Hiruzen giggled perversely into the latest edition of Jiraiya's book. An ANBU in the corner twitched but was otherwise unobtrusive, so the Sandaime ignored the unprofessional display. Picturing Tsumi's luscious bod, he shifted around in his chair to alleviate some tension south of the border, and turned the page.
"Hiruzen!" The bark of command had him jerking upright, scrambling to cram his book into his drawer, and yanking nearest report into place in front of him.
Hiruzen grabbed his pen just in the nick of time. The door swung open with an ominous bang to admit Koharu, who looked to be in a particularly foul mood with a curled lip and a sheaf of paperwork tucked under her arm.
"Koharu?" He did his best to paste on an inquiring face. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"If you're quite done reading that trash your student writes while pretending to be doing paperwork—" Koharu whipped out a senbon and speared the top of the paperwork he had pulled out—which was tellingly upside down. "—we have more important problems to deal with."
"Would you care to sit down?" Hiruzen inwardly cursed his misfortune as he gestured to the chair across from him.
"Your stall tactics won't work on me, monkey boy." Koharu smashed the stack of paperwork onto his desk and glared at him with such fury that he felt sweat bead along his body. "I've observed the Academy and reviewed academic files going back the last several years. Do you know what I found, Hiruzen?"
It would be imprecise to suggest that the Academy had been the focus of his attention in the last several years. Securing the borders and maintaining the image of Konoha's power in the face of the other great shinobi nations had been the Sandaime's priority within an hour of the Yondaime's final breath. Rebuilding the lives of his people and staving off poachers had taken precedence over all else.
This was not to say that Hiruzen had ignored the Academy; on the contrary, he reviewed the graduates' files and assembled them into promising teams. But it was certainly possible his diverted attention may have led to a few mishaps.
"I'm sure you'll enlighten me," Hiruzen said after the momentary lapse.
"That Academy is a disgrace to everything Tobirama-sensei worked for." Puce was a horrid colour on Koharu's cheeks.
Hiruzen flinched backward as she rounded his desk, and stood hurriedly to head her off.
"You are going to appoint me to an appropriate position to make some changes. And I am going to find alternative positions for the majority of those useless fools!"
"I'm sure it can't be as bad as you're thinking," Hiruzen replied, trying to puzzle out what could have riled the typically immovable woman. "And I thought you wanted to retire. Isn't that why you asked to be put into an advisory role only?"
"No one gets to retire from service, Hiruzen." Koharu sounded exhausted for a moment before that too disappeared beneath her anger. "Something you understand better than anyone."
"Quite." Hiruzen scratched his head distractedly as he eyed the framed photograph of his dead successor on the wall. "So…why do you want to run the Academy?"
"Because someone needs to get the house in order." Koharu's knuckles flexed in a telling manner. "And I'm not only willing, I'm overqualified to handle the situation."
"If it was as bad as you propose, more of our genin would fail during the chunin exams." Hiruzen was becoming concerned with his twitchy friend's health at this point.
"You cannot judge the standards of the Academy in relation to potential jounin sensei. Did you know our students often graduate with little to no understanding of Konoha's relations with the other great nations, which in turn causes problems in the field. I've found more than a dozen formal complaints from jounin-sensei stating their genin responded inappropriately in field situations based on ignorance."
"I don't recall seeing those." The Sandaime frowned.
"Allow me." Koharu rifled through a stack of paperwork before shoving some pages under his nose. "Here are the complaints that were submitted and duly filed away by chunin Academy teachers without passing them to you for review."
The Sandaime paused. Such an action could be considered insubordination by intentional subversion of the chain of command.
"What about the upcoming graduating class?" If there was a concern to be had, it would be with that group.
"After observing physical training, I surmise that in a pure taijutsu encounter, only four of 37 candidates would outlast an average, adult civilian in a fight."
"Four?" Hiruzen blanched. "Civilians?"
"Indeed." Koharu's tone was clipped and irritated. "All clan children. And all of them taijutsu specialized."
"What about factoring in the use of jutsu?"
Koharu faltered in her pacing, but tapped her chin for a moment. "Difficult to say since intelligence is the mitigating factor in these situations, but even the children with clan backgrounds are not reliable indicators of anything."
"Are you saying that shinobi families have become complacent?" That notion seemed ill-advised and misplaced.
"To be frank, yes." Koharu finally took a seat but motioned to the bookcase.
Hiruzen quickly obliged and retrieved a pair of sake cups and poured each of them a generous portion of amber-toned liquid, as replacement for what Tsunade had stolen.
"Could it be that perhaps you're looking at this based on what our childhoods were like?" Hiruzen knew better than to press hard, but the question was an important one.
"Perhaps," Koharu allowed, "but I'm not asking for our children to be ready to take their first life at five like you and I could have. I'm saying that a green genin should possess enough stamina to last longer than five minutes sparring, have actual knowledge of the village they've agreed to die for, and have some manner of skill when they come out of the Academy."
If Koharu was not exaggerating the situation, the Academy would certainly need an overhaul. Hiruzen swallowed the burning liquid and folded his hands pensively. He did not want such young children to have to face the horrors of the battlefield until they were ready, but what good was an Academy that failed to adequately ready students to defend themselves?
Shoving away from his desk, he went to the window and looked out and down upon his people. Small babes being carried by smiling mothers strolled the streets. Vendors bartered with shoppers in a friendly fashion, while off-duty shinobi were visible thanks to the gleam of their hitai-ate. Joy was the theme of Konoha. There were still scars from the devastation following the Kyuubi's assault, but recovery had come quickly and the evidence was nearly gone.
Further along the street, Hiruzen could just make out one of the rookie genin teams working to complete a mission. The jounin-sensei had hinted during oral reports that he did not think his team would be participating in the upcoming Chunin Exams in Suna or in the next round hosted in Konoha. Hiruzen had not given it much thought, but it did raise a disturbing number of questions and gave credence to Koharu's findings.
"I want a detailed report on what you find," Hiruzen said finally. "And your proposal for alterations to the Academy itself. If things are as poorly off as you suggest, and if I feel your suggestions are beneficial, I'll approve them. I will not authorize instruction in jutsu outside the Academy three, however, without special permission so don't ask."
"I understand the dangers of teaching ninjutsu to students with no hope in passing. But we hardly require jutsu to create a solid foundation of learning." Koharu's voice dropped to a whisper. "Danzo suspects."
"How much?" Hiruzen appeared to continue watching his people go about their lives below, while in actuality the Hokage wracked his brain for potential solutions.
"Danzo is aware that there are details you have not shared regarding Senju Minato, but he remains unaware of said details. Since I'm likewise ignorant, I'm unable to compromise whatever secrets you're keeping about the boy."
Hiruzen detected no bitterness or resentment that Koharu previously would have felt at such a sleight; instead, he heard nothing but acceptance and that…was progress of a sort.
Kami help them all if Danzo learned the village was in possession of two jinchuuriki.
"He is displeased by your decision to allow Hatake to retire from ANBU." The Sandaime shrugged. The occasions that Danzo saw eye-to-eye with him became less frequent with each passing season.
"Hardly a surprise."
"Yes," Koharu agreed. "But he has intimated to me that perhaps he is aware that my allegiances have changed."
"Not even Danzo could publicly make a move against you." Hiruzen placed a hand on the old woman's shoulder and met her blank gaze. "You know that I would not allow that?"
"I do not fear Danzo or his subordinates turning on me."
