Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 12: First Impressions

Flashback

His eyes snapped awake. He had been dreaming about not being fast enough. Not fast enough to save Obito from being crushed by falling boulders. Not being fast enough to stop the events that ultimately followed that fateful mission. Not being fast enough when it really mattered.

He was covered in a cold sweat. His heart was beating fast in his chest.

His brow furrowed. He heard soft sniffles. He turned his head to the source of the sound. His heart nearly stopped. He sat up so quickly that his head spun slightly.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He coaxed her hands from her face.

She was sobbing quietly. He inwardly panicked at what could cause her to be so distressed. She said nothing. Instead, she tore her hands from his and covered her mouth once again.

He moved closer to her. She looked physically fine.

"Sakura, talk to me. What's happening?" They still had well over a month to go but he had read babies we notorious for coming when they damn well pleased. "Is it Naruto?" He asked her. He struggled to keep his voice calm. He felt the baby kick under his hand.

She shook her head. He allowed himself to breathe as the relief washed over him. It only lasted a minute. She was still so clearly upset. He held her while she cried, unable to think of what else to do. This state was unlike how she was after her nightmares. She was conscious. She was aware. She was taking in her surroundings. He did not know what he was looking at beyond her being extremely distraught.

"You're safe." He whispered reassuringly into her hair. He rubbed soothing circles into her back. "You're safe." He repeated over and over.

"Minato." She cried. He took it as progress. She was at least attempting to talk. "Do you love me?" She asked him in between sniffles.

He kept the sheer bewilderment from his features. Instead, he held her tighter. "Of course I love you. You know that."

"Would you love me if I lost all my teeth?" She asked him forlornly. "Would you still love me if I had no teeth?" She repeated more desperately.

For a split second, the thought that he was still asleep crossed his mind. "Why would you have no teeth?" He asked without thinking.

Sakura let out a loud wail. His ears rang. It took five minutes for her to calm down enough to formulate coherent words.

"A possible side effect of pregnancy is my teeth falling out." Her large eyes looked at him in panic. "Would you still love me?" She looked so pitiful as she blew her nose into the tissue he offered her.

If the situation was any less charged he would have burst into laughter at the absurdity of the question. But right now he knew that he had to treat it with full seriousness.

"Yes, Sakura. I would still love you. With or without your teeth. I will always love you. No matter what you look like or what you're acting like."

She sniffled. "Promise?"

He kissed her forehead. "Promise."

He felt her arms wrap around him as she held onto him tightly. He swayed slightly as he held her. The remnants of the tears on her lashes left parts of his skin wet. A thought occurred to him.

"It might even be really convenient. You could taste-test all the different flavors of baby food before we give it to Naruto. The two of you can gum it down together."

Clearly, she did not find his joke as funny as him because it triggered another fit of tears.

End of Flashback

"Can't you just use your Sharingan or something?" Kushina asked as she ducked to avoid a branch.

"For the last time, it can't help me see in the dark or through buildings. It is not the Byakugan!" Obito shouted over his shoulder at her. He wandered deeper into the thicket. He could practically feel the bugs climbing up his legs. He shuddered. He had sweet-tasting blood. Bugs would have a field day out here with him and he had not packed any bug spray.

Kushina bit back an exasperated sigh. "Kami, why didn't Minato assign me an Inuzuka? They would actually be helpful." She muttered to herself as she looked for any footprints in the dirt.

"I heard that!" Obito snapped. "You talk to yourself a lot. And loudly." He shot back his observation loudly. "There weren't any signs of them being back at the house." Obito was growing visibly frustrated. They had searched the whole of Hacho Village it felt like. The girls' chakra signatures were too weak to detect and neither he nor Kushina were the sensory types anyways. They did not have the skills for searching. He was an attack-first-ask-questions-later type of nin. This did not play to his skill set at all.

Kushina continued to move. The weeds were at her kneecaps. "Do you blame them? Going to the house would be my absolute last resort."

"Maybe they went back to the restaurant. Like the old lady said." Obito did not bother to keep the hope from his voice. He was growing more and more impatient.

"No," Kushina said definitively. "We spooked them. They won't go back as long as they know we're here. As messed up as that woman is, she was right. It's the only place they have right now. They won't go back but they won't stray far either. We'll find them."

Obito watched her as she parted some bushes. "Hey, Kushina." She turned to look at him. "Can you tell me what's going on, at least?" They had spent hours searching separately. As it was getting dark and the woods were vast Kushina suggested they search together.

She tightened her ponytail. He had been a good team player. He earned an explanation. "About two months ago Sakura approached me to do a welfare check on a woman she helped years ago. Uzumaki Kohana. Sakura actually helped deliver her first daughter Tukiko. I don't know the exact specifics but she used up a lot of her chakra. Maybe even some of the Akemi chakra. Sakura thinks maybe that is why she feels a connection to Tukiko."

Obito's mouth moved silently as he worked through what she just shared. "So Sakura-sensei knew something was wrong?"

