A/N hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it? College is a bitch and inspiration runs low then you're getting your ass kicked and reviews are lacking. But fortunately I'm back and writing once again! Enjoy the chapter and if you feel like being extra nice please review!

Happy reading!

Chapter 21: The Calm.

"You do realize you are going to have to do better tan that, right? Combat in closed quarters is no joke, Sumiko-san."

I liked Kakashi, I really did, but ever since he had had the brilliant idea to ask his summons to help my training, it had become harder to show it. He had made it his mission in life to turn me into the best version of myself, and I couldn't be more grateful, even if his methods were questionable. Still, every single one of our training sessions ended with a cup of tea and a very detailed rundown on what I'd done wrong that day.

If it wasn't Kakashi, then it'd be Cat-Taicho or eve team eight, and if it wasn't training then it would be a mission behind an animal shaped porcelain mask. Either way, I was exerting myself; pushing my boundaries and stretching them further every chance I got. And I loved every second of it.

"You have made sure I don't make the mistake of believing otherwise, Senpai." I chuckled as I wiped the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. "So has the pack."

Kakashi said nothing as he handed me a towel and dismissed his dogs, but I could feel the mocking smile he hid behind the mask. The little turd was enjoying himself, either way, I was too exhausted to do something about it. Our dynamic had been like that for a while now: he would teach, I would learn and adapt, and instead of a pat on the shoulder, he would mock. Not that I minded, people had been too afraid to say the wrong thing around me ever since the massacre and, in turn, had stopped fooling around when I was present. It drove me insane that, save for a handful of people, they all seemed to pity me.

"Just make sure they know not to rip my shirt to shreds next time," I added as I went to my bag to retrieve a new turtleneck. "I Might be an ANBU apprentice, but genin still don't get paid enough to afford a new one every week."

I took off the torn garment I was wearing and adjusted my under armour before putting one a spare one I had brought. I glanced at my wristwatch and started to hastily put my belongings away. Naruto would be home soon and I stil had to cook dinner and do the laundry for the day.

"I'll bring it up with them. And about your pay, it might change depending on how well your team manages your next mission."

He didn't give me a chance to answer, no; Hatake Kakashi was too much of a drama queen to explain himself. It took the mystery away. I was used to his ways by now, but it still didn't make my curiosity grow any smaller. Either way, I was on a tight schedule, I had vegetables to fry and laundry to do. Oh the exiting life of housework! Life as a silgle shinobi living on their own was quite tame contrary to what anyone would think, the only excitement you had time to have was the replacement of a broom with a new hoover or an upgrade in your detergent collection, maybe even a new recipe if you were into cooking. Still, most of us welcomed the boring, domestic aspect of it as an escape to the struggles of being a shinobi. To me in particular, it was one of the few times I got to reconnect with my life as Uchiha Akane, and as short a period as it was, I still treasured every second.

We parted after agreeing t meet as soon as my next mission was over, which, according to the last member of the Hatake clan, would be assigned to team eight the following day. My way home was slow, there was no rush and the chores would still be there when I finally made it home. It was when I had reached the halfway point that two chakra signatures appeared in my peripheral. They weren't big; one was incredibly familiar while the other one had been so in another period of my life as well. I was glad Naruto and Sasuke were still hanging out despite everything, they both had had reason to recede into themselves and become secluded, but instead they had stick together and formed somewhat of a friendship. This meant that I would finally be seeing my otouto again, and I couldn't decide if the feeling in my guts was nerves or excitement.

They followed me all the way home without ever engaging, making me company from afar and either guarding me or tailing me, I still couldn't tell. They were not using hand signs, since I could hear them whispering behind me, which I found both endearing and slightly hilarious. They weren't doing a good job at being invisible, but I couldn't really fault them for it since they weren't even genin yet.

I arrived home more amused than impressed by their progress. I disarmed the traps and took my sandals off before I turned to the open door behind me and looked over my shoulder to the dumpster across the street.

"Naruto, would you please introduce me to your friend? I'd like to meet him if he'll be staying for dinner." I didn't have to look to know that I'd startled them, not that Sasuke would intentionally give away the fact that he'd been caught off guard anyway.

"I don't know where you get that psychic ability of yours, Nee-san. But One day I'll make sure you don't see me comin'."

The blonde came out from behind the dumpster followed by a gloomy Sasuke, who carefully approached my door almost using his friend as a meat shield.

"This is Sasuke, He's in my class an' he's a bit of an ass, but he's cool, I guess." Introduced Naruto before grimacing under the heat of my reproving glare.

"It's very nice to meet you, Uchiha-san. I am Sumiko, I'm kind of a sister to this kid." I sid pointing at Naruto. "I was about to make dinner, you are both welcome to stay and have some."

Sasuke bowed and said nothing as he entered my apartment and took off his sandals. He examined his surroundings carefully, making sure he knew where all he possible exits were in case he'd need them. He made an assessment of the situation with all the subtlety an academy student could manage, but still said nothing when all he found was boring and perfectly domestic.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll go get dinner started. Oh and Naruto please don't try out that fuinjutsu book in my living room again. I barely managed to save the floorboards last time." And with that, I left them to their own devices while I took off towards the kitchen.

The only other Uchiha survivor had clearly realized who I was already, but had thought better of questioning the reason behind my change of identity. He was cautious in his assessment of my apartment as he looked around, careful not to set off any hidden traps or seals, unlike Naruto who was going through my library without a care in the world. Of course, Naruto was going to let Sasuke know which book he liked best and how much in the loudest way possible.

