Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 8: Act of Betrayal
Flashback
The breeze was just starting to become too warm. They had maybe fifteen minutes before it would be too uncomfortable to continue to be outside even under the shade. They were just about done anyway. Cobalt orbs settled on the pint-sized blond sleeping on his stomach on the red and white checkered picnic mat. He had worn himself out and now he was recharging completely unbothered by his surroundings, dead to the world.
His tiny fist was clenching a soft green bowtie. It had not lasted long on him but they had managed to take a couple of pictures before he determined it was a toy and not clothing. The brown plaid suspender shorts he had on over his white shirt had somehow managed to stay more or less pristine all thanks to the sacrifice made by his bib and the bowtie. He looked adorable. Several faces had come up to them and told them as much.
He brought his arm to rest on his bent knee as he took in the moment. A content smile securely remained in place. She was beginning to clean up. She was gathering the trash they generated and putting it into a brown paper bag. Even something as mundane as that drew his attention to her. She was radiant in her yellow sundress. Her pink hair was put in a half updo that was secured by a ribbon bow that matched the color of her dress. She put the actual sun to shame but he was a tad bit biased. Unlike the sun, staring at her directly did not cause him any ill effects.
There was a soft smile on her face as well but there was something heavier in her eyes. Now that she did not have a task that required her to be fully present he was starting to see her retreat back inside her head and leave him behind. She probably did not even realize she was doing it.
"Sakura," he said her name in his gentle voice.
"Hm?" She turned her head to give him her attention.
"Come here for a second." He held out his hand towards her.
She set aside the brown trash bag. She placed her hand on top of his before settling back against him. She crossed her legs at the ankles as she smoothed out the folds of her dress. Their interlocked hands rested against her abdomen.
"How was your Father's Day picnic?" She asked him in a light tone. Her green eyes were fixed on the line of trees off in the distance.
"It was perfect."
"The food wasn't too salty?"
"It was delicious. Thank you for making all my favorites, for all of it." He said with a sense of great ease and contentment.
Giddiness rose up inside of her. "It was nothing, I kind of cheated by using shadow clones."
"That explains it," he said solemnly.
"Explains what?" she turned her head and tiled it up to look him in the eye. There was genuine curiosity shining in her green irises.
"I didn't want to say anything but it did taste a little off." The look on his face completely undermined what he was trying to accomplish.
"Jerk," she smacked his knee playfully. "You had me going there for a second."
"Do you want to tell me what's been weighing on you?" He asked her in a tone that had zero traces of the earlier lightheartedness.
"You noticed, huh?" She asked rhetorically. "You had a perfect day, let's just leave it for another day."
"Do you really want to carry it around until then?"
Sakura bit her lip. "I've been thinking about a conversation we had before we got married."
"Which one?"
"The one where we talked about kids," she looked at him with seriousness in her eyes. He could see the traces of guilt. "As in more than one."
He could see the internal struggle she was going through on her face. He waited patiently for her to elaborate.
"We agreed on two because we wanted them to not be alone once we're gone. It all made so much sense then. I could picture it. But now," she swallowed thickly. "It's really hard to imagine it. I don't think it's possible, for me at least, to love another kid as much as I love Naruto. I love him with all my heart, Minato. You do too. I know you do. There's nothing left over."
She searched his face for judgment or disappointment. She found neither. "We're both single children. We both don't understand what it means to share or have a sibling. We had all the attention growing up. We're going to have to split our time and attention between them. The second kid gets less of everything as it is anyways. It would kill me if we had another and they felt less than or not as loved."
She looked at him with shame on her face. "Minato?"
He let the first and second initial, knee-jerk thoughts pass through his mind. "It'll work out, Sakura."
"What?" She looked at him dumbfounded.
"Like with everything else in life, there will be an adjustment but we'll figure it out. The next one, if it's in the cards, won't be loved any less by either of us." He smiled at her softly. "You'll be just as great with the second as you are with the first."
She was taken aback at his statement. Her face said as much. "How can you be so calm? So level-headed all the time? Why do you believe in me so much?" Her voice quivered as she struggled to remain in control of her emotions.
"It's easy," he said with conviction. "It's because I have you." His piercing gaze loosened the grip fear had on her insides. She listened to the sound of his voice as if her sanity depended on it. "You lead with your heart, Sakura. Despite all the thinking and worrying your brain does, you always end up leading with your heart." He held her face between his hands.
"Are you really giving me a follow-your-heart speech right now?" She asked him incredulously. It was more for show than anything else. She needed to get him to cut down on the intensity with which he was looking at her.
"Maybe," his eyes were sparkling with mirth. "Has it let you down?"
"No," she admitted with a sigh. "I can't say that it has." The small smile that pulled at her lips eliminated any notion of the contrary.
"What's it telling you? What do you want?" His smooth voice was gentle.
"I want another kid." She could not look away from his gaze. She knew the answer to his question. She did not have to think about it. She supposed that was his point. "What's your head saying?"
"Nothing," he said with a knowing smile. "I'm leading my heart on this too."
She scrunched her nose. "Doesn't sound like you."
"It's not let me down in the past either." He stroked her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "I know who you are. I know the way in which you love. I know the size of your heart. You'll find the space. You'll make room. I'm not worried about you or about us."
She closed her eyes and pressed her ear against his chest. She willed herself to calm down as she listened to the sound of his steady heartbeat. Sakura hugged him tightly.
"How did I get so lucky?" Her muffled voice was filled with astonishment.
"Must be all that good karma from saving the world," he teased.
