, close enough that I almost tripped over his feet at one point while leaving the room. I glanced up at him but didn't comment on it.

The council meeting room was on the floor just below the Hokage's office, and so I walked with them down the stairs and to the front door. The closer I got, the more Naruto's chakra seemed to itch against my skin.

Once we got to the doors, Sasuke untangled himself from me and threw them open. "Naruto! Look!"

There were several people with him, but it was like I had tunnel vision and all I could see was Naruto. "Nato," I rasped.

"Rai? Rai!"

And then I hand an armful of Naruto. He didn't shake. He didn't choke on swallowed tears like Sasuke did. But he did burrow himself against my chest and dig his grip into my arms like his life depended on it. Kakashi gently guided us forward so that we were standing outside instead of in the doorway. But as soon as we stopped, Naruto pulled back, releasing me and looking up. "Are you staying?"

"I—"

"Are you staying for real? Because you promised you would never leave, and then you did."

That punched the air out of me. "Naruto," I breathed. "I—" I hesitated. I was staying. I was, right? I could say that. I wasn't planning on leaving again. But I hadn't been planning to leave when I'd promised last time. "I'll try to stay," I settled on.

Naruto stared at me, and then he looked away. "Gozen said you were coming back," he muttered. He reached up to his collar, and I could see the lizard settled there. "I didn't believe him."

I swallowed thickly. And then all I could manage was, "Gozen, you can go home, now. Thank you."

As Gozen disappeared, Naruto flinched. "Are we going home?"

"Actually," a new voice said. And then there was a hand on my head again. "You're coming home with me."

I didn't look up at Shikaku, but I did nod. "Just for the time being. Okay?"

Naruto nodded, gaze cast down. After a second of hesitation, I stepped out from Shikaku's hand and up to Yuugao and Hayate. "Sorry for running earlier."

Yuugao smiled sadly, leaning down and brushing a hand through my hair. Then she pulled me into a hug. "It's okay," she whispered. "We're just so glad that you're okay and you're safe."

"Hey! Don't hog her!"

I had just a second to recognize the chakra before Anko was grabbing me from Yuugao and pulling me into her own hug. "Holy hell, Red," she said, shaking me in her excitement. Then she pushed me out so she could grin at me. "You look hella badass. You know that, right?"

I gave her a sort-of smile. "I guessed."

"Kami, Pumpkin, why the hell did you do that?" A new hand touched my shoulder.

Absolute panic flared inside me, and I jerked away in a shunshin, spinning around to face him as I landed a good fifteen feet away. Not-Genma was dead. This wasn't Not-Genma. This was the real Genma, and he was—

I barely got a glimpse of his shocked—horrified—expression before I couldn't look at him anymore. "Sorry," I muttered. "We should go."

"Pup, wait. If you're going to leave again—"

"I'm not leaving leaving," I interrupted. Kakashi. I could look at Kakashi.

Shikaku nodded. "They'll be at the Nara Compound."

Kakashi still looked hesitant.

"I'm . . . . We could get dango," I offered up. "Tomorrow."

"Early," he insisted. "Right after breakfast."

"Okay. Sounds good." I managed a smile. Then I extended a hand to Sasuke and gave a real, actual smile when he took it.

Shikaku eyed us for a moment. Then he nodded and turned, his own hands in his pockets. "Let's go."

As we started off, Naruto cautiously fell into step on my other side and gripped the sleeve of my uniform. Sasuke, meanwhile, had his hand twisted with mine in desperation.

"Have you eaten?" Shikaku asked, not turning a look towards me.

"Not today," I admitted.

"Ah. Dinner shouldn't be long from now."

When we got to the Compound, the shogi house door was closed, but the light was visible under the door. Shikaku put a hand on each of the boys' heads. "We'll head inside. I'm guessing you'll want to see Sai."

"Arigato." Releasing my brothers, I moved to the shogi house. I slid the door open.

Shikamaru was the one facing the door. He flicked his gaze up, pausing with a hand over a shogi piece. "Mirai. You're back," he drawled.

I could see the line of Sai's shoulders tense. On the top of his head, Ikebana stirred and peeled open his eyes to look at me. I stepped in, closing the door behind me, and then moved to sit where I could watch them. Sai's gaze flicked to me, hesitant. I gave him a smile and then reached out a hand, letting Ikebana step over to me. "Sai. I hope Ikebana kept you out of trouble."

Sai swallowed visibly and he gave a nod.

"Good. Thank you, Ikebana." Once he'd vanished, I dropped my hands into my lap and turned my attention to the board. "Who's winning?"

