Konoha

"There you are." Jiraiya's loud voice called.

Sasuke's head whirled around. "And here I thought I could have a nice day." He said with a long-suffering sigh. Truth be told, he was happy to see him again. He had been in a funk ever since… Well, a while.

Jiraiya had found Hinata and he, sitting next to the Uchiha compound's lake.

"Ah, come on, now." Jiraiya smiled lightly. "Don't be like that, Sasuke-chan."

Hinata giggled. "Hello, Jiraiya-sama."

"Hello, Hinata. See? She's polite." Jiraiya nudged Sasuke. "What she sees in you… I could never tell. You're so… bland."

"That's strange. I do not recall asking for your opinion, sensei." Sasuke said dryly.

"Well, I'm a pretty giving man. I'm offering anyway." The Sanin smiled.

He then turned somber. A gigantic hand slapped Sasuke on his shoulder. "I've heard about your cousin." Jiraiya said. "I liked him, and I'm sorry to hear that—"

"Why are you sorry?" Sasuke mumbled. "You didn't kill him."

Jiraiya winced. "Ah, you're in this sort of mood."

"Sorry." Sasuke shook his head. "It's been… a long week."

"Yeah. I know the feeling pretty well." The man nodded soberly.

They didn't say anything for a while.

"Are you back in the village for a while, Jiraiya-sama?" Hinata asked, cutting through it. "It's been a while since we last saw you. We could have dinner together, before Sasuke leaves again."

"Ah." He scratched his head. "I'd love to, but I'm only passing by, really."

"Really…?" Sasuke asked. "Where are you headed to, then?"

"This…" Jiraiya began softly, in a conspiratorial tone. Hinata leaned in. "…is a secret!" He grinned.

"Jiraiya-sama!" She protested.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "It's not like you made the same joke a thousand times, by now."

"My… You're still as fun as ever." Jiraiya said, with a twinkle in his eyes. "If it works, it works—"

"Sorry to spoil your fun." Sasuke said. Despite himself, he was amused.

Sasuke stared at him, unsure where to start. As usual, Hinata saved him, in her demure tones.

"There's something Sasuke wants to say to you." She said with a smile. "He's just bad with words."

"Oooh…?" Jiraiya laughed. "What is it? Have you finally decided to read my books, the both of you?"

"…No." Sasuke shook his head. Hinata hid a chuckle behind her hand. "Hinata is pregnant."

Jiraiya froze. For a second, it was like he was staring at something else.

Then, he smiled softly.

"Congratulations, then. Sasuke. Hinata."

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama." Hinata smiled.

"Yeah." Sasuke nodded. "But that's not it. There's something else I want to ask."

The same faraway look upon the Sanin's face.

"Itachi is going to be our firstborn's naming parent. Well, only technically, anyway, since his name was already picked before that."

"Ah." Jiraiya sounded relieved.

"But we're going to have at least one more child, I know." Hinata laughed.

"…For real?" Jiraiya blinked. "Are you planning so far ahead already?"

Sasuke laughed openly. "No. Not exactly. We're going to have twins."

"…Twins?" Jiraiya repeated. "For real?"

"It's a Hyūga thing, apparently." Sasuke shrugged, trying not to show his worry at the idea. Two kids. He was going to be a father.

"It is a good thing." Hinata said, caressing her belly, with a sad smile. "I wouldn't want our son… or our daughter to be lonely."

Sasuke winced. He hoped Hanabi was alright, wherever she was now. Likely Umi, as well. He shook the thought away.

"And when that happens, would you do us the honor of naming the second?" Sasuke asked, with a slight smile.

Jiraiya said nothing for a long while. He closed his eyes.

"I… Are you… sure?" His voice was rough.

"Absolutely."

"…"

"You don't have to accept." Hinata said with an easy smile.

"No… That's fine." Jiraiya mumbled. "Yeah. I think I'd like that. Naming your second-born, I mean."

"Great!" Sasuke grinned. "Don't give him a goofy name, though, he's going to have to bear it."

