The atmosphere was tense as a pair of cerulean eyes stared deeply at a pair of heterochromatic ones. Both sat cross-legged across from each other in room that was meant to be renovated soon. The tatami mats felt comfortable to sit on, though it was the only furnishing the room had.
One occupant held a small dog, a tan furred, white snouted beast with long droopy ears and whiskers nearly as pronounced as the boy who held and pet him gently. His name was Guruko, a ninken.
The other, a man with gravity defying hair, cursed his dog silently for his obvious peaceful state. The traitor even smiled and nestled further into the boy's small arms!
Kakashi scratched his neck and grimaced slightly, he was still not used to people seeing his face and Naruto staring at him so intensely made the uncomfortable feeling worse.
"Umm…Naru-chan, why-why are you looking at me like that?"
"Eh? Kashi-nii, I never saw your other eye. It's red!" Naruto exclaimed, startling Guruko. Ha! Take that you traitor, I summoned you to help comfort Naruto if he started crying, not for you to have an early nap, you damn dog!
"Oh this," Kakashi said and tapped his left eye lightly, "it's a, uh, gift from Obito."
"You can swap eyes for gifts?"
Kakashi inwardly groaned. "No, no, you can't Naru-chan. It's only possible if you're an Uchiha apparently, so you'll be in trouble if I catch you trying to take your eye out."
Naruto pouted and Kakashi shuddered at the thought of coming home one day and Naruto had a missing eye. Children were scary things.
"Ne, ne, Kashi-nii. Why did that old man yesterday call you 'Hatake' and what's an Uchiha?"
"It's a surname Naruto. People use them so they know what clan you're from- a clan is a family- and the Uchiha are one of the biggest and strongest clans in Konoha."
Naruto nodded. "What clan am I from?"
Kakashi nearly blurted out Namikaze, thankfully he stopped himself. "Uzumaki. Your full name is Naruto Uzumaki and mine is Kakashi Hatake."
"But Kashi-nii, why can't I be called Naruto Hatake?"
"Well that's… that's because…." What am I supposed to say? If I mention his parents, it's a whole new string of questions I could end up committing treason for, if I say he can't then I'm betraying his trust. Damn what am I supposed to say? Think, Kakashi, think!
"Naruto," he began slowly, "I know you're avoiding last night's talk. I'm not stupid, we're going to talk about it one way or another."
By the look on Naruto's face, Kakashi knew he skilfully, as usual, avoided a topic he didn't want to talk about. Truthfully, he almost forgot what the whole purpose of the morning was due to Naruto's odd behaviour.
"I don't wanna, it makes me sad," Naruto said.
"And that's why I'm here, Pup!" Guruko spoke up for the first since he was summoned. About time, mutt.
Guruko chuckled at Kakashi's dark look, then nuzzled his snout in the crook of Naruto's neck.
"Stop! That tickles, Guru."
"Kinda the point, Pup." He turned his head to point at Kakashi, who immediately changed his expression.
"See that grumpy boy over there, he wants to know everything about you, he's like your dad but mostly like your brother. Trust him, Pup, and when you cry, I'll make you smile again."
Naruto hugged Guruko tightly causing the dog to wheeze. Kakashi thanked Guruko with a gesture he learnt to do when he first summoned them; his trademark eye-smile. Guruko winked.
"Naru-chan, you're ready then?"
"H-hai, Kashi-nii."
"Let's start from the beginning then, okay? You don't have to tell me everything, just the important stuff. Naruto why were you in the park?"
Naruto let go of his strong grip around Guruko and looked down. "The old lady kicked me out. She grabbed me and then put me outside. The other kids were sleeping but I wasn't 'cause I was hungry. Kashi-nii, I didn't do anything bad! I wanted to eat-but-but- she said she hated me. The other lady said it too," Naruto said quietly. Guruko squirmed in his arms to keep him from crying but his eyes were already watering.
