This chapter is a chapter. Idk what to call it; it's kind of mixed with feels and plot points and stuff. And it was a bit to chew. And by chew I mean edit. Plus I didn't have internet over the week so accessing things aren't convenient anymore. But, I got a head start on chapter 8.

Anyways, I'm really happy with the feedback…of course, some people are confused by Saturn. Don't worry, I do know what I'm doing…it's not like I'm a novice with this kind of thing. SI on the other hand is a whole other story tho lol.

Recommended song: anything calm, really…this chapter is just a rainbow of things.

Original word count: 8.3k~ (I swear the number just keeps rising…)

Enjoy! :3

Chapter 7: Nested

"I'm…" I mumbled flatly. My nervous smile widened nervously. "Could you repeat that, Hokage-sama…?"

He can't be serious.

"You're suspended," he repeated bluntly.

He is serious. What the fuck.

"Um…might I respectfully ask why?"

"I expected you to peacefully finish this mission, so I didn't bring it up," he said. "But the cost for failing this mission would be a week-long suspension under the orders of the Daimyō."

"Y—Daimyō?" I sputtered out, because I understood how high a position the Daimyō had…head of the government. The place where the Illumanti shit happened—where the Zodiac Killer could be! Jesus fuck. "He said that?"

"Yes," Hiruzen confirmed. He put a hand on his desk and leaned back. "I'll need to compensate your weaponry and headband until you are back in commission."

Why? Why? It was just a few bombs! Only a few paper bombs—which, by the way, was a very stupid concept…they looked more like those corny ass talismans you'd buy at a sketchy tourist shop to "ward off the yōkai"! Bullshit.

But I pulled the headband off from my thigh and undid the connection my pouches had with my attire, making way to the desk and setting it down with spaghetti arms.

The instant they left my palm, tension released and I deflated. "May I be dismissed, Hokage-sama…?"

"Of course," he permitted kindly. He smiled. "Both you and Sakumo are dismissed. I will call you both in a day or two after you've rested and reunited."

"Oh…I almost forgot about that," I uttered out as I left with Sakumo behind me.

He smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder. "It'll be alright," he said. "You'll make it through seven days, won't you? You've still got plenty of art supplies to keep yourself occupied."

"Oh yeah, tou-san, can I make a mural in that empty room across from yours and kaa…your room?" I asked, which totally switched my mood. I could be down about it later. Besides…rest sounded really appealing. But…still, this suspension thing was shocking…and I guess I had to help with everyone else get to better terms with Ren's death.

He blinked in surprise at me before dropping into a smile. "That was certainly a sharp change in mood," he commented. "But yes, I've wanted to do something with that room for a time…I was actually thinking about using it as a storage. I mean, you kids are growing up so fast! Kakashi and Obito are gonna be genin soon…and, disregarding the events that happened just now, I feel like you'll become a jōnin very soon."

"Yeah right," I grumbled, but I…I was flustered. Jōnin was a prominent title that I saw as a long-distance goal. "I was thinking of something traditionally supernatural. But that's one of many ideas."

Sakumo chuckled. "Creepy."

"Very," I agreed. "Especially in such an open room like that." I looked out the window. "How are we gonna tell Kakashi and Obito that their tou-san's is alive? I mean, it's not everyday you hear about it."

"You can go out there first," Sakumo said. "You'll do better at breaking the news. It'll be easier for them to soak in."

"But how?" I complained. I didn't enjoy being the one to break such news…because, honestly, I wasn't the messenger.

"Do your best," he wished, and then he ducked behind a pillar as the clear glass door came into view enough to expose Kakashi and Obito sitting in a grassy patch and just…talking, I guess.

I huffed. Reunions were things that I really hated. They were stupid. They were tiring. And I hated attending them. I never went to my high school reunions partially because of it. The other part was because of my busy schedules. And my absences from my nation.

I avoided them at…most costs.

Not to mention suspension was still kinda crashing down on me. Be down about it later my ass, I failed and it sucked.

I pushed the door open, swinging myself out to the boys on my stupid supports.

"Onee-chan, where's our surprise?" Obito asked instantly. He looked up at me with big black eyes that were melting me.

I squinted at him, but then smiled enough to make my eyes close. "It's inside," I said. "You two go on in, yeah? I'll join you in a second."

Obito brightened up. "Yay! Surprise!" he cheered. He hopped up, and practically ran in.

But Kakashi stayed behind, slowly standing up and looking at me. "You're lying," he accused.

I dropped my smile and blinked at him. "I just need a few moments to recompose myself," I said. "I just got hit with some news—which is the surprise, by the way." A total white lie. "Go see it, will ya, you little scaredy cat."

He glared, half-stomping away in a huffy agitation at the frien fly insult.

I honestly wanted to stay out of the reunion. Family I might be, but I felt out of place here. Even after living in this world for ten years, being myself in general and just…working with this strange chakra thing, I still felt like I was in another world, merely dreaming—or perhaps I invaded this body by accident while in the womb. Or, maybe I really was dead and this was just the afterlife. Generally just resting with other dead things wasn't something I fancied. I don't know.

