Disclaimer: The characters are Masashi Kishimoto's property, I own the OCs.

Characters age:

Akane: 18 (51)

Itachi: 18 (35)

Shisui: 21

Naruto / Sasuke: 13

Kakashi: 26

"I have sent my pack in recon," Kakashi said the next morning, his genin in tow. Sasuke kept giving me the cold shoulder. "I am afraid it is not just two shinobi we are against." I frowned. "There are at least forty people on the continent waiting for us to go back there."

"It doesn't make sense," I muttered. "It makes no sense at all, does it?" I asked Mangetsu, who was frowning, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Even if we were to take into account our issues with Iwa, it's a lot of people." He glanced at Kakashi, then Naruto. "They would have no way to know we would all be at the same place and even with Hatake's reputation, it's a lot. There's something else going on." I glanced at Haku and Zabuza, quiet until then.

"We have not had any interactions with Iwa, it's the first time I hear about them being around here," Zabuza-san told us. "They're not fond of water."

"We can always leave the opposite way," Mangetsu suggested. Naruto stood up.

"What about if they attacked the village!?" Kakashi forced him to sit down.

"Naruto isn't wrong, and our mission is to see the bridge completed. Tazuna-san refuses to finish it if there is a chance of foreign shinobi attacking them right after." It was understandable.

"So, what, should we try to find why they're here? It's risky," Sasuke said.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Kakashi looked at me. "I'm sure you must have gotten better in the past five years." I nodded. He glanced at Mangetsu. "I remember you from the Chuunin Exams, I'm sure it is the same for you, so let's work together." Mangetsu nodded.

"Kakashi-sensei, what about us?" Sakura asked him. He glanced at her.

"For now, you three will stay in the village and keep an eye out." I pointed at Haku and Zabuza-san behind us.

"These two as well."

"Since when?" Zabuza-san asked me roughly. I rolled my eyes and looked at him above my shoulder.

"You can't do much with Kakashi, Mangetsu and I when you're injured. Maybe Haku could, but I don't have a good grasp of his skills yet. You've seen these three fights, it's enough to make up a plan if things turn sour in the village." His scowl did not scare me.

"She is not wrong Zabuza-san," Haku added quietly. Zabuza-san shot him a betrayed glance and rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He narrowed his eyes at the three genin. Naruto was the only one who did not tense. "You better listen to me if I give an order." Kakashi narrowed his eyes at him a little but did not say anything.

"However, Kakashi-san." Kakashi looked at Haku. "Wouldn't Konoha spot a large number of Iwa shinobi in its country?"

"They would, but they would make a move after two weeks. After the war, a treaty was signed to give shinobi two weeks in the Land of Fire in case their missions were leading them within our borders. The conditions are strict, but not impossible to twist."

"So even if Hokage-sama knows, he wouldn't make a move for two weeks otherwise he would be breaking a war treaty?" Sakura inquired.

"Precisely."

"There's no way the villagers can go on for two weeks without contact with the continent," Sasuke pointed out.

"Haku can come with you." We all looked at Haku, who shrunk under the attention. "You won't struggle to use him efficiently, I can guarantee."

"'Use'!?" I raised my hand at Naru, who had stood up. Kakashi had stretched his arm out.

"Don't Naruto, this is none of our business."

Words mattered, but the use of the word 'use' did not really have much meaning to us. Everyone talked like that when it came to missions like these where the odds seemed against us. We saw everyone through their skillsets.

"You can achieve your dream to have a genin team senpai," Mangetsu teased him with a smirk. Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"I can find a way to cut your head off Houzuki." Haku muffled a chuckle. I stood up and Kakashi imitated me.

"We should try to plan a strategy." He looked at his genin. "You know what to do. Make sure they don't see Zabuza as a threat anymore." They nodded.

Naru came up to me, which prompted Sasuke and Sakura to stop and wait for him.

"Be careful Nee-chan." I smiled a little.

"Always." He sniffed.

