I didn't expect training at the Uchiha compound to be as fun as it turned out to be. School had taken on the monotony a regular schedule would. Sitting for hours facing the board was more excruciating than I remembered. It didn't help that I had to pretend not to understand; when I was a kid I could just read in class and answer questions.
Itachi didn't have to tell me that would be stupid to do here.
With my advancing reading skills, I made it to the upper-bracket, performance-wise. Nowhere near special, but nowhere near failing either.
PE was fun, up until it was time to practice throwing, or basic kata, or anything repetitive. Imagine standing in one place and tossing shuriken at a target. What a snoozefest. It was boring, monotonous, and really, really tempting to zone out and be happy with more than half of my shuriken hitting my mark.
Training with Naruto and Sasuke was just as bad. Six-year-olds didn't quite have the self-discipline to practice a set routine. Naruto was worse. Any attempts Sasuke made would eventually get derailed by Naruto getting bored, or frustrated, or both. When it was just the three of us training, I tended to give up after a while and sit in the corner to read. This was not a choice whenever Shisui or Itachi were around.
With Itachi, I was an eager student. While the more energetic boys tackled Shisui's newest idea of training, Itachi and I sat to the side and talked. He would ask me questions—about what I was reading, my day at school, or how my shopping went over the weekend. We would discuss the history of Konoha, the dynamics between the daimyo and his people, and the other Elemental Countries. He would tell me of the places he's been, and how people lived and interacted there, compared to what we knew here.
Then he would point out my tells. He taught me to suppress the sparkle in my eyes when I found something interesting. He taught me how to hold back questions that would only give myself away.
I knew Itachi was smart. I knew he was considered a genius, both combatively and academically, with an asynchronous maturity that would make people from my old life cry.
It was a whole other thing to experience it, though. He picked apart nuances in paragraphs describing a decisive battle. He debated with me on the perspectives of either side. He saw how specific choices by certain people led to new conflicts, years later.
It was awe-inspiring and humbling both. It's easy for people to fling around the word "genius." Few actually stopped to consider what kind. A violin prodigy did not make a young genius in physics. For me, it was Itachi's ability to break apart events, techniques, and words, then connect them in a causality that was the source of his amazing capabilities.
It was an honor to know Uchiha Itachi. And I had barely scratched the surface.
I think he appreciated the chance to talk. He would still leave when Sasuke called, or urge me to physically train when we talked for too long. But I could feel a part of him relax when we got deep into a discussion. Not much, and not for long. But the simmering coals that were Uchiha Itachi cooled, and the lines on his face lightened. If talking to me gave him a break from his busy schedule, I was more than happy to provide.
Because he was busy. Terribly busy. We barely saw him as it was. When he wasn't on a mission, he was with their father, Fugaku. (Ha! Finally remembered.) Some days it felt like Itachi was taking missions back, to back, to back. Shisui was a jounin, and had almost twice as much downtime.
Contrary to popular belief, jounin tended to have longer downtimes than chuunin and genin, relatively speaking.
Genin were in high demand, taking care of the D and E missions that the citizens of Konoha requested. They were the closest I could find to my old life's 9-5 jobs, complete with days off. The longest a D and E rank mission lasted was just a few days.
Chuunin got longer missions in the sense that they were the most likely to get guard missions, border posts, messenger runs, and patrols. Those could last anywhere between a week, to months at a time.
Jounin—at least those not attached to genin or chuunin—spent only as much time outside of Konoha that A rank clients could afford. They also had a small amount of flexibility in choosing their missions. The pay was good enough that single or unattached jounin only had to take missions to fulfill their yearly quota.
All this was explained by Shisui, when even Naruto's patience snapped as Sasuke and I moped after a particularly long absence without Itachi. Shisui took it with aplomb, all things considered.
And if I thought I could get away with not training when Itachi wasn't around, I was dead wrong. Shisui and Itachi must have made a pact or something. If I didn't want to read so I could talk to Itachi, Shisui made sure I couldn't read.