But it still didn't feel like it worked.

When Kakashi closed the door behind his heels, I turned away and starting wobbling off to home.

"Haruto, where are you going?"

I stopped dead, recognizing the voice of mustard boy, and pointed my crutch out towards the road ahead of me. "That way," I replied bluntly.

What is with blond's and interfering of this world, anyway?

I heard him jump and land on his feet. I took it as a cue to hurry up and leave, but he was running and he was running fast.

Minato was in front of me, arms spread out, and clearly blocking my way out of the courtyard. I glared. "Why," I snapped. I glared and swung my crutch at him. "Stupid mustard boy."

He smiled nervously at me, obviously wary of what I could do with a metal object. "Now, now," he said quickly. "Your brothers need you, don't they? I-I mean—they're seeing their dead dad! Surely they'd want their sister with them."

I put my crutch down and pouted. "I'm tired and reunions are tiring," I shot back. "So I'm going home to be not tired. Now move it custard idiot!" I moved forward and swung my crutch at him in a flurry of half-desperate attempts.

They barely worked. More or less, he was still in the same area as before. I huffed at him. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

He waved his hands quickly. "C-come on…please?" he pleaded. "I'm almost begging here…!"

"Your status went from custard idiot to custard sissy!" I proclaimed loudly. I did laugh though. "Begging a ten-year-old is priceless though."

He sighed and planted his hands on his hips, his comically frantic demeanor changing. "But in all seriousness, Haruto, you should join them," he said with a dead-set tone I recognized all too well. "You're their sister. You can't just bail out on something like this."

"Watch me."

Minato narrowed his eyes at me a little. It was almost in a scolding way, too, similar to how Ren would scold Obito or I would scold Kakashi. It was annoying, nonetheless. I easily took that as a sign of superiority. "They're your family. Don't ignore them."

"I'm not—"

"Then why are you leaving like this?" he interrupted, crossing his arms.

I smiled at him. It stretched widely enough to make my eyes close. "Can you p—"

"By the gods, if you two are gonna argue go do it somewhere else dattebane!" Kushina shouted from a window. "Minato, give her a break; she's ten! And Haruto! Stop acting all high and mighty, get your head out of your a—um, butt 'ttebane! You're ten!"

I huffed out of irritated amusement and looked up at her. "Just you watch, I'll be turning eleven in a few months!" I retorted sarcastically.

Kushina just busted out into a fit of laughter, backing away from the window and disappearing down the hall. She closed the window while she was at it, too, and it just sounded so joyous and genuine…I loved it.

"Are you still gonna leave?" Minato asked.

"Yes," I replied without any hesitation, which seemed to take him by surprise. But then I sighed and rolled my dark eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, I can explain it to you later…or something. I'm tired. I'll tell you if I regret doing it and then you can rub it in."

He blinked at me.

"Bye," I said, and left the academy grounds as quickly as I could.

I sighed again. That was probably a bit more trouble than it was worth, but I honestly can't find myself regretting it…

The family would have an understanding.

But I still have that mural to think about.

I cooped myself in my room for the rest of the day. I sketched out many traditional yōkai, the more popular one being the Gumiho…and I guess I exhausted myself doing nothing but dragging a pencil across a page multiple times to the point of sleep.

It was a nonexistent period of rest, totally useless and wasted. I couldn't really get my mind off the mural enough to actually get any sleep…

But then I was glad that I didn't fall asleep, and that I was just lying on my bed, still, and hugging a pillow comfortingly. I regretted not crawling under the blankets though. It was getting cold. However, the reason why I was glad was because Minato stopped by. And Sakumo obviously guided him to my room.

"That's a bummer. She fell asleep," the older man said quietly.

"Oh. Well, do you want me to come back tomorrow?" Minato inquired in a whisper.

"No. You've got your orders. And, besides, I have a pretty good idea as to why she would avoid such a thing," Sakumo stated. He was obviously moving around to get to the closet for an extra blanket.

"You do?"

The man chuckled silently. "Maybe," he replied. "It could be because of the fact that Haruto is rather sensitive towards people. I'm guessing you haven't noticed in the short time you've known her, but she considers others around her before herself."

Minato sounded confused. "Oh. Then…why'd she leave?"

"I can only guess. It might just be overwhelming, but I don't know," Sakumo murmured, putting the blanket over me. "You'll have to ask her yourself but you're a smart kid, Minato. Surely you can figure it out."

The blond's sigh was quiet.

"Let's leave her alone for now," he suggested. "We've all had a really long day, and I'm sure you're as tired as I am."

"Yeah, at this point I'm probably sleeping on my feet."

"Then why don't you spend the night here?" Sakumo suggested. Their movement indefinitely sounded like they were leaving.

"You're sure…?"

"Yes, yes."

"But don't you have plans with your kids? I'd feel like I'd be intruding…"

"I do, but only with the boys. I'm leaving Haruto out."

"What? Why?"