"Must be," she mused in agreement. "We'll make room." She said with no traces of duality.
"We'll make room," his lips donned a small smile as he held her.
"Just one more," she added for clarity. "And just not right now, my clothes just started fitting again." Naruto was only nine months old. She was not ready to go through the whole process so soon. It was still pretty fresh in her mind.
He chuckled. She always had to be the one to get the last word in. "Whatever you say, Sakura."
She lifted her head so that they were at eye level. There was a no-good gleam in her eye. "So," the tonal shift was sudden. "I was thinking…" she traced circles on his white shirt as her voice trailed off.
"What are you thinking, Sakura?" His voice was a couple of octaves lower.
She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. She took extreme satisfaction in his wide eyes and slack jaw. The butterflies in her stomach threatened to lift her completely off her feet, they might have if he did not already Hiraishin them all back into their home with the picnic blanket, basket, trash, and all.
End of Flashback
She watched him from afar. There was a soft smile on her obscured face. He was a happy child. That was not hard to see. Rarely did a moment go by where he did not laugh or make the joke. He fancied himself to be a jokester, a little prankster in the making. She supposed that was the influence of the red-haired women. He could pass as her son. He adored her to death just as she did him.
He was only four years old and yet he mastered the art of adaptation. She saw the different sides to his personality when he interacted with the different adults in his life. He adjusted beautifully all while maintaining who he was. He was a marvel. There was so much personality and character in his tiny person. It was bursting at the seams.
It was hard not to get swept away in all of it. He was a child, he still had his innocence. His heart was pure and he wore it on his sleeve he did not know better yet. He did not understand how cruel and dark the world was. He did not understand that his heart was precious and it needed to be protected, that he could not simply be too open.
It was strange to watch the two of them together. She watched as mother and son sat on swings as the woman told him a story animatedly. He was so engrossed in what she was saying. His whole attention was on her face. He was hanging onto every word in the same way his mother did when he spoke. The way they smiled, talked, and looked at each other was full of love. She was a source of comfort for him.
She herself did not understand it. Maybe it was because she herself did not have that with her mother. Growing up she did not understand why kids who were scared or upset would cry for their mothers. It was a foreign concept for her. As far back as she could remember, the only person she could rely on was herself. When she scraped her knee she had to hide it. She dealt with it herself. When she had a stomach ache she kept it to herself. The thought had never occurred to her to ask her mother. That would only make her feel worse.
But the more and longer she watched the more it started to make sense why someone would look to their mom when they were scared or sad. She watched from behind the mask as the mother and son pair continued to swing slightly as the sun started to set.
He stood looking up at the red and white crest of his clan against the dark depiction of a shuriken. His eyes read the sign: The Konoha Military Police Force. Or as the locals called it, the Uchiha Police Force. The division and building were erected as a sign of goodwill between long enemies. They had spent generations destroying. It was an attempt to build something together. Separate but equal. Each clan governed one. One could not function without the other. It was the way for the victors to extend the olive branch to the losers to represent working together for the collective. There was no us, or them. There was only one: Konoha.
But now as Itachi took in the building he could help but feel reality had fallen far short of the idea. Every Hokage was either directly or indirectly tied to the Senju clan. Every. Single. One. The clan grew more and more synonymous with the Konoha name. Even the Uzumaki, whose clan's symbol was on every official shinobi uniform, had more impact on the history of the village. The container of the Nine-Tails was an Uzumaki. Obito was the only Uchiha hopeful enough to dream the dream of being Hokage. He did not see his bloodline as an obstacle. He was determined to make reality what many thought was impossible: a Hokage that was an Uchiha.
The Uchiha, a proud and powerful clan, was pushed to live under the shadow of their past accomplishments. It seemed nothing they did would ever be taken at face value. The Second did not even bother to hide his contempt and distrust for the clan. It was something that not many of the older generation could look past. It seemed just when things could be turning the corner something happened that reraised the deep feelings of animosity amongst some of his clan members. The Konoha Military Police Force may have started as a symbol of unity but now it was a painful reminder of what could have been. Separate and not equal. There was no equality.
He blinked his eyes in an almost lethargic manner. He heard a throaty croak overhead. It seemed to give him the final push he needed. He moved one foot in front of the other as he made his way to the door. His hand grabbed the handle. The full weight of his actions was felt firmly on his chest. It was hard to inhale fully. He knew that there was no going back from this.
He pulled the door open, The hair framing his face fluttered as the cold air was the first to welcome him. It did not take long for his skin to prick at the familiar sensation of being watched. He felt the gaze of no less than eight pairs of eyes. It was as if the room came to a complete standstill. They did not even bother to hide it. They were openly staring at him. He could see the tension in their coiled muscles. He ignored all but one pair of eyes.
His feet led him to the man who was in his mid-twenties. He had an extreme hairstyle. One side was long, to his mid-back. The other half was cut short, close to this scalp. His dark eyes were cold. They reminded Itachi of a bottomless pit. They were endless. If he stared too long, he was sure he would lose himself. They were consuming.
"Shun-oniisan." Itachi said in greeting.
"What are you doing here, Itachi? Did you get lost?" Shun was less than pleased to see him. He put in the bare minimum to conceal the disdain in his dark eyes.
"Give him a break. Shunsuke." A heavier-set man around the age of his second cousin scolded Shun. The grin on his face was predatory. He hooked his arm around Itachi's shoulders. "Is that any way to speak to the heir of the Uchiha clan?"
