When Naruto's eyelids fluttered open, she was treated to the sight of ink-toned eyes, filled entirely with concern and then, relief, looking down on her. It took her a moment to recognize those eyes, because they had been bright crimson in her mind, but the moment she did, her physical body mirrored her mental avatar. Namely, her face turned a vivid cherry red, as the teen's face kept hovering over her.
"If she faints, Itachi, I'm never going to let you live it down," a lighthearted voice said, from close by, and the dark-haired teen moved away.
Disappointment and gratefulness mingled equally inside of her, as the blonde girl tried unsuccessfully to will away her blushing cheeks. There was an echo of laughter in her mind, as Naruto's red-eyed counterpart expressed her amusement over the situation.
"Naruto Uzumaki," a tall, stern-looking man with long, pale blonde hair and serious navy green eyes stepped forward. Naruto stared at him blankly, before an echo of 'Ino' entered her thoughts. A moment later, and it was confirmed. "My name is Inoichi Yamanaka, and I am the mind specialist assigned to you. You've just woken up from a four-day coma, and I would like to perform some scans to see how you are."
Had she been a full civilian, the man may have eased her more gently into the situation. As it was, Naruto's Academy training had briefly covered handling emotional distress after succumbing to injury.
"Yes, Ya-mana-ka-san," Naruto croaked, her voice unusually dry and raspy, "May I ha-ve water?"
This proved to be an expected request, as a glass of cold water was pressed into the blonde's hands, a moment later. Naruto slowly took a few sips, grimacing as the icy liquid brushed down her sandpaper throat, and observed the rest of the room. Inoichi Yamanaka was pressing a hand- glowing with pale green chakra- to her forehead, and the feeling was almost ticklish over her bangs. The Sandaime was present, smiling reassuringly at Naruto, and standing a few feet away from the Yamanaka.
And her ANBU- er, the Uchiha- that is, Itachi - or, well, the boy that was making her horribly confused and didn't even seem to know it, had moved to the other end of the room. By a familiar messy-haired teen, that had probably made the teasing comment, and was now waving enthusiastically to Naruto. Her limbs felt like an entire case of senbon had been driven through them, but the blonde ignored the pinprick feeling, and twitched her hand back and forth.
That must have been good enough, because when the Yamanaka moved away, the messy-haired boy stepped forward. "Hi! I'm Shisui Uchiha," and his voice matched the one before, "You may remember me from some dashing waves at the Academy! Silent and creepy back there is my cousin."
"He's not creepy!" Naruto rasped out immediately, glowering at the boy. She may not know what to do about the recent Itachi revelation, but she wasn't going to allow anyone to insult her ANBU! The ANBU. She wasn't going to allow anyone to insult the ANBU!
"There are entire shinobi squads that would disagree with you," Shisui replied.
Naruto's scowl deepened. "They're not very bright then, are they?" And neither are you was implied.
"I think we'll get along just fine," the messy-haired teen was grinning even more brightly, as he stepped away and the Hokage took his place.
"Hello Naruto-chan," the old man said affectionately, and a softer smile crossed Naruto's face when she saw him. This was someone that she didn't feel conflicted about, so the blonde eagerly threw herself into the hug that he offered.
"Ojiisan, it's good to see you!" Naruto drew herself back, and looked at him critically. "You look particularly old this afternoon. Do you want to hand the Hat over to me now?"
"I think I can keep the Hokage's seat warm for another few years yet, Naruto-chan," Hiruzen chuckled, ignoring the expressions of indignity (Inoichi), awe (Shisui), and fond exasperation (Itachi).
"Are you here to yell at me then?" the blonde asked, a dejected expression crossing her face. "Before you say anything, I want you to know that all of this was my idea. Shino and Hinata didn't break into the Uchiha Compound, or approve of my trade. They both tried to convince me not to use the jutsu."
"You should have listened to them then," the Hokage sighed, making the blonde wince, "However, I do believe that this was a mistake born of ignorance, rather than malice, and there has been plenty of rebukes to be shared around. The scroll has been returned to the Yamanaka Clan, and you have been in a coma for almost four days. I believe that is enough punishment, though we will need to have a long talk."
Naruto's shoulders fell. "I thought that I was related to the Yamanaka, and this jutsu would prove it," she confessed, tightening her palms, "Yamanaka-san… I am so sorry for my actions. I shouldn't have taken one of your clan jutsu, and used it. And- and Uchiha-san, I'm sorry for breaking into your clan compound. I shouldn't have done that either."
