Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Facilitating Between Heaven and Hell	By : ChaCha92 Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 6098 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Don't own anything in the Naruto universe. Some dude in Japan does. Make no money on my stories either.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
The overcast early morning skies cast a gray pall over the cold, deserted streets of Konoha as Ibiki walks steadily toward his destination completely unperturbed by the weather. He knew he’d be arriving early to Kakashi and Iruka’s apartment, but prefers it to being late. Keenly aware of Naruto’s reluctance to face Tsunade, he figures she’ll need the extra time to shore up her courage.
Upon arriving at his destination, he knocks and patiently waits for someone to answer.
“Good morning, Ibiki,” Iruka warmly greets him when she opens the door. “Come on in.”
“Good morning, Iruka,” he replies while stepping inside.
“Have a seat,” she gestures at the sofa as she shuts the door closed. “Naruto’s getting ready. Would you like some tea to warm up with?”
“Yes and thank you,” he accepts.
“I’ll let her know you’re here then I’ll get your tea.”
At his nod Iruka disappears briefly down the hallway before reappearing to cross the living room to the kitchen. Minutes later she returns bearing a small tray with a steaming cup of tea. She sets it on the kotatsu in front of him.
“Would you like anything else while you wait, Ibiki? She shouldn’t be long, but if you’re hungry I can bring you something.”
“It’s alright. The tea’s fine, thank you.”
“Okay then. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get ready myself.”
With another smile Iruka leaves him alone. Reaching for the cup, he barely takes a sip when Naruto appears.
“Hi, Ibiki,” she smiles, stepping over to him.
Rising to his feet, he pulls her into his arms to give her a proper kiss. Spending several moments kissing her breathless he finally pulls back enough to look down into her glazed eyes.
“Good morning,” he greets her with a slight smirk.
Recovering her senses she smiles back.
“I’m ready to go if you are,” she declares cheerfully.
“Don’t you think you should finish getting dressed?” he asks in amusement.
“Huh?” she intelligently asks, looking at him in complete confusion.
“I don’t think you want show up before the Hokage to tell her you’re pregnant in pajama pants and fuzzy slippers,” he points out, his amusement even more apparent.
An embarrassed flush colors her face as she glances down at the blue plaid flannel pants and orange frog slippers smiling goofily on her feet.
“Goddammit,” she growls, pulling out of his arms and stalking out of the room.
Chuckling to himself, Ibiki settles back onto the sofa and resumes drinking his tea. He gets halfway through the cup before she reappears again.
“Okay, ready now,” she announces.
“Are you sure?”
“Why?” she asks, annoyance coloring her voice.
“Because you might want to comb your hair,” he points out.
He’s unable to resist grinning as she reaches up and feels her shoulder length hair is still bound up in the dual French braids she sometimes sleeps in. Her hair would be fine if it weren’t for the fact wayward strands had fallen out of the braids, which had loosened considerably during the night and looked rather fuzzy and unkempt.
“Holy fucking hell,” she snarls, stalking out again.
Shaking his head in amusement, Ibiki spends the next few minutes finishing his tea, going so far as to take the cup into the kitchen to toss the tea bag before washing it and placing it to dry in the dish rack. He returns to the living room and only has to wait a few more minutes before she reemerges, her hair in a significantly neater single French braid.
Stopping to stand in the middle of the living room, she places one hand on her hips since the other held her winter cloak.
“Anything else?” she asks in impatient annoyance.
Rising to his feet again, Ibiki scrutinizes her attire. Instead of her usual jounin uniform, she dressed casually in a burnt orange, long sleeve knit cashmere top and simple charcoal gray slacks. At his arched brow she rolls her eyes, misinterpreting his thoughts.
“There’s no point in dressing for work since I probably won’t get that far.”
“Everything’s fine, no furry slippers,” he teases, earning a glare.
He decides to refrain from mentioning that he isn’t surprised by her choice of clothes; he is merely enjoying the view afforded by her v-neckline. Stepping over he helps her shrug into her cloak.
Leaving the apartment they walk together in silence toward the Hokage Tower; the tension roiling off Naruto in waves.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” she mutters before turning around and attempting to walk away in the opposite direction.
Reaching out, he merely snags her by the shoulders and steers her back toward the tower, repeating this maneuver a couple more times. He can’t resist grinning at the glares she gives him each time, but that has more to do with liking the slight pout on her lips than amusement at her nervous antics.
When they finally arrive at Tsunade’s office, as Naruto predicted Shizune is delivering the blonde’s tea. Having set the cup down on the desktop, she starts gathering up some papers while Tsunade signs a couple more and hands them to her.
As Naruto and Ibiki step further into the office, the blonde glances up briefly from the last of the documents in front of her.
“What the hell did you do this time, gaki?” she snaps without looking up.
Naruto winces before glancing at Ibiki who nods at her encouragingly.
“Nothing,” she swallows nervously. “But do you have an hour or two to talk?”
Tsunade pauses in her signing. Shizune joins her in looking up at the redhead in perfect, creepy synchronization.
“What the hell did you do this time?”
“Why do you think I did something wrong?” Naruto snaps in annoyance, briefly forgetting her nervousness as she crosses her arms.
“You only come around when Shizune delivers my tea because you’ve done something wrong,” Tsunade replies sardonically.
“Good point,” Naruto agrees after a moment’s thought. Dropping her arms, she takes a deep breath. “We really need to talk to you privately without being interrupted.”
Catching something in Naruto’s tone, Tsunade studies the tense redhead.
Handing the document to Shizune, she tersely orders, “Unless the village is under attack, NO ONE is to interrupt us.”
Shizune nods and leaves as Tsunade activates her privacy jutsu. Leaning back in her chair, she stares expectantly at them.
Naruto takes another deep breath.
“I’m pregnant and Ibiki is the father.”
The room is deathly quiet for a few minutes as Tsunade stares down Naruto, who is having considerable trouble holding her intense golden gaze.
Finally, the blonde growls out in a low, sinister tone, “How the hell did that happen?”
Trying to break the tension Naruto quips, “It sometimes happens when a man and a woman get together…”
A deadly accurate letter opener flicked by a clearly unamused Tsunade effectively cuts Naruto off, forcing the couple to step apart to dodge as it embeds in the door with an ominous thud.
Exasperated Ibiki rolls his eyes.
“We spent the night after your New Year’s Eve party together.”
Tsunade turns her fierce glare on him as Naruto hastily adds, “Plus a few nights during the following weeks.”
The blonde blinks repeatedly at the pair in surprise before she scowls and starts growling at Ibiki.
“It was consensual, Baa-chan,” Naruto snaps irritably. “We both chose to spend time together; we just screwed up and kinda forgot about using protection.”
Tsunade arches a brow repeating, “Kinda?”
“You know how I can’t use birth control because it’s toxic to me,” she reminds her before reluctantly admitting, “I just didn’t think of using a condom since it had been so long since I had sex.”
At Tsunade’s shocked look Naruto rolls her eyes.
“You know I’m not a virgin. That’s why you gave me the safe sex talk and a box of condoms before I took off with Ero-sennin. You knew I’d lose my virginity while traveling with him and he was practically shoving me at every good-looking guy my age.”
Tsunade’s eyes narrow as she growls, “Is that what happened?”
“That doesn’t matter right now, Baa-chan,” Naruto sighs in aggravation. “I’m pregnant and we already know what we’re doing about it.”
Still unhappy, Tsunade takes a deep calming breath.
“Sit down and explain,” she orders tersely.
Without delay both settle into the chairs in front of her desk. With Ibiki’s help, Naruto outlines their plan so far, prompting the blonde Hokage to sigh heavily while massaging her temples against the growing headache.
“I’m glad to hear you’re in it together.” Dropping her hands, she pins both with a hard glare. “I’m definitely not happy about the situation or that Naruto didn’t get checked out sooner.” Relaxing a little she admits, “But I understand why. There would’ve been a good chance of one of my medics shooting their mouth off because it’s juicy gossip,” she rolls her eyes in annoyance. “And it’s definitely a good idea to get married because Sasuke’s supporters will try to stir shit up against you. However, you should hold the ceremony as soon as possible, within the next two months or so. And it should formal.”
“I’d rather have it low key just for our friends,” Naruto groans with a grimace. “I don’t want a circus involving people who don’t even like me but just want to see the jinchuriki get hitched, or see if I’ll become a literal bridezilla during the ceremony.”
“The more people who witness your marriage with all the bells and whistles, the less likely they are to declare it a sham,” Tsunade points out.
Ibiki sighs before turning to Naruto sitting next to him.
“Tsunade-sama is correct. As it is, we’re surprising everyone who knows us well with the revelation we were seeing each other. How do you think someone who doesn’t know us that well, and likes to gossip, will react?”
Groaning, Naruto slouches down in her seat.
“Yeah, but because of my nine tailed pain in the ass there aren’t going to be a lot of people who’d want to go. It’s a lot of expense for nothing.”
“As long as there’s booze and free food, they’ll go,” Tsunade smirks. Becoming serious, she adds, “It’s also a good idea if you finally take your true family name before getting married.”
Naruto stares in shock while Ibiki looks between them confused.
“It’ll give you additional protection, at least, within the village,” Tsunade continues, holding Naruto’s gaze. “It’ll shame them from ever trying to hurt you again. This is just in case Ibiki’s reputation and family name isn’t enough. However, doing that might attract the attention of your father’s enemies, but that has always been a risk. You already have access to your inheritance and, in case you’ve forgotten, your parent’s house is still standing. You can either sell it to buy your own home or move in yourselves.”
As Naruto thinks about the suggestion, Ibiki is unable to restrain his curiosity.
“Uzumaki isn’t Naruto’s family name?”
Naruto absently shakes her head before focusing her attention on him.
“Uzumaki was my mother’s family name. Jiji hid me under it because my mother had considerably fewer enemies than my father. The old man was already having a hell of a time trying to keep me safe without having to worry about that too. So my real name is Namikaze.”