Kushina brushed cobwebs from her face. "She felt something was wrong. I think 'knew' is a strong word. But anyways the mission was to check in on Kohana and Tukiko. I was just supposed to confirm that they were fine and come back empty-handed."

Obito frowned. "You lied to Minato-sensei?" The indignation in his question made her flinch. He looked absolutely scandalized. "Why?!"

Kushina shrugged. "Sakura asked me to. And it wasn't a lie. It was more of an omission." The look he shot her told her exactly what he thought of her distinction without a difference. "Turns out now the mission is bonafide. We need to get those girls back to Konoha." She ducked down to see through a hollowed-out fallen log.

Obito nodded. "Shouldn't we go through more official channels rather than paying the shady old lady?"

Kushina scanned the trees as she moved through more of the brush. "Usually that is how it works. I work with the villages or the country to get the children out with their blessing. This case is a little different. It is better that those girls stay gone in the eyes of the public. Word can't get out that they're still here."

He hissed. He cut himself on a sharp pokey end of a branch. He brought his finger to his mouth. "Why?" He asked as he applied pressure on the wound.

Kushina looked into his eyes. "They have special abilities. Abilities that others might want to exploit. That's why Sakura didn't want Tukiko's name to get out. She didn't want to put a target on her back."

Obito nodded solemnly. He understood that. People always wanted what they could not have. If they were not born with special abilities they wanted the next thing, to have someone with special abilities to control. He looked at how diligently the woman was searching. She had not stopped moving once. He continued his search with vigor.

Kushina felt like her insides were being chewed up. The girls were out there somewhere in the cold with no food. The hovel they stayed at was beyond awful but at least they were out of the elements. The woman did feed them, even if it was little. What they had was deplorable but she felt guilty for taking even that from them. She wanted nothing more than to find them. To give them a fresh change of clothes, a hot meal, and a real bed to sleep on. But she could do any of that if they could not find them.

"Kushina, pretty soon it's going to be too dark to search. We should pack it in." He hated to be the one to suggest it. It went against his nindo but one of them had to be realistic. Things that went bump in the night were better suited for the coming conditions. They did not want to become the ones being looked for.

Kushina sighed. "I'm not giving up, Obito." She shot back at him. Defiance colored every word. "I made Sakura a promise and I won't break it. And those girls need help. I can't turn my back on them now."

"I'm not suggesting we do. All I'm saying is we should head back to the inn. We'll get a fresh start on it first thing in the morning." He said levelly. "We won't do anyone any good exhausted. I'm sure Sakura-sensei would say the same thing."

Kushina found herself reluctantly agreeing with him. "Okay. But, first thing." She emphasized.

Obito made an 'X' over his heart. "First thing."

A pair of dark eyes lifted her head slightly to watch the two leave the woods. The two names she recognized from their conversation rang in her head.

Konoha.

Sakura.

She looked at her door as if it had just offended all the ancestors that came before her. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was late. It was you-better-have-a-damn-good-reason-why-you're-knocking-on-my-door late. She got up from her couch. She padded over to the door. She already knew who it was but she checked the peephole anyway. He was wearing a grin from ear to ear. He held up the two bottles of sake to the opening.

Tsunade took a step back. She weighed her options.

"Yo Tsunade, I know you're in there. Open up." He knocked again, loudly. Her not-so-close neighbors would be sticking their sleepy faces out the windows soon if he kept this up, the silent night really amplified sounds. She told herself she was only letting him in to preserve the peace. She was considerate like that.

She opened the door. She leaned against the doorframe. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She gave him her best I'm-annoyed-look. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" She buffed her nails on her white ribbed tank top.

The fool leaned forward. His forearm came to rest on the very doorframe she was perching against. "It's the right time?" He offered helpfully. His eyebrows shot up suggestively.

She had half the mind to rearrange his face right then and there. She could also settle for slamming the door in his face. It was not as satisfying but it was a classic.

"What do you want?" She asked him irritably.

He looked over her shoulder at her coffee table. The cup on the table and the bottle told him everything he needed to know. "Hey, I thought we agreed that you weren't allowed to drink alone anymore."

She snorted. "No one allows me to do anything. I just do what I want."

He pushed past her. "Well, just as well. I brought refills." She watched as he made himself comfortable on her couch. She gawked at his audacity. Maybe she was losing her touch. First a barely older than a toddler had called her Obaachan to her face, not once but twice, and now this. She was getting soft.

"You coming or what?" He asked her expectantly. He even had the gall to pat the seat next to him.

Tsunade closed the door. "Did you at least bring food?" She asked him as she sat down on the spot he was gesturing to.

He made a face. "Was I supposed to do that too?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're the one who showed up here unannounced and uninvited."

"I brought alcohol." He blinked slowly.

"That's the only reason you're in here and not out there." She held her cup for him. She watched as he poured it. She threw it back. "It's good." She turned the bottle to stare at the label.

