6 - Reflections
Shikaku had seen his fair share of combat, but none so dangerous as the fighting upon the Third Shinobi War battlefield.
Amidst the screaming and blazing fire scorching the gray sky and sooted earth, Shikaku never had time to feel scared. At least, he never felt as scared in battle as he did when Yoshino told him she was pregnant.
It was within a blink of an eye Shikaku woke up one morning, looked up at the calendar and realized their baby was due in fifteen days. Yet, even the best estimates were off sometimes. The baby, his baby, could actually arrive any minute, any second. Yoshino could be home alone when her water broke while Shikaku was away on a mission, and he could stroll back into Konoha days later just to find a baby already cradled in his wife's arms. Was Shikaku ready for that? Truly ready to be a parent? To train the future leader of his clan like his father had?
"Calm down," Akemi flapped his hand like he was waving away fumes, "You're thinking so hard, I'm starting to see smoke come out of your ears."
Shikaku snorted, though he was still staring vacantly through the shogi board where their pieces lied untouched—the boy was four now and still they'd yet to have their promised match.
"Hey!" Akemi snapped his fingers in his face, and seeing he'd garnered Shikaku's attention, crossed his arms. "If you keep this up, I'm going to use a wind jutsu on you," he huffed. "Then you'll wake up in a tree." He glared.
Shikaku finally pulled himself from his thoughts to see Akemi's brow was furrowed, his gaze more serious than his petulant tone would imply. Frankly, the child looked worried about him.
Shikaku wanted to laugh at the irony of a child fretting over an adult, but knew his laughter might hold an edge of hysteria, so didn't. It was too soon. Shikaku wasn't ready. All the baby books, all the childrearing classes, none of them could prepare him for the reality, the sheer gravity of becoming a father—
Akemi latched onto his wrist, and dragged his hand over the board. Shikaku blinked, slowly looking up his arm to see Akemi's earnest expression. "It's going to be okay." Shikaku's eyes widened. "Yoshino will be okay. Your baby is going to be perfectly healthy and—" His eyes crinkled as he smiled broadly. "You will be an amazing father, Shikaku-san," Akemi squeezed his palm, "I know you will."
Shikaku's brain screeched to a halt, the man unable to process how a child had so accurately guessed his thoughts—No, not just that, but Akemi understood and sympathized with his concerns. Could it be they had grown so close? But, no, Shikaku hardly saw the boy until the Third War's recent end. Though the Uchiha had been visiting his house with increasing frequency ever since.
Akemi, still smiling, released him. "Better?"
Shikaku was surprised to admit he did feel better, felt surer of himself, despite the fact he had received comfort from a four-year old. It should have made him feel ridiculous or embarrassed to be reassured by a child of all people… So why didn't it?
Akemi turned to the darkening horizon, its twilight hue tinting his black orbs golden. "I should probably head home now. Don't want to worry my mom."
Shikaku nodded. "Yeah," he farewelled automatically, "I'll see you later, kid."
The boy left, and Shikaku frowned at the untouched board. Why had he been consoled by the speech of a child too young to grasp the terror of parenthood? What made Akemi's words so assuring?
Shikaku replayed Akemi's dialogue in his head, and realized his words did not resemble the naive speech of a child, but sounded like that of someone who had experience. Like an adult.
"Maybe he is one," Shikaku said, and wanted to laugh again, this time at himself.
Yet, the longer the Nara toyed with the idea Akemi was older than he appeared, the more his theory made sense.
.
Mikoto set the dishes on the table beside five pairs of chopsticks. The sweet and spicy scent of teriyaki salmon blended with noodles and vegetables wafted off every plate. A favorite of the entire household.
Sasuke released a jubilant cry before diving into his food with as much grace as any nearly two-year old was capable of, meaning noodle bits were already flying into his hair. Fugaku grunted his gratitude and dipped his chopsticks into the soy mix. Itachi, eyes hollow, muttered a thanks, and Akemi did the same, though he was staring straight through his plate.
Mikoto watched them all, smile frozen on her face and appetite elusive.
It had been five days since this began. Since Akemi came home, dried tear tracks on his face, and though his face was free of tears now, Mikoto wondered if he'd ever truly stopped crying. Itachi had tried to help—her little boy always did—but for once, he couldn't cheer up Akemi, and it was obvious Itachi was taking the failure hard. Typically, Akemi would have reassured him by now, but it seemed her second son was too caught up in his own despair to notice Itachi's plight.
Then there was Fugaku, her dear, proud husband who no longer appeared mystified so much as wary whenever he saw his middle child. Normally Mikoto wouldn't confront him on his behavior, for a good Uchiha wife never questioned her husband needlessly, but after dinner Akemi accidentally bumped into his father.
Quickly, the boy said, "Sorry, Tou-san."
His parent stared down at him.
Akemi, wilting, dropped his eyes to the floor. "I...I mean, Fugaku-san," he bowed, then fled to his room.
A cold kunai entered Mikoto's heart when Fugaku appeared to accept the change in address, but a good mother never allows her children to witness parental disunity, so Mikoto waited.
She got Sasuke bathed and put to bed, listened to her twins entering their respective rooms, then went downstairs to wash the dishes. She was scrubbing a particularly hard grease stain off her favorite pan when she heard Fugaku zipping on his vest and heading to the door.
A flick of her finger lashed a chakra string around the man's neck, and Mikoto left the water running as she exited the kitchen to approach her motionless husband by the door.
Fugaku was blinking wide eyes, grasping at his throat, but not actually pulling at the chakra string. He could easily break free if he really wanted to, however, he knew this was just his wife's way of displaying the severity of her displeasure, so the man angled his head back to give his wife the attention she desired.
"Mikoto?" Fugaku both inquired and demanded.
His confusion was justified since Mikoto hadn't displayed her anger like this since she was pregnant with Sasuke—she'd been craving barbecued peaches, and when Fugaku told her no such food existed, well, she might have overreacted.
Mikoto ignored her fondness of the memory, and purged all expression from her face, coolly asking, "What did you say to my son?"
Comprehension dawned on Fugaku's face, and he sighed as he fully turned to her. "Nothing."
Her mouth opened, but Fugaku held up his hand and she shut it, waiting.
Fugaku, his jaw clenching, said, "Akemi is not our son."
Mikoto stared at him in disbelief, but the man went on. "Akemi is not human, my hawk summons confirmed it."
"You used your interrogation hawks on Akemi?" Mikoto plucked at the chakra string, forcing Fugaku to stumble closer and witness her enraged expression up close. "On our child!?" She hoped the running water covered up her shouting.