It’s Ibiki’s turn to stare in shock as he processes this new information.
Watching his face for a few moments Naruto adds, “That means I’m the daughter of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, formerly of Whirlpool.”
As Ibiki continues struggling to process the news, Tsunade smirks. It’s rare to see the usually unflappable T&I head thrown off balance.
“Never saw that one coming, did ya?” she quips.
Recovering slightly, Ibiki slowly shakes his head before asking, “Why didn’t you take your father’s name sooner?”
“I wanted people to acknowledge me, but not because of my parents,” Naruto sighs wearily. “I’m proud of who they were and wish I could’ve known them, but I’ve seen how being part of a well-known, respected family ruins people. I wasn’t a prodigy or had a blood limit. I was a mediocre student who barely passed and people ignored. When I started really trying there were people who’d look at me and smile.” She briefly pauses to arch her back a little in a stretch. “I didn’t learn about my parents until a couple of years ago and I decided to continue being Uzumaki Naruto because there weren’t enough people who saw me as a strong shinobi, only the punk ass, brat prankster. So I don’t like the idea of whipping out my real name now,” she finishes in exasperation.
Ibiki considers her words before speaking.
“Taking your father’s name would definitely protect you because there are many who revere him far more than they do Sasuke and his clan. If Sasuke’s supporters try anything despite our being married, that would certainly rally supporters to your side instead. Especially once they realize the scope of what Minato-sama sacrificed to save this village. No one would tolerate that behavior.”
“You’ve more than earned a respected reputation,” Tsunade emphasizes to Naruto. “Contrary to what you believe, there are more people who see you as their protector and defender than those who just see the demon container. Just think about it, okay?” When Naruto nods she continues, asking, “When do you want to get the word out about your plans?”
It’s Naruto’s turn to reach up and massage her temples.
“We should announce it to our friends first. As it is, most are going to have a whole herd of cattle because they didn’t know we were dating. Besides, most of them are considered the main hubs of the Konoha grapevine. Tell them one day and, guaranteed, the entire village will know it by the next.”
Tsunade and Ibiki break out laughing and chuckling before agreeing.
“We should call together those we wish to know first into a meeting in two weeks,” Ibiki suggests.
“Why not get it out of the way in the next day or two?” Naruto protests.
Holding her gaze, he chooses his words carefully, well aware of Tsunade’s presence.
“Because the last few days have been difficult for you and it will give you time to relax before dealing with them.”
She considers his words before reluctantly nodding.
“Whenever we do it, the meeting should be after lunch so we won’t have to hear anyone bitching about being hungry. Plus, it’s still early enough in the day where I won’t be so exhausted.”
Tsunade eyes her before succinctly declaring, “On that note, we are heading over to the hospital so I can do a full exam and confirm the pregnancy.”
“Do you want me to go?” Ibiki looks over at Naruto.
“No,” she shakes her head. “There are still some things I have to tell Baa-chan and that I’ve got to do alone.”
Ibiki nods in understanding.
“I’ll have a list ready of those I’d like to notify first by the time I stop by to walk you home after the exam.”
Leaning over, he kisses Naruto on the cheek before rising to his feet and heading out the door.
After notifying Shizune that she’s leaving the office, Tsunade leads a subdued Naruto over to the hospital in silence. Once they arrive, she immediately starts the exam. After measuring her weight and vitals, she proceeds to interrogate Naruto with what felt like ten million questions before draining her dry of blood and urine.
Tsunade proceeds to explain she’ll have to order an extensive blood work up, including genetic testing, blood typing and several other things Naruto has no idea on since she tuned her out after the first five minutes. The blonde then examines Naruto with her chakra to confirm it’s a uterine pregnancy and determine the size of the fetus. It’s not long before she declares Naruto is about five weeks pregnant. She then begins explaining some of the things to expect in the next few weeks, dietary changes, etc.
Once Naruto feels sufficiently overwhelmed, she follows Tsunade to her hospital office so they can continue their conversation in private. Unlike her office in the tower, this one has a sofa Tsunade likes to crash on when working late at the hospital.
Tsunade listens in stunned silence as Naruto begins the painful retelling of what really happened five years ago during her capture, her first pregnancy and miscarriage.
“So after both test results came back positive, everything came rushing back,” Naruto quietly continues. “I was freaking out and went to Yamato that night. I knew he wouldn’t freak out on me, so I told him everything. He went with me the next morning to clue Iruka and Kakashi in on the truth before I told Ibiki and Inoichi yesterday.” Blowing out a harsh breath of frustration, she adds, “Not only is this a shit ass time to be pregnant, especially since Ibiki and I never planned on being parents, but I’ve still got the Akatsuki breathing down my neck on top of Sasuke eventually waltzing back here. Throw in his kiss asses who’ll probably try making things worse and it’s a fucked up mess.”
Desperate blue eyes bore into concerned gold.
“I’m sorry for lying, Baa-chan and fucking everything up royally. I failed you and the village in letting everything go to shit.”
For several minutes neither woman speaks. Naruto is too emotionally drained, sitting on her end of the sofa staring down at her clasped hands resting in the crook of her crossed legs. She’s too afraid to look at the blonde and see how disappointed she must be in her. Tsunade sits on the other end in stunned silence, lost in her thoughts as she absorbs everything. She shocks the redhead by roughly engulfing her in a fierce hug, prompting both to break down and cry together.
After several minutes, Tsunade pulls herself together to comfort a still crying Naruto. Once the redhead’s tears subside, she holds her, stroking her hair.
“None of this shit is your fault, gaki,” Tsunade murmurs reassuringly. “You didn’t fail anyone, especially not me, and you didn’t do a damn thing wrong. I wish you told someone instead of suffering alone in silence.”
“Sasuke said since it was my baby the council would take it away,” Naruto sighs wearily, continuing to rest her head against Tsunade’s shoulder. “Especially once they learned he was the father. He said they’d treat it like him, valuing the dojutsu more than anything and wouldn’t trust me to raise the baby right. He said they’d probably turn the baby over to Danzo to become a tool. At the very worst they’d kill the baby because they’d be afraid the demon in me would taint it. He also said if I didn’t hide the pregnancy, Orochimaru would eventually learn I gave birth and come after the child when it was old enough. With all that swirling around in my head, plus dealing with the fact he raped me, it was hard to think straight.”
Tsunade tightens her hold as she plants a kiss on Naruto’s forehead.
“I’d never let any of that happen. If I had to, I would’ve hid you in Suna. Gaara would’ve taken care of you and the baby.” After letting that sentiment sink into Naruto’s head, Tsunade snorts, “If Sasuke only knew Danzo was already dead and no longer a threat.”
“Yeah,” Naruto chuckles through her sniffles. “It was a pathetic way to die, but it was really funny in a twisted sort of way.”
Switching to medic mode, Tsunade declares loftily with a grin, “A heart attack can happen at any time.”
“True,” Naruto replies, returning the grin, “but his Root lackeys found him with his pants down around his ankles, a porno of cross dressers and transvestites running on the TV with his hand clutching his handlebar. Doesn’t get any funnier because imagine how long it took his Root guys to figure out what to do next. They were used to taking his orders without question, not problem solving on their own if it wasn’t a mission.”
Becoming serious again Tsunade adds, “I’m glad it worked out the way it did because Danzo could’ve been a threat. Sasuke’s supporters on the civilian council are bad enough, but they don’t hold as much power as he did. They blunder around more in the dark by comparison.”
“But even morons can be dangerous, Baa-chan.”
Tsunade nods, asking, “How do you feel about marrying Ibiki?”
“I’m not sure,” Naruto admits hesitantly. “I’m so overwhelmed and everything is moving so fast. I never planned on getting married because there was no one in my life and wish we didn’t have to out of necessity, but I guess there are worse reasons than to protect our child. It’ll be nice to have someone to come home to instead of an empty apartment,” she finishes with a soft smile.
“Ibiki’s a good man and will take care of you and the baby. It might be a good thing for you two because you’ve both been alone so long,” Tsunade points out. Sighing heavily she reluctantly suggests, “You should consider letting us tell the truth about what Sasuke did, especially to your friends.”
Naruto’s head shoots up to gape incredulously.
Tsunade calmly holds her gaze.
“There are still a lot of people on the fence about Sasuke. They need to know what kind of scum he is before singing his praises.”
Seeing the turmoil in the younger woman’s eyes she sighs softly and reaches out to comb her fingers through red bangs.
“Just think about it,” she continues. “Maybe even discuss it with Ibiki or Inoichi. At least consider telling your friends at the meeting so they’ll finally know the truth.”
Reeling, Naruto doesn’t answer as she settles her head back against Tsunade’s shoulder. A half hour later Tsunade sends for Ibiki to escort Naruto home.
As promised, Naruto immediately began therapy sessions with Inoichi a week later. Meeting him in his office in the T&I building to cut the risk of setting off the gossip mill at full speed, she settles in her usual spot on the sofa, finding it easy talking to the older blond again.
“So how’ve you been doing this week, Naruto?” Inoichi asks, easing into the cushions opposite her.
“Okay,” she shrugs. “I’ve been keeping a very low profile so I don’t accidentally run into any of my friends or comrades.”
“Why’s that?” he asks, cocking his head in curiosity.
“‘Cause my system is so out of whack I don’t want to tip them off something is wrong,” she explains. “Some of my symptoms worsened and there’s more stuff coming out than staying in.”
“Which is why my wife threatened to cut off a very sensitive part of my anatomy if I ever dared try suggesting we have another child after Ino,” he admits with a wry smile.
Naruto laughs before asking, “That bad, huh?”
Nodding, Inoichi playfully grimaces at the memory.
“She wasn’t one of those lucky women to have an easy, laid back pregnancy.”
