Tamana and Dango walked through the streets of Konoha hand-in-hand, Tamana rubbing at her eyes every so often despite the smile on her face. The two of them had visited Konoha any number of times since they turned twelve, but they had always used the transformation technique to avoid standing out. For that reason, they had never gone to the one place they wanted to visit most, because it didn't feel quite right.
Dango was slightly surprised when Tamana stopped walking and followed his sister's gaze to see that her attention had been caught by the sign for Yamanaka Flowers. She turned and smiled at her brother. "Oniisan, let's stop here first."
Dango smiled slightly and nodded, allowing his sister to lead him inside.
Yamanaka Ino looked up as the bell jangled, "Welcome—Oh! Tamana, Dango, is that you?" She set her magazine aside and stood up, "It's been so long! You two have really grown up!"
"And yet, you recognized us right away." Dango remarked with mild amusement.
Ino waved a hand at this, "Oh please. Anyone who'd ever seen your father or even a photo of him would be able to tell. But what are you two doing here?"
"We're on our way to the cemetery. I wanted to get some flowers to put our relatives' graves." Tamana explained.
"Your 'relatives'?" Ino questioned with a raised brow, "You're not planning to decorate the graves of your entire clan, are you?"
Tamana giggled at this, "No. Just Papa's, Ojiisama's, Obaasama's, Adzuki-bachan's, Shisui-san's, and Izumi-san's."
Ino sweat-dropped, "You're going to make people think that the cemetery's on fire with the amount of incense sticks that will require." She watched as Tamana walked over to look at a display, her fingers still interlaced with Dango's. "You realize that if you weren't obviously twins, people would probably mistake you for a couple, right?"
"I keep telling her that we're too old to keep indulging in such a childish habit." Dango said in exasperation.
"I can't help it!" Tamana chided, "Okaasan says that we've been holding hands since we were born! I'm too used to it. Not doing it feels weird and uncomfortable."
"Do you intend to keep doing it even when we become adults and get married and live in separate houses?" Dango asked with a raised brow. "We can't keep linking hands forever, Tamana. We're going to have to stop eventually."
"Maybe." Tamana admitted before grinning cheerfully at him, "But not right now!" Dango sighed, but taking note of the tears lining his sister's eyes, he hugged her with his other arm rather than continue their argument.
Tamana smiled gratefully and wiped her eyes when they separated. "So what kind of flowers would you recommend, Ino-san?"
"Let's see..." Ino said as she walked over to them. "Camellias for your grandparents, maybe. White Camellias represent quiet dignity, while red ones represent passionate dignity. Plus, those are the colors of your clan's crest. Your mom usually puts the white ones on your grandmother's grave and the red ones on your grandfather's. But... I don't really know for the other people you mentioned. I don't know anything about them. And as far as your father goes, well, that depends on what you want to say to him."
"Uchiha Shisui was Tousan's closest friend." Dango explained, "Kaasan said that Tousan thought of Shisui-san as an older brother."
"He was an extremely noble person." Tamana added, "After his right eye was stolen by Shimura Danzou, he entrusted his remaining eye to Papa and then made it look like he had committed suicide in order to prevent further discord between the clan and the village. If the clan had found out that he'd been poisoned and his eye stolen..."
"Yeah, I get it." Ino said with a nod, "In that case, I think that anemones would be a good choice. They represent protection and sacrifice. What about the other person that you mentioned?"
"Hm, well that's... a little bit... awkward..." Tamana admitted, "She was..." She sighed softly, "No matter how you look at it, there's just no way to explain it without..."
"Oh. I think I understand." Ino said softly.
"But, Papa never got the chance to visit her grave, so I want to express gratitude to her on his behalf." Tamana explained. "As well as, I suppose..." She looked down awkwardly. No matter how one looked at it, it was just strange for a person to be placing flowers on the grave of their father's deceased first love, especially when things ended the way they had for Itachi and Izumi. Nonetheless, Ino understood that, as Itachi's daughter, Tamana wanted to express both gratitude and remorse toward the girl on her father's behalf.
"Since it's a complicated matter, maybe it's better to go with a more complicated arrangement." She suggested, "I would recommend rue for sorrow and remorse, a hydrangea for honesty, gratitude and understanding, and larkspur for first love. However, since you're the one placing the flowers, you should also express your own feelings, Tamana-chan. I think pansies would be a good addition. They represent sincerity and thoughtfulness. You're a smart enough girl to realize that if things had been different, you and Dango probably wouldn't have been born. That you want to acknowledge your father's first love shows how kind and thoughtful you are."