"Well, I know how she works. She's…my daughter. I also know that she still needs to come to terms with everything, so it makes things…"

Then they were out of audible and visible reach, signified by the tap of the dojo door sliding close. I huffed and sat up, still hugging the pillow. Sakumo was definitely pulling some strings and whether or not it was done on purpose, or on accident, was a to-be-thought-out-later thing. For now, I had a sketchbook, a pencil, and some feelings.

I just had to sort myself out first.

But, of course, it was interrupted by some hissing sounds. Odd. I looked at the door, blinking sluggishly at the crack. That…wasn't supposed to happen.

And nobody was there. It wasn't like Sakumo to make tapping sounds, right? I mean, he wasn't a man of mistake. Not…mistakes like this, at least. Something white moved at the bottom of my peripheral. So, naturally, I looked at it.

There was a white snake, slowly slithering towards me.

I was enough of a professional to know what to do—I mean, I've held snakes before and all, and I've seen garden ones out in the wild…and a cousin of mine had a pet Python in my before life. But a snake, a white one at that, was clearly slithering—towards me—and hissing.

Besides, I was suspended. I don't need to be professional, do I?

So I (professionally) screamed, jumping off my bed and running out of my room. I slammed the door shut, and kept it secured for a few seconds. Honestly, I was shocked. How the fuck did a snake get into my fucking room?

But then the stupid serpent shot out through the paper.

I was quick to drop a loud curse, vivid but short. I quickly started sprinting down the hall—which was stupid, of course, because who can run from a creature who could slide across the ground for tens of miles?

"Haruto!" I heard Sakumo call.

I rounded a corner, entering the living room a few seconds later and jumping onto the couch. But the fucking snake was still pretty damn fast. It entered the living room barely a second after me. "Snake!" I shrieked, jumping off the couch and onto the coffee table.

It all happened in a bit of a blur, but Minato suddenly jumped in a grabbed the snake behind the head. Its natural reaction was to coil around his arm, which really creeped me out. It sent goosebumps up and down my arms and made me shiver.

"A snake?" Sakumo said as he hurried into the living room. "Odd. How'd it get in here?"

Minato looked at me. "It was chasing Haruto," he stated. He frowned, obviously worried. "Are you okay?"

"No! A snake just chased me out of my room," I snapped. I got down from the table and crossed my arms, still breathing heavily from the sprint. And my hands were shaking a little.

"What a pretty little thing," Sakumo commented. He chuckled. "Why don't you put it outside, Minato? I'm sure it's starting to hurt."

The blond smiled nervously. "Yeah…" he agreed. "I'll be right back. Do you want me to put it in the front or back yard?"

"Back yard. It'll be easier to get to the wild that way," Sakumo replied. Minato nodded and left quickly with the hissing snake, and the oldest in the compound looked at me. "You caused quite the ruckus. I'm sure you woke everyone up."

I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's fine," he said. "You don't need to apologize. What happened?"

"Well I woke up," I explained. "And I heard hissing. I looked at my door, and saw that it was opened up a little. That snake was coming towards me so I ran."

"Hmm…that's strange. We would've noticed…"

I blinked at him curiously. "How come?"

"Minato stopped by to visit, as you could see, so we ended up walking and talking," he explained.

"Why so late?"

"Beats me. Anyways, why don't you go back to your room?" Sakumo suggested. "You've had a long day, and it's getting to be a bit too late."

"Okay…but can you at least make sure there are no more snakes?" I asked grimly.

He smiled and nodded. "Of course," he reassured. "Goodnight, Haru."

"Night," I said, and then I stalked off back to my room. Stupid snakes…I didn't even think they would tread this deep into Konoha. I mean, they aren't exactly known to wander into populated areas. Not unless they were placed.

I sighed quietly. I was honestly too tired for this, and the pain of my broken ribs were just now settling in.

It seemed like getting some damn sleep was gonna be harder than expected.

The next morning was really, really boring. And I barely had gotten any rest. I ended up staying awake until the ass crack of dawn. To top it all off, that is the time I often wake up at, sometimes four or sometimes never because I pulled an all-nighter. My discipline didn't allow me to sleep past eight…so I was downstairs, eating warmed up leftover bento, green tea and black coffee with Ren's dog at my feet at eight-thirty AM sharp.

Otherwise, I was alone—well, in terms of being awake.

And I had a feeling I would be for a while, too. The war had been eerily quiet—and, I daresay, calm. Hiruzen probably told Kakashi and Obito's academy teacher (or was it teachers) about the situation in detail…and I'm guessing Sakumo, Minato and Kushina were all out of commission until they were recuperated enough to swing a punch without hurting themselves too much to be branded a liability.

Then, I was (still) suspended.

I huffed quietly, and drank the tea. Two mugs were out in front of me, one full of coffee and the other full of tea. The bento got boring, and there was nothing to do.

I didn't fancy just reading a book, which was something most of the household did when they were bored or too tire for anything. I had to have a certain mood to follow along the plot and enjoy it. And, I'm wildly guessing, but I do believe I lost the authority to do shinobi things and have shinobi access.

So I just sat there, with bags under my eyes, and crazy red hair that spiked out and naturally covered one of my eyes with a stupid mutt curling up and warming my cold feet.

