I apologize for Itachi not being in this chapter as we move forward with the plot and ~new missions~. This is starting a big turning point now! Can you catch the hint for where it may be going? :) Thank you for all your support so far!

Naruto's eyes traveled over the jutsu Sasuke brought him so many times that they finally glazed over and he couldn't physically focus on the seals and words blurring together. It was beyond frustrating. Every time they seemed one step closer to the truth, more questions unleashed themselves until he had too many mental paths to follow without getting dizzy. He knew being Hokage wasn't going to be easy, but now he had so many questions to juggle that he was struggling to keep them all in the air.

"So this is an addition to the reanimation jutsu," he clarified, gingerly placing the scrolls and papers back down on his desk and looking to Shikamaru to help him.

"Yes," Sasuke said gruffly.

"And you found these outside the village?"

"Yes," Sasuke lied. He was surprised that he didn't even feel guilty when he said it but didn't question it in case the strong feelings about hiding the truth about Boruto wrapped around his throat to suffocate him again.

"But nothing about the Akatsuki?" Shikamaru inserted.

Naruto's eyes narrowed on the documents in front of him and asked, "Do you think this is somehow connected to the Akatsuki? White zetsus, reanimation? How do these all fit?"

"Maybe we should put aside the Akatsuki for a while," Shikamaru suggested and leaned on Naruto's desk to peer down at the documents for himself.

"Wait, why?" Naruto asked, an edge of shock in his voice as though he couldn't quite believe Shikamaru would suggest such a thing.

Shikamaru picked up one of the small scrolls and tossed it lightly into the air as though testing its power. He flipped it over in his hands for a second then put it back down next to the others scattered in front of him. "Well," he explained, "we only heard rumors from the Anbu and then we haven't heard anything since; they weren't even able to produce any proof. We know of the white zetsu which means someone or something is building an army, and we also know someone is clearly trying to perfect the reanimation jutsu for something as well. It may not even be the Akatsuki. We need to stick with what we have proof of."

Sasuke grit his teeth. How were they able to stay so silent that even the Hokage couldn't see what was in front of him? He suddenly felt a pull to purge every piece of information he knew, anything that Itachi told him, but quickly had to push it further down into his chest because the reality was that there wasn't enough evidence to even out the Akatsuki. He could only hand over what he had until Itachi could gain more information, so instead he stood back with his arms crossed and waited for Naruto to give him more direction.

Naruto sighed. "You're right," he said then picked up one of the scrolls and held it up to Sasuke. "I have a mission for you," he announced, his eyes lasering in on his teammate's.

"Anything," Sasuke breathed and was guiltily excited about the opportunity to leave so he didn't have to face Naruto anymore because the only thing he could see when he looked at his best friend's face was his son.

"Can you keep looking wherever you found these?"

Sasuke nodded once. "Of course." He straightened his body, instantly ready to move.

"Thank you. Before you leave, however…" Naruto started, recognizing Sasuke's ready stance to leave the conversation and changed his tone. "I wanted to talk to you about something…" He eyed up at him cautiously, his hands laced together and holding his chin up.

Sasuke's body tensed up as he struggled to read his best friend's expression. "What…" What more could there possibly be? But a large grin broke out on Naruto's face as he reached behind his desk and pulled out a vest. A chunin vest.

"I'm promoting Sarada to chunin!" he exclaimed, shaking the vest and handing it out for Sasuke to take.

This was different than Naruto handing him the scrolls moments before; this was a celebration, a milestone, and the tension in the room immediately melted away. "Wow," he said quietly, taking the vest in his hands and turning it over. His first thought was that it was sturdy, definitely thick enough to protect Sarada's tiny frame, and his second thought was wasn't she just a baby and too young to be a chunin? He couldn't draw his eyes away from it and for a moment he didn't even want to give it back to Naruto who was still grinning at him. Sasuke nor Naruto ever had one of these and Sasuke didn't have it since he only took the chunin exams once. Obviously he didn't need to be promoted to accomplish everything he had, but still he could feel pride filling every pore in his body as he realized that in terms of the village structure, his daughter had surpassed him.