"Sai is very good," Shikamaru said by way of explanation.

"Oh?" I asked. "You're losing, then?"

"Shikamaru currently has the lead," Sai said. "Thirty-nine to twenty-two."

"Ah."

Shikamaru looked me over. "Fancy outfit."

"Isn't it just?" I said, pulling at the uniform. "Nothing I had before would fit me anymore. Though I'll be more than happy to burn this once I have something else." I looked up at Sai again. "I'm meeting with Hiruzen the day after tomorrow to go over the paperwork. For your official guardianship change."

Sai lifted his gaze to meet mine. Had he always been this pale, or was I forgetting things after not seeing him for so long? "Really?" he rasped.

I smiled. "Really." With a groan, I pushed myself back up to my feet. My muscles were still so sore. This might be one of the longest times I'd gone without a fight in a year's time. "I'll meet you two inside after you finish your game. Good luck, Sai-kun. Maru."

Shikamaru waved a hand dismissively at me as I left. "Go away. Let me focus."

I moved to the main house, toeing my shoes off at the front door. "Yoshino?" I called. "Can I help with dinner?"

And then Yoshino was in front of me, one hand on her hip. "Look at you," she mused, though she wasn't smiling. "You're all grown up now." Then she frowned and reached out, tugging on the uniform's d-ring. "That won't do. Let's get you changed. Shikamaru's things won't fit you, but I think we have some old things up in the attic." She moved her hand to my shoulder and gripped tightly, steering me towards the stairs.

I followed her up to the attic and ended up hovering awkwardly as I waited for her to finish digging through boxes, muttering to herself as she did so. Finally, Yoshino grinned. "Aha! Here we go." Box braced against her hip with one hand, she used the other to get back down the ladder. "We've got rooms ready for you all. Until you can figure out how to fit all four of you in someplace. So here." She pushed open a door, waving me inside.

I stepped in cautiously, glancing around. The room was furnished with a bed and a desk, but that was about it.

Yoshino dropped the box on the floor in front of me, looking proud of herself. "Some of Shikaku's old things from when he was about your age. Should work for the time being. Besides, it's not like anyone else is going to wear it. Shikamaru is far more of a skinny beanpole than his father ever was."

I crouched down and opened the top. Surprised, I reached out and touched the Nara symbol emblazoned on the top shirt. I lifted it out, holding it up.

"Should fit you just fine," Yoshino said. "Maybe a bit big around the shoulders, but you'll manage." As she backed out of the room, she said, "Dinner is almost ready. Hope you're hungry!" Then she shut the door behind her.

I dug through the box, but every single top had the Nara symbol loud and proud on it. I settled back on the first shirt, green with black lining on the sleeves, and a pair of brown pants. I got changed quickly, throwing the Root uniform into my fourth storage seal.

As I came downstairs to find everyone else already gathering around the table, I tugged on the shirt that was just a little too-large. Shikaku glanced up and then threw an unimpressed look to Yoshino. Gesturing to an empty spot at the table, where there was already a plate waiting, he said, "I wondered why we were keeping those old things around."

I shuffled forward, taking the seat between Shikamaru and Sai. When Yoshino set a glass of water down in front of me, I gave her a smile. "Arigato."

"Eat up," she ordered. "And let me know if you want anything else, Mirai-chan. I'm more than happy to help, now that you're finally home."

When I felt him jump up onto the roof, I didn't look away from the stars up above me. Instead, I murmured, "How's everything been?"

"Mendokuse," he muttered, sitting down next to me. "You're the worst."

"Oh? And here I thought you would have missed me."

"Shino is good at shogi."

I frowned. Then I sat up so I could look at him. "Maru, did you replace me?"

"I wish," he whined. "But now that you're back, I don't have to do all the work anymore."

I blinked. "The work for . . . shogi?"

He leaned back and thew his arm across his eyes. "Study Group," he muttered.

"Ah. A little hard work can do some good," I said, leaning my elbow into my knee and resting my chin in my hand. And then I held out my other hand, waiting.

Shikamaru shifted and peered out at me with one eye. "Oh, right," He mumbled. He moved a little, but didn't sit up, as he reached into his pocket. He withdrew the scroll that held all my non-sensitive things and passed it off to me. Then he shuffled a bit until he got the necklace off. "Here."

I sealed away the scroll in my arm and then snatched up the necklace. "Thank you," I said. Or at least I tried to say it. In that moment, it came off as more of a sob. I gripped the coin tightly, up until my nails started to cut into my palm. Then I forced myself to relax. I slipped it on, chest unwinding when the coin settled against my collarbone.