"You're right, Uito. Being amongst the lowlife and scums that make up the force really did a number on my etiquette." Shun slipped a convincing smile on his face. It looked genuine. Maybe it could have even fooled him if he had not seen Shun's expression just seconds earlier.
"What can we do for you today?" Shun asked Itachi pleasantly.
Itachi remained unmoved by the exchange. His eyes never left Shun's face. "I want to join the force."
A few Uchiha visibly stiffened. Shun's expression did not change but Itachi saw the curiosity flicker across his eyes for a second. "Now why would you want to do that, Itachi?"
"Shun, maybe we should -" Uito began nervously. He backed away from Itachi. His eyes kept darting to the door.
Shun held up his hand. "No, I was to hear this. Talk."
"I want to do my part and help the village. Like all of you." Itachi stated simply.
"We all know how your father really feels about this place. It is a dead end. It is good enough for the rest of us but not for his sons. He would never allow you to." The harshness of Shun's words did not come as a surprise to Itachi. He knew that Shun spoke the truth.
"It changes nothing. I want to join." The conviction of his statement caught Shun off guard. Someone had audibly gasped.
Shun's eyes wandered up from Itachi. His stance became rigid as he lowered his eyes to the floor. He bowed his head. "Fugaku-sama."
Fugaku stared at the back of his son's head. The frown lines on his face were very pronounced. The lines on his forehead conveyed deep displeasure. His silence said even what words could not. His shoulders were so tightly wound that Shun was mentally preparing for a brutal blow that was sure to come. He even felt a little bad for Itachi.
But to his surprise and the surprise of the other Uchiha gathered, Fugaku did not lift a hand. He did not touch a single hair on Itachi's head. Instead, he promptly walked out of the building without so much as a word or glance back.
Shun watched as Itachi followed after his father. The gears in his brain turned. "Interesting." He muttered to himself.
Itachi moved out of the building as fast as he could without breaking into a run. He spotted that his father had stopped in the middle of the street. His back was to Itachi. He ignored the faces of the villages watching them in anticipation. The gravel crunched under his sandals as he came to a stop a couple of yards from him. His heart was in his throat as he waited for his father to say something, to say anything.
It felt like an eternity had passed. Itachi watched closely as his father turned his head to the right. He could see his father's side profile. His palms became sweaty. "You are no longer welcome in my home."
The air deflated out of his lungs. His brain was spinning out. He did not even have enough sense to call after his father. His father was a proud man. Honor meant everything to him. Today Itachi had committed the gravest of sins. He had dishonored his father.
"Itachi! Oi, Itachi. What's going on with you? What were you thinking?" Itachi felt Shisui grab him by the shoulders. Shisui was shaking him. But the Uchiha paid him no mind. He was too preoccupied with staring at the direction his father had walked off in. Home. His father had gone home. To his home. A place he was no longer welcome. Fugaku had gone home. Itachi did not know what would become of him.
"Itachi!" Shisui shook him harshly. It snapped Itachi out of his daze. He shoved Shisui in the shoulder, hard. The older Uchiha let go of him. He took a step back in shock. Itachi said nothing as he brushed past the older teen.
Shisui stood there with a slack jaw watching Itachi head in the opposite direction of his father.
Sakura gently tapped the small reflex hammer just below the left knee. The result was a tiny leg kicking out and belly-fueled laughter.
"You find that funny, don't you?" Sakura made a playful face and repeated the action on the other knee. It produced the same results. The playful brunette played with the end of Sakura's stethoscope. Sakura looked at the redhead holding the other brunette who was desperately trying to escape. "They are in perfect health. There are no health-related hold-ups for the adoption."
"That's a relief," Kushina said with a sigh before she pinned Hikaru with a stern look. The boy settled down a notch. "Thank you for coming out to do the checkups here. It really helps."
"Of course. The hospital is no place for two little tornados." She tickled Hikari's stomach. The girl giggled. She stuck her tongue out at Sakura. Sakura did the same. She could give as good as she got. Sometimes.
Kushina watched the interaction. She had crossed another thing off her list. The twins were that much closer to going home. The prospective parents were coming up to Konoha next month to meet the twins for the first time. If the meeting went well, they would be on their way home not too long after. She was happy that they were all moving closer to the end goal: finding parents for children.
Any joy she felt at that fact conflicted with the sadness she felt for the situation with Sakura. Hikari had Sakura's stethoscope and she was pressing the metal to Sakura's neck. The two women had been nothing but cordial to each other. The fact alone made Kushina's heartache. They spoke like they were strangers. And she hated every second of it.
Sakura must have felt Kushina's eyes. She turned to look at the woman. The end of the scope was on her cheek now. "Kushina, I'm sorry for being so insensitive. I-"
"No," Kushina said firmly. Hikaru looked up at her confused. He was not even doing anything to warrant that tone. Sakura's brow furrowed but she closed her mouth. "Last time you did a lot of talking. And I mean a lot. It's your turn to listen."
Sakura half-turned. She was still holding Hikari in place on the bed. But her attention was undividedly on Kushina. She nodded her head.
"When you first told me you were pregnant. It caught me off guard. I didn't know that was something you wanted. I was happy for you. I am happy for you." Her eyes glimmered with genuine conviction. "But I won't lie. It brought up some stuff for me too." She watched Sakura's eyes lower.
"What happened to me was no one's fault. It happened a long time ago. It really devastated me in the beginning. Something I always assumed - took for granted - was taken from me. I always pictured myself having kids. It was never a question. And every time I pictured them up until that point, they looked like me. They were from me."
