CCNote: Happy belated Birthday to Katarina-Hime! I hope you had a great day! I wish I could have posted this on your birthday but I guess this will have to do! In other news, Christmas lessons went well except I discovered students don't know how to spell Santa. Ended up with a bunch of letters to Satan...so there's that...
Originally I wrote this chapter to be a lot longer but it was boring to me. If I'm bored by my own writing that means its too damn long lol. So I cut it and I can honestly say it's much better this way.
Important notes: This a four year time skip from the day of Sasuke and Hinata's wedding. The twins were one and four months that day making them five and a half now. I am the oldest of 9 children with 3 of my younger siblings at the impressionable ages of 8, 6, and an older 2. The children in this story aren't based on my own siblings ' personalities but their developmental stages are. My biggest pet peeve in Fanfiction is how people write children as little adults with a full understanding of causality, maturity, and a larger vocabulary than adults. It's almost like people haven't spent extensive time around young ones. Kids aren't stupid (although my SHS students make me question their intelligence every fucking day), they're actually pretty smart but they are still kids. There's a distinct balancing act that must take place. Part of the reason I wanted to write this sequel was to just put something out there where kids felt like kids.
As always, ignore my glaring mistakes. To make it through edits I'm always drinking so it's inevitable that I miss a few things. I do try to go back and correct things drunk me didn't catch. Drunk me gives you fics, sober me is a critical bitch(if it was up to her you'd never get an update). Don't forget to leave a REVIEW! Reviews are what keep me motivated!
O is for Destruction
Friday, November 4, 2023, 10:53 pm
Century Ballroom
...
"We can't have the Raikage's entourage sitting there." Ino sniffed as she removed the placard for the Raikage's head diplomat's team from the table. "They'll take it as an insult to be seated so far away."
"Where do you propose we move them? All of the other tables are taken-no." Mitsuki gasped, clutching her clipboard to her chest and eyes widening as large as dinner plates. "No, Ino don't!"
Ino rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. Mitsuki was alright company and a great help when it came to events like these but the woman played things a little too safe.
"The only available option is to switch the Raikage's diplomats out with Danzo's group." Ino said simply as she brought the placards over to the large circular table right in the middle of the front row.
Mitsuki's hurried footsteps trailed behind her worriedly but she paid the smaller woman no mind. Keeping good ties between their allies at such a contentious time was much more important than the feelings of Danzo's second wife.
"You know that Ayame is going to take you moving her away from her usual place as an insult right?" Mitsuki said fretfully as she watched Ino shrug her shoulders and swap out the name. "She can be really nasty-"
"Trust me. I know how nasty she can be." Ino sniffed. "And I don't give a damn. Is she the First Lady of Konoha?"
"Well no-"
"Then she can sit where I put her and be honored that she is attending this event."
Mitsuki opened her mouth to say more but the resolve in Ino's pale blue eyes held no room for further debate. Ino felt a bit bad for being so harsh with Mitsuki but honestly, she was fed up with Ayame's backstabbing over the last four years. The woman had been trying her best to turn the other wives against her but of course, all of her attempts were futile. No matter how much Ayame and the others might hate her, none of them were married to the man who was their country's Hokage.
Ino frowned as she placed the placard of the head delegate to the Raikage on the table. Naruto was finally Hokage...the one thing he'd been striving for all his life. But at what cost? An accomplishment that was achieved only through loss. A loss that none of them were prepared for.
"Ino...are you alright?" Mitsuki asked, placing a soft hand on her forearm. Ino smiled brightly and shook her head.
"Of course! We have a lot more work to do. Let's look at-"
"Did someone say work?" A jovial voice boomed, reverberating off of the walls of the cavernous ballroom.
The two women turned around to see Naruto bounding up to them with a wide smile on his face. Behind him trailed Shikamaru and no less than four bodyguards, all stone-faced and steadfast in their task of protecting the new Hokage. Ino knew immediately that he was drunk by the lopsided smile he wore and his inability to not bump into each table on his way to her. Ino closed the distance between them and steadied him on his feet. She sat him down firmly in a nearby chair before turning her ire onto Shikamaru.