Shikamaru eyed me critically for a moment. "Never used it," he said, as if that was answering a question I'd never asked.

I curled my fingers about it. Then I carefully felt out the numbers there.

I'm okay.

There was nothing for a moment, and I focused on counting my heartbeats. At twenty-three, the coin burned. There wasn't any sort of clear communication, just a rampage of Shisui's chakra through the seals. I pressed the coin to my chest, to my skin. It hurt. His chakra was panicked and sharp and so hot that it hurt to touch. I didn't care, closing my eyes and focusing. Listening.

Finally, Shisui's chakra faded. He soothed over the soreness he'd left in my skin with his own assurance.

I'm okay.

I uncurled from where I'd hunched over, returning my coin—finally, after so long—to its hiding spot beneath my shirt. Sighing, I tilted my head back. The stars seemed brighter now, somehow.

"About time."

Blinking, I threw a look at Shikamaru. "What?"

"You were," —he waved a hand vaguely in front of his face, as if that was supposed to properly communicate what he meant— "out of it for a while there."

"Ah." My voice cracked. "I feel like I've been out of it for longer than that."

"That bad?"

I made a noncommittal sound, tapping my fingers on the roof. "The valley was pretty," I offered up. "I liked it there."

I spent most of my sleep dreaming about drowning. After that, I spent the rest of the night awake, listening to the chakra sources spread throughout the house. When Yoshino's finally stirred, I got up. I found her in the kitchen, already preparing breakfast. "Can I help?"

Yoshino looked back. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Couldn't sleep," I said simply, moving forward. As I washed my hands, I asked again, "Can I help?"

"Might as well." She nodded to the cutting board. "Seaweed, tofu, and green onion for the miso."

Relieved to have something to do, I did as she directed. She kept me busy, and we'd finished breakfast between the two of us by the time Naruto and Sasuke stumbled in, shoulder-to-shoulder with Sai trailing just behind them. I smiled, taking a seat. "Good morning."

Sasuke blinked. "Mirai?" he asked, sounding doubtful. Then he shot across the room, throwing his arms around me. "Mirai!"

I caught him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Thought it was a dream," he mumbled.

"Oh." I ran my fingers through his hair. "I'm here. For real."

He nodded and pulled back, sitting down next to me. That seemed to reassure him, at least.

"It's too early to be awake," Shikaku complained as he shuffled in, yawning. Then he squinted around the room. "Is Shikamaru up?"

Yoshino leaned back in her chair. "Shikamaru!" she yelled. "Wake up! Breakfast! And then you have the Academy!" Then she smiled at the rest of us. "Well, don't wait on his behalf. Dig in!"

Shikamaru finally meandered in around the time I finished up my second plate. He gave everyone a disgruntled greeting and slumped into his seat. I got up and moved to rinse off my dishes.

"We'll go shopping this afternoon," Yoshino announced as I finished.

I turned back to look at her, drying my hands. "Oh, okay." I nodded towards the door. "I'll go meditate for now. If that's alright?"

"Sure," Shikaku said, waving a hand. "Yoshino, is there more tea?"

I moved outside, not bothering to stop for my shoes as I did so. Meditating here, kneeling in the grass under the sun, was much easier than it'd been with Danzo. There was no concrete. No KI.

But still. Even without all that, it was hard to think past all the water.

Sasuke and Naruto came tumbling out of the house a while later, already bickering full force, even as they said goodbye to me and headed off to the Academy. Shikamaru paused by me. "You look dead," he mused.

I scoffed at that. "Flattering. Thank you." I shrugged, tucking my hands under my knees. "Just a little hard to breathe this morning. I'll figure it out."

"You better. I want shogi later."

"Maru!" Yoshino called. "Wait for Sai-kun!"

Shikamaru hummed at that, as if he was expecting it. Sai came out of the house and blinked at us. "We have school," he told me.

"I know." I smiled. "Have fun. I'll see you later."

Sai's brow furrowed just a touch. Then he nodded and turned to follow Shikamaru.

I watched them go, trying to push down the anxiety rising in my chest. I was home. So why was it so hard to breathe?

Five minutes later, I made my escape for a place where the air wasn't so thick.

There were two ledges that jutted out from the waterfall. I preferred the taller one, on Madara's side. Sitting lotus-style, I tilted my head back and let the water crash over me. It felt a little like the water prison, a little like Danzo's drownings, but I was in control here. I knew I could stop and pull away at any moment.

That didn't stop the wild beating of my heart, though.