"Liar." Rude. "I can help if you need it." I ruffled his hair. He pouted. "I'm a shinobi too!"

"I know, but this is above your paygrade." He kicked the grass.

"Are they nice to you?" I blinked. "Over there, are they nice to you? I heard things."

"I found good people among them and I'm tough, it's all you need to know." He nodded. I flicked his nose, and he rubbed it with a small frown. "Now go, they're waiting for you and we both have a mission to do." I showed him my closed fist and he bumped his in it.

"Got it dattebayo!" Naru really had a great capacity to forgive people. I watched him go and joined Mangetsu.

"Be careful Uzu," he advised me.

"I know, I know." I glanced at Naru above my shoulder. "I'm not planning on getting too close."

"But?" I pursed my lips.

"He's more likely to do as I say if I'm as honest as possible and he's too unpredictable for our own good right now. If I can get a glimpse of what I missed for the past five years, it is a bonus I'll gladly take. I know you get it." Mangetsu's love for Suigetsu was very strong, if it was not at Itachi's level for Sasuke then it was not that far off.

"It's not a question of understanding or not Uzu, you know that." I nodded numbly and he put his hand on my head and pushed on it to tease me. "Anyway, we've got work to do." I put my hair back to normal.

We ran to the border. Between the four of us, we had a pretty good skillset. We were splitting up, Kakashi and I on the east side of the bridge still in construction, Mangetsu and Haku on the west side. We all had Chakra Concealing Seal on, Kakashi getting his own from his own fuinjutsu kit, weird. Mangetsu was a sensor, he could handle it. Haku seemed smart and gave us a quick summary of his skills. They could go into the mist if it was needed and stay in Silent Killing Mode. Haku had a great knowledge of the human body, so both him and Kakashi were responsible for capturing someone while Mangetsu and I were the shields.

We went to the beach and hid there.

"I'd say there are around fifteen people, with five jounin-level people." I extended my sensing range a little more. "Yeah, fifteen on our side, fifteen on the guys' side and around ten in front on the bridge deeper in the forest."

"So, they completely surround the only exit of the Land of Wave." I nodded sternly. "I'd say to wait until tonight to make our move, we don't know how well they can contact the other groups." I nodded. "Will they get the same idea?"

"Yeah." I glanced at the sea. "Maybe Mangetsu will even have the exact same idea as me." Kakashi followed my eyes.

"You want to create a natural mist?"

"Yup. I cool down the temperature of the air above the water, it meets the warmer air of the land and bim, mist." I glanced at him. "You'd need to rely on your nose."

"Don't worry about me." We waited until nightfall, and I started the plan.

Once I had enough mist, I stopped my jutsu. We would get…ten to fifteen minutes until the temperature went back to normal, so fifteen minutes of mist at best.

We infiltrated the camp. It was not big, five tents in total. There were three people keeping watch. I tried to give Kakashi a few seals, but he told me he already had some. Seriously, who between Kushina and Minato had stolen my idea of having a fuinjutsu kit?

I moved a little away from the camp and made noise. It could be an animal like it could be someone, I was trying to get their attention and make them suspicious to give Kakashi the opportunity to get the jounin sleeping.

I frowned when I felt Kakashi's chakra and the jounin's getting stronger. One of three keeping watch had to be a sensor because he looked back. Shit.

I grabbed a marker and threw it between the three. Before any of them could register what was happening, I used the Hiraishin and knocked the three of them out. I ran to the tent, but Kakashi had just put an Immobility Seal on the target. I added one to suppress his chakra and we were off.

We stopped five kilometers away from the camp and Kakashi used the Sharingan on him. A couple of minutes went by before Kakashi knocked the guy out completely. I removed the seal and used the Hiraishin to send him to a marker I had left to the Land of Grass before. It was the further I could reach.

"You've finally mastered it." I nodded at Kakashi. "Sensei would be proud." I rolled my eyes.

"He would have something to say to any idea I have to improve it."

"Yes, it sounds like him."

"…his image didn't suffer too much?" He sighed and put his forehead protect back over his eye.

