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Chapter 26: Normality

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Naruto blearily opened his eyes to an unfamiliar environment; his memory a bit foggy as his golden amber eyes searched the room he finds himself in. Slowly, recognition dawned on his face as he looked at the familiar layout in the room. He's currently in the guest room of the Uchiha mansion and briefly, he wondered how he got here.

He felt a warm hand running across and playing with his hair and upon chancing a look, he saw Sasuke sitting by the bed, the alpha's eyes closed as he leaned his head on the wall by the bed's headboard. Upon sensing his omega stir, Sasuke looked at him with a somber and guilty expression, and Naruto slowly remembered the events that led to this.

"Naruto…" Sasuke began tentatively, as if uncertain how to approach the omega. "How are you feeling?"

Naruto flinched inwardly. If he's to be honest about it, he really doesn't know what to feel. Following the revelations at the Hokage's office, he felt his mind went black. In fact, he didn't even know much of what happened after that. All he knew back then was that he had to get away from the suffocating room, as he struggled with the strange and inexplicable constriction in his chest that made it hard to breathe. Everything went black after that until he found himself back to the present, in the Uchiha's guest room.

"I—I don't know Sasuke. What happened?" Naruto's voice was small, and the alpha's hand stopped its movement at his omega's answer.

He could see that the alpha was struggling to get the words out. But the man decided to just give it straight, figuring that honesty is the best route.

"You…" He paused for a bit, uncertain if he wants to proceed, as if he's trying to arrange and rearrange what he wants to say a number of times, already. "I…uhh…" If Naruto wasn't confused at the moment, he would have blurted out laughing at the way that the alpha was stammering, but even he could sense the delicacy of their situation, so he held off and set his eyes on the alpha's, urging the other male to continue on.

"I found you in the forest… You were in a pretty bad shape. I had to tend to you, so I brought you here. I hope it's okay with you. The mansion is nearer than your house." Sasuke finally explained, his voice soft, and his eyes trembling yet resolute. The alpha was aware that Naruto lost control of himself that time, as evidenced by the change in the eye color to red. And so he knew that he had to divulge what happened honestly, but not to the point of overwhelming the omega. He also know that telling the omega how he cried and sobbed uncontrollably on his chest all throughout the walk home would only embarrass the omega even further so he chose not to include that part as well.

Regardless, this had the desired effect, allowing the omega to slowly realize for himself what happened, rather than the alpha giving his own version of the event. Slowly, it finally dawned on Naruto what had just transpired after that.

He had felt a surge of emotions that time. Not wanting to take it out on Sasuke, or anyone else for that matter, he set out for a place where no one will be caught up as he unleashed the tornado and torrent of fury that had been bubbling from deep within his chest. If it weren't for his emotional fatigue, he feared that he would have leveled the entire forest in his anger. His eyes drifted to the bandages on his arms, his eyes trailed to the soft blue nagajuban around him tied with a white sash, his tails were fresh and clean as they poked out from behind him.

A slight blush dusted his cheeks as he realized that Sasuke must have cleaned and washed him; dressing him up before putting him to bed. The alpha probably saw him naked in all his glory just by doing that, and Naruto can't help but feel heat crawling its way up his cheeks. Sasuke noticed the omega's discomfort and explained himself right away.

"I swear I didn't look Naruto. I just wanted to get you into a fresh set of clothing. I didn't do anything you wouldn't want, promise." Naruto nodded slowly, grateful for the alpha's respect, but his expression turned serious right after.

"I'm sorry Sasuke…" Naruto said, earning him a confused look from the alpha. But the omega's memories have slowly returned to him, and guilt started eating up its way through him.

"Hah?" Was the alpha's confused reply, not understanding why the omega was apologizing now.

"For how I acted after that… I guess… I guess I was just too overwhelmed with how I felt, you know that I—"

"Stop Naruto." Sasuke took the omega's hand and stared straight at his eyes, gazing upon guilty ambers with his reassuring obsidian ones. "You have nothing to apologize for. I know, I'm completely at fault for that. Please don't blame yourself."