"Uzumaki-san," the gruff voice, caused her to look up. To her surprise, the stern-faced Yamanaka's body was bent almost parallel to the floor, in a deep bow. "It is I who should be apologizing to you. My daughter knew the risks associated with our clan jutsu, and shared it with you, with the full expectation of your failure. She entered a foolish deal with dishonourable intentions, and I assure you, that Ino will be fully punished for that. It is to your credit that you managed to get as far with the Mind-Body jutsu that you have, and, moreover, I think the Yamanaka clan would've been lucky to count you amongst our numbers."
Naruto stared at the other blonde, and her throat felt like it was closing into itself again. No one- no one- had ever suggested that she would make a good addition to any family. As a friend, yes. As a student, once or twice. Even as a Hokage candidate, once by Ojiisan. But a family member…
The messy-haired boy saved her from a humiliating reaction for the second time, by drawing her attention before she could start bawling.
"Well, the Uchiha Clan isn't prepared to dismiss any charges," he chirped, with a friendly nudge towards his younger cousin, "Our Matriarch has suggested that you can earn our forgiveness, by taking responsibility for your actions, and marrying this young, sad, and lonely wet blank- ouch! I was just joking Itachi!"
"The Uchiha Clan will not be pressing any charges," Itachi said, reassuringly. "We understand that the actions weren't done with malicious intent."
'Except for that moment where I wanted to prank your brother,' Naruto refrained from saying. The dark-haired teen had been speaking, and it would have been rude to avert her face, but as butterflies entered her stomach, the blonde decided that she would have been better off looking away.
"Like I said, he's a total wet blanket," Shisui managed to sidestep Itachi's second elbow jab, "It's also in your interest to know that he never, ever shares his sweets, has a brother complex a mile wide, and will rudely clean up everything in your apartment, until you can't find your kunai holster, no matter where you look."
Naruto stared at him blankly, and then tried to understand her ANBU's reaction. There was a hint of redness around his face…
"I don't like to share my ramen," the blonde offered tentatively, and received a warm look from Shisui in response.
"As interesting as that is, Naruto," the Hokage interjected, hiding the sheer amount of amusement he felt at this situation, "I believe that you need to complete the rest of your check-up, and then get some rest."
The blonde wanted to protest that she most certainly did not need rest, since she had essentially been sleeping for the last four days, but, for some reason, she still felt tired. It was odd to think that coming out a coma added a fuzziness to her mind, that Naruto associated with exhaustion.
"I needed to use a great deal of your chakra to draw you out," Itachi explained calmly, and a brief smile crossed Naruto's face at how easily he read her. "The Hokage needs to speak with me now, but I'll visit you when you're awake, Naruto."
The blonde stared back at the boy. Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke's older brother. The boy she had fantasized about for the last week (which was something that she would have to work on, since it seemed disrespectful to have such thoughts about a friend). An ANBU. Her ANBU.
Naruto smiled. "Okay."
"...although the news has not spread far enough to affect civilians or the lower level ninja, the current understanding among the clan heads and elite shinobi are that a courtship is progressing between Itachi Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki," the Hokage concluded, leaning back and taking a satisfied huff of his pipe.
He had insisted on bringing the two Uchiha ANBU, and young Itachi's parents, to his office for a discussion about the rumors, and found that, apparently, Shisui was the only one who knew anything. Though even the messy-haired teen was surprised by how far the rumors had spread, and how detailed they apparently were, because he had only teased his cousin in front of their ANBU team.
Though even the Sandaime was surprised when Fugaku Uchiha bowed his head, in mild contriteness.
"Hokage-sama, on behalf of the Uchiha Clan, I apologize for the mistaken assumptions that my wife has inspired," Fugaku said, missing Mikoto's affronted look, "She is understandably over enthusiastic about our son's love life-"
"Fugaku!" the dark-haired woman yelped, drawing his attention. "I did not spread those rumors!"
The expression of mild obstinacy and grudging respect though, were enough indications that the mother wished that she had.
"I see," her husband responded, after carefully analyzing her features, "Then, Hokage-sama, on behalf of the Uchiha Clan, I apologize for the mistaken assumptions that my nephew has inspired. He is understandably over enthusiastic about my son's love life-"
"Uncle Fugaku!" Shisui protested, "I only gossiped with my ANBU team. And maybe a few of the Uchiha matrons- and I think the Chuunin Gate Guards heard- and I may have waved at her once… but that was it! I didn't inspire the rest of those rumors!"