“Well, I hope this is as bad as it’ll get,” she smiles. “I did seek out Sai to tell him about what’s going on.” At the older blond’s arched brow she shrugs. “He’s my teammate and friend and he’s had a front row seat to a lot of this shit, so I feel he deserved to know. Plus, I know he’ll keep his mouth shut until we make our announcement to everyone next week.”
“How’d he take the news?”
“Like usual, calmly.” Rolling her eyes, she adds, “And like a total dork, he promptly headed off to the library to research pregnancy. I think he’s going to become another pain in the ass mother hen along with Kakashi, Iruka and Baa-chan.”
Inoichi laughs.
“But I did want to get your thoughts on something,” she asks hesitantly.
Sobering immediately, Inoichi patiently waits while she collects her thoughts.
“I’ve been asking,” she finally ventures in a low voice. “But no one is giving me a definitive answer if I should tell everyone next week what Sasuke did. Baa-chan suggested I should consider telling, but I don’t know.”
“Do you have any reason to think it’s a bad idea to share that?”
“I just don’t see why I should. It happened and I just want to move on from it,” she groans in frustration, slouching down on the sofa to lean her head against the back.

“To move on, you have to confront it or it’ll hurt you again,” he points out. Ignoring the harsh breath she blew out, he asks, “Why do you think Tsunade-sama suggested it?”
“So he can’t hide from the truth when he returns and she thinks everyone would try protecting me from him.”
“And what do you think?” he prods.
“That she’s probably right,” Naruto grudgingly admits after a few minutes of silence. “I guess I’m more worried about the reactions among my former classmates. That’d they’d somehow blame me. Say I was too weak to fight him off.”
“You’ve been around them a lot growing up, would they really do that?”
The minutes stretch out as she considers the question.
“No,” she quietly admits. “They wouldn’t. I guess I’m being unrealistic about them ‘cause they never liked all the shit Sasuke pulled. The only one who would’ve believed Sasuke over me and blamed me for what happened is Sakura.”
“You still have to do what’s best for you, Naruto. Don’t push yourself to share if you’re not ready to,” Inoichi reasoned.
“I guess I’ve gotta think about it some more,” she sighs wearily. “But Sakura is a whole other worry, though.”
“Why’s that? She hasn’t been a significant part of your life for years and is still prohibited from approaching you or slandering you.”
“Maybe,” Naruto replies. “Depends on how angry she’d get on Sasuke’s behalf. She’s always been good at twisting the truth to fit her fantasy world. That plus her knack for doing more damage with words than with a kunai. I know she won’t believe he raped me and the backlash she could kick up, gag order or not, could get ugly.”
“Although, the backlash Sakura would face should she dare try would be a lot worse.” At Naruto’s arched brow, he points out, “It wouldn’t be just Kakashi out for her blood. Not forgetting Iruka and Tsunade-sama, but Ibiki would not tolerate that.”
“Yeah,” she grudgingly concedes. “I just hate knowing how she’ll react and think. I didn’t appreciate how she treated me, but it hurt losing her and our friendship over something so stupid. I wish she’d finally be honest and understanding.”
“You really shouldn’t be worrying about Sakura. It’s her blindness that caused things to turn out as they have.”
“I know. And you’re right. I’ve got a lot more important things to worry about,” she sighs. “Like going to see my parent’s old house in a couple of days.” Looking over, she nods at his surprised expression. “I can’t decide if I’m going to keep it or get rid of it.”
“What are the pros and cons? Is it in bad shape it’s not livable?”
“I have no idea, I’ve never seen it,” she shrugs. “I avoided it since I learned the truth about who my parents were. It belonged to a life I never had and I couldn’t face what they left behind, but I never could bring myself to sell it either. Ibiki and I discussed it and he’s going with me to check it out.”
“What does he think you should do about it?”
“Bastard isn’t saying,” she grouses, crossing her arms across her chest. “He said he’ll share his observations, but says the final decision is mine.”
Inoichi can’t resist chuckling, earning a venomous glare.
“He’s not wrong,” he reasons with a smile. “It is your inheritance.”
“Yeah, well, it’s one more thing I have to think about,” she grumbles. “It’d be easier if someone could tell me what I should do and give me a damn good reason for it.”
“Not when it involves something so special as your parent’s former home, Naruto.”
She merely grabs a throw pillow and tries to smother herself in aggravation while Inoichi laughs at her.
Early in the morning two days later Naruto and Ibiki walk together through the village streets toward the tower to check out her parent’s old home located nearby in one of the oldest residential districts.
Although the silence isn’t all that uncomfortable, Ibiki can tell Naruto’s thoughts are in an emotional maelstrom over the prospect of finally visiting the house. Deciding to distract her, he breaks the silence.
“The other day you said Iruka offered to come with us to see the place, since she wasn’t home is she going to meet us there?”
“No,” Naruto shakes her head. “She got a message early this morning asking her to work the Mission Room. Whoever was supposed to work got sick and she’s covering their shift.”
The silence stretches out again as Ibiki tries to think of something else to distract her with. He’s saved the trouble when she suddenly speaks.
“I actually thought of asking Kakashi to come along.” Noticing his arched brow, she explains. “I thought the more people I had around the better and he used to be my dad’s student, so he could answer any questions we had about the house.”
“Since you only thought of asking him, I take it you didn’t?”
She shakes her head.
“When I was telling Iruka about Baa-chan’s reminder about my parent’s house still being around, I looked at Kakashi. It wasn’t in his eye long, but it hurt to hear me talk about it.”
“It might’ve done him some good to be there with us,” Ibiki reasons.
“Maybe,” she shrugs. “In a way, he’s kinda like my older brother, so I don’t like seeing that pain in his eyes.”
“You can’t protect the ones you love from pain. It’s a part of life. But it makes sense you’d want to protect him since you’re so close.”
“Didn’t used to be that way,” she murmurs thoughtfully. Seeing his confused expression she sighs softly. “It took a lot of pain and yelling, mostly on my part, tears, again on my part, for us to get this point. So, I’m not inclined to cause him anymore pain.”
“Did that happen during your breakdown?” he asks, his curiosity piqued.
“Sort of. I mean, at the time I was surprised how much he was around. I didn’t get why he acted like he cared all of a sudden, but I was too out of it to dwell much on the change. It wasn’t until Baa-chan told me the truth about my parents a couple of years afterward that I understood why and got really pissed.”
“Why’s that?” Ignoring her incredulous glare he points out, “It makes sense why the truth was hidden. Your life in the village would’ve been easier if everyone knew you were the Yondaime’s daughter, but it would’ve been a lot harder to protect you from the outside world, especially Iwa. It would’ve been too risky for Kakashi to demonstrate a strong connection to you.”
“And that would’ve kept him from at least saying ‘hi’ to me as a kid because…?” she bites out tersely. “That’s just bullshit, Ibiki. Even if the truth was still hidden inside the village, with so many people ignoring me, I doubt anyone would’ve noticed him talking to me. If my dad meant anything to him, he could’ve easily done it without anyone knowing.”
Returning her angry gaze ahead of them, she continues.
“Sure he kinda cared about all of us when Team 7 was formed, but it was with a superior’s concern for his subordinates. He never gave much of a shit beyond the fact we were still breathing and in one piece. So I was supposed to readily accept he cared when I tried killing myself? And I’m not supposed to have gotten mad when I found out how close he was to my dad?”
“I’m not saying you didn’t have the right to be angry, Naruto,” Ibiki sternly states, looking over at her with a hardened glare.
Closing her eyes briefly she takes a deep, calming breath.
“Okay, sorry for getting testy,” she apologizes. “It’s still a sore subject for me.” At his accepting nod she adds, “I know Kakashi was just trying to hang on to the last bits of family he had left when he got so clingy after I tried killing myself, but learning the truth really hurt.” A wry smirk crosses her lips. “I let him know I was pissed and really made him work to get through to me.”
At her fiancé’s arched brow, she proceeds to verbally take him for a trip down memory lane.
The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a golden hue inside the office as Tsunade rushed to finish her work for the day in order to leave early for some fun.
A knock on the wood of the open door caused the busty blonde to groan in annoyance.
“It better be good,” she snapped out loud, not bothering to look up while she continued working.
“It’s just me, Baa-chan,” Naruto’s voice replied from the doorway. “I was wondering if I can talk to you for a minute?”
Closing her eyes briefly with a smile, Tsunade sags slightly in defeat before setting down her pen and waving the redhead inside.
“Get your ass in here, gaki.” Leaning back in her seat, she gestured at the chairs in front of her desk. “What brings you by this late?”
Having sat down, Naruto takes a deep breath before speaking.
“I want to be permanently removed from Team Kakashi.”
Blinking owlishly, it took the older blonde a few minutes to process what she heard.
“Pardon?” she finally managed.
“You heard me,” Naruto groaned in irritation, dropping her face into her hands. Removing them, a sad glint dimmed her gaze as she continued. “I don’t want to be on Team Kakashi anymore.”
Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but Naruto’s raised hand stopped her.
“I know. Why?” Taking another deep breath, she looked off to the side in thought before meeting concerned gold eyes. “It took me a few days to absorb what you told me about my parents and then I thought about how Kakashi was my dad’s student and then I got really pissed.”
A dark look crossed her face. Tsunade could see the deep pain reflected in her blues eyes as she continued, but was surprised by the anger in her tone.
“That son of a bitch knew the Yondaime was my hero ‘cause I gushed about it enough, but he didn’t tell me a goddamn thing about him even as a sensei.”
“That doesn’t seem like enough of a reason to be removed from the team, gaki,” Tsunade gently ventured. “I know Jiraiya didn’t tell you much either and you’re not asking me to punish him, so why punish Kakashi this way?”
“Ero-sennin at least shared stories about my dad when he was his student when we traveled together,” Naruto snarled. “Kakashi shared jack shit. And I didn’t even know about him being my dad’s student except by accident once from Aoba and when I tried asking him, he just gave the usual vague, bullshit non-answers.”