Fugaku, regaining his balance, stood tall. "I already told you Akemi is not our child." His eyes narrowed. "I doubt the creature even is a child, it knows too much."
Mikoto schooled her face into a blank mask. Though she wanted very much to scream again, a good kunoichi was silent when she stuck the kunai in her enemy's chest. "So does Itachi," she said mildly. "Akemi just expresses his intelligence differently, we've talked about this—"
"But I've got proof now!" Fugaku hissed, his hands bunching at his sides. "My summons confirmed Akemi isn't human, and since we're human that means he can't be our son."
"They told you he isn't human?" Mikoto arched a brow. "They specifically said, 'Akemi isn't human'?"
Fugaku faltered, leaning back. "Well," he scratched the back of his neck, "They said his chakra was abnormal..." He noticed Mikoto's skeptical look and scowled, crossing his arms. "It adds up, Mikoto." His eyes implored hers as he reasoned. "Akemi doesn't act like a child, he's too smart, he sees too much, and it's not just that." Fugaku's expression darkened. "I searched the archives for records of Uchiha born with wind affinities, and there's never been a full-blooded Uchiha born with a weakness to our Uchiha fire."
Mikoto shut her eyes, lips pursing, and Fugaku leaned forward to say, "You know Akemi isn't normal. You've always known, haven't you?" Mikoto's eyes snapped open, yet uncertainty lied within them, so Fugaku pulled back, assured she understood. "Akemi is not a human being."
"And?" Mikoto asked delicately, though her features were anything but. "So what if Akemi isn't human? What makes that so bad?"
Fugaku's jaw fell open and closed before he growled. "If Akemi isn't human then he must be something else, like a demon, a monster!" He tossed his hands in the air. "Haven't you noticed how many of his 'friends' are in positions of power? How many clan heads he's endeared himself to—even the Hokage's wife adores him!" He glowered. "Akemi is planning something, I know it."
Mikoto lifted her chin, unimpressed. "Your evidence is circumstantial, surely the leader of the Police Force can do better."
Hot rage flashed across Fugaku's face for a second, but the man dipped his head and gritted his teeth, knowing anger would not work on her. When he raised his head, his expression was as chilly as his tone. "I don't need you to believe me," his mouth curved into an arrogant smirk, "I've got samples of Akemi's blood, hair, and skin. Something will turn up once the Force's forensics team completes their analysis of them."
Mikoto gave Fugaku a long, searching look, and when she saw his resolve, she bowed her head. With her hair draping over her face, Mikoto acquiesced. "When you have evidence, I will listen to you." Her lips remained a line while she maintained her bow, and Fugaku nodded, grinning as he turned.
"I'll return in the morning." He slid open the front door, stepped outside, and choked, his hands flying to his throat.
"Do not forget," Mikoto, head raised to display her cold expression and index finger arched, intoned. "When a man looks for evil, he will find evil...even if he has to make it himself."
She released the chakra string and Fugaku coughed harshly, doubling over and inhaling a whoosh of oxygen. When he regained his breath, he straightened, and turning, reached out. "Mikot—"
The door slid shut in his face.
Fugaku, stunned, dropped his hand and stared. However, he soon composed himself, and standing tall, Fugaku gave his back to the door and walked off into the night.
Within the house, Mikoto released a hefty sigh, her expression twisting into one of pain and fists quaking at her sides. Yet, she only indulged in the guilt for a second before releasing the tension from her body. Mikoto had another role to play tonight. Firstly Wife, then Kunoichi, and now Mother.
She turned off the kitchen sink, tensing at the tiniest sound of bare feet on the matted floor, but when she glanced into the hallway, there was no one there. Mikoto chucked it up to her imagination, and flicked off the lights as she silently walked up the stairs.
She turned left at the top, passing Sasuke's bedroom and stopping in front of Akemi's door. The woman raised her hand, but put it back down, changing her mind last minute and grabbing the knob. Mikoto peeked in while the door opened, and seeing the motionless lump on the bed, she slipped inside. Mikoto didn't make a sound as she approached the window where the moonlight streamed in through pale blue curtains. Beside the window hung a pinboard, which Akemi called his Kawaii Shrine. Dozens of photos were pinned to it, most of them featuring Sasuke, along with a newspaper clipping reading: CUTEST BABY AWARD WINNER! In the black and white photo beneath it, Akemi held his baby brother up high, grinning proudly while Sasuke, likely elated by the newfound height, waved his little arms.
Mikoto's lips flicked up because she had a copy of that same newspaper in a scrapbook in her room, one she hoped to gift to Sasuke once he was older.
After a moment, the woman turned to another picture collage taped to the wall over Akemi's headboard. Unlike the pinboard, the photographs were of landscapes and buildings along with magazine clippings of faraway places. The pictures were shot from low angles to high ones, capturing just the right amount of light exposure to bring out the best coloring of the scenery and monuments.
Akemi had a true knack for photography, he did for many arts...and wasn't that strange? A shinobi child so in love with the peaceful arts, directly opposed to the art of war.
Mikoto's face turned downcast as she layered her hands over her heart.
Akemi was different, Fugaku was right, she'd always known that. From the very beginning she noticed her baby's unusual antics, like how her newborn watched everyone so carefully, purposely, from his crib. How independent Akemi tried to be, grabbing his little onesie from her hands to put it on himself, and only accepting help with the zipper in the back. The fact Akemi never cried at night, nor during the day. Even when his twin did, Akemi merely looked annoyed at being woken up so suddenly in their shared bassinet, but eventually Mikoto noticed even her being woken up by Itachi's nightly cries had became a rarity. She checked on them every morning, yet always found both babies were changed and well-fed. Mikoto assumed it was Fugaku caring for them until she gave her twins a cursory check one early morning and found seven-month old Akemi, baby bottle in hand and Itachi's head in his lap, feeding his brother.
Akemi had froze like a man with a knife against his neck while Mikoto stood wide-eyed in the doorway. For a second, neither one moved, but then Mikoto noticed a second bottle hanging out of Akemi's mouth, filled with a liquid too dark to be milk.
She took it from him, ignoring Akemi's cry and attempts to reach for it. Mikoto unscrewed the bottle top off and when a caramel aroma drifted out of it, she blinked. "Coffee?"
Stunned, Mikoto couldn't decide whether to address the fact her second son was so terrifyingly advanced he knew how to mix baby formula to feed himself and his twin, or consider how her infant son apparently preferred coffee over milk.