Eventually, I thought my chest was going to burst. I leaned forward, out of the water, and caught my breath. My soaked hair clung to my skin. Itching. Heavy. I pulled it back, scowling. Too wet, too much water, too much.

When Kakashi found me, I was sitting on Madara's head with my own feeling much lighter. Kakashi dropped a kiss to my forehead as he sank down beside me. I didn't move, still hunched with my knees dragged up to my chest and my arms wrapped around them.

After a couple of minutes, he said, "Last time you promised to get dango with me and then weren't there, you disappeared for a whole year."

I stilled. "Sorry," I croaked. "I've . . . had a morning."

"I gathered as much," he murmured. Then he ran his fingers through my now-short hair. "And this?"

"I doubt that I'm the only girl around to cut her own hair off in response to a breakdown."

Kakashi gave a hiss at that, the hand moving to pull me up against him. "That and running away from the Village?" he asked, voice strained.

"Sorry. I couldn't breathe, and I really like it here."

"Okay." He sighed and tilted his head down to rest on mine. "We can't stay here. We need to go home."

"Just a little bit longer."

"Okay," he said again. His other hand came around and tugged on the Nara symbol on the front of my shirt.

"Shikaku's old things," I murmured. "None of my clothes from last year fit anymore." And then I reached up and twisted around a bit so I could press my hand against where I know his own clan mark was hidden under his sleeve. "We can have these now. If you still want us to."

"Yes. Of course I do. I'll have to prepare. Get it all ready. But of course I do." With a sigh, he pushed himself to his feet. "C'mon. Let's go. If we hurry, we can be back in time for a late lunch." He gave me something like a smile, almost managing to make it look like he wasn't about to cry. "I'll carry you. You'll be too big for that, soon."

I hesitated. And then I nodded, getting to my feet. When Kakashi hauled me onto his back, I held on tightly and rested my head down against his shoulder. I was so tired.

I was just starting to drift off when Kakashi's voice and question woke me back up completely. "Tell me about Genma."

I twisted my hands harshly in his shirt. I could avoid the question. Really, there was nothing Kakashi could do to make me tell him.

"Danzo tricked me into thinking Genma-nii came after me," I said nevertheless. "I believed it for a little while, before I figured out that it was just someone else with Genma's face."

Kakashi didn't say anything to that. His grip on my knees tightened.

I forced myself to relax my own hold on him a bit. "Danzo made me kill him."

By the time he finally returned me to the Nara Compound, Kakashi was buzzing with energy. Frustration. Anger. I hadn't said much, but neither had he since I'd told him about Not-Genma. When he left, it was in a rush. The way his chakra disappeared from my senses made me feel cold.

"Well this won't do," Yoshino said, reaching out and tugging on my hair so she could study it. "Inside. I'm going to fix this."

"Oh." I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair. "Is it that bad? I haven't actually seen it."

"It looks like you hacked at it with a kunai," she said, gripping my shoulder and steering me inside.

I didn't really have anything I could say to that.

Yoshino squinted at me. "Kami, you did hack at it with a kunai, didn't you?"

"I have many skills," I said flatly. "Haircutting evidently isn't one of them."

"Obviously." She pulled me to the bathroom, turning me so I could look at myself in the mirror. "Thankfully, you didn't shave it. There's still something for me to work with." She combed through my wild, rough pixie cut with her fingers, frowning at my reflection. "This might take a little work. Don't worry; we'll still have time for your wardrobe too."

"Naruto and Sasuke are already sharing a room," I said before pausing to take another bite of food. "So it would make sense to split my room between the two of us."

"Okay," Sai said easily.

"The four of you in a small apartment is going to be awfully cramped," Yoshino pointed out.

"Oh." Sai tilted his head. "I can stay on the couch."

"You're not staying on the couch," I said, quickly putting an end to that train of thought. "You'll have a bed. There's not a ton of room, but there's enough."

"I should go back to the Compound."

I dropped my chopsticks, snapping my gaze to Sasuke. "What? What?"

Sasuke looked up at me uncertainly. He glanced around at the others—they were also all watching him—before back at me. "For room."

"You don't need to. You don't have to go back to that house, Sasuke."

He chewed on his lip. Cautiously, he said, "We all could. You— Shisui gave you his house, right?"

"Right." I blinked. "I . . . . Maybe, Sasuke. I'll think about it. But no matter what, you're not going somewhere on your own. We're staying together."

Once I'd signed and handed the papers back to him, Hiruzen looked them over. Without looking up, he said, "Sai-kun could easily make genin. As his legal guardian now, you could approve an early graduation exam."