Koharu shook her head. "Displeased or not, Danzo won't move against me as long as my interests lie in securing a safer Konoha. As such, he has stated that he would support a nomination for me to take control of the Academy. I'm completely safe, but I'm also not privy to Danzo's meetings as often as I once was."
"He has stopped calling you." It wasn't a question.
Koharu inclined her head gravely. They shuffled back to the desk and had another drink together.
"You need a successor, Hiruzen," Koharu said at last.
"I know," Hiruzen murmured into his drink, "but I can't retire yet."
"Preposterous." The fight had gone out of Koharu, who was visibly weary. "Make Jiraiya take the role. Danzo will speak out against him, but your student would have more than enough support to silence dissent."
"Unofficially, I've selected the Godaime Hokage." Hiruzen spilled the beans casually, taking no small amount of joy in seeing his old friend straighten.
"Who?"
"I can't say." Hiruzen swallowed his bitter drink. "But I can tell you that the candidate is unaware of the selection and is not yet ready to take the title at this time."
"Huh." Koharu poured herself a third cup, prompting the Hokage to recover the bottle and slide it out of reach. "Trying to spare your next successor the impromptu promotion that Sensei dumped on you?"
"It wasn't dumped on me," Hiruzen protested. "Tobirama-sensei had been preparing me for the role for over a year. Maybe longer. It's the reason things didn't fall apart after we got back from Kumo. Even though I wasn't ready, I wasn't unprepared."
"How long do you have to hold out then?" Koharu stared into her sake blankly.
Hiruzen automatically reached for his pipe.
"Eight years."
"What?!" Koharu choked, bending in half as she hacked up a lung.
"A fine vintage requires extra time to ferment and enrich the flavour." Hiruzen smiled wryly. "A shinobi requires the same delicate handling."
"Damn it, Hiruzen." This time Koharu's face lit up and lost over a decade of age as something amused and pleased overtook the old woman's features. "Whoever you have decided on had better be worth it because keeping you alive is a trial on its own."
"I'm not so bad, am I?"
"No, you're worse." Koharu rose firmly and pointed to the door. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
But he was already rising and stepping around his desk to tuck his old friend's arm under his own.
"We're going for lunch," Koharu announced as they stepped outside, under the attention of a dozen chunin and genin standing around the mission desks. "You can come back later to bury yourself under a stack of paperwork. For now, I want you to tell me about how Tsunade reacted to Jiraiya's accommodations."
"I would love to," Hiruzen murmured as they vanished and reappeared a short distance away near one of the more discreet dining locales the Sandaime frequented. "Laughing is supposed to help you live longer…at least that's what I heard once."
"Sounds fishy if you ask me." Koharu sniffed. "But I suppose a little laughter is amenable."
"Good thing too, because I doubt I'll be smiling much in a few days?"
"What's in a few days?" Koharu asked as they entered the restaurant and made for seats in the far back.
"The Raikage moved up his visit."
"You can't be serious?" Koharu shot back, genuinely shocked. "And they didn't inform you?"
Showing up early was likely to catch them flat-footed and unprepared to host potential enemies.
"It's worse, actually." Hiruzen could always count on Koharu to respond favorably in tactical situations. And with a stroke of luck, perhaps the two of them could sway Danzo into a cooperative effort. "I received a message by hawk just over an hour ago. They are already on their way."
"Meaning we have much to do in order to prepare the village." A low voice spoke from behind.
Hiruzen turned, completely unsurprised by Danzo's sudden appearance at the table. With a beckoning hand, he gestured for his old friends to take a seat.
Koharu shifted over to allow Danzo to seat himself next to her. There was a brief silence interrupted only by a waitress briskly serving tea before making herself scarce.
"I've been expecting you, old friend." Hiruzen feigned interest in the menu while speaking, hyperaware of the intense scrutiny he was under.
"You know why I'm here," Danzo stated calmly.
"I know what you're offering and you know I'll accept," Hiruzen said, resolute. "The visit was not anticipated for another three weeks, and so many of our jounin and my ANBU are out on missions."
"No doubt Kumo anticipated we would have fewer shinobi stationed in the village if they moved up their time table." Koharu scoffed.
"The real danger is whether Kumo is using the Raikage's visit as a scouting mission for a future attack or for a potential acquisition." Hiruzen rubbed his head slightly. Such a pain politics were.
Certainly, they could refuse the Raikage's visit, but doing so would make Konoha appear weak before the Elemental Nations. Weaknesses were something his village could ill-afford for the moment.
"The obvious target of choice is Senju Minato." Koharu expressed what they were all thinking just to clear the air. "But they boy's security is practically impregnable at the moment. It would be folly to make a move on him."
"I tend to agree with Koharu." Hiruzen the names off his fingers. "Hatake Kakashi. Jiraiya. Tsunade. All three of them are sharing a roof with the boy. All three are S-ranked across the board. Removing Minato from his current residence would not only be strategically unwise, but impossible with those three protecting him."
"I agree with you, Hiruzen, but there is a flaw in that line of reasoning," Danzo replied while calmly sipping his tea.
"Oh?" Koharu challenged subtly. Hiruzen waited for confirmation of what he already suspected.
"During the day, the boy is sometimes in the care of other, less powerful shinobi." Danzo replied. "At times, he is left under the supervision of Uchiha Mikoto, Hyuuga Hiashi, Tsunade's apprentice, or Uchiha Shisui. All A-rank with the exception of Shisui who is proving himself to be an upcoming A-rank contender."
And there it was. Undeniable evidence that Danzo was aware of Minato's movements and had placed some sort of guard on the boy.
"But abduction while under supervision is exceedingly unlikely and increases the risk of failure by a high margin." Hiruzen frowned, lost in thought.
"But look at the company the boy keeps," Koharu offered. "The village jinchuuriki, the Uchiha Clan Head's son, Hiashi's daughter—the list goes on."
"Kumo holds jinchuuriki and kekkei genkai in high regard." Danzo spoke tonelessly. "My agents have intercepted several of Cloud's retrieval teams exiting Kiri with children."
The implication hung over the table and left enough information without drawing up specifics.
"How many children have survived the bloodline purges, Danzo?"
"Enough."
There was not even a flicker of denial in Danzo's eyes. Hiruzen felt his heart shudder in silent mourning.
"I see." Hiruzen rubbed his eyes. "How many infants?"
There was a pause.
"Three."
"You can keep the rest, but send the babies to me. I'll find them clan families to raise them." Hiruzen's anger brokered no objections, and though Danzo looked displeased, he refrained from commenting. It was almost a pity because Hiruzen was rather hoping for a reason to grill his old friend.
"Should we expect any other villages to make a move?" Koharu asked. "It's a rather convenient opportunity to cause our village to lose face."
"We must prepare for any possible eventuality," Danzo interjected. "Even striking first."
"We are not assassinating the Raikage." Hiruzen shot down that idea before his old friend could think about it too much.
"Contingency plans are good to have," Koharu muttered before quelling under the weight of his glare. "I'm not suggesting we murder the Raikage; I am suggesting we have a back-up plan in case another village forgets their place and makes a move."
"I will not condone a course of action that could lead to the ruin of Konoha." Hiruzen's lips curve upward with the barest hint of a twinkle in his eye. "But I am willing to entertain suggestions to manage the situation in creative ways."
Danzo was a wily rat, of that he had never doubted. Still, Hiruzen would have to have a long conversation with him once all of this mess was resolved. The sooner, the better.
"Well then, what better way to manage a diplomatic clusterfuck than baiting an irresistible trap." Koharu smirked in that self-satisfied manner that sent chills racing down his spine.