"…You're not going to pull a Minato, right?" Jiraiya asked, looking him squarely in the eye.

Sasuke smiled softly.

"No. I promise."

They sat there comfortably.

"I'm surprised, though, I have to say." The man chuckled.

"Because of the pregnancy…? Or… the twins?" Hinata asked.

"…I thought Sasuke was ace, frankly. No interest for women, men, all that." Jiraiya admitted. "Nothing wrong with it, though."

"He does seem that way, doesn't he?" Hinata laughed.

Sasuke groaned.

Uchiha Sasuke walked the streets of Konoha, alone this time.

He relaxed under the afternoon sun. Well, he tried. There were many things on his mind. His impending return to the frontline. Toru.

Ah, Toru.

There was no way around it, he couldn't find it in himself to relax. The most he could do was to avoid the One-Tail from waking up.

"Sasuke-senpai! Sasuke-senpai!" He snapped back to attention.

A young boy was chasing after him. Sasuke recognized him. Takano Yuudai, the latest Academy rising star. A child prodigy from a civilian family, praised by his teachers as the best of his generation.

Sasuke stopped in place, and waited. Yuudai stopped in his tracks and gave him a big grin. He noticed a few teeth were missing. Here was someone who had the potential to become truly powerful in the future… Apparently.

"Will you teach me jutsu?" The boy asked, eyes wide.

Sasuke supposed this happened to most shinobi at some point. Somebody younger would look up to them, ask them for training, jutsu, advice…

Frankly, Sasuke didn't really feel like it.

But he remembered a few more things. That the boy had no family… and how he had felt whenever Itachi would skip on training him. He withheld a small sigh. Well, it's not like he was planning on doing anything, other than brooding.

"Sure."

"Thank you senpai!" The boy cheered.

There had been plenty of people who didn't understand, back then.

Why Uchiha Fugaku's second son had decided to date the Hyūga heiress. Or why the Hyūga heiress had chosen Uchiha Fugaku's second son.

It was hard to tell which part got them so confused. Because to Sasuke, it was pretty simple.

Hinata was full of compassion, understanding… and could be hard, when needed. And he had been impressed.

And she had always seen him for who he was. Not the Hokage's son. Not Itachi's supposedly less talented brother. The same way he hadn't seen her as the Hyūga clan heiress. Not Hanabi's slightly less talented sister, older than her by a year.

They had been very young, back then. They became friends, and then more.

It had been difficult, too, in the beginning. Neither clan was willing to concede much to the other. But they had managed. It didn't matter much to Sasuke that he would likely become part of the Hyūga clan in the future. And soon, they would have twins.

Sasuke had barely believed it.

Of course, considering the clan they would be born in, there would be complications. But Sasuke wasn't willing to budge on this, he would not let either be marked.

He idly wondered if they would take after her, — he hoped so, at least — after him… What they would be like.

And he hoped that they could grow up in peace. He would do anything for it.

"Do you have any hobbies, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, out of the blue.

Sasuke frowned. He thought about it. "…Not really, now."

"You used to love gardening." His brother frowned.

Sasuke felt his ears redden. "I was a kid, back then."

"So…?" Itachi's brows furrowed.

"Why are you asking, all of a sudden…?" Sasuke asked, somewhat suspicious. Was this about Toru… their father… or something else?

Itachi shrugged. "It's important for a shinobi. Especially during… and after war."

"…It's not like I can start planting things on the front lines."

"That is true." Itachi chuckled. "But you could find something else to do, as well."

"You don't even have hobbies yourself." Sasuke complained.

"But I do." Itachi smiled.

"…What? Training? If so, I can say the same."

"No. I enjoy playing shogi — I play with your friend Shikamaru's father. Cooking is something I like, as well. And I collect antiques."

"Hinata gardens already, anyway." Sasuke almost grunted. Itachi laughed. "And she's better than me at it, too."

"So…? My point is—"

"Alright, alright. I'll find something." Sasuke sighed. He hated being roped into something.

