Helloooo everyone! GUESS WHO'S BACK?

I know, it's been an awfully long time. I'm sorry, writer block hit me hard this time TvT Buuut I've finally planned out the biggest part of the story now!

But first of all, I want to THANK YOU ALL you amazing and beloved readers, your comments are so nice and heartwarming and patient, I keep reading them again and again! TmT I didn't answer to anyone on FFN this time, I don't know if you're expecting an answer or if you find that annoying, it feels like people on FF don't really do that anymore sooo, um yeah.

Have a nice read, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Summary of the previous chapter: Naruto, Ino and Sakura had kunoichi classes and learned how to put makeup on their faces! They realized that the makeup was transmitted to their soulmate, but Naruto had already painted hers in Kabuki style. Poor Shisui ended up drawing way too much attention while being away on a mission to track Orochimaru, alongside Anko, Aoba, Raido and Hayate. By the end of the day, the girls were about to go back home, when Ino received a message from Sai telling her that Shin had died.

WARNING TRIGGERS: Talk about death. And there's kind of a lot of angst. Because death, and, stuff.

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Chapter 6

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"Shh, it's alright honey, Mommy's here", a sweet voice whispered in a melodic tone, yet filled with bitterness.

A sniffle reached Inoichi's ears as he walked in the hall of his house, and he instantly knew that something was wrong with his little princess.

"What's going on here?" he asked as he entered the living room. He paused at the sight that welcomed him.

He was right. His little girl was crying. And it wasn't the kind of crying he was used to. No, his angel was red in the face and looked so haggard that his shinobi instincts woke up instantly, alarmed.

She had not just had her favorite doll stolen or had a fight with the little Sakura. No.

Ino's eyes were closed tightly, her face partly buried in her mother's chest.

An imperceptible tremor shook him and he finally looked at his wife.

Her lips were pinched and an expression of pure disgust and sorrow shaped her features, "Inoichi…"

"Daddy!" Ino raised her head towards him, her eyes alert and puffy. She whined in a small high-pitched voice, "I…"

Her tiny body was jolted with tears and she sniffed, shaking her head, unable to say a word.

"Shh, Ino, sweetie…" his wife's voice was soft but firm as if she was trying to hide her own emotions.

"Yurika," he started again, his voice tense, "What's going on?"

Inoichi was a shinobi. He was a shinobi specialized in information extraction. He had no mercy when he wanted to.

But when it came to his little girl?

He was helpless.

Totally helpless.

"Her soulmate's brother is…" Yurika began, then trailed off, unsure, sending an upset look to her daughter.

Ino hiccuped. "Shin is dead!"

She burst into tears again, "And there's nothing I can do for Sai! He's all alone now! I didn't even have the chance to meet him. I know Sai loves him very, very, very much because he talks about him all the time and they do everything together, and sometimes it makes me jealous, but Shin writes to me too and he's nice and fun," she started rambling uncontrollably, "But Danzo-sama said that only one can live and he told them to fight to death and Sai didn't want to and Shin said he was dying anyway so he put the sword in his chest and-"

Cold sweat started running down his back, and Inoichi froze.

Suddenly, a flat and icy calm invaded him. No more confusing thoughts mixed with worry clouded his mind. The shinobi-side of him had regained control and the cogs of his brain started to work.

He knelt in front of his daughter, a serious expression on his face. "Ino."

She stilled, and she stared with wide puffy eyes at her father, her face red and flooded with tears.

"Ino, tell me everything from the beginning."

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Water streamed on Shisui's body as he rubbed his face harshly. Thinking of the events that had occurred earlier that day, he decided that at least, no one in the village would suspect him of being a spy. Because what ninja in their right mind would collect information in such a flashy appearance? He had been so horrifyingly obvious and noticeable… Then again, people in this town now believed him to be an artist in training precisely because of said-obviousness. Now, that was something to reflect on.

