Part I: Episode 8
Hiruzen took a deep breath, inhaling the warm Konoha summer air. The village had rebuilt itself over the past year and a half, and had only become stronger. And overseeing the entire the village was the Hokage Monument. The mountain looked no different than it had before becoming the stone prison of the Nine-Tailed fox, and yet it seemed to overflow with power. If one got close enough, they could almost feel the Kyubi's power pulsing behind the stone. Hiruzen found himself wondering if the fox was still conscious inside the rock. He wondered if it could see the village and its villagers and if it could, what it thought about them. What would it think a year from now? What about five years, or ten years? Would its hatred grow or would it learn to love the village?
"Hiruzen?" His wife said softly as she slowly stepped outside. Hiruzen extended his hand and Biwako grabbed it and for a while did nothing but stand there and look over their home.
"Welcome, great and powerful Demon Slayer-sama!" Jiraiya introduced loudly as Orochimaru stepped into the council meeting. The Hokage inwardly groaned at his newly minuted moniker. The one advantage it did have, however, was in negotiations. While certain people had no issue dealing with a "god of shinobi" or "Konoha's Yellow Flash", very few people took the name "Demon Slayer Orochimaru" lightly. Even Iwagakure's Tsuchikage treated Orochimaru in a, albeit only slightly, more respectful manner.
With a soft sigh, Orochimaru sat in his seat at the head of the council. Facing him were Tsunade and Jiraiya while Hiruzen sat behind them and Koharu, Homura, and Danzo sat in the final row. They knew the seating arrangement was Orochimaru's way of showing his contempt, but the trio in the back mostly ignored it.
"The first item on the agenda is the formal creation of the Ta no Kuni Alliance," Hiruzen said, officially beginning of the meeting. Orochimaru had heard rumors about the Rice Country, but never paid them mind. At one point in time he had a research facility there, but that seemed like another lifetime ago.
"Ta no Kuni Alliance? I suppose they don't have the resources to become a true hidden village just yet," Danzo said in a mocking tone.
"Be that as it may," Orochimaru countered, recalling his travels to the country; "there are several powerful clans in the Rice Country. To simply dismiss them would be foolish. Especially considering how close they are in proximity to us." Danzo frowned, even though he knew Orochimaru was speaking the truth.
"If I may, Hokage-sama," Koharu interrupted. Orochimaru gave her an approving nod.
"I understand your desire to make peace with a neighboring country, but Danzo is right as well. This Ta no Kuni Alliance is simply too new and fragile for us to make a meaningful alliance. I suggest we give them a few years to organize their time and resources and then we see how we feel about them." Now it was Orochimaru's turn to frown. Koharu was right, which meant that Danzo was right.
"I agree with Koharu, actually," Hiruzen said. Orochimaru nodded meaningfully.
"Forgive me, but I've never been there. I hear the Rice Country is filled with bandits and outlaws. The civil wars that have been plaguing the area have attracted all sorts of mercenary groups, barbarians, and God knows what else. Is it really a good idea to ally ourselves with them?" Tsunade asked. Danzo waved his hand dismissively.
"You can't judge a country based on something like that, Tsunade. There was once a time when even Konohagakure was just a collection of clans held together only by two powerful men shaking hands. A country doesn't just appear with everything running smoothly. It's a long, arduous process taking several years of blood, sweat, and tears." Tsunade nodded at Danzo's words. Smug as he was, she realized that the man was right.
"Speaking of powerful men, did you guys hear that Kiri is finally changing their Academy graduation standards?" Jiraiya asked, a playful grin on his lips. Some of the council members couldn't help but chuckle at Kirigakure's expense.
"It was only a matter of time before something like that happened. That Yagura, who would've thought such a kid could be so brutal." Danzo said with a dark smile. Tsunade suppressed a shudder.
"That reminds me," Tsunade said before digging into her folder. "Have you guys heard of this Uchiha kid?" She asked before handing out a series of identical pages. Orochimaru's eyes quickly scanned the paper.