I frowned, a no right on the tip of my tongue. I bit it back. "It's Sai's decision," I said carefully.

"In that case, I look forward to hearing what he decides." Hiruzen set down the documents and lifted a smile to me. "Your chair is being currently commissioned. For the time being, it will take the Senju Clan's spot, as I doubt that will be re-occupied anytime soon. As part of the Council, you will be contacted about any meetings held. If you are unavailable for a vote, the vote will be rescheduled, as it is for any council member. However, if you decline to attend, any vote will count you as an abstain."

"Makes sense. How often are meetings? And votes?"

"It depends. Can range from once to multiple times a month."

I frowned. "I've never seen Sasuke attend."

"Ah. Sasuke-kun was asked what he would like to do, and initially decided he did not want to participate."

"Initially," I echoed. "When was he asked?"

"Shortly after Itachi's departure. You were not awake yet."

I swallowed, squaring my shoulders. "I see. I'll talk to him about that." I reached out and picked up my copy of Sai's documents from the desk. "Is there anything else?"

"No." Hiruzen leaned back, withdrawing his pipe and lighting it with a touch of his finger. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you have people waiting for you."

I glanced over my shoulder, sorting through the chakra signatures in the building. I recognized a few. Vaguely. I probably should be able to remember them better. "Seems so," I murmured, not quite sure what to think. I bowed my head to him. Hiruzen didn't look up again as I left.

I moved down the stairs only to find that he was right. There were people waiting for me. I lit up, bouncing a bit on my feet. "Yosu! Kono-kun!"

"Mirai!" Konohamaru squealed, diving forward. "Where were you? I missed you! Wow, your hair is so short! Is that a scar? You look super badass—"

"Konohamaru!" Yosu interrupted. "Language!"

"—jutsu again? I bet you got super good at them! Have you been practicing?"

"Okay, okay," Yosu said, hauling Konohamaru off of me and swinging him up to his shoulders instead. "If you ask her a billion questions, she's not going to have time to answer any of them." He turned a smile to me. "Hair looks good."

I reached up and felt the short hair at the nape of my neck. "Yoshino fixed it up for me. My own attempt was a bit of a botched job."

"That, I believe. C'mon." He motioned me forward. "I have some people I want to introduce you to."

"Oh?" When I was close enough, he put his hand on my shoulder and guided me outside. "Who?"

Yosu grinned proudly. "My cute, adorable genin!" He stopped me in front of three shinobi, only a few years old than me. "Team, this is Mirai. Mirai, this is Zaji, Yatogo, and Mozuku. Zaji's a sensor, like you. Mozuku could probably give your own curiosity a run for it. And Yatogo has a lot of stealth potential."

I blinked. "Oh. Wow." Then I remembered myself, bowing my head. "It's nice to meet you." As I straightened, I tilted my head to the side. Judging by when the last Academy year would have ended . . . . "Over seven months and you're still letting him call you his cute, adorable genin?"

"We gave up trying to stop him a while ago," Mozuku admitted. "But it's the main way he addresses us."

"I can call you cute and adorable too if you're feeling left out, Mirai-chan," Yosu said, gripping Konohamaru's ankle with one hand to keep him in place and using his other hand to ruffle my hair. "Would you like that?"

"I'm not sure either apply," I drawled. "Any fun missions yet?"

"Nothing too exciting, I can assure you," Yosu said. "We were about to go for training. Want to join us?"

I considered that. "I need to see Hiashi-dono soon, but I can spare an hour. Where?"

Yosu grinned. "A race?"

"Of course."

"Okay. I'll owe dango to whichever of you four gets there first. Sound good?"

"Yes."

"Oh, we're racing?" Yatogo asked, sounding surprised. "I mean, yes, Yosu-sensei!"

Yosu grinned. "Great. Training Ground Twenty-Eight. Ready? Set. Go!"

I took off in a shunshin, realizing belatedly that I should have paid more attention to the genin's chakra so that I could try to keep track of them. Oh, well. I'd just have to focus on definitely getting there first, then.

Twenty-Eight was off to the west, so I ignored the main gate in favor of taking the straight path over the wall with a nod to the guards on duty there—a couple of chunin that I very distantly thought looked familiar. I'd been there once before, during my initial exploration of the training grounds a few years ago, and Twenty-Eight was distinctive. A large, flat, rocky plateau surround by what was, for all intents and purposes, a very wide moat. When I reached it, I landed atop the water and charged chakra through my legs in order to make the direct jump upward to the formation. I landed in a crouch, looking around the empty area.