Unintentionally, his thoughts drifted to his soulmate. Seeing the results of his beautified face, he assumed that the person linked to him either wanted to work in an artistic place or was training to learn the arts of infiltration. He had deduced that it must have been someone fairly young, who went to school (and had a habit of being late). Then again, this event could also have been completely random - he remembered the time Itachi had painted his nails in purple just to try it.

He didn't dare to ask his soulmate about for personal information though; that could lead to more questions towards him and he didn't feel ready to talk about his own profession, his village, and his beliefs yet.

As he came out of the bath, he stared at himself in the mirror, satisfied to see his skin was truly cleared of any trace of makeup or lingering paint. He had noticed that his face was already clean upon entering the bathroom, but he would most likely develop a case of paranoia from now on.

When the citizens had started giving him looks during his information gathering, he had really thought that something in his speech or his appearance had given away his identity. So, after seeing his reflection in a shop window - with makeup on his eyes, on his cheeks, on his lips, his blood-red lips - he couldn't believe his eyes.

Obviously, it had to come from his soulmate. At least, it was the most likely possibility.

It must have been the first time that his soulmate was wearing makeup since such an accident had never happened to him before; unless, for some reason, the makeup had never been transmitted until now.

And then, then , it had gotten worse with the whole Kabuki-crap. He had seen with horror, in real-time, the makeup being cleaned before layers and layers of white paint were plastered on his face. When people started approaching him to ask whether he was giving a Kabuki representation, his face had blanked. Never, ever in his life had he felt so lost. Anko would never let him live it down - because, naturally, he had to cross paths with her precisely at that moment. Forget the fact that she was supposed to be out of town until the end of the day with Hayate. She had literally cried of laughter in the middle of the street. She didn't even say anything because each time she'd land her eyes on his face, she'd erupt in laughter once again. Hayate didn't react though, commenting off-handedly that they were already used to his antics with makeup, seeing the perfect eyeliner he put on everyday. His eyelashes were natural, dammit, and he just knew that Yugao was jealous of him.

Unfortunately for him, seeing the gossipers in his team... If it ever got to Genma's ears- he was so done for.

Shisui shook his head and let out a sigh of resignation. At least, when he would join ANBU, his face would always be hidden by a mask.

As he put his pants on, he came out of his thoughts when he realized that words were starting to form on his forearm.

Shisui raised an eyebrow in wonder. Ever since they started writing to each other through their skin, whenever Shisui told his soulmate that he would be gone for some time, he would receive no message from the other until he gave his permission to write to him again.

Can we talk?

He stared for a moment. Deciding that he could rest for a bit before going back to work, he went looking for a pen in his pouch. He supposed that the one who shared his skin now had most likely realized the predicament Shisui had been put in earlier and wanted to apologize.

I may have a few minutes ahead. What is it?

Do you have a brother?

Shisui blinked. That was a bit random, but then again, it was his soulmate with whom he was talking. It was the first time that the topic of their families was being breached though.

Since it wasn't too specific and didn't define his identity, he decided that it wouldn't be too dangerous to talk about it.

However, although he was supposed to answer by the negative, Itachi and Sasuke instantly came to mind. A tiny smile formed on his lips.

We could say that.

As he waited for an answer, Shisui pondered whether he should ask about the- incident. But that thought was cut short as he read his soulmate's new message, and he froze.

Are you gonna die for him? Or for other people?

That… was not a question he had expected.

Usually, his soulmate was so far from this… world . They talked about shops, about the weather, about writing, events in the streets, fruits and ramen, and all the little things that made him remember how life could be simple and lively and beautiful.

But death? Sacrifice ? Those topics were the farthest from his thoughts in those moments.

And they called way too close to home.

The very definition of a ninja was to lay down one's life for the village. And for the sake of Konohagakure and his clan, Shisui would gladly sacrifice his life. But to answer that much would be a dead give-away of his profession. Was his soulmate trying to deduce whether he was a ninja?

He played with the pen in his hand for a moment, before he wrote down his answer cautiously.

Why are you bringing this up?

A response was written shakily, his soulmate seeming to be thinking of the way to word the meaning of that question.