Sakura felt a lump form in her throat. The guilt built up in her. She was so ashamed for putting her expectations over Kushina's thoughts and feelings. She did not have much time to wallow in the feeling as Kushina's voice filled the air once more.
"It was hard. The hardest thing I've had to do mentally, but I moved past it. I came to realize that I just want to be a mom. I don't need to be pregnant for that to be true. And truth be told the whole process freaks the - um - snot out of me." She seemed to remember that there were children who could talk, present. "The whole thing seems really uncomfortable and awful." She rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Sorry."
Sakura held up her hands in a 'no-offense-taken' manner. "I know exactly what I signed up for. It is really uncomfortable and a little awful." She encouraged Kushina to continue.
"Anyway, as I was saying." She tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner. "Hearing all of you talk about pregnancy and babies just made it all that clearer that was something not for me to experience. And I kind of shut down and went to my safe place. When you asked me those questions I just got defensive. I reacted badly. I'm sorry for that. I unloaded on you. But you weren't the one I was upset with. I was mad at myself for letting those feelings come back. I've come so far you know?"
Sakura nodded. She only knew as much as Kushina shared with her. She could never walk in Kushina's shoes. She did not have the same challenges. Before becoming a mother her biggest worry was whether or not Naruto would find his way to her. It was not will she be able to get pregnant. She was lucky.
Kushina sighed. "But I realized that it was okay. I'm human. I should have let myself feel what I needed to at that moment. Yeah, I can't get pregnant. Yeah, I'm probably never going to raise a baby from a newborn. But that is okay. Babies are only babies for such a short period of time. It's not the end of the world not to stay up sleepless nights with a crying infant. Older kids need moms too. I realized that my path to motherhood would be a little different than most. And that was okay."
"Have you considered adopting?" It felt like a stupid question to ask especially considering that Kushina literally ran an orphanage. But the need to say something was too great to overcome.
Kushina sighed. There was something in her eyes that made Sakura's heart lurch. "I have thought about it. Once or twice. Over the years."
"What's stopped you?" She asked softly.
There were unshed tears in Kushina's eyes. "The thought and belief that those kids are better off as far away from me as possible. They are all better off without me."
Sakura could not take it anymore. She gathered Hikari on her hip and moved to sit next to Kushina. She put her arm around her shoulders. "They are better off because of you. You fight for them. You find them. You give them a chance when no one else does." Sakura said fiercely. She knew that she promised to listen but she could not bring herself to listen to this. She had no idea where it was coming from.
Kushina shrugged off her embrace. "I'm poison, Sakura. I'm not even that. I'm a vessel that holds poison. I will ruin any child that has the misfortune of being mine. I'm broken. I have nothing to offer to a child. "
Realization dawned on her. Those were not Kushina's words. Anger raged inside of her. Sakura clenched her jaw. Her teeth would be aching through the night given how much she had been doing so throughout the day.
"That's bullcrap." Her eyes blazed. She tiled Kushina's chin so that the woman was forced to look at her. "That is complete and utter bullsh…bullcrap."
"Sakura-" The determination in Sakura's expression killed any words of protest that were bubbling in her throat.
"My turn," Sakura said gently. The intensity did not let up in her eyes. "You have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known Kushina. The biggest." She registered the disbelief and doubt dancing in Kushina's guarded expression. "I look up to you. I try to model who I am as a mother after you. After the way you made me feel when I got here. Naruto is who he is because of you."
Kushina inhaled sharply. She looked at Sakura dumbfounded. The pinkette squeezed her hand almost as if to reassure Kushina that she was not hallucinating. That Sakura was saying the words that her brain was recognizing.
"When I arrived in Konoha I was drowning Kushina. I didn't know if the hole in my chest would ever go away. I was so numb. All I wanted to do was sit with my sadness. In my reality. I just wanted to process what the war had taken from me. I never thought I would feel anything but numbness. You pulled me back. You kept me from being swept away by my loss, in my own despair. Because of the strength, kindness, and love you showed me I was able to heal. Kushina you opened up my world."
Sakura wiped the tears as they streamed down Kushina's cheeks. Her lip was trembling. She swallowed the frog in her own throat. "
You were fighting for me when I didn't even want to fight for myself. You fight for everyone. Why not fight for yourself? Why not show yourself a fraction of the kindness you showed me? I didn't even deserve it. But you do. I wish you could see what I see. You are exactly the person you need."
Sakura took a breath to steady herself. "You are going to be a great mother. I know it. I know it in my bones, Kushina. You've already been a great material figure for me, for Naruto. Naruto," she grabbed Kushina's hand and put it on her stomach. "This baby and I are the lucky ones to have you in our lives Kushina. Don't you ever forget it, dattebane!"
Kushina's jaw was slack. She swiped at the tears still streaming down her face. She brought her forehead to rest against Sakuras. "Thank you." She said softly. She felt her spirits lift. She clutched onto Sakura's determination and belief. It was enough for the two of them.
"When the right fit comes along, you'll know. You're going to be a great mother, Kushina. I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. I don't care how many and I don't care who."
The ferocity on Sakura's face reminded Kushina of a grizzly. She chuckled. She did not doubt Sakura's promise.
"I don't know if I can do it alone. I never pictured it that way." Kushina wanted to believe her so badly but her doubt refused to go away without a fight.
"Then don't do it alone. If you want, you have me. We'll figure it out." Sakura responded without hesitation. The sun would be setting soon. The woman settled on a park bench.