I sighed and looked under the table. I never cared for dogs…I mean, I love their companionship and all; but they're too energetic and destructive and outgoing and thirsty for attention. College friend had a dog, shared an apartment with said college friend and dog and the stupid thing chewed my fucking mattress.

I stared at Ren's dog. "Why are you here?" I grumbled. "Why don't you go back to your dog friends with the Inuzuka? Your companion is dead, you know." I couldn't help but glare. It needed to fuck off and go home.

But the mutt just yawned and whined.

And my heart melted. I felt goosebumps jump into action and I made a face at it. "Seriously."

Ren's dog still didn't move. Instead, it put its head down on its paws and went back to cuddling the feet that weren't there anymore.

"Stupid dog…" I muttered.

"Onee-chan…why are you being mean to Yoru-chan?"

I blinked and looked at the kitchen entry way. Obito was standing there, short and small with tired eyes being rubbed by sluggish fists. His raven black hair was messy, and his eyes were not only red, but they were also swollen.

I sighed quietly. "Were you crying again?" I asked almost rhetorically. But he nodded anyway. So, I did the big sister thing; I turned my body towards him and opened my arms to invite him in for a hug.

Obito didn't really need to be invited though. Nor did he hesitate to take it. He rushed up to me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, instantly crying and sobbing into my shirt. He slipped down to his knees, his fingers curling into the fabric as he just…broke down. Again.

I almost sighed. Almost. But…it wasn't exactly appropriate. He was crying, obviously, and just really sad in general over the death of Ren. Because, as far as I was concerned, Kazue's presence in his life was literally nothing. Ren was his mother.

So, how could I help him feel better?

Maybe him about Kazue—or, the good parts…at least. But I wouldn't lie about her whereabouts. She was still in jail.

There really wasn't much else I could think of. So I waited for my moment to speak up. A moment of which I waited for a solid twenty minutes for. It was almost nine when I looked at the oven clock.

Obito's sobs became far and distant in happenstances. He stopped leaking water from his adorably large black eyes and he was slowly becoming limp in grip.

"You know…" I said quietly, "you aren't motherless."

He seemed to tense up a little. So, for soothing measures, I started to smooth out his messy hair.

"Our kaa-san, the one who made us," I almost cringed, "is still alive. Did you know that?"

He looked up at me a little, sniffing but calm and curious. "R-really…?"

I smiled. "Yeah," I replied. "She's here, in Konoha…but, unfortunately, we won't be able to see her for a long time."

Obito's eyes widened a little. "Why?"

"She's serving time," I explained. "You know what that means, right?" He slowly nodded. "But she's alive. And she loves you, even though she can't see you. So you…you aren't motherless."

"B-but what about K-kashi…?" he stuttered out.

"You've both got me, don't you?" I pointed out. I snorted mirthfully. "I guess I could attempt mother hen. But I'd imagine Kushina doing a better job…"

Obito managed a smile, bright but weaker than his past ones. "You'll do fine," he croaked.

I just smiled back, and changed the subject. "Anyways, I think you should get back to sleep. You look like a zombie and you ruined my favorite shirt," I said.

He pouted. But then he yawned, and gave a sheepish look.

"Come on, I'll tuck you in for a short nap."

"I'm too old for that, though…"

"I will tuck you in when you're twenty and you'll like it," I snapped. "Now let's get a move on. I don't want your snot drying out."

He giggled, but got up, cleaned his face off, and I led him back to his room. Despite his protest, I did actually tuck him in. The lights were turned off, the rising sun was blocked, and I closed the dojo door behind my heels when I exited.

I, myself, was starting to feel the lack of sleep catch up.

"Need more coffee…" I half whispered as I walked down the hall.

When I entered the kitchen, the stupid dog was sitting in my chair drinking both my coffee and my tea. I ripped off my slipper and threw it at the hairy beast. "Shoo! Go! Out!" I shouted. "Away, demon! Beast! Mongrel!"

It didn't listen.

So, naturally, I pushed it off and glared at it. "Those are mine! Never return, or I daresay the power of Jesus repel you demon!"

Ren's dog scrambled away, but its tongue was lulling and its tail was wagging with happiness and joy. It scurried off into the living room, and from there, it was (probably) gonna hide in Sakumo's room.

And then Minato stumbled into the kitchen, zombie-like and deadbeat exhausted. "What is with all the commotion?" he grumbled out, falling into the chair across from mine with squinted eyes and messy hair.

I practically yanked the cups from their spots on the table, dumping them out and half dropping them in the sink. "That stupid dog drank my coffee and tea," I snapped. "I leave it unattended with my drinks for a solid minute and it has the audacity to drink them! I swear to any sort of deity out there that it will live in a hole if I smell it on my cups ever again…" I crossed my arms.

"You don't mean that," he said sluggishly. "Oh, um…is there still coffee?"

"Well, unless you consult with Mr. Steal-yo-coffee-and-tea, then no, there is no more coffee," I half-ranted.

"Oh."

"Great conversation, would you like some tea with its imminent death?" I asked shortly.