"You're proposing we move up next week's festival so that it overlaps with the visit." Danzo looked almost pleased. "It's a risky move, but it presents us an opportunity we cannot afford to pass up."
"All the better." Hiruzen drew out a blank scroll from his robes along with a fresh pen. "Shall we get started?"
Sometimes a deal with the devil was necessary. In this case, Hiruzen was unsure exactly which one of them most qualified for the role.
"You're favouring your left," Minato called sharply, ignoring the sweat dripping into his eyes.
The pair of them had spent the last twenty or so minutes dancing back and forth across a calm stretch of river that lacked any notable current. Occasionally a green or coppery brown shape would dart beneath the clear surface, but with a high sun and dark shadows looming on the placid surface, the fish were making themselves scarce.
"Got it!"
Smooth as a cat, Hinata shot forward with her palm extended in a thrust meant to incapacitate.
Minato felt himself smile in spite of his exhaustion. He let his forearm catch the blow, lowered his center, and followed up with a reverse kick to the abdomen.
The blow knocked Hinata off-balance. She staggered, sinking a bit below the surface, before the girl's kickass chakra control had her rebalancing atop the water.
"Breathe for a second." Minato panted softly.
Twenty minutes of sparring would have been a joke to a seasoned genin, but his body was young and did not have a developed musculature or prior training. Some things, like familiarity with chakra control, gave him an edge. But while he may remember every kata of the taijutsu style he utilized as a Namikaze, he couldn't use them.
"I think I can last ten more minutes," Hinata said in between gasps.
More than enough time and it was an improvement of five minutes from when he taught her the chakra control exercise.
"Then let's push ourselves, Hinata-san." Minato staggered back into a ready position that Kakashi had shown him. "Let's give our friends a good show."
Neither of their friends were actively watching, but the words worked their magic and hardened the resolve in Hinata's eyes.
"Minato-kun, let us fight!" Hinata's arms might have been shaky, but the form was a classical opener for the Gentle Fist style.
"Very well."
Minato rushed her; doing otherwise would be an insult to Hinata's strength. Rather than evade his attack, Hinata twisted and snapped her palm toward his abdomen. It took a deft flip to escape and he landed poorly, but land he did—only for him Hinata to pursue him gamely.
"Who is training you these days?" Minato snaked out of her way and flipped backward to his feet to create some space between them. "Because something is different."
Something in her form is much better. And the hesitation remains, but seems to have diminished significantly.
"Hizashi-sama has been kind enough to oversee Neji and I over the last few days." Hinata spoke even as she raced toward him again.
That explained a lot. Hizashi was much more relaxed and that would surely translate into anything he was teaching—and to anyone.
"I'm impressed." Minato narrowly ducked a palm to the face before smirking at the determined girl. "But it's not over yet."
Minato used his body's impressive flexibility to drop and swipe Hinata's legs from under her with a single movement. She collided with the surface of the water, sank, and rose again soaked and spluttering.
"Ack!" Hinata spat up a mouthful of water and looked at him miserably.
"Here." Minato leaned down to offer her a hand, which she grasped thankfully.
Then, something unexpected happened. Hinata's innocent nature morphed into a devious one, the fingers he was clasped tightened, and another palm dropped onto their interlocked hands. Minato felt his jaw drop as sweet, little Hinata flipped him into the water next to her.
The hands gripping him had released as soon as he was underwater so he came up coughing and choking. Before he knew it, giggles teased his ears and Hinata's arm slid under his elbow to help him up.
"I didn't know you had it in you," Minato spluttered.
"Me neither." Hinata's giggles were infectious and soon he was laughing along with her.
"It's a good thing it's sunny out." Minato nudged Hinata's shoulder as they sloughed through the water to the riverbank. "But I think we scared the fish off."
"Still isn't so warm." Hinata hugged herself miserably, shaking out her drenched hair.
"Yeah." The breeze impacted their shivering bodies from behind and they both shuddered. "But at least we're cold together, right?"
Hinata made an affirming noise, before her teeth began chattering.
Thankfully, Shizune appeared to have witnessed their plight because she suddenly materialized at the shore holding large, fluffy towels.
Thank Kami!
"Nee-san, thank you," Minato choked out right before he was swallowed by the yellow fluff.
"Th-thank you, Shizune-san," Hinata squeaked, now shivering. "We didn't think we'd fall in."
"Kids never do, but that's why you have us old folks to look after you." Shizune winked and Hinata turned an adorable shade of pink. "Jiraiya-sama is with Sasuke and Naruto just up there."
Minato knew that, of course, but there was no sense in being rude so he thanked Shizune again and began the slow trudge up the grassy embankment with Hinata on his heels and Shizune trailing them.
"You should keep having Hizashi train you."
"Ano, I don't think I can ask that," she replied.
"Why not?" Minato grimaced as his sandals squished wetly. "Ugh, almost to the top, Hinata."
"My father doesn't like it when I ask him for things."
And wasn't that just unbelievably sad.
"I see. Maybe you should tell him how you feel then."
"Minato-kun is right, Hinata-chan." Shizune had stealthily matched their pace and was now squeezing the Hyuuga girl's shoulder. "It might seem a little scary, but telling your father how you feel is very important. I can tell your father loves you; he probably just doesn't know how to show it. You're going to have to teach him."
"I..I don't know."
Sensing the necessity of an immediate diversion, Minato rerouted the conversation.
"Were some of those moves you used earlier part of your clan's techniques?"
"Oh!" Hinata sounded like she was coming out of a trance, but the new topic seemed to help her because she perked up and her voice regained confidence. "Yes. I'll be able to seal off chakra pathways on contact when I'm a little further along. Hizashi says my flexibility is acceptable and he is pleased with my forms."
"They worked great. You caught me a few times."
"Thank you." Hinata's reply was somewhat muffled from inside her fluffy cocoon, but they finally stopped at the top of the steep incline. Both breathed identical sighs of relief. "You are becoming good too. Has someone been teaching you?"
Sasuke and Naruto were a dozen paces away listening intently to the directions of a hunched over Jiraiya. The duo were nodding thoughtfully and exchanging eager looks. Definitely suspicious.
"Not exactly." Minato shot the pensive Shizune a quick glance, noting the way her eyes narrowed. "Tsunade-sama gave me a Senju taijutsu scroll. I've been trying to recreate the katas from there. It's interesting and it gives me something to occupy my time."
It certainly had been enlightening. The Senju style of taijutsu—quite different from Tsunade's aggressive, personalized style—relied on high dexterity to outmaneuver an opponent and inflict precise strikes aimed to swiftly disable or kill. Minato theorized the style was developed over a generation ago in an effort to mitigate the visual prowess of the Uchiha Clan. Whether it worked or not was likely dependent upon individual efforts, but the potential was there. And since Minato could hardly use the taijutsu style the favored as a Namikaze, he needed to adapt to something new.
It would have been easy to miss the tightening of Shizune's body or her harsh intake of breath, but Minato was watching for it and frowned at the anger easily evident on her face. It seemed odd that she was upset by such a thing.
"Scrolls? Hinata sounded upset and Minato was at a loss why. "But…isn't someone working with you?"
"Err…Kakashi has showed me some things," Minato dodged the query lamely, trying to figure out why this was such a big deal. "But I've had time on my own now that I'm not living with Sasuke and Naruto so I've been working on other things."
"Someone should be with you while you're learning." Minato lurched backward, finding Hinata doing the same as they stared at Shizune. She looked absolutely livid. "If you fell wrong you could be hurt! What was Tsunade-sama thinking? Giving you a scroll like that without any supervision!"
