Disclaimer – I do not own Naruto
TRIALS & TRIBULATIONS OF THE UCHIHA LIFE
-FIVE-
"Otou-san and Okaa-san have been acting strange." Itachi suddenly states, leaning back against the couch lazily. Shisui sits upon the floor, filling in a one hundred piece puzzle. It will be done in about fifteen minutes, the youngest Uchiha is a wizz at things like this.
Shisui does not bother replying, but Itachi pushes on valiantly. "It's odd. Every time I walk into the kitchen or walk past the study, they stop talking all of a sudden and there is this weird feeling in the air." The spiky haired child sighs, his black rimmed eyes brimming with curiosity.
"I don't think you want to know what they are talking about Aniki." Shisui responds finally, not looking away from his activity.
Itachi looks confused, "But I really do want to know!" He almost whines.
Shisui fixes his older brother with a scathing look, as if to say 'calm down'. "Ita-kun, do you know what Okaa-san and Otou-san talk about when they are alone? I am telling you now brother, I do...and I didn't want to know."
The eldest boy looks scandalised and curious all at the same time. What could they be keeping secret from their only boys? Okaa-san is too lovely to do something so cruel. Otou-san is a lot more like Shisui, Itachi wouldn't put it past him.
"You still want to know, don't you?" A smirk covers the raven haired youth, his straight locks shining in the light of the window.
"I can't help it! You know I hate surprises." Itachi wriggles in his spot. The boy may look like Sasuke, but Sakura shines through in him more every day.
There is a pause, and Shisui's smirk grows almost feral. Standing up at a leisurely pace, the youngest Uchiha strolls over to his brother. Motioning Itachi forward with a wave of his hand, the boys eyes glint with something unknown.
Shisui mutters something unintelligible into his Onii-san's ear. Pulling back with an evil smile.
Itachi gazes up at his standing brother, a look of pure horror on his face.
"That's disgusting Shisui! They wouldn't be, not unless it's behind closed doors." The eldest Uchiha child looks scandalised. What little colour his face holds has drained completely from his skin.
Shisui sits back down, face as blank as a canvas once more. "I don't know Itachi. Naruto-jii calls Otou-san a 'hound dog'. I heard him tell Akane-san that Otou-san and Okaa-san are like teenagers once." He pauses, placing the correct puzzle piece into place. "What do you think they are doing when we aren't allowed in the main wing, hm?"
"I never...Aww. YUCK!" Itachi stands, fists balled at his sides. "I'll tell Okaa-san you are telling lies!" The eldest accuses with a pointed finger, scowl covering his sharp face.
Shisui smiles calmly, "I dare you, Onii-chan." His older brother can be so hilarious at times. Itachi might be a genius on the battlefield, but his lack of life sense is astounding.
Itachi opens his mouth, then promptly closes it. Perhaps, Shisui isn't lying. Gross. Yuck. Disgusting.
"How do you know really?" He asks the occupied child. Not sure that he wants to know.
"Because, while you were at the Academy I was at home with Akane. Think yourself lucky." Though, Shisui does not seem the least bit fazed by his words. After all, it is just another fact of life. As embarrassing as it is, one day (far into the future) he might even want to participate in such activities with Emiko. How did Itachi think children were made? Baka.
Itachi doesn't speak any more. Just sits on the couch with a sullen expression, exactly the same one Sasuke gets when he doesn't get his way. Sakura calls it sulking, Sasuke calls it 'brooding'.
"I'm never touching them again." He says suddenly. It would be one thing just to know of it, but Shisui had to ruin his imagination as well. Sometimes, his little brother is an Teme.
"If you don't then they will know and you will tell them and I'll get in trouble for telling you the truth. If you couldn't handle it, you shouldn't have asked." That regal tone just like his fathers, pisses Itachi off so much! Who does Shisui think he is?
"Fine. I'll tell Okaa-san that you kissed Emiko!" Itachi finally smirks. He knows for a fact that Okaa-san would love the news, but Shisui is a very private person.