I took the opportunity to prepare dinner and some tea for the tree of us. I, for one, was starving and hoping to get Sasuke to speak to me as he once had, fully aware of how badly our separation after the massacre might have affected him. Our superiors could have handled the issue with a little more care for the sake of their shinobi's state of mind, but that was not something I was willing to bring up with them.

"So, Sumiko-san, how come you have so many books that have been restricted to genin in Konoha's library?" Asked the kid with a raised eyebrow.

"They were handed down to me by my late sensei and friend." I answered as I continued to chop vegetables. "When he died, most his possessions were left in my care, and with those possessions, his knowledge."

They both continued to go through my books as the soup boiled on the stove and I put the hot water in the pot and got the tea started. It was a rather peaceful feeling, so normal and incredibly domestic. It gave me a kind of fulfillment that not even a successful career could give me. I loved being a shinobi, don't get me wrong but there was something about putting his teachings into practice, spreading his word among the younger generations, making him proud in a different manner. Just being a constant, solid presence in the lives of these boys who had almost nothing left, was the most satisfying thing in the world. Sasuke had lost it all and Naruto had had nothing to begin with. They had extremely lonely existences that did not need to be so. If all it took to make their lives a little bit better was a couple of warm dishes and a few borrowed books, then I would gladly do so.

"Could you guys set up the table, please?"I called behind me when I killed the gas on the stove and set the pot in the middle of the table as the two kids rushed around me to get everything ready.

The meal was loud and rowdy. Naruto narrated the happenings of his day while Sasuke added a few irritated comments in an attempt to clear his name and appear as stoic as possible. It wasn't peaceful, but it was good, it was almost civilian if you ignored the fact that they were now discussing weapons. It was as domestic as shinobi life could get, and I was content.

I promised Sasuke that he could come to dinner anytime he wanted just as Naruto already did. He was also allowed to borrow any book from my library with the sole condition that he not damage them in any way. He asked as indirectly as he could if I could tell him what had happened in the time he didn't see me sometime. I told him whenever I had the time and was certain no one would hear, then and only then, I would. Both boys were reluctant when the time came for them to leave, but did as they were told in the end. I told them they could come to dinner every evening until I was sent on a mission out of town, they agreed and promised to do well in the exam they had in the morning as they sprinted away.

I would have to step up and take responsibility for those two at the age of fourteen. Although not because I had to, but because I wanted to make a better life for them. They would get wherever they wanted even if I didn't intervene, but a little help could go a long way and maybe, just maybe, make it a little bit easier on them both. They were children for Kami's sake! They weren't even twelve and life had already thrown so much at them. I would need someone to help me when my career got in the way, there was only so much I could do, and even if I was quite proficient at the Shunshin no Jutsu, I was no omnipresent being. Besides, should something ever happen to me, these kids would need someone to rely on and look up to for advice.

Of course I couldn't trust this to just anyone. The person or persons would have to be close, loyal, but also good with children, which was a lot to ask of a shinobi in itself. Naruto would get o with almost anyone, but my little otouto would be a tougher nut to crack. What I was certain about, however, was that I could not separate them under any circumstances. They might take well to somebody else when I'm gone, but they would still need a presence in their life to keep things as stable as they could be.

Either way, I'd have to talk to my friends and see who would be up for the task. I wouldn't be forcing the care of two children upon anyone who wasn't willing, that would have just made things worse. All of this, of course, bearing in mind that the possibility of me dying on the field existed. But I would be doing my utmost best not to let that happen. I was not planning to die anytime soon, I still had things to settle and people to care for. This was just a contingency plan that was there just in case. The unpredictability of shinobi life could not be taken for granted.

As I took all of this into account, I prepared y gear for the following day. Kakashi had mentioned a mission with team eight, and if that was indeed the case, we would be given an out of town assignment. We had gone on few of those ever since Sumiko joined the team, but it was nice to see that they didn't plan to keep me cooped up in Konoha forever. It wasn't the same as ANBU assignments, which were always urgent, classified and very, very deadly. No, team missions were more of a camaraderie building exercise, not that they were a walk in the park, but it definitely wasn't as stressful and nerve-racking as a mission behind a clay mask in the dead of the night.

I knew things would not go back to normal, not after Itachi left, but this was as close as things could get and I was thankful for that. I sighed. It had been long since I thought of my best friend. It had been long since I thought of him and Shisui, but I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty about it. There was so much on my plate then, and adding more would have definitely broken me. But I knew, deep inside me, that I couldn't leave them both in the back burner forever. I needed closure, and so did Sasuke, and I would get that for us even if it cost me my life. We needed to know what really happened and move on with our lives.

None of it made sense to me, and I knew that both Shisui's death and the massacre were connected to the Uchiha coup. But I had no idea how or who had prompted them. Killing an entire clan seemed pretty extreme, it seemed to me like a last resource, but I was certain that no move had been made to settle the issues diplomatically, so I couldn't figure out why it had come down to that. Why did it have to be Itachi? And how was this related to Shisui's suicide and the disappearance of his body?

All of this I'd have to keep to myself. Asking anyone about it could bring questions afloat and involving my loved ones in something that could get me into a court martial or executed for treason was not worth it.

I'd just have to sit still and wait.