Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.

Also a few warnings attached to this story and they apply to the whole story although they won't be present in every chapter: explicit language, past abuse, disability, chronic illness, canon-typical violence, and implied sexual content. If any of these make you uncomfortable, then please read at your own discretion. If there are any more warnings you think I've missed, please let me know and I can add them.

Hello! I am so sorry for dropping off the map in the past couple of weeks. I had two exams and health issues and I wasn't in a state to remember to update but I'm back now! So have 2 chapters as an apology from me.

Chapter Summary: In which there's a meeting at the academy, Rio and Sasuke bond, and Naruto is overworked


Chapter 20: Blink and You Miss It

Naruto jogged his way through the hallways of the academy, Kazuya close behind him.

"I told you it was today!"

"Give me a break!" Kazuya rolled his eyes. "I've been on night shift for like a month. I have no idea what day it is."

"And I've been reminding you for two weeks. 'Kazuya, remember that we have that parent/guardian meeting at the academy for Rio and Sasuke'."

"Yeah, yeah, we're here, aren't we?"

Naruto fought the urge to snap back. His friend had been roped into extra shifts at the hospital and he had barely seen the other boy. It had fallen to him to look after Rio and Sasuke more and more over the past year and since Momo had been added to the mix almost a year ago to the day, he had even more to stay on top of.

He couldn't bring himself to resent Kazuya. The older boy had been steadily making his way up the ranks within the hospital and Naruto couldn't be more proud. There was even talk of transferring him to the Emergency department permanently and Naruto knew that Kazuya had been working hard for that promotion. It just meant that Kazuya could spend less time at home. Naruto was happy for his adopted brother but he was so used to life being them against the world; it had all changed so much after their chunin promotion. Even three years later Naruto still wasn't sure if he was ready to let the world in.

He had to suck it up though. Kazuya would have a life long after Naruto kicked the bucket, just like the kids, and he couldn't hold his best friend back. Kazuya needed to build and shape his future; Naruto didn't.

He slowed down as he reached the classroom door. Knocking on the door, he slid the door open and popped his head in. The chunin inside turned his head and Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Hi, Iruka-san," he said, stepping fully into the classroom. "Hope we're not running too late."

He had met Umino Iruka a few months ago at the Mission Assignment Desk. From the stories Rio had told him about his teacher, he wasn't sure about the man at first. He knew he had lost family to the Kyūbi but Rio hadn't said anything about any mistreatment, just that he had a tendency to focus on other students. Rio had mentioned they were going to get a second instructor for practical classes but didn't know who it was yet.

"Naruto-san, Arai-san, you're not too late at all. Please come in and take a seat."

Iruka gestured to the front benches of the classroom and Naruto slid in, Kazuya right next to him. It had been ages since he'd last sat here; had it really been six years? He had never been one to sit at the front but he had never stuck to one classroom long enough to really settle in. Where did Rio and Sasuke sit? They would have the same seat for four years.

Iruka settled in a chair in front of them.

"So I understand you're here for both Uzumaki Norio and Uchiha Sasuke?" He asked, one eyebrow raised as he looked down at the papers in his hands. "Uchiha Sasuke does not have a legal guardian on file as far as we're aware."

"We're his next door neighbours," Naruto began to explain. "We've been keeping an eye on him since the incident with his clan a year and a half ago. We help with his homework and training and stuff, and we asked his permission to be here as his stand-in guardians. You have the signed form from him, right?"

Iruka watched them silently for a moment before he nodded.

"I do," he agreed. "I just wanted to be sure."

He took out a paper from the pile on his lap.

"So we'll start with Sasuke then," he announced. "So we do these evaluations at the beginning of the kids' third year at the academy as a kind of halfway point to see if they are keeping up with the work or if we need to look at other options. I'm sure you're familiar with this having been through these yourselves."

Naruto chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah, we did not do these," Kazuya winced.

Iruka frowned.

"It's mandatory for all students who make to third year. I understand you attended before the minimum graduation age was implemented but you still should have had this meeting."

"I mean, we skipped over so much in the academy it was hard to keep track," Kazuya shrugged. "We actually did start our third year but we didn't finish it and we completely skipped fourth year."

"And half of first year...and half of second," Naruto added helpfully.

Iruka stared at the pair of them but Kazuya continued.

"Plus we didn't exactly have guardians to come to the meeting anyway."