He handed it back to Naruto and mustered a smile as he thought of the rest of the team. "And Boruto? Surely you want to reward him for defeating the two white zetsus." Naruto's smile however faltered for just a moment before he caught himself, but Sasuke could tell that it was only a shadow of the real one that was there just seconds before. "I'm not...sure on that one still."

"What? Why?"

"He's still not exactly himself. I'm proud of him, sure. He's grown so much and accomplished so much, but I'm worried because his memory still isn't back to normal. I am scared to send him out to lead missions if he isn't one hundred percent himself." He looked up at Shikamaru for a second for confirmation then back to Sasuke with worry clouding his eyes. "I just don't know if I can trust him to lead groups and maybe it would be good to give him smaller missions as his brain heals."

Sasuke winced but forced himself to hold Naruto's gaze. Boruto is never going back to normal, he wanted to warn. Instead he just nodded and said, "That's understandable."

"Is it?" he asked, a tone of confusion in his voice.

"You have to do what you have to do," Sasuke agreed. "For the village and...as a father."

Naruto smiled and let out a sigh of relief like he was waiting for Sasuke's opinion to give him permission to feel that way. Suddenly, another thought quickly rounded in Sasuke's mind, one that he realized could remedy the situation and help him out.

"Hey, well, if you're worried about him, I can always take him to train and watch over. He can come with me."

Naruto's eyes widened at the offer and he instantly asked, "Are you sure you'd want that? If he isn't totally himself?"

"Of course. This may be good for him...especially seeing his teammates become chunins. It may help soften the blow a bit." Obviously Itachi wouldn't care, but Sasuke was trying to think of anything that would convince Naruto to let his son go. He needed Itachi and not even as pivotal intel- it would just make any mission that much sweeter, that much more meaningful, to have his brother at his side.

"Sure," Naruto decided, "you can take him with you." Sasuke couldn't stop the smile that was fighting to spread on his face.

As he left the building minutes later, a new thought was forming in his mind. He needed to get to Orochumaru's, even with Itachi in tow. It wasn't that he didn't trust his former sensei- well, no, he didn't exactly trust him at all- but he'd certainly be able to get him to talk if he knew anything about the new research development on the reincarnation jutsu. He had no problem using force to get the information he wanted. But Itachi and the Akatsuki… He remembered that Itachi had his own mission here to track the Akatsuki. Now he was conflicted, his mind pulling him in two different directions. Did he leave his brother here and leave once again, but this time with the information that his brother was somewhere alive in the world? How could he let that happen when after all these years he could finally have him back? But who would watch for the white zetsus and gain intel on whatever was happening in the deep recesses of the village? He didn't have to consider long before the answer popped: Kakashi. Kakashi could trail Sarada and pick up intelligence, informing him if they found anything of value while he was still out of the village. He calculated quickly and realized that it would only take about a day if Orochimaru was still in the Land of Fire. He could easily leave and return with Itachi without anyone missing him. Yes, that was it- he'd leave in the morning.

The next day

Naruto didn't want to breach the next part of the conversation with Sasuke just yet and let him leave without mentioning the next promotion he intended to give Sarada: Anbu. The girl had more than proven herself the last few years and he wanted to make her a permanent member of his entourage. She and Mitsuki were an unstoppable team, what with Mitsuki having sage power, and he knew what a waste it would be if he didn't give them some of the most important missions in the village. Of course that left out his son, but after discussing it with Hinata in hushed whispers in the shadows of their dining room at 2 am, he realized that giving his son time to heal would be the best thing for him. And so it was decided: two thirds of team seven were to be chunin and begin in the Anbu before obviously fast tracking to jonin.

