DNA
Hiruzen looked up as a knock echoed on his door. He frowned, not expecting any visitors at such a late hour. "Enter," the door squeaked open, and Shizune walked in and gave a bow. Hiruzen perked up with a smile. "Shizune, it's been some time."
"Evening Lord Hokage, I bring a letter and news. Naru had her child just over two weeks ago."
"Was it a safe delivery?"
"It was a close call with a hemorrhage but she pulled through and she and the baby are healthy and recovering in the hospital." She placed the envelope on the desk. "I was also sent to perform a DNA test per Jiraiya and Tsunade's concern. I'm not sure how long it will take."
"You have my express permission to access all the village DNA files; if you need more, don't hesitate." She nodded before exiting the office.
Hiruzen opened the paper and held the photo of Naru holding her baby. Although her face showed exhaustion, her eyes still held the joy he knew so well.
Hi Old man,
I just gave birth today and boy was it painful but I pulled through. I'll have to tell you in person what happened 'cause it's hard to believe but know I'm okay and safe. Jiraiya took a picture which I sent, her name is Misaki, and it felt right after all of this. I'd write more but I'm exhausted. I'll talk to you soon!
Love Naru.
Hiruzen opened his top drawer and set the letter and photo with the other letters from her, he smiled as he gathered an allowance adding extra and a note to spoil the baby as much as she could.
-o0o-
"This is…" Shizune muttered to herself as she read the reports before her. She glanced left and right of the empty room before quickly folding them up slipping them into her bag clearing the screen and exiting.
'Neither will believe these results, I hardly believe them myself.' She mused ensuring the allowance and letter from Hiruzen was with her and she headed out of the village beginning her journey back to Snow.
Naru smiled as she held the bottle of milk for Misaki, who gulped the liquid. The young infant was quite the eater and quite vocal if her food was even ten seconds delayed. Tsunade wiped the pump and watched as Naru smiled at her baby. 'She loves her wholeheartedly now,' she mused.
"I'm back!" Shizune announced as she opened the front door and shook off the snow. The woman traveled nearly non-stop to deliver the news she discovered.
"What did you find out?" Jiraiya asked first, Shizune let out a huff and held out the papers.
"You won't believe it, I ran it twice to be sure, and still..."
"What?" Naru asked. Tsunade read the paper with Jiraiya reading over her shoulder, Tsunade stuttered and looked at Shizune who nodded.
"This is … how would he obtain this?"
"WHAT!?" Naru snarled before flinching as Misaki gave a protested cry.
"Her DNA has a 98 percent match with the Uchiha's."
"Like Sasuke?" Naru fought to not cringe at the thought while wondering exactly how he got the DNA.
"No, I don't see his name, I see multiple others of the clan, even Itachi's," Jiraiya muttered flipping the papers.
"H…how?" Naru asked looking at Tsunade.
"Well… it's not impossible, but with extensive workings, other forms such as blood or bones, stem cells can be extracted and made into a synthetic sperm." She said. "And if he's after the perfect body the Sharingan is something he'd want. Plus add in the longevity of the Uzumaki with the eyes of a Uchiha…" Tsunade inclined her head.
"So … maybe the night the clan was eliminated he got it?" Naru suggested.
"Anbu was supposed to handle the cleanup, but he could have easily snuck in and taken what he could get his hands on. He could have been after eyes but failing there he could have settled and chosen to make a Uchiha." Jiraiya said and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Naru laid Misaki in her crib before taking the papers and reading the report of her DNA, his, and the list of multiple Uchiha's, her eyes stopped on Itachi's name and lingered.
"This is dangerous," Jiraiya said.
"How so?"
"Both clans are still sought after for past war incidents. If anyone were to find out a new Uchiha was born and outside of the village's protection, her life and yours would be in danger."
"Then we ensure she's safe, no matter what," Naru said and laid the paper down.
-o0o-
"This is insane! Naru, listen to yourself!" Jiraiya huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I am, you're not listening to me!" she argued.