"It all worked out in the end," Naruto said loudly over his friend. "We're here to talk about the kids, not us."

"Right..." Iruka seemed to shake something off. "So Sasuke is currently our top student, excelling in both his academic and practical classes. His taijutsu in particular is the best of the clan children and there are strong indications that he'll pick up the ninjutsu this year with no issues. His test scores are among the top students in every exam and his weapon handling is exemplary. If he continues on his way with his chakra control, he'll have no issues with genjutsu either."

"Damn, the kid is good," Kazuya whistled but Naruto frowned.

"But how is he doing with the other kids in class? How is he in group work or teams? Has he made any friends?"

He knew Sasuke was reserved and that was fine. It was his personality and Naruto didn't want to force him to be someone he wasn't. He also knew that what happened with his clan was weighing on him as heavily as the night as it had ensued. He had seen how Sasuke separated himself from Rio and his friends when they came over and how he avoided the villagers whenever he could. It wasn't healthy for him; Naruto knew he wasn't one to talk but at least he had had Rio, Kazuya and Hana.

Iruka sighed.

"Sasuke tends to keep to himself in class. He's certainly popular with the girls but he doesn't engage with them. As far as group work, it depends on the team. If he is put with some of the better members of the class, he's usually fine; but if he's paired with some of the underachieving students, he tends to get frustrated quickly and tries to complete the task on his own."

It was exactly what Naruto feared. Sasuke trusted them, but to be a shinobi of Konoha he needed to let other people in. They were lucky that Sasuke hadn't shut himself off completely and they were making slow progress with him at home, but Sasuke was still pushing himself so hard. It was paying off in class but Naruto couldn't help but worry it was hurting him in other ways.

"That'll balance out for him once he graduates and gets placed on a team though, right?" Kazuya pointed out. "He won't have the option to keep to himself; D-ranks and team training will force him out of his shell."

"But he shouldn't be forced into anything, it should be a choice he makes for himself," Naruto frowned. "We can't just wait until graduation either. His team won't fix everything. Look at us, we still don't know any of the people we went to academy with and we met at least three years worth of classes. We stood apart from the rest of Konoha until after we made chunin and I don't want the same for Sasuke."

Naruto blinked. He had never quite realised that before. He had similar thoughts during the chunin exams, but now looking back with Sasuke as a comparison, it was so clear. He didn't know anyone from the academy. He didn't know any other genin teams that graduated at the same time as them. They hadn't mingled with other teams, hadn't collaborated on missions, and hadn't had joint training sessions. Even their border patrols and missions within the villages had been kept separate from other teams. The first time that Naruto could remember properly working with and getting to know other shinobi outside his tiny social circle was his job at the desk.

Since then he'd gotten to know almost every other shinobi in Konoha; it was the nature of handing out missions, but he hadn't realised how cut off his team had been. He knew part of what had cut him off was the village's lingering animosity towards Rio and he was fine with that, but he hadn't realised how much he had lost by racing through the academy.

He shook it off as Kazuya turned to him. He had made his choice a long time ago and he didn't regret it. Everything he had done was for Rio and his future; what was done was done. They had to get out of the orphanage and graduating was the only option. He wouldn't be here forever so he had to make sure Rio and Sasuke got the best chance possible; even if it meant that he missed out on a thing or two.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kazuya raised an eyebrow. "He's excelling enough on his own that we can't really tell him that he needs other kids his age."

"I don't know," Naruto sighed. "We just have to keep supporting him and making sure he knows he's not alone. I've been helping with his chakra control so he's okay with accepting help. I was thinking of asking Gai to make up training menus for him and Rio too."

"It sounds like you've got it under control," Iruka cut in, and they both turned to him. "In my opinion, Sasuke not only has what it takes to graduate in two years but is on course to be Rookie of the Year."

Iruka shuffled the papers in his hands and cleared his throat.

"Now, Uzumaki Norio is another story."

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"While generally in the middle of the class in terms of his written exams, his mathematics and science scores are usually borderline passes. His taijutsu and weapon handling are good but his chakra control is abysmal. He is still struggling with the leaf exercise which does not bode well for his genjutsu nor his ninjutsu."

Chakra control? Rio hadn't said anything about that. Why hadn't he just asked for help?

"His behaviour in class can be disruptive," Iruka continued harshly. "The group he sits with are at the bottom of the class and he is prone to letting himself get distracted. He continually argues with the civilian children and speaks out of turn in class."

