Despite the destruction of the village, Sasuke couldn't say that he had ever felt happier in his life than right now. The rebuilding had been proceeding at a steady pace, many of the administrative and public buildings had already been restored. They were far from glamorous, but at least they had somewhere to conduct their business and hold all their new prisoners. Tents were slowly being replaced with simple homes, most of the debris had been cleared away from the outskirts of the village, and some clans had even begun restoring their districts to their former glories. Life was slowly returning to normal. But all of these things played only a small role in Sasuke's newfound happiness.

Sasuke was able to pull a surprisingly girlish giggle and flinch from Naruko when his hand brushed along her side. He felt when Naruko went completely still on top of him before sitting up slowly to shoot him a narrowed glare. He smirked at her in silent challenge. "I'll punch you, 'ttebayo," she warned. Her cheeks were a bright red, but she still managed to muster up a (barely) threatening look.

While he did enjoy messing with her, he wasn't in the mood to restart their fight. "Usuratonkachi," he said and moved his hand from her ticklish ribs to tangle his fingers in her loose pigtails. Wariness forgotten, Naruko quickly recaptured his lips with her own.

Soon, her small hands were fisting in his shirt, and she was leaning her full weight onto him. "You're different, 'ttebayo," she managed to get out in between kisses.

"What?" he replied because his brain wasn't able to process much more than the fact that she fit perfectly against him.

"You've been different since you came back," she got out only a little breathlessly.

He was so used to her obliviousness that he hadn't expected her to pick up any changes in him. But she was right. Dying had given him new perspective on not just his life, but on his relationships. A shinobi can die at any moment, but it displeased him to know that he had died leaving behind so many regrets. Sliding his hand from her hair down to her cheek, he brushed a thumb over her whiskers. "Is it a bad thing?"

"No. You were good before, but you're less of a bastard now. It's nice," she said and kissed him again before he could reply. "No nightmares, right? Your eyes are still fine?"

Her focus must have improved for her to still be able to hold a conversation while peppering kisses along his jawline and down his neck. "They're fine. I'm fine," he succinctly replied and quickly reversed their positions. He wasn't sure how accurate the versions of Naruko that he'd seen in his visions would be to the real one, but he could try. He gave the skin at her neck a particularly hard suck, hoping to clear her mind. He couldn't refrain from smirking when she let out a sharp gasp.

Sasuke liked to believe that there was nothing wrong with a little white lie if it helped avoid an uncomfortable situation. So, he'd lied to her. But Naruko didn't need to know that his vision was blurred at the edges. Not even coming back from the dead had reversed the effects that his Mangekyo had wrought on his eyes. He wasn't yet blind, but he now needed his sharingan to have the clarity and perception that he was used to. He would just have to be careful around her and Itachi and no one would know.

"Ahem."

Speak of the devil…

With an annoyed sound, Sasuke sat up on his knees and shot Itachi a glare. His older brother remained as impassive as always, simply raising a brow. "Is there something that you needed, Nii-san?" Sasuke prompted.

"I've come to collect you. The Hokage has summoned you. I'd suggest sorting yourself out first," Itachi said and pointedly stared at Sasuke's rumpled clothes and haphazard hair.

With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke started to fix himself. "We were training," Sasuke said with a scoff because they had been. Itachi's eyes became lidded as he gave Sasuke an indulgent look. He glanced around the slightly uprooted training field and smirked.

"Hi, Itachi-nii-san. When did you get here?" Naruko asked, finally pushing herself up onto her elbows with a dopey grin.

"Training very hard indeed," Itachi indulged and turned to leave.

More irritated than embarrassed, Sasuke pushed himself up from the ground and muttered a, "shut up" at his brother. Curiosity was starting to win out, though. "What does the Hokage want with me?"

"I could only imagine," was Itachi's cryptic response.

~:~

The Hokage's new office left a lot to be desired appearance wise with its plain, wooden walls and furniture. The Yondaime was sitting behind his desk with a mountain of papers surrounding him. He didn't acknowledge Sasuke when he entered, too busy searching through the stacks and muttering to himself. "Itachi, do you have the preliminary budget forms? They need to be sent off today so that the daimyo can-" Minato started.

"I already sent them off. Did you still require them?" Itachi replied.

Minato breathed a sigh of relief. "No, thank you. I should have known that you had already taken care of it," Minato said and gave Itachi a grateful smile. Itachi nodded once in reply and moved over to his own, paper-covered desk. Finally focusing on Sasuke, all traces of emotion quickly left Minato's face. "Sasuke, thank you for coming. I wanted to personally thank you for your service to the village."

