"We're almost home! We're almost home!" Eneko yelled in a singsong voice. Sasuke smiled at her along with Itachi. She had flown up to check their surroundings and had seen the konoha wall in the distance. She deactivated her wings and spiraled to the ground, surprising the both of them. She grinned again and then started laughing. Itachi hugged her.
"Come on, niji-chan. Don't waste all of your energy before we get to Konoha. We still have at least a full days walk." Eneko smiled and hugged him back, kissing him.
"But I'm just so excited!" She called, making both Uchihas laugh. She started spinning around, pulling Itachi along with her. Sasuke laughed as his older brother started to look sick. Suddenly, Eneko stopped and her eyes widened.
"Familiar chakra signature. Twelve o'clock!" She called, trying to recognize it. Both Uchihas turned to her twelve o'clock to see a figure with silver hair and only one eye visible step out of the trees. His eye was wide and you could tell his mouth was agape. When they had left Eneko was still looking like she had lost something precious and Sasuke still looked like he needed a lot of training. Now, Eneko's smile was back and she looked happier than she had in a long time and Sasuke looked like a very strong ninja.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sasuke called, surprised. Eneko laughed, and ran over to him, hugging him.
"Kakashi!" She laughed. He hugged her as well, smiling, then looked at Itachi. Itachi waved, unsure what to do. Then he looked around once more.
"Where's Naruto?" He asked, confused. "The ANBU were after you because they had thought that you had kidnapped both boys. I see you've found Itachi but have you lost Naruto, Eneko?" Eneko smiled and shook her head.
"We ran into Jiraiya on the way home. He wanted Naruto for training and so they both went to go find Tsunade. He's fine." Kakashi smiled secretly, and Eneko looked at him confused. "What's so funny, Kakashi?"
"I guess Naruto beat you back. He's already back and they're setting Tsunade up." Eneko's eyes widened and she turned to Itachi, wagging a finger at him.
"That's the last time I take directions from you, Tachi-kun!" She scolded. Itachi grinned at her sheepishly, holding his hands up defensively.
"Hey, it's been a few years since I've been to Konoha and the fact that the ANBU were after you and we had to take a covered route." Sasuke shared a look with Kakashi that said 'they do this a lot.' Kakashi smiled at his apprentice.
"Sakura's been waiting for you." He told the younger Uchiha. Sasuke blushed. Eneko and Itachi immediately looked over. Itachi had his playful, teasing grin on.
"Oh, Sasuke? Who's Sakura, hm? Won't you tell your big brother?" Itachi teased, poking Sasuke in the ribs.
"Augh!" Sasuke groaned, trying to get away from Itachi's pestering, failing miserably. Eneko giggled and stood by Kakashi.
"Big Brother vs. Little Brother is always funny to watch." She told Kakashi matter-of-factly. Kakashi just watched.
"You three have obviously established your bond again." He pointed out. Itachi stopped trying to give Sasuke a noogie and looked over, nodding.
"Yeah, I guess so." Eneko cleared her throat.
"Alright boys, break up the love fest. We're almost home and Naruto and Sakura are waiting for us to return!" She told the both of them. Both boys broke up and picked up their packs again. Kakashi stared at their obedience.
"I'm recommending you to be a genin team captain, Eneko." He told her. She smiled and punched him playfully on the shoulder.
"I'd probably kill them, Kakashi. Well, do you want to come back with us?" Kakashi thought it over and nodded.
"Sure. I'm coming back from a mission anyway. Only having two students to train gives you more free-time than you were expecting." He informed them. Sasuke grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"Sorry, sensei. I had to find my brother." He tried to defend himself. Kakashi held a hand up.
"No apologies necessary, Sasuke. You just owe me a lot of training." Sasuke flinched.
"That's going to be worse than Itachi's training." He muttered under his breath. Itachi cuffed him upside the head, hearing him. Eneko laughed and started down the road. Itachi ran to catch up with her, followed by Sasuke and then Kakashi. Eneko started singing to herself, surprising Kakashi with her voice. Sasuke and Itachi started smiling.
"Eneko-nee-chan's singing is spelled, Kakashi-sensei. It always puts us in a better mood. Do you think she's a sound nin in disguise or something?" Sasuke asked, making conversation with the silver-haired jounin. Kakashi blinked his eye down at him.
"You seem to have gotten stronger, Sasuke. Naruto told me you're going to challenge him when you get home. I'd like to see that fight. Both of you are using new techniques?" He asked. Sasuke nodded, looking at Eneko who was now talking with Itachi about something that was making her blush.
"Eneko-nee-chan and aniki have been training me this whole time. Mostly nee-chan because we were with her only for seven months before we even found Itachi." Kakashi smiled.
"So, you know some of the Winged Dragon Clan's techniques, do you?" He asked. Sasuke nodded again.
"Yeah. I've learned the fire jutsus and Naruto's learned the wind jutsus. Itachi's also taught me some more of the Uchiha fire jutsus, so I'm pretty well learnt, but to accomplish my dream, I've got to become even stronger." Kakashi looked over at him, startled.