Kakashi clenched his fist. Naruto was three! While he may not be the best example of how a person should treat others, this was a toddler. At least he now knew why Naruto was so small and scrawny for his age.
"How long did you stay hungry?" Kakashi asked.
"She always gave me bread and milk in the morning."
"That was it?" Naruto nodded.
"And the other lady?"
Naruto started to cry, Guruko nuzzled his neck immediately. Kakashi wanted to grab Naruto and hold him firmly but he feared that Naruto would refuse to talk afterwards. Reluctantly, he let Guruko do the work.
"She hit me a lot and it really hurt. Hokage-jiji came in when she did it one time and he gave me to that old lady with the other kids. She used to call me 'kyu'-something, but I didn't get it cause my name's Naruto. She said I was a monster!"
Kakashi got up from his sitting position and pulled Naruto roughly into hug. He held him firmly against his chest, whispering in his ear that it was alright and that he was not a monster.
Guruko wriggled his body free from Naruto's arms and gave him a dog-like 'hug'. They were not angry, no, both ninja and ninken were absolutely furious, but Naruto was more important.
Naruto pulled away from Kakashi and Guruko once he calmed down. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. Stop lying to me Naru-chan. I want you to trust me enough to tell me when things are wrong," Kakashi said and Naruto shook his head.
"I don't want to go, Kashi-nii. I wanna stay with you and Obi-nii and everyone forever. I wanna play Hinata-chan and Sasuke. Guru, Pakkun and the doggies, I like playing with them. But you lie a lot, Kashi-nii. What if you don't really me want me, will Hokage-jiji take me away again?"
"Naru-chan…" Kakashi looked at Guruko but the dog just shook his head. He didn't know how to respond, had Naruto thought he was lying the entire time?
"Naruto, I'm not- I mean- look there's a lot going on right now. It's true that I lie a lot, to you, to everyone but I would never hurt you, Naru-chan please believe me. I can't tell you some things, you're way too young to understand but I promise I'll tell you when you're ready, okay?"
A deadly silence took over the room for what felt like hours. Worried that he said something wrong, Kakashi reached out to Naruto, but the child was quick to dodge.
"I don't get it, Kashi-nii. I don't know what you're saying, why are you lying to me?!" Naruto shouted at Kakashi, surprising him. He stood up, Guruko falling to the ground and landing disgracefully on the floor. Naruto grabbed at his hair, pulling and tugging, until small tufts started to come out. The room felt smaller, tighter. It started to become difficult to breathe.
"I don't wanna talk! They hate me, you hate me. I- I hate me." The air pressure increased, and the temperature rose higher and higher as Naruto cried.
Quickly, Kakashi got up. "Naruto calm down-" but before he could finish, a strong wave of air hit him and he fell backwards. Guruko whined looking at the state both his masters was in. The fur on his body stood up, alerting him of the approaching danger.
"Kakashi, what do we do about Pup, he's losing control!" The copy ninja was glad the room was not furnished, surely by then the room would have begun to shake.
He stood up and tried to get to Naruto, it wasn't that far, the child was literally an arm's length away. Why, why can I not reach him?
It was like an invisible shield surrounded Naruto. The closer he came, the stronger the shield became and pushed him away.
Kakashi could hear it, things in the other rooms shaking, the ceiling wouldn't last long either, the manor was not built to survive earthquakes, caused by nature or otherwise.
"Why are you lying? When will I leave? Why didn't Hokage-jiji take me again, he's coming, I know!" Smaller, tighter, the room seemed to be shrinking under the weight of Naruto cries.
"Kakashi, this isn't good. Look at Pup's teeth it's becoming like mine," Guruko said. Kakashi looked carefully at Naruto, his canines were growing slightly.
"Guru, it's the Kyuubi. It's taking advantage of Naruto being unstable. He's going to-" The chakra force had a feint red tint to it; it grew and grew, slowly losing its shield-like characteristic.
