Shortly after the twins had left, Naruto and Kawaki went up to his office and Amai followed the two of them with two pieces of clothing in her arms and a sewing kit that Hinata had lent her. She sat down on the couch in Naruto's office next to Kawaki and began sewing. Kawaki looked over at her while trying to act disinterested.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Working to finish these before the meeting later." Amai answered, "They're belated birthday gifts for the twins. The two of them have always been displeased about not being able to wear the Uchiha Crest, so I promised them that when we moved to Konoha, I would give them something new that they could wear over their other clothes. However, I still need to actually embroider the kamon."

"What's the big deal about wearing the crest?" Kawaki asked.

"It's always been a big deal to the Uchiha, but for the twins, it gives them a sense of identity. It's a precious name that they inherited from their father." Kawaki seemed to scowl at this and Amai smiled knowingly. "It's important for me too." She added, "Whenever I wear this hairpin that I inherited from Sasuke-kun's mother, it's like declaring 'I belong to the Uchiha Clan. To Konohagakure. To the Land of Fire.' It's a reminder that I no longer belong to the wretched place that I came from." Kawaki raised a brow and Amai lowered her work and looked at him, "I've heard a bit about you, Kawaki-kun, and although I've never been through anything like you have... I can relate, to a point. I know what it's like to live in a world full of darkness, where the strong take advantage of the weak. I know the despair of feeling as though light can no longer reach you."

At this point, Boruto had come into the room and was standing in the doorway, listening. Even if Kawaki wasn't interested, he was. "What do you mean, Bachan?"

Amai returned to her embroidery as she spoke. "I was born in a small ninja village in a small country known as the Land of Medicine." She explained, "However, due to scientific advancements that resulted in the creation of powerful weapons, the village demilitarized when I was twelve, just after I'd completed my training to become a shinobi." Her brow furrowed as she worked, "For me, not becoming a shinobi wasn't a big deal. However, after the village demilitarized, many of the former shinobi didn't know what to do with themselves and became restless, including my parents. It was around that time that a certain clan began trafficking a drug in the village. It was a dangerous imitation of another clan's secret medicine, but they were marketing it as the real thing. Many former shinobi were tricked into taking it and became addicted, including my parents." She bit her lip as she continued sewing. "The village shifted then. People thought that the village would be more prosperous with the outlawing of weapons, but it was just the opposite. It became a place where the rich trampled upon the poor. Only those with money had any power. Whatever you'd been capable of as a shinobi no longer mattered. Although I had been a prodigy within my village, I was powerless to do anything when my parents became lost in their addiction and forgot about me and my younger sister. Then in one night, I lost my entire family, and as if to rub salt in my wounds, the clan that trafficked the drug forced me to take responsibility for my parents' debt. I was only thirteen years old. The only thing that I could do at that time was work constantly to try and pay off an impossible debt. It was just before I turned sixteen that I met Itachi-kun. Although he lived in a world of darkness himself, it was if he brought light into mine. When he paid my debt to save me from an unspeakable fate, it was almost as if he had taken me by the hand and pulled me out of the dark vortex that had swallowed me."

Some people may call the kindest deed

An act of mere hypocrisy

But never mind those who have lost their faith

You shouldn't give in to what they say

Amai sighed and looked back at Kawaki, "As I said, what you've been through is different from what I went through, but the fact is that horrible darkness exists in the world, with or without shinobi, and children are often its greatest victims." She looked over at Naruto, "Naruto-kun knows that better than anyone, I'm sure." At the mention of his name, Naruto looked up from his paperwork and Amai smiled at him. "Itachi-kun held you in very high regard, you know. He was impressed by how you bore the village's greatest darkness from birth, but refused to allow that darkness to crush you. He always hoped that you would become Hokage. He believed that you could lead the village into a new era of light, and I think it's safe to say that you've done exactly that."

Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "Well he helped me, ya know? He gave me some advice during the war. If he hadn't straightened me out, who knows what might've happened?"

"My husband was a very wise man. He was always able to see the things that others were missing." Amai said fondly, "But that he corrected you when you were wrong shows just how highly he thought of you."

"Wait, I thought Itachi-san died before the war?" Boruto said in confusion.

"That's another story for another time." Amai replied as she returned to her embroidery.