"How will Minato feel about that?" Kushina studied Sakura closely for her reaction. The woman's body language completely changed at the mention of his name.
Sakura shrugged. Kushina did not miss the stiffness in her shoulders. "Who knows? I have no idea where his head's at." She hugged her arms to herself as a chilly breeze moved past them.
"So you need me to beat Minato up for you?" Kushina asked matter-of-factly unfazed at the thought of putting hands on their leader.
Sakura draped her arm over the back of the bench. Naruto and the twins were playing loudly on the playground. "No, I am more than capable of doing that on my own." She glanced at Kushina from the corner of her eye. "Thank you though."
Kushina waved her thanks off. "No need to thank me. You know I'd do anything for you, Sakura."
The pinkette nodded. "Right back at you."
They watched as the kids built sand castles in the playpen. Sakura rubbed her forehead. The day had taken a lot out of her. "Promise you won't get mad?"
Kushina snorted. "You're off to a great start there."
"I thought you'd be halfway off to Hacho Village by now," Sakura admitted. "Not that I'm not glad we were able to clear the air before you left."
"Same." Kushina's expression darkened. "Let's just say you're not the only one mad at Minato."
Sakura's brow furrowed. Her mouth moved wordlessly. "He denied your mission request. Why?" Her tone was demanding.
Kushina squirmed in her seat. She regretted opening her big mouth. The weight on her chest had just lifted. Things were finally back to a good place between the two of them and she had to go and screw it up.
"Please Kushina. Tsunade and Minato are both keeping things from me. I couldn't handle you doing the same." She did not care how weak her voice sounded to her own ears.
Kushina groaned loudly. She could not deny that face. "He's worried about the Akatsuki." She said slowly.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened. She brought a hand to her mouth. She could not believe what she just heard. She swallowed thickly. "They're back?" The fine hairs on her arms stood on end.
Kushina shook her head vehemently. She touched Sakura's knee. Her eyes softened. "He's just being overly cautious. You know how he worries about everything, compulsively."
Sakura nodded her head absentmindedly. She looked at Naruto who was laughing as he dangled upside down on the jungle gym showing off to the younger children. Slowly she was starting to get a clearer picture of the puzzle pieces. The more she saw, the harder it was to shake the feeling that maybe she agreed with Minato.
Sakura sighed. "Still Kushina, maybe he is right. Better safe than sorry." She felt the full weight of Kushina's flabbergasted expression. They had come so close to losing her once. She did not want to go through anything like that again.
"I thought we were mad at him. For him assuming that he knows best." The annoyance was clear in her tone.
Sakura held her stomach. She bit her lip. All she had was a feeling and that had been enough for her to start the search. What if Minato had a feeling too?
Sakura turned her head to the door with a look of equal parts confusion and concern. Minato looked over his shoulder from the couch at the door. Naruto was in his lap. They had just finished dinner. Sakura walked to the door. She had no idea what awaited her on the other side of it but the sinking feeling in her stomach told her it was not anything good.
"Mikoto." Sakura took in the woman's frazzled state. Her hair, which she had never previously seen out of place, was a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying for hours.
She was wringing her hands.
She searched Sakura's face frantically. "Have you seen Itachi?" She asked in all one breath.
Sakura blinked. "Not since this morning," Sakura answered under her breath.
Mikoto's shoulders shook as a silent sob wracked her. Sakura looked over her shoulder at Minato. He was already in the process of leading Naruto to his room. "Come in, come in." Sakura grabbed her hand and ushered her inside.
She led her to the dining table and gently helped her into the chair. Minato was back in the kitchen. He filled a glass with water and placed it in front of the woman. She took it with shaking hands. She downed half of it in one go. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes.
"Sakura, it's awful! Itachi, Itachi he's-" Mikoto's sentence dissolved into a fit of sobs.
Sakura rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Take deep breaths Mikoto." She pulsed in charka as she worked. It would help calm her down faster. Sakura sat at the edge of her seat next to Mikoto when the woman had calmed down. "What about Itachi?"
Mikoto looked between their faces. Cobalt and emerald eyes stared back at her with varying degrees of readability. She took a breath. "Fugaku kicked Itachi out of the house. I don't know where he is."
Sakura dared not look at Minato. Her heart was beating faster in her chest. "Start from the beginning," Sakura instructed calmly.
Mikoto did. "Fugaku has a cousin that he does not trust. Uchiha Akihiro. Fugaku felt that Akihiro's life mission was to sabotage him. To prevent him from becoming the heir to the clan throne."
Minato leaned forward. "Akihiro died over a decade and a half ago." He pointed out the obvious, mostly for Sakura's benefit. Sakura's eyes flickered at him. All of this was completely new to her. He remembered the rivalry between the two Uchiha men. He grew up with it. It was contentious. The animosity was well known. They did not get along, to put it simply. Akihiro believed the throne should be his because he was the firstborn of the eldest son. Their grandfather and the clan elders felt differently. When Fugaku was made the heir, Akihiro never got over it. He made it his mission to ensure the clan would see what he saw: Fugaku was unfit to lead.
Mikoto nodded. "But he has a son. Shunsuke. Fugaku believes that he carries the same hatred for himself and our sons. He did his best to keep Itachi and Sasuke away from Shun's influence. Fugaku thinks Shunsuke will do anything, anything to be the next heir."
Sakura listened intently. It must be bad for Mikoto to be sharing this with them in their home. She was still not sure where Itachi fit into the picture but she could be patient. Mikoto would eventually connect all the dots for them. She looked at Minato. Maybe he was already seeing what she was not.