"Wait, what are the civilian kids saying to him?" Naruto demanded.

"Why do you assume that they're at fault?"

"Rio doesn't start fights," Naruto snapped back. "He just hangs out with his friends who are, you know, kids; who tend to get distracted when they have to sit still for hours. They're still passing your class, right?"

"What Naruto means to say," Kazuya placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Is that it's unusual for Rio to pick fights out of the blue. It's not who he is."

"Speaking to the kids, Norio is the aggressor," Iruka's fist clenched in his lap.

"Of course they would say that!" Naruto growled.

He should have known. He should have known Rio wouldn't be left alone. He had been there to provide a buffer before but in the academy Rio was on his own. The parents who had suffered in the Kyūbi attack had passed their hatred to their kids.

"Also why are you still calling him Norio?" he continued hotly. "He would have asked you by now just to call him by his name."

"Norio is the name on the official documentation so I..." Iruka began but Naruto lost it.

"Don't give me that!" He shot up from his seat, slamming his hands on the desk. "It's the Kyūbi, isn't it?"

Iruka stared back at him in shock but Naruto bulldozed on before the man could speak.

"If I find out you are treating him any differently or putting him at a disadvantage, I will find out! He is a child who has suffered just as much from that night as anyone else!"

"I am treating him just like I would any other student!" Iruka shot back, standing to face him.

"Are you fuck!"

Naruto felt the fire running through his veins. He hadn't been so angry in a long time. Kazuya slowly stood next to him and moved out from behind the desk.

"Okay, I think tensions are running a bit high and this escalated quickly," he started calmly. "Naruto is a bit overprotective of his little brother and Iruka-san, I think you are being a bit harsh on Rio compared to your other students. This can easily be fixed, yeah?"

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms.

"We're done here," he scoffed. "I'll work with them on the issues you brought up at home but I better not hear about anymore altercations with the civilian kids or about him being looked over."

He stalked out of the classroom, leaving Kazuya behind. He had no idea what Kazuya was saying to the teacher and he didn't want to know. He had bigger issues to think about. Rio hadn't been telling him everything and he needed to figure out why. He stopped just outside the entrance to the academy at the sound of someone sniffling.

He looked over to the swing beneath the nearby tree to see a kid crying. He head was bowed and his hands were clasped in his lap. Naruto paused before he sighed, already knowing his decision even as his feet took him over to the swing.

"Hey, you okay?"

The kid's head snapped up and Naruto took in the huge round eyes and massive black eyebrows. His black hair was parted either side of his forehead and a long, thick braid fell down his back. His eyes were red and his face covered in snot so he'd been crying for a while.

"I-I'm f-fine," he stuttered, sniffling loudly.

"Yeah, and I'm actually the Tsuchikage," Naruto grinned. "Come on, what's up? You'll feel better letting it all out and I won't tell anyone."

The boy dropped his head and Naruto moved to rest his back against the tree trunk, sliding down to sit.

"I've just entered my final year in the academy but I'm going to fail," the boy admitted, his voice breaking. "I'm never going to be a shinobi."

"Why do you think you're going to fail?"

"I...I can't use chakra!" the boy wailed, fresh tears pouring out. "I can't pass the exam without ninjutsu or genjutsu!"

Naruto considered his words.

"What's your name?"

"Rock Lee."

"Well, Lee-kun. How is your taijutsu?"

The boy's head snapped up and he stared.

"What?"

Naruto held up his left arm. He tapped his brace lightly.

"I can't use chakra in this arm," he expanded. "Accident when I was younger. So I had to come up with alternative ways to fight. You've made it to your fourth year, Lee-kun. So obviously you must be brilliant at other parts of being a shinobi to make up for your lack of chakra."

Lee's eyes widened at his words.

"I know a guy who can make you a training menu for taijutsu," Naruto found himself offering before he could think it through. "I can also help you with training from time to time if you want?"

"Are you serious?" Lee demanded, surging forward. "Wait, are you a student too?"

Naruto chuckled. It seemed even after his growth spurt it still wasn't enough to age him out of the academy.

"Nah, I'm a chunin. Uzumaki Naruto; my kids are in their third year here."

"Your kids?" Lee looked confused but Naruto waved it off, hauling himself up.

"Meet me at training ground six Sunday at noon, okay?"