He grinned. "I got it from Oto. That place doesn't do a whole lot right but they know their booze. Makes sense when you think about it. The place is pretty depressing. Not much to do other than drink."

She nodded absentmindedly. "When did you get back?"

"This morning." He took a slow sip of his drink. Savoring it.

Tsunade hummed. "And It took you this long to show your face around here?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want to seem needy." His face became serious for a split second. "I had to give my update and I may have fallen asleep in the hot springs."

She rolled her eyes. She yawed to hide the smile. "You're becoming more and more of a senile old man with each and every day that passes."

He tapped his chin as if he were about to say something profound. "Are we getting older or is everyone else getting younger?" He pointed a finger in her face. "You never change."

"Move that finger or it will be moved for you." She warned. She held out her cup again.

"Slow down Tsunade. You're going to be piss drunk by the end of my sentence at this rate." He grumbled as he poured her another shot.

She grinned as she downed it. "What? You're not going to try to take advantage of me?"

He frowned. "You're less fun drunk." He looked at the refrigerator. "Do you have food?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm pumping my stomach. It's all under control."

He snorted. "If you say so." Her toes dug into the side of his thigh. She was gently tapping her hand against the back of the couch. "So what did I miss while I was away?"

To his surprise, her expression darkened. "I'm worried about Sakura and Minato." Her eyes were sharp when they captured his.

He grabbed the bottle on the table. He shook it from side to side gently. "How much have you had?" He asked jokingly. It earned him a punch to the shoulder. He rubbed the throbbing joint.

"I'm serious. It seems bad." She bit the inside of her thumbnail in frustration. "I've been waiting for you to get back. There's no one else I can talk to about them."

He leaned back. He draped his arm over the side. He matched her serious expression. "Whatever they are going through is just a bump in the road. They've been through worse. They'll be fine." He assured her.

"I'm not sure that's true." She did not look as convinced. "It feels different. I don't know what it is but something doesn't feel right."

He pinned her with a solemn look. "You and I are the last people to know what a relationship should be like. I'm hung up on a woman that doesn't want me and you're holding onto a dead dude. We're not the picture of health. They'll figure it out."

Tsunade snorted. "How much have you had?"

"Depends on what you mean. Alcohol? Not nearly enough. Of Minato's and Sakura's relationship drama? Too damn much." He finished the rest of his drink. He poured himself another. "Honest to Kami, I love them. But I don't want to spend our date talking about other people."

Her eyebrows shot up. She waved a finger between them. "Is that what you think is happening here?" She pulled her legs towards herself. She rested an arm on a bent knee.

"I know that's what's happening here." His grin was lopsided. "This is our third date if I'm counting correctly. And I think you know what that means."

"No. I don't. Care to explain it to me?" She dared him.

She watched as he balked. "You're no fun."

She grinned. "I'm thinking of changing my name to Senju No Fun Tsunade. It has a ring to it."

"Next you're going to tell me you're wearing granny panties." There was a sneaky gleam in his eye.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She saw the excitement grow on his face. "Too bad you're never going to find out." She took great joy in crushing his hopes. It made her feel unstoppable.

"It's cruel to tease an old man with a heart condition." He pouted. She did not trust the look on his face one bit.

"You're full of it. If we're not allowed to talk about Sakura and Minato what do we even have to talk about?" They had known each other since they were kids. What was left to talk about?

He looked at her like she had just told him she kicked babies for fun. "There's always something to talk about, Hime."

She cocked her head to the side. She tapped a finger against her lips. His eyes tracked the movements. "I supposed we can talk about an interesting rumor that came out of Oto." She rested her head on her propped-up arm. "Something about a tall man with white hair busting up a prostitution ring?" She sighed dreamily. "Too bad Konoha doesn't seem to have men like that around. Maybe I wouldn't be hanging onto a ghost if that were the case."

Jiraiya felt his whole body freeze. He was on a kunai's edge. He still had enough of his sound mind to see that. He lowered his cup to the table. He cleared his throat.

"Too bad I didn't run across him. I would have stopped him, he prevented important work from taking place."

She rolled her eyes. "Idiot." She nursed the cup in her hands.

"Think about it, Tsunade. I could be your Idiot." He grinned openly at her.

"This is not a date." She said adamantly. She chose to ignore the feelings that were raging inside her. She would never admit it but she was scared.

Jiraiya brushed the back of his hand against her knee. "I'll take you on a proper one soon." He promised.

It turns out they did have a lot to talk about.

He stared at the ceiling fan. It was moving slowly. He had pinned his hopes on the constant sound and visuals to put him to sleep but it appeared that he was not very lucky. He could hear them breathing next to him. He turned his head to his left. Naruto's mouth was slightly open. He was curled towards him. The top of his head was nestled under Sakura's chin. She too was curled around him like a protective shell. He wished he could sear the image in his mind forever. Just the two of them. So unbothered. So still. So safe.