Let's just say he had a gift for being aggravating.
"Ooh, so close." Shisui tsked. He side-stepped my lunge, and twisted around Sasuke's kick. "C'mon, Minako-chan! You can do better than that!"
He held a storage scroll above his head, where he'd sealed the Uchiha-Senju history book I'd been reading. So he learned from his previous lesson. Whatever. It didn't stop me from getting ticked off every time he yanked a book from my hands.
"Shut up!" I panted. "You're cheating!"
"It's just one step," he protested, dancing around Naruto's attempts to trap him.
"You're a ninja! You're faster than all of us!"
"I'm not even using shunshin!"
Shisui and Itachi never let training become the boring standstill it became in group-focused school. The simplest way was through competition. Most shuriken on the dummy wins. Least hits from a fist-sized, flour-covered ball wins. Then there were the games hilariously like my old world's game of Ninja, training our reflexes and reaction time.
They didn't even call it training. But most of the time, I could tell. Past life knowledge helped. (This was part of what Itachi was teaching me to hide—hiding that I understood.)
Today's game was something I'd started calling Tickle Tag. It meant exactly what it was called, except Shisui's tickle spots were suspiciously close to the vulnerable points they hadn't taught us in school yet.
Didn't change the fact I was still pissed he took my book away. Especially when I was getting to the good part with Senju Tobirama's rising career.
Did—did he just twirl?!
"UGH." I planted my hands on my knees, breathing hard. My hair had slipped enough from its ponytail that red flopped into my face with every head bob.
Naruto's blond hair was plastered to his head with sweat. Boundless energy us Uzumakis might have, even we had our limits. Sasuke looked like he was still on his feet out of sheer bullheadedness.
Naruto frowned at me, concern overtaking his own frustration. I made a face, then let my head drop.
"Aww, tired already?" Shisui grinned, raising his leg. Sasuke flew through the now-open space and ate dirt.
"Shut… up." I kept a sharp eye on him, hidden behind my bangs. How well did he know my stamina? My reluctance to join training meant I never truly pushed myself beyond what I needed. Combined with my fondness for books, Shisui might underestimate me.
Well, it was try or wait for Shisui to give my book back.
And waiting was boring.
"Now, -ttebayo!" Naruto and Sasuke charged Shisui at the same time. Shisui did another unnecessary twirl—
—putting his back to me.
There was no way I could sneak up on him. So I threw myself forward, running as fast as I could. "GRAAAAAHHH!"
He whirled, but Naruto made one last weak swipe at his ankle, forcing him to dodge that first.
Leaving him open to me.
I crashed into Shisui's waist, sending us sprawling.
I ended up sitting on his stomach, making him wheeze. I pushed myself up, my breath rasping in my throat. We stared at each other.
"I did it," I marveled. I just toppled a jounin level ninja. Never mind that it had been sheer luck and he hadn't been taking me seriously either. "I can't believe you fell for it!"
The thrill of victory flooded my chest. I threw my head back and laughed. The adrenaline rush began to bleed away, leaving me dizzy.
Naruto flopped down where he stood, wide-eyed. Shisui grinned, his eyes sparkling. He raised himself up on his elbows and ruffled my hair. "Great job, Minako-chan!"
I beamed. My hair was halfway out my ponytail, my shirt clung to me with all my sweat, and I was sure I had a blotchy flush on my face. I probably didn't look pretty, but I felt damn good.
"You forgot something though," Shisui added.
"Eh?" I blinked at him.
"Don't leave yourself open, even when your enemy is down," he said cheerily.
Fingers dug into my sides.
I shrieked, scrambling off him. Naruto yelled with glee and threw himself into our little pile. Shisui yelped, the air leaving his lungs for a second time. Sasuke made a face, and stayed well away from the messy group rolling in the dirt.
Naruto and I settled into bed. A good shower washed off all the sweat and dirt from training, leaving us fresh and clean. We crawled over each other, giggling weakly. The moon was low and fat in the sky, the air cool. Just getting the covers in order was a production in itself.