"How much did you let him drink?" She hissed and Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "He's not going to be prepared for the ceremony tomorrow if he's hung over!"
"None of us are prepared for tomorrow but we'll get through it anyway." The brunette shrugged as he turned to leave the room. Now that Naruto was safely in the arms of his wife there wasn't much reason for him to hang around, especially when said wife was angry.
Ino sent a regretfully look to Mitsuki and the woman nodded her head in understanding. She bowed politely to Naruto before scurrying out of the room as well. The bodyguards spread out to three corners of the room with one remaining in front of the ballroom door, alert to any who might intrude upon their charges. Ino sighed as the men took their posts, mourning the small amount of privacy they'd still been able to possess six months ago. Shaking the thought from her mind, she turned to look at her husband whose face was planted into the white linen tablecloth.
"Naruto-" she started to say and the man mumbled something incoherent before turning his head to the side.
He blinked at her with bleary, red-rimmed eyes. Ino pulled up a chair next to his and laid her head on the table as well. She stared back into those tired blue eyes and watched as the happy mask he always wore melted away. She reached out a hand and ran her fingers through his now short blonde locks, ever so gently urging more of his resolve to slip away. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the pads of her fingers against his scalp.
"Where's Ito?" He asked, his voice slightly slurred.
"He's with the Uchihas." She said, a small smile struggling to make it's way to her lips. "He was so excited for a sleepover."
"I bet." Naruto chuckled and closed his eyes again.
His shoulders slumped and a shaky breath escaped his lips. Slowly her husband allowed himself to let go and silent tears fell from his eyes onto the white tablecloth. Ino said nothing. What was there that she could say now that she hadn't already said before? Instead, she continued to gently stroke his scalp and prayed that one day the tears would stop.
….
Saturday, November 5, 2024, 9:01 am
Uchiha Penthouse #2
...
Fugaku groaned slightly, the rays of the early morning sun already beaming through the blinds. Mikoto must have opened them when she'd woken up just to torture him. As they got older his wife had developed a bit of a sadistic streak but oddly enough he liked it. Perhaps he was just becoming soft in his old age. In any case, it wouldn't hurt to get a few more minutes of peace before he had to resume his daily 'Papa' duties, a name he'd earned because Fugaku was just too much of a mouthful for the twins when they were younger. That and the formal moniker of 'grandfather' had been taken by his counterpart on the twins' maternal side, Hiashi Hyuuga. His hopes of peace were dashed though when he heard the telltale creaking of the master bedroom door being pushed open.
"Papa wake up wake up!" A little voice yelled before jumping on the elder Uchiha's chest and knocking all of the air out of Fugaku's lungs. The Uchiha's eyes snapped open immediately as the little missile straddle his torso and kept bouncing.
"Wake up up up up!" The little boy cheered loudly.
"No fair Hiro! It was my turn today!" Another little boy cried by the edge of the bed, chubby hands struggling to climb up the side. "Ugh! Is he sleeping?"
Fugaku grunted and sat up so that the little boy bouncing on his chest rolled off onto the mattress. He then reached down to the side of the bed and deftly pulled Hajime up by the back of his shirt.
"Whoa!" Hajime squealed as he was lifted into the air and deposited unceremoniously onto the mattress next to his brother.
"I am very much awake Thing One." Fugaku growled and did his best to put on an intimidating glare but the twins remained unaffected. It was hard to have an impressive aura when the vestiges of sleep were still evident all over his face.
"Hey! Hey! Papa!" Hajime whimpered, crawling over his grandfather's legs so that he could pull insistently at his shirt. "It was my turn today. My turn."
Fugaku turned a curious eye towards Hiroto who was pouting at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest. Big black eyes looked at him sheepishly despite the tough air he was trying to portray.
"Thing Two."
"He was too slow Papa." Hiroto grumbled but whithered a bit when Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "Sorry."
Fugaku gave the boy a curt nod to accept his apology before placing a heavy hand on top of Hajime's dark, unruly head.