"Don't tell me you and Naruto are trying for the same thing." Sasuke smiled.
"No, Kakashi-sensei. I'm going to be on the Konoha Police Force like my father was." He replied. Kakashi's eye softened and he put a hand on Sasuke's head.
"Good for you, Sasuke. You're going to have to show me some of those techniques during training. I haven't copied all of them yet." Sasuke grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, sensei." He replied, lazily swatting Kakashi's hand away. Kakashi chuckled and they looked back at Eneko and Itachi to see that Itachi had slung Eneko over his shoulder and she was drumming her fingers on his back. Kakashi looked at Sasuke, confused. The younger Uchiha sighed. "Itachi's very protective…and very random," was his only reply. Kakashi chuckled again.
"Itachi let me down. I can walk on my own you know." Itachi laughed at her.
"I know that, niji-chan, but this has such a nice view." Eneko's mouth opened in mock-shock and she kicked her way out of his grasp.
"Itachi!" She cried, embarrassed. Itachi grinned and started running. She pulled out a kunai and started chasing him with it. "Get back here you pervert!" Sasuke started laughing at his brother's wide eyes, but immediately stopped when Itachi decided to hide behind him.
"Gah! Aniki, get off! I'm not your shield!" Kakashi watched them and realized something. They looked like a normal family. He was sure Naruto fit right in with them.
"I have some news from Naruto, if you'd like to hear it." All three of them looked at him and Eneko holstered her kunai stared at him expectantly. "He's got a girlfriend." Eneko was immediately at Kakashi's side, dragging him alongside her.
"Really? Oh, who is it?" She asked. Itachi and Sasuke shrugged and continued walking, poking fun at each other.
"Her name is Hyuuga Hinata. She's of the main branch family of the Hyuuga Clan and has been absolutely in love with Naruto since their academy years. When Naruto came home, they got together and announced they were dating a week ago. I think Sakura's jealous." He winked at Sasuke, who blushed.
"Well this just proves that I'm going to have to invite them over for dinner. I wonder what Hinata-chan's favorite food is?" Eneko continued rambling off plans to herself. Itachi and Sasuke rolled their eyes at each other and continued poking fun at each other. They all went silent when they heard someone yell out a battle cry. A green flash burst forth from the bushes and tried to land a kick at Sasuke, who blocked easily. They went into a taijutsu battle with Eneko and Itachi both pulling out kunais in alarm and Kakashi groaning. The same thing happened to him. Sasuke started laughing and punched fists with the boy he had been fighting.
"Lee! How've you been?" Sasuke asked casually, as if this person had not just attacked him. Eneko slowly put her kunai away with Itachi following suit. Eneko studied the newcomer that had just attacked Sasuke. He had a shiny bowl-haircut and the largest eyebrows Eneko had ever seen. She blinked, running through her memory, snapping when it came to her.
"Rock Lee. He's an apprentice of Maito Gai, learning to be a taijutsu master and, teammates to Hyuuga Neji and Tenten." She told Itachi, who looked confused. She thrust a thumb back at the green flash still attacking Kakashi and not getting anywhere. "And I suspect that's Maito Gai." Sasuke brought Lee over to Eneko and Itachi.
"Eneko, Itachi, this is an old friend. Be nice, Itachi." He told his older brother, who gave him a look. "Lee, this is Itachi, my older brother and Eneko Tsubasano." Lee bowed politely which Eneko and Itachi both returned.
"So, you are the famous singer that Naruto-kun has been talking about." Lee looked at Eneko. She smiled.
"And you must be the Lee that Sasuke and Naruto both talked about. You seem like a very nice guy, Lee." Lee smiled, then noticed Eneko's engagement ring. His eyes widened and he grabbed her hand to inspect it.
"Who is the lucky guy, if I may ask, Eneko-san?" Eneko blushed at him grabbing her hand and Itachi, took her hand away from Eneko.
"Me. So don't touch her." Itachi growled protectively. Eneko just gave him a look that said 'calm yourself,' and smiled at Lee.
"It's Itachi, Lee-san. He's a little bit on the protective side. Sorry." She apologized. Lee just blinked it off.
"And you're Itachi. The Itachi, I'm guessing, that Sasuke and Naruto were gone for so long finding. Nice to meet you at last!" He told the protective older Uchiha. Itachi just nodded.
"LEE! Let us get back to training!" The other green-clad figure called. Lee saluted.
"Yes Gai-Sensei!" He called. "Bye, Sasuke, see you later!" He told the younger Uchiha, running off to get to his sensei. Both the green-clad figures ran off into the trees yet again, leaving two stunned people and two people who seemed to be used to it. Kakashi just motioned them to come with him and he started up a hill. Eneko, Itachi, and Sasuke all followed. Just as they got to the top of the hill, they saw what lay below. Eneko's eyes lit up.
"It's Konoha! We're home!"