"But I—" Naruto began, remembering the terrible destruction he once again unleashed. He swore to himself that what happened at the Uchiha grounds won't be repeated, and yet here he went, unleashing a tantrum that can rival even that of the Kyuubi's rampage. It's not only embarrassing, but it made Naruto angry with himself for not reigning in his emotions at that time. He broke his promise to himself once more. How pathetic can he get?

"But nothing. It's not your fault okay? It's mine. And I'm willing to make it all up, if you allow me Naruto. Please." The omega could barely repress a shudder at the tenderness of the alpha's voice, the way his voice trembled yet remained sure and certain oddly tickled Naruto's ears.

Naruto's eyes were glued to the floor before a sigh escaped his lips. He knows that the alpha can be stubborn when he's like this so he just nodded his head and mumbled a soft "okay."

That seemed to have brightened Sasuke's face up as he stood up. "Hungry? I made you ramen."

That was all that Naruto needed to hear. As if on cue, his stomach grumbled in response and he briefly wondered how much time has passed since his rampage.

"What time is it Sasuke?"

"It's around 9 now, Naruto. It's late. Won't you stay the night? I don't want you to send you home in your condition at this hour."

Naruto's eyes widened as he realized something. He cursed beneath his breath before he jolted himself upright. "What? I have to get Boruto! How about Menma? Where are they Sasuke? Have they eaten yet? I—"

The omega was stopped when a tray was placed on his lap. And immediately, his nose was assaulted with the delectable scent of miso broth and a warm alluring smell of ramen. His eyes lingered at the bowl on the tray and gawked at the food, marveling at how well the food was presented. He didn't know that something as simple as ramen can be presented this way; that he'd almost feel hesitant to eat it and ruin the presentation. Even the boiled egg on it is the right kind of runny. And he hadn't even told Sasuke yet how he liked his egg, he's golden eyes widened appreciatively at the generous amount of Naruto on the bowl.

"Relax, Naruto. They're downstairs with Shisui and Itachi-niisan. Now why don't you let me take care of you for now?" Sasuke nearly whispered as he offered a slice of pork to Naruto's mouth. Naruto instantly felt himself salivate at the treat in front of him and all manner of reservations left him as he took it, enjoying the soft savory meat in his mouth. The piece of pork was soft, and it nearly melted in his mouth, causing him to moan softly, as his eyes shut in contentment.

"Woah… This is pretty good, Sasuke." The alpha had a small smile on his face as he continued feeding his omega.

"I'm glad you liked it Naruto." He softly said as he took a small amount of soup, blew on it before offering it to Naruto.

"Bastard, I can feed myself you know!" The omega, tried to grab the spoon but he found that whatever strength he thought he have has left him, his fingers unable to firmly grasp the piece of utensil. That was when he felt the fatigue and injuries he sustained during his rampage. Even he have difficulty trying to move his own tails. Was he really that drained when he let himself loose in the forest just hours ago?

"Stop being stubborn, dobe. Just eat… please." The omega sighed, accepting the alpha's silent apology, seeing that Sasuke's really trying this time. Besides, his alpha has tried his best to make this meal for him. The least he can do is indulge the man in his efforts.

Accepting the current situation, he accepted his alpha's service and just enjoyed the feeling of being served and pampered. He would be rewarded with a brief kiss on his forehead and Naruto mused for a second that the Sasuke he fell in love with all those years ago is slowly returning to him.

It felt so surreal to the omega how quickly Sasuke had changed in such a few weeks following their first reunion at the hokage tower; back when Sasuke discovered the truth about Menma and Boruto. Back then, he can totally feel the anger radiate off the alpha. But now, everything about Sasuke is replaced with tenderness and care, as if the man is afraid that one wrong move could push his omega away from him again. Naruto decided then that he'll have to reassure the alpha that he won't be going again this time, no matter what manner of hurt he has to undergo by staying with him. Feeling the soft and cold caress of the metal ring on his finger, Naruto resolved then that he'll continue to try. After all, he resolved that that had happened in the past already. And Sasuke is trying really hard to make it up to him.