I heard something sad today. It's about two brothers, someone asked them to kill each other cause only one could live now. One of the brothers decided that he didn't wanna do it, so he killed himself with a sword.

Shisui read the answer again and again and a knot tightened in his throat. Talking to his soulmate always made him laugh and took off the sorrowful thinking away from his mind. He tried to ignore the fact that someone made those brothers kill each other, but questions out of his control started to flash in his mind – who would order that? A kage? It sounded like an order that would be given in Kirigakure. What if his soulmate lived in a small village of civilians and bandits were terrifying the inhabitants though?

Was his soulmate in any danger?

His eyes focused once again when he saw that more was being written on the back of his forearm.

But I don't get it. Did his brother do a good or a bad thing? One of them can live now, but he's all alone and he's sad. And the other one is gone for good. We live to be happy with the people that make us happy right? Why didn't they fight together to escape? What will you choose if your brother and you have to fight? If it was me, I know that I wont hurt my friends, but I don't wanna die too.

A sad grin appeared on his face. Alright, definitely not a ninja.

Shisui read once again his soulmate's message, and as he erased all of their words with his chakra, he bit the inside of his cheek pensively.

When you want to protect what's precious to you, hard choices have to be made. I don't actually have any siblings, but there are two boys that I consider my brothers, to be honest. In my case, if my death can save them, then I'd choose it without hesitation.

He sincerely believed it and knew he would never come to second guess his choice.

Still, he wasn't ready for his soulmate's reaction.

You know, kids my age all have parents, but I don't. When I ask about my mom and dad, the old man says that talkin about them won't bring them back anyway.

A shot of surprise hit him and his eyes turned a blazing red subconsciously.

He said they died to save everyone, but in the end, I'm alone, I'm not happy, and there forgotten. I don't even know their names.

A weight settled in his midriff. He pressed his lips together and stared at the last sentence for a long moment.

When he felt his leg tickle, he knew that the rest of the answer was being written down there.

I don't know, it makes me a little angry. That person I know is all alone now and I don't know, it's like his brother left him? I hate it. It's not fair.

Shisui didn't point out the rambling nor the grammatical mistakes, too focused on the information he had just learned. And well, it wasn't the moment.

A pang of sadness settled in his chest, glimpsing for the first time the loneliness and hurt his soulmate lived with.

Slowly, he erased the ink on his forearm.

This person didn't grasp the way of a shinobi, and he didn't know how to feel about it. Part of him was relieved that such a sweet and innocent person (as far as he knew) wouldn't come to think of anyone's lives as tools - he wanted his soulmate to live carefreely, unburdened; but another part of him, that was maybe a bit too selfish, was slightly disappointed at the thought that they might never be able to understand each other.

To be able to protect one's loved ones, without having to sacrifice anything in exchange - that was so childish. So idealistic.

Unrealistic.

It would probably be more beneficial for his soulmate to realize early on that by trying to have everything, one only risked to lose it all instead.

But he couldn't bring himself to force his understanding of the world like that. The other, even more selfish part of him, hoped that his soulmate would never have to see life the same way he did.

Even so, he hoped that despite their views being contrary to each other's, they could at least be accepted.

I'm sorry to learn about your condition. I understand where you're coming from. I really do. But in the end, everyone has their own way of protecting what's important to them. We must respect that and fight the best we can for what we believe in. Our actions in such a situation is a choice that belongs to us.

Twirling his pen in his hand absentmindedly, he waited, his gaze fixated on his arm.

It's fine, I have my friends and I have you now.

The response made him bite his lower lip.

He clenched his hand around the pen, wishing he could grasp- touch- something .

I hope you'll never have to make that choice.

Shisui closed his eyes for a long time.

He had no answer to that.

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The concept of death was so vague to Sakura, she still couldn't grasp the idea that someone who had always been part of her life would suddenly vanish forever.

But she still knew what it meant in theory, and the concept left a feeling of unease in her chest.

Sitting on a bench in the garden of her house, she decided to talk to her soulmate for the first time for a reason other than insulting him after he had drawn something funny on her body.

Do you think that you're going to die?