Akemi stared at her, his posture rigid and expression strained. Perhaps he was waiting for her to start screaming. If he was as advanced as Mikoto was starting to believe, maybe Akemi was aware most parents would have a negative reaction to their baby being this smart.
But Mikoto was a kunoichi first, parent second, and kunoichi were masters at adapting, so she said, "You are much too young to be drinking coffee." She waggled her finger at Akemi. "And I don't want you to get addicted like your father." She dumped the coffee in the sink, filled the bottle with formula, and handed it to the stunned infant before exiting the nursery.
She wasn't sure Akemi even grasped Katonese yet, but he must have understood something because Mikoto only caught him drinking milk and water after that. Except on the mornings where he stole Fugaku's coffee and pretended to read the morning paper, but she suspected that was just to give Fugaku a scare. Especially since when Mikoto told her husband, "Imitating adults is very common for children his age," the woman swore Akemi smirked from his seat on the couch and raised his mug as if to say, "Cheers!"
Akemi's eccentricities only increased as he grew, but Mikoto found she didn't mind them. In fact, she was flattered whenever her toddler joined her on the couch while she mended the tears in Fugaku's shirts, sliding a colorful picture dictionary onto her lap. Akemi would always tap on the images and wait for her to pronounce the object's name before doing his best to imitate her, and it was pleasing watching his vocabulary expand, knowing she had a hand it.
By age two, Akemi even started following her to the training room, mimicking her katas and beaming whenever she stopped to correct his stances. There was also that time when Akemi was four and he entered the kitchen while she was kneading dough on the counter.
His dark eyes, too weighty to belong on such a childish face, peered up at her while he asked, "You used to be a kunoichi, right?"
Mikoto nodded. "Hai." She picked him up, and set him on the counter, knowing Akemi preferred speaking to adults on the same eye level.
Frowning, Akemi asked, "Do you miss being a shinobi?"
Mikoto paused, not expecting the question because no one had ever asked. No one ever asked how it felt for a kunoichi to marry—the equal parts of joy and resentment they felt as they stepped down from one role and reshaped their entire life for their new one. Mikoto's actions were simply an expected, acceptable change for a good Uchiha wife. Step down, raise the kids, let it all go.
Mikoto smiled, applying more force than necessary to the dough she was manipulating. "I loved being a kunoichi, but I love being your mother too." She bent down to kiss his forehead.
Akemi stared at her, his ebony eyes as deep and perceptive as her own black pearl gaze, until he lowered his head. "I'm sorry."
Mikoto's smile fell out of shock, but suddenly Akemi was smiling as he declared. "When I grow up, I wanna be like you, Kaa-san!" He puffed out his chest and pointed his thumb towards himself. "I'm going to be the greatest, bestest househusband in the entire world!"
Fugaku, walking in with coffee mug in hand, spat out his drink.
Mikoto blinked.
Itachi, still holding his father's hand, stared at the puddle on the floor and said, "We should clean that up."
Fugaku spent the rest of the day trying to convince Akemi he could not get married and stay home to raise the children while his wife went on shinobi missions. Akemi didn't understand—at least he seemed not to—and asked if Mother was an honorable woman.
"Of course," Fugaku told him. And was Mother's role a respectable one? Fugaku again agreed.
Akemi, eyes narrowing, asked, "Then would it not be honorable and respectable for me to do the same?" Before Fugaku could counter, Akemi added. "A shinobi is one who makes sacrifices. Mother made a great sacrifice when she married you, and she is still sacrificing. How is the role of a housewife any different from a shinobi's?"
Fugaku was stunned, Itachi just continued reading his history book, and Mikoto smiled more genuinely than she had for a long time.
Refocusing on the present, Mikoto went up to Akemi's bedside and stooped low. Akemi's eyes were shrouded by a fan of dark hair—he'd been growing it out like Itachi lately—so she brushed his bangs aside, tucking them behind his ear.
"Kaa-san?" Akemi peeked one eye open, his voice thick with grogginess.
Mikoto smiled. "Would you mind getting dressed? There's something I want to show you outside."
"Now?" Akemi's forehead wrinkled, his eyes darting over to the red clock on top of his drawer. "But it's after ten." He pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes to clear them. "Where are we going?"
"Hmm," Mikoto tapped her chin, pretending to mull it over, but soon she whispered. "It's a secret."
A touch of skepticism darkened Akemi's gaze.
Mikoto understood. After Fugaku used his hawks on him, the same summons the Police Force used to break hardened criminals, her son's trust in his parents was probably shaken, if not completely shattered.
That would be changing tonight.
"Trust me, you'll like the surprise," she promised.
Akemi eyed her a moment longer, but whatever he found in her expression seemed to mollify him because he stumbled out of bed and went to his personal bathroom.
She stood up, her black hair glittering sliver in the moonlight as she walked up to the window and opened it.
When Akemi came out wearing his day clothes, she caught his hand. "I'm going to shunshin us there."
Akemi braced himself, and in a blur they disappeared from the room to arrive on the docks belonging to the Uchiha training grounds. The crescent moon and brilliant stars glittered along the lake's surface while Mikoto let Akemi go and walked over to the dock's edge. She sat down, her legs dangling off the side and bare toes caressing the dark waters.
After she patted the space next to her, Akemi joined her, sitting down and staring up at the night sky. Neither spoke for a minute, the cool breeze brushing over their skin and whistling past their ears.
Eventually, Akemi said, "La luna y las estrellas son bonitas esta noche." He side-eyed Mikoto. "The night sky always looks so pretty in Konoha. I guess because there's no city pollution here."
Mikoto knew Akemi was testing her, so watched the ripples her toes made in the water as she commented. "That language sounds beautiful." Mikoto shined a radiant grin on him, pretending not to notice the assessment in his gaze. "What's it called?"
Akemi, voice airy though his expression was guarded, said, "If you mean the first one, it's called Español." He waited a moment while she went back to creating ripples with her toes before inquiring. "Aren't you going to ask where I learned it?"
"Would you answer if I did?" Mikoto saw Akemi's eyes widen from her peripheral vision, though his expression quickly turned neutral as he crossed his arms. "That depends," he said sourly, "Are you going to tell Fugaku what I tell you?"
Mikoto swirled the water with her big toe, distorting her wispy reflection in the lake until she was nothing but a swirl of raven hair and ivory skin. "You shouldn't indulge your father's delusions by calling him by name," she chided lightly. "I certainly won't, by acting as his spy." Her days of espionage had ended years ago, and for once, she had no desire to relieve her glory days. Though the memory of wading through muggy marshes and sleeping in jungle underbrushes brought a twinge of nostalgia to her heart.