His thoughts would be confirmed by what the alpha had in store for him.

On the days that followed, the omega and his children would continue to stay in the Uchiha household, with the children being mostly under the care of Itachi or Shisui. In every occasion, Sasuke would be with him, either serving him food, or assisting with his recovery, especially in changing his bandages and getting him dressed up, much to the omega's embarrassment. Although eventually, he got used to the treatment and his embarrassment has decreased, replaced by appreciation and assurance of his alpha's motives.

He still spent time with his kids, and even see Sarada, asking them how their day went from time to time. But throughout their stay at the Uchiha mansion, it's like Naruto and Sasuke have become inseparable, the sight that most of the Uchiha have become accustomed to.

One day, Naruto inquired to Sasuke about his Hokage's duties. And the alpha have been very firm that for him, Naruto comes first; earning a blush and an embarrassed sputtering from the omega. Besides, Itachi was more than willing to fill in for him, and the alpha was able to placate whatever worry the omega had for taking Sasuke away from his duties to the village.

Throughout their stay in the mansion, another benefit have been more and more apparent too. Sarada, Menma, and Boruto have grown closer. Though the twins still didn't confront their sister why she suddenly started calling Naruto mama, the twins had an understanding that since she's their half-sister anyway, they made it a point to include her in their conversations, training and play time. Though Boruto would mostly just watch Menma and Sarada spar, as he's still forbidden from any strenuous physical activity, he have been picking up some ninja concepts and techniques from the time they spent with Shisui and Itachi and the children often thought just how motivated a teacher the two older Uchihas are when they wanted to be.

Sarada herself have mastered most of the Uchiha's fire techniques, even developing a combination technique with Menma now that they both have the sharingan. And Menma himself have applied his own innovations to the rasengan, coming up with a line of powerful variants of the forbidden jutsus under the tutelage of the two genius Uchihas. Surprisingly, the chakra he inherited from Naruto and the Kyuubi have allowed him to unlock a different form of chakra within him, a more destructive black one that allowed his rasengan to become far deadlier than the conventional rasengan. Unlike Naruto and Kyuubi who have separate chakra, Menma's chakra is fully his own. Shisui even mused that if harnessed correctly, his black chakra could rival that of the fabled sage mode, all without the need of tethering himself into an animal summon like the toads or the snakes. It also developed offensive and defensive potential, allowing him to utilize his chakra both as weapons or shield not unlike how Gaara did with his sand, as Shisui explained, although Menma had an advantage of never needing to carry sand with him because his chakra is very much a part of him.

Boruto on the other hand have been more and more encouraged and enticed to join the civilian branch of the Uchiha Police Corp, after training into basic martial arts with them, especially during their taijutsu sessions.

All in all the Uzumaki-Uchiha family have enjoyed a great amount of growing up in the brief few moments that they've been together, both physically, mentally and emotionally. Even Sarada is slowly being integrated into the Uzumaki-Uchiha circle, with Sasuke slowly warming up to her at Naruto's initiative.

When Naruto and Sasuke one day decided to observe these training sessions, they were both impressed with their children's growth, especially when the said children are not only learning from the best that the Uchihas have to offer but have also been receiving training and experience under missions with their jounin instructor, Konohamaru.

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It was exactly 7 days that Naruto would fully recover from his initial injuries. They're back at the Hokage tower, with Sasuke once again taking the reins as the Hokage; his trusty personal guard never leaving his side as they grew more and more close in the span of just a week.

"What? We're going to Wave?" Sasuke snapped his head up as Itachi filled him on in his itinerary as Hokage. He had been with Naruto most of the time that Itachi, along with Shisui were running the village during his time of absence. And so Sasuke's brother was briefing him on what needs to be done over the course of the next few days.