So that's what this was about? Sasuke hadn't expected this. He had been receiving thanks and gratitude from civilians and shinobi alike for days once word had gotten out about his sacrifice to the village and, more importantly, preventing a second kyuubi attack.

Taking advantage of Sasuke's silence, Minato rose from his seat to walk around his desk and stand before Sasuke. "I understand that you will always do what's best for the village, but I hope you'll allow me to be a bit selfish. If it weren't for you, I may have lost one of the people who mean the most to me in this world," Minato said with a small smile.

"I didn't do it for the village," Sasuke quickly spoke. Minato's brows raised in mild surprise. Sasuke could feel Itachi's heavy stare, but he didn't meet his gaze. "I did it for Naruko," Sasuke admitted.

"I see," Minato said and folded his arms over his chest.

Finally risking a glance at his brother, Sasuke was surprised to see an exasperated look on his brother's face. Maybe admitting to the Hokage that his loyalty to the village laid beneath his loyalty to his girlfriend was a misstep? At least he'd spoken the truth.

"Well, I appreciate it even more then," Minato said, giving Sasuke a sincere smile. "When I was about your age, the Sandaime shared with me Kushina's status as a jinchuuriki once he was sure that I could be trusted with the information. I was sworn to secrecy no matter how I chose to proceed with my relationship with her. But because I chose to continue pursuing her, the Sandaime tasked me with being a silent guard for Kushina.

"Kushina was more than capable of defending herself," Minato said with a fond smile. He seemed to be getting lost in his memories for a moment before he sobered up and gave Sasuke a stern look. "But she was still a jinchuuriki. By default, that made her of great value to the village and its interests. Furthermore, she's an Uzumaki. I'm sure that you're aware of what happened to the Uzumaki clan and Uzushio during the Third Shinobi War."

Sasuke could remember the lessons from the Academy. But even more importantly, he could remember the controversy that arose at the time. He knew from listening in on his parents' and clan elders' discussions at the time. The village elders had vocally protested teaching academy students of the destruction of Uzushio claiming that it portrayed Konoha in a bad light. Sasuke could have rolled his eyes. Uzushiogakure had been a loyal ally of Konoha for generations, but Konoha had failed to send aid in time to spare them from destruction. Of course that failure would make the village look bad.

He also remembered the day that the Yondaime had strode into his classroom and personally given a lecture on the events, cutting Iruka-sensei's lesson on elemental jutsu short. The Yondaime had gone from class to class that day, making sure that every student was aware of the history of Uzushio as well as the culture and clans that had been lost during the war. Sasuke wasn't sure how the village elders had responded to the move, but his parents never spoke of their objections again and the history of Uzushio had been permanently added to the curriculum after that.

"Being both made her of high value to Konoha and other villages. Which is why the Sandaime felt that it was necessary to have someone close by to prevent any unfavorable circumstances. Now I know that, like me for Kushina, you would do whatever's necessary to protect Naruko," Minato said. Sensing where the man was going, Sasuke's eyes widened. "But I'll still formally ask you if you would take on this assignment. There is no foreseen end date. It would be a task you would carry out for the rest of your life."

All thoughts had ceased as Sasuke just stared at the Yondaime. It was the sound of a sharp snap that had Sasuke blinking to attention. Glancing to the side, Sasuke watched Itachi stare down at his hand in confusion. His brother had broken his pen, spilling ink on himself and a few papers on his desk. "Please excuse me, Hokage-sama," Itachi said and quickly rose from his seat and left the room, not waiting for permission. Minato didn't comment on Itachi's quick escape, choosing to give Sasuke a level stare.

"You would choose me over Kakashi?"

Minato smirked. "Up until this point, I had personally entrusted Naruko's safety to both Kakashi and Jiraiya-sensei. But Kakashi has…other priorities right now," Minato said as he approached. "You don't have to respond right away. You can take some time to think about it," Minato offered and rested a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "No matter what you decide, I'm still grateful that my daughter has you."

"I'll do it," Sasuke didn't hesitate to accept. It wasn't as if he would be doing anything new. The urge to protect Naruko had been instilled in him for years, first taking root back in Wave.

Minato's eyes widened in surprise before he shook his head with a smile. "I see. I hadn't needed to think it over either."

~:~

When Itachi returned to the Hokage's office, Sasuke was long gone, and Minato was once again seated at his desk. An irrational flash of hot anger flooded Itachi at the sight of Minato, but he quickly tempered it and quietly went to his desk. Of course, he could see the logic in the Yondaime's decision. Sasuke was easily the best person to place the responsibility on due to his already close relationship to Naruko, rapidly increasing strength, and his Sharingan. But that didn't mean that Itachi had to like it.