He really, really wanted to laugh it off and remind the woman that a jinchuuriki's healing factor was absolutely ridiculous, but he might revisit that idea when he didn't feel like he was in mortal peril.
"Oi, Shizune! Brats!" Jiraiya cheerfully called, obviously unaware of Shizune's blossoming ire. "You want to watch me perform a jutsu too?"
Minato looked at Hinata. She looked right back. They both nodded, shucked their towels, and sprinted toward the Sannin.
Shivers or no, sticking around a temperamental female was just asking for trouble.
"We're coming!" Hinata yelled.
They stumbled to a stop just as Jiraiya gave a big thumbs-up and rolled forward, his hair extending and taking on a life of its own. The large, spiky sphere rotated menacingly like an irate porcupine, much to Naruto's whoops of jubilation.
A few moments later, the Sannin was back on his feet, hands thrust in the air, and hair retreating to normalcy.
"What do you think?" Minato's show-off of a, former sensei was glowing with triumph and Naruto stamped his feet and all but screamed for joy. Even Sasuke looked interested, but in a much cooler, less rambunctious way.
"Freaking awesome! Awesome! Awesome!" Naruto hopped up and down waving his arms effusively. "You gotta teach me that! I'll be freaking unstoppable!"
"It might be useful." It was grudging praise from Sasuke, but it allowed Minato to gauge whether his influence was of any benefit.
"Oho, you better grow some hair then, kiddo!" Jiraiya knocked Naruto's skull a bit harder than strictly necessary before leering at the crowd. "Your little girlfriend over there could pull this jutsu off, but you need a bit more hair before it'll work for you."
"Girlfriend?" Hinata sounded noticeably faint.
Jiraiya merely wagged his eyebrows at the poor girl and hooted.
"Noooo!" Naruto, oblivious to Hinata's embarrassment, was raking his fingers over his hair that Mikoto had trimmed a while back. "I've got to grow it out now!"
"Not doing that." Sasuke folded his arms defiantly.
"Maybe Jiraiya-sama could test our elemental affinities, then." Minato pushed the envelope just a bit, pleased when the Sannin lurched around with a frown.
"Eh, I think that sort of stuff is a little ahead of you." Jiraiya stretched his arms. "Live a little. And let's have some lunch. I'm starved."
"Oh come on, old man! We're way stronger than normal kids." Naruto was still grabbing at the ends of his hair. "I'm gonna have fire just like Kaa-san! And I'm gonna learn the Uchiha family jutsu and blow everyone away with how awesome I am."
Okay, what in Kami's name has been going on? I've only been out of that house for two weeks. Two weeks!
"Don't be an idiot!" Sasuke smashed his fist into Naruto's head, causing him to jerk back with a groan. "If anyone is going to have a Katon affinity, it's going to be me! You're adopted!"
"So?" Naruto groused. "I'm still gonna be the best Uchiha ever! And I'm gonna learn to summon cats!"
"Don't be ridiculous, gaki! Cats are definitely not in your future!" Jiraiya bopped Naruto on the head, which made him flap about like a headless chicken. "Summoning is way too difficult for tiny brats like you guys. You're not even Academy age yet. Bother me again when you're older."
"I would be interested in learning my elemental affinity." Hinata spoke quietly, but there was a quiet confidence in the girl's words. "Not many Hyuuga seem to use jutsu…I wouldn't mind being different."
Minato found himself feeling lighter and slung an arm around Hinata's shoulder. Again, her cheeks flushed, but this time Hinata merely looked…happy. It was a good look for her.
"That's right!" Naruto tapped his sandaled foot on the ground and bounced in front of the Sannin who was rolling his eyes and muttering nonsense to the clouds. "So teach us our elemental affinities, old man!"
"Forget it." Jiraiya huffed.
"Don't' make me prank you, old man." Naruto's voice purred dangerously and Minato hid a gleeful smile when both Sasuke and Hinata exchanged glances with Naruto.
"I'll think about it." Jiraiya folded his arms mulishly, but cast a leery eye on the kids.
"Alright, settle down everyone." Shizune seemed to have calmed down and appeared with a blanket and a large basket. "Picnic lunch."
There was a moment of hesitation but Naruto made a motion indicating a temporary truce. Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief when the kids turned to Shizune, but Minato knew it was far too premature; Naruto may be distracted by food, but it wouldn't last and the blonde was incredibly determined when he wanted to be.
"Yum!" Naruto lunged toward the basket, but was easily evaded by Shizune, who allowed him to face plant in the grass.
"I'll spread the blanket." Minato reached for the checkered cloth and accepted it from a thankful Shizune.
"I'll help too," Sasuke offered, appearing next to him.
"Thanks, Sasuke-kun," Minato replied.
"No problem."
Together, they spread the oversized cloth, Hinata helped deposit helpings of sushi and rice balls onto each plate and pass them out. Jiraiya was lazing about at the edges of their gathering, but accepted a plate with thanks from Hinata. Naruto was already gorging himself on his helping. Minato overlooked that detail. Children that starved had issues with food, after all.
"So, how is living with your family, Minato?" Hinata asked.
"I have to admit that things are different, but not in a bad way." He mulled over his thoughts on the matter. "Most mornings I wake up and I play cards with Tsunade."
Minato omitted the fact that he often woke up in the middle of the night when Kakashi had nightmares. Privacy was more of an illusion in the shinobi world, but he didn't want to spread Kakashi's sleeping problems to all corners. His older brother often woke covered in sweat and panting lightly in his oversized bed. Minato often climbed in, after he coaxed the weaponry from Kakashi's grip, and sat with him until Kakashi's heart stopped pounding and one or both of them fell asleep.
"Cards?" Naruto paused mid-bite. "I've never played before. Is it fun?"
"It can be." Minato nodded. "But if I don't play then Tsunade won't get up until much later."
"I wish I could sleep in still," Naruto murmured. "But Tou-san has been getting Sasuke and I up before he goes to work every morning to do stupid exercises."
"How are you going to get stronger if you don't learn the exercises, idiot?" Sasuke snapped.
"I just wish it wasn't the same all the time. It's so boring and all he does is yell at us and say how we don't want to be a disgrace to the clan. I'll show him!"
"Anyway..." Minato steered the conversation away from Fugaku's efforts to indoctrinate his children with clan propaganda. "Nee-san does my hair every morning." Shizune's eyes crinkled when he smiled at her. "And usually I read, train, or accompany Oba-san to the hospital or for lunch."
Minato loathed the hospital. There were few moments where he resented his new existence, but every time some old, sick person pinched his cheeks and cooed at him, it took every ounce of his self-control not to whip out a kunai and stab the offenders. And if that wasn't intolerable enough, it bored him to tears when Tsunade asked him to come along. It was only because he knew it would benefit her that he caved.
"Pretty much every afternoon I spend with Sasuke and Naruto, but the location varies." Minato shrugged. "Sometimes we go to the park, sometimes they come to my new house, sometimes their house, and today, we're having a picnic with you, Hinata-chan."
"I miss Minato living with us," Naruto grumbled. "Even Gumhead and Itachi miss him."
"It's bad enough that Naruto sneaks out sometimes," Minato muttered, remembering how red-faced and furious Mikoto had been when she finally tracked him down. "That first time that Naruto disappeared after dinner, Mikoto had half the village shinobi looking for you."
"I was going to leave a note!" Naruto protested. "I'm just not that good with writing yet!"