Akemi frowned, but merely sounded curious when he asked, "Why not? It's not like I'm your actual son, you don't have to feel guilty over spying."
Mikoto didn't face him. "Is that what you think?"
Akemi, growing frustrated by her neutrality, glared. "You know I'm weird, so why—"
"Normalcy does not equal goodness," Mikoto's gaze burned into his, making his jaw snap close, "Nor does different equate with evil."
Akemi searched her face for dishonesty, but Mikoto remained nonjudgmental, so he looked away. With his eyes shrouded by his bangs, he quietly asked, "And if I told you Fugaku was right? That I am certainly not your son?"
"Then I'd say you're wrong."
"But I'm not—"
"I don't care if you're human or not."
Akemi reeled back, but Mikoto caught his cheek and gently pulled him closer. "You are my son," she beamed, "In every way that counts." Akemi's eyes grew big, his lips parting. "I felt you, you and your brother growing inside me," Mikoto stroked her toned belly that had once been so round with children, "And I was so happy whenever you two moved or kicked, so eager to meet my children."
Finally the dam broke and Akemi's face screwed up like he'd been gutted with a knife as he choked. "But I'm not! Mikoto-san, I'm not your son! I'm not even—" He bit on his lip, stopping himself from perhaps saying something he'd regret, and jerked out of her grasp.
Appearing drained all of the sudden, Akemi hung his head and whispered. "I'm not supposed to be here. I don't belong here, and I...I'm sorry, Kaa-san, I didn't mean to barge into your life. If I could just go back to where I belong—"
"You're already exactly where you're supposed to be." Mikoto engulfed Akemi in a strong embrace, tucking his head against her shoulder while Akemi's breath hitched.
Gently, she admitted. "I don't have all the answers, Akemi, but I am certain you are here for good reason."
Akemi's eyes widened, shock stamped across his face. "I'm here...for a reason?" He repeated slowly as if in a trance.
Mikoto nodded. "I know you are." She pulled back so he could see her earnest smile. "Because you are a blessing," Akemi's eyes grew even bigger, "My blessing."
Akemi's mouth fell open while Mikoto explained. "The night after the doctor told us we were having twins, I had a dream I was lost in a dark cave full of monsters. When I found my way out, I saw a golden sunrise in the horizon, brightening everything it touched." She giggled at Akemi's mesmerized look, concluding. "The next morning, I told Fugaku our second child should be named Akemi."
"Is that so?" Akemi sniffed, blinking away the beginning of tears. "That's cool, 'cause I like my name."
She pulled him in for another squeeze. "I'm glad..." Her face fell a little. "Though I was hoping for a little girl."
Akemi blinked, but quickly chuckled. "Well, they say third time's the charm...and I wouldn't mind a little sister."
A far away look entered his eyes, but Mikoto didn't notice as something occurred to her. "Oh!" Akemi regarded her. "So you were self-cognizant as a baby?"
Akemi, unsure where this was going, said, "Yeah."
Mikoto's lips spread into a cheery grin. "So that's why you screamed every time I tried to breastfeed you."
Akemi's cheeks darkened into scarlet, both of them recalling how he used to holler at the top of his lungs, throwing everything from stuffed animals to baby rattles at Mikoto in an effort to dissuade her.
He hurriedly looked away, scratching the side of his head awkwardly. "Y-yeah, you're pretty and all, but you're like my mom, so that was just—Just no." He shuddered.
Mikoto's laughter rang out across the lake, airy as a wind chime. "And to think I thought it was because you didn't like me."
Akemi rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks still flaming. "I realized that, that's why I made 'Kaa-san' my first word, to let you know I did like you." He sobered abruptly. "You really think I'm here for a reason?"
Mikoto smiled tenderly, though her eyes were sad. "I'm sorry," she parroted his words from so long ago, stroking his hair, "I can't imagine how hard it's been for you, being so different and not knowing why." A piercing ache shone through Akemi's eyes. "But please try to remember." She squeezed his shoulder. "Uchiha Akemi is here for a good reason."
"I will." Akemi bobbed his head, voice trembling. "I'll always remember," he swore. Then he threw himself into her arms, clutching her hard enough to hurt, and when she held him back, Akemi found himself wanting to save Mikoto. Not just incidentally save her when he prevented the massacre, but Akemi specifically desired to save this woman much like he planned to protect Itachi and Sasuke.
"You're a good son," Mikoto whispered over the top of his head. "I'm sure your father will realize that one day, but until then, do not give up on him, and most importantly, never give up on yourself."
"I won't." Akemi sent her a watery grin, his eyes too full of tears for him to notice the golden embers burning in both of their irises while the yellow moon smiled down on them.
.
Shikaku sat at a long table two seats down from Fourth Hokage Minato. All the clan heads were gathered in the room, excluding the Uchiha clan leader, but that was probably for the best considering who was presenting.
Akemi, his baby brother sleeping in a sling laid over his chest, stood in the middle of the table. His expression was grave, though there was a wild gleam in his eyes as he waved his wooden pointer stick at the projection screen displaying a photograph of Uchiha Shisui side-by-side a portrait of his ancestor Kagami.
"As you can see, their eye color, hair color, hair type, and facial dimensions are identical. 'Ooh, but that's just how genetics work, Akemi-kun,' some of you must be thinking that, right?" Akemi leveled a heated glare on every individual in the room before lowering his stick, hissing. "Well, all you skeptics would be correct if it was only direct ancestors who shared so many similarities."
Akemi walked over to the overhead projector and switched out the pictures of Shisui and Kagami with two drawings of a young Uchiha boy wearing armor from the Warring Clans era. One picture was of the Uchiha boy from the side while the other depicted the child facing frontwards from a distance.
Getting back to the middle of the table, Akemi waved his pointer stick at the screen. "This is Uchiha Izuna, the younger brother of Uchiha Madara." A couple of faces around the table grimaced at the name, Councilman Danzo outright glowering. "Both Madara and Izuna died without being married or producing offspring. However, since I and my super adorable baby brother are heirs to the Uchiha clan, we share a very loose relation to them because Madara's second cousin replaced Madara as the head of the clan, and is thus my great-great-grandfather."
"Now why does this matter, might you ask?" Akemi glanced at Shikaku, and the Nara stood up, unfurling a long scroll and holding it up high so it could be seen in its entirety. On the paper were five photographs, the top picture displaying an Uchiha baby from the side, his hair seemingly flat and straight, only for each progressive photo to show the child a little older with the back of his hair elongating and rising until the last image presented the four year-old with dark, spiky locks sticking up from the back of his head, very much like Izuna's hair.