He slowly nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Uh, yeah…sure." He yawned. "But I heard crying earlier. What was that all about?"

I felt myself stiffen a little as I started pouring some of the green, lukewarm leftover tea. "Obito is still coming to terms with kaa-san's death," I explained. "I had him go back to bed. Better to sleep it off than anything…"

"What about you?"

I looked at him, sliding his cup of tea over before sitting down with my own. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…your tou-san is alive after being reportedly KIA. It's not everyday that happens," he pointed out. "And then your kaa-san is…" his face tightened as he grimaced, "well, she's still gone."

I huffed. "Didn't we talk about this yesterday?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But I felt like you were lying."

"I'm ten," I pointed out. I rolled my eyes. "You're stupid."

Sakumo suddenly appeared, literally popping up behind the frame that joined the living room and kitchen and dining room without any warning. Both of us were obviously taken by surprise. I almost spit my tea, and Minato almost lost his grip on the mug handle.

"Stop bullying each other, kids," he chided. "Half the house is still sleeping and I'd rather not have another spurt of loud noises to wake everybody else up."

"Sorry, sir," Minato apologized.

"I did nothing," I muttered dramatically as I drank more of my hour-old lukewarm tea.

"Alright," Sakumo said indifferently. He sighed. "Do we have coffee?"

"The dog drank it. Would you like some lukewarm tea prepared at eight-thirty sharp? Also, tou-san, we're out of beans. So we're hopelessly dried out on coffee."

He sighed, again, but this time it was heavier and more tired. "You seem to be bright with energy. Why don't you go to the store and buy some coffee beans?"

"Do I have to?"

Sakumo chuckled. "It doesn't look like you have anything else to do," he said.

I pouted. "Fine…"

"And take Yoru with you. He needs to stretch his legs and get the caffeine out of his system."

I sighed dramatically. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. Now get going before the streets are too crowded."

"Fine…" I practically slid out of my seat, making my way to my room to change and get dressed. I just got into a simple black-sleeved quarter shirt, cargo shorts and shinobi zori. I straightened my messy hair out enough to not look homeless—but it was still sticking up and covering my left eye. "Dumb dog!" I called. "Come!"

The darkly furred mutt was at my door with a lulling tongue and wagging tail.

I stuffed some money in my pocket, and then I took my leave.

But then Sakumo stopped me.

"What have I told you about keeping your shoes in your room?"

I smiled at him sheepishly. "To not do it."

"Exactly. When you get back I expect them to be at the door."

"Do I—"

"Yes."

I huffed, but waved my farewell. "'Kay, bye."

"I'll see you later," he said back, and then I actually did leave.

The streets were still fairly empty when I went to buy some coffee beans…and, admittedly, find Saturn.

I've lost the dumb dog a number of times along the way, but honestly, I couldn't care. It was an Inuzuka dog, it could fine me or leave.

Ren hadn't had it for very long. The mutt was, well…a mutt. Her original wolf-dog companion had died many years ago in the Second War before anyway, so she took it in upon an appropriate age. The damn thing was just a year old.

The shop where we bought our beans was empty when I got there. But I got what I needed, and then left almost as soon as I entered.

"I hear you got suspended for destroying the bridge."

I jumped a little and turned around. A woman with grey eyes and straight white hair stood there, wearing a simple t-shirt and stylish pants. "…Saturn?" I asked hesitantly.

The woman smiled. "Yes," it said. "I've come back to tell you that there are certainly a number of changes."

"Like what kind?"

"For one, my appearances will stay the same," it stated. "I will appear as I do now, so you may appropriately refer to me as this gender."

I frowned and slowly nodded. That…was something.

"Another is that you have created what I call rifts," it—she stated.

"Oh. Um…what is that? I'm guessing it has to do with messing things up?"

"No, not at all," she rebutted. "Your existence is writing itself in. Divine beings exist here for that reason. What you change in the future will be called a rift, and mind you, it can be anything."

"Oh…um. Are the…uh, divine beings mad?" I asked.

"No. Not as long as you ascend to godhood or die properly," Saturn replied. "Cheating death or accomplishing immortality will banish you back to your own dimension, and it'll be a mess because in order to get you here I had to write in your death."

I looked at her grimly. "You did that?"

"Yes," she admitted bluntly. "You only managed to survive because I was forcing it."

"But I thought my dimension didn't need divine beings to interfere."

"Exactly."

I sighed. So she jacked up my dimension by interfering, wonderful. "And the woman in the hockey mask?"

"A proxy."

"Who was she?"

"An old friend of yours."

"Ouch."

"My apologies."

"Hn…"

Saturn chuckled. "It's fine. I made sure she didn't have to suffer."

I glared. "You killed her."

"No, no! She's alive and living her life." She grinned and patted my back. "Back to the subject, little demon."

"You yourself have changed a little," I stated skeptically.

"I hadn't considered how major the rifts would be," she explained. "I wasn't taking anything seriously. So now I am."

"Where and what are the rifts?"

