"Itachi-kun, why are you up this early?" Mikoto Uchiha inquired, not bothering to look up from the eggs that she was deftly cracking into the bowl. She already knew that her teenaged son would be taking a seat to the right of Fugaku's regular chair, normally straight hair mussed from sleep.
"I was planning to go to the Hokage's Tower," her son replied, voice softer than usual, "The Captain and I wanted to check on the paperwork for our teammate."
"I see," the dark-haired woman's smile faded, and she swiftly moved to add more cabbage to his okonomiyaki, "Can you wait a few more minutes? I'll have breakfast ready soon."
"Yes, Mother. Thank you." They stayed silent, as the Uchiha Matriarch completed the savoury pancake and passed Itachi his plate.
As he began eating, Mikoto took her cup of tea, and sat across from him. There was a minute frown on her face, as she studied her eldest son. There were faint crease marks on his forehead, suggesting bad dreams, associated with his latest mission. A tired slump to his posture, less visible enjoyment of his favorite breakfast, and not even one baleful look for her blatant staring. Sadly enough, this was an improvement from Itachi's former expression.
'And now he'll be ensuring that his friend's shinobi insurance and death benefits go to the proper beneficiaries,' Mikoto thought, 'I'm proud of him, and he's grown so much, but Itachi-kun's still my baby boy. At the very least, I want to distract him a little from his morbid thoughts.'
"You know, the Sandaime asked me to spend some time with Naruto-chan today," the mother began cheerfully, pushing a glass of milk forward, as Itachi's fork momentarily paused, "Is there some okonomiyaki stuck in your throat, Itachi? Have a drink to wash it down."
The teenage boy finished his last bite, before Mikoto took his plate. Seeing the pointed look on his mother's face, Itachi glowered at the milk, before accepting the glass. His mother barely held back a frustrated sigh. Honestly, what did she do to deserve two such picky eaters as her sons?
"I'm sure that we'll have plenty to talk about," Mikoto continued, walking around the table to drop a kiss on the top of his head. There was the instinctive recoil of a teenager, before Itachi's growing maturity reasserted itself, and he accepted the sign of his mother's affection. "I have so many wonderful stories about her mother, that I can finally share! We were close friends, you know, just as you and Naruto are now. By the way, is there anything you would like me to pass on?"
"No, thank you, Mother," Itachi mumbled, hastily walking out the door. Mikoto internally beamed. There was definitely a flustered look on her normally composed son's face.
"Mom, why did Itachi-niisan leave so quickly?" her other baby boy's voice drew her attention, and she saw a sleepy, but mildly irate, Sasuke standing by the door. Undoubtedly, he had expected to at least share breakfast with his hero today, since Itachi was less busy in the weekends.
"He had some important shinobi business to attend to, sweetheart," Mikoto ushered the younger boy into his seat, before Sasuke-chan's face could do much more than fall in disappointment. There were two types of business that often drew Itachi's attention- shinobi work and clan duties- and the former meant that Sasuke was forbidden from asking more questions.
"Why did you make so much food?" Sasuke asked, instead. Unlike his brother, Sasuke preferred to wake up during the early morning hours. Itachi, in comparison, would be working until a three o'clock limit, and then cling to his bedsheets until noon. The standard ANBU schedule worked well for him.
"I'm going to take some of this food to the hospital today, Sasuke-chan," Mikoto ignored her son's grimace. When he was old enough to reach the high cupboards, she would drop the term of endearment. "I'll be meeting your godsister today."
"I have a godsister?" Sasuke parroted. This was news to him.
"Yes, she's an orphan, and the daughter of my best friend. Due to political and personal reasons- and yes, Sasuke-chan, those are also private- I was unable to assume guardianship of her, as a child," Mikoto concisely explained. "Those circumstances have changed, partially due to the medical incident, and, while she's an emancipated minor now, I can be more involved in her life. This is our first meeting, which is why I'm allowing you to play over at Takeo-chan's house, but you'll spend some time with her later."
"I have a godsister?" Sasuke repeated, and then considered the statement. "She's the daughter of your best friend? That 'Shina' woman?"