Lee shot to his feet and Naruto was dismayed to note that he only came to Lee's eye level; and he was two years older than the kid too. Maybe it wasn't that he was hanging around adults, maybe he was just destined to be short. Kazuya was at least five inches taller than him but he was fifteen, almost sixteen! He was in the middle of his teen years, Naruto was just thirteen!

"Yes, sensei!"

"Right..." Naruto chuckled awkwardly and he walked away, but he could no longer hear the boy crying.

He mentally added the meeting to the ever growing list he was writing in his head. First off, home to see if the kids and Momo had managed to keep the apartment in one piece.


Kazuya hurried out of the bathroom and manoeuvred around the kunai being thrown around the flat. Sasuke and Rio passed the weapons between them in a game of catch and Kazuya had all but given up telling them to stop. They had stopped leaving holes in the wall so he saw no reason for them not to continue. He was a chunin so if he got hit, really he had it coming. Momo was fast asleep under the table so she was safe.

The front door opened and Naruto trudged in, his shoulders slumped and hair limp in a low ponytail.

"Hey, guys."

"Shit! Nii-san!"

Kazuya watched in horror as one of the kunai went straight for his friend. Naruto didn't even try to dodge as the kunai lodged itself in his thigh. He looked tiredly down at the weapon for a long moment before raising his head.

"Well, that's fair," he sighed deeply. "It's mine now though; bleed on it, it's yours and all that."

Kazuya hurried forward and helped his friend to a seat. The two younger boys hovered over his shoulder but Kazuya waved them away. It wasn't that deep and it only took a couple minutes to seal up. Looking up, he could see the dark bags under Naruto's eyes; he must have been exhausted not to notice that kunai coming at him.

"You're dressed up nice."

Kazuya looked down at his outfit. Black leggings and black, heeled boots paired with a long flowing purple tunic with a deep v-neck, cinched in at the waist with a thin black belt. He had lined his eyes with black ink and tamed his hair up from his forehead for once.

"Yeah, I have a date tonight."

Naruto squinted at him.

"A date?"

"Yeah, a guy at work asked me out today," Kazuya smiled softly at the memory. "He's a few years older and a chunin but I really like him. I've seen him around for a while and I thought 'hey I've just turned sixteen, why not'."

Something unreadable crossed over Naruto's face.

"That's...that's great, Kazuya," he finally said. "You deserve to find someone great."

He smiled widely before it sharpened into a smirk.

"Just make sure he knows to treat you right, otherwise he might need to spend your next date at the hospital."

"Aka-chan!"

"I'm just looking out for you!" Naruto held up his hands as he laughed, but there was a glint of steel in his eyes.

"That goes for me too!"

Kazuya turned to see Rio standing with his arms crossed. Sasuke stood not far behind and offered him a short nod. He felt warm; they were always there for him.

He hoped things had gotten better for them at the academy since that meeting with Iruka two months ago. He had rarely ever seen Naruto so mad but he kind of got where Iruka was coming from; if he hadn't known Rio practically from birth, he probably would have had reservations too. He just hoped his talk with Iruka had helped the man see it from their point of view; it helped that he was pretty cute too.

He shook his head as he stood from his crouch. Tetsuya-san would be waiting for him soon.

"So where are you going?" Naruto asked teasingly.

"That yakitori place near to the dango shop?" Kazuya answered back eagerly, dying to tell someone. "I'm meeting him in front of the hospital in half an hour."

"Wait, isn't he supposed to pick you up Kazu-nee?" Rio piped up leaning on the sofa. "I heard that you're supposed to be picked up and given flowers and escorted everywhere and he pays for everything."

"And where did you hear this?" Kazuya asked him, amused.

"Sakura and Ino talk about dating all the time," Rio groaned. "They're always trying to get Sasuke to go on a date with one of them and end up fighting over it."

Kazuya looked at Sasuke and the boy looked uncomfortable.

"They won't take no for an answer," he huffed. "None of them will. I was put into a group with Sakura for stealth and she blew it in the first five minutes trying to get my attention."

Kazuya exchanged a look with Naruto.

"I'll speak to your teacher," Kazuya shot out hurriedly before Naruto could speak up. "Inappropriate behaviour shouldn't hold back your education."