"Ren's late death, Yoru's existence, Minato's questions, Obito's adoption…" Saturn's mouth twisted thoughtfully. "If my knowledge is correct, so was the boy you found on the road."

I blinked in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yes…he is to be Minato's son. He was from an entirely possible future, and he left an…imprint. It's an anomaly that happens, because time tries stabilize itself sometimes."

"Who is the mother?"

"That's to be determined. I've spent some time speculating on the future possibilities, and out of all of them, half had Minato falling for you instead of Kushina. You end up having a child, and that was him."

My face went beat red. "N-no way," I stuttered.

"It's a rift. But you can fix it. When Kushina asks him out, you could push him towards her, and I do believe it'll eliminate certain futures."

I nodded slowly. But still, that was a lot to soak in. I mean, it's not everyday that you get told who is (to be) in love with you.

"Don't stress too much about it, or else it will come true," Saturn advised pointedly.

"How can I not? And…besides, you could be manipulating me!"

"Of course I am!" She laughed. "I'm a being of time, I have to—since, you know, I'm directly interfering."

I rolled my eyes. "Anything else?"

"Your sensei, Kagami, is a rift. He was supposed to die when he was twenty-five, but he was indirectly saved by you."

"How?"

"By completely controlled events. Kazue and Hiro weren't supposed to be alive, let alone have a family. They were both to be killed in the previous war at young ages, which is why it didn't work out. But it was the only thing that could make other things work out properly."

I sighed. "It better be worth it."

"That's up to you to decide."

I rolled my eyes again. "What else?"

"There's…nothing more to mention. But, you did throw my snake out. I was attempting to reach out to you."

"By sending a snake to my room?" I snapped.

She laughed. "Yes."

I huffed. Honestly, hearing her laugh was really…weird. This Saturn, one who was serious, totally dictated the meaning of seriousness. Laughs and giggles was not that. "Okay…what about the Kannabi?"

"The results are obscured," Saturn explained in disappointment. She sighed. "Which means I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"As omniscient as I seem, I simply can't know everything. Some divines cloud it," she pointed out. "It means that Kannabi being destroyed this early has created some unpredictable futures. It may seem unlikely to walk down those futures…but, honestly, they are the ones to be most likely to happen."

"Why?" I asked, feeling sort of confused because this was very sudden. We were standing in the middle of the street and talking about this.

"It's just the way things are."

"Okay, yeah…but why?"

Saturn shook her head. "It's not in my control, little demon," she pointed out. "You should go, by the way. You can't keep everyone waiting for the coffee."

"Well…alright. When will I see you again?"

"It won't be too long. I'll reach out to you with a bird if another rift shows, or if something pops up," Saturn supplied. "See ya." She waved with a kind smile, and then she was gone.

I looked down at the mutt. "Don't tell tou-san," I said. Ren's dog barked, wagging its tail, and I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, let's go."

The rest of the day dragged on slowly. Sakumo, Obito and Kakashi were all out and about, reconnecting and bonding like sons and father's would.

The mutt was chewing on a bone in the corner of the empty room across from Sakumo and, formerly, Ren's. I moved a tarp in so then the floor wouldn't get messed up. After that was set up, I moved a short ladder on it, making mini trips for paint brushes and, well…paints.

I wanted to draw an anime scene I saw a few decades ago, when my little brothers and sister were messing with YouTube for entertaubment. It was faded, and distant, but I remembered it well enough to draw it down.

A young girl was on a steep hill, singing under a sakura tree overlooking a city…or perhaps a lake. A brown-eared dog was in her bag, and an old lady was listening. It really was nice, too, even though the sound was layered over by some song.

"What will you be painting?"

I looked over at the dojo door. Minato was standing there, wearing a shirt and his shinobi pants. I frowned at him. "I thought you left," I said.

"Um…well, I probably should've told you this a bit earlier, but Hokage-sama ordered me to keep an eye on you to make sure you weren't doing anything…suspicious, I guess," he said. "So I'll be staying here until you're back on duty."

"Suspicious? What, does he think I'm going rogue or something?" I asked irritably, because honestly that was really ridiculous. I was pretty loyal…but not too much, I guess…it was a good enough amount to not commit treason at the very least.

"No, he just wants to make sure you won't disobey the terms of your suspension," he explained. "Your father already knows."

"You make it sound like a contract," I muttered mirthfully. A contracted suspension…amusing.

"Oh."

"Anyways, I'm painting something I saw a little while ago when I was younger," I explained. He gave me a confused look. I rolled my eyes. "To answer your earlier question, idiot."

"Ahh…what was it?"

"That's a secret," I shot back. I quickly picked my sketchbook up and look at it. The tree and hill were the foregrounds, along with a woman with a revealing kimono and black hair loosely tied at the base of her neck. Her skin was pale, her eyelashes were thick, and her lips were a shade of magenta that matched her kimono.

It was Yū, to be specific. I honestly felt kinda nostalgic when remembering her. But that place we met at was disgusting. She was certainly a paradoxical character. I could tell, because she loved drugs but hated doing them, because she loved sex but rarely performed it, because she hated black marketing but absolutely purred at the profits. That was how I got back to Konoha—if my assumptions are correct. Profit.