"Kushina," the dark-haired woman corrected, awarding her son with a smile for remembering the protagonist of several early bedtime stories, "Kushina Uzumaki. I believe that you know her daughter?"
This time, Sasuke was shocked enough to stop sorting out his cherry tomatoes. "The dobe?"
"Now, Sasuke-chan, there's no need for that kind of language," she scolded, "I know that you have a- let's say, tenuous- relationship with Naruto-chan, but she's the daughter of my best friend, and my future daughter-in-law."
"Mom, I told you that she's not one of my fangirls," the dark-haired boy made a face, "Are you sure she's the daughter of Kushina? I mean, your stories made her out to be so cool, but Naruto is the deadlast of our class. All she does is play pranks… oh. Well, I guess that's something she inherited from her mother?"
"Yes," Mikoto nodded happily, "Kushina was a consummate prankster, and Naruto-chan is definitely her daughter. And I know that she's not your fangirl, sweetheart. She's going to marry your brother."
"Itachi-niisan?" Sasuke gaped at his mother.
"They're very good friends, and will likely become more in the future," the Uchiha Matriarch responded happily. "Therefore, I would like you to be a little more courteous to her, in the future. You two will be spending plenty of time together- Itachi-kun already invited her over to the compound!- and I plan to invite her to dinners every weekend. While I don't expect immediate friendship, you will display the composure, good manners, and etiquette expected of my sons. Am I understood, Sasuke-chan?"
"Itachi-niisan?!"
"I also want you to be considerate of your brother's courtship," Mikoto lectured, "Itachi-kun will need both space and time to win Naruto-chan's heart. Don't be afraid to give them some time alone, every now and them. Use constraint, when you ask for his time. Get to know her a little better, and highlight some of Itachi-kun's better traits, if you can."
"Itachi-niisan?!"
"As a fellow Academy student, you're better placed to gather intelligence than anyone else in the family," his mother pressed, "So, if you see anyone else show romantic interest, then you should tell me, or your cousin, Shisui, immediately. And stop cherry-picking those tomatoes, young man. Did you think I would let you skip out on the rest of your breakfast, after the tomatoes were gone?"
The final rebuke was familiar, and Sasuke broke out of his stupefied reaction enough, to sneak the last of his tomatoes below the blasted omelette and the barely tolerated steamed vegetables. His mind spun wildly, assimilating the information given, as his mother returned to packaging the remainder of the food. Sasuke was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't even remember to complain when Mikoto leaned down to kiss the top of his head.
"I have to go visit Naruto-chan now," Mikoto picked up the hamper of food, and gave one final smile to her son. "Be good, Sasuke-chan, and don't cause Aunt Mori any trouble. I love you."
"Love you too," Sasuke replied automatically, mind working quickly. Itachi-niisan?!
Mikoto Uchiha hummed cheerfully, passing out the occasional wave and acknowledging nod to passersby, as she walked over to Konoha General. She didn't need to ask the receptionist for the room number, since the former Jounin had swung by last night, when the Uzumaki was asleep, to check on her. Instead, she eagerly stepped into Room 2B, and let her eyes feast on the blonde patient.
'She's the perfect copy of Minato-kun,' the Uchiha marvelled, a little regretfully, as sunshine yellow hair and ocean blue eyes stared at her. Then, her chakra sensing ability echoed back. 'Almost the perfect copy. Her chakra-scape has every hallmark of the Uzumaki Clan. And there's Kushina's button nose and oval-shaped face.'
"Itachi's mom?" Naruto-chan's voice was similar to her mother's as well, blithe and carefree.
"Yes, Itachi's my son," Mikoto replied, more hesitant. There was some anxiety now, because- oh, kami, she hadn't thought this through, had she? This was an almost eight-year-old girl, Naruto-chan didn't know anything about her, and how could she expect the little girl's forgiveness for abandoning her for all of these years. This was a mistake. She should-
"I liked your rice balls," Naruto-chan said awkwardly. "They were oysters?"
"Yes," Mikoto answered quickly, grabbing on to the topic of conversation, "Your mother taught me. Ocean-based designs were very popular with her clan."