Now, it was a fire ready to raze the manor to the ground.
"-lose control," Guruko finished quietly for Kakashi. They exchanged a look; it was now or never.
At lightning speed, Kakashi bit his thumb and slammed his palm against the now heated tatami mat. Smoke enshrouded the both of them and once it cleared, three members of the Eight Ninja Dogs stood in its place.
"About time you called us, Boss," the suave voice of Akino, a sunglass wearing dog, spoke up.
"Seems the situation got out of hand, that's what you get for using a mutt like Guru," another said. He had 'shinobi' written in kanji in the middle of his tan-coloured forehead and dark circular markings around his eyes. He identified himself as Bisuke.
"'Cause you would've been better, eh Raccoon Eyes?" barked Guruko.
Kakashi glared at them. "Oi, this is not the time. Naruto's losing control of himself, so we'd better stop him before we're all destroyed along with this fucking house!"
"What do you suppose we do, Kakashi? The chakra surrounding Naruto is preventing us from getting to him," Pakkun said.
"The chakra's protecting him from any direct attack but if Guruko and Akino pounce on him simultaneously from different directions, they might be able to break through. Pakkun, I need you to get Itachi and Shisui immediately. Bisuke, you're on standby, if this goes south inform Hokage-sama immediately."
"Hai," came their response before they each got into position. Pakkun left swiftly, Bisuke stood by the room's entrance, his feet ready to run should anything go wrong.
Akino and Guruko crept carefully on either side of Naruto. All that was needed was Kakashi's signal.
"Naruto, please just listen. I need you to calm down."
"Kashi-nii, it hurts! I don't like it, make it stop," Naruto wailed.
"What hurts Naruto?" Kakashi lifted his hand slightly.
Wait for it, any moment now.
"My tummy, it's burning. Make it stop, Kashi-nii, make it stop!"
"I will Naru-chan, I will. Just calm down, I'm going to walk towards you, but you can't push me away. Naru-chan, trust me." Slowly, he started to inch closer to Naruto.
Now!
Naruto looked up at him, his face stricken with tears. He pouted but nodded, nonetheless. Kakashi let his hand fall and the dogs pounced on Naruto, careful not to hurt him.
The chakra subsided and finally, Kakashi was able to reach him. The child thrashed about from under the dogs' grip, but his movements slowed and became less. Kakashi kneeled next to him and placed a hand on his forehead wet from sweat.
"It's okay now, Naru-chan. Close your eyes, you're feeling tired. When you wake up, the bad feeling will go away."
"Kashi-nii, my tummy hurts. Make it stop," Naruto pleaded. Kakashi offered him a small smile and told the dogs to let go.
They both mumbled a quiet, 'sorry' to Naruto and lowered their heads. He laid sprawled out on his back against the floor, unable to lift his arms high enough to pet them.
"Bisuke, go to one of the vendors in town, the one that sells the chazuke. Tell the owner to package a small meal for Naruto and the usual takeout I order. Get something else if you see anything you want, put it on my tab."
"Hai, Boss. Is Pup going to be okay?" Bisuke asked before he left.
"He's going to alright, used up too much energy is all." Kakashi rubbed Naruto's belly.
"Kashi-nii…" Naruto moaned. His eyes kept opening and closing but he was determined to stay awake.
"Kashi-nii, I'm sorry. Please don't throw me away. I don't wanna leave."
"Boss would never do that to you, Pup," Akino said.
"Yeah Pup, listen to Aki. A good cry makes you feel a lot better. Kakashi would know, he did it all the time with us and we never threw him away. Though he is annoying," Guruko added.
Kakashi rolled his eyes and put his mask back on. He adjusted his headband so that only his right eye was visible.
Pakkun should be back with Itachi and Shisui soon.