"I'm sorry, Itachi-kun. I know how you feel about your brother and his wellbeing," Minato apologized, genuinely sounding sincere.

"I know, Hokage-sama. I understand why you asked."

"But you don't agree with my choice," Minato surmised with an apologetic look.

Itachi stared at Minato for several beats before honestly answering, "No, I do not. But I have already promised Sasuke that I would refrain from interfering with his personal affairs without his permission."

"I only intend for Sasuke-kun to act as a final resort should all other lines of defense and fail safes be insufficient," Minato explained.

'Such as when the Akatsuki and Orochimaru's forces attacked the village,' Itachi thought. "It's fine, Hokage-sama," Itachi said instead and returned his focus to his work. It really wasn't okay, but there wasn't much that he could do about it. "He accepted the assignment?" Itachi asked, already knowing the answer. Minato nodded once. "I assume then that this means that my brother has finally received your blessing?"

Minato let out a deep sigh. "If I had held out any longer, I think Kushina and Naruko would have flayed me alive," Minato chuckled. Itachi didn't bother to inform Minato that his wife had long since been making wedding arrangements with Mikoto, despite Minato's vehement objections.

Deciding to change the subject, Itachi procured some forms from his desk and walked them over to Minato. Offering the papers, Itachi said, "The official documentation of Karin-san's and Jugo-san's citizenship requests."

Minato accepted the papers before quickly flipping through them. "Inoichi-san vetted them? That was quick," Minato remarked.

"Karin-san was very vocal about her release," Itachi hinted.

Minato raised a brow, but Itachi gave him a long-suffering look. Minato cringed slightly and nodded. "Kushina has already made it clear to me that she wants to take responsibility for Karin. She's looking forward to having another one of her kin within bonding distance," Minato smiled.

From what Itachi knew of Uzumaki Karin, she had been an orphan for some time and had been treated only slightly better than a prisoner while under Orochimaru. The young woman was just as vibrant and vivacious as Itachi was beginning to expect of Uzumakis. Itachi almost pitied the Yondaime. His home life was about to become even more lively.

"Hopefully, Naruko-chan approves," Itachi said, already doubting his words. Minato flinched and grimaced before running his hands down his face with another deep sigh.

~:~

After his meeting with the Hokage, Sasuke had returned home for lunch. The main branch house was still in construction, a few clan members and a couple Naruko clones were busy hammering away at the roof with his father overseeing their progress. One of the clones had spotted him approaching and had loudly greeted him, setting off a domino effect of every clone getting distracted as well. Only slightly embarrassed by the overabundance of attention, Sasuke gave them all a glare that they ignored. (Some had even laughed and waved!) "Dobe," Sasuke grumbled before ducking inside.

Sasuke had had every intention of taking a bath and relaxing for the rest of the day, but his plans were upended by his father calling out to him. Slowing to a stop, Sasuke spared Fugaku an inquiring glance. His father was a bit red in the face, most likely from spending all day in the sun. But Sasuke could sense some hesitation and nervousness coming from the man. "Come with me for a while," Fugaku requested. "There's something I want to show you."

Curiosity winning out, Sasuke turned and followed his father out of the house. Not one to waste time, Sasuke asked his father, "Where are we going?"

"The reconstruction of Naka Shrine hasn't finished yet, but I figured that there was no need to wait," Fugaku replied.

"You want to pray?" Sasuke asked with a brow raised. His confusion increased when his father simply chuckled rather than answer his question.

Sasuke wasn't sure how to define his relationship with his father anymore. His anger with the man had cooled since coming back to life. Sasuke could see that his father was trying to bridge the gap between them one awkward step at a time. Small talk about his day and training, offers to train together, and now going for walks to Naka Shrine were all new aspects of their relationship.

Before Pain's attack, Sasuke had wanted to hold onto his anger and bitter resentment with all that he'd had. He'd felt pure satisfaction at seeing his father fumble and writhe in his awkward sadness. Sasuke'd supposed it was his vengeful side taking control. But after literally dying without coming to some sort of resolution with Fugaku, Sasuke was finding it increasingly difficult to hang onto his vengefulness. Granted, he was still reluctant to fully forgive, but perhaps there was no need to go out of his way to publicly shun and disregard his father any longer?

Ignoring the stares that they were garnering, Sasuke followed his father to the hidden door that concealed the clan meeting room. Sasuke kept his eyes on his father's back, but he could still pick up the hushed voices on the wind.

"Why is Fugaku-sama still bothering with that boy? He's nothing more than a disrespectful child."

"He came back from the dead and still treats his father so shamefully."

"He has some nerve. He's worse than Itachi."

Annoyance quickly washed over him in that moment. A quick flash of his Sharingan and a warning, side glare later, and the whispering died off. Who did they think that they were to speak about him so casually?