"These photographs depict how the gene for spiky hair develops on a typical Uchiha." Akemi put down his stick and carefully removed his baby brother from his sling, the infant twitching but not awakening as Akemi cradled him so the back of Sasuke's head was visible to everyone. "As you can see, my little brother appears to have straight hair, but take a closer look." He walked over to each person, allowing everyone to observe the baby up-close, though Councilman Danzo didn't even look. "Anyone notice something off?"
Minato raised his hand, an indulgent smile on his face while Akemi nodded at him. "The ends of Sasuke's hair are curving up at an angle."
Akemi grinned. "Exactly." He went over to the scroll and held out his baby brother beside the scroll's image of an Uchiha infant. "Thus, we can assume Sasuke has inherited the spiky hair gene."
Danzo, lips curling into a snarl, interjected. "That's conjecture," his lone eye glared at Akemi, "You could have brushed the infant's hair to make it look like it's spiking."
Minato frowned, as did Shikaku, Hiashi, and Choza, but none of them could speak before Akemi flashed his teeth, his canines peeking out dangerously. "I thought someone might say that, so I had Sasuke's DNA tested at Konoha Hospital. Hiashi-san, what were the results?"
The Hyūga sat up straighter, holding a file above the table so all could see its bolded headline reading, "96% Conclusive the infant has inherited the gene for spiked hair—"
Danzo slammed his fist on the table. "As if we could trust an Uchiha not to skew the data—"
"A Hyūga doctor analyzed the baby's genotype," Hiashi gazed evenly at Danzo, his pale eyes frosty, "Are you questioning my wife's doctoral integrity?"
The atmosphere seemed to freeze around them as Hiashi stared down the surprised Councilman, but before Danzo could speak, Minato raised his hand to gather attention, his expression terse. "I believe it has been made clear that the evidence is trustworthy and unbiased." He inclined his head to Danzo. "Thank you, Councilman, for bringing such valid questions to light," his cold blue eyes revealed his true feelings, "But please remember I said there will be a time for questions at the end, so try to refrain from interrupting again until the presentation is over."
Danzo, his face smoothing out, though his eye was livid, nodded. "I understand."
Akemi, smiling cheekily, wrapped up his point by displaying a drawing of what Sasuke would look like in four years based on the scroll's information, and it was downright uncanny how much of a resemblance Sasuke was going to share with Izuna despite their lack of relation.
Akemi also presented the rather disturbing effects inbreeding had on physical appearance as well as the diseases and infirmities caused by it. Even the Hokage was aghast by the results of the Konoha Hospital survey, the bar graph revealing how the percentage of those born with these diseases were increasing in clan populations while decreasing in civilian ones.
Danzo exclaimed the graph didn't matter because a lot of the diseases didn't affect people until they were older, and most shinobi didn't live to such old ages anyway, but Akemi countered. "That maybe the case today, but who knows what type of deadlier diseases will form if inbreeding continues? We have to stop it before things get out of control."
Akemi looked over all the clan heads, a few smiling encouragingly while most were neutral, and sighed. "I understand that inbreeding has served as a protection for your clans over many centuries, preserving rare kekkei genkai and ensuring your bloodline limits remain in your family." He raised his head to look down at all of them. "But this is not the Warring Clans era anymore. This is a time of newfound peace, and we live in a Village of united clans, so why do we keep hoarding our kekkei genkai like we're still fighting each other?" His voice rippled through the silent chamber, causing his baby brother to briefly squirm in his sling.
Akemi, tone even, explained. "Konoha may have started as a group of allied clans, but today the Village is so much more than that." His voice swelled with passion. "Konoha is a clan, one made of many unique and diverse individuals. Together the Konoha clan has survived three Great Wars by utilizing our united strengths, so imagine what we could accomplish if we bonded together to the highest degree possible." Akemi stretched out his hands as if to take hold of all of theirs, saying, "Let us rid ourselves of any hint of division in Konoha and renew the bonds between us, for Konoha is our clan, and a clan is a family, and only together can we carry our family on to the future."
Akemi bowed. "Thank you for taking time to listen to me, Minato-sama, clan heads, and Councilman Dango."
"It's Danzo!"
"That is what I said, Dango-sama."
Akemi stepped off of the table before the Councilman could correct him again while the Hokage assured Danzo that Akemi couldn't help his childish lisp and would eventually be able to pronounce his name correctly. Meanwhile the clan heads discussed how the mixing of clan genes could result in new kekkei genkai formation, a fact Hiashi's wife verified, and although Danzo tried claiming the Family Exchange Program was a plot by the Uchiha to steal their clan bloodline limits, Shikaku pointed out that the Uchiha clan's vote was being counted against the Program automatically since Fugaku had missed the meeting. This reassuring many of the attendants, resulted in the majority of clan heads voting to pass the program.
Shikaku, Minato and Akemi got to work immediately afterwards, spending hours every day in the Hokage office drafting up Program guidelines and figuring out where to divert Village funds to promote the new initiative.
One day when Akemi was absent, Shikaku and Minato were looking over the final draft of the guidelines, and the Nara couldn't help but say, "Akemi is a genius. Even I wasn't so brilliant at his age."
"I'm not sure that's a valid comparison." Minato smirked as he looked up from the document. "I heard you were a pretty lazy kid, but if you hadn't been so idle, maybe you could have accomplished the same feats as Akemi back then."
Shikaku, rubbing the back of his neck, muttered. "I suppose." His expression grew serious. "But Akemi is different...the way he speaks and acts, sometimes I forget I'm talking to a child when I'm with him."
Minato propped his head against his fist and grinned. "You're referring to the fact Akemi is a reincarnated adult."
Shikaku's eyes popped open, and he sputtered. "He told you!?"
"Actually, no." Minato's gaze was sharp, though his tone was light. "But based on your reaction, I'm assuming the same theory has crossed your mind."
Shikaku sighed, calming. "Yes," he turned to stare out the window at the daytime sky, "It's the way he behaves, he can't just be a smart kid. Even genius children are naive about some things, but Akemi—"
"Acts like he's already experienced everything before...perhaps in his previous life." Minato shut his eyes, mouth slanting down.
Shikaku, still staring at the sky, asked, "Can you imagine going through that? Reaching adulthood just to die and have to start all over again?"
Minato opened his eyes, raising his head and grimacing in sympathy. "That's not even the worst of it, if what I suspect is true." Shikaku turned to him, curious, and Minato solemnly said, "I think Akemi used to be a civilian in his past life, one from outside the Elemental Nations."
