Disclaimer: I own any OCs in this, the rest is Masashi Kishimoto. Sorry for any spelling mistakes.

Also, a little help about the timeline:

Akane, Itachi: 13

Naruto, Sasuke: 8

Shisui: 17

Kakashi: 22

"Ha!" Sasuke shouted triumphantly, his pencil forgotten on the table. He stoop up and gave me his paper. "I did it!"

"Oh, it seems like it. You're progressing, congrats." I told him, checking his work.

It became a habit now. I had two hours of therapy per week, including one on Thursdays just before Itachi's, who had the same amount. So, because he was slowly going back on missions, my connection Shisui told me, Sasuke passed some time at home with Naruto and I. Sometimes mom when she's not working. Whereas Naruto started calligraphy and I had forbidden anyone within a five-meter radius around him when he was practicing, Sasuke slowly got a grasp of fuin. He's a smart kid anyway.

As for me, a routine settled. Spending most of my time with Naruto, and Sasuke when we both could, being dragged around by Shisui, avoiding Itachi except when it was Sasuke related and training with Kakashi-san in his spare time. I had to keep myself in shape and improve too, with what was coming. Even if I wasn't a kunoichi anymore, it was clear for the Hokage than making me a shinobi from the Leaf would get the Mist attention when I simply just hated being a ninja, I couldn't escape the Akatsuki. Thinking about it, I wonder who filled Itachi's spot. But it's not as if I was really taking care of this. Plus, Sandaime had asked me to write down what I knew that could happen. So I wrote down what old Naruto, old Sasuke and old Kakashi-san told me. Basically, it was how Madara was a dick, even dead, how he manipulated Obito and the Mizukage, how then Kaguya betrayed him. How Sasuke turned dark and then good. How the five nations became allies. How the Akatsuki would target the Jinchuriki. How Orochimaru would lure Sasuke with power and how their first chuunin exam were stopped. I didn't say he died during this, because I don't think anyone wants to know how they could possibly die.

I wrote down all I knew about the Akatsuki members from where I'm from.

I wrote down what Naruto told me about the night the Nine-Tails attacked and who did it, which lead to suspicions against the Uchihas.

Unfortunately, you can't do anything with no proof. And that was what we were lacking. Proofs. Anyway, the Hokage told me this would stay between the two of us. I learned that Fugaku-san had seen only what was related to his sons and the massacre mainly, and Shisui only knew a little bit about the Akatsuki.

Which meant they knew nothing about the Obito/Madara thingy. In a sense, it was better. The coup was avoided, the Hokage apologized in front of the Uchihas during an assembly and he...gave Fugaku a promotion or something so that the clan would be more invested in welfare of the village. In return, they both came to the conclusion that the Uchihas needed to be more open to the village and that the Police Forces should accept other clans and just people by testing their abilities. So basically, the Uchihas had to suck up their pride and gained the citizens trust.

A lot of compromises were made on both side. But there were still some unhappy people, once again from what Shisui told me before he dragged Naruto and I to Ichiraku. I think having my cousin calling him 'Shisui-nii' or 'nii-chan' when Sasuke always refused to do it makes him a little bit too happy. And when they're both siding against me it makes me wanna sulk in a corner.

As if they would let me do that.

"Must be your Itachi-nii." Naruto said when we heard the doorbell. He threw his brush against the wall in frustration, which Sasuke dodged just in time. "Damn it, I can't do them!"

"You're cleaning that wall, you know that?" I told him as I went to open the door. My eyes went wide when I recognized the Uchiha in front of me, and it wasn't Shisui, or Itachi, or Mikoto-san who liked to hang out with mom. "Fu...Fugaku-san?"

"Is your mother home?" he asked me sternly, looking down on me.

"Not yet...why?"

"Do you mind if I come in?" He sighed, rubbing his temple. I stepped aside to let him in and once the door was closed, glimpsed two heads popping from the study. They can fight all they want, that's how they're building their friendship.

"Father?" came the stunned voice of Sasuke when his father sat at the dinning table.

Wow, I never thought I would have Fugaku Uchiha at my home one day.

Never thought I would see him either.

"Hey Naruto, why don't you show Sasuke that awesome set of shuriken mom bought you the other day?"

"Set of..." he started and gulped in front of my glare. "Oh, them! Come te...Sasuke!"

He grabbed his arm and ran up the stairs. I glanced at the top and closed the door to be sure they wouldn't eavesdrop. I offered some tea to the Uchiha patriarch, which he accepted, and while I was making it, a thousand scenarios went through my head. Hence my stare on him when I sat too and he took a sip of the tea.

"So...I'm not my mother but is there anything I can do...?" I inquired shyly. This whole situation was too uncomfortable for my liking.

"I never thank you for sharing your information about Danzo, did I?" he retorted, raising his eyes to look at me dead in the eyes.