"Sasuke," Fugaku beckoned. Cutting off the flow of chakra to his eyes, Sasuke approached his father. "Pay them no mind," Fugaku whispered as Sasuke passed.

"Their opinions don't matter," Sasuke responded and descended the steps.

Fugaku hummed and used his fire release to light the lamps hanging on the wall as they passed. "It's true that they don't understand what they're talking about, but they are still family. We are all Uchiha," Fugaku replied carefully.

"You should remind them of that. They've forgotten that Itachi is family as well," Sasuke pointed out.

"Yes, he is," Fugaku agreed, frown deepening and brows furrowing.

Sasuke raised a brow at the somewhat cryptic response. Sasuke wanted to question his father, but before he could, the older man was moving on ahead. When he got to the bottom of the staircase, Sasuke spotted the small, wooden box resting in front of the clan's stone tablet. His father went to kneel in front of it, silently waiting for Sasuke to join him.

Once Sasuke had quietly taken up the space at his father's side, Fugaku lifted the lid on the box and displayed a dusty scroll for Sasuke to see. "This is one of our clans summoning contracts- the oldest one that we have. It is a loosely held tradition within our clan that the clan head signs this contract and becomes bound to the animals it belongs to," Fugaku explained.

"Loosely?" Sasuke repeated with a raised brow.

Fugaku seemed to become a bit exasperated before answering, "These animals are a bit temperamental. They are quite selective in who they allow to sign their contract. They haven't had a living summoner since our ancestor, Uchiha Shinobu."

Sasuke watched his father unfurl the scroll to reveal the last entries on the scroll. Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight of several names scratched out by jagged, claw marks. If he flattened the remains of shredded paper, he could barely make out his father's handwriting. "I'm not going to become clan head," Sasuke pointed out, doing a good job of masking the confusion in his voice.

"I know. But I have been planning to have you sign the contract for some time. There's no harm in it. Perhaps, my son will be more worthy than I," Fugaku hinted. Sasuke glanced at his father but couldn't detect any hidden motives. His father simply stared back, eyes unguarded and posture relaxed. After several seconds, Fugaku gave him a small, encouraging smile.

Pushing his surprised confusion to the back of his mind, Sasuke made a mental note to talk to Itachi later about this. But for now, Sasuke bit into the skin on the pad of his thumb and began to sign his name on the contract. Finishing up by pressing his fingerprints in the space below his name, Sasuke began moving through the hand signs for the summoning jutsu.

Fugaku hadn't told him what animals the contract belonged to, but Sasuke somehow wasn't surprised to see a large, black cat appear before him. If Sasuke had to compare sizes, it was slightly smaller and leaner than Akamaru. A set of bored, emerald eyes stared back at him before the cat licked at its paw and began grooming its face.

"Inei," Fugaku greeted stiffly. Sasuke watched the cat continue to groom itself without a care in the world as if his father wasn't worth its time. Sasuke raised a brow at his father, but the older man just frowned deeply in reply.

Finally, the cat responded in a smooth voice, "So, this is your heir, Fugaku. Shiroshishi-sama was beginning to believe that you would never reproduce."

"I have two sons," Fugaku patiently corrected through gritted teeth.

Inei deigned to acknowledge Sasuke then, his bright gaze scanning over him before looking away in disinterest. Sasuke felt his annoyance spike, but his father was quick to rest a steadying hand to his shoulder. Sasuke felt the urge to shake his father off but remained still instead. He knew that working with a summon could be tricky- there had to be true respect and cooperation between the summoner and animal.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Inei read off the summoner contract with a soft harrumph. "A rather unimpressive name."

Sasuke felt his eye twitch.

"Inei-" Fugaku started, but Sasuke cut him off.

"And I'm expected to work with this one? I'd rather use toads," Sasuke scoffed. It was a complete lie. Sasuke had seen Naruko's summons, and he had been unimpressed by the comical animals.

Fugaku had attempted to interject again but was quickly drowned out by Inei's low growls. "You don't look very bright. Those wart-covered imbeciles might suit you," Inei hissed, his hackles visibly raised. Sasuke watched Inei's ear flatten against his head as he bared his sharp teeth. Sensing the cat's imminent attack, Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan and braced himself.

"Sasuke!" Fugaku shouted but was shoved aside by Inei as the large cat tackled Sasuke claws first.

He'd braced for impact and was already working on catching the panther in a genjutsu, but Sasuke was thrown off balance when he was suddenly pulled away from the room. It felt like he was free falling for less than a second, but the sharp scrapes of Inei's claws into his chest were keeping him grounded. He finally managed to lock eyes with the panther and catch him a genjutsu long enough to toss the surprisingly heavy cat away. Sasuke quickly pushed himself onto his feet but was momentarily taken aback by the change in his surroundings.