"There have been some words, some questioning but they were more against you than him. Sensei is still popular."

"Good."

"Akane, many people in Konoha actively think you have stained a 'perfect' rule." I looked away as I stood up. "Going back…"

"I never said anything about going back." He raised a brow.

"Are you going to stay in Kiri permanently?" I shrugged.

"I'll see where events take me. Let's meet up with the others."

Kakashi gave the chuunin the boys had with them the same treatment and I sent him to the Land of Tea. We went back to the Land of Wave later.

"They're after you," Kakashi said, looking at me. I pointed at myself. "Yes, precisely."

"What have you done this time Uzu?" Mangetsu asked me with a tired sigh, rubbing his forehead. Kakashi smirked beneath his mask.

"No…nothing! I haven't had any contact with Iwa since they almost killed you!" I defended myself.

"From what I have gathered, they got intel that the Land of Water was conspiring something in the southern sea of the Land of Tea. They were attacked when they got there and discovered that you had been the one sent there." He frowned at the ground. "However, someone from Konoha was apparently seen with you."

"Oh, for fuc…It's the mission I've just done!" Mangetsu widened his eyes a little. "And…I wasn't…alone…"

"Someone helped you?"

"Yeah, Itachi." Kakashi just…stared. "You heard me right. I went to that place to investigate and found Itachi there doing the same. Well, he found me." I would keep Shisui's part to myself. "It was a shitshow, we almost drowned in a storm and helped each other until we parted ways. I was barely back in Kiri that the Mizukage sent me on this mission."

"It is very recent then, the Tsuchikage did not waste time."

"Well, if both Konoha and Kiri know about the place, we can't cross out the possibility of other Hidden Villages knowing about it as well," Mangetsu pointed out. "Iwa could have had shinobi posted around and they saw a few things without the actual context and suddenly, Iwa thinks we're hostile."

"Makes sense. When they located you here, they came and when they realized Naruto was here as well, they decided a siege would be a good idea to get to the bottom of this and draw the Hokage out."

"Are you talking about the Isle of the Lost?" I glanced at Haku in surprise. "Zabuza-san and I went there a few months back; they were very anti-shinobi."

"They're even more now there has been a coup." I pursed my lips. "Itachi said it was only the beginning, I hate when he's right. For all we know, they think Kiri and Konoha allied themselves with these dipshits."

"What do we do now? They won't just leave." Kakashi raised a finger.

"I have an idea. I'll deal with the Hokage myself." I raised a brow. "What does Iwa fear?" Haku, Mangetsu and I looked at each other. Then I looked at Kakashi and widened my eyes.

"The Yellow Flash!" Kakashi nodded. "You want me to impersonate him? Wouldn't it have bad repercussions for Konoha?"

"Not if you don't kill them." Even though… "Let's go back to the others for now."

"Welcome back," Akane greeted him with a smile. "You're back quickly this time." He nodded and removed his shoes, coat and forehead protector. He didn't want to think about his last mission, there had been too many useless deaths.

He blinked at Akane, who was staring at him.

"Sorry, you just…seem off so I'm not sure if I should do as usual." It was considerate of her. Still, he stretched his hand out a little and she beamed at him.

She hugged him and kissed him softly on the lips. He made it deeper in a matter of seconds, pulling down on her hair gently so she'd lean her head back. A soft moan came from her when his tongue became more daring.

"Itachi? Is everything alright?" she asked him in a whisper, her cheeks adorably red.

"Hn." He started kissing the soft skin of her neck.

"Ita…" She moaned, pressing herself against him as a reflex. "Don't you want to…to sleep or eat or…"

"I want you," he whispered huskily in her ear. "All of you."

"I'm yours," she said hotly against him. He picked her up, her legs around his waist and took her to her bed.

His sickness was winning, but the last thing he would do was ruin the little bit of normalcy and domesticity in his life. Even if it hurt, he would keep carrying Akane to her bed and make love to her. He would not let go of the one thing making him feel good until the end.