He slowly got out of bed. He was mindful not to jostle it in any way. Just because he was unable to sleep he did not want them to suffer. He pulled on his shirt and made his way to the one place he liked to go on nights like this. He walked down the steps. He felt around for the light switch. There was a low buzz when the lights flickered on. He looked around his mother's scroll room. It brought him comfort. His mother was long gone but this place was the next best thing. It felt like he was back in her embrace. Safe.

He ran his hands along the neatly stacked scrolls. There was one scroll that was open on the desk. His eyes scanned it. It was the scroll that described the seal used to contain the Kyuubi.

'Sakura.' He thought to himself. She must have left it open by accident. It was a complicated seal and while she had a photographic memory she periodically liked to refresh it. She went to painstaking lengths to make sure she did not miss anything when it came to the yearly checkups that she insisted on.

Sometimes he thought that she just liked creating more work for herself. But he could not deny the real reason behind it: her compassion. She did everything she could to make the people around her happy and comfortable. It was almost compulsive with her. She could not help herself. But he supposed that was just another one of the reasons why he fell so hard and fast for her.

"Couldn't sleep either, Itachi?" He asked softly. There was no reason to speak at anything below the regular conversation level. The room was sealed. It was soundproof.

The Uchiha emerged from the shadows. "Why are you down here?"

Minato could not help but visibly react. It was just like Itachi, to answer with a question. Luckily he had a lot of patience. He could see how that could get a bit annoying. "Sometimes I come down here to work or think when I can't sleep."

Itachi looked around the room. Even without his Sharingan activated he could tell it was warded against jutsu, teleportation, and summonings. It was probably the safest room in the house.

"What is this place?" He asked.

Minato smiled fondly as he followed Itachi's gaze. "My mom's storage room. This space is the biggest reason why it's been so hard to think of moving. I know we need the space but I can't let go."

Itachi's eyes landed on the tri-pronged kunai that lined the walls. There had to be at least seven of them. "I should go. I don't want to bother you." Itachi looked at his feet.

He felt Minato's hand on his shoulder. "You're not bothering me, Itachi. But it is probably a good idea to go back to bed. You need your rest."

Itachi's eyes spotted the tiredness in Minato's eyes. "You seem to be under a lot of pressure." It came out as a statement rather than a question.

Minato's eyes crinkled. "Not any more than I can handle. How about we both try to get some sleep? How does that sound?"

Itachi nodded. He turned and walked up the steps. He heard Minato following behind him. The door of the room clicked close.

The balding man scratched his head. He really did not know how to make what he was saying any simpler for the irate woman in front of him. He looped his thumbs through the belt loops of his pants.

"Haruno-san there's nothing I can do." He said calmly.

Sakura's face contorted into an expression of pure frustration. "Look, there are four people living in this house. A house without hot water. Two of them are children. It's been days. I've been more than patient with you. It's just not acceptable anymore. I need it fixed."

The man looked from the water heater to the woman. He was not sure who he would have an easier time convincing at this point. His eyes darted to the boy who could not be more than thirteen who was standing off to the side. He did not even know why he was there. His eyes were closed and he was leaning against the wall. But he would be lying if he said he was not a little intimidated.

He looked back to Sakura. "I ordered the part. It hasn't come in yet. There is nothing I can do." He repeated. What did she expect him to do? Heat the water himself?

Sakura fisted her hands on her hips. "There has to be something you can do. Have you followed up on why the part is taking so long? Is there a similar part you can find at the junkyard or from one of your previous projects? Something?" She asked as desperation crept into her voice. She was stuck with this guy. No other contractors would take the job. They all magically seemed to be booked up until the end of the month.

His face went flat. "May I please speak with the man of the house?" He was getting nowhere with the woman. He was sure her husband would be more reasonable. After all, time was money and he was done wasting both talking in circles.

Sakura's face looked like she just smelt a skunk. Itachi shifted slightly from the wall. The ambient air temperature in the room suddenly seemed to drop a few degrees. "You're speaking to her," Sakura said flippantly.

The contractor looked to Itachi for help but the boy's eyes were still closed. By some sweet mercy of Kami, he spotted a bit of yellow in his line of view. He looked up at the Hokage in pure relief.

"Hokage-sama!" He stammered out as he turned away from the woman. "I need to speak to you about the water heater situation."

Minato spared him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sir. I just live here. You're going to have to take it up with Sakura." He turned to her. "I'll drop Naruto off at Yoshino's and Shikaku's on my way to work."

Sakura nodded. The man watched with a sinking stomach as the Hokage went just as quickly as he had come. He raised his eyes slowly to a pair of impassive emerald eyes.

"I'll go check on the status of the part. I'll figure something out by the end of the week," he said.

Sakura's face brightened. "By tomorrow," she corrected. "Thank you for being so reasonable Okimoto-san."

He could have sworn he saw the kid on the wall smirk but it could have been his eyes playing tricks on him. "By tomorrow." He grumbled.