"What they're trying to say is that we'll never leave you or hurt you. I know you don't always trust me Naruto, I do lie a lot, but I don't want to anymore. There're so many things I want to tell you, but you're not old enough to understand it right now. I really do love you Naruto and I promise that the Hokage will never keep me away from you. We're family now, and we always will be."
Naruto gave him one last smile before falling asleep. "Kay, Kashi-nii."
Kakashi picked him up and carried him to his room, Guruko and Akino trailing behind. He tucked Naruto in bed and left only one thin sheet on him. Leaning over to brush his hair away, Kakashi placed a small kiss on his forehead. Guruko sniggered before Akino hit him with his paw.
"Guru and I'll stay with Pup. Boss, you go to the living room so long. Clear your head, good things came out of what happened."
"Like what, Aki? It's not even noon yet and Naruto's already had a tantrum that nearly resulted in him losing control of the Kyuubi. Everything's been a mess since I came up with that damned plan," Kakashi said.
"Boss had this not happened you wouldn't have known the capabilities of the Kyuubi's strength within Pup. We can now learn ways to control and enhance his chakra as he grows. And Boss, your feelings were conveyed to each other. Pup will trust you with his fears and you will finally learn to be truthful."
Kakashi and Guruko gaped at Akino.
"Whoa, Aki. When did you become so sage-like?" Akino turned his face away from them.
"Sh-shut up, Guru. Not everyone's as blunt as you and Bisuke. Speaking of, Boss, Pakkun's here."
"Right." Kakashi stood up and gave both his dogs head scratches. "Arigato, Aki. Call immediately when Pup wakes up."
He was exhausted to say the least; the past three days felt like years to him. It had been one disaster after another and Kakashi was drained.
Man, when all this is over, I'm taking a two-week trip to Yugakure. Nothing heals the soul like a hot spring.
"Taicho!" Itachi's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Where's Naruto, is he okay?"
"Sleeping in his room, has stomach cramps though, probably from using the Kyuubi's chakra. Pakkun did tell you guys everything on the way, right?" Kakashi said and gave the dog a pointed look.
He knew that Pakkun would conveniently leave out the finer details when it came to informing people of the situation.
Pakkun scoffed, "Of course I did, Kakashi, right to the tee. I'll be joining Aki and Guru in keeping watch over Pup, assuming you no longer need me of course." He didn't wait for a reply.
"Kakashi-san, if Naruto nearly lost control of the Kyuubi, it would be best if Hokage-sama was informed of this. Itachi and I can't do much, if I'm assuming correctly about how you plan on using us," Shisui said.
Kakashi shook his head. "It's a lot more complicated than that, Shisui-kun. I think it's better if we take this to the garden. Kami knows I need fresh air right now."
"Hai, Taicho. I also brought strawberries for Naruto; it was just picked earlier today. Do you suppose I could leave it in the kitchen for him to eat later?"
"Feel free and make matcha while you're in there."
Kakashi felt that it was ironic, the entire situation. Had someone told him three months ago that he would be raising his dead sensei's kid, all the while trying to diffuse a bomb that would tear the village apart, he would have laughed in their face.
In reality, he was standing on his porch, breathing in deeply to try and grasp just what exactly was going on in his life right now.
"Kakashi-san, we can't use our sharingan eyes on Naruto. The Kyuubi won't respond to our calls unless he either takes over completely or we break into Naruto's mind. The latter is obviously the safer option, but we risk him losing his sanity in process. Especially because of his age."
"I know. The responsible thing to do is to let the hokage know what's going on, I just- I just can't let that happen. He'll take Naruto away or find some excuse for me to lose custody, Danzo might find out too. Doing the responsible thing right now will only backfire on us."
"You'd rather go against your duty as a ninja of the Leaf for his sake, right? I won't judge, Kakashi-san. Itachi and I are in the same position with our clan. Just know that should whatever you're planning go wrong, we won't take any responsibility."