When they were done, he collapsed on the bed by her side, both of them panting and sweating. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only thing breaking it being the sound of their breathing. He watched Akane sit and stretch her arms above her head. They were close to each other, but she was blurry. Without thinking, he ran his hand up her spine, making her jump at first. She shivered under his touch.

She was beautiful. He had accidently walked in on her bathing when they were traveling together and had never stopped thinking about how beautiful she was ever since. Even if they had started having sex, then officially started a relationship, he had yet to find someone or something more beautiful than her. It was not as if he was looking either, he was more than happy with the person who gave him a home to go back to. For some odd, weird reasons he could not understand, Akane had fallen in love with him, had returned his feelings and made him feel so normal.

"I have to pee." She left the bed and put her panties back on. Even with his declining sight, his eyes lingered on her until she was out of the bathroom.

Long, lean legs, a round butt he could stare at for longer than appropriate, a waistline a little bit visible but not too much, a small stomach he thought was adorable, breasts he could fondle in the palm of his hands, delicate collarbones and arms, long fingers he loved having in his hair…

Really, she had no idea how much he had wanted her for months before they did anything together. She was stunning and every inch he would see of her fair, smooth skin, he wanted to touch and kiss.

He was all too happy to see her bare body beneath him in bed or see her walking around with close to nothing on her. What was better was to see her with his shirt on. It never failed to make him want her for another round.

He was so lucky. In the hell that was his life, he had somehow found himself a bright sun giving color and warmth back to his world. He loved having her loving smile and warm, loving gaze for him despite everything. She had proven him that his hands were more than just killing tools.

"My shift starts in three hours," she informed him when she slipped back in bed next to him. She pulled the sheets up to her chest, but he lowered them. "Like what you see?" He hummed in response. "Itachi." He looked up at her face. Her voice had a worried tone to it, and she looked concerned now. "How much do you still see?" He put the sheets back on her body. "Do you still see me from that distance?"

As an answer, he pinned her to the bed gently, his nose grazing hers.

"I see you perfectly fine like this," he said against her.

"It is not a very practical distance in your everyday life." He lay back down next to her. She leaned on her forearm to look at him, her hand on his naked chest. "I don't want to be noisy or chastise you but…have you ever thought about getting glasses when you're not using your sharingans?" He sighed.

"I would go through too many pairs; it would be a waste of time." She looked down in thoughts. "I am not blind Akane."

"Sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if you randomly walked into a tree either." She was kind.

In her own way. She loved him and took care of him, showered him with affection with small gestures and touches and kisses while trying not to cross his boundaries. She was one of the kindest, most loyal people he had ever met.

But she was kind in her own way. Depending on the situation, she would be gentle or brutally blunt to get her point across, the sarcastic comments sometimes close to insults depending on the situation. She loved making jokes just to see his reactions. They had traveled together for two years before she settled down in her house, there had been a lot of jokes, even when they were not really friends yet.

He never would have thought he would ever have a friend again, even less fall in love and yet, here he was, in bed with his girlfriend. He wanted to propose to her in all honesty. It probably would not be good for her after his death, so he would not. He wanted to, he wanted to be able to call her his wife, even if it was just the two of them.

She poked his cheek then gently pulled on it.

"You have your big thinking face on." He glanced at her. "Your eyes are more empty than usual." He rolled his eyes and pulled her swiftly on him. "You know I'd be more than happy to listen to you 'tachi," she reminded him, her ear on his heart.

"I know." He kept an arm around her shoulders. He started to run his fingers in her hair with his free hand and she relaxed against him.

"If I fall asleep, wake me up forty-five minutes before my shift."

"Of course." Lucky for them both, he dozed off as well but woke up before her.

"Itachi!" He groaned and opened his eyes. His mother was bending over him, her hand on his shoulder. "Dear, I thought you were a light sleeper!"

"I have sleep to catch up on." He ran his hand on his face and sat on his bed. "What is it?"