"Who's that?"

I screeched and instinctively turned around to kick the origin—who was obviously Minato. He wheezed in surprise as I kicked him in the stomach, doubling over before falling onto his back.

"Bastardo! Don't sneak up on my like that!" I shouted.

He laughed, wheezing and crying out from the pain of being kicked in the stomach so suddenly. "Ow! That hurt!"

"Then don't sneak up on me like that!"

"What in the world is with all the ruckus?" Sakumo's voice sounded. He stepped into the room, followed by Kakashi and Obito.

"This stupid squirt of mustard snuck up on me!" I snapped.

"And then she kicked me…" Custard groaned.

Sakumo's lips twitched in amusement before he looked at me. "Haru, please apologize."

"Fine," I said shortly. I looked at Minato and smiled a toothy smile. "So sorry for that."

Kakashi laughed and Obito fell into a fit of giggles unique to him. Minato laughed as well, and Sakumo was obviously trying not to smile.

"Now, now boys," he chided mirthfully. "To the baths. You both stink."

"Aw, but I don't want to," Obito protested.

"No whining. Let's go."

"'Kay!" And while my dear little brothers skipped away, Sakumo followed with more patience.

"Hey, leave a towel for me!" I called after them. "I'm gonna take a bath later."

Sakumo chuckled. "Alright, will do."

"'Kay, thanks," I said, and then I turned back to the wall to scale the drawing out.

"But in all seriousness," Minato suddenly spoke as he slowly sat up. "Who is she?"

I slipped a cloth on my head to keep my hair out of my face before grabbing a paint brush and a bucket of darkly colored paint to start the night sky. "An old friend," I replied. "I just barely remember her enough to draw a quartered view. But she was really kind despite how mean she was sometimes."

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of role she played in all this. I mean…it's quite clear that everybody does, and whether they are a rift or not didn't really matter to me.

"Do you remember her name?"

"Eh."

"Is that a no?"

"Yes."

He chuckled and got to his feet. "Alright, then. I'll leave you to it."

"Huh? Oh. Yup. But do you think you can get some dango for me? I know I'll be hungry for a snack later on."

Minato looked at me pointedly. "I'm not an errand boy."

"You're right, you're a squirt of mustard," I retorted lightheartedly. I rolled my eyes. "I'm not gonna try anything, if that's what you're thinking."

"Fine…" he mumbled. "What kind?"

"Any kind."

"Well…alright," Minato said. "I'll be back in a bit."

I just nodded, and officially got to work on making the dark night sky.

The passing day's mainly consisted of me walking with the mutt, painting, and pointlessly arguing with Minato over small things—mainly because I was bored and I had nothing to do. Of course, the arguments were kinda biased, one-sided and just a way to make the day a bit more exciting.

I went out and spent time with Sakumo, too, which was kind of nice because we didn't do it very often due to our line of work and high demands for his skill. It was refreshing.

Kakashi and Obito were doing better. Kakashi had clearly gone down a peg or two, but it didn't seem to prevent him from outside brawls with Obito—or his training sessions.

Obito, on the other hand, was a book waiting to be read. Something was clearly bothering him in the four days that have gone by, and it seemed to have originated from the day I started my mural. So, obviously, I brought it up when he was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen alone.

"What's bothering you?"

He blinked and looked at me. "Nothing," he said, but he was clearly avoiding eye contact. Which meant he was lying.

"Uh-huh," I muttered, taking a drink of water with a skeptical stare that was making him comically nervous. "Then why are you so nervous, my dear little otouto…?"

"U-um…no reason," he stuttered.

"I see, I see," I drawled out, taking another drink. "Why the stutter? Are you, I daresay, hiding something? From me, you're lovely and trustworthy onee-chan? Ah, Obi, I'm hurt!"

He looked at me with wide eyes. "Alright, alright!" he said. "I'll tell you. But promise you won't tell anyone else?"

I leaned in and nodded.

"'Kashi and tou-san's crotch hairs are white," he whispered in my ear.

I felt my face heat up as I started laughing hysterically. My ears were getting really, really hot, and honestly that was the most embarrassing thing ever to hear from your little brother. But it was hilarious. "Our little secret," I told him in between fits of laughter. He was kinda laughing, too, but he clearly didn't get why it was so funny.

"What secret?" Kakashi asked as he entered the kitchen. He looked at me. "What's so funny?"

I laughed again. "Nothing, nothing!" I said, tears of amusement leaking from my eyes as I left the kitchen hysterically howling—because Obito had been staring.

Which, ew, considering their relationship and all…but by any sort of divine out there it was priceless.

"Five days without your chūnin status," Minato suddenly said. He chuckled. "I don't know if I should be worried or impressed."

I rolled my eyes, pausing my painting process to dip my brush in pink paint in order to continue the detailing of the sakura tree petals. "I'm flattered," I replied flatly.

"I think it should be a bit of both," he went on. "A lot of shinobi kind of get stir crazy after so long."