Unnoticed by all, was Itachi Uchiha, who was trying not to sigh. How had a few notes, an occasional present, and some training scrolls led to the expectation of a courtship between him and the blonde-haired child that hadn't even known his identity then? Another thought occurred to him…
"Mother, if you are here, then who is watching Sasuke?" Itachi asked, a note of worry creeping in.
"Sasuke is already asleep, and I have your cousin, Akane, staying in the house, in case he wakes," Mikoto replied.
The Uchiha Matriarch briefly took a moment to mourn the loss of her veritable army of available babysitters. There was no end to the amount of fangirls that would eagerly volunteer to spend time with Sasuke, in order to show Itachi that they got along well with his beloved younger brother. A shame that Mikoto couldn't take advantage of them anymore, but it was a small loss in order to link her son to Kushina's daughter.
'I can hardly allow them to get close enough to sabotage Naruto-chan's chances,' Mikoto decided, 'Shame that she's too young for Itachi-kun to fall in love yet. Affection, friendship, and time will move them to the proper conclusion though. And I'm sure that Shisui will be there to push them along, when I'm not available. He's such a good cousin.'
"Yes, well, none of the Uchiha were to blame for these assumptions," the Hokage was speaking again, "Itachi has been exchanging friendly notes with Naruto-chan for a few months now, and I believe that Hiashi took notice of this, and came to some hasty conclusions. And Hiashi has always been skilled at… let us say, dissembling information?"
"So Hiashi Hyuuga is the one making rumors about my heir and the jinchuuriki?" Fugaku stated, the lines on his face deepening in displeasure, "Our clan has already suffered from false rumors regarding the Kyuubi attack, and now he seeks to fan those flames?"
Itachi's face fell blank at his father's tone, while Mikoto looked at her husband askance. The dark-haired Uchiha briefly wondered if he would be ordered to end his fledging friendship with the blonde Uzumaki, and was unsurprised by the sinking feeling in his stomach. Itachi Uchiha did not have so many friends, that the loss of one could be handled with indifference.
The Hokage merely took another contented huff. "Those rumors have been spreading for nearly a month now. Have they reinforced the negative image of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku?"
The Uchiha Clan Head was about to snarl back that they couldn't have possibly done anything else, when he felt his wife's gentle hand at his elbow. Looking over at the imploring Mikoto, the high-strung man felt his anger abate, and forced himself to consider the words seriously.
"They have not," he finally admitted, recalling instances of warmer greetings and calculating- but not cold- stares in the village meetings. Fugaku took a brief look at his son, and easily read the worry that he was attempting to hold in his carefully expressionless face. There was a time when Itachi wore his emotions freely. There was a tranquility that had been present in his movements for the last few weeks, which the father suspected to be borne from the Uzumaki's notes.
"The rumors have weakened the suspicion of the Kyuubi attack, haven't they?" Fugaku's eyes didn't move from his son, to see the approving expression on the Sandaime's face, "And the notes have been good for Itachi."
Shisui couldn't possibly have kept his mouth shut. "They've been brilliant for each other, Uncle! Itachi's shown human emotions on at least three different situations, when I mentioned his secret and forbidden love life! And Naruto broke into the Hyuuga Compound and stole random writing samples, just to learn his ANBU identity."
"Yes, thank you, Shisui. Your observations remain pertinent and useful, as always," Fugaku deadpanned, "Are you aware that those actions constitute a crime?"
"She wasn't charged for them," the messy-haired boy persisted, "Itachi should really keep Naruto as a friend, since she'll be such a great connection one day. Did you know that she can use over ten consecutive Gale Palms without drawing on her tenant's chakra? Or that her best friends are the Aburame heir and the Hyuuga heiress?"
"She does make a good friend for Itachi, Fugaku," Mikoto added, not bothering to hide her true intentions, "I think they should continue their correspondence, as she is our son's only close, young, single, and female friend."
"We are not matchmaking our children, Mikoto," Fugaku reminded her, halfheartedly. As a former clan heir, he had not enjoyed all of the restrictions on his life (with his childhood engagement to Mikoto being the main exception), and wanted to give his sons this freedom. Unless they brought someone entirely inappropriate home, like a foreign kunoichi or a Hyuuga, because that would undoubtedly lead to an arranged marriage.