Her brow furrows as grief and pain crept into her expression.
“And it’s not a punishment when it won’t affect him. I don’t know what I did to deserve getting put on a team full of selfish, arrogant jackasses who turned their backs on each other without a second thought, but I can’t do this anymore. I can’t take him pretending to care because my suicide attempt was too reminiscent of his dad’s. I don’t think I can take it when he goes back to being indifferent and backhanded again.”
Tsunade studied the redhead glaring with angry, pain filled eyes.
“Alright, gaki,” she acquiesced with a slight nod. “You’re off Team Kakashi as of right now.”
Naruto closed her eyes briefly and sighed in relief.
“Thanks, Baa-chan.”
“You know you can talk to me anytime, right?” the blonde prodded.
“Yeah, I do,” Naruto replied with a warm, sad smile. “Don’t worry. I had talked to Inoichi about this and I decided I need to do this.”
“I’ll always worry about you, gaki,” Tsunade smiled back. Becoming serious, she advised, “I’ll inform him tomorrow. You know he’ll try to see you out to find out why, so be prepared for a visit.”
“He’s not getting the chance,” Naruto arched a brow. “Like with Sakura, I don’t owe him jack shit. He’s a smart boy. He can figure it out. And if he can’t, tough shit. He didn’t bother with me, then I’m not bothering with him anymore.”
“Do what you need to,” Tsunade released a sad sigh. “Just know I’m here if you need me.”
“I know,” Naruto smiled again before rising to her feet and leaving the blonde gazing after her sadly.
Naruto spent the next few weeks avoiding Kakashi like the plague. As predicted, he tried seeking her out to find out why she left the team and only became more determined the more she avoided him. She appreciated he wasn’t nearly as immature as Sakura, or as aggressive. However, she found avoiding him a challenge.
She had to keep a keen eye out for him whenever she was out in the village streets. At first she’d take off in the opposite direction if she saw him, but he quickly caught onto that ruse and attempted ambush guerilla tactics. Whenever she was home, he’d wait outside to waylay her. However, she’d frustrate him with her liberal use of clones as decoys. Eventually she had to take it a step further and rotate staying the night with the other rookies.
Since she was nowhere ready for any fieldwork, Naruto was restricted to administrative work in the tower to earn a living. Kakashi tried to corner her there, but Tsunade’s tolerance of his antics was exceptionally low and she deliberately assigned Naruto to work in a restricted section requiring special permissions she wouldn’t grant him. Taking it a step further, she varied the redhead’s shifts and sent him out of the village on missions frequently, morphing the situation into a twisted cat and mouse game.
Fed up, Iruka got involved. She tried mediating, but since she now lived with Kakashi, Naruto refused to speak to her about it. The redhead took to avoiding her regardless of how much it hurt, especially when the academy sensei tried maneuvering her into ‘accidentally’ bumping into Kakashi. She refused to be manipulated into telling or risk him finding out why she was mad.
Kakashi in particular was getting worried about Naruto. It hurt she was avoiding him without knowing why, but it was also a dangerous time for her. Even at a distance he could tell she was slipping back into a depression. She was still recovering from her breakdown. He couldn’t contemplate life without her if she didn’t forgive whatever transgression he committed.
Desperate, he went so far as to ask Tsunade to order a meeting, but she refused, citing it’d be an abuse of power before pointing out he needed to resolve the issue with Naruto himself. All he could think as he glared at his leader was she had a flair for the unhelpfully obvious.
At his wits end and believing it was a desperate enough time for desperate measures, Kakashi devised a plan.
When he found out Naruto was on duty one afternoon at the tower, he laid a trap and waited. Working in the mission scroll archive room, she was pulling scrolls five years or older, collecting them into a box with the dates written on the side and carrying them down to a lower floor to store in another room. She did this one box at a time, dragging out the task to avoid having to work the mission desk.
Seizing on the opportunity, Kakashi snuck downstairs and waited. Shamelessly implementing a genjutsu that guided her past the storage room to a janitor’s closet and hid in the shadows nearby. He selected this room because the door opened outward. If the door closed it locked automatically and even from the inside one needed the key to unlock it. There also weren’t any windows or vents to escape through.
Once inside the room, the genjutsu dispelled and she looked around in confusion, turning in time to watch Kakashi standing in the hallway smiling as he closed the door on her. Rushing forward she tried turning the knob. Growling when she realized it’s locked, she started pounding and kicking the door.
“Open this fucking door and let me out you asshole!” she shouted.
“I’ll let you out if you promise to explain why you’re mad at me, Naruto,” Kakashi’s cheerful voice drifted through the violently vibrating door.
“Fuck off!” she shouted. “Why the fuck should I tell you a goddamn thing?”
Opting for a tried, but true method of getting her to talk, he pushed her buttons.
“It’s unbecoming for a future Hokage to use such foul language, Naruto-chan,” he playfully scolded. “Besides, bottling up that anger inside like that will cause your hair to turn white. People will start thinking you’re Jiraiya’s illegitimate daughter.”
“Go to hell!” she roared, shocking him with the ferocity of her tone. “While you’re there, explain to my father, the Yondaime Hokage, why you couldn’t bother to tell his only child about her own parents when you’re one of the few still around who knew them at all!”
Stalking away from the door, she promptly sat cross-legged on the floor with her back to the door and arms crossed, not caring if Kakashi ever let her out and ignoring her own steadily streaming tears.
After an eternity, the door quietly swung open. Keeping her eyes closed, she refused to acknowledge him as he stood in the doorway. She felt his eye boring into her back. She resisted the intense temptation to raise both fists to her ears and extending both middle fingers in her own demented version of bunny ears.
Kakashi silently watched her for several minutes before finally breaking the silence.
“I never realized you were interested in the knowing about Minato-sensei.”
Unable to catch herself, Naruto leapt to her feet and swung around to get into his face.
“You knew he was my hero!” she yelled with clenched fists. “And how the fuck was I supposed to know who to ask? My whole life I was discouraged from asking about my parents! My questions ignored or I got told no one knew because I was a bastard found in a trashcan! I caught on quick! No one was going to tell me a goddamn thing!”
Inscrutable, Kakashi held the seething redhead’s gaze.
“You never asked me.”
“Like I fucking would!” she shouted, her voice cracking while taking a threatening step closer. “Don’t act like you’re different from everyone else! Just because you’re acting like a friend doesn’t mean I believe you actually give a shit about me! I’ve been proven wrong too many times by phony friends and comrades to be played the fool anymore!”
Ignoring his pained, shocked expression, Naruto promptly turned her back to him and dropped to the floor, tightly clutching her legs to her chest while resting her chin on her knees with her eyes closed, refusing to look over at him as he settled next to her a moments later.
“I’m sorry, Naruto,” Kakashi began quietly. “When sensei and Kushina died, I felt like a failure for not being there to save them. I knew you were alive, but convinced myself the village needed me more. In reality, I couldn’t face you. When you became my student, I tried telling you whenever you mentioned the Yondaime, but couldn’t. I swore you wouldn’t suffer anymore when you were assigned to my team, but you still did. I care for you, but fail at every turn. I’d like to try and succeed for once, to be there for you. I want to make it up to you. I’ll share everything I can about your parents.”
Naruto turns her head away, resting her cheek on her knees. Kakashi waited patiently.
“Is having a family supposed to hurt like this?” her soft voice asked. “Team 7 was my family and all this crap hurts worse than when people used to ignore me or try to kill me.”
Kakashi surprised her by pulling her into a hug.
“I promise to do better.”
Slowly she slipped her arms around him, returning his hug and silently forgiving him.
“He kept his promise,” Naruto states fondly as they turn up a side street veering away from the tower. “He told me all about my mom and dad, but I could tell he loved and missed them a lot.”
“That’s probably because he avoided dealing properly with their deaths,” Ibiki comments thoughtfully.
“Kinda seems to be his M.O.,” she agrees. “Goes without saying it seemed to get easier for him the more he talked about them. But when I saw that familiar glint of pain in his eye, I just couldn’t bring myself to ask if he wanted to join us.”
“You realize Kakashi will have to deal with the reminders if you decide to keep the house?” he questions, looking at her sidelong.
“A moot point if I don’t,” she retorts.
“So you’ve decided to sell it?” he asks in surprise. His expression morphs into a grin at her annoyed scowl. “Obviously not,” he teases.
Their banter is interrupted when they’re distracted by their destination appearing in view. The unobtrusive, traditionally styled, single story home is located on the edge of the forest. Tsunade had already informed them that part of the forest belongs to the forest of death. Keen eyes spot the tall chain link fence well hidden in the trees off to the left of the house. The rest of the forest is the edge of Nara land.
“Baa-chan was right,” Naruto murmurs as they stroll up the cart path, leading away from the main road. “Close enough to the tower in case of an emergency, but far enough for my dad to leave work at work.”
“Obviously no caretakers were assigned to maintain the property,” Ibiki observes, noting the overgrown, weed-choked grass surrounding the area between the house and the forest bordering the back and sides.
“A low priority all things considered,” she needlessly points out as they step up onto the front porch.
Fishing out the key, Naruto pauses to take a deep breath before unlocking the door for the first time in over twenty years.
The Sandaime sealed the house not long after the Kyuubi attack. He intended for Naruto to live there with a guardian, but hadn’t been able to find one he could trust that was up to the task of raising and protecting her. All perishables were removed and everything else remained the same way her parent’s left it the day of the Kyuubi attack.
Ibiki closes the door behind them as their eyes wander around the large comfortable living room with a fireplace dominating one end and a large, wide picture window adorning the wall next to the front door. Sheets cover what appears to be comfortable looking, over stuffed armchairs and a sofa arranged around a covered coffee table.