"Min'ko," Naruto slurred, shoving his nose into my neck.
"Mm?" I pressed my cheek to his hair. I was too sleepy to correct him.
"You laughed today," he said.
I scrunched up my nose. "I laugh every day."
"Nn. No." He yawned. "Like, really, really laugh." He snuggled closer, curling our fingers together. "I'm glad," he added.
My heart warmed. I couldn't stop the smile pulling at my cheeks. I pulled our hands to my chest, and closed my eyes.
This was what our nights were like now—sated, buzzing with exhausted joy, eager to sleep and meet the next day. I sank into the cozy feeling, wrapping my brother's scent and warmth around me.
If things could stay like this, I would be happy.
"Minako, wake up!" A small hand grabbed me by the shoulder and shook.
"What?" I snapped, opening my eyes—and gasped as blue light spilled over my face. Then it winked out, leaving me blinking in the dark.
"What did you do?" Naruto hissed, now sounding irritated himself. I raised my hands in defense, much good it did me in the dark.
"I didn't do anything! I don't even know what happened!" I sat up, holding out my hands. Just a second ago, blue light had spilled from my skin. And now it was gone.
"Do you think…" Naruto's shadowed eyes flickered left and right as if he was about to confess to a crime. "D'you think it could be… chakra?" He looked aghast at saying the word, mixed with an almost painful hope.
I couldn't help the fond smile that flashed across my face. "It might be," I agreed. "It can't be anything else, right?" Civilians knew of chakra, but spoke of it the way a country farmer would speak of magic.
"Let's see if we can do it again," I suggested.
"Uhh… okay." Naruto blinked at me. "How?"
I bit back a giggle. "Well, first, we gotta do what we were doing before."
"But I thought we weren't doing anything before!" Naruto squirmed to face me. His restless bouncing made the bed creak.
"We didn't know what we were doing before," I corrected. "So, that's what we're going to find out."
"Ohhh." He held out his hand without prompting. That made me grin. I took his hand in mine and waited.
Naruto fidgeted. I shushed him absently, trying to think. What had been different this time? We've held hands in our sleep plenty of times before. I closed my eyes and tried to recall how I felt before Naruto woke me up. All I had felt was the heat in our hands, warming each other.
Wait, what if that was chakra? I tried to focus on the sensation. Was it just me, or was that heat moving?
Maybe if I just… push…?
"Ow!" Naruto yelped, yanking his hand back. "That hurt!"
"Sorry!" I apologized, patting his knee. Okay, pushing, bad idea. "One more try?" I asked. Looking much more reluctant now, Naruto gave me his other hand.
It had just been… contentment. Peace. A gentle joy in living this life together, in being with each other, of sharing our warmth…
Naruto gasped. I opened my eyes and gazed with wide-eyed wonder at the thin film of glowing blue light around our fingers. I could feel the heat, suddenly sharp under my skin. I pulled my hand away, intending to study the light, only for it to wink out and leave us in the dark again.
"Again, again!" Naruto demanded, holding his hand out. I obliged, giving him my hand. Now that I had an idea of how to do it, the light came back much faster. Instead of pushing, I eased the heat in my hands—the heat changing from a general warmth to a focused line swirling around my hand almost like veins—towards Naruto, not pushing, not forcing, waiting for him to reach out too. He must have, because soon enough, our hands lit up.
"How'd you do it?" Naruto's bright blue eyes shimmered in the light.
"You mean you don't know how?" I asked in surprise. "You're doing it too."
"I am?" Surprised, Naruto looked at his hand—and the light winked out again.
"Okay, here." I shifted on the bed, making it easier to hold his hand. "Feel the warmth in your hands. You feel it?"
I saw Naruto's forehead crinkle in the sparse moonlight. "…I think?" he replied.
"Okay. Now, try pushing it towards me—" Pain seared through my hand, making me screech and pull away. It felt like someone had gotten the mother of all pins-and-needles sensations and found a way to heat it to scorching.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Naruto cried in distress, frantically patting my face, shoulders, and knees. I tried to smile, but end up grimacing as I shook my hand out. It tingled in a weird combination of sore and numb, like I'd been electrocuted.