"The Hokage asked both you and your father to come to his office quickly." It was strange.

Minato had established things. For a B-rank mission, each day spent on the mission equaled half a day of rest. It was a full day for A-rank and S-rank missions, except in times of wars or emergencies, and up to two weeks.

He had not had his two weeks, so something was wrong.

When he arrived at the Hokage's office, his father was there, but also Hizashi-san with Kou, Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chouza.

"I have received worrying words from Gai's team." Hizashi tensed. His son was part of the team after all. "We have a full platoon from Iwa in the country."

"Are they threatening us?"

"Not within our borders. They're blocking the exit route from the Land of Waves however." Fugaku frowned, like Itachi. It was where Team Seven was. "I have not received word from Kakashi since they got there, he only told me the mission went to A-rank because they encountered Momochi Zabuza." One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Could they be after Naruto?" Shikaku asked him. Minato glanced at Itachi briefly.

"Maybe, maybe not. Gai tried to get information and apparently, last night, Neji spotted two people kidnapping someone from Iwa."

"So Kakashi-san is already on the move." Minato pursed his lips.

"Yes."

"Who was the other person then?" Inoichi asked him. Minato sighed deeply.

"Akane?" Everybody stared at him. "Kiri loves hunting their missing-nins down. Jiraya-sensei also told me that for the past six years, Iwa and Kiri have been very hostile to each other."

"So, your runaway goddaughter who fled to Kiri five years ago is now stuck in the same country as your son and they are working together?" Chouza summed up. "Konoha and Kiri both have bad blood with Iwa, so if they were to target them all it would make sense."

"Clearly it is what has happened. Akane and Kakashi know each other well enough to put up a strategy even if they have not seen each other in five years," Minato said.

"Can we trust her Minato?" Shikaku asked him sternly, Hizashi and Fugaku now dead silent. Kou was no better, even if he was trying to put on a brave front.

"I doubt she would attack Team Seven in our current situation or if she had no interest in it." Itachi glanced at his father.

He seemed unfazed.

"Anyway, they can't leave the Land of Wave unless they dive in danger. Go on the other side and put pressure on Iwa. If they realize that they're stuck between two groups, they should retreat. You may go, except for you Itachi." Once everyone was gone, Itachi walked closer to Minato.

"She won't hurt them."

"Oh yes, I know that. That being said, the timing between your mission and this is…strange. Kakashi must know why they're here precisely now and is planning as we speak, but if you can, get information as well." Itachi nodded. "I probably should not say that either but…if it comes to it, let her go." His blue eyes went to him. "I'm afraid you are going to work with her again way too soon."

Something was going on in Kiri.

So…Iwa decided to attack. At dawn.

We were talking with the kids and Zabuza-san when someone came to find us, panicking and saying foreign shinobi were asking for us. Mangetsu and I glanced at each other and told the others we would go first because I was their first target after all, and the one responsible for bringing them here. Kakashi said they would be on the defense because the villagers' safety was the priority. Zabuza-san could not fight to a hundred percent yet, but he could fight so both him and Haku would be in-between.

Two jounin/anbu with the enemy, a jounin/anbu with a high-level chuunin to low-level jounin at the middle and a jounin with three genin on the defense.

There were ten shinobi and kunoichi in front of us. Both Mangetsu and I raised our hands. They were smart enough not to stay close to the sea because even if I could smell the salt from where we were, we couldn't see it.

"So, were you fancying a walk far from home?" I asked them as a greeting.

"We have questions for you Uzumaki."

"I'm flattered."

"What have you done to our missing shinobi?" I raised a brow. "What have you done to their bodies!?"

"Oh chill, they're not dead. I sent them away, that's all." Kakashi's plan would not be put into action.

"How?" Right, my use of the Hiraishin was not exactly…known to everyone.

I shrugged.

"You think taking a poor nation hostage is good thinking?" Mangetsu inquired with a deadpan.

"We're not looking to harm them, they're just a way to pressure you."

"Right, well, let's go then." They handcuffed us.