At that moment, Aiko came and lightly knocked on the door. "Amai-neechan, I'm heading out to see if I can find a shop that sells decent ninja tools. Do you want to come with me?"

"Huh?" Amai said in confusion, "But Aiko-chan, you always buy your ninja tools in Sora-ku."

"I know, but I'm so low at the moment that I don't even have enough for the trip there." Aiko replied. "It's troublesome, but I'll just have to see if I can find something... manageable... to see me there at least."

"Well, all right." Amai said as she set her sewing aside, "My tanto could use some maintenance anyway."

"If you're wanting good ninja tools, I'll show you to Tenten's shop." Naruto replied, "She carries the best tools in Konoha."

"Hn." Aiko acknowledged, "That may be true, but it doesn't mean that she carries tools that will satisfy me. I'm very particular about my shuriken and kunai. Still, until I can make it to Sora-ku, I'll take what I can get."

一族

"Seriously, none of this is to your satisfaction?!" Tenten exclaimed in exasperation, "This is my best stuff!"

"I'm not saying that it's bad, Tenten-san, but I've always been very particular about my shuriken and kunai." Aiko said.

"It's true." Kakashi replied, "It was kind of an Uchiha thing back when. It's probably been engrained in her from the day she first held a ninja tool."

Aiko pulled out one her own kunai and carefully balanced it on one finger. "The weight of the kunai... the thinness of the blade, the position of its center-of-balance... I'm very particular about all of these things. Naturally the same goes for my shuriken."

"Aren't pretty much all shuriken and kunai the same?" Boruto asked.

"Far from it!" Aiko exclaimed, "All of these things affect the way that the tools behave when thrown, to say nothing of the materials used, the sharpness of the blades, and the symmetry! For shuriken specialists, these things are crucial!" She looked over at Sasuke in annoyance, "You haven't even taught this kid about the importance of ninja tool specs?!"

"I was more concerned with teaching him actual techniques." Sasuke replied.

"You realize that there's a reason why our clan has always been so specific?"

"Um, Aiko-basan, can I see that kunai you're holding?" Sarada asked.

"Of course. You can't tell the difference unless you feel it." Aiko replied.

Sarada felt the weight of the kunai in her hand. "Amazing." She remarked, pushing her glasses up as she examined it, "It's totally different from any of the ones I've ever used."

Aiko looked utterly exasperated, "You've never even taken Sarada-chan to Nekobaa's shop?!"

"I haven't exactly had time." Sasuke replied.

Sakura blinked as Aiko turned to glare at her and put her hands up in defense. "I have a job too. I rarely leave town."

"Oh you poor kid. What have you been using all these years?" Aiko muttered. In response, Sarada offered the woman one of her own kunai and Aiko examined it.

"Hm... Well it's better than what Lord Sixth lent me as a kid but... even so..." She turned back to Sakura, "The Uchiha units down in the emergency storage bunkers should have some weapons stockpiled. They're outdated compared to what I use now, but still better than this."

Sakura sweat-dropped, "Why?" Was all that she could manage.

"In case of emergencies." Aiko replied bluntly, "Since the Uchiha have always been particular about their weapons, it was a clan policy that every clan member four and up had to dedicate a portion of their storage space to shuriken and kunai. If the village were ever destroyed, the way it was when Pain attacked, the clan would have an emergency supply of their preferred weapons on hand. Enough for the whole clan if need be."

Tenten looked annoyed, "I had to go all over the place to obtain weapons for us to use in the war and there was an entire clan's worth of weapons just sitting in storage in the bunkers?!"

"At the time, only Sasuke-niichan and I would've known about it." Aiko remarked flatly.

Naruto looked thoughtful, "Hey, when I think about it... isn't Kiba's girlfriend Nekobaa's granddaughter?"

Sakura's eyes widened, "Ah, you're right! I forgot that Tamaki-san lives in Konoha now!"

"She does?" Aiko said in surprise, "Come to think of it, I remember Nekobaa saying something about that..." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "That may work out well for both of us, Tenten-san."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tenten asked in confusion.