He chuckled as Sarada marched into his office the next afternoon to seal her fate, straight backed with her hands to her side like if she slouched for even a second she would break. It was funny to see how formal she was with him. When she was little she used to use him like a jungle gym just like Boruto, climbing on his back and shrieking "Uncle Naruto!" as he flipped her upside down in one hand and Boruto in the other. He was her makeshift father, preparing her until her real one came home to play with her in the same roughhouse manner. But he never did come home. At some point he became Hokage and the two became too big to climb all over him, and somehow between those two bookended moments she began to regard him not as Silly Uncle Naruto anymore but a venerated Hokage, and eventually those early memories faded away for her leaving only her wish to be Hokage someday. Her stoic face in front of him now held no trace of the starry eyed little girl she once was, but a smile played on his own lips as he those fond memories floated back to him.

"You asked for me, Lord Seventh?" she asked, her voice a little too soft. She still didn't smile even as he smiled down at her.

"Yes," Naruto said and laughed to himself.

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course it is, Sarada." He turned to reach under his desk and carefully pulled out the chunin vest her father held just a day before, presenting it to her as though it was a baby bird he wanted her to observe. (Which, he remembered again, he did do that before. It was in the Uzumaki backyard. She and Boruto brought it inside and lovingly tried to feed it before arguing over what to name it; even back then they were the best of teammates but at each other's throats.)

Sarada stared at it cautiously but didn't move. "What is that?" she asked like she didn't know. She knew, of course she knew, but she was too scared to let herself be too sure.

"It's yours." Naruto grinned again. "Congratulations, you're a chunin."

She didn't say anything or make a move to even grab it; her eyes just lasered in on it, growing wider and wider until Naruto was sure they were about to pop out of her face. "You can take it, you know. It's yours."

"I'm sorry, sir, I just…" All the words faded from Sarada and Naruto laughed again. She always seemed to have something to quip back at Boruto, but when it came to herself she was speechless.

"Sarada, take the damn vest," Shikamaru demanded boredly from the corner of the room and brought her back to herself. She suppressed a squeal forming in the back of her throat and rushed to hold the symbol of her future in her hands. It was heavier than she imagined but as she slipped it over her clothes, she had to admit that it fit better than any piece of clothing she had ever owned. She was a chunin. This was her fate.

"T-Thank you, Lord Seventh. I'm honored," she breathed.

"Make us proud," he asked of her, then slid a piece of paper to the front of his desk toward her. "I have one more thing to ask you though…"

At that moment a knock sounded at the door and they all turned their heads to see a timid Mitsuki walk through the door.

"Oh, hello, Mitsuki! So nice of you to join us!" Naruto exclaimed, waving him in. "Come in, come in. I wanted both of you here for what I'm going to ask next so you have perfect timing." He reached behind his desk and pulled out an identical vest to the one Sarada was proudly sporting. "Congratulations, you are a chunin!"

Mitsuki smiled warmly and fluidly reached for the vest and put it on in one swift motion, a stark contrast to Sarada's disbelief. "Thank you, sir," he responded lightly.

"So," Naruto continued, "now I can ask both of you here…"

SARADA'S DIARY

Anbu! He asked me to be in the Anbu! So whatever we did in the test must have been right because he officially asked us to be in it! Even though they never did contact us after the second test, they were still watching and I figured this was Lord Seventh's official invitation.

It was apparent that Boruto was missing but I obviously didn't want to be the one to bring it up. If anything I was happy that he wasn't there to receive our first mission for Lord Hokage. I saw him leaving with my dad this morning for somewhere unknown, them sneaking off at daybreak like they were hiding specifically from me. I'll admit that even though at the time I could feel the anger bubbling within me, it felt lightyears away now in Lord Seventh's office. It didn't matter that he was on his own mission with my dad: I was working for the Hokage now.

The meeting was almost too much to handle because immediately after offering us positions in the Anbu, he asked if we could go on our first mission, and if we'd be okay with it even though we both just finished the chunin exams. How could he ever ask such a thing? Did he really think we were going to say no?

"Mitsuki," he explained, "your parent used to do research on forbidden jutsus. We just received word that new information was found on the reanimation jutsu." He gestured to the scrolls and papers on his desk as an invitation to look. The kids were cautious about walking up, as though not believing they were actually being allowed to see classified documents. "Do you see this?" Naruto asked. "This is new handwriting and an addition to the jutsu. We have a reason to believe that whoever was behind the white zetsu attack is also related to this. Since you are so close to Orochimaru, I figured this would be a very easy first mission for you: go to Orochimaru and investigate who else may have had access to this in the past; we may be able to trace the origin that way. Unfortunately he is the only place we have to start."