He found himself standing in an empty courtyard surrounded by a thick bamboo forest with an enormous, saber tooth, white lion gazing down at him. The cat looked ancient with one of its eyes scarred over and a few wrinkles folding its face. Sasuke was sure that one of its claws was close in length to his own height. The lion opened its maw to yawn once before resting his head on its front paws and watching lazily.

The sound of a threatening growl drew Sasuke's attention back to where Inei was slowly circling him. It had taken less time than Sasuke expected for Inei to break free of his genjutsu. Quick as a whip, Inei pounced again, this time aiming for his jugular. His response was instinctual, having had more than enough experience with fangs being aimed at his neck. His lightning release crackled through the air; his eyes afforded him enough time to dodge the attack while striking his hand down towards the cat's back. Once again, Inei had exceeded his expectations by pulling off a quick, last second dodge.

"You're fast. I'll give you that," Inei remarked as if the act of paying Sasuke a compliment hurt worse that pulling a tooth.

"I wish I could say that I was impressed by you as well," Sasuke scoffed with a small smirk. While he managed to get a soft chuckle from the elder cat watching their bout, Sasuke only got a sharp hiss and outraged yowl from Inei.

Sasuke couldn't say that he had much experience fighting animals. They were hardly a threat to him in the real world. Not even the Inuzuka's ninken had seemed like too much of a hassle. There was something to be said about fighting a creature that moved guided by wild instincts. However, all the instinct and unorthodox movements in the world could help Inei once Sasuke had deciphered the pattern of his movements with his Sharingan.

'There,' Sasuke thought confidently, and moved to strike. He stopped his attack short when he watched Inei literally blur out of existence just seconds before reappearing a hair's breadth away from his face. It was his own quick thinking and reflexes that managed to spare him a nasty gash. Perhaps, Inei was a bit more skilled than he thought.

"Hmm… I haven't seen the Mangekyo Sharingan in decades," the elder cat remarked idly with a lazy stretch.

"What did you do for those eyes I wonder," Inei spat. Sasuke glared but didn't respond. "The younger son… Don't tell me you slaughtered your brother for those eyes."

The elder cat sucked her teeth. "The Uchiha are still slaying each other for power? What a disappointment."

"Don't talk about my brother," Sasuke threatened, incensed by the idea that he could or would ever hurt his brother for power.

"Does he still live?" the white lion asked, leaning forward slightly to observe Sasuke better.

"Of course he's alive," Sasuke answered.

"And yet, Fugaku gave us his second son," Inei scoffed derisively as his posture relaxed.

Despite his best efforts, Sasuke felt his chakra spike and lash as his anger mounted. Surprisingly, Sasuke found that he wasn't just angered by the blatant dismissal of himself but the disrespect towards his father as well.

"That chakra…" the lion purred. "It reminds me of Uchiha Madara, but not quite as dark."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Hadn't the kyuubi mentioned Uchiha Madara?

Sensing his confusion, the lion continued, "Yes. Uchiha Madara had signed a contract with us quite some time ago, but even he had eventually been deemed unworthy. Such a shame all the darkness that corrupted him. I'd had such high hopes…"

What kind of shinobi had Uchiha Madara been to invoke such feelings from ancient creatures? And what did it mean to be compared to him?

"But your brother still lives," the lion mused. "You have yet to succumb to your clan's curse. I wonder if I can place my hopes in you? Tell me your name."

So many questions were swirling through his mind, but Sasuke still managed to reply, "Uchiha Sasuke."

"Hmm, Uchiha Sasuke… If I were as senile as that old toad, Gamamaru, perhaps I would be able to prophesize about your future," the lion replied.

Sasuke scoffed. "I don't need prophesies. I know what my future holds," Sasuke disregarded confidently. It proved to be the wrong thing to say because Inei was once again poised to strike, but he paused at the lion's low chuckles.

"You are an amusing human. You may call me Shiroshishi-sama," Shiroshishi said with a sly smile. "It's been so long since we've had a summoner. I hope you will call on us often, Sasuke-chan. There are many of us who could do with some exercise."

Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of the elder cat. She stared at him with icy blue eyes as if considering what he would taste like and if her was worth the effort of moving. But despite her lazy appearance, Sasuke could sense the strength she was hiding even without his sharingan- a dense well of chakra that reminded him of the kyuubi.

"Feel free to not summon me," Inei said in a low voice as he brushed past Sasuke.

Sasuke broke eye contact with Shiroshishi to shoot Inei a glare.