Yosu arrived roughly fifteen seconds later, Konohamaru now in his arms instead of on his shoulders. He blinked at me in surprise. "Oh. Would you look at that."

I rocked back and forth on my heels, hands behind my back. "I've been practicing." Then I held out a hand to Konohamaru as he scrambled down from his father's arms. "You're getting big, Kono-kun."

He grinned up at me. "I'll be taller than you, soon!"

"You think so?" Ruffling Konohamaru's hair, I looked up at Yosu. "Genin?"

"What can I say?" He shrugged. "Turns out I like teaching. Good at it, too."

A minute out from my own arrival, Zaji showed up at the edge of the water. He squinted up at us. "Oh, come on!" By the time he made it up to where we were, the other two were close behind.

"You all made it!" Yosu said, grinning. "Unfortunately, Mirai-chan was the first one here, so she gets the dango."

"I don't see what's unfortunate about that," I murmured, shoving my hands in my pockets. "What's next?"

"I thought we'd warm up with a couple light spars."

Yatogo straightened. "I want to fight Mozuku! I'll win this time for sure."

Yosu looked amused. "Alright, then." He waved the rest of us back and took out two cloth flags, one red and one blue. "Same rules as usual. First one to get the other's flag wins. Taijutsu only. An inch of your flag needs to be showing at all times." He passed the red flag to Yatogo and the blue to Mozuku. "Ready?"

Yatogo tucked his into his pocket. "Ready!"

Mozuku looped his around his hand a couple times and tucked the ends under itself. "Ready."

Yosu motioned for them to bow, backing away. Then he raised his hand. "Alright. Hajime!" He brought his hand back down.

Yatogo was faster, but he wasted a lot of energy on his moves. Mozuku, meanwhile, seemed to be taking it as a challenge to move as little as possible, leaning out of the way of blows or deflecting them instead of dodging them outright. But Mozuku was too focused on defense, and Yatogo was gaining ground. And then Yatogo overextended himself. Mozuku swung his upper body down and his right foot up, snapping an effective, if messy, kick to Yatogo's head. Yatogo stumbled, hand immediately going to guard the flag as he retaliated with a knee to Mozuku's face. They seemed relatively evenly matched.

And then I found out just why Mozuku seemed to have the winning streak between them.

"If you're going to beat me, you actually have to try," he called.

Yatogo scowled. His next hit was a little too wide and gave Mozuku an opening to his ribs. "Shut up! I am trying!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

Yatogo growled. His next attack was less neat, and Mozuku slipped past it to snatch up the red flag.

"Matte! Good job! Careful, Yatogo. Can't let what your opponent says get to you." Yosu reached out and took their flags.

Yatogo huffed, but nevertheless accepted Mozuku's seal of reconciliation. Mozuku beamed. "Your taijutsu is superior," he pointed out. "You just need to stop listening to me during spars."

"Stop listening to you. Got it."

"During spars," Mozuku completed. "Yatogo, I'm talking about during spars."

Yatogo whistled pointedly, strolling over to where I was standing with Zaji and Konohamaru. He grinned at Zaji. "You're up."

Yosu beckoned me forward. I stepped up and turned to face Zaji, offering up a smile and bouncing excitedly. I took the red flag Yosu handed off to me and considered it for a moment. Then I hooked it through the loop on my kunai pouch and tied it there. I looked up to find that Zaji had tied his around his left bicep. At Yosu's direction, we bowed to each other. Then I settled into my stance.

Yosu raised his hand. Then he snapped it down. "Hajime!"

Zaji had size over me, so I knew I had to get in close before he managed to catch me out at arm's length. So I shot forward and snagged the front of his shirt. He swung his fist around, and I turned. Catching his moving foot with my own, I twisted him forward to let his own momentum carry him across my leg. His back hit the ground, and I followed. An arm around his neck, feet braced, hip against his side, and his left arm clamped down under my right. I dug my thumb into a pressure point on his neck, just behind his ear, to keep him distracted for the split second it took for me to tug his blue flag loose.

Once I had it, I immediately jumped up and away. Hearing Yosu call the match, I turned a wide grin to him and held the flag out. "That was fun." I turned back, extending my hand to Zaji. "We should try that again sometime."

He blinked at me. And then he climbed to his feet and finished his side of the seal of reconciliation. "Uh, yeah." Then he seemed to regain a touch of his composure. "I'll get you for sure next time!"

I grinned. "I'd love to see it."

"Thank you," I murmured, taking the new cup of tea Ko had just poured for me.