"Are you kidding me? I've been stir crazy since day one," I retorted. "Why do you think I argued with you so much?"

"I thought you were bored."

"Bah! They're both the same."

He rolled his eyes from where he was lying, book in hand and dog by side. "No, they're not."

"Well, in this case, yes," I shot back. "I mean, they all ended in me calling you a squirt of mustard, right?"

Minato snorted. "Touché."

I chuckled. "Now shush," I snapped. "I need to focus."

He didn't say anything, more, and I got back to work.

The mural was going well…really well, actually. It was almost finished. I just needed to touch up on some details before I started highlighting. Of course, that would eat up a bit of time—but, honestly, I had all the time I could possibly get.

Yū was smoking from a long pipe, and next to her were three animals: A fox, a raccoon, and a cat. They were from that strange hallucination-vision thing I had a few years ago, when I lost my finger…and, of course, met Saturn. It was all so confusing and unbelievable…but that couldn't matter, it seemed, because new information kept pouring in and now things like rifts existed and the teen behind me was becoming one of them. I couldn't dote on certain things. Nothing was waiting on me.

I sighed quietly, stepping back a little to observe the picture in whole. Over the lake, there were floating those lamps people would light up and…well, let them float in the name of honor. Each had a different word, unique to what I remember from my past life.

A lot of them were words of the medical industry. But others were from the things I've seen in my time as a CI and consultant of the cops and FBI…and there was even a period where I acted as a vital witness for a black ops team to catch an African drug dealing hit man who was, at the time, on American soil. I accidentally associated myself with him.

I had put his alias in Japanese—George, to be specific, and quite honestly it was kind of a stupidly generic alias.

"It looks nice," Minato commented. "It's certainly an interesting take. Where did all those words come from?"

"Just thoughts," I smoothly lied. "It's nothing symbolic. I mostly added them in for the sake of scenery. It was kinda boring with just a lake and a night sky."

"Ahh…I see. What's next?"

"Highlighting," I explained. "Oh, and then final touches. I should somewhat finish within the next few hours."

Minato hummed thoughtfully before going silent again to read. Then, I got back to highlighting.

I still had yet to actually paint in the reflections of the floating lamps. It would be a pain in the ass, but the pain in the ass could be handled later…I guess.

Because Sakumo came to the door with a messenger of the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama summons you both."

I raised an eyebrow at her, stepping down. "Did he say why?"

"No. But he said it was urgent," she said, "and that you and Minato-san are to come as soon as you hear of the message."

"Well…alright," I murmured. "We'll be going, then."

She nodded, bowing, and then excused herself. She disappeared in a faint blur.

"I wonder what this is all about," Minato pondered.

Sakumo shrugged, stepping aside and letting the two of us out. "It didn't seem bad," he said. "But I'd be prepared. Honestly, I'm guessing that it might have to do with your suspension."

"I really, really, really hope it's not extended," I groaned. I huffed. "Alright, then…we'll see you in a bit."

The Hatake grinned and nodded, waving his farewell as we left the hallway—and then, the compound. The office wasn't too far away, the walk was just under three minutes and a rushed walk crushed two minutes out of the standard timing. We were knocking on the door probably about thirty seconds in of entering the academy.

"Come on in," Hiruzen invited, and we came on in.

Minato bowed a little. "You summoned us, Hokage-sama?"

He smiled. "Yes," he replied. "As it turns out, a few carts were about the pass the Kannabi before it exploded. I had sent some investigation squads out to see what had happened, and sure enough, they were a trading caravan that supplied major things for Iwa that includes bombs, weapons and general warring tools. Apparently, they were just about to cross the bridge before it exploded."

I blinked in surprise, casting a side glance to Minato—who seemed just as taken aback as I was. I looked at the aging Kage. "That was a trading route?" Provided I already knew—but, honestly, it wasn't like I could just trust Saturn so easily.

He nodded, a proud expression blanketing his face. "Yes. And thanks to the fact that you destroyed it, we have the upper hand in the war." He smiled again, but this time it was wider. "Accident or not, you completely turned the tables and indirectly took out five squads of chūnin and a squad of jōnin in that large forest fire. I'm impressed."

"Oh…um, t-thank you, Hokage-sama," I said sheepishly, bowing respectfully. The praise was…flattering, and I was really glad to be getting it. But it was also shocking, because what did this mean?

"I hereby lift your suspension," Hiruzen went on. He pulled my weapons and headband out of a drawer, setting it down and sliding it towards me. "And, as Hokage, I reward you a promotion to a full-fledged jōnin." His smile got bigger as my eyes got wider. "Congratulations, jōnin Uzumaki Uchiha Haruto."

I honestly forgot what Yoru means. It has to do with the night? But the dog is a character from one of my first few stories on this website. An eh one…you can definitely see the novice in it (name: Legend of the Blind Shinobi…if you're interested? It's on my Uzumamein account).

Questions can come my way via PM. Don't worry, I don't bite :^)

Next chapter might be a bit heavy. Mainly for Haruto, though, because honestly she's coming across as a hard ass with no weakness and total jackassery…to me, at least. lol.