"It's fine, it's fine." I reached out with my other hand. "Try again, only gently… slow and careful now… ow!" My hand got zapped again, leaving me with two painfully tingling limbs. "Don't force it!"
"Sorry…" Naruto wilted.
"Let's try again later, okay?" It didn't feel like the burns were going to do me permanent damage. I flexed my hand experimentally, and winced. It felt like an ordinary burn from accidentally grabbing a hot pot, plus a hint of muscle soreness.
"Maybe we can ask Mikoto-baa-san." Naruto perked up. "She'd know, right?"
"Good idea," I said, pleased. Naruto beamed. He flopped back into bed, pulling the blankets we've kicked off back on.
I gave my hands one last look before lying down beside him. Slowly, a smile bloomed on my face.
So this was chakra.
Of course, the next day, the Hokage showed up.
The first sign was the sudden dearth of noise at the entrance of the school. Where there should have been loud, childish giggles, whining, and fetchers alternating between greetings and scolding, there were only quiet murmurs and the occasional, "But kaa-san—!"
We hadn't even made it to the door yet, and I was already curious. But then Sasuke and Naruto dragged me into a debate on whose turn it was to be the Shodaime, distracting me. It was Shino stuttering mid-step that made me raise my head.
The Sandaime stood at the gate to the Academy, tapping his unlit pipe against his lips. He was wearing his Hokage robes, sans the hat. It left his weathered face open to the elements. His only guard was a single ANBU member, who—to my disappointment—did not have a shock of spiky white hair.
I slowed to a stop beside Shino, just as bewildered. Why would the Hokage visit the Academy? The easiest answer would be, well, us, but it would be ridiculous to assume when we hadn't seen him since—
"Jiji!" Naruto yelled, barreling towards the gate. The old man looked up and smiled. Naruto came to a stop at his feet and began to jump up and down. "It's me, it's me, Uzumaki Naruto -ttebayo! Remember me?"
Sasuke stopped beside me. All three of us stared as the Hokage obliged Naruto and said, "Of course I remember you, Naruto-kun. You passed the independence test with your sister, didn't you?"
He turned that grandfatherly gaze on me. I had the weirdest urge to look behind me, then point at my chin. Me?
Having the strongest ninja in the village know your name was still so surreal.
"I see you two have made some friends," he said, gesturing us forward. A smile bloomed on my face.
"Ah…" I scratched my cheek. Naruto was too busy peering up at the ANBU, so I said, "Jij—Hokage-sama, this is Uchiha Sasuke and Aburame Shino. Um. You guys probably know the Hokage." His face was on the goddamn cliff. "We've met him a few times before." On a whim, I added, "Naruto calls him Jiji because he's old."
Jiji's eyes narrowed. His thoughtful, teasing hum made me grin.
"Hokage-sama," Shino greeted, his hands hidden in his jacket pockets. He shrunk into his hoodie, his face unreadable behind his sunglasses.
Sasuke, for once, was speechless. He kept looking between Naruto and the Hokage, like he couldn't believe my scruffy little brother knew the village leader.
"Hey, hey, where's Inu-san?" Naruto asked, ducking behind the Hokage as if he could find the ninja there.
"Inu-san is on a mission with his team. You'll have to make do with Shika-san, I'm afraid."
"Aww." Naruto pouted. The deer-masked shinobi showed no sign of being bothered by his disappointment.
The crowd (and it was a crowd now, mothers dithering as they watched us from the corner of their eyes) had gotten even quieter as the Hokage spoke to us. I shifted closer to Shino, trying to ignore the heavy weight of their stares. "Are you waiting for someone, Hokage-sama?" I asked.
"Yes. Good thing they didn't keep me waiting that long." It took us a second to get it. Naruto actually did the whole who, me? routine. Jiji's smile changed. "I wanted to see how you two were doing. Is that so strange?"