Sasuke looked back at him in surprise but Kazuya didn't over think it. He knew they weren't as close as Sasuke was to Naruto and that was okay. He was still here to support the kid. He also didn't want to unleash Naruto on the poor teacher again; that wouldn't get anything done.

He glanced at the clock and swore, grabbing a pouch and securing it to his belt.

"I'm off," he called behind him. "Try not to get stabbed again before I get back."

"Got your weapons on you?"

"What kind of shinobi do you think I am?"

He closed the door behind him and made his way to the hospital. Now he was alone and had time to think, the nerves were starting to settle in. What if they ran out of things to talk about? What if he was boring? What if he spilled food all over him? What if Tetsuya-san thought he was too young? There was about four years between them and Kazuya had always felt older than he was but what if Tetsuya-san didn't agree? Kazuya didn't know what he was doing; he had never done this before.

The hospital finally came into sight and Kazuya swallowed at the sight of Tetsuya-san waiting for him. He was tall with broad shoulders and wavy, dark blond hair. It was brushed back off his face and his stumble was visible from even a short distance. He had always looked strong and sturdy when Kazuya had seen him around the hospital, and that feeling was only amplified by seeing him up close. His honey brown eyes lit up when he spotted Kazuya approaching and he turned to face him.

"Kazuya-kun! You look amazing!"

Kazuya could feel the blush blossom across his face.

"Thanks, Tetsuya-san," he smiled. "You too."

"Should we go then?" Tetsuya-san grinned and they headed off, side-by-side.

Kazuya took a deep breath as he looked up at his fellow chunin. He could do this; he could go on a date. His eyes widened as Tetsuya-san's hand found his own and he stared at him in surprise.

"Is this okay?"

Kazuya felt the warm, coarse skin gently holding his own and he gave it a squeeze.

"Yeah, it is."


Rio glared at the leaf as it shot away from him. Too much chakra, again. Why couldn't he get this? Nii-san made it look so easy and Sasuke could do it no problem. Why was this so hard for him? He felt like he had an endless well of chakra inside him; it was like trying to control the ocean.

But if Nii-san could do it, he should be able to. He had to make Nii-san proud. How was he supposed to be Hokage someday if he couldn't master some dumb little chakra control exercise?

Nii-san always offered his help but Rio wanted to succeed on his own. Homework was one thing; maths was hard and he needed all the help he could get for his written exams. Shinobi skills, though, Rio should be able to get them. Nii-san did when he was younger than him; Nii-san made chunin when he was Rio's age! What would he think if he knew how much Rio was really struggling with his chakra studies?

He growled and kicked the leaf away, stomping over to sit on his own at the corner of the playground. He soon saw shadows fall over him and he looked up. Great, he groaned, just what he needed.

"So Uzumaki fails again, huh?" The first girl sneered. "What a surprise...not."

This sparked a round of laughter and Rio rolled his eyes. These civilian kids just did not let up; these girls especially hated him. They hung around Sakura and Ino when they fawned over Sasuke and he personally didn't think they were kunoichi material. They didn't hold a candle to Hana-neechan. At least the clan kids left him alone.

"You should just quit," the second girl hissed, pointing a finger. "It's not like the teachers would ever let a monster like you graduate anyway."

He should probably learn their names before he graduates. He knew this all stemmed from the bullshit with Kyūbi but it was still tiring to deal with this almost every day. Plus if he fought back, he was the one who got in trouble. Things had gotten a bit better since Nii-san and Kazu-nee had that meeting with his teacher in January, but now it was May and with the arrival of Mizuki-sensei, things had started to slide back to how it used to be.

"What can you expect?" The third girl sniped. "It's not like he has any parents to teach him how to do anything right."

"Yeah, his parents didn't want him!"

"Probably the reason he sucks so bad at chakra control!"

Rio watched as his knuckles turned white. He couldn't blow up; Mizuki-sensei would give him detention again. He knew what they said wasn't true; his parents had loved him. Nii-san told him lots of stories and even if they weren't there, he had Nii-san and Kazu-nee. They were better than any parents.

"Am I bad at chakra control?"

Rio looked over to see Sasuke standing next to them. He hadn't even heard the other boy approach while he was trying to contain his anger.

"O-of course not, Sasuke-kun!" One of the girls simpered. "Why would you say that?"

Rio cringed at Sasuke's face. He was angry; a great deal angrier than Rio had ever seen him.

"I don't have parents. By your logic, I shouldn't be good at anything either."