Ignoring his wife and nephew's matching pouts, he turned his attention to his son. "Itachi, would you like to keep up your correspondence with Naruto Uzumaki?"
His son's ink-toned eyes were the exact color and shape of his wife's, and filled with the same warmth Mikoto had once held towards one insufferable redhead, as he responded. "Yes, Father."
"Then I give you my blessing," Fugaku responded. Mikoto did have a point about that sole, unattached female friend, after all. "Is this everything that you have called us here to discuss, Hokage-sama?"
"It is not," Hiruzen's eyes became pieces of granite, as he lowered his pipe and affixed a sharp stare to the younger man. "I will begin this, Fugaku, with the admission that I am hesitant about broaching this topic. You are a prideful man, and one often driven to arrogance, if I may be frank. But you have also fought loyally for this village, for almost three decades now, and I understand that your part in these recent affairs began with reluctance. Additionally, the circumstances surrounding your clan have changed and will likely change further by tomorrow. Finally, I believe that peaceful resolution requires at least one individual to make the first contact. And so, I shall make it."
"I would like to discuss the Uchiha Clan's coup d'etat, Fugaku."
Naruto woke up to another two pairs of her eyes. One was wide, pearlescent, had no pupils, and looked blind. The other was hidden behind a set of shades.
"Hey guys," the blonde managed to croak out.
"Naruto-chan!" Hinata wailed, practically throwing her body atop the blonde's prone form. Her thin- and surprisingly strong, Naruto noted- arms enclosed her for a moment, before the blue-haired girl recognized her own audacity, and sprang back. Typically, her face bore a crimson cast.
"Naruto, we are relieved to see that you're awake," Shino responded, adjusting his shades, and hovering worriedly above her bed, "Why? Because you have used an unknown jutsu from another clan without considering the full repercussions of your actions, and could have died as a result. We are also very upset with you. For the same reason."
"I'm not upset with you, Naruto-chan!" Hinata burst out, aghast. She looked vaguely reproachful at the Aburame's words, and the blonde got the impression that her most introverted friend was glaring back at her.
"Yes, you are," Shino folded his arms, "We agreed that we would be upset at Naruto, remember?"
"I d-don't want to," the Hyuuga undecidedly replied, looking down, "She hasn't e-even gotten out of the hospital yet..."
"Hinata, she is never going to learn her lesson, if we cannot be firm with her," the Aburame was clearly exasperated, "Why? Because she needs to know that there must be limits to her behavior, and that, as her friends, we will not allow for this reckless endangerment."
"But she's in the hospital," Hinata said, wringing her hands together, "And w-we didn't make her any cookies either…"
At this point, Naruto simply couldn't help it. She started to laugh, which was more of a wheezing, hacking sound that drew her worried friend's attention to her. Still chuckling, the blonde pointed to the glass of water by her bedside, and, after a few sips, placed the glass away. Then, ignoring the stabbing feeling of her arms, the Uzumaki reached out and tightly hugged her two best friends.
"I love you guys," Naruto admitted frankly, ignoring the furious blush on Hinata's cheeks and the mild redness around Shino's ears, "You're the greatest friends that a girl could have, and, yes, Shino, you were right. My actions were reckless and stupid, and I should have listened to you. I can't promise that I won't do stupid things in the future, but I will try my best to listen to you guys first."
Shino re-adjusted his glasses, pleased. "Yes, well, I'm glad to hear that, Naruto. Do you see, Hinata? Our firm display of disapproval worked."
Hinata wanted to point out that she was a frequent recipient of her clansman's disapproval, and thus knew that laughter was not the common response to such, but held her tongue. Shino and Naruto didn't know how much of a failure their friend was, and Hinata was too selfish to tell them the truth. They might not want to be her friends if they knew.
Instead, she just smiled at the blonde. "P-please don't worry us like that again, Naruto-chan."
"At least one good thing came out of my reckless endangerment," Naruto observed, beaming, "Hinata, your stutter is almost gone!"
"I was r-really worried about you," she admitted, "I couldn't focus on anything else, and it became easier to i-ignore all of my weaknesses."
"You're not weak, Hinata," Shino rebuked, "Why? Because you are a kind-hearted and courageous person, that was willing to interrupt the Hokage and demand progress reports of Naruto's condition, due to your concern. You are also the most powerful taijutsu fighter in our class."
"Definitely! You kick ass, Hinata-chan," Naruto added, supportively. The pale-eyed girl blushed.