"No," I stammered, blurting out the easiest, politest answer. "No, of course not, just—"
"Really?" Naruto demanded, starry-eyed. "You wanted to see us?"
"Yes, really."
"YEAH!" Naruto danced, then leapt at Sasuke. "Wait til those jerks in class hear about this! They can't call me a liar anymore, dattebayo!"
At least, his enthusiasm shook Sasuke out of his funk. Literally. "Get off!" He shoved Naruto away. Naruto just laughed, gleeful at the thought of bragging to his classmates tomorrow.
Jiji's gaze followed the two's mock-wrestling. He kept his hands clasped together, hidden under his voluminous sleeves. "Let's talk over dinner. It'll be my treat."
"Dinner?" Nothing could grab Naruto's attention like food.
"Ah." I glanced at Sasuke and bit my lip. "We were supposed to head to Sasuke-kun's…"
"Oh yeah." Naruto's smile fell. He'd been looking forward to it too, after last night.
"I think you could stand to miss one day," Jiji said, amused.
I blinked, then forced myself to keep my eyes on Sasuke like I hadn't noticed anything. He knew about our visits? Well, okay, fine, ninja leader. And he probably had good reason to keep track of what the local jinchuuriki was up to.
"S'fine," Sasuke said. His disbelief gave way to a sullen pout. My heart went out to him. He could act grumpy all he wanted. Ever since Itachi pointed it out, I couldn't not notice how much arguing with Naruto made him light up. Anyone would get disappointed if their playdate got cancelled.
But it was the Hokage. What else could you do?
"Say sorry to Mikoto-baa-san for us," I said wistfully, thinking of the onigiri that had to be waiting for us.
"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke hesitated, then bowed to the Hokage. He nodded goodbye to Shino. "I'll go ahead then."
"See you tomorrow, teme!" Naruto bounced on his heels, waving. I reached over and smacked him over the ear. "Ow!"
"See you tomorrow, Shino-kun," I told our other friend. He, too, nodded goodbye, with a deeper bow for the Hokage. I waved him off, frowning. His silence worried me. He only quieted when he was nervous. Which, considering our esteemed company, was pretty understandable. Hopefully he'd feel better tomorrow.
"Where're we gonna eat? Where're we gonna eat? Ooh, how about some barbecue? Me and Minako always pass this one on the way to school, and it smells soooo good. Or, or, how about udon? I've never tried udon before! And kakigori! It always looks so nice in the pictures—"
The Hokage did a good job of lending Naruto an ear as my excited brother babbled. I trailed after them, tugging my ponytail back into place. I was excited to try new food too, but I couldn't stop feeling unnerved.
Jiji looked at something over our heads and nodded, before returning his attention to Naruto. "I'm afraid you'll have to pick one, Naruto-kun," he said, grandfatherly voice cheerful and kind.
Curious, I waited a few moments before turning back. The few civilian parents milling around had gone back to talking as we left. One glanced at me, then away, her shoulders slumped in clear relief.
Irritation flared in my chest. I faced front again, striding to catch up.
It wasn't a good way to start Jiji's visit.
We ended up in a donburi restaurant. It was a good middle ground, considering the variety of options available. Deer had disappeared somewhere, leaving the three of us to walk in on our own. I tensed on our way in, but aside from the waitress' eyes flickering to Naruto and me, there was no fuss.
I glanced at Jiji and fought the urge to roll my eyes. Amazing, what he could do through sheer presence alone.
They settled us in a closed off booth, away from the rest of the customers. We had to kneel on cushions, set around a low table. Our shoes were left outside the door, so as not to damage the tatami mats. The many pictures on the menu made my mouth water.
That was when Jiji made his second mistake of that day—telling us to eat as much as we wanted.
It was the first time we got to eat in a restaurant. And the Hokage had to be filthy rich, right? Right?
Between the two of us, I think Naruto and I managed to order one of everything on the menu.