"I am, it's noble and I understand your thoughts -"
"Clearly not," She interrupted. "He has a right to know she exists. And you know I was dying to know of my family for years and was denied, I can't and more importantly won't do that to my daughter. So either help me track him down quickly or I'll do it myself."
"Y… sh… Tsunade! Tell her she's crazy!" The woman arched her brow, looked up from her book, and scoffed at the man. She sighed and put her book down.
"Jiraiya, you know as well as I that once Naru has her mind made up nothing will change it. Plus it's her daughter, so it's her choice, help her or don't like she said."
"Lotta help you are." He grumbled looking at her and then at Naru who stared at him. "Fine, fine! I'll hunt him down and tell him."
"No, I will. This is my story to tell, find him and once you do I'll go and bring him back if he wants."
"But Misaki-"
"Is four months old and is with the people I trust most to keep her safe." She finished.
On cue a fuss sounded from the nursery, Shizune stood and began to talk in a high voice to the baby.
"Well?"
"Fine." He stood grabbed his coat and walked out with a huff to summon his toads to begin searching for the elder Uchiha.
It took Jiraiya two weeks to find the city where the elder Uchiha was located at the moment and began to help Naru pack. Naru kissed Misaki's head and smiled at her daughter who stared up at her, Tsunade smiled adjusting the baby in her arms. "I'll be back soon my love," She whispered slung the pack on, and nodded.
"Wait!" Jiraiya said, he bit his thumb and touched the ground, and a small toad with goggles on his head appeared and croaked at him.
"This is a summoning toad, he's also great at sensing chakra, so you'll be able to find him sooner, and when you're ready send him back to me and I can summon you both back to the port at least." Naru nodded letting him drop the toad in her jacket pocket. "The first sign of trouble use it, no hesitating."
"Alright," Naru smiled at the sannin who sighed with a nod. "Your boat should be leaving the port in an hour." Naru nodded and turned away wringing the strap as she looked back at her baby and struggled to continue while the guilt of leaving her ate her alive.
Naru stared at the map Jiraiya marked with Itachi's locations mostly staying in the borders of Iron.
"So, this is gonna come as a shock but you're technically a father!" She muttered to herself as she paced back and forth. "That sucks. A madman took your DNA and created life inside me so - no that's horrible, UGH!" She fell back to her bed and huffed. "This is so hard," She sat up and pulled out the pictures she decided to take of Misaki and smiled at the photos of her smiling, drinking milk, sleeping, and more. "I'll be home soon," She whispered.
Three days later the boat docked in Iron and Naru stepped off and took in a deep breath. 'Please still be around here,' She prayed.
"Itachi's chakra is not far," The toad whispered, she nodded and began to walk through the town looking at the sights and smells that reminded her a lot of home, and her heart clenched at the thought.
She continued until she came to a dango shop where the toad informed her Itachi was there. She peered through the people before spotting a figure walking from the counter with a plate of dango. He wore a cloak that was red and black with clouds all over it and a straw hat on his head.
She walked closer and glanced at people before taking in a deep breath. "Itachi?" He turned his head to her and arched a brow. "Uzumaki Naru?" She nodded her head. "Do you need something?"
"You could say that, I need to talk to you, if we can." He beckoned her out of the shop to a bench down the street where he sat down and motioned for her to follow before offering a dango which she declined.
"So?"
"Um… this won't be easy to say, or get through and I'm sorry if I ramble I'm just very nervous, it's not easy to say."
"Is Sasuke okay?"
"Yeah! I mean I assume, I haven't been around him in over a year, but it's not about him, it's about me and you." He squinted at her before motioning for her to continue. "It's kinda a long story, but I'll skip through it." She took in a deep breath and let it out. "The chunin exams came to Konoha and we were nominated as a team to participate, and we were going through it and passed the first exam and went through the second which was a five-day survival test."
"I'm aware," He said. "I keep tabs on Sasuke," He supplied to her confusion.