"Be faster tomorrow." He said firmly and Hajime nodded his head.
The elder Uchiha looked to his left and his right. Something felt as though it was missing.
"Where is your little fox friend?" Fugaku asked but was quickly answered by a muffled giggle from under the bed.
He looked over the side of the mattress to see a little pale foot sticking out from under the bed. Pressing a finger to lips to silence his grandsons, he swiftly grabbed the little ankle and hoisted a blonde five-year-old out from under the bed. Ito giggled with delighted at his new disorientating position, shrieking happily when he was finally plopped onto the bed.
"Were you trying to scare me?" Fugaku asked, quirking an eyebrow at the giggly boy.
The Uzumaki boy was known for trying to pull sneak attacks, none of which had worked of course. Ito furiously shook his blonde head but the toothy smile he wore said otherwise. Fugaku sighed and laid back on the bed, already tired for the day even though it'd barely begun.
"Papa no!" Hiroto whined as the three boys joined forces to dogpile the man's chest. "You can't go back to sleep!"
"We're having waffles!" Hajime said, hoping that the enticement would get his grandfather out of bed.
"We're not having waffles. We're getting pancakes!" Hiroto countered.
Fugaku covered his face with a pillow in an attempt to drown out their never-ending morning debate. When would they realize that waffles and pancakes were the same exact thing?
"No, I want waffles!"
"I want pancakes!"
"Waffles!"
"Pancakes!"
"I want candy!" Ito interjected, just as loud as the twins.
Fugaku felt the weight on his torso shift as the boys started wrestling each other, no doubt the twins had joined together as they usually did to defeat Ito's usual suggestion of...well... anything. If there was anything that got the twins to work together it was the prospect of defeating their mutual enemy, Ito Uzumaki. The sounds of high pitched squeals and roughhousing filled the room until Fugaku rolled over onto his side and interrupted their fight.
"Go get ready for breakfast boys." He groaned, putting one foot at a time onto the cold hardwood floor. "You all stink."
"I don't stink Papa. That was Hiro. He-he farted!" Hajime said proudly before he was tackled onto the mattress by his brother.
"I didn't fart!"
"Yes, you did!"
"No, I didn't!"
"Did!"
"Didn't!"
….
Saturday, November 5, 2023, 9:59 am
Uchiha Property #2
...
"Don't forget to wash your faces." Fugaku commanded as he departed from the bathroom.
A confirmation was muffled by toothpaste filled mouths resounded through the bathroom, the three boys elbowing each other for who would get to spit out their toothpaste into the sink first. The Uchiha shook his head at their roughhousing and headed down the hall towards the kitchen. The twins and Ito were certainly a handful but over the years he really didn't mind. It became easier to care for them the more self-sufficient they were but they were a long way from being considered independent.
Somehow Fugaku had found himself slipping into the role of 'nanny' for his grandsons and more frequently these days for Ito. Shortly after getting married, his daughter in law had returned to work and the endless cycle of nannies had been ran through. The boys respected no one who wasn't family and many of the older women who could take care of them did not have the energy to keep up. If Sasuke and Hinata had only had one child it wouldn't be too stressful but two little boys that constantly fed off of each other's energy was a lot to handle.
Fugaku shivered as he turned the corner into the kitchen and recalled the twins' terrible twos. That had been a dark time. They had tempered out a bit as they'd gotten older though and he hoped that he would be able to whip them into a respectable shape when it came time for them to begin attending school. The Uchiha ran a tired hand through his graying hair, moving like a homing beacon to the steaming pot of freshly brewed salvation.
"Good morning wife. Did you sleep well, wife? My how beautiful you look this morning wife!" A feminine voice snapped just as he was pulling a mug down from the cabinet. He turned around sheepishly to see his cross wife with her hands on her hips, cutting him evil looks.
"Um...Good morning?" He deadpanned and she upturned her nose at him as she turned back to the stove.
"You care more about coffee than you do your own wife." She pouted, flipping a halfway done pancake onto its other side.