"Having a fair police to keep peace where my family lives instead of a tragedy is enough to me. A powerful clan has been wiped off because they were feared, I gave a common ground to keep another one to suffer the same fate."

"That is a point of view. By the way, I heard from Mikoto you were teaching Sasuke fuinjutsu." He was trying to change the subject, but the stiffness in his body didn't escape me. But let's play his game for now.

"He doesn't want Naruto to be better than him in something. He can decipher some of them, but that's impressive knowing he's not even nine yet and doesn't have a drop of Uzumaki blood in his veins. If he were to pursue in this path, combined with his sharingan, it could create a scary combination. He could even beat oji-chan one day, who knew?"

"I see." He whispered to himself with a proud smile on his lips. Maybe if he showed this side of him to his son...no, you don't stick your nose in their family problems Akane, you've been too involved with the Uchiha recently, and you're still friends with one, two if I count Sasuke...and your children were Uchihas...that's a lot actually.

"Pardon me Fugaku-san, but you wouldn't have walk all the way up here to thank me and talk about Sasuke, am I wrong? Is there something else?"

"Actually..."

Someone rang the damn bell once again. I went to open the door and found Shisui, with a grin on his face, and Itachi. And they both stared at Fugaku-san as if they were dreaming.

"Naruto's room, now." I ordered them, closing the door behind them.

"Yes mommy." Shisui whined to break the tension, even though I knew he was suspicious. And Itachi didn't stop staring at his father. I couldn't blame him though. This whole situation was suspicious.

"Well, that's awkward, don't you think?" Shisui asked Itachi, climbing up the stairs. "I thought your father was still extra busy with some of the elders still on his back?"

"He is," Itachi confirmed in a worried tone and furrowed his brows. "He's not home often, so he shouldn't even have the time to go in the village."

"Maybe he visited the Uchihas who decided to move out of the compound to check on them?"

"No, he probably wants something from Akane-san..."

"Or Akiko-san." Shisui added when they stopped in front of Naruto's door. He opened it and the two teenagers were met by a strange sight. They stared at the kids, and the kids stared at them. Sasuke let go of the rope in his hands and Naruto's face lost his purplish color to a more healthy one when he managed to loosen the rope around his stomach a little. "What are you doing you two?"

"That was dobe's idea."

"Teme, I never said I wanted to be the one in the rope!" Naruto roared. He went to punch Sasuke, the latter ready to fight back. But the blow never came, only Shisui's laugh and Itachi amused smirk. And Naruto was whining at the rope he tripped over.

"Sasuke, you know this won't fool Father." Itachi told his brother with a slight scolding tone.

"Oh, I know nii-san, I even tried to tell him but he's too stupid to realize it." And he said that beaming, which was an odd contrast. But quite normal if he thought at the odd rivalry evolving between his younger brother and Naruto.

"But!" the Uzumaki pouted while Shisui was helping him to get up. He squealed when he was picked up. "Heh!? Shisui-nii-chan!?"

"Come on Sasuke, go back to what you were doing!"

"Okay!"

"Shisui..." Itachi muttered under his breath, staring at his best friend with wonder.

"Hey, they'll never learn from their mistakes if we stop them from making them!"

It failed, obviously. Sasuke not having enough strength yet to fully secure Naruto, Shisui was here as a back up and Itachi was watching. Naruto ending up stuck in the tree in the backyard by multiple kunai, a gift from his father. A glare from Akane when she went to her cousin made them go downstairs as fast as they could, even though Itachi wasn't showing it was effective on him. He was used to her glares by now after all.

He honestly didn't know what he had done to deserve them. She was avoiding him, ignoring him when they were at the same place and clearly didn't want anything to do with him. But what was confusing even more was how, when they met during a therapy session, she would look as if she cared about him. If he were to be honest, it was getting on his nerves. He could have thought she simply just didn't like the Uchiha clan, but Shisui was friend with her and she managed to get Sasuke call her 'nee-san', which was an achievement.

That was the main reason it was getting on his nerves. He wanted to be sure Sasuke wasn't giving his trust to anybody. He even came to the conclusion he could spy on her to see if she was trustworthy. It stopped quickly when Kakashi Hatake threw a kunai at him during one of his sparring session with the young girl.

He was intrigued and couldn't find anything about her. Maybe confronting her would be the best thing to do after all instead of acting in the shadows. She wasn't his mission or someone he was supposed to spy on, she was a citizen. Although she defeated a Root member. Officially, she was a citizen but with the capacities of a kunoichi.

He was intrigued and he hated being kept in the dark.

"Whose idea was it?" Fugaku asked the three of them as Akane and Naruto came back inside.

"My cousin Fugaku-san, he can be a drag once he has something in mind." the Sasaki responded for them, her hands covering the blond's mouth. "And you can't really blame them, having you here is strange. No offense sir."