Rio could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed.

"S-sasuke-kun..."

"Fuck off," Sasuke scowled, as he came to stand in front of Rio. "Making fun of others for losing their family is disgusting and unforgivable. Don't ever come near him or me again."

The three girls almost tripped over themselves in their efforts to get away and Rio stared up in awe at Sasuke's back. The other boy stood his ground for a long moment, glaring at their classmates, before he let out a breath and sat down beside him.

"Thanks, Sasuke," Rio mumbled out, still staring at him in awe.

Although it was coming up to two years since Sasuke had moved next door, he and Rio had never been particularly close. Rio would count the other boy among his friends but he wasn't sure that it was reciprocated. There had been a bond there of course, how couldn't there be after sharing the same space for so long, but there was a difference between the relationship of friendship and family. They trained together, ate together and studied together but they never really hung out together, not like Rio did with Kiba.

Kiba didn't understand why he was so targeted; Sasuke did, since they had told him during the last Rinne Festival. Nii-san had argued it was only right since he was practically living with them and it was hard to explain why they treated the Yondaime's grave like family would rather than with hero worship like the rest of Konoha. Rio had given his permission since Nii-san wasn't about to tell anyone about the Kyūbi without his consent and he trusted Sasuke; looks like he made the right decision.

"It was nothing," Sasuke waved it off.

"Maybe to you, but it was everything to me," Rio replied quietly.

Sasuke's head snapped towards him but before he could say anything Kiba bounded over.

"Hey, I saw the civilian vultures over here," he said quickly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Sasuke scared them off for me," Rio grinned and it felt more genuine than he ever usually did during school hours. "I don't think they'll be back anytime soon."

Kiba frowned as he looked between the two of them.

"So when did you and Pretty Boy get so close?" Kiba muttered grumpily.

Rio's grin fell as he watched Sasuke's face shut down. He glared at Kiba.

"Hey, his name is Sasuke," he said pointedly. "Lay off him, he's my friend."

Kiba scoffed, crossing his arms.

"You know, you don't have to be friends with him just because your brother took him in," Kiba shot out. "Naru-nii won't care if you ditch him during school. He's just some stray anyway."

Sasuke began to rise but Rio grabbed his arm, still glaring at his best friend.

"He is my friend, Kiba," he snapped back. "You have no right to talk to him like that. You should say sorry."

Kiba huffed and balled his fists.

"Like hell! Fine, have fun with your new best friend! See if I care!"

He stomped off, Akamaru following at his heels and throwing sad glances to Rio every few steps. Rio let out a heavy sigh and let go of Sasuke's arm.

"Are you sure about this? He's your best friend," Sasuke said quietly.

Rio turned and tried a reassuring smile like Nii-san would give.

"He is and that means I know when he's being a jealous ass." He shook his head. "He's an Inuzuka and they're territorial. It wasn't so bad when we met Shikamaru and Chouji since he still knew he was my number one friend, but I just chose you over him. I did it because it was the right thing to do but he doesn't see it that way."

Sasuke mulled over his words so Rio continued.

"Just because I'm better friends with him doesn't give him permission to treat my other friends badly."

Sasuke opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Oh."

The bell rang and Rio bounced to his feet, turning to offer Sasuke a hand. The Uchiha eyed the limb for a short moment before he took it and Rio hauled him up. As they headed off to class, Rio couldn't help but feel that something had changed for the better.


Asuma stood in front of the Mission Assignment Desk, trying not to awkwardly fidget in front of his father. Since he had returned to Konoha he had only spoken to the Hokage twice; once to announce his return and the other with Kurenai and Gai for Kakashi's sake. He had managed to get his missions at times when his father was attending other duties, but this time he hadn't been so lucky.

His hand twitched toward his pocket; he was dying for a smoke.

"Well, Sarutobi-san, you have your orders-"

The desk chunin behind the desk was interrupted by the door behind them banging open. Asuma turned to see a kid stumble into the room.

He looked terrible. His orange t-shirt was hanging off him and his black, baggy sweatpants were rumpled and stained. He was missing his shoes and his long red hair was escaping his messy, half-hearted ponytail. Dark bags lined tired blue eyes and Asuma's eyes widened at the sight of the tattoos trailing up into his left sleeve.

"Naruto-kun," his father stated, a note of surprise in his voice. "Are you well?"