"Shunsuke holds a prominent rank in the police force. He is well-liked. Maybe even more than my husband. It is becoming somewhat of his stronghold. " Mikoto explained. Her posture grew more and more sullen.
She spared her a sympathetic look before turning to Minato. "Do you know anything about this?" She asked him. All traces of the previously forced politeness for Naruto's sake was gone. She was still extremely hurt by Minato's action but she could put all that aside for this. It sounded like a crisis.
Minato shook his head curtly. He pressed his lips into a firm line but said nothing. Sakura pushed down her frustration. Her instinct was telling her that he knew more than he was letting on but maybe it was a holdover from their previous confrontation.
Mikoto sighed deeply. "Fugaku does not want anyone to know. He keeps it close to the vest. But I know him. Maybe even better than he knows himself. What can he hope to hide from me?" Mikoto blew her nose into a tissue.
Sakura's eyes wandered over to Minato. His face was a stoic mask. It betrayed nothing. It spared her nothing. Mikoto and Fugaku were married longer than they were. Mikoto understood her husband's ways. Sakura could barely make sense of what Minato was doing. She tried not to fuel the insecurity that was growing in her.
"How does Itachi play into this?" It was Minato who asked the question. The women looked at him.
Mikoto took a minute to pause. She drank the rest of the water. She looked down at her hands. "Itachi has been struggling to find what he wants to do next. It's been a pain point for Fugaku and Itachi. It is straining their relationship. They do not see eye to eye." She brought a hand to heart absentmindedly. She was airing out all their dirty laundry. It went against everything she stood for. This was not easy for her.
"Mikoto," Sakura said her name softly. She felt the reassuring pressure of her hand. Mikoto forced herself to look into her eyes. She was already carrying a secret for Mikoto and her sons. Not even her husband knew. What was another?
"Itachi walked into the police force today to ask to join it after his father explicitly forbade it. Half the clan heard him do so." Mikoto fought back the urge to cover her face in her hands. They were happy. Not too long ago. Right around when Sasuke was still small enough to carry. What happened to that family? How did they get here?
"And by doing so he forced Fugaku's hand." Minato finished the part she could not bring herself to say. Mikoto nodded. She looked absolutely miserable.
Sakura sucked in her breath sharply. What Mikoto just dropped on them made no sense to her. It did not reconcile with the Itachi she knew from her time. Itachi murdered nearly his whole clan in cold blood because he felt that Konoha as a whole was bigger and more important than any one clan. To join the police force, to further isolate himself from the village he loved so much made about as much sense as an Inuzuka becoming a cat breeder. It just did not add up. She rubbed her forehead. Her head was spinning. The day had left her completely raw. So much had happened all at once. She did not know how much more she could take.
'Breathe, child. Remain calm.' Akemi's voice and soothing chakra eased the beating of her heart. A serenity overcame her. Her throbbing headache was gone. She let out a breath of relief. She felt Minato's eyes on her. She could picture the expression on his face. The disapproval, the concern.
"Why would he do that, Mikoto?" Sakura asked her before Minato could ask her if she was alright.
Mikoto shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know why. I don't even know where he is." She looked at the couple. She grabbed Sakura's hands desperately. "You have to help me. Please."
Sakura turned to Minato. They may not be much in sync these days but she knew that look in his eye. She knew what was in his heart.
"We'll find him." There was finality in his voice. Minato pushed off from the counter he was leaning against.
Sakura got to her feet clumsily. She reached out and grabbed his arm. "I can track him with the light release." It would only take her a couple of minutes. She was familiar enough with his chakra signature.
Minato brought his hands to either side of her shoulders. For the first time today, his gaze did not have an edge when it was directed at her. It was Minato-the-husband that addressed her, not Minato-the-Hokage.
"You stay here. I'll find him. Trust me."
She nodded her head. She did not have it in her to fight against him anymore today. The two women watched as he slipped into his shoes, and entered into the night. The door closed behind him. She already missed his reassuring presence.
"His tests were fine. Normal. And he can stay here as long as he needs." Sakura answered the questions that were plaguing Mikoto's mind. No news was good news when it came to Itachi's test results. But looking at the state of Mikoto, Sakura figured the woman earned a reprieve.
"I don't know how I can thank you. Both of you." Mikoto eyes bore into hers with deep gratitude.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm sure you would do the same for Naruto." She looked over her shoulder at the light coming from Naruto's room. He was still up. She was thankful that he listened to his father and stayed put.
Mikoto squeezed her hand. "I should be going. I don't want Fugaku to come looking for me. Sasuke-kun was so upset that Itachi was not at dinner today." Mikoto dabbed the napkin at her eyes.
Sakura sighed. "We'll get through this." She assured her.
"I just need a minute to freshen up. I can't go home looking like this." Sakura nodded and pointed to the hallway bathroom.
"There are clean towels in the cabinet." She listened as Mikoto flipped on the light, closed the door, and turned on the water. She came out in under ten minutes looking more like the Mikoto she had grown accustomed to seeing. Every hair was in place. Her eyes were no longer red, although there was still a slight puffiness. She looked no worse for the wear.
"Everything will be okay." Sakura was not sure to whom she was saying that. "It will all be okay."
Mikoto nodded. "Thank you, Sakura."
Sakura closed the door and leaned heavily against it. Her stomach twisted. Her hands moved to her heart and her stomach. "It will all be okay."
Naruto stood by the edge of his bed. Her eyes flickered to his concentrated expression. He was thinking really hard. "Itachi-oniichan is staying here?" He asked in a small voice.