She supposed that she could have found another conversation topic to break the ice between them, but by now, she was far from trying to keep up appearances with him.

My friend's soulmate almost died today.

And that was a terrifying thought.

The day had been so fun... until Ino had received her daily message.

Shin took as much part in the conversations between Ino and Sai as Sakura and Naruto did. It was so strange and upsetting that something so terrible had happened to them.

Sai had only had Shin and Danzo-sama in his life. Why would their caretaker ask such a thing of them, she didn't know, but that meant that Sai wasn't safe with him.

Ino didn't even meet him yet.

And she had cried so much. What if Sai was still in danger?

Take care of yourself. Even if you're annoying, we still have to meet someday.

She put down her pen.

She wasn't really expecting an answer, she had just needed to convey her feelings.

But she still got one.

The frown on her face suddenly vanished, and her shoulders relaxed as she read his reply.

I'll try to live until you manage to put on some decent eyeshadow.

He was so insufferable.

Ino wouldn't happen to be the friend who beautified our faces this morning?

She couldn't repress the smile that graced her lips.

With her legs dangling, she wrote back, thinking that sometimes he wasn't so bad after all.

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"No Naruto, your stance is still wrong. Your feet must be pressed in the ground," Ino lectured, her hands on her hips, "like you're trying to put a hole in the ground just with your weight."

Sakura nodded. "If you're grounded properly, your body will be more balanced and your hits can have a stronger impact."

"Instead of those sloppy throws you've been giving."

"Hey!" Naruto shouted in reflex, despite being focused on her position as she did her best to apply her friends' advice.

Her eyes on the target, she flicked her wrist a few times before throwing her weapon.

It was nice to see Ino being her usual lively self again. After a week of trying to cheer up Sai, and feeling like they were failing - Naruto and Sakura would write to him as well to remind him that he had more that one friend by his side -, he had started to answer less and less, saying that he would be sent on missions from now on. However, every morning, Ino would show them the drawing he had made to her during the night. That time period had been… weird; the concept of mourning was too foreign to them, especially seeing that they never met Shin and couldn't spend time with Sai physically.

Even so, the come back of Ino's and Sai's little ritual made Naruto feel like the situation was back normal.

Since a practical evaluation would be held in a few days, the girls had been allowed to linger after school in order to practice their aim in the forest at the back of the academy. It wasn't often that Ino and Sakura could stay with her to train together, and Naruto relished those moments when she could have fun in their company and get better at the same time.

Seeing that she was the one with the worst aim, Sakura and Ino had started to give her pointers as she practiced her shuriken throwings - Ino, with her bossy attitude, made quite the strict teacher, while Sakura was much more patient, being familiar with Naruto's struggles. On the other hand, Sakura was training her punches by hitting repeatedly and steadily on a wooden board attached to a tree, while Ino was sitting in the clearing, a set of flowers put on her lap as she worked on her Flower Arranging and hid needles in the bouquet she was making.

After another hour of studying, they decided to take a break, and Naruto and Sakura joined their friend by sitting beside her.

Naruto suddenly laid down and stretched shakily. "I can't feel my hands anymore," she whined, fisting her hands periodically.

"I feel you," Sakura sighed as she traced the knuckles of one hand with her fingers.

"You should get some Rahiru," Ino said, her eyes still focused on the newly made crown of flowers she had crafted. She pushed a needle between the stems, attempting to make it as invisible as possible.

Both girls perked up.

"Wha's that?"

Ino glanced at Naruto from the corner of her eyes before she turned back her attention to her activity. "Shikamaru's family sells it. It's a medicinal cream made of plants, for ninjas. It helps with tight muscles and pain due to training, and superficial injuries. Probably. My daddy brought me some if you want it. It's good to put some on the tight parts of your body after training."

Naruto sat back excitedly. "That's so cool!"

"I never heard of it," Sakura added, her eyes shining. "Are they made by ninjas?"

"Uh-uh. The Naras are a ninja clan, but I'm not so sure if those who work in the shops have ninja training. I think that they specialize in medical research or something?" she shrugged, distracted. "You'll have to ask Daddy."