"You wouldn't dare." Narrowed eyes finally turn to acknowledge the proud looking nin, sitting with his arms crossed over his chest victoriously.
It is short lived though as anger flashes through Shisui's onyx flecked orbs, before becoming calm once more.
"Alright, well I will tell Okaa-san that you burnt all of her flowers with that run away Katon while she was away on mission. I'll make sure she knows that Tenzo-san had to fix your mess and you hid it from her." Shisui has won, he knows it.
"Your a dick." Itachi finally tells his Otouto. Standing up abruptly.
"Otou-san uses his dick." Shisui counters, completely unfazed by his crass words. Itachi however, makes a harrumphing sound. Hands raise in the air as he stomps away, clearly disgusted.
It is much too easy getting a rise out of Itachi.
Shisui already knows what his parents are talking about, and it isn't sex. They happen to have confidential shinobi business that even he should not be eaves dropping on. Though, he is an information gatherer, and far better and sneakier than Itachi. Shisui knows that his parents have a disgustingly healthy sex life. He asked Akane about it a long time ago, and has since come to terms with the idea. Poor Itachi has never ventured down that path.
Still, the boy doesn't want his Aniki to find out the secret ninja business before him. After all, he has been garnering Intel for two weeks now.
Not that it has been helpful...
Shisui should stop prying and just ask about the secret threat, he has a right to know if they are in danger.
Fitting the last puzzle piece into place, the seven year old Uchiha smiles at his handy work. Soon he will meet Emiko and they will go to the market with Hinata-oba. His parents will be home tonight and Shisui can get some more information then.
xxx
"Emiko, do your parents ever keep things from you?" Shisui asks, as they walk back to the Uchiha compound. The markets were fun, and they even got to have some savoury treats.
Tonight, Emiko will have dinner with the Uchiha's like every Friday.
"Hm. Not usually, but Otou-san has been strange the last week or so." Emiko replies, fingering the ribbon tied around her wrist.
"My ryoshin have been strange too. I think that something is going on." A serious look adorns the boys features, as they pass the guards at the compound gate. "I want to find out before my mission in two days."
"You think it's serious?" The Hyuga replies, her brow furrowing a little in worry. She didn't notice it before, but now that Shisui mentions it...Otou-san and Okaa-san have been acting odd. Her best friend is always the most astute out of all her friends.
"Don't worry Emiko. I'll find out the answer." Shisui tells her, noticing the girls distress. In a bold move, he reaches out and takes her small palm in his, squeezing it for comfort.
For the moment, Emiko turns bright pink and forgets about the mystery of the strange parents. Shisui's hand is warm in hers and although it is not the first time they have held hands, it feels more right every day. The girls in the other Genin teams say that boy and girls aren't supposed to hold hands as they get older, not unless they are in love. Maybe, Emiko is in love with Shisui. How is she supposed to know?
"Arigato Shisui-kun." The girl intones, gazing down at her shuffling feet.
"What for?" The Uchiha's face is blank despite the air of curiosity in his voice.
"For being my best friend ever." A large smile covers Emiko's pale face, and her eyes crinkle. Shisui blushes, to the tips of his ears. Even so, he manages an Uchiha grunt in reply.
xxx
"Naruto-jii." Itachi knocks on the door to the Hokage's office. "Are you in there?"
A sound of ruffling paper later and his uncles familiar voice calls out, "Come in Itachi." Pushing the large door open, the Uchiha comes face to face with Naruto and a gigantic stack of paper work.
"Oh no. Jii-chan, Hinata-oba is going to kill you." Itachi says with wide eyes, almost forgetting his reasons for coming here.
The Hokage tower is usually in good semblance, especially with Shizune-san checking in and doing a clean up once a week. Itachi surmises that Shizune must be on holiday.
"How long has Shizune been away?" The boy asks, gazing at the top of his uncles head, beyond all the paper work. There are mission reports everywhere, as well as forms of all other sorts...and Naruto-jii looks stressed.
Unless Kakashi-sensei decided to put in the last twenty years of unfilled mission reports, Itachi doesn't see why there should be so much.