Kakashi let out a small laugh and nudged Shisui's shoulder slightly. "You don't have to speak so formally with me, Shisui-kun. I told Itachi this before, so I hope this gets through to you. Shisui, you're barely thirteen, so stop holding the weight of the world on your shoulders. I know your clan's putting pressure on you to choose a side, but that's why me and Obito are here, ya'know."
Shisui flinched slightly at Kakashi's behaviour but thanked him either way, "Arigato, Kakashi-san. Though shouldn't I be the one offering comforting words in this case. This somehow feels cheap."
Kakashi shrugged. "You're probably right. Aaah- Itachi finally, I started to get annoyed by your cousin already!"
Itachi gave Shisui a look of sympathy as he handed Shisui his tea from the he was carrying. "You just haven't spent enough time with him yet. Taicho gets worse but you learn to live with it."
Shisui nodded dumbly. I'll never understand these two, or their ANBU team for that matter.
Itachi sat down and beckoned for the other two to do so as well. "Back to the matter at hand, Taicho, what are we going to do about Naruto?"
"I could probably use my influence around Konoha to ask one of the medics in ANBU or doctors to look at Naruto's condition but they'll report it to the hokage or word will spread about Naruto being the Kyuubi's reincarnate, judging by how superstitious this village can be. So, I want you guys to look at him, specifically the amount of chakra he's emitting. Usually it's extremely low, but this morning it was probably the amount of a mid-to-high level chunin."
"If it had been any higher, Kakashi-san, Naruto would've have exhausted himself too much. His body's too frail to handle any amount higher than a genin. It's a miracle that he didn't need to go to the hospital already. Did something happen to spike his energy reserves?" Shisui asked.
Kakashi was silent for a moment. "I asked him about his past. Apparently, he lived in two homes already, one used to beat him while the starved and kicked him out. Might also be the reason why I don't want the hokage to know about this, I don't think I'll be able to control myself."
"So, he threw a tantrum afterwards, it was well deserved though. Taicho you should have more tact when dealing with things like this," Itachi said and gave Kakashi a disappointed look.
"Oi, not everyone happens to have the natural ability to handle children or a calming presence. I can barely handle Rou when you're not around, Itachi."
Shisui rolled his eyes and snorted. "Acting composed is probably the only social skill this guy has. But he is right, Kakashi-san. It wouldn't have happened if you handled yourself better, you probably said something along the lines of 'Just because I can't do it now, doesn't mean I won't', wait-" he paused to look at Kakashi, whose cheekbones were dusted a slight pink.
"You actually said something like that? He's three, how was he supposed to understand something like that, hell I can't even understand it myself!"
Itachi leaned over across Kakashi to whisper loudly to Shisui, "This is probably the reason why Naruto's so dense. All this time we thought is Obito-san influencing him. Ow!"
Kakashi hit Itachi over the head and lightly punched Shisui for snickering. "I'm glad you two find this funny but in case you've forgotten, Naruto almost lost control over the Kyuubi's chakra!"
"We're trying to lighten the mood the way you do, Taicho. Anyway, I'm starting to see where you're going with this. You want Shisui and I to check on him and give you advice on how to train him to control it, without him noticing of course."
Shisui drank from his tea and sighed, gaining the attention of Itachi and Kakashi.
"It won't be that easy, Itachi. The reason why we, as Uchiha, have strong chakra control is because we're conditioned to hone it as soon as we are able to. The Uchiha have always had exceptional chakra reserves, with you being the exception. Kakashi-san, you probably haven't noticed it because Itachi makes up what he lacks with stamina and chakra with ability and speed. Naruto's a descendant of the Uzumaki, a clan with remarkable stamina. Chakra training would be easier had Naruto not been the Jinchuuriki because now he has the average amount of chakra a person would have and the hidden amount of chakra that the Kyuubi has. The only positive thing I can see from training Naruto would be that he wouldn't tire easily, though it can't be said for whoever is training him. He's already hyperactive."