"Yes, actually. I saw his Academy reports a few days ago. The boy is apparently a genius among geniuses, even by the Uchiha clans notoriously high standards." Hiruzen.
"Yes, the Uchiha certainly are a powerful clan. I do wonder about them sometimes." Danzo responded. Orochimaru cautiously looked at the older man, whose sole visible eye was shining grimly.
"Not this again Danzo," Hiruzen groaned. Orochimaru held up his hand, however, allowing Danzo to continue speaking. He had nothing about the Uchiha clan, much to his irritation.
"The Uchiha clan has always bore a sense of resentment and I fear these rampant rumors of Madara's return might cause them to act...rashly." The meeting room grew disturbingly quiet as all eyes fell on Danzo. Finally, it was Hiruzen who broke the silence.
"Honestly Danzo, this Uchiha conspiracy of yours grows more and more obsessive by the day." The former Hokage snorted. Danzo ignored, instead staring straight into the eyes of Orochimaru. The Hokage took a breath before looking around the room.
"Now then, if there is nothing else?" He asked.
"H-Hokage-sama?" The man stuttered as Orochimaru made his way to the Uchiha district of Konoha. It had never occurred to him that the Uchiha lived in their own particular section of the village and the Hokage had trouble deciding if it was a blessing or a prison.
"Do you know where I may find Uchiha Itachi?" The Hokage asked. Jiraiya stood silently next to him.
"W-well, Fugaku-san lives over there so if anywhere that's where Itachi most likely is. Um, sir." Orochimaru nodded and with a polite thanks, he and Jiraiya made their to the massive house at the back of the Uchiha compound. They knocked and it was only a second before the front door slid open.
"Hokage-sama?!" The man exclaimed. Another man came to the door.
"Hokage-sama, my name is Uchiha Fugaku. Welcome to my home," the second man said politely. Orochimaru nodded and walked in once Fugaku motioned for him to do so. The small group walked silently into the main room and quietly sat down at the low table in the center of the room.
"Tea?" Fugaku asked. Orochimaru declined although Jiraiya eagerly accepted a cup.
"Ah this is delicious! Fugaku-san, was it? Did you make this?" The white-haired Sannin asked. Fugaku blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction.
"No sir, it was my wife." As if on cue, Uchiha Mikoto walked into the room. The shock at seeing two of the Sannin, one of whom was the Hokage, appeared on her face for a brief second but quickly vanished behind a polite smile.
"Oh wow, I had no idea we were having such esteemed company! Forgive me Hokage-sama. Had I known you were coming-"
"Don't worry about it, we're the ones who came unannounced!" Jiraiya said in his usual loud voice. Mikoto let out a small laugh. Fugaku took another sip of tea before speaking, ignoring Jiraiya's conversation with his wife.
"While it is an honor, Hokage-sama, may I ask the reason for your visit? Had we known, we would have cleaned the house a bit. I'm afraid you have us at a disadvantage." A ghost of a smile appeared on Orochimaru's face.
"As Jiraiya said, Fugaku-san, don't worry about such things. It was we who came without telling you. Forgive me for coming in unannounced." Orochimaru responded. Fugaku nodded appropriately.
"As for why I am here, I came to see your son, Itachi. Is he here?" Fugaku seemed perplexed by the request.
"Um Itachi is in the back, I believe. If you'd like, I'll go fetch him for you-"
"No need." Orochimaru said as he stood up. Jiraiya looked up at him and with a quick movement of his eyes, Orochimaru motioned for his companion to stand up as well. Without another word, the two Sannin made their way to the back of the Uchiha head's home. Orochimaru took a slow breath, allowing her admittedly rusty sensor skills to take over. Soon, he noticed the chakra of young boy. He went to the door and knocked.
"Hokage-sama," the young Itachi said, awestruck by the tall, pale man standing before him. Itachi then looked towards Jiraiya and his eyes grew impossibly bigger.