"Of course," Mitsuki and Sarada chimed simultaneously.

Naruto smiled graciously. "It's settled then: you two will leave in the morning."

SARADA'S DIARY

"So I guess we're in no matter what," Mitsuki said to me as we were leaving the Hokage building. "They must have seen us fight the zetsus in the second exam and fight in the third without us knowing."

"It was all just a test to see our skills; they probably were impressed by our work with white zetsu. I wonder if that's why Lord Seventh decided to give the official invitation into the group."

I didn't really care how it happened though, just that it did. It was a relief to see all our hard work come together. Everything we had been fighting for all these years had finally merged on a bright sunny day and the universe finally seemed to align in just the right way.

If I'm being honest though, and I'll only ever mention this here obviously, it was surreal to only walk that path out of the Hokage's office with Mitsuki. We worked hard but Boruto had been next to us the whole time, and yet it was just the two of us wearing chunin vests planning a duo mission to visit Mitsuki's parent (still not sure if it's his mom or dad but whatever).

Stupid Boruto. He was the one who ultimately messed it up, right? He was the one who was lying to us. Maybe his dad sensed something wrong in him as well. I thought about asking before we left if he knew what was wrong with him, if he had seen Boruto's eyes, but I don't think I was ready for that conversation if Lord Hokage didn't believe me. It's best just to forget about him for now. Or, well, I guess forget about him as much as I'd like. After all, that's what I told the Anbu: now I'll never have to worry about him being on my team again.

Mitsuki and Sarada had just turned onto an alley to cut across town from the Hokage's office when the scroll rolled out in front of them. It was like a scene from a movie, action ones that he had been binging recently whenever he had time because Boruto liked them. They were the only ones on that particular stretch of road and as if sent by divine intervention, the scroll crossed their paths and slowed in front of them.

The two stared at it for a moment in shock before meeting each other's eyes knowingly. Sarada bent down to retrieve it, and unscrolled it quickly to hold out in front of them to read silently.

Congratulations on becoming chunin and receiving an invitation from the Hokage into the Anbu. Please proceed for an immediate meeting. We will be awaiting your arrival.

"That was fast…" Sarada trailed off then rolled it back up and stuck it in her bag. The two didn't say a word to each other as they silently skittered to the meeting location, and though Mitsuki wasn't surprised, he was slightly disappointed when he entered that the location was thickly covered in a black cloak again.

As he bent low he remembered what the leader had said before: he hid his face for protection from prying eyes. The Hokage was technically the head of the Anbu yet he didn't hide his face, and he was in the middle of wondering why this person would when he began speaking from behind the veil.

"Long time, no see," the person chuckled. In his warped deep voice it sounded almost sinister and dark to Mitsuki. "So glad you two could join us so quickly. First, I would just like to offer my congratulations on becoming chunin; you truly proved yourselves during the exams."

"Thank you," they muttered to the floor.

"I would also like to take this time to congratulate you on being asked to be in the Hokage's Anbu."

The Hokage's Anbu? Mitsuki wondered quietly. What was the difference? He didn't have much time to try to figure out the answer himself when the person in front of them continued. "However, here are a few clarifications I would like to make regarding your role with the Hokage and with us. Though we are the same Anbu there are a few differences as I have stated to you before. We lead from the shadows and you will be asked to make difficult decisions that the Hokage himself may not ask of you. But…" The person paused to allow his words to sink into their brains. "...it is for the sake of the village as always. Please keep these two separate and what you do for us silent, especially moving forward as today you are going to receive your first mission if you are up for it."

Mitsuki heard Sarada's breath hitch beside him but he didn't feel much of anything.

"Before that, though, I do have to ask…. Where is Boruto Uzumaki?"

Again, Sarada made a noise in her throat but she did not speak at first. After a few seconds he finally heard her open her mouth.

"He, uh, left this morning, sir. With my father. I am unsure of where they went."