"Oneechan?" Karin's voice called out with uncertainty. It was dawn. The darkness around them was receding back from the light. "Why are we hiding from them? The lady is nice. She feels warm. Not like Obaachan."

Tukiko said nothing as she pulled her sister up from the ground. Her knee was still a little banged up but Tukiko was relieved that Karin could apply weight on it. She was walking on her own. She felt Karin tug at her shirt.

"Oneechan. I'm hungry." The girl whined. They had to skip two meals thanks to the arrival of the woman and the man.

Tukiko tugged her to move faster. Maybe they could go back to the noodle house and get some bites in before they needed to hide again. The man had said that they would be back when the sun was up. They had some time before then. Their bare feet moved soundlessly as they circled back to the place they lived for the past two months.

"Oneechan!" Karin's voice was close to becoming a full-on cry. Tukiko ducked and she pulled Karin to do the same. She gestured to her stomach and nodded her head to indicate to her sister that she understood. She brought her index finger and pressed it to her lips.

They were close to the back alley that led to the basement. They could enter from there. Tukiko looked at her sister. She looked tired, hungry, and scared. She could be in and out of the restaurant much faster by herself than if she had to carry Karin. Tukiko considered leaving her sister hidden behind some of the garbage bins while she did just that.

"Oneechan!" Karin whispered urgently. "I don't feel so good."

'Run'.

Tukiko felt the hairs on her neck stand up. That was not good. Tukiko grabbed her sister's hand and helped her onto her back. She ran back toward where they had come. She let out a gasp as she came face to face with a man with white hair and a gold tooth. Her whole body froze in fear.

'Run, Tukiko. Run!'

"Lookie here boys. Today is our lucky day. I found the brats!" He called out. He reached his lanky arms towards her. Tukiko did not think, she just reacted. She kicked him as hard as she could in his shin. He started bouncing on one leg as he held the injured limb. She did not stop to look back. She ran clutching Karin close to her.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she ignored the hollers and screams coming from behind her. She just needed to get them to the woods. They would be safe among the trees. They would never find them. Her lungs burned. She swiped at her eyes. The tears were making her vision blurry she could not see. She felt the grass underfoot. It told her she was close.

'Run. Don't look back.

Her mother's voice encouraged her in her head. She could feel her heart beating frantically. She could hear their heavy steps behind her. There were three of them. She stumbled but she kept moving. She felt Karin's grip around her shoulders tighten in response, it brought her comfort. It reminded her that her sister was still there.

She ran in zigzags. She could just see the individual branches on the trees. She nearly exclaimed in relief. They would be okay. They would stay hidden. Karin screamed. The man had appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her from Tukiko's back.

The raven-haired girl's foot caught on a root and she went tumbling down. She landed painfully on her knee. It split open. She looked up in horror as the tan man with hair cut close to his head dangled her sister in the air.

"You girlies have been causing me a lot of grief." Karin struggled in his grasp. Her glasses had fallen off. Tukiko looked at the broken red frames and felt anger course through her.

She got up to her feet. The other two men had joined them. They were panting slightly trying to gather their breaths. She noticed that they were all around the same height. Her eyes locked with the lanky man's. The one with the gold tooth. He sneered at her. His dark greasy hair was plastered against his scalp.

"You're making some mean eyes for the little tiny thing you are, gaki."

"What are you going to do? I've had breakfast bigger than you." The third man who had a very wide nose spoke up. His voice was higher pitched than the rest. Less developed and more kid-like.

Tukiko charged for the man holding her sister. He avoided her easily and kicked her in the stomach. She flew backward, landing on her back. Her whole front and back ached. The other two men laughed. "Oneechan!" Karin screamed out in concern.

Tukiko forced herself onto her side and pushed off the ground, slowly. Everything protested but she got up to her feet. The anger she felt seemed to heighten all her senses. It was as if they were moving in slow motion. She saw the man with the gold tooth pointing at her. His eyes went wide.

The bigger man, the one who kicked her, looked at Tukiko with interest. "That's the Sharingan. Did not expect that from her. The deadbeat said only the younger one had special abilities."

"They are sisters, boss. Maybe she has the special chakra too?" The man with a wide nose and squeaky voice spoke up.

The man holding Karin grinned. "An Uzumaki and an Uchiha all in one. The idiot didn't know what he was sitting on. These girls are worth at least double what we paid for them."

Gold Tooth flashed a grin. It contained at least three gaps. "Does that mean we're rich?" He asked eagerly, practically salivating at the thought.

"I'd reckon we are." Squeaky Voice said.

"New objective, men. We're taking both of them alive." Big Man looked at the two. They nodded in understanding.

Tukiko did not know what they were saying but she did not care. She had to protect Karin. It was her job. It was what her mother asked of her. She felt the anger envelop her. It was like a warm hug on a cool night. Inviting. Welcoming.

She gave in.

She checked the laces of her boots one more time with a forceful tug. "Ok. That should do it." She rose to her feet. Obito was staring at her strangely. "What?" She asked impatiently.