"You would be if you didn't have the attention span of an infant." Sasuke muttered.
"Naruto-kun, you really shouldn't sneak out alone." Hinata's eyes had doubled in size and she looked visibly troubled. "If something happened to you, we would all be so worried."
"Not to worry, cutie-pie." Jiraiya winked at her, making her flush crimson. "Naruto's parents are police officers. Didn't Fugaku pick you up from our place the other night, Naruto?"
"Err…yeah." Naruto squirmed slightly, a haunted look glazing his abnormally bright eyes. "He wasn't very happy."
"It's why the dobe hasn't snuck out since then." Sasuke smirked while Naruto made a frustrated sound like nails on a chalkboard.
"You two should work on water walking after lunch." Minato motioned down the hill. "If Hinata and I can do it, you two should be able to figure it out."
"Ugh, but we've been falling in for days!" Naruto whined. "We even tried practicing at home until Kaa-san yelled at us for bothering the fish.
"That isn't so bad." Sasuke plucked a strand of grass and started winding it around his finger. "At least you aren't trying to eat them anymore."
"That was one time," Naruto protested.
"Koi aren't for eating, Naruto-kun," Hinata chided him gently.
Minato smothered a laugh and let himself fall backward to stare up at the large clouds in the sky. Life was interesting, especially this second go-around.
Not everything was perfect. The tension between Kakashi and Tsunade was becoming worse rather than better. If those two could just get past the infantile issue of sharing, Minato just knew things would improve.
Shizune really did behave like a big sister though. She helped him sort through his new clothing and habitually checked on him to see if he needed assistance with anything else.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, had been busy with peeping missions and bonding with Naruto, which suited Minato just fine since it kept the Sannin from getting to know him too well. And his friendships were intact despite his initial fears.
Life was pretty good.
There were days he dreamed of what a family dinner would be like, but this exercise in dysfunction was not exactly what Minato had in mind.
Everyone was sitting around the dinner table for their meal. Minato held his chopsticks with a piece of shrimp poised just below his chin.
"This meal sure looks delicious." One could see the impressions of Kakashi's lips forming a smile underneath his mask. "Thank you for your efforts, Tsunade-sama."
Minato jerked around desperately, but Tsunade was shrugging her coat off—Jiraiya-sensei was leaning in for a better look at her jiggling assets—and remained unaware of Kakashi's opening ploy.
"Psh, I've never cooked a day in my life and I don't plan on starting now." Tsunade retorted, her nose crinkling in distaste. "Shizune cooked, of course."
"My mistake, then. Apologies, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi put on the flattery a bit too strong and Minato nervously dropped his chopsticks, reaching for his glass of water. "I simply assumed that since I was away on a mission for the day, and Shizune and Jiraiya-sama were watching the kids, that you wouldn't leave the task of cooking to Shizune. My bad!"
Kakashi…what are you doing? You do realize that Tsunade's temper is Uzumaki in nature, right?
Though I suppose I really can't be all that surprised. These two have been acting like a couple of pre-teen girls in a pissing contest for the last two weeks. I suppose I should be thankful they haven't resorted to violence.
The sound of knuckles cracking had Minato downing half his water in one go.
"You look a bit tired after your mission today." Tsunade smiled sweetly. "Maybe you should do some reading with Minato to unwind. Oh wait. You'll probably be too busy at the memorial tonight. We wouldn't want to interrupt your quality time with a rock, now would we?"
Oh sweet Kami, why him?
"Speaking of quality time..." Kakashi lazily set aside his miraculously empty plate. "How was your appointment with Mara-san, today?"
"Better than I expected. In fact, we discussed techniques for stress management in our session today." Tsunade patted her fist with her free hand invitingly. "I'm sure you would benefit from a physical method too. Why don't you join me?"
"Speaking of physical activities." Jiraiya said, shoveling large quantities of food into his mouth. "Minato and Hinata were sparring on top of the river earlier. I didn't see all of it, but it looked like Minato has a good grasp of the basics of the Senju taijutsu style. Far from mastered, but I'm impressed that your forms were as recognizable as they were."
"Thank you," Minato said, his frown going unnoticed since the entire dinner table was caught up in themselves.
"I'll have to teach you some of the Hatake style too," Kakashi mused thoughtfully—totally ignoring Tsunade's prior comment. "It's incredibly acrobatic, but I have no doubt you can handle that. You're definitely genius material, pup."
Ordinarily, a compliment like that would have probably brightened his day, but Minato was becoming steadily more frustrated with the dinner table dynamics. Almost angrily, he turned his wrath on a plate of sushi and began devouring the contents of his plate.
"Such an advanced chakra control exercise at his age has potential." Tsunade said from the side. "Maybe I should start him on medical theory texts earlier than I planned."
Minato snorted. If Tsunade thought he was going to become a medic, she had another thing coming. Most shinobi had a basic comprehension of anatomy, but Minato had neither the temperament or the inclination to heal.
"I think a tracking specialist would be easier," Kakashi suggested, causing Minato's mood to sink a little further.
"Don't be ridiculous." Tsunade scoffed. "That would be a waste of his potential."
"A waste, you say?" Kakashi replied deliberately underhanded. "Our father was a tracker with a reputation surpassing even your legend."
"I'm going to my room." Minato hopped off his chair while balancing his plate in his hands.
"Minato?" Tsunade already looked apologetic, and he could see how Kakashi's muscles had tensed and his fingers had cracked the chopsticks.
"Pup, I'm sorry I shouldn't have—"
"No, you shouldn't have."
Minato massaged his temples before shooting an apologetic look to Shizune. She only shook her head in understanding.
"Brat, I…"
He shrugged off Tsunade's attempts to placate him and Kakashi's hesitant arm.
"No."
Kakashi recoiled as if burned and Tsunade was bit her lip painfully.
"Kid…" Jiraiya started, but Minato snapped his arm out and was satisfied when his former mentor finally shut up.
"Fighting like this is something that someone my age should be doing." Minato felt his tension ease as he finally spoke the words he had been longing to speak for several days now. "You're both acting like this is a competition. Instead of being happy about building bonds with me, you demonstrate how dissatisfied you are by sniping at each other constantly. Both of you need to start acting like adults."
Brushing past everyone, he paused as Shizune touched his shoulder lightly. Wearily, he looked up at her.
"I'm okay." Minato breathed a sigh of relief when his seal warmed slightly in a silent show of support. "Look, my feelings for you both haven't changed. I'm just disappointed."
No one tried stopping him again. He climbed the stairs to his room and threw himself onto the bed with a solid thunk. The chakra in the wood was soothing and despite it being more than a few hours early, Minato felt his eyes grow heavy. He allowed himself to slip into sleep.
Watching Minato walk away upset was hard. Not as difficult as the incident the day she arrived, but it still made her heart ache painfully. Tsunade was not oblivious to the pained looks the boy would sometimes direct at them, but perhaps she had been pretending not to see them.
She needed to become a better person. She would.
"Shizune, let's give Kakashi and Tsunade some time to talk." Jiraiya's voice sounded like he was walking on tiptoes. "Hime, we'll be back in a little while."
"Just a moment." Shizune was all business and Tsunade reached for her sake glass, only to have it torn from her grip just before she could grab it.
"Shizune," Tsunade hissed warningly. Kakashi made a movement that she couldn't decipher as he was too busy being stared down by her displeased apprentice.
"No." Shizune slammed her hands down on the table viciously, causing dishes to rattle. "Do either of you have any idea how intelligent that child is?"