"I had Rou teach him a few things in the form of games. It helped him save the Hyuuga princess from being kidnapped last night- it's a long story- but you know more than me about this, Shisui. There's a way moving forward from this, I know it, but how?" Kakashi asked him.
He gave his empty cup to Itachi who sat quietly.
"It won't work out, no matter how many times I think about it," Shisui paused and took his thumb out of his mouth. He wiped his hand on his pants.
He always hated that habit, chewing on his nails when he was in deep thought.
"Realistically speaking, the idea of training Naruto is far-fetched but it's more the way you're approaching it. Your method is training Naruto in the form of games, it's good but focus more on specific areas. When I first trained with Itachi, I wanted to improve his perception of battle. With Naruto, train his physical abilities rather than his chakra reserves. Once he's older, you can start but for now, you need to make sure that his emotionally stable. Also, can I get more matcha, my throat's dry from talking this much."
"Shisui," Kakashi said slowly, "Forget what I said earlier. I don't believe you're an actually thirteen, maybe you're an old man in child's body?"
"Taicho, your ability to change topics so nonchalantly is admirable. We should check Naruto and see how he's doing. Pass your cup, Shisui, I'll take it inside."
He passed his cup to Itachi, who left for the kitchen.
Kakashi turned around to see when Itachi would be out of earshot. He ruffled a surprised Shisui's hair and hooked his arm around his neck to bring him closer. "Don't tell Itachi I said this, but you're my favourite after Naruto. There's dango I bought for Itachi in the fridge. You can have it if you want."
Shisui awkwardly detached himself from Kakashi's grip. "Arigato, I guess. There's ways to thank a person without being so weird about it, you know."
"That is true. I'm also not joking about it, if you're curious. I have a hierarchy for the people I surround myself with. Naruto's first, then it was Itachi, he's bumped down to third now. The rest of Rou's positioning always changes depending on who annoys me the most and then its Obito, right at the bottom."
"Obito-san is at the bottom, isn't he your best friend?"
Kakashi got up and straightened his clothes. "Please, that moron gave himself the title. Let's go inside."
"Well… how is he, Itachi-kun? Will Pup be alright, huh?"
"Relax, Guruko. Naruto is sleeping not dying. And you do realise that I'm not a doctor or medic, I'm literally ten."
Guruko huffed and Akino gave him another hit. Getting up from his kneeling position against Naruto's bed, Itachi glanced at Shisui.
"I feel it too," he said. "Kakashi-san, his chakra's gradually going down. It'll be a while before he wakes up but his chakra emission will most likely be back to normal by then."
"I see. You guys can leave if want then, Bisuke still hasn't got here with lunch, but you're welcomed to stay," Kakashi said.
Itachi shook his head. "That will be fine, Taicho. I promised Kaa-san I would be in time for lunch and Shisui's coming with."
"I am? I mean, yeah, sure," Shisui said quickly after noticing the small glare he got from Itachi.
"We will be going then and Taicho," Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kakashi who stood on the opposite side of the bed along with his cousin.
"You underestimate my hearing abilities when dango is mentioned. I heard your conversation and although I am flattered to be third, I will be taking the dango as Shisui doesn't deserve it. Shisui, we are officially rivals from today onwards."
Shisui looked dumbfounded. "Is this about the dango or second place?"
Itachi's voice went an octave lower, "Both."
With that he left the room after bidding farewell. Shisui, slightly frightened at his friend's sudden declaration of rivalry, followed.
Shaking his head at whatever just happened, Kakashi turned his attention to the dogs. "Any of you know what could be keeping Bis so long?"
"You did say that Raccoon Eyes could buy whatever if he sees something he likes," Guruko pointed out.
"No, not even Bis would act so leisurely after what happened to Pup. Kakashi should I go look for him?" Pakkun asked.
"I don't know. Akino you're always pinpointing each other's location when you guys are separated. Don't you know where he is?"