"Hey buddy, is it alright if we come in?" Jiraiya asked. Itachi nodded dumbfounded. Both Sannin strolled into the room and sat down. Orochimaru lowered his slightly, motioning for Itachi to do the same. The boy quickly and obediently sat down and watched as Orochimaru pulled out a stack of cards.
"Hello Itachi-kun. I've heard a lot about you. It's quite a feat, graduating as well as you did from the Ninja Academy." The Hokage said as he shuffled the cards. Itachi had regained most of his composure although he still had to clear his throat before responding.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but I'm hardly anyone special. Lots of other people have graduated from the Academy at a younger age than me." The boy said, sounding far older than he was. Jiraiya chuckled softly. The boy was almost just like Orochimaru was as a child.
"That may be true," Orochimaru said back. "But very few have graduated showing such high marks. You are far beyond even the students older than you. According to your sensei at the Academy, there was almost nothing he could teach you. Very impressive for one so young." Unable to think of a response, Itachi replied with a simple 'thank you' and a bow.
"Tell me, Itachi-kun. Do you know what these are?" Orochimaru asked as he placed the deck on the floor between himself and the Uchiha. Itachi stared at the deck quizzically and then shook his head.
"That's understandable, most people don't." Jiraiya said, taking over the conversation. "I borrowed these from an old friend of mine. They're used, sort of as a way to tell the future." Itachi's eyes went wide again.
"You can tell my future!" The boy exclaimed, finally acting his age. He quickly caught himself, however, and regained his composure.
"Not quite," Jiraiya laughed. "Only my friend can do that, and he'd have to see you in person. No, these cards only give a sort of...indication I suppose. It's pretty hard for me to explain. Even I barely understand it!" The toad sage explained. Itachi marveled at the cards.
"How do they work?" Itachi asked.
"All you have to do is draw a card," Jiraiya said casually.
"Thank you again, Fugaku-san for allowing us into your home. We apologize for the intrusion." Orochimaru said as he and Jiraiya again stood outside Fugaku's mansion.
"It was no problem at all, Hokage-sama." The trio said their good-byes and Fugaku watched as the two Sannin walked away. He softly closed the door and made his way to his oldest son's room. Mikoto was already in the room with Sasuke in her arms.
"It sounds like you had a lot of fun meeting the Hokage, Itachi-kun." Mikoto said kindly. A huge grin grew on her son's face.
"It was-" Itachi began when he noticed his father entering the room. Instantly, unconsciously he straightened his back. Some of the child-like wonder in his eyes left as he forced himself to appear more composed in front of his father.
"It was very," Itachi struggled for a mature-sounding word. "Enlightening. Jiraiya-san saw my future." If Itachi noticed the irritated glance Mikoto gave his father, he didn't show it. Fugaku knew he and his wife would have a long talk tonight about letting Itachi be a kid. The head of the Uchiha clan inwardly sighed and turned his attention back to his son.
"Your future?" Fugaku exclaimed cautiously. "Did they tell you what they saw?" Fugaku asked, his eyes showing a gravity that his voice lacked. Itachi noticed, however, so Fugaku had to change his expression.
"No, Hokage-sama said it's bad luck to know your future. But guess what!" Itachi exclaimed, his eyes growing wide again. Fugaku opened his eyes wide, to show that all of his attention was on Itachi. Unfortunately, Fugaku's plan backfire as his oldest son regained his composure. Regardless, the smile on the boy's face was too wide to be contained.
"Hokage-sama said that I'm his favorite to be the next Hokage." Itachi's smile fell at the shock that struck both of his parents' faces. There was a small silence that caused Sasuke to start crying. Mikoto laughed as she bounced the baby up and down.
"Wow! Imagine that, you'd be the first Uchiha Hokage!" She exclaimed, causing some of the smile to come back to Itachi's face. Fugaku smiled as well, pushing any thought of the Hokage's possible ulterior motives out of his head. Orochimaru wasn't the kind of man who gave praise lightly and Fugaku knew that Itachi was talented.