Those familiar blue eyes widened. "You knew my mother?"
"Kushina Uzumaki," Mikoto said, feeling indescribably guilty at the hopeful expression on the blonde's face, "Was my best friend. We met when we were only six years old, and were as close as sisters since. We were each other's confidante, training partner, maid of honor, and- eventually- godmother candidate. She chose me to be your godmother when you were born."
There were a few hand-wringing minutes when Naruto Uzumaki didn't say anything. Then sunshine yellow hair tipped to the side, as Naruto-chan cocked her head, and narrowed her rich blue eyes. "You couldn't see me?"
Mikoto's hearted clenched. "No."
She did not expect for the blonde girl to shrug at the answer. "Okay. Can you tell me about her now?"
'Minato never got angry over things that he couldn't change,' the dark-haired woman noted, taking a relieved seat by the Uzumaki's bedside, 'Kushina never held a person's past mistakes against them.'
"On the day that I first met Kushina Uzumaki," Mikoto began, "My mother forced me to wear a particularly scratchy formal dress, in a horrible shade of puce. She told me that I was meeting a foreign clan heiress, and was expected to make a good impression. Naturally, Kushina chose to walk in, wearing an oversized men's dress shirt, red shorts, and muddy adventure boots…"
Naruto Uzumaki's coma and subsequent recovery covered the second half of the week, and fell into the weekend, allowing her to be ready for the Academy on Monday. Still a little wobbly on her feet, and reluctant to go to school, the blonde took her time getting ready, until a messy-haired teen appeared at her door. Disregarding her panicked shouts, Shisui Uchiha swept her off her feet, and used half-a-dozen consecutive Shunshin, to get her to school before the bell rang. When they finally arrived in the courtyard, the Uchiha teen gently lowered her down, and- after Naruto's head stopped spinning- got kicked in the shins.
"That was kidnapping, you jerk! Oh, I think my brain is scrambled," Naruto moaned, grabbing her head, "Ow… Don't do that again."
Then the blonde looked around the courtyard, filled with wide-eyed classmates, and huffed. "Thank you for bringing me to school, Shisui."
"No problem," the Uchiha replied, grinning, "But why didn't you like it? Was it because there's another Uchiha, you'd like to be held by?" Shisui quickly performed another Shunshin before her feet could reach him again, leaving behind a spluttering, red-faced blonde girl and a courtyard of shocked students. All except for Sasuke Uchiha, who merely facepalmed.
Unlike the Uzumaki though, Ino Yamanaka had jumped out of her bed, bright-eyed and bitter-smiled in the morning light. She chose to dress in her favorite purple top, brushed her platinum blonde hair back, and took a crisp apple from the kitchen for breakfast. Her mother, Kimiko, was already up, and gave her a curt greeting, which Ino ignored. The young girl also refused to acknowledge the reminder to come home directly after school; it's not like she had forgotten her unfair punishment!
Instead, Ino pasted a smile on her face, arrived early to school, and started talking to one of her many acquaintances. Who spoke to another girl, and yet another, before certain rumors began to spread across the campus. That was why, when Shisui arrived with Naruto Uzumaki in his arms, there were plenty of whispers in the air.
"Broke into the Uchiha Compound and stole Sasuke-kun's boxers…"
"...got rejected, and tried to get his brother's attention instead, to make him jealous."
"Have you heard what she did? What a floozy."
"Well, she's obviously got no morals if she's going through his underwear. Not surprised that she-"
"-seduced the other boy. That was why he brought her to the school-"
"...absent for the last few days. They say that she was in a hospital, but it's actually because the Uchiha were punishing-"
"I know! She's such a whore. She sneaked into Sasuke-kun's bedroom when he was asleep…"
"-in a hospital, because she tried to kill herself after the Uchiha rejected her."
"Who wouldn't? Sasuke-kun must have felt so violated, when he found her rummaging through his underwear."
