Sasuke is minding her own business. She's training at her family's training ground in order to get her strength up so she can finally ditch her crutch. The crutch is resting on the ground beside the training posts a few meters away. Her father was with her, but he went to get them some lemonade. And now, oh joy of joys, here comes Hinata with a look on her face that Sasuke has seen before. It's the same look Hinata had on her face before they had that catfight.
Sasuke sighs dramatically. "What do you want, Hinata?" she asks. "I'm busy."
"You need to stop hitting Naruto," says Hinata, glaring at Sasuke.
"No," says Sasuke. "Hitting Naruto is what I do best."
Hinata unleashes her byakugan death glare at Sasuke. "Stop hitting my boyfriend."
Sasuke returns the gaze with her best sharingan death glare. "No."
Hinata grabs a fistful of Sasuke's hair and yanks really hard. Sasuke, glad that Hinata is growing her hair out, returns the gesture. Hinata kicks Sasuke's feet out from under her, sending them both sprawling on the grass, because Sasuke refuses to let go of Hinata's hair. They end up rolling around on the grass, scratching and biting and pulling each other's hair.
Suddenly they are doused in cold water. Sasuke and Hinata roll away from each other, spluttering and protesting angrily. Their fathers pull them to their feet.
"Sasuke, what has gotten into you?" Sasuke's Dad demands.
"Hinata, what are you thinking?" demands Hinata's dad.
"Dad?" says Hinata, shocked. "When did you get here?"
"I followed you because I saw the look on your face when you left," says Hiashi. "That look always means trouble."
"She keeps hitting Naruto with her crutch!" says Hinata, trying to lunge at Sasuke.
"Well he's a dumbass!" snaps Sasuke.
"But he's my boyfriend and I don't like you hitting him!" screams Hinata, kicking out at Sasuke, only to be pulled back by Hiashi.
"Well he's my brother from another life, and I reckon I should be allowed to pick on him!" returns Sasuke, spitting at Hinata.
"You two…" growls Hiashi.
"Are both grounded for a week," says Fugaku.
"What!" protests Hinata.
"But she attacked me!" says Sasuke. She only just got ungrounded a month ago!
"We don't care who started it," says Hiashi. "We won't have our daughters behaving like alleycats."
And so, both girls are taken home in disgrace. Sasuke resolves to let Hinata have it at the upcoming chunin exams.
Minato had to make a second trip to the Hidden Mist to fetch Kohari and Ikkaku, who were a bit put out about being left behind. Ikkaku and Kohari spend all their time at the Uzumaki House hanging out with Iruka, Mei and Namiko.
On the morning after Asuma and Kurenai's wedding, Mei is sitting on the couch eating chocolate sauce covered ramen while Namiko pulls disgusted faces and Iruka plays Shogi with Kohari. Ikkaku sits watching them, thinking how nice it would have been if he and Kohari had gotten to watch Iruka grow up.
Namiko sticks her finger in Mei's bowl, and then licks the chocolate-ramen broth off her finger. "Yuck!" She pulls a face. "Mummy that's gross why are you eating that?"
"Oh hush," says Mei. "It's not that gross."
Namiko slides off the couch, runs over to Iruka and climbs onto his lap. She gives her mother a suspicious side-eye and whines, "Daddy, Mummy is eating weird food and I am worried because it is making her fat."
"Namiko," says Ikkau, suppressing the urge to laugh. "Your mother is not getting fat. Being pregnant makes women's stomachs get bigger - and it also makes them want to eat weird food. You think chocolate ramen is bad? When Grandma was pregnant with Iruka she once ate a fried onion covered in ice cream, a poached egg and some pureed tree bark. That was gross."
"Ewwwwww…" Namiko buries her face in Iruka's shirt and makes adorable disgusted noises.
"Is that true?" asks Iruka, making a move on the shogi board.
"Yep," says Kohari, grinning. "Although, in my defence, I was hanging out with some members of the Order of Steve at the time."
"...and suddenly some of Namiko's bizarre behaviour makes sooooo much sense," says Mei. "One time she chased a duck around the Mist for a whole day and, when she finally caught it, she declared that she wanted to fry it in breadcrumbs."
"That duck was tasty," says Namiko, her voice muffled by Iruka's shirt.
Ikkaku laughs. "Iruka once did the same thing with a rabbit," he says. "And according to my parents I did it too, with a chicken. The strangest things are hereditary."
Mei pats her stomach and says, "I wonder if this baby will do it too?"
Kohari laughs. "Maybe, maybe not. I never did it."
"Do you have any ideas for a name yet?" asks Ikkaku. He has asked that question every day since he found out she was pregnant a week ago.