"Fair enough. I don't need any dead weight in a fight," Sasuke replied with a smirk. A cutting side-eye was the only response Sasuke received before Inei slipped between the bamboo and practically melted into the shadows.

Sasuke's attention was pulled back to Shiroshishi when she chuckled softly. "Very amusing. I'll be seeing you, Sasuke-chan. Make sure to bring some catnip with you the next time you visit," Shiroshishi said and yawned again. Suddenly, Sasuke felt the pull of this realm give out just as the weightless free fall returned for less than a second and he was dropped back into the secret room with his father.

Fugaku had been pleasantly surprised when Sasuke had returned alone and only slightly ruffled. When he'd asked Sasuke how it went, Sasuke could only huff in annoyance and roll his eyes. Fugaku seemed amused by this and nodded in agreement. "They can be quite troublesome, but I'm sure that they will prove useful to you. They are quite familiar with our clan and doujutsu. Perhaps they could even pass along knowledge that has become lost to us," Fugaku pointed out as they had left the shrine behind. Sasuke hadn't wanted to dash his father's hopes and surprising, good cheer, so he'd kept quiet.

"Try not to take any missions outside the village. Our family has been invited over to the Hokage's residence for dinner this weekend," Fugaku said once he and Sasuke were about to part ways in front of the quickly rebuilt military police force building.

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement, the hairs on the back of his neck rising in anticipation of some unseen threat. His posture subtly shifted, but he quickly righted himself when he realized that it had just been his cousins, Yashiro, Tekka, and Inabi, that had been staring. Sasuke had been ready to disregard the harsh looks but stopped at his father's soft grunt. Sasuke immediately tried to meet his father's gaze, but he was too busy staring at the men's backs as they passed. "What is it?" Sasuke asked, his voice low.

"Nothing…yet," Fugaku replied and turned to go.

Once again, Sasuke felt as though he was missing something crucial. As far as he was aware, his relationship with the clan had been tumulus lately. But he'd had no clue that his father was becoming displeased by it. Or was this yet another clan secret that he would have to pull out of the mouth of his brother?

~:~

Itachi was becoming far to accustomed to feeling troubled.

When Sasuke had randomly showed up at the Hokage's office and requested that they get lunch together, Itachi had felt his shoulders relax subconsciously at the thought of having a peaceful lunch with his little brother. He'd even toyed with the idea of trying the ramen that his brother was always eating. But when he'd sensed Sasuke's uneasy demeanor, those thoughts had quickly vanished. He'd braced himself for whatever bad news Sasuke was about to drop on him but was surprised when Sasuke had simply told him that their father had allowed him to sign the cat contract.

"Congratulations. You must have been impressive for them to accept you," Itachi praised, but Sasuke just rolled his eyes. "I'm happy to hear that things are going well for you and Father."

"He's…trying I think," Sasuke admitted in a small voice.

"Does it make you want to do the same?" Itachi asked, pure curiosity in his tone. Sasuke shrugged once. Itachi chose to take that as a sign of acquiescence. Mother would be just as pleased as he to hear this.

"I think he's too busy with the clan," Sasuke hinted.

Itachi could tell that Sasuke was hinting at something greater by the way his brother was staring at him. Sasuke looked adamant in his convictions, but Itachi had no idea what they were. "Oh? I thought the rebuilding was proceeding ahead of schedule," Itachi replied and took a sip of his tea.

"Nii-san, what do you know?" Sasuke asked, not wasting any time.

"I'm afraid that I'm just as in the dark as you, Sasuke."

Sasuke silently stared at him for a few seconds before sitting back in his seat with a frown. "Fugaku looked displeased with Yashiro, Tekka, and Inabi," Sasuke said.

Itachi recognized the names. He'd had a few, less than pleasant run-ins with their cousins lately, but nothing too bold. They all viewed him as an insolent child, both overestimating their abilities and underestimating his own. While he didn't care for their opinions, they had been the loudest voices back when the clan's frustrations with the village had peaked. His father had been willing to let them whisper complaints into his ear back then, but if he was displeased with them now…

"I honestly had no idea that this was going on with Father. But I imagine that nothing good can come from it," Itachi said in a low voice.

"He'd tell you if you asked," Sasuke said, sounding only slightly petulant.

Itachi refrained from smiling. Sasuke was too easy to see through. "His vision is changing as mine has," Itachi said. At Sasuke's confused expression, Itachi continued, "He's starting to view you as an adult. I'm sure that he would speak to you as a man if you approached him as such."

Sasuke looked down and away in thought for a few seconds before he took a bite of his rice. "Hn," Sasuke finally responded.