The boy's intelligence was practically expected. Anything less would have been odd coming from the two bloodlines that gave him life.
"Of course." This was Kakashi's harsh reply and there was certainly some defensiveness that Tsunade did not appreciate.
Shizune hardly seemed to have noticed though. "Then surely you realize how hard this is for Minato. Do either of you put yourself in his sandals when he sees you fighting? From what little we know, that boy was put through hell until he arrived here. I can only imagine how he feels being caught between you two fighting over his attention like little kids. He nailed it right on the head."
Tsunade's lip quivered and she forced herself to count backward from five. Five. She didn't like being wrong. She hated feeling helpless. Four. Love wasn't an easy road. Three. Tsunade loathed Hatake for reasons that fell apart just by existing. Two. Shizune was right. One. She needed to get herself together here.
"Minato is certainly a genius, but he's also just a child. Don't bring him into the issues you two are having."
Shizune's retreating footfalls and the telltale slam of the door were perfectly informative.
"Certainly dramatic." Kakashi's words sounded tired.
"Doesn't make what she said untrue." Tsunade stood and glared at the table laden with dishes. "Let's clean up while we talk."
Kakashi was impossibly still for a moment and she half-expected the jounin to spout a lame excuse and run away. She already had three plates in her hands by the time Kakashi animated and began collecting cups to carry to the kitchen.
"You're good with Minato, you know," Tsunade finds herself saying without thinking.
"I'm not." The denial comes swiftly and Tsunade sees a glimmer of that self-loathing that she knows all too well. "I just follow his suggestions."
"Come on, Hatake," Tsunade murmured, shaking her head to convey her disbelief. "I've watched the two of you together. The brat seems to just like being around you; reading, practicing with shuriken, and just sitting together."
"You're acting like he doesn't do things with you." Kakashi emptied the glasses and began loading them into the dishwasher. "He has made at least three trips to the hospital, the two of you play cards every morning, and he puts up with girly outings that I certainly wouldn't have the patience for."
Tsunade loathed pretenses. "Kakashi, cut the crap. We both know that you've had a problem with me since I arrived here. Maybe even before."
Kakashi didn't reply, but he did not have to. Tsunade understood the meaning of his silence well enough.
"And I don't really blame you for it," Tsunade conceded grudgingly. Hearing the other man whip around was incredibly satisfying though. "Earning back trust after it's lost is…difficult. But I'm trying to improve myself and get back on my feet, for Minato's sake more than my own. But I don't think you're really upset for any of these reasons."
"Of course, I am," came the hoarse reply. "When you made him cry, it reminded me of all the times I failed. I'm not going to let anyone down again."
"You're like me, then, kid." Tsunade brushed past the stunned jounin and fished a bottle of sake from the drawer, ripped off the cap, and took a long swallow. "You can't let go of the past, but let's be real, Hatake. You and I have had shitty lives."
"Maybe." Kakashi whispered cautiously, and he reminded Tsunade of an old dog that had been kicked one too many times.
"And we were holding ourselves together with willpower rather than anything solid." Tsunade felt like a therapist, but she had a begrudging respect for them after Mara seemed bored by her threats. "And suddenly this kid comes along and you remember what it's like to feel something other than hurt. You're afraid to lose him, Kakashi. I know I am."
"You're not wrong." Kakashi had taken a seat on the edge of the countertop, face angled away.
"Jiraiya told me that you aren't happy with us being here."
"Can you blame me?"
"Honestly, I can't. But Minato doesn't deserve to have us behaving this way. And both of us need to realize that the other person isn't trying to take him away."
"I know. I think we need to agree to try and get along."
"It won't be easy."
"Probably easier than infiltrating Iwa was."
"Touché." Tsunade admitted. "When did you do that?"
"Two years ago." Kakashi sighed. "My psych eval came back shit and so I was an obvious choice to send."
Sacrificing a shinobi on the brink of self-destruction was not exactly a common practice, but it was considered a necessary evil after a fashion.
"Huh." Tsunade lifted her drink in a silent salute and actually smiled. "Guess things haven't changed much, then."
It was quiet, and then Kakashi started shaking. Slowly at first, but Tsunade frowned and watched the movement to make sure the man wasn't seizing.
A muffled snicker escaped before a full round of raucous laughter disturbed the air. Unwillingly, Tsunade's lips twitched and, soon enough, the both of them were holding onto the counter while laughing wildly.
"We don't have to like each other now, do we?" Kakashi questioned with a note of humor in his voice.
"Don't be ridiculous." Tsunade giggled. "I still think you're a cocky brat with dramatic tendencies and disgusting reading habits."
"Oh good." Kakashi smoothed his impossibly spiky hair. "Minato won't be surprised then."
Coming abruptly awake after sensing a murmur of chakra, Minato cocked his head in concentration. It took him barely a second to identify the familiar energy creeping outside his window. Glancing to the clock, he uncurled from where he had been snoozing for the past hour and yawned sleepily. Barely a moment later, a shadow darkened the floor and the window slid back.
"I was under the impression that impromptu visits were more of Naruto's thing." Minato grinned slightly as Sasuke clambered onto his desk.
"I was bored." Sasuke grunted, bending to tug his sandals off before crossing the room to flop down on the bed next to Minato.
"Bored?" Minato couldn't help but raise a skeptical brow.
"Kaa-san says the police force is working extra hard to get ready for some special visit coming up." Sasuke complained. "So Tou-san is hardly ever home, Itachi is always busy with his genin team or training, and Naruto is working on writing with Kaa-san right now."
"And you decided to sneak out?" Naruto certainly was rubbing off on the other boy. Minato was not sure whether he should be dismayed or delighted.
"Do you want me to leave?"
"I didn't say that." Minato rolled over and shook his head with a smile, earning a chagrined, tentative grin in return. "I just think you're probably going to regret it when Itachi shows up."
"You think he will?" Sasuke sounded so impossibly hopeful that Minato just laughed.
"Of course." He sat up and stretched like a lazy cat. "Itachi has little brother radar!"
Sasuke grunted noncommittally and Minato tilted his head to take in the way he was curled up with a lonely, sad look on his face. He bit the inside of his cheek and sighed in understanding.
Sasuke was feeling neglected. It was clear that Sasuke really did not resent Naruto, but that did not stop the boy from missing the attention that he normally would have had. And it didn't help that Itachi and Fugaku were occupied from dawn to dusk.
"Come on, scoot up to the head of the bed," he ordered, before tiptoeing across the floor to the bookshelf stuffed with dozens of novels Tsunade had purchased with Jiraiya's cash. After scanning the selection, Minato found the story he was searching for. He returned and crawled up next to Sasuke.
"What's that?" Sasuke asked from where he was comfortably situated on a throne of pillows.
"What does it look like?" He waved the book back and forth in front of Sasuke's face for Minato to sit down. "Now budge over."
Sasuke grumbled but he made space for Minato to sit down.
Minato settled in and stroked the cover reverently. In the back of his mind, he could see Kushina's proud smile as she rubbed her pregnant belly.
"This is, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja." Minato explained quietly. "The first time I read it, I couldn't put it down. Who knows, maybe you'll like it too. I'll read it and you can listen."
If Minato had been uncertain about how attention-starved Sasuke was, he wasn't after seeing his eyes light up at the prospect of a story without pictures.
Opening to the first page, Minato began to read.
"Your speed has truly increased, Itachi." Gai shot him a thumbs up and Itachi had to blink away the mysterious shine that always appeared whenever the man smiled. "Such a youthful spirit to have improved in such a small amount of time."