Tamana seemed shy as she fiddled with her long bangs. "I've considered that, yes. That's why this is so... awkward. I want to thank her for loving Papa while she was alive, but at the same time..."
"You're grateful to have been born, and that's awkward because it feels kind of selfish?" Ino offered.
"...Yes..." Tamana admitted slowly before looking up at the woman shyly, "You're good at understanding what people are feeling, Ino-san."
"It's a necessary skill for a florist." Ino said with a shrug, "What about your aunt?"
"I don't really know..." The teenaged girl admitted, "Adzuki-basan passed away when she was only six, before Papa and Okaasan met. Okaasan doesn't talk about her very much. I think it makes her too sad..."
Ino nodded in understanding, "From what I know, Amai-san usually decorates her grave with rosemary, crimson roses, sunflowers, and daisies."
"What do those symbolize?" Tamana asked curiously.
"Rosemary symbolizes remembrance, but in a different way from the forget-me-nots that she always places on your father's grave. Crimson roses represent sorrow and mourning. Sunflowers show adoration, and daisies symbolize sweetness and innocence." Ino answered.
"We'll use those then." Tamana said with a nod.
"What about for your father?" Ino asked gently.
Tamana looked down slightly, her brow furrowed in thought. "That's almost as hard as Izumi-san, but in a different way. This is our first time visiting his grave, and there are so many things that we want to say. We really admire Papa, and even though we've never met him, he's always in our hearts. Far greater than his strength as a shinobi was the strength of his heart. Even after everything, he always remained kind." She clasped her free hand near her chest, still unwilling to relinquish her hold on Dango's hand with the other one. "More than anything, we want to tell him, 'Even though we never got to meet you, thank you for being our father.'"
"I think you can say all of that with hydrangeas, gladiolus, and lavender." Ino said with a nod. She retrieved the last of the required flowers and moved to the counter to wrap them into the correct arrangements. At that moment, her husband Sai walked into the shop.
"Ino, Naruto is calling for a meeting of the Jonin Counsel to be held at 2:30." He took notice of the twins and instantly recognized them, "Oh, you two are here?"
"They stopped by to get some flowers for the cemetery." Ino said, "I'll have to close the shop for a bit then. Inojin is out on a mission. Come to think of it, isn't your team supposed to be on a mission right now?"
"Yes, but there are multiple teams on the same mission because it's a large project within the village, so I left them under the supervision of the other instructors to come tell you."
"How much do we owe you, Ino-san?" Tamana asked, but Ino just smiled at her.
"Don't be silly! This will be your very first time going there, so these are on me!" She tilted her head slightly, seeming amused, "However, you're going to have to let go of your brother's hand, Tamana-chan. There's too many of them for you two to carry with only two hands." Tamana pouted childishly, but released Dango's hand. "I'm guessing you don't need anything to light the incense with?"
"No, we can manage that on our own." Dango said.
"Why am I not surprised?" Ino asked in amusement before noticing that Tamana was scrunching up her eyes, which were lined with water. "Are you okay, Tamana-chan?"
"I-I'm fine!" Tamana stammered in embarrassment as she rubbed her eyes with the back of one hand, "My eyes are just a bit irritated, that's all."
"Do you have hay fever or something like that?" Sai asked.
"No, it's... it's complicated..." Tamana told him as she brought her hand back down.
"Do you need to use more of the eye drops that Sakura-basan gave to you?" Dango suggested.
"No, it's not that bad." She assured him, "My vision just blurred for a moment. I'm fine now."
Ino frowned in concern, "If your vision is giving you problems, then take care not to run into anything on your way. Here." She pushed the two large sacks toward them.
"Thanks Ino-san. See you later." Tamana said as she and Dango each took a sack and headed out.
一族
Tamana finished arranging the flowers in the vases on her father's tombstone and folded her hands together respectfully, "Papa, Oniichan and I are finally going to be living in Konoha with Sasuke-jisan and everyone else."