Although these rumors spread quickly throughout class, there were some people who were unaware of them. Naruto Uzumaki was one such person, since she was busy worrying about her future lesson with Itachi, and thinking about how nice it was for Iruka-sensei to welcome her back to class. Neither Shino Aburame nor Hinata Hyuuga had social contacts that were willing the share the rumors with them. As for Sasuke Uchiha, he studiously ignored everything that his fangirls giggled over, and inadvertently led credence to the rumors, as he focused an intense stare on the oblivious blonde.
Naruto did feel the judgemental glares aimed at her, but those weren't new to the Uzumaki.
Ino watched, with a mixed feeling of pride and frustration, as her rumors began to circulate. She was smug, when Ami-chan deliberately stepped on the Uzumaki's foot on the way to class, and when Rika-chan laughed derisively, as the blonde walked by. She was angry, when Naruto's main reaction was to scribble intently in her notebook, and occasionally exchange hushed mutters with her friends. Her revenge was working, but not nearly as well as she had hoped.
It was Hinata, who finally heard the unkind words spoken about one of her best friends.
"What do you think the Uzumaki is writing all day?" a female voice inquired.
"Probably more plans to sneak into Sasuke-kun's bed!" The resulting chortles hid the blue-haired girl's gasp. Hinata quietly pressed back against the bathroom stall, and focused on the conversation.
"Think we should sneak her plans away?" the first voice spoke again, and Hinata frowned when she recognized how familiar it was. A classmate?
"Why not? She'll be totally freaked out when she learns that her secret plans are known to everyone!"
"If we're lucky, the baka will be embarrassed enough to try killing herself again."
'To say s-such things,' Hinata thought, clenching her hands. Her breathing quickened, and she forced chakra into her eyes. There was a moment of disorientation, before the Byakugan activated and an almost-perfect, spherical vision assaulted her mind. 'There's more than two of them!'
Deactivating her Byakugan, Hinata placed one chakra-laden foot against the bathroom stall, and the other on the wall, as she pulled herself out of the enclosed space. Then, clinging on to the walls, the blue-haired girl studied the people, who had just threatened her best female friend.
The Hyuuga recognized Naoki and, a cinder-haired girl that she vaguely thought was named Anzo, who had spoken. The third girl had pale pink hair past her shoulder blades, and sat directly in front of Hinata during lessons. Sakura had an uncomfortable look on her face, as the others spoke, but she didn't argue against them either.
'Are they the only ones t-talking about this?' Hinata wondered, 'How did they know that Naruto-chan was in the hospital, and why do they think that she tried to attempt s-suicide?'
Movement at the corner of her eye drew her attention down, and Hinata saw the pink-haired girl lift her head. Sakura's jade green eyes widened, and her mouth began to open, but then she paused. Hinata had activated her Byakugan again, and the glare that the intimidating dojutsu formed made every warning bell in the Haruno's mind ring.
Sakura stayed silent. A few minutes later, and the three girls left the bathroom. A moment after that, Hinata somersaulted back on the ground, feeling over half of her limited chakra reserves diminished. Had the previous conversation not worried her so, she would have been more dismayed that they were scheduled to practice the Bunshin in class today.
'They won't be able to steal Naruto-chan's notebook,' Hinata knew, 'But those rumors are more worrying. Shino-kun and Naruto-chan will never pay them attention, because they don't care what other people say, but those words could really damage Naruto-chan's reputation! I need to do something.'
As the Hyuuga hurried back to class, she wondered how she would conduct her investigation into the rumors, and whether or not Sakura Haruno needed more incentives to stay quiet. Hinata didn't like to use her family's reputation- because her own lacked any intimidation whatsoever- but Naruto-chan was so vulnerable to rumors. And if she was going to intimidate Haruno-san anyway, then maybe she should ask some questions about why people were talking about Naruto-chan this way?
Hinata Hyuuga concluded her investigation with the knowledge that Ino Yamanaka was a terrible person, Sakura Haruno had a softer spine than she did, and Kiba Inuzuka had the decency to scoff at the suicide rumors of her best friend. It may have only been due to his insistence that his nose would have picked up on such depressed thoughts, but the blue-haired girl appreciate it, nonetheless. There were other members of the class that didn't say such terrible things, but Nara-san, Akimichi-san, and Uchiha-san seemed to be too immersed in their own world, to know of them.