"No, not really," says Mei.
"I know!" pipes up Namiko, turning around. "Let's name it after undead Grandma or undead Grandpa!"
"Oh, that's a good idea," says Mei, smiling.
Ikkaku's eyes get a little bit misty. "That's so sweet of you…"
Koahri simply blushes and smiles.
Iruka looks surprised at first, but then he smiles nervously and scratches the back of his head. "We'll do that I guess…"
Ikkaku grins at his son. It seems Iruka has not really changed much at all, except for becoming more mature. He was worried at first, but now Ikkaku can clearly see that Iruka is a happy, perfectly functional adult with a family of his own. Ikkaku grins at Kohari, who grins back.
Both Kohari and Ikkaku begin to shine with a white light, and particles of ash detach from their skin and hover around them.
"Oh," realizes Ikkaku. "The jutsu is broken. I guess this is goodbye."
Koharu sighs. "Well you win by default, Iruka."
"Oh...um...I guess…" Iruka stammers.
"Good bye," says Ikkaku.
"Good bye," says Kohari. "Have a healthy baby."
Ikkaku's vision fades to white and suddenly he and Kohari are back in the afterlife. "Well that was a fun outing," he says. "Let's go find Okami's parents and tell them they have a granddaughter."
"Yes, let's," agrees Kohari.
Itachi finishes her workout session and turns to Shisui, who is sitting to one side of the training hall holding Karasu. "I think I'm ready," she says.
"Ready for what?" asks Shisui.
"Ready to go and join Akatsuki," says Itachi. Did she forget to tell him she is joining Yahiko's team?
Shisui's face falls. "So soon?"
Good, she did tell him. Itachi thought she had. "You didn't take much time at all to adjust to being blind, and I have recovered properly from giving birth. One of us needs to be the breadwinner, and I have an opportunity to join an organization that pays very well. Therefore, I will join Akatsuki and you will be a stay-at-home Dad."
"My house isn't baby friendly...and my parents don't want to have anything to do with you and Karasu until we get married," explains Shisui. "Couldn't you leave him with your parents? I mean, I want to look after Karasu, but I can't bring him home."
"Why haven't you moved out yet?" asks Itachi. She forgot Shisui still lives with his parents. Itachi never liked those two. Not since Naruto's sixth birthday party when Shisui got sick and his parents refused to collect him from the Hokage's house. Itachi's father went and got Shisui eventually, and had many angry words to say to Shisui's parents about dumping their sick 13 year old on a busy Hokage.
"Because there is nowhere to move to in the compound, and Lord Fugaku hasn't managed to revoke the law saying we have to live in this compound yet," explains Shisui.
"That is a problem," says Itachi. "I will figure something out."
Itachi wakes up before dawn. She knows what she must do. Itachi suits up in her ninja gear and shunshis out of the window. Itachi stops on the top of a power line pole and crouches there, surveying the Uchiha compound. The moon silhouettes her against the sky ominously. Itachi locates her target, right where she expected him to be. She shinshuins down to Shisui's house and breaks in through his bedroom window.
Shisui is lying ungracefully starfished on his bed, with his sheets twisted around him, and his pillow and duvet on the floor. He is wearing the onesie Itachi got him to replace the pink one. Unfortunately, the pink duck onesie got ruthlessly burned to ashes on the Whirlpool Tour. Apparently Naruto threw it into the wall of fire surrounding the Temple of Jashin. But Itachi is not happy unless Shisui is wearing pyjamas as ridiculous as his sleeping positions. As soon as she found out about the pink duck onesie, Itachi bought him a yellow onesie with a hood. This onesie is not merely decorated with ducks, it is a duck costume.
Itachi hoists Shisui out of bed and onto her back. "...Itachi…" Shisui mutters, stirring a little and wrapping his arms around her. Then he settles back into a peaceful slumber. Good, this will make carrying him easier. Itachi climbs out Shisui's bedroom window and shunshins back to her house.
Before climbing back in her own window, Itachi pauses and listens. Sasuke is snoring softly, Eizo is snoring loudly, their parents are sleeping quietly. Peanut is chasing a mouse around the garden. No one has noticed Itachi kidnapping her own boyfriend. Itachi climbs back into her bedroom and tucks Shisui into her bed. Shisui lets go of Itachi very reluctantly, but Itachi gives him a pillow to cuddle and he (thankfully) stays asleep.
That taken care of, Itachi packs a few necessities into her mission bag and writes a note for her parents. Itachi slings her back onto her back, kisses her baby and her boyfriend goodbye, places her note on her bedside table and leaves to join Akatsuki.