"Still, while I'd love to discuss how amazing Hinata-chan is some more, there's a few things that I need to tell you," the blonde spoke, her humor fading as her rich blue eyes took on a serious glint, "There are a lot of discoveries that I made inside my mind. For one, my mother was an Uzumaki with a super awesome bloodline..."
Naruto Uzumaki was not a born storyteller, but between Shino's insightful questions and Hinata's supportive countenance, everything poured out. She covered the discovery of Yami Naruto, gave detailed descriptions of her mental battles, and mentioned her very first friend. There were tears to be forced back, as she talked about her childhood, and happier ones to be wiped away, when she explained her mysterious source of training scrolls. It wasn't a full disclosure- because the notes themselves, were a secret only between Itachi and herself- but her closest friends were told most else. It took almost an hour until she was done.
"This is a lot to take in," Shino finally sighed, "I will have to take some time to think over matters, but I assure you, Naruto, that this does not change anything between us. I believe that you are a good person, who has been dealt a bad hand in life, and that it is an honor to be your friend."
"This only strengthens our opinion of you," Hinata said, "You are a s-strong person, Naruto-chan."
"Thanks," Naruto sniffed, thankful that her friends ignored the tears rolling down her cheeks. They made her look silly. "I just wish that Ojii-sama would tell me more about my parents, so that I don't have to do stupid stuff like this to learn about them."
"Why won't he tell you anything?" Shino asked, adjusting his glasses. "This is most unusual."
"He said that I'm too young," the Uzumaki explained. "He promised to tell me after I became a Chuunin."
"M-maybe he'll change his mind?" Hinata suggested softly, "After this event, he may decide that it's too risky to leave you uninformed."
"I'll ask him," Naruto replied, a hint of mischief entering her eyes, "The Hokage wouldn't want to encourage my risky experimentation after all…"
Fugaku Uchiha remembered Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
His early impression of Minato had been negative, due to his elitism and the blonde's status as a poor, clanless orphan with foreign features. Fugaku had considered him a fool for pursuing Kushina Uzumaki, when they were born into entirely different social circles. The Uzumaki was, from her paternal side, the niece of the Uzumaki Clan Head, and the third-in-line to inherit, should both of her cousins die prematurely. From her mother, Kushina descended from a bastard line of the Nidaime, and while that may carry negative associations with the civilians, clans were more focused on lineage. And the redhead had a powerful lineage, culminating in a rare bloodline and being personally handpicked for the role of jinchuuriki.
She was wholly beyond the reach of the civilian-born Minato, and it seemed that the blonde knew it too, because he built himself up to a position, where he could be a serious contender for her hand. Fugaku suspected that this was unnecessary on his part, since Kushina genuinely loved him and routinely and publicly flouted social convention. However, he respected the man for proving him wrong and for making the masses fear the Namikaze name.
His early impression of Kushina Uzumaki had started off positive, due to her social status, and quickly soured thereafter. He had called her a 'tomato-faced disgrace to kunoichi', she had referred to him as a 'pink-eyed stick in the mud', and both parties stalked off, while loudly wondering how Mikoto could stand the other. For his part, Fugaku couldn't understand the strange friendship between the brash, loudmouthed redhead and his gentle, well-mannered Mikoto. As he grew older though, and subsequently more mature, the Uchiha realized that his wife adored the friend who couldn't care less about her status, who added energy (and illegal acts) to her proper life, and who punched Mira Uchiha out for insinuating that she wasn't worthy of being engaged to the clan heir.
After a few years, Fugaku had even come to like both of Naruto's parents, causing his opinions of their relationship to change. Now, he couldn't understand how the brilliant and mild-mannered Minato could possibly want to marry the walking headache that was Kushina Uzumaki.
Unlike her husband, Mikoto had been an early supporter of their potential relationship and one of Minato's first advocates. She found his unpolished manners 'charming', his stammered compliments 'sweet', and his obvious fascination for Kushina's hair 'strange, but ultimately harmless'. After the kidnapping incident had occurred, she had convinced him and the Sannin Jiraiya to set off fireworks in the lobby, so she could sneak the red-faced Kushina to Minato's hospital room. Since they had been discharged the next day, while holding hands, Fugaku presumed that Mikoto's machinations worked.
Now she was practically dancing around in the kitchen, as she prepared a batch of cookies for Shisui, of all people.
Meanwhile, Fugaku was left to quietly sit in his office, and ponder the Hokage's words.