Fugaku rolled his eyes at his wife's antics before wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him, craning her head back so she could place a short peck on his chin. Peering over her shoulder he could see the stack of already completed waffles and a remaining bowl of batter being used to make pancakes. There was more than enough to feed himself and the boys but of course, Ito's bodyguards had to eat too. Even though the men stationed outside of the penthouse claimed they didn't want to inconvenience Mikoto they never turned down a meal.
"You shouldn't make both." He groused and Mikoto shrugged in his arms.
"They will only be little for so long Fugaku. At least it's just waffles versus pancakes. It doesn't hurt to indulge them in this."
The Uchiha male gave his wife a little squeeze before letting her go. While Mikoto relished in the twins' various stages she wasn't the one around them day in and day out. Her responsibilities lied in taking care of many of their more elderly members. The Uchiha numbers had been dwindling in recent years and older members were dying off at faster rates than could be replenished. It wasn't like there was much of a younger generation to replace them anyway, in fact, Hajime and Hiroto were the only children born to the Uchiha clan in the last decade. That, combined with the fact that Hinata was working full time again, meant that Mikoto was regulated to assisting with the later life care of the clan. Not that she minded of course. It just meant she had a greater appreciation for the twins' odd quirks and milestones. Fugaku resumed pouring coffee into his own mug and relished the first sip as he always did.
"What time are Sasuke and Hinata returning?" Fugaku asked from over the steaming rim of his mug.
Mikoto sighed and removed the now finished pancake from the pan. She scooped more batter into her ladle and set another pancake to begin cooking.
"Their flight was delayed this morning. I'm not so sure they'll make it to the inauguration dinner tonight." She said.
Fugaku took another pensive sip of his coffee. His son and daughter in law were busier than ever expanding the company. He couldn't fault them though. Their work was yielding higher profit margins than he'd ever expected. Especially considering his daughter in law was a Hyuuga and a rather meek one at that. He couldn't argue with the dividends though so they must be doing something right. Small feet shuffled around the corner into the adjoining dining room, breaking Fugaku from his thoughts.
"Mother and Father are going to be gone for longer aren't they." Hajime grumbled despondently as took a seat at the table and put his elbows on it.
"They don't like us anymore." Hiroto pouted and took a seat next to his brother. "I bet Father kidnapped Mother so he could keep her all to himself. He's stingy."
"Thing One." Fugaku reprimanded, pointed looking at the ill-placed limbs and pulling out a chair for himself.
"Sorry, Papa." Hajime said sheepishly as he took his elbows off the table.
Even though he complied with his grandfather's directive, he still looked put out that his parents weren't back home yet. Likewise, Hiroto also wore a wrinkled brow as he no doubts contemplated whether his parents would return.
"Thing Two. It's only a short business trip, they'll be back."
The twins didn't look too convinced at his assessment but their long faces didn't last because Ito came sprinting down the hall as if he were being chased by a ghost. The blonde boy scrambled up to his usual seat with an eager grin on his face.
"I'm ready for the candy!"
…..
Saturday, November 5, 2023, 3:47 pm
Century Ballroom
...
"Mrs. Uzumaki, have you seen the extra table linens?"
"Mrs. Uzumaki the caters have arrived."
"Mrs. Uzumaki the vice admiral has called and says his flight has been delayed on the tarmac."
"Mrs. Uzumaki where should we put these?"
It was all Ino could do to not snap at the poor maid holding an armful of red roses out to her with expectant brown eyes. It wasn't the maid's fault she was being pulled in every direction humanly possible. Taking a deep breath Ino instructed the younger woman to place a single rose in the champagne flutes of the most prominent members that would be attending tonight. As soon as she finished instructing the maid what to do, she'd barely turned around before she was needed elsewhere.
Throughout all of the demands for her attention, Ino still managed to keep a well-crafted smile on her face. A smile she didn't even realize she'd ever wear but one she'd honed to perfection over the last few months. Even when everything inside of her wished to curl into a ball, her outer appearance was nothing but calm, cool, and collected. She signed for packages and dictated just how the silverware needed to be placed in each place setting as though she'd been doing it her whole life...as though it was as easy as breathing...