Wandering across to the far side the room, Naruto steps into the dining room. Sheets cover the long table and chairs. A large hutch dominates the wall to the right. Opposite the picture window in the living room is a set of double sliding glass doors that open onto a small veranda. Like the front, the back yard was overgrown and weed-choked.
Moving through a doorway situated in the middle of the wall to their left between the dining room and living room areas they emerge into a large kitchen. To their immediate right is a single sliding glass door also opening onto the veranda. Off to the left of the door within the kitchen is a small laundry room and pantry. Unlike the other rooms so far, the laundry room has ceramic tile flooring, not wood. Naruto silently muses all the appliances have seen better days.
Across the doorway they entered cabinets line the wall, the refrigerator cutting into the middle. Off to the far left corner is the stove. Across from the stove to the immediate left of the door is a small kitchen table set. Dominating the center of the room is a large counter island with the kitchen sink and dishwasher.
Wandering back through the door they directly cross the room to a hallway bordered by several closed doors. Exploring each room they discover four are bedrooms, one is an office and a total of two bathrooms.
Naruto struggles to maintain her composure when they open the door to what was clearly supposed to be her room. It’s surreal to see the fully decorated nursery that never got used. Sensing her distress, Ibiki pulls her into a hug as she takes deep, shaky breaths in an effort to keep from falling apart. Seeing her parent’s room hadn’t been as difficult as seeing this one.
Giving her a chance to regain her composure a little, he gently guides her out into the kitchen. Pulling the covering off a chair, he nudges her to sit down before crossing the room to explore the cabinets. Finding the glasses, he removes one. Stepping over to the sink he turns off the faucet and lets it run for a few minutes before the water clears. Rinsing the glass he fills it then sips to check the taste. Finding it acceptable he walks over to Naruto and hands it to her. While she drinks the water, he removes the covering off another chair before sitting down next to her.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Naruto sighs, rolling her half empty glass between her hands. “I feel stupid for getting emotional over the nursery. No point in getting upset over something I can’t change.” The corners of her lips quirk up as she adds, “I’m pretty sure if my parents had their way, they’d be here freaking out over us telling them I’m pregnant.”
“If the Yondaime were still alive, I’d have gone missing nin instead of facing him,” Ibiki quips with a wry smirk.
Both laugh quietly before Naruto asks, “What do you think of the house, Ibiki?”
Ibiki sighs as he looks around the kitchen.
“It’s a sturdy, well-built home in a great location. The chances of someone sneaking through the Forest of Death intact are extremely slim and they’d have to use their chakra just to make it out alive, alerting any ninja worth their salt. Anyone sneaking across the Nara land would be watched and monitored by deer. The Nara are so in tune with those animals, they’d know immediately if there are any intruders. It’s also close enough to the center of the village where it’s easy to access the markets, yet far enough not to be stressed out by the hustle and bustle.”
“Should we keep it or sell it?”
Ibiki smirks at his fiancée.
“No fair. I agreed to offer my opinion, not make the final decision on it. Besides, if I could get away with it, we’d be living in an apartment, not having to maintain our own home.”
Naruto’s eyes narrow as she dryly snaps, “Gee, thanks for the help.”
He leans in to kiss her cheek.
“It’s your inheritance, so it’s your decision. We could simply close up the place again and just buy our own home.”
Groaning in frustration, Naruto buries her face in her hands.
“It’s stupid to just hang on to an empty house. It’s either use it or sell it. It’s not a hard choice.”
“Then why can’t you make it?” Ibiki asks honestly with an arched brow.
A knock on the front door interrupts Naruto before she can answer. Sharing a look, both get up to answer it together. An ANBU in a lizard’s mask bows before addressing Ibiki.
“My apologies, sempai. Per Tsunade-sama’s orders, a priority case has been brought in for you.”
Taking the proffered scroll, Ibiki scans it before answering the ANBU.
“I’ll be there shortly.”
The ANBU accepts with a nod and disappears.
“I’m sorry to cut our visit short,” Ibiki turns to Naruto.
“Don’t worry,” she smiles softly in understanding. “I get it, but I’m staying. I want to look around some more. Maybe if I spend a little more time here I can make up my mind.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, frowning in concern.
“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll head straight home to Kakashi and Iruka’s when I’m done.” Seeing he’s still worried, Naruto gently grasps his lapels, pulling him in to give him a lingering kiss. Pulling back, she reassures him. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
Ibiki studies her for a few moments.
“All right,” he reluctantly agrees.
He swoops in for another kiss. After a few moments, he reluctantly pulls away and steps out the front door. Naruto locks it after him before turning around leans back against the door to look back into the living room. Taking a deep breath, she straightens up, determined to see this through.
Starting with the living room she begins examining every inch of the house. She is pleased to realize her parents were really down to earth people. The living room and kitchen obviously were designed for entertaining close friends in a comfortable and intimate setting.
Initially when she and Ibiki decided to check out the house, she dreaded entering her parent’s bedroom, but really had little difficultly with it so far. It hurt not knowing them, but she rejoices a little at the opportunity to learn more about them through their personal belongings.
Her mother was definitely not a clotheshorse, nor into obsessing about her looks. Most of her clothes are uniforms or kunoichi outfits with one beautiful kimono, a couple of yukata and some civilian clothes. Kushina also didn’t have much in the way of accessories or makeup. Her father’s wardrobe is just as extensive, pretty much consisting of similar items except with almost no civilian clothing.
Not finding much beyond learning her parents weren’t interested in dressing to impress, Naruto moves on to the nursery. This room, more than any other, highlights what she lost before she was even aware she had it. Taking a deep breath, she forces herself to stay in the room and look around.
It has everything one would need for a baby. The storage cabinets and some of the shelves were obviously intended to hold diapers, wipes and such, but are empty. Naruto figures the Sandaime had taken that stuff to be used for her since the market district had been severely damaged in the attack and it’d be hard to get those things. There weren’t any baby clothes either. Mostly what is left is the furniture and toys.
Kakashi’s voice drifting in from behind startles her.
“Kushina was extremely meticulous about picking out the furniture. She hated to go shopping, but happily spent hours searching for the right baby furniture.”
Naruto whirls around and smacks his arm.
“Don’t do that!”
Grinning, he points out, “You’re pregnant, but that doesn’t mean your ninja senses aren’t working. You should’ve sensed me entering the house, much less the room.”
Opening her mouth to retort, she briefly shuts it as another thought occurs to her.
“How in the hell did you get in here?” she asks, eyeing him shrewdly. “I locked the door.”
Smiling, he holds up a well-used key.
“Where’s Ibiki?” he asks, ignoring her eye roll. “Wasn’t he supposed to come see the house with you?”
“Got called away because of a new client,” she explains with a smirk. Becoming serious, she quietly asks, “Why did you come, Kakashi? I didn’t invite you along because I thought it’d be too painful for you.”
Kakashi shrugs.
“This used to be my home too and I can’t avoid this place forever, especially if you decide to move in.”
Sighing heavily as she glances around the room, Naruto reluctantly admits, “I’m still up in the air about that. On the one hand, it’s my parent’s home and it has just about everything we need. On the other hand, because it’s my parent’s home I’m not sure I can live here. It’s everything I didn’t have.”
“It’s a tough call,” Kakashi agrees. “If you were to decide to move in, would you have a problem living here?”
Angling her head slightly in thought, Naruto considers the question.
“It’d feel like I’m living in someone else’s home, not mine. You know my place. This house looks opulent by comparison. Ignoring that, though, no I wouldn’t have a problem living here. It’s a nice house.”
“Whatever you decide, there’s something I’ve got to show you first.”
Gently grabbing her wrist, Kakashi drags her out of the room and down the hall to her father’s office.
Scrolls and books filled the shelves lining the walls along with overstuffed file cabinets. Behind the desk opposite the door is a window overlooking the front of the house.
Sliding the rug on the floor in front of the desk off to the side, Kakashi pulls out a kunai and slices his thumb before flashing through a short series of signs and placing his hand on the floor. A ring appears in the floor and he grabs it, lifting the panel to expose a set of descending stairs to a stunned Naruto. Grabbing a flashlight out of a pocket, he helps her down into a narrow passage leading to another door at the far end. Opening it, he reaches in and flicks on a switch, revealing a small cellar.
“We are under the kitchen,” he explains to a wide-eyed Naruto. “There used to be an entrance in the pantry, but Minato-sensei sealed it and created a new one from the office. Originally, he considered making the cellar a safe room for Kushina and you in case there was an attack on the house. However, with no other way out you two would be effectively trapped. So sensei decided to turn it into a vault to store and protect their valuables and most important scrolls.”
She gazes around in awe at the shelves containing a variety of scrolls and file boxes, with the occasional wine and sake bottles mixed among them.
“Most of these scrolls and files are notes and research materials either dealing with seals or notes on jutsu sensei was either developing or developed. Others contain forbidden jutsu he considered too dangerous to store in the tower.”
“Why not?” Naruto’s head snaps up in shock.
“Because Minato-sensei thought the temptation would be too great for some idiot to steal them. Look at Mizuki.”
“Good point.” she rolls her eyes.
“If the scrolls weren’t at the Tower, then no one besides the Hokage would know about them. The Third left them here for that reason alone. Some of these contain jutsu Minato-sensei felt humans had no right messing with. Some are the result of Orochimaru’s research. Other jutsu simply are too dangerous for most jounin to attempt because they require large amounts of chakra. You are probably the only one in Konoha with the reserves large enough to be capable of performing these jutsu more than once without depleting your chakra to dangerous levels.”
As she takes all the information in, Kakashi leads her back out and closes up the room again. When they’re back in the office, he reseals the entrance and covers it back up.
“Although, most of that stuff technically belongs to the village, it really belongs to you. That means, as Minato-sensei’s heir, everything is your responsibility to protect. Sensei only told me in case something happened to both him and Kushina before they had a chance to tell you about it. Not even Jiraiya knows about that room.”
Naruto blinks in shock.