Itachi watched his father glance at the girl and nod severely. He thanked her for her time and turned on his hills, ordering the three other Uchihas to follow him. He didn't miss it though. The reproachful glare she sent his way when they were leaving, and the silent question within it. The 'why did you let them do this?' within it.

As they neared the compound, Itachi took his cousin apart.

"Something's bothering you." Shisui stated with a serious look on his face.

"Why does she hate me?" he asked with faint irritation in his voice. Shisui blinked slowly at him and burst into laughter. "Shisui!"

"Sorry but...the long face for that Itachi...that's hilarious!" he laughed and wiped a tear from his eye. "Seriously, you don't care about any girls apart from your little Izumi and now that a girl doesn't give a damn about you you're throwing a fit!"

"I'm not throwing a fit." he hissed and glared daggers at the older teen. "And Izumi is not 'mine' as you put it."

"That's a question of time, she's head over hills for you. As for Aka-chan, she doesn't hate you you idiot." At this, Itachi shot him a look saying he didn't believe it, but Shisui simply waved it off. "She cares about Sasuke you know, and you're his brother so she can't really hate you. She just has a lot on her mind and..."

"Why should I be her way to let off steam?"

"Dang it Itachi, I knew you had this weird crush on her when we were younger and that you were quite the stalker but don't let your pride be that wounded by the cold shoulder she's been giving, you lady killer!" Itachi slightly blushed at that. Was it a crush he had when he was younger? "No matter how funny it is to see you acting your age and flustered, don't worry about it. She'll come around and apologize. You just have to be patient. Plus, she's no threat to your brother, so relax and stop using him as the reason you want to know Akane."

"You know me too well." he sighed deeply but relaxed his shoulders.

"I know that as the heir, it's difficult to have people see past that, especially outside the clan." Shisui told him softly, patting his shoulder.

With that said, they both went home. Yeah, it would be good for Itachi to have another friend than himself, one he could rely on. But a grim look appeared on Shisui's face. It was okay for them to be friends once Akane overcame the sight of an alive Itachi and succeeded at making the difference between him and the one she once was in love with.

A small voice in the back of his mind would not stop bugging him though. The one that kept saying he didn't want them to develop more than a friendship.

"But I wanna know what Sasuke's dad told you!" Naruto kept whining and I plugged an ear. I shot a look at my tired mother, who was leaning on one leg, her hands on hips. "Please!"

"Naruto, stop throwing a tantrum and go to bed already. You have school tomorrow." My cousin puffed his cheeks and turned his head away from us, ignoring my mom. Gosh, he's such a pain in the ass sometimes.

Without a word, I threw him on my shoulder and went to his room, letting him fall on his bed with a loud 'ouch'. He didn't even sit, he just lay flat on his stomach, refusing to look at me. Now he was sulking.

"Naruto, look at me."

"No! I wanna know!"

"You're too young."

"You're not that much older than me nee-chan!" He argued, finally looking at me. I flicked him on the forehead.

"I'm still older and I don't go to the Academy unlike you dear cousin of mine. Don't worry about grown ups business." I told him gently, tucking him in his bed.

"But Sasuke told me it was weird for his dad to not be at work at that hour." He persisted with concerned eyes. "You're not leaving to go to prison nee-chan?"

"Of course not!" I laughed loudly. Leave it to a child's imagination to make you laugh. I could almost hear Aunty Kushina worrying too. "As I said, adults talks. Plus, you don't want to be involved in clan's business. Now, time to sleep."

"Okay..." He finally conceded. "Good night nee-chan."

"Good night." I kissed him on the cheek and left his room, turning off the light in the way. I sighed to myself in the hallway and went downstairs. No doubt this would only exhaust mom even more. Once I was back in the living-room, the fuming cup of hot chocolate at my seat brought the ghost of a smile on my lips. "Thanks mom."

"So, care to tell me why Fugaku-san came here?" she inquired as I sat in front of her, blowing on my cup. "In the afternoon?"

"Some elders and pig-headed people in the clan are still unhappy. The majority, especially civilians, are good with the changes. But the word is filled with prideful dicks and it's not enough."

"Sandaime?"

"He disagreed with what the Uchiha elders came up with, because it doesn't feel right towards oji-chan and Aunty, Fugaku-san doesn't like that idea either but in the end he came to ask me directly." I took a deep breath. Whatever happens, I'll forever be bound to that clan. Itachi, if you can watch me from where you are, I truly hope you're not angry at my decision. "They want me to sell my bloodline."

"Bastards." Mom cursed under her breath, her eyes glimmering with anger.

"And I said yes." She raised a questioning look on me, anger burning even more in it. "I want to protect the Konoha oji-chan would depict me. The Konoha he died for and the Uchihas are a part of the picture. The choices aren't that bad either. Fugaku-san actually refused to pressure me about a certain age from the moment I give an heir. It will become serious when Sasuke turns eighteen anyway."