Shikaku gasped, face twisting with horror because the world was very different outside the Elemental Nations, some lands out there didn't even use chakra, and if Akemi had been a civilian, never witnessing bloodshed his whole life, only to be reborn as a shinobi clan heir...
"Akemi works tirelessly for other people, to improve so many lives." Admiration brightened the Hokage's blue orbs. "Kakashi tells me Akemi shows up at his apartment sometimes, making him breakfast, helping him pick flowers for Obito and Rin..." A flash of pain crossed Minato's face before he stuffed it down. "I also suspect Akemi is the one who keeps leaving those 'How to Help Depressed Teens' booklets in my home. It's one of the reasons I realized Akemi wasn't a normal kid, he knows too much."
Shikaku lowered his head. "The poor guy."
Minato nodded, but soon his lips flicked up. "Though who is to say Akemi is a guy? He might have been a woman in his past life."
Shikaku blanched, his jaw dropping. "Hokage-sama!?" He blinked rapidly.
Minato chuckled. "It's merely food for thought, Shikaku-san," he waved away the comment, but now that it was there, Shikaku couldn't stop thinking about it.
Akemi could be rather motherly around his siblings, and didn't Mikoto say Akemi enjoyed watching those sappy television romcoms with her?
Shikaku wanted to speak to Minato more about this theory because it was such a relief to finally have someone who understood, so the two made plans to speak again next week, but then the Nine-Tails attacked, the Village fell apart, and Minato was gone.
…
The Nara clan head came home to find Akemi cowering behind his sofa in the living room. Shikaku didn't bat an eye as he flopped back onto the couch and picked up the remote, turning on the television. While the newscaster discussed how Village reconstruction was progressing, he asked, "How'd the babysitting go tonight?"
Akemi, with haunted eyes as he hid beneath the sofa arm next to the man, whispered. "Shikaku-san, your baby isn't normal, he keeps staring at me like he—"
The sudden crackle of plastic being torn made them both freeze before they turned to the culprit.
There, in the shadows of the living room, was six-month old Shikamaru sitting in a diaper. In his hands was an open bag of potato chips, something Shikaku knew his wife had hidden on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets to prevent this very scenario.
The baby stared his father dead in the eye, then did the same to Akemi, making the boy whimper, as if he was daring them to try and stop him. When neither of them moved, Shikamaru stuffed a corner of the bag in his mouth and slowly crawled away backwards, keeping his eyes on them the entire time like a lion dragging away a carcass.
Akemi waited for the baby to disappear into the darkness of his nursery before stuttering. "That's not normal, Shikamaru can't be a normal baby."
Shikaku shrugged. "He's a Nara, this is standard childhood development for us." Akemi looked even more freaked out. "Besides, you did the same stuff when you were little."
Akemi blinked, his terror ebbing into shock. He paled. "Oh my— That's what I looked like!?" He grabbed at his hair, and when Shikaku nodded, he choked. "I am so sorry, I always thought my dad was overreacting, but that..." He looked off to the nursery where the ominous crunch of chips being snacked on could be heard. "That is terrifying."
Shikaku's mouth curved up with good humor. "Yes, I suppose most people find it unnerving when a baby displays the same qualities as an adult."
Akemi stiffened, but recovered quickly, rising and joining Shikaku on the couch. "But I didn't scare you, Shikaku-san?" There was a deeper meaning underlining Akemi's words, though his tone was teasing.
The Nara, noticing how Akemi faced the television, but his eyes were on Shikaku, said, "No, things are only scary when you don't understand them."
Akemi, the television's pale blue light reflecting off his eyes, asked, "And what is it you understand?"
Shikaku decided to throw caution to the wind, maybe because he'd been working all day and was too tired to play mind games, or maybe because Minato was gone and the Fourth Hokage never got a definitive answer, so Shikaku would get it for him.
"You were in your early twenties when you died."
Akemi, still staring at the television while the weatherman reported tomorrow's incoming thunderstorm, shrugged. "That's all you got?"
Shikaku sucked in a deep breath, knowing that was a confirmation. Akemi really was a reincarnated adult!
Getting a hold of himself, Shikaku continued. "I thought you were older at first, middle-aged perhaps, but some of your childishness feels genuine, so I suspect that while you were and still are mature, in your past life you were fairly young when you died." Shikaku glanced at Akemi, but the boy—man?—was watching him attentively, waiting, so he added. "I also believe you were a civilian, one from outside the Elemental Nations. That's why you take notes in those foreign languages, because they aren't foreign to you, but they're your original tongue."
Shikaku stroked his goatee, diving deeper into his analysis. "I must admit I didn't realize you were a civilian until the Fourth Hokage pointed out your abhorrence of violence. When people argue with you, you're never afraid to throw words right back at them because your instinct is to use words before physical violence. That's the same way most civilians react in Konoha, but shinobi children... I've seen them at the Academy, they're always ready to brawl when someone insults them, and a clan heir like yourself has been training to be a ninja since you could walk, so talking shouldn't be your first instinct...unless you lived an entire other life not knowing how to fight, with words as your only weapon."
Akemi blinked. "So Minato-sama knew about me?" He looked down, his hands griping the cushion beneath him. "I wish he'd told me... I wouldn't have mind him knowing..."
Shikaku frowned, his heart heavy as he admitted. "I never actually believed in reincarnation."
"I still don't." Shikaku's eyes widened while Akemi softly said, "I didn't die, Shikaku-san, I'm sure of it." He faced the television again. "I just went to sleep in one life, and woke up in another."
Shikaku's mouth fell open, and it took some time for him to work it again. "That...that's unheard of."
"You're telling me." Akemi smiled, but soon his lips dipped down. "Sometimes I go to bed and wonder if I'll wake up back in my first life...if all I have to do is close my eyes, and then I'll wake up back home..."
Shikaku's mind spun as he massaged his temples, not expecting such a reveal. "Is that why you approached me? You want me to help you go back?" The Nara shook his head. "But I don't think anyone could help—"
Akemi burst into laughter, laughing so hard he nearly rolled off the couch, and Shikaku watched, stunned silent until Akemi calmed down. "Don't be silly, Shikaku-san." He got to his feet and went over to the bookshelf. He found the box containing the shogi board and rummaged through it until his face lit up as he seemed to find what he was looking for.
Akemi walked back to Shikaku, his fist closed around something. "Good match, Shikaku-san," Akemi set the king shogi piece on the Nara's knee, grinning wide, "But next time, I'll win for sure."
It took Shikaku a second to realize that he and Akemi had in fact began their promised match long ago when Shikaku first accepted the one-year old's challenge. Akemi had wanted him to learn the truth about him.