"Okay, well something happened in the exam to me … I was … well I was … uhh this is hard," She brushed her bangs up and sighed. "I was raped," She said, Itachi blinked his back stiffened and his hand clenched the plate. "They knocked out Sasuke and Sakura and… and …" She squirmed in her seat. "It was Orochimaru who did it," Itachi let out a noise of anger. "They paralyzed me and sexually assaulted me, I didn't know at the time, but he injected synthetic sperm inside me and if you couldn't put it together I ended up pregnant because of this."
"I'm sorry," He muttered.
"I left with Jiraiya and Tsunade and went through with it, he put a seal on my body that prevented me from stopping the growth." She took in a deep breath. "I gave birth on January 28th."
"I don't mean anything bad, what does this have to do with me? Unless you want my team to go after-"
"She shares your DNA," Itachi's face fell and the plate slipped out of his grip and shattered on the ground. "We did a DNA test and she has a 98% match with multiple Uchiha's, yours included." She dug in her pack holding out the DNA report that he took and read the words quickly before his shoulders sagged. "It's a girl, she's beautiful and full of life, and - well I just… I wanted to find you and tell you because …. I mean I don't want anything, I just … I want to be able to provide her with a family heritage of sorts, I can provide Uzumaki information but Uchiha? I can't do that."
"The Uchiha clan is cursed, did you know that? We all bear a curse." He muttered Naru held out a photo that he had taken and looked at the baby with an unreadable expression.
"I don't know about a curse, it's none of my business, regardless of that, she's an Uzumaki and an Uchiha, you and Sasuke are the last of the clan and if I can give her a little bit, I want to."
"So you would want me around her? Me?" He looked at her with a pained face. "Do you know what I've done?"
"I don't know everything, and I know surrounding your clan is … complicated, but she's part of your DNA and if you want to get to know her I won't stop you,"
Itachi's thumb rubbed the photo and he swallowed heavily before looking at her.
"Why?"
"Because I feel what everyone has been told isn't the truth." He sighed heavily and handed her the paper and picture. "I can take you to her, you can meet her and decide then…"
Itachi opened his mouth but nothing came out before he nodded, she beamed at him and stood up holding her hands out which he took confused as she nodded to the toad before both disappeared with a pop of smoke.
Both appeared at the Land of Snow's dock, Itachi stumbled before releasing her hand and scowled.
"Warning next time would be nice," Naru blushed and nodded her head.
"Jiraiya should -"
"Naru!" She turned to her godfather who pulled her in and sighed.
"I've been worried," He looked at Itachi who nodded to him which he returned. "You're okay?" He turned her head left and right and roved his eyes over her body quickly.
"Of course, thanks." She beckoned Itachi on as they walked through town and to their house where Tsunade paced in the living room and jolted as they walked inside.
"Welcome back, your daughter has not happy mommy was gone," She smiled, Naru smiled and pulled her shoes off grabbing Itachi's arm and pulling him into the nursery where Misaki lay in her crib babbling towards Shizune who made faces at her.
"Hi my sweet," Naru leaned over making Misaki squeal and wiggle as she lifted her in her arms and bounced her.
Itachi took in a breath as he looked at the onyx hair and fair skin, Naru turned and motioned for him to sit. He took a seat slowly as she passed the baby to him, he cradled her gently and looked at her face and a smile ghosted his face as he stared into her purple eyes, she stared at him before squealing and wiggling in his arms. He took her in wholly before he poked her chubby cheeks, her hand grabbed his finger and held it, and a smile grew on his face as he sat still as Misaki relaxed in his arms holding his finger. Naru smiled at the scene and looked at Tsunade who winked at her.
"I never thought another Uchiha would be - I mean let alone someone with my DNA, she's beautiful." Naru nodded her head.
"Like I said, I'd like her to know you, either as a friend or family whatever you want, it's your call," She crouched down next to him.
"As far as I'm concerned she's my daughter," He said and looked at Naru and smiled, Naru beamed at him and nodded.
"Thank you," She whispered, Itachi turned back to the baby who was fighting sleep.
'And I know another Uchiha that will be ecstatic to know the clan can begin pure…'