Naruto watched Ino as she twirled the crown and checked that all the needles were well hidden. It amazed her to see her friend being so imperturbable when she studied; especially if flowers were involved.

"I think that some researchers work with ninjas," Sakura mused. "Maybe there's some ninja-specialty involved?"

She pondered over it some more, and Ino hummed in response.

"I would be curious about the specialty that we could have as ninjas. Like, one where brains are more important than punches."

Naruto raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why? Your hits hurt more than Ino-chan's you know. I think you'd be good whatever you do anyway."

Sakura blushed, a pleased smile forming on her lips. "Thank you." She looked fixedly at her blonde friend and after a moment, she leaned towards her. "By the way, you want to become Hokage, right?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Oh. Uh," she grinned shyly, "yeah, dattebayo!"

"Why Hokage though?"

"Um," Naruto put her hand at the back of her neck, slightly nervous. "Well, because the Hokage is the strongest in the village, and I wanna be the strongest?" she explained, but her answer sounded more like a question. "And…" she shrugged sloppily, "And I dunno, maybe people will stop avoiding me then?" she finished in a more subdued voice.

Ino looked up, and both her friends stared at her.

Chills ran down Naruto's neck, and her body tensed up subconsciously. She shouldn't have said that.

She saw them exchanging silent looks. They seemed to be having an unspoken conversation, which caused Naruto to start fidgeting.

That was so stupid of her, why would she mention that anyway? Her thoughts went to her own soulmate who still hadn't talked to her since their conversation about Sai, and she wondered if deep down she wasn't scared of being left alone again. She knew that he was busy and she had promised him not to try to talk to him whenever that happened - she had broken the rule about a month before, but she wouldn't do so again just because she was getting lonely. But still, she missed him; after all, it was the first time that he was gone for so long, and what if- what if she'd end up alone again?

No, it wasn't like she was alone anymore, she had found friends and people who talked to her and listened to her and helped her- and they were so nice-

But what if at some point they started to see what everyone saw in her?

No, Ino-chan and Sakura-chan weren't like that, she shouldn't be having these thoughts about them- and her soulmate had no clue of who she was so it would be fine anyway-

She felt a flick on her forehead and was met with two sets of eyes looking back at her.

"Naruto, you're our friend," Sakura reminded her.

"And if some stupid idiots think that you're not okay, then they're just dumb," Ino added in a tone that sounded final.

Sakura threw a funny look at Ino and seemed to be about to say something, but she closed her mouth quickly afterwards. She turned back to Naruto. "You don't need to be Hokage for that, you know it, right?"

A warm feeling invaded her chest, and Naruto felt tingles all over her belly, and the world became brighter all of a sudden.

She should be getting used to it, and she knew that her fears were senseless, but she just- she needed to hear such a confirmation again and...

And a black trail of ink had just appeared on her pink-haired friend's face.

"Uh, Sakura-chan…"

"You do know it right?" Sakura insisted, unaware of her current predicament.

"You better," Ino nodded. "You're stuck with us now! There's no going back."

Naruto ducked her head and bit her lower lip, a huge smile threatening to take a permanent place on her face. She truly had the best of friends.

When she looked up, she beamed at them and nodded, but her eyes were still drawn to her friend's face.

"Sakura-chan? Um, just, your face..."

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Sakura asked, her head tilted, before her body stilled, all colors draining from it - other than her newly acquired markings, obviously. "Oh no."

Ino turned her head towards her, blinked, and pursed her lips. "Huh. It seems that your husband's mustache grew back."

Even if she was used to this conversation, Naruto let out an uncontrollable giggle. That guy was so weird. When Sai always made nice and pretty drawings on Ino's arms, Sakura-chan's soulmate seemed to prefer to exchange with her directly on the face. At least they weren't in the middle of a class this time. Fisting her hands, Sakura let out a frustrated scream before she stood up angrily and walked to the wooden board she used for her training.

"Won't he stop doing that, shaaannaroooooo!?" she cried as she threw a hard punch against the board.