"Good."

Itachi ran so fast that it looked like he was flying.

He was chuckling, too. Sasuke took it as a challenge and used wind to bolster himself. He wasn't that great with it, but it provided some lift.

It felt like childhood again.

The war with Suna wasn't over, far from it — and Iwa didn't seem to want to back up at all — and he would have to return to fight soon, but there was no express need for him to be there right now.

"We will miss the sunset if you continue to drag your feet, little brother. Your beloved is already waiting, too."

"I'm trying!" Sasuke retorted.

The sky was already turning to soft pink, red and gold above them.

"It's on you!" Sasuke continued. "With all your bluster and… talk and…"

"Foolish, little brother, foolish." Itachi laughed. "We're almost there, anyway."

"If Hinata guilt trips me, I'm going to say it was you." Sasuke warned. "I'm not dealing with the sad eyes."

"I think I'll survive."

Uchiha Shisui knew who to kill, of course.

Anyone involved in Toru's death. That likely meant Uzumaki Naruto, his pet Yamanaka and Umi's higher ups. Hyūga Neji, too, just for starting all of this. Then the two ROOT members who had been responsible for warning Danzō in the first place. Then, if it really were Danzō, he would kill the men he had sent. And later, when the war was over, he would kill Danzō, for creating this mess in the first place. And then maybe himself, depending.

But that could wait. He would need to get the truth, first.

He knew he looked bad, to the outside world. Even Itachi looked worried about him.

Whispers of yet another shinobi prodigy having lost it, whatever it was. Something about the Uchiha Curse. It was a concept that came from the Second Hokage, apparently, spread by who could only be their current one. Danzō could be a shrewd, cruel man, particularly toward the clans he despised. His loathing against the Uchiha seemed even more personal.

He seemed to trust a few of them — to some degree — though. And he knew the importance of keeping Sasuke on his good side. But Sasuke was too nice, Shisui knew. He still wanted to believe that Konoha was a less dark place than the rest of the world.

People once spoke of Shisui as the future of the Uchiha clan. He wondered where these people were now. They were always so quick to turn on others.

In the end, people did what people did. They spoke, and Shisui found that he didn't care about it enough to really listen, right now. Because he knew that in just a few days, they might be back to loving him.

Funny, how that worked.

Shimura Danzō stood on top of the Hokage Monument, overlooking the village.

"Danzō-sama. Sarutobi-sama has returned. He is here to see you." A masked ROOT member kneeled.

So he had come back, already? Good.

"Let him go through." Danzō simply said. He wouldn't, if it were anyone else.

"Are you feeling nostalgic this evening, perhaps?" An amused voice said.

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked closer then, wearing casual clothes.

"Hello, old friend." The man said lightly. "It is good to see you."

"Good evening, Hiruzen." The Hokage greeted him. "It is good to see you, as well."

It was simply a formality. No matter how many times they disagreed, they squabbled and they fought, he did consider Hiruzen his only true friend. And—

Danzō waited for him to join him.

"It is a beautiful view, isn't it?" Hiruzen chuckled, coming next to him.

"It is. Everything I do, I do to protect this." Danzo's voice rumbled.

Hiruzen smiled, somewhat thinly.

"Do you mind terribly if I smoke?" He asked.

Danzō waved his concern away.

"It is a disgusting habit. One that you would do well to get rid of. But I'll let you indulge tonight."

The Third chuckled. "Oh, you have told me before, yes." He pulled his pipe out, packed it. Then he looked at him expectantly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Danzō sighed and motioned for one of his ANBU to light his pipe. The man had never grown out of this stupid ritual. If it weren't for the fact he was his oldest friend…

Hiruzen grinned.

"That's… good." He breathed the smoke out, slowly.

"You're not the Hokage anymore, Hiruzen." Danzō said dryly.

"Ah." He chuckled. "Let an old man have his vices."

"Let's cut to the chase. What have you found?" Danzō asked.