"For a little while." She brushed his bangs from his face. There was sleep in his eyes. It was well past his bedtime but he stubbornly fought back.
"Why?" Naruto asked.
Sakura sighed. The why was very complicated. She was not sure she understood it fully herself. "His Okaasan asked us to look after him for a while."
"Why?" He asked again. Rubbing at his eyes.
She gently grabbed his hand. "Open your eyes real big for me, Naruto." He did. She looked around and only when was satisfied that there was not a blond lash or other foreign object lodged in there, did she let go of his hand. "You remember how Mama and Dada ask their friends to look after you when we are busy with work or something?"
Naruto nodded. "It's like that." She hoped it was enough to satisfy his curiosity. It was not a good enough reason but she was emotionally exhausted. Telling her son half-truths was not something she wanted to keep doing.
"And Sasuke?" She nearly rolled her eyes. She should have learned by now that Naruto's obsession with Sasuke would transcend time and space.
"He's too little to spend the night. He needs to be close to his Okaasan like you do." She grabbed his hands. "Listen Naruto. Itachi-oniichan might be a little sad. He probably is missing his Otosan and Okaasan so please try to be really nice and not ask too many questions, okay?"
"Okay, Mama." Naruto nodded.
She nearly exclaimed in relief. "That's my sweet boy." She kissed his cheek. She brought a hand to her forehead to plan the logistics. They only had two rooms. Which was not a problem before but certainly was now and would be in the not-so-distant future. She smiled dryly. 'Maybe finding a bigger place before the baby arrives would be a sane thing to do.' But she did not think she could handle a move on top of everything else.
"Mama?" Naruto's voice pulled her from her thoughts.
"Yes, Baby?" She asked him tiredly.
"Itachi-oniichan can stay in my room." The look on his face was almost eerie. Like he was reading her mind.
She blinked at him. "Are you sure Naruto? You'll have to sleep with Mama and Dada then. Is that okay?"
Naruto nodded. "My room is cool. It will cheer up Itachi-oniichan."
She smiled at him, pride budding in her chest. "Thank you, Naruto." She hugged him. His little arms hugged her back tight. "Want to help Mama pull the sheets?"
"Yeah! I can help!"
The two of them worked to strip the bed. Sakura moved to the closet and pulled out fresh sheets. Within minutes the bed had new navy sheets. She pulled the old pillow covers. Naruto mimicked her actions. His heart was in the right place but she did not have thirty minutes to watch him struggle with the pillow. She helped him change it. She fluffed the pillows as she set them back on the bed.
She put her hands on her hips and looked around the room. "Now which one of your friends is coming to bed with us?"
She watched Naruto painstakingly choose three stuffed animals and gather them in his arms. He looked over his shoulder at her expectantly. His face was barely visible over the toys. She smiled as she followed after him.
Minato stood on the top of Hokage Monument, on top of his very own head. He allowed himself a second to appreciate the unique view provided by the vantage point. He had already searched around the training grounds, the academy, and the parks. There has been no sign of Itachi. He knew that no Uchiha would be harboring him as it would be a blatant sigh of defiance against their leader. Their punishment would be worse than Itachi's. The full moon shone behind him giving him enough light to work with.
He had one more spot in mind. His face pulled into a mask of concentration as he focused on his destination. He vanished. The world whizzed around him. He was moving too fast to differentiate the colors of the ground and the sky. Everything blended together. It was a blur. The familiar sensation of his stomach dropping was the first indication that he had arrived. The world around him became clear once again. He audibly exhaled through his nose. He had been right. He felt his chakra signature. Itachi did not even bother to try to hide it.
Minato lifted his head to see a pair of feet dangling above him. He thought about phasing to join Itachi but he ruled against it. He looked at the fire ladder to the right. He needed time to think about what he was going to say anyway. He climbed the rungs slowly, deliberately. Even with the stalling, it did not take him long to see the boy. The birds had long gone to their homes. He was all alone.
Itachi was peering off into the distance. He was rolling a coin across his knuckles absentmindedly. He did not acknowledge Minato's presence. He was not offended. The child was going through a lot. He did not envy what was no doubt playing in his mind right now. Minato wordlessly came to sit next to him on the ledge. His legs dangled below him. He too looked straight ahead as if the horizon held all the solutions to his problems.
"Did my mother send you?" It was a rhetorical question. Itachi already knew the answer. But the conversation had to start somewhere. And while he was perfectly content to spend the rest of the night out under the moon and stars he was sure that was not the case for the Hokage. Someone was waiting for him back home.
Minato nodded. "She's really worried about you." He leaned back on his hands. The wind moved through his hair. He closed his eyes. For a second he was weightless. There was nothing to think about, to worry about, to plan about. There was just him and the wind. It all made sense.
"Tell her I'm fine." Itachi tried not to think too deeply about the state his mother was in. Or Sasuke. His younger brother must be so confused.
"You can tell her yourself." Minato turned his head to look at Itachi. "I'm sure she'll want to see you in the morning."
Itachi shook his head. "This has nothing to do with her. I can't drag her into this." He was not a fool. He knew the risk his mother took in telling them. She put herself in the direct path of Fugaku's wrath.
Minato could not keep the humorless smile from his face. It was a funny thing he surmised, that what made so much sense in his head sounded so ridiculous to hear another say. "Maybe she does not see it that way." He offered the thought.
He felt Itachi's eyes on him. "Maybe her perspective is completely different from where she is standing. Maybe she wants to protect you just as much as you want to protect her."
