"Why didn't you tell me that you had another baby? when did that happen?" Asked Aino.
"We had Sasuke in July." Siad Mikoto looking at her kids and smiling.
"Oh, really. How is Yoshino-san doing?"
"She also had a baby in September, actually most clan heads in Konoha had children this year. The Akimichis, Yamanaka, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame and Hyuga all had children these two years and I heard The Hyuga clan head's wife is also due in December."
"Looks like they'll all attend the academy at almost the same time. Now enough about that, what has happened to Itachi in the past couple of years?" Said Aino.
"Sigh, he saw war."
"What? how?"
"When he was four, Fugaku took him to the battlefield. I tried to stop him, but couldn't. When he came back he changed he trained a lot harder and became quieter."
Mikoto and Aino continued their talk about the village and the kids while in the other room the atmosphere was awkward as no one was saying anything with the occasional voice from Sasuke who was sleeping. Raiden couldn't take it and decided to break the silence.
"I am Raiden, Hitoshi Raiden. What's your name?" Asked Raiden although he heard his mother calling his name, but didn't know how to start the conversation other than that.
"Uchiha Itachi." Said Itachi then continued his silence.
"Well, How old are you? Oh, I am almost five."
"I'll be turning six next year."
'He's so silent, it's awkward.' Thought Raiden.
"Ahem, anyway have you started training?"
"I have been training with father since I turned four and have mastered the fireball Jutsu."
"Woah you already started learning Jutsu, mom said she would teach me after I finished adjusting my body and that was last week, but because we came here she didn't have the chance to start teaching me chakra control." Raiden said a bit amazed that Itachi already mastered a Jutsu before he was even six.
"Hey since you know how to control your chakra, can you teach me?"
Itachi was stunned at first then said "sure." then called out to his mother "Mother I will be in the backyard, Sasuke is sleeping."
Itachi and Raiden headed to the backyard. After reaching Itachi went to a tree in the backyard and took a couple of leaves. "the first chakra training exercise is called the Leaf Concentration Practice and it is done by placing a leaf over your forehead and directing your chakra to your forehead to hold the leaf on your head." Said Itachi while showing Raiden how to do it.
"It can also be a training method for your concentration, as the more time you stick the leaf to your head the more concentration is needed."
After that Raiden started trying to do the exercise with Itachi giving him pointers.
A couple of hours later, Raiden was able to hold the leaf for almost 15 minutes.
"Not bad, although it's your first time controlling your chakra you were able to progress pretty fast." Said Itachi before hearing his mother calling them to dinner.
"Ok, let's go, Father is most likely home as well." Said Itachi to Raiden before heading inside.
When Raiden entered the house he saw his mother and Mikoto setting dinner and a man playing with Sasuke. He had black hair that reached his neck, looked in his mid-thirties, was about 175cm and had a handsome face with fit body. 'This must be the Uchiha clan head!' thought Raiden while looking at the man playing with his baby son.
Fugaku looked at the entering Itachi and Raiden. "Oh, Itachi where you training?"
"No, I was helping Raiden with a chakra control exercise." Said Itachi while loosening his face for the first time.
"Good," He looked at Raiden "You must be Raiden."
Raiden felt sweat on his back from his look and thought 'This must be what real power is like.' "Ah, yes, I am Hitoshi Raiden nice to meet you." Said Raiden while bowing a little.
"I am Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head, and Itachi's father." He said looking especially proud at the last part.
"Now then, you can get to know each other later, for now, come and eat." Said Mikoto after setting dinner.
"Yes." Said Aino.
After dinner, Aino said: "Itachi can you help Raiden a bit more for now."
Itachi understood she wanted to talk to his parents privately and nodded then took Raiden with him and left.
Aino sighed then looked at Fugaku who was also looking at her "brother-in-law I have some questions for you."
"I knew you would, so ask away" Siad Fugaku.
"First, did you get any news in the past year."
"Yes, I learned the mission was a success, but only the Hokage and Danzo know that I had to ask the Fourth Hokage to pull up the records for me and he agreed to help since it was for you, a friend of his wife. I learned that after the mission he sent a scroll saying he succeeded with proof, but he didn't come back to the village or send a report back. That means he was more than likely ambushed I tried asking the third with the pressure of the fourth, but he said he didn't know anything and they classified him as a missing-nin until proven otherwise."
Aino widened her eyes at the new information and was a little relieved that there is a chance that he's still alive.
"Thank you for finding that out, I'll never forget this favour."
"It's okay, you're family, even if your husband isn't an Uchiha. I would've loved to help you so you didn't have to leave in the first place, but those old fogies won't change their minds. They don't realise that the entire world is advancing while the Uchiha is still the same way. If we don't change our way of thinking and operating we will never advance." Said Fugaku sighing.
"It's okay, even though I was away from home at least I was able to let my son avoid the war."
"What else do you want to ask?"