Deciding to enjoy the rest of the time he had left with his brother, Itachi changed the topic. "Sasuke, what do you think of Izumi?"

Sasuke blinked up at him in surprise before raising a brow. "She's alright, I guess. Not the strongest kunoichi, but she's decent enough."

Itachi smiled softly. Of course, his brother was more concerned with strength. "That's nice to hear, but not what I had in mind," Itachi started. Deciding not to beat around the bush, Itachi said, "I'm considering asking her to marry me and I would like to hear your opinion."

Sasuke's eyes widened as his jaw dropped slightly. "What?" Sasuke asked, looking completely stunned.

"You don't agree with my choice?" Itachi asked, almost positive that he was wrong.

"No, it's not that. I was just wondering what brought this on."

"I think more than enough time has passed. Wouldn't you say?" Itachi answered before his eyes fell to his food.

Truthfully, the destruction of the village had left him floundering in more ways than the obvious. There had been so much loss of life. Death was an unavoidable end to life, but the abrupt end to so many innocent lives had left him feeling a bit morose. He'd gotten lucky, but what if he'd truly lost his brother that day? What if he'd lost Izumi, Shisui, or his parents? Life was far too short for a shinobi. While Itachi had made peace with the fact that he could die at any time and would most likely die young due to his illness, he'd felt a newfound selfishness rise within him.

When he'd first gotten sick, he'd made it clear to Izumi that he didn't expect her to tie herself down to him. He was a dead man walking around on borrowed time. He'd felt obligated to let her go so that she could find someone else who would be able to give her a long, happy life. She hadn't taken it well at the time, furious with him for even assuming that she would leave him when he clearly needed her most. He'd been touched by the sentiment, but he'd still held his reservations. Up until recently, he'd been too hesitant to pursue marriage. Why bother with starting a new life or family when it could just as quickly end? Izumi deserved more than what he could promise her.

But what if he'd died without her knowing? What if he left this earth without having a chance to see what a life together could be like? He knew from his brief training sessions with Shisui what abilities his new eyes possessed, but not even his Tsukuyomi could affect real life. He could only imagine what his life could become, but all his fantasies felt hollow compared to what he knew real life could be.

Sasuke hummed once in thought before nodding. "I guess you're right. I thought you would have asked her already. It's not like she'd say no," Sasuke said and sipped his tea. Itachi smirked but didn't voice his agreement. "Besides, it's about time you did what you want to do."

Itachi paused. "What I want to do?" he repeated.

"You were always so perfect growing up. I used to think that it was just who you were, but now I know that you had been doing your best to be the dutiful son. But now you're doing what you want with your life. I don't know what idiotic reason you had for not proposing sooner, but I'm glad that you changed your mind," Sasuke said with a genuine smile.

Itachi was too stunned to speak. Eventually, he managed to return the smile. "Thank you, Sasuke."

~:~

Days later, Sasuke found himself sitting in the restored Hokage residence with more people than he was used to at these joint family dinners. Izumi had joined them this time, but it was the addition of Uzumaki Karin that made Sasuke consider ditching early. (If only his mother wouldn't hunt him down for it.)

All night, Karin had stuck to his side, flip flopping between formal indifference and crazed fangirling. Sasuke hadn't had a chance to push her off him yet, however. Naruko was doing a decent job of defending his personal space. She couldn't do much now that he was sitting at the table with Karin uncomfortably close to his side. Sasuke tried not to sigh aloud.

"This salmon is delicious, Uzumaki-san," Izumi complimented.

"No need to be so formal, Izumi-chan! Itachi-kun calls me by my first name after all, 'ttebane," Kushina smiled. "I can give you the recipe after dinner."

"I'd like that. I've been trying to cook more fish for Itachi. I read that it's good for fatigue," Izumi conversed. Immediately, Mikoto perked up, her eyes already scanning her eldest for signs of fatigue. Itachi stared resolutely down at his food, a blink and you might miss it blush coloring his cheeks. Sasuke smirked.

"I know what you mean. Minato has been pretty exhausted lately, too," Kushina nodded along sagely. Minato softly sighed next to his wife but didn't comment.

"Overseeing the rebuilding of an entire village can be taxing," Fugaku inputted. As if picking up on some hidden meaning, Mikoto tore her eyes away from Itachi to examine her husband carefully.

"I can give you the recipe, too dattebane," Kushina conspiratorially whispered to Mikoto. Mikoto gave her a quiet thanks before returning to her food.

"It's just nice to finally have you join us for dinner, Izumi-chan. Itachi-kun should have brought you sooner," Kushina said with Minato nodding along in agreement.

Izumi blushed prettily and said, "I hadn't wanted to impose."

"We're glad that you changed your mind," Minato said.