"Mmm. You sound disappointed, child."

"Me?" Sarada asked, shock coating her voice. "W-Well no. No of course I'm not. Why would I be?"

"Oh, Sarada, you don't have to pretend here," the voice instructed smoothly. "You are easy to read if you don't mind me saying; it's okay if you feel a little jealousy. You can let it all out here."

Mitsuki noted in the corner of his eye that Sarada stayed frozen to the spot with her eyes still glued to the floor. Her hands were down at her sides but her fists seized together.

"Sarada," the voice continued. "Would you like your first mission to just be you and Mitsuki?"

"Hm?" Sarada's eyes now glanced up under her hair now even though they couldn't see in front of them.

"We can make that happen. You don't have to work with Boruto if you don't want to. Today you and Mitsuki receive your first assignment, and if he is off with Sasuke Uchiha, that tells us he doesn't care about this job as much as you two do. He is not as dedicated to the village." The person practically hissed the last word.

There is no way Sarada would go without Boruto, Mitsuki began to think but his heart skipped a beat when he heard Sarada blurt out "Yes, I would like it to just be Mitsuki and me." His eyes flashed questioningly at her but she didn't turn her head to see him.

The voice chuckled again and mused, "Good girl. I knew you'd say that. Know that you can always let me know how you feel. It is decided. You and Mitsuki will go on this first mission and you do not have to worry about Boruto being on your team again."

"Wait… ever again?" Sarada asked hesitantly.

"Of course. We need people committed to this and based on your reaction it doesn't seem he is as committed as you and Mitsuki. You are who we look for, Sarada, and therefore I value your opinion. Afterall…" Mitsuki could almost hear the person's lip curl behind the blackout. "...Your uncle was one of us. Did you know that?"

Mitsuki was sure he'd see Sarada wince under the comment but she didn't even move. It was like she coached herself, like she had a blanket now protecting her from information she didn't know before. She built a wall that she didn't have even days before and adapted to being the last one to know. Or, Mitsuki then thought, maybe she just didn't care anymore.

"So," the voice continued, "we need people like you because it's in your blood. And Mitsuki...well, Orochimaru did a lot for us as well, and it's because of your relationship with Orochimaru that your first mission is to go to his hideout and seek research regarding the reanimation jutsu or any jutsus he was working on just before the Fourth Great Ninja War. Can you do that?"

Weren't they already on that mission for the Hokage? Mitsuki wanted to ask but stopped himself as he remembered the person said these were two separate parts of the same organization. Perhaps they were sharing the information.

"Of course," the two uttered again at the same time.

"Good, thank you. I understand that you two have another mission for the Hokage as well so I'd like you to leave in the morning, and please be as efficient as possible- I don't like to be kept waiting."

Kakashi was on his way to the Uchiha home to talk to Sarada when he saw Mitsuki and Sarada walking along the river, their heads bent deep in secret conversation. Even though he knew Naruto decided to make them chunin it still shocked him for a moment to see them wearing the chunin vests he knew so well, and it took him a second longer to come back to himself after the realization that He was getting SO old.

"Sarada!" he called out from atop the hill. The two looked up to see him waving casually at them and jumped back from each other like they were doing something wrong. Finally they both waved back and Kakashi took it as an invitation to join them.

"I was just looking for you!"

"Me?" Sarada asked, confused.

"Yes," he said. "Your dad asked me to talk to you."

He noticed Sarada's body instantly go rigid and her jaw locked as she regarded him wearily like he had ulterior motives. "Why…"

"He asked if I would train you why he's gone."

"Train?" Sarada's eyes instantly lit up at the possibility of training with the Sixth Hokage and her whole body relaxed. Gotcha, he thought.

He placed his hand nonchalantly in his pocket and said, "Wonderful. Can you start tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Lord Sixth, I'd love to but we can't," Sarada replied with regret dripping in her voice. "We have our first mission for Lord Seventh tomorrow."

Kakashi's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "First mission?"

"Yeah. He asked us to be in the Anbu."

Well shit, Kakashi thought. This is certainly going to complicate things.