Naruto? One of the early graduates from six years ago? Where was his team? Wasn't it Genma who got the early grads? Wasn't the kid supposed to be with his genin team at this time of day?

"I'm fine, Hokage-sama," the kid barely stood to attention.

"Naruto-kun, tell me what happened," the Hokage insisted.

"I just sat down last night to finally get some fūinjutsu done but Momo knocked over the ink pots so I had to clean it all up and when I sat back down I closed my eyes for just a second and then it was the next day."

Naruto was scowling down at the floor.

"I saw the clock and I know I'm supposed to be on front desk duty today and this is the first time I've ever been late to a shift and-"

"Naruto-kun," his father held up his hand. "Go home. Get some rest. Consider this part of your annual leave, which you were really supposed to take earlier in the year anyway. I know you have a lot on your plate right now-"

"I am perfectly capable of performing my duties, Hokage-sama," Naruto ground out. "Just like any other shinobi in your forces. My plate is fine."

Asuma's gaze bounced between the pair. So the kid had made it to chunin while he was gone and worked at the Desk no less. The strange thing was the dynamic between him and the Hokage; his father was treating the boy casually, with unusual consideration compared to how he usually interacted with his shinobi. Naruto, on the other hand, was rejecting any friendly offering and trying to create emotional distance by force.

He wouldn't be surprised to hear that his father had screwed up like he had with him seven years ago. Being Hokage wasn't conductive to maintaining healthy relationships.

"That's an order, Naruto-kun," the Hokage stated firmly. "You've been working non-stop and taking annual leave is mandatory despite what you may believe. I will alert your colleagues to expect you back a week from today."

Asuma watched the boy try to rein in his temper. While his blue eyes burned, much of the intimidation was lost when he looked so run down. Anyone who took one look at the kid could see he needed a break.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Naruto bowed and turned in proper form, the picture of an obedient shinobi. He marched out the room and swung the door closed with an even louder bang than when he had entered. Silence fell over the room for a long moment.

"He's just under a lot of pressure, Hokage-sama," one of the chunin piped up. "The Intelligence Division has been on him to update their security seal network so he has twice the workload right now."

His father's face was unreadable; he had hated that look when he was a kid.

"Sarutobi-san."

Asuma turned to see a chunin holding out a scroll. He nodded, took the scroll and thanked them, stepping back and bowing slightly. He made his way out of the administrative buildings, distracted by his thoughts on the kid. Genma was the kid's jounin-sensei as far as he could remember; maybe he should say something when he next saw him.


Naruto stomped into his flat, slamming the door behind him.

He had screwed up; he hadn't even noticed he wasn't dressed when he left for the office. Rio and Sasuke had left for a three day training exercise and wouldn't be back until tomorrow, while Kazuya had left yesterday evening for a late shift but hadn't come back yet. He knew he was seeing Tetsuya-san again; it seemed eight months was the not coming home marker for a relationship.

He looked down when he felt soft fur brushing his feet.

"At least you're here, Momo," Naruto smiled tiredly. "You can't judge me or tell me off."

She looked up at him and nudged his leg. Although she couldn't use chakra, he knew she was far more intelligent than the average dog. He had underestimated how much he would come to depend on her with everything else piling up. He sat down where he stood and buried his face in her fur, trying to surpass a cough.

He had so much to do. He would have a massive backlog to complete when he got back next week and the Intelligence Division were still after the rest of those seals. The hospital had also put in an order for the medical seals that he had made for Kazuya over the years. Sasuke was progressing through the rock exercises nicely and Rio's taijutsu had come a long way but they both still needed a lot of training. Lee still needed taijutsu training too and he graduated in a couple months so he would have to push the boy even harder. Tenjirou had done his back in so he had been roped into deliveries while walking Momo. He barely had time to squeeze in his own training and he hadn't been able to learn anything new in months.

Sometimes he just wanted to cry. To just sit and curl up in a ball in a dark corner somewhere and forget everything. The list never got any smaller. It just got so overwhelming at times; like no matter what he did it didn't make a dent so it gave him no place to start.

But if he didn't do it, who would? Who would make sure that Rio and Sasuke were up and dressed for the academy each morning? Or that Momo was fed and brushed? Or that Lee became a genin? Or that Konoha had decent fūinjutsu backing it up?