“Why not?”
Kakashi shrugs.
“It’s not that Minato-sensei didn’t trust him, just that Jiraiya was hardly ever in the village. He didn’t want that many people knowing and wanted it to be someone who’d likely to be around to tell you about it. That’s why I came over, so you’d know what’s here. If you sell the house, we’re going to have to figure out how to protect those scrolls.”
Naruto groans as she briefly closes her eyes and massages her temples.
“This complicates things a lot.”
He nods before smiling.
“You can decide later. I brought bentos so we can have lunch.”
Grabbing her wrist to prevent escape and ignoring her protests, he drags her back to the kitchen where two bento boxes innocently wait on the now uncovered table. She isn’t interested in eating since her relationship with food has gotten worse. The problem isn’t so much in eating, just the inability to keep anything down. So on Tsunade’s advice they’ve been feeding her several smaller meals throughout the day, pushing healthy snacks and keeping her in a nearly perpetual state of munching. Naruto liked to joke that at this rate people will think she’s Choji’s thinner twin.
While they eat, Naruto lets her eyes wander around the kitchen.
“It seems stupid to hang onto the house and not use it,” she finally ventures. “But I really can’t sell it now that I know about that secret room. If the stuff in there is so dangerous my dad couldn’t trust it to be safe in the tower, then I’ve got to set up a similar room wherever I end up living. Like I said before, it’s a nice house and I’d probably have no problem living here.”
Kakashi scrutinizes her.
“Sounds like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”
Naruto sighs heavily.
“I’d have to change some things or I’ll feel like I’m living in someone else’s home. I’d never really feel comfortable like I would in my apartment.” Glancing around again, she adds, “Most of the stuff I like, but I’d rearrange some of the furniture and repaint the walls; a fresh start for a new beginning, y’know?”
Kakashi nods.
“Besides, the house has been sitting empty for over twenty years, it probably needs a few repairs.”
“Yeah. There are some things I’ll have to replace. For obvious reasons the appliances, but also my parent’s bed.” At his surprised look she explains further. “Even if they were still alive, that’s just too weird for me. I wouldn’t be able to get past thinking that it was their bed. But I feel kinda guilty doing that, like I’m getting rid of every trace of them.”
Reaching out, Kakashi grabs her hand and squeezes it gently.
“You’re not doing that at all. You still have plenty of other things to remember them by. Besides, that bed was already about ten years old when they died, it’s time to replace it.”
Cocking her head to the side, Naruto considers it.
“The house pretty much suits our needs,” she admits. “And it saves us the stress of searching for a new place. There are some things I’d like to add and change, but otherwise it’s in really good shape.”
“Sounds like you decided to keep the house and move in,” he points out, scrutinizing her.
“Yeah,” it she agrees with a soft smile. “Does sound that way.”
After they finish lunch, Kakashi and Naruto move about the house, discussing potential changes.
Later that evening over dinner, Naruto tells Ibiki her decision. He agrees and offers his suggestions for improvements. Both decide to deal with starting the renovations after they make their announcement to their friends.
“By then,” Naruto points out, “we’ll have decided exactly what changes to make and what colors to paint the rooms before roping the others in to help.”
Ibiki laughs at her deviousness before asking, “Wouldn’t you rather hire a contractor?”
Naruto shakes her head.
“I don’t like having strangers in my home. Even when the landlord had to make repairs on my apartment, I always tried to be around while his maintenance crew was working. It’s too easy for someone to be nice to your face and turn around and sabotage you in some way. Unless it’s something complicated like rewiring the house, I’d prefer we do it ourselves.”
“I understand,” Ibiki agrees before quipping, “And people say I’m paranoid.”
He laughs harder at the smack Naruto irritably gives him on the arm.
Exactly one week later the day Naruto has been dreading arrives.
Sitting at the table in Kakashi and Iruka’s apartment as the early morning sun shines cheerily outside the patio door, she plays with her teacup more than she sips from it.
“It’s going to be fine,” Iruka sighs in exasperation across the table from her. “Kakashi is going to meet us there, so we’re all going to be with you.” Boring into blue eyes she emphasizes, “You’re not going to be alone in this.”
“I know and I get it,” Naruto tries explaining. “Part of me gets the importance of this meeting to clue our friends in on what’s going on, but telling them everything terrifies me.”
“Well, if anyone so much as snorts in derision, I’ll happily check their sinuses over at T&I,” Ibiki promises from his seat to her left.
The two women share a laugh with him. Feeling a little more confident Naruto takes a sip of her warm tea.
“Plus, Tsunade-sama had Shizune make sure everyone you want to be there is available in the village,” Iruka reminds her. “You’ll only have to tell them altogether and this one time.”
“Yeah, but it might’ve been better if we kept the gathering smaller,” Naruto sighs wearily. “I mean we’ve got most of the original rookies, Ibiki’s cronies, Konohamaru and his crew.”
“I still don’t understand why you included Moegi, Udon and Ebisu,” Iruka interrupts.
“’Cause they’d all bitch if they weren’t included,” Naruto rolls her eyes. “You’d think they’re attached at the damn hip or something. Anyways,” she continues, “Where I think it went overboard is including Genma, Raido, Izumo, Kotetsu, Yugao, Gai, Kurenai and Asuma.”
“Kakashi had a good point about that, Naruto,” Iruka reminds her with her own eye roll. “You may not know the others very well and Ibiki doesn’t interact with some of them much, but they know Kakashi and I well. Plus, they all asked after your well-being after your breakdown.”
“Additionally,” Ibiki interjects, “all of them are good for extra protection should Sasuke return. From this group the news will spread to others who might want to help, but aren’t significant enough to include in the meeting.”
“I know,” Naruto groans burying her face in her hands.
A moment later she bolts from her chair, disappearing down the hallway. Ibiki and Iruka hear the bathroom door slam shut. Looking back at Iruka, Ibiki arches a brow as she sighs heavily.
“She’s having a really bad morning today,” she explains. “I’ve been working on getting her to cancel.”
“Hm,” he hums thoughtfully, deciding to leave it alone until Naruto returns.
Feeling the need to keep the conversation going, Iruka continues.
“Tsunade-sama is going to inform the shinobi members of the village council for Naruto.”
“Makes sense since they were never abusive towards her like a couple of the civilian members,” Ibiki replies.
“You knew about that?” she asks.
“The Sandaime had me investigate them over the years. The information I dug up helped keep them in line.”
“Good,” Iruka smirks. “At any rate, Tsunade-sama will inform them. Naruto understands it’s important they know so Sasuke’s crimes can’t be covered up, but she isn’t comfortable sharing what he did with them.”
“And after they know, they’ll all be royal pain in the asses, coming around to check on me like they did after my breakdown,” Naruto wearily retorts, easing back into her seat. “Don’t even bother, Nee-chan,” she cuts Iruka off with a raised hand when she opens her mouth. “Like I said earlier, I’m still going. Hell, even Ero-sennin was gonna be there.”
“He was? Why? Didn’t Tsunade-sama inform him and Shizune last week?” Iruka asks in confusion.
“Yep,” Naruto nods, taking a sip of her tepid tea. “Like everyone else, they were stunned Ibiki and I are getting married and outraged about what happened to me. Ero-sennin had planned to go for the show, but baa-chan had to send him out of the village at the last minute.”
“Inoichi’s showing up for the same reason,” Ibiki grins.
“I know,” Naruto scowls irritably. “He and Yamato claim they’re going to help with crowd control, which is total bullshit. At least Sai was honest when he said he wants to study everyone’s reactions.”
“At least it saves you from telling them what happens later,” Ibiki chuckles.
“I shouldn’t be providing their entertainment,” she rolls her eyes, annoyance coloring her voice.
“Have you decided if you’re letting Jiraiya seal the Kyuubi further so it can’t hurt you again?” Iruka asks.
“Yeah, and I’m not gonna do it,” she replies, surprising them. “I thought about it a lot. Ero-sennin said the drawback is the use of its chakra in an emergency will be severely restricted and with so many people after my blood, I can’t lose that ace up my sleeve. Besides,” she shrugs, “I’m still angry at the furry bastard, but I’ve been talking to it more so it understands me now.”
“What?” Iruka gasps in shock.
“It’s a demon and I’m human,” Naruto explains. “If I don’t clue it in on how things work, it could try pulling the same shit on me again. And the whole point of my dad sealing it in me is getting it to understand that if it ever gets out again, it’s not okay to go rampaging on people. That not all humans are out to use it as a weapon. And because it’s stuck inside me, I’ve got to make sure it doesn’t try fucking with me again.” Pausing, she rushes out of the room with a muttered, “Goddammit!”
Iruka sighs as she rises from her seat, taking Naruto’s cup and heading into the kitchen.
“Would you like some more hot water for your tea, Ibiki?”
“Yes, please,” he replies.
She returns moments later with Naruto’s steaming cup in one hand and the teakettle in the other. Setting down the teacup, she proceeds to fill hers and Ibiki’s cup with fresh, hot water before returning the teakettle to the stove. She just settles in her seat when Naruto returns.
“Naruto…” Iruka begins.
“Don’t tempt me into canceling,” Naruto groans, rubbing her temples.
“Do you have a headache?” Ibiki asks.
“Yeah,” Naruto quietly replies, closing her eyes.
“You should cancel, Naruto,” Iruka states firmly.
Sighing tiredly, the redhead drops her hands to look at the brunette in tired exasperation.
“It was hard for Baa-chan to get everyone together,” she points out. “Besides, there’s no guarantee I’ll feel any better tomorrow. I feel worse today than yesterday.”
“I don’t like it, but your symptoms have been getting worse,” Iruka grudgingly concedes.
“Although I think you should cancel, it’s probably better to get this over and done with quickly,” Ibiki reasons. “We’ll just do what we can to keep the interruptions from the others to a minimum.”