"Well then, let's go you guys. We were supposed to meet Kushina and her family ten minutes ago." Mikoto stated. Itachi followed his family out of the room, taking one more glance at the spot where he met the Hokage and the legendary toad sage.
"Come on Itachi. Who knows, Kakashi-kun might be there!" Mikoto coaxed. Itachi's lit up as he ran to catch up with his family.
As it turned out, Kakashi wasn't home, much to Itachi's chagrin. The seven-year-old watched, bored, as Naruto and Sasuke laughed and circled around each other, verbally dueling with the few words they knew while their respective mothers stood close by, talking and laughing. Fugaku and Minato were likely outside somewhere. Itachi slid out of his seat to join them when the front door suddenly opened and a silver-haired jonin stepped through the door.
"Kakashi-san!" Itachi exclaimed as he ran to the door. Kakashi jumped slightly at his name as the younger boy suddenly appeared before him. "Guess what! The Hokage and Jiraiya visited me today!" Itachi exclaimed, barely giving Kakashi time to say hello.
"Wow! Really?" Kakashi asked as Mikoto and Kushina looked on from the living room.
"He really does idolize Kakashi-kun," Mikoto stated with a giggle. Kushina laughed as well.
"Well of course. It's not often Itachi-kun gets to be the little brother, is it?" She said as Itachi continued to fill in Kakashi about his day. To his credit, Kakashi took the role of being big brother in stride, responding with all the correct 'ooh's and 'ah's. Kushina could see that the boy was exhausted from his mission. Even though he was just barely 16, he looked significantly older, possibly due to the recent growth spurt he had hit.
"It doesn't help that Fugaku is always so serious with him. I understand that Itachi-kun is the future head of the clan, but he's only seven. He's still a child." Mikoto said with a sigh. Kushina noticed her voice sounded tired, perhaps from having a house of three boys.
"You graduated today, huh? That's awesome! Aren't you only seven?" Kakashi exclaimed. Itachi nodded enthusiastically.
"I think you still hold the record for the youngest Academy graduate though. I can't believe it! Five-years-old?!" Kakashi laughed the praise off, preferring not to think about the circumstances proceeding his graduation. Instead he watched as Itachi described with the wide-eyed passion of a seven-year-old his day. Against his will, Kakashi's mind began wandering back to his father and he couldn't but wonder; if his father was still alive, would Kakashi still be where he is now?
Kakashi looked at Itachi and then towards Sasuke and Naruto and then up at Kushina and Mikoto and finally towards Fugaku and Minato. Underneath his mask he smiled. He would always miss his dad, but Kakashi had to admit that he truly loved the family he had now.
Author's Corner
It's just occurred to me that, this isn't really a "corner" in the literal sense. Oh well, it's the same concept I guess. Anyway, this chapter was kind of weird to write mostly because of Itachi. At first I had him all hyper and stuff like, you know, a normal 7-year-old kid who just met two of the greatest ninja in his village. But then I thought of Fugaku and that I kind of liked that whole "Itachi is more than just a kid" dynamic. So yeah, you'll definitely more of that during this story. Especially when Sasuke gets older.
Also, my favorite thing about this story is the whole dynamic between the Uchiha family and the Namikaze family, Kakashi included. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Just a warning, I've only written a few hundred words in chapter 9 so far and I've been hitting some major writers block issues lately. So hopefully they'll be gone by next weekend and I'll be able to have chapter 9 posted on time.
Anyway, as usual thanks you guys so much for the follows, favourites, and reviews. They're awesome!
PS: VampireDoll666 thanks again for catching that age error, as it turns out he would've been somewhere between 15 and a half and a sixteen so I just went with just 16. It all depends on how close he was to 15 before the time jump and I guess I added a year when I was doing the math.