"Although her grandmother runs the actual shop, it's Tamaki-chan's entire clan that have provided weapons to the Uchiha for generations. Since she lives here in Konoha now, maybe the two of you can work out an arrangement to import our preferred merchandise to your shop. It would've been pointless when it was only Sasuke-niichan and Sarada-chan—especially with Sasuke-niichan gone most of the time—but with the rest of us moving back, it might be worth it. Your shop would get more business, and I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for the convenience of not having to make a day-trip every time I need to restock."

Tenten blinked and then smiled in excitement, "Hey, yeah! That might work! You guys must go through shuriken and kunai like crazy!"

"We might consider selling the old reserves down in the bunker to Tenten-san as well." Amai suggested, "You said that they were outdated compared to what you use now, but still better than what the average shinobi uses."

"That's true." Aiko said thoughtfully, "There's no point in having weapons stockpiled that we aren't going to use. I'd rather replace them with our current tools, and as small as the clan currently is, we don't need that many anyway. That being said, I think I'll go down there and see if I can find what I need to for my trip to Sora-ku. If Tenten-san can start importing our stuff, that's great, but I placed a custom order with Nekobaa about a month ago and I need to pick it up."

Tenten pouted, but Amai smiled kindly. "I still have business with you, Tenten-san." The Uchiha Matriarch said as she pulled her tanto out of the sleeve of her kosode, "Could you please do some maintenance work on this for me?"

Boruto and Sarada gaped at the woman. "Bachan..." Boruto began, "Have you been hiding that in your kimono this entire time?"

"Of course." Amai said with a smile. "I never go anywhere without this. Itachi-kun gave it to me for self-defense. It's very precious to me. Just carrying it with me... I feel like his love is always protecting me."

"And I thought I was sentimental about weapons." Tenten remarked as she carefully withdrew the sword, "This is a really nice blade though. Lightweight... a nice, clean edge... a scabbard made of ebony. It even has the Uchiha crest on it. And the dragon scales on the hilt actually makes it easier to grip."

"He purchased it for me from Nekobaa, around the time that we started trying to have children." Amai replied with a soft smile before looking at the still astonished Boruto and Sarada. "Weapons were outlawed in my village. Because of my job, I usually wore a more formal kimono, instead of the kosode and hakama I'm wearing now, so Itachi-kun specifically asked for a blade that I could hide inside of the knot of my obi."

"If they were outlawed, then why give you one in the first place?" Kawaki asked bluntly.

"Because the law was both hypocritical and pointless. People carried far more dangerous items than my tanto without concern. Besides, if I need to, I can mold my chakra into a sword, so telling me that I couldn't carry a weapon was essentially pointless. However, that particular jutsu requires a great deal of my chakra. Itachi-kun was concerned that if I became pregnant, it might become dangerous for me to use it. That was why he gave me the tanto." She smiled softly, her expression nostalgic, "It was also proof of my identity. At the time, the scabbard of this sword was the only thing I owned that bore our clan's crest. Only his closest confidants knew of our marriage, but this sword was proof that I was an Uchiha." She closed her eyes as her hand brushed over the crest that was encrusted there, "There was one day when I berated myself for my general contempt toward the village, not this village, but the one where I was born. I felt... guilty... that I couldn't love it or remain loyal to it inspite of its darkness, the way that Itachi-kun loved Konoha. At that time, he comforted me saying, 'You are not a shinobi, and this is not a shinobi village. Even if it were, you do not belong to this place. No matter what darkness may exist there, I am Uchiha Itachi of the Hidden Leaf.' Then he smiled at me and added, 'Which means that you are Uchiha Amai of the Hidden Leaf. On the day you married me, you stopped belonging to the Howling Wolf Village and became a member of Konoha, so you don't need to worry about not being loyal to this place.'" Because of the presence of the children, she left out the fact that Itachi had also admitted to her that if Konoha had robbed him of Sasuke, the way that her village had essentially robbed her of her sister, Adzuki, he would likely have come to hate it too.

As a matter of fact, just hear me out

Even if it was for a selfish cause

A salvageable hypocrisy

Is superior to murderous honesty

Naruto smiled a bit and placed a hand on Amai's shoulder, "And he was right. Even if you had to wait before coming to live here, you and the twins have always belonged here, just like he did." He grinned, "If Itachi had told me that he was married during the war, I probably would've sent a shadow clone to find you and make sure you were safe!"