Across from me, Hiashi lowered his own tea and took the opportunity to consider me. "You were with Danzo," he said. It wasn't a question.

"I was," I conceded. "We made an agreement. My part included a year of service. We kept it secret during that part's execution for . . . obvious reasons."

"I see." He tapped his fingers along the side of his cup. "Hanabi begins the Academy in a few months. Perhaps you could continue your lessons with her until that time." He paused. "And a fresh schedule may allow you to take advantage of the lessons previously offered in return, as well."

"Ah." I smiled and sipped at my tea. "I could be persuaded. Returning to Sundays?"

"Agreed. In the meantime, will you be securing a jonin sensei? Or returning to the Academy?"

"The Academy. I'd prefer to stay in-Village for the the time being. Besides, I've missed my Study Group. I feel there's still a lot we can do before graduation."

"I look forward to seeing what you accomplish."

"Oh, hey. I win," Shikamaru said, blinking at the board. Then he immediately started setting it back up. "So, you were gone for a while today."

I hummed at that, replacing my pieces. "I was looking at the Uchiha Compound. Weighing our options."

"Are you moving there?"

"It's . . . a possibility." I tapped out a pattern on my knee, glancing to the side at where Sai was sitting silently, watching us. "Sai, Hokage-sama wanted to give you the option of early graduation. It's up to you completely. I'll support whatever you decide."

Sai stared at me. "Early? Where would I go?"

"You'd stay with us. I wouldn't make you leave. But you'd get a jonin sensei, maybe a team, and you'd start running missions as a genin. If you chose to wait, you'd continue through the Academy with the rest of us."

He hesitated. Then he cautiously said, "The Academy is slow. And boring. I already know it all, and it doesn't teach me anything new. Like how to to remove someone's internals without killing them. Or how to make a passive-aggressive joke."

Shikamaru stared at him, eyes wide.

I raised an eyebrow, giving him a lopsided smile in my amusement. "Oh? What does that mean, then?"

"It's okay if I graduate?"

"'Course it's okay."

He nodded sharply. Just once. "Yes."

"Okay." I leaned forward and finally moved one of my pieces. The I leaned back to look out of the door of the shogi house.

"What?" Shikamaru asked, moving a pawn.

"Niisan's almost here." I moved a piece and then got to my feet. "Put this on pause?" I asked, listening to Kakashi's chakra arriving. When Shikamaru gave his grumbled agreement, I turned.

Kakashi was standing on the edge of the grounds, awkwardly but fondly watching Sasuke and Naruto as they argued over the proper way to feed the deer. When I stepped out, he turned his attention to me and straightened. With a grin, I shunshined over to him. "Niisan!"

"Pup," he murmured, reaching out and ruffling my hair. He let his hand linger there. "I had an idea. Could you look at Genma's hands?"

"His . . . hands?" I squinted at him. "I suppose. Why?"

He moved his hands to hold my right one, shaping my fingers so that they made an O. Then he dragged it up, tapping it against the base of my throat, at my collarbone. "This means voice. I thought that maybe . . . maybe the problem is his face. And his voice. Right?"

"Right," I said softly.

"So this means voice." He tapped my hand against my throat again. Then he drew his hands back to himself, flicking his index finger to his chest and then to me before putting his right fist on the back of his left hand and snapping it open. "This means I missed you."

I frowned. "Do it again." When he did, I nodded. Then I brought my hands up and did the same. "Missed you too." I looked down at my hands. "What is it?"

"ANBU sign. Technically, you shouldn't know it."

I looked up at him to find him watching me expectantly. I smiled. "Got it." I reached out and put my hand in his. "When can we do our marks?"

He cleared his throat. "That's actually what I'm really here to talk to you about. Everything is— Whenever you and Naruto are ready," he said, sounding a little uncertain.

"Oh!" I straightened, feeling lighter. "We can do it tonight, then! Right? You can stay for dinner! I mean, I can ask, at least, and—"

"That's a great idea," Yoshino called from the porch. "Dinner is ready, and I always make extra when the twins are here, since they eat so much, so there should be plenty for you, Kakashi-kun!"

I whipped around, blinking. That might honestly be the first time I'd ever heard anyone refer to him that way. With a grin, I looked back at him. "Yeah, Kakashi-kun! Should be plenty."

Kakashi gave a fond scoff and ruffled my hair again in response. He straightened. "Well, how can I say no to that?"

"You can't."