Naruto winced.

Yeah, Sakura-chan's hits were definitely the most powerful.

She threw a glance at Ino-chan who was grinning as she watched Sakura-chan, and a peaceful feeling settled in her chest.

She really loved them.

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Unbeknownst to them, a tall and shadowy figure was squatting on a branch, his chin resting on his hand. An eye glistening with intelligence was fixated on the angry shrimp shooting and kicking the tree he had landed on.

"Maa, so it's you."

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The door of the ShinoBeer pub opened, and Genma stepped in, an amused smile adorning his lips. He nodded at the bartender before his eyes lightened up as he spotted one of his favorite friends to annoy seated at the bar.

"Oi, Kakashi, there you are!" He saluted the masked man with a light tap on his shoulder. "You'll never guess what I just heard from Raidō!"

His old partner had just come back from a long mission, and despite the confidential nature of their job, he hadn't lost any time sharing the lastest gossips he had acquired over there.

His silver-haired friend kept staring at the glass in his hand, his shoulders slouched and his gaze hazy.

"Kakashi?"

"She's five."

"Huh?"

Kakashi turned his head mechanically towards him. "She's five, Genma. Maybe seven, if we're lucky. She's a baby."

Genma blinked. She? A five years old kid? What was he talking about?

Kakashi stared. "The Ribbon-girl."

Then it clicked.

"... Ah."

Slowly, Genma reached the seat on Kakashi's right and plopped down next to him.

"She had mentioned her friend Ino, which sounded a lot like a Yamanaka name. Turns out this Ino so happens to be the name of Inoichi-sama's daughter. I did some research and I… found her. She was with Naruto earlier, they must be about the same age."

That was… interesting.

"She could have been an enemy ninja. It's not so bad," Genma tried to put that in perspective. "You just have to… wait, I guess. If you do wish to have a romantic relationship with her at some point."

It could have been worse.

Thinking back to the little story he had heard earlier, he snickered.

After all, Kakashi could have ended up with makeup all over his face during an important missi-

Genma blinked. His lips parted slightly, the senbon in his mouth threatening to fall out from it.

Kakashi let out a long-suffering sigh. "You have some valid points but… She has pink hair. And her name is Sakura. I swear it sounds just like that time Minato-sensei decided to write a romance novel and based his main protagonist on me. And she's five."

Naruto. Naruto was friends with this Sakura-girl. The Sakura-girl who had written to her soulmate.

"And you're not even listening to me," Kakashi grumbled before he averted his gaze and he started to play with the glass in his hand once again.

"Ah, sorry, I was. Your soulmate's a baby and your kids will have cherry blossom hair. When the Ribbon-girl stops being a baby." He ignored the flat look that was thrown at him and tilted his head curiously instead. "Didn't Hokage-sama take Naruto to a Kabuki performance a few months ago?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Yeah, he did."

"And Naruto likes to paint a lot, right?"

"True. What of it?"

"… Ah. Nothing."

"Genma," Kakashi warned in an annoyed tone as Genma's lips turned upwards, the senbon between his teeth moving from one side of his mouth to the other alternatively. "What is it."

A wide grin was the only answer he was given.

Genma had a feeling that life had just become way more interesting, all of a sudden.

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End of Chapter 6

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Soooo, here we go! I know that this chapter wasn't as funny as the previous ones, I had to put some serious talk, but you know, ninjas, Danzo, children being neglected, all that ;w;

Huge thanks to Yasumin J who helped me and pushed me to finish this chapter ;w;

If you're interested, she's writing a Sakura-centered fanfiction where we see her training seriously and setting goals to herself to become a flee-on-sight ninja like Minato when she grows up, and the characters are so adorable and heart-warming. So, if you're into family/friendship/deep thinking/ninja metas, A Will Made of Iron is made for you!

I'll do my best so that there will be happier Naru/Shisui content next chapter by the way, I promise! Until then :D

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*whispers* Did you know that Itachi joined the Akatsuki because he wanted to try their nail polish? It's canon. Honest.