When Hinata gathered enough information to summarize the situation, she tentatively approached the subject with her best friends. As she had feared, Naruto was mildly upset and Shino more-than-mildly indignant, but neither knew how to counter the negative press. The former didn't have the appropriate social training for this kind of issue, while the latter's clan training focused on ignoring them. Hinata had reluctantly argued against retaliatory pranking, since that would only worsen the situation.
'Now what should I do?' Hinata wondered, 'I'm not popular enough to stand up to Ino, and the others don't have enough respect for me, to listen anyway. Maybe Father will have an idea.'
Her father had kindly listened to her concerns before, even showing interest in her petty jealousy of Itachi Uchiha. This had come as a surprise to the painfully shy girl, but she was glad that Hiashi Hyuuga was showing more interest in her life now. He had been an attentive father for most of her life, but ever since Mother had died giving birth to Hanabi, her Father had become withdrawn and cold. The last year had been lonely for the young girl, but, with her new friends and her father's renewed interest, Hinata's confidence was slowly rising.
"F-father?" Not enough to stop stuttering entirely though. Not when she was about to initiate such a difficult conversation. "M-may I have s-some of your t-time?"
"Hinata? Yes, you may come in," Hiashi replied, "Let me set some of my paperwork aside."
The blue-haired girl nearly beamed, as she carefully stepped over the polished bamboo tiles of the Clan Head's office. Hinata sat on a ready mat, arms and legs correctly positioned for a proper heiress, and focused on her father's unactivated Byakugan. She knew that the pupil-less, white eyes of her clan were scary to some, but they had always brought comfort to her.
"Father, there is a s-situation at school, that I request your g-guidance for," Hinata employed the formal language that the adult Hyuuga preferred, "T-there are some unkind r-rumors about my f-friend, Naruto Uzumaki…"
Hinata explained the situation to the best of her ability, and then sat respectfully on her mat, as Hiashi formulated his response. It was not what she had hoped. "Have you considered asking Itachi Uchiha to intervene on the Uzumaki's behalf?"
Hinata's mouth formed an expression that was not a pout. "I do not believe that he w-would be the best p-person to help Naruto-chan."
Hiashi's mouth quirked up. "While I'm glad that you have the proper sensibilities to be scornful of our Uchiha rivals, jealousy is unbecoming of the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata."
"As an o-outsider, he w-would not be able to e-effectively c-challenge the rumors," Hinata replied stubbornly. Her father nodded to this point.
"The solution does not necessarily have to be a direct one," Hiashi chided, "Hinata, I would like to tell you a story about two old friends of mine. Would you care to hear it?"
'Not at all,' the Hyuuga child thought sourly, but knew that it was a rhetorical question. "Yes, Father."
"There were once two people that, for the sake of this story, shall be called Minoru and Kikyo," Hiashi's eyes gained that faraway look that his daughter associated with Uncle Hizashi and her mother, Hiromi. These friends must have been deceased. "Minoru and Kikyo met as fellow Academy students, but while Minoru fell in love with her at first sight, Kikyo was indifferent to him. More than indifferent, actually. She once knocked him out and stuck him to the classroom ceiling. It took almost four hours for the sensei to deactivate the seal keeping him there."
Hinata stayed silent, as her father recounted the story of the determined pursuit of Minoru and the mischievous evasion of Kikyo, and the many antics involved with them. To the young girl, it almost sounded like one of those folklores about the handsome hunter chasing after a Yokai maiden. Her interest was fully caught when her father reached the climax of his story, when the brave Minoru saved the kidnapped Kikyo, and finally won her heart.
"There are two morals to this story, Hinata. The first one is that you cannot rely solely on Kumo nin to move your love life along. Even after Minoru won her heart, he continued his pursuit of Kikyo, in order to show her how much he loved her," Hiashi said, "The second one is that sometimes Fate will intervene to give another Kikyo, a Minoru of her very own. Do you understand what I mean?"