"It seemed like the logical choice," Itachi started while giving Izumi an uncharacteristically soft look. Izumi's blush deepened, but she didn't shy away from slipping her hand into Itachi's. "Since Izumi has agreed to marry me."

Several pairs of chopsticks suddenly clattered onto their dishes as Kushina loudly squealed in delight. Mikoto's happiness was much softer in volume, but Sasuke couldn't remember the last time that he'd seen his mother's eyes shine like that. His father's harsh lines had softened slightly, a small smile on his face.

"Congratulations, Itachi-nii-san!" Naruko exclaimed with a wide grin.

"This is wonderful news, Itachi," Fugaku said since Mikoto was too bust tearing up to speak. "I propose a toast to you both," Fugaku said, raising his cup in the air. Everyone else was quick to follow suit, a giddy excitement quickly filling the air. Sasuke reached for his drink as well but faltered when his fingers bumped the side of the cup and sent his tea spilling onto the table. He blinked down at his hand in confusion, but quickly needed to blink to clear his vision. When he finally looked up, he was met with puzzled looks.

"That's alright, Sasuke-kun. I'll clean it up," Kushina said and quickly got up from the table.

Sasuke wasn't so concerned by that, however. His attention was drawn to Itachi who was staring down at the spilled tea with a small, almost unnoticeable frown. Eventually, Itachi's gaze rose to meet his own, but his brother did an impeccable job of giving nothing away. Even as everyone else had gone back to their toasts and congratulations, Itachi was still holding his gaze.

When Itachi broke eye contact to thank their father for his kind words, Sasuke had wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. However, his relief was short lived when he felt another's stare on him. Naruko was frowning up at him, her confusion much more obvious than Itachi's had been. Sasuke kept his face carefully blank as he returned her gaze. He could tell that she wanted to say something to him, but like Itachi, she let it go. He knew that it would only a matter of time before she confronted him, however. Sasuke felt his stomach start to sink.

~Omake~

Sasuke had thought that dinners with the Uzumakis had pushed the boundaries of a civil mealtime. But now that the Uzumaki clan had grown by one, loud redhead, he was certain that the boundaries had been obliterated. He did his best to focus on his food, ignoring the girlish giggles and soft squeals on his left and teeth grinding and low growls on his right.

"Sasuke-kun, would you like some more tea?" Karin asked, looking almost indifferent as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Before he could answer, Karin was already unnecessarily invading his personal space to reach for the teapot that was admittedly out of her reach.

"He already has tea, dattebayo," Naruko replied for him, pulling the tea pot out of Karin's reach with a narrowed glare.

"I was just offering," Karin said with a soft 'humph'. Sasuke said a quick, mental prayer for patience. He'd thought that Sakura had been bad… "It's not like you were going to do it," Karin said and took a vicious bite of her fish.

Naruko's cheeks flushed as she objected, "I would have! But he didn't ask."

Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes. Naruko had never poured his tea before, and he'd never asked her to. Girls could be so strange.

"A good wife pours tea for her husband. Ne, Uchiha-san?" Karin asked his mother, once again feigning formality. Sasuke did his best not to choke on his food.

Mikoto had been too stunned to answer, but Naruko was already loudly interjecting, "You're not marrying him, dattebayo!"

Karin didn't reply, choosing to fold her arms over her chest and turn her face away from Naruko's fuming form. The dismissal incensed Naruko even further, causing her to push herself up from her seat with her fist raised and fire in her eyes. "Usuratonkachi," Sasuke started when Naruko's rising chakra was making the space around her uncomfortably warm.

"See? Sasuke-kun wouldn't marry someone he doesn't respect, usuratonkachi," Karin said with the utmost confidence in her voice. Sasuke had felt annoyed throughout dinner by Karin's and Naruko's antics but couldn't explain this newfound sense of irritation. He shot Karin a narrowed glare, making the girl falter for the first time tonight.

If his anger was a cold indignation, Naruko's was an equal but opposite rage. "You don't get to call me that," Naruko growled and brought her fist down onto the wooden table. The poor table creaked once before its legs buckled beneath it, sending the plates of food sliding down and crashing into a pile on the floor. Everyone paused to stare in astonishment at the mess before an ominous aura had goosebumps breaking out around the room.

"Naruko," Kushina growled, her red hair rising and whipping menacingly around her.

Naruko's face paled as she quickly backed away and offered stuttered pleas. "K-Kaa-chan, wait! I can fix it!" she tried to offer but abandoned all pretenses when she spotted a familiar glint of her mother's trusty, frying pan. As his wife and daughter were loudly crashing from room to room around their new home, Minato moved to grab a broom with a shake of his head.