“Works for me,” Naruto agrees. “But the problem is getting Baa-chan to let me get it over with.”
“Only one way to find out,” Ibiki replies, rising to his feet. “It’s probably best to head over there before you have to visit the bathroom again.”
Wearily nodding, Naruto stands up along with Iruka. Donning their coats the trio heads to the tower to meet up with Kakashi, Tsunade and Shizune.
True to Naruto’s words, Tsunade definitely wanted to call off the meeting when they all gathered in the designated conference room, the largest available with rows of tables to accommodate everyone.
“Get your ass home and in bed, gaki,” the busty blonde growls, pointing at the door.
“No, baa-chan,” Naruto stubbornly growls back. “Look, if my body stops acting like it’s got a short circuit I may already start showing. The whole point of all this is to get our closest friends and comrades in on it when the rest of the village starts noticing I’m not getting fat because I suddenly adopted Choji’s diet. And I doubt I’ll be in the mood to deal with all the bitching because we didn’t tell them sooner.”
“There’s a small lounge nearby with a sofa, Tsunade-sama,” Shizune reminds her master. “Naruto can lie down until the meeting or later if things become too much for her.”
“Alright, fine,” Tsunade grudgingly huffs. Pointing a manicured nail at the door, she orders, “Get your ass in there with your feet propped up, gaki.”
Rolling her eyes, Naruto follows Shizune out of the room.
“A fine example of your legendary bedside manner,” Kakashi cheerfully comments, causing the blonde to glare at him.
“Indeed,” Ibiki agrees in amusement. Ignoring the glare now directed at him, he adds, “I’ve got a few things to check on. If you’ll excuse me.”
They watch him leave before Tsunade turns to her two remaining shinobi.
“Well, that leaves you two to get things ready in here,” she cheerfully informs the couple. “I’ve got to get some paperwork before Shizune rides my ass about it.”
Iruka and Kakashi shake their heads and roll their eyes at their leader before completely ignoring her orders to settle in at one of the tables to talk quietly until the others start trickling in an hour later.
As expected, the rookies and T&I sit together in their respective groups. The jounin senseis settle into seats behind their students at Kakashi’s request. He had spent the morning making the rounds quietly speaking in turn with Gai, Ebisu, Asuma and Kurenai, asking them to help rein in their former students if necessary, explaining Naruto has an important announcement and it’ll be easier if she can get through it uninterrupted.
The remaining invitees fill out the remaining seats so the meeting can get underway.
Once everyone is ready, Ibiki, Naruto and Shizune line up behind Tsunade at the front of the room as she kicks off the meeting.
“Thank you for arriving promptly,” she greets them. “Naruto has an important announcement she’d like to make and asks that you hold any questions until she’s finished.”
Leaning her forearm along the small, tabletop lectern her gold eyes slowly sweeps the room, boring into her confused shinobi until they murmur or nod their agreement. Nodding her approval, she steps aside for Naruto.
Taking a deep breath to calm her stomach, Naruto steps up to the lectern. Leaving Ibiki to remain in the background next to Shizune and Tsunade.
“Alright, first thing’s first. I’m pregnant and…”
She’s surprised she got as far as ‘and’ before being interrupted by the expected stunned outbursts. Thankfully, it didn’t last. The jounin senseis quickly quieted their former students. Demonstrating impressive control over his minions, Ibiki only has to glare to promptly shut them up. When it’s quiet again, Naruto continues.
“And Ibiki is the father.”
Anko preempts anyone else’s reaction with a shockingly impressive fan girl squeal. She immediately hops onto her chair, planting one foot on the tabletop she clenches one hand into a fist near her chest while pointing victoriously down at Izumo and Kotetsu sitting next to her, both wearing matching scowls.
“I win!” she proudly gloats. “I suggest you start shaving your legs tonight, boys!”
A kunai embeds deeply in the tabletop, dangerously close to her foot and vibrating ominously. Glancing over, her eyes land on a scary looking Ibiki pointing downward, silently indicating she should park her butt in the chair. Now. Quietly gulping, she promptly sits down.
Before Naruto can speak again, Choji asks, “How did that happen?”
Every head in the room swivels to look at him incredulously.
“Someone was crunching a little too loudly during sex ed,” Kiba quips, causing the room to erupt in laughter.
“I’m not going to kiss and tell,” Naruto smirks, plunging forward before anyone else interrupts. “Ibiki and I got together and ended up with a little surprise.” When others start opening their mouths to speak, she holds up her hands. “Just wait until I finish, guys. I’ve got a lot more to say and it’ll probably answer some of your questions.”
Seeing she won’t get any more interruption, Naruto goes the easy route, explaining their plans to get married and why. Everyone is stunned when she reveals she’s Minato and Kushina’s daughter and they’ll be moving into their old home once renovations are complete. Judging by the expressions on Shikamaru and a few other’s faces, they either already knew the truth or figured it out before she told them.
“Why wasn’t that revealed sooner?” Ebisu asks, his voice sounding suspiciously contrite. “Very few people would’ve disrespected you if they knew you are the Yondaime’s daughter.”
Smiling softly at the man, Naruto explains her reasons for not wanting to rely on that fact as a crutch, impressing most of the occupants of the room. However, it’s not long before she starts feeling dizzy again, but tries to ignore it since the next part is going to be the worst and she really wants to get through it.
Ino excitedly declares, “I call planning the baby shower!”
Naruto clearly hears Inoichi’s soft groan.
“I call the bachelorette party,” Anko announces happily.
Before the room can get going Naruto glares at Anko.
“No strippers. Either for my party or Ibiki’s.”
The room erupts into a storm of outrage.
Crossing her arms and with an air of finality Naruto repeats, “No strippers or no party.”
As the arguments bounce around her, Naruto feels faint and nauseas while suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat. Glancing down she sees a trash can thoughtfully placed there by Shizune. Ignoring everyone, she drops heavily into the nearest chair, grabbing the can and throws up. She’s barely aware of Ibiki and Tsunade immediately crowding her.
“How are you feeling?” Tsunade softly demands.
Naruto spits out the last of the bile before looking up at her with watery eyes.
“Dizzy.”
“Do you want to lie down?” Ibiki asks.
“Yeah,” she wearily replies, “but I really want to finish the rest. As it is, it’s the worst.”
“I’ll do it, gaki. Go lie down in the other room,” Tsunade orders.
Naruto considers protesting, but is too sick to care. Nodding tiredly, she slips her arm over Ibiki’s shoulder as he leans down to gather her in his arms and carries her out with Shizune following close behind.
Tsunade steps back up the lectern, calmly listening to the barrage of questions and mutterings regarding what just happened. Finally annoyed, she slams her hand against the lectern, which echoes nicely through the room silencing everyone.
“Naruto’s about seven weeks pregnant and is dealing with the normal symptoms. This week has been her worst yet, but she wanted to make this announcement when you could all be gathered together. Since she is unable to continue, I’ll finish for her.” she pauses to give everyone a pointed glare. “You will not interrupt me for any reason. I’ll answer any questions once I’m finished.”
Without further preamble, she stuns them by revealing the real reason behind Orochimaru capturing Naruto and the resulting pregnancy she hid because of Sasuke’s mind games. A few gasps are heard when she explains how the demon was fed up with Naruto’s indecision despite its recommendation to terminate the pregnancy and caused a miscarriage, making sure she was incapacitated enough not to be able to get help. Ultimately it was why she tried killing herself, to punish the demon.
Pausing, Tsunade gives her audience time to absorb her words before continuing.
“Naruto is having a hard time adjusting to this pregnancy because all that old shit got stirred up, forcing her to finally admit the truth. It also reveals a very serious threat. The Akatsuki and her parent’s enemies aside, Sasuke clearly intends to return and claim her as the matriarch of his clan. He won’t be happy to learn she never gave birth to his child and is married to another man. Because we don’t know when he’ll return, and there are still idiots who see him as some sort of demigod, we are rushing things now. I don’t put it past Sasuke’s kiss asses to denigrate Naruto. I’ll punish him severely if I have my way, but I’ll be honest. There’s a chance he’ll get out of it. Being the last of a notable clan is his trump card.”
Tsunade eyes her audience, noting some cried while others are contemplative or sporting angry glares.
“Naruto was extremely reluctant to take her true family name and reveal the truth. What Sasuke did was cruel and horribly inexcusable. I wanted her to share the truth so all of you can help support and protect her.” Tsunade’s gaze hardens as her eyes sweeps the room. “The only thing that should not reach anyone else’s ears is the fox causing Naruto’s miscarriage. It can’t get out of the seal, but it’d be proof in some idiot’s mind it can. For her safety that is strictly classified. Any questions?”
Genma raises his hand first.
“Sounds like a lot needs to be done. What can we help with?”
His question prompts a lively discussion of who will help with what and what steps should be taken if Sasuke returns and isn’t punished. When all questions are exhausted, Tsunade dismisses everyone.
“Get your asses back to work. I’ll let Naruto know she has your support.” Her gaze turns to steel as she adds, “Do not overwhelm her with visits during the next few days. Spread them out if you want to see her.” A wicked smirk spreads across her lips. “You can find her at Iruka and Kakashi’s place. Dismissed.”
She sweeps out the room, ignoring the dual glares from the two.
Anko and the rest of T&I immediately return to their lair, unwilling to face the wrath of their boss since they’ve already lost nearly two hours of work. She drags a reluctant Konohamaru and crew off with them because they pissed Tsunade off and she decided a month as Ibiki’s minions should straighten them out. The sadistic little deviants fit right in at T&I, but are still absolutely terrified of Ibiki and Anko. Since Izumo and Kotetsu are scheduled to work in T&I again, they tag along, arguing with Anko the entire way that Naruto being pregnant and marrying Ibiki does not mean they were in a relationship.