"Which is why he didn't." Amai replied with an amused smile, "Well that, and he couldn't take the risk of the enemy finding out about me. Not that it... mattered in the end..." Naruto chuckled and Amai's eyes drifted over to something in a display case, her face suddenly sparking with interest. "Hey, Tenten-san, what is this?"

"Huh?" Tenten carefully set the tanto aside to check what Amai was referring to. "Oh that. It's a shuriken necklace that I stocked for Oyako no Hi awhile back. It didn't sell very well though."

"I have one!" Himawari piped up before carefully pulling her necklace out from beneath her hoodie. "Papa bought it for me!"

"They're just a novelty item, nothing useful." Tenten admitted. "I guess they really aren't the type of thing that would sell in here."

"It's perfect." Amai said abruptly.

"Huh?" Tenten stammered in surprise.

Amai looked up at her, "I've been trying to find a gift to give to Tamana when she becomes a ninja. I've been planning to pass Itachi-kun's necklace onto Dango, but I don't really have an equivalent heirloom for Tamana. But Tamana loves shuriken jutsu. She spends far more time practicing than is really necessary simply because she enjoys performing those kinds of techniques. This necklace would be a perfect gift for my shuriken-obsessed daughter. Do you have it in dark blue?"

"Oh, uh, sure!" Tenten exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Sarada, do you want one as well?" Sasuke asked.

"I would feel weird going around with the same necklace as Hima-chan and Tamana-neesan." His daughter admitted with an awkward smile. Sakura whispered something in her husband's ear and Sasuke nodded with a small smile of understanding. Amai watched this and laughed softly.

"Wh-what?" Sarada asked, slightly embarrassed and having no idea what exactly her aunt thought was so amusing.

Amai smiled knowingly, "I bet you have to spend a lot of time interpreting between them, huh Sakura-chan?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Sakura-chan, I know about as well as anyone that the Uchiha are terrible communicators, especially between each other." The older woman replied in amusement before looking at Sarada, "Sarada-chan, your blood type is A, right?"

"Huh? How did you know that?" Sarada asked in surprise.

"Well for one thing, Sakura-chan is type O while Sasuke-kun is type AB, so you had to be either type A or B. You really don't strike me as somebody with a B personality, and besides, Itachi-kun had Type A, and you remind me a lot of him." Amai remarked.

"In what ways?" Sarada asked in confusion. She'd always been told she was like her father. This was the first time she'd ever heard that she was like her uncle. Although, then again, not too many people seemed to know much about said uncle.

"Well, your fondness for sweets, for one thing." Amai said in amusement, "I named our son 'Dango' for a reason, after all. There's also the fact that Sakura told me that you love reading. Itachi-kun used to read everything he could get his hands on. I quickly found that one of the best gifts I could buy for him after his eyesight had deteriorated was books that were in Braille. He... had a lot of down time due to his health. And I imagine that brought with it quite a bit of boredom, knowing him."

"That reminds me... I've been meaning to ask..." Sarada said anxiously. "What... what exactly happened to our clan, anyway? The data files in the archive say that there are so few of us because of a 'great tragedy', but... it never says exactly what that tragedy was."

Amai and Aiko glanced at each other, and then Aiko sighed. "The fine details of that are something that your father will have to tell you about when he believes that you are ready, but... for now, it's sufficient to say that aside from your father, Itachi-niichan and I, the members of our clan were ravaged by a terrible illness."

"Illness?" Sarada asked in confusion, and Aiko nodded.

"It was a very common illness among shinobi in those days, but the Uchiha were more susceptible to it than most. In general, that may be because, in order to preserve the purity of the Sharingan, marrying outside of the clan was relatively rare, and so our bloodlines were much narrower than most. I was one of the rare exceptions to this, and while Sasuke-niichan and Itachi-niichan were the epitome of a narrow bloodline, Itachi-niichan possessed a rare immunity to the disease, while Sasuke-niichan managed to overcome it. However, his narrow bloodline may have contributed to the disease that Itachi-niichan did pass away from, and in my case... well, it may have helped that my mother took me away from the village when I was still small." Aiko said.

"Do you think it will happen again?" Boruto asked, seeming slightly worried.