"I came here for a reason, but you are busy." The Uchiha turns to leave, but stops when Naruto says desperately, "NO! Itachi-chan, wait!"
Itachi turns, a wry smirk covering his lips. "What do you want Jii-san?" That Uchiha arrogance begins to exude from his Sasuke-looking form, in the bundles.
"How about you help your Naruto-jii with some papers, ne? Then we can talk about whatever you want. We can even get some ramen. What do you say?" The Hokage must be desperate if he is asking a nine year old for help with paper work.
"I want the next B grade mission you have with Hanabi." Itachi barters, knowing that Naruto is desperate.
"Done! Now, you can do all of those. Tick the boxes that need ticking and put them in file by rank and date order." The blonde instructs, looking back down at the file he has been staring at for the last half an hour.
"Alright, but first...What can you tell me about my Otou-san and Okaa-san acting strange?" Blank eyes gaze up at the Hokage, who coincidentally looks like a deer in the headlights. Unlucky for Shisui, Itachi does not completely buy his gross story.
"Uh...Hehe. Well you see, Ita-chan." Naruto takes a sip of his coffee, hoping that the question will disappear.
"Is it because of all the sex?" The boy asks bluntly, causing the Hokage to spit coffee out all over the file in front of him.
"Wh-What?" Naruto laughs, forgetting about the serious situation at hand.
"I said.." Itachi grimaces, before saying once more. "The sex. Shisui says that you called Otou-san a hound dog. Sai-kun told me today that the saying refers to a sexually promiscuous man. What I want to know is, are my parents having another baby?" Naruto has to give credit to those Uchiha's, they really can say the funniest, most embarrassing things without so much as batting an eyelash.
"No Itachi, hound dog does mean that...and your father is one, but that isn't why they have been acting strange."
"Then why?" His voice is a little cut now, just like Sasuke's annoyed tone.
Sighing lightly, Naruto weighs the options in his head. No. Best to tell them all together once a game plan has been set. "How about this. We do this paper work now, and I'll talk to them at dinner tonight. We can all have a meeting as a family. You can be a mature shinobi about this, yes?"
Itachi merely picks up a pot of ink off the desk and grabs the first file.
It will have to do.
xxx
The dinner table is silent as the Uchiha/Uzumaki/Hyuga's pick at their food. Hinata luckily could not attend because of business with Hizashi. Naruto and Emiko sit side by side, watching the tension roll through the Uchiha like a Mexican wave.
Finally, after fifteen minutes of silence, Sakura slams her palm against the table, accidentally shaking the entire foundation. Luckily, none of the plates break. (It wouldn't be the first time.)
"Okay. What is going on here?" The pink haired kunoichi looks suspicious, eyeing off both her sons and then her husband, who is placed at the head of the table.
"Nothing Okaa-san." Shisui intones, looking down at his meal quietly. He does not need to draw attention to himself, he is certain Itachi will do enough talking for the both of them.
Itachi does not look her way though, choosing instead to find the roof amazingly interesting, gazing upward at anything but his mother.
Emerald orbs fall onto the easiest target, eyes narrow in determination. She does not speak, Sakura is certain she won't have to.
"Um. Well, you see Sakura-chan..." Naruto begins, not sure where to start off. "Itachi-chan and I were talking earlier today and..." He is cut off though, as Shisui snaps his face upward and opens his assuming mouth.
"You baka!" Flies from his lips lowly, as Itachi continues to look anywhere but at the people in front of him. "How could you talk to the Hokage about such matters?" Shisui asks, completely appalled. He is going to be in so much trouble now. His brother is so daft. The youngest thought that something taboo would steer Itachi away from asking questions...Really, it just made his questions all the more embarrassing!
"What matters?" Sasuke's voice interjects flatly. Clearly not interested, but perhaps that is just his deceiving tone.
"Nothing." Itachi replies, finally gazing at his father with matching blank eyes.
"You can't let Naruto-jii tell them, dobe. How embarrassing are you!" Shisui seethes. Too bad he doesn't know the entire story.
Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly, swallowing his onigiri. "Itachi just had a few questions is all."