"No matter what happens, we will protect this village that you loved." Dango added from where he stood beside her. He offered his hand to Tamana and helped her up, and she continued clasping his hand with her own as they walked over to the memorial stone. She traced the names that were engraved there lightly until she found Itachi's. She looked up at her brother and they both smiled.
"Huh? I don't think I've ever seen you two around here..." Came a voice from behind them. The twins turned around to find a teenaged girl about their own age standing there. The vest she was wearing in addition to her Konoha headband made it clear that she was at least a Chuunin.
Tamana smiled warmly at the girl, "Yes, we just moved here to Konoha from the mountains. But our father was a shinobi of Konoha before we were born. We came here to visit his grave."
"Ohh? You guys lost your dad before you were born too?" The girl asked curiously.
"Ah, Tamana-chan! Dango! I didn't expect to run into you here!" A woman who looked similar to the girl, save for her significantly longer hair, said. The girl blinked and looked up at the woman.
"Kaasan, you know these two?" She asked.
"Yes, from a long time ago." The woman replied before noticing the confused look on the twins' faces. "Oh that's right, I'm guessing you don't remember. I'm Sarutobi Kurenai."
Now Tamana's face lit up in recognition, "Ah, that's right! Okaasan told us that you helped her when she was struggling to deal with Papa's death after we were born!"
"That's right." Kurenai said with a soft smile, "She was a little overwhelmed by all of the post-pregnancy hormones and needed somebody who could understand her feelings." She placed a hand on her daughter's head, "Mirai was born about four months before you and under similar circumstances, so when her physician sent a request to Konoha, asking for somebody to come give her support, Lord Sixth sent me." She smiled at her daughter, who was looking up at her in confusion, "Tamana and Dango's father also protected Konoha from the Akatsuki."
"Eh?" Mirai looked at the twins, "Then did he also encounter Hidan?" She asked curiously.
"He did, but... Papa never had the misfortune of facing him in combat." Tamana said with an awkward smile.
"Even if he had, that man probably would've lost to Tousan's genjutsu." Dango remarked, and Tamana jabbed him with her elbow to reprimand him.
"That's true." Kurenai said thoughtfully, surprising the three teenagers, "Your father's genjutsu was second-to-none. I speak from experience."
Tamana chuckled wryly, "I think things got pretty awkward for Papa when he was on his mission."
"They were beyond being simply 'awkward'." Kurenai corrected before looking remorseful, "I can't imagine what he must've gone through for the sake of the village." She smiled gently at the twins, "He was an amazing shinobi. If not for him, the Akatsuki might've succeeded in capturing Nanadaime long before the war, and if that had happened... it's safe to say that none of us would be here today."
"Huh?" Mirai said, her face the picture of confusion. Kurenai laughed awkwardly and stroked her daughter's hair.
"I'll tell you when I get home from today's meeting." The woman promised.
"Mirai-san, you're pretty good at genjutsu too, aren't you?" Tamana asked in an attempt to change the subject. "I heard that you defeated a man who was trying to follow in Hidan's footsteps in the Land of Steam."
"How did you hear about that?" Mirai asked curiously.
"We were born in Yugakure and lived there until we were four, so we still hear from Okaasan's friends there from time to time." Dango replied.
"Oh. Yeah, it feels weird. I don't really know much about my dad, but Rokudaime and Guy-san said that watching me fight that guy was like watching my dad again." Mirai replied. "It's especially weird for them to say that because it seems like my opponent wasn't nearly as strong as Hidan. I mean, I came out of it alive, right?"
"Kaasan says that it should always be expected that the new generation will surpass the previous one." Dango said.
"Right!" Tamana added with a nod, "Just as the Sage of Six Paths and his brother Hamura surpassed their mother, Kaguya, and Indra and Ashura surpassed their father. At least in a manner of speaking. When power is split in-between two people, they are able to combine it in ways that makes them stronger than their predecessor. And when the power of two people is halved and then combined, the effect is even greater. Your mother's power and your father's power. You possess parts of both, and so you will be able to do even greater things than either of them could do alone." A bittersweet smile crossed her face as she looked over her shoulder at the memorial stone, "Although it's hard to imagine that either of us will ever surpass Papa, even though Mama had plenty of talent on her own. I'm sure most people in our generation feel this way about their parents, but... for me, Papa was the greatest shinobi who ever lived."
"Yeah." Dango agreed.