"Why?" Shikaku exhaled, picking up the king piece and rolling it between his fingers.
Akemi raised an eyebrow, and Shikaku elaborated. "Why reveal yourself to me if you don't want my help?"
Akemi chuckled. "Well, my big brother is my best friend, but he's five-years old and—" He ducked, flushing. "We're friends, right?"
Shikaku's expression relaxed as he finally understood. The boy wanted someone his actual age to talk to. Akemi was lonely.
The Nara smirked, huffing. "Of course, but are you sure you were a civilian? Because that was pretty sneaky, squirt."
Akemi scowled immediately, crossing his arms. "Don't call me that! When puberty hits me again I'm probably going to be taller than you, and my voice will be deeper and richer than a red velvet cake!"
Shikaku threw back his head, laughing, and after a moment, Akemi's petulant expression lightened until he was laughing too.
...
Fugaku, appearing unimpressed from across the booth's table, asked, "You really think Akemi is a normal child? Truly?"
Shikaku shrugged, slouching over his empty bowl. "Well, Akemi can be an oddball, but there's a lot of weird sorts around here, and Akemi doesn't stand out compared to some jonin I know."
Fugaku, eyes darkening, bit out. "Akemi isn't like them." He folded his arms tightly, hissing. "I'm not even sure he's a child."
With a casual shrug, Shikaku drawled. "I guess Akemi could be some type of reincarnation, probably used to be an overbearing mother in his past life." The Nara held his chin as if musing it over. "He is quite domestic sometimes."
Fugaku angled his head back to stare down the other man. "A reincarnation? Please, be serious."
Shikaku's gaze sharpened, and suddenly he straightened up. "Be serious?" He cocked a brow. "But didn't you invite me here just to talk?" His face scrunched up with suspicion, and Fugaku glared.
"No need to play coy, Shikaku-san," he huffed. "We both know you've realized what I'm really here for."
"So you're investigating Akemi?" Shikaku's countenance iced over when the Uchiha merely stared back. "In that case, care to tell me what crime Akemi has committed to warrant this?"
Fugaku's face hardened, but he said nothing, and Shikaku made a derisive sound. "So this isn't an official Police Force investigation? In that case," Shikaku slid out of the booth, only pausing to swipe his beer bottle off the table before turning his back on the Uchiha, "Thank you for the meal, Fugaku-san, but I don't have the answer you're looking for."
Fugaku shot up, uncaring how this drew attention from several other patrons. "And if you learn the truth about Akemi, would you tell me?"
Shikaku sighed as he craned his head back. "Maybe, but if you really want an answer, I think you should give my 'Akemi is a reincarnated mother' theory some more thought." He smirked, and Fugaku smoldered while the Nara headed to the restaurant's front door and left.
Fugaku watched him cross the street through the glass window, his frustration mounting. Akemi had gotten to the Nara, hadn't he?
The creature masquerading as his son was clever, Fugaku would give him that, but he would learn the truth eventually, no matter what it took.
The Uchiha payed the restaurant bill at the counter and exited through the glass doors, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets as he trudged down the road. It was dark out, the streetlights above him either cracked or broken, so maybe that was why Fugaku didn't notice the man following him until he spoke.
"Uchiha Fugaku."
The clan head whipped around, jumping back four feet and landing with a kunai raised until he recognized the man staring at him in amusement.
Fugaku lowered his arm stiffly, but did not release the kunai as he asked, "What do you want?"
.
Itachi had graduated. He stood before his proud homeroom teacher, running his thumb over the leaf symbol etched into the headband in his hands, before reverently tying the cloth around his head. Itachi's face eased into a grin as he bowed to the assessment teachers, and he left the room with his heart overflowing from accomplishment.
The newly-made genin held his head high while he walked through the Academy halls for the first time as an official ninja, and quickly exited the school building, slipping through the throngs of other graduates showing off their headbands to their friends and family. Itachi was searching for his own parents when he sensed someone watching him.
He assumed it was one of those girls who had bombarded him with gifts in class last week, tearfully saying they'd miss him despite Itachi having never said more than two words to any of them. However, the person observing him turned out to be an old man with bandages covering the right side of his face. The man was standing beneath the shade offered by some nearby trees, so it was hard to make out his features and identify him.
"Uchiha Itachi," the man called, and curious about how the stranger knew his name, Itachi joined him under the shade. "I have a question only the Academy's most talented graduate can answer."
Itachi cocked his head, puzzled by the man's blunt manner, but seeing no reason not to listen, he remained quiet. "Imagine ten men have been shipwrecked, and one of the men has caught a deadly disease. If he lives, the other nine men will die. What would you do?"
Itachi frowned, instantly formulating a response while simultaneously thinking this was the oddest first meeting he'd ever had. "Well, if the sick man is already dying, in order to save the other nine I would ki—"
Two white blurs fell from the sky, careening towards the bandaged man's head, but before Itachi could warn him, the man leapt back and Itachi realized the stranger was a shinobi. Yet, there was no time for questions as the white blurs pummeled into the earth, stirring up a dust cloud. Itachi saw they were white sandals right when a girl in a pink dress shrieked. "It's La Chancla!"
The two white sandals hopped up like a bunny, nearly clipping Itachi's chin, and the girl gasped. "She's attacking that boy!"
Itachi opened his mouth to say he was fine, but no one could hear him over the children already screaming their heads off and fleeing into the school building. Older siblings were tossing younger ones over their shoulders before sprinting away while a few parents whipped out shuriken, and somebody's grandfather pulled out a katana.
"Let's get her!"
"Daddy, I can't lose my shoes! They're name brand!"
"Hurry, use a fire jutsu on your sandals! I heard sacrifices appease La Chancla!"
Itachi watched as the sandals flipped and spiraled around the shuriken thrown at them—Akemi was becoming very good at manipulating chakra strings—while the grandfather rushed ahead with a battle cry, only for his back to give out halfway towards them. The man's wife came to his aide, whacking the sandals with her cane until the white shoes shot into the air, disappearing into a cloud.
Itachi blinked, thoroughly baffled when a familiar hand caught his and tugged him away from the scene. "Akemi?"
His twin grinned at him, but Itachi was too surprised to smile back. "What happened to your hair?"
"Oh, you noticed?" Akemi ran his fingers down the strands, his front hair having been trimmed so a long bang swept from the left side of his face and fell over half of his forehead, partially obscuring Akemi's right eye. "I wanted a hair change like you, Nii-san." He flicked the short ponytail Itachi had started growing, and chuckled. "It's symbolic because everything is changing. You're going to be completing missions, and I'm going to start training with Biwako-sama while only attending half-days at school..."