"And I'm sure you had all the answers." Shisui mutters under his breath accusingly. At this, Sakura looks annoyed at her sons tone. Sasuke is starting to seem more interested by the second.
Not wanting to get his head chopped off later. Shisui pipes up. "I told Itachi that Otou-san was a hound dog because that's what Naruto-jii said, and I didn't want Onii-san asking questions about the real secret mystery." The boys words all join together in the stress of the moment. Then he realises that Itachi is shaking his head very slowly. Oh no...
"Naruto!?" Sakura looks angry, the Hokage has turned bright red and Sasuke, funnily enough...looks very proud of himself.
"It's true Sakura-chan...Well, not what Shisui said...Well, some of that is true, but not what I talked to Itachi about today. I was actually hoping that we could all discuss it tonight." Naruto finally pulls himself together, getting his words out despite Sakura's killing intent.
"Discuss it?" The pinkette asks, hoping they aren't talking about the news they received from Suna, not too long ago. Perhaps, talking about Sasuke and his bad habits is much more fitting...
"Silence." The eldest Uchiha says softly, commanding attention with that one word. The whole table goes quiet and a serious tone sets in.
"Before anyone gets any strange ideas, we will clear this up right now." The head of the house begins, an expression of professionalism upon his sharp face. "Your mother and I needed to talk to you about this once the news was confirmed, but I suppose now is fine." Sasuke's voice is flat and he gazes at Sakura, instead of the rest of the table.
It seems that a silent agreement is being made.
"Missions will be cancelled for awhile, Itachi, Shisui." Sakura cuts in softly. Both boys open their mouths to protest but one pointed look from their Otou-san changes that idea quick smart.
"Your Okaa-san is right boys. There is a threat that we must neutralise before it is safe for you to return to work. We know that you are strong shinobi, but there is a man who has been after my blood line for a very long time. There was a time that he was after my body, now we think that he wants the two of you."
"What do you mean? He wants our bodies?" Itachi asks, that sounds a little creepy.
"There is a man," Naruto joins in on the story. "That wanted to steal Sasuke-kuns body once upon a time. Take your Otou-san out and put himself inside, using all of the Uchiha power the body possesses. Now that you are both old enough, there have been signs of this man, close to Konoha. I have ANBU working around the clock and the whole village is under constant surveillance. He was first spotted travelling from Suna, then again near the fire country boarder." Unlike many other times, their uncles voice is serious. This must be true.
Itachi wishes that Shisui's first story was right...
"We need to keep you safe, you can understand that Ita-chan, Shi-chan?" Sakura has moved from her place at the end of the table, to crouch between her two boys. "I don't know what I would do without you. That man took your Otou-san away from me, when we were young, and I didn't get him back for a long time. I won't let him do that again, especially now that we have everything we could ever want in the world."
The woman's eyes brim with unshed tears and Sasuke sighs heavily. Standing gracefully, the eldest Uchiha pulls Sakura softly by the arm, until her small form is against his own. This is not what he imagined Friday night dinner would be like.
"Tenshi, we will get him and the boys will be safe. I promise." Sasuke whispers into Sakura's hair. Kissing the skin behind her ear.
The pinkette nods slowly, reigning in her emotions. It has been such a horrible week for the kunoichi, worrying secretly and pretending nothing is wrong.
The head of the house gazes at his boys, through his wife's embrace. "Come here children." He rumbles softly, holding out a hand.
Shisui is the first to latch onto Sakura with a bone shattering grasp, wishing his mother would be happy once more. Emiko watches on with sad eyes as Naruto-tousan holds her softly. She doesn't know what to say.
Itachi allows Sasuke to bundle him close, enjoying the spicy familiar smell of his Otou-san. Nothing will ever make him feel more safe than his ryoshin.
Holding his Otouto's hand in his, Itachi says, "Don't worry Shisui-chan. Otou-san and Okaa-san will protect us."
The younger boy nods against his mothers yukata, happy for the comfort.
"What's the man's name Otou-san?" Emiko finally pipes up quietly, gazing up at Naruto with big grey depths.