He lifted his head and ran his hand through Momo's fur, using the sensation to ground him. He had the day off now; what could he do? He could finish off some seals but he needed to be perfectly calm for that. He coughed into his free hand and groaned. He had been feeling ill for days now but he didn't have time to be unwell.

He stood on shaky legs and walked to his room, Momo trotting at his heels and her soft brown eyes glued to his back. He grabbed the large corkboard that had been propped up against a wall and started to drag it to the door. He stopped and grabbed a blanket on his way out.

After some manoeuvring, he finally managed to prop the board up onto the wall and he fell back onto the sofa that faced it, wrapping himself in the blue fluffy blanket. It had been a present from Hana last year and it was one of the best things he owned. He tried to suppress the wracking coughs that rose up within his throat but they were forced out of him.

"Ugh, looks like another chest cold," Naruto said to Momo, who hopped up to sit on his legs. "This is my third one this year. The last one I went hoarse for two days with how bad my throat was, remember that? Yakushi-sensei said I'm prone to stuff hitting my lungs. Good thing Kazuya only knew about that one; he would flip if knew I was ill without telling him."

He leaned back into the couch as he turned his attention to the board. The Hokage may have told him to leave the Uchiha Massacre alone, but Naruto couldn't help himself. There were too many things off about that night and the more he dug, the less it added up. Why that night in particular? Things had been tense with the Uchiha leading up to that night but there had to have been a catalyst.

He looked over to the photo of Uchiha Shisui he had pinned in one corner. He had died almost a year before the Massacre and his body was found by one of Konoha's rivers missing his eyes. He hadn't really thought anything of it at the time; it was ruled as a suicide and came under Uchiha jurisdiction. Now though, he felt like it was something more.

Uchiha's were famous for their Sharingan; it couldn't be coincidence that Shisui was missing his. The paperwork for the body identification missions carried out after the Massacre was pinned to the board below Shisui's picture. No one had reported anything off about the bodies but Naruto worked in an office; he knew how to falsify mission reports and he wasn't ignorant enough to discount that as a possibility.

He then turned to glare at the question mark on the other side of the board, grabbing a wayward tissue from the coffee table to cough into. The unexplained Uchiha. The one who killed the Uchiha in the police headquarters and potentially more. The one he had never felt before.

Why was Itachi so hell-bent on insisting he carried out the Massacre alone? Why did the Hokage agree with him? The Hokage was covering something up and Naruto had no idea what it was. He was missing a huge part of this puzzle; the piece to tie it all together. He knew there was something there, just hidden from view within the shadows, but he didn't have the right information to see it.

His gaze was torn from the board as wracking coughs were torn from his throat. He hunched over, trying to expel the blockage at the back of his throat. Heaving, something finally gave and he spat it out. He uncurled and rested his head on the back of the sofa, breathing heavily. That had been a bad one; he actually thought for a moment that the coughs would be enough to make him puke.

He may not trust the Hokage anymore, but the old man might have a point. He might need to take it easy, at least for today. He didn't need any more episodes like that. He lifted his head and a glint of red caught his eye. Eyes wide in horror, he stared at the spots of blood covering the tissue.

Oh no. Oh no no no. It's probably nothing. He just coughed too hard and irritated his throat or something. It couldn't be his lungs, not yet. It was too soon.

Or was it? He had been six when he got the diagnosis. He was now barely fourteen, so it had already been, what, eight years? That was almost half of the time they had given him. He hadn't exactly been kind to himself either and he knew he was getting sick more often due to running himself down. This wasn't a surprise; he had always known he would start to get worse.

Momo wiggled up to shove her snout into his chest and he dropped his free hand to automatically start rubbing her head. It would be okay. He still had years left. He would just have to be more careful; maybe take Yakushi-sensei's warnings about managing his time more seriously. No need to worry anyone about this; he would be fine.

It was just a cold right now. A slightly worse cold than usual but nothing he couldn't handle. He had too much to do; he would stay in today and work on fūinjutsu but he had to be up and running again by the time the kids came home tomorrow. Who knows when Kazuya would come home; he knew the older boy had another shift today. Kakashi was also supposed to drop round tomorrow to see Rio.

He groaned as the mental strain started building itself up again. It was fine. He could do this. This cold would let up in a few days and then it would be business as normal. He had time. A little blood didn't mean anything.

As another cough worked its way up his throat, Naruto couldn't quite bring himself to believe it.


Thanks for reading!