"He definitely didn't leave the village, but other than that no. Gomen, Boss," Akino said.
Something better had not happened. The last thing I need now is a more disastrous situation sneaking up on me.
Snapping him out of his thoughts was Bisuke's loud barking. Recognizing that bark as an alarming one, Kakashi and the dogs ran out of the room immediately, apart from Pakkun who opted to stay with Naruto.
"Bisuke! What's going on and why did you take so long?" Kakashi shouted at him but regretted it immediately once he saw Bisuke's disorderly and panting form.
The bagged lunch laid forgotten on the floor; pieces of plastic were stuck in Bisuke's teeth. The dog looked at his master and teammates with wide eyes.
"Boss this is bad. Fu-Fugaku Uchiha's team's been attacked. I saw one of their-their members being escorted to the Hokage Tower, so I followed them after the vendor gave the lunch. When I got to the hokage's office the briefing was almost over, but I managed to hear a couple of things." He paused and gave Kakashi a despairing look.
"Whoever attacked Fugaku's team knows about Konoha's weapon, whatever that means. Suna was also mentioned and when these 'weapons' reach the age of maturity, a war's going to start. Freaky thing is, they even know about the Uchiha's state. The messenger said it by accident and corrected himself, but I heard it. Boss, what does this all mean?"
It was like time itself was frozen as the ninja stood still, not moving a muscle. Kakashi couldn't, no, he refused to believe it.
All of this was classified information, only a select few knew about it, hell he could even count on his fingers the amount of people that could possibly know. There was no way that an outsider was able to obtain such invaluable information without having an inside man…unless they themselves were once a part of the system.
"Kakashi, what's going on?"
But he chose to ignore Guruko's question and instead asked Bisuke quietly "Are you certain about what you heard. If this is your idea of a joke, I swear I'll cancel our contract right now."
Bisuke was taken aback. "What? Of course not, Boss! I swear that's what I heard; it wasn't exactly like that but still… it's pretty much the same." He sat down and lifted a front paw up. "It's all true, Kakashi. Shinobi's honour."
"Damn it!" Kakashi screamed, "This can't be happening!"
Akino leaned his paws against Kakashi's legs. "Boss, tell us what's going on."
He looked down and then at Guruko and Bisuke. Kakashi let out a frustrated sigh and laughed humourlessly.
"What going on Akino is that Naruto's Konoha's 'secret weapon' and that Suna has a jinchuuriki of their own. Once they become mature, the enemy, whoever the fuck they are, is going to start a war. What's worse is that they know all this, meaning there's a traitor in the Village."
Had someone told him three months ago that he would not only be raising his dead sensei's kid, trying to stop Konoha's most distinguished clan from going to war with the rest of the Village, all the while trying to prevent his own death in the fray, but also be inadvertently involved in a terrorist's declaration of war, he would have laughed in their face and decked them for making a senseless joke.
In reality, he was standing in his living room, three dogs staring worriedly at him while he laughed wildly at irony of how a ninja who wanted to die more than anything just three months ago, now wants to live and save the lives of others.
How shameless.
A/N: Ever since I posted that I would not be updating this fic anymore, I spent more time trying to figure out why I wrote this in the first place. Some of the reviews pointed out that authors often don't get the reviews they deserve but that shouldn't stop me from continuing. That is one of the main reasons why this story will be updated. I love Naruto and probably always will and this story allows me to be a part of that world. I read that a lot of people enjoy this story, and really, that's all I wanted to know. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to continue, even though I know for a fact that I'm not the best writer.
Please read, review and favourite. If you have any suggestions, comments, criticism on how I can make this fic more enjoyable to read, I deeply appreciate them. Please also feel free to point out any mistakes I made i.e grammar, etc. or if any of the information I write is incorrect- sometimes I twist it to go along with the story, other times I use it as a basis.
Anyway, until next time, Ja!