Naruto looks grim as he locks eyes with his two best friends. Tomorrow they will definitely summon Gaara. This shit needs to be handled.
"Orochimaru." Sasuke's voice is deep and holds something unknown within his words as he replies.
Then, a shiver moves down Sakura's spine, an ominous feeling traveling through everyone in the room.
Itachi and Shisui wish to go back to this morning, when everything was fun and mysterious.
This is really serious.
All will be okay though, because Otou-san and Okaa-san will protect them.
Right?
xxx
The Uchiha Manor is dark, as night covers the Compound dutifully. The guards of the gate are on high alert and ANBU are placed all throughout the Village.
Konoha have received a distressing update from the scout nin's placed around the boarder of Fire Country. Naruto has been doing his best to keep everything under wraps, but stress is starting to weigh heavily on the Hokage. Snake skin has been spotted closer than ever before. What is that bastard Orochimaru playing at?
Shisui and Itachi have been tucked into bed not long ago. There is a protection jutsu over the house, and the best ANBU guard outside their windows.
"I think we are going to have to call Tsunade home from Grass." Sakura says softly, her breath puffing warmth across her husbands bare chest. She feels guilty, but Shizune and her mentor are really needed.
"Hn." Sasuke replies, kissing the pinkettes forehead comfortingly. "Let's just forget about it for now, hm?" He continues, running a large palm up and down the curve of her back. "It has been a stressful week. Everything is under control for the night."
"I can't Sasuke, I can't stop worrying!" The woman hisses, through the embrace. Though, she inadvertently leans back into her husbands hold.
"Just relax cherry blossom." Sasuke kneads her arms softly, kissing along the column of her neck.
This has nothing to do with sex, he just wants to make his wife uncoil for ten minutes. He hasn't been able to sleep all week because of Sakura's worrying. Sure they have had sex, but only rough 'can't deal with this', kind of romps. The Uchiha head just wants this all to be over, so he can make love to Sakura, know his children are safe, and be content with life once more.
It would be inappropriate to engage in such activities at the moment. Still, she feels wonderful lying atop him.
"Let me help you sleep." His voice is soft against her ear, and Sakura nods slowly. Usually the medic would be against such things, but Sasuke is being so gentle and lovely. Really, Sakura just wants to rest.
"You haven't slept in so long. Just let me do this for you and we can think of a solution with Naruto tomorrow night. Hm?" Sasuke is just as worried as his wife, but her health comes before all else. ANBU are stationed all over the compound. Nothing will happen right now.
Moving himself upward, Sasuke engages the Sharingan with ease. Swirling black and crimson gaze into teary emerald, as the shinobi steals a long kiss. His thumb traces behind her ear and his other hand plays with the loose locks of pink hair, that have fallen out of the messy bun atop her head.
"I love you Sasuke." The twenty five year old Sakura whispers, attaching herself to him once more.
Their tongues meet briefly, comfortingly. Then, Sasuke pulls away slowly, allowing Sakura to place a chaste kiss upon his pale lips.
"I love you too, my wife." He admits, like so many times before.
Holding Uchiha Sakura tightly, Sasuke uses his Sharingan to create sleep. His wife hasn't rested in so long, and the shinobi is happy that he can do this for her.
Tucking the pink haired beauty beneath the covers, the Uchiha continues to stroke the sleeping woman's back. Sakura may be asleep, but touching her comforts him.
Closing his eyes also, Sasuke slowly falls into a light slumber, tucked close to the woman he loves.
Everything will work out, or he isn't Uchiha Sasuke.
xxx
A/N Well there you have it. That snake just won't die. Mother fucker =P
Anyway, these next couple of chapter are obviously grouped into one time slot. Gotta tie up some loose ends and all.
Then get set for some SasuSaku goodness :)
Followed by some life lessons and answers for Shisui, Itachi and Emiko.
How fun.
Any mistakes will be fixed up when I get the chance. If you see any feel free to holla at me.
If you liked this chapter and want to read the next flash in time for the Uchihas, Review!
See you next chapter!
MerinxD