Obito rubbed the back of his head. His eyes seemed to suddenly find the ground very interesting. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"What?" She repeated unable to make out the word.

He sighed and looked at her. The look on his face changed her demeanor instantly. It looked serious. "I'm sorry for what I said to you yesterday. It was out of line, totally uncalled for."

She furrowed her brows. "It's fine. I mocked your chances at your dream first." She probably would have lashed out worse if someone told her she was not cut out for Hokage back when it was still something she thought she wanted.

Obito shook his head. "I was just being insecure." He admitted. The blatant honesty caught her off guard.

"We all have our things." She darted her eyes to the noodle house. There was no movement. They had hoped to find the girls here.

"Still doesn't excuse what I said to you about Minato-sensei. It's just I know what it's like not being someone's first choice." He looked a million miles away. He was working through something and whether she wanted to or not, Kushina would be part of it.

"You're talking about Rin."

Obito nodded. "She only had eyes for Kakashi even before we were a team. She barely paid any attention to me when he was around." His hands twitched. "Kakashi never showed her any interest back. And I kept at it…"

"And you wonder if she just settled for you. Is that it?" Kushina asked him flatly.

Obito flinched. He hung his head. "Yeah. It's hard not to think how things would have turned out if Kakashi was even remotely interested."

Kushina crossed her arms. Her violet eyes scanned the street for any signs of black and red. "And you're asking me because you think I've been in your situation before?"

He looked her in the eye. There was no anger, offense, or hurt in their purple depths. He nodded.

Kushina sighed. "As I said, we all have things we're insecure about," she eyed him. "Some more than others." He did not react. He was already down. "I don't think you should feel insecure about your relationship with Rin."

He furrowed his brow. "Easy for you to say."

She pulled at her ponytail. "You're the one she is with now. Do you think she loves you?"

He nodded. "She does." He did not doubt it.

"And you love her?" She asked.

He nodded his head vehemently. "More than anything."

Kushina's expression softened. "So there you have it. Don't go looking for trouble where there is none."

"But -"

She pinned him with a look. "Obito, you love her and she loves you. It's that simple. So what if she first had a crush on a guy? That was then. You all were kids. She's with you now. Maybe things didn't work out how Rin thought they would. They didn't for me. But they worked out exactly how they were supposed to. And I couldn't be happier. And I would bet Rin feels the same way."

He felt his mouth go dry. It felt like a great weight was being lifted off of his chest. He felt lighter. He felt better. "You mean it?" He asked. Hope filled his eyes.

Kushina smiled. "I know it. And do you know why?" She waited for him to nod. "Rin looks at you the same way Sakura looks at Minato."

He was speechless. Kushina had floored him with her observation. Warmth spread through him. His gratitude for the Uzumaki woman grew. She helped him see what was there all along.

"Thanks, Kushina." He grinned at her.

She brought her hands to her hips. "As happy as I am to have gotten all that behind us, why did you bring it up now?"

Obito's face became hard with determination. "I wanted to apologize and clear the air before we found the girls."

Kushina looked at him with her mouth agape. A slow smile stretched across her lips once she recovered from the shock. "

Thank you, Obito."

Both of them snapped their heads towards a sudden spike in chakra. They looked back at each other with grim purposes. They nodded before breaking into a full sprint toward the power surge. Kushina prayed to any higher being that was listening that the knot in her stomach was just from a feeling of anxiety rather than a sense of foreboding.

They reached the clearing in the woods. Three men turned to see them approach. In their haste, neither of them did not bother to think tactically. Kushina launched a kunai from her fingers, aiming for the biggest man's head. He was forced to loosen his hold on Karin just enough for her to wiggle around. She bit down on his forearm. He let go of her instantly.

Obito engaged the two men before they could go after her. Tukiko ran to her sister. Kushina positioned herself to stand between the man and the girls. She had managed to get a good enough look to assess them. Karin was trembling and her face was stained with tears but she was physically unharmed. Tukiko was worse for wear. She looked battered and bruised but she was still in one piece. She cursed herself for turning down a medic. At the time it seemed like just another person to lie to but now with hindsight, it would have been the right call.

Obito was to her right. His eyes were crimson. She looked at the men. They were all gathered there. She felt Obito move closer to her. She turned her head slightly to look Tukiko in the eye. "Tukiko-chan you need to take Karin-chan and run. Find a place to hide. Can you do that, Tukiko-chan?"

Tukiko looked at her shell shocked. The girl made no indication of understanding. Her eyes were wide and she was clenching Karin's hand desperately. She knew that look on her face all too well. She was experiencing PTSD.

"Wowsers, boss! Another Uzumaki and Uchiha. How much more do you reckon we can get for these two?" The squeaky voice asked in excitement.

"Don't get greedy Touri. The girls are all we need for now."

"But Fumio," Touri began but the stern look on Fumio's face cut him off mid-complaint.