They had no idea Mangetsu was a ticking bomb. It was something we had done a few times. I could put Explosive Seals on him without actually hurting him because of his Hydrification Technique. People would be shocked and Bim, Mangetsu would shoot them, or I would finish them. Even if the handcuffs had a seal on them and I could not use chakra for now, Mangetsu could activate it manually just with a little bit of his blood.

As we were going near the bridge, empty boats beneath it, it was what he did. People jumped away quickly; someone was dumb enough to keep his arm around my neck. I grabbed his arm with both my hand, Mangetsu now at my feet to shoot between the handcuffs. It gave me enough mobility to modify whatever seal they had put on them and I put an Immobility Seal on the man, who fell limply on the ground.

While Mangetsu was distracting them, I used a mix of Nuibari and the Hiraishin to tie them up all together. Mangetsu's arm got bigger, and he carried them all with only one hand.

I went through hand seals and stretched out my hands above the sea from the edge of cliff we were on.

"Suiton: Water Colliding Wave!" The water rose up to my hands, the level of the sea decreasing quite a lot. Mangetsu threw the tied-up shinobi in the water, I made it bigger and jumped on top of it, Mangetsu behind me.

I easily took us close to the continent as we could see it. I jumped, like Mangetsu and threw the wave with the shinobi from Iwa there. Then, I touched Mangetsu and used the Hiraishin back to the island.

I was frowning though.

"Konoha's there," I stated firmly.

"We're leaving." We ran back to the village.

What was not our surprise to see both Suigetsu and Dai with Team Seven. Suigetsu had blood on his shirt, which made Mangetsu sigh.

"They're cool, they're cool," I told these two, sensing the hostility between them all. "We're not going to open hostility when we had to work together, right?" Kakashi nodded.

"Are you two okay?" Dai asked us. "We tracked people down from the Land of Tea up to here." It really was a damn siege they were planning on doing.

"We're fine, we're leaving." Naruto opened his eyes a little wider and glanced at me. I didn't say anything, but Mangetsu noticed so he continued. "Konoha's on the other side of the bridge dealing with Iwa, if we stay here, they'll go after Uzu." I looked at Kakashi, who sighed.

"We worked together, so for this one, I won't try to stop you Akane if you guys leave before the others enter the Land of Wave."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura almost yelled in surprise.

"Anyway, I doubt I would be efficient in doing so with all of you here." True. "Leave." Zabuza and Haku glanced at each other, but I shoved both of them in front of me.

"Nee-chan!" I sighed a little.

"It was good to see you again Naruto, but you are a shinobi now. You understand that we're not friends or family right now." On this note, we left.

I ignored Dai curious glance on me, and Mangetsu telling him it was nothing. The medic cleared his throat.

"And for the fake head?" he asked me.

"It was dealt with before I went to the bridge," I replied. I had a fake Zabuza head sealed in a scroll. "Let's hurr…fuck." Sasuke was following. "You guys keep going, I'll catch up." I slowed down on purpose.

I looked above my shoulder and saw a red-eyed Sasuke furiously trying to catch up.

"You're being annoying Sasuke, has anyone ever told you that?" I asked him coldly.

"So, what, you think you can leave just like that again!?" he roared in anger. "Do you even care about what you left behind!? What Shisui and you left behind!?" I was well aware.

Without a word, I threw a marker at him. Before it could reach him, I teleported to it, grabbed it with one hand and punched him hard in the stomach with my free hand, my fist covered in ice. I twisted it, knowing it would break at least two ribs and he spat blood.

I didn't let him crash in the ground. I put him down as nicely as I could and put a knee on the ground next to him.

"I know what and who I left behind," I told him firmly. "You can hate me and resent me Sasuke, it's your right but do not follow a foreign jounin like this because you might know them. It's stupid, and reckless, and you know better than that, I know it." I stood back up. "I've always known you were smart Sasuke, don't prove me wrong." I left, knowing that Kakashi was close.