'The best women rise to the occasion.'
...Ino took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the steady tempo of the music that was playing. Of course, it was classical music and most certainly not her taste but she concentrated none the less.
'Why do rich people listen to stuff like this?' She thought as she made a careful turn around the table. 'It's so stuffy and boring-'
The books she was trying to balance on her head suddenly came tumbling down to the floor with a crash. It was all that the blonde could do to save her toes from being smashed by descending tomes. Her mother in law laughed as she slumped into a plush leather chair nearby.
"I'm hopeless, I know." Ino complained as she observed the books lying around her. Kushina only laughed harder.
"Not hopeless but certainly not graceful!" She said between her fits of laughter. Ino's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
"I'm not cut out for this." Ino mumble under her breath.
She felt utterly defeated that she couldn't complete a simple task as standing up straight. Kushina cocked her head to the side and regarded Ino with a curious eye.
"Most women aren't." She said simply as she rose up from her chair. She started picking up the books that had fallen and gather the books that had fallen to the floor. "But the best women rise to the occasion."
Kushina's words reverberated in the back of her mind as a constant mantra that added steel to her backbone. At the same, her strong voice provided no comfort to her as she continued to listen to the needs of her staff. Just the sound of the woman's name in her mind made her want to run to the nearest coat closet to cry. She couldn't cry though. Not now. Not when she needed to a sweep of the kitchens to supervise the caterers or adjust the wine glasses on the tables. No, she was needed and as long as that remained true she wouldn't cry.
With the thought of the caterers in mind and a lull in her staff's questions, Ino turned to make her way towards the kitchens. As she made her way to the other side of the ballroom she noticed an odd ruffling of one of the tables. Crouching, she picked up the edge of the tablecloth and frowned at the black scuff marks. She had inspected every single linen last night before they'd been placed on the tables. How was it possible that she'd missed this one? Glancing at her watch she sighed. There wasn't any time to change this one out. The only thing she could hope to do would be to curl the edge under and pray no one took notice of the blemish.
"It can't be helped." She sighed and started to tuck the edge in when she heard a familiar giggle.
Startled, she lifted the tablecloth up over her head and was surprised to find her son sitting under the table. The little boy was hugging his knees to his chest, an almost aghast look on his young face at being discovered. Frantically he waved for her to get away from him under the table.
"Mama you're going to make me them see me!" He whined.
A feeling of paranoia crept into her chest and Ino popped her head out from under the table. It was irrational, she knew that they were safe but she couldn't help it. Looking to her left and right she didn't see anyone chasing after Ito. None of the bodyguards placed sporadically around the bustling ballroom looked perturbed either.
"Ito, I don't see-"
"Mama!" He hissed and pushed on her upper arm. "Don't make me lose-"
"Ha! I got you!" A dark-haired boy cheered as the other side of the tablecloth popped up.
"No, you didn't Haji I found him!" An identical boy whined, crawling under the table as well.
"No, I got here first!"
"But I saw Auntie Ino. It was my idea to come over!"
"Mama you made me lose!"
Begrudgingly Ito allowed himself to be dragged out from under the table by his wrists, courtesy of the Uchiha twins.
"Sorry Ito." She said, trying to hold back her own laughter as Ito had to empty his pockets of all of his loose gummy fruit snacks. "Better luck next time."
As the twins fought over who would get to eat the sour ones, the older woman patted each boy on the head before heading towards the kitchens. Behind her, she could hear Ito's laughter and her heart felt a little lighter knowing that at the very least her son was having a good time. How that was possible when he'd just had to divest himself of his snacks was beyond her. However, it was enough to make her steps lighter and the cloud of fatigue that was threatening to encroach upon her was pushed back. If only for a moment...
….
Saturday, November 5, 2023, 7:15 pm
Century Ballroom
...