Obito flung a kunai at Fumo. The man moved out of the way. He grabbed it from midair and flung it back at them. It multiplied. Kushina reacted. She turned her back to take the blades. She hissed as she registered the pain.

"Don't worry about me." She smiled reassuringly at the horrified looks on the girls' faces. "I heal fast."

She turned back around to glare at Fumio. "Go. Run, Tukiko. Take Karin and run. I'll find you. Go!" She said with as much authority as she could muster.

Tukiko grabbed Karin and did as she was ordered. Kushina looked at the man. She felt the wounds begin to close up.

"So you're the one that likes knives?" She asked him angrily.

He grinned. "It was fun slicing them open. I'm going to enjoy doing the same to you." He vanished. Her eyes scanned around frantically for him. She saw movement in the corner of her eye. She ducked to avoid a right hook to the head. She landed an elbow firmly on his nose. He stumbled back.

She watched as he straightened. There was no blood. Her brow furrowed. His nose should be broken. He should be in a great deal of pain. He shook it off like it was nothing. She did not have time to think too much about it. His hands moved through seals. A blast of water shot at her. She flipped back onto her hands to avoid the blow. The ground splintered where the water made contact. She looked at the crater the size of her head.

"Need to avoid getting hit by that." She muttered to herself. She gripped her kunai. He had water release. So did she. He also seemed to have an unbelievably high pain tolerance. She looked at the canopy of trees. She needed to end this soon. She had her endless chakra and her healing abilities but from where she stood, he may have the upper advantage over her.

He threw more projectiles at her. Her hands flew through the seals. A wall of wind knocked them back right toward him. He let them fall off his body. He barely even reacted to the kunai embedded in his leg.

It did not appear to be slowing him down either. He launched a barrage at her. All her energy and focus were spent on not getting hit.

"Damn it, die already!" She growled. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. She panted. She could not remember the last time she had even used a jutsu much less sparred. She was woefully out of shape. She vowed to herself that she would never let it get this bad again. She would find time to train on top of everything else.

She ducked to avoid a punch. She waited for her opening. She delivered a full-contact uppercut to his chin. He skidded back. He held his chin in his hand, angrily. That was the problem. He was built like a rhino. He seemed to withstand whatever she threw at him. She had yet to see him bleed.

"Everyone has a weakness," she reminded herself. She needed to stay calm and find his.

He let out another jet of water. She jumped behind a tree to avoid being blasted into tiny pieces. She felt the bark of the tree peel away as his jutsu whittled the tree away. She jumped back just in time as the tree exploded into a million pieces. She covered her face with her hands.

The dirt cloud cleared. She stood there looking at him. He sized her up. He was strong but she was faster. She let out a low growl. Water enveloped her hands. She blew on them. The water hardened to ice. She flashed. She reappeared behind him. She managed to land two solid, full-contact blows before he turned around, swinging for her. She leaped back to avoid being hit. Something inside her told her it would be debilitating even with the Kyuubi's healing abilities.

Her hands formed the familiar seals. She brought a hand to her lips. She let out a jet of water so vicious it should slice through anything in its path. The man moved to dodge. She got closer to press her advantage. She landed an uppercut to his jaw. Her knuckles screamed at her as the blow made contact. The skin healed just as quickly as it had broken. He stumbled back. He held his face.

She felt herself being pulled into the ground. There was a soft popping sound as a wooden stump took her place. She landed a roundhouse kick to his side. She moved to avoid him coming down with a blade. It nicked her in the side. She flew back. She glared at him as she held her injury. The skin was already stitching itself back together.

He was on the move again. She anticipated the attacks. She picked up his pattern. Left, left, right, left, kick, right. She panted and she avoided a kick. She ducked down and tried to sweep him off his feet. He countered. She just managed to roll away to avoid a fist to the head. A chakra chain emerged from her arm. She swung it around his legs. She pulled. He lost balance. She rose to her feet. More chains emerged. They wrapped around his torso and his arms. She pinned him in place.

She felt him struggle against the chains. "It's pointless." She stood over him. She looked at the expression on his face.

His eyes were wild. They promised pain. "I'm going to get out of here, bitch. And when I do you'll be -"

She did not wait for him to finish. The chains had tugged his neck to the left. Breaking it. She felt nothing as the light went from his eyes. She ran towards the sounds of the battle still raging.

Obito twisted in midair to avoid a fireball being shot at him. The air around him was hot. His favorite mission shirt was singed around the edges. He had seen the girls escape and he was aware that one of the enemies was down.

"I need to quit messing around." He reminded himself.

His hands moved through a jutsu. He saw Touri coming from a mile away. His eyes spun. "You want the Sharingan so bad, come and get it." He taunted.

Touri glared at him. "I'm going to rip it from your eye sockets while you're still alive, boy!"

Obito grinned. "I'd like to see you try."