Jiji was definitely twitching when they brought over our third bowl. Still, he went with the flow, asking us questions between every serving. How was our apartment? Was the apartment lady treating us well? How about school? Our teachers? Did we have other friends aside from Sasuke-kun and Shino-kun?
"Sometimes Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba hang out with us during lunch," was my reply. "But usually we hang out with Shino-kun and Sasuke-kun." I hesitated, then added, "We train at his place after class." It's not like he didn't know, anyway.
"You know the Uchihas very well then?"
"Mmhm!" Naruto ground down on his yakiniku, before swallowing. Thank god that lesson caught on fast. I wasn't sure what I would do if he spat rice bits at the Hokage. "Mikoto-baa-san's really nice! And Shisui teaches us a lot!"
"Shisui-senpai," I corrected, taking a more delicate bite of my katsudon. Oh, man, the pork was melting in my mouth…
I was not ashamed of making an embarrassing noise at my food.
"Shisui-senpai," Naruto repeated gamely.
"It's good of Sasuke-kun to invite you to his home." Jiji nodded. "But it's also good to be careful of invitations like that. Someone might expect something in return."
My chopsticks clacked together. I relaxed my grip, almost dropping them in my haste. Did he just say what I think he said?
"Huh." Naruto squinted at his empty bowl. He pushed it aside, then reached for a steaming bowl of oyakodon. "Well, obviously. Sasuke gives us a place to train, and me and Minako keep him on his toes!"
"You could be giving something else without knowing it," Jiji pointed out. His chopsticks rested on his bowl, a clump of rice left unfinished on the bottom. "Is there something you want to say, Minako-kun?"
I froze mid-squirm. Shit, shit. I thought I was keeping it down pretty well, but—well. Itachi was a genius, but Jiji had decades on him. And I'd only started learning weeks ago.
Now I had to think of something to say, and fast.
"It's just…" I tapped my chopsticks on the rim of my bowl, resisting the temptation to fidget. "Is there something wrong with training at Sasuke-kun's place?" There. Not too insightful, while obvious enough that I noticed something. Hopefully, it would work.
Jiji leaned back. His eyes were heavy where they rested on me. I swallowed. Unable to keep eye contact any longer, I shoved more katsudon in my mouth as an excuse to duck my head.
"Not quite," he said, clear as mud. "I think it would be best if you stopped going to the Uchiha compound for the time being, however."
I stiffened. I put my chopsticks down, then gave in to the urge to clench my fists on my lap. The table kept them out of sight.
It was not a suggestion.
"Ehh?" The chicken headed for Naruto's mouth fell. He looked at Jiji in dismay. "Why, dattebayo? Everyone's really nice, and they haven't asked us to do anything!"
Jiji shook his head. "There are things happening in the village that you don't understand. As things are, your visits to their compound only hurts them, not helps them."
"Is this about the other clans being mad at the Uchiha?" I blurted.
"Who told you that?"
I quailed under Jiji's sudden, intense gaze.
"Shikamaru and Sasuke fought about it during lunch," Naruto replied, frowning. He didn't appreciate the reminder. Shikamaru and Chouji stopped hanging out with us as much after the fight. And while Shikamaru was willing to nap while Chouji played with Naruto, Kiba, and Sasuke, his demeanor stayed cold towards the little Uchiha.
"Hmm." Jiji tipped his head, his arms crossed. "The Uchiha are in a bit of trouble right now, but it's not for you to worry about."
"Why?" I tilted my chin up. The thought of missing Shisui's teasing, Mikoto's quiet generosity, and Itachi's lessons sparked a fire in my churning gut. "What kind of trouble are they in, that we can't see our friends?"
The corners of Jiji's mouth turned down. It wasn't quite Naruto's or Sasuke's mulish pout, but I'd seen theirs enough to guess at what it meant. "Jiji," I insisted, my nails digging into my knees.
His gaze was as heavy as ever, drilling into my eyes and my head, like he could lay out the insides piece by piece. "I'll explain it to you when you're older."