"No, Father," Hinata answered, confused. How was this supposed to discourage her? Didn't Minoru beat the odds, and win Kikyo's heart, in the end?
"When Minoru saved Kikyo, he created a special trust between them that others could not breach," her father explained, "Sometimes, a Kikyo needs to be saved from physical dangers, but other times, the issue is less obvious. And sometimes, a Minoru arrives too late, because one has already stepped in to be the hero. Do you understand?"
Hinata looked down. "Itachi Uchiha isn't Naruto-chan's Minoru, Father."
"Isn't he?" Hiashi laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Her danger was isolation and loneliness, and he stepped in to save her from that. Tell me, does she seem to care for him?"
Hinata considered how happy Naruto-chan had been when she talked about her early notes, and how preoccupied she was today, when she considered her upcoming lesson. The Hyuuga's heart fell, and Hiashi read the truth in his little girl's teary eyes.
"I would advise against risking your steady friendship for an uncertain romance now, but who knows? In a year or more, the circumstances may change, and be more favorable for you," the Hyuuga Head stood up, and beckoned her closer. "Even if they do not, there will be other Kikyo's in the world. I believe that Fate, an open mind, and a kind heart will guide you to the right one, eventually."
"N-not like h-her," Hinata sniffled, "No one l-like her!"
"In the bloom of first love, that is a simple assumption to make, Hinata," the older Hyuuga drew her into a hug, "Come, we shall have a cup of hot chocolate and those cinnamon buns that you like."
"C-can we eat w-with Hanabi-chan?" the blue-haired girl, hiccuped.
Hiashi hesitated. He had not seen his younger daughter for nearly five months, ever since Hiromi… "Yes. Yes, I believe that we should."
After the Sunday morning that his mother had spent upbraiding his entire world, Sasuke was in a state of constant consideration. His brilliant, talented, and strong older brother couldn't possibly be courting the deadlast, could he? She was the deadlast! Naruto Uzumaki was loud, brash, careless, ill-mannered, and lacked any respect for her education. Sasuke had never considered his brother's possible girlfriend before, but, as he thought about it now, the messy-haired, orange-loving joke of his class did not come to mind.
Not as the first choice. Or the second, third, and basically any choice, unless every other single girl was dead. And even then, Sasuke would have expected Itachi-niisan to remain celibate and alone.
His mother was convinced Naruto Uzumaki would be her daughter-in-law though, and while some of his mother's claims could be outlandish, she never lied. Mikoto Uchiha stated that her eldest son and the deadlast of Sasuke's class were good friends, and therefore, they must be.
Since it was difficult to reconcile his mother's aversion to lying with his brother's courtship of the dobe, Sasuke resolved to observe the girl. Falling into his typical habit of ignoring his classmates- though the fangirls were particularly giggly and irritating today- the younger Uchiha son stared at Naruto. By the end of the day, he concluded that she was loud, brash, careless, ill-mannered, and lacked any respect for her education.
But there were also moments, when Sasuke saw more. When she stuck ten leaves to each of her wiggling toes- the hardest part of the body to channel chakra to- and waved them at the Hyuuga, she was skilled. When she thoughtlessly grabbed extra worksheets for her friends, and swiftly glared at the boy mocking the Aburame, she was loyal. And when Itachi picked him up from school, waved at her, and caused her entire face to light up? She was beautiful.
Sasuke still didn't believe that his older brother was courting Naruto Uzumaki. Itachi-niisan was too focused on his work, didn't even consider romance, and was too old for her anyway. Not to mention, that he would definitely have told Sasuke, if he had ever wanted to court one of his classmates.
However, there was something between Itachi-nii and the Academy deadlast. The deadlast that was his mother's goddaughter, and likely to be a frequent visitor to their home. The deadlast that was a single girl that his brother was willing to spend time with, and cared for. There was no romance there, but Itachi-nii simply didn't have any other female friends. She could become his sister-in-law one day.
'Of all the people that Itachi-nii could have chosen,' Sasuke mentally sighed, following his brother home. The second day was another pattern of the first, until a determined, but clearly reluctant, Hinata Hyuuga approached them, and asked for a moment to talk with Itachi-nii.