As the gathering breaks up Inoichi pulls Ino, Hinata, Shino, Kiba and Shikamaru aside to discuss notifying their parents and Sakura. Instead of admitting they’re being nosy, Neji, Lee, Choji and Tenten stay, using the excuse they are waiting for their teammates, or cousin in Neji’s case. Sai at least admits he’s sticking around because he is curious about what they had to say. The interlopers mostly stay out of the conversation and observe.
“Mom is going to be overjoyed to hear Naruto is pregnant and she’s marrying Ibiki,” Kiba muses. At the surprised expressions he explains, “She felt Naruto needed to find a strong protector who’ll take care of her. They sure don’t get any scarier than Ibiki.”
Everyone laughs while Shikamaru groans. When they look at him, he sighs heavily.
“I have no problem telling my dad before Tsunade-sama can tell him, but I’m not looking forward to telling my mom. I could have dad do it, but then mom will get mad because I didn’t tell her since Naruto is my friend. What a drag.”
Choji can’t resist chuckling knowingly at Shikamaru’s misfortune.
Ino sighs and turns to her dad.
“Sakura’s going to view Naruto’s pregnancy as another stupid mistake and probably label her a slut. She’s still angry Naruto wouldn’t explain her reasons for breaking her promise and trying to kill herself.”
“Sakura claimed she felt betrayed because Naruto didn’t trust her like a teammate should and tell her the truth,” Sai points out.
Ino nods.
“That’s why Sakura was mad when Naruto tried killing herself. It was further proof Naruto didn’t trust her enough to confide in her.”
“No way!” Choji protests. “If that’s the case, Sakura should’ve waited like a good friend until Naruto could confide in her. If not, then just accept it and be supportive. She shouldn’t have been such a bitch about it.”
“That’s true,” Shikamaru sighs tiredly. “But Sakura has never been good at expressing her emotions. She always lashes out when upset.”
Everyone murmurs their agreement as Hinata finally speaks up.
“Even if Sakura doesn’t admit she was wrong for treating Naruto that way, we’ll need to watch her carefully. She always had a careless tongue and is thoughtless in her actions. She’ll either hurt Naruto directly or spark someone else into hurting her, which is terrible after all the horrible things she has suffered.”
“That’s why Hiashi-sama will likely assign Naruto a guard detail or invite her over so much that she’ll practically live at the Hyuga compound,” Neji states.
“It seems Naruto’s going to have plenty of protection whether Sasuke returns or not,” Tenten comments.
“Naruto’s suicide attempt shook everyone because she always seemed so confident and determined,” Shino states. “Now I understand why she chose that route, but at the time it was unnerving because she seemed invincible.”
“Well, all of you know what you can share in order to help Naruto spread the news accurately and what cannot be discussed. Remember not to push her into talking,” Inoichi reminds them while the young adults murmur their agreements and disperse, still reeling from the shocking news.
Ebisu, Genma, Raido, Yugao, Gai, Kurenai and Asuma also hang around to squeeze Kakashi and Iruka for more information. Blending into the background, Yamato enjoys watching them try to grill Kakashi when he’s being unflappable as usual.
“If my old man were still alive he probably would’ve had Ibiki strung up by the balls for a few hours for getting Naruto pregnant,” Asuma snickers.
“Then he probably would’ve let Danzo’s flunkies hunt Sasuke down brutally, removing what makes him male before killing him then removing his other head,” Raido adds helpfully.
While the others snigger and chuckle, Kurenai looks thoughtful before commenting, “The Sandaime always had a special place in his heart for Naruto, didn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Genma replies, shifting his ever present senbon from one side of his mouth to the other. “Naruto’s been responsible for keeping the fox tucked away nice and safe since she was born. ANBU don’t even have to deal with that kind of shit all the time. The Sandaime always appreciated her efforts.”
“Plus, he always viewed Naruto as a granddaughter,” Yugao adds.
Turning to Iruka, Ebisu asks, “Is Naruto doing better? Because it sounds like she was under a great deal of stress since learning she is pregnant.”
Crossing her arms, Iruka nods.
“Tsunade-sama isn’t kidding when she said this has ripped open some old wounds. The plus side is she’s been facing and dealing with them. However, it’s a lot to deal with in a short time.”
“The timing isn’t good right now either,” Gai comments thoughtfully. “So that’ll significantly add to Naruto-chan’s stress.”
“That’s why we encouraged Naruto to make the announcement as soon as possible, so she’ll have the help she needs,” Kakashi adds. “There’s a lot that needs to be done on her parent’s home and she doesn’t want strangers doing the work. In addition to the repairs, they both need help moving out of their apartments.”
“Count me in to help,” Yamato states, prompting the others to commit to helping.
Genma shakes his head.
“I still can’t believe Ibiki and Naruto getting together and having a baby. Never in a million years would I peg those two hooking up.”
“No kidding,” Raido agrees before turning to Kakashi. “How long have they been dating, Kakashi?”
“We have no idea,” Kakashi shrugs. “We didn’t even know they were dating.”
“I’m certain they weren’t dating regularly,” Iruka adds. “It seems it just happened.”
“I’ll say,” Asuma snorts. “Either way it’s done and it seems they do care for each other, so this might be a good accident. They may never have found each other otherwise. We just have to make sure to protect and take care of her from here on out.”
The others agree and discuss the situation some more before dispersing and going about their business.
After she left the meeting, Tsunade headed down the hall to check on Naruto. The redhead is stretched out on the sofa with her feet propped up on a couple of throw pillows, looking considerably better.
“How are you feeling, gaki?”
“Much better. I don’t feel so dizzy anymore,” she replies, lifting the wet towel that was placed across her eyes to look blearily at the blonde.
Tsunade perches on the edge of the cushions to check her over.
“How’d the rest of the meeting go, Tsunade-sama?” Ibiki asks from his perch on the arm of the sofa at Naruto’s feet.
“As usual, Naruto worried over nothing,” Tsunade teases, grinning down at the redhead scowling at her. Briefly she explains what happened.
Naruto sighs deeply in relief when she finishes.
“Good. Now we can focus on the wedding and fixing the house.”
“There is no ‘we’ for you,” Tsunade tersely replies, arching a brow. “You are to take it easy for the next the week or so since your symptoms have been so severe.” When Naruto opens her mouth to protest, she cuts her off. “It’s better if you lay low anyway. It’ll give a chance for word to spread and people to start getting used to the idea you’re pregnant and engaged.”
Naruto reluctantly agrees. The trio talk for a few more minutes before Naruto climbs to her feet and returns back to Kakashi and Iruka’s place with Ibiki.
Tsunade is relieved when Inoichi informs her later that day the clan heirs will take care of informing their parents of Naruto’s situation. It means fewer demanding blowhards she’ll be dealing with.
Unfortunately, that still leaves her with the worst two.
Two days after the meeting, Tsunade calls Homura and Koharu into her office.
They take the news better than she expected. Like everyone else, they’re surprised to learn Ibiki and Naruto are a couple, but are ecstatic she is pregnant.
“Due to Naruto’s circumstance she had to train hard to keep the Kyuubi safe from the Akatsuki,” Homura explains. “Hiruzen didn’t want her to merely become a tool; he wanted her to enjoy life since she had the heavy burden of being a demon jailer. That’s why he was so harsh to the point of sadism with violators of his law. He wasn’t asserting his power, he wanted to make her life as carefree as he could without having to live in constant fear of her own neighbors.”
Koharu nods knowingly.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t work out as well as he wished,” she gravely points out. “Although, he would’ve been upset with both Ibiki and Naruto for being so careless, he would’ve been overjoyed she is becoming a mother and finally having the family she was cruelly denied by fate at birth. Life is far too short for a shinobi, even shorter for a Jinchuriki. I am glad Naruto is taking advantage of the opportunity now, even if it was an accident.”
“I’m glad you both feel that way because there’s even more that you’ll like a hell of a lot less,” Tsunade eyes them grimly.
Both councilors grow increasingly alarmed and upset as she informs them of Sasuke’s crimes and the miscarriage the fox caused. She makes sure to assure them Jiraiya checked the seal and the fox still couldn’t get out.
Once she finishes, Homura declares, “Sasuke certainly turned out to be a complete disappointment. He has behaved far more shamefully than his traitorous clan.”
Koharu surprises the other two by adding, “Perhaps it would’ve been better had Itachi followed through and killed Sasuke too. Konoha certainly has survived quite well without the Uchiha dojutsu and Kakashi could’ve been the last possessor of the eye.”
“Why do you say that?” Tsunade asks still shocked. “You used to be one of Sasuke’s biggest advocates.”
“That was before he decided it was a waste of his time to put the effort into growing stronger through legitimate means,” Koharu sighs heavily. “At the time, I argued he wasn’t as obsessed with avenging a bunch of traitors to Konoha that Homura and Sarutobi claimed he was.” She pauses to shake her head sadly. “Never did I imagine he’d seek out a criminal like Orochimaru for training. Nor did I think he’d attempt to kill his own teammate who always supported and helped him. Back then I believed he was the new hope for the Uchiha clan. Because he wasn’t the prodigy Itachi was, he wouldn’t be saddled with the same issues that plagued the clan throughout its history. It was a bitter pill to swallow when he proved me wrong on all counts. However, it’s even worse now to learn the cruelty he inflicted on Naruto. I almost wish Orochimaru would take over his body because that guarantees in three years he’ll be dead.”
Homura eventually breaks the ensuing silence.
“There isn’t anything we can do to alter the past. We can only move forward and amend our previous mistakes by doing what we can to protect the Yondaime’s legacy and Hiruzen’s joy.”
With an arched brow, Tsunade smirks deviously at the two elderly councilors.
“Good,” she chirps. “You’re both going to be in charge of keeping Sasuke’s supporters amongst the civilian side of the council in check because they will certainly cause Naruto the most trouble when word gets out.”
Koharu and Homura blink at the blonde in shock before sighing heavily, agreeing it’s the least they can do.
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Facilitating Between Heaven and Hell