"Your training methods are extreme, yet effective," Itachi said as he dabbed the sweat off his brow with a towel he had packed for just that purpose. "And my Sharingan has proven an invaluable asset in our spars. I imagine my performance would be incredibly lacklustre without it."
"Itachi-kun, even my rival uses his Sharingan during our spars." Unlike himself, Gai hardly seemed winded from their interaction. "And speaking of my rival, I'm afraid I must tell you that I will be unable to train with you for a few days."
Somehow, Gai consistently managed to alert Itachi of his absences before he left for a mission. But Itachi suspected his mentor would be busy with the diplomatic visit taking place. And no matter how strange or quirky Gai's habits, Itachi recognized this man was one of Konoha's strongest.
"I thank you for telling me, Gai-san." Itachi offered him a bow. However strange, Gai had spent a significant amount of time helping Itachi hone his own notable skills in taijutsu, providing a new perspective and the insight of someone who has dedicated their life to the art.
"Does this mean I might get more than a scrap of your attention, Itachi?" Shisui's voice called out. Itachi turned to watch him stroll across the grass casually.
"Ah, Uchiha-san!"
Itachi had already executed a seal-less shunshin to reappear safely a good ten meters' distance from Gai's excited shouting.
"Have you at last come into the springtime of your youth now that I have inspired your cousin?"
"Uh…no." Shisui shivered. "While I respect my cousin's desire to challenge himself, I'm challenging myself in…alternative ways."
Less strenuous ways that would not inspire horror in his Clan Head, is what Shisui was no doubt implying.
"Truly the spirit of a genius at work." Gai extended a thumbs-up and dazzled Shisui with his undispellable genjutsu that Itachi had yet to decipher.
"Err…that." Shisui smiled crookedly before zipping over to where Itachi was and linking their arms. "I'm going to have to borrow Itachi now…family dinner and all. Have a good night, Gai-san!"
Itachi frowned as their location shifted to the edge of the village.
"You could have allowed us to exchange goodbyes."
"It would have taken you forever," Shisui replied. "And I couldn't risk sticking around for too long. Prolonged exposure to Gai is detrimental to my mental health. Not sure how you've stayed so...Uchiha.
"That reminds me! Has Fugaku figured out that your extra training hasn't been with your jounin-sensei?"
"That would require Tou-san to actually see me."
Itachi frowned. He had not meant to say that. It was troubling that he lost control so easily.
Of course, Shisui had always noticed things about Itachi that his family never had.
"I thought things were getting better." Shisui's voice seemed pained.
Itachi swallowed down the hurt he had so carelessly exposed and purposefully leapt to the rooftops, bounding forward.
"Hey!" Shisui called out indignantly before he matched Itachi's stride. "You can't avoid me forever."
Itachi ignored him. He paused near the middle of the village before looking vaguely in the direction of his clan's compound. Deliberately, he turned and headed west.
"Okay, now where are we going?" Shisui groaned, exasperated. "Because I swear, we are not stopping at the sweets store, okay? I ordered a new tanto and it cost ridiculously more than I thought it would! And I'm not dipping into my savings. Your sweet tooth isn't worth it! So, don't even think about trying to get me to buy you more!"
Itachi's lips twitched. "Did you order a chakra conducting blade?"
"Obviously! Wouldn't be a point in spending extra money on something that wasn't crafted from superior quality materials by a master blacksmith."
Shisui huffed beside him; Itachi wondered if his cousin realized that he puffed up like a turkey every time he was trying to show off.
"Wait a minute! You're just trying to trick me! Where are we really going?"
Itachi tipped his nose into the wind and saluted a squad of ANBU that really ought to be stealthier. If Gai could conceal himself from Itachi in that hideous jumpsuit, surely their black ops squads could be a bit more inconspicuous.
"Itachi!"
Persistence was an Uchiha trait, but Itachi sometimes thought Shisui took it far and above typical obsession.
Finally, he sighed, broken down by the constant badgering. "Sasuke."
"Sasuke? Oh. Really? How do you know?"
He was not about to explain something so basic. Instead of answering, Itachi closed the last bit of distance with a burst of speed that left Shisui choking on roof dust. With an elegant flip, Itachi landed on the outskirts of the property.
Tsunade was lounging in a chair on the porch while Kakashi sat with his back to Itachi.
"You have grass in your hair." Hatake Kakashi spoke without looking up from the orange he was peeling with nimble fingers. "Twigs too."
"Your observational skills are as keen as they say," Itachi replied serenely.
Tsunade guffawed while Hatake perked up slightly.
"Wow! I hadn't seen your new place, Hatake-san!" Itachi did not flinch even when Shisui bowled into him. "Can I go inside?"
"Nope." Kakashi said cheerily.
Somehow, half of his orange had vanished. Jounin really did have odd quirks.
"Bu-ut?!" Shisui spluttered, looking every inch like a kicked puppy.
"May I have permission to retrieve, Sasuke?" Itachi did not bat an eyelash at Tsunade turned to look him over for a moment before dismissing him.
"Tch, go ahead. It's nice having an Uchiha around that actually has manners." She waved him inside.
"How long has Sasuke been here?"
"Hmm…couldn't say." Kakashi eye-smiled, obviously knowing but refusing to divulge the information for one reason or another.
"I'll be back momentarily."
Itachi vanished inside and climbed the stairwell. He paused outside the room where he heard Minato's voice. It had been several days since he last saw the boy and Itachi was pleased to be able to ascertain his wellbeing. Not that he did not trust Hatake Kakashi or Senju Tsunade, but he knew that boy often put up a front that served some purpose that Itachi had yet to determine.
Knocking once, he waited.
"Come in, Nii-san."
Ah Sasuke. Definitely irritated too. Perhaps he should make some time for his little brother while their father was too busy to forbid Itachi from "wasting" his training time.
Opening the door, Itachi took in the scene. Sasuke sat in a nest of pillows atop the bed and glared out the open window, while Minato was slid a bookmark into a book and turned to stare at him patiently.
Itachi found himself smiling helplessly. His little brother was impossibly adorable when he was upset.
"Minato-kun, I'm pleased to see you looking well."
"You too, Itachi-kun."
Minato twisted around and squeezed Sasuke's arm. It was curious to see his stubborn little brother change when his friends were around. Naruto kindled a competitive flame that even Itachi had no hope of matching; Hinata drew out Sasuke's tolerance and patience; and Minato was like magic. He always seemed to know what to say, or what not to say to coax a favorable reaction from his prickly, little brother.
Sasuke obediently swivelled to look at Itachi though his downcast body language clearly showed he wanted to do anything but. The sadness in that look, however, pierced Itachi straight to the heart. Itachi had failed: Sasuke was hurting.
Crossing the room in a blur, Itachi dropped down, poked his little brother on the forehead, and smiled.
"I've been busy training, Sasuke. I'm sorry that I've not been able to spend time with you. I promise that I'll make time later."
For the first time, Sasuke appeared anything but reassured by his words. There was a resentful grimace on his brother's lips, and he looked ready to start screaming—except Minato moved and calmingly took Sasuke's hand.
"Bottling it up isn't going to help, Sasuke." Minato's words were more effective than Itachi's feeble attempts at comfort. Sasuke jolted, and pressed on his friend's hand almost desperately.
"Tell him how you're feeling."
Itachi was not sure what he was expecting, but it was not what happened next.