'She doesn't have a crush on him too, does she?' the younger Uchiha thought, worried. He was polite enough to step several feet away, though he refused to move his eyes from the two heirs. It was a public area, so the actions were acceptable, if borderline rude. 'No. I- I think she actually doesn't like him! I never thought I would meet a girl that didn't like Itachi-nii.'
Trust a Hyuuga to be prejudiced against his wonderful brother. Father was right, when he said that the Hyuuga Clan lacked common sense.
Sasuke wondered what the Hyuuga wanted to talk to his brother about. Itachi-nii broached the subject, as they were taking their shoes off. "Sasuke, have you heard any of the rumors currently spreading throughout your class?"
Sasuke shook his head in the negative. "I don't listen to rumors, Itachi-nii."
"That's a good policy to adopt," the older brother's words made the younger one puff up with pride, "With the addendum that you keep track of them, but don't believe them, without gathering your own intel. Hyuuga-san has informed me that one of your classmates, Ino Yamanaka, has spread cruel and dishonest rumors about Naruto."
'Itachi-nii refers to her by her given name.' Sasuke knew how important honorifics were to his older brother. He kept that thought in mind, as he listened to the rest of the information that he had to share. Even though he didn't care for the Uzumaki, even Sasuke was disgusted by what he had heard.
"Can you intervene on her behalf?" Itachi-nii asked, surprising his little brother again. Itachi-nii rarely needed his help for anything, and, when he did, it was minor tasks that were requested mainly to make Sasuke feel useful. This wasn't minor, and the younger Uchiha knew that he would accept, if only because it would make his brother feel better.
Still, he asked another question. "Is she really your friend?"
Itachi nodded, a soft smile crossing his face. Sasuke Uchiha became convinced that their mother's matchmaking hopes were not so far-fetched, after all.
On Sunday, his mother dropped some of the most surprising news in Sasuke's life. On Monday, he silently observed the Uzumaki girl, and secretly admitted that there were valid points involved. On Tuesday, he gained confirmation from Itachi-nii himself, and learned that some idiot fangirl was attacking the godsister he never wanted, but was still important to his mother and brother. On Wednesday, he waited until Kasumi muttered 'whore' under her breath, before intervening.
"What did you say?" The entire room, even Iruka-sensei, stared at him. Sasuke Uchiha was not one to disrupt classes, and had never used such an angry tone against his classmates before. The girl in question, with a ginger-coloured afro and squinted eyes, blushed deep red.
"I didn't mean you, Sasuke-kun!" Kasumi refuted, clearly surprised, but pleased to gain his attention. "I was talking about the Uzumaki-baka! I think it's unacceptable for her to have stolen your boxers!"
The dark-haired boy glared irritably at her. "I know who you were insulting, and I'm angry on Naruto's behalf. She's a friend on my family, and was tricked into stealing my clothes, by certain unscrupulous people."
Since Ino had apparently been showing his boxers off for days, and Sasuke was currently looking at the pale Yamanaka, there was no question about who he was referring to.
"I thought since she sneaked into your house," Kasumi simpered, shrinking back.
"Don't insult the Uchiha Compound's security!" Sasuke snapped back, "Did you think that a simple Academy student could get into my house, unless she was invited in? My mother was aware that she needed the boxers for something, and decided to let her take them. She has a lot of trust in Naruto."
And at least half of that statement had been true.
"Sasuke, do you really think that this is the time and place to have this discussion?" Iruka interrupted, giving him a warning look, "Please sit down. Since this is your first infraction, I'll waive off a punishment, but you will get detention, if you continue."
Sasuke nodded, but surprised his sensei when he continued talking. "I accept the detention, Sensei."
This would be his first ever detention, but, for some reason, Sasuke suspected that his family would reward him for it. His coal-black eyes scanned the room, once again. The Yamanaka was ashen-faced, the Nara mildly surprised, the Inuzuka approving, the Hyuuga reluctantly pleased, and the Uzumaki utterly shocked. He wanted to end this now, so he looked directly at the anxious Ino, and continued his lecture of Kasumi.