Itachi took in the Hokage. He has a far-off look in his eyes. He did not seem all there. He was a man with many responsibilities. His head might even be more jumbled than his. He sat with what he said. The face of his mother was at the forefront of his mind. His heart ached in his chest. She was in an impossible situation. There was no winning for her. He sighed deeply.
He leaned back and looked at the stars overhead. He swung his legs back and forth. "I'm surprised she sent you instead of coming herself."
Minato let out a dry chuckle. "Believe me she wanted to. I just didn't think it best for her to be climbing trees or the like trying to find you. Thankfully she did not fight me on it."
Itachi's eyes crinkled slightly as he pictured the scenarios in his head. "She can be clumsy."
Minato nodded his head. "Are you ready to come with me?"
Itachi took in the stars. "Maybe five more minutes?" The coin never stopped moving.
Minato nodded. "Sure." He understood. He was not the only one prolonging the inevitable.
"I know it's smaller than what you're used to and the space is a little more kiddie but I hope you find it comfortable enough." She placed some blankets at the foot of the bed.
Itachi watched as she moved around the room. Both she and her lips had not stopped moving since he arrived with the Hokage no more than fifteen minutes ago. She was fussing over the pillows now. Saying something about how they were not fluffing just right.
"Itachi?" She had her hands on her hips and poorly concealed concern on her face. "Do you think the clothes will be okay? I can go see if I can find a smaller shirt…" her voice trailed off as she looked around the room as if hoping something would just appear in her line of sight.
"It's fine." He looked down at the white half-sleeve shirt in his hands. It was too big. But as the saying was, beggars could not be choosers. He would manage for one night. Sakura had mentioned that his mother would bring by some of his things when his father left for work at the police force in the morning.
"Well if you're sure." She was chewing on her bottom lip nervously. "The bathroom is right across the hall. The towels are in the cabinet. There are new toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet. Naruto's hamper has been cleared out. Feel free to use it. I'll do a load in the morning. What else, what else?" She muttered the last part under her breath. "Oh!" Itachi watched as her face changed as she remembered something.
"Are you sure you don't want to try to eat something? If the leftovers don't sound appetizing I can whip something up quickly." She thought mentally about all the takeout places that were open late. "Or Minato can grab you something."
Itachi shook his head. He tried not to visibly react at the thought of the Hokage doing a late-night food run on his account. "I'm not hungry."
Her shoulders dipped. "Will you try to eat something in the morning? Please?" The borderline pleading look on her face stirred up something inside of him. Itachi nodded. Her expression brightened instantly. "Okay. I think that's everything. I should let you get some rest." Despite her words, she remained rooted in her spot.
Itachi saw that there was so much more she wanted to say. Her eyes became soft. "This is all temporary. Things will work out, Itachi. You'll see." She wanted so badly to hug him but she recognized that the hug would only serve to make her feel better. It would only be for her benefit and not his. So she settled for what she hoped was the next best thing: reassurance.
He brought his eyes to hers. She held his gaze. "Do you really believe that?" He was not one for false assurances. She did not know any better than him. None of them knew what tomorrow could bring.
Sakura sighed. She reflected on his question. "Yeah, I do. I have too. That's all I have right now."
Outwardly his face did not change in the slightest. But inwardly he was surprised. Her honesty was refreshing. It was different. She was different. She frowned. He turned to look at the reason behind it. "Naruto, you should be in bed." She chided him.
The blond came from behind the door frame. A guilty look was on his face.
"Itachi needs to rest, so out with it," Sakura crossed her arms.
Naruto walked into the room with his hands behind his back. Sakura's brow furrowed and her lips pulled into a frown. She had no idea what he was up to and that usually only meant one thing: trouble. She did not have the patience for his shenanigans right now.
"Here," Naruto said simply. Itachi blinked as he looked at the orange blanket the blond was holding out. "So you won't be scared or sad, Itachi-oniichan."
Sakura watched with her mouth slightly agape as Itachi took the blanket from Naruto's hands. The Uchiha stared at it. As luck would have it, it was laundered just this morning. Hope blossomed inside of her. She could not be more proud of Naruto. "Let's say good night to Itachi-oniichan, Naruto."
The blond smiled at Itachi. "Good night, oniichan."
"Good night, Itachi. If you need anything, anything at all, we're down the hall. Sleep well." She smiled at the raven-haired boy. She took Naruto's hand in her own.
Itachi watched mother and son leave the room together.
She stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. She rubbed her tired eyes. It felt like she had sand in between her eyelids. She had cried them raw. She did not think she had any more tears to spill at this point. She brought the back of her hand to her forehead. The other rested against her abdomen. She could not get Sasuke's voice out of her ears. He kept asking where his brother was. His absence was only making him more and more upset.
Fugaku had left dinner without even touching his food the third time Sasuke asked about Itachi. Not that she ate anything anyways. How could she? She had no idea what state her son was in. The only thing keeping her together was the fact that he was safe, he had a roof over his head. It broke her heart that he was not under her roof, safe in his room but at least she knew where he was.
She turned onto her side. He, like her, was awake. The shaking of his shoulders said it all. Mikoto pulled herself closer to him until she was completely pressed against him. She wrapped her arms around him. A silent sob shook his whole person. "Dear," she said softly, trying to will him to calm down.
"Mikoto, everything I do I do for them." He said through wet breaths. His voice came out broken. "Everything."
She pressed herself closer. "I know." She closed her eyes as she weathered another sob. "I know." She repeated in a firmer tone.