Itachi made a soft noise of agreement as they traveled the stone pathway, which he hadn't noticed them heading down until now. "Where's Sasuke, and Mother and Father?"
"At the end of the street." Akemi swung their joined hands between them. "I ran ahead because I wanted to talk to you, but we'll probably meet up with them soon."
"Oh," Itachi felt a tad wary considering how their last conversation had gone, "Is that why you attacked the man with the bandages?"
"No." The venom in Akemi's tone startled Itachi into stopping, having never seen such raw anger on Akemi's face before. "That's because I hate him, and if he ever comes near you again, I'll break his neck." He noticed Itachi's shock, yet shook his head and resumed walking. "I'll explain later. First, I want to tell you how sorry I am for the other night."
Itachi immediately shook his head. "You don't have to, I'm the one who failed—"
"I made you feel bad, didn't I?"
Itachi's lips pressed shut, and Akemi smiled sadly. "I'm not apologizing for what I said, I'm saying I'm sorry for making you feel bad." He squeezed Itachi's palm. "I love you a lot, you know, and there's not a single person I'd rather have as my brother."
Itachi's eyes widened, cheeks heating up because the seven-year old hadn't expected the sudden sentimentality. "It's just, I know everything is going to be different now." Akemi stared intently at him. "I won't see you at the Academy anymore, and sometimes we might get so busy we won't see each other for days."
Itachi's brow knitted together, for as happy as he was to be one step closer to his goal, he would miss his brother's company. If only Akemi had graduated with him, they might have ended up on the same squad...but it seemed his brother was planning something by staying at the Academy, so Itachi let the matter drop.
"Nii-san," Itachi looked up to see Akemi's earnest expression, "Please know that you can always come to me about anything. Even if you think I won't like what you have to say, and even if what you say does make me upset, I am never going to abandon you."
Itachi, feeling the weight in Akemi's words and wondering what his twin might have seen with his foresight to warrant this promise, tried to speak, but found a lump in his throat barring his words.
Akemi, as always, seemed to understand anyway. "Don't worry about the future, that's for me to handle." Itachi tried to protest, but Akemi added. "It's my job to help you achieve your dream. As your brother and your friend, my entire reason of being is to support you until your dream becomes a reality."
Itachi's gasped right as Akemi placed a quick kiss on his forehead. "Just you wait," he pumped his arm, "I'll be the greatest medic-nin Konoha has ever seen!"
Itachi noted the determination lining Akemi's jaw, and a tiny smile spread across his face. "I know you will."
Akemi paused, his eyes fluttering in shock, before a light blush covered his cheeks. "Ahh, thanks, Nii-san."
Itachi nodded, truly glad Akemi was taking up medical ninjutsu. Not only because it suited his twin's caring nature, but because medic-nin were almost always the safest shinobi on a team. While Itachi had read that some enemy ninja would target medic-nin to ensure the other ninja couldn't be healed, most shinobi preferred to capture medic-nin to use their healing abilities for themselves. Also, as a medic-nin, Akemi would be kept out of the direct line of fire during battles, and it took a load off Itachi's shoulders knowing Akemi would be in less danger than most once he graduated.
However, there was something Itachi still needed to discuss with his twin. "Akemi?" His brother looked to him. "Can we talk about your sharingan?"
There was a pregnant pause, then—
"My what!?"
.
"What do you want?"
Orochimaru grinned, baring his sharp teeth while his sickly yellow eyes pierced into Fugaku's with such intensity, the Uchiha almost called his own sharingan forth in instinctive defense. "I've heard the Uchiha Police Force has been having some trouble finding abnormalities in Akemi's bio-samples."
Fugaku gaped. "How—" He shook his head, regaining composure. "I don't care how you heard, why does it concern you?"
Orochimaru took a step forward, and Fugaku stood his ground, only the way his fingers tightened around the kunai revealing his unease. "It doesn't concern me, Fugaku," the Uchiha reigned in a snarl at the less than respectful address, "I merely wanted to offer my services. As you might recall, I have aided the Police Force's forensics team several times in the past when they required a more thorough analysis of crime scene evidence."
Fugaku did remember, much like he remembered the thirteen Uchiha children and eight infants who had gone missing in the past five years, some witnesses claiming the kids were last seen with the very snake he spoke to now. The Force could never prosecute Orochimaru for the kidnappings, especially when the Third Hokage vouched so staunchly for him, but most Uchiha parents warned their kids to keep their distance from the golden-eyed Sannin.
Fugaku frowned. "You want to study Akemi's blood?" He glared. "I ask again, why?"
Orochimaru smirked. "I've already explained, you need my help, Fugaku-san. My laboratories have far more advanced equipment than the Police Force, and I am an expert in biology. If there's any abnormality to be found, even the slightest one, I will find it, and can give you the answers you seek."
Fugaku gritted his teeth, loathing the man's oily voice and lying tongue. It was obvious the Snake Sannin would not reveal his true intentions, but Orochimaru's offer was admittedly tempting. It had been nearly two weeks since they started analyzing Akemi's bio-samples, and nothing had turned up. Every test said Akemi was a normal human being, even the chakra-based ones, but Fugaku knew that was wrong. Yet without proof, no one would believe him or rally to his side when it came time to stop Akemi's plans. Fugaku needed something concrete, and needed it soon.
The Uchiha slipped the kunai back into his pouch, and squared his shoulders. "What would you ask of me in return for your services?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up, his tongue slipping out of his mouth like that of a rattlesnake, and disgusting Fugaku as the Sannin said, "Being able to analyze Akemi's blood is payment enough."
The faintest part of Fugaku that remembered Akemi, so young the boy couldn't even reach Fugaku's knees as he climbed up the man's pants in an effort to steal his coffee, demanded to know what type of father would let a man like Orochimaru anywhere near his son. Yet a voice far louder superseded his conscience by assuring Fugaku that Orochimaru was a monster, but Akemi was too.
Fugaku sighed, his expression resentful. "It appears we have a deal then." He turned his back on the Sannin and started to walk to the Uchiha district, knowing the viper would follow.
Well, this was a complete monster of a chapter, so I hope the length compensates for how long it took me to update. Also, I have no idea what I did last chapter to make so many people start following and favorite this story, but I thank all of you for the support :3
Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! I wouldn't be able to write without your encouragement :)
Next time: Akemi starts training with Biwako and learns more about his sharingan while Fugaku and Orochimaru discover something strange with Akemi's blood...