"I feel like you care about the clan and training more than you do me!" Sasuke belted out, his anger and resentment far too aged for a child so young. "All you do is say later! Later! Later! And later never comes! Why can't you spend any time with me?!"
Itachi found a lump forming in his throat. What use was being a genius if he could not prevent the suffering of the person he loved most in this world?
"Sasuke, I— "
Itachi stopped himself when scarlet eyes turned on him, before meaningfully turning back to his friend.
"Forgive me, Sasuke. I've been blind to your suffering."
"What?" Sasuke looked up, clearly startled.
"You're right." Itachi reached out and gently put his hands on his brother's shoulders and the youngster's expression become utterly gobsmacked and somewhat terrified. "I haven't been the brother you need me to be. Sasuke, I promise that I'll spend tomorrow afternoon with you."
"You promise?" Sasuke threw himself into his arms with an earnest expression, more forgiving than Itachi deserved.
"I promise." And he meant it.
"Thank you, Nii-san!"
Itachi rose with Sasuke in his arms, taking in the way Minato was watched them with bemused eyes. Silently, Itachi mouthed a thank you to the boy who simply nodded once.
"Goodnight, Sasuke," Minato called as Itachi turned. "Next time use the front door. I might have locked the window."
"Doors are boring." Sasuke declared, his body squirming in Itachi's arms as he waved to his friend. "The book wasn't too bad. We'll have to finish it next time!"
I'm afraid your efforts to sneak are useless, Sasuke. Wherever you go, I'll find you.
"Ugh. Kakashi is bad enough, Sasuke! Don't you start too! I'll see you soon. And don't forget to ask about the festival."
"Mom already said yes."
Itachi rolled his eyes.
"Goodbye, Minato-kun."
Retreating to ground level, Itachi noticed Tsunade was curiously absent and Hatake was watching Shisui rub his backside with a pained hiss.
"Did I come at a bad time?" Itachi asked with a blank face, inwardly smirking.
"Eh?" Shisui's hand was paused on his butt with a frown. "What?"
Kakashi obviously had picked up on the joke right away. "What can I say, Shisui took it like a man."
"It hurts!" Shisui whimpered.
"Ugh." Sasuke's apparent good mood evaporated. "Did you have to bring that Gumhead?"
"Stop calling me that!" Shisui pleaded.
"Let's go." Itachi nodded to Kakashi. "Thank you, Hatake-san. Please pass on my apologies to Tsunade-sama."
"What did you do now, moron?" Sasuke grouched.
"You have no respect for your elders, you brat!" Shisui hissed.
"I do. Just not you."
"Will do." Kakashi shooed them off, nose buried comfortably in his book.
There was blessed silence for a few moments as they took to the rooftops.
"Itachi, this isn't the way home." Shisui said. "Where are we going now?"
Itachi smirked. "I have a craving."
Fū unfastened the worn strap of her sandal with a frown. Her home was poorly lit, but she was in no hurry to turn the lights on. In truth, her mind was elsewhere.
"I don't understand." Fū mumbled uncertainly as she stared up at the massive insect hovering near her behind bars. "A bunch of people are after us? They're going to kill me to get you?"
"I'm afraid my information is limited to what that overgrown fox was willing to share. But I believe the danger is real."
Choumei sounded troubled in a way that the stilted, cheerful bijuu never had during their previous encounters. This frightened Fū more than she was comfortable admitting. Everyone in their village was afraid of her—or rather, they were afraid of Choumei inside of her.
So, what did it mean if Choumei was afraid?
"I believe you." The Nanabi had never been anything but amicable, if a bit resigned. Besides, her bijuu was the only being that willingly interacted with her. "But what should I do? I don't know what I should do."
Choumei did not answer her right away. Instead, Fū gnawed at her thumb and wrapped her arms around her legs.
"I have an idea. You won't like it—I don't like it. But it's probably our best option."
"I'll do it. Just tell me what it is!"
"We need to leave Taki."
Fū blinked. She found herself surprised by how afraid she was and just how hesitant she suddenly felt.
"I won't make you, Fū."
"I know and I'll go." She had given her word. In all the books she had read, that was of particular importance. "I'm just afraid. I've never been away from the village before. I don't know what I'll do."
''You're not by yourself. Lucky Seven Choumei will help you.''
''You will?''
''I will. Pack nothing obvious. If you do, that will arouse suspicion. Just make sure you have anything you want to take with you ready when they dump you at the training field tomorrow.''
'I can do that!' Fū paused. ''How are we going to escape? And…where are we going?''
"Just trust me. I'll tell you later.''
Unsurprisingly, Fū warmed to the idea. "Okey doke."
After leaving the shared space in her mind, Fū prepared herself a meagre dinner from the kitchen stocked with basics. All the while, her thoughts drifted to her dreary little home and things she might want to slip away with.
It depressed her to realize that there was nothing; no photographs, no personal belongings. She had never received a gift unless one counted the shinobi gear that had been provided for her education.
All she wanted to take with her were the books that she had stolen over the years. Fū felt horrible about the theft, but she would never have been permitted to purchase them. So she had acquired them on her own, over the years. Perhaps she could not take all of them, but her favorites would have to come with her.
Suddenly Fū, felt inexplicably lighter and found herself smiling. Maybe this was like an adventure. Maybe this dangerous situation was actually an opportunity in disguise.
Fū gasped. Maybe she could be like one of the girls in her favorite story!
And just maybe…she could make some friends.
Danzo arrived quietly.
Representatives from all the clans were standing at attention in honour of the Raikage's visit. This included members of the civilian council and the Hokage's advisors. Koharu, now truly Hiruzen's agent, was standing just in close proximity to his old friend.
Homura, on the other hand, was standing near the periphery. Danzo joined the other man who acknowledged him with a tight nod.
"How did it go?"
"Hiruzen surprised me." Danzo scanned the area with feigned interest. "Nevertheless, I've made arrangements with our informants. Regardless of what transpires in the next few days, our little problem will be dealt with."
"How can you be so sure?"
Homura's cowardice was well-known to Danzo. It was one of the many reasons that Koharu's company had been his preference. Until recently, she had never shied away from doing what was necessary.
"The good of the village outweighs all else. Don't tell me your resolve wavers now, Homura."
"I would die for this village," Homura hissed angrily.
"Good." Danzo's eyes flickered to where dust was kicking up in the distance. "Let us observe."
There was a deafening bang and the thunderous visage of the Yondaime Raikage and his entourage appeared right before the waiting Hokage who stepped forward to greet them.
"Raikage-sama, welcome to Konohagakure no Sato."
Thank you all for your amazing support. Hearing from you guys always brightens my day! You all rock!
I would like to say thank you to Synoshian for accepting the role as my beta reader. She's amazing and I'm lucky to have her!
Story notes you may find relevant:
Number One: The Raikage is technically present in Konoha, but his role is going to be minor for the time being. Yugito and Bee will show up later in the story, but not right now. Yes, I know this is sad because all of these characters are a lot of fun. And yeah, no Darui or anyone we know and love until later.
Number Two: As far as the Sharingan goes, I intend to try and stick close to canon rules, but based on some implications by Black Zetsu, I may tweak a couple things.
Number Three: I only watched a couple sections of 'filler' so don't expect me to abide by filler junk. I understand there are a lot of people that love filler content, but I'm not one of them.
Number Four: I feel like the "Gai can't use ninjutsu thing" is something they decided in Shippuden. Sure, he's a taijutsu master, but he summons! So in my story, he might only make use of a few shinobi basics because he is a taijutsu master, but he isn't in the same situation as Lee.