"Honey, who..."

"It can't be the heir, as his children must be full blood. But it must be someone strong and important. Therefore, Sasuke's and Shisui's names popped up. The only reason he wanted to talk to you is because I'm still thirteen."

I jumped on my chair when her face harshly met the wooden surface of the table.

"That's how you bite the hand that feeds you Akane. Those power hungry geezers..." I continued sipping on my drink as my mother kept cursing against the table. Maybe it won't be that bad. I hope it won't.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I've never been good with clan's business. Or just with being with someone important. Especially if I don't know what they want from me. So when one Hyuuga Ko came up to me when I was waiting for Naruto in front of the Academy, I heard Sikamaru's voice telling me 'what a drag'. I knew the guy before, was friend with him, and old Temari would tease me about our so-called relationship. But I had given enough with clans, so it never became more than friendship. Still, it didn't explain why I was sitting in front of Hyuuga Hiashi.

"I do not wish to offend you in any way but why am I here Hiashi-san...sama, Hyuuga-sama?" I corrected myself when his white eyes seemed to read my soul and I fought the urge to gulp loudly. I couldn't tell who between him or Fugaku-san was the scariest.

"I would like to use your skills as a seal master." He told me sternly.

"I am no seal master yet. I don't even know how you become one in that time."

"To earn that title in Konohagakure, you must pass an exam at the Intelligence Division. Then you can practice officially. Recommendations from a clan head or the Hokage himself can accelerate the process." He explained smoothly. He took the fuming cup of tea in front of him with an elegance proper to the Hyuuga, and took a sip. "Of course, it is not only in my clan's interest I am telling you this. I have heard good things about Sasaki Akiko, and her title as a Seal Master coming from Uzushio still has a significant impact on her growing reputation within the village. It should not be long before she is overworked."

"I beg your pardon Hyuuga-sama, but I do not think my mother's well-being really matters to you." I said coolly and narrowed my eyes slightly. Years of working with Shikamaru under Kakashi-san and then Naruto taught me how to read between the lines. "Is there another reason as to why you want me to earn that title?"

"There are." He didn't deny it and used the plural. Shit. "You are obviously not a child, nor a civilian, I shall treat you as such then. The Uchihas may have admit the preparation of a coup, canceled it and Danzo-sama was the heart of the corruption in the deepest part of that village, but they have not gained our entire trust back. I am not talking because of the rivalry between our clans, but as a shinobi of Konoha. For some, you may very well work for the Uchiha clan to make sure they overthrow the Hokage."

"I see, so by making me have that title, you would make me a seal expert for the Hyuuga clan, an extremely powerful and influential clan of the village. A clan who would see immediately if I were to be under a genjutsu. Therefore you would be sure they are sincere about their intentions."

"Precisely."

I took my chin between two of my fingers and stared at the wooden floor. Hum...that made sense, and I don't think Hiashi-san would have me here if it was only his idea. The Hokage and Fugaku-san must have known about this too. To be fair, I wouldn't mind getting back to work. I felt like a housewife, taking care of Naruto so much.

"I am not against this idea, but I would like to know the full extent of what could be asked to me."

"I heard you faced a Byakugan user and sealed his eyes. This is a capacity I am interested in."

"You, as you or the clan leader?"

I bite the inside of my cheek in front of his polar glare.

"What you may know about us is to be kept secret." He said harshly and frowned at my insolence.

"I have no interest in spreading things, Hyuuga-sama. Clan's secrets and businesses are far from interesting for me, it is just useless headaches. The Uzumaki clan may be dispersed and forgotten by now, but I know the basis of how it works. Plus, if you were bound to know the secret of an Uzumaki's seal, that specific Uzumaki would know things about your clan. The Seal Master is to work with you, not for you, he cannot be ignorant." I stated calmly, the palms of my hands flat on my thighs.

"You know how deals between clans work." He noticed with an appreciative glint in the eyes.

"Ignorance can the downfall of anyone, especially the special ones. As for officially having the title, I accept, I will take the exam. I believe you can take care of the formalities."

He nodded and gestured toward the door, silently telling me I could leave and that we had an agreement. I stood up and as I went to the door, I stopped and turned my head to Hiashi-san.

"You know, sometimes you need to wait to find the key opening the bird cage, even if it is right under your nose." I whispered, a wry smile dancing on my lips.

"Even in such a short time, the Yondaime managed to make you talk like that." I felt flattered at that and bowed before taking my leave.

Now, I just needed to make sure I wouldn't build a huge reputation. Anyway, with two of the most powerful dojutsu's clan as 'client', because I was bound to work with the Uchihas too anyway, I was sure of it, I shouldn't be too much exposed.

Hopefully.

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