"It's not impossible, but I don't think it's likely." Aiko answered. "That disease is much less common in Konoha and the shinobi world in general nowadays. The twins, Nozomi, and I also have the advantage that our genomes our not as narrow as those who were lost to it. Sarada-chan is the most prone to illness out of all of us, but since Sasuke-niichan was able to overcome that illness, she probably has a higher immunity to it."

"Why am I the most prone?" Sarada asked, and Aiko smiled a bit wryly.

"Your genome is just slightly narrower than ours. The Uchiha descended from a man known as Indra, and so did your mother's clan, the Haruno. However, since the Haruno are one of the only clans descended from Indra that don't possess a Kekkei Genkai, they were never as picky about marriage as their sibling clans. Not to mention, out of all of the clans of Konoha, and perhaps, all shinobi clans period, they have always had the greatest immunity to this disease." The woman explained.

"Why is that?" Mitsuki asked curiously.

"It's hard to say..." Aiko replied thoughtfully, "About ten percent of shinobi have descended from the Ōtsutsuki Clan, and that lineage might play a part in how prone shinobi once were to this illness, but... Even those who are completely human were never immune."

"Wait... Ten percent of Shinobi descended from the Ōtsutsuki?" Sarada asked, scrunching her nose up in confusion.

"Yes, but... we're talking about a common ancestor from over a thousand years ago." Aiko sighed, "Most of the bloodlines have been heavily diluted to the point that most of her descendants are indistinguishable from ordinary humans. My father, who was an expert on the history of shinobi, theorized that it was even possible that the Haruno inherited little to no genetic material from them, which would explain why the Haruno Clan has, for the most part, been considerably lacking in power and talent when compared to their sibling clans. Your mother Sakura is a rare exception, one born only once in every three generations or so. The reason why is a story that you should hear from your parents."

"So Sarada, Hima, and I are of closer relation than most people?" Boruto asked, starting to connect the dots.

Aiko nodded, "The three of you are of particularly close relation. I've heard it said that if a person's chakra is altered, their DNA is altered as well. Naruto-kun, Sasuke-niichan, and Hinata-san are probably the three people most closely related to our ancestor in that regard. However, as Naruto and Hinata's son, Boruto-kun, you've inherited a unique mixture of chakra that hasn't been seen in at least 1000 years. That may be the reason why Momoshiki placed that mark upon you."

"You know about that?" Mitsuki asked.

"Only a little." Aiko replied with a shrug, "Sasuke-niichan consulted me when you first told him about it, but no such thing is ever mentioned in my father's research. But I have no doubt that he was interested in you for a reason."

"Come to think of it, he said something about me having strongly inherited the power of the Ōtsutsuki." Boruto said as he stared at his palm in thought.

"I don't doubt it." Aiko said with a nod, "Between Naruto-kun's... er... overly complicated chakra and Hinata-san's powerful chakra, it's no wonder that you and Himawari-chan are the way that you are. The same goes for Sarada-chan. She's practically a reincarnation of Indra's firstborn, but with a much better father to look after her."

"A better mother too." Sakura muttered, and Aiko raised a brow.

"You realize you just insulted yourself in a way?"

"The fact still stands." Sakura replied bluntly, leaving the children very confused.

"Amai-san, I've finished with your tanto, though it really didn't need much work." Tenten said.

"Oh, thank you Tenten. Let me pay you and then I'd better get going." Amai said, "The Council will be assembling soon."

Aiko frowned, her face somewhat perturbed, "I have to ask... will anyone from the Shimura be there?"

"Well they are still one of the clans of Konoha." Shikamaru said bluntly.

Aiko sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't attend this meeting..."

"What?! But you've been waiting for years to come back to Konoha!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, but..." Aiko sighed softly.

"What's the matter?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke-niichan... can I talk to you and Naruto-kun... in private?" His cousin asked.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other in confusion before looking back at her. "Sure Aiko-chan." With that, the two of them followed the Uchiha woman out of the shop.

Whew. I feel like this had some random stuff that I didn't originally plan to include somehow, but oh well. Also, not completely sure if Nekobaa is still alive or not, but hey, Homura and Koharu (The Third Hokage's Colleagues) are still alive, so why not? Sometimes people live a ridiculously long time in this serious. Like the lady who does the embroidery for the Hokages' haori.