I was glad once I was on the boat and pulled on Suigetsu's cheeks when he asked me who the kids were and how mad I'd be if he were to chop them off in tiny pieces.

"I thought I was the only thirteen-year-old in your life, that's all," he said, which prompted Mangetsu to sigh. "What? It's my right!"

"I had a life in Konoha Suigetsu, and sadly for you, you were all born the same year." Suigetsu pursed his lips in a pout.

"But I am your favorite, right?"

"…if I need someone to murder people, sure." He seemed to like that. Mangetsu pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat, Dai smirking as he was maneuvering the boat.

"There are broken ribs," Sakura confirmed, the green glow around her hands leaving. She had barely started medical ninjutsu, she could see what was wrong but not really do much more, and she did not have the reflexes of a medic yet.

Itachi knew Shinko had been over the moon when Sasuke came at the hospital with his teammate to ask her if she could train her a little.

"The biggest wound seems to be to his ego," Kou added with a smirk. Sasuke glared at him weakly. Naruto snickered. Itachi sighed, glad it was only Kou and him with the genins while Kakashi was dealing with the rest of the team. "More seriously, if you had not gone after her Sasuke, we all know you wouldn't have broken ribs right now." There were times where Itachi would forget Kou had been their father's student, had worked at the Police Station and knew his brother and Naruto since they were children.

"Even I have not followed her," Naruto added with a pointed look. "It's not as if you couldn't talk to her teme, I did."

"Shut up dobe, who said I wanted to talk to her anyway?" Sasuke retorted coldly, pushing Sakura's hands away to sit.

"Sasuke-kun, don't sit!" His brother looked at him expectantly.

To be honest, Itachi did not have the patience to deal with Sasuke's mood swings sometimes, and it was one of those time. He took a Medical Seal from his fuinjutsu kit and gave it to him without a word.

Would Akane be mad or feel wronged to know most jounin had fuinjutsu kits now, inspired by the one she had made him? Minato and Kushina had said it was a good idea but…well, it was Akane's idea first. Even he had felt protective of it when it first started to spread six months prior.

"Now kids, let's give Itachi and Sasuke some privacy," Kou stated. Sakura and Naruto left. "Naruto, how was she?"

"She…was the same I think," Naruto replied to Kou, their voices getting more and more distant.

"Why did you follow her Sasuke?" he asked his brother, sitting down next to him. Sasuke sniffed, letting the seal heal him. "Sasuke."

"She can't leave and reappear on a mission but be affiliated with Kiri," he finally confessed through gritted teeth. "What, Shisui is there too?" Hardly.

"Whether she can or not doesn't matter, it is what it is." Sasuke glared at him.

"You're just fine with it!? Aren't you mad!?" Itachi sighed and poked him on the forehead.

"I am, of course I am mad to see she changed allegiance but there's not much I can do. Even if she comes back, she'll be judged for her actions."

"But she left because of us," his brother said more quietly.

So that was the reason of his actions. He felt guilty, did not know how to express himself properly and most probably followed her on a whim when he realized she seemed perfectly fine in Kiri.

He couldn't blame him; he was not pleased to know Akane felt more comfortable in Kiri than Konoha.

"There's a kid our age, he said his name was Suigetsu and there was a guy your age with her, his brother and he just acted so familiarly with her…" Sasuke continued. "We're supposed to be the siblings she's best friends with, not them!" He also felt replaced then.

The guy had to be Mangetsu. He would need to ask Kakashi.

"Things do not go as we wish them to Sasuke," Itachi told him softly. "We have to accept them as they are."

"I don't want her to be my enemy Nii-san." Itachi sighed.

"Neither do I, so I hope Konoha and Kiri can be allies in the future." Sasuke was quiet at this.

He was quiet as well when their father came to see them and ask him how he was. Fugaku glanced at Itachi when Sasuke did not say anything. Itachi just shook his head, silently telling their father not to push further for now.

Only God knew Sasuke turned to anger too easily when things were getting too personal, even now.

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Bye!