The massive ballroom was abuzz with activity. No longer bright and bustling with the hurried footsteps of staff, it was now dimly lit and occupied by the upper crust of every ally nation to Konoha. Underneath the table, Ito watched shiny shoes tap their toes as various speakers came up to the podium and droned on and on about things he certainly didn't care about. While some old man talked about 'strengthening bonds' all Ito cared about was filling his grumbling tummy.
The youngest Uzumaki couldn't understand why all of the big people listened to such boring things anyway when there was plenty of good food in front of them to eat. Luckily for them, he knew how to make sure that none of that good food went to waste. He didn't like the stuffy suit his Mama was forcing him to wear but it had it's uses. There was more room to shove food into the pockets of his suit jacket and served to aide in his food snatching. Quickly he relieved the ballroom patrons plates of their finger foods. Namely cocktail shrimp, popcorn shrimp, and weird little mushrooms that had mushy stuff inside of them.
No one noticed him underfoot except for the big guys dressed in all black that always followed him around. They weren't stopping him, only following him with their eyes and edging precariously placed glasses out of his reach. Of course, it was because he bribed them with bits of shrimp whenever he passed them though. Shrimp was a good gift so they wouldn't bother him if he kept supplying it. Ito was just reaching for a plate loaded with cocktail shrimp when all of the people in the ballroom suddenly stood up and started clapping loudly. The sudden sound made the boy jump in surprise but he quickly regained his bearings. He snatched the entire plate of shrimp while the owner was distracted and started scurrying off to his home base.
"Thank you all for joining us tonight!" The boisterous voice of his Daddy called out above the raucous applause. "Please take your seats."
Ito paused in his journey, mesmerized as his Daddy's figure came into view once all of the big clapping people sat down. There he was on stage, standing behind a large wooden block and a bright light shining down on him. On his head was a big white hat with a giant red letter he couldn't read but looked pretty important. Around his shoulders was a really cool white cap, the likes of which Ito couldn't help but marvel. Where did his dad get a thing like that? Would he buy him one? When you got big did everyone get to wear a cape?
"Thank you all for coming during such a contentious time. I understand the sacrifice you are all making to take time out to be here. While it is belated, today marks my official procurement of the office of Hokage."
The crowd cheered and clapped, drowning out whatever his Daddy said next. The only thing that stuck in Ito's mind was the word 'Hokage'. What was a Hokage? What was so special about it that it made everyone so excited? Ito's blue eyes widened as his father continued on with his speech, enthralling the crowd who managed to hang onto his every word. The little boy couldn't understand half of what his Daddy was saying but he looked so cool up there on the stage. He looked so calm and collected, very much unlike the clumsy, silly Daddy he knew. When his Daddy smiled the people cheered, making Ito's heart thump wildly in his chest.
"Hey! Ito!" A little voice huffed, pulling at the sleeve of his suit jacket.
Ito whirled around in surprise to see the Uchiha twins staring at him curiously from underneath the table. Suddenly he remembered his original mission to get to home base and scurried under the table. As soon as Ito took a seat on the floor he couldn't help but gush over the sights in the ballroom. His father's booming voice continued throughout the room, filling the little Uzumaki with pride.
"Do you hear him? He sounds so cool, right? Right!" He said, clutching the cold plate of shrimp in his hands.
"He's a Howhatie-what now." Hiroto started.
"Hokage." Hajime corrected and his brother rolled his eyes.
"Yea that. I guess that's cool."
"It's super cool!" Ito insisted but the boys were already distracted by the plate of cocktail shrimp he'd procured.
"Why did you bring back shrimp?" Hajime grumbled, wrinkling his nose with distaste.
"It's yummy!" Ito defended, grabbing one and shoving it into his mouth. The Uchiha twins pretended to barf. "You just have to try it!"
"No." The twins deadpanned simultaneously but Ito continued to shove the plate their way.
"My Mama says not to waste food. You should eat it!"
"No, it's gross!"
"So gross! So gross!"