Oh, wrong answer, old man. "Shikamaru said the Uchiha were making a lot of unreasonable demands," I said, searching my memory. "That they were starting fights every clan meeting. But Sasuke said his otou-san thinks the Uchiha aren't being acknowledged. Is it always like that? Do they only bring up the same thing, every meeting?"
Jiji's eyes narrowed. "The Uchiha have been saying these things for months now. Don't think you'll be able to sway me with their words, Minako-kun."
I looked askance at him. "No one's making me say anything! I'm just saying, if they keep repeating something, maybe it's time somebody listened." I bit my cheek, trying not to think of murmurs of Those Kids, of my throat going hoarse from crying My name is—
"And if they're the ones who won't listen?"
I slapped the table, my irritation flaring to full on anger. "Maybe you're just being stuck up! Nothing's gonna happen if nobody wants to give! You gotta give them a chance, jiji!"
"Oh?" His eyes turned impossibly sharp. The air grew heavy with tension. "And what would you suggest, Minako-kun?"
I froze in terror.
"Why don't you just ask them?" Naruto piped up. He was glaring now too. "Minako and I fight all the time, but we talk about it, so we fix things up! She always says there's a reason why people are mean. If you can't think of one, it means you just don't know them well enough yet."
Heat flooded my face. Whether it was from embarrassment or pride, I didn't know. It was something I used to try to comfort him with, since our orphanage days. The fact that he remembered it enough to tell someone else made my stomach flip.
Jiji stared us down. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck. But it was too late to back off. I stayed on my knees, bracing myself on the table. Any longer, and my teeth would be ground to powder.
Suddenly, the pressure eased. Jiji huffed, grandfatherly smile back in place. "Very well. You kids have convinced me."
I eased myself back into my seat, unable to relax. No way it worked. No way it was that easy.
"Since you're so adamant, I'm sure you don't mind if I tag along to your next training session," Jiji said. "You can show me what it's like, and I could talk to Sasuke-kun's parents in the meantime."
My stomach dropped to my feet.
Naruto beamed. "Yeah! We'll show you! Then you'll see how nice Mikoto-baa-san and everyone are."
I mirrored his smile, even as my brain ran in panicked circles. What had we just done? What were we bringing to Itachi's door? No way was this a canon development. Naruto would have never thought of this on his own. It was my temper that got me nagging the Hokage, and now here we were.
Maybe… maybe things would turn out alright. Or maybe we just made it worse. How would this affect the plot? The Uchiha Massacre?
My heart skipped a beat at the thought. If there was a chance… if there was a chance I could do something to help, then… then…
Could I? Should I? Would it be worth it?
Sasuke. Itachi. Shisui. Mikoto. I swallowed, and pushed my terror down, as far as it would go. "It's a great idea," I croaked.
Yes. Yes. If there was a chance, yes. I didn't know what to do. None of this was planned. But I didn't want them to die. So if there was anything I could do, anything…
I would do it. For even that slightest chance.
Naruto held on to my hand as we left, telling Jiji all about the things we got up to at the compound. I followed listlessly, too busy trying not to throw up everything I'd just eaten. His grip tightened, making me glance down.
I remembered the blue glow last night, and frowned. Now was the perfect chance to ask someone about it. The Hokage was older and more experienced than Mikoto. He'd know more about incidents like this.
"I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then," Jiji reminded us as we walked out the restaurant.
I set my jaw and raised my head. The Hokage nodded farewell, before heading off with his ANBU at a leisurely pace.
"C'mon," I told Naruto, tugging him away. "Let's go home."
I'll ask Mikoto tomorrow.
A/N:
Me, yelling from the top of the Hokage monument: HEEEERE COOOOMES PLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT
Yes, Shisui is teaching the kids where to stab with a kunai. :)
Also, I'm thinking of changing the summary of the story, to make it more appealing to new readers. What do you guys think?
Ps. I've discovered Picrew, and now there are a bunch of pictures of Minako on my writing blog. Check it out at fleeting-white-feathers tumblr!