The meeting had not been pleasant. When the Sandaime had mentioned the coup, Fugaku had been worried. When he started discussing the tactics they were planning, Fugaku grew suspicious. When he admitted that Itachi- his eldest son, his clan's heir- had been spying on them, Fugaku turned cold.
And then the conversation veered unexpectedly, as Hiruzen Sarutobi discussed not his family's treason, but the mental and emotional toll that Itachi had been suffering under, as he tried to prevent a civil war. Fugaku had been tempted to hit the man, as the Hokage discussed Itachi's growing stress marks, his alienation from his family, and even the Mangekyou Sharingan that he had obtained last night. It was only Mikoto's hand, pressing bloody crescents into his arm, that kept him from reacting.
When the Hokage took a pause, Fugaku turned, and looked at his blank-faced son. "Why?" he asked.
"A civil war would lead to the third shinobi war," was Itachi's soft answer, "And to protect Sasuke."
"Why would you need to protect Sasuke?" Fugaku knew that this was an unnecessary question. As an ANBU-level shinobi, if the Hokage decided to act against the perpetrators of the coup, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi would all be killed. Sasuke would effectively be left alone in a village that associated his surname with treason and betrayal.
Only the answer was much worse than he had suspected, because Danzo Shimura was apparently now breaching the idea of a full-massacre of adults and children, shinobi and civilians. Even if that idea was absurd, even if Fugaku doubted the Hokage was ruthless enough to allow it, even if it would be impossible to pull off without causing open revolt amongst the clans… Fugaku felt sick.
There was a man that considered this to be suitable punishment for a few adult's actions. A man that had been 'helpfully' mentioning each slight to his clan to him, during council meetings, egging his actions on for the massacre that he advocated.
The Hokage pressed on. The Uchiha didn't have to be revealed as traitors, and the remainder of the clan shouldn't be punished for the actions of the minority. The courtship rumors were already counteracting the negative perception from the Kyuubi's attack. Even more people would be aware tomorrow, as Inoichi shared the news of Naruto Uzumaki's recovery, due to the genjutsu by Itachi Uchiha. With young shinobi, like Itachi and Shisui, to their credit, the clan's star was rising.
"And how do you explain the ANBU watching us?" Fugaku had demanded, because that was one of the most bitter complaints amongst his kinsman. They were the leaders of the KMPF, and their own Hokage couldn't trust them to uphold the law within their own compound.
The Hokage had insisted that they were not his own ANBU, but instead members of Ne. He had admitted to Danzo's culpability, and warned the others of the repercussions should the old warhawk learn of Itachi's Mangekyou. He had offered his sympathies and suggestions; perhaps they could continue to build on the courtship rumor?
Fugaku had firmly disagreed with this, and so had Itachi. Neither wanted to draw a child that was Sasuke's age into this political standoff, and the latter had protested that the Uzumaki had no interest in him. Even Fugaku had looked on his son with disbelief at that comment, and that was one of the brief moments of levity in a long and serious discussion.
They had reached a compromise on that point. Itachi would explain the situation to Naruto, and while he would do nothing to encourage the rumors, he would also not try particularly hard to refute them either. The masses could continue to form their rumors, while additional attempts would be made at integrating the Uchiha into the main village.
Fugaku had felt briefly ashamed of himself, as he discussed plans to betray his clan's elders and main planners, but forcefully drew it back, when he remembered Sasuke's young face. He had been willing to sacrifice his fellow shinobi and villagers for his clan; how could betraying a few kinsman for the remainder of his clan, be much worse?
There had been concessions on both sides. Fugaku would remain the clan head, but Itachi would assume leadership of the clan on his twentieth birthday. Any civilians and shinobi under the rank of Chunin would be guaranteed clemency, should a fight ever occur, but the Uchiha wall would have to be broken down before the next year. None of the ANBU could resume patrols within the compound, and Ne operative would be firmly requested not to, but more Uchiha Chunin and Jounin would have to take team-based missions without clan members.
It had been a productive meeting, and the four Uchiha, who had left it were of mixed emotions. Shisui had been plainly thankful, and Mikoto was both comforted and pleased. Itachi's emotions had been harder to discern, but Fugaku could detect relief, anxiety, hope, and- for a moment- shame. This final emotion, had caused the older man to neglect his own maelstrom of reactions, and draw his son aside.