The twins protests led to Ito crawling around under the table after them to get them to try the shrimp. Of course, that meant stepping on the toes of the adults that were sitting around their home base and alerting them to their presence. It only took one accidental kick to a woman's shin for her to cry out and send a knee up to the table. The dishes and glasses rattled with the impact and the shriek drew everyone's attention to their table. The tablecloth was upturned in the next instant and the three boys were made to crawl out. Disgruntled mummers resounded throughout the room, all of which possessed varying degrees of disdain.
"Isn't that the Uzumaki boy?"
"What is he doing with the Uchiha?"
"How untrained. My children would never!"
Ito was used to the whispers. Many people here weren't very nice to him or his Mama but it wasn't their mean gossip that bothered him. It was the fact that his Daddy had stopped speaking. His loud, boisterous voice no longer filled the room and allowed the whispers to feel as if they were coming to a crescendo.
"You should apologize boy!" A gruff male voice sneered. Ito looked up to see an old man whose face was half wrapped in bandages staring back down at him. To his right a woman Ito was, unfortunately, familiar with had her arms crossed over her chest. "That was my wife one of you little rascals kicked."
Ito frowned as he looked at the angry woman who the man claimed to be his wife. Ito didn't care whose wife she was, she was Ayame the mean lady to him. The mean lady who always said bad stuff about his Mama. The mean lady who never gave him as many snacks as the other kids. The mean lady who always looked at him funny. The mean lady he most definitely didn't like.
"Well, boy?" The old man prodded. "Aren't you going to apologize?"
"It's not in his vocabulary dear. His mother hasn't raised him properly." Ayame said, placing a gentle hand on the elderly man's forearm.
"Is that old lady talking about Auntie Ino?" Hajime asked and Hiroto shrugged.
"I don't know. I like Auntie."
"Boys, it isn't polite to call people old." Another lady at the table chided and the twins bristled.
"But she is old and so are you."
"Yea you're old."
"Very old."
"Super old."
"Older than- than a dinosaur!"
"Hajime. Hiroto" A low, stern voice called out and the twins snapped to attention.
Ito turned in the direction of the voice to see his Uncle Saskue and Aunt Hinata quickly coming upon them. He couldn't tell what his Uncle was feeling but his Aunt looked really worried. They quickly collected the mouthy Uchiha twins with his Aunt sending a half-hearted apology to the patrons of the table. The Uchiha weren't known for apologizing but his Aunt at least made an attempt.
As Ito watched the twins go he felt the stares of the big people sitting at the table. None of them felt friendly and he had no idea what to do with himself. He knew that he should apologize. His Mama always said to apologize when peoples feelings are hurt but he just couldn't do it. Ayame's feelings weren't hurt, just her leg! Plus she was a mean lady anyway. He didn't want to apologize to a mean lady!
"Ito." His father's voice called out to him, much closer than he'd expected it to be.
The little Uzumaki turned around once more to see his Daddy smiling at him from underneath his big, fancy white hat. Soon he felt his feet leave the floor as his father picked him up and carried him away from the mean lady and the old man. The whispers stopped, even time itself seemed to cease. All Ito could focus on was his Daddy's slow, assured steps up the stage to face the now silent crowd.
"As many of you know, this," his Daddy started as he took his place behind the microphone again. "Is my son. Ito Uzumaki."
Grumbles waved through the crowd and the little boy caught sight of some grimaces. Did people not like him? Was there something wrong with him? The hateful eyes were suddenly blocked out when his father's big white hat was suddenly placed on his head.
"I may be your Hokage today but he is your Hokage tomorrow. He has a lot to learn but there is no one better to take up the burden."
Hokage? Was he going to be a Hokage? Ito's heart started pounding excitedly in his chest. If he was the Hokage people would like him just like they cheered on his Daddy. They wouldn't look at him so weird or be mean to him. If he was the Hokage he would be super cool just like his Daddy. As the applause died down and Ito felt himself being carried off stage with his father's hat still on his head, he made a promise to himself. One day, he would become Hokage. A Hokage that was even cooler than his Daddy. The best Hokage ever!
To be continued...
P is for Downfalls
He wasn't entirely made of stone the way many people claimed, the way many of the women he encountered had assessed.