"There have been some seduction, rejection, and suicide-related rumors running around about one of our classmates recently. I'm here to tell you, that none of those rumors are true, and that I am willing to fight anyone who claims otherwise," Sasuke ranted. "Naruto Uzumaki is my mother's goddaughter, my older brother's friend, and one of the only two girls in this class, that had the common decency to not be a fangirl…"
The funeral had been private, solemn, and closed-casket. Miroku was from a civilian family, and only his elderly mother, older sister, brother-in-law and two nieces, filled the family aisle. For their benefit, the skewered throat was hidden by a thin plank of polished wood, that couldn't disguise the glassy-eyed corpse that filled Itachi's eyes.
Miroku was popular. Friendly, cheerful, and always ready with a (often inappropriate) joke, many ninja attended the wake. When it was over, they decided to head to a local bar, and toast to the memories of the brunette shinobi, that flirted with any pretty Chuunin that caught his eye. Shisui had elected to go along, but Itachi refused. He wasn't much of a drinker, and couldn't muster the energy needed to tolerate the press of people, after the funeral.
He wanted to go home, and listen to Sasuke boast about his detention, to their father's mixed pride and horror. Eat some of his mother's home-cooked meals. Maybe read some of Naruto's earlier notes, to remind him that he wasn't the worst scumbag on the face of the Elemental Lands.
Naruto's words had made an impression, and Yugao, Shisui, and even Kakashi-sempai had mercilessly hammered it home. Miroku's mother thanked him for arranging all of the shinobi-related paperwork. Intellectually, Itachi knew that he wasn't to blame, but survivor's guilt was a difficult matter to ignore.
He turned to the silent street that led towards the Uchiha Compound, when Itachi's ears perked up. A moment later, and he was perched in a building, several feet away. Another man flickered into being next to him. Itachi couldn't manage to hide his shock.
'Another teleportation jutsu? And a Mangekyou Sharingan?' His own eyes flared in response.
"Itachi Uchiha," the man greeted him, with a gravelly, artificial voice. He wore a black cloak inscribed with red cloud, a spiralled orange mask, and had a single spinning Sharingan in his eye. "I've wanted to speak to you for a long time." Itachi stayed silent.
"One of my most talented descendants, and a possible subordinate of great potential," the man continued, seemingly indifferent to the kunai that Itachi drew, "Proficient in ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, and shurikenjutsu. Even Chuunin-level competence with iryo ninjutsu, fuuinjutsu, and kenjutsu. Mastery of the Suiton and Katon elements, and beginning to learn the Futon element. A summoner of the crow contract. A wielder of the Mangekyou Sharingan."
Itachi refused to speak, and the masked individual kept talking.
"You were such a pacifistic, gentle child that I doubted you would ever reach the stage of the Mangekyou," the man said, "I arranged that test for you, and I must admit, that you have surpassed my every expectation. Well done, Itachi."
This got a reaction. "You ordered those Kiri shinobi to attack us?" You killed Miroku?
The narrowed eyes and tense body, caused the man to chuckle. It was a deep and bitter sound, but more realistic than any tone, he had voiced so far. "I am not surprised that this would be your reaction. You have always been an aloof child, but your unexpected affection for the jinchuuriki changed you. As love has for many people, over countless generations. The moment people come to know love, they run the risk of carrying hate."
"What do you want from me?" Itachi asked.
The man fell silent for a moment, and then clapped his hands together. The sudden noise unnerved Itachi, but the dark-haired teen refused to show it.
"I think the better question would be, 'what can I give you'?" the masked stranger responded, "In this case, I intend to destroy the village, capture the Bijuu, and establish a new world order. If you join me, then I will spare your immediate family and cousin. I will grant you a place in my new world, and one final prize."
"Kushina Uzumaki died after her Bijuu was extracted, but if you join me, I shall save her daughter's life, and gift her to you. If you reject my offer, than the Kyuubi will be released in Konoha, within a week's time. You alone have the power to spare Naruto Uzumaki's death."