"A part of me feels that way about Touchan." Mirai admitted, "But at the same time, another part of me wonders... if he was such a great shinobi... Then why did he have to die?"
Tamana smiled gently and placed a hand on Mirai's shoulder. "Okaasan has told us a lot about what the world was like when she and Papa were our age. At that time, the shinobi world was a much harsher place than anyone in our generation can really understand. Both of our fathers lived and died for the sake of making the world a happier place to grow up than the one that they knew. The Toad Sage Jiraiya once said that the measure of a shinobi's life is not in how they lived, but how they died, and our teacher says that there is no nobler death for a shinobi than that which comes from protecting one's own child. Your father and our father. They both died for the sake of our futures. That's the real reason that they were both splendid shinobi."
Mirai blinked in surprise and Kurenai smiled.
"You truly are a kind child, just like your father, Tamana." The older woman said.
"I get that a lot." Tamana replied with an awkward grin.
"But you know, that's a good thing. It's proof that Itachi lives on inside of you, just as Asuma lives on in Mirai." Kurenai added, smiling at the both of them, "Be sure to treasure it, the parts of your father that are now apart of the both of you."
"We will." Dango replied with a nod. At that moment, Tamana's stomach growled, and she turned bright red with embarrassment.
Kurenai chuckled, "I don't know what your preference is, but there's a tea shop just down the road from here. You two should have just enough time to stop in before the meeting."
Tamana smiled, "Ah, thanks! Come on, Oniichan."
"I'll see you two around! Come say hi if you see me!" Mirai called as they walked away.
"We will!" Tamana called over her shoulder.
一族
It didn't take the twins long to find the tea house, and they wasted no time in entering.
"Excuse me, we'd like a table for two please." Tamana said as they walked in. The older woman turned toward them with a tray in her hands before gasping in shock and dropping it. Fortunately, it had been empty. She stared at Dango as if he were a ghost before noticing Tamana standing next to him and apparently coming to her senses.
"Oh. Pardon me. For a moment there, I mistook ya for someone I once knew." The hostess explained as she took out a handkerchief and wiped her brow. Tamana tilted her head thoughtfully and studied the woman carefully. Going by her appearance, she was probably in her mid-forties, which indicated that she was several years older than their mother.
"...I'm sure this is going to sound weird, but... would your name happen to be Inari Shinko-san?" The teenaged girl asked.
"Huh?" The woman blinked in surprise. "Well that was my maiden name. Now I'm Yūhi Shinko. But how did you know...?"
Tamana pressed her fingers together happily, "Ah, I thought that might be who you were! You were our father's teammate when he was a rookie genin!"
"Tamana!" Dango chided, trying to remind her that their identities were not yet public information. Shinko stared at them with wide eyes.
"You two... are Itachi's kids?" She asked, almost unable to believe it.
Tamana apparently realized how shocking that information probably was for Shinko and looked down in a somewhat embarrassed manner.
一族
"I see." Shinko said after their existence had been explained to her. "I was just shocked when I heard what had happened, and right sad when Lord Seventh told everyone the truth. It pains me to know that Itachi went through all that." She smiled at the twins, "But it makes me right happy to know that he found someone that loved him and even had kids. Shame he never got to see you two though."
Tamana nodded and held her hand to her heart, "Yes, but... even though we never met him, Papa is always in our hearts."
Shinko smiled and then seemed to think of something, "Come to think of it, does your uncle know? I see your cousin come in here from time to time, but Sasuke never comes, so I never talk to him."
"Sasuke-jisan doesn't like sweets, so it's no surprise that he doesn't come here." Tamana explained. At this, Shinko laughed heartily.
"He's the exact opposite of his brother in that regard! The way Sarada eats sweets, I'd almost think that she was Itachi's too!"
Tamana giggled at this, "I don't think he'd be too happy to hear you say that somehow..."
Shinko laughed and headed for the kitchen, "You two wait right here. I'll bring you Itachi's favorite."
This is almost a side story about Dango and Tamana's connection to Itachi, the Uchiha, and Konoha, which transcends both Itachi's death and the fact that they've grown up elsewhere. Dango has Itachi's bluntness, which sometimes results in him accidentally saying things that are a little insensitive, hence why Tamana, who is more aware of people's feelings, jabbed him in the ribs regarding his remark about Hidan being incapable of killing Itachi.