Kakashi had done Naruto's first. Naruto had initially been excited but quickly had reduced himself to focusing on maintaining a stiff upper lip. By the time Kakashi had finished, the exhaustion of the day and the pain from his new mark had gotten to Naruto, and he stumbled off to bed almost immediately. Kakashi had taken about twenty minutes to clean up and set up again. Shikamaru, Sai, and Sasuke had all gone to bed by that point.

I was in front of the coffee table, eying all the things Kakashi had laid out. Then I focused in on where Kakashi was rolling up my sleeve and tying it there to keep it out of the way. As he started disinfecting my shoulder, I murmured, "I wouldn't get an infection."

"Best not to risk it." He picked up the stencil, humming for me to be quiet while he lined it up and applied it. When he peeled it back, it left the outline of the Hatake Clan's mark behind. "Ready?" he asked, picking up the tattoo gun.

"Yes."

He turned the gun off, and it started buzzing. He braced his hand on my shoulder, above the stencil, to keep me still and then touched the needle to my skin. I'd expected it, but I still had to smother a flinch.

Then I felt it. I blinked. "Whoa," I breathed.

Kakashi paused, lifting the gun for a moment and looking up at me. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing's wrong. Just didn't realize I'd be able to feel your chakra like that in it."

"Oh." He raised his visible eyebrow. "Most wouldn't." Then he lowered the gun again, returning to his work.

"It's nice."

He just nodded, too focused to say anything else. When he finished the outline, he set down the gun and took the opportunity to clean my skin again. "I just have to fill it in. It shouldn't take much longer."

I peered down at my shoulder, watching as he did as he'd said. He was slow and methodical, hand steady. He finally finished and set the gun down for good this time. As he cleaned the area again, he said, "I'll put a bandage on it. Keep it on for tonight. In the morning, you can take it off. You'll just want to be careful with it for a little while."

I watched as he rubbed an ointment into the tattoo, my skin still stinging. I smiled, focusing on the feeling of Kakashi's chakra in my arm. "Thank you."

"He wants to graduate early."

"Excellent. In that case, I will arrange with Iruka for his exam to be this coming Sunday. I'm assuming he'll be prepared?"

"More than," I said, nodding. "Could I . . . . Will he be going on a team?"

"Hmm? Well, due to his skill level and unique situation, I'm considering assigning him as an apprentice."

"Could I ask who his sensei will be?"

"You can." Hiruzen puffed on his pipe. "But it is undecided, as of this moment. Why? Do you have someone in mind?"

"I do," I said carefully. "I want to speak to him first. To see if he's interested."

"I see." He considered me for a moment. "If he is, send him my way."

"I will. And I thought you should know that we are moving to the Uchiha Compound. I'll be closing the apartment."

"Oh?" He leaned forward, folding his hands together. "What brought this on?"

"It's a small apartment. And there's four of us," I pointed out. "The house Shisui left me has three bedrooms, so it'll work. Sasuke and Naruto are pretty insistent about staying together. I think they like the company."

"Very well. I'll let the landlord know, then."

"Thank you." I shifted, hesitating. "Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"Do you have somewhere to be, Mirai-chan?"

"I'm planning to go to the Inuzuka. To speak with Tsume."

"Ah." His gaze flicked to my shoulder, where my Hatake mark was easy to see with the sleeveless turtleneck I'd selected. "In that case, no, there's not anything else. Good luck."

I bowed my head, keeping my gaze on him. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

It didn't take me long to get to the Inuzuka grounds. It didn't take long for Tsume to realize I was there, either. The front door slammed open, and Tsume grinned out at me with incisors bared. "Uzumaki!"

"Tsume." I squared my shoulders, getting ready to ask.

"Great! You and the other Uzumaki will be here tonight!"

I paused. "What?"

"For you to be pledged, of course." She put a hand on her hip, staring down at me. "You can approve that now, right? That's what you're here for?"

"It is."

"Good. Then tonight."

The Inuzuka tattoo hurt far more than Kakashi's had. It might have been the placement—the back, starting at the base of the neck and extending downwards between the shoulder blades—or the size—an inverted triangle two or three times the size of Kakashi's mark—or maybe even the color—bright crimson—but whatever the cause, it hurt.

Kiba had been excited. Thrilled. Mostly, he wouldn't stop talking about how cool my scar made me look up until Hana had dragged him away to bother Naruto instead. As the Inuzuka elder who'd been tattooing me cleaned away the blood that had welled up, Hana returned to stand in front of me.

"The person that gave you that?" she asked, flicking a finger against my scar.

I thought about Not-Genma and his blank face and pale eyes. I smiled. "Dead."