"I cannot say that I agree with your actions," Fugaku began, as Itachi's ink-toned eyes filled with pain, "The way we think is different, but I'm still proud of you… You truly are a gentle child."
And now he was sitting behind an oak desk that had been possessed by his family for seven generations now. He was drinking a cup of hot tea that his wife had placed in front of him. Upstairs, his two sons were deeply asleep, one from the exhaustion of a productive day of play, and the other from the bloodshed of his profession and the stress that his own father had put him under. A burden that had been lightened by his friendship with Minato and Kushina's daughter.
Fugaku Uchiha remembered Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. He remembered a blonde man that could single-handedly change the world, and the redhaired woman that would affect the hearts of everyone around her. And to think that their daughter would change the fate of his own clan…
Omake for 'lyannamormontismyspiritanimal':
(Congratulations on correctly identifying the 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' poem by Robert Frost)!
There were three beautiful girls shopping in Konoha's textile district on one particularly fine, spring day. One girl had waist-length blood red hair, rich violet eyes, and was gesturing wildly at the kimono on the window display. Another had shoulder-length raven black hair, oval-shaped ink-tone eyes, and was nodding thoughtfully at her friend's words. The final young woman had short dark blue hair, pearlescent lavender eyes, and she was laughing softly at the other two.
Above them, were three handsome young men. They were arguing.
"Minato, we're Chuunin now," Hiashi hissed, "We can't just be seen following kunoichi around. There are consequences to this!"
"Many consequences," Fugaku added, a displeased frown crossing his face, as he was forced to agree with his rival, "We are breaking laws for loitering, harassment, privacy, theft-"
"Oh, stop being such a stick in the mud, Fugaku," Minato replied, not moving his eyes from the binoculars, in his hand. Safely ensconced in his pocket was the hairclip that a certain Uzumaki had lost earlier in the day. "I'm trying to focus. Do you think Kushina likes that green one? Do you think she'll wear it, if I buy it for her?"
"You're forgetting that the red heathen refuses to give you the time of day," Fugaku reminded him.
"This is so undignified," the Hyuuga bemoaned, "We have all been promoted to Captains now, and must hold ourselves to a higher standard, Minato. How am I supposed to explain this to my clan, if we get caught? Not to mention the lecture that my sensei will give me, if I get demoted less than two weeks after reaching this position."
"Uh-huh," Minato said absently, adjusting the lenses, "Is that sales clerk flirting with Hiromi-san?"
"What?" Hiashi demanded, pushing the blonde aside, and craning his neck for a better look, "How dare he?! Minato, give me your binoculars!"
"May I remind you that this is currently illegal?" Fugaku huffed in exasperation.
"Oh, stop being such a stick in the mud, Fugaku," Hiashi snapped.
Down below them, the three girls continued their enthusiastic conversation.
"Ha! And neither of you believed me when I said that Minato was a creepy stalker!" Kushina crowed, tucking a glowing sheet of paper in her sleeve, "As my Echo Funnel seal has proved, that unreliable pretty boy isn't as squeaky-clean, as everyone likes to claim!"
"Shouldn't that only make him more attractive in your eyes, though?" Hiromi asked, gracefully opening a silken fan and using it to hide her smile. Kushina scowled at her friend, for daring to bring logic into the situation.
"No!" the Uzumaki exclaimed, "I like cool, funny pranks! Not perving on innocent girls, like that idiot!"
She crossed her arms, and moved her annoyed expression to their dark-eyed friend. "Can't we move on now, Mikoto-chan?"
"Not for another few minutes," Mikoto spoke quietly, making a show of admiring the green silk. After a few minutes, she raised her voice. "It does look lovely, Kushina-chan. It's a shame that you can't save up enough money to buy this- and the jade necklace at Toki's Luxury Goods- in time for the Lantern Festival. I'm sure that one of your old kimonos would work just as well."
Ignoring her baffled friends, Mikoto briefly peeked up, and then hustled the other two girls down the street.
"What in Inari's blessed name was that for?" Kushina's youthful features bespoke confusion.
"I'm getting you free clothes," the Uchiha explained, with a smug expression, "Minato's always trying to buy you gifts- don't interrupt me, Kushina-chan!- and he's often getting the wrong things. Since he's going to buy you clothing anyway, we may as well point him to the right ones."
"That's exploitation, Mikoto-chan," the pale-eyed woman said, her fan hiding another faint smile.
"I know," Mikoto said proudly, "Kushina-chan taught me!"