It happened in slow motion. Touri watched with great satisfaction as his fire jutsu engulfed a wood clone. Obito appeared behind him. The man's eyes widened as he saw the last seal that Obito had just made. His eyes flashed from panic to acceptance as flames surrounded him. He was killed by his own jutsu. Touri never stood a chance.

Obito did not have time to take satisfaction in his victory. He looked at the lanky man who was regaining consciousness. He pulled himself to his feet.

"I'm going to kill you." He snarled.

Obito's lip twitched. "That's my line." He moved faster than the man anticipated. He phased behind him. Obito kicked him in the back of the knee. The man stumbled. With one swift movement, Obito kneed him in the head. The man's eyes rolled back. The Uchiha held the bird seal with his hands and the earth rose around the man with the gold tooth. It swallowed him whole. He heard Kushina come to a stop next to him.

His eyes did a triage. She was fine. There was not a scratch on her.

She looked at him. There was a nasty burn on his shin. "Are you alright?"

Obito shrugged. "I'll live. So much for not blowing our cover." There was a wryness to his voice when he spoke. His eyes focused on hers. "We should go find the girls."

Kushina frowned. "There's first aid in my backpack back at the inn. Go take care of your leg. I have an idea of where they are. I'll bring them back soon."

Obito did not have it in him to argue. The look in her eyes also told him it would get him nowhere.

"Fine. You leave the bodies to me and I'll see you back at the inn."

Kushina nodded. She moved with purpose to where she hoped she would find the girls. She felt more and more unsure with each step she took. It was eerily quiet. The place was still boarded up. She imagined it was hard to find someone willing to take on the project when two women were so brutally murdered there. She searched the windows. She found the one that was unlocked. She slipped through. Her feet barely made a sound when she landed in the room.

"Tukiko-chan? Karin-chan? It's me, Kushina. You can come out now." She called out softly. She was in a room. Clothes were thrown about. The door was off its hinges. The whole place was ransacked. She heard a muffled sound as she walked by the bed. Kushina's eyes softened. She lowered herself to sit at the edge of the bed. She reached into her pocket. She pulled out the folded photograph. She smoothed it. She looked at the two smiling faces and the blurry baby bundled up in blankets. "I wanted to show this to you girls the other day. I didn't get the chance to."

She waited more patiently than she waited for anything. She sat there not moving. She listened to the sound of her breathing to pass the time. After what felt like an eternity. A head shot out from underneath the bed. Karin's face looked up at her.

"I wanna see!" Curiosity getting the better of her.

Kushina chuckled. There was relief mixed in with joy. "Come up here and I'll show you. I'm too big to fit under there."

Karin seemed to consider it. She pulled herself up and came to sit next to Kushina on the bed. "Is that Mama and Granny?" She asked with excitement.

Kushina nodded. "It is and do you know who that is?" She pointed to the baby.

Karin pressed her face together as she concentrated. "No." She said after some time.

Kushina kept her eyes on the photograph. "That's your sister, Tukiko-chan. When she was a baby."

Karin's face lit up. "Really?" She looked at Kushina confused. "Why do you have a picture of Mama, Granny, and my sister?"

Kushina smiled. Karin scooted closer to her. "My friend, Sakura, helped your Mama a long time ago. Your Mama gave her this picture as a thank you."

"But why do you have it?" Karin asked her again.

"Sakura gave it to me to show to you and your sister," Kushina explained patiently.

"Why?" Karin asked again.

"Because Sakura asked me to help her. To find you to make sure you were okay." She kept her gaze trained on the photograph as Tukiko came out from underneath the bed. She stood hugging herself tightly. "Would you like to see the picture, Tukiko-chan?"

Karin leaned into Kushina. "Kiko-Oneechan doesn't talk anymore. Not since we came inside the last time."

Kushina looked at Tukiko. Her heart went out to the girl. She could tell from the haunted look in her eyes that she had seen what her mother wanted to shield her from. She saw what cruelty the world was capable of. "Did you come with Tukiko-chan into the house too?"

Karni nodded. "But I kept my eyes closed. Promise."

Kushina's expression was colored in understanding. "I see." She said in a small voice. She knew this was where they would eventually end up. Every place was no longer safe for the girls. The woods, the noodle house, their home. This was all they had left. They had run out of options.

Kushina held out the photograph for Tukiko. The girl took it. She watched as the tears streamed down her cheeks as she traced the faces of the photograph with her finger.

"Look at the back," Kushina prompted her gently.

Tukiko took a deep breath and turned the photograph over. Her eyes widened as she recognized the neat strokes of her mother's handwriting. She pressed the photo to her chest.

"Keep it," Kushina said gently when the girl reluctantly held it out for her.

There was so much in Tukiko's eyes when they finally met hers. Kushina gathered to ask the question that she had floating around in her head all day.

"Would it be okay if I took you girls to Konoha? My friend Sakura would really like to make sure you are okay."

She waited with bated breath as Karin looked at Tukiko. She let out a sound of pure relief when Tukiko's head dipped downward ever so slightly.