Hiruzen sighed. "Can you at least pretend this is just a friendly meeting? Why don't you send my… your ANBU further away so that we can discuss this properly?"

Danzō gave him a long look. He gestured for them to leave. All of them. Hiruzen had been cleared by security, which included a Hyūga, anyway. And considering how hard it was to get into Konoha these days...

"Go ahead."

Hiruzen ignored him, looking at the village, wistfully. "Konoha at sunset. To me at least, it is one of the most beautiful scenes I remember. And this is a particularly nice place to see it, isn't it?"

Danzō grunted. "The Monument overlooks the village and its surroundings, yes. Hashirama-sama made a good choice, in this at least. It's a strategic place. A symbolic one, as well."

Hiruzen looked at him, amused.

"Of course you'd say that. But don't you find it… a bit too much, at times? It feels isolating, in a way. As though the Hokage stands far away from his own people."

"The Hokage must be an island unto himself."

"Well… Among all the opinions I have heard… this is definitely one of them." Hiruzen chuckled.

Danzō rolled his good eye.

"…We've wasted enough time, Hiruzen. Talk. What of Ame?" Danzō asked.

Another long sigh.

Hiruzen looked at the horizon, instead of answering. A contented expression was upon his face, and he seemed to bask in the sunset.

Danzō turned to face it as well, with a grunt. "What is it with you, this time? If you're intent on wasting my time tonight, you might as well come back tomorrow."

He had other things to plan for. With Rasa gone, courtesy of Hatake Kakashi, there were several ways things could go. He would need to…

Hiruzen spoke, in the same rambling tones that meant he would say nothing of value.

"It's just strange, how-"

Which meant Danzō wasn't really looking.

A flash of movement. Danzō whirled around, not as fast as he had been when he was young, but more than fast enough to counter the attack. And the motion had not triggered his senses. There had been no killing intent.

He managed to grip Hiruzen's wrist, tightly. There were no weapons in his hand. The Sarutobi's eyes locked into his, with a smile that held a dangerous promise.

Danzō had no fear. A Hokage that had to be protected by his guards would be a terrible one. Besides, he himself had made sure Sarutobi was always ready to spring into action, when they had been young. Assassination drills, they had called it, back then.

Danzō lifted an eyebrow—

Before he had time to react, something opened under their feet and took both of them away. Danzō tried to release the man, but it was too late. That was not a training exercise.

"-careless you can be, for someone so paranoid. A branch member, really?"

They were not on the Monument anymore. Before an entire second passed, he heard a rattling sound and his body froze entirely, his chakra out of his control.

"What is the meaning of this…? Have you lost your mind?!" Danzō growled. Had he finally snapped?

Both he and Hiruzen appeared on top of a snowy mountain.

There were some people scattered around them. Danzō had no time to focus on them, though.

"Well, you didn't notice anything was off." Hiruzen said, his entire body language switching to someone else's. "I had a pretty good coach, when it comes to the Third's mannerisms. And a lot of practice. Enough to fool even you, and you knew him for even longer than Orochimaru did."

Of course.

The transformation technique faded away, a minor chakra binding seal was broken, and a woman with pink hair — that Danzō could swear he had seen before — stood in front of him, the pipe still hanging from her lips. The clothes she had been wearing rippled, shifting into a thick cloak, one that covered battle armor.

And suddenly, all Danzō could feel was a monstrously large chakra exploding into life, to his right. He turned to face it.

Purple eyes, gleaming with power, surrounded by blue markings. Blond hair that stood lightly on end from the amount of Lightning chakra in the air.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Danzō spat.

How had the woman passed the security…? He kept a Hyūga around, specifically for this! And for that matter, how did she get inside the village? How did she bring them here?

"Hello, Danzō." Uzumaki Naruto greeted, a small smile upon his lips.

Another woman came close to them.

"It is good to see you…" Yamanaka Ino said, her voice as cold as her eyes. "Danzō. Unfortunately, I think this might be our shortest meeting to date."