Itachi smirked. "They finally said yes, Sasuke. It's time." It did not escape Sasuke's notice just how alive his brother looked. It had been a known fact that Itachi was responsible for the growth of Konoha's economy, technology and more importantly, its military. And while his brother have mellowed down over the years, it is unmistakable that most of the infamy surrounding the Uchiha's rule after the third's abdication from office could be attributed to his brother.

Shisui wasn't home when Itachi was taking the reins and he had confided to Sasuke that honoring his promise to Shisui had been Itachi's primary motivation in keeping the village strong and prosperous. Of course with Shisui now back, Itachi had been more motivated than ever in keeping his village strong. After all, both he and Shisui used to conspire together in stopping the planned coup. Of course, with Itachi's assurance, Shisui decided to withdraw his plans and he was glad for it. Not only did the Uchihas secured their place as the dominant clan in the village, they also achieved their dream in making this village as safe as it can be for Sasuke.

The younger Uchiha have been aware of it for quite some time, of how the two older Uchihas have worked tireless for his sake, although he played oblivious to the big part that Itachi and Shisui played in shaping up the clan's growth and how it runs the village. Their ideals would often clash with their father, Fugaku. But Itachi have ensured that despite for the laws published in paper, its enforcement have been more or less lenient. In fact, much of the laws that the Uchihas have been infamous for have never been enforced strictly. The only ones that were really following the rules to the letter were those controlled by Fugaku such as the Uchiha Police and the ANBU; hence the strong adherence to the hierarchy system of the Alpha-Omega that used to define the Uchiha's governance in these branches and the strong emphasis on civilian participation in military affairs.

But that is slowly changing with Sasuke's time. He's more than willing to go against his father now, unlike Itachi who have been mostly trying to keep his father happy by meeting a happy middle ground and trying to meet their traditionalist father at a stable compromise.

Sasuke noted the excitement in his brother's face, though he was not surprised at the expression on his brother's face. He always knew just how Itachi loved the diplomacy game. His brother would get excited at the thought of new nations, new countries joining their banner.

Although Sasuke himself found that such activities were pure boredom, his brother seemed to delight in it.

And so Sasuke continued to respect and follow his brother's advise especially when it comes to foreign affairs and policy.

"When do we leave Niisan?" Sasuke inquired as he held Naruto's hand. Naruto blushed at the contact, which did not escape Itachi's notice.

"Tomorrow, at once Sasuke! Oh I can't wait to get that plot of Land under us. It's going to be great, otouto. You'll see. I can see that place's potential like no other. Even with the logistic difficulties that its distance presents to us, getting Wave under Konoha is crucial if we are to monopolize the trade market."

Sasuke sighed, not missing the mirth dancing in his brother's eyes. When his brother's like this, nothing can get in his way. Although inwardly, he let himself smile at the thought. His brother truly is a genius when it comes to these things.

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Preview for the Next Chapter:

"Really? We can finally get a B ranked mission?"

"Yes Menma. Your team have grown strong enough to handle what it takes to go outside the village. Your task is to accompany the Hokage in a very important diplomatic meeting." Iruka smiled as he glanced over at Naruto and Sasuke. It would be a very interesting scenario to see Naruto's entire family working as one towards a common goal.

Himawari's cheeks reddened. To think that their first mission outside the village walls is an important escort mission with the Hokage. Though they were exposed to the project before, this would be their first as officially genin. Besides, their initial foray outside the village didn't end well. So even she's excited for the coming change in scenery.

"Isn't that great, Kore! I know you three have been wanting to get out of the village for a while now." Konohamaru quipped as he grinned at his team. He's no doubt that these three can make it out there, now, considering their growth.

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A/N: Boy what a week this has been for me, so I hope that didn't turn out too badly. As always, feel free to tell me what you like or don't like about this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks.