Chapter 1: Crash Landing
Chapter Text
When going back in time to prevent the end of mankind, there’s a lot that isn’t accounted for. No one prepares you for showing up three years sooner than you're needed with no clue how to avoid preventing the circumstances that lead to your own birth, for one thing.
Nothing prepared them to crash land in the far end of the Mountain's graveyard with the impact of an asteroid the size of Konoha either. In the grand scale of things, maybe their violent reentry into the timestream was a bit more pressing than realizing they'd overshot it by three years. At least in the moment.
Instinct protected them from being shredded into raw hamburger from the violence of the impact, shrouding them in a ball of hyper dense chakra as they broke the sound barrier and the shock wave toppled trees in every direction- Naruto was one big bruise after absorbing most of the impact. Shikamaru threw up, his insides still feeling like they were twenty seven years in the future. He was scooped up under his armpits and they were quickly shunshining away from the impact, his stomach once again left behind as he was dragged bodily mile after mile away.
They didn't stop until they had reached the border with Rice Paddy, and an abandoned shack Naruto set about making defensible while Shikamaru recovered. The trip had drained him mentally, but his sturdy nature had saved him from nausea and vomiting, at least for now.
They would have to move quietly, and quickly, before they were really detected. There was a war raging, after all, and it wouldn't do to get caught unaware. Especially with how little they knew the current landscape.
Naruto sent a henged clone to gather information from a nearby civilian village, which was ultimately how they learned they'd over juiced the jutsu that had sent them back. It was post-fall of Uzushio, but four years prior to their births, leaving them with more time to kill than they had needed, or wanted. More time wasn't the issue, however, it was getting Shikamaru to stop over analyzing his own plans to adjust them while he was still violently ill from yanking himself bodily to a time before he was born.
Naruto sat at his side, rubbing his back and trying to comfort him and care for him- not that it did all that much good since neither could produce an anti nausea medication and short of cutting out his stomach they’d just have to wait. He did eventually recover enough to wobble up and accept the change of clothes- their own had been tattered on reentry, and even if it hadn’t been they couldn’t exactly explain why they were wearing an updated Konoha flak jacket uniform with an unfamiliar headband.
Given how far away they were from a hidden village, they did fairly well, able to salvage their mesh armor shirts and pants, covering those with a set of hakama, and hanten. Shikamaru's were a plain black, but the hanten had an almost electric blue and white patchwork over the dark fabric. Naruto's were black with an orange hanten. Both carried a rucksack, though that was stuffed mostly with canteens of water, and a few creature comforts, Naruto had most of their actual supplies in scrolls tucked into body seals. It had been nerve wracking to watch him make sure those had survived the trip back and that they hadn’t lost everything- that included most of their weapons, mementos from those they had lost, rations and camping gear, all of Naruto’s sealing supplies, and a thousand other little things they’d managed to hang on to despite losing almost everything.
At the first village they crossed they did a few odd jobs to earn some ryo, when asked the two said they were mercenaries in between marks. They introduced themselves as Namikaze Haruki, for Naruto, and Iwah Inei for Shikamaru. A nod to their old lives, in a way. Sunshine, and shadow. Naruto offered up plenty of conversation but without actually saying anything about them, not really. He had a shocking talent for making people believe he was opening up when in reality they had no idea what he was really thinking.
They got paid with a bit of food for the road and got back to traveling. It was a nice break from rations.
They stopped in every village along their path, doing the same, helping out in return for a handful of ryo and sometimes a place to sleep. They didn't enter Fire during that time, dropping off the map when they would have after picking up a Bingo book in a larger village.
They had to run across the water, reaching the wreckage of Uzushio after a full day. Had Shikamaru not been used to pushing his body beyond exhaustion he would have dropped into the sea halfway, he had been forced to adapt over the years to keep up with Naruto, it was all he could do right, in the end. They set up camp in the ruins of a building, as it had a wide enough open space in it’s center and the falling walls could keep out the wind.
“Hey... you okay?” Shikamaru watched him as he picked a cracked wooden toy from under some of the rubble they’d been clearing to the side. In the next few days they would be busy with putting the bodies of the victims of the attack to sea for a final burial and hunting through the wreckage. He had been here during the last attempt to put them to rest- it had been interrupted by Kaguya, they had missed so many, and lost forever so much that couldn’t be replicated... except by going back to the past to find it he supposed.
“No. I don't think either of us are though.” Shikamaru hummed. “What are you going to do when you see him?” The ‘him’ in question was his father, that wound was somehow the rawest between the deaths of his parents, though it didn’t even rate with how he had felt losing Ino and Choji. Luckily those two wouldn’t become a concern until a few years from now, so maybe he’d be able to process their tragic and horrific deaths.
“I'll keep it together. At least until we're alone.” He squeezed his arms tightly, looking away. The though was already making him nauseous again, Naruto had been trying to fatten him back up after they safely made it through but the food so rarely agreed with him.
“Hey, Shika... when we get to the Leaf village...” he walked slowly over, sitting on a hunk of concrete beside Shikamaru, “What do you say to staying?” It was so painfully hopeful. Naruto was too kind to be considering Shikamaru like that, as if he’d ever make the blonde leave their village forever just because he couldn’t handle it.
“... maybe.” He looked over the wreckage, in the morning they would dig. Beyond paying their respects, they had one singular item to find, and they knew where it would be, the fox scroll was something they’d need to find long before they could think of leaving, even if they combed the whole island twice to do so. While looking there were a few other treasures they should keep an eye out for, namely one treasured weapon Naruto had become so accustomed to using in their time before. The spear Naruto dug out of the ruins as an adult in what would soon be a lifetime ago, Kagayakasu. It broke in their fourth hit and run against the goddess, but he'd cut one of her hands off in the conflict and had burned it in their bolt hole. It had been back when Sakura had still had all the range of motion in her arms, and Kakashi had been with them, still giving them directions and purpose... before he issued his final orders as the sixth hokage.
There were also countless priceless artifacts, scrolls of both funinjutsu, and history of the late clan. They were protected from those without Uzumaki blood, but Naruto could get to them, and they'd be kept much safer this time, many had been damaged by the elements when they had been found, as Naruto had kept trying to go back to finish what he started despite it always ending in failure.
“Shika...” he grumbled, looking away even as he was pulled against a firm chest. “We need to rest.” They hadn’t taken a break since the day before when they had prepared to run across the sea to get here, he felt the pull of bone deep exhaustion and yet he still fought it, not wanting to face the nightmares he often had since the war truly began all those years ago.
“I know...” when he closed his eyes he still saw the faces of the people he loved that were gone- many of whom died long before they even knew they might get a chance to fix things. It didn't stop the pain in his chest thinking about how he had memories of his own father dying, but now he would have to see him eventually, younger than he'd ever been in Shikamaru's eyes, and risk a run in with a baby version of himself. How could he ever hope to explain? To hide? His father could always tell when he was lying, after all.
What if he saw baby Ino? If he saw the baby version of both himself and Ino, he'd definitely see baby Choji. The thought clawed at his insides painfully.
“You're overthinking things, dummy.” Naruto had made a pillow out of his hanten, pulling Shikamaru onto his chest to use him like a mattress, and had tugged the band out of his black hair, placing it around Shikamaru's wrist. “While we're here, just think about what we need to do here. One step at a time. Don't panic about the future just yet.”
Maybe he should be grateful that he came back with Naruto, he couldn't have handled this on his own. He also knew that despite how he was acting, Naruto wasn't actually handling this better than he was. His smile was fake, and he paced agitatedly when he thought Shikamaru wasn’t watching him. He was so on edge that he was loosing sleep, but Kurama was keeping the dark circles at bay, but for how long? This sickly dance where they both pretended to be fine, how long could they keep it up, just the two of them.
They should have brought more people- they had wanted to, but...
He should just be glad that they made it back at all. The extra time might be enough to actually process the toll the war had taken on both of them. Just in time to fight in another war if things went the way he thought they might.
“I'm sorry.” Shikamaru couldn't help it. “It should have been-!”
“I'm glad you're here. I want you here. Just because I wanted more people to have come back with us doesn't change the fact that I'm happy to have you here, Shika.”
But it should have been Sasuke, or Sakura, or Kakashi, Sai, maybe even Yamato would have been better. He didn't complain when Naruto began to lazily play with his hair, letting the sensation of fingers against his scalp put him to sleep. Even knowing the blonde would lay awake long into the night unable to do the same.
It was late afternoon two days later, long after they had found what they thought to be last of the victims and sent them out on rafts to burn on the water, when a sweaty, dirty, bruised Naruto popped back up out of a hole. Above his head, held quite triumphantly, was a massive summoning scroll. The scroll was red, white, and black, looking a lot like the toad scroll. Naruto ran to the space Shikamaru had cleared on the ground, opening it. Inside were empty columns for names to add, only two were filled, the border had foxes drawn minimalistically in mid step with a pattern of wavy lines behind them. He was glad to see the blonde smiling given how somber and quiet he’d been during the last few days.
He wrote his real name in the first open blank of the scroll, but the blood began to bubble and evaporate.
“Oh...” he frowned, looking up at Shikamaru, alarmed.
“Think about it, Naruto. You know the foxes. The elder Vixen would probably make you change your name since there isn't an Uzumaki Naruto in this world.” So the blonde hesitated, gnawed his finger a bit more, and tried Namikaze Haruki instead. That name took, settling into the paper and absorbing where the other one had been rejected. He’d never actually seen a name be rejected before, keeping it in mind if he ever signed his name into the Nara scroll, not that anyone had managed to summon a deer in over a century. He watched as Naruto ran through the hand signs to summon the first fox they’d see in the past.
He summoned a fox, hoping to get one he was familiar with, and one the size of horse was soon knocking him over. She had mint green fur and was wearing an oversized black sweatshirt with the characters for ‘sweet’ written in Kanji on the back in white. She had goggles around her neck like a collar, reminiscent of the ones Naruto had once wore as a child.
“You did it, bew!”
“Ichika! You remember?” She pounded on his chest with her paws, the action would have broken Shikamaru’s ribs if she’d done it to him instead. “Do all the summoning lands-
“Nope! Just the foxes! It's because you and Kurama channeled the natural energy for the jutsu through the Akarui shinpi-tekina valley! So we hitched a ride.” She looked pleased, finally sitting back. Shikamaru wanted to ask how bad the damage was there, but didn’t feel it was the right time yet to bring that up.
“I'm glad you came with us!” He got up and hugged her properly around her massive fuzzy neck. When he started to cry, Shikamaru looked away, it was the closest he would be able to give them to privacy in Uzushio.
Once he had decided they had been crying into one another long enough he cleared his throat.“You should summon a few more vixen, we need to make a plan for integrating.”
“Oh, right!” Ichika was staring at him with a smug expression on her face as he tried not to make eye contact. She was more than enough to disseminate tasks to, and he'd been forming a plan for the two weeks they'd been on the road- he wouldn't admit he was having Naruto summon more foxes just because it curbed the haunted look in his eyes. Of course Ichika noticed, clever little brat. To her credit she didn’t rat him out.
Chapter 2: Peace for Amegakure, and Too Much Time
Summary:
Things are going too well, so of course Shikamaru's mental health is going to take a nose dive, it doesn't get better from here.
TW for Alcohol and Alcohol abuse mentioned.
Notes:
Next chapter has a trigger warning for drugging, sexual assault, and violence. You won't loose anything by not reading it, I rehash what happened in a much later part of the story in less detail, that can be skipped too if it makes you uncomfortable.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Haruki.” They had to get used to calling each other by their new names. “I've got it set up, are you ready?” That didn’t mean Shikamaru had gotten used to doing so in his own head- he might never if he was honest.
“Yeah, I got it.” Four shadow clones, each henged, and Shikamaru took a photograph. So long as they wore a seal on their backs when the photo was taken their henge appeared in the photo rather than as just four shadow clones. While they waited for that to finish they looked over the fake village again. They'd set up a dome to keep the carnage contained, and there were seals and jutsu ready to trigger once they left that would make the soon to be destroyed area seem as if the damage was older. All their little breadcrumbs had been planted, a fake history, a fake village, and false memories implanted with genjutsu to the populace that lived in the nearby woods by the vixens who were assisting them.
False reports had been snuck into the appropriate government offices. They had a timeliness of places they'd been, records of nonexistent bounties for small amounts of cash they'd ‘caught’ now dotted various record halls throughout the elemental nations. In six months, they had written two mercenaries into the world so thoroughly it would be hard to even notice the discrepancies, as even official documents had been altered here and there- not that they expected Jiraiya to dig that deeply. Still, it was an assurance, and they could more than use that given how they were otherwise flying blind. It had taken the better part of six months to get to this point, though he and Naruto frequently left to continue establishing their history before they’d have to eventually approach the Leaf village. Since they didn’t know the exact date of the bridge mission it would unfortunately be easier to rescue Obito after Madara had captured him, rather than wait around an active military zone to save a teenager from being clobbered by a boulder.
“Last one.” He henged into a young version of his own grandfather, posing beside a clone henged as the woman they were casting as his mother. He had back tracked what he thought her face would look like based on his face and his grandfather's and his own, filling in the discrepancies so he'd look like a byproduct of what the two would make.
Naruto had just finished when a tiny todd came running toward them, he had a messenger scroll in his little mouth, and Naruto took it gently from him, patting his head. Shikamaru took a side step away, the little ones liked to nip at his ankles and he preferred to avoid that when possible.
“Inei, you'll want to see this.” He shook off the hinge and joined Naruto. “It's from my contact in Amegakure. We need to go there.” One of the reasons they’d been popping around was for Naruto to establish something of his own spy network, though it would be up in the air if he’d cut it once they got close to the village. For now it was helpful to have a few people who would pass on things to the foxes that made criss-crossing routes around the elemental nations. Money wasn’t hard to earn with how efficient they were, and there were more subtle ways to make a fortune to keep palms greased. Naruto seemed to think he was a good gambler, despite it actually being the blonde’s unusually high luck that typically let them clean house.
“You're right. Let's finish this fast and head over.” It wouldn’t do any good to waste time now, not when they finally had a clear goal to work towards. Packed up the two went over everything again before turning their backs and leaving toward Amegakure.
The village they had built was leveled and forcibly aged behind them, eerily silent because of the seals that would later be removed by the foxes left behind. A ghost town built in less than a year now stood like a gaping wound, monument to a war fought long ago.
They'd already partially destroyed and aged parts of it. They couldn't afford to miss even the smallest detail. At least not until they'd covered their asses. After all, they had to account for Kurama’s existence being discovered, and cookie crumbs about that past were left as well, just to be safe.
Amegakure was where problems would begin, but only if Yahiko died. The conflict that would take his life was building, so that's where the two went. There was plenty to do in the turmoil filled nation, they'd start reputation building there, though keeping their heads down and working from the background would be their go to for as long as they possibly could get away with it.
Making friends with the early Akatsuki was easier than Shikamaru had thought it would be. Apparently being strongly anti war, on the young side, and -at least for Naruto- extremely personable was what it took to get on a first name basis with the trio and their initial cronies. They spent the remainder of their first year in the past in Amegakure, occasionally bringing in more and more dangerous bounties- establishing a good rapport with the Akatsuki, and figuring out how exactly they would use this newfound relationship to break the threads of fate that seemed to be drawing in. Unnatural outside pressure from Madara, of course- Zetsu by extension.
After six months in Amegakure helping to shape the political terrain from both the Akatsuki’s side and from henged clones that Naruto had infiltrated into the civilian populace to put increased pressure for peace on Hanzo, Shikamaru actually drew up the paperwork for a tentative peace accord between Hanzo and his men and the Akatsuki, sending Naruto off to deliver it, and if that didn't work, to beat Hanzo within an inch of his life and then hammer in kindness like a steel spike into his head while talking enough to make a normal man go insane.
“Be careful. I'm serious.” He adjusted the ugly blue and orange bandana that Naruto had taken to wearing to keep his grown out bangs from his eyes. He looks so much like his father. “Hanzo isn't a pushover, just keep him going until you can make him open up, then hand over the documents, alright? No unnecessary risks.”
“Yes dear.” He scowled at that, pushing the blonde lightly on the chest. He didn't move an inch, the grinning behemoth.
It was an effect of the things they'd done to survive. Apparently fusing your soul with a biju for all eternity to become one being with two minds caused a monstrous growth spurt. The smiling fool was just shy of a full foot taller than him, and he was just under five foot ten, between that and the rippling muscles, he was almost unable to reconcile him with the bratty little runt who used to scream and kick and fight everyone and everything, shouting his dreams to the world. Briefly he wondered if the blonde dreamed anymore.
“Haruki.” Two massive, calloused hands squeezed his cheeks, and he just glared.
“I'll be okay, worry wart. You know how hard I am to kill.” Naruto’s various life endangering wounds flashed through his mind, too many to count or maybe more accurately be comfortable recounting.
“So stop testing it already.” He ignored the eyes boring into them, Yahiko in particular was giving him a certain look, glancing between the two. He refused to look into those big blue eyes that he knew were boring into his, hands smoothing over Naruto's hanten. He refused to look up even as he's drawn into Naruto's arms for a good luck hug, and he does his best not to grab two fistfuls of him and never let go. Naruto is all that's left of his old life, the only person left who shares memories of the people he loves, the ones he missed.
It was unhealthy. He knew it would be a bad idea to look up, to meet Naruto halfway. If he did it now there would never be an end.
“I promise I'll come back safe and sound.” Even without looking, Shikamaru knew what face he was making, what determined expression, too familiar, too much for him at that moment- maybe too much forever.
“I know.”
It takes one week for communication to start between Hanzo and the Akatsuki once Naruto reaches his forces. Less than a month and the two groups are working together to ensure that Amegakure closes its borders to prevent the citizens from being hurt by the continuing war; Naruto once again proving his greatest talent was as a diplomat. Shikamaru can’t stop the flood of relief that hits him when Naruto returns to their camp, dirty but unhurt- or at least healed- and scoops him up with a whoop of joy. He sinks into familiar warmth as comfort washes over him just knowing the blonde was safe.
Amegakure would no longer be a battle ground.The Akatsuki throw a small party the night that Naruto returns, and Konan offered him her flask and he threw a mouthful of terrible liquor back, coughing at the burn, she drank it like it was water, sharing it with her team, and Naruto came to rub his back.
He leaned into the touch, feeling guilty again. It could have been Ino, she and Naruto would have been a whirlwind. His birthday was coming up,their second summer since they had come back was coming to a quick end and he was all too aware that his depression would take a deep downward swing from that fact alone. His best friends were dead. Worse, unborn. They would never know him as he really was. He wasn’t sure how he’d handle it, but he did suspect it wouldn’t go over well.
He grumbled when Naruto scooped him up as if he weighed nothing, carrying him toward a bed to remove his sandals and comb his hair, braiding it so it wouldn't tangle in his sleep. He felt so guilty that Naruto was once again caring for him, he should have been able to do that much himself at least.
“You could have done it without me.” He mumbled, feeling particularly morose. The alcohol had been a lot stronger than he thought. “I've just been slowing you down.” His tongue loosened, he couldn’t help but dispare to his companion.
“You know that's not true.” Strong fingers slowly eased their way up and down his arm from wrist to shoulder. “You're a lightweight, and you've been overworking yourself again.” He wouldn't cry, not tonight, but he felt that break-down no doubt brewing in the future. Naruto climbed into the bed behind him, pulling him against his body and holding him tight. He fell asleep, mumbling protests as Naruto rubbed his back. He wasn’t a child anymore, but the easy comfort was enough that night to lul him to sleep.
They left Amegakure, they'd be just fine without the time travelers now that the two parties were working together rather than against one another. They returned to restlessly traveling around, after that. For the next few months they didn’t really know what to do.
Naruto was getting even more tactile with him. The longer they traveled together the more Naruto clung. He was used to having many people he could reach out to, so whittling that down to one had left Shikamaru with the brunt of his affections. It also became clear that Shikamaru was even worse off mentally than he had first feared. He was spiraling. He had been right about the break down.
Distantly he was wondering what he could add, what trauma would be needed, to explain why every village they stopped at that had a bar he was finding himself lost at glass bottom. He'd only do it when there were people and noise, soaking in the sounds of humanity and wondering why he couldn't have been among those that they had been unable to break free from the genjutsu- he wasn't sleeping much anymore, and he'd like to dream. The sleep he was getting that wasn’t assisted by a bottle was uneasy, pocked with nightmares that left him more tired than when he’d laid down.
Naruto would find him when he'd sneak off and scrape him off the stools, chairs, benches, and sometimes floors when he'd come a bit too late. Every time the blonde would hush him like he was some scared animal and scoop him up, if the tab wasn't paid yet he'd toss the ryo over to the bartender with a scowl, and then he'd carry him to wherever they were staying and speak softly to him. The words didn't matter, usually just observations, little pointless stories. He would strip him of his hanten, his sandals, and wrap him up in all the blankets in the room, laying outside the blankets and holding him like he were a precious cocoon. Thoughts like those usually filled him with regret about Shino, and Naruto would dutifully clear away the fresh tears from thinking about the Aburame boy. It was always some terrible nightmare about one of their friends on the worse nights, and if drinking could help him forget, he didn’t seem to care how much it took.
He knew, fundamentally, what was wrong with him, or at least some of the complex reasons why he suddenly couldn't stop himself. No one spent as much time with Ino as he did without drowning in diagnosis and treatment guides for mental illness, at least not after they hit their stride as teenagers. He definitely had ptsd, Naruto did too but he seemed to handle it better- or he just had more experience in hiding the worst of it- he had survivor's guilt, too, and self treating it with alcohol was only straining the one relationship he had left- but he lost his support network. He watched all their friends and loved ones die in increasingly horrible ways, until it was just the two left at the bottom of the pit. Naruto had too, but he wasn't using booze as a crutch. What he could be doing to ease the pain worried Shikamaru more if he were honest, than what he himself was doing.
I'm becoming my dad. He thought to himself as he put his cup down, bleary eyes turning to look at Naruto, his last friend's face drawn with worry. No, dad was an alcoholic but he never drank alone like this.
On his birthday that year he and Naruto had a fight. Screaming match, more like it. He was at rock bottom mentally, Ino's birthday was the day after his, they always celebrated it together. Last year there had been way too much to do for him to sink into depression, with building their mountain of lies and the fake village, even Uzushio had played its part, but now... now there was nothing to occupy his mind but the loneliness.
“Would you quit feeling sorry for yourself!” Naruto had found him in the tavern, he'd gone to get a new Bingo book and rent a room at the nearby inn. In the short twenty minutes that had taken, Shikamaru had already downed half a bottle of sake, he slugged the rest when he saw Naruto making a beeline for him at the rail.
“Sorry not all of us can just get over it! Did you even care?!” He was slurring already, his belly burned but it didn't warm him. He shouldn't have asked for the strongest thing they had, but the thought of facing tomorrow sober and clear headed was too much, at least if he was hung over he'd be in pain like he deserved. Naruto didn’t agree, or maybe he just didn’t care.
“You're done.” He swiped angrily at Naruto who tried to pull him by the wrist away from the rail. The money put on the counter was done so angrily, and Naruto was stronger than him, outweighing him by over fifty pounds of sheer muscle after hitting adulthood, steering him toward the inn even as Shikamaru swore at him, arm folded painfully behind his back. Into the inn, up the stairs, into a room, and cursing all the way. His sandals were yanked off of him, and he tried to kick Naruto's face but his coordination felt worse than it should. He missed, hitting empty air. He was already so out of it he didn’t connect that as having any meaning.
He was thrown on a heap of futons, a blanket dropped over his head as he hissed and spit.
“Stay in the room. I saw one of the new bounties just outside of town, I was going to take you with me but that's not an option anymore.” He glared up at Naruto once free of the blanket, fists balling up in the material.
“Fuck you.” He doesn't mean it. It tastes like bile coming out of his mouth. But he still says it, wanting to take it back as soon as it hits his own ears.
“I'll have them send something up for you to eat in a bit.” He folded his face into his knees, the world was spinning and he was trapped watching it warp. Cool fingers brushed back his loose hair. “Shika... please just stay in here. I know you've been... I try and make it seem like nothing’s wrong, but I can't keep doing this. You're all I have left, and I can't watch you drown yourself like this.” Something painful bubbled in his chest, and his eyes burned, but he didn't look up. “Drink some water, sleep, eat something. I'll be back before you know it and... maybe we can talk? We'll write down everything we loved about Ino together. We can do it for everyone else too. I know you're scared to forget them.” He couldn’t hide the sob that did escape then. Naruto kissed the top of his head, and then he was gone like smoke in the wind.
He felt the dizziness come down on him in waves after that. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. His fingertips started to tingle, then soon it had raced up his arms, and his limbs felt sluggish and heavy, the world spinning ever on even as he was laying facedown on the futons.
It was one bottle, it shouldn't be affecting him like this. His mind struggled to process what could have happened. Had someone drugged him? But he and Naruto weren't anyone yet, they'd been trying to keep a low profile. No one with a reason to kill him would have known he'd be here, what he'd order from a distracted bartender who had been chatting with three men further down the counter- so it had been spiked, and by something powerful. He knew that worse had yet to come, hoping that Naruto would return quickly, that he would see something was wrong, but by that point he was a twisting mess on the sheets, like a worm unable to speak.
Little did he know things would only get worse from there.
Notes:
As a reminder, the next chapter is going to be uncomfortable, I'll post a warning on that one as well, don't worry.
Chapter 3: Trigger Warning: The Reason I Slapped on the Rape/Noncon Warning
Summary:
Shikamara is Assaulted. That's it. That's the chapter.
If that is something you don't want to read, or can't, then skip this one. There is one plot relative thing I forgot about that happens, but it gets brought up on it's own again later so you're good, just skip it.
Notes:
Last warning, I am serious, he has been drugged, he will be assaulted, if you need to skip this, then skip it. The next chapter will briefly mention that something happened, but it will not go into detail.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He was on fire. Sweat beaded on his forehead, soaking through his clothes, and he laid with his body splade over the blankets of the futon. He was taking sharp, fast breaths, eyes having trouble focusing on anything in particular. He'd narrowed down the type of substance that he'd ingested- a date rape drug that came out if Iwa, it was a combination muscle relaxer and aphrodisiac, it also impared fine motor function. Night Bloom, the drug's name, had a stronger effect with alcohol, and he'd downed something to forget, so it was a bit like being smothered under an oppressive heat.
He couldn't tell how long ago Naruto had left, but he estimated it had been five minutes between stiffing back the drink and Naruto dragging him out of the bar, he wouldn't have taken more than ten minutes in the room, so it had been under fifteen minutes for symptoms to appear. At some point he could recognize as being recent he was mortified to notice he was getting aroused, a wet spot growing sticky and warm on the front of his hakama, it was straining at the crotch and it was starting to very vaguely hurt the longer it went unaddressed.
Without coordination he couldn’t use jutsu. Even if he could, there wasn't a guarantee it would actually help. He couldn't stand, with or without help. An even bigger problem was that he was growing more distressed, the weight nestled in his ribs pulsed as if to remind him he had to keep calm, that the lives of the village depended on his ability to keep the panic down. If nothing changed then he would lose the control he was managing to keep.
He heard the door open to their room then close again after a moment. At first he thought it was for the food he wouldn't be able to eat, and felt humiliated that anyone might see him like this. It was hearing more than one set of footsteps that really made his blood run cold. Soft voices in the genken of their rented room, the flick of a lighter and the acrid smell of an unfamiliar brand of cigarettes. He strained to hear them but it sent another wave of dizziness through him forcing him to shut his eyes. The lump in his ribs throbbed to remind him what was at stake even as he tried to even his breathing.
“See, told you that huge guy he came with left town without him.” The voice was unfamiliar, high and reedy.
“Fuck... he's a lot cuter like that.” Three bodies, men, somewhere between forty and fifty, he recognized them when he could finally open his eyes. They had been joking along with the bartender while he poured Shikamaru's glass. The bartender knew what they were doing and maybe helped, there was no way he hadn’t noticed the powder they’d had to have poured into the bottle.
“Usually I don't like dudes, but this one's got such a pretty face.” He felt the tears fill up his eyes as rough fingers grabbed his chin, it solidified what he had suspected. They weren’t after him because he was a mercenary, they had chosen him as an easy mark, and he had fallen for it like an idiot.
“Look, the whore’s still awake, he’s a lot tougher than he looks. When we're done we should just kill him, he's not from here and he got abandoned.” He can hear at least one of the men’s clothing rustling, coming off of him, and he fights another rush of panic before it can expand.
“We could keep him, at least until he breaks. Who'd notice?” At least one of them is interested in spiriting him off, at least until they get board, unaware they wouldn’t even survive that long-
He could hardly twitch as his hakama was yanked down his legs, leaving only the bottom half of his mesh armor and the fundoshi (he was being forced to wear since it was hard to find other styles outside of Konoha apparently, though he was a bit thankful for it now since it took longer to remove than boxers would have). Not that they gave him much protection as his mesh was also yanked away until it only hung off one ankle, and his fundoshi was undone by clammy caloused hands.
He was weakly protesting, the best he could do,given his tongue felt tacky and swollen in his mouth, and he was turned without any gentleness by worn old hands onto his side, the leg not still caught in his armor was pushed up and toward his chest. He was exposed, and shame flooded him almost as strongly as his panic, and he tried to swallow it down, the shadows in the room twitching lightly in response to the jolt within him. Rough fingers roved up and down his thighs, squeezing and pinching them too tightly, with the intent to make him uncomfortable.
If he had been capable of screaming in his current state, he would have been. Hands were pawing at him and he couldn't keep track of who they belonged to as the drug lowered his perception even further, his chest was also being touched, and he could only lay limp as he felt something long and wet on his exposed neck. He made a choked sound of pain when something cold and slimy was suddenly pushed deep inside him without warning. If he could focus his chakra he'd bind all three with his shadows- instead he had to try and breath through the painful intrusion.
A low grunt of pain was punched out of him as the finger was roughly thrust in and out, long before he could get over the shock and pain it became two fingers, moving hard and fast as they wiggled and pulled apart from one another. It hurt and he was worried he’d tear something, that they would do something he couldn’t ever heal from-
“Hurry up, he doesn't need that much. Who cares if he tears something?” The reedy voiced man creaked out, reaching to squeeze his chest. He shuddered when his limp arm was lifted and he felt something firm and hot angled to rub between his arm and chest. Shikamaru didn’t need to guess what the man was using his armpit for, suddenly wanting to boil off his own skin.
“Shut up, I just like watching their faces when I do this. Look how humiliated he is.”
It hurt. It burned. It was too much, he'd rather be stabbed, because then it would be over. He wanted to hide his face but he was stuck with his cheek pressed into blankets that were starting to stick to his feverish skin. Not enough to hide him from them, too exposed, like a nerve.
At least if he was going to be gang raped it wasn't on Ino's birthday.
The man using his arm pulled back, and something sticky and hot dripped into his hair near his ear, he was having even more trouble focusing, hardly able to mumble out a string of pleas for them to stop. They laughed over him. His eyes stung as his tears fell. He couldn’t hold it back, the despair bubbling inside him, the mass in his chest was getting colder.
“Think we'll both fit at once?” Shikamaru was crying openly, there was too much and he couldn't think and he wasn't numb, he was scared-
He missed it. They did too.
Something nudged against him and he tried to keep breathing evenly despite the cold dread making him nauseous, he would throw up, he would and then he would aspirate on his own vomit because he couldn't fucking move-
A wet, hot, sticky fluid- thicker than water- sprayed across his back and bare legs, getting into his hair. There was a cut off shout, and more pattering wet hit his skin. Feet running across the mats, and a silent shadow following, he could hear the body fall near the window- he had tried to flee. From how he was laying he could see the spray of blood across the floor and onto the walls. He could feel the sheets move beside him, and blood, as it had to be blood, occasionally gushed against his side.
He was lifted up, eyes falling on Naruto's blurry face. His eyes were red, hair bristled, and sharp canines poked over his parted lips.
“Shika.”
“Nah-!” He tried to say it but he couldn't. Shikamaru was covered in blood. His body felt wrong, his mind was barely working. He didn't want Naruto to see him like this. He could feel slick between his legs from being violated, and he was still painfully and embarrassingly hard. He wanted to crawl out of his skin. But the aching terror and dread had finally left him, the lump in his ribs warmed and became almost unnoticeable again.
“It's okay, don't try to talk.” He kneeled, still holding Shikamaru, and performed the hand signs one handed to summon a fox. He didn't recognize the vixen, but it might be from the drugs. “Hibi, get rid of the bodies. Sniff out if there's anyone else with them or coming.”
“On it!” He didn't get to see her closely as Naruto carried Shikamaru into the bathroom. He passed in and out at that point. He knew Naruto washed him clean, clean of blood, sweat, lube, and the stray cum shot that had landed on his head, but he wasn’t fully conscious of it. Finally safe he drifted out.
Notes:
We made it through, wonder what all that ominous foreshadowing about his ribs was about, huh?
Chapter 4: Attending a Festival After Being Traumatized is NOT Coping
Summary:
Jiraiya makes his official appearance in the story, the boys are trying their best, and they go to a festival.
The boys also confront their feelings for one another, only because they can't really avoid it, don't worry they're still their own biggest problems.
Notes:
They talk about the things that happened last chapter, not in too much detail aside from elaborating on how the men responsible for the things last chapter were killed, the cause of death and some of the circumstances.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He vaguely remembered sitting in the bath with Naruto behind him, after the ordeal, keeping him upright, comforting him and holding him close.
“Naruto?” His voice cracked, likely from the strain from earlier of trying to scream but being unable to coordinate even those muscles for long, and Naruto tilted his head so he could see him. “Thank you.” Fresh tears began to fall, and Naruto rocked them lightly, comforting him as he sobbed. He checked the dark spot inside himself and was reassured that it hadn’t grown further, but wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not- he would have liked to have these memories eaten.
Naruto left him alone with Hibi, the fox he'd summoned to remove the bodies, after he was out and dry in fresh clothing, coming back stinking of blood again in the early morning hours. There were stains in the room, and Naruto left a note of where the bodies had been dumped, why they and the bartender had been killed, and a hefty sum of money to replace or repair everything damaged by the massacre. In the morning despite his protesting, Naruto carried him away from that village on his back, he was still experiencing some pain from his treatment the day before and the blonde didn't want him to push himself.
The path ahead would be long, and he wasn’t sure where they were headed now, but he never wanted to return to that village again, hugging Naruto’s back tightly and hiding against him as if it could chase away any lingering trauma- if that was all it took though he would have been mentally well a long time ago.
Jiraiya heard about the murders on his next visit through the town, it being on his route for gathering information. Two male mercenaries had entered maybe a week and a half before. They had some sort of lovers quarrel at the bar, the shorter man had gone to get a drink and they were fighting as he was dragged to the inn. The taller man left for about two hours, returning with an A rank bounty and cashing in. He went back into the inn, where there was a short bout of shouting, then quiet. Another guest heard the bath get run, the man stepped back out to pick up food for two, something easy to eat, and they made no other sounds for the rest of the night. The tall man's lover was half asleep on his back when they left the next day, paying extra at the counter for their shouting the day before.
When they went to air out the room and clean it there were screams. The room was soaked in blood. There was an additional bundle of thousands of ryo, and a note. Jiraiya got a chance to peek at the note while in town.
‘Three men of your village drugged and tried to assault my partner, you'll find their corpses near the dike. I talked with the bartender at the tavern, he was going to join them. They thought I left and would be gone for a long time. Your village will be better without them. We will not come back.
N.H.
PS There are three Iwa spies working at the river dock, maybe deal with them.’
The spies had been found and taken care of already. Apparently there had been some very good sketches of each of them, those had been sent to the capital along with a report of the crimes, espionage, and murders.
The guild who had accepted the bounty wrote down the mercenary's name as Namikaze Haruki. Jiraiya's blood ran cold reading the name. The workers at the inn and the surviving owner of the bar described the two men as such; average hight, mid back length black hair, slanted brown eyes, pale, and the other man as extremely tall, blonde shoulder length choppy hair, and large blue eyes, with tan skin and lines on his cheeks- like clan marks. The second man was the one to turn in the bounty, the one to drag the other from the bar, the one who moved so quietly through the small village.
The men's bodies, when found, had been mutilated. It was a gory sight. It was clear that they had had their throats slit and were allowed to bleed out, unable to make a noise, and had been killed inside the inn. No one had noticed.
That was the mark of a professional assassin and shinobi. Moving three men's bodies, especially with the amount of blood in the room, and leaving no trace beyond the dump site and the room.
A blonde man with the abilities of at least a decent shinobi assassin who signs his name with Namikaze. What a mess. He began to write a report to lord third, though he intended to follow this up further, unaware that a fox was watching him with curious eyes from the tall grass beside the road.
“Shika...” he couldn't meet Naruto's eyes, hadn’t been able to since he’d woken up around mid day on his back several miles out of the village. The drug's muscle relaxing and coordination affecting properties had worn off by morning- he had slept them off thankfully without any worrying conditions popping up after as could sometimes happen. The other effects, the most embarrassing one at least, was lingering well into the late afternoon.
They had stopped at a tea house along the road and had some pudding in memory of Ino after he had woken up. Naruto patted his back when he was crying. It was her birthday and he was eating shity pudding without her.
Now, however, back on the road he was being carried piggyback, and he had an unfortunate situation going on against Naruto's back. He couldn’t even protest he could walk by himself as his legs had given out on him when he’d tried that at the tea house hours ago, lower back protesting with sharp pain. If the man hadn’t been killed, Shikamaru would have ripped him apart himself.
“I'm okay.” He insisted, not for the first time in the last hour.
“... yeah but... do you want to stop so you can-!” The thought of Naruto finishing that question made his stomach lurch in uncomfortable but not unnatural ways.
“No.” He sounded mortified. Naruto was quiet for a minute.
“... can we stop so I can rub-!” He didn’t want to know if the blonde meant for himself or for Shikamaru but-!
“Why are you horny?” He hit Naruto's head, the blonde didn't seem to notice the killing intent. If anything he seemed too comfortable to be talking about this sort of thing. He laughed lightly as they kept walking.
“You know my sense of smell got almost as good as Kiba's, and well... you kinda stink right now-!” His hair was yanked lightly for that, Shikamaru was mortified. “Come on, Shika, this is the first time you've been anything other than depressed in three months!”
“Unwanted erection is not an emotion, asshole!” Naruto weathered the smacks to his head and shoulders as if it was just rain, rather than hits that would have knocked a normal man prone.
“Embarrassed. Angry. Annoyed.” He ticked them off, ignoring the continued assault on his head even as his hair was yanked again. “You've just been sad the last few months. Like you were just muscling through... I was worried you'd drink yourself to death.” His forehead dropped down against the back of Naruto's head at that admission, he had been worrying him. He felt guilty again-! “If that means you rub up against me for half a mile, I can handle that.”
“The second I can walk without losing my balance I'm leaving you. You're such a drag.” Naruto laughed, loud and bright. If he were less flustered he might try and unpack why this was being taken so well, but for the moment all he could think of was how upsettingly good it felt to press against his back, jostled by the even rhythm of his stride.
“Okay, but seriously, can I stop so we can mutually deal with-!” He was hit even harder this time- Sakura would have been proud as he wound it up with chakra.
“For fucks sake!”
Not knowing where the mysterious Namikaze Haruki had been headed, he found a path backwards, wandering through the elemental nations. He learned that the other young man was named Iwah Inei, that he had a worsening drinking problem, but when sober seemed to pull his weight as equally as Haruki. Given he had brought in an A rank bounty by himself that was a bit of a terrifying prospect.
They regularly caught missing nin, bandits, murderers, and thieves that were listed in local bingo books, just finding people who were nearby as they made the rounds. From as bottom of the barrel as F rank bounties to the occasional S, it was clear the two were less in it for any money and were just passing time. Jiraiya himself could understand the appeal of traveling, but usually he had a destination in mind. The two seemed to vanish here and there for a week or two at a time, popping back up a good distance away. His own network of informants reluctantly spoke about the two- when there were no nearby bounties they’d pick up odd jobs and stay for a week or so.
The winding path eventually led him to Amegakure, an uncomfortable reconciliation with his students who were building a stronger central government with Hanzo's backing; he really had no idea how they got to this point. It was the longest the two had stayed anywhere from what he had learned, as the two had backtracked a few times through Rice Paddy, and had been wandering around there almost a full two years ago. Within eight months they had taken up residence in Amegakure where they stayed with the Akatsuki, continuing to do odd jobs and hunt down troublesome bounties as they came up around them- that had lasted almost seven months. It had ended recently, which made their circuits of the elemental nations almost breakneck given how fast civilians usually traveled.
Once there he was lectured at length by his former students, Nagato was especially persistent in making him feel like an ass for having not checked on them sooner, but in his defense he really had been busy. He was a spymaster in the middle of another war, he had responsibilities to his own village. Even so he was twisted into promising to visit more often. He was dragged into drinking with them and it was early the next morning by the time he actually was able to ask them about the two mercenaries who had stayed with them.
Konan was only too happy to tell him about the two men who had given them a hand the year before in helping bridge peace with Hanzo and unite in a common goal. Haruki-san and Inei-san. They had wandered in, the big blonde man quickly befriended the group, dragging his grumpy (Grumpy? Why was it always grumpy or depressed when describing this guy?) partner along to help, and though unenthused he did pull his own weight. From them as they recounted the months the two spent staying with them for the most part though occasionally leaving for an errand, he learned that Haruki had a wind affinity, was a sealing master in his own right - one to rival him if Yuhiko was to be believed- , and had more chakra than could be fathomed. The other man seemed to have Ying type chakra, though he was proficient in fire and earth as well, he was gloomy, and spent most of his free time goading people into playing strategy games with him.
From Konan he also learned that Haruki can cook, but he can't sing, he and Inei have known each other since childhood, they lost their village in the second war, and the reason he was so passionate about helping. His laugh could be heard a mile away, and he would make time to bring food to orphans and urchins, the homeless, and took great pains in doing even menial tasks to help out the people- even just helping do laundry or sweep up. Inei was shockingly adept at medicine and treating injuries, and had been the stand-in medic for their group as well as for many local villages when he’d pass through them- he was particularly good at identifying plants for medicine and poison.
Yahiko quietly said that the two were cute, and despite Inei often threatening to leave him and complaining all the time the two were glued at the hip. It fit in with the image he’d been curating of them in his mind, from the way people remembered them, the two were obviously lovers. Haruki was especially touchy, though the two seemed to behave for the most part when in public.
Konan had a photo of them from just before they had left that she was willing to show him but not part with, and he stared wide eyed at the picture. Haruki, he had expected to look familiar, just a bit- from the description, he might be a relative of Minato's after all. Weird murder circumstances or not, he wanted to find his favorite knucklehead some more family, the kid could use it- besides his own private investigation had shown the four men Haruki was now wanted in that village for killing had been buying a powerful nervous system depressor from the Iwa spies that Haruki had ratted out, which if they had drugged and tried to assault his partner... What he hadn't expected was the Nara standing next to the blonde- who did look so much like Minato it hurt. The gloomy man in the photo with his students and his current target looked like Shikaku, but... softer. He wore his hair down, had the infamous Nara hairline, and their recognizable eyes too, but his face felt less... flinty, most Nara looked grumpy with how sleepy they were, but he looked exhausted. He had thin cheeks and dark circles which made him seem a little sick- he’d been described before as looking ill, but to see them both really put into perspective just how... strange they were.
Jiraiya remembered Shikagouro, the current clan head's father, very well. He'd been a war hero, but also a known creep, he said weird things to kunoichi, had once told Jiraiya a recommendation for a brothel outside the village on the way toward the front lines, and had said he didn't care if he got a woman pregnant, since he only cared about the kids his wife gave birth to. He was a total scumbag (it really said something that Jiraiya thought he was a creepy old man given his own not so innocent thoughts and actions) and Jiraiya was glad the young heir had taken almost exclusively after his mother, save for his lazy streak and shadow controlling jutsu that seemed to be almost a bloodline limit of the whole clan.
He wrote a report and sent it safely back to the village with a toad updating what he’d found, chewing on his pipe. There was a festival in one of the elemental village's not involved in the war, and he wanted to trawl for more information there. Given their last sighting, a week after he left the murder town he heard they were at a nearby mountain spring spending a few days at the onsen before vanishing again. A toad had spotted them, the blonde was calling the other ‘Shika’ in an affectionate tone, he had to wonder where the nickname came from. Was Haruki just strange, or did it mean something?
He might find out. The festival would be close to the path they seemed to be taking, so he headed that way hoping for the best. Maybe if he was lucky the two would make it easy for him to find them. Not long after he left a tiny todd in a black jacket found it’s way to Konan to ask how she was, and if they were still doing okay, his master wanted to check in. She had no issues informing the little male fox that the shinobi who had trained them years ago had finally swung back around, and he’d just missed him. He’d asked about his master, and mentioned something about wanting to meet him, and a festival in a town in Hot Spring country. The todd thanked her, and told her he was glad she and the others were doing well, before he left in a hurry, poofing back to his master.
“Shika! You look so handsome, and tiny.” Naruto got punched in the side for that. To his credit he didn’t so much as flinch at the hard hit. If it were anyone else he would have cracked a rib or two.
“Everyone's tiny to you. Troublesome.” He was slightly flushed however, looking away. The affection he’d been being oppressed with had gotten worse since the incident at the inn, and he still had no idea how to deal with it fully. That didn’t stop Naruto from showering him with even more as the days went by.
“Maa, take my hand so we don't get separated.” Even still scowling, Shikamaru took Naruto's arm in his, the pair heading out to enjoy the festival in the peaceful village. They were wearing yukata, Naruto's had little foxes on it, he'd found the cute fabric a few months back and had turned it into a yukata himself- naturally it was orange and blue. Shikamaru's had simple blue and darker blue lines, but was tied with a dark green sash.
Shikamaru hadn't actually been leaving Naruto's side at all recently, even if he did complain about how much the blonde was clinging to him it was really him who was being unreasonable. He didn't feel all that safe when the blonde went out of his line of sight. Naruto had taken too long in the bathroom when they were at the hot springs the week before and Shikamaru had opened the door and put his hand through. Naruto had held it, squeezing it in comfort despite the fact he wasn't exactly comfortable with it. He had left the door open so Shikamaru could talk with him ever since, which was such a huge privacy issue that if it weren’t for the fact he’d started to hyperventilate when left for a moment alone in the bath he probably would have fought that choice. He was seeing an unusual amount of his traveling companion naked given they weren’t together- or were at least still dancing around the very uncomfortable topic of their feelings for one another.
“Oh, let's get some festival food!” He was snapped out of his thoughts as Naruto was slowly steering them toward the food stalls closest to them.
“I want chicken skewers.” He didn’t see any grilled squid stands, so he’d just have to keep an eye out, knowing they’d be here for an indeterminate amount of time. Aoto, the todd that he had asked to keep an eye out around Amegakure had reported that Jiraiya had been asking around for them, and seemed to intend to look at the festival a few days back, so they naturally would twiddle their thumbs until they could make contact.
“Oooh! Yes! Let's get soba, and takoyaki too.” In the meantime it was nice to take a long break from bounty hunting, the next big event was likely to still be coming down the timeline since aside from stepping in with the Akatsuki they hadn’t interfered in the war at all.
They mostly did a food tour of the festival, eating a lot of fried foods and sweets, and Naruto began to beat festival games to win him prizes. He was shockingly good at them, but maybe a few years with Jiraiya would do that to a kid. He was holding a giant stuffed toad, shaking his head fondly as Naruto attempted to win him the giant stuffed dog. He almost felt bad for the men who ran the stands, or he would if half the games here hadn’t been rigged to begin with. It was only fair that Naruto knocked them down a bit. The days there were blending together at that point.
“Haruki, really, I don't need it.” He had a small smile on his face, unable to stop it even though he really didn’t need the dog just because it looked like Akamaru.
“But I wanna win it for you.” The bag of other useless chachkies over his arm clacked as he shifted his weight. The vendor had a pained look seeing him, already overloaded with trophies from other stalls. “I got this guy.” he whooped as he knocked over the final target, making grabby hands for the dog, and held it out to Shikamaru, tapping its thread nose to his, “He looks as sleepy as you do, Inei!” He rolled his eyes at the comment, but it made him... happy. It really did look just like Kiba’s dog, it only left him feeling a little empty knowing he’d likely never get to show it off to the kid- even if they did end up staying near or in the village, he wouldn’t have a reason to get to know the boy. Not a good one.
“Troublesome...” Naruto put the dog under one arm, locking theirs together at the elbow so they could start walking again, he leaned slightly into the warmth. “Now we have to carry these around all night.” Naruto just grinned at him, maneuvering them through the crowd until they managed to get to a slightly clearer area, and Naruto removed a prepared scroll from a pocket he had inside his loose yukata.
“You're looking at the festival master, Shika, I got this.” He rose a brow as both giant stuffed animals vanished into it, then most of the small toys and trinkets, he would have argued that they didn’t need to keep them but he didn’t want to steal the blonde’s thunder. “You want to get some sodas?” He nodded, and they started to walk again. It was the third day there, and he was starting to get a little impatient at that point for Jiraiya to arrive. Even knowing how long it usually took for a normal person to travel the distance he felt that the Toad Sage should be able to manage it in less than a week.
“Two please.” It was lemon lime soda, and the cold cans feel nice in his palms as they find a bench to sit at. He watches the people pass by, mostly young families and couples at this hour, the thought they could be mistaken for the later makes his stomach twist. “I think it's about time.” He nodded, leaning into Naruto's side. “Maaa, where should we go next, Shika?” They couldn’t wait for the old man forever, if he didn’t come in the next day they’d just have to move on without establishing contact- they couldn’t leave Obito with Madara for that long.
“I heard a lot of criminals hide in the Mountain's Graveyard, let's go see if we can't find any of them.” their cans tapped and they both took a sip. “We can wait until the festival ends in a few days...” Buying the man more time. Shikamaru was impatient to get moving again, the unfamiliar village was making him anxious. He wondered if Konoha would fill him with the same uncertainty, given it would be a very different city than the one in his memories. Even still it would be better to wait and give him as much of a chance to run into them as possible.
“You just want to eat more skewers.” He looked away, and Naruto laughed, putting his arm around Shikamaru. “I'm glad you're feeling better.” It’s a soft whisper, meant only for him, and he can’t name the ache he feels inside exactly, but it’s somewhere between grief, defeat, and pain. “We were in a civilian town.” He was pulled closer, a hand rubbed up and down his arm slowly- he leaned into the comfort and warmth. “We've been putting off acknowledging what happened to us before, what we lost. I... I took for granted that I thought we were somewhere safe. I shouldn't have left you alone. I knew you were hurting, that you were just...” he took a deep breath, leaning their heads together. “I failed you. I failed them.”
“You didn't fail me...”
“I could have tried to stop you sooner. Without the Akatsuki stuff distracting us you started to spiral out of control. I should have said something, we should have talked. But I didn't. It's my fault, I could have lost you.” Shikamaru stared emptily at the can in his hands.
“I don't blame you though. And I don't like that you're blaming yourself.” The only one at fault was Shikamaru, for putting his guard down in enemy territory, for slipping up. For being a burden on Naruto like he always seemed to e now a days.
“Do you know how scared I was when I got back and you were surrounded?” Shikamaru didn't really want to talk about it, but not wanting to talk about things had gotten him into that situation to begin with. “I panicked.” He was just glad that he didn’t seem intent on rehashing everything that happened, letting Shikamaru skim over the memories he wished he didn’t have.
“Yeah, I could tell.” He turned more into his hold. “I'm still glad you saved me.”
“I covered you in blood.” Shikamaru rolled his eyes. There were worse things that he could have been covered in that night.
“You also came just in time to keep them from doing anything worse.” Naruto went quiet, as if he didn’t agree. Unspoken between them was the knowledge that before ‘worse’ could have happened the time bomb inside Shikamaru would have flattened the village.
“I killed three people.”
“Four. You also got the bartender who spiked my drink.” It felt mean to remind him, but he knew that Naruto would want to acknowledge it fully, even if it was painful.
“I killed four people.” He amended. “I don't regret it, it sounded like they've done that before, but...”
“I know.” He was still chilled by the thought they might have tried to drag him away where he couldn’t be found again.
“I used to be able to count how many people I killed on one hand.”
“It's because you're soft and you believe in redemption.” Years ago that had been the best answer, but now... they couldn’t be who they once were. Too much had happened, and Naruto had been unable to keep his hands clean of blood.
“I was so angry that when Kurama said ‘Let's kill them’ I just did it. Usually I can fight that impulse.”
“Haruki.” Naruto stopped, Shikamaru was looking up at him finally, meeting worried blue eyes with his gaze. “Stop overthinking it. It got me out of danger the fastest, and it wasn't like they weren't thinking of killing me too, or worse.”
“You're right but... I can't. I know if someone else tried to hurt you I'd probably kill them too. You're the only person in the world who knows me. Knows everything. I can't lose you too.” Shikamaru reached up, cupping his cheek and leaning their heads together. He hoped that pushing his forehead into Naruto’s this hard might pass along the intent to do the same- the willingness to kill if it meant keeping him safe.
“I'm not going anywhere.” His blue eyes bore into Shikamaru, like he was inspecting him for a lie, “I'm also never drinking again. Ever.”
“That's fair.” They sat like that for a moment, just staring one another down. “Inei...”
“Mmhm?”
“... nevermind. I'm going to win every big stuffed animal here for you, and then were going to go do violence against an elderly criminal.”
“You're so lame. I'm gonna start handing them off to kids then, I don't even like stuffed animals.”
“They don't have any stands that give out food for winning, so we'll just have to both settle.” He was pulled up, and hand in hand they went to keep walking around.
Jiraiya found them sharing a popsicle in front of a fish catching game. There was a small herd of children surrounding the crouched blonde as he seemed to easily catch the majority of the fish in the pool. He was handing them off to the kids, who loudly cheered whenever he got one out. The guy wasn’t half bad at it, given the number of kids holding bagged fish.
“I'm gonna eat your half if you don't hurry, it's melting.” He even sounded like a Nara, the board whining, more compliant than anything else. Jiraiya noted his sunken cheeks had filled in some, but he still had worrying eye bags. He’d put on weight since the photo however.
“No, don't I'm almost done-!” The stall owner looked upset that the guy was still going. Counting the fish in the surrounding children’s hands, it was no wonder. He must have cleaned the stall dry- the owner looked like a grouch. “And... one for the pretty girl with a cat yukata.” The smallest girl there cheered and the fish was bagged up. “Maa, Inei, do you think we could find a ramen shop still open?”
“You can't seriously be that hungry. We've been eating all day.” The blonde stood up, taking a half melted popsicle from the other man- he yelped when the blonde went so far as to lick some of the melted syrup off the Nara's hand. “You're so gross! What a drag...”
“It's really good! Besides, I'm always hungry for ramen.” He sounded more like Kushina than Minato. Jiraiya kept himself mostly hidden as he continued to observe them.
“Some gyoza would be good I guess...”
He kept an eye on them from a distance, careful not to give himself away. Once they entered a stall that was open, he followed in maybe ten minutes after, the two didn’t acknowledge that he’d even entered.
The blonde had a bowl of ramen in front of him, the other man was accepting a plate of gyoza like he had mentioned, he had black paint on his nails, which stood out a bit to Jiraiya.
“One miso with roast pork.” He ordered, giving them a sidelong glance. For a rumored alcoholic, the Iwah guy wasn't drinking, not booze at least given the can of juice in front of him. He sensed a story, but decided not to risk it. He also refrained from ordering a bottle and asking to share because it would be too much for just him. It would have been a good way to start a conversation, but if the well known drunk in the pair was avoiding alcohol he better not poke the bear. There were other ways to strike up a conversation even if that would have been the easiest and was his usual go to.
“Can I get another bowl? One with an extra egg and pork belly?” The blonde was grinning, eyes practically sparkling.
“I'm gonna have to roll you out of here, aren't I?” Inei was amused, rather than annoyed, the teasing in his tone more fond than malicious.
“Coming up!”
“Here, say ‘ah’.” He extended his chopsticks to Shikamaru who rolled his eyes, taking the offered half egg. He should have known this was going to happen.
“Is this why you got an extra?” He watched Naruto flush and make excuses, grinning himself as Naruto finally warbled out he only wanted half an extra egg and not to read into it, mumbling something about him still being too skinny.
“You two are a cute couple, aren't ya?” He went red hearing that, head swiveling to glare at the old man- well maybe not so old now. He’d only be thirty seven wouldn’t he?
They knew Jiraiya had been following them for the last hour, and that he'd been looking into them for the last two weeks, but it still felt unreal to see him. Shikamaru hadn't been close to the man, he had no reason to be, but Naruto? His hand was taken, squeezed for comfort under the counter as Natuto turned to actually acknowledge the old man... not so old old man, really, even though he looked it. He was maybe ten years older than them, twelve at most. He still looked old though, this would be a difficult adjustment if they ended up seeing a lot of him.
“It's not like that...” that didn't sound convincing at all. Shikamaru gave Naruto a sideways glance at that. He was too reminiscent of when he’d say things like that when talking about his crush on Sakura as children- long before they left the academy.
“So, nosy old guy, you gonna watch us all night to see if we kiss or something?” Shikamaru gave him a pointed look and he seemed surprised to have been caught. Naruto looked like he’d been punched hearing him say that, if it were possible his face went even redder, now going all the way down his neck. “You've been staring since the goldfish stall.”
“Huh?” They noticed him all the way back there yet they hadn't confronted him. He seemed surprised. As if he hadn’t been obvious. Some spymaster he was.
“I don't think he's like that, Shika...” Leave it to Naruto to try and defend the pervert even though he technically didn’t know him. He doubted Jiraiya actually had any weird intentions toward them, given that man was almost uncomfortably straight, and knowing he’d been looking for them for some reason.
“But it's creepy, so he's obviously up to something. You gotta admit it isn't normal to stalk around behind a couple of guys.” It would have been creepier if they were girls, but he didn’t say that, he also didn’t know how else to make this play out other than to apply so much pressure that Jiraiya eventually admitted himself to why he’d been stalking around after them without having to ask directly.
“No, it really is weird, your big friend just looks a lot like this twirp I know so I wanted to find out if he's related.” Bingo. They shared a look, Naruto was actually confused for a moment. Twirp? Shikamaru figured it out first but still gave him a dubious look.
“Sure...”
“It's true, I used to teach this little blonde brat who looks just like him! He doesn't have any family so I thought maybe I'd found a relative of his.” Naruto's eyes widened. He was talking about Minato.
“No one looks like Haruki. He's... you know...” There were people with blonde hair, sure. And blue eyes too, but rarely together. And never those shades. Never so deep blue, never such rich golden, it was just too rare to have both. Others got close, like Tsunade, later Deidara, but... no. Shikamaru was almost certain that they were the only two people alive- maybe just two ninja- that looked so much alike. “Weird.” he finished lamely.
“Thanks for your kind words, Shika.” He pouted, leaning to rest his cheek on the other's shoulder. “As for your buddy, student or whatever, maybe. My dad left before I was born, he could have done it again, since it takes almost zero effort to be a deadbeat.” He stirred what was left in his bowl, he’d actually stopped eating for this conversation, “Let me guess, his mom told him the schmuck declared his undying love, found out she was pregnant, and faked his own death?”
“That's... very specific. But no. He was found at an orphanage with a note that said his name.”
“Oh yeah? What's his name?” he gathered up noodles between his chopsticks, even knowing what was coming.
“Namikaze Minato.” The blonde stiffened. Naruto cursed softly, looking pale. He dropped his chopsticks and baled his hands into fists on the counter. Either his acting had improved, doubtful, or he really was struggling to reconcile some part of this.
“How old is he? You said he was your student so does that mean he's a kid?” Shikamaru was pretty sure the guy would be a teenager by now, if not a full fledged adult. Naruto was born when he and Kushina were twenty one, which sounded stupidly young now that he’d passed that age himself.
“He's nineteen. I taught him when he was a little younger, but he grew up in an orphanage in the Leaf village.” He wondered if Minato was dating Kushina officially yet, if they’d moved in together, if his ambition to become Hokage had surfaced yet- he tried not to look at Naruto, knowing there was no way he could fully appreciate whatever feelings he was having race through him.
“Yikes...” It was the best he could manage.
“Well now I feel like an asshole...” he squeezed Naruto's hand, getting a tight squeeze back for his efforts.
“I can't tell you what to do, but it would be nice if you could go and to talk with him. Even a short visit might mean the world to him.”
“... we already have a plan to sweep the mountains graveyard.” Shikamaru took over, letting Naruto stay quiet. “We'll stop in his village to turn in whatever bounties we can, but I can't really promise it'll be soon.” Jiraiya nodded, looking relieved- as if it really was a weight off his back.
“That's fine. I'll send word back that he should keep an eye out for you. Here, I'll write down the name of a decent inn and a bar he usually drinks at, as well as a note for the gate guard, you don't seem like the type to usually stop in hidden villages.” He had some loose paper and a brush, jotting it down quickly.
“It'll be our first time.” Shikamaru took the note and recommendation, shaking it to dry it and offering an uneasy smile. “We have storage scrolls for bounties, so it might be a few months before we finish, so he shouldn't wait up for us.”
“The visit would mean a lot to him, but I'll let him know if I see him not to expect you too soon.”
At the inn, Naruto started to pace, eyes distant. Shikamaru began to remove his yukata, before he stopped with it half off and sighed.
“Ugh... hey, Haruki.” The blonde didn't notice him, so he grabbed one of his arms. Naruto flinched, meeting his eyes and freezing. “Look I know that was... a lot. But you did really well. We can leave for the graveyard in the morning, so just....” He watched Naruto's eyes slip from his face and then down. He followed the gaze and flushed. He cleared his throat and Naruto stopped staring at his fundoshi, as his robe had finally finished coming untied when he walked to Naruto.
“Sorry I just...” It wasn’t that Shikamaru didn’t get it. But there was a nagging fear he was acting like this now because he was avoiding confronting how Jiraiya made him feel, seeing him alive again.
“Naruto.” It's soft, so soft only they could have heard it, and Shikamaru reached up to hold his face. “You have been weird about me for months, can we please talk about it.” He secretly hoped that he was wrong, that it was because of Jiraiya and wanting to not think, unsure what to do if it was more. If the lingering touches and glances and everything else meant what he knew it did.
“Why do we only talk about things when I'm the problem.” He shrunk under the glare Shikamaru sent him, it may be true but it didn’t have much to do with their current predicament. “Right after we left Amegakure... that first village we stopped in, an old woman asked me if we were on our honeymoon, and I couldn't... stop.... thinking about it...” He remebered the old woman Naruto was talking about, she was certain he was a woman, it had actually been an annoyance while there.
“You're so lame.” Shikamaru sighed again. “If you've been thinking about that for so long I'm sure you've gotten some weird ideas now.”
“... I like you, Shika.” It’s tender, and loving, and he can’t meet Naruto’s eyes now, looking away and only slightly regretting the choice to do so as he spits out an excuse, not sure his heart can take this even if he did start it.
“Are you only saying that because the old woman put the idea in your head?” He jumped slightly when Naruto pulled his Yukata closed, face completely red.
“...no.” He took a half step closer, lowering his head slightly, dropping their foreheads together in a way that feels too intimate. “I liked you before we... y'know. But after we had so much to do and you were so messed up about everything I didn't want to...”
“I'm definitely more messed up now, troublesome man.” Naruto was staring into his eyes- he was too close not to meet eyes with now, unable to look away from deep worried blues.
“That night, Kurama was screaming in my head.” Shikamaru knew as much, but kept silent, waiting to hear where it was going, “He was furious because they touched you. ‘Filthy humans daring to touch our mate.’ Over and over again. And I knew I had a crush on you, but... it's kind of mortifying to hear the big guy talking like that when I didn't even say anything to you about how I felt.” Shikamaru had flushed down his chest at that point, staring down at Naruto's chest since he couldn't look him in the eye, the blond having lessened the force pressing their heads together just enough Shikamaru could break their stare.
“Well that’s..that's... just like him, isn't it?” He hadn't been trying to think about it. Actually to be more accurate he'd been avoiding thinking about it, the whole night. For the last two weeks, ever since the bathtub, but especially during the piggyback ride, he'd had some uncomfortable thoughts about his best friend. He had chalked it up to how he'd been saved by him messing with his head, not trying to think too much into how he felt, how those feelings had started a long time back. Naruto had asked him if he wanted to mutually masturbate in the forest, which felt like maybe a dead giveaway for how his friend felt, but... “Naruto, it's a bad idea for us to... I was almost... I don't want to have a bad reaction to you because of what I went through.” Stripping everything else away, that was the thing he was the most scared of.
Shikamaru didn't want to be in a relationship with anyone from the past. He didn't want to date anyone he was practically raised by, and he didn't want to accidentally ruin someone else's future with his actions by being selfish. He had sort of planned to stay single, because he thought Naruto wouldn't be interested in him. He had had a crush on the blonde when he'd returned from his years traveling and training- long before if he was honest, remembering the twisting jealousy when he’d accidentally kissed Sasuke in the classroom. But so much else had been going on, and then the war happened, and... well the affection hadn't gone away he just stopped thinking about it.
He knew it, packing his emotions away wasn't working anymore.
“We can go slow? The second you get uncomfortable we'll stop, no matter what.” His eyes were darting over Shikamaru's face again, and he met them, holding the intense blue gaze as Naruto cupped his cheek. It was almost too much to bear.
He and Naruto were trapped in the past, the last two survivors of a world gone forever now, no one else would ever know him like Naruto, would ever understand him so much, and remember the people and times that would likely never be again- they were changing too much, even if those people were born they may be different than in their memories. Naruto was his only real choice, and he'd already wanted to take that chance years ago.
“... yeah. Okay.”
Notes:
The next chapter will have explicit sexual content. If you don't want to see that you can skip it, it won't take anything away from the story if you do.
Chapter 5: It's a Mutual Thing. (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW, Sexual content.
I forgot to add on when I posted it that this is technically Naruto/Kurama/Shikamaru, so I fixed that, that'll become more clear in later chapters, sorry for forgetting it.
Chapter Text
Naruto sat on the edge of the genken in their rented room and Shikamaru sat on his lap, facing him, they’d just sort of collapsed where they’d been lingering moments before. He put his hands on Naruto's broad shoulders, looking at his chest. The kyuubi soul merger had stretched the absolute limit of Naruto's growth plates. He'd shot up over a foot and become so broad and the shinobi lifestyle left him with wiry, well defined muscles, not too much so as to be off putting, but a feast for the eyes when exposed. Naruto tilted his head back up and experimentally placed a kiss to his temple, when that saw no protest he kissed his cheek, then waited before kissing his lips.
Naruto had such soft, warm lips, like kissing a sunbeam. His breath was warm against Shikamaru’s suddenly sensitive mouth as he leaned back slightly.
“Still okay?” He nodded, leaning in to kiss him again. This time he summoned the courage and parted his lips, poking the seam of Naruto's mouth with his tongue, only to be let in without hesitation. Naruto snaked a hand behind him to his mid back to support him, the other hesitated before resting on his thigh, snaking upwards where it was close to pressing on his stomach.
Naruto's tongue rubbed on his, hot and firm, it made his head swim. This close, all he could smell was the distinct earth smell that always seemed to waft from the blonde, but right on top of him he could also smell some sweet notes, like berries, and the wind after a storm. He began to ache with his want, fingers balling up in the fabric under his hands as if to drag Naruto closer.
His tongue ran over slightly sharpened teeth, then retreated as Naruto's tongue slid into his mouth. Feeling over his teeth, quickly giving it up to curl around Shikamaru's tongue, coiling them together. He reached up and tangled his fingers in Naruto's hair to ground himself.
“Shikaaaaa.” He whined when Shikamaru pulled away, taking in the sight of him. His lips were puffy and bruised, dark from kissing, and he was breathing heavily. It sent little shocks up and down him to know he had caused the blonde to look so undone.
“We should probably stop.” The hand on his back was rubbing slow circles, and it stopped at that, feeling like a brand pushing into him now that he was too aware of it. “I'm worried I won't want to if we don't.”
“If you're sure.” Shikamaru wasn't though, he didn't really want to stop- more than a little afraid he didn’t know if he’d be able to set his own limits if they kept going, not when he felt drunk already on the heady feeling that came from kissing Naruto. He put their foreheads together, Naruto went back to rubbing his back, fingers warm and soothing.
“... just... one more.” He broke. Naruto kissed him softly, just warm lips moving sweetly against his own, but he escalated it again, not pulling away when he felt he should, instead he put a hand on his chest, fingers sliding into Naruto's half a skewed yukata. Never mind it had been his tugging hands that had pulled it open to such a degree.
He didn't even think about it as he untied Naruto's yukata, as the blonde slid his arms out and fully exposed his chest and arms to Shikamaru's hands. They were about the same level of undress now, and he felt his stomach twist with butterflies as their skin came into full contact, chest to chest. It was warm, so perfectly warm, and it sent curls of heat through him- he was beyond thinking now, like a cat pulled into a dream under a sunbeam.
“Shika... just tell me to stop.” He didn't despite knowing he ought to. Naruto kissed from his jaw down his neck, nipping and worrying the skin of his shoulder. Naruto's tongue was on his neck. It burned , but felt so right, so perfect, so... so much. He tugged Naruto's hair, holding back a groan.
He leaned back as Naruto began to migrate to his chest, holding his shoulders and flexing his thighs to keep from falling. His mouth was marking a burning trail down his chest, Shikamaru could only fist his hair and try to get enough air desperately in his lungs.
“We should move to the futons.” He nodded dumbly, grunting in surprise as he's lifted like a paperweight, carried toward the futons, which Naruto kicked open messily, laying Shikamaru down carefully before getting on the ground with him on his side. For a moment they just stare, taking one another in as if it were the first time ever laying eyes on each other. It doesn't last.
Shikamaru took a deep breath, gathering his courage, before he climbed on top of Naruto, kissing him desperately. He twitched when Naruto held his hips, memories of being held down flashed through his mind but he pushed them away. This was Naruto. He'd be fine. He was safe here with him- Naruto would never hurt him.
His yukata is pushed off finally; Naruto's had fallen on the walk, leaving them both in fundoshi and nothing else. Under his hands Naruto is covered in tattooed on seals, some full of scrolls, one holding Kagayakasu, but so many empty, just waiting to be made use of. He traced the circular edge of one and Naruto smiled up at him. Shikamaru was once again struck by how fond he looked, as if this was more than enough, just touching, just holding. Hand’s settled on him again, gripping his bare skin as if reverent- just firm enough to dimple the flesh below those strong digits.
Naruto’s fingers felt like hot coals when they moved, tracing patterns against his skin, as if memorizing him. Shikamaru's heart was pounding. It was just like two weeks back the last time he'd been in such a state before the blonde, but there was no drug in his system this time, and they were face to face. He could feel him, firm under him, straining against fabric, hot and real and almost too much-!
He pulled back to watch Naruto’s face as he carefully untied their fundoshi, asking with his gaze every few seconds to see if it was okay. Is it too much? Should we stop? Does this scare you? Shikamaru felt like he would explode if they stopped, the aching in his heart, heat low in his belly, too much- he wanted, wanted, needed -
But then Naruto’s fist was around both of them, and Shikamaru whined, low and pathetic. Naruto fisted them slowly, adjusting his grip while watching Shikamaru's face. He was gagging his reactions, trying to punch out more feeling, more satisfaction, more arousal. Not even now was he being selfish- although it was clear from the unwavering gaze on Shikamaru’s face it was doing things to the blonde to just watch his reactions.
“Please.” He whined. Naruto had big hands, big like everything else about him from his body to his heart and personality, and Shikamaru's cock was swallowed under its firm grip, the cock alongside his own was big and throbbing and it would have made him feel insecure if only the thoughts in his head hadn't kept making him spiral.
Would that even fit inside a human? Was it because of Kurama or would he have gotten that size normally? Did Shikamaru want to try and fit it inside himself?
He came with a pathetic whimper as Naruto slowed down his hand, Shikamaru sat back and watched him as he shifted his hold so he only had his own cock in hand and began to masturbate, just watching Shikamaru as he slowly came down. He was sure he was a mess, if Naruto’s own kiss bruised lips were anything to go by, certain that more of the kisses and nips Naruto had covered him in had blossomed into red marks and bruises now than not.
“Fuck...” when he reached up, Shikamaru leaned into the touch. He was stroking over Shikamaru's chest, over his nipples then downward to his stomach. Shikamaru didn't have the same rapid recovery time or stamina, so he did what he could to help but he really didn't have much to offer. Naruto added to the mess on his chest after maybe five minutes, Shikamaru kept glancing up and down while he came, transfixed to see just how much came out, and the fucked out expression on his companions face. They stared at one another as he finished coming down, panting lightly and covered in sweat and semen.
“We need to get cleaned up.” Neither moved, as if he might scoop him up and carry him to the bathroom, but Shikamaru actually laid down on his chest. “Were gonna get stuck together, Shika.” It’s a disgusted whine, as if he actually cared that much.
“Troublesome.” He was too tired to care. That had felt good, he liked it, he wanted to do more next time. He wanted to know if he could make Naruto look as strung out and well fucked without the blonde aiding in it.
“At least roll off me so I can get a rag.”
“Don't want to.” He doubled down, nuzzling into him and reaching blindly to drag a rumpled sheet half over them.
“I don't want to sleep with our jizz on my stomach!” Those protests would of course continue until Shikamaru fell asleep, at which point he was dimly aware of being laid down and something warm rubbing his stomach, before being swallowed up in a comfortable hold.
Chapter 6: A Teenage Boy With A Rose-Colored Monocle
Summary:
It was time to take Obito home. After years of fighting Kaguya, beating Madara is a bit too simple.
Notes:
This chapter has some violence, but it also has Hawk, my favorite ANBU member we never learn the identity of. I don't assign him an identity in this, but he'll reappear whenever I need a stand in for the ANBU.
Chapter Text
The morning came and they got ready to head out.
They held hands as they walked out of the village, Shikamaru kept looking down at their hands as they went toward the next step in their journey.
They would be fine. They wouldn't let Madara get away. They would get rid of the ten tails statue and the Zetsu, and they'd finally be able to start relaxing. There would only be Danzo left- he conveniently forgot to think about the war, of course. Even telling himself as much over and over, he couldn’t help but worry- not that it did him any good.
They're in the Mountain's Graveyard maybe a few days before they notice an ANBU watching them. Lord Third’s doing no doubt, though he did wonder what it was that Jiraiya had told him to prompt such a quick assignment of the specialist. Shikamaru knew it was to gauge their capabilities, so they tried to use only jutsu that couldn't only be traced back to the Leaf village. Of course Naruto needed to use his shadow clones on occasion, but he was already thinking of a way to explain it. Jiraiya couldn't have been the only shinobi from Konoha to have taken on some random children to teach.
They find a few marks, enough to justify staying, then moving deeper. Shikamaru remains watchful of the hawk masked ANBU currently following their every move, letting Naruto’s keen senses and chakra sensing guide them about- there are more bounties than he had expected to be hiding out in the creepy boneyard.
Naruto is keeping an eye on Madara, and the day they feel a new chakra enter the cave they start to head that way- there’s only one person who it could be after all.
“No regular person would seal themselves in like this.” Hawk watches the targets he was sent to observe feel over a stone wall that didn’t really stand out to him. There must be a cave on the other side, but he didn't understand what they were saying, he could hear them fine but... “Five... no four living beings. There's also something functioning as a chakra reservoir. One adult, one child... I can't tell what the other two are.”
“Is the kid alive?”
“... yes. But his condition doesn't seem very stable.”
“I haven't seen anything about a kidnapping...” Iwah Inei, the suspected bastard of the Nara clan, he could definitely understand how that conclusion was drawn, was flipping through a ripped and dog eared bingo book. “We should go to the side farthest from him and break in. If his wounds aren't too terrible I should be able to treat them, but I'm rusty.”
“Wait. One of them is gone.”
“Is there an entrance we don't know about?”
“No. One of the guys I'm not sure about just vanished, we need to be alert-!”
A human shaped being, pale white, came up out of the ground, and within seconds a spear was through its head, a glowing seal on Namikaze Haruki's arm slowly dimming, and the massive spear rolled almost weightlessly in his grip.
“We've been discovered, let's hurry.” He sliced downward on the human looking being, and it was cut like tofu, head splitting in half, the other man raised a fist and brought it against the stone, it left a spider web of cracks, and Namikaze smashed the butt of his spear in a slash across the cracked stone, forcing open a large hole- big enough for four adult men to walk through shoulder to shoulder. It’s dim inside and he doesn’t have a good visual of the inner cave, darkly lit with old school candles- the kind that burn animal fat.
Hawk watched in surprise as Iwah raced in first, there was shouting, and the spear was definitely used again as Namikaze followed him in, but there was soon silence following. He risked creeping closer, unable to see properly into the dim cave otherwise.
“The fuck is this thing...” They had their backs to the entrance, facing some sort of stone effigy, and Hawk looked inside. An almost identical man to the one that had suddenly appeared was on the ground, half its body was black, divided vertically down its center- pin-cushioned full of senbon in what looked like every major nerve and organ, and there was an old man's corpse on the ground, felled by the spear as well; though this one through the chest in one long diagonal slash, deep enough to have sliced ribs. Despite that the cut looked clean and unhindered by trivial things like viscera, bone, and cartilage. There was no mistaking him by his eyes however. They were pale, rather than shiny red, but they were sharingan. The only missing Uchiha he could think of was...
“It's the source of the chakra reservoir... I'll seal it. I don't feel comfortable with this thing just sitting out... check the book for the old man and the... freaky guys...” The blonde was pulling out an empty scroll and a pot of ink with a brush, kneeling down it looked like with the intent to seal the statue.
“You forgot about the kid.” But the dark haired man was taking out their bingo book and flipping through it, occasionally looking closer at the two corpses as if to help him narrow down who they might be, “This is why we ask first, stab second .”
“He's stable for the moment. Once we identify these guys we'll figure out what to do with him.” Iwah glared at him but pulled out another book when the first proved useless, paging through it slowly, “Besides, they would have killed us if we gave them a second to breathe.”
Hawk watched him seal the massive, bizarre looking statue, and the other man bent to get a better look at the old man's face, finally kneeling down to do so and noticing what Hawk had seen from the cave mouth.
“We have an issue, Haruki!” He had set the book down, tilting the man’s head upward and looking panickedly down at his eyes.
“What?” The statue vanished and Hawk watched with even more shock as he placed the scroll into his arm, it sunk into him as if the surface of his skin was water, vanishing with a ripple of chakra as the seal there dimmed. He dragged his spear behind him leaving a gouge in the earth as he went to squat down next to the other man.
“Kekkei genkai, red eyes... that's sharingan right?” The blond took the dead man’s face as well, studying over it as his shoulders tensed.
“Yeah? Fuck, you think he wasn't a missing nin?” an edge of nervousness crept into his voice, one that had been missing since he had first started watching the two.
“Not a chance. But this guy hasn't seen the light of day in years, his bounty might have been canceled, it might make getting payment difficult. If he is a bounty, then he'd probably go to the village, Leaf, but he was a hostile Uchiha who might have orchestrated a kidnapping, we'd need to turn him into his clan. Given how old he is, he probably went on the run decades ago, and has been hiding out here... I hope his bounties active still. Can’t find dick about the other guys either though, they might be a bust...”
“Now to figure out who the kid is.”
“I'll do that, store these two and the guy outside. I'll need a little space to check on him anyway.” Hawk retreated when Namikaze went back out, corpse sealing the now slightly oozing body, before returning inside. Hawk returned to his prior position to keep observing as long as he could.
“Konoha headband, severe damage on the right half of his body, it looks like a crushing type injury... but healed over, maybe two months old?” He was running a diagnostic. Who were these two? “Breathing is normal, he seems to have anemia, and I'm not exactly thrilled about his dehydration level... open the medical storage scroll for me.” Inei was now bent over the boy in the bed, holding a hand out to Haruki.
“Got it.” a seal lit up and a scroll was popped out of it, he opened it and began to unseal items from inside. A first aid kit, braces, a stretcher, a tray of odd looking medicine bottles.
“I wish we had some saline... hand me the canteen, and the bottle of iron supplements. We'll need a good way to support him to get him out of here too.”
Namikaze gave him what he asked for, going to inspect the rest of the cave. Hawk watched him seal up a shelf full of books, then poke around a pile of rags beside a small fire pit in the opposite corner.
“Found something! Identification for the kid. Uchiha Obito, age fourteen, shinobi for the hidden leaf village, chunin. Looks like we'll be able to drop him and the old guy off at the same place.” Hawk’s blood ran cold. Obito? Wasn’t that one of Minato’s students? The last he’d heard Minato’s squad had been tasked with destroying Kannabi bridge, but did something go wrong? Where was the rest of the squad? How did the kid get moved so far away from the front, the mission would have happened recently after all-
“If he's also an Uchiha... fuck, maybe they were supposed to be here. But that doesn't explain the weird human looking things. Since they were identical in appearance I'm going to autopsy one the first chance we get.”
“Whatever, consequences be damned, this is suspicious as hell. We need to get to Leaf as soon as possible. It does make you wonder what happened though. Moving him with a crushing injury like that would have been difficult unless he was close, but the war has pretty much avoided this area so there'd be no reason for him to be here. At least not so far in.”
“We'll hopefully get our answers. If we're lucky we won't get bounties in the process.”
Hawk left then, he needed to make a report- hell he needed to get some answeres himself.
Hawk sent the information he had gathered back to the village ahead of him. Two jonin level ninja, Namikaze had somehow learned the shadow clone jutsu, he had skill with sealing, specialized in taijutsu as well as spearcraft, and appeared to be a sensor type. Iwah was harder to pin down, though he seemed to have an analytical mind, he could enhance his muscles with chakra, had some training as a mednin, and had without a doubt been aware of him long before Namikaze- there was no way they didn't know he was there, but maybe they thought he was from a different village. The two worked together easily, reading one another's movements to the point they were anticipating them perfectly, switching between who took the lead seamlessly- it was almost unnerving watching them silently take down their opponents.
He also had to include the Leaf chunin they found, details about him that he overheard. It seemed like they planned to head for the village right away with the kid. Hawk was actually fairly anxious to verify his own concerns.
Obito might not be dead.
Minato's knees buckled under him, Kushina had to give him a hand so he didn't fall. He shouldn't get his hopes up, but he couldn't help it-
Not only that he was found by the guy Jiraiya suspected might be his half sibling. Namikaze Haruki. ‘ The guys huge, but otherwise he looks just like you. I swear, when you see him... ’ Jiraiya had swung by a few days ago to tell him in person. He had still been grieving Obito, the news had lightened his chest a little, but he only got it after his former sensei had spent a good ten minutes rubbing his back soothingly and trying to distract him from the crushing knowledge that if he’d just been there maybe Obito would still be alive, and Kakashi would stop staring at his own hands as if they were covered in blood- maybe Rin would stop crying.
The man, his possible sibling, he was coming to the village. Bringing Obito. Alive or dead, Obito would be back to them. He was scared and excited, and nervous, all at once. He didn’t want to get is hopes too high, and he had yet to tell the rest of the squad about it- he didn’t want them to have to experience losing him again if the information had been wrong- but he was hopeful.
Now they just had to wait.
But he had never really been good at waiting, had he?
“Mhm...” they had been walking, Naruto's shadow clones carrying Obito on the stretcher Naruto had accidentally summoned while looking for iron supplements after they’d killed the old man, it was two days after having rescued him and the two had pulled everything from the cave. Now Obito was stirring- they were well over a week from the village at this point however.
“Try not to move too much, okay kiddo?” His one eye slammed open, staring wildly around until it landed on Naruto. It was almost painful how relieved the boy looked seeing him until he seemed to notice he wasn’t Minato.
“Sensei? You saved me?” Naruto winced.
“I'm not the guy you think I am. Names Haruki. My partner, Inei and I found you in a cave. Do you know how you got there?”
“... no.”
“That's okay, kiddo. You're a leaf shinobi, right?” At his nod the two men shared a look, he finally seemed to notice Shikamaru, it didn’t do much to put the boy at ease. “We're headed to Konoha, so we'll make sure you get reunited with your sensei. Just try and rest while you can.”
“Oh... okay.” He was watching them, eye wide, and Shikamaru made the choice after two hours to stop to rest. Obito flinched when he went to check his condition, uneasy under his glowing palm as unfamiliar chakra prodded his own. He was given water and some rations by Naruto who was starting to become a mother hen; those he only picked at. Shikamaru pulled Naruto a bit away to talk with him. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Obito should hear, but more so that he wasn’t sure how to feel about the kid, given the last time he’d interacted with him while conscious the man had just flipped sides and died on theirs.
“We shouldn't stop tonight, we'll hit a village just within the border of Fire if we keep going.” The sooner they got to Konoha the better, Obito would be less likely to die of an unforeseen complication if he finished recovering in an actual hospital- he hadn’t been jostled so much in their original timeline while healing from the Senju cell transplant, and Shikamaru was nervous about what the stress would do to his cell transplant.
“I don't want to push him though. It's still a long way.” he thought on it for a moment, no doubt considering Shikamaru’s valid concerns for the boy’s health. “... we'll stay for a full day once we get to the village you were talking about and reassess his condition. If we can we'll leave right after that, if not we can take a few extra days.” It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take as many breaks in actual populated areas as they could- feeding the kid rations wouldn’t do much good in building his strength back.
“Alright, sounds good.” Naruto took his hand before they could go back, leaning down to kiss him softly. It made his stomach flutter, squeezing Naruto’s hands as he pulled away.
“Thank you for putting up with all this.”
“Stop acting like I wouldn't want to help if you weren't asking.” Shikamaru leaned up to kiss him one more time, lingering for just a moment, “Let's go.”
Obito was wide eyed when they came back. He may have seen them, but not heard them, they were a bit far away- but there had been a break in the trees and Shikamaru didn’t fully know how much Obito would have seen through it- unaware he had seen everything.
“Sleep when you get tired. It's a long way before we can stop.” Shikamaru adjusted the blanket that had been laid over the boy, as there was a chill in the air- it was just before Naruto’s birthday now and the winter felt like it would come early.
“Shika...” He squeezed his eye shut feeling his heart race.
“You're being ridiculous.” Obito could hear them, they were in the bathroom, they had gone in together when they thought he’d fallen asleep and now he was listening in. His heart still pound in his chest when he thought about the day before when they’d stopped and he’d accidentally watched them kiss.
“He's exhausted, he'll fall asleep soon and you and I can-!” So they knew he wasn’t asleep... but did they think that he couldn’t hear them?
“We are not messing around with a teenager in the other room!” Obito went pink. Messing around. His palms felt sweaty. It was the sort of thing he was always told he was a little too young to hear about by the grannies, he wondered if they wanted to kiss again. He had to cover his face with a quiet gasp when he imagined the two making out . His stomach full of butterflies as he imagined himself kissing Rin, then it went into knots because he thought bout kissing Bakashi and he almost didn’t hear what was said next.
“We can take a bath together. Or leave for just a little bit... it'll be a few more days still before we get there... I'm getting restless.” A romantic bath together? Leave though? And go where exactly? His romantic little heart burned to know, but he was determined to actually fall asleep now even if he couldn’t calm the racing of his heart.
“... just... not in the same room. Once he's asleep we'll go somewhere else.” They were going on a date as soon as he fell asleep- he was almost a bit jealous... Not because of them! Of course not. No. That would be silly. Going on a moonlit date with the two intimidating men.... He swallowed hard, stomach twisting painfully again.
“Maa, my Shika is so cute.” Obito covered his mouth. He knew distantly that there were plenty of men in the world who sought the company of other men, but usually when he heard about them from the village grannies it was some complaint about how shameless they were. The two men who had rescued him seemed to have such a tender and sweet romance...
Obito, for just a moment, wondered how Haruki looked, making those sort of eyes at Inei. He looked so much like sensei after all, and he hadn’t been close enough to study their faces when they’d been kissing earlier....
He valiantly tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. If he fell asleep then the next time they'd see each other, those two would have...
... kissed...
“Almost there. Come on.” Obito had a crutch and was walking on his own now. It was hard to think of a time he was more uncertain about anything than he was at the moment, catching up to the two men along the dirt path.
Haruki was sweet, friendly, and caring, while Inei was rough, lazy, and bossy, but he didn't dislike either of them. Inei had treated him the whole way home with such a delicate touch, and even when he was scolding Haruki (he seemed to do that a lot, the other man was very energetic and seemed to get into a lot of mischief considering there was practically nothing around them during the journey back) he had the sort of air that made Obito feel cared for. Haruki was bordering on uncomfortable levels with how much he liked him (though Inei wasn’t far behind). He looked like Minato sensei, but he was so much more touchy- it left Obito feeling like he was doing something bad taking advantage of all the pats and hair ruffles and spoiling .
Haruki kept trying to do everything for him. At first it had been annoying but now he didn't even complain when the man offered up his own chopsticks to feed him his meal. He wasn't that hurt. Haruki was just... over eager to help. Haruki was too kind, honestly, Inei was such a lucky man- Obito secretly hoped he’d end up in such a happy relationship when he was a bit older.
“We'll reach the village by nightfall.” Inei's voice was warm, his tone usually made him sound like he was complaining or insulting you, but he was a fairly warm person- he fussed over Obito just as much after he knew what to look for. They were different styles of worried and overbearing but Obito didn’t mind as much as he should have considering he was supposed to be a brave chunin of the leaf village.
Obito wondered what it was like, when he'd see the two sneak kisses and hold hands, and sometimes overhear the mischievous conversation they'd have. He had questions he wanted to ask them. Is it hard? How did you know the other would like you back? How long have you been together?
What does it feel like when you kiss?
He stared at Inei and felt a little jealous. If someone looked at him the way Haruki looked at Inei he'd be smiling all the time, yet the man seemed perpetually depressed.
“Maa, I want a bath and a hot meal.” Haruki took Inei's hand, swinging their joined fingers back and forth. If Obito’s weren’t full of his crutches he may have asked if Haruki would hold his hand too.
“It'll be nice to eat something we didn't cook ourselves.” Inei turned to look at him, “You excited to be home, kid?”
“Huh? Oh... yeah.” He looked down, “It feels so weird being home. I didn't think I'd ever be here again.” He really had expected to die, both after the Kannabi mission and in the cave.
“Yeah well, is it a pleasant surprise at least?”
Obito thought for a moment.
“Yeah... it is.” He only hoped he hadn’t worried his grandmother too much, the poor woman had lost enough family.
Chapter 7: The Worst Hospitality, and a Fated Reunion
Summary:
The long night keeps dragging on, but at least it ends at a high point, right?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
There were ANBU waiting at the gate, as well as members of the Uchiha clan- the clan head, Fugaku himself was waiting. A medical ninja took over helping Obito. He'd get tested at the hospital to make sure he was who he said he was. The ANBU wanted to get their report of what happened, separating them from Obito who needed to be taken to the hospital for examination- they wanted to ensure he was actually Obito, too, which may seem callous, but the whole thing seemed almost too good to be true.
“There was something else... here.” It was a corpse scroll. “The man we believe actually saved him and treated him is inside. He was hostile so we dispatched him. I couldn't find him in the bingo book, but he's got sharingan, so the body should go to your care.” He placed the scroll in Fugaku's hand. “I apologize if we made a mistake, but... Obito was in bad condition and the circumstances seemed suspicious.”
“Let us know if you find out who he was, will you?” Shikamaru met his eyes, “We'll say a prayer for him at a temple.” It was a kind offer, one meant to both ask forgiveness and reassure the man.
“Thank you for returning both Obito and the body to my clan.” He seemed to be staring a lot. He hesitated, “Young man, are you...” his gaze was on Naruto, as if he couldn’t look away- Shikamaru thought it was probably related to Minato. The two knew each other after all.
“Am I what?” Naruto eyed him, having taken Shikamaru's hand. He was dense, holding Fugaku’s gaze until the man got uncomfortable and broke the stare.
“... nevermind. I'm sure I'll learn soon enough.”
Then they were escorted toward the hokage tower, their other bounties could be cashed out later, but it was late and the two were tired and hungry. Even so, seeing this version of Konoha was strange and unfamiliar. They'd only ever known it after the fox attack, and then it had further changed from the strike during the chunin exams.
“Look, I know there's probably a lot of paperwork, but we've been on the road since dawn, can we at least get some takeaway?” Naruto whined, Shikamaru had slipped his arm around Naruto's elbow and was tugging him along, he was being dramatic but Shikamaru would have really preferred if they could stop. “If I have to eat another emergency ration I'll really die. Were in a village, and that stuff is nasty.”
“He really won't shut up until we stop. He's been talking about food since before we left this morning.” He hoped that Naruto’s ability to annoy people to compliance would work on their current escort, to no avail.
“We'll have some food brought to you two once you've met with lord third.” Naruto let out the most pathetic, animalistic whine he could, sounding just a bit too much like Kurama. Shikamaru just shook his head. It would be a very uncomfortable trek to the tower now that food was off the table, and Naruto would hardly be polite later when he would tell the Hokage to his face he was hungry and that he wished they could have stopped for food along the way- it was inhospitable.
Shikamaru wondered at what point the ANBU escorting them would break character and lose their shit about Naruto’s obnoxious whining. If he didn’t agree with the blonde he might even be embarrassed.
Ultimately they got a few rice balls, and someone scrounged up a few cans of soda, but Naruto was still disappointed. He'd kept up his pathetic whimpering and crying the whole way but it didn't work this time. Shikamaru longed for something more filling but he also wasn’t going to turn his nose up at a free meal... although....
“They're fine.” Naruto had sniffed their plate while Shikamaru checked to make sure the cans weren't tampered with. It had been added to their routines, just mistrusting every food and beverage that came their way. They'd at least been subtle at the festival, but felt no need do so now.
“You two sure are trusting.” The man in a Hawk mask had crossed his arms. Shikamaru couldn’t really be assed to care he was sassing them. All he could think about was warm gyoza or even, sage forbid, ramen . He’d take anything over this low effort, low nutrition meal.
“Yeah well, the last time we let our guard down someone slipped something into his drink, so it's better to be a little overly cautious.” Shikamaru grabbed his hand, but otherwise didn't react. He personally wouldn’t recount what happened but Naruto had more tact than airing everything out about him.
“The cans are fine.” Bad food was better than no food, so they dug in, it didn’t change the fact that with each dragging minute after they finished he was more and more annoyed they didn’t ‘have time’ to stop for a real meal. Apparently the Hokage had been in a different meeting, and someone else was being brought in too. The tests confirmed that Obito was actually himself long before they would get their audience. They had had plenty of time to have stopped and gotten other food and both were a little more crabby than usual from that fact alone, and that was without considering the ages spent walking when usually the trip they made could have been done in a few days- Shikamaru wanted to complain but recognized that he’d likely just be scolded again as if he were a child and not a highly trained and dangerous shinobi. Beside him he could feel Naruto slowly growing despondent.
With nothing but a wait ahead of them, Shikamaru made himself comfortable against Naruto's side and promptly fell asleep. Naruto dug out a book, paging through it, though he looked more and more annoyed as the time dragged on.
“Look, I know you're trying to sweat us out, but this is stupid. It's been two hours.” Shikamaru, who they had assumed to be dead asleep, spoke up, brow furrowing. “We've never received a warm welcome anywhere, but this is a damn joke.”
“If it was gonna take this long we could have stopped for ramen.” Naruto added, morosely. He was the real victim in all of this, he had just wanted a decent meal. The food they had been given hadn’t really been enough for a real meal so they were also both hungry still.
In truth they had only planned to put a little pressure on the two, but things had taken an unexpected turn. Obito had told them when he had first arrived in the cave the old man had introduced himself as Uchiha Madara, and ranted about a horrible plot to put the world under a genjutsu. He wasn't able to remain conscious for long, so he didn’t have all the details, but he was adamant in that. It seemed a bit ridiculous though so T&I had been reluctant to believe him.
Then Fugaku and his clan identified that yes it was in fact Uchiha Madara dead on their examination table. Before they could properly put a lid on that as a village secret more than half of the clan had found out and a small party was being held in more than one household in the Uchiha compound. The sudden unexpected merrymaking, had reached the ears of all the major clans before midnight, though the reason was being kept secret- it would only last until morning however because small children weren’t the best and keeping things to themselves and Iruka Umino would go on to loudly share with his gossiping parents what Shisui had told him at the academy when he stopped by with a few documents by the next afternoon. Needless to say it would be heard by at least every shinobi in the village within three days.
Minato had been dragged to the hospital by his other students, Kakashi refusing to let either himself or Rin leave until Obito talked with them- which was an issue because Inoichi was examining his memories at the moment to record anything he might not remember as being important. Minato’s arms were being clawed at by his upset students who seemed to be blaming him for not getting them in to see that he was okay. He’d be concerned with how feral the kids were being; if he himself didn’t feel a particular kind of desperate madness. The only thing stopping him from trying to rush Inoichi was that it might hurt the boy if it was done carelessly.
Sarutobi meanwhile was having a heated meeting with Shimura over who should have custody of Madara's body. The man wanted it to go to ANBU, specifically ROOT, but Hiruzen was firmly against it. It had safely entered Uchiha custody, it was an Uchiha clansman, and despite being wanted by the village he believed the right people had his body. Under any normal circumstance he wouldn’t be fighting on it, but it was the Uchiha and Danzo was obsessed with them, it left a poor taste in his mouth.
Danzo disagreed with him strongly. He was a traitor to the village, and his body contained countless village secrets. It needed to be destroyed completely to protect the village. The Uchiha might not completely destroy him- or so he argued.
Both knew that was a flimsy excuse. Hiruzen didn't know why he wanted the body, but he was certain he shouldn't allow him to have it. They would continue to argue but get nowhere until the early dawn hours when Hiruzan would have to compromise by allowing Danzo to watch over the body destruction but not be directly involved in it- even then his old friend seemed like he was getting the short end of the stick despite being unreasonable.
Unfortunately with everything going on the two mercenaries were left in the lurch, languishing in an unused meeting room and waiting for the Hokage.
“It's late. Can't we stay at an inn and come back in the morning at least?” It was very late, edging closer to the wee hours of the morning, and neither man was feeling half as charitable as they had been when they arrived just after sundown- Naruto might start biting soon, even.
“I'm sorry. Lord third should arrive shortly, he was delayed.” Shikamaru groaned, covering his face with his arm and leaning back again. Since when had Sarutobi been bold like this? Especially when he was trying to gain something that could easily be gotten with subterfuge and flattery. They’d probably agree to something outrageous if it meant they could have a decent meal and a bath first if he was honest.
“Maybe we should just go.” Naruto was looking toward the window, the lights in the village had started to go out one by one hours ago, now only a few places had a dim glow. It was an unfamiliar skyline, one that made Shikamaru long for home- feeling like a stranger in this unfamiliar memory.
“I thought you wanted to meet that boy we heard about. Minato. He could be family.” Shikamaru looked at him. He was asking because Naruto did want that. He wanted to meet Minato and he wanted to get to know him- even if it was as a sibling or cousin and not as a son, the connection was all Naruto wanted even if it was a lie. The pinched expression he put on did little to reassure Shikamaru that he was going to be honest when he opened his mouth.
“Mhmm.” Naruto glanced at him, pulling him closer with an arm around his shoulder. “I've got all the family I need.” Shikamaru could see how torn he was, frowning at him and his fake smile. He needed to stop putting others ahead of himself now, he could afford to be more selfish.
“Dumbass.” He snorted, shoving Naruto's cheek. In response, Naruto just rested his head on top of Shikamaru’s, turning his gaze back toward the skyline even though he knew it made Naruto just as uncomfortable as it did him.
The door finally opened at what was closer to one in the morning than midnight, and the man who'd ran in actually doubled over, gasping. Both turned to look at the man and Shikamaru raised an incredulous brow. Wasn't he able to teleport? And beyond that he was known for his speed wasn't he? Why didn't he shunshin? He didn’t have a single doubt about who the man in front of him was.
“Sorry.” That was when he noticed two kids clinging stubbornly to the man's back, the ones who had slowed him down no doubt. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” His breathing was still harsh, he might need more of a break than he was letting on.
“You look like shit.” Naruto still had no tact, even when it was his father, the man he'd been striving to be like his whole life. It was almost reassuring to him at this point. He watched Naruto rather than the heaving man with spiky blonde hair in the doorway, knowing he’d rather see his expression than look at a sweaty and exhausted, emotionally drained Minato.
“They wouldn't let go after we saw Obito. Rin wanted to thank you... Kakashi's being... I don't know.” He finally managed to stand upright, the two preteens finally let go and dropped down to stand behind him, Shikamaru was still focused on Naruto and saw the brief look of too-hopeful longing that crossed his lover’s face. It was gone long before Minato would have noticed, still straightening himself out. “Thank you for rescuing Obito. As his sensei, I owe you a debt.”
“I mean, it's fine. It wasn't actually that much trouble...” Minato looked up and locked eyes with Naruto. Naruto went wide eyed because... well it was the first time he was seeing the man alive. The other times didn't really count. “Oh.” It was less shock, more quiet awe, and Shikamaru felt it in the air- he was so sensitive to Naruto’s moods after how long they’d been traveling side by side, and he could taste the near desperation wafting from him. The blonde hid it well, however, playing it off as surprise when Shikamaru knew he wanted nothing more than to run forward and scoop the other man into his arms and never let go. His fingers tightened around Naruto’s arm.
“That's kinda freaky...” Shikamaru knew that Naruto looked incredibly similar to his dad. He had his mother's jawline and nose, but otherwise he looked just like the yondaime. But knowing that and seeing it were different things. Naruto squeezed him to his side, before he stood, tugging Shikamaru up by the hand. He saw it for the excuse to get closer that it was, he worried only for a moment that Naruto was going to blow their cover out of the water by crying and running forward, but thankfully he held it in.
“He wasn't kidding...” Naruto stared, Minato stared back.
“I'm Namikaze Minato, I'll be twenty in January.” He held out a hand. Shikamaru saw how it trembled, Naruto’s own was shaking too when he reached out in turn.
“Namikaze Haruki, I um... I just turned twenty seven.” He took his hand. Naruto's were so big it swallowed Minato's in his hold, but the smaller blonde didn't seem concerned. He was looking up at Naruto with big hopeful blue eyes- a face Naruto had inherited from him apparently. Shikamaru was still holding Naruto's other hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Iwah Inei, if anyone was curious.” He bumped Naruto with his hip, but the spell wasn’t yet broken, “I take it purple cheeks is Rin, and the one that smells like wet dog is Kakashi?”
“I don't smell like a wet dog, old man!” He was even more annoying as a brat. He showed his age with it, in ways he knew that it must annoy the boy to do so. He hated the village a bit for turning such a young child into a soldier, but then again he had been one too. Made to grow up too fast because it’s what adults thought would be best- he had taken the chunin exams because Ino and Choji had wanted it but he hadn’t really been ready to have other’s lives put in his hands. Kakashi is a jonin too, how much pressure must rest on those too narrow shoulders ?
“Kakashi, that's really rude.” He was distracted, still staring up at Naruto's face. “Um... do you remember anything about your family?” Naruto finally looked away, he didn’t want to look his father in the eye as he lied to him, and Shikamaru wasn’t sure how he’d be able to do the same when it was his own turn to do so.
“My mother passed away giving birth to me, but people told me my father had been a wanderer, he left not long after she told him she was pregnant.” Answers that didn’t mean anything- to the very end of their world Naruto never knew who his grandparents were aside from the Namikaze name. He couldn’t give Minato anything meaningful, just add more painful questions.
“Oh... I see.” He looked saddened- but he should have expected disappointment, if his perceived older brother was aware of him, wouldn’t he have come to him far sooner than he had? Naruto squeezed his hand, swallowing hard and finally looking up to meet his eyes again.
“Maybe he became a better man after...” It’s hopeful but uncertain, comfort without certainty, desire to sooth the hurt, not happy to have added on to his father’s mental baggage in such a personal way.
“Haruki, I know this is a childhood dream come true, but-!” Naruto nodded, shaking his head as if to clear it and giving him a reassuring smile before in a stage whisper trying to break the sudden tense and gloomy mood.
“He's so tiny.” Minato went a little pink- no one had likely called him tiny in a decade, if they’d ever been brave enough to do so to his face to begin with. His own path had been so much like Kakashi’s after all, hadn’t it?
“I'm average height for a man.” It had helped, the air felt less tense, and Shikamaru finally relaxed at his side.
“It's okay, I used to be a shorty too, you're still growing.” Minato began to protest. He was technically an adult, a war hero, but... he really still seemed like a cute little kid. Shikamaru shook his head. Naruto’s father really was a teenager under all the PTSD and childhood trauma wasn’t he?
“Everyone is small compared to you, stop saying mean things.” Shikamaru tugged his hand gently, not wanting him to push it too far.
“Eh? Not everyone. There's... probably someone taller than me... somewhere.”
“Uh-huh. Anyway, Minato-san, would you mind telling us about what happened with Obito? He didn't really want to talk about what led up to him being taken, not that I blame him. With his injuries it must have been fairly traumatic. Was he taken prisoner?”
“... there was an incident during our last mission as a team. He ended up being crushed under a boulder. We didn't have much choice and had to leave him behind... though I didn't think he could have survived even if we got him out.” To both of their surprise it was Kakashi who spoke up, rather than the bite he’d had earlier he sounded glum, of course it was his choices that had them flee like they had, he likely felt responsible even with Obito back home safe and sound.
“When was that?”
“About two weeks ago...” Shikamaru shared a look with Naruto.
“He was mostly healed when we found him, and that would have been two, maybe three days after the incident. I'm not sure what was done to him but he healed rapidly. We took a lot out of the cave so maybe the answer is there...” He wasn’t sure what should be done with the Senju cells, given how they’d been obtained, and if their cultivation should be considered disrespecting a corpse, but they needed to handle that as soon as posible.
“There's also the plant men who seemed to be the ones doing everything for the old man.” Naruto had stopped bullying Minato, thankfully, giving him his full attention. He was always more attractive when he got serious like this- Shikamaru wisely didn’t share that with the blonde “I had been hoping to ask if we could stay in the village while we figured out what the guy was doing but...”
“You should be able to stay!” Minato burst out, Naruto flinched, and Shikamaru gave him a curious look. “I mean, lord hokage wants to know what was happening too, and it's a leaf village related matter so...” He was so much more hesitant than Shikamaru had expected. They only heard about his bravery however- people always acted differently in front of their siblings he supposed, thinking of Kiba and his older sister, and Hinata and her younger sister.
“No offense but it isn't like the village has been very hospitable so far. I get that this has to be related to your village, or at least the Uchiha clan, but there are rules about confiscated property. Unless you can prove it was sanctioned by the village, anything we got is technically ours.” Naruto looked at him like a kicked puppy, but Shikamaru couldn’t relent on this. Just because Naruto wanted to stay here didn’t mean he could allow them to be pushovers. They had legal rights, and fighting the village would be an excuse to stay longer if need be.
“... what would you need?” There are a lot of reasons the two leaving would be bad. Not knowing what was used to heal Obito would be a loss for the village, and understanding more of what was happening might mean they can better help Obito in the coming reintegration into the village. Not to mention, what Obito had likely told him about Madara... He didn’t even think to consider the value that he and Naruto held separately from those factors.
“Access to an autopsy room to start, I want to learn what I can from the plant based humanoids that were assisting the old man.” Shikamaru pulled one of the corpse scrolls out, Naruto had drawn a flower on it and the other one, “There was also an area in the cave set up to cultivate tissue, I want to test that to see if it's human or not, and if it is it likely came from someone from this village so I’d want to track down any relatives so it could be handled with respect to their wishes. It looked visibly similar to the grafting I saw on Obito so it might also have some clues on what happened to him.”
“I need time to decode the journals I found in the cave, there were hundreds of them in an unfamiliar cipher. I only have a basic understanding of codes though, so having examples of different codes might speed the process up, especially if the Uchiha have any similar codes that he might have learned or created before he left the clan.”
“It sounds like you'll need a lot of manpower to help with that. I'm sure I can pull a few strings, how many journals-!” He was wound up like an excited puppy, but he had to dump water on that now- the fewer people who had eyes on the journals the better.
“We have all the manpower we need, Minato-san.” Shikamaru tucked the scroll back into the inner pocket of his hanta, sparing a look up at Naruto who seemed bummed that he wouldn’t likely get to spend time with his father deciphering them even though he knew what cipher it was written in.
“But with just two, wouldn't that take ages? Not that I want you to rush out of here or anything but...” Naruto raised his free hand, doing the hand signs for his favorite jutsu, and in a puff of smoke there were three of him, one of the new ones put an arm around Shikamaru, the other waved with his fingers toward the children. “Shadow clones?!” It was hard to say if he was more shocked from the clones or from Naruto summoning them with just one hand- a skill most shinobi didn’t possess even at the jonin level.
“I've got lots of chakra, so I can make tons of these guys.”
“That's a secret technique of this village. How do you know it?” There was doubt in his voice, eyes darting between three identical faces. They didn’t know each other well- no it would be better to say they were strangers wouldn’t it- and it didn’t surprise Shikamaru he grew mistrusting but it must still hurt Naruto to have someone he cared about look at him with such suspicion.
“The old man who showed us how to use chakra used to use it. He seemed pretty proud when I figured out how to do it too. Always wondered where he got it from...” One popped, then the other, “Since it's apparently a secret technique I'll tell you what I found out about it that the old man didn't know. You can cut down the amount of time it takes to learn something by using the clones. When they pop you get their memories, even muscle memory. So if I set fifty clones to read everything about codes and pop them one at a time I slowly gain that knowledge, and the clones I make after have it and can apply it right away.” It was part of the reason that Naruto had reached kage level at the age he had.
Minato stared at him, and Shikamaru knew why. It wouldn't be something anyone else could have learned on their own. Naruto could make an almost limitless amount of clones, sparing a few dozen here or there didn't make a dent on the guy whereas even five could risk killing other shinobi- and that was generous for if they had enough energy to even do that.
Naruto could stretch out a single day's worth of time into thousands of days by virtue of using his clones, and with Kurama he could withstand the mental strain of having that much memory. He was a slow learner, but with enough pairs of his eyes on something he could outdo even Shikamaru if he put his mind to it... the only issue was...
“Hmm, but if they stay around too long you have to feed them or inject more chakra into them, and the more memories they have the more it hurts to receive them. I give myself a lot of headaches but usually it’s worth it.”
He was still a fool no matter how much he learned.
“That's how we brought Obito back, Haruki's clones carried him most of the way until he could start walking on his own. They're pretty useful for reconnaissance too. But for this that isn't really a concern, since he’d just need them for studying.” He’d take it as extreme goodwill on Minato’s part that they weren’t dragged to T&I for that on the spot. Naruto chuckled but it turned into a yawn. Minato finally seemed to realize the time, now edging well into ass-o’clock in the morning.
“... we're still waiting on Hokage-sama. Unfortunately he really is in a meeting with one of his advisors about the things you learned and brought back. I doubt they'll finish tonight, so why don't the two of you stay the night with me. I have a spare room if you don't mind sharing.” They shared a look.
“Oh man, I dunno.” Naruto had a wolfish smile, “He always hogs the blankets.” The cad said it as if it wasn’t him who always wrapped Shikamaru up like a sushi roll in the sheets.
“You're an asshole and I'm dumping you.”
“Huh? Wait...” Minato’s gaze began to bounce between them even as Naruto whined and insisted that Shikamaru didn’t mean it. Shikamaru suddenly wondered how exactly it was that Namikaze Minato, Konoha’s Yellow Flash, Future Yondaime Hokage and one of the most revered shinobi ever produced by the Hidden Leaf hadn’t noticed the homosexual and romantic relationship they were practically advertising by their body language and proximity to one another?
“Sensei they're clearly together.” Rin whispered behind her hands to him, “They've been holding hands since we got here, and they were clearly cuddling right when we came into the room.”
“Ah! Wait! Really?!” He was pink. Had he thought it was a friendly supportive hand holding? Shikamaru had always wondered where Naruto had gotten his particular brand of dense from but now he never would again.
“We won't do anything untoward in your guest room, Minato-san.” He seemed to be floundering at that. Maybe Naruto had it right, teasing the guy was a bit fun- he knew now that even when Minato got the hat he’d never be able to respect him the way he ought to. A small price to pay to see him so human.
“Maa, we should check into an inn if we're gonna stay here for a while. I wouldn’t want to overstay our welcome...” Minato waved his hands, babbling that it would be fine if they stayed with him for a long time, really, he didn’t have any issues with their life style- as if that was the only issue...
“I don't like them.” Kakashi finally said, arms crossed and pouting even if it was hard to see. His eye was still uncovered since he'd been having trouble with it. He let out an unnatural squawk as Naruto pushed his headband down over his transplanted eye as they headed for the door with the three Konoha shinobi.
“If you don't keep it closed you'll suffer from chakra exhaustion, won't you? If it's hard to just keep one eye shut then cover it and you'll instinctually keep it closed.”
“Don't touch me!” He really couldn’t reconcile the dignified if not extremely exhausted adult Kakashi with this angry barking child. They make him the sixth hokage in the middle of a war. He may just bite Naruto if he tries to touch him again.
“Hawk, will you inform the hokage that they're spending the night at my place? We'll be back in the morning.” Shikamaru appraised the ANBU from the corner of his eye and wondered why it was always Hawk getting involved in messy affairs. He almost felt bad for the guy but they had their own concerns.
Kushina was not warned that they would be coming, poking her head into the hallway in an oversized shirt likely belonging to Minato and worn sleep pants. She craned her neck back to look up at the man that may just be her boyfriend's brother, and then half behind him she noticed the exhausted looking man who was about their height. She blinked tiredly at the two.
He offered her a wave.
“So... Danzo-sama is arguing with lord third about some things and they needed to talk to him, and it's too late to get a room at an inn so...” she sighed, grabbing him by the ear to drag Minato inside. They glanced at one another as Kushina hissed what may be threats at Minato for either bringing strangers to their apartment or for waking her up with this off the wall bull shit, before she poked her head back around the corner- Minato was rubbing his head with a pained expression. She was at least as strong as Naruto at punching then.
“Come on, I'll grab some fresh sheets.” It was so strange hearing her cranky voice as she lead them inside, both were tripped up taking off their sandals- they had a toad themed shoe rack. He refused to look at Naruto who was giving him a hopeful look- they didn’t even have a home, they didn’t need one.
“You have a lovely home, miss.” Naruto had turned his attention to the toad themed photo frames on the hallway walls. Shikamaru would be having a talk with him later about how they’d furnish a theoretical future home together and how it couldn’t just be toads from floor to ceiling.
“Thank you for noticing, I'm Kushina by the way, Minato's girlfriend.” He tugged Naruto forward, but Minato had noticed him looking and the two stopped to talk about one of the toad framed photo’s- it was orange and blue, his favorite colors. Shikamaru didn’t want to get between them in that state.
“Nice to meet you, I'm Inei. My partner is Haruki... they might be related.” They glanced over at the two and Kushina could tell almost instinctively that they were. They had to be. They looked exactly alike... well almost. Haruki had a rounder face, and those odd markings on his cheeks, and his nose wasn't as sharp, but everything else.... Including the weird obsession with toad chachkies it would seem.
“He's really tall.” She was still appraising them as Shikamaru adjusted his bag on his back, stifling a yawn himself- it had been a terribly long walk to the village and the nap he’d gotten while waiting wasn’t very restful seeing as he was surrounded by unfamiliar shinobi.
“Yeah. He shot up like a weed when we were in our late teens. He used to be the shortest in our village.” She nodded, walking them to a hall closet and digging through it.
“I can't even imagine... is it hard on you, since he's so much bigger?” The man cleared his throat, looking away. He was shy. How cute , she thought sleepily.
“I'm sure I don't know what you mean...” The tips of his ears were practically glowing, however, and he was trying not to meet her eyes.
“Ah, so you top then.” That got him to blush properly; all the way up to his ears and down to even his chest- she could see it through his mesh armor, even.
“Things aren't so black and white. Also it's rude to ask after someone's intimate relationships. Especially when you've just met.”
“Mhmm. Anyway, just keep it down okay? It seems like we'll all have early days tomorrow and-!” The noise he made in retaliation to that was more like a surprised animal, and she almost wished she’d taken a photo of him- he looked so offended at the suggestion . He was easy prey then.
“We aren't going to do something like that in your house.” She dumped a messy pile of blankets and sheets in his arms, two pillows wobbling on the top of the stack before he could push them down with his chin.
“Eh? But you've been traveling with a kid, so you two must be getting frustrated, right?” Minato had said something about the two and Obito being alive when he’d gotten the message scroll during dinner and ran out of their house fast enough she realized he forgot to use the hashirama.
“Why are we even talking about this? We aren't animals.” She laughed at him, which drew the other two men's attention. They had been showing each other their froggy wallets, the conversation had moved from the furniture to accessories it seemed.
“Minato-san, your girlfriend is a pervert.” Without context Minato was left confused and looking between the two uncomprehending.
“Huh? Yeah I know.” He seemed to process the words that Shikamaru had said, and what he’d said in response, shrinking a bit. “Wait, what did she say?”
“... nothing. Nevermind. Haruki, come on, I can put the sheets on.” He pouted, Naruto holding out his arms when Shikamaru motioned for him to so he could dump his armload on the taller man.
“Eh? What did she say that got you so embarrassed, Shika?” Despite his protests, Naruto took the messily folded sheets from Shikamaru. He didn’t flinch when he was lightly kicked for that, but more for how close the other bent into his space while inspecting him.
“Guest room is the second door on the right, the bathroom is the first door on that side.”
Inei pushed Haruki down the hall, waving a hand back at them. Mortified.
“Those two sure are cute together.” She shook her head, “What do you think? Can you handle an older brother like him?” Minato pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder and considering.
“... It's the only thing I've ever really wanted. Of course he has a say in it too but-!” He sighed, squeezing his arms around her, her hand’s rested over his in comfort. “I want to get to know my older brother. Who knows... maybe he'll stay.”
“She's a damn menace... troublesome woman... asking me about... ugh!” Naruto was laughing at him now, he'd already made the bed and was laying on it in just his hakama, mesh shirt discarded with the rest of their clothes- Shikamaru had received a pair of sleep shorts as a gift, he assumed that Naruto had sewn them himself given how well they fit, but he wasn't going to complain. (It had likely happened back when he was sleeping off a night of drinking months ago, but he was still grateful to have them even if they had been made for him during such a low point.)
“Come to bed, Shika. It's a real bed. With springs and everything.” He huffed, storming to sit on the bedside. He didn't protest it as his mesh armor was pulled off and over his head, warm hands stroking slowly over his chest and pulling him into his hold. “What exactly did she ask you that got you so riled up?” He usually didn’t show as much emotion as he had been lately, but they had been going through so much lately that he felt he could be forgiven for being a bit over the top- still tame compared to Naruto.
“...” Shikamaru didn't want to say it. He brought his elbows back hard when he felt something slimy on his neck, “Did you just lick me?!”
“Nee, that hurt.” Naruto had rolled away from him, holding his ribs but not looking as if he regretted a damn thing he’d ever done.
“Good!” He turned, pushing Naruto back off the bed- an action that failed because the blonde out weighed him by over fifty pounds and the angle being so poor, “You're so troublesome. That was immature.” Naruto grabbed him, yanking him down onto his chest- not a smart move.
“I couldn't help it, you look so cute when you're like this.” He took the elbow to the sternum very well considering it nearly cracked under the sudden pressure. “You're so hot when you're mad.”
“I'm about to be fucking gorgeous then.” He threatened in a low voice, and his smug partner very pointedly put his hands on Shikamaru's ass, squeezing him with a raise of his eyebrows.
Kushina popped her head in to see if they needed anything a moment later and found Shikamaru had put Naruto in a headlock.
“Did I interrupt something?” She looked at the scene with interest. Shikamaru had gotten behind Naruto and had his legs wrapped around the man's stomach, the blonde was holding his arm and trying not to roll onto him and crush him, it was clearly a struggle to keep his partner from actually choking him.
“I'm fine.” Naruto choked out with a pained laugh. “If he wanted to kill me he'd have gone for my organs.”
“He licked me! Like a child!” Kushina smiled, holding in her own laughter.
“Sure... remember what I said about volume, okay?”
“We are not having sex in your spare room-!”
Notes:
As much as I love the idea of Naruto and Minato running into one another's arms and crying, big teary reunion, I just don't think it's too realistic. They're both stoked, but it'll be a while before they get used to one another. That being said Naruto wants to real bad.
I am worried I'm not letting them be silly enough over all, let me know what you think.
Chapter 8: Kakashi's Just A Little Hater
Summary:
Kakashi gets the worst assignment he's ever had. Ever. For sure.
Sarutobi is scheming, unaware that they expected him to do that.
Notes:
There is some description of dissection in this chapter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Shika made me sleep on the floor.” He was pouting, even as he tried to help Minato make breakfast. He had politely waited to complain until Kushina joined them in the kitchen.
“You deserved it.” He was helping set the table, not wanting to be in hugging range of his asshole partner.
“A lover's quarrel?” Kushina covered her mouth with a hand, mostly to cover her smile, “But you two were so affectionate last night.” He would come to blows with the woman someday, he realized. She was too good at pushing buttons.
“Honey, please don't talk about that sort of thing...” Minato seemed to be the only person in the room with a sense of shame. Maybe he just didn’t want to hear about his potential brother’s sexual activities.
“I am not talking about this anymore.” Shikamaru crossed his arms, sitting down, determined not to help any further.
“Hey, can I ask you something, Haruki-san?” Shikamaru felt ignored but he'd already backed out of the conversation so he couldn't complain, giving the blonde he cared about a warning glare not to say too much.
“Huh? Yeah sure, but I might not answer it if it's gross.” He was dishing up the food he’d put together while Minato had been messing with the oven, bringing them to the table as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
“Why do you call Inei ‘Shika’? You've been doing it the whole time.”
“That's because he's like a deer.” Naruto said happily. It clearly wasn’t the answer that either was expecting however- they had speculated about it before they’d gone to bed, not that their unexpected guests knew that.
“I don't see it...”
“Eh? But he's just like a deer.” Shikamaru chuckled, Naruto had tried to put his logic into words before but it had yet to work. He didn’t think it made sense either, not as a justification for Naruto to keep up with his silly nickname, but at times he was too fond of the man and let him get away with things he usually wouldn’t.
That was dropped as well once Kushina realized there was food, then it became a squabble for a few minutes as she simultaneously tried to steal and share all the food from and with them. They managed to eat a decent breakfast- Naruto got his cooking skills from his dad, apparently. His temper obviously came from Kushina.
It was nice to have something other than ramen, which is usually what he cooked- Shikamaru could hardly boil water so it's not like he was going to complain when he didn’t even need to do that.
“We need to get going, the meeting with the Hokage is soon.”
Kushina let them know they should come back again to visit if they were sticking around for a while, and the trip to the tower wasn't all that long. In the early morning hours the streets were mostly clear- it had been less than a handful of hours sleep but it would be sufficient for the coming obstacles. Shinobi kept odd hours as a rule, but the normal villagers were starting to open up for the day, business and market stalls, so they got a few curious looks. Minato seemed to know a lot of the people they passed by, but thankfully he didn't slow down for a chat.
Lord third looked exhausted when they entered. It seems he and Danzo had continued to argue late into the night. Shikamaru assumed it was about Madara's corpse. He'd want the eyes no matter what it took, more than likely. That was the whole point of turning the body over to the Uchiha however. The fewer cards the bastard had the better- he was enough of an issue as it was without making him worse.
As expected, they were asked to stay for a few weeks to months while the investigation was wrapped up, and so long as they shared their findings they could make use of Konoha resources within reason. Of course they'd be assigned a babysitter.
“Oh, hey chibi.” Naruto waved at little Kakashi. The boy had his headband in place to stop his likely near constant migraines and chakra depletion now. He didn't look happy.
“Kakashi will show you around the village as a liaison, he'll also be responsible for turning in any copies of your findings.” He glared at them, but he was more cute than scary, and Shikamaru could already tell that Naruto was fighting the urge to hug the boy valiantly. He gave it a week before Naruto was trying to adopt the poor guy. At least it was someone they liked, even if the boy was hostile and spying on them for the village.
Kakashi didn't even like ramen. He didn't like the fake Minato sensei. He really didn't like the sad wet fake Nara. But they were sitting together having lunch after he was stuck all morning in the library with them- the area reserved only for chunin and higher ranked shinobi from the village. They had left one of the old guys journals with T&I before leaving the hokage tower, and after this they were borrowing a dissection lab. Kakashi was tempted to ask if they could stop and see Obito while at the hospital but...
‘ Inei-san and Haruki-san were very kind to me. ’ Kakashi cracked his chopstick remembering the wistful look on the other boy.
Obito had talked about them and only them when he had snuck in to visit that morning. On and on about how cool they were and how smart, and kind, and funny and... he didn't like it. Yeah they saved Obito but... he hadn't been himself since he got home. Gushing about some potentially hostile shinobi they knew nothing about....
He also felt guilty, touching a hand to his headband where it covered his- Obito’s eye. If he'd known Obito would live, he wouldn't have taken his eye, refusing no matter what. He still wasn’t sure how to feel about Obito being home. He didn’t know how it made him feel now, he had been so relieved but now... he felt numb. Did he treat Obito like everyone else? Did he need to be more careful around him? So much was going to change between them and he was finding himself scared because he had no idea if they’d even stay friends after it all. Not to mention he was still having nightmares about Obito’s near death and finding his father dead- those had come back full force after they had returned from the mission light one Uchiha. Now he also had to worry about being replaced by the weirdo’s.
Worse yet, the two seemed to constantly be looking down on him. Haruki-san kept calling him ‘chibi’, and Inei-san had been calling him a tough little man. It was condescending at best. He was a Jonin, fully fledged, an elite shinobi who deserved their respect yet they were treating him like some soft little baby. This mission was also more of a punishment than anything no matter what the hokage and Minato-sensei said- stuck in the village for who knows how long watching the two weirdos. The only comfort was he wasn’t alone, Rin was staying in the village for now so she could learn more medicinal jutsu; Obito was stuck in the hospital for who knows how long with his injuries. It just meant she'd spend more time with Obito at the hospital. Obito would like that. Or maybe he'd be happier if these two clowns were visiting him instead.
“What's wrong, little man?” That stupid name again. “I know it's boring but it's your mission. Chin up, it'll get interesting soon. You ever seen a dissection?”
He took it back, Inei-san wasn't just sad and wet, he was sadistic. Why the hell was he so eager to cut someone up?
“I don't like you. Either of you.” Rather than act offended or off put, he had his hair messed up again by Haruki, who he was strongly considering biting.
“You aren't special.” He would strike Inei-san dead if he showed even a hint of suspicious intent. Not just because he rubbed Kakashi the wrong way and kept treating him like a child. Definitely.
“Maa, maa, Shika he's just a little kid. You need to be kind to them or they could end up weird.” Haruki was just as bad though! He was still playing with Kakashi’s hair and didn’t even stop when he was threatened with a kunai.
“... yeah, you turned out pretty strange didn't you.”
“You're both weirdos.” He darted away, dodging more head pats he definitely didn’t like or want. He hated how familiar they acted around him- assuming they knew him, it disgusted him.
“Say's the biggest weirdo here... hey, Haruki, this is too much, so finish mine.” One half eaten bowl of ramen was slid across the counter where it was poured into the one he was already eating- a third bowl, even more than Kushina usually ate...
“Hehe, you do care about me.”
“You're both really gross!” It was okay when Minato-sensei did it with Kushina, the two were in love, but he couldn’t imagine sharing food with Obito like that, or Gai. It made his skin crawl.
They finished eating and Kakashi trudged unhappily behind them toward the hospital. He had seen dead bodies before, and he didn't understand what made these ones so special. He’d caused a number of those people to become corpses, so seeing them get cut up shouldn’t bother him.
He didn't trust these two. Outsiders. Maybe Haruki was pretending to be Minato sensei's brother, and he had dyed his hair or was using drugs to change his eye color. Inei was the most suspicious of the two, he looked around like he was always in danger, like he was expecting an attack at any second. He tugged his mask a bit higher, trying to ignore their odd smell too. It was like blood and static air, like burnt green wood and marrow. It was so conflicting it muddled in his head. Like life and death, only Mr. Sunshine, Haruki, he reeked of the battle field and rot and something worse that made Kakashi shudder when he thought on it too long, while gloom and doom, Inei, smelled like earth and damp, like spring, decay but in the hopeful way that a wet forest smelled.
He wasn't sure why but he knew that of the two, it was Haruki who was more dangerous, unpredictable despite how jumpy Inei was. The Hatake were likened to wolves, and Kakashi had fancied himself a predator once upon a time when he didn't know how merciless the world was. Under those bright, smiling blue eyes he felt like a trapped hair, not below the grinning face of a wolf though, under something bigger than he could fathom. He couldn’t put to words the occasional terror he’d feel it spike when Haruki looked at him, especially when his smile wasn’t plastered on- it had only happened a few times but he was nervous about feeling it again.
“Come on chibi, you're falling behind.” It sounded playful, but looking now there's something sharp, mischievous about Haruki. Like a yokai . He didn’t like the sudden thought that had jumped into his mind.
“If you're too scared you can sit in the corner.” Kakashi felt goosebumps rise as he caught up again, watching Inei as he assessed their path again, like a deer scanning for predators, as if the thing that could eat even wolves wasn't pressed lovingly against his side.
Cutting open a Zetsu had been something he had wanted to do for a very long time, but they hadn’t ever had enough time for a thorough autopsy before. He set Naruto with a pad of paper and a series of blank anatomical diagrams beside him, and one of the doctors, a former shinobi, from the hospital observed- the condition for using the room and the tools. Zetsu were people at one point, changed, but people under that. He peeled the corpse open like overripe fruit, noting down organs he could see, human physiology mostly still in place, and dutifully Naruto recorded it for him. Then he removed the organs, observing them more closely, weighing them, taking samples, cutting them open. Finding roots and spongy mycelium growing in parts inside, preparing those to be tested too.
Kakashi, as it turned out, was not fine . He had seen a dead body, had even taken more than his fair share of lives, but he'd never cut someone open to see how they ticked- it was so much more gruesome than even the horrible moments where Rin had taken out Obito’s eye and placed it in his head. Shikamaru was clinical. It had been innumerable centuries since this Zetsu had been a living person, but he tried to treat it with as much respect as he could.
It was fascinating to cut and inspect every little thing. Naruto, for his part, didn't flinch. He had seen worse, and had done about the same, occasionally to living Zetsu. The Zetsu wasn't human anymore, and even if it had been fresher it wouldn't have mattered. The Zetsu was a parasite inside a walking preserved corpse- he felt no attachment or familiarity to the thing.
Even the doctor, a former ANBU , couldn't stomach watching too closely. It slowed down their progress as he had to leave several times to gather himself. The closest the doctor had ever seen to how they behaved to the unusual corpse was when he had watched Orochimaru perform an autopsy a year or so before. It curdled his stomach.
Shikamaru's hands were steady, voice clear as he dictated notes to Natuto even as the clear goo that replaced blood in the Zetsu was brushing his bare elbow. Even as he reached deeper and deeper into the body that only looked human before him.
The autopsy took ten painfully long hours, short breaks included- they couldn’t leave until late that night, Naruto had sent a clone to secure a room at an inn for them around dinner time. The Zetsu’s pieces were sealed into several scrolls, then those placed into a single scroll that Naruto vanished onto his person and Shikamaru scrubbed down. Naruto yawned, all teeth as usual, perhaps a bit inhumanly sharp. He had a lot to go over, and a second Zetsu to examine once he had finished following up all of his questions.
He wasn't sure what Kakashi would report back to the third hokage, but he knew by the queasy look that kept appearing when they met eyes it wouldn't be flattering.
Gruesome, cynical, what about brutal? What was going on in his head after that? Watching Shikamaru butcher a body that looked so human inside and out like it were a pig. He wondered if there was something wrong with him, but he had been trained for body recovery by Sakura, because if the corpse was broken down enough then the Zetsu wouldn't try and reanimate it- it was a way of preventing their loved ones from being used in the malevolent grand design of the chakra goddess.
His hands could shake now that it was over, and Naruto took one which helped. Sakura and Ino had told him he had steady hands, that in another life he could have been a surgeon. Now that it was over he trembled from the effort of muscling through, of putting his own humanity out of his head, of clenching his muscles just to stay upright and steady and professional when it hadn’t felt like his own body he was moving. Kakashi was ahead of them, just at the corner of the hall waiting, and he looked away as Naruto put Shikamaru's hands on his face and whispered comforts to him. When he cleared his throat, Naruto took Shikamaru's hand again and led him out.
The walk away from the hospital was thankfully a bit cool, November now breathing down their necks, he said nothing about how they’d politely ignored Naruto’s birthday even though it came to him seeing his breath in the indifferent night air. The chill helped him put things he’d rather not think about out of his mind, continuing forward with purpose, in near perfect step with Naruto who was still supporting the brunt of his weight.
As a room at an inn was actually booked now, and Naruto lead him there, leaving the scarred child soldier firmly out . He allowed Naruto to take care of him when they were finally locked in the small room with space to breathe without eyes directly on them. Wash and redress him, brush his hair and loosely braid it, nudge him into eating a light meal. He kept staring down at his trembling hands, falling into Naruto’s side when he joined him sitting on the bed.
Naruto wrapped him up and curled around him, dragging him against his chest and holding him down, grounding him to the moment. Sometimes he hated that Naruto could always tell when he wasn’t okay.
They were safe, he was safe. Naruto was here, he was protecting him, he would guard him from the enemies both outside and inside his mind. A growl that sounded like it came from Kurama rumbled Naruto's chest and briefly sunny blue bled sickly red, Naruto nosed his chin like that and he bared his neck. Nothing happened, aside from a slightly cold nose pressing up under his chin. Putting his head in the lion's mouth in a sense, but he’d done more foolish things.
“ We have you. ” His voice was distorted in its whisper, and Shikamaru found himself terribly comforted to know the kyuubi was making himself known. He doubted many alive had ever been comforted to hear the chakra beast speak given the terror it usually left in it’s wake.
Naruto and Kurama were a pair after all, he couldn't have one without taking the other. It was fine though, because both would watch over him and make sure no one else got near. He felt bad he couldn't comfort Naruto the same way, but allowing himself to be vulnerable, to let Naruto manhandle and fuss over him, take care of him, that seemed to make the blonde happy.
So Shikamaru could put his absolute trust in him, and Naruto would hold his tender heart and broken mind like a precious treasure, and maybe if they just willed it hard enough they would get better.
Shikamaru didn't think he was beyond fixing, but he suspected no human hand could glue him back together right.
Some field medic training was an understatement. He didn't have years of practice, but he knew what he was doing, the autopsy was more akin to when ANBU disposed of rogue ninja, thorough and exacting, prying secrets from the body down to its cells. Beside him the elder Namikaze hadn't flinched, watching over the process as if it had been as trivial as putting a puzzle together. He had taken exact notes, had aided without complaint, and had stood like a statue even when the village doctor looked ill.
There had been a dead eyed detachment until they left the room. Once out, Inei had been comforted by Haruki, and for a moment, the first moment since Kakashi had met him over thirty six hours ago, the man had looked vulnerable. Of course his vulnerability had been covered by Haruki. While Kakashi had seen openings on Inei, they hadn't truly existed, because Haruki had compensated for them with his stance- an impenetrable wall.
Even still it was something . His research method had also proved to be highly effective, and Kakashi wanted to ask if he could do that, or at least use it for training to a lesser degree. Even as gifted as he was, he didn't think he could make a hundred clones as easily as Haruki had.
The results of course, didn't paint any clearer a picture for them. The two were no less a mystery, but their information on them was starting to take shape. And what a worrying shape.
The two were a highly complementary pair, each with their own specializations, and Kakashi's bad feelings notwithstanding, they were very dangerous- but not hostile. At least not to the Leaf village, not that they'd seen. Hiruzen was very interested in keeping it that way.
They were a riddle. Two extremely adept, unaffiliated shinobi, records with a mercenary guild going back five years had been located, prior to that very little- but Jiraiya was looking into it- rising up the ranks as if they were a pair of highly trained ninja just masquerading poorly as amateurs. Their involvement in Amegakure was of particular interest.
Hiruzen wanted to test them, wanted to see what they could do, if they could be an asset to the village, he'd be a fool not to bring them in- but right alongside that, he worried. He knew of no way many of their record's could be forged, and even deep cover wouldn't account for such a long war, their skill set evolving, ability increasing, the targets they picked, the efficiency that could only come with years and months entrenched in danger. Inei was a man haunted by his past, he comforted himself and his demons with alcohol. Haruki was the sort to blurry his true feelings and slap on a smile, but there was something possessive and dark that had crossed his face when he had glanced at the other man.
If he wanted to hook them both, it wasn't Haruki he needed to worry about. If it would be as easy as reuniting two brother's then he would have seen it. Minato and Haruki would have embraced and he would have overheard about the two promising to be a family. Instead there was friendly caution, not opposed to spending time together but not throwing himself sobbing and relieved. Minato was there, but Haruki was not.
No. If he wanted Haruki, he needed to find out what Inei would need to join the village. If Iwah Inei stayed, Namikaze Haruki would follow.
So what did the young man want?
He was jumpy, paranoid, and standoffish. He looked like a Nara, likely fathered by Shikagouro, the former clan head now buried in the ground. But he wouldn't be interested in a family connection. He sought out only Haruki with his eyes when he finished checking his surroundings- squishing into his space and keeping enough distance between himself and others he could pull out a kunai with enough time to defend himself if need be. His interest in medicine wasn't a passion, likely one driven by necessity. He hadn't seemed interested in the library despite being given access only chunin were allowed.
There was one thing, however.
Inei was sick. Not quite the shakes of withdrawal from alcohol, but the anxious haunted look of a man who'd seen and done too much to live with himself. His illness was mental. Relief from that stress, that panic and pain, if they could offer that...
Well, it might keep him grounded, might build the trust in the village needed to tie both down.
If they could change the tide of this war, he might just do anything.
Notes:
Next chapter is NSFW, tags will be adjusted once it's up.
Chapter 9: Nightmares and Comforts (NSFW)
Summary:
Shikamaru has a nightmare, Naruto provides support and a distraction.
Notes:
This chapter has explicit content, it also has a panic attack at the beginning.
Chapter Text
It's the middle of the night when Shikamaru shoots awake, heart pounding in his chest, invisible fingers still rolling over his legs, upward in their phantom touch. He's shaking and gasping, nearly throwing up, and he thrashes for one heart wrenching moment when big hands grab him, slotting around his waist and yanking him back.
He's there again. He's helpless and prone and bare and there are uncountable fingers prodding, stretching, invading him pulling his insides out. Sizing him up like a spring lamb, holding him down for the ax, for them to break him open like an egg and he can't move he can hardly breathe and it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts-
“Shika!” His sob bubbles in his chest, breaking out of him painfully, tearing from his throat as he's dragged against a warm chest and wrapped in a familiar scent. Naruto. Naruto .
His hands are so large and sturdy, smothering away the lingering ghosts from his sudden nightmare. He can only turn into his hold, wrapping like a snake with his arms, gulping down air until his lungs burn and his chest aches, pressing their bare skin tight to pass through heat and comfort and his fear- he needs, and he needs, and his own flesh feels wrong where it stretches over his skin, the hard lump in his chest feels so much heavier now than it ever had. With each reassuring stroke of his palms, assessing, comforting, Naruto slowly uncoils the tight spring of his muscles, eases the tension that had been building in his guts, and soon Shikamaru is a shaking, boneless heap in his lap, struggling to keep his breathing even through the mess from his crying.
Unbothered, Naruto uses the sheet to clean his face, tugs out the tie of his braid to run his fingers through Shikamaru's hair, let's him dig his nails in and push so hard into him with his trembling body he may as well be trying to crawl into his chest. If he could, he was sure Naruto would let him.
The worst part is that somewhere in the excitement, his blood had raced and now despite his disgust, his horror, he was firm and dripping. He could ignore it. He could hide it away. If he wanted to, he could even cut it off and be finished with needing to think about it ever again- he knew Naruto wouldn't simply let him castrate himself however. Even in his spinning head he knew that was a step too far, but he couldn’t help but hate that part of himself in the moment.
But maybe if he did he'd be able to stomach looking at himself in the mirror again, maybe if he cut up the things that had made him appealing no one would ever think to touch him against his will again -!
“Stop thinking.” Naruto put their foreheads together with near brusing force.
“I can't.” He gasped softly. Naruto pushed their bodies together, squeezing his face just hard enough he could feel it in his bones but not hurt. Grounding him in reality, in the moment, dragging his mind back when it tried to peel away to despair.
“How can I help?” His voice has a wavering edge, Kurama dripping into his tone. Both desperate to drag him back to safety from an enemy they couldn't even see- couldn’t protect him from .
“I don't know-!” He pulled back enough to look at the face so close to his own, searching but not sure what for. Naruto's left eye was blood red, Kurama splitting his sight, boring down on him. It dragged a ragged sob from him as he crushed their foreheads together again, unable to bear that piercing gaze in his current state. “Don't let go.”
He's laid down, and he panics at the loss of contact as Naruto moves to drag their quilt over them both, curling over him, putting his weight carefully over Shikamaru, so tender in arranging their limbs so he's pushing him down at his chest and extremities, careful not to touch their hips, angled so close Shikamaru could press his face into Naruto's neck.
For a long, timeless stretch all there is is warm skin and Naruto's heady smell as each panting breath against his neck draws it into his nose. Muscles flex lightly against his, the steady pulse of Naruto's blood pounding against his cheek for how tightly he's clinging, and the thump of his heart against Naruto's ribs, so warm against his own. His world narrows until all he can see, smell, hear, and feel is Naruto.
“I've got you Shika.” His voice is still not entirely his own, his sudden panic was enough to warrant Kurama remaining awake to ensure he was okay. “It's just me, no one else. I've got you.”
“Naruto...” slowly, ready to coil back over him, the blonde sat back, taking his face in his hands again, thumbs stroking over the apples of his cheeks.
“Welcome back.” He blinked. His throat felt raw, he'd learn later it was because he'd been screaming, both before and after he woke up. “How are you feeling?” He felt tears gather again, and leaned up to kiss Naruto, desperate and scared.
“Stay close to me.” He feels like a spoiled child, asking too much. Naruto just rearranged them, pulling him to sit sideways on his lap, curling around him, letting him get comfortable in his arms.
He felt the steady beat of Naruto's heart under his palm. He was soothed by it, but still tugged him down to press their lips together, to reassure, to thank him. Fingers tangled in his hair.
This was the hard part. Where his instincts and his conditioning tore him in half. His longing to hide in strong arms and let someone else be the bigger person and make the important choices, and the wrought iron bone deep need to always be in perfect control and never let his guard down. He was a ninja and he needed to analyze and study, to make snap judgments, he couldn't afford to relax-!
“When I'm here, nothing will ever touch you.” It's warm, mumbled against his lips, and he feels it into his very soul.
Permission to be vulnerable. Orders from the top.
Naruto was his kage. Leader of a nation of two. All that had been left in the world. But those words smothered the rolling uncertainty and cut down the contradictory panic. If Naruto said he was safe, then he was safe. If Naruto told him he could sleep he would.
Even now he was a good little soldier.
He leaned into Naruto's soft lips, the shame from earlier gone, leaving his fingers trembling as the bigger shinobi let him readjust, straddling his wide hips, bellies pressing together when he leaned forward- Naruto was all warm skin, firm muscle, holding him as if he were fragile. Not broken but delicate, with cracks and fissures to be minded but never despaired.
He didn't stop Shikamaru from licking open his lips, from tugging with teeth and demanding his attention when he already had it. Kurama was still awake, clear from the red eye that drank him in where he sat in safety on Naruto's lap. Thumbs rubbed the jut of his hips- he knew the hands, knew the creases and scars, the bone deep callouses, could describe them with his eyes closed just as easily as open.
In absences of the fear, he sinks into other more tightly controlled feelings.
Naruto does not ask if he feels okay- if it's too much too soon, if it will overwhelm him.
He is trusting Shikamaru to know his own body. To push him back when he oversteps, to tell him no and when it was too much. He ground his hips forward into Naruto's belly, and for his part he grinds up against Shikamaru's ass.
It's with impatient tugs, hurried motions, he finds himself bare on Naruto's lap, then bent on his back, and Naruto was over him, laying him gently on the bed, nosing his neck and then covering it with kisses and licks and a gentle scrapping of too sharp teeth. Just a little too animalistic to be Naruto alone.
It's almost funny, knowing that when Naruto growls low in his chest and noses his neck it's actually Kurama, or at least what the fox wants to do that Naruto is mindlessly following along with.
It's different when he knows the hands, when the smell is familiar, when the weight over his body is comfortable.
“Shika... what do you want?” He wants so much. He wants more lingering touches and more flicking tongue across his neck- he wants to be pushed open slowly and gently so that the memory of being pried open is overwritten on his skin. But he isn't ready for that. He wants more than hands, more than sticky imature fumbling-
“ You. ” It's breathless. It's a testament to how well Naruto knows him, because he understands and he's soon the one laying back so Shikamaru's can feel over the hard edges of his figure.
There's a tube in his hands before he's able to overthink things, and it's content is cool and thick, not quite slimy, he works it into something warm and bearable in his palm, and Naruto, Kurama , popped their legs open, unashamed as Shikamaru drank in the sight.
He rubs his palm against the blonde's pucker, rubbing it and feeling it twitch under his hand. Observing as Natuto twitches his hips, whines like a dog- no. Not a dog. Like a fox.
Two slick fingers rub over him, rolling in a circle and feeling the hot ring of muscle as he slowly relaxes it. He isn't an animal and he won't let the desperate burning in his veins push him faster. Besides, he already knows what Naruto would say if he sped up- that it was fine and he couldn't hurt him.
But he wasn't ready, and just because the pain wouldn't last long didn't mean that he wanted to inflict it on his lover.
It was worth it, watching Naruto's eyes squeeze shut, jaw tightening and slackening as one finger pushed inside, just to the first knuckle, slowly and methodically wriggling, probing at heat and working with single minded focus until he can push down another knuckle, watching with heat burning in his belly as his finger is swallowed down.
He takes his time. One finger slowly relaxing Naruto open at a pace dragging on so long Naruto's one blue eye is starting to water.
He knows it's Kurama's doing somehow when he finally pressed the second finger tip alongside the first to start loosening him further only to feel a gush of clear liquid ooze from inside. His eyes widened, and he looked up, to meet the piercing red gaze’- Naruto's blue eye is screwed shut and Kurama's ruby red boring into him, growling lightly.
From then on its Kurama and his language of low growls dictating how quickly he rolls his fingers, how deep they prod, how firmly he pried them apart, until Naruto is open and fluttering and soaked, and how did the fox do this any way-
“Shika-!” It's pathetic and wanton, and it goes right to his cock. He hasn't calmed down in the least, either, watching his lover buck and whither under him had kept the fire of his desire a low burning heat in his belly- but it was no longer time to simply watch.
He slicks himself with lube and the syrupy sweet fluid, and then Naruto is pulling him in.
Into his arms, into his body, and he feels all the air leave his lungs because it's hot, and tight and the pleased noise Naruto makes is absolutely filthy .
His insides are hot and grip Shikamaru as he rolls into Naruto, testing to see what made the blonde twitch, what made him whimper and gasp, needing to know what every inch of his insides felt like, what they made him feel in turn.
“Stop thinking so much.” It's all Naruto when he's admonished, and there's a bit of fumbling, he huffs as he's back on his back, Naruto on his lap this time.
Shikamaru grabbed his thighs, thick and corded with muscle, and watched Naruto roll his hips, bounce, take and it fills his stomach with raw fire. Then he's bending down, their lips meeting, and he's caged under and inside of Naruto, at his mercy but it feels good to be trapped.
There's tongue and gushing slick and it's messy, so messy, they've probably ruined the bed, but that thought will come with a headache later because he can't think of anything more than Naruto, around him, on top of him, of mismatched eyes and being desired enough by two beings that should by all means be beyond reproach.
Because Naruto is every inch a hero of legend, and what is the kyuubi if not a walking God? And both are looking at him from one set of eyes with so much hunger he knows he'll be eaten alive-
But being devoured by them would be bliss.
He reaches blindly and his fist closes around Naruto, stroking in time with the maddening buck of his hips, because even spearing him open it's Naruto who's setting the pace, who's leading the experience, and that's fine . That much is the point too far, because he's growling so animalisticly it vibrates in Shikamaru's chest as his seed patters over Shikamaru's belly. He watches Naruto devolve as his orgasm rips through him, and for the barest of moments he wonders if his hips will crack from the force or Naruto's harsh grinding as he works and overstimulates himself as if Shikamaru is just an instrument for his pleasure and that is the point he can't take it anymore. He finishes with a choked sob, reaching up and tangling his limbs with his lovers, and he's being nuzzled, scented , and Naruto is stroking his hair and kissing his brow and telling him how good he did, how perfectly they fit together.
He feels like maybe he should be saying those things to Naruto, but he knew this had been about him . When the blonde sits back, sticky and covered in more than just sweat his eyes are both blue.
Even though his legs wobble he drags them both up to shower, and while he stands swaying in nothing but one of Naruto's overly large shirts he watches his naked lover yank off soiled sheets, sparing them from having to sleep in a sweaty and dubiously wet bed.
He's tempted to ask if Kurama is going to find a way to make Naruto gush every time they have sex like that, but his body feels heavy from the taxing last few days, and his mind is emptied out aside from passing whimsy for the moment.
They fall asleep in a tangle of limbs on the bare mattress.
He is not healed, or fixed, this was a temporary solution, not even that, but he can't think anymore, so no more nightmares visit him while they sleep for now.
Chapter 10: Something, Something, The Timeline Is Visibly Changing.
Summary:
This didn't happen in their original timeline, but Iruka's scar is a cannon event. Kakashi is starting to doubt his bad feeling from earlier.
Notes:
Children in distress, but this isn't really about them, is it?
Chapter Text
Kakashi's nose twitches as he watches the two. Inei is asleep against Haruki (this is an all too common occurrence and if Kakashi liked either more he might even spare the space in his mind and heart to worry over how much the man slept), who is flipping page after page through a journal, he's not yet close to breaking the cipher despite the man having spent the last week doing little else but that . They're sitting at Minato's table, Kushina is out doing the grocery shopping, Minato is in the living room sharpening kunai and razor wire. He has a mission back at the front soon, and he needs to be ready. Kakashi is trying not to worry too much about that.
The two untrustworthy outsiders reek of one another more than usual, but he doesn't think that belongs in his reports, unless he can find proof of why that's bad and worrisome. He doubts it. The blonde also smells more sharply of something wild than usual. An animal smell that he’s not familiar with is strange enough, but coupling it with his now constant sense of foreboding? He squints at the two suspiciously.
He had gone to see Obito the night before to complain about his new assignment, and the dumbass had called him lucky . Obito was dull and couldn't see all the warning signs that seemed to flash every time those two appeared. They gave him a sense of dread so strong he wasn't sure how anyone else couldn't feel it. Obito was an idiot and he had to do everything he could to keep his squadmate away from the two for his own good- luckily he was still on bed rest for now and the two didn’t seem actively interested in visiting him- too busy. Maybe Inei could have, but he didn’t want to make more work for Kakashi for whatever reason so he was sticking to Haruki’s side like glue.
Minato kept inviting them over, too, welcoming the two into a place Kakashi wanted desperately to be safe from them. A space where the two aren’t casually affectionate with him, where they don’t treat him like a child, where they aren’t overstepping his boundaries as if they know him- and it feels like maybe they’re the ones watching him since they seem to be familiar with him in a way no stranger ought to be.
Rin thinks he’s being ridiculous, that he’s seeing things, that he’s still stressed from the bridge mission and that maybe he should have someone else take over his assignment and spend time working on his mental health. But if their overfamiliarity isn’t whats causing it then he doesn't know why he is unnerved by them, he just knows he is. He doesn't want to observe them. He wants to pass his mission to Rin, to anyone else, but he can't.
He can't let them wander around and not know what they're up to. He’d feel worse if he wasn’t observing them.
So far, however, they've not been up to anything. Haruki has been trying to break the cipher for the journals still, and had a meeting with Uchiha Fugaku to ask if they might have a key for it since the dead guy was an Uchiha (Uchiha Madara, the worst traitor to ever come out of the village, the biggest threat it had ever seen, a nightmare that they kept waiting with baited breath to see if he’d return and he had in a corpse scroll, done in by two wolf in sheep's clothing as far as Kakashi was concerned), and Inei had been burning through books on anatomy and biology, he'd also been waiting on the test samples he'd taken from that... thing. Kakashi still couldn’t think of it without shuddering because it had been so... uncanny. It looked human, but it wasn’t, he’d seen the things insides and no human could survive that, surely.
Outside of that, the two spent most of their time wandering public areas, trying food stalls, and holed up in their room at the inn. Kakashi was grateful they had a silencing seal up, because he didn't want to know what they did while alone. He liked to think he had some idea of what it was, he’d heard older shinobi talk about that sort of thing before, but he was glad not to be certain.
He was anxious about more than one thing however, Obito would be released soon and he didn't want his teammate around them any more than he had been. Especially with how starry eyed he was around the two- what if he did something stupid? What if they let him ?
Things were bound to change. Shikamaru knew that. They had changed so much, there was a chance someone else would be born to his parents, and he steadied his resolve on that. It might even be better, since the kid would look too much like him...
But he didn't think of the closer consequences of their various meddling, that Iwa would launch a surprise attack on Konoha when they'd never done so before. He didn’t even know what they did exactly that could have caused it- there were too many little things that could have dominoed.
He and Naruto had just happened to be by the wall, right place right time, Naruto telling him some rambling story about the market from that morning when he'd been asleep, and Kakashi had been bored and following along behind, still looking for reasons to discredit them it seemed. He didn’t really fault the child for not liking them, they came off as a bit much and he knew it.
He was watching the academy class that was nearby while half heartedly listening, trying to keep his eyes moving over all of the students but they kept landing on Iruka. It was before his scare but he looked so similar to how he did when Shikamaru and Naruto were his students. Short of seeing his own father it was the most jarring thing to witness- he couldn’t have even imagined his former sensei as a child yet there he was, loud and boisterous and like Naruto even before he was orphaned- not that that would happen this time around.
He figured it was as weird for Naruto to see Iruka as it would be for him to see his dad. He looked so tiny, how old would he be, ten? Maybe eleven? He knew Naruto kept looking too, no doubt curious but unable to approach. What excuse would he have? The man who raised him like a parent was a tiny kid, interrupting class and getting distracted by the birds in the nearby trees- listening in he could tell the moment things changed.
Naruto tensed and he felt them a second later, he knew Naruto had sliced open his thumb pad with his nail, using the blood to activate his seal on Kagayakasu, and he didn't need to reach far to throw out senbon, running full tilt toward the group of academy kids, Kakashi was on his heels, for a bare second there was killing intent directed at him-
Until his senbon knocked several kunai off course, the one about to kill Iruka merely sliced his nose instead. Well that's one way to get the scar . He could sense it when Kakashi realized what was happening.
“Haruki!” He began to make hand signs, not waiting for a positive response. He wouldn’t need one.
Kakashi thought they'd finally snapped, going to kill a class of kids a few years younger than him, maybe thinking he’d let his guard down- but no. He became aware of the enemy too late- even in the village he should have been vigilant. He had chased Inei to try and keep him from hurting any of the kids but now he had no idea what the man was doing and his own concerns about protecting the students.
He glanced at Haruki, maybe that man had a plan-
He was hit with a dense wave of suffocating foreign chakra, as if he were being steam rolled by it. It almost knocked him over. Before he could figure out what attack was occurring, he watched the shadows from the tall nearby trees bend and flay themselves into murky, tangible sheets, his own seemed to fly up from behind him and around the class and their two chunin teachers, forming a bubble and pushing them all in together. He could taste the overwhelming chakra in the air, though it seemed to be dissipating fast.
“Is anyone else hurt.” It was murky inside the bubble, but Kakashi was shocked that he could see anything at all. The walls seemed to shift and tense in some spots, stretched inward as if something were trying to tear its way inside. The bubble rippled before the ground rumbled below their feet though they were standing on shadows that felt solid and tough.
When the other children all reported being fine, some of the anxious tension left his shoulders- he was still holding the dragon sign.
“I need everyone to face outward, back’s to each other in a circle, my barrier isn't strong enough to stay this size for long. If you have kunai, take them out and position yourselves to defend your head's and chests.” When no child moved to do it he barked the order, and even Kakashi nearly followed that. The uncertain chunin teachers were looking at him. He was a senior ninja in the village. He was the superior officer. What did they do? He made a motion to get into place to protect the children and they quickly followed.
“There were ten out there, knowing Haruki there are likely less than five left. By the time the barrier drops, it should be four, Kakashi, I'll do my best to shield them from the cross fire, you need to take down at least two jonin level ninja by yourself. Can you handle yourself? ”
He's used to issuing orders . It flashed in his head even as he nodded. This wasn't about him, or his mistrust which seemed painfully unfounded in this moment. No. There were about twenty children who were not soldiers like he was, and they were scared and vulnerable in their home . Inei was right, he'd need to take at least two, maybe more. Maybe Haruki was already dead if it had been ten jonin. He didn't even know what village had sent them because he'd been sucked into the protection of this shadowy bubble.
He only needed to glance at Inei to know how much of a toll even this short window to breath was costing. He was dripping with sweat, and his hands were shaking, but he was not wavering, giving them all as much time to mentally prepare as he could. Kakashi knew that the Nara clan which Inei so resembled manipulated shadows to snare their foes, but this was more than that. The Nara's shadows stayed on the ground, this was something entirely new. How frightening.
The bubble dropped a moment later, shadows falling back into place as if yanked down by gravity, and another wave of oppressive chakra hit Kakashi, but now he could see the source. Once hit with it, Inei began making hand signs and the shadows coiled up into the air once more like snaring vines.
Haruki with a spear nearly ten feet long was moving it like it was a cat's whisker as his body seemed to shed potent chakra like a sieve. The spear had hanging talisman seals, and was wrapped in seal paper, the razor tip of it a long almost sword that gouged through an attacker wearing an Iwa forehead protector. He merely glanced back and there was another massive pulse of chakra that left him feeling dizzy, even as he raced toward the nearest enemy, behind him the shadows strengthened, doubling in size, snaring kunai from the air and lifting to block and then swallow an enemy ninja who had run for the children. He could hear a wet crunching and muted screams but put it from his mind.
Kakashi dispatched two, and distracted the final one as he was pierced from behind, the long blade easily popping out through the top of his skull after being thrust through the base. He counted ten bodies, and he wanted to double over from how heavy the air was. Haruki looked different, his eyes were red and the pupils sharp, and there were black lines that surrounded them sharp and clear, vanishing into his hairline, the tips of his usually wild blonde mop were tinted orange too. He blinked, heavy eyed, and the lines faded as his eyes opened human and blue once again, his hair- which had been on end- seemed to relax as if he'd been bristling like an animal. It reminded Kakashi of the technique he had seen sensei do once.
“Inei!” He had flicked the blood from the end of the spear, resting it on his shoulder as he hurried over.
“I'm okay.” That was a lie. Kakashi and everyone else could see the ragged wound on his shoulder, he'd taken a kunai for one of the children it would seem, but his tone indicated no pain. Rather than worry about his own wound he turned calmly to the chunin teachers. “Do either of you know how to use healing jutsu?”
“... no.” The chunin admitted and the man with the giant wound tisked.
“Can't be helped. One of you needs to get ANBU if they aren't on their way already.” He looked wobbly on his feet, resting his limbs slightly against Haruki, who was now alert and checking the perimeter for more surprises. “Hey, nose wound, get over here, I can at least stop the bleeding and pull it back together.” the boy hesitated before going over, blood was streaming from the cut, absolutely soaking his shirt and staining his face, and it was clear it went down through his cartilage. Inei looked pale, glancing up at Haruki, “Think you can give me a boost?”
“Sorry I couldn't give you more before you put up the shell.”
This close Kakashi could see lines of chakra as they seemed to gather down Haruki's arm, pulsing into Inei's back where he touched, his color improved quite a lot, and Haruki removed his hand.
“Hold very still.” His fingertips glowed a soft green, and the boy flinched as it pulsed lightly along the length of his wound. The touch was feather light, and different from the one he knew Rin used when she had treated him in the past.
“Huh? It's going numb.”
Kakashi widened his exposed eye.
“We'll yeah, I'm not a monster.” Kakashi was not the only one shocked to see him able to numb the area with chakra, “I need you to very gently push the tip of your nose up, okay, just one finger.” The boy managed, and Inei began to heal him properly, carefully, having him shift the angle that he was pushing to reconnect cartilage and blood vessels. Ever so often Haruki would push a little more of his chakra into Inei as he worked.
The cut looked raw still, but the major damage had been treated. Quickly, and very painlessly all things considered.
“Get an actual mednin to finish treating that, and you should probably do a course of antibiotics to be safe since I didn't sterilize the wound.”
“The ANBU are here.” Haruki was watching the trees, sure enough they'd dispatched them. Kakashi didn’t sense them until after Haruki had pointed them out.
Kakashi watched Haruki press the spear tip end into a glowing seal on his arm, and he kept glancing over at Inei with new uncertainty as the massive weapon sunk into his flesh.
He followed behind to the hospital. It felt like his fears had been confirmed, but not in the ways he had thought. The two had rushed to protect the students despite not being village shinobi, even at the cost of being injured. It made his stomach tie in knots.
Chapter 11: What Did It Cost? Wouldn't You Like To Know
Summary:
Shikamaru has a break down in the hospital, Naruto talks with a Shade.
Notes:
Most of the context for everything going wrong is in chapters I said could be skipped, and I just realized that. Sorry if the events that happen in the hospital seem sudden. I'll explain what sort of set up was done in the skippable chapters at the end of this one.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Naruto stroked Shikamaru's hair, a nurse was preparing the treatment for his wound, and he looked exhausted. He kept pushing his own chakra slowly into him.
“Excuse me, Namikaze Haruki? May we ask you a few questions outside of the room?” He squeezed Shikamaru's hand. They had been practicing for this, being apart, it would be asked of them at some point after all.
“I'll just be in the hall, okay?”
“Yeah... hey, can you wait to stitch me up until he gets back in?” He heard him ask the nurse as he walked to the far end of the hall to give his statement since he’d seen the whole of the fight from outside the barrier. He couldn’t stop the lingering sense of dread to leave him alone, however.
Shikamaru was ... arguing with the nurse. Disagreeing. His wound had stopped bleeding, mostly because he had done that himself, and he wanted Naruto in the room. He didn’t think it was a big ask. He did not appreciate that the nurse disagreed.
This was of course all to say that every second where Naruto was out of his sight was becoming more and more unbearable and the room was slowly boiling him alive- he became aware of the weight in his chest, the mass began to beat like it’s own heart out of time with his. The nurse tried to get him to remove his shirt, and he- with ice cold panic in his veins- jumped back and away from him.
His head was swimming. Two shinobi, he would later recognize them as the chunin teachers from the attack they'd just come from, attempted to hold him still-
“Don't touch me!” This would have been startling if he hadn't slowly been getting louder and more panicked. The second time one of them tried to catch his wrist his shadow had responded, grabbing the chunin by his shadow and flinging him away- the second one went through the door as it opened, the nurse and their sedative followed. “No, no, no, no, no-!” The furniture in the hospital room, the patient bed, the chair, a cabinet full of medical items, the nurse again , got pushed back as his shadow surged and whipped, latching on and clearing the space around him as he dropped into a crouch, covering his head and turning into a ball.
Later he wouldn’t remember his...perhaps over reaction, as the lump in his chest expanded, waking up fully for the first time since they crashed in the past.
“I-I'm sorry. I need to go-!” He broke the conversation, something was wrong.
“Haruki-san, we aren't done-!”
The lights began flickering, shadows suddenly whipping out, moving on their own, and he used chakra to adhere to the walls and ceiling as he raced back to avoid them as they began to rise up from the ground, writhing and snapping out for things to grab. It had been less than ten minutes, surely the nurse had waited, but given the taste in the air he knew the man hadn’t, clearly. The shadows writhed and snapped the closer he got, growing larger and stronger.
This of course, had been the result of their past coming back to bite them in the ass. A choice that had felt impossible, but inevitable, one he had been against but unable to deny the need of. Shikamaru had made a contract out of desperation- nothing like the summoning contracts- and it had strengthened his shadows, but he had never tried to pull on it after the last time he had used it. It was far too dangerous.
Backroom deals with yokai that Naruto's fox friends set up were in hindsight a bad idea. So bad you couldn’t fault him for wanting to beat his past self up. But Shikamaru hadn't been able to get to the Nara family summoning scroll, not anymore, and at the time they had been desperate to save not only their friends but all of humanity-
He needed to be able to protect Naruto from Kaguya and the Zetsu to form the seal needed to bring them back, and he couldn’t do that without taking drastic measures. But there was a cost and it posed the uncomfortable question of how human he was after- one Naruto was pointedly not thinking about. Except maybe pretending it didn't exist and doing everything he could to sweep it under the rug wasn't a good plan either.
Shikamaru had not ever disclosed what he had traded for an affinity with not just yin chakra but shadows themselves. It was an ability he was sure many might just sell their souls for given it's versatility- not that Shikamaru could freely use it at the moment, not to the full extent as he was now seeing it in the halls- using and controlling were actually two different things in this case. There were problems with it, however. It would activate not when Shikamaru wanted it or needed it, but when he was so distressed he couldn't properly use it- which was fine when he spent months stuck in the associated form destroying a never ending army of Zetsu and barely holding Kaguya back at arms length. But he didn’t need it anymore and it was a constant burden on Naruto’s mind.
It caused someone he loved pain, when it twitched like a muscle in agony, when it destroyed the surrounding area, and this was only the start. He had gotten to Shikamaru before that dormant threat had woken when he was drugged, and Kurama was able to smother its effects when they were in physical contact- but Shikamaru was all alone and apparently he'd distressed himself enough that his deal/curse was activating. The village wouldn’t survive it waking fully.
“Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit -!” He leapt from the door frame, having to do so to avoid the thrashing, horrible inky shadow that was throwing and breaking things indiscriminately.
He can feel his ribs crack as it surges up and smashes him into the wall, and he reinforced his muscles and unbroken bones with Kurama's chakra and dragged his body through the defensive jutsu- if it even counts as that. In the epicenter of the destruction was Shikamaru, shadows slowly expanding over his skin from under his clothes, eyes round and black, inhuman. He manages to wrap his arms around his love, feeling the cold unwelcoming pulse of the shadows as they try and wrap him up.
Shikamaru hits him as he grabs him, dragging him to his chest. Kurama's awake now, loosening the grip of the curse to at least end its destructive effect, and it helps when Shikamaru bites him hard on the neck, teeth unable to rip out his jugular but drawing blood- it was because Naruto had held his arms tight to his body so he'd stop trying to push another senbon between his ribs. He can feel the rigid metal that had been slotted between them in the short few seconds before he could grab Shikamaru to begin soothing him. It hurts, but he’s felt worse. A few broken bones and needles puncturing his lungs wouldn’t stop him from dragging him back from the brink. He's just thankful that thing is scared of Kurama.
“I'm here.” He felt the clawing, rageful shades below his legs, stinging and gnawing. Thankfully the nurse and the other's had wisely fled or he might have started racking up a body count. “I've got you, Shika.”
The snarling fighting beast in his hold calms, and Naruto pointedly ignores the blood dripping down his front, the burn of raw skin on his legs. Before the doctors can run back in, he carefully yanks out two senbon and hides them back into Shikamaru's weapons pouch, Kurama began to heal those internal punctures first, keeping the flesh under Shikamaru's jaw firm enough he couldn't bite through as his leg wounds quickly close and hiss as they heal. Soon all that remained of his injuries were ripped fabric and tiny splotches of blood.
“It's okay. I'm so sorry I was gone.” the shadow under them bubbled but began to shape itself back to normal, the flickering in the hallway had ended. The bulb overhead flickered but was no longer barely lit.
Shikamaru would not remember calling on the shadows. He would not remember the panic, or hurting Naruto, he couldn't. A blessing and a curse. It was some part of the price for even having it- something built to destroy him. He would forget what he did, and the people he hurt, only seeing the carnage afterward.
He could always taste it in the air when the curse flared up, just a broadcast of distress from Shikamaru that radiated out in all directions. ANBU were enroute, and he felt Shikamaru's teeth finally dislodge from his neck leaving a bloody ring.
He let them sink to the ground, Kurama retreated into their shared mental space but not far- he didn't want to sleep when Shikamaru was unwell like this. Naruto kept muttering comforts to Shikamaru as he shook, not easing his hold until the whites had returned to Shikamaru's eyes and he'd passed out. He could only think about before they’d used the seal, Shikamaru coming back to himself practically skin and bones, having lost months of his memory to the blind instinctual violence, how small he’d looked and felt as Naruto pulled them through- just barely evading Kaguya. It was Naruto's fault he was like this now, it was his own inability to protect them that had pushed Shikamaru to make the deal, and now it hung over them. He had hoped the thing hadn't followed them back, but that had been too hopeful.
He wouldn't wake up for a solid ten hours, long enough for Naruto to stitch up his shoulder and finish replenishing his chakra. In truth it had been more than nausea that had left Shikamaru so sick when they’d first arrived. It was months stuck in that state, no food or water, a mindless thing that kept a never ending battle against an army with no end. He was grateful that Shikamaru hadn't just died that way.
It was while he was watching Shikamaru’s body relax he heard it skittering nearby, the little beast had grown again. His eyes reddened again, the full stare of the Kyuubi boring into it as it hid under the upturned bed. While before it had taken the shape of a blob, he was almost sickened to see the thing had hands with tiny little fingers, gripping the metal frame hard enough it dented.
‘It isn't fair. ’
It's voice was like static, causing a sharp pain that split directly into his head. He didn't break his glare. It sounded almost like a child but he wasn’t fooled.
‘He's supposed to be mine too, you damn fox!’
“Get out.” The flickering, not quite human shape flinched, before it vanished as if it had never been. The shadows finally become normal again.
He didn't know what it was that Shikamaru had traded the spirit for even a fraction of its power, just that it wasn't his soul. Just that he had used that force to protect Naruto in the months it had taken to complete the seal that sent them here. It would seem the spirit was getting anxious to collect, or maybe that Shikamaru had just gotten worse recently. While he was busy he hadn't had time to dwell on the things they had lived through- the sacrifices they made to get to where they were, the people they had lost.
He couldn't grieve properly without letting it out. And without being able to grieve he was getting worse. The worse he got, the more he needed to let it out, the more he couldn't the more it built- an endless cycle.
“We've got you.” The red finally faded from his eyes, but Kurama's mind was shifting and pressing around his, waiting to surface again.
It was his fault. For the seal to work he needed Shikamaru to protect him while he was vulnerable, and he did so, barely coming back to himself after months of being in the shadow form. Maybe that was why it took so long for him to adjust, for him to eat solid foods and keep them down. But he hadn't complained. Every time Naruto tried to talk to him, apologize, Shikamaru would shut him down. It was my choice, I'll get better soon.
And he had. He was able to get his appetite back, he put weight back on, he was starting to sleep more. Then their work finished in Amegakure, and he had too much time again. He started to drink, then he seemed only interested in that, wallowing in grief he couldn't fully express because he didn't know if the spirit had crossed over with him.
In the inn that night he had smelled the spirit, seen it creep its head around the window when he'd finished dispatching the bodies. He had caught it early then so Shikamaru didn't fall into the level of despair needed to wake up it's curse- if he had come any later the whole village may have been laid flat. There would have been no survivors then.
The night that Shikamaru later confessed he'd had a nightmare too, it was already so dark that the shadows had nipped his bare skin when he'd pulled him in, Kurama had had to wake in a hurry then too. If he weren't so worried he'd probably go pink from thinking about that night, it wasn't long ago after all.
Physical comfort was all he could give, and it wasn't actually helping. What's worse, he left Shikamaru alone too long and the result was worse than he expected. Before he had thought Shikamaru would shut down, go nonverbal, maybe lock himself in the small attached bathroom, but for the curse to activate so quickly just because of Naruto leaving his line of sight?
He had to think of how he'd explain what happened. He needed to make a plan to protect Shikamaru.
Shikamaru was all he and Kurama had, and the foxes. He had done a lousy job protecting him, given how precious he was. If he lost Shikamaru now, it wouldn't matter what he did. They came back to prevent the end of humanity, to keep the ones they loved from suffering, to make a peaceful future, and he knew what he was going to have to give away, of course he did.
His name. His past. His bonds. But not Shikamaru. Never his Shika. After everything else that had happened to him, didn’t he deserve one good thing?
He had always been soft for him, the boy who never sneered at him, or insulted him, of course he'd loved him since they were very young- but it didn't look like how others saw love and he had so rarely felt it himself growing up all alone. If he hadn't loved him before however, he certainly did now. Who had been the one to watch his back against Kaguya and the Zetsu? Who supported him? Who trusted him, accepted him without question? Who could he confide in? Who was it to comfort him, and seek comfort in turn? Who else could ever really know him, see him as he really was inside and out?
It was Shikamaru. Always.
When Yahiko had asked him if he loved Shikamaru all those months back, during the small party they had for peace, it had shaken him. Of course he loved Shikamaru, who could stand at his side and not fall in love?
But Shikamaru had already given up so much for him. He couldn't possibly burden him with his heart as well. He didn't know how to help. He watched the one he loved sink like a stone, and had no idea what to do- Kurama didn't ever know how to help with human matters. Let him lick his wounds and make sure he felt safe when he was ready.
He had lied to Shikamaru, Kurama hadn't suggested he kill those men, he didn't need the prompting. He had wanted to do much worse, but Shikamaru, his Shika, was hurting and scared and he couldn't bear to make him lay alone on the floor while he exacted revenge.
If things had been different he would have flayed them alive, plucked out their bones, and boiled their eyes where they sat in their sockets. Shikamaru had already been in a weakened, vulnerable state, mentally and physically when he had been drugged, and now he was worse and Naruto felt useless . If it were a wound he could see he'd mend it but Shikamaru was not bleeding . Well, his shoulder wasn't anymore.
Shikamaru weighed nothing in his hold as he scooped him up, using a foot to shift the bent bed frame, pushing it flat again, as much as he could, and righting it. He knew there was nothing to be done for the visitors chair which was in broken splinters on the ground by the window. The supply cupboard was sturdy, but things leaked from it. He spied the medical thread and needle, and used a strand of chakra to yank them up.
He sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting Shikamaru to lay more against his chest, and sterilized the needle with a bit of fire chakra, the tied the thread, infusing it with his chakra, then he very slowly began to stitch his shoulder wound after he seeped Kurama's chakra down into it. It wouldn't harm Shikamaru but it would destroy anything else within his wound, bacteria, fabric, dirt, once both were ready he was ever so careful.
He couldn't use medicinal jutsu, he couldn't control his chakra precisely enough for it- he just had too much. But he could sew. He had had to mend his own things after he was pulled from the orphanage and to his lonely empty apartment. He had gotten very good at it, and Sakura hadn't had to show him much to close wounds properly. If he could stitch his own wounds he rarely needed medical care, Kurama better than any doctor. But he couldn't be sloppy on Shikamaru's shoulder.
Shikamaru would heal at normal speed, it mattered if he made a mistake. Even with his chakra there to promote healing it was still a deep enough wound it would take time to heal.
He noticed Hawk, the ANBU who had followed them before, but didn't say a word. There were others, securing the area, checking the rest of the hospital. Luckily they'd been in a fairly empty corner, Shikamaru's shadows hadn't smothered anyone. They might suspect but they couldn't say for certain.
He cut the thread with a nail coated in chakra and placed the thread and needle to one side inspecting his work. It was an even row of red colored stitches, the cut had been deep. He had been very careful and he didn't expect it to leave a large scar. Satisfied he finally acknowledged the man in front of him.
“It won't happen again.” His attention shifts back to Shikamaru, whose breathing catches his unwavering attention. It's a comfort. It's all Naruto needs.
There would no doubt be a more thorough investigation. He expected T&I to want a word. Then there was Danzo, the scum. What would he say? What demands would he stake and then try and fulfill behind Sarutobi's back when denied.
Shikamaru is better at lying. About knowing when they should. He would know what to do, what to say, but Naruto won't wake him, not even if he could, he has to endure so much.
“What was that? That jutsu.” Hawk assumed it was jutsu, but he couldn't let him. Jutsu can be taught, even the difficult ones. No one else would learn this. He had a few routes, but the best one he could use was...
“Dunno.” He shrugged, “Just something that happens when he gets too distressed.” The truth. It would hold up better than any half baked lie he could spout now. Not the full truth, he wasn’t that stupid, no mater what others would have said in his past.
He didn't know what it was- a power from a spirit, yokai, some sort of demon? Just how to trigger it. He didn't know its true cost, or where it sourced its energy, he wasn't sure how much of its actions were instinctual or deliberately done by that thing.
“Distressed?”
“... he's been anxious lately, when I have to be away from him. I don't know what happened, but he must have felt scared.” Shikamaru would likely only remember the trigger of the curse in vague impressions. The one who would remember better would be the nurse. Naruto had run past him on his way, he wasn't dead and that was a good thing, but he had a nasty looking cut on his chest, likely from being shoved away.
“...” Hawk was silent, as if trying to think if he should call out what seemed to be an obvious lie, but he changed his mind. Naruto was grateful not to be pushed.
“He'll be asleep for a while. I managed to calm him down, but... it takes a toll on him so I'd say he'll be down for at least six hours. Could be more.” He might also flutter between wake and sleep for days and worry Naruto like he had in the past. His fingers kept carding through black hair as he tried to maintain his outward appearance of calm. He had to be strong, had to take responsibility- it had been an empty title, but he had been the nandaime hokage, leader to an army of one. But what an army he had been.
Notes:
Basically, Shikamaru made a deal with a Shade/Yokai/??? and as a part of the deal every time his mental state crashes he's supposed to let it take control of his body- it wipes his memories relating to the time it's in control, the reason it's doing this is still a fun mystery, but each time it successfully takes over a growth only he can feel grows in his chest under his heart. Once it gets to a certain size the second half of their contract will come due- Naruto is doing his best to slow or entirely stop this from happening because Shikamaru can't explain what it was he offered in exchange.
This is the major reason Shikamaru is being counted in the dubiously human category. I haven't written a lot expanding on this yet, since we're already coming up on the 3/4's mark of what I already had written up when I started posting, but I'm going to delve into that the further we get along. Sorry if this seems like it's coming out of nowhere.
Chapter 12: Shikamaru Is On Bed Rest
Summary:
Hawk's observations and an account of what happened to a point. Shikamaru and Naruto are forced to have some down time. Kakashi visits and is surprisingly friendly.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Inei was asleep for a full day. Hawk was assigned to watch the two again.
The nurse and the two chunin were interrogated as to what happened.
Despite having a severe shoulder wound Inei had refused treatment until Haruki returned. The nurse had tried to persuade him, but the more he pushed the more Inei seemed to grow distressed. He had gone from sitting relaxed on the bed to pacing the room, looking like a scared animal that had been cornered. He kept asking when Haruki would come back, if he was outside, if they could get him. The nurse had wanted to give him a sedative, he'd only worsen his wound at that rate, and when he couldn't approach he'd asked the two teachers to come in and help him. Just to hold the man still. Just to give a light sedative into his uninjured arm.
He had screamed at being touched. Not in anger though, the staff of the hospital were used to upset shinobi and many avoided reporting injuries. It had been in fear. He had fought against them, pushing, trying to make them let go, when the nurse was close enough to put a hand on him, to inject the sedative-
He had been flung. The other two were pushed back as well.
He had claimed that while watching the man's face, trying to get steady, he had watched his pupils expand to cover the entirety of his eye, and the ground writhed under his feet.
Whips made of shadows rose and fell, he made a second attempt to sedate Inei but was thrown through the door.
When he'd been trying to get his bearings, he'd seen Haruki race down the hall with a stormy expression, the shadows in the hall were behaving strangely. He used chakra to climb the walls, lunged through the door into the room, and had subdued a struggling Inei. The nurse couldn't see very well, but he thought he saw Inei stab the man at least twice, and went to tear his throat out with his teeth.
It had happened so fast, and one of the shadows had slammed into the door as Inei bit down into Haruki's neck- at that point it blocked what followed from view.
When Hawk had arrived, Haruki's neck was scabbing already. He had done his best to put the room back to sorts, and was treating Inei's wound himself. From his stitchwork he seemed used to it, and there were probably doctors and nurses here who could learn something watching him.
Hawk did not miss the two small pinholes in Haruki's hanta, blood crusted on the edges. He did not miss the specks of blood on the ground, nor the cuts in the fabric around the blonde's legs. There was more blood down his front than the small bite wound would produce. He had not been injured earlier in the ambush on the children. He wasn't sure what to make of that information, however.
He had explained without really clearing anything up what had happened, but he had stayed rocking the other man lightly, eyes somewhere far away.
He hadn't been lying.
When Inei woke up the next day he was disoriented, his eyes had swiveled around the room until he spotted Haruki and the wild look of panic had left him.
He didn't remember what happened. He remembered them leaving for the hospital. He asked if he had passed out from blood loss, looking embarrassed.
“You were more tired than you thought.” Haruki lied to him. “You should keep resting, we'll go home in a bit.”
The man had looked so soft, nodding and settling back to close his eyes again. Haruki made eye contact with Hawk and put a finger to his lips.
They had moved rooms. The bite wound was gone now from his neck as if he'd never been injured.
Hawk had seen them first hand before but that was different . He didn't feel scared. He was an ANBU, but there was something that pricked under his skin about the two. He didn't think they were a danger to the village, but he knew there were things they weren't sharing.
As a shinobi, secrets came with the lifestyle, and the two weren't village shinobi even if they seemed to be getting comfortable- but some things couldn't remain a secret. Not if they were going to stay here.
Haruki knew more than he was saying, lying by omission, but how much did he know? What was he keeping to himself?
Hawk observed the gentle way Haruki brushed back some of Inei's hair, before fussing with his blanket, then he laid his hand over Inei's and grew still as a sentinel, his senses on high alert given the way his ears seemed to twitch at every slight noise.
Whatever the lie was, it was to protect his companion.
Shikamaru wasn't stupid. He knew the missing time was from his deal with Yugure. The reason he was distressed... well it had to be because Naruto wasn't with him. He knew his recent codependency was unhealthy, and the only thing that could make him feel so unsafe was for Naruto to not be with him...
So Naruto was pulled away and he was meant to finish being treated alone? Strangers touching him without Naruto there to make sure nothing happened would defiantly cause him to freak out, he wasn't embarrassed to admit that. But why wasn't he there?
They'd need a statement about the attack. An opportunity to see how they acted alone, no doubt the hokage had a hand in it. Maybe they were trying to judge how unstable he was... if that's true he proved just how bad off he was without needing any prompting.
He couldn't feel the spirit anymore, but he knew she would return again. She was waiting.
He didn't regret the deal with her, but he wished he could tell Naruto what the spirit wanted. He wouldn't be happy with the method, but he wouldn't outright dislike what she was doing it for. He honestly was getting more out of the deal than she was. Even so, he didn't particularly like spiraling, and he was deadly in that state, hostile to everyone and everything.
If they were sent to the front lines, he could do some real damage, he knew that he only had a few more transformations before he could satisfy her end of the deal- this one had counted apparently. He could feel the heavy lump in his ribs had gotten bigger.
Naruto couldn't sense it or feel it, and he knew it couldn't be detected by medical jutsu, but he was painfully aware of it when he breathed in, the cold heavy weight of his choices ever present in his mind. He had known she had followed just because it hadn't gone away, but he hadn't been sure if she remembered the deal until this, now.
At this rate, three, maybe only two more times. Once that happened he need only carry out his end of the bargain, a lifelong task, but she would leave him her abilities, no longer needing to eat his memories of when she was around. He didn't understand Yugure's motivation, but he knew she wouldn't lie to him.
He would keep his soul. He would gain her powers and be able to use them without consequence. She would not kill him. And in exchange, he would give her-
“Inei, are you sure you're okay? Your shoulder doesn't hurt too badly, does it?”
“I'm fine.” Naruto had been fussing. He was always fussy, but between Shikamaru getting hurt and Yugure manifesting again he was worse than usual. “You haven't eaten yet, have you?”
He had woken again, they were still in the hospital and it made him queasy. No Ino. No Sakura. He kept expecting to see one of them pop in to scold him. The knowledge that they wouldn’t be around to do so anymore left him hollow inside.
“I can wait a bit longer.” He could only hum in response, his hand came to rub at the tight feeling just under his heart. Naruto's eyes followed the motion and he frowned, he shouldn't worry him like this.
“... will I be able to leave soon? My shoulder feels fine, and it was sewed up well so...” He could recognize Naruto's stitch work anywhere, though he didn't say as much to him.
“Soon. I'll take you for some soba.” He smiled. He could pretend that everything was normal for a bit, at least while they were obviously being watched.
How long before the village kicked them out? They were a clear danger. Weren't they suspicious? He didn't consider for a moment that this little show might actually have insentivized them to keep the two around longer. After all, their village was well known in the future for human experimentation -good or bad it was true-, and a stronger more attack based form of the shadow possession jutsu would seem quite appealing to Sarutobi, but definitely Danzo. Naruto stroked his thumb across Shikamaru's knuckles, not meeting his gaze. He must have had to deal with Yugure then, the being made Naruto twitchy to the extreme.
“I talked with the Hokage earlier. He wants us to consider staying. We'd need to take the appropriate tests, and we'd be sent to the front and given a trial period, but...”
Still? After what had happened? How bad did he act out while he couldn't remember? Was it impressive enough to risk the safety of others in the village to try and obtain? He had expected them to delay it as long as possible, not move it forward. Still, he shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, if they were willing to speed up immigration for them, he'd take it.
“You want to stay.” They were being watched. Did they see him as a weapon? A threat? He took Naruto's hand when he began to protest.
“... I can't make that choice for you though.” He finally grit out.
“You have family here.” Not just Minato and Kushina, but Iruka too, Kakashi, Gai, he was older now than them, but he cared for them. This could be a safer world for them too. “Don't lie to me and say you're okay with leaving.”
“... don't think about how I feel. What do you want?”
What did he want?
He wanted Naruto to really smile more, not the fake ones he plastered on. He wanted to settle down, he was never happy on the road for long- he wanted a house. He wanted to live with Naruto and grow old together. He wanted to hear children laughing in their home, because he couldn't imagine never being a father, and depriving the world of Naruto getting to be one felt like a crime.
He wanted to walk hand in hand with Naruto around somewhere that people knew them by their faces. He wanted mundanity. He wanted to pick out sheets and nag each other about dishes. He wanted a yard where he could plant vegetables and cloud watch like he did when he was young. He wanted to teach their future kids how to play games, to read and write, to mark their height every new season on door frames and through pictures on every wall.
He could have that anywhere. But here there were ghosts. His father, Inoichi-san, Asuma . He knew Shikaku had been trying to run into him on purpose. A Nara born outside the village, there were so many ways to test it. What did he think?
“I'll be happy anywhere, so long as we're together.” It's true. So long as shit doesn't hit the proverbial fan, he hopes in ten years time they'll have adopted a few kids and be as close to retired as shinobi get.
“You're such a sap.” Naruto lifted his hand, delicately because it was attached to the arm he had injured, and kissed his knuckles. Between the two Naruto was the worse one, proving it even now.
The village had mistaken it as some sort of Kekkei Genkai. Some mutated variant- it had happened before, and the Nara clan had certainly produced some individuals with extreme talent bordering on it before-
Shikagouro, Shikaku's father, and the man they suspected to have fathered Inei was a particularly powerful shadow manipulator. Yin chakra mixing with an unknown bloodline limit might have evolved it into what it was now.
Sarutobi had wanted to see if he could break Inei, just enough they couldn't leave or risk his further mental health. He hadn't expected... he couldn't be sly about it anymore. The pair was far too valuable to let go of as they were. Not to mention there were several dozen sets of grateful parents both shinobi and civilian who were supporting their immigration to the village now. The Umino family in particular was singing their praises. Iruka, their son, would have died if not for the two- faster than the other children, but they wouldn't have survived the attack either given how slow ANBU had been to respond.
There was so much the two didn't seem to realize was incredible with their own knowledge. Using the shadow clone jutsu to rapidly learn and improve, knowing how to numb an area, funinjutsu in general, and Inei's dissection method was also far more advanced than what they'd seen. ANBU could learn something from him.
There were risks of course. Both seemed concerningly unstable- but most shinobi were unstable. If the only caveat to bringing them both in was to pair them up constantly, Sarutobi could take that risk. Even still, Inei was dangerous when in that state, so he should do his due diligence and try and find him some mental health help.
Naruto helped him lay back on their bed at the inn. He felt restless. He'd be grounded with this injury for at least a week, but they could do the written portions of the exams they would have to take to become village shinobi once he was off bed rest so he at least could properly relax while nursing the injury. Naruto had had to learn as he went, but he knew enough of the raw material he should be fine.
“Stop thinking.” He rolled his eyes, watching Naruto putter around the rented room- they kept very little out, but he got a pair of pajamas ready for Shikamaru, before he went to start a kettle of water for instant noodles.
He was being spoiled.
Naruto helped him not long after strip himself of his soiled clothes, they'd need to be washed and mended.
Not for the first time, Shikamaru thought that Naruto would make a very effective housewife. He could cook, sew, he knew how to clean even if he didn't do it often, and he briefly let his mind wander, Naruto in an apron...
“Shika?” He hummed. “I can smell you thinking about something.” He sat up quickly, shoulder stinging, face flushed. Naruto's eyebrows bounced up and down and he shot him a rude gesture. “No strenuous activity for the next few days, okay?”
“I didn't say anything!”
Kakashi seemed to be more amiable to their company once they got back with him. Not needing to pretend they couldn't read the journals anymore, they gave it two more days before Naruto cracked the cipher. Kakashi had been sitting with them in their room, he looked so small- he really was the same size and age as they had been when they became ninja.
Naruto kept feeding the poor kid, because his love language was food and acts of service, and if he didn't he might actually combust from pent up affection. Shikamaru spent the days he had to for recovery going through to confirm his suspicions on a number of theories regarding the altered biology of the Zetsu. He compiled it into a very thick scroll, making a copy for his own records, and then handed it to Kakashi to deliver to Sarutobi. He also, reluctantly, handed a small sample of the Senju cells with it, feeling a bit like he was handing the village an active bomb- Yamato was likely already made, and he had some big concerns about that too but giving the village more reasons to desecrate the first hokage's corpse wasn't something he was comfortable with.
“Their human, that's all I can tell.” He wondered how they'd go about testing them. He was curious himself how Orochimaru would react to his report. It should be two years before he really got going with his human experimentation after all. No children had been abducted yet, but they had already made Yamato- that was one of the projects Danzo had led and he wasn't clear on how involved in it beyond the cloning aspect. They'd need to assess if Orochimaru was able to be set on a better path or not- it might make things easier but there was also a chance he couldn't be changed and they might actually have to remove him.
Kakashi returned after delivering them, and watched them curiously as Shikamaru tugged off his shirt and Naruto carefully began to remove his stitches- the wound was a bit tender, but it wouldn't split open again unless someone did it manually. Shikamaru could imagine the look on Naruto's face as he cut and pulled each stitch out, trying very hard not to damage his skin further, as delicate as disarming a paper bomb.
“You've done this before.” Kakashi states. Because it's obvious.
“No one else was going to do it.” Naruto mumbles back, absent-minded, “I heal really fast, but Shika doesn't. You learn what you need to.”
“... how long have you two been traveling together?” It took over two weeks, closer to a month than that even, to start asking personal questions. It was faster progress than they had thought they'd make with him if Shikamaru was honest- he was still expecting the cold shoulder.
“Hmmm. Since our village got wrecked.” Naruto reached over for a towel and carefully cleaned the healing scab, before he began to smear a herbal paste over it.
“Yeah, how long ago was that?”
“We were teenagers.” Shikamaru didn't want to go in circles with the chibi right now. Kakashi was quiet for a moment, he must be trying to do math in his head. After a minute he frowned, it was either eight years ago, or near fifteen, and Kakashi didn't seem inclined to ask them which side it was closer to.
"During the second war, right?"
"Uh-huh, it was near the border." Shikamaru rolled his shoulders lightly, testing the tightness of his skin and the flex of his muscles, Naruto dropped a kiss on the side of his head as he got up to clear the sutures and other medical items from their bed. “As far as I know, Haruki and I are the only ones left.”
He saw Kakashi's usually indifferent, often uninterested eye widen. It wasn't a lie- if anyone else from their time made it back to the past he'd be shocked. It nearly killed them after all, and they had been preparing for months- or years, it was honestly hard to say given how strange time flowed in the summoning lands.
There had also been precious little to go back to. They'd misdirected it also, if Kaguya tried to follow using the same method without all the pieces she'd end up in one of the uninhabited alternate realities. Hopefully trapped and suffering. He was actually curious if the moment they went back that timeline had ceased to exist, or if that world was still somehow around because of the changes he'd made. He didn't want the answer, obviously, it wouldn't change anything and it might only come as Kaguya cutting her way into this world so... no, he was alright letting it stay a mystery.
“That explains some things about you two weirdos.”
“Says the weirdest one here.” Naruto snorted before he was putting a kettle on and getting cups of tea ready. “How's your friend, Obito?” Kakashi's face grew a bit stormy.
“He finally got released, he's resting at home with his grandma.”
“That's good. I was starting to think they'd keep him in there forever.” Naruto shuddered, “I hate hospitals.”
“I know you do, big guy.” And he was pushing more food toward Kakashi, snacks to go with the tea. Kakashi was too polite even as a saucy little brat to turn down freely given hospitality, so he tugged his mask down to eat a few of the rice cakes.
“You're such a little cutie.” Naruto said it without thinking, before he turned to Shikamaru, ignorant to the shocked, almost panicked expression currently hitting the preteen, “Hey, Shika, after the war we should adopt.”
“Like a baby, or a dog?”
“Maa, we could adopt both! Maybe not at the same time. That'd be pretty hard, raising a baby and training a puppy at the same time.”
“We need a house first, or an apartment, but kids and dogs need yards...”
“Once we're officially village shinobi we should be able to buy or rent in the village. I have a book on how to use sealing with architecture-!” He was vibrating like a small child, too excited to sit down. “I could build us a house!”
“That's all well and good, but when will you have time for that? We're sort of at war, remember? We'll just rent somewhere and figure the rest out later.”
Building a home together did sound nice, but between materials, land, and labor, they wouldn't be able to afford it. It was land that cost so much in the village, the wall put a premium on it, and even the cheapest most run down properties in the worst areas would eat the entirety of their savings. Maybe then some.
No. They should rent the cheapest shinobi housing, pinch ryo, and start looking when they had been here for a few years.
“What's so great about houses anyway?” Kakashi was pouting. It was... pretty darn cute, actually. Without the mask, even with one eye covered, he was adorable. If they'd gotten here even earlier... maybe they could have taken the poor kid in after his father's suicide, hell they could have prevented it from happening if they could have saved his mission. It was the first time he regretted not going back further.
“Shika grew up in a really nice house.” Naruto wouldn't say anything that could out them, but it did embarrass him a bit, “He had a big family, and they always shared food with me.” His mother hadn't exactly liked Naruto, but she would never turn him away empty handed. He knew there were nights the only food Naruto would have were scraps his mother had wrapped up for the boy, sometimes days after receiving them. If he had understood then what he knows now he would have brought Naruto over every night even if it led to screaming matches with his mom.
“My extended family lived there too. Mostly I was alone with my mom.”
“What about you, Haruki, did you have a nice house too?” It's snide, he's the sort that would be happy living in a box if it meant never needing to worry about others entering his space. Kakashi was more stray dog than young boy at this point, though to be fair he never really grew out of that mentality from what Shikamaru knew of the man.
“Nah. I was in an orphanage until I was four or five, then I lived in this really shity rented room. One of the village elders gave me a little bit of money every month to buy food, and twice a year he'd give me double that so I could buy a few clothes.”
“Oh.” Even if his father was a disgrace, Kakashi had never felt the destitute isolation of being orphaned as Naruto had. There had always been food, heat, money for clothes-
He had never been called dirty, or been chased away from stores, never forced to rifle through the trash hoping for a decent meal.
“You could have just stayed with us, you know your land lady was stealing from you.”
“Your mom didn't really like me though.”
“She would have gotten used to you.” What ifs didn't matter now, but sometimes they'd pick up the old debate, “Besides, my family had more than enough money to take care of you too...”
“So you were rich?” Kakashi ventured, breaking them out of their reprieve.
“My family was.” He corrected. It was all lost when the village was destroyed, and after that money wasn't something that really mattered. “Everything was lost, so it's not worth crying about it now.”
“You two sure are different from each other, aren't you?” Kakashi didn't sound as judgmental as usual, he wasn't polite, but he wasn't actively trying to be hostile either.
“Keeps things interesting.” Shikamaru mumbled into his tea cup.
Kakashi kept an eye on them, considering something that he wouldn't share.
It didn't bother Shikamaru at all, the chibi was starting to calm down around them, that was the part that mattered to him.
Naruto was soon trying to feed the boy again and he had to flee, giving them some time alone.
Notes:
The next chapter with be explicit.
Chapter 13: Overwhelmed and Boneless (NSFW)
Summary:
Alternate Chapter Title: Is it a threesome if they share a dick?
Chapter Text
With the brat gone again, Naruto got up to lock the door, stripping off his shirt and tossing it toward the chair their laundry had began to pile up on.
“You look confident.” He put his cup on the nightstand and Naruto was soon over him, pushing their foreheads together.
“You are off of bed rest.” He hummed, smiling as Natuto nuzzled him, kissing his cheek then along his jaw. “And I speak for both of us when I say we've wanted to eat you alive.” His eyes flashed lightly red.
“Now...when you say eat -!?” Shikamaru took a sharp breath as Naruto growled, licking a stripe up his throat. “Yeah... okay.”
“Can I put my tongue inside you?” Shikamaru's belly twisted at that, on one hand the idea of anyone touching him there made him suddenly panic, on the other hand Naruto might entirely override that memory because he didn't do things in half measures and if Naruto said he'd eat Shikamaru alive then the shadow user was going to be a pathetic sobbing mess when he was done.
“You can try, but I'm allowed to say when you stop, got it?”
“Of course.” It's a purr, a low, belly rumbling hum and Shikamaru is stunned for a moment as he pushes him down to kiss him, fingers ghosting over Shikamaru's ribs. His eyes have gone full red, and the air in the room tastes both sweet and sharp, like blood and sugar, cloying as it sticks to the roof of his mouth. He simply lays back and lets Naruto take control.
He's as overwhelming as always, setting Shikamaru's nerves alight, tongue dragging over his chest and scenting him every so often, grinding his smell down against Shikamaru with some primal need to make his claim known.
This is all Kurama and the knowledge does little to disrupt the heady desire building in his stomach. He knows anyone with a sensitive enough nose is going to notice. Naruto growled low again, thumbs tucking against his waistband, threatening and promising as he rubs his jaw desperately down- Kurama has a bad habit of strengthening Naruto's natural musk, and it wafts across his skin as he drags Shikamaru's bottoms down his things. He wished his nose was better, wished he could fully appreciate the amount of effort they were putting in to impart their scent.
“You're just fucking with me now...” Naruto kept his chin on Shikamaru's belly, as he'd slowly been working his way down, and made eye contact, licking slowly over his sharp teeth. “Please don't bite my dick off.”
“Don't worry, Shika.” He gasped as he felt hot blood on his belly- Naruto had cut his tongue on a tooth, and he drew a seal over him- before he could ask what it was, he felt it. Intimately.
“What the fuck was that?!” It hadn't been un pleasant, but the experience wasn't good either. Like his insides had been painlessly scooped out. “Did you just... clean my colon?”
“Would you rather I have ate you out full of filth?” He turned red, stammering and at a loss.
“Of course not!” It was Kurama's breathless chuckle coming from Naruto's mouth at that, that sent heat directly to his groin. “Just... warn me next time...”
“So there's already a next time?” He wanted to protest, but Naruto sat back, crouched like a stretching cat, red eyes locked on his face as he puffed hot air over Shikamaru's length. He felt heat swelling inside him, pressure and need.
His thighs were pushed wide apart, and the cool air ghosted against him ever closer, before Naruto was licking. Long and curling, wrapping Shikamaru's cock before his red eyes met Shikamaru's and Naruto was swallowing him down, holding him in his throat, growling with it setting in his throat even though it must be uncomfortable. The feeling made him gasp, fingers tangling in messy blonde locks as their owner began to lightly bob his head. It was messy, drool and precum, sweat slowly sticking him to the sheets, blood drying on his belly, smudged after being used.
He was being devoured. Naruto was going to really eat him this time- swallow him whole, until not even bones remained. Just as the thought of sinking into it hit him, Naruto pulled off slowly, licking his lips, eyes still hungry as he urged Shikamaru's into his side.
The new angle made him half roll into his belly trying to make space; he had one leg pushed up under him. He didn't want to think about how he must look, panting and hard, presenting his ass up. He'd be embarrassed if anyone else saw.
But it was just them, even the ANBU couldn't peak through the walls, and the silencing seal encompassed their bed so as long as they didn't start fucking against the walls they'd probably be fine.
Naruto nosed against the cleft of his ass, nipping his cheeks and licking the tender bites with his tongue, strong hands massaging the backs of his thighs and up to the swell of his ass. He clutched the sheets under him hard, fighting the urge to squirm. Just when he felt like maybe he was adjusting slightly to the overwhelming feeling of Naruto everywhere all at once the blonde ran the flat of his tongue up from his taint to the middle of his back.
Maybe because it didn't feel the slightest bit like fingers, or maybe because there was no way it wasn't Naruto, in either case the only feeling it elicited was arousal.
He swore as Naruto held his hips, tongue moving relentlessly over his hole, each pass pushing firm against the muscle. He clawed a pillow close to his face and bit , his hips twitching back against the burning heat of Naruto's tongue as it slowly broke him open.
The muscle couldn't withstand the assault forever, and after a particularly firm swipe, his tongue pushed inside. Shikamaru was embarrassed, as that was all it took in his worked up state to boil over, cumming against the bed sheets and his stomach, mercifully Naruto took him in hand, tongue stilling as he wrung him dry. He may have made an embarrassing noise but the pillow muffled most of it, and what wasn't was covered by an appreciative growling from his bedmate.
He was left panting, eyes watering and drool staining the pillow by the time his eyes stopped being crossed.
“Shit... okay...” Naruto was giving him a moment to breathe, which was difficult because there was, in fact, still a tongue up his ass, but at least it wasn't squirming.
He squeaked when it slid out.
“You okay for me to keep going?” Because of course he wasn't finished.
“Y-yeah...” This time when the tongue pushed in he expected the feeling, eyes closing as he tried to keep his breathing normal.
It rolled into him, slowly working deeper and deeper, and he pressed his forehead to the bed, able to see between his legs- Naruto's pants were tented, but he was making no move to touch himself, focusing solely on Shikamaru. He gasped as Naruto's tongue brushed a sensitive spot inside him, cock twitching at the feeling.
He almost wished he'd held back the sound because Naruto's tongue began to rub single mindedly against it, until he was hard and shaking, pushing back against the tongue that was filling him.
He was already close again when Naruto eased his tongue out, licking up his back and scraping his neck with sharp teeth- not breaking skin but raising gooseflesh. He was breathing hard and his skin was damp with sweat from trying to hold still, from the heat of the room-
“Shika...” He quivered, arching back against the body pressing him to the bed. “Can I put it in?”
Instinctively he almost agreed without thinking. But . Naruto was massive, and as much as his tongue had filled Shikamaru, he knew that would do shit all to prepare him for the massive rod currently pulsing against his hip.
“You're way too big... loosen me up a little more and we can try it.” He heard the tube of lubricant open, and Naruto was warming it in his palm as he rocked their bodies together soothingly.
He distracted with fingers on Shikamaru's weeping cock, just enough that when the first finger breached he hardly noticed it. It couldn't stay that way, however, as it shifted deeper, pressing, searching, thrusting in and out. Each stroke made his stomach flutter, and the probing was making his knees weak.
“You're doing so good.” He was also very aware of the fact that Naruto had much higher stamina than him, and with each dragged out orgasm he was being fucked to exhaustion by his over excited partner. He already couldn't keep up with Naruto and now he was destined to fall helplessly behind him. He only hoped Naruto wouldn't fuck him unconscious- although something about that also appealed to him. “Can you handle another finger?”
He nodded, whining, and a second was soon stretching him open, scissoring with the first, it burned just a little, but any time he made a noise of discomfort it was abandoned to stroke his prostate until he was sniveling and rocking blindly backwards. He agreed without a thought to a third, and soon most of the former jinchuuriki's hand was inside of him, pistoning and driving him up a wall.
“Do you want to try and fit me now? If you need more we can go back to just fingers.” He nodded, privately torn between begging for Naruto to keep wedging him open on his fingers, and desperately wanting something with more substance. The fingers were good, so good , but Naruto's cock would hit his prostate without trying because of how large it was and the idea of that was enough to make him almost desperate.
“Naru-!” It turned into a hiss, mind foggy, and Naruto turned his head to kiss him as he pressed down hard inside of him at his prostate.
“My sweet Shika... not so loud.” He understood. The seals only quieted the bed, if he screamed Naruto's real name it might be heard.
“M'sorry...” He could hear Naruto slicking up his cock.
“It's okay. I'm going to start pushing it in, so if you need me to stop just tell me, okay?” Shikamaru nodded, and he bit his lip as the thick head nudged at his hole. For a bare second he doubts it can fit, even if they spent the whole night opening him, even if Naruto could fit his fist inside- but then it's through the rim and he's gasping as it settles just inside.
It's big . He has to squeeze his eyes shut as something- not pain, surprisingly- washes over him. He's light headed and his muscles go tight then slack, and warmth paints his stomach. Just like with Naruto's tongue, the second his cock is in Shikamaru came all over himself.
“Holy shit, Shika...” Naruto is rubbing his hips. “That was so fucking hot...” he disagreed, it was embarrassing, and even though he's happy Naruto liked it, it doesn't bode well that anytime Naruot shoves something inside him he cums. “You need a minute?”
“Stop talking, I can feel it in my hips.” He whimpered, because as dignified as he's trying to act, it's a lot . He's already well fucked and they've barely started- having cum twice from his ass, mostly without the help from his cock being touched, and Naruto was such a big warm presence at his back, draped over him. How much of his dick would even fit inside of Shikamaru?
“You want a little more?” He's rubbing Shikamaru's hips, and he isn't at first sure if he's asking if he needs more time or wants more cock inside him. The answer equals out to about the same result however.
“Just be gentle.” He still almost gurgles as Naruto does ease more into him. Millimeter by millimeter, so slow he can only focus on how it's gaping him open. His inner walls, even forced to relax, ache. He can feel the pressure in his hips, then riding low in his belly and up. Up to his belly button almost. He's trembling when he finally feels Naruto's groin press firmly to his ass.
The whole thing. Naruto's whole monster cock is resting inside him and it short circuits his brain for more than a few minutes, overwhelmed by the stretch and the pressure and the foreign heat coupled with it twitching and throbbing inside of him. He was also so fucking right, the pressure on his prostate is making him cross eyed and drooling again.
“Say something Shika...” his eyes roll back to realize Naruto is watching him worriedly.
“Feels like... fuck... like you've pushed all my guts out of the way...” he touched his stomach with a shaky hand and groaned low and painfully pathetic even considering his current position, “I can feel you.”
Naruto joins him, resting his full palm over Shikamaru's stomach, it covers almost the whole damn thing. His stomach is taut and if knowing just what to feel for its obvious there's a faint bulge from his cock where it's currently taking up the entire length of Shikamaru's rectum and maybe into his actual colon. Something tells Shikamaru that Naruto is maybe an hour worth of desperate fucking away from calling the same anatomy something weird, but he'll forgive him. Hell he might not even notice depending on how hard Naruto's working him over, but that's assuming he could even handle that.
Fitting Naruto inside is one thing after all, the idea of him moving too? He doesn't get time to panic over it because Naruto is slowly pulling out- the sensation is one he's more familiar with but it just makes him go red, not wanting to think about that .
He'd forgive himself, as he couldn't think of anything a minute later. Shikamaru could hardly breathe in properly as his insides are filled again, burning heat coiling as he whined.
“It's too big...”
“Should I pull out?” He was dragging out to thrust back in, and at the thought of losing it- Shikamaru pushed his hips back, bowing his head and lowering his shoulders further toward the bed, bending to make the angle to thrust down easier.
“Don't you fucking dare.”
“My Shika is so demanding...” but it's a pleased rumble, and he can hear Kurama in his voice, low and aching, and he does his best to help build a painfully slow pace of easing out and back together.
His insides are going to bruise, he's sure that his guts are being rearranged, and he might never be able to sit down comfortably again, but...
Naruto and Kurama could sew him back together if he really gets destroyed, even they'll eventually get it right if they try- so it's okay.
“Does it feel good?” He groaned because he was absolutely right about his prostate being squished, he can hardly twitch without feeling blinding pressure on it.
“So good.” He's shaking a bit when Naruto moves his hips a little faster.
“I know you can't scream my real name but... I still want you to call for me, even if it's just the one I took when we got here.” It's whispered against his ear, and he gasped as Naruto curled over his back. If he really wants Shikamaru to do it...
“Fuck, Haruki!” The next time the urge to cry out comes, which is quickly because he is being ravished , he does as he's asked. It's enough. Naruto growled low in his chest, and began to lap at his neck with bites and kisses, and coat the whole thing with his hot tongue as his thrusts began to speed up. Faster, faster, faster . And each time he's stuffed as deeply as he can be he's punching out a whimper or moan from Shikamaru, a desperate and needy chorus of ‘Haruki’ and ‘More’..
“So good for us.” It's a dangerous growl, the bed frame had begun to lightly knock against the wall, and the springs under them are squeaking, covering his voice even if the seal wasn't. Shikamaru wouldn't have heard it if it wasn't whispered in his ear, but that was because of the heady, fucked out feeling that was turning his mind to mush. “Pretty little mate. Taking us so well.” He was so close between the praise -which he knew he liked , but this was insanity- and the massive cock grinding away at his insides, going to cum from it alone actually.
In a voice that was all Kurama, the next phrase made his blood boil and freeze in turns.
“I'm going to knot you.”
His eyes widened, and he noticed . The base of Naruto's already ludicrously thick cock was getting thicker. He should be used to Kurama doing ridiculous shit to Naruto's body- he was ! But that didn't make the fact that his human looking partner was about to lock his dick inside of him with very little warning any less unbelievable.
“Won't that hurt?!” He gasped because Naruto had bitten his shoulder, and he could feel it tug at his hole.
It slammed into him and he cried out brokenly, thankfully the ‘knot’ was only big and firm enough to make it difficult to pull it out, and did not, as he feared, rip his hole. He was embarrassed to admit that he orgasmed for it, and he would be yelling at Kurama for thinking that that was okay, and Naruto for letting him, but his mind went blank as his insides were pumped full of seed. His feet kicked the bed, and he was gasping as Naruto nuzzled his neck, praising him.
“How long exactly are we stuck together for?” He almost dreaded to hear the answer.
“Just a few minutes... fucking hell, Shika...” He was actually getting stomach cramps from the amount of seed inside him.
“Did you know he was going to do that?” As if sensing he had to tread carefully, Naruto nosed under his jaw and rubbed his hip bones.
“Not until you did. I'm sorry. If you'd told him no-!”
“It's fine... it doesn't hurt.” He didn't want to admit it felt nice. He also wasn't sure he ever wanted that again- the knotting thing not the sex. He was going to blame Kurama doing that solely on it being something foxes and dogs did- but supposedly Kurama was above earthly desires and was nothing like a real fox.
The swollen flesh literally gluing the two together said otherwise, but he could hurt Kurama's fragile pride later. Like when there wasn't a monster cock stuck in him. It took a little angling but soon he was on his belly, Naruto laying on him doing his best to keep most of his weight off. He kind of liked being squished, but again, not something he wanted to mention quite yet.
A few minutes ended up being half an hour, and by then Naruto was able to carry him to the bathroom, setting him on the toilet as he got a bath ready.
“This feels fucking disgusting.” The cum was much less exciting coming out than going in.
Chapter 14: Is It Really Family Dinner If No One Is Uncomfortable?
Summary:
Minato and Kushina have a small get-together with his squad, as well as Minato's newly discovered brother and his boyfriend, surly inviting his dear friend Shikaku will have no consequences, immediate or otherwise.
Notes:
I don't really have a posting schedule, so it's more going to come out when I have the time to edit them. The file I have this in currently has 158 pages, and this chapter ended on page 106. The point I'm at in my writing is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of the way through the planned plot, but we'll see if I end up making more or less than what I currently want to.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I've gained five pounds, he won't stop!” Kakashi had been complaining to his team for a solid hour- they were far from sympathetic to his plight. “They're always kissing too, and holding hands, don't they get sick of each other?!”
“It's just love, Kakashi. Kushina and I do that stuff all the time, and you never complain when she feeds you.” He crossed his arms, angry at his sensei for not taking his side.
“You don't get it. They're gross... also it isn't like he's asking if I'm hungry or anything, he just hands me food and smiles at me so I feel like I have to eat it...”
“Lucky... I wish I was assigned to them. Is he a good cook?”
“Shut up! You get it the least!”
“I hope I get to know them soon, sensei's Nii-chan seems nice.”
“I should invite them over for dinner. I've been gone for like a whole week. We should celebrate since they'll be joining the village-!”
Kakashi was ignoring him as Minato began to rambled, walking around his kitchen, Rin looked to Obito, who was distracted (Actually listening to Minato sensei, who would bother?), then Kakashi, who flushed in frustration.
“What?” He whispers it sharply and she scoots closer.
“Does Obito have a crush on both of them?”
“He better not.” She gave him an odd look, as if she was sizing him up.
“Do you have a crush on-!”
“Rin!” Oblivious, Obito tried to pick a verbal fight for Rin's honor, and the kunoichi found it unexpectedly enjoyable to see Kakashi grow more and more flustered. She had expected to be disappointed, and was pleasantly surprised not to be so.
Shikamaru isn't sure why they suddenly got invited to Minato's place, but Naruto seems to be in a good mood, politely asking questions about Minato's childhood, being able to relate to him on a lot since he grew up alone too, mostly in an orphanage.
Shikamaru isn't sure how to feel about the squad of young ninja currently herding him toward the table. Obito is asking him animatedly what they'd been up to, while Rin is bombarding him with polite but probing personal questions. Kakashi is silent and judgmental as he usually is, at least as child him usually is, the standoffish prick.
“I hope you don't mind, we have another friend stopping by.” He tried to puzzle out who that would be, going through all the shinobi he knew around Minato and Kushina's ages in his head- but then Naruto was wrapping an arm around him and he... forgot for a moment that he was meant to be overthinking things.
The doorbell rings, and Minato goes to get the door- Kushina is demanding help bringing food out, so he gets up to do just that. They weren't able to bring much, they only had a very small kitchenette at the inn, but Naruto had successfully made and brought miso to go along with the meal, and it turned out very well. The whole time in the kitchen Shikamaru was pointedly saying nothing given he had an obvious bruise on his neck that Kushina was teasing him about.
“Kushina, hey little brats.” Shikamaru had had his back to the door- he hadn't sensed anything dangerous, and Naruto was facing the door. A glance at his face made him aware that they were now in an awkward spot.
Of course sweet, well meaning Minato had invited Shikaku. He had just gotten a shaky connection to new family, one that was still on egg shells but that he was clearly happy to have, of course he'd want to give the same chance to one of his dear friends.
Everyone in the village had been hinting at, wondering about, and very pushilly asking if he was a Nara. Did he know his father's name? Was he adopted? He had of course ensured that Jiriaya, who was still digging up their information, would eventually discover evidence that Shikagouro had fathered him- even if it was a fabrication. Even so, he... he couldn't be a Nara. Not on paper.
His father was the current clan head, but another person who had blood ties to the clan, illegitimate or not, could threaten that. They were a tight knit clan, but he could imagine the Hyuga's exploiting it somehow. His opinion of Hiashi was low already, after all, and there were things to be gained by destabilizing the clan. Shikamaru didn't want to cause tension, and so it was just easier to lie. Unlike Naruto he could lose something trying to get close to his family.
“I don't think you've met, Inei, Haruki, this is Nara Shikaku.” And Minato must feel very good about himself, having likely forgotten in his excitement that his friend had probably mentioned he'd been very openly snubbed by the potential brother.
“Pleasure.” Inei ground out, looking away. He could only see his father's dying face overlaid on this younger version. It was still a raw wound, even all these years later.
This had, of course, not been the reaction Minato had expected, though it did make Kakashi, the little gossip, perk up.
Naruto took his hand, giving him comfort.
Tonight wasn't going to go well.
Shikaku had told Minato this was a bad idea. Sure it would be... nice... having a brother, but there was no way Inei wasn't aware of his attempts to get to know him already, and he'd been getting ignored. He didn't want to push his luck. Even if they never confirmed it, the guy looked too much like his father to not be related somehow, so Shikaku could always feel safe knowing that his brother was alive and well, and imminently joining the village .
He hadn't gotten very physically close to the other man, but now that they were sat across from each other he could openly observe the guy. He had dark circles under his eyes, but he had a good complection, and his hair and eyes looked healthy, so he wasn't sick, though he was a bit too thin. He couldn't not notice the massive hickey peeking out from just under his shirt collar, and from the moment they saw each other the older man had been using Minato's brother like a human shield. So he probably caused it.
For his part Haruki kept physical contact with Inei, and kept shooting looks at Minato. Not angry . More... accusatory? As if asking him why he invited Shikaku and didn't think to mention that. Minato looked appropriately shamed for his overzealous attempt at reuniting the two when Inei was avoiding him like the plague. It had been well meaning at least.
“So... you two have your written tests tomorrow right?” Kushina, bless her, was trying to alleviate the terrible mood, she must have thought that Minato had told them Shikaku was coming. He felt like maybe he should make an excuse and go.
“Hmm? Yeah. I'm sure Inei will pass, no problem but I'm a little anxious...” Inei snorted at that, making the first real expression Shikaku had seen since arriving other than dread. His smile was a bit cynical, but it made his dull eyes suddenly light up- something told him that there had been a time when Inei smiled a lot given the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the light lines that popped around his mouth.
“You'll be fine. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for, you know that.”
“But when we were kids... I always sucked at tests... I don't think I ever passed one-”
“Haruki.” It's a warning tone, “Of course you'd do bad on the tests when our dick of a sensei was giving you ones for the grade above us.” He fidgeted, looking down.
“But I did bad on the ones that weren't swapped too.”
“You're sensei was swapping your tests for harder ones?” Obito, the pipsqueak, had been watching the two dreamily the whole of dinner, Rin and Kakashi were having a silent argument about something- if Inoichi was here he'd be having a field day, he'd have to update his friend on anything interesting going on with the kids, the man spent maybe too much time gossiping at the mission desk. Shikaku wasn't the only one who listened more intently at the mention of their shared youth- Minato wanted to know more about his brother after all. They had very little to go on given the two were born outside of the village, anything to help puzzle the two men together.
“We had two different sensei. They'd swap out for each other often, one of them Mitsuki, was a bastard. He'd switch out Haruki's tests for harder ones and assign homework that he couldn't possibly do, but Haruki couldn't talk to any adults about it without them calling him ungrateful. Meanwhile, our other sensei...” What do they call him? Iruka isn't a common name after all...
“He was the closest thing I had to a dad.” Naruto swept over it, probably not realizing they hadn't named him; likely already lost thinking about Iruka. “He was tough on me, but only because he was worried I'd go down a bad path. He had to teach me how to read and write when I started school, everyone else already knew how.”
“It took him two months.” Inei elbowed him, “His handwriting is still crap if he's not making seals, but considering he couldn't even write his own name when he started learning, the fact that he was at least caught up in that short amount of time is pretty impressive.”
Actually, it was impressive. Two months was an incredibly short time frame to learn an entire written language, even if you spoke it. He probably didn't even get the chance to study every day if it was a teacher who was still busy with other classes that was teaching him. Maybe not genius level smart, but nothing to sneeze at. It was also... nice. Seeing Inei perk up when talking about Haruki, though he wasn't sure if the tone was teasing or outright bullying, Haruki seemed unaffected however.
“I was just tired of being picked on for not knowing...”
“You'll be fine.” Inei says it like it's a fact. “Only an idiot would bet against you.” It's so heart wrenchingly fond and he finds himself smiling.
There must be so many stories behind his conviction, and Shikaku wonders if they'll ever have the chance to hear about them. He does want to get to know Inei, even if the older man wants nothing to do with him. It's not that he doesn't get it, really, not everyone is as excited as Minato to learn they have a surprise sibling. If his father was still alive this would have been a nightmare- the old bastard would have denied his existence, and insisted Inei wasn't the product of an extramarital affair. It was a miracle that he'd only just met one half sibling, after all. With Nara Shikagouro's history he had expected at least a dozen or more.
Inei's mother had probably had poor things to say about their dad, or maybe he was just uncomfortable having a brother thrust onto him. From what he'd gathered Inei had had a large family, emphasis on had . Now it was just Haruki. Was he anxious that Shikaku would have some issues with his sexuality? He should try and clear up any misunderstandings... but that was impossible when Inei refused to speak with him.
Inei left the table to help wash up and Kushina joined him, Haruki stayed sat with them. The two boys eventually got strong armed into the kitchen to help clean by Rin.
“I'm going out for a smoke...” he knew Minato didn't smoke, but the blonde usually stood outside with him.
“I'll join for some fresh air.” Haruki glanced at them, getting up and going into the kitchen while Shikaku got his pack out of his coat and found his lighter, he spoke softly with Inei before he headed out with them. To Shikaku and Minato's surprise he took an offered cigarette.
“I don't usually smoke.” But he was smoking now. “Inei actually likes the smell. I did it off and on when we were growing up. I don't really like it though.”
“Seems a bit extreme.”
“Mhmm, not really. His godfather was a chimney, and most of the men in his family smoked too, and his friends' dads. When they died... sometimes smelling smoke perked him up. He used to smoke a lot, after... Anyway, he quit and I try not to.”
“You mind me asking what he was like, growing up?” Haruki hummed, flicking ash from the end and inhaling it again before settling back, trying to blow rings.
“They lived in a traditional old house. It was pretty big. I don't remember what they did, he would, but they were really well off. He was lazy, an underachiever, we couldn't have been more different. I always tried too hard, and he never tried at all. On nice days he'd sit on this hill near his house and just watch the clouds. He was actually a lot closer to two other kids, a boy and a girl... her birthday was the day after his." He got a far away look in his eyes as he spoke. "They used to have a birthday party together every year, and he'd complain the whole time even though he secretly loved it.” He rambled a bit, eyes staring up at the cold and indifferent sky. Shikaku wouldn’t complain, he’d asked for this. “His godfather died when we were around fifteen, he left behind a wife with a baby on the way, and Inei swore he'd take care of them... I still remember when we came back after running from the village and he... there wasn't anything we could have done to save everyone, we only survived because we had a little bit of chakra training.” Haruki finished his cigarette and dropped it, crushing it under his heel. “It isn't that he hates you, or doesn't want to get to know you. He's just scared that doing so might betray the family he lost. He gets too into his own head, and he has trouble communicating with others.” He turned his head up toward the sky again, and Shikaku could recognize the look of someone remembering something painful. “Just give him time, and don't push him, it'll only drive him away.”
With that he patted Shikaku's shoulder, glared halfheartedly at Minato, and went inside.
“I think he's mad at me.”
“No shit.”
“... I knew that they lost their village but, I guess I didn't really understand what that would mean.”
“Mhmm... they have a way of talking without really saying anything, don't they?” Not that he really blamed them. Even Haruki, who seemed to have a more complicated relationship with the people from his village had still likely had friends, that teacher he saw as a father at the very least. Shikaku had lost friends before, it was a risk you took living this way, but to suddenly loose everyone and everything in such a short time? If he lost Inoichi and Choza, his home, Yoshino, and suddenly found himself on the backfoot with nowhere to go? He wouldn't be particularly chatty about the details either...
“... yeah. Ugh, it's getting colder, let's go inside.”
“I'll smoke another one, go apologize to your brother and his boyfriend for surprising them with me.”
“You sure?”
“... yeah.” He had some things to think about himself.
Minato got back into the apartment to find that Haruki had made a nuisance of himself immediately, hugging Inei as he tried to help dry the dishes.
“You stink.”
“I do not stink.” They sound like they're teasing each other, and he watches his brother take the dishes from Inei and hand them to Rin who knows where they go, rolling up his sleeves to help wash.
“The moon looks lovely tonight, want to walk the long way home?”
“You know it's freezing outside, right?”
“I'll keep you warm.” He's lightly elbowed for that.
“I'm not being outside more than I have to.”
“I tried.” Haruki bumped their hips. “Was this it for dishes?”
“You dumb-asses were out there for a while.” Haruki laughed at that, and Minato overheard the dark haired man mumble something about trouble.
He wasn't the only one watching, Kushina was leaning against the table, watching then with a small smile. Kakashi was trying to pry Obito away, the boy had his sharingan active for some reason. Rin had a dreamy look on her face, sharing something so quietly with Kushina he couldn't hear it, but she grinned wider.
“Are you actually mad about me smoking?”
“No.” It comes a bit too quick.
“I can quit. It's no big deal.”
“... it doesn't bother me, it's just-!” He twisted the drying rag, “There's a lot of health risks.”.
“... you think I'll get cancer?” Minato is slightly horrified at how...pleased? Haruki sounds?
“Shut up.”
“Shika-!”
“Drop it. It's stupid.”
“You're worried about me?!” He looks delighted.
“No! Why would I be worried, you've gotten up from having a hand in your chest-!”
“Maa, my boyfriend cares about me! He loooves me-!” Inei was rapidly punching him in the ribs with force that Minato was sure would hurt, but Haruki wasn't even flinching.
“You are so embarrassing. I take it back, smoke until you throw up a lung.”
“Cancer is a serious health risk, Inei-sensei.” Rin is frowning up at them, she'll have to look up at Haruki at least for the rest of her life (But so will everyone else, Minato is only a bit jealous for not being taller himself given how big his brother is, maybe he got that from his moms side...). It does make him wonder why Rin is calling him sensei now, unaware of the talk at the hospital she'd been overhearing for the last few weeks.
“I can't get cancer.” Haruki is laughing at that point, “I've-!” He has his hands on his knees, doubled over, which still makes him as tall as Kakahi, “I've got so much chakra my body self heals- I've never even had an ingrown hair-!”
“I hate you, I'm leaving you.” Inei is red, looking mortified.
“You're so fucking cute-!” Looking at them now, they're like two overgrown genin. Minato isn't sure why Haruki is convinced he can't get a serious disease, but maybe they can dissect that one later.
They leave not long after Shikaku comes back in, Shikamaru says a tense goodbye, but it's a little less strained than his greeting. They have to hurry home, Shikamaru is actually terrible with the cold, especially given he's still building back his reserves of body fat even two years after coming to the past, and soon he's being wrapped up in the blankets as Haruki gets things ready for bed, they had a somewhat early day coming.
Shikamaru eventually forgave him for teasing him earlier, letting him under the blankets, though he would insist it was for warmth.
When morning came, they headed to the academy, where the written test would be administered. Blissfully unaware that the coming days were going to upend the village.
Notes:
I think in my head Minato is the kind of guy who would tell the resturant it was your birthday before you could tell him you didn't want the attention. He means well, but he's maybe a bit too excited to have a brother.
Chapter 15: Evaluation Part One
Summary:
The taijutsu and ninjutsu tests, featuring Hyuga Hizashi and Inuzuka Tsume.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was a formality, they'd already proven themselves to be at least at Chunin, if not fully jonin level. It was also to waste time for Sarurobi to convince Tsunade to come back to the village at the moment. If anyone could help the troubled young men it would be her, but that was easier said than done.
He had made his decision before they had arrived, between Minato and Orochimaru, even if Minato was young, so long as he proved himself in the war, he'd gladly hand over the reins to him. Having Haruki support him, and by extension Inei, who would soon be getting recognition for bringing in Madara, it would cement the young man's future.
This was just a small step.
For just a formality this was a bit extreme.
Out of 100, to qualify as a full fledged jonin, they needed to get a 60 on the written tests. Haruki scored a ninety three, and Inei had gotten a perfect score. The seven questions Haruki hadn't answered correctly were considered for partial credit as he got half of the question right, but lacked detail required to be counted. The proctor for the test had had them take the test on opposite sides of the room, and the questions weren't in the same order and worded differently.
He had reported that Haruki had been relieved that the test had been easy. There were several jonin who would be hard pressed to pass the test as it was and the two boys had made it look as if it were some simple academy quiz.
“Those two...” he shook his head, not sure if he should be surprised or not. They kept surpassing his expectations.
It did worry him that they'd never drawn much attention before , but maybe they had been trying to keep their heads down. Without a village to back them, it would have been in their best interest not to draw too much attention to themselves.
“I think I did okay.” Kushina had dragged them for ramen since they were all still around the village, and Minato was going to be allowed to stay until after the testing finished. The physical test would be open to public viewing, and Minato was excited to really see what his brother could do. He knew Shikaku was curious too, neither had seen what their blood was capable of.
“I'm sure you passed, it wasn't anything you didn't already know before the test.” He fidgeted but stopped complaining. Minato wondered what score they both got, though he could probably ask once they got the results. If it was the usual style of test, given how smart the two were, he'd guess the low eighties. He was pretty excited to see them test against actual jonin from their village, he figured his brother might be a bit stronger and he wanted to know by how much.
They'd both be tested on taijutsu, and ninjutsu, Haruki would be asked to apply funninjutsu, and Inei would be asked to use medical ninjitsu. Neither would be asked to perform genjutsu, as Haruki couldn't use genjutsu, and Inei though he could, he didn't specialize in it beyond being excellent at breaking them.
Most exciting was that Haruki would be able to show off his spear work- Minato was so curious about the massive weapon covered in seals, he wanted to see how Haruki used it. Only Hawk had seen him in action with it, since the attack before had had no survivors from the enemies to have given a report.
“Maa, Shika, are you ready for tomorrow?”
“Yeah.” He watched them bump shoulders, he felt warmed at that.
He was happy that his brother was happy.
The Sandaime had requested after the tests to do an official blood test, to confirm they were related. He wasn't sure if it was necessary. What did it matter if they were really brothers? Even if they were cousins, or more distant than that, they were choosing to be brothers now.
“I'm kinda worried about the taijutsu, I'm not great at close combat.”
“That's not true-!”
“I'm not great at not killing my opponent in close combat.”
“Ah... yeah no that is true.” Haruki shrugged, “Just... don't go for any vital points?”
“It's not that simple... the only person I'm used to sparring with anymore is you. The problem is... you take hits too well.”
“I get that he's unnaturally hearty, but isn't that a little condescending? The jonin of this village aren't pushovers.” Kushina had stolen Minato's bowl from him, dragging it closer to herself. He wrote it off as a lost cause and didn’t particularly mind in any case.
“Unnaturally hearty doesn't really cover this guy.” Inei willingly gave Haruki half his bowl. “You'd be shocked with half the stuff he's bounced back from.”
“Yeah? Like what?” Kushina slurped Minato's leftover ramen, and he felt an oncoming sense of dread, as if maybe he didn't want to hear-
“Broken bones mostly.”
“That time a guy put his hand inside your chest was pretty bad.”
“Oh yeah, that really hurt. Ah! I almost forgot, that jutsu I used to use that flayed my skin-!”
Minato had covered his mouth with his hands.
“What did you mean someone put their hand in his chest?!”
“Relax, it was years ago, he's fine now.”
“Yeah, otouto, it didn't even scar.” Haruki had taken his hands, pulling them away. “Shika had mentioned it last night too. It was a pretty bad fight, and it could have killed me, but it didn't. That's what matters most, right?”
Minato didn't like the idea of Haruki having almost died already in his life, he didn't want to lose his brother- he had just gotten him. A big hand landed softly on his head, ruffling his hair enough to loosen his headband.
“Hey, don't worry so much. Your Nii-chan is a lot tougher than normal people. You won't be losing me anytime soon.”
“Wow... is he always this smooth?”
“He's good with his words...”
Minato let the world fade out, focusing on the comforting warmth.
“Nii-chan...”
“Oh, Minato's crying.”
Their having killed Madara was made public knowledge that afternoon, officially rather than by the rummor mill, so by the next morning everyone who could attend on such short notice had flooded the stadium. They wanted to see the two mercenaries who had brought down Madara, and were joining the village. Especially considering the rumors about their births- it was like a drama or a novel.
Shikamaru would go first, since Haruki was the main event. He was still a little anxious that Yugure would make an appearance, but he knew he wouldn't be in any real danger. Besides, Natuto would be watching over him so destruction would be kept to a minimum.
Shikamaru was a mid to long range fighter, he could immobilize a target and whittle them down, or take them out with precise distance hits with his senbon. When it came to close quarters, his best technique was to charge his muscles with chakra to overpower his opponent- his overall speed wasn't high, but so long as he could coral the enemy by altering the terrain it didn't mater how fast they were. He didn't recognize the shinobi across from him- a Hyuga he realized. They were pulling out all the stops to either show him off or end his match more quickly.
The good news was he knew how to defend against the worst a Hyuga could do, and once flustered they got sloppy. He got into a loose stance and waited. His opponent took one he was familiar with. When the match began, they struck out twice to try and sever the flow of Chakra to his arms.
“Nice try.” They hissed in pain, pulling their hands back and jumping as far away as they could. Their fingertips were burned.
“What is this?” He was closing the distance that was made, his leg coming around in a fast sweep.
“The Hyuga clan can see the chakra network and uses precision hits to disable it, but that does fuck all if you can't touch it.” The man raised his arms to defend, but was still pushed backwards, Shikamaru darting to one side, fist prepared to hit in a jab to the ribs that was too fast to dodge, he tried to keep it from being too strong. “I coated every vital spot in fire type chakra, and burst it outward before you can land a hit.” It didn't mater if he told them, there wasn't an easy way to work around his defense against them, not on the spot like this.
His opponent tried to catch his fist and he swiveled on his heels, punching him in the gut with his free hand. They burned their fingers again trying to hit his arm.
“You better change tactics if you don't want me to beat you up!” He grabbed their wrist, feet spreading apart to strengthen his stance and he flooded his muscles with chakra, using his momentum to hurl the man across the open space. “You're not going to land a good blow at this point unless you show me something different.”
“This is impossible-!” He had a second to try and counter before Shikamaru was on him again. He actually had an advantage because he knew how to counter the Hyuga clan, but even still, he was getting nervous about hitting too hard. The last thing he needed was to accidentally kill someone.
The Hyuga attempted to off balance him, swiping his leg, and he dropped with the fall, getting one hand under him and spinning to correct himself, and he tried to (hopefully) bruise the man by swinging his leg out and catching him behind both knees. He even pulled back some of the force, realizing it would still be too strong he shifted his angle and hit the man in the hip, sending him flying. He rolled, getting up, unsteady and clearly in pain but unwilling to give up, and Shikamaru decided to end the farce, charging his arm with chakra and racing forward again, giving the man no time to breathe, he dipped back to avoid a punch, actually swept the man's legs now that he could better gage his strength, and delivered his punch he'd prepared into the ground beside his head. It splintered, dust flying up as he felt it sink into the solid earth. When the dust cleared, he was elbow deep in the ground, pinning the Hyuga down entirely. The match was called, and he shook off his arm, yanking the poor sod up by his flack jacket.
“Good try.” He turned, heading toward the entryway where he swapped places with Naruto, bumping fists with him.
“If I win, I want a kiss.”
“Win first, Haruki.” He laughed, running into the field. He really was just a big giddy child sometimes.
A different Hyuga came out, he had no doubt been watching the fight. He probably expected their fighting styles to be similar. He'd be wrong however...
Naruto didn't avoid his hits, they also didn't slow him down in the least, even as every chakra point was blocked, he'd just dodged about to try and avoid the ones against his organs.
“I've blocked all of your chakra points, I suggest you withdraw now for medical treatment-!” Naruto laughed, grinning at the man.
“I'm fine. More than fine.” He could feel it all the way by the wall when Naruto released his chakra network by flooding it. The wave of pure energy washed over him, comfortable and familiar. “See? Easy fix.” He wiped away a spot of blood from the corner of his mouth, and shifted his stance.
“How did you do that?” He sounded horrified. Naruto just grinned wider.
“I hope you're ready to get serious.”
Naruto was, on the whole, faster and stronger than Shikamaru was. Even without enhancing his muscles or bones, he could outrun and out force Shikamaru in a fair contest even if he was allowed to strengthen his body and Naruto wasn't.
Shikamaru, and the Hyuga he was fighting knew it, but those watching wouldn't- each successful hit was actually just them getting smacked with air pressure from the hits almost connecting. If his hits were to connect with the man he'd cause a critical injury, maybe ones that wouldn't heal naturally. If he got too serious there was a real chance he could permanently end the man's career.
Luckily the Hyuga he was fighting seemed to realize that he couldn't rely on the gentle fist technique, but it quickly became clear he never developed his taijutsu far beyond the basics, in favor of mastering his clan's abilities.
Naruto, on the other hand, had gone far out of his way to learn the styles of several different villages, and had even developed his own variants.
It was more to show off how quick he was, dipping out of the way of blows and easily side stepping attacks. He led his opponent around, countering but not really striking, for almost five full minties.
“Stop playing with the poor guy.” Shikamaru called out, and Naruto hummed, foot shooting up to catch his opponent on the chin and fling him easily across the sparing area. He hadn't killed the guy, he saw him breathing and struggling to get up, but he was prevented from doing so by his body's condition.
The reason Shikamaru's taijutsu involved so much chakra strengthening was that if he didn't Naruto could seriously hurt him. It was only natural to reinforce his bones, joints, and organs, because his lover could turn him into pulp if he hit even a little too hard.
The blonde bounded over as the match was called and scooped Shikamaru up, getting a light peck for his pageantry.
“That was kinda fun!” He would have pin sized bruises over every chakra point, but that was fine.
“Yeah, I'm sure. That guy’s gonna feel that last hit for a while.” He was gently set down and Naruto nuzzled their noses together.
“I was holding back! It'll only bruise.” They'd fix the field up a little bit, and continue on. The Hyuga that Naruto had beaten up came by once he was a bit mire steady on his feet, stopping to give a sportsman-like bow to Naruto.
“My name is Hyuga Hizashi.” Shikamaru felt his blood run a bit cold. This was Neji's father. Hiashi's younger twin. “That was an...enlightening match. If it would be alright with you, I was hoping to receive some advice at a later time, since you pointed out several concerning flaws in my technique.”
“Oh... yeah. I don't mind.” He looked like Neji now that Shikamaru was actually paying attention and so much closer than he'd been earlier, so much like him. Shikamaru was scared to look at Naruto, wondering what sort of broken expression he was trying to hide.
“I congratulate you on your victory as well, Iwah-san. Although the idea was simple, I understand how difficult the execution of it was.”
“Thanks...” he felt... he didn't know. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. This was the first time they were meeting someone who died not as a result of the war or the one to come, but because of a plot that spanned between them. He didn't even think about how they'd save him, because why would they? With so much else...
He felt terrible. They wouldn't let him die, obviously, but he felt sick and guilty he hadn't made that a priority for Neji. After everything they'd been through together, after the sacrifices his friend had made for both of them to even be standing here today...
“I will reach out to you at a later time then. It was a pleasure meeting you, both of you.”
“I'll look forward to it... sorry about the jaw...” it was waved off, but Shikamaru prepared his palm with chakra, reaching out and numbing the area. Hizashi's eyes widened.
“Try not to talk too much, and ice it as soon as you can. The effect will only last half an hour but it should be long enough for you to take conventional pain reducers.”
“Thank you.” They said their goodbyes and the man left.
“Haruki...”
“I know.” He put an arm around Shikamaru's shoulder, squeezing him tightly.
Minato was not the only one stunned. Shikaku was too, beside him, he knew even Lord third hadn't expected it either. In hindsight he should have expected it- Inei seemed to have a secondary specialization in medical jutsu, so his chakra control naturally should reflect that, but for him to maintain concentrated fire chakra around his entire chakra network-
“Fucking shit.” Shikaku had laughed, but it was the manic kind. Because he had also been using it in conjunction with enhancing his body during the short battle- and it was short. He'd hit the ground so hard he had sunk into it more than a foot. It could have easily killed his opponent, which implied that Inei had been taking things easy on the poor bastard. It had seemed wildly out of character though until they saw Haruki fight.
Haruki was fast . He was also flexible, literally, and he wasn't using any sort of enhancement on himself but he was having the same devastating effect that Inei had. Although much like Inei his bases seemed to be similar to the method that had been taught in the village, even using it as a base, his movements incorporated fighting styles from the other hidden villages, as well as a few Minato recognized as belonging to small independent clans that had been scattered here and there. If Haruki had no one else to spar, it only made sense for Inei to fight the way he did. It was also even more obvious than with Inei that his brother was taking it easy on Hizashi, but at least he gave it his best shot.
There was also the terrifying fact that he had unblocked his own chakra points after they'd been closed. He could practically taste the chakra in the air still even in the viewing area. To his knowledge no one had ever done something like that.
He was sure that his brother wouldn't have any issues becoming a jonin, but these tests were more than just determining that. They also were a sneak peak for the villagers and other shinobi to see what they were capable of. It was a way to build confidence in their abilities.
“Is it bad I'm a little scared to see what they do next?”
Shikaku clapped his shoulder. Sharing the feeling.
He knew they weren’t the only ones waiting with shock, dread, and wonder for what was to come.
Naruto would go first this time. His opponent was an Uchiha, which he thought was interesting. He decided to play up his wind jutsu, although he could have brought out stronger attacks, he was mindful of his location, of who he was fighting. There was fire and wind filling the floor space of the stadium, and he did his best to keep damage to a minimum.
Baa-chan wouldn't break out the byakugou seal just to show off, so he didn't bother using sage mode, or the chakra cloak. As much as he wanted to present his best self, that sort of thing would have been overkill. He also had to avoid using jutsu he shouldn’t know by any means, like the rasengan.
He dodged another fireball and countered back with a wind blade, cutting it in half and smothering it out all at once. It was like fighting Sasuke but not- all at once. A poor imitation of the most over the top Uchiha he'd ever have the pleasure of fighting. They'd almost blown off each other's arms- would have if Sakura hadn't knocked them senseless. It would have been a price he paid without a thought if he knew Sasuke would come home after. Now it didn't matter.
Naruto takes the fight seriously. He takes every fight seriously even if his opponents often complain he isn't. Just because he's smiling and laughing doesn't mean he isn't fully focused. It shows when he makes a final attack, cutting the force out on either side of the woman's body, leaving an inch deep, seven foot long cut in the stadium wall, in the very center there was a gap for her body with a spare inch on either side.
That was the end of the fight, and he felt only a little bad about having destroyed some of the foliage. He gave way for Shikamaru to get his own fight against Tsume Inuzuka. She had volunteered apparently.
Naruto settled back and watched his boyfriend force the woman to remain at arms length with his shadows. She hadn't brought her canine companion, but it wasn't really giving him much of an advantage. She was a feral woman, and Shikamaru had to keep one step ahead of her. He kept switching to earth and fire based attacks to keep pushing her towards his trap. He had a senbon out already, and she was fighting hard as she was snared, but he raised it towards her, ready to throw it, her body copied his.
“It's over.” He spun his senbon before sliding it back to the hidden pouch inside his jacket. Tsume copied him against her will, and he finally dropped the jutsu. Rather than lunge angrily Tsume dropped to her knees and vomited. “Sorry, I probably should have mentioned my jutsu is different from the one the Nara clan uses. It's parasitic. Once I caught you I started to drain your chakra, which strengthened my hold on you.” He had caused her mild chakra exhaustion, but even her insides had mirrored his while he had her under his jutsu, and the intense illness hadn't hit until he'd let her go.
He'd stolen the concept from one of Orochimaru's shitty servants, the one Choji had fought, and now that he had it he used it to deadly effect.
“It should only take a day or two to recover since it isn't that severe.” She squinted up at him, but didn't seem... angry. Exactly.
He went to sit with Naruto after, they needed to fix the giant crack in the wall now, and Shikamaru had changed the terrain while playing cat and mouse with Tsume.
The Inuzuka clan head had to pass them on her way, she was refusing help, but she stopped in front of them and seemed to consider Shikamaru.
“I've been looking for someone to father my second child, would you be interested?” He coughed, choking on his own spit and Naruto patted his back roughly.
“No thank you?!” She shrugged, and walked away. “Fucking hell.” Naruto laughed at him, leaning in to whisper.
“ You could have been Kiba's dad .” He got punched for that. It stung a bit, as usual, but he just kept laughing.
“You're sleeping on the floor.”
Notes:
I personally headcannon that Tsume has never been married, and when she was ready to have kids she just picked a father she thought would give her a strong kid. Meanwhile to give you perspective on the timeline Hizashi is going to learn he'll be a father soon.
Chapter 16: Evaluation Part Two
Summary:
Shikamaru accidentally invents a jutsu early, officially, and Naruto get's to nerd out about seals with the two other biggest funinjutsu geeks in the village.
Notes:
I love non conventional uses for sealing, and I'm so excited to show how much fuckery Naruto can cause with it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The spear, which was truly massive, as had been described to him prior by Kakashi, weighed a staggering two hundred pounds when inspected. A normal spear used by shinobi was between ten and fifty. It was wrapped in seals meant to absorb the shock of blows, manipulate air currents, change weight when chakra was applied, and dozens of other smaller effects that all added up to the fact that Haruki swinging it around like it weighed nothing made him feel.... pride? In his brother? Was it pride?
Inei demonstrated the deadly effectiveness of his senbon skills, while Haruki just went through a basic spar with a weapons expert. The blade at the end was a piece of a sword apparently, it matched the description of a spear thought to have been lost forever when Uzushio fell; Kagayakasu.
The fact that it easily weighed as much as Haruki did in muscle but that he could move it so easily spoke volumes to his monstrous strength. Even before Jiriaya inspected his sealing skills they were fairly obvious given he summoned Kagayakasu from its storage place on his arm .
Aside from Jinchuuriki seals, he didn't know it was even possible to use sealing on living tissue. He had so many questions, and was anxious for the public half of testing to be finished so he could ask him.
Shikaku was present to watch Inei first hand using medical jutsu. He successfully treated a few shinobi with actual hospital staff supervision, from injuries as simple as cuts needing stitches, to concussions and broken bones. He explained how to use his numbing technique to a few eager young doctors, since shinobi often couldn't take regular pain relievers outside of anesthetic for surgery- there was something about a higher rate of addiction mentioned. Shikaku knew painfully well how important that 'simple numbing' jutsu he was using was- he'd broken his arm fairly badly on a mission in the past and it had been between suffering through it and potentially deadening every nerve in his arm forever with an even higher risk of paralysis. He didn't understand what exactly Inei was talking about when he explained how to do it but it but he was eager to reap the rewards of the knowledge being passed around the next time he got hurt.
“I wouldn't suggest using it on the field. Not knowing the extent of your injury could get you killed.” Shikaku wondered who he thought of while making that pained expression, who had he lost to learn that lesson? He watched the man look up at Haruki for comfort and though he understood it, it still hurt that Inei couldn't connect with him.
He followed along to Haruki's sit down with Jiriaya, it only seemed fair.
“Hey, old guy, from the festival right?”
“I'm not old, brat.” It didn't help his point. Shikamaru sat next to Minato, and patted his shoulder. He had no idea what would be coming. He didn’t particularly want to spoil it.
Minato was an expert in his own right, but his style of sealing was very different from Naruto's. The older blonde could do what Minato could, but his own abilities gravitated toward storage and folding space in on itself, trapping people in a moment between breaths, and reinforcing items, rather than warping space to get places faster and... the death seal.
“Wait... how did you do that?” He focused in again, Jiriaya was scratching his head at the array that Naruto had drawn.
“What do you mean, this is pretty basic?”
“This is ludicrous! How do you expect it to actually- it works?!” Naruto had pressed his fist into it, and his arm pushed into the paper and vanished into the pocket in space on the other side. "Wait, how can you just reach in..."
“How do you make storage seals?” He pulled his fist free, and Shikamaru smirked, watching them bicker about seals like this was... nice. Naruto looked happy to be spending time with his old master, even if they'd never have that relationship again.
They argued about symbols, arrangement, interpretation . Shikamaru had no clue what anything they were saying meant.
“Shika, tell him I'm right!”
“How the hell should I know?” He grinned, Naruto was getting pink, “I understand sealing as much as you understand Shogi.”
“But you're so smart...”
“Sealing isn't about base intelligence it's about creativity, you've said that yourself at least a hundred times.” He crossed his arms, leaning back.
“Mhmm.” He scowled down at the scroll they'd been using. “Anyway, the characters for hold aren't even necessary, like I said.”
“How can you make a storage scroll without using ‘hold’?!”
“Easy. ‘Opening’, ‘Fixed point’, ‘Pocket’, and ‘Space’. The seal I made is based on the theory that there's dimensions adjacent to our own, like where summons live. By partitioning a space off as a pocket, fixing the entry point in our dimension, and then making the only opening be that fixed point I can store more items than you can using ‘hold’ because you're wasting time outlining a max size and carry weight.”
“That dimension thing is just a dumb theory, it's never been proven-!”
“Bull shit it's never been proven! I literally just proved it to you.” He shoved his fist back into the scroll and Jiriaya froze, looking down at it.
“Wait... that's-!”
“Yeah, of course it is, dumbass. I can stick my hand in because it's actually going to a physical space.”
“Hold on- that's a functioning storage seal using dimensional space?!” Minato had hopped up, looking giddy and too excited, rushing over.
“I don't understand.” Shikaku was frowning, the third hokage and a few of his advisors looked uncertain too.
“I can explain this one, sort of, since they're in their own little world.” Shikamaru knew there was no point in pulling them away. “There's a fringe theory that, because of the lands summons come from not existing in the natural world, they exist outside of our dimension, or reality. Beyond human perception, if you will. Well they aren't exactly connected to each other, we know that from summoners who have gone to their summon’s lands, but they can communicate between them in various ways. So, it's been posited that there exists large amounts of empty space between each summon’s land, also existing outside of perceptible reality.” He hoped this made sense, he didn't really have a way to dumb it down any further and calling it a fringe theory was generous, but Shikaku looked as if he was following so he continued, he didn’t care if the others understood. “Haruki made a summoning pact with the foxes a few years ago, and they've let him look around their valley. It has a defined edge, and though I haven't seen them, he said he could see other islands floating in the void beyond the valley's edge. Using that space, which is apparently nearly impossible to cross under normal circumstances, Haruki was able to make storage spaces with his seals, which can expand to fit more- though there are some limitations.”
“... oh .” Just because Shikamaru couldn't ever hope to do it didn't mean he wasn't aware how insane Naruto was for not only figuring it out but actively making it work for him. Most of his storage spaces were actually in the space along the under side of the valley the foxes lived in. They were also subtly protected by only having one entry and exit point in this reality, but how he managed that was beyond Shikamaru's understanding. Shikaku looked over at him suitably impressed and Shikamaru had to agree. Despite what first impressions would lead you to believe, he was more than a lovable goofball with an attention disorder.
“Mhmm.”
“No, that's... seriously?”
“He's pointed them out to me when he brought me to the fox valley before, but I couldn’t see them.”
“Wait, you've been reverse summoned there? Do you have a contract with them?” Jiriaya was paying attention again, not staring dumbly at the seal he didn't fully get like he had been for the last few minutes while Naruto and Minato gushed to each other.
“Nah, I brought him with me.” Haruki was drawing the seal again for Minato, who was watching with wide, excited eyes, “I had some business there and it would have taken a while so...” When they had made the anchor seal to channel the jutsu through the valley, it wasn't accessible to Kaguya yet, so Shikamaru had stayed there while he worked, and eventually been introduced to Yugure, since they needed a matching seal in their realm and Naruto wouldn't be protected from Kaguya there.
“It was pretty.” He shrugged. “Sky was weird, and I kept getting nipped by todds, but it wasn't bad.”
“Nipped by who?” Minato tore his eyes away from the seal.
“A todd is a young male fox.” Naruto pushed Minato's hands away before he made a mess, “There are like.. four or five, most of the foxes are vixen. Female fox.” He clarified when Minato looked at him in polite confusion.
“I'm just glad we brought our own food.”
“Awe, you didn't want to eat mice?” Shikamaru made a face at that, “Ichika roasts a mean rabbit.”
“She also prepares everything with her mouth, babe.” He cackled.
“Okay, true.” He looked down with a smile. “Anyway, can we focus? I'm supposed to be impressing everyone with my incredible sealing abilities.”
“Is it impressive that he made a way for me to summon him to my location?”
“I haven't finished that one yet though.”
“But you have it designed, just because you haven't tattooed it yet doesn't mean it isn't pretty much done.” Both Jiriaya and Minato looked at him with sparkly eyed interest and Naruto mumbled something before summoning his book that had his experimental seals inside. Shikamaru leaned back with a smile. This would take a while.
Jiriaya was more than impressed. The kid had enough natural talent with sealing that he might just admit the boy was better . Though his methods felt illegal. The self summoning seal set was particularly interesting but also horrifying. He assigned a string of characters to be ‘himself’ and used that as what would summon him to Inei, he had apparently modified this from one he had been making to call his spear back to himself.
That being said... it was genius. The seal itself wouldn't be damaged even if the skin it was placed on was, as the seal was designed to sink down into the muscle. It expended nature chakra in the area to power the summoning, making it have zero chakra cost between the summoner and the one being summoned. He even had ideas for using nature chakra as a clean fuel source using funinjutsu to power electric devices. The direction he wanted to take sealing was generally away from battle, and more toward civilian and practical uses. He even stated how he'd be eager to take on an apprentice at a later time, or several.
Haruki's boyfriend looked... proud. Or pleased. He seemed to soften from his sharp, grumpy facade as Haruki rambled about different techniques and designs for seals. Minato was buzzing beside them, excitedly asking questions and soaking it all in with the sort of wide eyed amazement that Jiriaya hadn't properly seen on the boy in a few years.
The two bouncing ideas off one another really solidified it in his mind. Brothers. Absolutely. Haruki casually fluffed the younger blonde's hair, praising an idea he had and it just seemed... natural. He and his partner were both such guarded people, but here? It was clear who he was under all of his mistrust and uncertainty.
Haruki was a deeply affectionate person, one who was quick to praise and sooth others, looking fondly over Minato as if they'd lived all their lives together. Jayria could verify Haruki was a master at sealing, privately admitting to his sensei that the man likely surpassed him in both talent and practical experience. He would be an asset to the village, and no doubt influence an entire generation of funinjutsu specialists.
He didn't know just how right the later statement would be.
Notes:
Naruto's seals are all designed so living things can pass through them for the most part, so him rooting around inside his seal is the least of anyone's worries.
Chapter 17: Dinner With The Uchiha
Summary:
The boys are invited over to talk about Madara's personal effects, and an idea is floated.
Featuring Tiny Itachi, my sweet baby boy.
Chapter Text
They were jonin. Full fledged. Being born outside the village they wouldn't be able to join ANBU, and were ineligible to become hokage, but after an observation period they would be allowed full rights as members of the village. They could even train genin in a few years if things went well.
Apartment hunting was a pain in the ass, they finally cashed in on their bounties, and found a place for cheap, but Naruto hadn't given up on his dream of home ownership. Their first mission would be border reconnaissance along Iwa, combat expected. They'd be joining a cell with Shikaku, who seemed uncertain about observing the two for the two week long mission.
Before they left they were invited to a formal dinner with the head of the Uchiha clan, to discuss what they planned to do with Madara's effects.
Shikamaru knew that there would be a toddler Itachi at the house. Sure. The boy was around three. He had not expected to see the boy. Nor for the chubby cheeked little guy to be so cute, Naruto clutched at his heart when Itachi introduced himself so prim and proper.
“You are just darling.” He was wide eyed, giving Shikamaru puppy eyes. I want one just like this! His gaze seemed to scream.
“I am... very pleased to meet you.” Both men told Mikoto how cute her son was as they were welcomed in. They did have proper formal clothing but it was a first for either wearing them.
Shikamaru made pleasant small talk with Fugaku as the meal was finished being prepared, and Naruto had settled down and was politely asking Itachi about himself. His hobbies mostly- the boy had a very keen interest in a children's book series about visiting what they would consider tourist traps. He was very eager to hear about some of the places they'd been, and Naruto received a warning glare to remind him that he shouldn't ruin them for the kid even if they weren't as pretty as illustrated.
“Do you find it difficult? I know there are many areas outside of our village that are... not as accepting of your lifestyle.” He was asking it delicately, but Shikamaru recognized a worry he had seen in his own father when he came out. Itachi was a very delicate child, very precocious, and Shikamaru knew he would be out by the time he died. Fugaku was a very observant man, it would seem, to have begun suspecting his son was gay at just three years old.
“Most people don't notice. It's nice to be more openly affectionate around others, but Haruki and I usually didn't have many issues when we were traveling. That was likely because we looked like we'd be difficult to harass, but generally even when they did notice they would only make rude comments.” Fugaku nodded. “We've only had a small amount of trouble.”
“I see. The village is much more tolerant then?” Shikamaru nodded at him, eyes turning to Haruki who had been coaxed to show one of his arm seals to the curious little boy.
“The worst I've heard is Kakashi calling us gross, but that's more to do with him being about that age than any actual disgust.” Fugaku nodded himself, watching his son with worry.
“I'm glad.”
“... I had told my family, before... they were surprisingly accepting. There weren't any other children in my house, and I was expected back then to become our family's head, despite... despite many questions about my birth. My mother even started poking around to find boys my age who might be... interested. It was embarrassing at the time, but looking back it means a lot to me. I had been prepared to be kicked out of my family.”
“And Haruki?”
“He didn't have any family left. He kept that part of himself hidden, there were many in our village who would have used it against him. I didn't know until we started traveling together, and I had always seen us as extremely close.” He smiled as Naruto helped Itachi trace some of the characters on his seal, quietly explaining them to the boy. “It's funny we ended up together in hindsight.”
“Perhaps it was fate.” He hummed.
“I don't really believe in fate, not fully. I think humans are able to alter it if they have the will to do so. Nothing is truly preordained, no ending is set in stone, no mistake that can't be mended if given the effort.”
“That's surprisingly optimistic of you.”
He shrugged, Mikoto called them into the dining room, and over food they were asked what was to be done with Madara's things.
They admitted they would likely turn over his journals to the clan, however there were other items that wouldn't be given the the Uchiha. Naruto had finally learned where the cells were from after all, in his reading at least- they'd already known.
“The cells that were cultivated we'd like to return to his closest living relative, he had a granddaughter who's somewhere in the Land of Fire last we heard. It should be up to her what happens with them.”
“I see. They may have saved Obito's life but there is a strong moral conflict.” Naruto nodded in agreement at the assessment.
“If she is persuaded, then they could do a lot of good, however it isn't up to us to decide that. When it comes to the dead we have to respect their wishes, and short of asking him himself, she's the only one who can determine it.” Naruto had first hand experience talking with the dead, as did Shikamaru. Even so neither would rob Tsunade of her grandfather's body. He'd already been used so much, she should be able to draw a line and have it be respected.
“I also heard whispers of a strange artifact.” The ten tails statue.
“It's being destroyed.” Naruto said firmly, surprising Fugaku and Mikoto. “That isn't up for debate.”
“He, Madara, he had used it as life support didn't he? Couldn't it be-!”
“No. In truth we're... familiar with it, though we hadn't seen it in person before. It'll bring nothing but trouble. It's safer to destroy it.” Shikamaru was also firm in his stance.
“May I ask what it is then? The description of it I read in the reports made it seem...”
“To put it very simply, it's not much different than a bijuu. I can't tell you everything, there's actually a lot we don't know. Just that it has the power to cause untold damage to the world. From what I've read, Madara was looking for a way to increase its power to use it to fuel his genjutsu. The methods he had in mind... we're ghastly.”
“Although it won't be a popular decision if it gets out it could have been weaponized, it's better to prevent anyone from using it.” Shikamaru took Naruto's hand on the table top, “I'm also going to see to it that the humanoids are properly disposed of. If my suspicions are correct they've been waiting a long time to be laid to rest.”
“I see.” Fugaku may or may not pass on what he'd learned. Only time would tell. He didn't seem to care much about the statue or the Senju cells, but he did seem grateful to have Madara's journals turned over to his clan. At the very least they were the ones who ought to hold them. Last of kin. “I apologize if I struck a nerve.”
“It isn't that...” it kind of was. “But maybe we should speak of lighter topics.” He glanced at tiny Itachi, who was struggling to lift the bite of rice he'd cut loose with his chopsticks, it was too big for his little hand to keep captured.
“Yes, you're right.”
“Minato mentioned you were already considering enrolling your son in the academy?” Naruto directed that at Mikoto, who smiled, patting her son's head. He had managed to get the rice to his mouth but it was too big a bite and his cheeks were puffed out by it, he looked wide eyed up at her hand.
“Itachi is quite gifted for his age. We'd like for him to have a head start, as much as possible. He can already use basic chakra control.” That was suitably impressive.
“That's quite an achievement.” Shikamaru smiled at the boy, who had managed to swallow his bite and was looking around at all the adults suddenly paying close attention to him. “Even still... won't it be a little hard for him? There won't be anyone else his age in the academy if he starts this young.”
“Not wasting his potential is more important than socialization, besides, there are plenty of children his age around the Uchiha compound.”
They shared a brief look.
Naruto was pleading with his eyes, and Shikamaru finally sighed, giving him a defeated smile.
“If you want to give him a strong foundation, I'd be happy to teach him. At least until he's a closer age to what children normally start the academy at. It couldn't be constant because we'll be deployed at regular intervals, but if you wanted him to learn sealing there's a lot of self study involved. It might also help him choose a specialization later in life if he has a better understanding of how to build a seal.” They seemed taken aback, and Shikamaru didn't miss how the boys eyes lit up.
“I could learn how to draw jutsu?” That had been how Naruto had explained the idea behind his tattoos to the child less than half an hour ago.
“If you'd like, and if your parents aren't opposed.”
Fugaku had already been briefed on all the rumors surrounding the two. Including the one circulating that he was a funinjutsu master that rivaled one of the sannin. The two had been noted as having a soft spot for children, so having Itatchi attend had been a strategic choice, but he hadn't expected for Haruki to willingly offer to teach his son. He did understand why they'd feel Itatchi should attend with children his age, but they didn't want to hold him back.
Both men had been openly kind to his son, Haruki had patiently explained things to Itachi without growing frustrated in the least, and Inei- who was well known after a month living in the village as a rude, grumpy, unpersonable and standoffish- had been smiling and been a bit soft eyed whenever Itachi had gotten his attention.
Fugaku also had the inkling that his son, as young as he was... might be homosexual, and at the very least he hoped to have a few good role models for his son to look up to if he was . The two men would no doubt make quite a name for themselves in the village- the only reason the two weren't well known was likely because, as mercenaries, the only people to see how skilled they were were those who either died immediately or were turned over to authorities before they could spread the word about them. With others actually watching them, the village, enemies wanting to counter them, they'd get the recognition they had been skating for who knows how long.
And two very accomplished, powerful, homosexual shinobi might make it more welcoming for more shinobi in the future to come out. The Leaf village was very tolerant, but it wasn't exactly welcoming . If his son grew up and was attracted to men, Fugaku didn't want him to feel he had to hide it. Even as a clan heir.
“Would it be alright to get back to you at a later time? We should discuss this fully with Itachi before making a decision.” It was difficult not to jump on the offer in that instant. To find someone able and willing to teach such an ancient and versatile art to his son... it was a rare opportunity. Jiriaya wasn't going to take another apprentice at his age and given his role as a spymaster, and Minato was angling for a political position- he wouldn't have time to train someone.
Haruki would have the time. He wouldn't be able to train a team until he had five or so years with the village, so privately instructing Itachi as an apprentice would be among his only priorities. Minato had as good a chance as Orochimaru of becoming the Hokage, and if he did, his son would be trained by a direct relative of a hokage, instantly giving a very public and tangible relationship between his clan and those in power. The clan needed help restablishing after the disaster over a generation ago that was Madara. They had been driven further out of their place as time went on. Fugaku could see the writing on the walls. The Uchiha clan was being isolated, and if nothing was done it wouldn't end with simply being cut off from the village, it would end in tragedy.
“Of course, but we'll be out of the village for a few weeks soon. If possible, have an answer when we come back.”
Chapter 18: First Patrol, Campfire Conversations
Summary:
Shikamaru and Naruto head to the border for their first mission. Shikaku's 'brother' finally opens up.
Notes:
Shikamaru does talk about his SA in this chapter, the way it's written I'm leaving it in, but the paragraph is proceeded by “So what, you two are childhood sweethearts?” so just skip it if it makes you uncomfortable. It's a pretty big paragraph so it'll be obvious, but I couldn't mark it out of the story without ruining my narrative flow, so it's staying.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
They were packed and ready. Naruto had given Kakashi a few prepared meals, telling the boy he was worried he wasn't eating enough, Shikamaru had been ambushed by Rin the last time they'd seen her (when Naruto was forcing his good will and home cooked meals on Kakashi) and asked for advice with healing, and Obito had been acting shy which seemed strange given Shikamaru's knowledge of him from the future and his initial impression of the kid when they rescued him, but he wished them luck and to come home safely. Promises to get ramen with Kushina when they returned were exchanged, and Minato hugged them both before they left.
They'd handed over Madara's journals to the Uchiha clan, cipher included, and Naruto had almost finished his method for ‘destroying’ the ten tails statue. He would place it in the open space between summoning lands, empty space, and then destroy the opening to its pocket. It would power its own containment once sealed, and thus become unable to be removed until it had no energy left- something that may never happen.
The journey to the border actually feels sedate, he and Naruto are quiet, listening to the others on their squad joke around- Shikamaru has the requisite ability to heal so he'll be working as the medic.
At campfires at night, Naruto takes over the task of cooking, the two fall into patterns they had held even before they came back to the past.
Naruto sings poorly as he cooks, and after a few verses, Shikamaru joins in softly, bumping into his side as he comes to help- not that he has much skill to offer.
It's odd not having to split the watch between just the two of them, and he finds it so much more comfortable to tuck up beside Naruto as they sleep, even if only for a few hours, together.
The border is battle torn. They switched with the patrol that had been there, who looked rough, there was a casualty, a body that was in a scroll to be brought home. At least they had that much.
Their first conflict is three days in, Naruto takes down over half the enemy party with his spear, and Shikamaru prevents a loss from one of their own, a young man who's nicked with kunai on the neck. They survive that, and the next six attacks without losing anyone. The two weeks pass by surprisingly quickly.
In the last few days, Shikamaru makes a choice. He can't avoid his father. And he refuses to become a Nara. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care, that he should be making it seem like he hates Shikaku.
“What was he like?” He finally asks beside the small fire, Shikaku is sharpening his kunai and looks up, surprised- he almost cuts his fingers.
“What was who like?” Shikamaru sighed, looking back at the fire. He probably could have started this differently. But interpersonal relationships have never been a strong suit of his.
“Your father. What was he like.” An admission, or at least a desire to get to know him. Shikaku is taken aback but he quickly recovers.
“He was a bastard.” Shikamaru had never heard his father talk about his grandfather, save a few times when he was drunk and Shikamaru was dragging him home, the man bitched about the man. “A drunk. An adulterer. But he was a war hero, so people try not to talk about the rest.” Shikamaru nodded, “We weren't close. Spent more time with my mom. He never approved of most of my choices. He didn't like Yoshino, my girl, she's a civilian. He told me on his deathbed I should marry a kunoichi.”
“Fucker.” Shikaku laughed at that, a low chuckle, surprised by that too apparently.
“What was your mom like?” It only seemed right.
“She was tough. Nagged me over everything. I can still hear her voice in the back or my head sometimes, reminding me to do things. I knew she loved me though.” He shrugged, staring more intently at the embers, trying not to get overwhelmed by the sudden feeling of loss. He could feel tears at the edge of his vision for a moment but blinked them back. He sent a reassuring brush of his own chakra against Naruto’s, who was observing them.
“She sounds like she would have gotten along with my Yoshino.” He chuckled at that.
“Maybe. She used to get so... mad? Whenever I'd drag Haruki home with me. She was worried I'd get a reputation I think. He used to be quite the troublemaker.”
“Yeah?”
“There were these statues, anyway, he'd get in trouble once or twice a month for painting all over them. The way the adults talked about it, it made it sound like he was defiling graves, rather than painting them to make them look like they had tacky makeup on.” He snorted, “Once he asked me to come with him. I snuck out in the middle of the night and met him by the statues. He spent almost an hour making one look like a toad.” It had actually been Minato's face on the monument, and Shikamaru had watched him from a safe distance, the boy had had no fear. “We got caught and I got dragged home. My mom flipped out, telling me I couldn't hang out with him anymore, that he was a bad influence and no one would respect me if I associated with him.”
“Did you?”
“Hell no. I'd just lie and tell her I was meeting different friends. I liked spending time with Haruki, even if no one else liked that I was doing it.” Naruto was helping show a younger shinobi how he'd prepared the fish they'd gotten from a nearby stream, but he knew he was being watched for any signs of distress. “You know the exact moment I realized I had a crush on him?”
“Hmm?”
“He had this kid in our class, Sasuke, hated the guys guts, he was an elitist prick. He had some family issues actually, but anyway, he was the best student-!”
“Because you weren't trying?”
“... whatever. Anyway, we were maybe twelve? Haruki gets in his face, talking shit about each other, they did it every day so it wasn’t weird, when this kid behind him accidentally falls back against him. Those idiots end up kissing.”
“What?!” He looks amused, and from the corner of his eye he sees Naruto flush a bit, listening in then...
“I know. I think the guy wanted to kiss him, he would have been fast enough to at least knock foreheads instead, you know? The problem was that the minute those two kissed I was seething . I was mad that that guy was Haruki's first kiss. I didn't say anything, tried to play it off, but it really upset me.” He began to pick at the edge of his mesh armor where it showed under his newly issued Jonin uniform blues, “It took way too long to realize the reason I got upset in the first place was because I wanted to be the one to kiss him.”
“So what, you two are childhood sweethearts?”
“No. I mean, I wish. But... we didn't actually get together until recently. We've spent over ten years dancing around it, you know? It never felt like the right time. There was either too much grief, or we were too busy.” Shikaku nodded, encouraging, “I don't really want to get into any of the details but... two, almost three months ago? I um... I was drugged. I was at a really low point and I was drinking a lot, Haruki had to put up with me and my shit almost every night. Anyway we were in this civilian town, and we got into this... massive argument. My best friend, my real best friend growing up, her birthday was the day after mine. I watched her die. I just... when I don't have something to do, when it's too quiet all I can think about is how I should have been able to save her. So it was my birthday and I was getting sloshed because all I could think about was how she wasn't there to spend our’s together and I missed it. The bartender slipped something into my drink. Haruki dragged me out not long after and dumped me in the room he rented, I know he was worried I'd do something stupid, then he left to go catch a bounty he'd seen on our way into the village. Some of the guys from the bar, who were in on it, they jimmied the lock to our room. By then I knew I'd been drugged, but Haruki had left, and they... well anyway Haruki came back faster than they thought he would, before they could do anything too bad. I was a fucking mess. I know he... y'know.” Here he ran his thumb across his neck, “But all I remember really was him putting me in the bath, telling me he wasn't going to leave again.”
“Fucking hell.” Shikaku breathed out, staring with newfound worry at the man.
“Now I get really itchy when I don't see him. I know, aside from someone nearly over dousing me with a date rape drug I'd be able to take care of myself no problem, but... I get really scared. Like the walls are getting closer.”
“Maybe you should talk to someone. My buddy Inoichi's cousin is a therapist. Maybe it'd help?”
“Yeah... maybe.” He had felt safe telling his dad the broad strokes of what happened. It felt good to know he didn't carry that entirely alone anymore, because although he loved Naruto, he had a very different memory of that night.
They sat in silence for quite a while, Naruto had the fish roasting over the fire, and drinking water was being boiled, Shikaku had gone back to sharpening his knives. The silence, though charged, wasn’t uncomfortable. It had been a show of trust, and acceptance in its own twisted way. After too long in silence Shikaku cleared his throat, starting a new conversation.
“Yoshino and I are gonna get married soon. It'd be... nice if you and Haruki came.”
He smiled tiredly. Being present at his own parents wedding.
“I'd love to.”
Notes:
Bit of a short chapter, the next one is going to be longer, I spaced the chapter flow weird and it didn't feel right to cut up the next one to make this one a bit longer.
P.S. I hit the tag limit so if if I think something would be significant to warrant a new tag that hasn't been included I'll do so in the Chapter Notes at the beginning of the chapter.
P.S.S. I also wanted to thank everyone whose left a comment so far, I get anxious responding to them so I usually don't but they've meant a lot to me. I'm really glad people are enjoying the story so far.
Chapter 19: For Better or Worse It's An Obligatory Bar Chapter
Summary:
A celebratory drink with their temporary squad after a successful mission. Nothing to worry about, right? Right?
Notes:
There is homophobic language in this chapter, drinking, an overkill amount violence in response to said homophobia, and exactly ONE boner joke.
Chapter Text
They returned from the first mission at the front without anything noticeable having happened. It would take a lot more for their reputation to start spreading but it wasn’t a huge concern currently.
The trip back was much more light hearted though still on edge looking for any dangers, and it was late evening the day they got back. Shikaku had been visibly relieved that they'd gotten on friendlier terms, and Shikamaru was glad he was able to control his emotions enough to give him that. There were boundaries, but also trust. It was enough.
Shikaku invited them to have a drink, and after a silent conversation with Naruto they agreed. Shikamaru was allowed one drink, and they'd see how he took it. He hadn't been drinking long enough to have developed alcoholism, maybe, but if they needed to detox him after this only one cup of a very mild sake would be enough.
They went to the Broken Kunai, it was the stupid bar his dad used to reminisce about all the time, so he should have expected it. The whole of their squad had come, and they occupied a table toward the walls at the back half behind the rail. The first round of drinks was on Shikaku, for not dying and having to make him write a casualty report. Shikamaru split a bottle of sake with him, just having the one small cup, Naruto started with a water, going to watch him just to be safe.
He threw it back, it was warm, and burned slightly, the flavor was sweet but not saccharine. He liked it quite a bit. He put his cup rim down on the table, not that anyone but Naruto noticed, and he waited. Mostly to see if the urge to have another drink popped up. It didn't within the first hour and he wasn't even the least bit tempted to try any other drinks that were scatter on the table. He smiled softly, leaning against Naruto, who wrapped an arm around him. Still they should wait a little longer, and this didn't mean he should drink often or of any high volume, but it was nice to know he wasn't dependent on it- he could easily call the last experience drunk and the time that followed it as a detox, but lasting dependency hadn't developed, maybe...
After two more rounds in which neither participated, Naruto got up to order himself a beer and food for the table.
“Okay, so you don't drink, he barely smokes, what the hell do you two even do? I don't know a single shinobi who doesn't have some kind of vice.” Shikaku's face was tinted pink, and he sighed, leaning back in his chair. Naruto was on his way back with a beer, and before he could try and sit in his own chair, Shikamaru tugged him down by the waist and onto his lap. Far from upset by this, Naruto shifted to sit sideways, an arm fitting around his shoulders as he distributed his weight evenly. Shikamaru squeezed his waist.
“Take a guess.” The slight amount of alcohol had loosened his tongue a bit, and Shikaku sputtered, half choking on his sake.
“Guess what?” Naruto looked down at him confused.
“It's nothing, love, don't worry about it.”
“Okay.” He sipped his drink before turning back to the table, who were just beginning to think they'd gotten used to the two when he'd gone and done that, “I got a bunch of different stuff to try, so eat as much as you want.”
With enough alcohol and decent food (better than he had expected, worse than a normal restaurant) they were soon one of the louder tables. Kurama must be spoiling Naruto because the blonde was soon a flushed, pleasantly warm mess on his lap.
“I swear they're real!” He slurred it lightly, fingers busy with the ends of Shikamaru’s hair, “I've had an Onbu stuck on my back before!”
“Here we go.” Shikamaru chuckled, hand rubbing a circle on his thigh as he spoke animatedly.
“You saw it, Shika, remember.”
“That weird bear thing, yeah, little guy stunk.”
“Not you too, Inei.”
“I got one stuck on me too, actually. Luckily we were able to track down the mom of mine and get it off my back before it got as big as yours did.”
“You can't expect us to believe that, those things are myths.”
“Nu-uh, it's true, go out in spring to the cliffs north of here and you'll see them. But don't get close, those fuckers are terrifying as adults.”
“I think Jiraiya made a report about fighting one ages ago, but he was definitely just writing some monster story.”
“He told me the last time we went drinking he beat one .” Shikaku snorted, “Sounds about as real as your stories.”
“I doubt he beat one, depending on how old he was. We had to deal with ours when we were about twelve or thirteen? Nightmare! Ah... but mine was pretty cute...” he sniffed, clearly growing depressed thinking about his long lost monster child.
“I think it's time you switched back to water.”
Naruto grumbled, curling around Shikamaru as if to smother him with his body, but after enough wriggling Shikamaru was up at the rail, getting some water for them both, it would be a long walk home if he had to carry Naruto.
“Thanks.” He tossed a handful of ryo into the cup on the counter, even though the water was free. They were being loud and he wanted to apologize in some way.
“-ing faggots.” He slowed, looking at the three men sitting along the rail. They refused to look at him.
“Did you say something to me?”
“Yeah. I said go home, fucking faggots. You're ruining the place.” They had been openly affectionate, true, but so were the straight couples, and it was tame to some of those he'd spotted on his way up to the bar.
“...” there were a lot of ways to handle this. These were other village shinobi. No reason to start a fight even if he can definitely win it, he didn't want to damper this fond memory after all.
“What, need your boyfriend to hold your hand? Too scared to fight me yourself?” Shikamaru had just enough leftover warmth from the booze to make a bad choice for both of them.
“Ever think you're the one bringing down the IQ in the room?” Naruto was watching them, his staring had gotten the rest of the table's attention.
“You always write a check with your mouth that your ass can't cash?” Violence was probably pretty common here, getting Shinobi drunk and interacting usually lead to at least arguments.
“Do you want me to hit you? Is that it? Will that make you feel better, big guy? Little fucked up but everyone's entitled to their kinks-!” He was splashed with the man's mostly full mug of beer, foam got caught in his hair. His shirt clung to his chest, and he was suddenly furious. “I suggest you walk outside on your own two feet while you still have the option.”
“Oh yeah? Why's that, little sissy?”
“Because if you leave now I'll be able to convince my boyfriend not to break your bones. I'll settle your tab, but actually, fucking run-!” Another mug of beer was poured on his head.
In the ten seconds it took him to clear it away from his now stinging eyes, Naruto had gotten up and come over, now holding one of the men face first into the bar rail, the other was being held up by the neck.
“Haruki.” He was growling. Audibly, it was actually almost impressive. “Drop him.”
“No.” His teeth are getting sharper, lovely.
“Drop him. Now. ” He grounds it out, and the tone is enough that it stops Kurama before he can fully come out like he's trying to.
“But he-!”
“I don't care. Put. Him. Down.” The shinobi, a chunin by the looks of it, fell hard onto the bar floor, gasping for breath, there were already purple finger shaped bruises forming on the soft tissue of his neck, he should count himself lucky his trachea was in tact, let alone his spine. “Now the other one.” Naruto huffed, annoyed, but let go of the other guy, who groaned, sliding off the counter and down onto the ground. He left a bloody streak from a clearly broken nose. “This is why you aren't supposed to drink, you know that right?”
“They started it.” He buttoned it when Shikamaru narrowed his eyes further. He dug out what should be an appropriate amount of ryo to apologize for the blood now on their counter and floor, as well as to pay for the two mugs of beer he is now wearing since he couldn't stop Naruto from attacking- the two should have just left. Their third friend has fallen off his stool and was scrambling back, lucky he hadn't done anything to antagonize Naruto further.
He dragged Naruto by the ear to their table, apologizing to them and wishing them a good night, then dragged the man by the ear out and to their apartment.
“Inei, I know you're mad-”
“I am not mad. I am furious.” He spoke calmly. “I was handling it. I'm not helpless.” The statement had a bit less weight when he remembered he needed Naruto in sight to prevent panic attacks on a daily basis, but at least when dealing with assholes at the bar, he could take care of himself.
“We weren't trying to...” Naruto went quiet, and stayed that way until they got home. He sat outside the bathroom door like a pathetic dog while Shikamaru showered first.
If he was honest, he wasn't really mad at either of them, but Kurama needed to be careful about when he made himself known, and in a bar full of shinobi, drunk or not, it wasn't good optics. If or when they had to reveal his existence to the whole village, him being a violent thug wasn't really the route they should take.
Naruto still smelled like beer when he got out of the shower, his regenerative abilities had kicked in and he was literally sweating it out of his system. Shikamaru debated not letting him into bed, but decided that would be too mean, and so the blonde was allowed into the mess of blankets beside Shikamaru- at the moment they didn't have a bed frame, just an oversized mattress on the floor. It was, if he wasn't mistaken, the mattress that had been salvaged from the Nara clan compound at some point during the war, it had been where they'd slept while with the foxes too.
He didn't actually know who the mattress belonged to, and he hadn't cared back then, but now he kind of wished he knew. If only so he could thank someone in his head.
It was one of the only pieces of furniture in the whole apartment, a dusty stained mattress. The stains were a mixture of blood and ink, at this point nothing could get them out now.
They should replace it, probably sooner than later, but that cost money and they probably needed to buy actual furniture unless they planned to be out on missions more often than home. He smiled when he heard Naruto start to snore beside him, glad to see him actually sleeping for once.
Idly, his fingers begin to stroke over his ribs, feeling the faint almost breathing of Yugure’s presence, growing somewhere under the bones. Maybe not growing, that implied it was steadily increasing in size. From what he could tell it only did so when he was in that state, he didn't think the time spent in it made a difference, but the lump had felt pea sized when he'd come back to himself in a messy haze after first using it. He had been running on something stronger than adrenaline, like he could feel every shadow as if they were waiting to jump at his fingers. The last time, save for the hospital that he had used it and come back to himself it had felt plum sized. Naruto had put a shield up at the time, wanting to check to make sure Shikamaru could even survive the seal activating. It had taken two days for him to stabilize, though he'd been sick right after being chucked back, he wasn't exactly in good health prior. They just hadn't been able to wait any longer or risk Kaguya busting down the shield.
He did wonder how pissed off she was to lose the last two thorns in her side in such an unsatisfactory way. He smiled, imagining the tantrum she'd likely thrown. The lump pulsed suddenly, and he went back to soothingly rubbing the flesh over it. Yugure probably wanted to speak to him. She had to be anxious about getting what she wanted. He couldn't blame her though, out of everything she could have asked him for it had seemed trivial for what he needed to get out of the deal on his end.
He needed to put off the end of the deal for as long as he could, even if he could technically fulfill it safely now, it wasn't really an opportune time for them. Yugure was impatient, but she’d just need to get used to it, she'd waited this long, she could wait a few more months, a year max. His mind was drawn away by Naruto pulling him in by the side and he tried to stop his mind from getting further away from him.
He had the sinking feeling that the events from earlier were going to bite them in the ass, sooner rather than later. Bar fights were one thing, but he expected to hear something about Naruto injuring a fellow shinobi- which he absolutely did. Shikamaru knew he was a bad person, but it was a bit satisfying in hindsight. Two assholes had poured their drinks on him and called him some derogatory names- did they deserve to have concussive trauma inflicted on them? Well Shikamaru wasn't saying there may not be other reasons they shouldn't get hit at least once, but technically no, probably not.
“Shika?” He hummed, Naruto nuzzled the back of his neck sleepily. “You're thinking too much.”
“Yeah?” Naruto nodded, pulling him until they were spooning properly. “Haruki.”
“Mhmm?” Naruto pressed into him, one big sleepy octopus.
“You've got a boner.”
“Nuh... s'Kurama's.” Shikamaru chuckled softly to himself.
“Yeah okay.”
“G'night.”
“Sleep well.”
Maybe he was thinking too much.
Chapter 20: An Inappropriate Use Of A Shadow Clone (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW.
Waking up together, it's just Shikamaru, Naruto, and Naruto's soul-bound millennial old Fox Biju.
Notes:
There's going to be a lot of actual story between this NSFW chapter and the next one, so if you came here for just that it'll be a bit before we see another one.
Chapter Text
It was around five that morning. The sun was just turning the sky pink and gold when Shikamaru woke up, Naruto was rubbing into the back of his neck and purring.
“Are you actually awake?” He mumbled it, still half asleep himself. In response Naruto nudged his ass with his erection. “Amazing how that isn't an answer.” He sighed as Naruto squeezed his chest, lightly humping him. “Do you want me to help or are you just going to rub on me until you make a mess?”
“I had a dream where I went down on you, but when you came it was miso broth.” Shikamaru barked out a laugh even as Naruto began to fondle him through his boxers.
“Are you hungry or... is that why you woke up like this?”
“Mhmm no. Just thought it was weird.” He rolled his eyes, but watched Naruto finally dip into his boxers and take hold of him, the band rolled down and he watched Naruto lazily stroke him in the weak morning light.
“Not that I don't love this, but either commit and fuck me or let me go so I can take care of it.” Naruto gently bit the back of his neck, the move was possessive as he let Shikamaru go long enough to shove down both of their underwear, not that it went far.
“Stop squirming... every time...” He jumped slightly because Naruto's fingers were wet.
“Stop using your blood to do this!” But he felt the now familiar feeling of being suddenly empty, he grabbed Naruto's hand and squeezed hard. As convenient as that was he would never get used to it.
“I'll start keeping a pot of paint by the bed then.” Naruto kissed just behind his ear, before he bit the shell. The tang of chakra in the air let him know he pulled a bottle of oil from one of his seals.
Naruto let his ear go, getting up on his knees where he almost fell because he hadn't actually removed his boxers. Shikamaru turned onto his back, kicking his own off to avoid them getting in the way and popping his knees open.
He managed to prop himself up with the pillows and watched sedately as Naruto got comfortable between his knees.
They hadn't really had the time or space to do anything since before they left for the mission beyond kissing, so the numerous little bruises and bite marks were healed over on his thighs- this did little to deter Naruto from leaving more as he warmed the oil in his palm, biting and scrapping and licking his way inward toward Shikamaru's core.
“Sage you're gorgeous...” Shikamaru flushed as Naruto practically moaned it against his groin.
“Naruto, if you are talking directly to my junk I am going to masturbate alone in the shower, stop being-!” He jumped, hand darting to grab a fist full of his hair and pull hard. “Fuck!” In response Naruto simply moaned happily at the rough treatment.
The reason being that Naruto was mouthing the base of his cock, carefully scraping the sensitive skin with his teeth. When the blonde shot a smug look up at him, one eye was slowly turning red.
“I'm only going to remind you-!” He gasped, the blonde had taken the head into his mouth and was slowly working his way down, bobbing his head and rolling his tongue alone a sensitive vein along the underside, “-once, that you literally last five times longer than I do so don't-!” His back arched lightly as Naruto swallowed him whole, using the distraction to start rubbing his slick oiled fingers against Shikamaru's entrance.
He wasn't in any state to keep complaining as Naruto was soon two fingers deep, and Shikamaru's thighs were trembling from the sheer effort of not snapping closed. In Shikamaru's defense, the repeated encounters were building up his stamina, at least in the bedroom, but it would never reach a superhuman level like Naruto.
Naruto ignored the urgent tugging on his hair, pushing in a third finger, his nose pushing hard into Shikamaru's groin as he swallowed over and over. He doesn't even acknowledge it when Shikamaru cums, the bastard, just swallows it before slowly pulling off.
Shikamaru glares at him while he acts innocent, kissing his knee even while his fingers are still shifting and rubbing inside of him. He does freeze when Shikamaru gets a foot against one shoulder and pushed hard.
“I need a fucking minute.” His voice already sounds rough. Naruto dutifully stills his whole body, just watching him while Shikamaru tries to take stock of his body. It was far too early to be feeling so overwhelmed, but he was hypersensitive to the fingers still inside him. He was almost tempted to tell Naruto that he couldn't put it in, and to just fuck his thighs instead- the blonde would understand, but after a few minutes in which he was able to breathe and his body got more of a chance to adjust he shelfed the idea. “Okay... finish fingering me.”
“Thank you.” Naruto's voice sounded just a little strained, and he rests his cheek on Shikamaru's knee as he does just that. His fingers pump in and out slowly, spreading and rubbing at his walls, paying special attention to his prostate now that there isn't the added stimulation to his cock. It's embarrassing how quickly Shikamaru is even able to get hard again, the recovery time he knows is nothing compared to Naruto, but given he just came it was still quicker than he expected even with Naruto's overbearing need to please.
It's when Shikamaru is trying to shift down onto Naruto's fingers that they were finally removed- much to his annoyance.
“You're still okay?” He nodded quickly, eyes having begun to water with the sudden need, “I want to be inside you so bad...”
“ Please .” Shikamaru groans low in his chest, and Naruto sits back on his knees. He's about to complain when he watches Naruto make hand signs and suddenly there's another Naruto. He stares at the new blonde as if trying to solve the puzzle in his slightly delirious state as to where he came from, but the new Naruto just helps pick him up and hold him on the first one's lap, having turned him around to sit him on his lap fully. “Is he staying?” The two Naruto's look at one another.
“Do you want him to stay?” Shikamaru fidgets before reluctantly nodding yes, and they make twin sounds of interest. “Yeah, okay. Where do you want him?”
Shikamaru had not thought that far ahead. Really the idea ‘Two Naruto’ had made him ache but there was no way that he could actually fit two of his lover's monstrous cocks in him at once, not from the same end at least. There's also too many other options though- Naruto, both of him, don't seem in the mood to rush him as he tries to narrow down what he wants.
“I want to use my mouth.” Oral is also a bit tricky given Naruto's size, but there are plenty of things Shikamaru likes doing with his mouth even if he couldn’t swallow Naruto the way he likes to do it to Shikamaru.
“I thought you'd want to fuck him.” He did , but... no, not this time. He sort of felt like if anything else touched his dick in the next hour he'd scream- and not in a good way.
“Next time.” He groaned, clinging to the other Naruto as the first one rubbed his hips. The two shared a look and he got an ominous feeling. “What?”
“What do you say...”
“...to Kurama taking control of that guy.” He sucked in a breath as the nails pressing into his hips grew sharper.
“...fuck me....” he knew they didn't mind sharing the body, and Kurama was usually content to just let Naruto control it save for certain situations, but the thought of being sandwiched between the two of them-
“Yeah?” the Naruto in front of him cupped his cheek, and he fought another pathetic whine.
“ Please .” The two must have shared another look, because he could feel it in the air as Kurama took full control of the body behind him.
“Are you going to be good for me?” There's distortion whenever Kurama speaks using Naruto's voice, it being dragged down to an almost inhuman register, and he leans back meeting red predator eyes.
“Yes...” Kurama kisses him, and Naruto, clone or not, is fumbling between their bodies, helping line their cock up with Shikamaru's ass, looking mischievous as he watched Kurama in his body bite Shikamaru's lip, growling lightly.
“Nice and easy...” he's crowded, arms wrapping around Naruto again as he lowers himself slowly, he feels the same overwhelming stretch as the last time, compounded as gravity slowly pressures him further down faster than he expected to go. He clings to Naruto as Kurama rubs his thighs both trying to distract him as he adjusts, not rushing him.
“You're so tight...”
“My Shika is making such a pretty face...”
He was wrong this was a mistake- they're both doing it now.
“Come on, look at me.” Naruto is cupping his face again, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs, brushing away the few tears that came as he was overwhelmed. “Let me see those gorgeous eyes.” He barely cracks them open but that seemed to please Naruto, who nuzzled him. “You're doing so good.”
“Do you want me to move? Or help you get lower?” Kurama is kissing the back of his neck, both are trying to distract him in their own ways, but the cock inside him is a bit more thought consuming.
“Just... need a minute...” Kurama and Naruto seem to accept that, but decided to make it infinitely harder by both choosing then to start biting and kissing his neck. “Not helping-!”
Kurama sunk his teeth down lightly on his shoulder, hard enough to draw just a bit of blood, and Naruto chose that second to lick up to and then bite his earlobe.
He rolled his hips almost in instinct at the combined feeling, gasping. Kurama finally released his shoulder, holding his waist as he was allowed to fall forward, Naruto keeping the descent slow enough he didn't hurt himself.
“Are you comfortable?” His immediate answer was ‘Of course not’ because there were a lot of words to describe how he felt, but comfortable wasn't among them.
“Enough...” he nodded after having to think beyond his instinctual thoughts, Naruto hesitated before he sat, and Shikamaru laid his top on Naruto's lap, the angle isn't perfect, he still feels crowded, squished between he two, but he doesn't hate it.
“You ready for him to move, love?”
“Just... slow, okay?”
“Of course. If it's too much just say, alright?” Kurama is kneading the flesh of his hips, Naruto playing with his hair, he wraps his arms tight around the blonde as Kurama moves . The feeling of it shifting inside is enough to make his knees weak.
He groaned softly, looking up at Naruto as Kurama slowly began to rock his hips into him. Naruto was valiantly ignoring his own erection but as it was next to his face Shikamaru couldn't. He couldn't split his focus well, but he began to mouth along its base, wrapping a hand around Naruto as he did, stroking it in time with Kurama's slow thrusts. He didn't taste strongly of anything, but that was likely from the recent shower.
There was so much. He couldn't wrap his hand fully around Naruto's cock, and an identical one was currently stirring his insides into a frenzy. He didn't think his mouth could open wide enough to fit it- but his tongue, he quickly discovered, was sufficient in riling his partner up. Each pass of his tongue along the shaft, ever light scrap of teeth and firm press of lips, it was clearly having an effect.
“Shika... you're so fucking hot...” he said nothing to that, Kurama was setting a rhythm of deep hard thrusts that were making his toes curl as he slowly built speed, and his mouth was otherwise occupied.
There would be finger shaped bruises from Kurama's vice grip on his waist, and the bite on his shoulder had finally stopped bleeding, the slight twinges of pain were only making the pleasure that much more intense. Naruto was gently tugging his hair, in contrast to the now slightly rough snap of Kurama's hips, soft words of encouragement spilling out of him as Shikamaru licked and mouthed his cock.
His focus was so split between the two his own orgasm took him by surprise- it bowled him over as an unintentionally hard thrust from Kurama and a filthy suggestion from Naruto coincided with enough force he would have screamed- if he wasn't already using his mouth. Both still, watching him, and he feels particularly pathetic strung between them but he also can't feel his toes for a second and he is aware he is clenching everything .
“Oh...”
“He's so cute, cumming from so little.” Kurama comes off as patronizing, and Naruto is trying to get his eyes to focus enough to ask if he can keep going or if they need to stop.
“Shika, love, how many fingers am I holding up?”
“There he goes, thought you were trying to pull our cock off you got so tight.” Kurama began to massage his lower back to help him relax.
“Th-three.” Naruto sighed, stroking his cheek. “Sorry, I-!” His insides feel raw in all the best ways, and his hips are starting to ache.
“If you need to, he can pull out. Kurama can just fuck me until I pop.” Shikamaru now desperately wants to see that, but he isn't quite that strung out yet. Maybe another time.
“I'm okay.” He's going to regret it, without a doubt, but he doesn't want to quit when he's already so far in, wanting Kurama to finish while still inside him.
Once he's breathing is mostly even he rolls his hips back and Kurama starts to rock back into him, slow and steady, and they build back the rhythm he'd had before together, but now Kurama is bending over his back, nuzzling his neck as their bodies grind together. Naruto just watches them, seeming content even if he isn't being touched.
Of course, it's still too much. He's hyper sensitive and feels shaky, every nerve feeling raw, but the idea of ending things like that... he pushed through. He knows it would only take a word to stop- hell even just a pained whine might be sufficient, but despite his body's protests he doesn't want to stop. It's bordering on painful how much he's feeling, but that too is mind numbing, and he kind of likes it.
Naruto has started to stroke himself off, and Kurama is growling against his skin, and he does gasp as he feels it again, Kurama had a problem , he thinks to himself, even as Kurama buried his cock in to the hilt and they become locked together. He's panting and tired as he watches Naruto fist his own cock until he spills- seconds after the clone pops and Kurama is whinning against his shoulder where he had started to nibble him, fingers digging in.
Feedback. The second the clone had popped, Naruro, and by extension Kurama, had gotten all of his memories at once. He didn't complain as they rocked slightly before they were soon eased down onto their sides, Naruto stroking his sides to soothe him as he tried to make sure Shikamaru really wasn't hurt.
“Not to rush you or anything, but my ass is starting to hurt.” In response he had to claw the sheets because Naruto pulsed chakra through his dick into him. Shikamaru's body had at this point into being his companion gotten so used to Naruto's chakra- more specifically Kurama's- that he could feel his body start to heal him from the inside out. It helped some of the pain, and he'd be able to walk in a straight line and sit down after this, but he really wished Naruto would stop doing weird things to both of their bodies without thinking to discuss it first.
It was probably fine, it wasn't nearly as effective as it was for Naruto after all- the blonde could heal his own broken bones in a mater of a few minutes, the best he could do for Shikamaru was clear up bruising and heal minor cuts- but given how they had over done it a bit he didn't want to complain about the treatment.
“Kurama wants you to fuck him next time.” He grumbled, already falling back asleep despite the cock still inside him. Naruto stroked his back, the man apparently finished sleeping for the night.
Chapter 21: Intermission (One)
Summary:
The first half of what the boys are doing once they get back from the front to rest.
Notes:
Sorry it's been over a week, I was sick and didn't feel up to editing any chapters, I'll post this one and the next one today, and maybe a few tomorrow, we'll see how much I can get through.
Chapter Text
In the morning once they actually got up there was, in fact, a written warning waiting for them about the fight last night and how Naruto had been reported for assault, but how it had been deescalated down to harassment. It wouldn't end up in any permanent files, but there was a sixty day notice where if he did something else of the same level that would end up in his mission records.
They had the next few days off, so they had planned to walk around the village, maybe if Minato and Kushina were free spend some time with them. This plan was out the window of course when halfway through their sedate trip to the market Naruto was being tugged on by tiny Itachi, who had spotted them while out shopping with his mother.
“Hey kiddo.” Naruto wasted no time in getting down to his level to talk with him, Shikamaru just sighed and leaned against his side.
“Hello Mr. Namikaze.” He had the tiniest little smile, it made his chubby cheeks dimple. It was hard to believe there was a future he had become a mass murderer in. Shikamaru didn't interact with him much, if at all that he could remember, in their original timeline, so it was a bit easier for him.
“Mother would like to speak with you.” He was careful, speaking slowly and enunciating every word. He was like a tiny grown up.
“Are you here with her?” Itachi nodded, and so Naruto offered his hand, and Shikamaru followed the two as Itachi lead them back to Mikoto.
She looked a bit worried until she spotted them, quietly admonishing Itachi for not telling her where he was darting off to. He didn't look all that sorry.
They exchanged pleasantries while she finished making a purchase at one of the vegetable stands, and then they began to walk her and the boy back toward the Uchiha compound.
It was on the way, out of the public eye, that she finally brought up what she wanted to talk to them about.
“Fugaku and I have agreed it would be a good experience for Itachi to apprentice under you until he's the age of other first year academy students.”
“I'll start drawing up the paperwork for it then, we have to wait for approval from the hokage, but we should be able to start lessons soon.” She nodded.
“We've already submitted our formal request.” She offered tea when they arrived at the compound gates, but they had to decline. It would be better long term if they just got their paperwork submitted, so they swung by the missions desk to get the forms needed, and hung around while he filled them out.
The official process of an apprenticeship had to be notified by both parties involved, with approval of the hokage, and the process would be the same if Naruto was teaching him how to craft weapons in a forge as for funinjitsu. As the master teaching him, Naruto had certain responsibilities in regards to Itachi's future, specifically his education. If Naruto decided he had not finished learning what had been agreed upon for his apprenticeship, he was in a position to prevent Itachi from attending the academy. Likewise if Itachi's parents didn't think the apprenticeship was beneficial to their son they'd have to submit a formal request to have it canceled early, and Naruto could contest that which would then involve a third party to investigate to ensure Itachi's well being and the grounds for which the cancellation was submitted on.
Once it was approved by the hokage Naruto would meet with the family and discuss what exactly they expected out of the apprenticeship and what was within the realm of possibility for him to teach. Shikamaru didn't actually have any role in the process, but as Naruto's partner he would also have his own involvement in Itachi's studies, even if it was as simple as keeping an eye on him if Naruto was called away.
After that they ran into Obito, who had been relegated to administration related missions while he continued his physical therapy. The boy nearly dropped an arm load of reports when he spotted them, and Shikamaru wondered if he'd been worked too hard given the color in his cheeks.
“Have you been doing alright? Sorry we haven't been by to check up on you.”
“I-I'm okay! I uh... I got released while you were on your mission, Bakashi told me you made him take food.”
“We needed to clean out the fridge anyway, he doesn't eat enough.” Obito nodded mindlessly, eyes darting between them. “
“Maybe you should take more rests, Obito. You look a bit tired.” Pointing it out didn't seem to help maters, as all it did was keep Obito from making eye contact with him for a full minute.
“I can handle this much! I know when to push myself and when to relax.” Neither believed him. “Anyway, we should get food or tea some time! I missed your physical testing, but if you could I'd like to hear about it. Minato sensei said you're both very skilled.”
“We have the next few days free, just let us know what time works for you.”
“I-I! Yes, okay, I will.” He looked a bit dazed, and Shikamaru felt like maybe he should intervene and make sure the boy sat down, but Obito was being too stubborn so he just hoped he'd take a break soon.
Over the course of the day they proceeded to run into Shikaku, who insisted they meet Yoshino the following night at dinner, Kushina who invited them to have tea the next morning, and Kakashi who Naruto informed he was expecting to come by the day after tomorrow to pick up more food, and bring the old containers with. Kakashi grumbled but made no attempt to say no. It was sooner than Kakashi had thought it would take to break the boy. Just like that their calender was now full, as they left the full fourth day they had off open for discussing Itachi's lesson plans once the paperwork was funneled through.
Shikamaru was glad they were so busy again, if he was honest. It left less room to think.
The main reason they had gone out essentially was to look at furniture, not needing much- a bed frame, table and chairs, and a couch would be enough to start. The problem was... Naruto was a bit picky, he had suggested figuring out mokuton just so he could make them himself- it should be possible after all- but Shikamaru had given him a flat look and said no.
It took two hours for them to decide on a table and chairs, and the couch was a lost cause for the day, they'd have to branch out more to find something they both liked. Naruto sealed their purchases and they decided to have dinner out, ramen of course. They'd have a busy stay in the village, most likely, but at least it would keep them busy for the time being. At least he had that to look forward to.
Chapter 22: Echo's Of Tragedy.
Summary:
Jiraiya finally finds the villages our boys put up.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Jiraiya had found it, Garasu* was a medium village at the edge of Fire, and from what he could tell it was the village that Haruki and Inei were from.
It was a burned out shell, very few buildings had any standing structures, most long overgrown by nature as it reclaimed the land. At the edge in the forest proper, he found a mass grave, the names carved into a boulder were almost illegible, but he did find a few with the family name Iwah among other more common family names.
While wandering the wreckage he saw the foundation of a small school house, over one hundred houses, with others further from the center of the village. There was a crumbling set of four statues in the center, they had been made of stone and were so broken he could hardly make out if they had been of men or women. At the edge of the village proper was a mostly burned manor, the biggest house he'd seen. The name plaque had survived, carved into the splitting wood was the Iwah family name. It was more intact than other houses, maybe because it was so far away from the center of the village.
He found dark stains on the warping wooden floors, broken furniture and plates, the place had long been ransacked either by the men who attacked the village or opportunists who came later. Untouched though damaged by the elements were a few photos on the walls. A very beautiful woman with dark hair and large eyes looked back, beside here were men with familial resemblance, both young and old, though several of the newer photos had her holding a small child- the kid was a dead ringer for Shikaku, he thought at first. One of the frames was broken, and when he moved to remove it from the wall a second photo that had been hidden fell out. There was no mistaking Nara Shikagouro, even young, as the man in the photo with the woman he suspected strongly was Inei's mother. Given her silhouette in her kimono, she had to be in the early stages of pregnancy. So he had hung around for a bit and even known about the baby before he walked out on her. He collected all of the photos and continued to poke around, finding in the center of the manor near the garden a young man's room.
There were a few necessary items that had clearly been packed in haste, drawers open and empty of clothing, but somehow left behind, poking out from under the moldy futon, was a trifold photo frame. In one was a young Inei with a boy and girl he didn't know, the boy was a bit chubby and had brown hair and eyes, the girl had a narrow face and short pale blonde hair with dark eyes. The second held a photo of both Inei and Haruki, young, arms around each other's shoulders smiling lazily at the camera, the photo was a bit blurry as if they'd been moving too much when it was taken, they looked about eight or so. The final photo was of a teenage Inei, maybe thirteen, with an unknown dark haired woman, he himself held a small photo of a man, darker skinned, bearded, and both were dressed in black- the woman in the photo looked pregnant.
He also found a journal, though the pages were mostly stuck together with damp, too water damaged to read anything written within.
From the remains, Inei seemed to have lived a happy, if not a bit sheltered life, his family seemed to have a decent textile business, and were likely among the wealthiest in the small village.
He back tracked, finding what would have stood in for a municipal building, finding Haruki's records in a mostly water logged box in what generously may be a basement. Born to Namikaze, just the family name unfortunately, and Uzumaki Rika. That certainly explained a few things. He found the woman's home on the village map that had survived tacked to a basement wall- it had flooded the last few springs, everything covered with algae and mold. He also found a yearly record of major events kept by one of the elders in the village. He read it while walking toward the fallen Uzumaki home.
Most of it was about harvests, minor village drama, weddings, births, but something stood out to him. The record was from the last forty years, well between forty years ago and about twenty give or take, each month barely got a page in the thick book, but a whole one was dedicated to a date at the beginning of the record. Uzumaki Saito and his daughter Rika, moved into the village. He worked as a carpenter, and had built their home with a root cellar. His daughter was very good at weaving. In his background he claimed to have been a shinobi in Uzushio, but that they had had to leave suddenly. This was prior to the fall of Uzushio.
Why did an Uzumaki suddenly uproot his child and drag her to the opposite end of their allied nation? Nothing stood out about then for many years worth of entries. Until the one for October twenty seven years ago. There had been a brief mention about how Rika had gotten pregnant by some vagrant, one who left once the ground had thawed leaving her alone, but it was October that made his blood run cold.
October 10th, a great tragedy has struck Garasu. A beast, some evil spirit from the bowels of hell itself appeared and laid flat five houses, killing ten, and wounding eight others who are expected to recover. Both Saito and Riku are also among the dead, though not from the debris. Riku is believed to have died in childbirth, she leaves behind one son, Haruki. Saito valiantly gave his life to imprison the beast within the newborn's body. It is yet to be known if the boy is a demon or not as a result. While he was dying, Saito begged of me not to reveal the child's Uzumaki heritage to anyone, and that he may be in danger if he is ever discovered. Although I don't understand the reason he was so adamant, I will do my best to follow his wishes. He will be recorded as Namikaze Haruki, rather than as Uzumaki.
The following months detailed how the boy was bounced from house to house until eventually he was stuck in a room rented out by the butcher, where he lived alone presumably, as at that point the record only mentioned him in extremely small sums of money given as charity or when he was written as having vandalized something.
He passed the butchers on the way and found the room Haruki had spent his formative years inside.
It was small. Just wide and long enough to lay a futon down in. There were damaged books scattered around the old futon, and even without walls he felt claustrophobic, the only door lead directly outside in a heap on the ground. The kid had spent how many years in this closet?
He found a small gas can and stove to accompany it, and a dingy looking pot. So he really was confined to this one room... he wondered if that explained why Haruki decided to keep every worldly thing he owned inside his own body via seals.
The small detour didn't stop him from finding the overgrown shell of a home that had belonged to Uzumaki Saito and his daughter. It was an open hole in the ground now, water standing in the former root cellar, unlike the houses nearby which had been rebuilt before their burring down
He jumped down, trying to ignore the feeling of stagnant water clinging now to his pants- the reason for jumping down was a collapsed corner of the wall, inside was a small chest- there was a hole about the same size of the chest on the other side pieces of wood still embedded in the dirt that seemed to match the intact one. He got it out and pushed it up and out of the hole.
He made a fire to dry his legs while he looked over the chest. There was an Uzumaki spiral prominent on the lid, the name Saito was carved along the seam of the lid, and the lock broke easily bellow his, palm as he felt the swirls along the crease..
Inside were file folders stuffed to bursting, envelopes, and a badly ripped up journal. He dug through the contents of the hidden chest.
He wasn't sure what the files were about, as someone had gone over and painted the writing with black ink as if to cover what it said, leaving giant gaps in the record- not even Jiraiya could think of a way to read the text bellow it. It seemed to be talking about research on Jinchuriki, but he couldn't be certain. Uzushio had done a lit of research on those that housed Biju, so he wasn't too shocked, at least not until he picked up the journal.
It was a research diary. Saito, Haruki's grandfather had been among a group he referred to as the Unfathomable. He had not been present for the act apparently, but their initial test subject had been snipped during a transfer of a Biju, the Kyuubi. His blood was rushing through his ears at this point, hands feeling clammy with sweat.
This group had taken a sample of the Kyuubi's chakra and preserved it, hell, they'd cultivated it. It had been growing, he looked over the observations, but he realized whatever the methods they'd used had been in the scrubbed documents he'd paged through. As the entries went along it became very clear that Saito didn't want to be involved anymore in the project he was tasked with. He thought it was dangerous. It was dangerous . Growing a second Kyuubi...
His final entry detailed how he took and destroyed or damaged all of Unfathomable's research after an incident lead them to sealing the sliver of Kyuubi chakra into a metal jar, this was after it had caused several deaths. He'd also had stolen the jar. He had taken his young daughter and fled Uzushio to hide from any members of his group that may have tried to pursue him.
He looked to the caved in half of the wall, the embedded chunks of wood and shreads of metal when he looked harder still, and thought of the report on the day Haruki was born about the ‘beast from the bowels of hell itself’ and how it had been sealed into the guy as a newborn.
He had heard second hand how Haruki had been treated by his own village from Kakashi when the two outsiders had opened up to him, who knew little more than he did, about how he had been shunned as a child. He thought about how hard it must have been for the kid to grow up and everyone walk on eggshells around him- as if waiting for conformation he was some kind of demon. That he had a teacher who was emotionally abusing him, possibly physically too from the way Minato said he'd been talked about. Growing up all alone like that, with no one to stand up for him, or take care of him.
It made his stomach roll uncomfortably. The question that followed of course, was did he know?
Within the chest at the very bottom was an old photo of who he assumed Saito was, and beside him was a girl maybe ten or twelve years old, both in traditional robes, the young woman looked very little like Haruki, if Jaraiya was pressed. That meant both he and Minato likely took after their father, which made sense but didn't make hunting the man down any easier. He collected all the items within the chest, and swept the village again. Most of the houses only had a few photos rotting on the remains of their walls, some had boxes of unimportant documents, others had been picked clean of even viable scrap wood.
He would branch out to any people living in the area to tell him more, but it didn't amount to much.
Anyone alive twenty seven years ago with memories to see it all said the same thing, big monster, devil, demon, beast, evil creature, very big , that sort of thing. The last local he found to ask about it said that he had been a very young child, and the only thing he remembered was that it had a lot of tails, so many it was blocking out the setting sun.
“Do you know how many?” The man shook his head no, frowning.
“Couldn't say. Always thought I imagined it.” He scratched the side of his head, “Funniest thing, I do remember how one of the old men from that village came around and asked my parents to lie about what happened if anyone asked, just say it was a big storm. Figure it doesn't matter too much now, given the whole place got ransacked and burned.” He nodded, feeling a bit defeated.
“Thank you anyway.”
Jiraiya walked back toward the nearest decently sized village so he could rent a room for the night, he had a nagging feeling something wasn't quite right, and decided to follow up his investigation by trying to find the place Unfathomable would have been based out of on Uzushio. If they had been trying to make a second Kyuubi, weapon or not, they had to have kept looking for it once it was stolen, or maybe they tried to make a new cutting of the thing the last time it had changed jinchurki. Maybe Kushina would be able to remember if there was anyone unusual hanging about when she had had the fox sealed inside her. If they did it once they could certainly try it again.
He couldn't stop himself from wanting to look at the seal, if Haruki had noticed it or if it had gone undetected for decades- he was a sensor type, and with how well applied his chakra he likely did know. But why not choose to disclose it to the village? Maybe he knew why, but if it was such an important piece of information how had it been kept secret and for so long? Why take such a huge risk even staying in the village?
The one place that would want it more than anything was Konoha, they had the original fox, and they wouldn't want to share that with any other nation or hidden village. If they'd known that Haruki had the fox there wouldn't be an option for them to have left. Jaraiya was just happy that Haruki wanted to live there to begin with because things would have been much worse otherwise.
A part of him was tempted to confront Haruki before taking this to the hokage, but... he needed to consider what was best of the village, even if Minato ended up hating him because of the choices his sensei made, he needed to trust the hokage to make the best choice. He wanted to believe that Haruki wouldn't be exploited, that he wouldn't be treated differently.
Maybe he should just hope that Haruki would forgive him.
Notes:
Garasu- It just mean's glass in Japanese. I thought it might be a little funny if they named their deep fake village glass, something easy to see through.
Chapter 23: Intermission (Two)
Summary:
A few more lazy days, before things start to spiral again.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Tea with Kushina and Minato was lovely. Most of it was just spent gossiping about things that happened on the front lines, and Naruto was trading recipes with Minato while Shikamaru had to bear the brunt of Kushina's teasing. She had spied a bruise on his neck, and started to speculate in a very obnoxiously fake innocent way on how he got it. This ran the gambit from ‘was it a bug bite?’ to a ‘training injury’, and the silliest was her asking if he had somehow tripped and fallen into something, but in a strange and comedic fashion. Kushina believed it would have involved a banana peel and running neck first into a park bench.
Shikamaru forced them to switch conversations at that point, asking Minato if he played shogi, and was relieved that he did- they even had a board. Naruto was soon describing ramen he'd eaten in various places and comparing it with types Kushina had eaten- it they ever had a mission together outside the village together they schemed to try new ramen stands together.
Minato was decent, winning one game out of five, the last one, which was enough for him as he called it there. He wanted to end it on a high note it seemed.
Naruto and Shikamaru left not long after and swung by the blacksmiths, Shikamaru wanted to pick up more senbon, and Naruto was more interested in the cookware they sold to civilians. That actually took quite a bit of time, as Shikamaru had to test each needle for it's balance, weight, and to ensure they were perfectly straight. Naruto purchased a new wok, they had gone without it for ages, but he looked excited to start using it.
That would have to wait, however.
They soon met up with Shikaku and Yoshino at one of the restaurants owned by the Akamichi clan, and introductions were made. Naruto had to squeeze Shikamaru's hand tightly because he felt as if he might cry seeing them both together.
It was surreal to talk to them like this- they had no idea who he really was, and it was better that they never did. Even still it left him feeling a bit out of sorts. Shikaku seemed to take it as him getting a little overwhelmed, thankfully, and had yet to realize something was strange. He did have to wonder how long it would take Shikaku to puzzle them out- granted he'd do everything he could to prevent it. There was also the fact that time traveling isn't most people's go to suspicion. He wondered what theory Shikaku would stumble upon first. Though at this point he was starting to think maybe Shikaku hadn't noticed any inconsistencies- it would be great for them for that to remain the case, but even still it did seem odd. Shikaku was extremely intelligent, maybe more so than Shikamaru and Naruto combined. Had he really not suspected anything?
They went their separate ways after, and Shikamaru lost himself in thought. So long as Shikaku didn't start digging in too deeply they'd be living in the village a long time. The biggest evil was taken care of, but this village needed a lot more help and they had no idea yet.
Danzo needed to be handled.
He'd noticed a lot of children in the village orphanage, their parents had been shinobi- it was a consequence of the war. The problem was he didn't recognize almost any of them, which meant they were likely all victims of either Orochimaru's human experimentation in a few years, or Danzo's twisted ROOT graduation. Even if they were able to set Orochimaru on the straight and narrow, that would just free up more children for Danzo to kidnap.
There wasn't an immediate solution, either. If they had been on the outside they couldn't have reached him, but if they outright killed him now they would have to flee the village. Waiting for Minato to become Hokage would also take too long- children would be hurt in the interim. And that was if they could pry Danzo out by normal means... the parasite.
Their best solution was getting the kids out of the orphanages where they could watch them- but no one was adopting in the middle of the war, especially not shinobi children who had a whole different set of rules when adopted... the current laws dictated that they'd have to start at the academy by the age of ten, could only be adopted if one of those applying was a shinobi themselves, and there was one other rule that made them different than adopting a civilian child...
Civilians under normal circumstance could only adopt one child, two if it was to keep family members together, or if there was a reasonable period in between the adoptions. A Clan, however, was not limited. Theoretically, a Shinobi Clan, even if it only consisted of say... two members, could adopt as many children as they wanted so long as they had the capital to provide for them. As long as the other conditions were met, there were no grounds to dispute any adoption, outside of child welfare which... Konoha was shit at, especially given Naruto's upbringing.
“Hey, Haruki... remind me again what it takes to qualify as a new clan?” Even when there hadn't been a village to opperate the laws under, hopes of rebuilding had lead Naruto to being forced to memorize several text books worth of village laws- naturally since Shikamaru had been training as his aid he also knew them, even obscure ones, but he wanted to run over them again.
“Little out of the blue... uh, let's see... at minimum two active shinobi members of blood relation and or by marriage, a commendation by the hokage, approval by the citizens council... and by owning a plot of land that can be designated as clan property, why?”
“Mhmm no reason.” Naruto looked at him funny, but didn't push.
The results of the blood test, which took ages because DNA testing was so far behind what it had been in their time, would prove familial relation between Naruto and Minato- parents and siblings were roughly always the same, a forty five to fifty percent match. Two shinobi of blood relation. Minato already had a commendation from Sarutobi, but it wouldn't hurt to have Naruto earn one too. The citizens council could be bought easily, the Hyuga, Aburame, and Akamichi clans had all been guilty of bribing them in the past after all, and if money wasn't an option there was always some work around- offering up ‘ideas’ for stronger cement, agricultural advancements discovered post war, and a number of public services that could be accomplished by enough shadow clones would help their image with civilians so that was as good as done. As for the clan land...
“How much do we have saved up?”
“Between the two of us? Mhmm... from all the bounty hunting we did... just under fifteen million* ryo.”
“And at the current going rate for land in Konoha, that would buy us... two acres, maybe.” Naruto nodded, not yet following.
“But there aren't any open plots that big outside of the area above the stone faces, and that's at least three times as expensive.” Shikamaru deflated a bit. “Why are we talking about this?”
“Mhmm. I think I have a plan for taking care of that thing that's been bothering you, but...”
“Well there is always the east district. If we bought land there and demolished whatever was already standing we'd be able to find something easily.”
“I'm just worried that we'd get denied since that's not a good area.”
“Denied for... oh. Oh .” He took Shikamaru's hand and kissed the back of it. “You ready for that?”
“Well... maybe I should talk to the therapist Shikaku mentioned...” he could still be denied if he was deemed dangerous to children, as could Naruto, maybe the psyche eval could be damaging, but he at least would have a short window to improve rather than just be caught unaware....
“We'll put in a request together.”
Even if his initial plan didn't work, they had to do something . Because before long two of the boys in orphanage would be Sai and his brother.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin showed up at their door the next morning, the youngest among them looked upset to see the other two there, but Shikamaru didn't care.
He accepted a pile of containers from Kakashi, and ushered them in for tea. Naruto was finishing up in the kitchen, he barely glanced up in surprise, and Shikamaru watched him redistribute the food, which was going to be for Kakashi and them, so that it could better feed all five now present. Naruto, who would be hungry again later, was clearly already eyeing the instant noodles.
“Go on, dig in.”
Kakashi stared down at the plate before sighing and pulling down his mask to pick at the food. Both Rin and Obito dug in, the two looked extremely pleased once they tasted it. The three children began to talk at length about what they'd been up to while Naruto and Shikamaru had been out of the village- well, Kakashi actually hadn't said much on it, but he did mumble about how he was practicing with his dogs to be a more cohesive attack force. It was nice.
They were closer to thirty than twenty, and by their age their parents had already had them- Shinobi started families early, given if they didn't they might not have the chance to have children. It wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibility that if they did adopt, a few of their own children would be of similar ages to Kakashi and his squad, though they wouldn't know until they were able to do so. Even still, the three being around was nice practice.
While Naruto asked them about their plans for the day Shikamaru absent-mindedly began to rub over The Spot. Naruto had started to call it that whenever he caught him doing it.
Since the hospital he'd been feeling it more. It wasn't nearly as cold as it had been, but he couldn't deny the faint rhythmic pulse of it- it had synced up with his heart at that point. He was also feeling more exhausted after using chakra- he suspected that it was starting to drain it out of him- slowly but enough he was noticing it when he had to exert himself. If he was remembering it right, it was preparing for the final stage, the process was close to complete, so he'd probably notice more physical changes in himself after the next time he used it.
He wanted to talk with Yugure to better understand her plan, but as she was in a compromised state from their deal, she was too scared to get near Naruto. Kurama could potentially kill her if he really set his mind to it after all. Not that he blamed her, he wasn't able to explain, and Naruto thus far had only seen the negative side effects of the deal. Getting the two to talk might help, as Yugure could speak freely, but as things were he was worried Kurama might just kill her... which might actually kill Shikamaru too, given the state of their-!
“Shika, love?” He blinked looking up. “You okay?”
“Huh? Yeah... sorry. I was just...” his hand dropped.
“Are you having chest pains, Inei sensei?” Rin looked particularly alarmed at the idea.
“No. It's nothing.”
“I should scan you anyway-!”
“It's alright, Rin. Just an old injury. It's acting up again, huh?” He nodded along with the lie, fingers twitching. She didn't look satisfied, and Kakashi was giving them a hard stare now.
It took a bit, but soon the conversation returned, plans for the day, upcoming events in the village they would need to know about, Obito recommended a few tea shops- and then the older two had to leave. Kakashi stayed behind as Naruto began to assemble the take away containers for him, food for the next five days all packaged and ready inside.
“You don't have a scar there.” Shikamaru was confused for a moment before Kakashi accurately poked his chest, just over the spot. “Why did you lie?” He would have had a pretty clear scar map from when Naruto removed his stitches, and the boy hardly needed the sharingan to memorize things as simple as that.
“Just because there isn't a scar doesn't mean an injury didn't occur.” But it wasn't an injury. It was Yugure .
“...” Kakashi didn't seem convinced, but dropped it for now. “I heard you're going to teach Itachi, Haruki-san.”
“Just waiting for the paperwork to go through.” He was picking up the table, having finished pack up a cloth bag with Kakashi's meals, the boy was lingering on purpous then. Naruto started frowning when he noticed Shikamaru hadn't eaten much.
“I see. Although I don't want a formal apprenticeship, could you help me make a summoning mark for my nin-dogs on my arm? Like you have for your spear?” They both looked at him with surprise. He had never asked them for anything up until this morning. And such a vulnerable request...
“Sure, bring the actual scroll over sometime and we can figure something out.” He nodded, shifting the cloth bag with the food containers onto his arm. It seemed he'd finished what he came to do.
“... thank you.” He bee-lined out after that, but Naruto almost cried. It seemed Kakashi at least liked Naruto, which was enough for him.
Notes:
*I looked it up, 1 ryo is about 10 yen, so I used a currency converter, they have about 1 mil in usda, because they were hustling.
They were pretty good bounty hunters while they were doing it, and they were trying to clean house as much as they could so nothing unexpected would pop up, but they haven't gotten rid of two people they'd been looking for just yet. You'll know who they are when they pop up
Chapter 24: Therapy, Finally.
Summary:
Tsunade is under prepared for the two newest nutjobs the village has added to it's ranks.
Chapter Text
They were summoned to speak with Sarutobi that day, before noon, and it was with no small amount of surprise it was to inform them of an appointment for some psychiatric help. They were both to attend the meeting that evening at the hospital. It was compulsory. They couldn't go back to the front without completing the evaluation at least.
The two were left to speculate on what poor bastard was going to get stuck with them. Shikamaru, though able to recognize he had problems, wasn't about to trust anyone enough to actually help him. Naruto would flat out deny any issues and potentially physically fight any attempts at treatment if they undermined his autonomy.
Whatever schmuck got tricked into helping them out would regret it, without a doubt.
Tsunade was upset. She wanted nothing more than to leave , and yet here she was. In this damned village, expected to see what screws were loose on the two newest freaks her sensei had added to beef up the village. They might not actually be that bad- if not for the fact they had a not small amount of biological material from her dead grandfather that they refused to hand over to the village. Why were they keeping it?
It didn't matter. She would me assess them. She would submit it to the village. She would demand her grandfather's body back, she would bury it, and she would leave. Nothing on earth could keep her here.
She was ready to reverse the order and get the cells back right away when she heard the door open, turning to speak, only to have to look up. And up. And up .
The tallest shinobi, no, person in general, she had ever met greeted her. He had long, messy blonde hair, enormous blue eyes, tan skin, and if he was shrunken a bit she'd assume he was Jiraiya's favorite student. Poking his head from behind the giant was a somewhat pale, exhausted looking man of what was probably average height- the eye bags, somewhat sallow complexion, and thin face suggested he was ill. He looked tiny next to the massive blonde, though if the man looked small, Tsunade must seem like a child next to him. Even Jiraiya must seem short to him....
“You must be the therapist Lord Third said to meet, I'm Namikaze Haruki.” He held out a hand, and she dumbly took it, her hand vanished in his grip- she hadn't felt so small since she was an actual child .
“Iwah Inei.” The other man's hands were a bit bony, but his grip was firm.
“Tsunade.” She only hoped she didn't sound as stunned as she suddenly felt.
She had heard the name Iwah Inei. Today . The hospital staff had been talking about him as if he were some sort of medicinal prodigy. He'd worked out a way to temporarily deaden the nervous system without causing permanent damage with chakra, something that's always been a bit hit or miss- wherein the misses could cause permanent and severe nerve damage. He also had had a few revolutionary ideas about using chakra to stimulate wounded tissue, sterilize wounds and medical equipment without antiseptic, and there was some sort of buzz about his anatomical study he'd done on an enemy ninja that they had brought in-
She'd had time waiting for the meeting so she'd been catching up on the gossip.
He'd also written the initial work up on Uchiha Obito, the kid who they'd used her grandfather's cells to heal- who ‘they’ are she didn't know but Orochimaru had better hope for his sake he wasn't among them.
He was going to be one of the two she evaluated.
“Tsunade... as in Lady Tsunade?” She nodded again, not sure what to say.
“You're the only living relative of Hashirama Senju, yes?”
“I... as far as I'm aware.” She watched him remove a scroll from the pouch he had at his hip and offer it to her.
“Then I can entrust this to your care.” She took it, and scrawled messily on the label of it was ‘Senju Cells’. “Aside from the small amount given for testing to the village, and whatever amount had been used to treat Obito, that's the entirety of the cells Madara was cultivating in his cave.”
“You're just... giving this to me? Just like that?”
“I mean... he was your grandfather.” Haruki spoke up, “You're the one who ought to have him.” She had expected a fight. Sarutobi had already tried to do as much, telling her how much good could come of using them, how many shinobi could go back into the field if treated using them.
“Thank you.”
“It's ultimately your choice, and it isn't my place to tell you what to do, but please consider allowing the village to study them. At least think on it a few days before you bury them.” She turned to look back at Inei, “Using them as treatment may be a step to far, but there's a lot that could be learned from them.”
“Are you trying to guilt me too?”
“Forgive me. It hadn't been my intention to try and guilt trip you.” She wanted to argue that that was exactly what it had sounded like and she wasn't an idiot when Haruki cut in, putting a hand on Inei's shoulder.
“I think what he's messing up trying to say is... please consider what your grandfather would have wanted. If that's burial, then even if it doesn't mean much we'll back you, but if you believe he would have approved of his cells being used for medicine, or medical research for the village, then set strict guidelines for their use so they can't be further abused.”
Oh.
Maybe she would have to think on it, but she was still firmly in the camp that he should be buried.
“Right... I'm going to have you fill out these forms for me.” She had had two basic assessments ready, she would give them more specific ones after seeing the results.
She was... not prepared.
“So... getting a high number on this test is...”
“It's bad.” Tsunade was rubbing the bridge of her nose.
“I see.”
“How... bad is bad?”
“If either of you had scored one point higher I would be suggesting institutionalizing you for treatment.”
“Oh, lucky!”
“Not lucky! Bad, Haruki! You need anger management training. So you seriously think that an appropriate response to someone insulting you is to ‘Punch them in the mouth’, really?” Though a lot had been multiple choice, there had been a few sections to fill in with their own answers, apparently she didn't like what they'd put down.
“I mean... depends on the insult?”
“And Inei, when I asked you to list situations that cause you discomfort or stress you filled in every single one listed.”
“That is correct.”
“Do you even feel safe right now?”
“Yes. Haruki is here.” She rubbed her temples.
“If he were to leave the room?”
“... would I still be able to see him through the doorway?”
“No.”
“Oof, no then.”
“What would it take for you to feel safe in the room alone, Inei, without Haruki.”
“... a lock on the door.”
“Okay.”
“And I need my weapons pouch in reach.”
“...”
"It would also be better if I was in the room alone." She stared at him for a moment before turning her sharp eyes back to Naruto, who looked like he was being physically struck.
“Haruki, do you remember what you put down for the question on how many hours you sleep?”
“Yeah, eight hours.”
“Was that nightly?” He laughed, nervously. “You thought it was weekly?”
"It didn't specify, and the question above it was weekly..."
“That is more than he was sleeping before we started living in the village.” Shikamaru quickly defended Naruto, but that was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Tsunade gave him an odd look that told him maybe that wasn't a smart choice in front of her.
“If I pass you off to a village psychiatrist you won't go, will you?” Neither said anything and she took the hint. “If I stay in the village, you two will come to meet me twice a week.” It was not a question.
“Yes ma'am.” Shikamaru took Naruto's hand as Tsunade looked over the tests again. They'd been a combination of multiple choice and fill in the blank. He knew Naruto had likely put some type of violent response for any of the unfriendly confrontation hypotheticals, and he himself had tried to be honest with her on his levels of distrust and stress. He knew they weren't great but he hadn't expected to be one more concerning answer away from getting checked in.
Privately he was grateful he hadn't been honest in every section. Naruto was right... they had gotten lucky.
Tsunade was going to stay in the village to ensure they got the therapy they desperately needed. She was not happy to learn that almost all medications were ineffective on Haruki, the whole gambit from pain reducers, to sleeping aids- he had been dubiously uncertain if antibiotics would even work on him. She'd been incredulous of it at first, until she saw for herself- she should have thrown him into a padded room for this- when he cut open his palm. Deeply. Within a minute a cut she wanted to give him stitches for was gone. Little left of it aside from a few drops of blood. It also apparently took him effort to not instantly metabolize alcohol- the reason drugs didn't work was his body just processed them too fast.
His insomnia seemed to stem from his abilities as a sensor, unable to turn off his hyper awareness it caused him anxiety and paranoia when he tried to sleep. She wanted to know why but he was unwilling to talk about any of his past trauma, of which the files she had read suggested there was a lot. He had a short fuse, his first instinct when confronted, almost exclusively by those he did not know or didn't like, was to get physical during a confrontation. Which was bad because he'd been tentatively ranked as among the top ten most accomplished jonin in taijutsu.
Inei had severe anxiety. She almost wanted to classify him as having antisocial personality disorder. When asked anything about himself he tended to lie first if it was too personal, and then back tracked if she called him out. He also had a few stress ticks she noticed during their brief meeting, he rubbed a spot on his chest so much she worried he might be damaging his skin, his hands kept picking at things as well without him seeming to notice, not just fabric or paper, but to her horror he had actually began to pick at Haruki without seeming to notice, nails scraping his fingers in rhythmic motions- he broke skin twice but Haruki sat unaffected by the very obviously painful actions even as the skin quickly scabbed over and healed.
She doubted he even knew he was doing it, because Haruki was so quick to hide any blood, how long had he been mutilating the blonde's fingers and he just hadn't said anything ? Judging by some scaring she noticed, Haruki had actually conditioned Inei to pick at his hands instead, likely substituting his own fingers for Inei's when the man got stressed enough to start doing it. Not to mention Inei not even noticing it when Haruki did it meant he was completely unaware he was even doing it in the first place.
That was another giant red flag on the veritable mountain of red flags.
That was also barely scraping whatever fucked up, nigh Stockholm syndrome level attachment they had to one another. By their own admissions, Inei could not be left alone for more than five minutes if he was conscious, and not at all if others were around. They had to be within eyesight of one another in public. He could be left alone if he was asleep, but Haruki usually had to push some of his chakra into Inei- and that worried her for entirely different reasons- to trick his sleeping mind into thinking Haruki was still there.
It was also clear that Inei was recovering from some sort of long term illness, beyond his mental illness. When she had asked around after the meeting, she learned that Inei had actually been a lot thinner when they arrived. She'd already have considered him as dangerously underweight, and now she was learning that this was an improvement.
She'd have to prescribe something for his anxiety, and ask Haruki what Inei's diet looked like, what he was eating, how much, when- she was concerned about putting him on a special diet at this point if she didn't see his improvement continue.
She was interested in them, particularly Inei, if he was half as brilliant as everyone seemed to say he was, losing him would be a detriment to not only the village, but medicine as a whole. She'd stick around for a bit, at least. Until they got a bit healthier, and she came to her final decision regarding her grandfather's remains.
Chapter 25: A Bad Sign On A Good Day
Summary:
Yugure makes a more prominent appearance, Itachi makes a friend, and Naruto notices a concerning new development.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“How'd the mental health eval go?” Minato had run into them that morning when they'd gone to see if the apprenticeship had been approved, falling into step with them.
“Uh... not great. We've both got stuff to work through, but we already knew that.” Naruto was holding his hand, it made him feel a bit calmer given how busy the streets were for some bizarre reason.
“Is something happening?”
“Huh? Oh, right you're new here. There's going to be a festival.”
“But it's winter...” he frowned. Obito had mentioned a festival too when he'd been over, but they had both thought he meant it would be much later.
“It's more cultural, usually it's bigger but with the war it's being kept down to mostly local merchants.”
Shikamaru did not know of any festival that happened in mid to late November. Minato had started talking to Naruto about the sort of things to expect when he realized why there wasn't one in their time.
Kurama's rampage. The village was still rebuilding. Then the year that followed they held one to celebrate the defeat of the fox, so having one a month later when it was colder... they had just gotten rid of it. He hadn't even known this existed.
At the mission desk they got the permit that came along with the Hokage's official approval, as well as another deployment, they'd be stationed closer to the front against Kumogakure. They would have to leave in five days, plenty of time to get things put together for the deployment.
They'd have time for Naruto to set up lessons for Itachi before they left.
He wondered if they'd be sent out with the same squad as last time.
Itachi was very excited to learn funinjutsu from Mr. Haruki.
At first, Itachi had thought he was a bit intimidating, but he had a friendly smile, and he didn’t seem to get tired answering all of Itachi’s questions. The other man, Mr. Inei, was nice too, though he hadn’t been open as Mr. Haruki.
His mother told him he had to call Mr. Haruki 'Sensei' from now on, and that he should study diligently so that he could become a master of funinjutsu someday.
He didn’t know if he wanted that, but he was excited to learn something new. He would still have lots of time to play with Shisui too, which was exciting. He found the meeting between Mr. Haruki and his parents was a little boring, but he sat very still and waited, he was especially good at waiting- he practiced it a lot. He did start fidgeting after a bit, and his father sent him outside to play by himself- he could do that.
He thought he spotted another child hiding in the garden, but when he ran over to look behind the big old tree there was no one. Distantly he heard giggling and tried to puzzle out it’s source, eventually finding it under the engawa. Crouched all the way at the back was a child, smaller than him, covering their mouth to hide their giggles.
“Hello, my name is Uchiha Itachi, it is a pl-ea-su-er to meet you.” He had been struggling with that word since Shisui had laughed at him when he misspoke, especially conscious of it now. “What’s your name?” She didn't laugh at him even though he must have sounded a bit silly.
“Yugure.” Itachi was already a big boy, he was already three and a half, but the little girl must only be two, maybe even younger given how tiny she was. It was strange seeing someone that little all alone, especially hiding in such a dark and dirty place.
“Where’s your mother? Isn’t she worried?” He didn’t know a Yugure, and he knew all the other children in the clan.
“I don’t have a mother.” She crept closer but stayed in the shadows, try as he might his eyes weren't adjusting to the low light and he couldn't make her out well.
“Did she die?” He knew a lot of mothers and fathers were getting hurt outside of the village right now, so maybe that was it.
“No, silly, I’ve never had a mother.” The little girl laughed, his head had started to hurt, just a tiny bit. “I have a secret, do you want to hear it?” Itachi hesitated before nodding, and she beckoned him closer. He had no choice but to crawl into the shadowy space. He put his hands and feet through dust and old cobwebs until he was as close to her as he could be, the space began to get narrower by the house's foundation.
“What’s the secret?” He couldn’t see her any better under the engawa, as if she were somehow more shadowed than he was.
“I'm going to have parents soon.” she whispered and he blinked at her.
“You’re getting adopted?” she must be one of the war orphans, he heard his father talk about them sometimes, he usually used the disappointed voice when he did, and then his mother would speak in her sad voice back.
“Mhmm not exactly. But once I do, will you play with me?” She wanted to come back and play with him?
“Can’t we play now?” she shook her head. If she was an orphan why was she here of all places? Who would her parent's be, he wasn't sure if she was teasing him or not since she wouldn't come where he could see her.
“Not yet. I’ll come back, so you better play with me, okay Itachi?”
“I will!” he agreed, and he felt her take his pinkie with her’s, shaking them together. Her finger's felt cold and a bit oily, his own slid out of her's within a few seconds.
“It’s a deal!” she laughed again and then, as if she had never been there to begin with, she was suddenly gone. He considered it for a moment, almost making himself frightened, before he decided she had shunshin’d away. Shisui could do it after all, she must just be very tallented.
His mother would scold him for crawling around under the engawa, he had gotten covered in dust and cobwebs when he came out, having been under there for almost an hour- though it hadn’t felt nearly as long. His father was upset because he had ignored their calling for him and worried his mother, but he really hadn’t heard them. It had been so quiet and dark under the engawa it had been like no time was passing at all. Mr. Haruki was watching him with a nervous look on his face.
When Mr. Haruki and Mr. Inei left, he swore he saw the nearly formless little girl running from shadow to shadow behind them. Father didn’t believe there was a little girl, and his mother treated Yugure as if she were an imaginary friend.
But Itachi had promised to play with her, so he tried to keep himself alert, in case she came back.
Naruto could smell Yugure, the little monster. Shikamaru wasn't distressed or anxious, but when they'd been setting up Itachi's lesson plans he'd caught a whiff of the shade. Her smell was hard to describe if he was honest- the closest he ever got was ‘like Shikamaru but cold’. He had kept his eyes peeled for her, not sure what she was doing, but hadn't spotted her even though her scent was especially strong in the garden when they went to try and find Itachi. That had been a terrifying ten minutes where they couldn't find him, by the time he crawled out from under the porch he was covered in dust and it had been almost an hour since he'd been sent out to play.
Naruto's ears were better than a normal human’s so he caught it when Itachi whispered to his mother about a little girl under the engawa. His blood had run cold. He wanted to ask Itachi about her, but both Fugaku and Mikoto had brushed it off as if it were some trivial childish nonsense.
During their first lesson unsupervised by his parents he'd have to ask Itachi about it. Shikamaru had seemed unaware that the shade was skulking around, but he'd been rubbing his chest again.
When they got home, Naruto offered to draw them a bath, and it was while Shikamaru was rinsing down he studied the spot on his chest he seemed to always be rubbing without thinking.
There was a bruise there, or he thought it was a bruise at first, until he saw it shift ever so slightly.
Once in the bath he covered the spot while holding Shikamaru, and he and Kurama lightly probed at his chakra network. He wasn't familiar with all the names of the chakra points, but he knew where they usually sat unless damaged, and there were two on the left side of the chest, one right above the heart, one between the heart and the belly, the second one got his attention instantly. Prior, even when Shikamaru had complained about it, he hadn't been able to notice it, nothing unusual was ever there when he looked, but probing there now-
Shikamaru's body was condensing chakra. And not a small amount. Within the compact force under his fingers he could feel his own chakra, his and Kurama's warped together and had a very distinct presence. There was also nature chakra being tied up in the knotted mass along with Shikamaru's own, and it was shifting slightly.
“Shika...”
“Mhm?” Shikamaru dropped his head back, his brown eyes were half closed in contentment.
“How have you been feeling lately?” Shikamaru looked slightly puzzled.
“Good? A little tired, but we've been running around a lot.” He kissed Shikamaru's temple, focusing back on the spot. A little tired . No shit. Even the byakugou seal didn't require this much chakra to be put away on the daily.
He couldn't think of a good reason for it either. Whatever Shikamaru's deal with the shade, why was it causing him to build up so much chakra? If he was so exhausted half the time just because of this thing...
Naruto pulsed their chakra lightly into Shikamaru, who hummed in response, going nearly boneless against their chest. The hand not still holding him about the chest took Shikamaru's, rubbing over his knuckles.
Maybe feeding the chakra reservoir in Shikamaru's chest was a bad idea, but it may alleviate the strain that was no doubt building throughout his love's chakra network.
He should talk to Tsunade... if they can put their full trust in her, he could really use her advice on what to do.
Notes:
It'll be a while before they outright spell out what's happening, even if it seems obvious. If you have any guess feel free to comment, but I won't publish any of the comments if they get too close to the truth. It's supposed to be an ominous mystery so I'm going to try and keep the facade going for a bit longer.
EDIT: There may be spoilers in the comments of this chapter and a few more going forward. I have comment moderation on and I went back to approve ones that more or less correctly guessed what was happening that I'd been holding back. Read them at your own risk.
Chapter 26: The First To Know
Summary:
Weighing their options, they make a big decision together, but it's a hard truth to accept.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Naruto had been clinging a lot more tightly the last few days as they got ready for their next deployment, but he didn't mind. He'd had a lot more energy recently, and Naruto had even commented that he had a better appetite. He felt better than he had in a long time.
They had two sessions with Tsunade, the first she asked them to tell her about their childhoods, which they had trouble doing because they couldn't be sure she wasn't reporting directly to Sarutobi. This frustrated and angered her, and at the end she asked them what it would take for them to open up.
“... your word that you won't disclose what we talk about.” He finally said it after he and Naruto traded looks.
“You're my patients. It's a breach of ethics to-!”
“You can't write anything down, either.” Naruto cut her off. “We want to tell you, but it's not exactly something that should get out. No records. I'd also have to ask you to carry around a seal that when applied would block your memory's to outsiders on the chance they take you to T&I.”
“I know you're both paranoid but isn't that extreme?!”
“You'll understand when we can tell you.”
The second session, she willingly signed the NDA he'd drawn up in regards to their past history, and accepted the piece of seal paper Naruto handed her. She didn't have a notepad this time. There was a silencing seal on the room so no one could listen in, and Naruto and Kurama had already swept for bugs.
Finally feeling safe enough to do so, Shikamaru leaned into Naruto's side as the blonde began.
“How much do you know about time travel theory?”
At first Tsunade thought the two had a bigger delusion than she was anticipating. ‘We're from a distant future where all humanity was wiped out and the planet was left uninhabitable’ is, to be fair, a rather hard idea to believe.
But she sat and listened, because she signed all their stupid paperwork and took the seal he'd made, and she was trying to help them even if they were more crazy than was normal or safe for a shinobi to be.
“The rokudaime hokage's final orders were for us to complete the seal and prevent Kaguya from ever being freed.” At that point she'd gotten the background that they were both born Konoha shinobi, had served in the fourth war alongside the other hidden villages against a chakra goddess that had been trapped on the moon, and that most of humanity had actually been put under a genjutsu that made them believe they were in an ideal world while their life force was sucked out and they were turned into tree people.
She didn't even know where to begin.
“And... who was the Rokudaime, give me a sneak peak into the future.” The two looked at one another, and something painful passed over Haruki's face, Inei squeezed his hand.
“Hatake Kakashi.”
“Sukamo's brat?”
“He served as the hokage for about nine years during the war, we aren't sure when he died, but he had to take the position suddenly, after the godaime was killed in one of the early battles against Kaguya.”
“Alright, he was the sixth hokage, who were the fifth and fourth?” She was curious what they'd say. This was all a load of shit, after all, but it was entertaining for now, until she had to find a way to bring the two back to reality.
“The fourth hokage was Namikaze Minato, he had the shortest term of any kage, hardly a full year. They council couldn't agree on a replacement for him at the time, so Sarutobi Hiruzen left retirement to take the roll back. After his death twelve years later... you became the fifth hokage.” She scoffed.
“Like I would ever do that. Besides, Orochimaru is the most qualified, especially if Jiraiya's student isn't able to be Hokage. And why such a short time?” Orochimaru wouldn't get passed up for a snot nosed kid, no offense to Haruki's brother, and even if he did, he was the likely replacement not Tusnade, and certainly he'd recieve the post before it would be given back to Sensei.
“Orochimaru was declared a missing nin after fleeing the village two years from now. He was encouraged by Shimura Danzo to perform unethical human experimentation on children he was supplied by ROOT, all in an effort to create a jutsu that would enable the user to become immortal. That may not happen exactly the same if he's no longer affected by Danzo's influence, and if he isn't isolated like he was in our time.” Her blood boiled. How dare they even suggest Orochi would do something like that?!
“As for Minato, his death should have been prevented by our actions already. In our time, Obito was never rescued. He was brainwashed and forcibly manipulated by Madara, who's plan involved capturing the tailed beasts. In about two years time, during the birth of his son, Obito would have used his Sharingan to break the seal keeping the kyuubi inside Kushina which had been weakened by her pregnancy, the fox would destroy a large portion of the village, killing many. He would divide the fox's chakra into yin and yang, sealing the yin chakra inside his newborn son, and using the reaper death seal to bind the yang chakra to himself. Both he and Kushina would die that night.”
Tsunade was stock-still. Almost all of it could be written off as part of some delusion, except Kushina.
They shouldn't have that information about her being a Jinchiruki. Tsunade barely had the clearance to know she was one. Even if Haruki was Minato's brother, there was no way in the nine circles of hell they would have told the two about the fox. That was a risk to national security.
“You shouldn't know about that. The jinchiruki is an S level secret. I don't know who told you-!”
“Kushina did, well, not this Kushina. She had helped seal the fox in her newborn and left an imprint of her soul for him to eventually find within the seal.” Inei had taken the brunt of the explanation, but Haruki was the one to speak then, she was so upset she barely registered how pale he was growing.
“Alright, and how the hell would you know that, even if everything you're saying is true, how could you know she did that?”
He was quiet for a moment, sighing, and she watched in horror as he met her gaze and his eyes turned red. It wasn't a genjutsu, or a henge. She'd seen Kushina do it just once, using the fox's chakra. His voice was a bit distorted when he spoke, and from the feeling of his chakra in the air- she didn't have much experience but that was without a doubt biju chakra.
“Because she was my mother.”
Shikamaru was exhausted. They hadn't even covered everything that had happened because it took so long for them to convince her that telling her what happened in their timeline would not have any long term negative impact on this timeline because they had already deviated so much from theirs. He was honestly surprised that when she finally calmed down a bit she didn't ask for winning lottery numbers.
Their future was not going to happen. Because Naruto had sealed the ten tails statue. Because Madara was dead. Because Obito was home safe. Because the Zetsu were gone. Because, because, because.
She was still uncertain if her knowing the former future would be okay or not, but it had been surreal hearing their birth names come out of her mouth when they'd given them.
“So that's why you call him Shika.” She'd had the look of a woman who was suddenly exhausted.
Maybe because she didn't know their whole history, but she seemed to have taken them as the best the future had had to offer, rather than the best scraps left after dropping the ball.
Naruto, sure. He had been given lessons to take Kakashi's place should the need arise, which was why, at least in Shikamaru's mind, he could technically be considered the rokudaime after Kakashi's assumed death. He was, according to a very old prophetic toad, the child of prophecy meant to save the world. He had the raw physical skill even without Kurama, with him they would have been a death sentence to any normal person- it was just a shame they were fighting a god.
Shikamaru was just a guy. He was a little smart, and sure he'd spent a lot of time as Kakashi's aid, and working to ensure Naruto was prepared for the worst case scenario, but he wasn't some prophesied hero. He had learned only what he absolutely had to, and dragged himself along keeping up with Naruto, but if it weren't for his deal with Yugure he wouldn't exactly be anyone special would he?
The Sage didn’t drop the blueprints for a time travel seal directly into his dreams now did he?
But that was fine. Shikamaru was a supporting actor, he had his important roll, and Naruto and others had their own. Had Kaguya not shown up in their world, had the Akatsuki been able to flourish as it was currently, Naruto would have grown up with a normal life, he would be Hokage now, maybe having taken it over from his father, he was dedicated enough, and Shikamaru would have been his aid, maybe chief advisor.
But they weren’t in a perfect world. Naruto, who was born to be a beacon of hope and acceptance could never shine as the hokage. At least... not his Naruto. In a couple of years, if fate had any basis in the reality they left, Naruto would be born. He would grow up with loving parents in a peaceful village, he would be showered with all the affection he deserved by everyone he met, and he would get to live the life that his Naruto, now Haruki, had always dreamed of.
But there were other dreams.
Shikamaru noticed he was rubbing the spot again, this time a smile found his face as he stopped, holding it still.
He wasn't looking forward to the last time, but maybe, if things went his way for once, he'd get to enjoy what came after.
Notes:
For any who are worried, I don't plan for this fic to have a bad ending, that being said I'm starting to want to write an alternate bad ending that would likely cut out over half the story, if anyone was interested in that. I haven't started it yet but it would likely just be a one shot. I would try to publish that one around the time it would deviate from this timeline, so let me know if ya'll are interested in it.
Chapter 27: Buzzy Little Bee
Summary:
A lopsidedly faithful encounter. Our boys are back to the front.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The border with Fire in winter was a better sight than it had been that summer. The snow covered most of the damaged land, hiding the carnage from the endless battles. Killer Bee had been at the front for almost a month. He had no real choice in the matter, but it was still nice to be out in the world even if it was cold. And people were trying to kill him. He and his brother were stationed apart, he may have had a hand in that- getting himself the more dangerous assignment.
He was waiting, the Leaf shinobi should be getting flushed through the rough foothills soon, and he was prepared to fight. A squad had come to the border, and he was determined to wipe them out, no doubt, then the enemy would feel like trout-
“Yeah... I gotta write that down.” The quiet also gave him a lot of time to work on his rhyme scheme.
It was while scratching out his newest lines on some scrap paper he heard them. A squad of ten, already on the move. The squad they'd spotted the day before should have been at least twelve.
“Go, go!” He spotted them, and understood why his number was off.
A man who had to be even bigger than himself, no small feat, had two injured comrades on his back, running expertly atop the snow. Leaf uniforms and forehead protectors.
“Haruki, incoming!” A man near the back shouted, having already spotted him somehow, even though he was moving with advantage being familiar with the terrain and the fact he should have been blocked from sight so long as he was quiet. Ambushes weren't his thing anyway.
“Inei!” His sword was stopped by senbon . More specifically, the man at the back of the group had thrown senbon so accurately they had stabbed into the nerves of his arms and his muscles went lax. It only lasted so long as it took for him to pull them out, but from their current distance it was impressive.
“Haruki, go! I'll catch up.”
“Nice shot, is that all ya got, gonna kick your ass like a-”
Bee's plan had been simple. Beat the guy in one or two hits, given he was using senbon at such a distance with so much accuracy he wasn't a close combat fighter, then catch the rest of the fleeing bastards. He didn't expect to get flung backwards when he was kicked at close range by the unknown shinobi.
“Nothing personal kid. I've just got places to be.”
It was when at close range Gyuki pointed it out. He wasn't a sensor type, but he was more sensitive given his connection to his biju. The guy reeked of biju chakra- he wasn't making any, rather, it seemed like he was full up of the stuff. Not a jinchuriki but still holding biju charkra... how unusual.
The fight that followed saw Bee getting pushed further back, having to keep chasing the man forward even when the path they took deviated from the one the rest of the man's squad took. He was being led away, but he couldn't turn his back to give chase, if he exposed it the guy would probably paralyze him from the neck down.
“You're pretty good, what's your name?” The man shook his head.
“Iwah Inei. What's you're name, kid?” When not shouting the man had a mellow voice- if they hadn't been on opposite sides he may have considered asking the man, Inei, to help him with the melody mix when he he eventually put together a proper set- he'd have great vocals.
“Killer Bee, the illest beat dropper in the Land of Lihhtening, pretty damn frightening.” The man snorted.
“I must not be enough of a challenge if you've got time to rhyme, huh?” He could practically feel Gyuki trying to mentally slap him, but it was too late.
The sun, which had barely managed to rise and was now quickly setting, cast strange shadows on his opponent, even as they traded blows and Bee realized maybe he'd bitten off more than he could chew. The moment the man had rhymed back, however, the snow had seemed to glimmer in the dying light.
As if he'd only been teasing Bee before, and blows even with senobin which were supposed to be best as long range weapons were pushing him back. His arms were covered in cuts before long, and feeling in his hands kept coming and going. The sheer power and intensity from his opponent eventually caused him to miss-step, and he was soon sprawling on the snow with a foot pressing with crushing weight down on his chest. He could feel blood as it trickled out of his mouth from an internal injury that was worsening with the second.
“I'll let you live, this time. Killer Bee.” He felt the flare of killing intent, and he and Gyuki both wondered if they'd actually been defeated so easily, until he realized the senibon sticking out of him like a pincushion were wrapped with a very thin paper, and that he couldn't move anything bellow the areas he'd been hit in this fight with the senbon. “Next time, it'll be to the death.” With that, the man stood up, jumping back toward the treeline, once there he was swallowed in shadows as if he had never existed in the first place.
He could still feel the unusual chakra in the air, bellow the overwhelming feeling of foreign biju chakra was something else. Something wild and cold, colder than the snow- not ice.
“Iwah Inei of the Hidden Leaf...” he finally managed to start removing the senobon after what felt like hours just feeling it happen. The paper was a very fine sealing paper, from what he could tell the seals were meant to transmit the characters for ‘Stillness’. They caught fire and burned after an hour, but by then he'd been up and about. He hadn't taken out a single member of the party that passed him. In fact he'd been injured and hadn't even clocked how close to death he'd strayed until Inei had told him he'd spare him. A senbon pressed by the needle-point at his neck.
The older man had managed to almost kill him, but arbitrarily decided not to. He touched the healed spots around his neck, circling back to just the one place where his life had suddenly been in dager
Inei. In the dying light?
Bee swallowed hard, holding the small pile of Senbon tightly to his chest.
The man was something else.
Shikamaru sneezed, and Naruto mumbled something about someone thinking about him, but he ignored his partner. He had just finished treating their two injured squad mates. They had managed to disrupt a supply caravan, but not as much as they had hoped to- delaying it rather than destroying it fully, but it would put the enemy shinobi on edge. Every little bit helped.
What was more annoying was that he ran into Killer Bee of all people. He was even more obnoxious as a kid- but he wasn't exactly as much of a threat as he had expected... all those extra years of life experience would do that to a person. Right now Bee was a snotty kid obsessed with winning, but some day he would be an obnoxious adult with even more anger issues.
... but he was also Naruto's teacher and had helped create the relationship of trust Naruto and Kurama forged that made them who they were today. He wouldn't kill Bee, he wasn't in much better a situation than Naruto had been, after all. He didn't have anything against any of the jinchuriki, and he wasn't about to indiscriminately slaughter them just because his village was currently at war with their's.
He hoped the guy would keep his stupid mouth shut about being spared, however. It wouldn't look good for their image to spare a powerful enemy shinobi.
While they were put on the front things were no doubt progressing at home. Tsunade was probably climbing the walls- she didn't like being out of the lop and they had a whole lifetime worth of secrets they were going to tell her- but she couldn't hear them yet because they were deployed.
Hizashi had sent Naruto a letter, he'd never gotten one from another ninja before and it had been a very elegant letter, asking Naruto to begin sparing with him if he had the free time. That was one good thing about the village, usually when a shinobi or their partner's blood work showed they were pregnant that shinobi got lighter less dangerous assignments- not always though.
Shikaku and Yoshino were trying to plan a date for the small ceremony for their wedding, he promised he and Naruto would be there.
Obito was likely back on regular assignments after his last assessment, with Kakashi and Rin too, no doubt.
When they got back he'd have to go back to looking for a decent place for them to buy. Naruto wanted to build a house, and they'd need the extra room.
“Inei, you're doing it again.” He startled, his hand was snaked up under his mesh and had been rubbing bear skin.
“Sorry.” He removed it, letting Naruto take both of his hands to prevent further unhealthy habits. A kiss was planted on his forehead, and he was tugged back further onto their bedrolls.
“Don't apologize...” Naruto began to gently rub his back, Shikamaru squeezed his hand, fingers running along his. He was overthinking again. He couldn't help it. Just being held seemed to help sooth that. They were too close to enemy territory, so he'd need to be more focused.
They had managed to destroy two supply drops, delay three, and even make two paths that were being used untraversable. Sure they could be fixed up for use again, but not in the middle of war in winter. They did keep suffering minor injuries so Shikamaru kept very busy treating their squad, and after three weeks they returned to the closest established camp along the front. They were being moved back toward Iwa, as they'd kicked up their assault and Kumogakure was now suffering a lack of supplies.
Although this type of mission was something they could do, they would be better used in a more open space for a direct assault. Shikamaru's shadow manipulation in conjunction with a boost from Naruto's chakra could handle as much ground as needed but it was easier when Shikamaru had a clearer view of the terrain.
Once the deal was complete he wouldn't need Naruto's chakra to boost his own- it probably said something about them that Shikamaru's body had begun to accept and manipulate the near corrosive chakra Naruto produced en masse. He wanted to pretend it was something good, but given how often Naruto had had to pump his system with chakra to keep him alive it probably wasn't....
There were small skirmishes along the way, but nothing too serious. It was arriving at the other front that they were given their actual mission. They were going to have to push them back. In theory it was a perfect placement for them, especially with the transformation Yugure had imparted, but...
He had assessed the spot, and realized where he hadn't been sure before that there was definitely only two more uses now. The final one would be different, and he sort of wanted to do that in a safe environment- maybe inside somewhere, at home even, as unlike the other times he'd be in control. It would mean he'd feel it happening though...
He could use it if he absolutely had to here, but they'd need to get everything ready back in the village quickly, he hoped he could convince Yugure that she could tell Naruto what was about to happen, as that would make this whole thing go a lot smoother. Even still he was hopeful that it wouldn't come to that. He didn't exactly have much time to come up with a better solution than the one he'd already reached, but maybe something would come up if he was lucky.
They'd be out pushing back enemy lines for the next few weeks, and Naruto had complained he'd miss Minato's birthday. Shikamaru hadn't realized they'd been out of the village that long. The old man was getting his money's worth out of them, that's for sure.
Inei was gone. Bee had gotten the chance to hit the Leaf bastards, and when he'd managed to get one pinned that had the authority to know, he learned he'd been moved to fight at the other front Leaf was fighting. Kumogakure was also fighting them, but their own front was fairly far from Leaf's.
He returned to camp where he got yelled at for his poor performance, just giving up after having gotten so deep into enemy territory.
“Hey. Send me to fight on the other front, alright?”
“And why the hell would we do that?!” He frowned, crossing his arms petulantly.
“The strongest guy from leaf is fighting the stone bastards too, I gotta do what I gotta do- ”
“Bee! I'll talk to him.” Ay had grabbed his shoulder, steering him away from the camp to have a talk with him, he had only just arrived but it seemed to be with perfect timing that he spotted his brother causing such a fuss. “What is this about?”
“...” He refused to meet his eyes.
“I'm not angry, okay? Just... you've been acting weird for weeks now.” at that he didn't risk a glance at Ay, “I'm getting worried about you.”
“I met my soulmate.”
“... pardon?”
“I fought someone from Leaf, it was like... we were destined to meet.”
“... you haven't told anyone else about this, right?”
“No one talks to me.” His brother winced.
“ Don't tell anyone else. The last thing we need is for you to get stuck in the village again.”
“I'm not dumb, ya big bum-!” He flinched at the look Ay gave him.
“Look... I'll pull some strings and get you moved, they're causing us a lot of problems too right now, but if you see this soulmate of yours, you can't interact. This is war, Bee, it doesn't mater how you feel about someone, if they're from an enemy village they're an enemy .”
“... we're star crossed lovers, but I will settle for no other. At the end of the war, we'll be together for sure.”
“... Bee, please don't do anything stupid.”
Notes:
It has nothing to do with the story, but when I was proof reading this it kept trying to correct jinchuriki to Manchurian, which I think was a bit funny.
Chapter 28: Shikaku Meet's the Shade
Summary:
Shikaku get's to see what the boys can do in a real fight. He's horrified. He also learns about Yugure and the deal.
Chapter Text
The planned three weeks at the Iwa front was a reinforcement of what they'd already known.
Inei was actually much more deadly when pared with Haruki. Shikaku didn't fully understand the how but he could appreciate the results.
When he'd asked, Inei had said he used his parasitic jutsu to suck the chakra out of the air to fuel his offensive shadows, but Shikaku had no clue how he could use a shadow like that. Maybe he did have a lot to learn from the older man. He'd been sent up to go through the new strategies with the squad captains on the front, where he was now getting a full account on the ‘Shade of Death’, which was what a few snot nosed chunin were calling his brother now.
Haruki had earned himself the nickname ‘Golden Storm’, and he looked forward to seeing both Kushina and Yoshino tease them when they got back. To be fair, however... so long as they kept the assault strong against the current enemies, maybe there might be an end to the war in sight.
It was hard to believe how they'd managed before the two had joined the village. Between their hit and runs destroying supply lines and shipments in the north, and their pushing back of the enemy line here... if they hadn't come the war might have dragged on for at least five more years.
“Looks like we'll all be headed home together.” He had sat down to eat with them at the nearest fire. Haruki was applying warming seals to a few of the younger shinobi.
“Looking forward to a week or two off before we have to come back to this.” Inei mumbled, dropping slightly against Haruki's side.
“You feeling alright?” He began feeling alarmed. If he was sick, he'd need to be sent back immediately-
“Just exhausted. Even with Haruki, my Shadow Whips take a lot out of me.” The blonde hugged his side, rubbing slowly up and down his arm. “I'll be fine after I get some sleep.” True to what he says, Haruki doesn't look distressed in the least, and Shikaku noticed that his palm is lightly glowing along Inei's arm. He's transferring chakra, like he'd read about them doing before.
They must do it a lot for him to be able to just casually pass it along like that. Most people found the experience highly unpleasant, and usually it could only be done between people of corresponding chakra types. Either Inei was toughing out a lot of pain in exchange, or Haruki was somehow able to isolate only compatible chakra in his system to give Inei. Either way the two were doing so like it was a casual, normal thing.
As long as Inei wasn't uncomfortable or in pain...
The next day he gets to see his brother first hand, and has no idea how anyone could call what Inei is doing shadow release .
He had read a horror novel that more accurately depicted this sort of thing. Writhing tendrils of shadow that snapped into the air, grabbing enemy nin and crushing them . Those that were unlucky only had a limb turned to wet mush in the shadowy curls, anyone lucky caught by them that couldn't survive was crushed by the head. And crush was a kind word for the nightmare fuel he now had permanently etched into his mind. Human skulls being treated like eggs placed between two heavy reference books with force enough to level a building suddenly barring down.
He watched one unlucky- or maybe lucky compared to the rest of his squad Inei had caught- bastard's skull pop. Like a grape. Wet. It sprayed . He'd been glancing between Inei and the man and had watched his brother's half curled closed hand suddenly ball tightly into a fist while watching.
It was difficult to reconcile that in the chaos of the thirty foot radius of his brother was all done by his will. It seemed too wild, like the raging sea, but it wasn't. It was a conscious choice to catch and dispatch each enemy he caught, and the ones who managed to escape, well, Haruki was picking them off. Throwing out his spear like a fucking javelin and using a summoning jutsu to recall it to his hand. The bodies stayed, but the spray of blood seemed to be coming with each time.
He and the rest of the squad were tasked to keep any stragglers from trying for run southeast toward Fire in a blind attempt to escape certain death.
The only ones to survive the two were two genin from Iwa who couldn't have been older then ten. The rest of the squad they'd ambushed had all been adults. They were taken as POW back to the outpost, but they looked haunted and terrified.
“We don't hurt kids.” Haruki had ruffled one child's hair, but the girl had flinched and began to cry.
They might not hurt kids, but Lord Third had approved human testing on captured shinobi . He couldn't say it. He only hoped the kids wouldn't end up on a slab anyway. There were parts of the war effort that sickened him and that was one of them.
No one made a record that night of the two enemy genin, and when in the morning when the whole camp was preparing to move locations they were discovered missing, he was surprised at how no one, not even the other squad captains seemed interested in finding them.
He barely had to poke to learn it had happened every time they'd caught child soldiers. When the camp went to move, they'd be discovered missing. They simply weren't writing the kids down, no point in making more work for themselves. Never mind the children leaking intelligence to the enemies, they were running for their lives back the way they came with news that there were two shinobi who could easily wipe out a whole squad by themselves and they were doing so regularly.
He was tempted to blame the two for letting the kids go, except there was never any way they could have. There were always witnesses, or they had already been out for various reasons- no shadow clone left behind. There was also a night guard on when the kids somehow got out, and he reported hearing some very quiet childish laughter in the dark, when he'd gotten up to check the kids had vanished. It had happened three times. Other odd things had happened when they had multiple guards, and in all honestly, the kids were too scared to have absorbed any information and had brought back terrifying stories from the battlefield about the gore-filled fights.
Even so, he wondered what was happening. Regardless, the two most likely suspects had been cleared, so he couldn't do much. He did however, think to ask them what they thought- if the kid's laughter was some sort of genjutsu. Haruki groaned and Inei had gone pink, elbowing him.
“You know something.” His eyes narrowed, “Have you two been letting them out? I don't blame you but do you have any idea how much trouble-!”
“It isn't us. ” Haruki rolled his eyes, looking pointedly at Inei, “It's probably his little shadow.”
“... little shadow?” He was upset, now he's just confused.
“It's better you tell him now, Shika.” They were alone, mostly because he'd been expecting them to admit it actually was them somehow and he'd have to cover for their asses. “If he finds out later I won't blame him for being pissed.”
“Yeah, I know.” Inei scrubbed his face. “The problem is it sounds ridiculous, Haruki.”
“But it isn't-!” He flinched at the look shot at him, “Not when it comes to us.” He amended, not helping Shikaku at all to understand their sudden aside.
“Look, if you know what's happening, I need to know what's happening.” He's firm. He'll be taking over as the chunin commander by summer, this is a huge security risk.
“Alright... a shade let them out. Probably.” He blinked, looking down at Inei's shadow. “No, not that- we call her that because we don't know exactly what she is.”
“I think she's a yokai.” Haruki hoped in, being elbowed by Inei, this time hard enough he coughed, holding his side.
“She's something . And... regrettably... I may have made a deal... with her.” He scoffed.
“Yokai aren't real.”
“She might be a spirit-!”
“Also fake. If you didn't know, then at least don't try and fuck with me-!”
All three men jumped when a tiny toddler hand suddenly tugged on his uniform pants and he shrieked.
“ Boo !” The echo of the child's voice made his head throb, and the shadowy hand sunk quickly back into the darkness around his feet.
“You little shit!” Haruki growled at the shadow as it vanished. Inei's shadow hadn't been connected with his, nor anyone else's as both he and Haruki had lamps, and the light cast made him an island. Even he needed to connect to the shadows. It also didn't explain the voice that made his head feel like it was suddenly being cracked open as it rang in his head. That was not genjutsu. Not the way his head still ached.
“Don't swear at her!” Inei snapped.
“The fuck was that thing?!” He's standing closer to them both now, head on a swivel as he tries to spot it again, he would have no further luck until he tried to sleep in which he saw a dark child-shaped mass hovering over him giggling some hours later into the night. It would be gone when he sat up.
“Yugure. The one Inei made a deal with.” Haruki offered him his lamp and he took it. “She used to only show up when Inei had panic attacks.”
“That wasn't why she was there.” He groaned, and Shikaku sensed an old argument. Yoshino made that same sound right before she started to yell at him for being stupid. “It's... easier for her to take control when I'm in distress.”
“Take control?”
“I can't go into specifics of the deal, no matter how much I want to, and you know that.” He stabbed Haruki's chest with a finger and the man shrugged noncommittally.
“So... what. She just follows you around causing havoc?”
“That part is new, actually.” Haruki was frowning, crossing his now free arms. “She's supposed to lend him her power in exchange for... something.”
“New? What, you can't control her?”
“Nope.”
“Not yet.” Inei pointedly did not elaborate.
“Part of the deal?” Inei shrugged. No answer then. “Why did you make a deal with a... shade ?”
“Was better than dying, honestly.” That was a lot to unpack.
“... you were dying?” Suddenly, Inei's extremely thin figure, his exhaustion, made sense. If he was sick, and if it was the only option...
“Something like that...” Haruki pulled Inei to his side.”I don't think we would have made the same choices if we had another go.”
“...”
“She is appearing a lot more. Especially lately. Usually she'd only show up after you'd come back to yourself, do you know why?”
Inei looked at his hands, and Shikaku noticed he began to pick his cuticles. Haruki took his hand, and Inei looked up at him, but rather than stop his fingers began to dig against Haruki's, continuing on as if nothing had changed.
“Inei?”
“... it's almost finished. The deal I made with her. I'll be okay!” He added, looking at the horror that must have passed over Shikaku's face given he thought the deal saved his brother's life, “I'll still be me .” He added, looking to Haruki with a sort of nervous desperation, “I just won't be-!” His lips moved but no sound came out, and he clicked his mouth shut.
“You can't say.” Inei nodded.
“Alright. It's fine. It isn't going to kill you, or hurt you-!”
“It is going to be excruciatingly painful, but only for a very short time.” So he could give that detail, which made Shikaku feel not at all better about things.
“- but you'll survive?” He nodded. “That's enough for me then.”
But he wasn't sure. It changed a lot about how he saw the world. Especially after the child shaped shadow woke him that night. Apparently knowing about her was enough for her to decide to bother him. Once awake he couldn't fall back asleep. Spirits, or yokai were existent beings. Okay.
He could accept that there were tailed beasts and summons, sure why not trickster spirits that occasion possessed objects in the scary stories he read as a child. They were real, so what next?
They could honor deals- or Inei believed this one would. He didn't know what that assuanrance was caused by, but fine. His brother trusted the Yokai, ( Yugure? That was it- her name right? ) so he needed to trust Inei's judgment. Whatever the deal was, it saved Inei's life. It was likely made out of desperation. But what did Inei have that she, it, wanted?
If he had been sick and his body was weak, maybe his body, but he had sworn he would be okay, and still be himself. He said it would be painful, but only for a short time- was she going to take some of his organs? No that might kill him. His chakra? What could Inei possibly give this Yugure that would posses it to make a deal with him?
He wouldn't have his answer for some time to come.
Chapter 29: Talk About It
Summary:
Shikamaru is still house hunting, Naruto talks with Yugure finally, and Minato has a great (late) birthday.
Chapter Text
“If you want her to talk to you, you need to stop scaring her!” Shikamaru had his arms crossed, they were on their way back to Konoha, currently stopped, and the two were meant to be gathering potable water for drinking. “She is terrified of you two.”
“Every time she shows up she hurts you!” Naruto hissed, and he could hear Kurama in it even if his voice didn't change.
“She doesn't mean to! When we made our arrangement, she thought that this would all happen then , it wasn't supposed to still be happening now. All but the last time.” He rested a hand over the spot knowingly, “If you want to know what is happening to me, you don't have a choice. I specifically can't tell you. She can.”
“The last time I saw her she called me a damn fox.” Shikamaru rolled his eyes at that.
“Are you fucking kidding me.” He scrubbed his face. “You're being a child. Haruki, you are going to feel like a jackass once you know what she's getting from our deal, and I only hope you find out before it finishes.” Naruto huffed, and the two began to walk slowly back toward camp.
“I'm the only thing keeping you from raging in that state. You could have destroyed the village because of her.”
“She isn't the cause and you know that, so stop treating her like she is.” Naruto looked away, refusing to meet his gaze. “Her power exacerbates it, but it hasn't caused anything. Letting go of my consciousness, not remembering what happens, it seems cruel but it's supposed to be a mercy. If you can get your shit together and make up with her, convince her you're not going to hurt her, she can explain everything.”
“Inei, her power is turning you into an unstable mess-!” His cheek stung. He'd been slapped.
“Haruki I am already an unstable mess. Because I've been traumatized, Yugure did not cause my mental illness. Maybe her influence made symptoms worse, more dangerous, but she isn't the cause of them. Besides, you're not exactly the picture of sanity and stability.” He bit his tongue, looking away. “Please try . For my sake. I don't want to have to be torn between you.”
He put a hand to his stinging cheek. He'd never seen Shikamaru this upset- hell, Shikamaru didn't think he'd ever felt so... frustrated. He lowered his eyes, even though Shikamaru wasn't looking.
“I'll give her one chance.”
They were both given commendations for their efforts thus far, common because you might die at any point in the war and they didn't have time to present honors to the dead- especially if there isn't a body. While the battle field was reassessed they were going to be able to stay in the village for a few weeks, with the understanding they would be deployed back to the front lines as part of another assault squadron.
Naruto was trying to tempt the shade out, promising their mostly empty apartment that if she came out they would just talk. Shikamaru was checking over properties for sale in the slums again. They didn't even need that much space, though, ideally, they'd get a good amount or be able to buy around their plot later, any children, adopted, fostered or otherwise that were welcomed into the clan he had planned (baby Naruto included, whenever he came into the world) would need places for their own homes someday. He heard Haruki shout in surprise and the fast, quiet way Yugure spoke was a mumble through the wall. He'd let them be. He tapped his pen several times against the small map he had of the village and began to grow frustrated when he noticed something. Two larger plots of land he knew had been abandoned for a long time even before he was born were backed up against the Hatake clan compound. They never were bought or sold in his lifetime, but his parents had talked about how the land had been being zoned with the intention to sell by a former clan head. The only reason a lucrative deal like that wouldn't have gone through...
He'd have to request information on who currently owned the land. If both plots were actually owned by who he thought... maybe they had a chance of buying one.
“- so that's why .” The little shadow, and really, if he were honest, little girl was curled up in the darkest corner of their bedroom, arms wrapped around her knees, he thinks. His head feels like it'll soon be cracked open from how much it's pounding. Still less painful than before, and no wonder.
“Shika was right. I do feel like a jackass.” He sighed, laying down on the floor to face her. “Why didn't you want to tell me?”
“ I'm vulnerable right now! I thought if you knew you'd... get rid of me. The fox is very scary. ” He nodded, despite Kurama grumbling in his head at that. “ I'm hurting him a lot, so I don't blame you for hating me. ”
“No. I mean, I'm angry. More that you didn't think to tell me and assumed I'd attack you....” he grumbled, rolling into his back, looking at her upside-down. “That explains a lot though.”
“ I expected you to have a bigger reaction. ” She mumbled, and he can definitely tell the difference in her from how she had been. The first time he had seen her she was a giant black blob without real shape, now...
“Yeah, well... I'm kind of at a point in my life where this might as well happen, you know?” He reached out and tiny, slightly warm wispy fingers brushed his, like touching a cooler version of steam. “You're already getting warm.”
“ I am? ” He nodded. He could freak out later. And he would . Kurama was already freaking out. But Shikamaru had been right. Now that he knew ... he felt remorseful for how he had treated her before. He was a bit glad the deal hadn't come due the moment they were back in the past. It would have been difficult doing everything with a baby Yugure clinging to them the whole way. But the deal needed to end before she got too big.
“Not too warm, just... like it feels when someone takes your hand.” If she had discernible eyes he knew her's would be sparkling. She pulled the hand to her face and seemed to be inspecting it. “Suppose that's my fault. Since I've been funneling chakra into the medium.”
“ You sped it up a lot. I'm a little worried at how long ending the deal will take... ”
“It's alright. He signed up for it. I couldn't change his mind even if there was a way to stop it. So don't worry.” The shadow nodded, fidgeting. “I do have one question.” She hummed, “Will the amount of chakra I gave Shika have an effect on you?”
“... I don't know. The last time a Yokai did this they ended up dying young. ” He sighed, “ I promise to be very careful .”
“As if we'd let anything happen to you. Shika would kill me if I didn't do something to protect you.” His hand was taken again, two fingers held in a chubby, wispy, ethereal cloud imitation of a child's hand. “You know, I think the reason Shika is looking for land is so we can go through the process to become a clan.”
“ Duh. ” She giggled, and it still hurt his head, but he was a bit more willing to put up with it. Besides, it would only be temporary.
“Do you know why?” She shook her head vigorously, “I think it's because he wants to take in as many of the kids in the orphanage as he can.”
“ Because of Danzo? ” He nodded, and he could sense she was pouting. “ I hate him .”
“You've never met him.” She huffed, “Anyway, it seems a bit extreme but that sort of fits doesn't it? There are a lot of kids who need a good home, and we can protect them if they live with us. It means the house would be really full though, think you can handle that?”
“ Yes! I'm looking forward to it! ”
Naruto felt the burden in his chest lighten. He really had been overreacting, but how could he have known? It did make him worry all the more about Shikamaru, who had been going through everything alone for the whole time. But not anymore. He had Naruto and Kurama, and they wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. No matter what.
Minato felt a bit bashful, he'd been dragged out suddenly for a very late birthday meal with Haruki and Inei, Kushina had apparently helped plan it. Shikaku and Yoshino, as well as Inoichi, and Choza and his wife Urikohime greet him along with her at a restaurant. Fugaku and Mikoto had been unable to attend, but had sent along a card from them and Itachi had made his own for the occasion. He'd not wanted to do anything for his birthday that year, he felt he'd gotten enough if he was honest- his student survived what should have been a fatal injury, and he had gained a brother, but they threw him a party anyway.
Inei and Haruki had gotten him a joint gift. A set of extremely high quality sealing brushes and chakra rich ink, the ink was hand made by Haruki, and the brushes themselves had been graciously made with fur given to them from Haruki's fox summons. He almost cried at the gift, there was also a tool treated with seals that would make carving seals into even high tension shinobi steel like carving a hot knife through butter. It would help him make his own special kunai.
“Happy birthday, little bro.” He messed up Minato's hair on the walk back toward their block, they actually rented pretty close by. “Did you do anything with your students day of?”
“Kakashi made me a cake. Then Obito and Rin spent the whole time insisting he bought it on the way there. I know he didn't because it was full of egg shells but I didn't want to embarrass him, so I told him it tasted really great and I was proud of him.” Haruki patted his back.
“Want us to try and teach him how to cook?”
“He's already weird about you guys and food, I don't know...” Kakashi had gained weight, that wasn't a baseless claim, but Minato would argue he was closer to a healthy weight for his age than he'd ever been. Kakashi would eat the food they gave him, and even if he grumbled about it it was good for him and he kept eating everything they handed him because he must know that deep down. But Minato wasn't sure he could withstand the tantrum the preteen would throw if suddenly Haruki was making him come over and practice cooking.
“Huh? But he's so tiny.”
“He really should eat more, he's still growing.” He knew exactly what kind of uncles they'd be to any kids he and Kushina had in the future. Spoil them rotten with sweets no doubt... he liked the idea of it though.
“Ah... I mean probably.” He sighed, looking away. He'd apologize to Kakashi later for it if they double down on feeding him. Honestly Haruki was a great cook so he didn't understand why Kakashi hated it so much, but he also didn't want to tell the boy his feelings and opinions were wrong.
“Hmm. Hey, Minato...” he glanced over, realizing that Kushina was about ten feet back with Urikohime and Yoshino, laughing. The trio had slowed down while arguing about something, maybe Inoichi's love life yet again.
“Yeah?” He had the sudden feeling of being in a bubble.
“Inei and I have been considering adopting.” The breath rushed out of his lungs, eyes widening.
“ Really ?”
“I mean... yeah. It seems like there are a lot of kids in the village who need a home, and we want kids so...”
“We've been trying to find somewhere to build a house, once we do that we'll probably start the process as soon as we can.” Inei had his hands in his pockets, he'd begun to look a lot more relaxed, from what Minato could tell, just in general living in the village seemed to be helping.
“What... like... I might be an uncle soon?” Inei shrugged, and Haruki clapped his shoulder. “Oh man...”
“Hey, no tears, come on. We aren't ready to tell everyone yet, but if you start crying we'll have to.” He sniffled, but managed to keep it together.
“Are you going to adopt a baby or an older child?”
“Not sure. Ideally we want to give a home to as many kids as we can, you know how hard it was better than most growing up alone.” And he did . It had been so scary as a genin when he could finally move into his own place because he'd never had a room alone to sleep in, so used to living in a room with five or more children at any given time. No one had been there when he graduated, aside from his friends, and before Jiraiya he never got any personal attention from an adult, at least no positive attention. Haruki had likely had as bad if not a worse experience growing up in an even smaller village, and Inei and he were both left homeless when they were likely forced to leave their village after it was destroyed. It made sense they wanted to provide a home for as many kids as they could, and the village would likely approve of it given he wouldn't need to take his own children on as apprentices, and without Uzushio the art of Funinjutsu was dying out.
“I guess we'll have to see how many kids they let us bring home.” Inei had the soft sort of look he always got when kids were around or brought up.
“The point was, we might need you or Kushina as a reference when we apply.”
“Yeah, no, absolutely! I would love to.” He was going to be an uncle ! In a few months maybe, but still!
“Don't get too excited, with the war going on and both of us being active we might not be able to adopt until we're not on the front line rotation anymore.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He was grinning. “Still exciting.”
Chapter 30: Young Love
Summary:
Tsunade is kept ahead of the situation, not that it helps. Obito is no longer the only hopelessly in love teenager that they know.
Notes:
Shizune x Rin is goingto be a background relationship. I just think they'd be cute together. That being said, it's going to take Rin an embarrassingly long time to realize that Shizune likes her, or that she feels the same way.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I'm shocked you didn't destroy the village.” Tsunade had just come over for their session, and Shikamaru was pouring her another cup of tea.
“I mean, I cared about people in the village.” Naruto shrugged, eyes shifting toward Shikamaru, “The Nara's were always nice to me, and Tsume's son was one of my friends, we weren't really close though. And Iruka... he'd be really sad if I lost it like that.”
“Right. Umino Iruka... is it weird? Seeing him as a kid?”
“So fucking weird. He also does things I used to do as a kid that he'd nag me about.” Naruto shuddered. “I'm tempted to become friends with his parents just to keep an eye on him, y'know?”
“You could always apprentice him.”
“Nah, he hated funinjutsu, he's terrible at it. He is good at henge.”
“Ugh, he used to do pop quizzes that were just ‘henge as the hokage’ or ‘turn into a dog’ almost every time Naruto got into trouble because he was frustrated.”
“Yeah... but our class was really good at henge because of that.”
“Hmm. So not to skip around, but I want to hear what the last few months before you came back were like. You said you were likely the last two humans left, what was that like?” She knew she was pushing a sore spot, but she had to.
“I... don't remember most of it.” Shikamaru had sat back down by then, and Naruto put a hand around his side to pull him closer.
“Because of...” she flicked her eyes around for her . The shadow child had scared her the first time she'd physically come over to their place. She was made fully aware of the situation by Naruto because Shikamaru couldn't speak on it almost at all. Unfortunately this sort of thing wasn't in her area of expertise, so she was limitted on what she could even offer to help with.
“Yeah. He was in and out for most of the time we were back from the fox’s valley.” She nodded. Mostly she'd heard about Naruto's abuse as a child, and a handful of recent trauma that Shikamaru had experience- she had actually gotten him to take a medication for his anxiety and that had been helping him a lot. Leaving them with a number of thought exercises to do together had also been helping, in addition to the talk therapy they'd started.
She'd say the two were making decent progress, but her requests to have them remain in the village for treatment were being ignored or denied by Hiruzen at every turn. Too valuable on the front. Shikamaru was one panic attack away from flattening a three mile wide crater into the ground, but yeah, sure. What did Tsunade know?
His mental health was almost on the back burner for her at this point because the chakra node that Naruto had pointed out to her during their first session back was further encased in chakra now than it had been before. Marks were also appearing on his chest from it, in a way similar to her byakugou seal she'd started to develop which was faintly visible now on her forehead. These marks were starting to take the shape of chain links in a circle around a blob of black, she wasn't sure what that was- it appeared both on his chest and back, signifying that the energy within was connecting all the way through him.
His diet had been adjusted, and whether he liked it or not he needed regular infusions of outside chakra as his own was getting dangerously low, at one point enough a normal person may have died, not that the idiot noticed.
The uncertain nature of how they planned to remove it when the time was right was also making her anxious. There were almost too many concerns with him- especially when she ran a blood panel and found unusually high levels of Human Growth Hormone, which worried her too, being that the effect Yugure was having was meant to be limited to just energy at this stage. That it was directly affecting his metabolism and who knows what else worried her. Not that she was blaming the yokai, she really was trying not to, Yugure was basing what she had done on an ancient guide she had heard from at some point during her life, which she did not remember the entire content of how to do it. Or so she claimed.
That was not something she could do anything about, however, so she steamrolled past that and figured they'd know how to do it when it happened. They planned to end things in the village, so she'd be around, and worst case she could probably pull Jiraiya into helping her, and if they agreed and or got desperate enough Orochi might be able to help
They could only make contingencies and not actually handle the real problem before them. She had so many individual concerns it was difficult to pinpoint where to begin with any of them. Between Yugure, Shikamaru's mental health, Naruto's disregard for his own safety and health, his anger issues, and her own personal problems regarding trying to get back in touch with Orochi after he no doubt was hurt by her leaving the village (he had been avoiding her)...
It felt like she was spiraling.
Shizune had been trying to keep herself busy. Lady Tsunade had been occupied with her patients, and she was meant to be taking this opportunity to get practical experience in the hospital. So she spent most days running around trying to be useful, but she was having a difficult time adjusting. That was when she met Rin.
Nahara Rin was a breath of fresh air in the stuffy hospital. They were close in age, the girl had a passion for medical jutsu, and she had complained about how the civilian doctors weren't taking her seriously within the first ten minutes of talking to one another. Shizune had found a kindred spirit in the hospital.
She found they had even more in common than feeling underappreciated as their days passed. They liked the same corny romance novels, had a similar taste in music, liked the same kind of tea, even wore a similar size of clothing.
Within a month they were practically glued at the hip. It took that long for her to meet Rin's squadmates, Uchiha Obito, the very same one that was related to why Lady Tsunade had brought them here, and Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi was cute in a little brother way, but he was annoying, always complaining about two uncles who were always babying him- she thought they were uncles, the way he talked about them it sounded like it. Obito was extremely awkward in all things he did, and she had trouble believing he was a shinobi at first because he had a lot of time consuming bad habits and was thus always late.
But they were Rin's team, and she liked them, and Shizune liked Rin so she wanted to get along with her team. Shizune hadn't had a friend her age in a long while, she and Lady Tsunade moved around a lot, and that meant that interpersonal relationships tended not to form. She had a few pen pals but none she'd call her friends. Not like Rin.
Shizune tightened the scarf around her neck, waiting near a tea shop for Rin. The girl had made it for her because she didn't have one she liked. It was purple and wine red, and every time she looked at it she felt her heart speed up. She had asked Tsunade what that could be a symptom of but all Tsunade had done was pat her head and tell her she'd figure it out on her own. Rin came running towards her- she had made herself a matching scarf and it was flapping at the ends as she ran into the blustery wind.
“I hope you weren't waiting too long.” She didn't complain when Shizune locked their arms together and they walked the last block to the hospital.
“No, of course not.” It was worth an extra few minutes in the cold if she could finish her walk with Rin.
“I'll by us some snacks with tea today to make up for it.” Rin hummed, “Oh, have I told you that Inei sensei and Haruki-san have come back? It was last week.”
“Oh! They're the patients Lady Tsunade's been seeing. She told me they came back.” Rin giggled and the sound made Shizune feel full of bubbles.
“Small world! Anyway, Obito’s going through this phase, right? He's in love with them, and Kakashi is so jealous about it, it's cute.”
“...does he like them too?”
“No, he definitely sees them like overbearing family, so he's super grossed out whenever Obito starts gushing about them. I can't even imagine how embarrassing it must be to like someone who's in love with your dad.” She snorted, Rin squeezed her arm with her own. “Obito asked Kakashi today if they talked about him when he’s over at their place, and Kakashi said-!”
The morning was a pleasant haze from then forward, Rin didn’t have a mission so they spent it together.
Over tea that afternoon the dying light had caught perfectly in a halo behind Rin’s head through the tea house windows and Shizune could only think one thing.
That’s what Lady Tsunade meant.
Notes:
The next chapter we're going to slowly begin working our way toward the big confrontation, I'm currently rewriting it, so it might take a bit of time to get it how I want it.
Chapter 31: Stuck Between a Rock and a Domestic Place
Summary:
Jiraiya is going to have to make a potentially damming choice, and Kakashi sinks ever further into his new found family.
Chapter Text
Jiraiya wanted to go home. It was miserably cold, even more so on the island where Uzushio had once stood. It was clear at some point the bodies had been removed, though he hoped they’d been laid to rest he couldn’t be certain. The city, already rubble, had been cleaned up here and there, looting had happened he wasn’t shocked by that, but a number of items he would have written off as common but valuable had been left in the streets. He had had to comb the island himself for the base that ‘Unfathomable’ had supposedly had, the toads couldn’t help him here. Too damn cold.
He had actually found it, believe it or not. It had been under a the ruins of a normal house, but so deep underground when the sliver of the kyuubi had initially gotten free it had likely not been felt. The whole of the place was destroyed, ripped apart, anything of use was smashed, and all the documents had been torn up and burned from the scraps he could find. He did find something interesting in the hidden lab, however. A small seal he recognized as familiar given how unusually it was constructed. It was meant to alert the owner if anyone passed into the space, but it had been damaged by a crack in the foundation and he could tell it had long stopped working.
Without a doubt it was one of Haruki’s.
So they’d been here, maybe chasing information, maybe the organization had had some hand in their village’s destruction. Either way it seemed like Uzushio had been long destroyed by the time the two had made it here, and all members would seem to have died in the fall. No closure to explain how it had happened. It might explain why Haruki had his spear and the fox summoning scroll. If he was an Uzumaki, even only half, he would have had unrestricted access to the treasures of the city after it had fallen. He supposed it wasn’t grave robbing if Haruki was among the only Uzumaki left in the world- he feared the number was below fifty and that was a generous estimate.
It proved the things he’d found in Garasu true, and he needed to return home to report his findings, but it was eating him inside. Should he talk to Haruki about this before telling the Hokage? Haruki had withheld information that could put the village at risk, but to be fair it was information that connected to what had to be a deeply personal generational trauma, and from what Tsunade had told him about their psyche evaluation, those two were strung together by optimism alone. Was it right to dredge this up?
He had to, he couldn’t keep this secret for them. But it did make him worry what would be done with it. The two were already making a name for themselves as living weapons, but with the addition of even an incomplete fox... He shuddered.
Danzo wouldn’t let this go, not a second time. He would see it as proof that it could be done and try and pressure for his jinchiruki experiments to be reinstated. It wouldn’t just affect Haruki, it would affect Kushina too, and hadn’t she been through enough because of the fox?
He couldn’t even ask for confidentiality because there was very little Danzo couldn’t stick his nose in. He had to decide quickly how to handle this. For the first time in his life he was hesitant on what he should do regarding his master. He had never met anyone as passionate about funinjutsu as him before, and from his personal experience, the man wasn't any threat to the village. He might overreact, especially with violence, but from what he had seen it was always in the defense of those he cared about. And so long as Haruki cared about the village...
Did he deserve what was coming? And could Jiraiya look at himself once he grabbed this particular tiger's tail?
He would tell Minato first, before his sensei. He needed someone else to tell him what they thought should be done- though he knew it wouldn't remain a secret forever. He may have taken all the clues with him, but Garasu had been destroyed by a big demonic beast, one witniss even saw multiple tails, and he'd asked them where they were from before looking and they had told him. Someone else spilling this first would be far worse, he knew that, especially if he tried to go without reporting anything.
He was fucked.
“So this is Pakun.” The pug was frowning as Haruki pet his head, looking to Kakashi for help. The boy was dealing with his own debacle. He was frowning down at a plate, salt grilled fish, one of his favorites, had been sat down in front of him as soon as he'd risked sitting at their table. He shouldn't have. “He's pretty handsome, yeah?”
“Minato said you baked him a cake.” He wanted to curl up and die.
“I did.” He mumbled, hesitating before reluctantly pulling his mask down. He was no longer a boys large. He was now wearing men's small. He wanted to attribute that to the three inches he'd grown in the last six months alone... but he knew it had more to do with four months of being aggressively fed by the most eccentric men in the village. He was sure if he said he wasn't hungry they wouldn't make him eat, but he was hungry.
Kakashi couldn't cook very well. He ate a lot of takeaway, instant noodles, and prepackaged foodstuffs. He liked that if he came over and the two were home, that Haruki would make him something. He felt safe eating at their place. Inei had a complex relationship with food too, and Kakashi felt seen. He was never told to eat things he didn't like, but they did encourage him to give everything they plated him a taste.
And it was always delicious . He didn't love everything that Haruki made, but the blonde never seemed upset even if he told him it was gross. He was encouraged to snack, and the few times he'd made a request Haruki had been extatic to cook it for him. It made him feel special and wanted.
“We made a bid on some land today, it has to go through the broker before the owner gets notified, but I hope it get accepted. If it does Haruki can finally have a kitchen he can stand up in.” Kakashi had noticed the awkward way Haruki had to stoop when cooking, and going through doorways. And in some rooms even...
Even if it meant Haruki called him a shorty for the rest of his life, Kakashi never wanted to get that tall. It looked like a hassle.
“Just henge shorter.” He mocked, and Haruki began laughing, having picked up an upset Pakkun, to carry him to the table where a plate was being set out for the nindog as well.
“Yeah, okay Mr. Four-Foot-Nothing.” He flushed, he said he'd be okay with it but it still stung occasionally knowing he would never get taller than the goliath of a man.. “It’s uncomfortable even henged. I can’t wait to have an appropriately tall kitchen and have everyone else struggle to use it.” Kakashi wanted to point out how kitchens were made for adults, not children, and he felt uncomfortable sometimes in the kitchen at the normal heigth, but he refused to do so, because Haruki had called him four foot nothing.
Again.
As promised, however, he did help ink down the lines for a summoning seal for his nindogs on his arm, the ink used would last a few days even when scrubbed with soap and water, and he was encouraged to use it several times while training to ensure it was in a comfortable position before they could lay it down permanently. That two nearly thirty year old men who were okay giving a twelve year old boy a tattoo was hardly the least unusual thing he was currently involved with.
He had gotten into another argument with Obito about the two recently, and it twisted his stomach up in knots. Obito's definitely the weirdest person he knew.
He didn’t like it when Obito hinted that he was attracted to the two older men. Kakashi reasoned he was just trying to be a nuisance, but even Obito could only beat around the bush so much before he’d say something more stupid than even Kakashi could forgive. The worst part was Obito didn't even seem to realize he was doing something dumb, like falling in love with two adult men who at best saw him as a kid who needed supervision, and at worse as a weak child in need of protection. There was a big difference. Even if Obito wasn't literally fourteen, there was no way those two would free up space in their relationship for a klutz like him...
“Did the fish insult you, big guy?” He blinked, looking down to where he'd shredded up the fish he'd been nibbling with his chopsticks, Pakkun was giving him the side eye for it.
“Just.... thinking about something annoying.” The men shared a look but didn't comment.
“Anyway, if we're going to be building from scratch, is there anything you think we should add?” He blinked, confused.
“Me?” He pointed to himself and Pakkun huffed at him, face currently in the food they gave him.
“Who else, pup?” He narrowed his eyes at his summons.
“You come over enough, and we wanted to ask Minato and Kushina too. If you don't want to, there's no pressure.” Haruki patted his head and he didn't try to escape the touch.
They were always so nice to him. Aside from Minato sensei and Kushina, when had adults been so understanding? They made his childish feelings seem... okay. Like he didn't have to be a serious grown up at all hours, like maintaining a facade.
“... a bath. A really big bath.”
“That sounds nice.”
“You'll have to come over and tell us if it's big enough when we put it in.” He covered his mouth again but began to smile.
"If we get the bid through, it's low so we'll probably be turned down." Inei bumped his hip with Haruki, shaking his head, "Let's not get our hopes to high."
Chapter 32: Home Is What You Make It. No, Not Like That-
Summary:
The fastest built house in Konoha.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The next day, the solicitor who had been managing his clans properties for the last few years, since his father's passing at least, contacted him. There were prospective buyers for two lots that had been standing empty behind the Hatake compound. The buyers would be okay with either, their budget was ten million ryo, which felt like an absurd number until the solicitor told him that just one of the plots was easily worth twice that to the right developer. He seemed intent on pointing Kakashi to better offers even, despite them being older the companies and clans who had bid on them would likely still want them.
Until he saw the names of the bid applicants. Knowing them they'd put the majority of their money down, over half at least. That much money could float him for a few years even if the rest of the land left for him wasn't getting revenue from renters. That much for just one of them? And they didn't even care which.
“I want to look at the properties they applied to buy.”
They ended in the eastern wall district. The very edge of the slums. The two plots had burnt down shells of buildings crumbling, and were overgrown with weeds and debris. He could see the large, dis-repaired Hatake clan wall along the back before it dipped into more wooded spaces. These shoddy pieces of overgrown, unwanted land, and Haruki and Inei felt they'd be lucky to get one of them.
Even if they were worth more money... those two fed him all the time, and one of the last times he'd been there Haruki had insisted on mending his flack jacket like a mother hen (it had been ripped but he just didnt have the energy to deal with it at the time). If he asked he was sure that the two would clear a space for him to live in and it wouldn't bother either in the least. Hell, they'd probably offer it the moment they had the space. Ten million ryo. He didn't need the money.
“I'll sell.” He crossed his arms and the solicitor froze mid list if other interested buyers. “To Namikaze and Iwah.” He clarified.
“Which property?” He began to look nervous, and Kakashi gave the man a bored look.
“He sold both ?” Naruto was looking at the paperwork, wide eyed. Shikamaru was leaning on the table sipping tea.
“Yeah.” Shikamaru had been a bit shocked too. He had hoped that even if it wasn't quite sufficient, Kakashi might like them enough to sell one of the two. For the kid to give them both for so little... “We're building that kid the biggest bath we can.”
“I'll build him a whole bath house if he wants.” Shikamaru shook his head. They'd have to get permits to build, it had already had most of the zoning done for both lots so it should only take a day or two, luckily there was nothing illegal about using sealing in construction- he was interested in seeing how people reacted to the shit show that would be Naruto finally getting to raise a permanent structure.
It would give him a chance to show off funinjutsu outside of combat.
They had a lot to do and not a long time to do most of it- needed back at the front. In two weeks they'd need to get a shell up, and a wall. They didn't have any time to spare.
“So... we aren't tossing the scrap?” Kakashi was pretending he hadn't been the one to sell them the land, and they were content to let him. Most of the current work was being done by Haruki's shadow clones while Shikamaru used his shadows to heft things out of their way. It had taken less time than he expected to get the permits they needed.
“Nope, if you're helping we’re lining it up along the edge of the grounds.” Kakashi had come, as had Rin, Shizune of all people tagging along, Obito, and the Uchiha boy had somehow gotten both Shisui and Itachi to come too. The boy had been set to work on his calligraphy and a few chakra focusing exercises for his actual apprenticeship, but currently he was dragging sticks to the edge of the lot.
“But why?” Shisui had come because Itachi and Obito had wanted to, but he was clearly bored at best, suspicious at worst of the two.
“You'll see soon.”
Not many seemed interested in whatever they were doing on the overgrown lot, but that was likely going to change soon. He gathered the children to a clear space in the center of the grounds far away from where Naruto was double checking his journal, he had a paint sprayer, walking with it and painting characters over the thin pile of scrap, broken rocks, and twigs they'd set around the whole property line save for an area wide enough for a gate. Shikamaru had a pot of hot tea, and Kakashi was rooting around the bag for the snacks Naruto had made to go along with it while they waited.
“What's he doing?”
“Give it a minute.”
Naruto finished walking the parameter, having managed it quite quickly, and clapped his hands, setting down the sprayer to do so before he began to make a few hand signs. Putting his palms down before the oversized seal there was a light tremor, before the items scattered around seemed to lurch before sinking down- or so it first seemed. The ground itself raising with a texture like wax as stone was pulled up from the ground, using the scrap to fortify its insides as it rose higher, capping out at about eight feet. The wall's sides were smooth of any jagged edges, but there were bumps and dips, and any plant material on the ground had clung and risen up into the air with it.
Itachi clapped, having to set his cup down on the ground to do so. He picked it back up and scuttled over, wanting to ask questions about how he did that, a wide eyed Shisui followed, cup of tea in one hand, cookie in the other. The wall was still covered in dead grass, and it inched up along it like lichen, Shikamaru would have to keep the kids busy while Naruto finished putting down seals to fortify it. There was a large circular entrance left where they'd left the gap, and they'd need a door or something to put up there, but one thing at a time.
“Wow...” Shizune and Rin had sat down on the blanket they'd brought, and Shizune got as close to Rin as she physically could.
“That was pretty neat.” Obito was having his hair yanked by Kakashi, who was suddenly annoyed by him, Shikamaru didn't get it, but as long as they didn't really fight it was fine. He was too tired at the moment to break up a fight between them.
When Shizune mentioned getting cold he handed her one of the warming seals that Naruto had made, late January was probably a bad time to be out in the cold having a picnic, but they didn't make the kids come, so he didn't feel too bad so long as he had something warm to give them. It looked like Naruto was letting Itachi place one of the seals, though at a distance he didn't know what they were saying to one another- he did see Naruto trace a warming seal on both boys with chakra to keep them from getting sick in the chilly weather.
“Are you going to raise the house the same way?” Kakashi had stopped attacking Obito by the halfway point in the wall's fortification and turned the question to Shikamaru.
“I think so. It'll be a longer process though, Haruki has to draw out a huge seal for that.” Kakashi nodded.
“It feels really empty in here.” There weren't any trees on the plot of land, and it felt noticeable.
“We'll plant some saplings.” It was a lot more space than they had expected, Shikamaru was looking forward to spring when they could turn some of the extra space into a garden.
“Maybe you could put a pond in.” He hummed at Shizune's sugestion.
It took an hour before the wall was finished being coated in protective seals, meant to strengthen it, allow for and encourage plant growth, as well as alert them if anyone passed over it rather than through it.
Next came the seal to raise the house. Itachi couldn't help with this one, so he and Shisui came back over to warm up, and the elaborate seal began to be laid down. It took a full hour and a half, and in that time Shikamaru herded the kids to a restaurant to warm up and have a proper meal, getting something easy to carry back for Naruto to have. While out they ran into Choza, who made awkward conversation with him. From the guys perspective he'd just run into his best friend's weird older brother and a horde of pre-teens, which probably seemed odd.
They went back to the house, not that the house was finished, and found Naruto almost done. He had a manic look in his eye as he told them to stand back.
“Hold on tight.” Shikamaru gently wrapped them with his shadows to hold them up, and before they could ask what he was talking about, the seal was activated- Naruto had began doing hand signs rapidly before he had even done that much.
For a moment there was a soft cracking sound, then the ground under them felt like it wriggled, it wouldn't extend past the wall, but for a moment it felt like an earth quake. The ground began to rise up, cracking and splitting at first before taking an odd shape as it rose into the air. The edges were smooth, covered in dry grass and weeds, and as it finished altering it was the height of a three story building. The building itself was a bit unusial, the ground floor was rounded, with a curved roof up until it met the straight edges of the second and third floor, which had a much more conventional shape. It was wide, the entryway set back into the circular ground floor fairly deeply. There were wide holes meant to be fitted with glass for windows, and the hole meant for a door facing them, a short path could easily be placed or worn down into the ground that lead to the empty space meant for a gate- more than a hundred feet, less than two hundred, the back of the unusual house close to the wall but not on top of it. It looked strange now, but Shikamaru knew it would only get stranger inside,
“Oh... wow.” It was pretty impressive, he had to admit.
“I'm going to start fortifying, why don't you look around!” Naruto was already getting out a new pot of paint, so Shikamaru led them inside. Inside, over ten feet wide was a hall that lead to an uncovered open balcony, the ridges in the stone of the floor and ceiling already prepared for screen doors to be inserted. Kakashi was the first to look down over it, going to the edge and looking down.
“It's deep.” There were looked like six floors going down, and in the center was a place for a garden, currently it was just scrub grass. The open space visibly got smaller as it went down, each floor under ground was set further back than the one bellow it, and he knew the upper two floors were more narrow than this, but it didn't look as drastic. The entry way had been set somewhat deeper than the rest of the walls, and as the group of teens and Itachi dispersed to have a look around Shikamaru took his time inspecting every tiny detail that had been painstakingly put into the seal Naruto had crafted.
“There's already a table in here!” He followed sedately, finding Rin and Shizune holding hands in what appeared to be a dinning room. A table that was stone growing up from the ground was there no chairs, along the curved wall was a built in stone shelf that fit the curve and a pop out where windows could be fitted. Kakashi had found what would be a kitchen beside it through a large archway, they'd need to put in everything still, save for the curve of shelves that climbed the walls but left room for a large round window over what would likely be the sink, it faced the more open area of the grounds not that there was a veiw, and he had no clue how Naruto was going to hook up water to this whole place, but he didn't really want to sweat the details.
Itachi had taken Shisui down, the balconies were open to the garden with every layer down, there were lots of empty rooms. Shikamaru watched their progress as Itachi slowly raced downward with his cousin. Kakashi and Obito finished exploring the ground floor, Kakashi found what would be the bathroom, and he found the boy running in a circle in the sunken earthen tub that had already formed.
“Big enough bath?”
“Yeah!”
“This place is huge!” Obito shouted from another floor, having taken stone stairs up, the matching set down faced the other direction and zigzaged back and forth as you went up and down, the stairs were actually set on the far west side of the house that went all the way up and down, and one on the east side near the kitchen that just seemed to go down. At the back was a space he assumed would be a living room area, or at the very least a lounge.
“Why is it so big?” Kakashi had climbed out of the tub, looking around with interest at the stone walls and mountings for faucets and lights that were recessed like rabbit holes in the ceiling.
“Ask Haruki, he planned the whole house.” He knew it was so there'd be plenty of space, that they'd be doing their best to get the children of the village from the orphanage to safety where they couldn't be left as prey for Danzo. He wasn't fully sure if their plan would work if he were honest. This place might be way to big for them forever- they'd just let fox summons stay in the empty rooms if it came to it and the kids didn't need them. It would be fine.
“What the heck are you guys doing? The Hokage asked me to see what the commotion was about...” Minato, who had no doubt been in a meeting with lord third when he'd been sent off, had entered the space with a flash, Naruto had hung up one of his kunai and had informed him he'd leave it out in the open on the grounds, but it was currently hung on a hook in the kitchen likely meant for a bag of onions or something of that nature while Naruto was sitting and drawing seals along the floor in the bathroom where he had decided to start.
“Ask your brother.” Shikamaru shrugged, he had no idea how to explain what was going on either.
“There's a crowd outside.” He said it dumbly, after wandering to the front door, read gaping hole, and Shikamaru sighed, he should go deal with that.
“Minato!” He heard the younger blonde shout, disgruntled as Naruto scooped him into a hug, having likely noticed his chakra signature pop up and come running in between seals. “Look! We just need to finish fitting in windows and doors, maybe flooring-!”
“Do you have any idea how freaked out people got by this thing sprouting up like that?”
Notes:
This is a self indulgent chapter about architecture. The floor plan won't really matter, but I care so it's in here. If it's hard to picture in your head the way I decided to explain it, think of a hobbit hole with a rectangle on top, and the inside is open all the way to the basement with rooms surrounding the courtyard.
Chapter 33: More House Things
Summary:
They're finishing up the house.
Notes:
This entire story is self indulgent, but especially this chapter and the one before about raising the house. I love reading detailed house descriptions.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The rest of the week, aside from people coming and going to check on them, they were left alone to finish outfitting the shell. They had to put in windows, the door to both the house and the gate, and Shikamaru was set to painting while Naruto figured out the plumbing. When asked to explain it later, Naruto tried to explain how it was like adding a new set of sealing protocols into the existing structure, but Shikamaru really didn't get it. The diagram that Naruto made did nothing but confuse him more.
They managed to even getting paper screens up to block the now railed balcony on each layer of the house from the cold. There were stone shelves in most of the rooms that were fit to try and maximize storage with the vague understanding that they would, eventually, probably... need it. Naruto dumped most of their actual belonging around the entire place so he could start to put things away while Naruto's clones ran about putting down flooring mats and seeing to a dozen other little things. They had gotten their sparce furnature from the apartment and their weirdly small table was now in one of the few actual corners of the kitchen.
Naruto was quite proud of the structure he'd built, supposedly there were cisterns under the inner garden to collect water so it wouldn't flood with seals he put down later to allow it to be used to irrigate the grounds or for emergencies, the foundation was meant to shift with the earth, preventing any damage should there be an earthquake, the walls were covered in seals to help air flow and insulation so it would stay warm in winter and cool in summer- there was something else that Naruto had been buzzing about in regards to air quality and symbiosis from the plants he intended to have grow on the outside of the house and the balconies but Shikamaru had gotten lost halfway through and just nodded along as if he was following by that point. Shikamaru was given a room on the second floor that connected through a large open archway to Naruto's, while Naruto's space was being filled with his sealing supplies, books on the topic, and the like, Shikamaru began to slowly fill up his shelves with medical texts, books on strategy, and a host of poetry collections and pamphlets he'd began to pick up while traveling in the past. Anything from the future or that wouldn't have yet been made available wasn't put out, but that was okay. The lower floors were all bedrooms, with their own on the first subterranean floor. Unlike the others it was pushed considerably deeper back into the earth, though it felt empty with just a mattress in it at the moment, as well as stacks of clothing without anywhere proper to hang them up.
Naruto was also nitpicking as he went along, fine tuning the structure as he found flaws or things that annoyed him. He redid the stairs to the lowest floor three times, both sets. The enclosed halway between the two layers of paper screens was Shikamarus favorite area thus far, though he was tempted to ask if they could replace sections along the balcony with walls and glass later, it felt a bit like a maze if he wasn't paying attention, and he got confused on which floor he was on twice in the first two days.
Each side of the courtyard faced a cardinal direction and had two bedrooms, the one beside there's was a little smaller, and he already had a plan for it- Naruto had likely made it the way he had with that in mind, and he poked his head into the empty room. He had painted the walls a light purple, and the flooring in the room was polished wood, no sharp corners, even on the small waist high stone shelves. He rummaged around in their scrolls until he found the one from the festival and unsealed a number of stuffed animals, putting them in a neat row along the shelf. He stared at it for a moment, not really thinking, before he felt Naruto gently pull him into his arms, the two had swayed together looking at the shelf in the lilac purple room for maybe a bit too long.
Tsunade had been by and jokingly asked if they were trying to put up half the village. They'd laughed but it wasn't that far off the mark.
They'd also been putting off going to see the Hokage, who was very interested in what Naruto had done. Eventually they'd have to go. But not just yet.
“When we do adopt, we should let them pick their rooms.” Naruto was hugging him from behind again, they were in the kitchen this time and Shikamaru had been trying to put away some of the more obscure cooking equipment they'd picked up over their years together, both before and after the time traveling, he could hear shadow clones running about stringing up lights in the rooms above and below so they could stop using candles. “But any younger kids should be on the same floor as us. At least until they get a bit bigger.”
“One thing at a time.” He smiled, Naruto rested a hand over the spot, pressing on it lightly. “Now everything's ready.”
“We aren't sure how things are going to go.” He pointed out, they knew point A and C, it was how they would get between them that worried him.
“We've had worse odds.” He sighed, reluctantly, he couldn't argue with him on that. They had made it back here, hadn't they?
He still wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about it. He hadn't figured it out when he made the deal thinking Yugure actually had a plan, and he definitely didn't now.
At least he had Naruto.
Even with a house and it being finished, he was still uncertain. Things felt like they'd been going too well.
Notes:
The next chapter, sadly, is not about house renovations or floor plans. It's about sex. I know, I wish there was more architecture talk too.
Chapter 34: Making Good On a Promise (NSFW)
Summary:
This chapter contains NSFW content AFTER the page break. The first little bit is about a dream Shikamaru has and forgets.
There are tags I am not able to add because I reached the tag limit like twenty chapters ago, for this chapter they'd be 'Self-Sex', 'Consensual Cuckolding', 'Technically a threesome' and 'Switch Kurama'.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
He's running. He can feel cold earth under his feet and the air stings his lungs with each labored breath. He's running but he isn't going anywhere. He's bleeding, he knows, and with each passing moment he feels the tension under his skin build further and further like a wound coil.
He knows he is not being chased. He does not know if he is doing the chasing.
It's too dark to see but he hasn't crashed. He just keeps running, and running, and running. His chest begins to ache, then throb, until it's a twisting pain, something moving in his ribs, like an animal is caged inside him- he has no heart beat amid the furious tempo of the beast inside him writhing and thrashing-
Then he's falling, with no ground bellow him even to catch his body in a mangle.
“You okay?” Shikamaru blinked before looking around the dark room, light was streaming in through the open door past the screen, and Naruto was laying beside him.
“Yeah. Weird dream.” He didn't remember most of it as he sat up, scratching the stubble on his chin. He needed to shave.
“You were tossing and turning a lot.” He grunted as he was pulled back against Naruto, who kissed the top of his head.
“I don't remember most of it. Something about... the woods maybe?” He frowned, and Naruto finally let him go. He sat on Naruto's thighs, trying to gather up his messy hair so it would be out of his way while he got ready. “What?”
“Nothing... just... haven't seen you put your hair up in a while.” Naruto squeezed his thighs, and he huffed, using the worn band on his wrist to gather it. There was a full thirty seconds he waited for it to snap on him, but it had one more good use left it seemed.
“Let me up, we've got a lot to do today too.” But Naruto just started to rub his hips, fingers sliding up under his shirt. “What, there something you'd rather do?”
“... it's been a while.” He knew that, feeling a tightness start coiling in his belly as Naruto reached up to cup his cheek. “And Kurama’s getting impatient.”
“Impatient for what?” He leaned down, accepting that their morning would be delayed. They'd just need Naruto to use more shadow clones to make up the lost time.
“He wants you to fuck him.” Naruto's breath is hot against his lips, “And I really want to watch you fuck him.”
“Yeah?” He shuddered as Naruto rolled his hips up into Shikamaru's, the blonde was already hard. “Okay. But he has to listen to me.”
“ Promise .” It tickles his ears hearing them both speak with one voice. He's finally allowed off, and Naruto is stripping out of his pajamas until he's kneeling naked in front of Shikamaru, so hard his cock is practically standing straight up.
“Come on, I thought you wanted to watch us, Naruto.” It feels good to be able to say his lovers real name, the room has been properly warded with seals beyond what their shitty apartment could be. A single shadow clone is made, and the original body is soon red eyed, wild looking. Naruto sits at the edge of the bed while Kurama is dutifully lead to his hands and knees.
“Are you going to get wet like the last time we did this?” He smiles, hearing the tailed beast growl low and dangerous as he begins to firmly massage his ass.
“I will.” Shikamaru, if he had more time, would likely wonder how his life got to this point at length, but for now he has better things to do. Namely Kurama.
“Then hold still for me.”
Naruto, the shadow clone, has began to lazily touch himself, watching Shikamaru stroke over Kurama, pushing his legs wider open and letting the fox lower his chest down, getting as comfortable as he can while presenting his ass like that. True to his word, his hole is already slick, and it posses no great challenge for Shikamaru to begin to open him. He has a number of reasons for being thorough here, but the most important one is solidified when he watched Kurama arch slightly, growling. If he took his time he'd get to watch Kurama fall apart that much sooner.
When the fox tries to thrust back onto his fingers he removed them entirely, waiting for Kurama to get upset, instead he whines long and low, trying to shoot back an upset glare at him.
“I said to hold still.” There are twin groans from both blondes, and Kurama tries harder to remain in position, clawing the blankets. “That's better...”
“Fucking hell Shikamaru...” he glanced over, the clone is biting his free fist, the other hand is stroking over his cock, eyes half lidded.
“You're next if you keep that up.” Kurama moaned at that comment, and he was brought back to focus on his current task. Once he got to a point where it would be cruel to keep fingering him, he removed them. “I can't keep up with you, but I'll give it my all.” He was linning up when the clone wriggled over, coming to kneel hip to hip with Kurama.
“I want your fingers too.”
“Greedy brat...”
Shimamaru sighed, using a shadow to toss over the bottle of oil they'd been using that was near the pillows over to himself, slicking up his fingers properly. Naruto bowed inward as his finger sunk in fully, shifting slowly, Kurama was watching his face as he was allowed to roll back onto it.
“Okay, are you ready?” Kurama snapped back to attention, large red eyes meeting his own.
“Ready.”
He was not ready. Kurama nearly howled, the sound reverberated in the mostly empty room, in Shikamaru's chest too. He was able to split his focus between shallow thrusts into Kurama (he didn't have much control over that as Kurama war rocking without pause back onto him, growling low and drooling a little), and his fingers, now two, stretching the clone open.
If he wasn't trying hard to keep going, the idea alone might be enough to send him over the edge. Kurama was tight and wet, sucking him in, and a glance at Naruto withering on his fingers sent all his blood downward- as if it hadn't been headed that way before. He wondered what they planned to do to satisfy themselves, Shikamaru was long past the point of being ashamed he couldn't keep up with them, but he knew they wouldn't stop until they'd gotten at least one of them off...
He shouldn't worry about that. He pulled his fingers out of Naruto, holding Kurama by the waist for better leverage as he thrust harder, trying to keep up with the breathy growls demanding more. The clone turned onto its side and began to stroke itself off again, watching with half lidded eyes as Shikamaru gave it his best shot. Watching the body bellow him twitch and flex, arch while clawing the sheets, knowing he was the one causing it and wondering if both Kurama and Naruto were feeling him or if it really was just the former biju greedily taking him.
He nearly jumped, not having noticed the clone had gotten back onto his knees, now hugging him from behind.
“I'll take over.” It tickles the shell of his ear, Naruto put a hand over the dark markings of the spot, the other braced on his stomach- he was hard against Shikamaru's lower back and if he had even a bit more energy he would have curled over Kurama and told him to fuck him, “Why don't you cum for me?” Teeth sink against his neck, and Naruto, clone or not, knows every spot of skin to scratch or nip to make his brain short circuit. Naruto follows him when he leans over Kurama's back, thrusting in desperately as he does as asked, a soft sob coming out of him as Kurama practically howled.
He let himself be manhandled, laid down beside them, and Naruto laid next to him, Kurama climbing onto his lap. He had a front row seat as to Kurama desperately fucking himself on Naruto's cock. The blonde put a hand on Kurama's hip to steady him, the other took Shikamaru's, holding it tight.
Time felt nonexistent as they continued on, Shikamaru felt warm and fuzzy inside, still coming down from his orgasm.
He could watch them all day.
It had to end eventually, Shikamaru reached with their intertwined hands and managed to get the idea across. Together their hands fisted around Kurama's cock, he growled low and guttural, but it was a step too far. He came, no doubt going tight.
Kurama almost fell when the clone suddenly popped, and Kurama, with jelly limbs, had to catch himself. Shikamaru watched him slowly ball up, falling to his side and whining.
“That was hot.” Kurama shot him a dirty look, before his eyes went back to blue and he sprawled on the mattress.
“Too much at the end there.” He groaned.
“Over sensitive?” Naruto nodded. “I'll go get water on for tea, come up when you can walk in a straight line.”
“I'd ask you to make breakfast but I don't want you to burn down our kitchen.” He had gotten up slowly, intent to wash up a bit and and maybe actually take a crack at cooking until Naruto had whined at him.
“Watch it, I might make eggs. Then we'll need a new house.” Naruto laughed, until he rolled to his side and ended up groaning.
Notes:
The next chapter will be the confrontation with the Hokage, so I wanted them to at least have a good morning, even if the rest of the day is going to be pretty rough.
Chapter 35: Jiraiya Is a Narc.
Summary:
Meeting the Hokage, and sighting a foe.
Notes:
Jiraiya will get his own chapter to apologize later once they've stopped being dangerously mad at him.
I rewrote this twice. I don't know if I'm satisfied with it, but I like it a lot better than the first two attempts and at this point I need to post it, I have so much more material prepared for after this and it's driving me insane.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“What's that?” Naruto was cooking, Shikamaru had gone to check the mail and found they had a summons, an official one, to see the Hokage.
“Were expected at the Hokage tower by noon.”
“Ugh... we have to go back to the front in less than a week, can't they just let us relax for a bit.” Shikamaru rolled his eyes, letting Naruto tug him onto his lap when he reached the small breakfast table.
“It's probably to yell at you about building our house by dragging it out of the ground.” He hummed, not sorry at all, his hand went up to stroke the dark mark on Shikamaru's ribs.
“Let's just get this over with, do what we can to end the war early, and come home.”
As it would turn out, the summons to the tower had nothing to do with the unconventional house.
Inside the office they were greeted by Sarutobi, Danzo, Jiraiya, and a very pale Minato. He didn’t need Naruto to tell him that the room was surrounded by ANBU, likely all with orders to kill at the word. The Hokage had on a very grim expression, and Danzo seemed too pleased with himself. Minato wouldn’t meet his eyes so he wasn’t sure what the guy was thinking, and Jiraiya looked vaguely guilty.
He knew why.
Sat on the desk was the false journal they had made. It was time to act like their lives depended on it, because they just might.
Even if this was planned, he had expected Jiraiya to have taken longer, followed up more sources, they’d left additional breadcrumbs after all, but no. He had come running back to report his findings to his master.
“I believe you may have left something out on your application to join the village.” If need be, they could run. Escaping the village wouldn’t be too difficult. It was the rest of their miserable lives that would follow. This was a gamble, and a steep one. They were being extended some small amount of courtesy, but it didn’t need to be so pleasant, a one way trip to T&I would await them if they allowed themselves to be brought in, and there was no return from there in one piece. Not without significant collateral damage to the village.
“May I ask what you mean by that, lord third?” He looked vaguely sickened, and it filled Shikamaru with rage.
“He’s talking about the fox, Namikaze.” Danzo clearly took a great amount of pleasure in saying it. The last thing he wanted was for Minato to win the succession race, and one of the important pieces to that victory was now a public threat. “How strange you didn’t think to tell the village, or even your own brother.”
“...” he took Naruto’s hand tightly in his own, counting as the number of ANBU seemed to grow. Were they treating them as a threat already? Nothing had happened yet, after all.
“What purpose do you have for deceiving this village?” Shikamaru felt his skin prickle. Sarutobi was one to talk, he lied to the village too, and his lies actually got people hurt or killed. Protecting the slimy leech standing at his side, he allowed unspeakable acts against humanity under the guise of protecting the village. Even at this point... he was a bigger monster than they were.
“I never lied to you.” His voice was strained, and Shikamaru squeezed his hand. “It isn't my fault you didn't think to ask.”
“You're a jinchuriki! Your very existence is a threat!” Sarutobi may have said it, but it was clear that Danzo shared the opinion. “You should have told me outright.”
“Why? So you could put me in a cage?” From the corner of his eye he could see both Minato and Jiraiya flinch. The older man was trying to comfort Minato, but the blonde was clearly trying to keep distance. He couldn't even imagine what foul nonsense Minato'd had to listen to. “You stopped seeing me as human the moment you knew. You think you're the first man with power who reacted the same way? You were so happy to have us before, I don't see why anything needs to change.”
“You're asking that we simply... forget this?” Danzo's incredulous voice grated on Shikamaru. His nails began to bite Naruto's skin.
“No. Not forget. Just... let it go. Inei and I like the village, we've already sworn to protect it, why should anything have to change.”
“That isn't possible.” Sarutobi's voice was rising, self righteous to a fault. “Measures have to be taken. You cannot be permitted to leave-!”
“It's cute you think you can stop us from leaving.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
“Are you threatening me?”
“Sarutobi Hiruzen, you will know if and when I threaten you.”
“Haruki...” Minato's voice sounded a bit raw- he must have been crying. Shikamaru couldn't fault him for it. “Please don't do this...”
“I don't want to do anything.” The ANBU seemed to be getting restless beyond the door. “I'm tired of running. I want to live here . I like this village. I'm happy to give everything I have to protect it and it's people. But the moment you try and put a collar on me, I'm leaving.”
“The demon fox belongs to the village.” Danzo was clearly thinking of studying Naruto, to find out how to splinter the fox, to make more, the warmonger. But Shikamaru could taste it in the air the moment Kurama snapped.
“ I belong to no man. ” He didn't need to look, Naruto's eyes were no doubt red, hair on end, teeth more sharp than humanly possible, his nails were like claws where his hand held Shikamaru's, digging lightly into his skin. There was hostility in the air, bloodlust- he couldn't pinpointit's source, aside from Naruto and Kurama, who were seething.
“Kurama, he doesn't know what he's saying.” Shikamaru found himself speaking, this was getting tenuous. “Just stay calm, alright? Let Haruki and I handle this.” It took a moment, one where he knew the others likely could hardly breathe, but Kurama loosened his grip on their body and let Naruto surface again.
Even still he wasn't in a position to continue. Bad memories were already surfacing in his head. So Shikamaru would simply have to deal with this.
“Sarutobi-san, I understand you want to do what's best for this village... so you should be aware that if you burn this bridge you will regret it for the rest of your life.” It was broad daylight outside. The whole village would see it if they ran now. “You made it quite clear how valuable we were when we joined the village, and we've made a name for ourselves since coming here. It wouldn't be out of the question to leave for another village.” His hand was primed to grab his senbon, to force an exit. If they had to, nothing would stop him from getting them out. He'd kill Danzo on his way out, too, do something he should have done much sooner. “But it would be better for everyone if it didn't come to that, wouldn't you agree?”
“Such insolence-!”
“Can the village afford to lose either of us right now?” He had struck a nerve.
He knew for a fact they couldn't . Because if they left, another village would snap them up. It was war, after all, and they'd shown what they could do. There was a demand for more bodies on the front, it didn't matter how they were sourced. Sarutobi should know just how bad it would be to lose them given Shikaku's recently turned in report on them. Making an enemy out of them, especially with the news about the fox, and the secrets of the village Sarutobi had no idea they knew.
“Yeah. Thought so.”
“We could remove the kyuubi fragment, that would eliminate any threat to the village and Namikaze could live as a free man.” Danzo suggested it as if it were perfectly reasonable. As if he was unaware that that process usually killed the jinchuriki.
“Kurama can't be removed.” Naruto finally felt well enough to speak again, having taken a few deep breaths. “You'll kill me trying, and he dies with me.”
“Kurama?”
“Did you think that the kyuubi didn't have a name?” Naruto scoffed slightly, but it was without a doubt from Kurama. “He's a part of me now. I fused my soul with his. I'm not even technically a jinchuriki anymore. There's no chance of us separating. We're in agreement to stay in the village.” Naruto looked at Shikamaru smiling tiredly, one eye going red once more, reassuring him that both were calm again. “The only reason we'd have to do anyone in this village harm is if the act first.” That was a warning to Danzo, and the man must feel it as he took half a step back.
The air had a metallic tang without smelling of blood, tension strung, each side waiting for the other to jump.
“For your peace of mind, I'm willing to submit for some amount of testing, but I will draw the line myself.”
Keep things quiet. Avoid panic. The village can study him within reason. To Sarutobi it must seem like an insult, but it was more than he deserved after Danzo practically declared for both of them that Naruto should be counted as property.
“I will have Orochimaru do so once you return from your next assignment.”
With Orochimaru working under ROOT it was almost guaranteed that Danzo would be the one actually controlling the study. But it was better than the alternative. They didn't have much choice, after all. If they left the village now they'd be on the run, and it would be even more tenuous to finish the deal under those circumstances. He just hoped Tsunade could get through to Orochimaru before Danzo had him do something they couldn't walk back from.
“You'll also be under stricter surveillance, I suggest you make peace with that.”
They knew they already had a tail the last few months, Hawk had practically been glued to them since even before their arrival. The only time they hadn't was when Kakashi had actually been assigned to watch them, but that was because he was already a prospective recruit for the ANBU.
If they could get away with only a stronger surveillance detail and the imminent threat of Danzo running the tests on Naruto, they were very, very lucky.
Danzo himself didn't look at all pleased by the events, clearly he had wanted Naruto in a cage of some sort be it physical or otherwise, and Shikamaru knew to expect ROOT operatives to start snooping around the house.
Even still most of the tension went out of the room. Leaving felt... like something had changed. The Hokage had been happy to take them before, but now he was suspicious.
Shikamaru had thought Sarutobi was a great man growing up. He saw more of him than most kids their age because of his father's work- excluding Naruto and Konohamaru, he could safely say no other child save interacted with the old man as frequently. Sarutobi had come off as a kind and gentle leader, one with inhuman levels of patience and understanding. Shikamaru had believed that he was a just and righteous shinobi who honestly put the village above all else.
He knew better now. He was no longer one of the flock, but an outsider, and the new perspective had been jarring since their arrival in the village. Even if he gave everything he had, down to his blood and bones, for this village... it wouldn't be enough. As they were now, Sarutobi didn't see them as village shinobi, and he likely never would. This was the man who chased out Orochimaru long before he committed a crime, who allowed Danzo to do as he pleased so long as it could be justified.
The kind grandfatherly figure of his childhood had never been the real Sarutobi. This one, prepared to stand on a mountain or children's corpses to maintain order... this was the real Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Shikamaru would not forget that ever again.
“We'll take our leave then.”
Minato followed them out, and in the hallway Naruto hugged him while he started to sob. Apologizing.
Shikamaru felt bad for him. Minato didn't actually have many people he was close with, and now another one had been revealed to be a jinchuriki. Minato had been dealing with the village for years to protect Kushina, she was probably a factor in why he was trying to become Hokage. Now his brother was going to receive the same unfair treatment that she had from the elders.
He couldn't begin to imagine how much it must frighten Minato to know that when push came to shove the village would use two of his loved ones as weapons without any regard for their well being.
“Come on, it's not all bad.” Naruto was rubbing his back, by then Minato was hiccuping and trying to pull himself together. “Just wish I could have told you some other way...”
“It's okay...” He wiped his nose with the handkerchief Shikamaru handed him, trying to put himself quickly back together so when they left maybe no one would notice the breakdown he'd had.
“Why don't you and Kushina come over tonight, we should probably tell her about this too.” Minato nodded, taking one last deep breath they made their way out of the tower.
After her initial shock, Kushina had a lot of questions. Most were about how Naruto had fused his soul with Kurama- it had been difficult and the biggest factor for how it had even worked was that Kurama wasn't a fully powered Biju at the time. Though his chakra levels had slowly been rising further and further over the years. It wouldn't be incorrect to assume having a physical body was allowing him to gather as much chakra as he'd had prior to being paired down. Humans naturally regained chakra over time, and given their combined chakra reserves... It was a bit much even for a biju.
There were some questions they couldn't answer, however. Did this affect lifespan? Genetics? Did it render him subfertile? How much better than a human was his sense of smell? Did he have any unusual fox mannerisms or traits, or was Kurama only a fox in appearance and act differently?
Shikamaru wanted to tell them that yes there were fox behaviors, and some physical aspects were... able to change. But he really didn't want to get into what parts of Naruto were definitely less human. He had night vision too, which he did mention but that lead to them seeing if Naruto's eyes did the reflective animal thing even though Shikamaru tried to explain over and over that human eyes didn't do that. It did throw him through a loop when Naruto's eyes flashed gold of all colors in their dark living room. Kushina was altogether too smug.
“How did you not notice they did that?”
“I don't know?!”
“Bad boyfriend, if you ask me.” Kushina mumbled to Minato, and Shikamaru stood and went to grab the Go bored.
“You are going to eat those words.”
“Wait! No, I suck at those dumb games! Minato, defend my honor-!”
“So is that why your teeth are so long?”
“My canines? Yeah, I think so, hard to say for sure since they were already pretty big when I was a kid.”
“Stop ignoring me, save me-!”
Kushina didn't tell them that she was a jinchuriki, but they didn't ask. Technically that was a village secret, so they' didn't push her to out herself. It would be better covered up for now anyway. He put those thoughts out of his mind for now.
They would be okay.
Notes:
I intend to post a lot today, I also intend to go back and edit the authors notes in one of the other chapters a few back. I've been keeping five or so comments unpublished since I hadn't posted the part of the plot they've guessed, once I get past that I'll let them go up, and warn people not to look in the comments to avoid spoilers. That being said the bar for guessing it was kind of low so I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't actually a surprise to anyone.
Chapter 36: The Time Ticks Down.
Summary:
Kakashi returns to the front with them, he learns something is wrong but no one will tell him what.
Notes:
This chapter contains body horror, severe injury, and death though that was at a further distance so it isn't described in detail.
Chapter Text
The Iwa front was freezing cold. Not much could change that, even the seals that Haruki had passed out meant to keep the body warm- it nipped at Kakashi's fingers and cheeks. He wasn't leading this mission, his sensei was, and he promised to stay with them. Rin was sad she wouldn't be able to see her new best friend for a few weeks, more frustrated and angry if he were honest, but it wasn't targeted at anyone in particular. Taking turns at the front helped prevent exhaustion and fatigue from growing unchecked. It was still very strange to be at the front along side Haruki and Inei, however.
The two were heavy hitters, and unlike Kakashi's squad, they were actively crossing the border. It was so odd watching the two interact with other shinobi on the way there, but once at the front the light comradery was gone. He'd never seen Haruki look so serious. The somewhat morose look Inei always had on stiffened to an indifferent mask.
The first day in camp when the two returned back from an assault, he could smell the blood they reeked of. Inei's shadow in particular smelled like viscera. He had never thought of it as something in and of itself, but it was hard not to.
After a week, they got shuffled around, they'd be following as support behind the two. Technically Minato was leading the formation, but he knew that when the attack started, the two would be handling the brunt of it.
He didn't expect they'd walk into an ambush. That he'd get hurt, his leg screaming in pain. He tasted something acidic in the air, distracting him even as Rin attempted to carefully remove the kunai from his knee. There were over four times the number of expected enemy tropes waiting in ambush for them, even with both Haruki and Inei, including Minato, they were hopelessly outnumbered.
“Haruki, take them back.” The blonde nodded, and Kakashi tried to stop him from scooping him up, “Come back for me when you can.”
“What are you doing?!” Minato was dragged along by shadow clones, as were the rest of the squadron. They were to strong to properly fight against under normal circumstances, resisting with a severe knee injury would be impossible. But they couldn't just leave Inei to die.
“Trust me, he doesn't need help. If we don't get out of here fast we'll have bigger problems.” As Inei disappeared in the tree line, Kakashi wasn't the only one to stare as black spikes ripped up above the branches like iron spikes, body's stuck- impaled through on them. The bodies moved but were stilling before being flung off the tips of the spikes. If Kakashi had to guess they were well over thirty feet above the already high tree line. The ground shook as one fell down to the earth, and then there was carshing enough to deafen him as swaths of trees cracked at their trunks and began to fall hard to the earth below.
“Are those.... shadows?”
“We need to get back to camp as soon as we can, I'll bring Inei back once you're settled.” There was an edge of nervousness to his voice.
Kakashi could hear it in the distance as more trees toppled over. There were screams that suddenly went out, and then the sound of trees falling began to grow closer- the tree line gave the impression that they were bowing as they approached.
“Shit, he noticed us!”
“What the hell is happening?!” Minato kept moving, but made eye contact with Haruki.
“He's in a heightened state to use his offensive shadows, the problem is... once he's in it he's sort if on auto pilot. If we're in proximity, it doesn't matter if we're not a threat, he'll attack us anyway, and once he's out if this state, he won't remember what he's done.” The real Haruki began to make more shadow clones, “I can knock him back to his senses, but he'll be trying to kill me the whole time, so please take everyone back before he hurts someone.” Even though Minato accepted Kakashi's weight, taking over holding him, they didn't get much further ahead from the place that Haruki decided would be his last stand. Kakashi spotted a human shape come through the trees surrounded by black fog, a shadow sliced through the tree trunks as they walked forward, too fast and too slow all at once. He didn't think he'd ever felt this afraid of anyone, and they'd clearly help if they were able, but this was out of their deapth.
“Shika, it's just me.” He called out, making more shadow clones, now nearly thirty were in the clearing. The first two ran forward, and were impaled by shadow spikes, popping as they were ripped apart form the inside. The figure came close enough Kakashi could get a good look, even as more and more of Haruki's clones kept getting popped.
It was all black, human shaped, with drippy almost deer horns on it's head, the inky black seemed to shift, sinewy flesh with a color like spilled oil in water. Between spikes and just whipping at them, soon only two clones remained alongside him. Rather than make more, he used the two to distract the figure's focus, long enough he could latch onto it, holding it close-
Kakashi watched in horror as the shape clawed at Haruki, gouging his flesh, whips of shadows beat against him, no doubt breaking bone as blood sprayed across the ground around them in all directions from blow after blow, but he weathered it, and slowly the two sunk until Haruki was on his knees, the shape in his arms was flickering, darkness seeming to dispel like a fog lifting. That was when Kakashi became aware of the wailing. It was a low, desperate crying, and at first it had been distorted, hurting his head to hear, now however... it sounded like Inei. Minato made his choice to get closer, panicking no doubt about Haruki's injuries.
,
Because his ears were better, he picked up on a repeated strangled whispering ‘ I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-! ’ that came from Inei. He had black lines like veins on his skin, and even that was fading slowly, as if he'd never been-
“He'll be out for the next few hours.” Haruki wobbled, but stood, having scooped up the slowly quieting Inei in his arms. When he turned to face them, his face was covered in bone deep cuts, as were his shoulders and chest, and they bled freely.
“Haruki-!”
“You need to bring Kakashi to camp for treatment.” He hitched Inei up slightly, the man was limp now, all traces of the shadow cloak gone from him. “He didn't miss anyone, but I'll send a few clones out to make sure we have a good head start. That noise might have gotten their attention.”
“Your bleeding!” He cocked his head, as if to say he hadn't even noticed.
That was when he smelled it. Like ozone. The multiple cuts on his face, chest, shoulders, arms, everywhere that Kakashi could see them, began to hiss and smoke.
“Thats...” Rin was wide eyed, she'd been scrambling with her first aid kit, getting out what she'd need to stitch his wounds closed. But they were closing on their own. Kakashi had never hear do such a thing being possible.
“I told you, I heal a lot faster than normal people. We'll bring up the rear. Get Kakashi's leg looked at, I'll make sure we aren't followed."
So they continued on to camp, and when Haruki caught up a few minutes later, although his flack jacket was destroyed, as were his clothes underneath, there wasn't a scratch remaining on his skin. He was scared to guess how much of Haruki's blood was left in that clearing clotting on the ground.
Kakashi distantly remembered once that Haruki had said he had too much chakra, that it sped up his healing. But he didn't expect to watch the man's wounds close before his eyes. There was a limit to what the human body should be able to do... but was that true?
When Inei woke it was nearly daw the next day, his eyes were darkly rimmed in a way Kakashi hadn't seen them in months, bloodshot, and his completion was sallow. He was also cold to the touch, colder than usual. When he'd been treated the night before they had noticed a two part seal on his chest and back, the character at the center had been more than just unfamiliar, his eye had slipped over it when he'd tried to look. He couldn't read it, nore focus on it for more than a handful of seconds. The skin around it still pulsed with thin vines of black shadow, those had not left fully it would seem.
He knew it was being kept quiet, but he didn't understand why.
When they'd arrived at camp, Shikaku-san had just arrived from the village, and followed them into the medical tent with Minato sensei. Rin said most of the medical staff was asked out for a short period, and Minato sensei left the tent looking strained and distressed.
But Inei was awake now. He'd be ready to return to the front in time for their next planned attack apparently. Kakashi's own wound wasn't as serious as it had first seemed, he'd remain at the camp doing a variety of odd jobs while his knee healed. He was glad, it meant keeping an eye on Inei. It was all he could do, no one was telling him what was happening, he just had to keep himself alert and figure it out on his own.
Chapter 37: Broken
Summary:
Minato is finally told what's happening, his brother bends until he snaps.
Chapter Text
It wasn't that he didn't understand. He did. The two had lived so long never telling another living soul anything, not being able to trust anyone. But between the fox, Kurama he reminded himself, and what Shikaku had filled him in on... what sort of desperate fight had the two been living before coming to the village?
Inei had made some sort of deal with a shade- that had been difficult to believe until he'd seen it, the markings that was, it was proof of the deal. One that was drawing to a close apparently. Doing so had kept him alive, and from what he'd seen that night, using it's abilities seemed like it may be killing him.
When he'd spotted Inei draped in shadows, he'd felt his blood freeze in his veins. He'd never been so certain he would die than when Inei had briefly caught eyes with him. They were black , darker than the shifting oily gray and gloom that covered the rest of his body. Then Haruki had run to intercept him. Every strike dealt by Inei in that state had been meant to kill. It went beyond ‘auto pilot’ as Haruki had described it. It was overkill. And the screaming. He shuddered. It had been a mournful, ragged scream, over and over as it lunged forward, flattening everything in his path. It almost sounded as if it were in pain.
He learned in the tent he'd gone into that state in the hospital after the surprise ambush on the village. If Haruki hadn't arrived in time how many would have been slaughtered? What was worse, Haruki had waved it off. He had insisted it wasn't that bad. That Inei didn't know what he was doing so the grievous harm he did should be filed away as an accident.
How many times had his brother had to stop Inei's blind rage in that state? How many times was he nearly torn to ribbons. Kurama must be responsible for him healing from the attacks, but even if the damage was long gone now, how could he look at Inei with such warmth and concern when the man had tried to shred him?
Minato felt sick.
Haruki had found him outside, a ways away from the camp. Kakashi was with Inei so he wouldn't panic when he woke up, apparently the boy was a familiar enough face now.
“He could have killed you.” He shrugged, as if that didn't mean anything, and to Haruki it must not.
“I'm harder to kill than that.” He sighed, finally sitting on the frozen log Minato had practically collapsed on. “That won't happen again-!”
“Haruki, he was trying to tear you apart-!”
“No. I mean it. The next time, it's going to be very different. Inei's deal comes due.” Minato froze, not sure if that was a good thing or not. “He's scared. I am too. We aren't sure on all the details how it'll work out. The reason he gets like that? Just attacking anything that moves near him? That he can't remember when he wakes up?” Minato waited, not sure he wanted to know, but his silence was taken as him waiting, so Haruki continued. “It's because it hurts . When we made the deal, when Inei formed it I mean, that part was added in as a mercy.”
“Why?” Why did it hurt? What was happening to his body in that state? Minato wasn't sure he'd like the answer. It had been one horrifying reveal after another the last few weeks. How was Haruki able to withstand so much tragedy? Jiraiya had told him about the space his brother had used to live in, the poor treatment he no doubt suffered as a result of being made a jinchiruki, even to a fragment of the fox. How could he stay so positive?
“It's for Yugure, the yokai he made the deal with. Their trading places. She's becoming human, and he's becoming a yokai.”
“...” he put his head in his hands.
“It hurts, because their souls are changing.”
“How can the yokai become human? From what Shikaku said she doesn't have a body.” It wasn't as if there weren't spare corpses lying around, there certainly were, especially after the last incident, but he had the feeling it probably couldn't be a corpse.
“... that's the tricky part. I have no idea.” He leaned back. “We'll figure it out, probably... she's been gathering energy, and seems to think Inei will know a solution when the time comes, and I hope she's right. But he really can't change again, once he does there isn't any going back. He won't be able to stop until he's fulfilled his end of their bargen and helped her take human form, and during that time he'll be vulnerable. If it takes too long to find a solution their deal might even kill both of them.”
“Why did he agree to do something like that?”
“... it was for my sake.”
Minato looked at his brother, really looked at him for the first time since he'd sat. Haruki was holding back tears, valiantly, but it was a near thing. His eyes were red and his usually immovable form was trembling lightly.
“I can't do this without him I never could. And I might lose him just when things seem to be going well for us. Even if this doesn't kill him I don't know how much he'll change. I never wanted him to have to go through this-!” Minato pulled him in for a hug, and he was practically swallowed in his brother's arms.
If he could he'd help. He just wasn't sure it was within his capabilities to do so. The problem was he knew there was precious little he could do in this situation. If the yokai was gathering energy then she was probably planning on forming a body with chakra, but the amount that would take was... astronomical. What happened if they didn't have enough? Why risk both of their lives on such a pointless and painful endeavor?
The yokai wanted a human body, apparently, but it didn't sound like just any body would work. What possessed the spirit to ask for that in the first place?
Chapter 38: The Risk Yugrue Made Was Calculated, But Man Is She Bad At Math
Summary:
Yugure is, admittedly, not an expert on humans, as much as they interested her and as much as she wanted to be one. It shows.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Yugure was anxious. There should be enough energy, the soul exchange was nearly finished, just a sliver of her remained as it had been, and it showed in her flickering form. But she wasn't sure it was going to work. She could hardly hold her shape, so much of her was tied up in her contractor now.
It was, of course, her own fault.
Humans all looked alike, how was she supposed to know that her contractor was male?!
It had been so simple! Make the deal, cross the rift of time, wait for her contractor and their beloved to make a child, and place her soul inside! He had agreed to her terms! Knowing full well he couldn't just make her a body! Of course, with hindsight she had probably come off as having some secret method for building her own human body, or taking one abandoned by a living host. But she'd spent the last three years coming up with this plan to fix her mistake as soon as she had found out.
Mater could be formed. It took a lot of energy, but it could be done! So within the first few months of their contract, back in the hell that was the future, she had absorbed as much nature chakra into his body as she could! Only that damned rabbit had depleted almost all of it. Even stealing it from her little tree men hadn't been sufficient.
Energy was much more plentiful in the past when they arrived, and while her contractor's beloved nursed him back to health, she did her best to draw in as much as she could from every source. This was made harder by the fact her soul was like paper and a chakra beast was constantly threatening her whenever she made herself known. She was blamed for any bad behavior her contractor did while in the optimal state to convert their souls. It had to be done bit by bit to keep them both stable, so she had no choice but to wait. And wait.
With all but two transformations left, their deal was close enough to its end she could exercise more control and drew in higher amounts of chakra from all sources. It didn't help that as she grew more human, the less connected to the shadows she became- it was only because her contractor had such an affinity for them that she herself was still able to use them.
It was nerve wracking, but they finally made it. One more sliver of her soul, one more of his, then she could finally be human, and he would gain full control of her abilities.
Of course all of this could have been avoided had they not had such an astounding misunderstanding so early into knowing each other. If he ever found out she thought he was female, she didn't think she could live it down. In her defense he was very pretty, and from what she remembered female humans were usually small compared to male humans... of course he wasn't actually small now, was he? No. His beloved was just the largest human she had ever seen. Human might be a stretch.
It hadn’t done her any favors making it so he couldn't discuss their deal either. At the time she thought she was being clever. Under the assumption her contractor was female and had the means to grow her a body, she thought she would be safer if her contractors beloved didn't know their first born would be the former Yokai. Her contractor lacking a womb put a spanner in the works, however. Those two had also not yet become lovers, it was only after those foul humans had tried to defile her contractor that they seemed to realize their feelings for each other. Again, not that it helped her.
The only other time she knew of this bargain in particular being made had ended in the original yokai's death, killed by their human father before they could truly enjoy a mortal life.
She had wanted to avoid that. Her contractor had sworn once she was human that he would protect her until she was able to do so herself. From all harm. She expected a human childhood being doted on, protected, maybe if she was lucky, loved. She had grown to like her contractor, even if their deal was a messy mistake bound to hurt both of them, he was nice. The closer it came time for her to expect her human body, as promised, he had even done what he could to prepare for her arrival. He had convinced his lover to hear her out.
She was expected. She was wanted.
If she didn't kill them both she would get the human life she's been dreaming of for centuries.
But that was the problem. She might just kill them both.
The energy she'd gathered to form a physical body was trapped inside her contractor. In his chest. Under his beating heart. There was no good way to remove it that she could think of either. It should be enough to physically form a body, but what good would that do either of them if it was trapped inside his ribs?
She was nestled in the shadows within her contractor's insides. Living things were surprisingly dark inside, though she doubted he'd be pleased to know she spent a lot of time in here recently, she at least knew when to make herself scarce. She didn't have a tangible form under the best circumstances, but she certainly didn't now.
She wished there were other yokai around to ask for help. But whose fault is it there aren't?
As a young spirit she'd been... quite malicious. Mostly to her own kind if she was honest. She wouldn't solely attribute the shocking lack of yokai in the present day to her cruel betting games she had played, but she certainly contributed. Playing for life energy had been her staple game, and she had often cheated- but when playing against other yokai, it wasn't cheating unless you got caught. Eventually she'd gotten bored, and hearing of a yokai that traded their status to become human had peaked her interest- until she heard they were dead, barely having made it a month.
The idea was tempting, humans seemed so much more simple, easier to please. She had been thinking about it for centuries. Eventually she'd left for the summoning lands, that way she wouldn't be tempted to go through with her new fascination. She spent a very long time hopping between lands, but it was while staying the Akarui shinpi-tekina valley she got word that humans were endangered. A chakra goddess had been set loose, and now humanity was on the brink. The elder vixen wasn't sure if yokai were being slaughtered as well, but plants and animals were dying off in droves.
She was sure she'd never get the chance to be human, having missed her shot, when the foxes arranged for her contractor to find her. She didn't know she deserved it, but it was a shot to have what she wanted, and a free ride back to the safety of the past.
When had things gotten so difficult?
She could only hope that when the switch was made, her contractor could sort everything out without her. He was smart, one of the smartest humans she'd ever seen, if anyone could find a solution...
Well, she hoped it would be him.
Notes:
She will not improve at identifying people's genders. This is her silly character trait, I hope everyone enjoys it.
Chapter 39: Someday, This Will Be Funny, I Promiss
Summary:
For better or worse, they have a date for the deal coming due.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru felt like shit. His body felt... not terrible, but not great. But his head... maybe head wasn't the right word. It was as if his whole brain was on fire- mind included. His chest ached too. Not sore, the same sort of pain as when he'd last been stabbed if he was honest, but constant, and moving around his heart in a seemingly random pattern.
It kept him awake once he'd regained consciousness. It had something to do with the soul exchange, he was fairly certain. It was likely because their souls were like gaping wounds at this point, desperately needing to be stitched closed.
They still had two weeks or so at the front. He reached to rub the area but it gave no comfort. The level of pain would likely have been excruciating, nigh, too much for any normal human to bare. But Shikamaru knew he was less human now than he had ever been. He could feel that too.
It was hard to quantify the effect of having a soul that was mostly yokai versus his soul before, especially on the body. It had been such a slow process in the beginning, and he had been in and out too often to have been interested in seeing how his physical body had been altering.
It hadn’t felt different before now. Maybe this was an incentive to finish it.
His body felt much lighter, and despite the near constant stabbing and burning pains, he could tell his overall physical structure had gotten heartier. They had tried to give him an IV apparently, and his skin had bent four needles before Naruto had managed to get them to stop. He also had snapped almost too many things in his hold since waking up- from chopsticks to senbon, and even one of Naruto's kunai when he'd borrowed it to shave.
And this was just a taste.
This was what he could touch now because soon he'd pass on the dregs of his humanity to Yugure.
He did have a plan for that. He was aware it was a terrible and reckless plan however, so he was keeping it a secret from both the girl and Naruto. If it didn't work he'd probably die anyway so he wasn't entirely concerted. He just had to get her out and keep himself alive long enough to cease being human. He couldn't die of a mortal wound if he didn't count as mortal, right? No big deal.
He just had to do that while living through the absolute agony of having his soul transformed with nothing to block out or forget the pain. Because he needed to be aware of what was happening. But it was only a very small amount of his soul so hopefully the pain wouldn't last too long.
No big deal.
... repeating that didn't make him feel better.
He flexed his fist. It was still his hand. It was human. On the outside he was human. He could handle himself. They would finish this deployment and return home. In the safety of their home, he would finish what Yugure started, and begin the real repayment for what she had given him. He and Naruto would give her a happy, mortal, human childhood. Regardless of if she even remembered her time as a yokai, she would be given the chance to be a little girl. They would support her, if she wanted they would send her to the academy, if not they would ensure she got whatever education she deemed fit. They would do their best.
He would repay her in full. Because as much as he'd suffered in this, this was his end of the bargain. Power enough to protect the ones he refused to lose, no matter the cost. It hurt. He hurt people. He became a mindless weapon over and over. He lost time. But he had asked for this. He knew other's who would have taken the deal in a heartbeat.
“Inei, are you sure you're okay?” Shikaku was staring him down.
His soul was twisting, he could feel the weight of their deal stabbing at him where the energy Yugure had amassed sat, his mind felt as if he'd dunked his head into a burning pit.
“Never better.”
“It could have killed him!” Shikaku was a highly respected strategist. He was young, but up until this moment no one had used his age against him.
“It is a sacrifice that all shinobi make. If he isn't prepared to die for the village, he should never have joined it. Given your relationship, you're too foolish to make the choice that needs to be made in this situation. I only hope with more experience you'll learn from this.”
Old age was a rarity among shinobi of any village. It was the sort of job you died young while performing. Technically, the old coot across from him was in the right. Inei had joined their village. It was expected of village shinobi to lay down their lives if needed in defense of the village. True.
But it was also done with the express belief that they wouldn't be sent on suicide missions . There would be no questioning him when he was officially made chunin commander, he'd have the position and the backing of the Hokage- but until the transfer of power officially took place Shikaku was just another jonin. He was under the command of the shinobi appointed as field commander for the Iwa front.
The mush brained, ancient bastard that just told him their next attack would heavily rely on having his brother repeat going into a mindless frenzy after sending him behind enemy lines. Even if Inei hadn't looked half dead when he finally woke up, there was also the matter of how Haruki was the only one who could calm him down in that state, and it had involved him getting mauled in the process. Inei implied he would have bodily autonomy the next time it happened, but that he'd likely be in unbearable pain- the bastard said that like he wasn't already in some kind of unimaginable agony.
Shikaku could see his hands trembling, and when he thought no one was watching he wore such a pained expression Shikaku would hazard a guess whatever he was experiencing was like being awake during surgery. Haruki had filled them in, and he knew that if Inei survived the next transformation, he would have to face the reality his brother wasn't human, and the being that caused that in addition to the suffering Inei had physically experienced in the last few years would more than likely call him uncle.
He still felt like he'd been sucker-punched from that, if anyone cared.
Minato, the ditz, hadn't seemed to realize the implications of ‘turn the yokai human and protect her until she's self sufficient’, but he'd been acting off for the last three weeks. Shikaku suspected he had been told he wouldn't be succeeding Sarutobi as Hokage given the haunted look in Minato's eyes had started after a sudden unexpected visit to the tower. It was the only thing he could think of that would have caused him to look like that.
The issue was that not even Minato could protest the orders that were handed down.
Inei was going to have to follow those orders.
Haruki seemed certain that he'd be vulnerable after a certain point- and he trusted Inei and knew he was more than capable of leveling anyone who came at him, even without the transformation, but vulnerable was vulnerable - and so Shikaku was more than a bit anxious about sending him anywhere alone.
When he passed the orders on to them, Haruki requested to go with Inei behind enemy lines. He knew he could convince the bastard to let him, so at least he'd have Haruki, but this was beyond stressful.
“Shikaku, it'll be fine.” He didn't believe that for a second. Haruki had had to remind Inei to eat more than usual, and he was pale and sensitive to light, he seemed one loud noise away from an episode and he was still trying to reassure him.
“I'll protect him. We'll do as much as we can and run back. Just promise you'll be the one to tell the Hokage about this, alright? I don't think he's really happy with us right now...”
“It's probably for the best. We might get sent home early if we suddenly have a child with us.”
“You bastards... how the hell do you expect me to explain this situation to anyone? We could tell the field commander right now and he might not send you.”
“...I kinda want to see his face.” He glared at Inei, who was taking this whole situation far too lightly.
“Shika, I love you with all my heart, please at least pretend to be worried about this.” Inei rolled his eyes, leaning further against Haruki, eyes closing them as if to fall asleep.
“Oh no, I, a man, might die in childbirth on the battlefield, what a non ridiculous situation. I had best worry myself sick, you're right, that'll make everything so much better.”
“... okay, fair point. That doesn't change the fact you might die Inei!” He shrugged, not opening his eyes. “Why did she ask you to make her a body anyway?”
“She can't tell male and female humans apart. I think she thought I was a woman.” He cracked an eye open. “She's misidentified almost every person's gender I've asked her about. To her credit if I was this would have been a really simple process.”
“... she... can't tell?” Out of all the hypothetical answers he'd come up with on his own... he hadn't expected that.
“Not at all. When she found out I was male, her follow up was to ask if Haruki was female, telling her he was also male confused and upset her.”
“... you have got to be kidding me.” He shrugged again, eyes drifting closed.
“She's not entirely convinced that you're a man, and that Yoshino is a woman.” Haruki brought up. “She knows that one of you is a boy and the other is a girl, but she thought I was lying when I told her she got your genders mixed up.”
“It's kinda cute, she thinks we don't know.”
“She got mad at me when we were putting the house up after everyone went home because I told her Tsunade wasn't a boy. Her counter argument was that Tsunade is really strong and boys are usually really strong.”
“... isn't she a thousand years old spirit?”
“Age does not equate to knowledge.”
“Is she just getting the words mixed up?”
“No. I'm pretty sure she's getting the anatomy mixed up too. Having visible breasts does not mean she'll believe someone is actually a woman, or any other physical traits that usually help identify one from the other... I have no idea what she is basing her gender identification criteria on, but it is fascinating.”
Shikaku didn't agree, but he wouldn't keep pushing. He knew that arguing with the two would amount to little more than a headache. He may already have a headache, but it could get worse and he'd rather avoid it.
To think his brother might die because a spirit thought he was a woman... He'd probably laugh about it later, if life didn't give him a reason to cry instead.
Notes:
There will be body horror, violence, and gore in the next chapter, as well as body horror and gore in the one following that, I'm not going to go out of my way to make it so they can be skipped at this point given their kind of central to the story and would be hard to skip without loosing a lot from the story. In for a penny, in for a pound.
Chapter 40: Turn the Lights Off
Summary:
They're on a time limit.
Notes:
This chapter shares a name with a really good Tally Hall song that I think fits it a little bit.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“I was hired to do a job.”
“So was I.”
The two were butting heads. Kakuzu had been paid a premium as a mercenary to come in and aid Iwagakure. He wasn't the only rogue nin to be doing so, however. Currently it was just himself and some snotty brat. Hidan. He'd kill the kid, but apparently he was unkillable. Kakuzu had tried .
Maybe he'd try again. The weird religious fanatic freaked him out and they hadn't even started fighting yet. If the money wasn't so easy, he might have left already. Apparently those bastards from Konoha had invented some new jutsu or other, one that Iwa couldn't stand against. They'd lost a lot of men to it.
It meant they were desperate enough he could name his price. The cash was much appreciated.
It was late. He was awake, the snotty little brat was fast asleep, even though the Shade of Death and the Golden Storm usually attacked at night. They were meant to fight those bastards even if they showed up at this late hour. Kids today had no respect or sense of duty.
Even so, he was getting a bit tired himself with all this waiting. It had been over a week since the last attack, one far more brutal than the two man killing squad usually committed. There hadn't been any children, sending genin against them wasn't a good idea- they'd get captured not killed, but witnessing the attack usually scared the kids so badly they had to be sent back to the village. It wasn't his problem.
It was only when he noticed a lack of animal noises in the night he felt a sudden ominous premonition.
Death and the Storm had come.
The pain was almost unbearable at first once they'd crossed deep into Stone country, his soul was being forcibly changed, after all. The energy in his torso also hurt him. But that was fine. He could cope.
He was dipping between shadows, moving unseen, while Naruto followed, already sinking into sage mode as he went. The night was unfairly lovely, considering what was about to happen. It was warmer than it should be given the time of year, and the bright stars almost made up for the lack of moonlight. It didn't slow either of them. Kurama could see in dim light better than most humans could in bright light, and it was a benefit Naruto was currently active in using. Shikamaru was able to feel the shadows that connected with his own, what they were attached to and the shadows that those were attached to.
Like a spider web of darkness.
As they went, Kurama's chakra seemed to warn any wildlife to hurry out of range. When they entered fifty feet of the enemy camp, Shikamaru fully tugged on Yugure's power. He didn't need to be distressed, it was a defense mechanism, and so he was able to draw it up this time without being threatened.
With it filling his veins, he made a wall along the northern edge of the enemy camp, one wide enough that anyone who tried to cross it would have to step on the shadows and be caught in them. He took no joy knowing the blood that would soon be she'd was in no small part staining his hands.
Naruto howled. The sound was inhuman, a fox howling into the night at the moonlit sky, and he watched Kurama's chakra gently wrap over him, pulsing and red, not a full chakra cloak, but close to it. He spotted the reason for it almost instantly.
Kakuzu and Hidan?
He never expected to see them together again, not only that, to find them here of all places. It saved him the trouble of hunting the religious zealot down, but he really should be fighting Kakuzu given their individual strengths. Until he saw it.
They weren't active yet, but Shikamaru could see the markings glowing on Hidan's skin, an ugly energy was surrounding him too. It was foul to his every sense.
“I'm going to kill him.” Naruto's head snapped to look at him, but merely nodded, instead turning to Kakuzu. He didn't need to focus on that fight, suddenly finding himself directly beside Hidan as if he'd snapped to his shadow. This was an even younger, less experienced brat. He looked the same age as when Shikamaru had last seen him, but he could tell the sadist wasn't as experienced.
In a last ditch effort his head had been dug up, there was a small chance his ‘god’ may know something about Kaguya. It hadn’t gotten them anywhere. They'd left his head for the goddess to find, and he doubted she was as kind as he had been, leaving it in one piece. How much pain was he in being ripped apart then? Was he even still alive when he was likely just scattered cells?
That didn't matter to him now. The young zealot began to yell, but he'd heard it all before, hadn't he? He felt his net begin to catch the fleeing shinobi, dragging them down into the shadows. He could spit them up at a much later time, they should survive after all so long as he didn't willingly kill them. If he weren't so focused he'd be writhing on the ground as Yugure's knowledge of shadows and darkness flooded his head to a in almost painful volume. He got the impression that the human brain probably didn't fit that much information comfortably.
There was a space in the darkness, an unending emptiness- just like the space between the summoning lands. And now that space was his. He still had Yugure's influence to guide him on this occasion so he used it. Those caught could be retrieved at a later time. Those who fought too hard or refused to enter the net were caught, sometimes half sunken down into their own shadows, and he let them go one by one as he noticed them dying. It wasn't in any particular order- Naruto's fight was claiming those not willing to flee and those too paralyzed to move simply because they were in the way.
“I will pass divine judgment-!” He saw the moment Hidan realized he'd already been caught as the knowledge seemed to pass into his thick skull. “-what, what is this?!”
“At least you're stupid.” He saw the man wince- was Hidan human? Probably not. Yugure didn't know much on god servants, even the most bloodthirsty of the gods, but the madman was probably actually serving a divine god at worst or spirit with an ego trip at best. It didn't really make a difference to Shikamaru, as whatever it was, it would only revoke immortality if he was blasphemous to his god, and he'd rather die. He hadn't broken after six years in the ground eating dirt trying to bite his way to the surface for his revenge, he likely never would. “I don't need the rest of your body, so I'll just take the head.”
A shadow sliced through his neck, and he grabbed Hidan's head by the ears. His body fell a worthless mound on the ground as Shikamaru held the head high up to the starlight.
“Let's see if your god will save you.” He watched Hidan try and bite his fingers, “If he is able, and he makes me drop your head, I'll let you go. If he's capable of making me drop you then let's. See. It.”
Shikamaru did not believe in gods. He also hadn't believed in yokai, or time travel either though. He was willing to adjust his worldview if presented compelling evidence. In Jashan's defense, he did feel as if something was trying to pull his hands apart, but there was an issue. Whatever force it had to do so was pathetically weak. He wouldn’t say that the force was from a god, how could he be certain, but a new instinct in him was telling him there weren't any other spirits around. Funny, he had counted himself as one .
“Looks like he isn't going to save you.” He tossed the head up, before catching it in one hand by the hair, “You're immortal, right? Why don't we test that?” For the first time in either life, the look of defiance on Hidan's face was cracked. It wasn't a look of fear, or betrayal, more like disbelief. He crouched, his shadow flailing out until it walled them inside- until they were in an empty, blank space like the inside of your sight when you close your eyes. “I'm going to put you in a vacuum, do you know what that means? No air, no light, no water, not even ground below you, and I'm going to have you sit inside it until I get home. If you're still alive I'll think of another test.” His hand let go and Hidan, head and all (as if he had more to offer than that), was left floating in the dark.
He stepped back out of the shadow and spotted Naruto, his chakra was burning Kakuzu's threads as they desperately tried to latch onto him, he looked to be down three hearts.
Four . He had just cut one in half with Kagayakasu.
“Taking your time?” He put his hand against his chest, surprised to notice it was oddly long fingered and clawed.
“Just finishing up, love.”
“What the hell are you-!” Shikamaru didn't even flinch as Kakuzu's own head was sent flying.
“You should have done that earlier.” Naruto put his spear away, making a few shadow clones and dispersing them, closing the distance between them and taking one of his hands, kissing the back of it.
“You didn't need to monologue at that creep either, but I didn't nitpick you...” he growled lightly and both were startled. “That's new.”
“I feel like we'll be finding a lot of new things about me.” Naruto traced something on his chest.
“I think we should go back.”
“Obviously, but... why specifically?”
“That mark Yugure's chakra hoarding caused is starting to glow.” He looked down to where Natuto was touching him, and saw that his chest was covered in something that looked like some sort of black and oil ichor, which made the mark Yugure had left's glow fairly obvious- it was an almost warmly tinted glow. It explained why the painful feeling had been compounding.
“Let's go back then.”
They could move much faster than usual. Naruto didn't need to slow down for him to keep pace, so they sped forward at an almost breakneck speed.
“Was she right? Do you know how you're going to do this?”
Shikamaru glanced at him, then back to the path forward. There was only one sensible option. She had not imparted that with him, however, he already had the idea. Under the pain he could feel how his soul and hers were tethered. That would need to be severed too. With a lack of options, he still had a plan.
“I have an idea. Might still fail, but death isn't guaranteed. “
“I'll take it.” Naruto hissed, the lights of their camp were quickly growing closer. Light made him feel somewhat uncomfortable- it didn't hurt, but he distinctly felt as one might falling into cold water fully clothed. He hoped he could still enjoy sunlight. “Can you try looking a little more human while we get in?”
What an odd request. He tried to peel back some of his shadows, but the open end of the deal kept most from budging. He also tried to will his hands normal, but at best it simply returned them to mostly the right shape.
Shikaku had been waiting for them, and managed to get them through and into a tent with minimal questioning. Of course, Minato and the kids rushed inside too, worried about him- though the kids weren't made aware of what was actually going on.
“Kakashi, your ears are pretty sensitive, right?” He tilted his head slightly, confused, “You should probably take a lap around the camp.” He listened as Naruto tried to get Kakashi to go further away. He had never truly experienced the grating, glass in head style pain that Yugure usually caused while speaking, but apparently his voice had taken on that quality, and there was the implicit concern of how much screaming was going to take place. There wasn't a way around it.
Even if Naruto thought he had a well thought out plan, it was going to be painful, and Shikamaru would at some point likely start yelling. Kakashi might damage his eardrums if he stayed too close during this.
Obito and Rin ended up being the ones to drag the boy out, not knowing what was happening, but being just a bit further away from the issue that when told to take him out they did. The looks of worry the exchanged with Minato didn't make anything easier for Kakashi however.
Notes:
Technically, Hidan isn't supposed to be an adult yet. But this is my incredibly self indulgent fanficiton, and if I want Shikamaru to catharticly torture him again I'm gonna.
Chapter 41: It's Time
Summary:
Kakashi is freaking out, Shikaku is anxious.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Something was wrong with Inei. He could smell something was really, really wrong. His scent was even stranger than usual, and if it wasn't for his now deep rooted familiarity with the man he would have been terrified of what his every instinct was screaming. Not just for him but of him . Both he and Haruki felt different than normal people at the best of times, but right now? The distinct not human feeling they gave off was doubled (not just the feeling, at the moment Inei didn't even look half as human as he should, and he hadn't been allowed to get close enough to touch him even though he was panicking, and that would have reassured him). He hadn't felt so uncertain since first interacting with them, but unlike back then he knew them.
He knew that no mater how much Haruki stunk of blood and gore under his ozone scent, he was a jovial man. He was a bit mischievous, but always treated Kakashi with kindness and compassion, going out of his way more often than not to ensure Kakahi was comfortable.
Inei may be an off-putting grouch, and come off as a know it all that's too bored to properly pay attention, but he remembered the things Kakashi said. Even little offhand comments. From food preferences to even comments on textures that made him uncomfortable, Inei was actually listening to him. Just as willing as Haruki to ensure there was a space Kakashi felt comfortable in by their sides. It wasn't a kindness extended just to him, either, but Kakashi had spent so much time alone without anyone making so much effort for him. It really hadn't been since his father's death, if he was completely honest.
He didn't know what was wrong with Inei, just that a lot of the older shinobi he knew, Minato sensei, Shikaku-san, Kushina, they were worried about him. And that made Kakashi worry too.
Looking at Obito and Rin, he knew he wasn't the only one worried. It would be selfish of him to say they didn't care as much as him, or to claim he was closer. Obito was an idiot who admired them both far too much, and Rin fancied herself an unofficial student of Inei's, and if something terrible happened tonight they would grieve much the same as he would.
He had the worst sense of foreboding. He only hoped he was as wrong about that as he had been about the two when they arrived.
His brother had arrived into the camp in a very peculiar state. The marks on his chest were glowing like firelight, flickering and warm, but his body was a bit of a nightmare. Only half of his face was human, cut in an uneven jagged line that dipped hard left across the bridge of his nose then back right by the corner of his mouth, the nonhuman side was shrouded in shifting oily shadows. It also had one malformed antler, one that was dripping shadows as if it were trying to melt away but it just wasn't going. Parts of his chest, but not around the seal like ring were exposed fabric from his uniform blues, as well as his legs, but for the most part his body was covered in shadows. His hands also kept trying to grow with sharpening tips to his fingers, but as Inei noticed them they'd shrink back. His one eye that should have been human was fully black and shiny. He had been staggering, Haruki supporting him, and it was his meger authority that managed to get them away from prying eyes. Haruki had to send Minato's squad out, and it became clear the reason when Inei tried to speak to him.
His voice is like knives . It was worse than the yokai's, and his head began to pound instantly as if he'd been struck.
Minato looks to be in pain from it too, and the way Haruki is gritting his teeth says that he probably has been dealing with it for some time.
“So, what are you planning?” He rubbed his temples. It didn't help.
“You'll see.” Before he could argue that, the light pulsed and began to go from a warm temperature to a cold one, from sunlight to something harsh and artificial.
The screams that followed were inhuman, and he actually felt his ears start to bleed following their beginning.
Notes:
A bit of a short chapter, this is where the story would diverge for a bad ending, if I get around to it I'll add it to a collection with this one.
Chapter 42: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
Summary:
With a lack of options, Shikamaru does his best.
Some gore.
Notes:
Alternate title OUCH
Chapter Text
It hurt. It already had . Of course it had hurt before. But that was nothing compared to this. His very being felt as if it was a cloth slowly bursting seam by seam, fiber by fiber, torn apart in every direction.
This was what Yugure had been protecting him from before. He probably would have gone mad if he'd experienced this over and over again with no relief. Even still, he had to wait until the very last of his humanity was hanging onto her yokai status by a thread. Naruto was trying to comfort him, rubbing his back, but the touch was almost imperceptible over the excruciating sting of being unmade and remade in the same breath.
Through the slight connection he tried to push the idea of forming into Yugure, who he instinctively knew was already resting in his ribs. Speech was beyond his abilities at the moment. Not that she was likely in a state to understand him if he was speaking- she was going through this agony herself after all.
His chest, which had been only half covered by shadows became fully wrapped in them, and he soon felt pressure inside his ribs. The clawed tips of his fingers sharpened, and he was aware of Naruto funneling more chakra into them. They were short.
“It's going to be okay.” He could hardly focus on the words, and he felt his ribs begin to crack under the pressure, it was now or never- before she got too big.
Shikaku watched Inei's now sharp, inhumanly long fingered hands as they plunged into his own chest. Someone screamed but he had no idea who, just that this time it wasn't Inei who looked beyond even that at this point. There was a cacophony of snapping and tearing, and black oil was soon running from his nose, mouth, eyes, even his ears.
For a heartbeat, one that lasted far too long, he was forced to burn the image of his brother burying his arms in his own chest into his mind. Then there was a wet cracking, and his arms pulled back. He thought Inei had ripped out his organs at first, heart lungs liver, but the pile of black tar moved. It was connected to Inei by strands, and one by one all but the largest seemed to sever. The writhing formless gob of black oily tar started to look almost person shaped. Head, arms, legs, body.
“It isn't breaking.” He flinched, Inei's voice had taken on the same sharp-as-glass quality that Yugure's had before.
The shadows had wrapped his chest closed, but they still connected Inei to the wriggling form of a child- given its size he'd guess two or three years old, but he wasn't exactly an expert on small children. Not a baby, for sure, and it had been essentially cut out of Inei's ribcage.
The final strand became almost hair thin, but neither looked very good, he was about to ask if something had gone wrong (if he could even find his voice) when Inei raised a black tipped, clawed finger, and slashed the strand in half. Both Inei and the shadow child gasped in what sounded like extreme pain. Then the shadows began to ebb away from the child's face. Under it all was a pale, soft round face. They had a short crop of black fuzz for their hair, with a far less pronounced zigzag hairline then either Shikaku or Inei had. Otherwise... the kid was a dead ringer for his brother.
Some color seemed to be coming back to Inei, he wasn't sallow anymore, but his skin was still pale. He didn't look sick anymore. He still looked too thin. His eyes were still all black, like a sharks, and his teeth stood out sharp and inhuman in his mouth, the shadows hung around him strangely, but clung like bandages around his chest.
Haruki had bent down, his large hand reached until he could very carefully take the tiny new hand that was now exposed from the goo. Little fingers squeezed his thumb tightly, and the tot's eyes finally popped open.
They were blue. The exact same shade of crystal blue that Haruki and Minato had.
“...wow...” Once opened, the child was twisting slightly here and there looking all around, her voice an almost endearing squeak. “Eyes make a big difference, huh?” The voice was a child's, but he realized Yugure had kept her memories.
“Yeah.” Inei huffed, slumping against Haruki, “They really do, don't they?”
She kicked lightly, bringing her feet up to inspect them, and Haruki had a tender smile on his face.
“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, Yugure.” She squirmed as Haruki hastily yanked off his uniform shirt and wrapped her up in it, she was starting to shiver.
“I could sleep for a week...” Inei groaned, and Shikaku couldn't blame him for that, he had just speed-ran the miracle of life. He wanted Inei to get looked at by an actual medic too, given there had been a giant gaping hole in his chest, but Inei ignored him in favor of just sleeping it off. He didn't return to a more human appearance, however.
His eyes remained black, and his body was seemingly augmented by shadows.
“Is my stomach supposed to feel strange? Like it's hollow?”
“You're hungry already? Hold on, I should have something packed away in one of my seals...”
Yugure fell asleep as soon as she had finished the rice balls that Haruki had offered her, and was snoring peacefully against Inei's chest, still wrapped up in Haruki's bloody, torn up uniform blue shirt.
By then the commotion had drawn in other high ranked shinobi, quite a few had witnessed his brother wrench the child out of his chest.
“I will bite anyone who tries to wake them up.” Haruki whispered it, being trapped half under Inei, who was pulling the shadows up around himself and the little girl like a cocoon.
“I'll uh... I guess I'll try and explain what the hell just happened... you staying in the tent, Minato?”
“I should tell Kakashi and the others...” Minato had been staring wide eyed at Yugure since the moment she had been torn out of Inei, but the wide eyed look of amazement had only been growing since he saw her eyes.
It was likely a result of how much chakra Haruki had given Inei to help her form. Probably. He was a bit scared to poke too deep into it if he was honest. He wasn't sure he'd understand it even if there was a logical explanation, given how his... niece? Entered the world.
She was also still a hundreds of years old yokai, at least mentally. Yoshino was going to kill him for not telling her about the kid either way.
Chapter 43: Adjusting To Your Radically Different Body
Summary:
Yugure gets to eat. Shikamaru wants to go back to sleep. Shikaku finds out he was excluded from another, even more obscure loop.
Chapter Text
The human world was very different in a humans body. She had fingers for one, well... she had ten fingers. And ten toes. She was very happy with the face she had too. Her contractor was very pretty after all, and she looked just like them. She was also very fond of the eyes she had. She knew about color before, but she'd never had color before!
She had her contractor's beloved to thank for them, given how much chakra he'd contributed she had been very lucky to snag a few things she wanted from him. Eyes. Bone structure. Musculature. Those would be obvious once she got bigger.
Her contractor had been sleeping for days, but that was to be expected. They had cut that really close after all. If he hadn't severed the connection between there souls they both would have died.
“Mr. Fox, can I have more food please?” Her contractor's beloved snorted, handing her another of her favorite food. She had only had a few different ones, but these fluffy grain balls were her absolute favorite yet. They had surprises inside them. Tasty surprises. Pickled plums, and salmon, and green onion, and lots of other things.
“You know, Yugure, you're technically Shika's kid.”
“Right. ‘Cause of the contract!” She took a big bite and kicked her feet. So good! Salmon again!
“Right, right. So you should probably call him dad.” She chewed thoughtfully, looking over at her contractor, who was wrapped lightly in the shadows of the room, still sleeping.
“But don't mommies have babies? Shouldn't I call Contractor-!”
“Nope! I really think you should call him dad. Or daddy! Heck, I bet he'd even be okay with papa.” She swallowed, staring down into the grain ball.
“Then do I call you mommy Mr. Fox?” The other blonde man in the tent choked on his tea.
“I would prefer if you didn't. Just pick one of the names I suggested for him, and one for me, okay?” She took another bite, enjoying how it felt and tasted in her mouth. She could already tell the main thing she'd love about being human was food.
“You're papa, Mr. Fox.” He sighed. She chewed her food thoughtfully. “Contractor can be daddy, I guess.”
“How magnanimous of you, respecting my gender identity...” she jumped up and toddled over to where her contractor was slowly sitting up. He took her half eaten rice ball when she offered it to him, considered it, and started to eat it himself.
“Mr. Fox says you don't want to be called mommy.” Mr. Fox began handing her contractor a bowl of soup, which he took. She didn't like it that much, it was bland.
“He's right, I would hate that.” She pouted, curling up on his lap, he had to angle his bowl high over her head as even though the soup wasn't good she still wanted to eat all the potatoes out of it, “Fingers out, it's hot.”
“Owch! I don't like it!”
“Here, let's blow on your fingers, they'll feel better soon.”
“Human healing is so strange....”
“What did I miss while I was comatose?”
“What didn't you miss...”
Shikamaru rubbed his temples, Yugure was occasionally tugging on his hair as she tied it into progressively stranger knots- it now moved like it's own organism comprised entirely of shadows under his will, so he wasn't too worried about it when she got a senbon stuck in it.
“I need more string, momm- I mean daddy.” He sighed, offering her more if the twine she had found and begged him to cut up into hair tie sized pieces.
“So... the war is over?”
“Uh... yes and no.”
“But there's a ceasefire.”
“Yeah. At least with Iwagakure.”
“Alright. What about Kumogakure?”
“They're also willing to ceasefire. Suna has already started preparing dignitaries for peace accords.”
“And... this is because-”
“Yeah, you literally dragged a hundred shinobi into the shadows, vanishing them without a trace.”
“Mhmm. Okay. What has Sarutobi said, anything?” Yugure giggled, fingers digging in too hard on his shoulders as she began trying to climb on top of him. He let the solid objects in his hair pass through, still weird to get used to, and accepted the cup of water Naruto was pushing his way.
“Lord Third is demanding to see you as soon as you're able to travel back to the village. I've never read a letter that came off as furious before but... y'know...” Shikaku shrugged, but he seemed amused.
“He's probably mad that we didn't tell him about the yokai thing.” Naruto mumbled, he'd gone back to sewing another shirt he'd found into a makeshift dress for Yugure, since she'd need a few on the journey back.
“He can kiss my ass, that was personal . Oh, don't swear Yugure, you're too young and you'll be a bad influence on other kids your age.”
“I know worse words. Mr. Papa can I have a fruit please?”
“... whatever.”
“I get that it's kind of a game changer, but why is he so angry? Shouldn't this fall under the pleasant surprise category or...”
“It's because we didn't tell him Haruki was a jinchuriki. I mean, he isn't anymore. Technically.”
“But... you admitted you have a fragment of the nine tailed fox sealed inside you...” Minato had been quietly sitting beside Haruki, but he finally spoke up, looking between the two.
“I had a piece of Kurama. Until... what was that, almost ten years ago? We fused our souls together. Kurama is literally just a part of me now. He can't break out of the seal because there isn't a seal. It'd be like saying my soul was going to break out of body- Shikaku? You don't look so good, do you feel alright?”
He hadn't known because they hadn't told anyone yet. Minato knew, but he was anxious about the whole thing.
“And... Kurama is the fox?”
“Yeah.” Haruki held up the mended shirt for inspection, “He's a grumpy old man. His favorite food is broiled eel with sake and he hates word games.”
“No, he just hates playing them with you because you're terrible at them.” He finally had enough, scooping Yugure up off his shoulders, his arms extended just a little too much as he did so. He found his limbs weren't always as he thought they should be. His eyes were still all black, apparently, and he'd nearly cut his tongue on his teeth several times since waking up. Luckily he could still eat and drink, and taste things. He also could see in color still which he'd been dubious about.
“I want to be filled in.” Shikaku had actually sat down at that point, “Start to finish.”
Shikaku wasn't one hundred percent sure he did understand it when it was explained to him. All the pieces seperately made sense, but what were the odds that so many ridiculous things would happen to his brother? Granted, Inei seemed to invite that sort of thing into his life willingly. He supposed he'd just add it to another one of his worries he would have to live with for the rest of his life.
At least he'd taken some steps independently to protect them... it was all he really could do.
Chapter 44: It's a Brother's Job to Worry
Summary:
Three brother's, still new at this, worrying independently on their trek back to the village.
Chapter Text
“It's cold!”
“It's February, Yugure.”
Kakashi had been filled in, at least regarding the yokai related shenanigans. He was taking things really well, all things considered, he thought. He had caught her before she could jump down into the snow- she didn't have shoes yet.
“Ah! Cold and wet!” She squeaked, clinging to his back tightly. “Is it supposed to be like this, nii-chan?”
“It's snow.” He was secretly pleased she'd correctly identified him as her nii-chan. Even if it was just in name, it felt good. “It's supposed to be like that, really.”
“You're still getting used to feeling stuff, huh?” Rin was walking along side them, they were looking for a place to camp for the night on the way back.
“I didn't know things could feel this much! I like the tree bark the most so far, it feels really texture-ish.” She wiggled her fingers in front of them, almost smacking his cheek.
“You want me to grab more for you to touch?” Obito was walking backwards, Kakashi hoped the idiot tripped. He had enough trouble walking the right way and now he was tempting fate.
“She's just going to try and eat it again, stop giving her bark.” All three flinched, save Yugure, when Inei floated along side them.
“Daddy, you got your ears normal!” He wobbled as she tried to kick off his back again, and her weight vanished as Inei picked her up. He wasn't sinking into the snow despite her added weight. His hands were still weird, the fingers were almost human length now however, but they were still clawed and tipped with black. His eyes were also still fully black, but given he was supposedly 98.8% yokai he was still able to pass for human very well. There had been a hitch at the end apparently, so he was only mostly yokai, and Yugure was still roughly 1.2% yokai. Which explained how she seemed to fully vanish into shadows when she insisted they play hide and seek the night before. Haruki had had to tell her to stop because it was cheating.
“This is a lot harder than it looks, you know...” Inei grumbled.
“Shape-shifting is really hard, you're doing really good.”
“Thank you.”
“I think we found a clearing we can set up in.”
They could finally stop for the night. They had to go a bit slower because of Yugure and Inei, who wasn't fully recovered from... well... Kakashi didn't think birth was the right word, it was more like self surgery to remove a tumor. Obito had gotten upset with him for describing it like that, but Rin had agreed with him, and she was the medic so that had to mean he was more right than Obito.
Inei flinched when they started the fire, he was a bit light sensitive, but they were hopeful that would wear off before too long. It didn't hurt him any, but he disliked it, and was easily blinded by light...
Kakashi was only a little worried. He knew there were things being kept from them, other secrets, and the Hokage seemed... upset with them. He had a terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen once they reached the village. Even so it wasn't as if they could just... not go home. 'I mean we could. Obito's been a missing nin before, and Inei and Haruki used to live outside of the village...' He didn't think that his sensei would be very happy with his thought process, however. Barring divine intervention he expected things to go sideways.
“Kakashi, can you give me a hand?” He shook himself of the thought, running over to help clear a place for the tent.
It would be okay. They'd make it okay somehow.
Shikaku had gotten the good news back from the village the day after Yugure was... born?
He'd had to hurry, only finding out about everything a few days before the two left, and a week before he had to return to the front as well. He knew the village elders well enough, Yugure was going to be too tempting, they'd try and remove her from Inei's care as soon as possible. They might use his mental health as an excuse, or simply imply because of how she entered the world she wasn't technically his child. Either way, they'd try and take her away to study, maybe even vivisect. A human yokai would be pretty interesting, and that creep Danzo was already weird when it came to the Nara clans shadow manipulation as it was.
So, he'd made a sizable donation to the civilian council's most desperate pet projects in Haruki and Minato's name, and recommended the Namikaze for clan status. He should have asked them, but there wasn't a lot of time- it didn't hurt that they hadn't been very subtle, though he doubted Minato realized that that was one of their goals after having joined the village. Their property could be designated as clan land, it hardly affected anything aside from taxes on the land long term as well as inheritance rights being a bit sideways. If they hadn't wanted to become a clan he'd do what he could to fix it, but for the moment it had been the best way to protect his niece.
He could claim that Yugure was Haruki's daughter, they wouldn't be able to touch her until after a DNA test was run, and he was fairly confident that he could convince his brother to fill out a marriage license with Haruki before it finished.
The point of that being that removing a clan child from their family was next to impossible. Yugure would either actually show up as being Haruki's, given the eye thing, or she'd become his child through marriage. Either way, she would become a protected class. Keeping children within their birth clans whenever possible was a huge concern of the clan council, especially children who were born directly into a clan. The very thought of it happening would be against the council's core tenants, and allowing them to take Yugure might set a dangerous precedent. Keeping the Hokage out of their family affairs was top priority, especially for larger clans.
At the very least, the Uchiha, Nara, Akamichi, and Yamanaka clans would push back against the village, but given how much they liked to hide their private affairs he knew the Hyuga would side with them just to ensure no one poked around their own kids. It was hard to say how the Aburame and Inuzuka clans would react, but knowing Tsume she'd likely side with them. With a majority vote the clan council had the authority to block Sarutobi.
He had told as much to them the night before, and Haruki had confirmed what he'd already suspected- they had been planning on forming a clan when possible. It was a surprise to Minato however.
As the oldest living Namikaze, Haruki would be clan head, and short of Sarutobi letting slip about the fox, he was very well liked and public opinion would skew in their favor. Minato was already considered a village hero despite how young they were, and no matter how you sliced it, the hokage taking away Minato's niece, regardless of how she came to be... people would riot.
He only hoped he'd been wrong reading the situation.
Minato had spent the last week being hit by one massive bombshell after another. Inei had been dying. Inei was pregnant? His brother was about to be a father. He was an uncle now. Shikaku had used a not illegal but definitely shady method to put them in a clan. He scrubbed his face.
He was now a founding member of a clan. And an uncle.
Sarutobi was going to flay him alive.
He took a deep breath, staring down at the frozen ground and trying to string together a thought that didn't jump instantly to the extremely loud little girl who looked an endearing amount like his brother. When he'd said that Kakashi had told him to get his eyes checked, he would have been offended but he couldn't really say anything given how cute Kakashi looked holding her.
He had walked all the way over here saying he had to piss, but in reality he was taking a panic break, not a pee break. She was real and she was chubby, with baby skin, and she had an almost obnoxious voice and he knew the moment Kushina set eyes on her she was going to start bullying Minato about them having one of their own. He wasn't sure he was ready for fatherhood- granted he might not need to worry about his political career anymore, that would free up a lot of time.
Ten times out of ten, he would obviously choose his family. Obviously. But due to circumstances out of their control his brother had ruined his future in politics. Maybe he should just focus on making the clan successful and then use the money to lobby for equality and positive civil change?
"Ah!" He jumped, narrowly avoiding a snowball that had been chucked at him, the culprits were Haruki, Yugure, Kakashi, and Obito. He reached down to make one of his own and begin his revenge.
"Don't use piss snow!"
"Run!"
He shouldn't worry about something he had no control over, at least not now. There would be plenty of time to do that when he laid down to sleep and was haunted by the dangers of the future. Orochimaru would certainly ask to dissect his niece if he became hokage, and by ask it would probably be an order. But at the moment all he could do was pelt his loved ones with snowballs.
So he'd do that.
Chapter 45: An Update On Transhumanism (But Make It Mystic)
Summary:
Shikamaru's grip on humanity is not so much slipping, but being fed line as it gets further away.
Yugure wants to crunch leaf.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru was less tired than he had been, still bone deep exhausted however. His self-inflicted chest wound was mostly healed, but he still kept it wrapped in shadows, and he'd gotten all but his eyes and teeth looking human again. So far it was... surprisingly easy to adjust to not being human.
He expected it to be... harder? He'd had a long time to come to grips with it, he supposed, but...
He'd felt like an outsider in the past for so long now that at least being able to point to something he could tell people about as the reason made it feel a little easier. He still felt human, after all. He still got hungry and thirsty, still needed to sleep, and he felt cold a lot of the time.
But Yugure had told him those things were because he had a human mind. That if he really wanted to he could stop feeling those things, stop needing them. The issue was once he stopped it would be difficult to start wanting them again. She had eaten when she first formed as a yokai, but as others hadn't been she stopped, then she forgot how. It explained why she was enjoying food to the fullest now but it was a little scary. If he stopped going through the motions as a human, he may stop wanting to.
His light sensitivity had finally gotten better, but that was more because of his eyes being a little funny. He was built to see in pitch black now, or at least his body had changed to be that way. He had learned easily how to adjust that, but it took conscious effort, so maybe he should invest in sunglasses, or a parasol... he could probably get away with some theatrics if he really wanted to. War heroes were permitted to function a little on the edge of sanity from his experiance.
Holding back all of the... yokai energy was also a strange experience. Yugure had an unusually high amount, apparently, and that energy was left in him when she took her human form, it integrated into him, but it also affected his physical body. He had found that sometimes if he wasn't careful he'd stop being as solid as he was supposed to be, and more than once he'd felt what had to be antlers starting to sprout on his head. Yugure claimed that was because of his strong affinity for deer, but it was just bizarre.
Naruto was taking everything pretty well. He was good with kids, and outside of moments of stone cold existential horror wherein Yugure reminded them she had memories of countless centuries, she was basically a toddler. Her breath of knowledge included geography with a basis of human borders and towns over four hundred years ago, poems written from around the same time she had memorized, and the song Rin had taught her to remember how to remember the months of the year.
She bounced from being a convincingly wise and ancient spirit that had left the human world four hundred years ago, and a very small child with a short attention span who tried to eat everything including rocks. Especially rocks. Not even the ones that could be confused for candy, the boring gray pebbles she kept finding under the snow.
Regardless, Naruto was making up for wasted time with her. She was cute, and playful, and most of the time he'd say she was actually a small child. And they were going to take her back to the village and set up a bedroom for her next to theirs, and he intended to spoil her absolutely rotten.
He was aware that things would be... tense when they returned home. They had intentionally not told the hokage about this, even when confronted about Kurama they had chosen not to bring her up, or the deal. And now it was obvious.
If Danzo so much as breathed in Yugure's direction Shikamaru was going to flay his skin and pop his eyes- all of them .
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. As a result of their deal, he would protect Yugure, obviously. On paper. In practice that aspect had warped into an almost malevolent need to guard her. It was more than protective instincts or obligation, he might actually kill someone if they so much as upset her.
“Can I eat this?” A leaf was held up under his nose, brown and half dry, smelling like mold.
“No, Yugure, you'll get sick.” She frowned, dropping it to hold up a dull yellow leaf, “None of the colors are good for you to eat.” She pouted, dropping a fist full of leaves of different colors and shapes onto the ground.
“But I'm really hungry.”
“We're cooking dinner right now, can't you wait a little bit?” Yugure shook her head no, putting her thumb in her mouth. “You shouldn't do that, it's bad for your teeth, and if you have a cut on your thumb, it can get it infected that way.” She narrowed her eyes, before she ran away, still sucking her thumb, she squeaked when he grabbed her with the shadows around them, taking her out of the air where she'd been floating for a moment.
“She can have some of my hard tack.” Obito offered her a hard cracker and she took it, nibbling at it.
“Obito niichan is my favorite.” She pushed on his legs until he picked her back up.
“Say thank you.”
“Thank you.” She kicked her feet, and Shikamaru went to check on how things were going- Naruto and Minato were bent over a collapsible pot with Kakashi and though he trusted two of them to cook, Kakashi hadn't known how to boil an egg so he would be forgiven for wanting to check in.
“Soup?” She tried to lean over to look into the pot.
“Yeah, soup. You got a snack there?” Yugure clutched the hard tack closer to her and nodded.
“Obito gave it to her.” Kakashi frowned, rummaging in his pouch to find his own and give it to her, she cheered and took it while thanking him.
“Is there a reason you're making a sacrificial circle around dinner?”
“Minato thought a leaf fell in.”
“Did it?”
“No.” “No.”
Minato shrunk, looking away.
“Don't worry, Mr. Minato Uncle sir, I'll eat the leaf!”
Shikamaru could help it and began to laugh. He must have lost control for a moment, seeing the others all flinch slightly. He tried to return his voice to normal. The pain while listening to Yugure and himself now was caused by some of the sound actually being outside of human hearing range, the decibel caused migraines. Yugure was yokai enough it didn't hurt her, and his hearing range was widened enough to hear it now in his own voice.
“Sorry.”
“It's okay.” Naruto got up, pulling both Shikamaru and Yugure into his arms for a hug. “Just gonna have to get used to it.” He leaned into his hold. He felt so warm...
Notes:
Plot relevant stuff to come, next chapter is longer just so I can have a fun little narrative sandwich to show you.
Chapter 46: Back and Forth
Summary:
The 'sandwich' was just Sarutobi'ls life falling apart.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Orochimaru was staring at his hands, very close to sweating. Tsunade was glaring at him. There were empty cups on the table between them.
She had finally cornered him. It had been almost two months since she had come back, and worse yet Jiraiya was hanging around too now. He was having trouble keeping away from them. And now he was currently trapped .
Jiraiya was getting more drinks and food ordered, but soon he would return.
“Hime-!”
“Orochi.” He closed his mouth. Jiraiya had returned and boxed him into the booth, pouring drinks for them.
“Orochimaru... you're a hard man to find.” Jiraiya elbowed him, but he seemed far less jovial than usual.
“I've been busy.” He looked away. He was supposed to be working. Danzo had gotten his hands on some redacted documents about how to create more biju and seemed convinced Orochimaru could solve the mystery if he just kept bashing his head into them. The issue was the documents had also had some sort of seal put on them which meant he couldn't read them or find out what was under the redaction. But that was unacceptable.
“You haven't been sleeping at all. You look like shit.” He looked away, not wanting to admit it. Things had been a bit... breakneck at work lately. Danzo was demanding a lot out of him, and even he was having trouble meeting expectations.
“Is this really the reason you strong-armed me here?” She was quiet for a moment.
“You need to leave your position with ROOT. Trust me.” He glared at her but flinched seeing her fist tighten. “I'm not saying you should stop being a researcher, I just think you'd be better off elsewhere. We could use you in the hospital.”
“We're worried about you, Orochi.” He wanted to snap that they had no right to worry. They had abandoned him years ago. But he couldn't.
“I'm not a medical nin, I don't see what I can do to help there.” It was partially his own fault, he hadn't done a damn thing to try and stop them when they left.
“I've decided to let the village study my grandfather's cells.” He perked up at that, and Jiraiya looked surprised. “But not just anyone can be trusted with it. I want you to work with me on it.” The small amount of Hishirama's cells had been used up when Danzo insisted on cloning him, and the resulting boy's cells were slightly different. But he knew about the ‘Senju’ cells, had tested them himself. A healthy living tissue sample of the first hokage that had been cultivated for years. He didn't know too much about them outside of that. It was more than just tempting.
“I have responsibilities, Hime, I can't just abandon my post even if I want to.”
“Bullshit.” He flinched. “You're putting in your notice with ROOT, you're telling sensei you're coming to work with me in the hospital, and -!” He took a sip of his drink, “-You're bringing the kid Danzo made you clone.” He began coughing as he swallowed wrong, and Jiraiya smacked his back as he died a little.
“T-that's confidential-!”
“I have a very reliable source. The boy, Tenzo, he's a Senju by blood, so he'll be coming to live with me. That isn't up for debate.”
Jiraiya looked like he wanted her source, and seemed genuinely shocked that there was a cloned boy with Senju blood. So he hadn't known. But how had Tsunade?
“He is property of the village-!” She smacked the side of his head and he held his now throbbing ear.
“Go collect my boy, Orochi. This isn't up for debate. If you cooperate I might even convince Inei to let you examine him.”
“... the shadow kekkei genkai user?”
“Yeah, that isn't a kekkei genkai.” His interest was peaked.
“So what is it?”
“Join me at the hospital.” He frowned, but he was too interested. Between this new mystery and how he'd been treated lately...
“I still can't say no to you, Hime... alright. Tomorrow morning. But you'll need to talk to sensei about Tenzo, I really have no say in that.”
“He's going to get an ear full then.” She pounded the table and both Orochimaru and Jiraiya had to scramble to grab the cups before she could knock them down.
“But seriously, who told you about that?”
“You really want to know?” Both men nodded and she grinded. “You'll just have to wait.”
“No fair, Tsuande, I always tell you my best sources.”
“You had better tell me soon, I'm already getting paranoid...”
The journey back, aside from being cold and snowy, was nice. Like camping. Naruto had liked it. Out in the woods with his dad turned brother, Shikaku, Rin, Obito, and Kakashi. And Shikamaru of course... and Yugure. Just looking at her made his stomach bubble with joy. He hadn't expected her to look anything like him at all. Seeing that she had big blue eyes, and her sharp little canines, it showed that all the chakra he and Kurama had given to her had had some effect.
She was adorable. She had chubby cheeks and tiny little hands. Sure sometimes she said something that threw him through a loop, but usually as she settled into being a human she began to pass more and more as a three year old. Maybe a little too well spoken given she knew bigger words than he did, but she was also prone to biting things to test if they were edible and he was still trying to get her to stop calling Rin a boy and Shikaku a girl- Shikamaru even with his new heightened senses couldn't explain what was causing her to misgender people.
The journey back had lulled him into a false sense of security. And now as the wall came into view he straightened his back, ready for a fight.
Shikaku had helped them out, the Namikaze clan had been approved by the citizen council, and fitting the rest of the requirements meant that though they might not have an official seat as of yet, they were under the protection of the clan council now. It would go a long way in protecting Yugure. The fact that she had blue eyes would also be a big middle finger to anyone claiming that they weren't related. Blue eyes, crystal blue at that, were extremely rare in Fire, hell anywhere. Her eyes were just like his, and he was willing to bet that even if she just modeled that part of herself to be like him, it would be enough.
Any jonin was technically able to ordain a marriage, one of the miscellaneous tasks a high ranking civil servant could do. It wasn't how he wanted things to go, but he'd be happy to marry Shikamaru, even if it wasn't to keep the former yokai from being taken away. He just... wished they could do something more romantic if it came to that.
He supposed they could have an actual wedding with friends and family in the future even if they got married on paper now. He also didn't want to do anything to show up Shikaku and Yoshino's wedding which would be happening next month.
If they could get through today, his biggest concern would be making sure Yugure could sit still long enough for the ceremony.
He glanced over at Shikamaru, who was speaking softly to the little girl, tucked in his arms and half asleep. Unlike eating she wasn't as fond of sleeping- but then again most little kids hated naps. Even Itachi would complain when Naruto told him he had to put his things down and lay down for a nap. And Itachi was the sweetest most well behaved child ever born.
“It's going to be okay.” Minato patted his arm and he sighed.
“Yeah. Just can't help but worry.”
“It's been a lot, huh?” He laughed softly at that, “Not just the... the fox... the Kurama stuff.” He corrected himself.
“You're telling me. I found out I was going to be a dad like a month ago and now we have a three year old.”
“Are you two still thinking of adopting?” Both looked over when Kakashi and Obito began to argue, both had run up to ask Shikamaru something and were now arguing- seemingly for Yugure's entertainment because she was now laughing.
“... yeah. I mean, it's not exactly like we can have another kid the same way, for a number of reasons.” He nodded, “Besides, we have the space, and we're a clan now, might as well use that to give some kids a better future.”
“... think this will affect the hokage decision?” He wanted to think it wouldn't, Sarutobi's issues with him shouldn't be taken out on Minato, but he also knew how petty the old gramps could be.
“I wish I could say it wouldn't.”
“Maybe Orochimaru will drop out?”
“I mean, weirder things have happened.”
“Clearly.”
They returned to walking in silence. They entered the main village gate and he was surprised they weren't detained immediately. He'd later learn it was because there was a much more concerning fire that Sarutobi was trying to put out in the hokage tower. They swung by the mission desk, handed over their reports from their assignment that included what happened regarding their last mission, and Yugure's subsequent... creation? Formation? Birth? As well as a general synapses of their return to the village, which was uninteresting.
With nothing stopping them, they went to go buy Yugure some actual clothing and shoes, as well as her own futon- they found one that had flowers on it- and a few other little things. Those were stored in a scroll and they grabbed something simple to cook for dinner and snacks for Yugure before... going home.
No one was waiting to escort them from there, either, so Shikamaru took Yugure to the room beside theirs and started setting up her new things while Naruto started cooking. Yugure ran up the stairs and Shikamaru followed after a few minutes to needle Naruto into giving over the scroll that had their dirty uniforms to wash them.
“After dinner, she's getting her first bath, so I need to get this done now.”
“Yeah, I got it. I'll watch her.” He made a shadow clone to that end, “Love you.” He saw Shikamaru smile very softly, cheeks flushing.
“Love you too.” He was full of butterflies, giggling like a child when Shikamaru was out of ear shot, Yugure had been settled with a snack and his clone was distracting her. If this was what the majority of being a dad would be like, then he was excited to experience it.
“Give me my damn kid, Sarutobi!”
He had wanted to be at the village gate to deal with the new issue with Namikaze and Iwah. However, that morning when he was preparing to do just that, Tsunade had slammed her way into he office with Orochimaru following her.
Orochimaru had promptly announced he was leaving ROOT to focus on the study of the cells Tsunade had received back from the two. Ones that he had been unable to reclaim from her. That wasn't the biggest issue however.
Somehow, not through Orochimaru, Tsunade had found out about the cloned boy.
She was now demanding he enter her custody. She would not let him leave his office unless she took the child home with her that day. Orochimaru offered no help in calming the hot tempered woman down, meekly saying she had a right as the child's only official living relative.
He had been discretely made aware that the first group returning from the front, the one that included the yokai child, had entered the village- had been a few floors down turning in their mission reports even- and had since gone home.
What was perhaps more concerning is that as the their home was now designated as the clan compound for the newly established Namikaze clan, ANBU couldn't set foot on the property without good reason now. And they'd already demonstrated that they knew when the property was entered in secret. There were also fox summons that wandered the property and had found and told ANBU to leave in the past when the owners were away.
“Tsunade, you must understand, the choice to use a sample left behind to further the protection of the village-!”
“Bull. Shit! He's a child. If you're counting him as a shinobi, which you already said he was , that reinstates the Senju Clan, which means you can't detain him unless he's committed a crime, or is suspected of having done so. So unless you send him to T&I and give me the proper written notices, you need to turn him over to my care. Right now .”
How she was so aware of laws relating to detainment of clan members, as well as the obscure laws that could reinstate fallen clans pointed out that she had prepared for this.
His head was pounding. He knew she wouldn't let it go. He had to try and stall her as long as he could to try and come up with a reason to block her valid right to take the child out of the villages care.
He would ultimately fail.
Notes:
I know Tenzo's name was actally Kinoe when he was first popped out of the tank, but this is my fic, and he's been Tenzo'd.
There are going to be a lot of domestic chapters coming up the next time I blitz update, so if you're a fan of tender family scenes, look forward to that.
Chapter 47: The Kid Gets A Break
Summary:
New parents all around.
Chapter Text
“A fox just stopped by, Tsunade brought Tenzo home, apparently.” Shikamaru hummed in response, finishing brushing Yugure's wet hair out before he began to braid it.
“This feels yucky.”
“You got my hair, if you don't braid it when you sleep you'll look like a porcupine when you wake up.” She pouted at that and he looked over to Naruto, “That explains why we weren't ambushed at the gate. It'll be hard for him to find opportunities to do it where fewer people can see it.”
If he'd caught them just outside the gate it would have limited who saw it. He wished that he could say Tsunade's intervention was planned, but it had all been by happy accident. He wondered if it was finally payback for all the bad luck in his first life. Naruto had sent a fox a week ago to let Tsunade know about Yugure, but they hadn't been sure when they'd actually arrive at the village. At least everything worked out.
“I guess. They've been trying to get in, so I set up a few barriers, should keep ROOT and ANBU out, at least for now.” He leaned back when Naruto sat behind him, curling into one another, Yugure's hair was done so she flopped back, soon snoring against his chest.
“This peace won't last forever.” He finally said after a few minutes.
“No... I don't expect it will.”
“What if Minato isn't chosen to succeed him? Orochimaru isn't going to stand against Danzo. It'll be a nightmare for the village if that happens.”
“We'll just have to talk to him. It's long overdue.” He sighed, exhausted.
“Yeah... you're right.”
Tenzo had not been awake long. He was awake long enough he'd started learning how to read, but speaking had been hard, everyone just talked and he didn't always know all the words, even if he knew what they meant he had trouble making them with his own mouth. It made him shy to do so, and the adults around him, especially Lord Danzo, seemed happy he wasn't chatty. He'd had a mission already, it wasn't hard and he'd gotten some training first, enough but not so much he felt comfortable with his work. He was told he did well, but he hadn't felt good doing it. It was scary. People were scary too. But that night he had been brought into the big office where the adult with the fancy hat worked (he'd seen it just one other time but it seemed really nice- there were windows and sunshine) and he'd been picked up by a blonde woman. She had been glaring at the man he was told he had to listen to and respect. He hadn't known what that word meant when he was told that but it felt like one of the big important words. He saw the scientist who usually did his checkups was there too and gave him a tiny wave, the man waved back but he looked a little sick.
He had trouble following what the adults were talking about, but the woman now holding him was warm, and she smelled nice. They were talking very loudly, and their tone made him certain they were disagreeing about something, but when he curled his fingers into her shirt she had looked at him and frowned, before kissing his forehead. He touched the spot as she bounced him slightly. He had never been held, not so far as he remembered. He had asked another child in the program what it was like and she had told him he was too big to be held and should stop being a baby. The girl had refused to talk to him again after that, he worried he had gotten her in trouble. He must not be too heavy, because the woman didn't seem to be having any trouble holding him. There was sudden silence, and it felt loud in his ears. Things were not being said, and he didn't understand the pointed looks, but he watched the man in the hat get further away. He heard the sharp click of hard heels on tile, and realized that the room was moving around them- more accurately they were walking out of the room.
They had left. The scientist, the woman, and him. He said his goodbye's halfway to wherever they were heading, leaving Tenzo alone with the woman he didn't know but who smelled nice and still had yet to set him down even though he was certain he was very heavy.
She brought him to a big house, it felt empty inside as she carried him into a bathroom on the first floor, and then she was handing him some second hand pajamas and ushering him toward the stool to wash up on while she started the water on the large bathtub. Rather than undress he stared at his hands, covered in small healing cuts and dirt. The bathtub was full of bubbles, and she told him to take as long as he wanted in the bath. There were towels for him by the sink. She didn't mention how he'd been zoned out looking at his hands.
He stood in the center of the room for a few moments trying to figure out what sort of test this was, before he hesitantly took off his uniform, washed up, and hesitantly got into the tub. Better to take a bath like she wanted then get yelled at for not following instructions.
The bubbles smelled like flowers. He had passed by a flower shop on his way back from his mission and it smelled just like this. The water was warm, and he sat quietly and as still as he could while the water warmed him up. He hadn't had a proper bath before, but he knew it was important to keep your head out of the water. It wasn't too hot when he had gotten in,but he could feel it down to his bones.
It took a long time to relax. He kept expecting her to come in and reprimand him for taking too long. But eventually the water got cold and he got out, rinsed off the soap, and struggled to get dressed. He'd never worn anything with buttons before. He poked his head out of the bathroom, buttons on the pajama shirt not lined up, the whole outfit a size or so too big, and the woman and a girl he had not yet seen were waiting for him. He fidgeted as he was beckoned over to the low table they were sat at, and soon food was being put down in front of him. It smelled good. He was really hungry.
He hadn't been able to use mokuton properly again so he'd been made to skip a meal earlier, and he was trying very hard not to make his desire to eat obvious. Shinobi didn't show those types of needs. It was all for not as his stomach growled loudly just looking at the rice. The blonde woman was piling his small plate with things from wax paper cartons, different foods he didn't know the name of yet. The containers reminded him of the small milk cartons he got when they fed him, but the shape was a bit too big.
“Go on, you must be hungry. Eat as much as you like.” He hesitated. He was bad with chopsticks. He still picked them up, struggling to use them while the women began to eat as well. After a few minutes however, he found the chopsticks were taken out of his hand. He figured he had lost the privilege of eating for being unable to use them, but then a spoon was being pressed into his palm. “We'll get you training chopsticks tomorrow when we go to buy you clothes, I heard they make ones that look like they have bunny ears. Wouldn't that be cute?” He blinked up at her, then down at the spoon.
“... I don't understand.”
“They just keep the ends together to help you hold them, we don't have to get bunny ones if you don't want them.” He shook his head. It wasn't about the chopsticks, although it would be nice to practice with them from how they sounded.
“No... what's my mission? Why am I here?” The two women shared a look, and both pushed away their food. The blonde woman turned to face him fully.
“Tenzo... you aren't on a mission.” He felt his stomach clenched painfully. “From now on, you're going to be living with me and Shizune.” At the mention of her, the girl waved at him, the motion very small, “I... You... you're going to go to the academy, and make friends your own age. You're going to have your own room, and I'm going to fill it with toys and games for you to play, and you'll take as many bubble baths as you want and eat lots of delicious food. You're going to get to be a little boy now, Tenzo. And when you're older you're going to be on a normal genin squad, and then you can go on missions, but for right now?” She brushed some of his hair out of his eyes, “I just want you to enjoy life.”
“But I need to protecty the village.” He protested, sniffling. If he couldn't protect the village, why did they make him?
“You will, but for right now the village needs to protect you. You're just a little kid. No one is ever going to make you grow up too fast again.”
He was crying, and she rubbed the tears away with the sleeve if her sweater. He didn't even know why he was crying.
“If anyone says anything mean, or tries to make you feel bad, you tell your auntie here, and I'll make sure it never happens again.”
“Me too! Your big sister will protect you!” Shizune jumped in, pumping her fist.
Tenzo didn't finish dinner, but he tried his best. They needed to buy him things in the morning including a bed, so he curled up with his new auntie to sleep. For the first time since he first woke up, he didn't have any scary dreams.
Chapter 48: Errands; Groceries, Weapons Store, Drop Off Life Changing Documentation, Open Your Home to Troubled Teen
Summary:
Tenzo needs child things and the homosexuals are speed running major life decisions again.
Notes:
Drank too much caffeine so I had the energy to edit another chapter.
Chapter Text
Kakashi had stopped by the house early that morning, having mentioned how he planned to do so when they parted ways the day before. He sat beside Yugure who was clacking her spoon on the table, bouncing and chanting ‘omelets’ softly to herself. He couldn't help but smile.
Inei was pacing and looking over a mess of documents, his shadows holding them up and rotating the ones in his hands, and Haruki was singing off key in the kitchen. There was a line of bowls out for his dogs, so he had summoned them, they got the boring dog safe version of breakfast, but Pakun was excited- apparently eggs made his coat extra shiny.
“Okay, two omelets, one with extra everything.” The over stuffed looking one was given to Yugure, who cheered, and he took his own with a soft thank you. “Tsunade is coming over with Shizune in a bit, she's taken in a ward and she needs some help carrying things for him from the market. You wanna come?”
“Shizune is Rin's friend, she thinks I'm annoying.” He had to move his plate as Yugure wanted a bite of his food to make sure it wasn't better than hers.
“We can look at that one stand that sells swords too if you want.” He hesitated.
“Yeah, I'll come.” He wanted to have a sword made for him, but he was still flip-flopping on what kind of sword he was looking to have made, especially since he was still growing he might end up with either too long a sword or too short a sword. Even still he liked going to look at them.
“Inei, baby, you gotta eat. Sit down, I'll finish that.” He was pushed into a chair, and Haruki set down food for him too, making a few clones to pick up where Inei left off.
“What's that for anyway?”
“Huh? Oh. It's actually a few things. The seat application for the clan council, citizen registration for Yugure, and the documents for a civil union.” He didn't know a lot of the ins and outs of clan business, his clan was technically fallen, but as a surviving member he had a lot of clan privileges still, he just couldn't contribute to the council using the Hatake seat, as he didn't have the required number of active shinobi in his clan. Citizen registration was essentially a birth certificate, he knew that one, but...
“Civil union?”
“It's the legal documents that go hand in with marriage.” He blinked at that, well, winked.
“You're getting married?”
“Mhmm, on paper. We'll probably do an actual wedding sometime in summer. You want to be one of the witnesses, or the notary?”
“What's the difference?” He watched Haruki hand a few papers back to Inei to sign, and took one of Yugure's hands, covering one in ink and pushing it down on a piece of paper, then each of her finger prints.
“We need two witnesses, who are basically swearing they were there and saw the document get signed, while the notary is the one ensuring it's filled out correctly. Anyone of tokubetsu jonin or higher can act as a notary for marriage, divorce, and certain property sales- things like land, real-estate, and shares in business.”
“It still needs to go through the right channels but it can save a lot of time so it got tossed in with the rest of the weird miscellaneous civil duties high ranking shinobi don't usually have to deal with.”
“Huh. I want to be the notary.” He finished his meal, pushing his plate away and took the papers related to the civil union to read them over.
Within an hour, Lady Tsunade, Shizune, and a boy he didn't recognize were coming through the door. Coats were being hung up, and Yugure had gotten up and run directly at the kid, grabbing his hand and dragging him toward the living room, which was on the north side of the house and required her running the boy all the way around the central courtyard to do so. She was out of sight before anyone could say anything- she had shouted about coloring.
“Sorry. She's been bouncing off the walls.”
“It's fine. He needs to socialize... Shizune, maybe go keep an eye on them for now?” Tsunade seemed amused more than anything else. She'd probably known about Yugure before the... anyway, she was a doctor so they must have talked to her about it since she didn't seem appropriately shocked.
“Yes!” She ran off, and Kakashi nodded to the blonde woman. She was the physically strongest shinobi in the village prior to Haruki moving in, it was hard to say who was stronger now, or if that even mattered. He was worried about the damage those two having a strength contest would cause, so he wouldn't be the one to suggest it.
“She's getting a checkup whether she likes it or not.” Inei just nodded, smiling tiredly, waving a hand to indicate they should follow to the livingroom.
“Let's finish getting these filled out so they can be filed today.” Kakashi wandered down the inner hall first, finding the boy had been cornered in the living room with Yugure shoving chalk at him.
“I drew a deer, and an omelet, and a worm !” She held up a messy sheet of paper to show Haruki and Inei, “But he isn't drawing with me.”
“You can't make him draw if he doesn't want to, short stack.” Haruki fluffed up her hair, Kakashi was almost concerned with how fast it had been growing- it was the only part of her he had noticed growing, but since no one else seemed concerned he kept his mouth shut.
“Tenzo, these are some of my good friends, Haruki, Inei, their daughter Yugure... and that's Kakashi.” He waved at the kid who had gotten up to hide behind Tsunade's legs.
“Is he their son?” His voice was so soft he was surprised anyone else heard the kid.
“... not technically.” He flinched at that, but Haruki just patted his shoulder, “He spends enough time around them to be their kid.” That... soothed him a little.
“Okay...” she patted his head, and Kakashi wondered how old the boy was. Maybe ten? He was kind of childish but he was starting to think he was a little young to be treated as an adult fully himself. Maybe he needed to have a proper talk about what sort of familial relationship he had with them, but families in his experience fell apart just when things seemed to be looking up, so... he could be forgiven for putting that conversation off.
“Kakashi is going to be the notary, you ready for your part big guy?” He nodded, and started to read the underlined sections aloud for them.
It took ten minutes. Just ten, and all that stood between the two being married was it being filed.
Tenzo was pushed to eat a snack, mostly by Yugure, and then everyone was getting bundled up to go out into the cold.
Tenzo needed furniture for his room, clothes, and Tsunade bullied the kid into picking out books and puzzles, games, things like that. Luckily he did seem to only pick things he liked. Even still he seemed overwhelmed that everything he showed interest in was added to the pile.
Yugure picked out her own books and a few toys, and Kakashi was bought a book he'd had his eye on- Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi, the store didn't have it very often and the last time he had talked himself out of it because it was a silly fiction novel probably written by a civilian. Inei put it in their basket after Kakashi hesitated and put it back down.
“Hey, all the blonde's in the village are here!” A voice he wasn't overly familiar with caught their attention, and he looked down the street to see his sensei, Shikaku-san, and Shikaku's friends... Ino and Cho? He didn't know their full names but he did know about the InoShikaCho trio. He'd always found the name a bit obnoxious.
“Hey little man!” Haruki hugged Minato-sensei, he was curious what the four were doing out together, given the weather and that he didn't think his sensei was that close with Shikaku-san's friends.
“What are you four doing out together?” Inei handed a wriggling Yugure to Shikaku, so she could inspect the new men who had shown up, they seemed surprised but had likely been filled in at least a little as they allowed her to reach out and poke at them.
“Inoichi had a date tonight, we were trying to figure out the best place for him to bring the girl.” Kakashi debated covering his ears, Choza (he was fairly certain that was his name) had a booming voice.
“Ichiraku's.” Haruki said it immediately.
“I want to eat an Ichiraku! Is it sweet or salty?”
“The restaurant is Ichiraku, they sell ramen.” He corrected, and she thought on it a minute.
“Savory. Mhmmm.”
“Who's the little guy?” Choza bent down to get more on Tenzo's level. The boy ducked behind Tsunade and peaked out after a moment.
“My name is... Senju Tenzo... it's... it's nice to meet you.” He was already getting braver, considering he said it himself this time.
“He's a recently found relative, he's going to be living with me.” Tsunade put a hand on the boy's head for comfort.
“We were getting some things for him.” Shizune beamed, the boy had grabbed her hand and was hiding behind her now, having realized she was further away from the new adults talking to him..
“Oh, nice. Good to meet you. My name is Minato, you've already met my older brother Haruki, huh?” Tenzo nodded, the other adults introduced themselves to the boy but was clear he was getting overwhelmed (he had been right, it was Choza). Kakashi tugged on Tsunade's sleeve to get her attention and luckily she didn't reflexively punch him.
“What's up kid?”
“I think Tenzo is ready to go home.” She hummed, looking down at the boy.
“Is he right? You ready to go home?” He nodded quickly.
Kakashi fidgited.
“We're still going to stop by the weapon shop, don't worry. Tsunade needed help putting things in the scroll, she can take them out on her own.”
“Oh. I knew that.”
“Still trying to pick out a sword?” Kakashi nodded, shoving his hands into his coat pocket. “We should get going then too, Inoichi's hopeless, you know?”
“Hey!”
“I heard there's a pretty decent kaiseki restaurant that opened by the south west wall.” Inei took Yugure back, and the four men began to compile what they knew about it- Choza had heard of it too apparently but forgotten about it.
They said goodbye to the now distracted group, and headed to look at swords. The blacksmith had a stand in front of the shop, as well as a full floor in front of the forge and work area that had more expensive items displayed alongside barrels of blunted kunai and throwing stars. He was received much differently coming in with two adult shinobi then when he came in alone. Usually he bought a few kunai to justify standing around looking at swords for a half hour or or so every time he came in, but he wasn't exactly welcome. Unattended children around weapons tend to be watched uncomfortably closely. Even ones that were shinobi.
The owner started asking Haruki about his spear, recognizing him from the tests months ago, and Inei had walked with Kakashi to the glass case where the better swords were displayed. He'd spent a lot of time looking at them and already had a favorite picked out.
“Can we help you find anything?” The owner's wife, a woman who usually shooed him out after too long, walked over to them. He hadn't been by in a while, but it looked like the couple were expecting- he was scared to ask however, not wanting to get smacked.
“We're just looking. He doesn't want to settle on a sword until he's done growing.”
“That's smart, but you could always get a lower quality sword to use in practice for now. Do you want to see what ones we have that would be appropriate for his height?” Inei looked at him with an amused smile.
“What do you think, Kakashi?”
This wasn't offered to him when he came in alone. He looked longingly at the pretty swords in the case, but nodded. He should practice with a real blade regularly if he wanted to be any good. Wooden and straw swords weren't the same, not weighing enough and not usually having the right shape.
So they chose a purposefully dull bladed katana that was made for someone his height, with a little growth room. It was made of less expensive steel, with no fancy blade pattern, but it would work for the time being- it was also very cheap compared to what the other swords on display cost not that he needed to worry about expenses apparently.
Yugure got some glass marbles that the blacksmith's apprentice had been making, and even though he protested it they paid for his sword. A thank you for being their notary.
They got back to the house and Haruki asked him to come with when they went to drop off the items they'd gotten for Yugure, groceries left on the counter out of his dogs reach.
They walked around the square balcony, circling up to the second floor, then the third, it was much warmer there than on the streets earlier even though they were still outside.
“Kakashi... would you like to stay here with us?” It caught him off guard given how quiet they'd been, he looked up at Haruki, surprised. “You can say no, of course. We'd never force you to stay here if you didn't want to. It's just... you'd save a little money, and your dogs would have a yard to run around in, we might ask you to do a few chores around the house, but nothing too extreme...” he was quite. Thinking.
“Would you really be okay with that?”
“Of course. We already see you as family.” His stomach was full of butterflies. He squeezed his eye shut.
“Can I think about it?”
“Yeah, of course. Take as much time as you need.” He nodded, looking down at the empty garden at the bottom of the drop.
“You should plant a big tree or something.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Or bamboo. That stuff grows really tall really fast.”
“We'll think about it.”
Chapter 49: Hawk Returns, More Tired Than Ever
Summary:
ANBU Interlude with shenanigans.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Yugure was running around the yard, chasing Kakashi's puppies. She was trying very hard to ignore the men in masks that couldn't climb over the wall, and were not going in through the gate. She figured she should tell someone about them but not yet. She was having fun!
She could tell the dogs were all boys, and was a bit miffed humans weren't so easy to tell. Apparently Choza was a man, but she got Inoichi right so she was counting it as successful.
“Yugure, come inside now and warm up.” She shouted, dropping down to her hands and feet and bolted toward the door. “You running like the dogs now?” She stomped her tiny booted feet on the rug, dogs rubbing past her to get in where it was warm- heading toward the kitchen probably since her papa had been using a seal in there to heat the floor. Her daddy didn't mind when she wiped her cold wet hands on his pants.
“I'm fast! Like a horse!” Her daddy shook his head fondly, looking up and frowning, his fingers twitched and she heard thumps as he had pushed the masked men out of their trees.
In she went to go sit in the living room under the kotatsu where Kakashi was sitting already and peeling tangerines. She refused his help at first but she had issues with her stubby human fingers and kept making a mess, leading to the teen helping her peel her own after she made a mess on the table top- fruit squished around her fingers.
“You, uh, you knocked the ANBU the hokage has watching the house out of their hiding places again, didn't you?” Her papa was working on a seal beside them at the low table, he didn't even need to look up.
“They are grown adults stalking a three year old.” She looked up, the sound had made the dogs around the room, Kakashi, and her papa wince, but it didn't bother her. “I'm just letting them know I don't approve.” Her daddy looked... not stressed, maybe annoyed. She tried to make the same face and Kakashi poked the tip of her nose, his fingers smelled sweet.
“Inei...”
“I'm making tea.” She frowned as he stomped off. Well... it wasn't stomping since his feet made no noise but it looked like stomping away.
“They really were watching me, papa. I wanted to scare them too.” She felt the need to stand up and defend her father, the masked guys weren't hurt after all.
“I know, baby, but the hokage already doesn't like us, we need to try not to make things worse.” She didn't see a connection, but crossed her arms, fingers sticking with fruit juice to her sweater. One thing at a time, starting with the most important thing.
“But why doesn't he like us?” So far every adult that had met her called her lovely, and precocious. That was likely from her clear air of wisdom- it could be intimidating to have to interact with a being like her, but no adult hadn't cooed over her on sight. Why was the old man different?
“It's because your wildcards, right?” Kakashi handed her another slice that she quickly ate.
“Yep. We don't have blind loyalty to the institution of the hokage, but we do have a loyalty and obligation to the village. We don't follow his orders blindly, and he probably isn't used to that.” She thought it over, nodding along as if it made sense. Human's are so silly, all these mind games. They should just fight or gamble their life force, it was much easier than political maneuvering.
“Is the hokage like a shogun?” Excluding a daimyo she couldn't think of a higher authority, and she'd already gathered the hokage and a daimyo were different with the daimyo being of higher authority but lower ability.
“... yes?” She took another slice, eating it slowly this time. “Just don't do anything to them unless they do something first.”
“Okay papa.” That she could promise. She wasn't even sure how deadly she could be with her tiny little hands, this body was so soft and pudgy she didn't know if it was even capable of taking a man's life yet....
... yet...
Hawk was beginning to hate being assigned to watch the two. He had been given the most bare bones explanation for why they were currently keeping two war heroes under constant surveillance, but even then...
The kid seemed normal. Maybe a little wild and loud, but some kids were just like that. He was keeping a further distance to avoid angering Inei, who had begun yanking them out of trees or making things on their person disappear and show up again in an almost threatening way. Bear had found a kunai standing upright under his pillow in his home, and he knew at a glance it was one that had suddenly disappeared the day before when he'd been working.
Hawk had avoided most of that given how far he tried to keep from the two. He wasn't stupid. He knew better than most that watching them like this was not only an exercise in futility, but bound to make the two even more prickly and uncooperative. No one had been seriously hurt yet, but they were toeing a line, and Hawk was not going to be the idiot to step over it.
He had heard through the rumor mill that Orochimaru was working in the hospital now with Lady Tsunade, and that he was already going to be allowed to observe any changes in biology that may have happened to Inei, as well as document any oddities with the little girl. That wasn't unlike what Danzo probably wanted the kid for, and it felt less... slimy just letting them make the choice to allow it even if that might limit some of the tests performed. ANBU was only meant to observe, he knew the guys in ROOT had a secret order to snatch the kid at the first opportunity, and the last idiot to try had been missing for two days and been found unconscious behind the mission desk with a note asking them to stay out of the clan compound stuck to his chest with a senbon. Thankfully the senbon pinning the note into the guy missed all chakra points and major organs, but that was probably more to do with intention than luck.
He saw from his vantage point that the Hatake kid was over again, this time it looked like he'd been roped into helping Yugure roll up the pathetic amount of snow on the ground to make snowmen. If he didn't know better he could mistake the two for normal kids.
He'd write another report to the hokage about what the small family was up to, who visited them, where they went if anywhere. It was pointless, but he'd just have to get over it. They couldn't keep him stuck on this assignment forever, right? How long did they plan to watch them?
... he hoped that by the time the yondaime took office he'd get reassigned- whoever it was.
Notes:
You can't prove Shikamaru has been fucking with their observation detail. It wouldn't hold up in court. Probably.
Chapter 50: Keeping A Promise
Summary:
Baby Itachi finally gets to play with his new friend Yugure.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru was helping Yugure cut out shapes from some colored paper they'd gotten while out a few days before while Naruto set up at the table in the kitchen for Itachi's lesson. Things had been chaotic since they got back so it had taken a few days before Itachi was able to resume his lessons. With the current armistice they wouldn't be needed at the front again, and there was confusion at the mission desk on whether or not they qualified for paternity leave.
Until they figured out if Yugure counted as a newborn or not, they were both on leave.
“I wanna put the hearts up on the screens in front of my room.” He patted her head as she drew another lopsided flower for him to cut out.
“You sure you don't want to join the lesson kiddo?” Naruto had finished setting out brushes and paper, currently mixing up ink. “There's plenty of room for you.”
“No! I'm making the hallway pretty.”
“Okay. If you change your mind let me know.”
Naruto went to get the door when the buzzer went off, coming back after a few minutes with Itachi and Mikoto.
“I can come get him in about two hours.” The two were talking, but Yugure had frozen before jumping to her feet and running headlong at Itachi- Shikamaru had made an unfortunate yelping sound having to phase the scissors into his arm to prevent her from getting cut when she ran past. The boy made a soft ‘oof’ as he was physically lifted up off the ground by Yugure, who was noticeably smaller than him.
“Itachi!” She squealed, swinging him around, and all three adults hurried to make sure that they didn’t hurt themselves. “It's me! You remember?”
“...!” She finally put him down and he squinted at her. “Yugure!” He clapped his hands and both children began to bounce in a small circle together. “Mother, she was the little girl I told you about! Under the engawa!” She stared at Yugure for a moment before sighing, patting her sons head.
“I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Itachi. It's nice to meet you, young lady.”
“It's nice to meet you to misses Itachi's mom!” she began to bounce on her heels, “She's a girl right?!”
“Yeah, kiddo.” Naruto patted her head, smiling.
“Yes!”
“You're pretty lucky, she usually gets it wrong first...” Mikoto blinked but began to laugh at that, not mentioning it as Shikamaru removed the safety-scissors from his arm, skin unbroken thankfully- he wasn't sure that would work.
“It must be my lucky day then. Maybe I should buy one of those scratch tickets.”
“Itachi! We gotta play together, you promised.” At the word 'promised' Shikamaru's senses sharpened, tasting it in the air. Did she... give him a deal? Over that? She didn't even need to specify the parameters? He'd have to keep that in mind...
“I have a lesson... maybe if I get it done really quick we can play for a little bit.” The two were whispering but Shikamaru could clearly hear them. He decided to help them out, he was also worried what might happen if they strained the apparent deal between the children.
“If you want Itachi can stay a little longer than usual and have dinner with us.” Mikoto looked at the two holding onto each other and her eyes softened.
“Of course. Thank you. Itachi, I'll be back at six, be very good for your sensei and Inei-san.” She bent to kiss his head, the boy looked overly solemn when he responded.
“I will!” Shikamaru had never seen the boy act so.... loudly. He herded Yugure and her paper cutouts downstairs so they could put them up, and he helped her pick up her room a bit- she wanted to do a puzzle with Itachi once he was done.
“When am I gonna be a big sister?” She was picking up her stuffed animals to put them back on the shelf, arms currently full of a large frog doll.
“We need to get settled in first kiddo, once things finish calming down. What if you don't get any younger siblings? What if they're all older than you?” Her face screwed up at that and she pouted.
“I want nine little siblings. At least.” He stared at her as she crossed her arms tight over her chest.
“Yugure. You’re three.” She nodded. “We aren't adopting nine babies.” Where had she even gotten that number?
“Not all of them need to be babies! Just little! Just younger than me!” She began to hop around him, pulling at his shirt.
“That's a lot, even for your papa and I.” He picked her up and her chubby little hands tried to squeeze his face.
“Fine, not all at once, but I really want a lot of little siblings okay?” He wanted to argue but he doubted she'd listen to anything else.
“We'll think about it.” She nodded firmly as he set her down, “Why don't you pick out what puzzles you and Itachi are going to do?”
Naruto was washing dishes, Shikamaru was laying down on the couch while the two three year old's listened enthusiastically to a radio program about... a crime fighting ghost? He actually wasn’t sure. Shikamaru probably knew.
Itachi was doing amazing in his lessons. He wasn’t actually gifted at making new seals, but he had learned a number of useful ones. He wouldn’t ever be a master but he had the basics down and he'd be more than capable of filling in in a pinch for himself or Jiraiya when he grew up. He popped the clones he'd been using to run the laundry and was alerted that Mikoto was passing in through the gate.
“Itachi, your mother's here.” The buzzer sounded and he watched the boy dart in to gather his tiny bag worth of sealing notes and homework while Naruto went to get the door.
“He wasn’t any trouble?” As if Itachi could even cause trouble without outside influences. He looked at Yugure who had followed Itachi and was trying to help by dragging out his boots, maybe she would be a bad influence on him...
“Never. I made some worksheets for him, make sure those get done for the next lesson, and I put a book in his bag, he only needs to read the first chapter for now.” He felt Itachi brush past his leg, he'd put his coat on over his shoulder bag and it looked awkward. Neither moved to fix it, as it would only make Itachi embarrassed- it wasn't the first time.
“Okay. Itachi, all ready?” The boy nodded and took her hand quietly, waving to Yugure who was peeking out from behind Naruto's leg, her sticky fingers digging into his calf. “We'll see you in three days, right?”
“Yep, unless you hear otherwise, every three days.”
“Byebye Itachi!”
“Farwell, Yugure.”
He scooped Yugure up and carried her back inside.
“It's bath night, do you want to use the little bath by yourself? Or do you want to use the big bath with us?” There was a smaller bath in the bathroom now, as the idea of Yugure taking one alone in the massive tub set Shikamaru's overprotective instincts alight and he wouldn't allow it.
“Big bath!” She nearly wriggled out of his arms and he set her down as she ran directly for the bathroom.
“Wait, kiddo!” He walked around to the livingroom where Shikamaru was slowly sitting up, yawning. “She wants to use the big bath.” Shikamaru hummed. “You want to get clothes for everyone, or get the bath ready and clean her up?”
“Clothes. Definitely clothes.” Naruto kissed his forehead, “We'll be waiting then. You put the bath toys in the wicker basket on the...”
“Third shelf.” Shikamaru finally got up, stretching until his back cracked. “Be back up in a bit.”
He met Yugure in the bathroom where she'd gotten her head stuck in her dress.
“Help! Help!”
“Hold on, stop wiggling.” He got it up and off and tossed it into the hamper.
“I got it!” She was already fumbling with her shorts she had put on under the dress so he got the froggy stool out and poked around for her soap and shampoo, having enough time to start the water before she was even halfway done. “Don't help!”
“Wouldn't dream of it.”
By the time Shikamaru got in with towels and clothes they had both gotten washed and rinsed and he was patiently listening as she named and gendered every bath toy she had wanted to use.
Shikamaru got scrubbed down quickly and sunk in beside him, leaning on his side.
“You gonna take a bath nap?”
“Mhmm. Don't let me drown.”
“Papa, I want nine little siblings.” Shikamaru groaned at that and Naruto burst out laughing. “They don't need to be babies!”
“Why nine?” He got his laughter under control and she eyed him distrustfully.
“It’s lucky.” He tilted his head at that. “Papa has nine tails. Nine looks like a dragon when you write it. It's three threes!” She was holding up all but one thumb on her hands.
“You know, I do have nine tales.” Kurama chimed in as they looked at Shikamaru who groaned, slipping until only his nose was above the water.
“Yeah!”
Yugure was finally in bed. Shikamaru was laying face down on their bed, Naruto was upstairs turning off the lights and checking the locks. Their door slid open then closed, and the light turned off.
“Shika.” He groaned. “Baby.”
“What?” He finally turned, and Naruto kissed his forehead. It was a good thing the both had night vision or he wouldn't be able to see shit.
“You’re too cute, you know that?” He grumbled, letting Naruto pull him on top of him, tucking his head under Naruto’s chin as he slowly rubbed his back.
“She's so cute, but I'm exhausted.” He was still recovering, and he'd been overdoing it since they got back.
“She gets that from me, sorry.” Shikamaru snorted at that, nuzzling Naruto's neck.
“Nine... sage. Could you imagine if we actually had them the normal way people have kids?”
“Yeah, no. One almost killed you, and I'm eighty percent sure I can't get pregnant.”
“Only eighty?” Naruto shrugged. “Huh.”
“I'll be shocked if they let us adopt any kids given the shit jiji is pulling right now.” Shikamaru hummed to that, rubbing Naruto's chest. “Still... I think after we all have those checkups Tsunade mentioned we should just go and try to take all the kids out of the orphanage.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh.” He sighed, body finally relaxing.
“I was getting worried. With the war at a stand still Danzo's going to run out of POW's to unethically experiment on.”
“How funny would it be if we beat Danzo to the orphanage by a few hours, and when he got there they had to tell him all the kids got adopted?” Shikamaru huffed out a laugh, but his eyes were closing again.
“Pretty fucking funny...”
Notes:
I know it's pretty common for families to bathe together in japan, but even though I thought it would be cute it was still weird to write.
Chapter 51: Well That's Different (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW! Alternate Chapter title 'Good Thing He Married A Pervert'
New Tags that would be added with this one is pretty much all of the variants 'Tentacle Sex', 'Light Orgasm Denial', 'Body Horror Erotica' and maybe 'Body Dysmorphia'.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“... Shikamaru...” He smiled softly, resting his cheek on Naruto’s thigh. “What time is it?”
“Early.”
“Yeah, I figured that much...” He put his hand on Shikamaru's cheek, sliding it back until it tangled into his hair. “What are you doing?”
“Yugure was up late last night.” Arguably it was still 'last night'. He'd been feeling more awake in the middle of the night than he should lately. He felt only momentarily bad for his husband (just the thought of that word made him feel giddy, and unbelievably horny, but maybe he was already in the mood and he shouldn't count that as the cause).
“Yeah?”
“So she's going to sleep in.”
“ Oh .” Shikamaru smiled nuzzling Naruto's thigh, dangerously close to his groin. “You want me to do anything?”
“Hm... just lay there and look pretty for me?” Naruto snorted, raising his hips slightly when Shikamaru began to tug at his pajamas.
Once he was exposed, Shikamaru ran his hand slowly up the opposite thigh, eyes darting up to watch Naruto’s face then back down to his half hard cock. He could feel Naruto shudder slightly when his dry palm finally glided up and then around the base. His body was a lot lighter since the change, and he was practically weightless as he shifted fully onto his stomach. It was small enough while flaccid- or even half flaccid- that he could fit the head and a fair amount of the shaft into his mouth. His teeth weren’t jagged and sharp at the moment, or he wouldn't even try it.
“Shit....” Naruto was heavy in his mouth, still clean from the bath and smelling lightly of soap. It was hot, and his jaw was already starting to ache as he shifted his tongue along the underside, eyes going half lidded as Naruto lightly began to tug his hair. He did wonder something, since he'd had so much more control over his body... “Shikamaru-!”
As it turned out, he was able to dislocate his jaw. Naruto swore as he squeezed his thumb and pushed himself forward, or rather down . There wasn’t any discomfort from what he'd just done, and he didn't seem to need nearly as much air as his last lungful kept him from going dizzy or light headed even as the tip pressed down and into his throat. The fingers in his hair were clawed, scratching lightly and tugging him further down. With so much in his mouth and throat he could feel Naruto’s heartbeat through his cock, an unsteady and fast tempo that made his toes curl even as he swallowed hard around the blockage in his airway.
He kept it up, moving off just a bit before taking him a little further down, until his lungs burned. Finally Shikamaru managed it, his lips met the base of Naruto’s cock, the majority of it was warming his throat, he had a few tears from the light stabbing in his lungs, and he didn’t want to hazard a guess to how much he was probably drooling, but he did it. He moaned, looking at Naruto's face just to see the way he writhed, his eyes had gone red, teeth sharp to match his clawed fingers, and even with Kurama's influence he could tell Naruto was seconds away from exploding.
He retrieved the bottle of oil without Naruto noticing, shocked he could both have his undivided attention and also go unobserved as he coated his fingers, warming them up, before getting to see him gasp, head falling back and knees sliding open as he pushed in a finger, then another. Naruto was already slick after just a minute- his insides were throbbing and hot, squeezing down on Shikamaru's fingers as he pushed them in, rubbing and stretching as Naruto came even more apart.
A final desperate tug actually pushed his head down, nose being tickled by the almost sandy blonde hair of Naruto's groin. Before he could make any annoyance known, he felt Naruto’s cock throb along his tongue. It prompted him to start swallowing, which was good because he could feel Naruto's cum as it slid down his throat.
He pulled off slowly, gingerly, until his mouth was free and he could shift back into a kneel. His jaw clicked back into place as he closed his mouth, pushing up with his palm.
“ That was new...” He gasped as Naruto dragged him back, rolling them until he was on his back, neck under Naruto and Kurama's sharp teeth.
“You got tunnel vision.” Naruto growled, low and quiet, mindful of the hour as Shikamaru was stripped from the waist down by impatient hands.
He wanted to complain but Naruto was overwhelming him.
“What the hell?” He backed up around the time he tried to blindly grab and begin fisting Shikamaru's cock. Both looked to find his groin was a mess of twitching shadows. He managed to pull that in, returning to his usual anatomy, but it was hard to hold his form together like that. His grip soon slipped again, and Naruto hesitated, running his palm down Shikamaru’s belly until it pressed into the half formless shadows. Shikamaru had to bite his tongue, back arching as white hot something shot through him. “You're eyes just... fuck, Shikamaru.” He was panting, staring at Naruto in confusion.
His knees jolted as his spine arched up again, toes curling as he let out a low hiss that was soon growing into a whine, his nails dug like needles into a pillow that was near his head.
“It's... I dunno. It's slick, but.... cold? And there's all these-!” He keened somewhat desperately when Naruto’s rough palm suddenly squeezed him, and he could feel it as his own body twisted against his palm, until it was wrapping up Naruto's wrist. What part of him was that?!
“Ngh! Just fuck me already-!” It's an almost angry hiss as he raised his hips, trying to get more feeling inside of him.
“Shika, I can't even find your asshole, where do you expect me to put my dick-!” He tugged Naruto down by his hair, feeling his teeth shift into something sharper as he practically snarled.
“ Just stick it in, I'll worry about the hole. ” He was lightly tugged out of his cloud of need when he could suddenly smell Naruto’s overwhelming arousal.
“Yes sir.” Its purred against his jaw, and both of them jolt as Shikamaru’s... groin? It was a writhing mass of shadowed tendrils at the moment. It wrapped Naruto's cock, pulling it in until their bodies were flush at the hips and Shikamaru had his eyes screwed shut as he tried to process everything he was experiencing.
He could tell Naruto was taking up physical space inside him, it felt like his ass if he were being honest, but in combination it also felt like when Naruto went down on him, warm and wet, swallowing him down. He could feel it in the usual place in his belly when Naruto finally started thrusting, but it felt so much... more.
By then, Naruto had laced their fingers, setting a slow but driving pace. When they kissed he tried to make his teeth human again, but by the metallic taste in his mouth he knew he'd failed, not that Naruto seemed to care.
He scrambled, Naruto let his hands go in favor of bracing one hand on the floor just off the mattress, so he clung tightly to Naruto's shoulders, legs locking around his hips. He chased Naruto's tongue with his own as he tried to remove it- it extended just a bit too far out of his mouth.
“This feels good?” Shikamaru whined, nodding and tangling his fingers into the hair on the back of Naruto's neck.
“S-so good-!” He nuzzled their noses.
It surprised him when they came together , Naruto growling low in his chest while Shikamaru himself let out a static hiss, body's pressing tightly together. He was embarrassed to feel something sticky gush between their bellies, but he was suddenly too boneless to care.
It took longer than either would like to admit before Naruto was gently pulling out and they looked between their bodies. Thankfully it was just a normal, human amount of semen on their stomachs, but he did wonder which of the now motionless and curled shadows had shot that out. This time when he willed his body back to a normal shape it stayed, he flushed when he felt Naruto already leaking out of him and turned his head away.
“Holy shit Shikamaru...” Naruto stroked his cheek.
“I... I didn't know that was going to happen.” He knew his body was... different , but he hadn't expected-
“Hey, it's okay.” He refused to meet Naruto's eyes, “Shika, look at me.”
“...” he still refused, eyes starting to feel wet at the corners.
“It was... a lot to adjust to all at once, but... I liked it?”
“Why is that a question?” His voice sounded strained.
“No, it isn't a question!” Naruto groaned, dropping his head onto Shikamaru’s chest. “I liked it. I love you . No matter how... different things might get with your body, it doesn't change anything.” Nartuo got half up, reaching blindly for the towel Shikamaru had dropped near the bed the night before, and Shikamaru tossed it to him with a shadow. “Thank you.” He used it to gently begin cleaning Shikamaru’s stomach, taking one of the corners when he was finished and pressing it between his legs, trying to catch the seed already leaking out.
They were quiet for a few minutes as both tried to figure out what they wanted to say.
“You... really don't mind?” He risked looking at Naruto, who sighed, leaning down to gently rub his cheek against Shikamaru’s. He could smell Naruto’s strong scent as it was imparted on his skin. Huh .
“No. Never.” His teeth still had an edge, and he knew he cut Naruto’s lip in the process, but they kissed softly, Naruto's fingers combed through his hair even as it gently furled around his wrist and arm, hugging his fingers as they slowly moved down. “It's you , Shika. So long as its you, it doesn't matter. But please warn me next time you do that jaw thing- I thought you were about to bite my dick off.” Shikamaru laughed at that, “Also, is your... situation going to be like that every time we have sex? Not that I minded, it was really fucking hot, I'm just a little intimidated by the number of tentacles you might put up my butt.”
“ Tentacles?! ” He huffed, “Naruto, I am not an octopus!”
“I pride myself on having both seen and read a lot of different types of porn, and that is tentacle-!” He huffed as Shikamaru flipped them, pinning Naruto down.
“Don't call it that.” He wasn't aware, but his eyes were still all black, and he was flushed down to his collar bones.
“Or what? You going to fuck me with your tentacle dicks?” He didn't need to look to see that Naruto was already getting aroused again.
He listened to the house for a moment, senses spreading through the darkened corridors. Yugure was still snoring in her room.
“You know what? Yeah . I am.” He practically folded Naruto, pushing his knees back until they were by his head, Naruto was too flexible for his own good because that just made him moan.
He began to lightly bite and scrape Naruto's neck, any marks were healing within a few seconds, so he didn't pay it much attention, grinding himself against Naruto's ass.
This time he felt it when his form began to fall apart, Naruto whined as the tendrils of shadow moved mostly on their own, a few wrapped around Naruto's cock, the smaller ones along what he assumed was the base were feeling around Naruto’s skin where they were pressed together, and the ones he could mostly control were rubbing against Naruto's hole.
When he sat back to look, Naruto had gone a little cross eyed and was drooling. It went a lot further in making him feel... comfortable with the changes knowing he could still make Naruto fall apart like this.
“Naruto.” He just groaned, Shikamaru sighed, gently tugging his hair until he got his attention. “I'm going to enter you, okay? Or do you need me to open you up more?”
“Please fuck me.” It's a tiny desperate whimper, and Shikamaru kissed him for it before sitting back slightly to watch his face as the curls of shadow that had been rubbing his hole suddenly began to wriggle in beside one another one at a time. If he had to guess they were about as thick together as his human shaped dick, but maybe they were a bit longer- maybe that they could stretch was more apt.
It was beautiful watching Naruto react. His eyes fluttered closed and his mouth dropped open. He was even trembling slightly, and Shikamaru caught his toes curling out of the corner of his eye.
With his first thrust, the shadows stroking along Naruto's length pulled back down to the base, then they wrapped up the shaft again as he pushed back in, Naruto jolted with a moan between that and the ones inside him rolling until they found his prostate and began to rub it.
He kissed Naruto's calf as he set a tortuously slow pace, thrusting in deep but slow just to watch as Naruto, then Kurama melted under him, his eyes were soon red and there was an edge as the blonde panted below his touch.
He was slowly figuring out what part of him each seemed to fall under, and soon he actually controlled all the shifting parts- so when his bed-mate looked ready to finish he used one to tightly wrap around the base of his cock, feeling the frustrated growl as they were blocked from release.
“Just a little more.” He was surprised to find that he was now able to keep up with them, so the differences in his body weren’t all initially unwelcome. Given the way Naruto was practically a puddle under him now, he was less upset about the other changes.
“...‘m gonna explode...” they had tears in their eyes.
He held Naruto firmly behind the knees, increasing the speed of his thrusts and listening to the soft and edging on desperate moans and yips (Kurama really needed to come clean about how he did behave like a real fox, but again, that would have to wait).
He did let Naruto's cock free when he was nearly at the edge, and their body squeezed down around him as they came with a growl. It was enough, he came inside Naruto as the blonde clamped down on him.
Naruto was covering his eyes with his arms, panting as his legs were finally allowed to lower back to the bed.
He began to scrub Naruto down with the same towel from earlier, getting up on shaky legs to drop it in the hamper. He pulled his sleep shorts back on and Naruto whined when he was also manhandled back into his bottoms before Shikamaru dropped down onto his chest and curled up.
“I can't feel my toes.”
“S'fine. Give it a bit...”
Shikamaru fell back asleep, as if he hadn't instigated everything, Naruto blissed out and rubbing his back.
Notes:
I don't know what to do for chapter 69, which looks like it's a long way off but I have at least 50,00 more words written than what's posted, so I'll actually be writing it soon, but it's gotta be smut so if anyone has any requests I am open to suggestions.
Also, if enough people are interested I would be willing to write and add in NSFW chapters for Minato/Kushina, Shikaku/Yoshino, pretty much all the adult couples. I am not above writing our protagonists alternate past selves conceptions. Let me know.
Chapter 52: Open Door
Summary:
They have their first proper checkup after a number of life and body altering changes, and an offer is taken up.
Chapter Text
Yugure was pushing on his shoulder, until he shifted away and he heard Naruto make a soft grunt as their child laid on his chest. Shikamaru pulled her into his arms and she was soon back asleep. The sun was rising, he could see it through the slant of light that hit the paper screens outside their room. While he went back to sleep, Naruto must have actually woken up, as he found himself and Yugure still in bed with his husband missing when he next opened his eyes. He left the girl in bed while he pushed the small screen between their room and hers open and went to choose some clothing for her. When he got back she was sitting up, looking absolutely tiny wrapped up in one of the massive blankets from the bed, slowly trying to stand and take it with her.
“Come here, baby.” She yawned, dropping the blanket as he picked her up. She helped put on her own clothes, actually asking softly to wear clothes like they wore. Since they were off duty they'd both just gone back to wearing hakama and hanten, they had picked up more of them over their years in the past and he was almost embarrassed by how comfortable he found them now. He had to dig around to find that Naruto had chosen a few sets of both. She still had to put on a warm under layer, but soon she was in a purple, flower patterned, and quilted hanten. There were a few in a bigger size meant for summer made of thinner material, her hakama were standard black however. He sent her up the stairs to find Naruto and got dressed himself in similar clothes.
He actually burst out laughing seeing Naruto in his orange and blue quilted hanten, putting out breakfast. Naruto looked confused before he looked between Yugure and Shikamaru in his quilted green hanten and chuckled himself.
“We should get Minato and Kushina their own...” Shikamaru mumbled it to Naruto when he came over to kiss his cheek.
“I would pay to see that.” Naruto snorted.
They had to go to the hospital today. Naruto needed to be studied by Orochimaru, as was agreed upon with the hokage, and had yet to be amended now that Orochimaru was no longer with ROOT or directly under his thumb. Yugure also needed to have her first real checkup with Tsunade, and he should probably report all of the many, many unusual changes to his body since becoming a yokai.
Before they could leave, Naruto perked up- Shikamaru knew why. Kakashi shouldered the door open. He had one overstuffed looking bag, a heavy box, and his nindogs at his heels. Shikamaru saw the storage scroll stuffed in one of Kakashi's pockets that likely held any larger furniture.
“Kakashi!” Yugure ran to circle him, tugging on his shirt and wanting to be picked up despite his arms being full.
“I'm gonna live here.” His voice was a bit hesitant despite his self assured stance.
“Yeah, alright. The bedrooms are all downstairs, unless you wanted me to refit one of the upstairs rooms?”
“... can I just pick one downstairs?” They looked at one another and Shikamaru nodded.
“Yeah, any room any floor, well... not the west rooms on the first sub-floor, were already using those.” Kakashi nodded.
“If you want anything changed or need more room just let me know.”
“I will!” And Kakashi was running down the stairs to choose a bedroom and unload his things, dogs running after him.
Naruto quickly made a cold breakfast and put it in the fridge for Kakashi, yelling down to let him know about it. Kakashi yelled back an affirmative.
“I'm gonna say goodbye!” Yugure raced herself down the stairs.
“Should I make them a dog house?”
“Maybe talk to Kakashi about that when we get home.”
Yugure finished climbing the steps and ran on her hands and feet for a moment before righting herself and hopping, making grabby hands at Naruto. He picked her up, and they lingered by the door as they both worked together to put on her coat, hat, scarf, and mittens before heading out the door. Yugure had let him know where they were going.
Tsunade greeted them at the hospital and led them back to an isolated examination room.
Shikamaru had met Orochimaru before. He knew what the man was like- he thought. This version of him was very different from what he expected him to be like. He seemed... well chipper wasn't the right word, but his small smile wasn't malicious. He was sedate, but clearly excited to get data on them, all three of them. He focused on Naruto since he had to submit his findings to the Hokage.
For his part Naruto sat still as blood was taken, his chakra was rudimentarily measured, he had his eyes and hearing checked, measurements were taken, and Orochimaru seemed to be deciding what other tests needed to be done that would require more specialized equipment.
While that was happening, Tsunade gave Yugure a normal checkup. She checked her heart, eyes, nose, ears, reflexes, marked down her height and weight, and started to go over a vaccination plan given she was behind.
“Her appetite is still good?”
“She always finishes her food.” She was distracted, kicking her feet on the examination table and watching Orochimaru check Naruto's lungs.
“How much sleep is she getting, between naps and at night?”
“She usually has an hour long nap after lunch, and almost always she goes to bed at about eight and wakes up at eight.” Tsunade smiled at that.
“Her activity level is good?”
“She keeps us running.” He patted her head, and she looked up at him, grabbing his hand and holding it to her static, wiry hair.
“Have you noticed any difficulty with her fine motor functions?”
“No, she sometimes thinks her hands are bigger than they are, but that's probably from when she was a yokai... she does run around in her hands and feet like an animal sometimes.”
“Do you know how many Inuzuka kids I've seen do that?” She snorted, “Nothing to worry about.”
“I think she picked it up from Kurama...” Tsunade looked down at Yugure, asking her to open her mouth.
“Her teeth have always been like this?”
“Yeah.” She had longer than normal canines, and her molars were also a bit sharp apparently, not enough to cut her tongue or inner cheeks, but enough to make ripping and tearing easier. Partially fox teeth.
“Interesting... do you two mind if I run a DNA test to compare the three of you?” Shikamaru shrugged.
“It might help, honestly.”
She asked Orochimaru to draw his and Yugure's blood, she was still squeamish, but by that point Naruto took Yugure and distracted her with a children's book he'd hidden in one of his pockets.
Shikamaru spent the next thirty minutes growing more and more embarrassed as they wrote down all of his physical changes that he'd noticed. He was... hesitant to talk about any changes to his sexual organs, especially with how fervently Orochimaru was taking notes. he couldn't reconcile the almost puppy like excitement from the sannin with the cold sadistic man he'd known.
“You can change your body at will ? No jutsu or chakra cost?”
“It actually takes more energy to look human if I'm honest.”
“Can we see you... not try to look human?”
He hesitated, before agreeing. He knew his eyes went fully black, his fingers grew longer and tipped with wisping darkness, he felt the almost fluid antler sprout from just behind his temples, and he squirmed knowing there were changes hidden under his clothing that they might want to study later.
Tsunade looked at his now mostly healed wound from removing Yugure, it was jagged and an odd ashen color compared to the rest of his pale skin, raised outward. She wanted to have his chakra points checked by a Hyuga healer, worried that he'd actually damaged or fully removed the one Yugure's energy had been centralized around. She had trouble feeling it, and his other chakra points when she body scanned him with chakra were... odd. They existed, she could tell their general location, but they didn't feel like normal chakra exactly.
It wasn’t like Biju chakra, animal, or summon chakra.
“It's... cold?” She tried to put some sort of description to it.
“Huh.”
“Shika?”
“I'm okay.” He reassured, “I can't feel anything different.”
“Maybe Yokai source their chakra differently from other beings...” he shrugged, pulling his mesh back on and then his hanten.
“I want to set up more specific tests.” Orochimaru was already flipping over notes he'd taken. “If I'd known you were going to change species I'd have wanted to measure your human bodily averages beforehand... we've lost valuable data.” He was mumbling to himself at that point.
“We'll call you three back once we have more tests set up, and to do Yugure's inoculations.”
Shikamaru dropped on the couch as soon as they were home, Yugure went to find Kakashi since she was the only one thus far who knew what room he'd chosen, and Naruto started making lunch.
“Shika, I'm going to make soba.” He grumbled an affirmative and tried to relax, until he felt Pakkun bite his hand.
“What?”
“C'mon, lazy.” He wanted to argue that he deserved to be a little lazy, he helped save the whole damn world, but realistically he shouldn't tell that to a gossiping dog.
He reluctantly followed the pug to the second floor down, Yugure was putting up pictures of dogs she had found somewhere on the screens just outside Kakashi's room. He'd chosen one of the two on the east side of the second underground floor, and he was currently putting his books on shelves, he had a number of scattered pieces of furniture. It seemed everything was handled.
“There isn't a doggy door.”
“Where are our dishes going to be!?”
“Can we use the whole yard?”
“I wanna lay on the furniture...”
“Do we use the same bath as everyone else?”
“Will you feed us?”
“We need answers.” Pakkun smacked his foot with his tiny paw. He was a tyrant even when he was barely older than a puppy.
“Ugh... we can put in a doggy door upstairs but not in Kakashi's room. Probably the kitchen. I'm going to put up garden beds, and there'll be an area I don't want you using for sanitary reasons with Yugure playing outside. I guess you can use the same bath, or I can talk to Haruki about putting in something for you to use on this floor, and that's up to Kakashi.” he looked around the dogs currently pouting around his feet. “Did I miss anything?”
“... no.” He patted Uhei’s head. The dog huffed at him.
“We're having soba for lunch, I'll come get you when it's ready.”
Yugure hugged his legs, but went back to sticking things up while he made his way back upstairs.
“Love?” Naruto hummed as he hugged him from behind, “I was just interrogated by dogs.” Naruto snorted at him. “We should add bathrooms to the bedrooms.”
“I'll get on that right after lunch. Can you cut up some vegetables for me?” He nodded, able to do that much. “We're going to have to talk to Kakashi about the adoption, since this place is going to get loud.” He sighed, making quick work of the prepared vegetables that had been left out on the counter. It was a little uncomfortable to use given how high it was. He eyed the toad themed step stool that Naruto had gotten for Yugure when she wanted to help cook.
“We'll give him a few days to settle in.”
Chapter 53: Changing the Household
Summary:
A snippet with Naruto's new friend Hizashi, and Kakashi growing anxious about their family changing so soon after he arrived.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
There was now a small bathroom attached to the second basement floor and down bedrooms consisting of a sink, toilet, and a bare bones shower as well as storage for toiletries. Naruto had finished that up quickly and finally gone to meet Hizashi. Being stuck in the village meant he now had plenty of time to help Hizashi fix his bad habits with taijutsu, the man was relegated to less dangerous missions since his wife was pregnant. Aimi was a very pleasant, soft spoken women, and Naruto made a mental note he should make a blanket or something of the like for Neji.
Hizashi still had trouble keeping up with him, but within their first spar he was already adjusting to improve his stance.
“I heard you have a daughter?” They were sitting so Hizashi could regain his breath.
“Yeah, she's... a lot.”
“Who's been watching her?” He knew that both men had been going on missions together for months.
“... she uh, it's a bit complicated.” Hizashi gestured for him to go on. They weren't exactly in a hurry. So he told Hizashi about what happened, the deal, the somewhat traumatic birth, the man listened patiently to him while he finished.
“Oh... wow... but he's okay?”
“Tsunade said he's healed well and he shouldn’t have any medical issues pop up from it, but it's also hard to say. If anything really wrong is happening we might not notice for a while since so much has changed. Luckily Yugure is healthy, she remembers being a yokai, but she's also definitely mentally a three year old.”
“I'd like to meet her some day.”
“Would you and Aimi like to come over for dinner?”
“We have to visit my brother tonight, maybe a bit later in the week?”
“Any day should be fine. I should warn you, Kakashi moved in with us so he'll probably be there. He can be a little awkward with adults he doesn't know.”
“I heard the boy was spending a lot of time with you, I hadn't realized he was living with you.”
“He showed up yesterday morning with his bags and dogs. We had let him know he was welcome to live with us but I'm surprised at how soon he actually moved in.”
“... you're being very kind to him. I was still very young myself when Sakumo passed, but I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to be a child living through that.”
“...” Naruto wasn't sure what to say. Without his relationship with Kakashi in his past, would he have gone out of his way like this? He felt like he owed Kakahi at least this much, being one of the few adults in his life who ever cared about him when he was a child, but was this unwarranted, or even too much?
No. Even if they hadn't known Kakashi, they could both see their own trauma in the boy, and they wouldn't have remained quiet or tried to stay uninvolved.
“We're just... trying to prevent another kid from growing up the way we had to.” Hizashi nodded, accepting that. It was common knowledge in the village that the two men had practically raised themselves.
“I hope that when my child is a bit older you may indulge us in helping them with their forms as your helping me. From what I heard you're already training young master Uchiha, and though my wife and I aren't looking for an official apprenticeship, we would be grateful-!”
“As long as they're even half as passionate as you it would be my pleasure to teach them.” Hizashi looked relieved as he was cut off. For Neji? Naruto would probably serve the world up on a platter if the child so much as asked him to.
Kakashi found that despite how large the house was, with no reason to go further down it didn't feel as massive as it could have. Haruki had built a dog house for Pakkun and the others, and he was certain he would even be comfortable living in it if push came to shove. Haruki was busy a lot of the time, preparing lessons for Itachi, sparing with his new friend, finding or inventing things to do to the house. In comparison Inei was lazy, following Yugure from room to room, laying around, reading books, occasionally he'd make tea and he had found some gardening books, but more often than not he was dozing. Yugure had the run of the house, the only rooms she wasn't allowed to play in were the studies on the second above ground floor belonging to Inei and Haruki, and the laundry room when they found her asleep in the dryer.
Even though she couldn't play in the two second floor rooms, if one of them was in their study she could enter- no doors on the rooms which were open to the screened off balcony and walkways. Kakashi himself had gone in looking for a book in Haruki's study on summoning scrolls, and he'd hesitated, anxious, until he poked his head in and found a room very different from the study his father had kept. There was a low table, with cushions in the corner, most of the walls save for one containing a large window were laden with books and scroll storage. Haruki had put up one of the drawings that Yugure had made of him on the wall, and there were massive pots of ink and jars full of brushes- even one holder the size of an umbrella stand with some truly massive brushes. There was also a deep sink for washing them off along the inner wall. The room was bright and open, wind chimes hung up and waiting for spring inside the window sill, there were little frog or toad nicknacks and wall scrolls with foxes drawn on them in watercolor.
His fathers study had been dark and serious. The floor space aside from the desk was cold and open, the desk was massive and always heavy with papers. Kakashi never felt like he was welcomed into the space. It was as if it were a world he shouldn't enter.
Haruki had a bowl of strawberry candy on his desk, if it could be called that. Kakashi took one and realized that Haruki had pained a small heart onto the wrapper with blue paint- he saw orange hearts too. He snorted, putting it into his pocket for later and going to grab his book.
Looking into Inei's study when he was nearby he saw there wasn't even a desk. There were some comfortable looking cushions, some big enough to be used to sleep on, lanterns hung down from the ceiling, and most of the books were on poetry and medicine, he found a few dozen on a topmost shelf on wars and strategy, but most were flowery fiction. He picked one up to skim it and went red, shoving it back. The poem he had read was... describing a male lover half naked in the moonlight of a garden. Did Inei read a lot of books like that?
Currently he was sitting still while Yugure brushed his hair, he had forbidden her from cutting it or putting anything in it- be it hair clips or glitter- and was working something over in his mind. He wanted to ask Minato.
“Kakashi, Yugure, dinners ready, are you washed up?”
“No!” Yugure dropped her brush and hurried toward the bathroom upstairs to wash her hands, and he stretched, walking up slowly to the ground floor.
He'd been living with the Namikaze main family for nearly a week at that point. He was starting to suspect that they had forgotten to tell anyone else they had gotten married, but it would only get funnier the longer it went before they remembered to tell anyone, so Kakashi was keeping quiet himself.
He was dragged to sit next to Yugure at the table, and food was dished up. He pulled his mask down to start eating when Yugure said something that threw him through a loop.
“When are we going to get my new siblings?” He nearly choked. Was Inei pregnant again? He knew Inei very much disliked it when he referred to how he'd hosted Yugure's soul inside him as a pregnancy, but Kakashi didn't have a better word for it. Was he doing it again?
“We need to make an appointment to visit the orphanage still, kiddo.” Hakuri patted her head and Kakashi relaxed for a moment before those words sunk in.
“You're going to adopt?” He wasn't sure how to take that. He didn't ask them to adopt him, he probably shouldn't given that he was technically a clan head himself even if it was a fallen clan. But the two had stepped up and started to look after him. Not to mention Yugure was still very little, how old would the kid they'd bring home be?
“Figure we have the space.” Inei reached over to pick some rice off the side of Yugure's cheek, “It would be... nice to give a few kids a decent hime to grow up in.”
A few kids. He looked down at his bowl.
“You okay big guy?” He hummed, poking his rice, “Kakashi, if there's something bothering you, you know you can tell us, right?”
“...” He hesitated. He knew they meant that , that they wouldn't get mad at him for saying why he was uncomfortable. “... won't it get crowded?”
“Are you... worried there will be too many people in the house?” Kakashi nodded, and the two adults shared a complicated look before Haruki got up and kneeled next to him. “We'll still have time for you, you know that right?” He pulled up his mask but didn't answer.
“Kakashi will still be my Nii-chan.” Yugure hugged his side and he sniffled. “Don't you want another sister? Or a brother?”
He didn't really know. He agreed they had the space and the means to take care of a few more kids, but he was a little uncomfortable with how things might further change.
“If you get uncomfortable with the other kids we can move you upstairs, or we could make a room for you off the first floor?” He didn't want to move, but he also felt selfish saying he didn't want any other children to enter the household. All these empty bedrooms were probably intended for family to eventually fill them up after all, maybe Kakashi was the one taking space away from others...
“Okay.”
He would try very hard to be okay with it. He owed them that much.
Notes:
A better story would probably have them offer Kakashi a room, then adopt before he moves in so he's conflicted and it would take thirty chapters to resolve... but I have an agenda so we're doing it this way.
Next chapter will be the introduction of the (mostly) OC adopted children, intermixed with kids who would have ended up in ROOT from the original version. I have a name and age guide for them because they're a bit hard to keep track of at first, also a few of them won't match up with their ages in cannon because I either liked them better a year or so older or younger, or I thought I did the math right and it is now too late for me to reasonably go back to change it given how much I have written at this point. I'll post a picture of it separately so it can be used as a reference if needed.
Chapter 54: All Of Them? Really?
Summary:
An insight into the Konoha orphanage, and a few (more than a few) brief intorductions.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Tanaka Saito was sixteen, in three months he'd turn seventeen and officially age out of the social welfare system. The village would give him a very small stipend of funds to find housing and he'd be expected to get a job. He had a poor education provided by the underfunded orphanage, and no real skills to speak of. He wasn't able to apprentice under any job class as he had no guardian to sign off on it- he wouldn't be paid to learn how to smith since most people paid to be taught as children, usually their families put up the money. The same with leather working, most merchant jobs, a number of restaurant jobs too- he didn’t have enough higher education for any other work.
He'd have to either work construction, cleaning tables, maybe he could run a counter at one of the markets but he'd have no way of raising himself up from those jobs. Not that they weren't important... but he'd be doing that for the rest of his life.
“Saito, put on your nice clothing, there's a family coming in an hour.” He sighed, going to do as she asked. He had been in the orphanage since he was two, he'd been getting dressed up for potential families all that time. After five, your chance of being adopted dropped, after ten it fell further, by thirteen you'd be lucky to be taken in. He'd been passed up on as a child as he had some significant scaring from the house fire that had taken his parents- ugly children didn't get adopted either- his personal philosophy. There wasn't a chance anyone would adopt a kid about to age out of the system even without it, but Mrs. Watanabe was nice, and she'd looked after him since he was little. She would be retiring in the next year and her replacement wasn't nearly as caring or considerate- the only mostly adult person here who even cared about the kids was Nono, and she was working for the village as a shinobi now and deemed unfit to run the place. It didn't help she was a year younger than him, even if she'd do a good job and actually liked kids. He felt bad for the younger kids.
He was the oldest in the orphanage, there were eleven other civilian children, and six shinobi kids. He went to help the youngest children finish cleaning up and get dressed.
The very youngest were Shin, and Mei who were both a year old and nearly the same age give or take a month, and Uhari who was three months old. They knew nothing about Shin other than someone had dropped him in a basket on the steps of the orphanage in December and he nearly froze to death before they found him. B oth of the girl's mothers were shinobi who had died in the war- Uhari's mom had died a week before and she'd just arrived, her mother had been on some top secret mission that went south and now that they weren't obligated to watch her the village had moved her here.. It had been her mothers first mission back from maternity leave. He felt especially bad for her.
She'd probably get adopted today, or Mei, if they were looking for a girl. Otherwise they'd probably take Shin, he was a little over a year old, he didn't cry much but he wasn't very friendly. Families always wanted babies and toddlers. The older kids? Not so much.
He didn't expect to recognize the family that walked in an hour later.
The Golden Storm and the Shade of Death .
He'd heard about them, and he and Yosaku had snuck in to see their fighting trials months ago. Beside him the ten year old began to bounce, tugging on his sleeve. He recognized them too.
The Shade of Death had a little girl on his hip, she had big blue eyes but otherwise looked like him, and the Golden storm was talking with a boy who was probably around thirteen who seemed a little nervous. Did they already have two kids? Were they looking to adopt a third?
If they had one of each, he wasn't certain if they'd take a boy or a girl home. Momo, the oldest girl at fifteen tugged his sleeve to whisper about how one of the little kids was about to hit the jackpot.
They'd probably adopt a shinobi kid. The boy had a village forehead protector covering one of his eyes after all- smart money would be on either Kabuto or Shin if they wanted to match the kid to the boy, or Keiko to match the girl if they were okay with an older child. The Golden Storm went to talk with the orphanage director, and the Shade of Death approached with their two children. The little girl wriggled until she could hop down, running over to the younger kids, the three youngest were in a small playpen looking miserable together. The man quietly introduced himself as Inei, and the boy as Kakashi, he listened to each of them greet him and introduce themselves, and began to ask them about themselves. After he turned nine no one had been curious about him like this before. Kakashi perked up a bit when he mentioned his favorite book series was ‘Tales of a Gutsy Shinobi’ and asked him who his favorite character was.
He got a bit distracted when he saw the director begin to cry, hugging Inei's partner who rubbed her back. What was that about?
They stayed for a few hours, talking to all of the children. Haruki, as he eventually learned the name of the man with blonde hair whom he'd only remembered by his title, asked him if he had any plans for his future. He said he didn't. Couldn't afford to apprentice either. The man had hummed softly and asked if he was given the opportunity, what he'd want to do. He wasn't sure, he liked drawing when he was able, and he was okay at math, but he didn't think there were many options for him.
The director had been busy during that time, he suspected they'd already had a child in mind and she was getting ready to send them home with the small family. He was talking with the little girl, Yugure, who was asking him about his favorite foods and what games he knew, out of the corner of his eye he saw Inei and Haruki fawning over the younger children, they'd climbed on the blonde and Inei was reading a book to them- Kakashi was speaking with a few of the older kids, he thought about dogs.
One by one each child was talked to by the director among the older kids, Saito himself was last.
“Make sure you don't forget anything.” She was saying, straightening his clothes, “I have your bag set out just put everything you can fit. If you need more storage Namikaze-sama has offered to help you put it in a storage scroll-!”
“Mrs. Watanabe, what are you talking about?” He felt stunned.
“The Namikaze clan is bringing you and the other children home with them.” She patted his cheek and he suddenly felt a bit light headed.
“But... I can't control chakra? Aren't they shinobi?” He'd never heard of shinobi adopting a normal child before.
“Namikaze-sama said they had space for all the children here regardless of background or ability. If they adopt you they can pay for your education.” She took his shaking hands. “You're free to say no, he said they wouldn't take any children who didn't want to go but... Saito, you won't get a better opportunity than this.”
She was right.
The Namikaze had been announced as a new clan recently. Clan's enjoyed perks normal citizens could never get their hands on, even non-shinobi members. With the right certification he could work at the mission desk, or as a civilian employee in the tower. Even as a small clan he'd have backing should any legal issues come up. As the clan grew he'd have more social currency too, he could marry well into another clan, even if it was another non-shinobi member, and as those with more aptitude in the clan got older and grew the clan he'd see even more benefits. If he had children they might even be able to boast being in one of the great clans one day.
In contrast there wasn't a benefit to adopting him. He had no particular skills. He wasn't smart, his burn scars were unattractive, he had no ability with chakra at all, he didn't even come from a good family originally. At best he was filling a headcount. He didn't even count toward clan tallies, which chalked up how many members of a shinobi clan contributed to its official membership.
He hugged himself after she left, looking at the open bag on his bed. The bed that had been his for most of his life.
Nono would be sad, she wasn't next to run the orphanage, but she did a lot to take care of all the children despite being a teenager herself... Saito worried about her. He hoped she'd be happy to know all the kids were being taken in...
“Saito!” He heard a crash as Urushi ran into the boys room. “Help me pack up Kabuto's bag! Can you believe it?!” He chuckled, “Were all getting adopted! We aren't gonna get split up now-!”
“Yeah, okay, stop yelling.” Well, at least the little kids were excited.
He didn't want to ruin it for them.
There were a lot of kids, but Kakashi didn't think they were bad. There was a girl his age, Chiyo, she had a bad attitude but had been nice to Yugure, even though she told Kakashi he looked like a scarecrow. He heard her talking with Inei about how she wanted to grow up to be an artist. Her drawings were all of dogs. He wouldn’t mind having her as a sister, or foster sister he supposed. There were also four kids younger than Yugure, three girls and a boy. Jun, who was two, Shin and Mei who were one and within a few months of each other in age, and Uhari, who was very... not cute. She looked weird, not person like, all wrinkly, and she had very pale brown eyes so they were almost a honey color. She had been crying until Inei had started holding her and now she was completely silent. Shin had old-man hair like he did, according to Yugure, but his was a darker gray, and Mei was a very, very chubby baby.
There were three kids older than him, Saito, who had an almost alarming amount of scar tissue from his neck down and along his arms, Momo, who was missing two of her permanent teeth from fist fighting village children at some point in her past, the front ones, and Himari who he hadn't actually seen open her eyes beyond a squint since meeting her and seemed to cling to Momo's arm and kept whispering to her alone. They were sixteen, fifteen, and fourteen. Saito seemed anxious and Kakashi recognized that exact look of expecting a catch to follow the good news- he'd had it himself more than once with Haruki and Inei.
And in between were even more kids. Nanami and Nao, twins who were too shy to talk above a whisper and couldn't be separated, they were eleven. Yuki who he still wasn't clear in if they were a boy or a girl and refused to make eye contact with anyone, and Yosaku who was a boy but talked obsessively about the types of birds he saw around the orphanage- both were ten and unrelated to one another. Urushi was a loud boy who seemed well meaning but came off as rude and whose nose looked like a squished tomato, then Keiko who spent the whole of their first meeting following him around and pretending she wasn't when caught. They were nine, and eight. There was one seven year old, and one six year old. The seven year old, Kabuto, was attached to Urushi at the hip, the younger boy, Fu, was climbing all over Haruki from practically the first moment seeing him- and doing a good deal of falling off given his various bumps and bruises.
Lastly there were two five year olds, Bashira and Megumi, who kept trying to braid his hair. He had thought Yugure was intense...
And they'd all be coming home with them. it Would take a while to get comfortable with all these new kids, and he was a bit apprehensive but... the orphanage was even worse than he'd imagined. For a place funded by the village it was cramped and dirty. So many things were in disrepair too, or just completely broken, he couldn't imagine anyone living here long term.
It would be a big change though.
At least Yugure looked happy.
Notes:
Next chapter is just going to be the names, ages, and discriptions.
Chapter 55: Children; All
Summary:
A screenshot of the spreadsheet I've been keeping track of the kids in. I'm not really referancing it much anymore, but it's helping me keep their ages in order as well as descriptions, because some of them I have a very clear picture in my head of them, and some of them I don't.
Chapter Text
The star is on each shinobi child, and the degree symbol is on the ones they had prior to adoption.
Sorry if the image quality is shit, I had to rout this through my tumblr since I couldn't upload it directly from my computer any other way.
Chapter 56: There Should Have Been More Oversight, Really.
Summary:
It's okay to both take advantage of, and want to reform, a broken system.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The amount of paperwork to become legally responsible for eighteen children didn't seem to be enough if Shikamaru was honest. Just his signature and thumb print on a legal document for each child, and Naruto's to match. They didn't even have to disclose their address since it was public record as a clan compound now, or their income.
Naruto had made shadow clones to help carry the younger children, and Shikamaru had the youngest child, Uhari in one arm, his other hand held tight by Yugure. All the kids were bundled up for the cold night, and before long they were home, leaving coats and shoes in a pile in the entry way, the children looked around as if they were scared to touch anything.
The older kids, Kabuto being the youngest in that group, were led down by Naruto and told to pick a room from the second floor to the third floor, they hesitated before following him. Shikamaru gathered the younger children, which included Yugure.
“Alright, Fu, Bashira, and Megumi, you can choose any room you want on the floor right below us, except ones that already have beds in them. Jun, kiddo, you'll be sharing with Yugure for the first few nights, okay?” The little girl nodded, grabbing Yugure's hand tightly in her own, half hiding behind her.
“Oh! What about Shin and Mei?”
“Both of them and Uhari will be sleeping in the room with Haruki and I while we get the nursery ready. Are we ready to go down?” They nodded, the chain of children led by Yugure and ending with Shikamaru went down the stairs. Fu instantly ran to the north side, choosing the one on the left for himself, running around the open room while one of Naruto's clones got out a futon for the boy and started to help unpack his meager belongings.
“We want the rooms over here...” Megumi had tugged him by the hand toward the eastern rooms.
“Can we have a secret door so we can go in and out?”
“I'll talk to Haruki once he's done, okay?” The girls nodded looking around the two rooms, running in and out of them and chatting to themselves.
Jun had already made herself comfortable with Yugure in her bedroom, having taken down dolls and began to play together. He smiled down at the baby in his arms, bouncing her lightly. They could take the leftmost south room on the first floor and turn it into a nursery, putting another access door between their room and that one.
Naruto returned up the stairs, kissing his cheek and bending down to kiss the top of their new daughter's head.
“Are babies supposed to be that little?”
“Pretty sure...” he mumbled back.
“Wild. I'm going to start cooking, round them all up for dinner in twenty minutes?”
“That's fast...”
“I can be everywhere at once.” He accepted that, knowing with enough clones it was technically true. He made sure their room had anything that shouldn't be out packed up and let their two new one year old's crawl around. Shin tried to make a break for it but got turned around, and Mei rolled her way to him and crawled into his lap, sniffling. It must be a big adjustment, and she was too little to understand what was happening. Shin was soon gumming on a blanket and Mei was fast asleep. Tomorrow they'd make some changes to the house again, decide on things like chores for the older kids, bath schedules, they'd get more clothes for the new kids, maybe buy more little things so their rooms weren't so empty, and make a plan for their children's education.
Dinner was a hectic and noisy affair when the kids were surprised they could go back for seconds. It seemed the kids would have food hoarding issues to work through as well then... Naruto had been hard enough to work with before, he'd have to do it again. They had enough formula for Uhari tonight, but they'd need more in the morning, and then there was the matter of baby food for Mei and Shin, picking up vitamins for the older kids, getting more cloth diapers and figuring out how best to keep those clean, a laundry list of dietary changes to prepare for-
Kabuto tugged gently on his sleeve as he used a few shadows to help a struggling Fu with his chopsticks.
“I don't like green peppers.” He looked nervous, and Urushi heard, the boy opened his mouth, ready to snap something at him-
“That's okay. Do you like the yellow peppers?” He nodded and Shikamaru took the small pile of green peppers at the edge of his plate and replaced them with the yellow peppers from his own plate. “The important part was you tried them.” A tension went out of the room, you could practically feel it, the older children all relaxed. He shrugged to himself, not getting it, spotting Megumi trying to feed Bull under the table. “Megumi, you can't feed your bean sprouts to Kakashi's dogs, you might make them feel sick.” She flushed and slid back in her chair.
“You don't miss anything, do you?” Momo asked softly from across the table- they had to use the big stone one given all the kids.
“I try not to.”
Naruto had set pudding for dessert, nothing too fancy, but it made his heart hurt seeing how excited the children all got to have their own and not need to share.
Saito and Momo both watched Naruto use a seal to make rows of cubbies in the entryway after dinner, it was wide enough it didn't feel crowded adding them in, twelve on each side so he and Shikamaru had one to split and a few for guests, placing matching shoes and coats in each, painting names over them with the oldest two. They seemed extremely interested in sealing, but time would tell if they were more than just curious. Yugure was showing the other children all the board games and puzzles in the living room, and Kakashi had taken his dogs out for the night, save Pakkun who insisted on sleeping inside with him given all the new faces.
He checked Mei and Shin's diapers, changed them as needed, laid the two down to sleep on a long cushion in his and Naruto's room, Uhari was asleep on a seperate one so she didn't risk getting squished by either bigger child.
He heard Naruto leading them all down for the night, he'd been in charge of making sure they had brushed their teeth. Shikamaru went to the doorway to quietly wish each child a good night.
Naruto joined him, both getting dressed for bed.
Shikamaru was asleep for less than an hour before Uhari was crying and he got up to sooth her. He wandered up to make her a bottle, she drank about half of it before refusing more, even after being burped. Her diaper was dry, and he couldn't think of anything else that could bother her. He began to pace around the enclosed hall with her. Movement did the trick as she was soon fast asleep.
When he went back down stairs he found Naruto had the two five year old's clinging to him, already asleep. He gave a two fingered wave while Shikamaru laid the three month old down. He laid down on the bed and rolled to face them, Naruto mouthed the word ‘nightmare” and he nodded.
He didn't even get a chance to close his eyes before their screen door creaked open. Fu was dragging his blanket and he dropped it just inside the doorway and laid down on it like a dog. Shikamaru got up and picked the boy up, blanket and all, carrying him to bed and laying him in between them.
“Beds more comfortable...” He said it softly, but Fu was already falling back asleep.
Less than an hour later he felt another child out of bed and waited until they poked into the room. Kabuto. The kid had been complicated in his last life, but this one was still young- Shikamaru wouldn't allow him to be bounced around as a pawn in a greater war.
“I had a bad dream...”
“...c'mere.” The boy scrambled to fill the space Shikamaru made between himself and Fu. Shikamaru made sure the boy was comfortable. “Try to get some more sleep.” Kabuto was already yawning and dozing off.
Five minutes later Urushi was laying down beside the bed without saying a single word. Shikamaru didn't try to dissect that any further, reaching over and gently patting the boy's shoulder.
He was up and down with the three youngest all night, every time he got up the children would either move around, or he'd find a new one, as Kekio was cuddled up with Urushi and Kabuto on the actual bed the last time he went to lay down before dawn.
With no space for himself he went back upstairs to meditate for a bit before getting things ready for the day, setting out plates at the table, washing rice for breakfast and checking what they even had for meals. They'd need to go shopping so he started to write out the list- he could tell Shin was stirring and used the shadows to move himself to the bedroom door, slipping inside and gently picking the boy up and rocking him as he carried him out of the room.
“Not your diaper, are you hungry?” Shin hugged him with his tiny arms, Shikamaru shifted until he was laying the boy against his chest, he rubbed his back as Shin hugged his neck, crying softly against his ear. “It's okay...”
He sat with Shin on the couch in the living room, stroking his back. Eventually he sat back and saw Shin was biting his fingers, so Shikamaru gently looked in his mouth. He had teeth erupting from under his gums- most of his teeth save the two currently irritating his gums were already up.
“I can make that better...” be numbed along his affected gums and the relief was almost immediate for the tot. Wiping his now spit covered finger off on his shirt, he sighed then, laying back with Shin on his chest- the two fell asleep on the couch.
Notes:
Domestic.
It won't be all cute family stuff but it does make up a fair amount of what I have written. If you like deranged and overprotective Shikamaru, don't worry, he'll be popping up again and again, just... interspersed with chapters like this one.
Also there is still a fair amount of plot to get through, since killing Danzo is on the table, and that will take a minute.
Chapter 57: Dawn of the First Day
Summary:
They have breakfast as a family. Minato and Shikaku are roped into babysitting.
Chapter Text
Naruto emerged from under the pile of kids that had slowly grown as the night went by, picking up Uhari and Mei, who he managed to not wake up, then took them upstairs where he found Shikamaru fast asleep with Shin. He laid Mei down beside Shin on his chest, and found a spare and sturdy length of cloth, putting Uhari across his back in a sling. Shikamaru had set the table and gotten rice prepared, so it saved him some time.
The smell of cooking drew Kakashi up, he had no idea how long the kid was awake for. Chiyo and the twins Nanami and Nao followed on his heels.
One of the younger children must have woken up because a herd of them were soon swarming the table. Yugure and Jun the last among that group to get to the table.
“Urushi, can you let your older brother and sisters know breakfast will be ready soon?” He saw Yuki stumble in yawning, blankets still around their shoulders, and Yosaku was struggling to manage the steps half asleep at the landing.
As the most awake of the older children it seemed like a good idea to task him with it, but the boy was beaming, running down the steps and almost bowling over Yosaku on his way.
“I'll get daddy!” Yugure went to go downstairs as well but Naruto stopped her.
“He's sleeping on the couch with Mei and Shin, wake them up calmly .” She nodded. Given there was no shouting he figured it was going well.
Shikamaru had a baby on each hip, and he got them put in the highchairs that Naruto had hastily put together. He'd made rolled omelets for the older children, and scrambled eggs for the younger kids- he'd also cut up some fruit. They really needed to go shopping.
Kakashi finished quickly, hurrying up from the table, stopping so Yugure could give him a hug when she made grabby hands.
“I have a mission with Rin and Obito today.” He explained, looking around frantically- Shikamaru tossed him his hip pouch with a shadow, not even looking.
“Will you be home tonight?”
“Yeah, but I might be late.”
“Alright, I’ll wrap a plate for you and leave it in the fridge.” Kakashi nodded before running out the door, barely stopping for his coat and sandals.
“I need to go shopping today, can everyone make a list of things they need? Toiletries, clothes that can't wait for this weekend, any foods you want, just write them down and I'll get them while I'm out.”
“I can't write!” Bashira wriggled an arm up over her head, and Megumi nodded.
“Then you can just tell me what you want and I'll write it down for you.” Shikamaru gave her a soft smile. Although he wasn't shocked, he was disappointed that another set of young kids had gone without any sort of meaningful education in the orphanage he'd been raised in.
“Do we still have the academy today?” Urushi had raised his hand to speak at the table, and Keiko, Kabuto, and Fu all perked up.
“You do.” Naruto confirmed. “Inei can take you when he leaves, so everyone make your lists quickly.” The academy age shinobi children ate quickly, running down stairs to get dressed, and the other kids all began to hesitantly write out lists on some scrap paper Shikamaru passed around.
“Momo, Himari, Chiyo? Do you need sanitary products?” The three girls had been trying to escape and shook their heads- seeming a bit embarrassed- before fleeing for their rooms.
Yugure helped Naruto pick up the table while he wrote out what they needed via food and cleaning products, Shikamaru grabbed a storage scroll, and the four academy age children were soon following him out the door with their backpacks, homework not done give how hectic the day before had been. Shikamaru would have to talk to their teachers. Naruto had sent a fox to Minato and Shikaku the night before to let them know about the kids, and it was around nine in the morning when Minato was finally able to make time to come over. He startled Jun, who was trying to put her own boots on to play with Yugure outside and had began crying. Naruto ran in and she put her arms up for him so he lifted her. She stopped crying once being held, hiding against him.
“Minato!”
“I didn't know she'd be right there!” He hurried to try and calm her down too, but that just made her crying worse.
“Go sit in the kitchen, I'll calm her down.” Minato raised his hands up, hurrying out of the entry way and to the small table in the kitchen. Two little girls, one with brown hair, one with black, looked around the corner at him, both squeaked and ran the moment they realized he'd spotted them.
“Holy cow, that's the Yellow Flash !” from the same archway a moment later a boy with mousy hair was now peaking around it with the same two girls.
“Is he famous?” The little brown haired girl tilted her head further around the corner only for the older boy to pull her back.
“ Is he famous? ” The boy huffed, “He's a Hokage candidate.”
“What are you three doing?” All three kids jumped when a teenage boy walked around the corner, he had a basket under one arm that appeared to have washcloths and towels in it, all folded neatly, “I thought you two were going out to play with Jun and... Yugure...” he finally noticed Minato, nearly dropping his basket. “Your the Yellow Flash.” He stated dumbly.
Minato waved, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Momo! Himari! You have to come see this-!” He bolted out of the room and the three younger kids ran to follow him.
“Minato Oji, meet my baby sister.” His head swiveled to see Yugure tugging the same little girl as before behind her. They both had coats on, but otherwise weren't dressed to be outside. Haruki followed them in, arms crossed as he looked pointedly at Minato. He could take a hint, kneeling down on the ground to be eye level with her.
“I'm sorry for scaring you...”
“Jun.” Yugure supplied for him.
“I'm sorry for scaring you, Jun, do you think you can forgive me?” She sniffled but nodded, and when he opened his arms she darted forward for a hug.
“Oji, you can meet everyone, exept Keiko, and Urushi, and Fu. And Kabuto. They're at school.” Yugure was tugging on his sleeve and he gave his brother a wide eyed look.
“How many kids did you adopt, exactly?”
“As many as they let us take home.” he said it crypticly. Minato heard crying, baby crying, and Haruki ecused himself, “Yugure, why don't you take him to meet your new brothers and sisters.”
“Okay papa! Come on, Jun!”
They found a gathering of ten children two stairways down whispering, all but the two girls from earlier were tenish or older. Yugure proudly introduced him as their Oji, and then he spent the next hour answering weird questions about jutsu, what teleporting was like, and if even the older among the kids could call him uncle, even though there was actually only a four year gap in their ages.
Yugure, Jun, and the two girls, named Megumi and Bashira apparently, got bored and wandered off to play. He tried to escape, claiming he needed some water, but they followed him up to the kitchen. Haruki, or a shadow clone, was humming and bottle feeding a very young baby, he wasn't sure how old she was, but his brother was pacing with her- when he slowed down she started to cry.
Inei got home around then, saying hello to Minato before pushing him out of the way so he could put groceries away. As if Minato hadn't realized the two had suddenly adopted eighteen kids and hoped he wouldn't notice that. He supposed he should have expected something like this from them. It explained the numerous empty bedrooms. When Haruki said it was just planning ahead, he thought he meant in forty or fifty years needing that much space but...
Eighteen. Not even including Yugure and Kakashi. And at least four of them were shinobi children. The clan wasn't staying small for long, it seemed.
Shikaku came over an hour later and had the same defeated, slightly bewildered reaction to learning he had so many new nephews and nieces as Minato had done.
Before they knew it they were getting roped in to babysit that afternoon because the four at the academy had teachers that wanted to talk to the couple.
Minato stopped seeming so shiny at some point to the older kids, who all wandered off to continue familiarizing themselves with the house. His new oldest nephew vanished for three literal hours when he was informed by the pseudo-twins, the five year old girls, that Saito was in one of the studies upstairs reading books. Haruki wouldn't leave anything dangerous within sight, given Yugure and Kakashi both got into everything, so he decided not to worry.
Yuki, the silent child, was extremely skilled at go, and was giving Shikaku a run for his money. Chiyo went outside to sketch Kakashi's dogs, Yosaku was asleep on the floor by the kotatsu, not even properly under it. The actual twins were playing a card game he still didn't know the rules of even after watching them play for a while. Meanwhile Momo and Himari had been plastering the screened on their bedrooms with various paper scraps. This included the newspaper from that morning, a magazine he recognized as the one that kept getting miss-delivered to himself and Kushina also, and a torn up children's book Yugure had handed off to them, not wanting it.
When finally left alone his biggest concern were the babies. Shin was biting, and it hurt given he had most of his teeth, Mei was actively trying to eat anything even things that weren't food, and if he stopped moving with Uhari in his arms she'd start crying.
Maybe this would be good practice for becoming a dad someday.
He changed his mind when he realized Yugure and Jun had vanished and had to comb ever floor of the house just to later learn they'd fallen asleep under the table.
Chapter 58: Higher Education
Summary:
A disastrous PTA meeting and the beginning of a lifelong passion.
Chapter Text
Shikamaru didn't recognize the current head teacher at the academy, not fully. She'd had her last year during his and Naruto's second year, but they were only eight at the time. That had been the year Iruka joined the teaching staff if he was remembering it right. Come to think of it, Iruka and Urushi were about the same age...
She sat them down to talk about each child's individual grades and abilities. Both Urushi and Keiko were middling, they probably wouldn't get past Chunin with their scores, she made that sound like a bad thing. She had endless praise for Kabuto, he was a prodigy, and Fu was in the top five for his class, she expected great things from them. They also went over school liability, what she expected them as parents to do for the children, and of course she couldn't help but sneak in a comment about how having an... unusual family wouldn't be conductive to a good learning environment, so she'd understand if she saw a drop in performance, especially for the older two children.
Shikamaru's anger at those comments lowered the temperature of the room significantly in a short period. She didn't seem to notice how he was directly responsible for that.
It was another somewhat backhanded comment about how at least Kabuto would have a decent medical education this way, since they had connections to Lady Tsunade that may have... snapped Shikamaru’s rather thin patience.
“You hear yourself, right?”
“Babe-!”
“No. Sorry, I just. Wow.” He rubbed his temples, “You made us get a babysitter on short notice and all you've done so far is insult our kids, imply us being gay will hurt them academically, and assume the only benefit to having us as parents is that we know smart people.”
“Excuse me-!”
“No. I won't.” he was scowling, “Regardless of ability, it's your job as a teacher to give every child the best education possible. Implying Urushi or Keiko aren't going to be as successful, or that there's something wrong with being a chunin? They listen to you. Them hearing you say that might have long term negative effects. As a teacher-!” Naruto couldn't stop him as he continued to rant, slowly sinking in his seat as he watched Shikamaru work himself up into a rage..
The teacher had very little to say after the long dressing down he gave her.
Kabuto was sitting by the door, feet dangling over the edge of the chair. Fu and Urushi were rough housing just outside, and Keiko was trying to practice her taijutsu forms around them. It was going poorly. Shikamaru scooped the boy up, who seemed surprised, and Naruto picked up Fu, who looked happy to be held before he remembered he was supposed to be a big boy and began to squirm to be put down.
“Urushi, Keiko, let's go home.” Keiko took his hand, and Urushi ran after them, chattering about school.
“Are we Namikaze now? I told my teacher we got adopted by you but he said that doesn't mean we are.” He began tugging at Shikamaru’s sleeve, Kabuto had actually started to doze against his shoulder, he hadn't slept well the night before so Shikamaru wasn't surprised.
“Technically, not yet. There's paperwork to fill out before you’ll be one on paper, but you can still use the name even before all that goes through.” Naruto patted his head, smiling.
“Namikaze Urushi...” the boy mumbled, smiling to himself.
“I'm Namikaze Fu then, right?!” He'd stopped struggling, but was also being carried like a sack of rice under Naruto’s arm.
“Yeah, if you want.” The boy giggled, kicking his feet.
At home he found Minato scrambling to find their daughters, Shikaku had his head in his hands, the go board flipped over between himself and Yuki. He calmly walked into the dinning room and used his shadows to ease them out and carry them to the living room, nestling them and a now asleep Kabuto on the couch to nap.
“Staying for dinner?”
“I need to go lay down...” Minato rubbed his eyes, using his signature jutsu to return home, Shikaku shook his head no.
“Were having dinner with Yoshino's mom tonight.” He excused himself, Shikamaru smiled softly, knowing Yoshino would likely burst in soon to see the kids. She'd probably yell at him for not telling her sooner about them.
Naruto was already putting on an apron, so Shikamaru set about picking up. Wisps of shadows grabbed books and toys, carting them back to where they belonged. He froze when he realized Yuki and Nanami were staring at him wide eyed.
“How do you do that? ”
“Hmm? Uh... I'm mostly yokai...” he felt... nervous to tell them. Kids were usually scared of yokai stories, right? What if he was just freaking them out-!
“Cool! Show me how to do it!” Nanami pushed Yuki, who shoved her down.
“No, show me!”
“You can't learn it...”
Saito had only noticed how dark it had gotten when he heard the door. He'd gone looking for something to read and thought he'd found a library, two rooms on the second floor. They hadn't been forbidden from going anywhere yet...
He had found books on sealing and gotten curious. There was a very comfortable sitting area in the room next door, and he was too awkward around the men who were now technically his uncles. (He wasn't sure if Shikaku counted at all because there hadn't been any sort of blood test done to prove he and Inei were related, but the man looked like a Nara) Minato-sama was barely four years older than him, Shikaku was five, so he thought maybe he could be forgiven for feeling weird about it. It didn't help that they were both famous in their own right.
So he'd gone exploring and found this place. Haruki-san used a lot of sealing around them in the day they'd been at the house, and it had looked so interesting...
It was interesting. It was a bit loke a puzzle, figuring out the right words to use in what order to get the result you wanted. He'd found a handwritten journal three books in that he was very careful with- it must be Haruki's. If the first two books he'd found were interesting, this one kicked that up to eleven. It took the simple theory concepts he'd seen outlined in ‘Beginners Sealing’ and ‘Formulaic Funinjutsu’ and spun them on their heads. It encouraged him to ignore traditional structure for building a seal, the only important parts are where its energy was sourced and what it was meant to do.
He had gotten, perhaps, a bit too excited, and drew up his own seal on some of the paper he found in the room the books had come from. He just wanted to test it. Of course it didn't do anything. He couldn't use chakra. He sat staring at it. It was meant to consume the energy of the paper and create a small glowing orb, like a lantern. It would burn out quickly, and it wasn't meant to provide much light, but it was supposed to show that it worked easily.
He sat leaned over it wondering if he would get scolded for having come up here and made a mess.
Naturally he jumped a foot in the air when a large hand gingerly picked up the seal he'd made. He hadn't heard anyone enter .
“Ah! I’m so sorry-!” his hair was ruffled.
“You drew this?” The hand was still sat on his head, but he nodded, “Want to see if it works?” He was frozen, but looked away at that. He wasn't a shinobi. It would never work .
Then a soft light flared up, and he looked back. The paper curled in on itself, floating up out of Haruki's grasp and danced on an air currents by the ceiling, emanating a gentle warm light. The paper turned to less than dust after about thirty seconds but he was floored. It had worked?
“Now that was impressive. The first time I tried making my own seal it exploded.” Haruki was smiling, expression gentle as he stared at the spot it had been.
“Really?” The man snorted, nodding.
“Singed off one of my eyebrows. I thought Inei would never stop laughing at me.”
He couldn't believe it. He'd heard the rumors that this house had been raised with Funinjutsu, so how could the man who did that have burned off one of his eyebrows?
“I think you've got a knack for this.”
“It doesn't matter though. I can't use them.” He felt a bit silly having even done as much as he had.
“There are a lot of seals you don't want to activate right away, kiddo. Like explosive tags.” at that he felt along one eyebrow. The one that had to grow back he assumed. “I'm more than happy to teach you more if you want to learn.” He looked down at the journal, it's spine was cracked with age, then up at the man who had taken them all in with his husband. Didn't he have better things to do? But he was offering.
“Do you really think I can learn?”
“Yeah. Anyone can do anything with the right mindset.” Haruki pulled him up from his seat, “But I came up here to find you to tell you dinner was ready, so come on. Food isn't going to eat itself.”
He followed Haruki down, staring at his hand. There was a smudge of dried ink there. He'd made a seal that worked and that was proof staring him in the face. Could he really be like Haruki someday?
Chapter 59: A New Normal
Summary:
Itachi has something to think on. The kids start learning some self defense.
Notes:
Sorry it's been almost two weeks, I guess I was in a funk. I have a lot of energy for it today so I'm going to edit and put up a few more chapters, I'll try to get back on a weekly posting schedule, even if it's not a handful of chapters every time, or even remotely consistent.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Itachi was nervous to study with Saito. He was a lot older, and Itachi wasn't very good at Funinjutsu. His mother said he was doing very, very well, and his father was very proud of him, but he knew the truth.
He was bad at it.
He knew all the proper arrays, he'd perfected his brushwork, and he'd memorized the ten most common seals that all shinobi should know (according to sensei).
But sealing wasn't a science. It was an art. And Itachi was not so good at art. His sensei tested all of his seals he came up with to see how they worked, grading them on effectiveness, intention, and innovation. He wasn't expected to be a master, he'd only been learning for a few months, and most of that he hadn't been making seals.
He hadn't yet made a single original seal yet that didn't turn out a dud. Haruki sensei said it was okay. Sealing isn't for everyone, but Itachi could learn a few more complicated seals and they could switch focus to application rather than theory and creation.
It would still be extremely useful but if he didn't improve at creation he would never reach the master level. He'd never been frustrated like this before. It didn't matter how hard he worked either, he just couldn't make any new seals, nor improve on existing ones.
He didn't even need to make an extremely useful or powerful seal of his own, even if he could make one that could retain heat or cold in a creative new way that would make him feel better.
He was... jealous when Saito drew up his light orb seal. It even worked the first try . Itachi recreated it perfectly, but it wasn't the same. His characters were messy, and he didn't always apply the arrays needed well, but he'd yet to make a dud.
Saito left near the end of the lesson and Itachi remained pouting.
“What's wrong, chib?” He tugged on the fabric of his shirt where it rested over his stomach, mumbling. “Little louder if you can?”
“It's not fair.” He sniffled, “Saito-san is so much better than me. He just started.”
“He is older than you.” Itachi shook his head.
“But I'm going to be a shinobi. He can't use chakra. So why is he so good at it?”
“... being a shinobi isn't everything. Saito just thinks differently than you do, and that's okay. Besides, your only three-!”
“Almost four.”
“Almost four.” He amended, “You have your whole life to get better if you want to. Even if you don't want to, just because he has an easier time doesn't make the effort you put in worth any less.”
He hadn’t thought about it like that.
“What if I never get better?”
“That's okay too. You won't be good at everything , the important thing is to try your best and to do what you like. Even if it's something you're bad at.”
Do what he liked, even if he wasn't good at it? He didn't like sealing a lot, but he didn't hate it. What did he enjoy?
“What if I don't know what I like?”
“You'll figure it out. Just try a lot of new things whenever you can.” Itachi nodded. Try lots of new things. He could do that.
“You're mom just came through the gate, let's get your stuff packed up for today.”
He had a lot to think about. Do what you like. Even if you aren't good at it.
“Show us how to spear fight!”
“Yeah!” Shikamaru had been helping Jun with one of the large piece puzzles they'd gotten for the younger children, overhearing the twins follow Naruto around and bother him.
“Why do you want to learn?”
“I want arms like tree trunks!” Nanami hadn't been this loud... ever. Maybe she had finally gotten comfortable. They'd had a few days to settle in and most of the younger children were adjusting more quickly than expected, the older kids, save Saito who was busy studying constantly now were still guarded. He didn't hold that against them.
“I wanna do that cool spin thing Yosaku said you did when fighting at the arena!” Nao was following his sister's lead.
He glanced over and found Yuki was listening closely. The kid was a bit odd, he believed they were nonbinary, but he hadn't asked beyond what they liked being referred to with. It wasn't his business, so long as Yuki was happy and had a high quality of life he didn't think it mattered.
“Do you want to learn too, Yuki?” They hesitated before putting their book down and going to bother Naruto too.
Shikamaru relaxed a bit when he heard them by the door, getting coats on, and then after few minutes he heard the sound of wooden poles striking one another and the three children were soon shouting and laughing.
Almost an hour later he had to call them in or they'd be out all day.
Both Shin and Mei had had a long day while the older kids were out learning a little bit about spears with wooden rods- the two had been racing one another, both were starting to pull up along furniture, but Mei had managed two steps toward him that morning before falling (she hadn't cried and gone right back to trying though she didn't make it much further), and Shin had gotten four, before he got scared and stopped moving, crying until Shikamaru rescued him.
Uhari was grabbing things now, mostly Shikamaru’s hair- she liked it when he'd let her chubby hands phase through his hair. She was also starting to make little cooing noises. The book's he'd been reading on child development implied that everything was normal so far with the youngest three, and anything a bit odd with Jun he had to chalk up to her not having adjusted fully- nothing too out of the ordinary but he'd keep a close eye on her.
The house would feel less crowded starting next week, as they'd arranged for their school age children to go to a remedial school starting Monday. It would teach mathematics, history, geography, and literature, four hours a day, four days a week. They provided an education certificate if the student could pass tests based on what was taught, and that certificate could be used to skip higher education entrance exams, at least within Fire Country.
Saito was too old to start given the average graduation age was seventeen, but Momo, Himari, Chiyo, the twins, Yuki, and Yosaku were going to start, but there were concerns about Momo and Himari starting as late as they were.
Saito had been learning how to make seals, so at the very least he might find a future career making explosive tags, which were always in high demand. He'd have job security at least. Maybe the girls would be interested in learning it too... or they could take a few years to prepare before taking the entrance exams for medicine, chemistry, law, or banking. If they didn't want to go that rout there were plenty of respectable manual labor jobs too. Construction, renovation, repairs, and if they wanted to apprentice there were even more options. Glass blowing, smithy, tile making, weaving... somehow he knew they wouldn't enjoy any of those options.
This was all but confirmed as the next day Momo and Himari had joined the group in the yard.
Mercenary work paid well, and jutsu wasn't really needed for it...
At least the kids were getting out every day...
Notes:
While I was in my weird funk this fic surpassed the collective number of kudos I'd gotten from my two other (abandoned) fic's I'd posted years ago when I had been in high school. I just thought that was kind of neat.
Also thank you to everyone who's left a comment so far, they really mean a lot to me and reading them instantly makes my day 1000x better.
Chapter 60: Paranoia
Summary:
They entertain some guests, murder is heavily contemplated, and Sarutobi is spiraling.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Hizashi and Aimi came over the night before the kids started at their new school.
Aimi loved Uhari. She made the comment she hoped she had a girl, but if things played out as they had before she would have Neji, who was a cisgender boy, but there was no way to tell her that unless he leaned into yokai mysticism. He didn't want to do that.
Hizashi found himself swarmed with the now spear obsessed kids wanting to know about taijutsu. Shikamaru couldn't save him, however, so he politely ignored him as his wife fawned over the younger children.
Yugure was more interested in the food than answering any of the questions Hizashi had, since she had memories of being a yokai. She was probably able to answer some of his more existential questions, if Shikamaru wanted he could probably do some poking around himself, but that sounded like a lot of work. From what he understood yokai could enter the eternal lands but not for long...
He really didn't want to do that. A trip to the afterlife was way too much. He was still getting used to the unusual anatomy and feeling through shadows, even a short visit to see his dead relatives who'd yet to reincarnate? No. No way.
“Um...d-dad?” He snapped to attention, Kabuto looked nervous. He was the first of their recently adopted children to call either of them that. Even affectionate little Fu hadn't yet. He motioned for Shikamaru to come closer. Once leaned in he whispered, “It's too spicy.”
“Do you want to eat something else?” He nodded. “Yugure, can you help Kabuto?” She stood on her chair to grab his bowl.
“Everything okay?” Naruto had been trying to get the twins to stop fighting over who had more curry.
“It's too spicy.” Urushi was eating his, face a bit pink. “Kabuto's a baby about spice.”
“Am not.” The boy was pouting now.
“It's alright, next time I'll make some that's less spicy... wait, Shika, get out of the kitchen, you're a terrible cook-!”
Hizashi and his wife left, Shikamaru worried they thought that their family was... dysfunctional. Kakashi had come home in the middle of dinner after a mission ran late and had accidentally set one of Saito's practice seals on fire, and Megumi had gotten upset over... something Nao did and had spit onto his plate. They'd need to talk to her about that. And maybe Nao who was unable to finish eating and had run with Nanami at his heels down to their rooms crying.
He hadn't had siblings, so he wasn't sure where the line was- Naruto wasn't any help either. The closest person they knew that had siblings and a normal relationship with them was Kiba, and Kiba wasn't exactly normal... so it was hard to base these things off of any real world examples. The child rearing books weren't as insightful as the authors seemed to think.
No chapter covered the kids' behaviors to the level they were seeing them at. Tsunade had seemed upset to find out they'd actually emptied the orphanage when he'd dipped between shadows to make a quick trip to the hospital to make checkup appointments for the kids, so he was doubtful she would be sympathetic to the situation. She'd help, of course, even if it was just finding a councilor for the kids, but she'd have an attitude the whole time.
She didn't say she was upset, but he knew when she wanted to kill him, he'd worked closely with her enough in his past to know when to flee.
Oddly enough Orochimaru did want to talk to him. He'd been going over a number of the procedural papers Shikamaru had been asked and somewhat forced into writing. He was... far more bearable than Shikamaru was expecting given the atrocities he would have committed before. Shikamaru wanted to keep an eye on him so he agreed to meet up occasionally to talk shop, because Shikamaru was a medical guy now...
It was better than being a strategist. Even though he technically cheated to get to this point. Then again, by slowly releasing his future medical knowledge they could progress that much faster as understanding of medicine and the human body could be shoved even further forward as a stepping stone to more brilliant and actually interested healers.
This isn't where he expected his life to be at almost thirty. The last year alone felt like he'd condensed five into it. It was probably for the best. At this rate he might be able to transfer into the medical research division and coast through his mandatory five years of service at the hospital. It would be steady low risk work close to home so he could spend more time with the kids.
They'd need a revenue kick before too long but Naruto could always sell information, the fox network was still aggregating info every day, or sell pre-made seals for a high price. There wasn't anything stopping Shinobi from having additional revenue sources so long as they were transparent... maybe wait for Minato to take office before disclosing the fox information network...
They should probably keep an eye on that situation too, Sarutobi wasn't pleased with any of their actions, and Danzo was probably ‘raising concerns’ as a village elder about their adopting so many children after living in the village for such a short period.
He could just kill Danzo. It wouldn't be that hard. ROOT was dimly lit, he knew it's rough location, he'd just need Naruto to make something to cancel out his death trigger seals. He could do it tonight even-
“Um... Inei? I... I ran out of pads .” Chiyo had snuck into the kitchen, to the sink where he was washing dishes while contemplating a capitol offense.
“Can you borrow some from Momo, or Himari?” she shook her head. “Alright. Do you want me to take you to get them, or should I just pick some up?”
“Can you just get them?” she kind of reminded him of Ino. Usually loud, a bit cocky, but she would get so flustered even when talking with someone she trusted or was comfortable with about personal things. The first time Ino had asked him to run to her house and ask her mom for tampons for her during training she had practically been crying, but by the third time she had thrown a few coins at him and told him to just buy the kind she used from the store himself. Choji used to get a bit embarrassed by the errand, but Shikamaru didn't care- they were obviously not his after all. He thankfully hadn't zoned out while reminiscing, drying his hands on a towel and giving her his full attention.
“Yeah, do you still have the box they came in?” at her nod he had her go grab it. He had needed to pick up more formula for Uhari, there was a market open late not too far away, and moving through the shadows made it a fast trip.
When he got back she promised to add them to the next list if she was low.
Shikamaru knew they had teenagers living under their roof, obviously, but it was the first time it felt like he was actually responsible for one of them. He had been mostly self sufficient by her age simply because he was already a Chunin, but he didn't want his kids to feel rushed into growing up like he had. It had messed both himself, and Naruto up having to be adults from such a young age forward, and he really wasn't bothered being relied on. It made him a bit guilty, he was too focused on the younger kids, but they needed a lot of attention, he should spend more time with their older children. It was just... difficult, there were so many kids running around to keep track of, constantly in a flux of needing his attention right now and being too embarrassed to ask for help when they could use it. He felt like maybe he didn't have enough hands some times.
Maybe he should consider it more before killing Danzo. At least make the plan watertight- Naruto couldn't handle their family alone.
It was a series of impossible moral arguments that left Sarutobi unable to do anything in this situation.
He couldn't take the yokai child out of the house- Shikaku had gone behind his back and moved forward with getting the Namikaze’s made into a clan. Once a family became a clan, it was nearly impossible to remove the title, which came with it's own laundry list of problems. The yokai child was now a clan child, and children of clan's were among the most protected classes in the village, especially clan heirs . She was the only child of the eldest Namikaze brother, which automatically made her the heir of the clan unless otherwise specified. He may have been able to argue that she wasn't his daughter, a blood test would need to be run, and he had a few options where he may have been able to remove the girl- but within forty eight hours while he was dealing with the fallout of Tsunade taking Tenzo and Orochimaru walking from ROOT, Inei had married into the newly made clan. By extension the yokai child was also added to the clan roster by marriage, which rendered the blood test unnecessary.
Given how many witnessed the yokai child's... birth... there was no denying that Inei was her- mentally he used the word mother, but that felt wrong- parent. What was worse was that he couldn't take her now without approval from the clan council. Which they would never allow.
If they did it would be like saying the village government could readily involve themselves in clan business, which no major clan would ever let happen. Not the Uchiha, who worked closely with the village government, and certainly not the Hyuga who did everything in their power to make it harder for the government to even look their way.
Haruki and Inei had also set themselves up with close ties to the Nara family, obviously, but also the Senju clan which was newly reinstated, the unseated Hatake clan which couldn't vote but still held enough sway and certainly enough capital to buy the vote of a less wealthy clan, say the extremely small Lee clan who were rabid to gain more power. They'd have the Yamanaka clan's support just by virtue of their ties to the Nara clan, and even if they weren't, the Akamichi clan would never allow the village to remove a child from a stable household.
Even if that was something he could get around there was an even more concerning problem.
Inei wasn't human anymore. They knew that they didn't have accurate information on their abilities before, given their performance during the war, but whatever assessment had been updated was useless now. If the child was removed, especially in secret, what would Inei do to get her back?
Haruki wouldn't let them take the child either, and who knew how Minato would behave if his niece- for use of a better word- was suddenly gone.
Tsunade liked the girl, she wouldn't stand by either- Orochimaru had repaired his relationship with her by this point and would stand with whatever choice she made, and given how Jiraiya had been acting since the confrontation about the fox he couldn't be sure that he'd do as he was ordered. He'd been unusually distant from Hiruzen, and had been spending a lot of time with Minato and Kushina, or out of the village beyond contact.
Maybe he could let it go. But Danzo wouldn't. Danzo had mentioned a pet project, but that had been scrapped when he lost Orochimaru. He had also been furious to learn of the downsizing of the Konoha Orphanage.
The orphanage had always been difficult to fund. It received the bare minimum, but even that funding was being slashed because of the war. It would have been a relief if anyone else had taken in the orphans, but it had been the Namikaze clan, and he couldn't step in to remove the children now that they'd been placed. He could at best make it impossible to do so again in the future, but he couldn't remove the children from the protective custody of the clan without clear proof of severe (be it emotional or physical) abuse, a written statement of witness from a citizen of good standing, and no less than three home visits where the home proved itself to display concerning behavior or environmental factors.
Doing so for every child would be too difficult.
He could make the case they were interfering with ANBU assignments. They could turn it around and make a case that ANBU was overstepping and illegally surveying the clan without due cause. That didn't even cover the ROOT operatives that Danzo had been trying to send out to break and enter. They had gone missing for almost a full day and then been spat out of a dark corner within the headquarters of ANBU. He was tempted to disband ROOT at this point just to avoid pissing the Namikaze off further. It was already embarrassing enough how much he'd underestimated them.
He should have realized it back during their evaluations- no, even back after they first came and Madara's identity was confirmed.
He had willingly gone along with the mistaken belief that Madara must have gotten weak over the decades he was in hiding, but he had still been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the first hokagenin his prime, he couldn't have weakened that much. The report had been clear- they'd slaughtered him with almost no resistance. Even if it had been an ambush, they shouldn't have walked away unscathed. He had been a fool.
He had backed himself into this corner, taking everything they said and did at face value. The two had been wanderers looking for a place to settle, or so he had thought- they were monsters on the run. Some sort of Biju-human hybrid, and a man with the abilities of a malevolent spirit. He had been glad to have them.
They had been cards to play in the war, he hoped they'd shorten it and lead to an unquestionable victory- they had. It was impossible to know how many lives they had saved with their actions. They had proven themselves as too powerful for him to bring to heel. He doubted if even the sannin combined could take the pair out, but the thought made him nauseous.
He was uncertain of their intentions for the village. If it really was as simple as just settling down and raising a few children maybe he could afford to relax, but that couldn't be right. They had to be up to something, adopting children that couldn't use jutsu at all was unheard of for a shinobi couple, so why had they done so? And not just one or two children, but eleven. Not even mentioning whatever they'd done for Kakashi to suddenly take roost with them.
He was loosing control of the situation, and with peace talks on the horizon he'd recently learned people were expecting him to announce his successor and help them through the accords, rather than wait until they had finished.
But he was now unsure of Minato was a good choice, and Orochimaru was acting out of character himself. He didn't have time to choose a new candidate, not one that would be accepted. With the rising admiration for Haruki and Inei, Minato had gained even more popularity by simply being related to them.
The people of the village wanted Minato. They didn't want to wait either. It hadn’t reached that point yet, but if things continued down this path, a combined vote from the Civilian and Clan Councils could unseat him if citizen unrest could reasonably suggest Hiruzen was unfit for the office of Hokage. The bylaw was in place to prevent a sitting Hokage from committing acts of tyranny.
Haruki had already demonstrated an alarmingly deep understanding of village laws, and if pressure continued to be put on the Namikaze clan there was a real chance they'd do what they could to remove him. The seat of Hokage would be passed to the most fitting Hokage candidate- which could be contested by the elders, but ultimately the vote if multiple candidates existed would be between the two councils. Minato would sweep the civilian vote, and with the backing of the Namikaze, Nara, Akimichi, and Inuzuka clans smaller less influential clans would follow their lead. The only clans he couldn't be certain of the vote of would be the Aburame and Hyuga clans.
This was of course, the worst case scenario. It wasn't yet to that point, but the fact that it wasn't out of the question...
Notes:
I both love and hate they never go over most village laws or systems in the manga, I know why. It's because most people would get board. But I WANT to know.
I like it because I can make up my own and, much the same with my love of architecture in fiction, I love making up increasingly tricky and flushed out laws because it makes the world feel more... whole.
Chapter 61: He Needed Enrichment, the War Crimes Happened Because He Was Bored
Summary:
Orochimaru, stepping off the path to treason, finds the grass really was, in fact, greener on the other side.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Orochimaru was enjoying his new work. It was radically different than with ROOT, for one thing there were so many people around. He had felt stunted and awkward at first, but then he and Tsunade had sat down and put together a team of shinobi and civilian doctors to assist in their study of Hime's grandfather's cells.
It had been shockingly easy to get along with his new team. They were all incredibly bright, well informed, and eager to follow up on all of his tests, proposing their own he never would have considered running. His team also worried about him, several had taken to packing him lunches on a rotating schedule, as he forgot to eat on occasion, and pushed him out of the lab gently when they thought he'd gone too long without resting. It was.... an adjustment to have someone other than Tsunade or Jiraiya care about him. Especially given he wasn't going out of his way to be particularly social with them.
There was also all the sunlight. He was terrible in the cold, and ROOT was both cold and dark, but the new lab at the hospital was warm and bright. He found himself going outside far more often- not just when Tsuande and Jiraiya (he was coming back to the village more and more often, at least when he was back he was making a concentrated effort to make sure Orochimaru knew, spending less time out wandering as if just to check on Orochimaru) dragged him out to eat or drink together.
He was also finding himself surrounded by kids. Hime had adopted Tenzo, who didn't really remember him well, but was somewhat comforted by even a slightly familiar face and thus followed him about like a duckling whenever they saw one another. Then there was Shizune, who he'd known since she was little, and Shizune's girlfriend Rin. Shizune had asked him for dating advice because she wasn't dating Rin yet (Apparently.) and Tsunade didn't understand. (Why Shizune thought he would have any decent advice, he had no clue. He had spent the last four years in what amounted to a basement hyper focused on obscure jutsu.)
Rin was nice, he knew her father, but he wasn't sure why the girl kept following him around the hospital, even when Shizune was nowhere in sight.
Or he hadn't known until she started asking him about the things Shizune liked.
“You're kind of her uncle, right?”
He didn't want to touch that with a ten foot pole.
When not occupied with the Senju Cells, as they'd been dubbed, evading Tenzo's need for hugs, and trying to escape the two pinning teenage girls who were somehow unable to see their feelings for each other were requited-
“Orochimaru, we're here because Fu needs his shots.”
-he was observing Inei.
“It's okay! I don't need shots.” He was noting down unusual heart rate and blood pressure to form an average, for the purpose of understanding how yokai with physical bodies functioned. He was lucky Inei had taken in so many children as it opened up an excuse to rerun panels on him frequently. His particular interest was in how Inei manipulated chakra. He was still able to use jutsu, but he was bypassing the need for structured hand signs now, which suggested that he had a deeper more nuanced ability to control the flow of chakra in his own body and around it than he would have while human.
“I'm almost finished.”
Even more interesting, after two weeks he'd finally gotten back the DNA results from the blood sample. Inei didn't have DNA anymore. They had tested it over eight times. Haruki had managed to find hairs with the follicle in tact from prior to the change in a hairbrush, and the tests from those were used to prove familial relation to Yugure, but also showed his DNA had rapidly been degrading. Summons, he found when tested, also lacked DNA, but that suggested they had some other means of passing on their genetics and maintaining the physical building blocks of their bodies.
Orochimaru wanted to learn what that was.
Yugure also gave him a clue to that- she wasn't born from typical means, there was no egg or sperm in her hypothetical conception, yet given the results of her DNA test, she was without a doubt biologically Haruki's daughter.
That suggested that the chakra itself could convey genetic information.
But he had no idea how to even start testing that theory.
“That was the last one for today. I'll get his vaccines.”
“Thank you.”
“ Daddy, I don't want to get shots-! ” he left the room to collect them, mind buzzing.
This was without considering how Haruki's genetics were altered by the kyuubi. He was curious to see what Yugure's growth would look like given her unusual combination of genetics he could observe, and who knew how many he couldn't.
He was so glad to have left ROOT, he never would have gotten this type of opportunity in that basement.
Notes:
Similar to octopi, if Orchimaru gets too bored he'll kill (others) himself.
(Octopus will climb out of their tanks if they get board, but not be able to find their way back.)
This wet pathetic snake man just needed a treat puzzle and one of those maze feeders, maybe a hamster wheel. It will still be a while before our boys are certain that he isn't going to perform human experiments but he's got a new hyper fixation so he should be okay for a while.
Chapter 62: School, and Bachelor Parties
Summary:
Nao is feeling a bit down. Shikaku is more than ready to get married already.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“I hate school.” Nao was dragging his feet, Nanami was running ahead of him, she'd been making a lot of friends.
“We gotta go. This is for our future.” Chiyo punched his shoulder lightly. “Not everyone can be like Saito.”
He pouted. Saito didn't have to go to school. Saito got to stay at home and learn how to make cool seals all day. Nao wanted to do that too !
He might be good at it too, after all, he should get to try. Their new dad hadn't been impressed by his flawless reasoning. He had told Nao he should focus on his education, and that if he wanted to learn sealing it would have to be during his free time- but he was really busy learning how to use the spear with their new papa already.
They'd been living in the Namikaze Clan compound for almost a full month. Nao had his own bedroom, and lots of new clothes and games, his sister did too- he had a lot of sisters technically, but right now he meant Nanami- and plenty of tasty food to eat. He could take baths, have snacks, and play as much as he wanted.
His new father's were very patient, and they almost never got upset about anything... well not never . Kabuto had told him that he heard their new dad yell at a teacher for being rude at his school. He'd never met an adult who got mad at a teacher because they said he was dumb before. His own teacher had implied he wasn't doing as well as Nanami since he wasn't making any new friends, but it was really hard to talk to people. His new papa had said he'd grow out of it, and even if he didn't that didn't mean there was anything wrong with him.
He had just been frustrated. The minute someone knew he was one of the Namikaze kids, they had tons of questions, but none were ever about him . He wasn't really special, but it was better not to have anyone to talk to then have people around that just wanted you to talk about your dads and didn't care about you at all. He kicked a rock on the road. Just because he couldn't be didn't mean he didn't want to be special.
He really did.
He had never felt so safe, but been so... isolated before. Saito was good at making seals, and Momo and Himari were way better at spear practice then he'd ever be- Nanami was really popular, Yosaku was too... Yuki was learning hand to hand combat now, he'd already reached a limit to how much he could use the wooden spears. Then there were his brothers and sister who were at the academy. He was just disappointed, wanting to be like them more than anything.
The little kids needed a lot of attention too. He felt a bit selfish for being unhappy, but he couldn't help it. He was only eleven after all.
“What do you want to do after school?” Yosaku bumped his shoulder and he blinked.
“I'm gonna practice my stances again... maybe I can ask Saito to show me a few seals so I can practice those...”
“Oh... I was hoping you'd want to come with me to watch the academy kids- they're doing outside practice today.”
“... no.” He didn't want to see his younger siblings do things he couldn't even dream of, “Maybe Yuki will want to go with you.”
They were almost at school. He steeled himself. He could do it, just another day.
Shikaku would strangle Inoichi if the guy assured him it wasn't 'just another day'. He was getting married tomorrow. It was the most important day in his life thus far, because he would finally be marrying Yoshino. It was important to him. Beside him, Inei is calmly sipping a beer and listening to him complain about his bone head friend. He loved the guy, but he didn't get it. He'd only been dating Suzuki for a month. Not even. He didn't have a single clue how much this whole thing meant to Shikaku.
He had felt stupid being excited for his wedding up until Inei had told him he thought it was sweet. His brother was really the only person who understood- Shikaku had helped Yoshino plan everything. She had final say, it would be more her day than his and he didn't have any issues with that, but he had been happy to give his thoughts and suggestions to her. Planning the wedding had brought them so much closer together and he wanted everything to be perfect.
So sue him for not being interested in the almost painful bachelor party Inoichi and Choza had thrown him. Thankfully someone had managed to talk Inoichi down from actually hiring a stripper, but it didn't make things...less of a drag.
He wasn't overwhelmed by the knowledge he'd never go out drinking with his friends as an unmarried man again.He'd been with Yoshino for years after all, he'd proposed to her two years back, but the war had kept their wedding date getting pushed back until she put her foot down. Yoshino wanted to get married. She wanted to settle down. Yoshino wanted two kids, he knew, a boy and a girl. They could have started on that early but Yoshino wanted to have the wedding before the kids, so they'd been rigorous about protection- again he didn't mind, he hadn't been ready to have kids up until recently anyway.
But then he'd held Yugure and she was just... a little Nara. He'd come around to the idea already but to know that was in his future... He was ready.
He wanted to come home to Yoshino and a little baby that looked like them.
So the idea that they were in equal parts celebrating his upcoming nuptials and also mourning the loss of his 'freedom'...
"Is it bad I want to go home and call it an early night?" He deadpanned, watching as Choza strong armed Minato to the rail, the two began to whisper conspiratorially, and Inoichi- drunk, great, he was supposed to be his best man- hoped over like a school kid to join them.
"I don't blame you. This is-"
"Painful.""-painful." They spoke together, both snorting.
"What a drag..."
He wanted to tell Inei off for laughing when he was presented with the most foul, alcoholic drink he'd ever seen, but as usual he was given big doe eyes and grumbled. Choza called it 'The Gut Destroyer'.
His friends all seemed completely smashed, save Inei who had nursed a single beer for the entire night and been observing the last few hours rather than ordering something else. He was tempted to make Inei help him discretely dump the massive mug of... things.
He wanted to go home, get a good nights sleep, and have tomorrow go perfectly.
The Gut Destroyer was ultimately 'accidentally' elbowed onto the ground. It wasn't until the next morning, putting their dress clothes on and making sure nothing was wrong he found out that the drink they'd put together contained milk, soji, beer, grain alcohol, pickled radish juice, and an entire handful of bar peanuts at the bottom. He was glad he hadn't tried it.
He would give them a talking to later, however. He was about to marry the love of his life, so he'd spare their miserable hides for now. As a wedding gift.
Notes:
I know it's skipping around a little right now. We're at a point where I'm juggling the concussion to a few side stories while introducing more, so it can be a little jumbled, I'm also getting ready for chapter 69, which means I'm altering the pacing a bit to find a good place to put it in without it feeling... weird or out of place.
Chapter 63: Maybe He Did Have Mystical Yokai Instincts
Summary:
Shikamaru gives, accidentally, the best wedding gift. Naruto and the kids got to write their names on the card.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru was second guessing the wedding gift he had gotten for his parents. He had felt drawn to it, but it seemed a bit strange now that he was looking at it.
It was a jade bangle, there were flowers carved along the outside of it, and it wasn't especially large. Just a white and light green veined, jade bangle. His mother had owned a very similar one in his last life, and she would wear it to special events- or he remembered her doing so until his maternal grandmother's passing when the bangle vanished. He thought his grandmother was buried with it.
It had been one of her few pieces of jewelry- she didn't really like it, and excluding her wedding ring and a few pairs of earrings it had been the only piece she had. It wasn't the same one, but the resemblance was nostalgic. It had caught his eye when he'd been out with Himari, who had wanted new studs for her ears.
Now it was boxed up, wrapped, with a tag declaring it as their family's gift to the happy new couple.
It was a nontraditional wedding. Yugure and Jun were both allowed to be flower girls. Kakashi had come, their other children had been offered the opportunity, but only Kabuto and Fu had also wanted to come. The older and younger children were at home with a few of Naruto's shadow clones.
His mother was beautiful in her wedding dress, he got to see his father tear up at the sight of her. He had to wait nearby to collect his daughters, who clung to his legs as he walked them back toward their seats. He clapped with everyone else at the end of their vows when they kissed, Naruto may have subtly wiped a tear or two away from his eyes.
At the reception that followed, he listened to his fathers friends give embarrassing speeches, his mothers sister- she was a spinster aunt who had spoiled him when he was very young before her death from an accident when he was eight- did much the same.
It was a Nara tradition to open one wedding gift during the reception, regardless of the type of wedding. The gift was supposed to represent the kind of marriage a couple would enjoy. In his last life that gift had been a set of sturdy sheets from Choza, who used to make dirty jokes about it that Shikamaru didn't get until he was older. His grandparents had apparently opened a tea set, but the teapot had been cracked, it leaked. His paternal great uncles would swear that that was the reason his grandfather was unfaithful.
So he was surprised to see the little box he had placed their gift in on the table. It had been chosen at random it seemed. By that point in the reception all five of their present children were getting tired, Jun was actually asleep against Naruto's chest, while Kabuto and Fu were cuddled up on a chair together, Kakashi actually had a hand on Kabuto to keep them from falling out of the chair. Yugure distracted him for a moment, crawling onto his lap, and when he looked up the box was now open and he was alarmed to see his mother was weeping.
He saw his father surreptitiously check the gift tag, asking her something he couldn't hear over the murmuring of the party.
“Inei?” He looked to Naruto when he was beckoned up, but shrugged, carrying a dozing Yugure on his hip to the head table. “Where'd you find this?”
“A jewelry store just outside of the market plaza... is everything okay?” He was alarmed as his mother got up, still crying, and ran around the table to hug him tightly.
Her mother had come over and looked at it, putting a hand over her mouth she also began crying.
It took several minutes for the women to calm down enough to explain that the bangle was, without a doubt, one that had been in the family up until it had had to be sold to pay for his late maternal grandfather's medical treatments- their family had been wealthy but after the second war they had been on hard times. The person they'd sold it to had not held onto it as promised, as a year or so later when they'd made the money to buy it back it had already been sold with no way of finding out who to.
It was a family heirloom, irreplaceable and completely unique. He found himself being swamped with hugs by all of his female relatives, and then extended family of his mother who knew just how much it meant. The bangle had been passed down from mother to eldest daughter on her wedding day. There was no way he could have known, of course. In his last life his father had likely commissioned or found a bangle similar to the one his mother had described from her childhood, but it wasn't the same. His grandmother's mind went on her a year or so before her passing, he remembered how his mother always wore it around her, she used to touch it and tell his mother she looked beautiful.
She had been confused and must have thought it was the heirloom and not a replacement. No wonder his mother stopped wearing it after her mother died.
“How did you know?” Yoshino had mostly stopped crying, drying her eyes.
“I didn't. It just... felt like you.” And that was true. He hadn’t even spotted it from the corner of his eye- he'd just suddenly felt something familiar and looked for the source.
He was given another round of hugs before he was allowed to take Yugure back to their table, she had woken up and started hugging everyone at some point but she was still half asleep. His senses had become so strong after he became a yokai... was that why he even noticed it?
As far as items went in predicting how a marriage might go, the bride's family heirloom long thought lost returning to her might make it seem like destiny. He was just glad he wouldn't spend the next twenty to fifty years listening to Choza make the same marital bed jokes.
He was just happy that it found its way back to his mothers family so his grandmother could get closure. He didn't really remember her too much but she had always spoiled him, as had his aunt, Yori, and it warmed his heart to know even if it was small, he had an important connection with his mothers family now. He had missed them.
Notes:
To preserve this one chapter at it's intended length, the next five are all going to be longer than other chapter's I've put up. They're all related and it shouldn't affect my narrative flow, but I usually add more to chapters during the editing process so we'll see just how bloated they get.
Chapter 64: Drop Out
Summary:
He's enjoying the newfound freedom after leaving ROOT. A precocious child points out he's already signed himself up for more work.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Mr. Orochimaru?” He had been doing an actual checkup on the latest child brought in by Inei, Kabuto. The boy excitedly told him he wanted to be a nurse when he grew up upon first meeting him, and had asked him a few surprisingly well formed questions about medicine that he actually couldn't answer given it was outside of his specialty. He was only allowed to run through basic check ups because he couldn't mess them up, according to Hime...
“Yes?”
“Minato-oji said you might become Hokage.” he hummed, “But if you do who's gonna treat Fu when he cracks his tooth again?”
He had helped fix the boy's tooth- the boy in question, Fu, was extremely accident prone. He was fine at home but apparently got nervous being watched by his peers at school, and been brought in for the cracked tooth, a sprained ankle, a sprained toe , and a second degree burn from knocking into a teacher who was carrying their tea. Fu was just as accident prone at the hospital and other places however- when asked Inei had rather cryptically told him his husband had put a seal down to help with that on the clan grounds, not specifying what exactly it did.
Fu had had a growth spurt and he was having more trouble than most children adjusting to it. Jiraiya had been the same though...
“There are others who are far more qualified.” He warned the boy about how cold the stethoscope would be. He tried not to flinch.
“Papa says it's just paperwork all day long.” Orochimaru wanted to point out a lot of jobs in the village were just paperwork. “If you're doing so much paperwork when do you get to have fun?”
“Entertainment isn't important.” he listened to the boys heart, nothing unusual observed he moved to check his lungs. “Becoming Hokage is a very prestigious accomplishment.”
“What if you don't like it?”
“What isn't to like?” There was power with the title, and he could lead reform in the village that would help those he cared for most.
“Sounds boring.” the boy kicked his feet, “Also you wouldn't get to play doctor on daddy anymore.” He was extremely grateful to be alone in the room with the boy- the implications of him ‘ playing doctor ’ would likely cause issues if anyone else had heard. Also Haruki seemed the type of brute to punch first and ask later, and he didn't want to get hit. His studying of Inei was assuredly nonsexual. But the hospital is full of the worst sort of gossips.
“I would have the time I needed to pursue some of my interests.”
Kabuto frowned at him but began to ask about his vaccines- Haruki and Inei had found the pamphlets on them so he could read them and he had questions related to ingredients apparently.
But now that he was thinking about it, would he have enough time? He could always delegate tasks, even from the office in the tower but... He may have to pick and choose his projects. He couldn't trust anyone else with his findings on Inei yet, there were also the exhaustive physical evaluations he was going over for Haruki’s unique condition as well- and those were his personal projects. Who would replace him on the Senju Cell project? There were other projects he wanted to look into now that he had so much more to go through, and meticulously observing a former yokai grow from child to adult wasn't exactly a task he could put just anyone on.
His findings could revolutionize their understanding and use of chakra. The key to longer lifespans was somewhere within the mess of bijuu chakra and yokai energy, and mokuton cells that were all within his reach to study-
In the face of that, was the Hokage office even worth it?
Minato was pacing. He and Orochimaru were both summoned to the tower to talk to Lord Third. Peace talks would officially begin in April, and he was well aware of the public pressure to learn who would be taking the hat. A year ago when he'd been announced as a candidate he'd been baking under the glare of one of the sannin, now Orochimaru was apologizing for being late, still having his nose buried in some sort of scroll. He'd heard Inei complain about being poked and prodded every time he entered the hospital, but it sounded like it was for the greater good...
He was expecting to be passed over, and six months ago even, he knew Orochimaru would have been gloating when it happened. Now he just got the impression that the man wasn’t even thinking about their rivalry for the seat of Hokage- he looked as if he'd rather leave if Minato was honest.
When they're allowed in he's certain. This is the moment. He did his best, but he refuses to treat his brother unfairly, if that means he can't be hokage then he'll just have to accept it.
“I'm sure you both know why you’ve been called here today.” He's lighting up his pipe. This will be a long one then.
“Actually sensei, before you begin may I say something?” Orochimaru cut him off. He's a bit shocked himself, he hadn't heard the sannin call Lord Third sensei in years .
“If it's urgent.”
“I would prefer not to waste time. I'm rescinding my candidacy for Hokage.” He heard Sarutobi choke on his tobacco at that. He felt a bit like he'd been sucker-punched himself. Now ?! Right now? At the finish line?! “I have come to realize the work I'm doing now will benefit the village more in the long term than a position I only chased for my pride.” Here he turned and clapped one of his slightly cold, clammy hands onto Minato's shoulder. “Congratulations, Minato-kun. Please increase the hospital budget once you're in office.”
Sarutobi was still coughing when Orochimaru quietly excused himself, stating he had to get back to work.
“Are you okay, Lord Third?” He couldn't help it, asking stupidly as the man finally started to get his breathing back to normal.
“I'll be fine.”
“Does that mean... I'm going to be the fourth hokage?” he was so confused. What the hell was that?!
“I had planned to announce you as my successor regardless but, yes, it would appear so.”
He was sure he'd be happy, excited, nervous, all the emotions he should be later. Once the shock had worn off. He barely listened as he was informed the change of power would begin in a week. There was paperwork, and he had to get up to speed on the plan for peace talks with the other villages, Kumogakure had demanded to be first with them, so a delegation would arrive from Lightening in two weeks. From missives sent between Kage, the other villages wanted a longstanding promise to decommission the shinobi who had eaten half of Iwagakure's army in what they had started calling ‘Blood Night’. He should probably talk to Inei about what actually happened, as he swore he hadn't killed that many during the fight. Nevertheless there were nearly one hundred and twenty shinobi missing that suggested otherwise.
He was already sure that the peace talks were going to be a headache but he couldn't hazard a guess as to why. Maybe it was a premonition like Jiraiya sensei got from the toads...
Notes:
Baby Kabuto is probably one of my favorite kids to write given what he went through in the original timeline. Given the direction everything's taking I'll probably have Kabuto get closer to Tsunade than Orochi, but he highly respects them both. He's just seven right now.
Chapter 65: Gardening, and Blossoming Love
Summary:
Shikamaru is planning further social change.
Kakashi is angry at Obito, but refuses to examine why.
Chapter Text
Shikamaru sneezed, it startled him for a moment. He hadn't sneezed since becoming a yokai... did that mean something?
It had gotten nice unexpectedly quickly following Shikaku and Yoshino's wedding, so he was out preparing garden beds. He was equal parts hampered and helped by the kids. Naruto had a mission, they'd decided that he could still go on them, and that Shikamaru qualified for full maternity leave- he disliked the terminology, but he didn't mind the time at home. (That Danzo had insisted he go on this long term mission out of the village just when Minato was announced as the official next hokage, thus making Naruto miss the inaguration, was an obvious ploy to incite them but they wouldn't take the bait.)
Yugure and Fu were keeping the younger children on a blanket under a sun shade so they could play, without getting burned, and at least Saito and Yuki were helping him dig the garden beds that wouldn't need to be raised up later, the issue was that excluding Kabuto who was reading in the doorway, and Kakashi who was out with friends, all the other kids were running around practicing with their wooden spears.
The sunshine was making him feel drowsy and sluggish. Not sleepy, but he knew he would feel different under the sun now than he had before. He didn't feel weak exactly, but he did feel tired.
“What are we going to plant?”
Saito was trying to move all the rocks they dug up to a pile, but when he failed to lift a few Shikamaru subtly helped him.
“Dunno, what does everyone want?”
“Eggplant! And Squash!” Yugure had picked up Mei, who she was trying to keep from eating a bug. Shikamaru used a shadow to shoo the beetle off.
“Peppers!”
“Can we grow daikon?”
“Cabbage, and green beans too, please.”
“Potatoes!” He smiled, listening to them continue to list vegetables, then fruits.
“Daddy, can we grow stuff on the walls too?” Yugure was wriggling her hand over her head for his attention, having set Mei down- she was chewing on the blanket now.
“We should be able to.”
“Let's grow stuff inside and out! Then people can have a snack when they walk by.” He hadn’t even thought about that.
“Let's plant extra, we can hand out some of the food to the neighbors.”
‘Neighbors’ in this case meant the shabby apartments around their plot of land, and the abandoned warehouses a few blocks away that had a colony of squatters. Providing food wouldn't be a bad idea. The things people further into the district needed were food, water, access to medicine, and stable shelters.
Maybe he should have Naruto propose something at the next clan council meeting. It would happen soon, after all, maybe they could offer to build shelters on the sitting land if the Akimichi and Aburame clans were willing to set up soup kitchens... He could probably convince Inoichi to help him secure the herbs needed to make basic medicines to hand out. They'd been rushing to bring the kids in and protect them so he hadn’t done everything he should have.
Shikaku had given a financial donation toward the civilian councils favored charities in their name, and that had gotten them their status as clan, but the plan had originally been to improve quality of life in the district. Poverty couldn't be easily fought, and the majority of the slums were owned by people living behind the monument- if they improved the housing that existed in the district the owners would just boot out the current tenants by raising the rent to attract more wealthy renters.
It was a pain, but since winter was almost over they needed to focus on food, water, and basic amenities.
There was a measure that could reclaim lands from land owners if they could prove the land was abandoned, which was a bit tricky, but there were almost too many broken down buildings and warehouses that probably fell under that distinction. It would have to be done in one single sweep across the district to reclaim as much land to the village as possible- then the land could be re-designated for public welfare. Once cleared, they could offer to build housing at cost- cost in this case would be drastically lowered, as Naruto could use funinjutsu to raise them, and it would only require outfitting of doors, windows, paint, and flooring.
Public welfare housing would solve a lot of the issues within the village, rent could be set extremely low, and if they were built similarly to how Natuto had built their own home it wouldn't be hard to build in gardens that using the cistern system Naruto had put together, they would practically grow themselves without aid.
Of course, that would have to wait until Minato took office.
Hiruzen would never do something that would upset that many wealthy citizens.
“Ow!” He sighed, going to check on Momo, who had gotten smacked by Yosaku hard enough on the head he needed to check for concussion.
“How many times do I need to tell you, don't aim for each other's heads!”
“It's not my fault her head is so big!”
“You're dead you little troll!” The threat was of course, lessened when she stumbled and nearly fell, she had a goose egg forming on her forehead.
“Everyone put your sticks away. Nanami get the first aid kit and some water for me.” He could treat a concussion.
“On it!”
Why was so much of being a dad telling his kids not to hit each other in the head with sticks?
Kakashi wanted to go home. Rin had dragged him and Obito out to help her choose a gift for Shizune. It had been hours though. She didn't even want their opinions, telling them both they had terrible taste so whatever they liked she knew not to get.
He also had no idea why she was buying Shizune a gift. Her birthday was in November. It was March .
“Ugh, just buy her flowers! I was supposed to be helping in the yard today.”
“Inei and Haruki are doing yard work?” he punched Obito for sounding so excited.
“Haruki's on a mission until next week. Stop drooling over my dads.”
“Oh, they're dads now, are they?” Rin elbowed him but he refused to speak further.
“Just pick out a gift for your girlfriend so I can go home!” He snapped when she wouldn't stop.
“She isn't my girlfriend!” Rin's face went tomato red. “...not yet. That's why it has to be perfect.”
That explained it.
“Does Inei like any particular tea?” Kakashi grabbed the hood of Obito’s jacket and flipped it to cover his head.
“It isn't going to happen!” Holding the hood down while Obito struggled to escape. He hated it when Obito did that, it made him feel... bad, angry, like he could just scream. “Just buy her a new hair pin or something. She likes slugs and pigs, just find something cute-!” Kakashi was being shaken by Rin.
“How do you know that?! I don't even know her favorite animal!”
“She, auntie Tsuande, and Tenzo come over like once a week. Urushi asks weirdly personal and specific questions to everyone .” He should have kept his mouth shut. She dragged him into a jewelry store and forced him to look at the charm necklaces and interrogated him over everything he'd learned about Shizune.
Obito found them half an hour later- he'd stopped for food, offering Kakashi some of his takoyaki. He wouldn’t meet his eye with Kakashi, but he accepted the peace offering for what it was.
Stupid Obito...
... the takoyaki was good.
Chapter 66: Milk, Homesickness, And A Day For The History Books
Summary:
Chiyo can't name and failed her sneak check.
Naruto is going to be a sweaty mess by the time he gets home.
Minato achieves a childhood dream, but the moments a little overshadowed by his supporting family reminding him how much they care.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Okay.”
“You got it?”
“I got it.”
“Careful-!”
Shikamaru didn't even want to know what his children were doing now.
“Shhh, don't let dad hear him-!”
He heard barking and put his head in his hands.
“Himari, Chiyo, did you bring a dog home?” He had sent them to buy milk. When he looked they not only had a large dirty street dog, but were lacking milk.
“I can explain!”
“You forgot the milk.” The girls looked at one another. “Don't take him downstairs, he needs a bath. Kakashi left flea shampoo in one of the cabinets in the bathroom.” By that point, Saito and Yosaku were peaking their heads up from downstairs, “Boys, can I trust you to get milk and not come home with a dog instead?” they nodded, and Himari sheepishly handed Saito the money for milk when they passed by.
“So... I can keep him?”
“Maybe. Bath first. I'll ask Kakashi if he has extra kibble.” Chiyo whooped, baiting the dog into the bathroom with Himari. He shook his head as he went down to find Kakashi in his room doing maintenance on his various blades.
“You're letting her keep a dog?” He sounded unimpressed.
“We'll see. Haruki and I will talk about it once he gets home.”
“... she's gonna need help training the dog...”
“You volunteering, big guy?” he grunted, gesturing to a bag of dog food on a high shelf.
“Bull has a sensitive stomach, so I can't feed them that stuff anymore. Don't let him know you gave it to another dog, he'll be sad.”
“Gotcha.”
By the time the boys got home with milk the dog had been washed- he was actually a gray dog with surprisingly soft fur- not a black dog with wiry hair. Chiyo was feeding him the food Kakashi had provided, and he was docile despite the fact the girl was hanging off of him while eating. That was a good sign. He'd learned how to scan dogs given Kakashi's summons, he figured it would just be smart. The dog had a few healed breaks and a good amount of scar tissue on his back leg. It didn't seem to cause him much pain now, however. He also didn't have any signs of illness like rabies, so that was lucky.
“I'm going to name him Milk.” Shikamaru sighed.
“That's an awful name.” Himari had changed out of her early clothes to pajamas as the bath had been a disastrous mess, and was reading a magazine on the couch.
“He's my dog and I'll name him what I want!”
“Are we really keeping him?!”
Maybe he should have said no... but he had a soft spot for kids...
“We'll talk about it when Haruki is home. For now... he can stay.”
Naruto knew the reason he was sent on a long mission when he had been- under Danzo's orders no less. The old bastard hadn't wanted him there when Minato was announced as the next Hokage. He also sent him on what should have been a suicide mission. The pay was high, and the assassination wasn't difficult for him to complete. It was a priority but ‘no one of sufficient skill’ had been able to take it on, so it had been gathering dust.
The longest part of the mission was travel.
Danzo would be sad he hadn't died. He hoped the man got heart palpitations hearing Naruto returned safely.
It would be three days before he returned home, even traveling at top speed without rest it would still be two. He ate another ration bar. Urushi and Keiko had made them for him- they tasted terrible, but he would eat all of them. He missed his kids. He missed his husband.
“All clear ahead boss, bew!” Ichika ran back into sit with him.
“That means we've finished the last of the guards.”
“I want treats when we get back, bew!” He chuckled. He missed going on missions with her and the others, but it was the first time he'd felt comfortable to leave Shikamaru home without him. His various concerning symptoms had all but vanished- he was finally able to process things without the threat of going into fight of flight mode- he still had nightmares, but having others around helped, and not a day had gone by that one of the younger kids hadn't snuck in to sleep in their bed.
He was a bit pent up as a result, but the moment he could get his husband alone for an hour, he'd thoroughly resolve that.
Right now he wanted nothing more than a hot meal, a warm bath, and a good night's sleep on something softer than bark.
It would be about now that the ceremony was happening, he hoped Minato was doing okay, it was probably a lot.
“That's the third time you've sneezed in an hour.” Kushina was fussing with his clothing again, it was almost time and he was anxious.
“I bet Haruki nii-chan is thinking about me.”
“You big softy.” She kissed his cheek, pulling him back when he tried to go to give her another kiss. “I'll be standing with Inei and the horde of little ones. Kakashi said they made flags so you can't miss us.”
“I'll look.” She took a moment,just staring at him.
“You're going to be a great hokage.”
“I really hope so.”
She left for real then, and Jiraiya came to do his own peptalk. He had yet to apologize to Minato's brother, but that was more because Haruki hadn't wanted to see him. Minato only wished this had come up after power had transferred. He had mostly forgiven Jiraiya, but if things had gone bad that wouldn't have been possible. Thankfully his teacher had been far more... decerning with information and what he gave to Sarutobi.
“Minato-san, it's time.” He nodded, heading out the front doors of the tower with Sarutobi-san. He was hardly paying attention as the third hokage droned on for some time. His heart felt like it would burst. Along the right outer side of the crowd that had gathered were his family, holding up flags like Kushina had said they would be.
The flags all had poorly drawn images in his likeness on them, and it looked as if they'd passed them out to everyone he knew. Shikaku, who had Yugure on his shoulders, smirked when they met eyes, and he raised his tiny flag higher.
He had to make his own address to the public, and he put his heart into it. At the end, the crowd mostly dispersed and every incredibly important person he had to speak to spoke with, he found himself swarmed.
“You were amazing.” Kushina kissed him, and there was a tiny chorus of ‘ew’s.
“Kakashi, don't encourage them...”
“Congratulations sensei.” His students were shuffled around by the five younger kid.
“I'd hug you but I might drop one of them.” Inei had his youngest niece in a sling across his back, and had a one year old on each hip- it was a shock he hadn't already dropped a child. Sometimes he wondered just how strong Inei really was.
He was noticeably up to a healthy weight but he was still wiry and thin, suggesting that was simply how he was built even when fully healthy. So how did a thin, waif of a man easily haul people around like that?
“I made a card.” Yugure had been put down and she held up a sparkly folded paper as high as she could so he would take it. It became clear she was the source of his very unflattering picture being on everything.
“I love it, thank you.”
He had no clue how those two did it. He was already so overwhelmed and it had only been a few minutes. Even without the older kids crowding him too, there were so many children all at once. Was this what it was like to teach an academy class?
They continued to chat for a bit, and he reminded Inei that he needed to be present for their talks with Kumogakure. Apparently both Yoshino and Kushina agreed to babysit during that. He wasn't sure he could handle his girlfriend after she spent the day with eight kids under eight- she already was talking about having kids and a whole week or more helping to watching some of the cutest kids in the village? He wondered if he should be scared for his chastity...
Notes:
The next two chapters should have been split into four, but I'd already written a lot by the time I decided to make chapter 69 special...
Chapter 67: Peace Talks (One)
Summary:
Shikamaru want's his husband home for a number of reasons. Bee is being... Bee.
Naruto, rather than relax gets a bit territorial as soon as he gets back.
Chapter Text
“Daddy, are we going to eat anything for breakfast today?” Shikamaru stared helpless into the fridge. Naruto had made plenty of extremely easy to prep meals for the days he'd be gone. Excluding today, because he was supposed to be home by now. He had made three days worth of extra meals, and Shikamaru knew he was fine and on his way back- they'd received a hawk- but he had no clue what to cook.
His cooking skills were limited to boiling things, often poorly, and activating the heating element in MRE's. He expected his kids wouldn't be happy eating army grade rations for breakfast. Cup noodles wouldn't cut it either, also Naruto would be sad if he came home and his entire stash was gone.
“Rice will be done in ten minutes.” he mumbled to himself. “Okay. I will be right back. Saito, you're in charge.”
“I outrank him.” Kakashi pouted but flinched at the look Shikamaru gave him.
“Be good.” He vanished into a shadow along the wall- thankfully the children had mostly gotten used to him doing so.
There were food stalls that made breakfast items during the morning market. He explained to a very amused older woman that he needed what would sound like a ridiculous amount of food because he couldn't cook and he had a lot of family to feed. She had patted his arm and told him not to worry.
He would recommend her food stall until his dying breath, he decided, when in nine minutes she handed him a few large takeaway containers- he had told her he had rice but nothing else and she had worked around it. He had already paid so he returned home to see a small coup d'etat was occurring at their table.
“Kakashi, you cannot overthrow Saito. I wasn't even gone ten minutes-!” the rice cooker, which was essentially industrial sized, beeped. “- so sit down and stop pointing your chopsticks at him like that.”
Food was dished up, and they all thanked granny Saiko from the market for breakfast after Yuki asked who'd made the majority of their meal. By eight dishes were cleaned (he was good at that, the extra help from his shadows made him extremely efficient) all children were dressed for the day, and Shikamaru was valiantly putting Fu in elbow pads and knee pads while the boy insisted he didn't need them.
“I won't be here to catch you on the stairs- put your grip socks back on!”
“It's too hot!”
“Don't be a baby Fu.”
“Yeah, I don't want to go to the hospital cause you eat shit on the stairs again-!”
“Chiyo, please don't swear! And Yosaku don't be mean to him.” Milk began barking and he sighed, picking up Fu who was now crying and hugging him after being ganged up on. “Can someone get the door?!”
Yoshino and Kushina laughed at how stressed out he was as he went over everything, Kushina had promised to cook but otherwise he had a list for them. They had volunteered a few days back when they learned his husband was going to still be on his way back when the peace accords began, and they offered to help even after he got home. He couldn't thank them enough, really.
“Out! Go! You're going to be late.” He tried to protest, but he was being pushed toward the largest shadow in the entryway.
“Bye daddy!” He found himself at the tower and sighed, having startled one of the chunin getting things ready for the delegation to arrive from Kumogakure. He dipped between a few more before he found Minato, and startled him, at that point he was asked to stop wandering around what should be a highly secured area as if it were a public space.
Bee had begged to come along. His brother, who was taking up the mantle of Raikage, had made him promise that he'd behave himself. Ao clearly regretted bringing him when he admitted, halfway to Leaf, that he had wanted to come to see Inei.
As it would turn out the enemy shinobi his brother had been pinning after for months was the same one Iwagakure were calling the Shade of Death, and much less popular- the Midnight Monster. They were estimated to be on the hook for killing hundreds of enemy shinobi in a single night. Part of their goal for the peace accords as an international community was to get Konoha to agree to never send that shinobi into battle again. She was practically an act of the heavens by herself alone.
There were rumors they weren't even human, or had sold their soul to demons for power.
And Bee was in love with her.
He had only found out a small amount about the shadow shinobi- mostly in briefings about how bad it would be for her to continue participating in a drawn out war. Aside from Bee no one had seen Inei first hand, but descriptions from an information source in Iwagakure claimed that Iwah Inei was as pale as a ghost with long black hair and intense black eyes- somewhere between twenty five and thirty five. Reports had swung between calling Inei a ghoul in human form, and as beautiful as a courtesan. Granted anyone who had survived an attack of the Shade and the Storm had to get away quickly or could only observe from afar. It was that or death, so he understood that there was some discrepancy.
Still, he felt knocked through a loop seeing the shinobi. There were two black haired, dark eyed shinobi that welcomed the delegation with other top shinobi and advisors from Konoha- but he knew instantly which one must be Inei.
The older or the two who wore their hair down, they weren't in the Konoha uniform, but they wore the forehead protector around one arm. Not his type . Tall, muscular, with a distinctly cold and uninterested expression- she was pretty in a sort of... gender-less way. He glared at Bee who looked ready to burst and was chanting one of his rhymes under his breath. It sounded alarmingly like a love confession.
It was during introductions he realized something that had been bothering him for months.
Inei had slim fingers with large hands, skin cool to the touch, and a firm grip when they greeted one another.
“It's an honor to meet you, lord Raikage.” Inei's voice was deeper than expected, and distinctly male . He, and it seemed a number of his sources, had assumed the Shade of Death was a woman. he glanced to his brother who looked flushed and awkward, shaking his hand next. This is a surprise...
“Just glad it's under peaceful circumstances.” That made him smile, only a small one, hardly noticeable, but for a second he could kind of see the appeal.
“You're the kid from the foothills.” Anyone else would have been dejected at the almost bored tone he used, but Bee was built of tougher stuff, “Glad you didn't die.”
“I know you tried, but I made it back to you alive.” The slant rhyme was almost painful. Clearly whatever spark of soulmate attraction Bee had experienced it was one sided- Inei continued to greet the other members of the delegation and ignored his brothers attempts to converse.
He'd only gotten Bee into the village by reminding them they had their own weapon of mass destruction. If he'd fallen for anyone else maybe this could have been simple- hell a marriage for the peace treaty's sake could have actually gone the way Bee had daydreamed aloud to him. But the thing in front of him wearing a human shape was not an eligible marriage option for Bee, not that the dummy would listen to reason.
The first day of talks was going to be difficult, arranging monetary compensation, or at least comparing war damages, knowing they both planned to pin everything on Iwagakure, but still needing to do it for appearances. It was exhausting.
When they did break for lunch he saw Inei be stopped by the other black haired, dark eyed man.
“You look like shit.” he couldn't resist listening in.
“I'm fine... just a little...”
“They're fine, you know? Yoshino and Kushina can handle them for a few more hours.”
“I know. I might just... check up on them anyway. Uhari is usually fussy after her bottle and she isn't as used to them...”
“Just don't be there too long, and remember to eat , okay?
“It's cute that you're worrying about me.”
“Nii-san.” It's hissed, but he hears it. So those two are brothers. Given the younger was introduced as Nara and not Iwah, they aren't fully blooded siblings. What was more interesting was that it sounded as if Inei might already have children. Bee would be devastated, but it was likely for the best.
He should be relieved, honestly, it all got cleared up so easily-
He flinched as Inei took a step forward and seemed to just... vanish. Like he'd fallen down some sort of hole. No one else seemed alarmed, at least not from the Leaf village. When he looked there was no opening, and it seemed different than the teleportation jutsu the new hokage was capable of. How...
He came back, this time Ao watched, not meaning to. He seemed to pop up through a shadow, as if it spat him out. He must really not be human to do something like that. He seemed to be in a better mood though.
He watched his brother hurry over. A feeling of dread filled him.
He made it home. He'd swing by the mission desk, the delegates from lightening should be at the tower so Shikamaru was probably at a meeting- it must be close to lunch hour, he figured Minato would forgive him for wanting to see his husband after being gone nearly two weeks.
He was practically skipping along by the time he reached the desk, dropping off his report he'd written on the way back. He was probably not supposed to just enter the meeting room but it should be okay.
Minato jumped slightly watching him vault into the open window, waving at him and pointing toward Shikamaru, he relaxed, waving him along but signaling he should be quick.
Just give his husband a smooch, then head home and get some rest. He could use a bath, and a nap. He was eager to see the kids too.
Before he could reach him he saw Master Bee, well, maybe just Bee now that he was in the past. It was so good to see him, even better to not need to fight him with the peace accords being signed. He might be clocked as having Kurama by Bee, maybe they could lie and say he was the jinchuriki, then Kushina wouldn't need to worry because everyone would think he volunteered for it after coming to the village.
He was filled with hornets as he watched Bee drop down to one knee and grab Shikamaru hand. He really couldn't help it, after all, it didn't matter who he was, a man was acting far too familiar with their husband. Kurama couldn't stand seeing one of his brothers act like that to his mate.
The obvious response was violence.
Shikamaru had gone home for a bit, everything was fine, upon returning to the meeting room he was instantly accosted by Killer Bee, who had been staring at him since he arrived. He suspected the guy would want a rematch, he nearly killed him after all.
You could imagine his surprise when Bee dropped to one knee, taking one of Shikamaru’s hands in both of his own and kissed his knuckles.
“What the hell are you doing?!” he hissed, not prepared for Bee to touch him, let alone kiss his hand.
“I couldn't cope, since we last spoke, my heart beats for you, I'll love you until I croke-!”
Before he could reflexively slash the dumb ass with his shadows, he registered the air shifting beside him- then Bee was being sent flying away, hitting the wall with a crack. He was pulled into a strong chest, and the scent that washed over him made him almost go boneless. Naruto is back .
He almost started to purr, missing the loud, window shaking growl Naruto directed to Bee as the man pried himself out of the molding. He nuzzled Naruto, turning to hug him properly.
“Get your hands off my husband.” Its sounds like a threat, all teeth and rage, but it makes some deeply pushed down part of Shikamaru’s heart race. No, he doesn't need Naruto to kick anyone who annoys him, but it's still nice...
“Husband?!” Minato was, temporarily, distracted from the international incident currently occurring in front of him, “When did you two have time to get married?”
“Lord Fourth, he just kicked one of the dignitaries...”
“It's fine, my brother deserved that.” The incoming Raikage, Ao, looked embarrassed. “Let's have them both take a step back and call this even-!”
Bee had taken out his swords.
“I challenge you, old man, for the fair Inei's hand!”
“If you want to die that badly, you should have said sooner.” Naruto summoned his spear.
“Haruki! That's enough!”
“Bee, back off!”
This had gone too far.
Shikamaru grabbed them both with shadows, yanking them apart before either could strike- though it was a near thing. Having to restrain them... honestly.
“ Stop .” Both froze, mostly because he was holding them off the ground, and now a few meters apart. “I don't know why this is happening, but I will put you in shadow space if you don't stop fighting.”
Naruto was staring at him with wide eyes.
“I won't kill him if he promises not to touch you again.” Naruto's pupils had dilated. He didn't want to think about it.
“... if it's you asking me to...” Bee was still a petulant child.
He let them down. Naruto gently grabbed his arm, pulling him in and he allowed it. He leaned down to whisper into Shikamaru’s ear.
“ That was really hot. ” he snorted, elbowing Naruto, who winced, doubling over.
“Sorry, I forgot how hard I hit now.”
“I think you cracked a rib...”
He needed to be more careful. Naruto might spring back from getting hurt but he still didn't want to actually hurt him, and the kids were much more delicate, what if he accidentally broke one of their bones?!
He used chakra to feel over Naruto’s ribs, finding the fracture and laid down a layer of chakra to keep it in place, it came out as a layer of darkness that sunk down through his clothes.
“Haruki... why didn’t you head straight home? You must be tired...”
“Just missed you.” The killing intent was gone again, all that remained was his dopey smile, Shikamaru shook his head. “Sorry I threatened to kill a dignitary, ototo.” The apology was directed to Minato, who sighed and waved him off.
“Just... go home, nii-chan.” He shrugged, kissing Shikamaru’s temple, walking calmly out the door and blew Shikamaru a kiss. The shinobi guarding the other side were startled to see him as he hadn't entered the room properly.
Minato would probably nag Natuto later, but that was okay. He's finally home.
Bee hadn't seen the bastard coming. Not until he was being hit and every instinct of his was screaming to brace for it. Gyuki was suddenly shouting in his head to be careful- just like Inei, he wasn't human, but he was extremely hostile.
He could tell that Inei had been about to slap the shit out of him, and had been tensing to try and dodge it. He might be sold, but Inei would need convincing after all- he had been confident in his abilities to win him over.
It had clicked the moment they locked eyes and he saw the man's tint red. He's a jinchuriki, like me. He was the source of the biju chakra that had hung around Inei when they first met. He could feel it in the air, caustic and sharp, and he realized if he didn't fight with everything he had he might just die .
The moment they were about to trade blows, however, he found his limbs tangled up in a cold, dark, oppressive force. It looked murky, and at a glance seemed like some sort of black mist, but it was stronger than iron, he couldn't budge an inch even straining with all he had.
That was coming from Inei. His heart began to race. He agreed to the ceasefire, mostly because if he spent anymore time restrained like that he was going to embarrass himself in front of everyone in a way that he was actually worried to do. Professing your undying love to the others sides ultimate weapon was daring but not humiliating. Popping a boner, though? He'd never be able to show his face anywhere else ever again.
Then the bastard, once they were free, pulled Inei close, scenting him in public like some kind of overprotective cat, kissed him , and left.
If Ao hadn't grabbed him by the back of the shirt he would have chased after him. Who did that guy think he was?
“Inei... what did you mean you'd put them in ‘Shadow Space’?” He perked up a bit. He was curious, maybe it was a good thing-
“Since the change finished I found out I can put living things in suspended animation and keep them inside my shadows. I actually have a lot of Iwa shinobi taking up space in there...” He was going to put them in storage? That was... considerably less hot, but the idea of being carried by him everywhere... he dug around for a notepad and started to write furiously. Once he finished this masterpiece, he'd perform it for Inei, who would definitely leave his dumb husband. Divorce was really common among shinobi couples, he could settle for being Inei's second and final spouse.
Chapter 68: Hurry Home
Summary:
Shikamaru makes it through the first day witout a war starting (this time), Naruto goes home and contemplates his children. The oldest two girls talk.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“So you're just... casually carrying around dozens of enemy ninja?” His brother shrugged. “When did you even-!?”
“When I ripped Yugure out, the mission right before that.” He patted his chest, just under his heart, and Shikaku flinched, going pail.
“Please don't remind me of that.” Inei just tilted his head as if he couldn't imagine why that might not be a pleasant memory for anyone who had to watch him root around inside his ribs for his daughter. Minato looked a bit green at the memory too.
“I've got other stuff in there too.”
He reached into his stupid hanten where there must be enough shadow and pulled out a small stuffed fox, placing that on the nearby table, then out came a wooden practice spear, a small stack of cloth diapers, a poetry book he distantly recognized as the one Himari had told him had poems about boys kissing in it when he'd been roped into watching them, a weapons pouch, a live mouse he kept a hold on-!
“I also have a severed head from a man who won't die, but he's in a vacuum, not stasis, so he'll probably start screaming if I do that.” He began to put everything back, save the mouse which looked too frightened to move in his hand. “I can pop them back out once we're negotiating with Iwa.”
Suddenly he regretted asking.
It was almost worth it seeing the looks of horror on the Kumogakure delegates' faces.
“Never leave that long again!” Naruto was trapped under his kids. It was fine, of course, but Kushina and Yoshino were refusing to help save him.
Kakashi had been tasked with something better to do or he was sure the boy would have been nagging him for his unacceptably long absence. As it was Yugure and Jun were falling asleep on his knees, he had Shin and Uhari dozing against his chest, Mei was doing her best to crawl behind him on the couch. Fu had been pacing and shouting things for the last ten minutes about how he had to promise to never leave that long again. It had been cute, now it was annoying- but as a formerly annoying child, Naruto was not ever going to tell one of his kids (any child for that matter) that they were being annoying.
How the hell could he? He promised to make sure no child in his life ever had to go through what he had, and he meant that sincerely. He was going to a be a patient, loving, understanding father if it killed him. He would not hit his children, or ignore them intentionally, or punish them by taking away their basic needs. He would believe them if they told him an adult hurt them, and he'd make sure no one was ever stupid enough to do so a second time.
So he would let Fu keep spinning himself in a circle over the whole thing and he would keep his sheepish smile and keep softly agreeing and apologizing. He really did intend to never be gone that long again if he could help it after all.
“You can't, daddy can't cook and we'll all starve, and then you'll get back and we'll- we'll be skeletons!”
“I'm sure he did his best.”
“He both under-cooked, and overcooked rice. Multiple times.” Chiyo was hugging her dog- she had a dog now, that was a surprise- and sitting not far away.
She had strongly implied Shikamaru had told her she could keep him, but he was sure this was something they'd have to talk about before he would have made that promise. Milk seemed like a nice dog, but a dog was a huge responsibility. Never mind that Kakashi had seven, they weren't exactly normal dogs after all. They were better at cooking than Kakashi, for one, and that was without thumbs.
“He does his best.” So what if his husband couldn't cook? He was alright at baking, oddly enough, but that was likely because it was more science than art. Naruto was really awful at laundry, and Shikamaru more than pulled his weight on that, especially with how many kids they were washing the clothes of right now.
“Papa, when is daddy getting home?” Megumi was cutting up a magazine with Bashira at the kotatsu, he'd be listening to see which sister started to scream about that later. His money would be on Himari, she had been picking up tons of those magazines for young women that were full of obnoxious quizzes and ‘does he like me’ articles.
“He should get home before five.”
Knowing Shikamaru, the moment the meeting was called he'd save himself the time and just use the shadows to get home.
He made a few shadow clones, making them go to the kitchen to start getting things ready even though they were as tired as he was.
He was resigned to make a list and go out tomorrow with the kids to get the shopping done, with the peace conference school was out to be safe, just like the break usually afforded by the chunin exams.
Kushina and Yoshino had both said goodbye when they realized he had things handled, so he was able to settle back in in peace.
He'd have a few days off, he could use them as he wanted but in reality he knew what was going to happen. He'd teach his older children more spearmanship, and taijutsu, because even if it was just basic they should know how to defend themselves. Itachi would come for his lessons, Saito had mentioned his sisters were interested so Momo and Himari would likely join those too. He'd be stretched thin between them and the little kids, who needed as much attention.
He had signed on for this. He had known the minute he put so many damn rooms into their home it would only get harder the more were full, and he should be thankful they prevented the more brutal battles from happening in the war- most of the older orphans he remembered from growing up in the orphanage came from losing parents in those fights, after all. He didn't regret taking on the weight, nore did he ever want to shrink from it. His fingers ran gently in the short fluff of gray hair on Shin's head.
It was a lot, but he'd lived through so much worse. This was a good kind of burden. If his only complaint in this new life was that he was tired from work but still had to feed a horde of children, he really had nothing to complain about.
The sound of children laughing, even yelling or crying, it was preferable to the deathly silence and absence of life, or worse, the sounds of a distant battle as his hands shook, drawing a seal in his own blood- enough blood he could have filled the sea-!
Shin made an annoyed sound and clutched his shirt, drawing him away from his thoughts.
“I'm sorry.” he smoothed his hand down the child's back.
He would make this world safe and comfortable for his kids, after everything he had to sacrifice, he should be allowed to do that much.
Shikamaru avoided Bee the rest of the first day, popping out of a shadow in their yard, it was cast from the wall, and headed inside. His legs were swarmed. Mostly by his little girls, but Kabuto and Fu had also politely asked, and demanded in Fu's case, for their own hugs. Naruto was in the kitchen, wearing a frilly apron, and Shikamaru hugged him from behind burying his face against the back of Naruto's neck and just breathing in.
“I really missed you.” Naruto hummed back at him, he was doing something to a large pot of bubbling... something. It smelled delicious. He noticed a second smaller pot boiling on another burner.
“Missed you too.” It fills him with bubbles as Naruto completely relaxed into his hold. “Curry should be ready soon, I made a less spicy one for Kabuto, can you help me make sure he's the one who gets it?” Shikamaru nodded, letting go.
He was mentally exhausted, but not physically. He walked slowly around the first floor, shadows righting things here and there, shifting furniture back in some cases, then he was down the next floor, peaking into each room. Fu had knocked over his hamper, Bashira and Megumi had left a sticky mess in the hallway in front of their doors, Jun and Yugure had knocked down everything on their bookshelf. He should do laundry.
He used his shadows to send a loud knock through the whole house, one that the kids had all began to associate with them needing to get their hampers out of their bedrooms and leave them in the hall.
They tilted and shifted as he walked ahead of them after passing by to collect them, as if carried by a thousand tiny ants, in reality the shadows they cast moved like millipedes as they were brought upstairs and into the laundry room. They actually had a few machines, so he started with the older kids clothing, sorting them and dumping them, careful not to mix up his sons and daughters clothing, Yuki's was washed separately from both. After dinner he'd send them in to collect their own clothing, and start the younger children's wash.
He stretched, feeling a satisfying pop in his back before leaving the laundry room and finding his children, Megumi and Bashira up to Yosaku, were in the hallway setting up dominos. Not wanting to disturb them he simply walked up the wall, then around. Urushi had shouted, standing too quickly and knocking over their efforts so far, chasing after him and asking how he did that.
“You need better chakra control. You should be able to do it when you're older.” Urushi squawked when a domino hit him in the back of the head and Keiko was calling him names for having ruined everything. Shikamaru sighed, standing them all back up with a flick. The children all got very quiet, taking it in, before Megumi quietly began to place more.
“Food's ready!” he heard stomping and protected the dominos from falling, Keiko thanked him softly as she ran past, following the rest of their hungry spawn. Was spawn the correct word? He brought up the rear, helping dish up food, ensuring that Kabuto got the mild curry. It was nice that they were eating together as a family again.
“Papa, will you help me with my clone jutsu?” Keiko had tugged on Naruto’s sleeve to get his attention.
“Your father is terrible at the regular clone jutsu.”
“But he makes them all the time!”
“Those are shadow clones.” Naruto corrected, “They have a physical form, they aren't illusions. They're a lot more useful but they take a lot of chakra.”
“ I can make shadow clones.” Kakashi was, perhaps, getting too big a head with so many younger children following him around and openly admiring him for his skills. He'd started helping Urushi, Keiko, Kabuto, and Fu with homework while Naruto was gone and now the four children treated him with awe and respect. It had gone to his head.
“Don't teach them how to do it, it's dangerous unless you either have a ridiculous amount of chakra, or have incredible chakra control.” He nipped that in the bud.
“Aw...”
“I'll show you how to make clones after dinner.”
Momo was folding her clothes to put them away. She hadn't expected to be so happy Haruki was home. His food was a lot better not reheated for one, for another thing...
He was the fun parent. Inei was nice, but he definitely was laser focused on the little kids. Fair enough, there were a lot , and one of them was actually his by blood. They needed a lot of time and attention. She knew if she wanted his attention she just needed to talk to him, he'd make the time for her and whatever she needed, but knowing there was another adult who might be less busy made her relax.
She was honestly still waiting for them to get tired of her. That was how every other family had felt about her. This was her sixth house.
Her first family, the one after her mother dumped her at the orphanage at the age of five, had thought her teeth would grow in eventually, when that wasn't the case she was taken back. ‘You were so pretty until you smiled.’
She'd lost them fighting older kids right before being dropped off at the orphanage. She'd never missed having them until then. Saito had been there longer than her, and had told her she had no worries, she was a pretty child and pretty children got picked. He was so surprised and upset when she came back a week later because she wasn't a ‘pretty’ child.
The next few families were the same, or they'd get her home and she'd get in a squabble with their other child or the kids in the neighborhood and suddenly she was too ‘violent’ or they'd decide her background was too uncertain.
Then she'd be brought back.
The first time she nearly came to blows with Kakashi, she'd thought that she'd ruined everything again, her last shot was wrecked. Only for them to just break it up and send both of them to their rooms until dinner. Kakashi had even apologized to her.
They hadn't even mentioned her teeth. Not once. Like them missing doesn't even matter despite it being the reason she'd been abandoned over and over again as a child.
Her door slid open and Himari snuck inside.
“Got some bread.” she dropped a package of melon bread in Momo's lap.
They shared it quietly until the bread was gone, ripped to bite sized pieces.
“The little devils stole my Teen Spotlight.” She pouted, “Haruki just let them cut it up too.”
“You finished it.” Himari groaned, falling back on the tatami mats that covered her floor. They were nice, she had wanted them and mentioned it, and then they had just... been given to her like it was no big deal.
“That isn't the point.” She groused, “They cut out all the pictures of Kishi Seiichi!”
“That dumb looking pretty boy?”
“He's a movie star from the capital!” Himari kicked the air, upset that Momo didn't care as much as she did. “They stole my husband, Momo!”
“Oh boohoo, just get daddy to buy you a new one.” she balled up and threw the wrapper from the bread at Himari.
“What, you calling Inei daddy now like the lil'uns?” She rolled her eyes.
“I was just making fun of you.” She said it defensively. “Ugh, we have so much homework.”
“It's not like we don't have time. Toru, the cute boy in my math class, I ran into him when I went to buy snacks, and his uncle works at the tower. Apparently one of the guys from Kumogakure declared his love for our dearest father mid-meeting.”
“As if.” Momo stood, going to put the pile of folded clothing onto the cubby shelves she had decided to store most of her clothes in. “Besides, Inei is stupid about Haruki, he'd have killed the guy for something like that.”
“Didn't have the chance. Our beloved father apparently showed up and started a fight.” Momo turned slowly, staring at her. “He went to find Inei right after he got back and he threatened the guy.”
“I don't blame him, Inei's a solid eight.”
“You are so mean. Inei is a ten-!”
“He can't cook. And his fashion is shit.”
“You know Haruki buys all of their clothes, don't blame him for looking like an old man. At least it isn't orange .”
Both began to giggle at that.
“You know, I might start wearing a hanten. It could be our clan’s thing.”
“Don't, you're way too pretty.”
“Think of the pocket space though.” Both sighed at that. “Have you told them yet?”
“How can I?” she rolled away from Momo, pouting. “What will they say?”
“Himari, they won't care. ” She kneeled beside her sisters back. “Inei ripped Yugure out of his chest , they won't care that you're-!”
“It's different!” She hushed her. “You know it is.”
“They'll figure it out eventually. They clocked Yuki, didn't they?”
“Yuki is obvious.”
“They don't care .” Himari rolled back to glare at her and Momo dragged her into a hug.
“You are my sister. Like, legally my sister too now. If anyone says otherwise I'll beat them up.”
She sniffled, leaning into the hug.
The older kids in the orphanage weren’t ugly. They were deserving of love. Saito had burns, Momo was missing teeth, Himari was... and Chiyo had, well, she was mean. But they didn't deserve the hand theyd been dealt. Even so this was too good to be true.
She kept waiting to be brought back, or to learn that the eccentric gay couple who adopted them were part of some weird death/sex cult. So far though...
Maybe a cult would form around them? At least Inei. He wasn't human. He looks human, but it's obvious he isn't.
It's a gut feeling, but the same one makes her aware she isn't scared of him. He and Haruki both make her feel safe- excluding Saito no one older than her has managed that in a long time.
What did they even want to get out of raising a bunch of kids who couldn't even become shinobi anyway? Were they some sort of social experiment? She'd let it go for now, she supposed. It would become clear eventually.
Notes:
The next chapter, as alluded to in prior notes, is going to be NSFW. Last chance for any requests, I'll be posting it the next time I'm ready to sit down and edit so within the next week if there's anything anyone really wants to see.
Chapter 69: A Few New Interests
Summary:
NSFW:
This whole chapter is devoid of plot, so as usual skip it if it isn't your thing.
Notes:
New NSFW tags for this chapter are :
Bondage, Low Effort Strip Tease, Frottage, Orgasm Denial, Face Sitting, 69 (Sex Position), Rimming (I know they technically already did this forever ago I just can't remember if I wrote it down or not), Double Cocks, Spanking, Breeding KinkAlso I realized I never put the part in the last chapter where Naruto helped Shikamaru jar Hidan's head, so you can assume that happened some time after dinner in the last chapter. He will absolutely just be keeping that fucker in the closet for the time being, and I reference it later so if this chapter is skipped, then it's still brought up later anyway.
EDIT (5-9-24): I added a page break near the end, I had included a snippet with two of the kids (Kabuto and Fu) having come looking for them and fallen asleep in the bed sometime after Naruto stayed back to changed the sheets and them coming back after taking a bath. Someone commented that they were upset by it so I'm making it clearly separate from the rest of the chapter.
My intention wasn't to make anyone uncomfortable, or imply that they were somehow related in some way to the rest of the theme of the chapter.
I am leaving the snippet in, but you can scroll past it or just click through to the next chapter if it makes you uncomfortable to read it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Finally alone, Shikamaru is practically pounced on. He should have seen it coming, Naruto had looked ready to rip his clothes off at the meeting earlier. If he wanted to be restrained that badly, all he had needed to do was ask.
He'd been practicing a few new things while alone, and he was eager to show them off.
Naruto had laid him down on the bed, holding him down, grounding him, opening his hanten and rucking up the shirt he wore under it until his broad palm was stroking across the tight muscles of his stomach.
“Love...” He mumbled when Naruto sat back, eyes half lidded, teeth sharp and looking a bit feral. “I want to fuck you.” Naruto groaned, nuzzling into him. When he made no expedient effort to get up or rearrange to get that started, Shikamaru flicked his wrist and Naruto found himself held down on the bed, blinking up at their ceiling.
He tensed his arms and legs, finding cool and firm restraints pinning him to the bed. Unlike the shadows earlier in the day, these were not shapeless. Oh no.
Shadow hands were easily grappling him, and Shikamaru got up and stood beside the bed to slowly strip himself of his clothing, not making a particular show of it but knowing Naruto was watching hungrily.
“You like them?” Another shadow hand slid up from under Naruto’s shoulder, stroking his cheek before falling away as if it had never existed. “I've gotten a lot better.” He watched Naruto’s face as he slowly untied is hakama, letting them fall slowly before gingerly stepping out of them, flicking them with his heel out of his way.
“I do.” His voice was rough. He was still fully dressed, and his pants were tented, almost impressively so given how big Naruto's cock was.
“Are you going to be good and let me take care of you?” Oh, he liked that . He could taste it in the air as Naruto's arousal spiked. Maybe he should take charge more often- as much as he'd been enjoying being manhandled by Naruto lately he did like seeing the blonde fall apart.
“I will.” Shikamaru smiled, still wearing his underwear, tight black boxers, straddled Naruto's belly, leaning over him to card his fingers through his husband's shaggy blonde hair.
“Good.” He sat back, drinking in Naruto- held down with his arms restrained by shadowed hands, he had changed into a white undershirt before Shikamaru got home, and he worked the fabric up until his chest was exposed- it bunched up under his armpits, the shadows holding his chest moved to allow it before returning to keep him still.
Naruto was unfairly chiseled, Shikamaru ran his fingers over the hard lines of his muscles, more appreciative than to actually tease. He remembered when Naruto was a shorty and a goofball, and it was sometimes hard to make a connection between who he had been and who he was now.
Rather than dwell, he scooted down until he was sitting over Naruto's groin, smiling at him as he seemed to put together what was about to happen.
Naruto's thighs tensed, core flexing, but he was being held too securely. Shikamaru leaned to put a hand on Naruto's knee behind him, deliberately rolling his hips slowly back, grinding his ass down in Naruto’s straining cock through two layers of fabric.
“ Fuck... ” Shikamaru grinned, feeling a bit mischievous at the breathy, almost desperate groan.
He rolled his hips again, this time rather than stopping he kept shifting his hips in a tight circle against Naruto, watching as he got more and more desperate. His cock was throbbing enough Shikamaru could feel it through their clothes, and a part of him wanted to pull down Naruto's pants, slide him inside, ride him hard and fast until he came his brains out-
But that wouldn't be nearly as fun, no.
“You're doing so well.” He got a needy whine in response, Naruto trying to buck up against him. “Do you want me to touch you?” Another delicious whine, his belly fluttered watching his usually put together lover flush and whimper with need. “Then you're going to have to earn it.” It was worth it watching Naruto scrunch his eyebrows in confusion. He got up on his knees, feeling a shiver race up his spine at the feeling of damp across his clothed ass, Naruto had soaked the front of his pants with precum, which was maybe a little more arousing than he would have expected. He took a deep breath as he felt down his own stomach, focusing hard until he reached into his underwear and pulled out his fully physically normal human shaped cock.
Understanding dawned on his bedmate.
“ Please .” It's half a growl, half a needy moan. He walked on his knees back forward, realized the angle was terrible, and had to awkwardly shift until he got a foot over and past Naruto's splayed arm, one knee now on the left side of his head, esentially sitting half sideways on his chest- not that Naruto seemed to really mind. He stroked Naruto's cheek, and was delighted that Naruto opened his mouth dutifully. He took another steadying breath, he had to keep his focus or he'd lose his physical grasp on his genital area.
He was so obedient, taking in the tip as Shikamaru helped him, holding his cock in place. He allowed Naruto the slack to raise his head, lips inching up, tongue following.
Shikamaru had to close his eyes, leaning forward onto one hand, the other reached until he could hold Naruto's, the shift let more of his cock enter Naruto's reach, licking the head and taking it about halfway into his mouth.
When he started to get overwhelmed, Shikamaru pulled off, sitting back half on Naruto’s shoulder. He lost the form of it after about ten seconds more had passed, unable to keep his focus any longer.
“Sorry, I couldn't keep it together anymore.” At least not when he was aroused.
“S'okay...” Naruto's lips looked a little bruised even though it hadn't lasted long. He sighed, not having wanted to end it like that. Oh well. “Maybe we can still try it?” He tilted his head, moving his hips back forward and- “Urgh!”
“Shit!” One of the smaller tendrils of shadow had instantly shoved itself into Naruto's nose. He scrambled back to sit on Naruto's chest, and they were both still for a moment before they began to laugh.
“I didn't want it to do that.” Shikamaru mumbled, more to himself if he was honest.
“It's okay. I'm sure there's some other way you can think of to torment me.”
Shikamaru flushed, in a fit of defiance he ensured all the shadows under Naruto’s clothes, especially his pants, squeezed him, sliding around his still throbbing cock and tightly around his thighs. He turned his head to watch the surge at which Naruto's slightly flagged erection jumped up.
“Like that?” He felt satisfied that Naruto was biting his lip, hands balled into fists and hips straining against the hands holding him down. He could work with this.
“ Shikaaaa-! ” It's so pathetic, so sweet and it makes his nethers writhe to attention seeing him struggle like an animal caught in a web.
“You know who would love to help me, I bet?” He traced Naruto's bottom lip with his thumb before pushing it inside his perfect, wet mouth. Obediently, Naruto begins to suck it. “ Kurama.” It's a slight purr. “Oh, don't get up, I think I can make this work...”
Two shadowed hands stretch their way up from the shadows on either side of his ribs, wrists,and fore arms following. They make the signs for the jutsu, and Kurama is clearly paying attention because he uses his chakra and the shadows as a proxy to make himself a clone body.
“Heh, this is a good look for you, brat.” He took a moment to make the body he had look a little more... comfortable for himself, and Shikamaru smiled as the blonde head of hair went dark red, eyes to match. Still Naruto, but a little... less.
“Come help me up here, I want to do something.” Kurama crawled on his hands and knees, once sitting seiza he easily picked Shikamaru up off of Naruto's chest, sharp nailed fingers curled into his hair as he pressed him into a kiss, the hand not holding his head made a beeline for his ass, pawing at it as his tongue slipped in between Shikamaru’s lips. Naruto had a front row seat to this, naturally, as Shikamaru was slowly laid back on top of him, Kurama angled between his knees. He was also technically still dressed, but he pressed his clothed erection into Shikamaru’s alight groin, rubbing their sexes together in a hard slow grind.
“Old pervert...” he groaned when he was finally let go of, and Kurama gave him a grin that was all teeth, ripping his shirt and pants off- they poofed away, no longer supported by the jutsu.
“Come on, the brat was enjoying the show.” Naruto looked ready to burst already, and Shikamaru didn't want that yet. He yelped as the base of his cock was held tight by a shadow to prevent him from cumming. “Now what did you actually want me to do?”
“Distract him. Also...” He whispered into Kurama's ear and the fox grinned with his lover's face- they should really do something about that...
Kurama caught the charcoal stick tossed at him, and Shikamaru got up to go and get something aside from that. By the soft strangled sound, Naruto's guts had been successfully cleaned out. He had to move a few things around in the closet to free it- he had hidden it from their snooping kids next to the place he'd recently dropped Hidan's head- now in a jar that was sound proofed. The bewildered, confused expression on the disembodied head was replaced with one of slight fear when Shikamaru picked the jar up to give it a good shake as his shadows extricated a bottle from the most hidden depths, and then he put the jar back, returning to the bed. He was curious to see that both Naruto and Kurama had smudged seals on their bellies, and Kurama was currently sitting on Naruto’s face.
“That's one way to distract him...” The cap clicked open and he gave it a tentative sniff. Warm vanilla with a hint of mulled cherries met his nose. He'd been saving this for a special occasion.
As much fun as he'd have grinding on Naruto for a few more hours, he wanted to move on himself.
He got Naruto's pants and underwear off, they were practically ruined with the amount of slick he'd been leaking from his cock, they'd need several washes. He winked at Kurama as he kneeled and the shadow hands manipulated Naruto into a better position, he didn't seem like he'd struggle, but Shikamaru was waiting for a sign to stop. Kurama would get it right away, and if Naruto got distressed he'd feel it. So far Naruto had been about as relaxed as a man strung out unable to cum could be, and had made no signs of needing to stop known. His knees being spread open and his lower back lifted up was still in the realm of acceptable physical manipulation.
Now free, Shikamaru decided the first order of business would be to clean Naruto up a bit, and wasted no time in licking him from base to tip, feeling the jump of muscle under his fingers as Naruto tensed, Kurama let out a low, deep moan and rolled his hips, while Shikamaru continued to lick. Long, slow, flat-tongue-dragging-over-hot-flesh licks. Each time he did so Naruto tensed and strained against Shikamaru’s shadows, he gripped the base, just above where a shadow was still firmly delaying his orgasm, and brought the head to his mouth, paying attention to the ridge just below the head, the slit, and a vein that was throbbing angrily along the shaft.
He could have dislocated his jaw, rammed Naruto down his throat, but he didn't want that tonight.
He sat back, Naruto's length now shiny with his spit rather than precum, throbbing and red, and laid down on his belly, rubbing Naruto's hips as he used a more formless shadow to squeeze out some of the flavored lube and generously smear it between Naruto's ass cheeks. He could hear Naruto attempt to howl like a dog, muffled by Kurama who had been shifting about too, maybe putting his cock in Naruto's mouth instead. The shadow began to rim Naruto, before pushing inside, coating a few inches worth of his rectum with lube before pulling out.
He kissed Naruto's inner thigh, inward, until he bit where it met his ass, soothing the spot with his tongue before giving his hole the attention he'd been eager to give it since initially restraining his husband.
His hole was a bit tight, flexing and squeezing down on his tongue, but Shikamaru was gentle as he kept rubbing around Naruto's rim with the tip of his tongue.
Shikamaru was soon lost in the motions, tongues slowly rolling inside Naruto, working slowly but surely deeper into him. The flavored lube was good, but knowing his touch, his motions, were making Naruto tense and jump, straining to ride his tongue when he was forced to hold still instead... Well his groin was already a semi-conscious independent colony of tentacles, and it was awake and searching for something to either wrap around or bury inside.
He made a sound of surprise as red hair fell into his eyes, sitting back a little, tongue extending to continue moving as he did so and he made eye contact with Kurama, who was licking and sucking the base of Naruto's cock. Oh. He leaned up and Kurama leaned down just enough after letting Naruto's cock go to nuzzle their noses together- Kurama let out a rumbling purr at the action.
“You're so mean.” Kurama's clawed finger traced the ring of darkness at the base, “Get his balls too.” Shikamaru snorted, watching as Kurama continued to tease and nip, lowering his head back down, and shoving his tongue in as deeply as he dared.
He began to massage Naruto's ass, feeling the needy squirming getting worse. It was when Kurama sat back again that he removed his tongue and sat back himself to see what the fox would do. He was treated to the sight of Naruto having Kurama's fat cock eased out of his mouth, panting, lips swollen and cherry red, voice rough as he moaned. Kurama smacked his cheek a few times with his cock and gave the blonde a moment to catch his breath.
“I changed my mind, I want Kurama to fuck you.” Shikamaru purred.
Kurama seemed to think on it for a moment, before dropping his cock (it rested lewdly against Naruto's cheek, throbbing and slick with spit) and made a few careful hand signs. He recognized the jutsu, a form of modified henge that used internal tissues to add external physical features - technically it was a forbidden jutsu because it was essentially equivalent to turning some of your organs or muscles into something else to pass a physical inspection while henged. Kurama was a possessed shadow clone, it didn't matter if he pulled the needed mass from his bones or even heart because the body was made to break. The feature he decided to add was, impressively, a second cock, resting just above the first, just as intimidatingly big.
“Can I fuck you both?” Shikamaru would swear he hadn't drooled, his face was just wet from eating Naruto out.
It took a fair amount of shifting before Shikamaru was finally naked and laying on top of Naruto, hips lined up- his sex wrapped around Naruto's cock, squeezing and rubbing mindlessly. He'd changed how Naruto was being restrained, so his knees were bent, spread, feet actually flat on the mattress so his ass was waiting at a good height off the bedding. Shikamaru was too short, so his face was pressed against Naruto’s neck, where it met his shoulders. Kurama was over them both, and Shikamaru moaned, hugging Naruto's chest as Kurama groped his ass, squeezing the admittedly fairly soft flesh.
“You want me to knot your fat ass?” He buried his face in Naruto's neck, moaning softly. When he put weight back on an embarrassing amount had found its way to his hips and ass, though he liked the attention.
Both he and Naruto tensed as they were both penetrated- Shikamaru’s shadows had curled tight around Naruto's cock, and they pulsed as Kurama slowly buried into him to the hilt. He wobbled as he got his elbows under him, leaning forward to kiss Naruto's jaw.
“You doing okay?” He checked in, voice a soft murmur, and Naruto rubbed against him as best he could.
“M'fine... Don't think I'll be up for a second round tonight, though.” His voice was rough, low, and it made him feel butterflies in his belly. “Can I have my arms back? Or just one?”
Shikamaru didn't let his chest go, or legs, but he gave him his arms, which he wrapped tightly around Shikamaru- just in time for Kurama to pull out and thrust back in. They stroked his back as Kurama was soon delivering a punishing pace, Naruto's hands prevented his mind from going fully black as he felt Kurama dig deep into his belly.
“Let me kiss you?” How could he say no?
Naruto's tongue was hot, firm, and as intense as everything had gotten, it made it that much... sharper.
His mind was tugged between Naruto’s hot tongue rubbing with his own, and Kurama's thick cock rearranging his guts- if he had guts when he was like this. He felt like he had guts, if only for the simple fact he swore could feel them shifting.
“You two are so cute.” He gasped into the kiss as Kurama gave his ass a rough slap, he whined when the hands stroking his back slid down, grabbing hold of his ass and began to massage it- the effect allowed Kurama to reach that little bit further inside. “You want my knot? Want me to knock you up?” Oh. That was a new kink.
He arched into Naruto as Kurama's already rough pace grew harder and more irregular, the head of his cock was grinding into Shikamaru’s belly and his toes were curling and he was getting so close-!
He held Naruto's face in his hands, letting the curl of darkness around the base of the blonde’s cock go. Naruto nearly screamed, Shikamaru kept him from getting too loud even as Naruto's seed was spurting hard between their bellies, coating his writhing sex, pulsing as he just kept cumming. It was enough, Shikamaru followed him, his seed pushing out of him in time with Kurama's hips slamming into him-
He was over sensitive as Kurama was close but not that close. He whined as he felt the knot nearly catch his hole, before it finally slammed in, swelling inside him as hot cum poured inside.
He was a bit cross eyed, blinking as he came back to full awareness. Kurama was uselessly rocking their hips, lost in his own world, softly repeating something under his breath.
“Kurama, neither of us are getting pregnant, we're missing something important for that.” Naruto groaned, and when he could focus, Kurama's little whimpering chant was, in fact, just ‘Get pregnant’ over and over again. Kurama ignored Naruto pointing that out, short of suddenly growing a womb, Kurama was wasting his efforts.
They were stuck together for an unusually long amount of time, given how long it had taken in the past for their knot to go down.
Kurama pulled out, but left his thick cum inside- it would poof along with Kurama when the clone ran out of chakra. Without really caring he dropped his full weight down onto them both, and Shikamaru finally let the shadows around them fully drop.
“This is a little gross, but you're kinda... pushing the cum out of me.” Kurama snorted and Shikamaru groaned, not wanting to be reminded that he was also leaking.
“.... should I plug you up?” Kurama nuzzled Shikamaru, blanketing him with his smell- slightly different than Naruto's. It was a spicier scent, like hot cinnamon. Not to be outdone, Naruto began to rub his scent up on him as well.
It was nice. He knew he'd reek of them even after getting cleaned up, probably for the next few days even.
“I want a bath...” He mumbled it, eyes feeling heavy.
“Kurama, stop lingering, we need to get cleaned up.” Naruto whined, acting more like a twelve year old than a man almost in his thirties.
“Do you hear the way he speaks to me, Shikamaru?” Kurama growled, Shikamaru gasped as he was suddenly un-squished, then lifted easily up off of Naruto.
“Hey!”
“I hardly get to spend any time with our mate. I will take a bath with him.” Shikamaru extended his senses, grabbing clothes to change into after with a shadow, and turned to look up at Kurama.
“Everyone's asleep, but we need to be quiet.” Kurama gave Naruto a shit eating grin, and slid out of their room, carrying a boneless Shikamaru up to the bath.
Naruto, somewhat jelly legged, followed a moment or two later. Kurama popped in the bath about halfway through, and Shikamaru went from cuddling with him to Naruto.
“I really enjoyed tonight.” His husband was running his fingers through his damp hair, careful not to pull it.
“I can tell.” He curled himself up until his head was under Naruto’s chin. “I feel bad that Kurama's usually only out when we're intimate though.”
“It's not like he's easy to explain...” That was true, Kurama was... Shikamaru loved him, and wanted him around more often, but it was a lot for other people to get used to. He knew Naruto felt the same.
“We'll figure something out.” He didn't know what , but somehow they'd make it so Kurama could at least wander the house freely. That would mean telling the kids...
At what point was it acceptable to tell one's children an S level secret? His dad never told him any, he just figured them out on his own, and Naruto kept accidentally stumbling into them, so he wasn't sure. He knew, technically, the answer to that was was ‘never’ but he was more interested in having Kurama able to wander freely than state secrets remaining secrets.
When they got back to their room, both Kabuto and Fu were already asleep on the bed- Naruto had left a clone to change the bedding and hide any evidence thankfully. Shikamaru would have been mortified if he hadn't.
“Scoot over a little, kiddo.” Fu grumbled, rolling until he hit Kabuto, who cracked an eye open.
“You weren't here.” Shikamaru sighed, laying behind the child so the two boys were cuddled securely between them.
“Papa spilled some ink, so we had to take a bath.” The boy bought the lie, well, half lie.
Something had been spilled.
“Will you tell me a story? I can't fall asleep...” Shikamaru sighed, and told Kabuto a more fairy tale esque version of the creation of the chakra beasts. He feel asleep before they'd gotten past seven tails, having started with Kurama.
Notes:
I wrote this one in a separate document, and it ended up as about nine pages and 3,795 words. I'd like to give special thanks to two users who made requests, Rastro15 who left a comment on Ch 51 for the idea of Kurama knotting Naruto and Ch 68 for Shika and Naruto to be making out while it happens, and Leather_Backseat also on Ch 51 for the idea of Kurama having his own body- this isn't quite that yet but the next NSFW chapter he will have one... kind of.
If there are any other specific requests I'll take them into consideration, and I always love getting suggestions especially for these chapters. They sort of just pop into my head randomly so I just write one in whenever I get a new idea and if you want to see more of them suggesting or requesting certain things is the best way to increase these types of chapters.
I am still more than okay writing stuff for other pairings that are already established in this (MinatoxKushina, ShikakuxYoshino, ect.) but I don't have any particular ideas for writing them yet, but we'll see.
I debated not putting in the last part of this chapter, but they are, like all parents, trying to spend that sort of time together and having to be mindful the kids.
Chapter 70: Dogs. Dogs Everwhwere.
Summary:
The children enable each other. Shikamaru and Naruto both fold like wet napkins.
Chapter Text
Bee continued to be an annoyance, but one he could deal with. It was decided that Shikamaru would never be allowed to participate in any full scale conflicts between their villages, easy, and in exchange the village would receive a financial kickback in the form of lower tariffs when trading civilian goods. He had also snuck one last thing in that he knew made both sides sweat.
“I'd like a promise that any agreements made with me personally be respected, or render the agreement involving my participation void.”
“Agreements?” He could hear the edge in Shikaku's voice. He'd figured it out already.
“Deals.” The word made the air feel electric. “Never anything on behalf of the village. If I make a trade or do a favor I just want to make sure the other party respects the cost of it.” As much as he did as he pleased, his favors weren't free, he was a yokai now, and he needed to make sure the weight of that was obvious.
“Can you give an example?” He looked at Hiruzen and smiled, serenely. The shadows of the room quivered just enough he could taste sudden unease in the air.
“Just ordinary dealings between people.” He was purposeful in letting his eyes return to the somewhat menacing black orbs they felt most comfortable as. “Verbal agreements, not contracts. It'd be annoying if I had to make people honor them the traditional way. This just feels less messy.”
The ‘traditional way’ was implied to be violent. Possibly rend-soul-from-body violent.
No further arguments followed. Now to do that four more times.
It was just insurance of course, he doubted he'd need it. But it was nice to have. One village fucking it up for everyone would mean there'd be political pressure to honor any deals made with him. It might mean some became much more cautious when speaking with him, but they should be .
There would be a small party, well... ‘small’ party. The Kumogakure delegates would leave the day after, and they'd prepare to host the next group- the good thing about every other village treating him like some sort of shinobi eating nightmare beast was they were cowed into visiting Konoha personally rather than making them travel. After all there'd be too much uncertainty asking Shikamaru to enter another village without the promise he wouldn't make swaths of highly trained shinobi vanish in a blink.
“You're going to bring the family then?” He blinked, glancing up at Ay. He wasn't as tall as Naruto but for some reason the angle he had to look up to meet his eye felt uncomfortable.
“Yeah, everyone who we trust to babysit the kids will be there so we have to.” He picked up the dossier he'd been given and prepared to hand it back, tapping it on his palm to straighten the papers inside. “We probably won't stay long.” He added. Taking their kids anywhere was a huge production, and with how many kids they had under six it was easier to just swing through and head home before they could get fussy or bored.
“Maybe Bee will finally get the memo.” Shikamaru snorted at that. Ay was refreshingly understanding about Shikamaru’s occasionally physically violent responses to his obnoxious younger brother's weird obsession with him. He was on decent terms with Ay before the man had died in their former timeline, he was nice. He and Kakashi had used to sit around together and talk, trying to come up with new strategies to hit back at Kaguya. Kakashi hadn't had many true peers near the end, and when they lost Ay and Bee, Kakashi and Naruto had both been inconsolable- but they hadn't had much time to grieve.
He hadn't expected to have such a casually friendly relationship with his former boss's colleague.
“I am curious to see your children, you have a baby, yes?” He nodded, avoiding eye contact. He has three but...
“You'll be surprised.” Ay laughed, thinking he was speaking hyperbolically.
Bee was trying to run over, but he shifted into Ay's shadow, using it to slip into the darkness, hopping out near the door to hand over the folder in his hands, waving goodbye to the brothers- Ay had grabbed Bee by the collar and was refusing to let him chase, before Shikamaru slipped back into the shadows.
He could tell through vague impressions which shadow he'd pop out of, where or whose/what the shadow belonged to. The space he moved through between shadows was a bit like swimming through cool, heavy water. There was no ‘air’ in the space, or real light coming from inside it, but the places where shadows gathered in the physical world beyond it were like looking into hazy puddles, dim and out of focus.
He pulled himself with a jump through the shadow cast in the gate to their home, it only took a handful of seconds as either space or time behaved strangely when he was inside the shadows, but then he was walking to the house.
He entered to find more dogs than he remembered their being the last time he had been in the entryway- less than four hours ago.
They had allowed Chiyo to keep Milk, but that didn't explain why Kakashi, Chiyo, Urushi, and Yosaku were trying and failing to corral what looked like at minimum eight wet dogs back toward the bathroom when he got inside. Not a single one was recognizable.
“Dad!” Chiyo did her best to side step in front of two puppy sized dogs, “You're home early!” She had started to call him dad when they'd let her keep Milk. He heard a shout and paws thudding across the wooden floors as Nanami and Nao chased several more wet dogs from the bathroom, slipping on the puddles left by the other dogs who had all come to sniff him curiously. Intent mattered more to animals than him being human so they didn't start growling or trying to run from him.
“Why are there so many dogs?” He could hear the exhaustion in his own voice. His kids looked at one another and began to all try and talk over each other in a rush to explain. He held up a hand, and it took a moment for them to trail off. “Where is your father? Does he know about the dogs?” The children all refused to meet his eyes.
He got his answer as Naruto opened the door behind him, eyes wide as he took in all the animals in their entryway, their soap and water covered children, and his confused and irritated husband. Strapped in a harness to his chest was Uhari, who kicked her tiny sock covered feet, their other younger children were sitting in a wagon he'd clearly pulled from the market, save their five year old's who were each dropping their small cloth bags of fruit to run headlong into the pile of wet animals.
“What the heck is going on?!”
“It was Kakashi's idea!” Chiyo instantly threw him under the metaphorical wagon.
“No! Chiyo was the one who wanted to give all the strays a bath!”
“I'm sorry papa!” Yosaku got his feet back under him- he had also slipped- and ran to hug Naruto's side.
“We can keep them right?!” Nao was dragging Nanami up from the floor, both were already turning on the puppy eyes.
“Saito!” Naruto crossed his arms as best he could with a four month old kicking him and trying to gum on his sleeves, they could hear feet on the stairs coming down before their oldest son shouted in shock, fighting his way past the massive horde of wet dogs, head popping around the corner. “You were supposed to be watching them!”
“Momo said she could keep an eye on them while I worked on my sealing...”
“Momo and Himari went to the corner market to look at the guy who restocks the milk. She put Kakashi in charge.” Yuki called from the direction of the kitchen, “For the record, I told them this was a dumb idea.”
Shikamaru took stock of the children and felt dawning horror, they were missing three children.
“Where are Keiko, Kabuto, and Fu?” Had Danzo gotten them in the chaos?! He began to frantically feel out through the shadows before he found their shadows in the living room.
“We're doing that weird four thousand piece puzzle. One of the dogs barked and it scared Fu or he'd be helping them.” Yuki informed, they'd toed their way into their line of sight. They had a bowl of chips, likely to share with their siblings. Yuki had to lift it over their head to avoid the few dogs who began to beg and yip at them.
“Okay, just-!” The dogs were all, briefly, swallowed by shadows, they fluffed up as he pulled the water off of them and gathered it, making it run out under the door. “What. Are. We. Doing. With. The. Dogs.” He clapped with each word, a mistake, as that made the now dry and slightly disoriented dogs begin barking. At a hiss they all flinched and whimpered, Naruto and Kakashi also flinched at the sound but luckily anyone with normal human hearing didn't seem affected. That was progress.
“Can... can we keep them?” Kakashi had put his arms around two of the smaller dogs, looking wet and pathetic, terribly hopeful too. He shot Naruto a look but it was too late, Yosaku and Chiyo had also joined in begging.
“Haruki. Don't you dare -!”
“But they look so happy-!”
“We have twenty kids in our house, and eight dogs already, we can't take in... thirty two more dogs!” He counted them as quickly as he was able. By this point Yugure and Jun had gotten out of the wagon and joined their sisters in petting the now dry dogs. He felt fingers tugging on his pants and looked down.
“Please daddy?” Yugure's ridiculously large blue eyes looked wet, as if she'd start crying and he could feel his very soul gnash . He fought it, but Jun tugged too, sniffling.
“Pleeeeease!” Naruto might be a bigger softy, but Shikamaru also had trouble saying no to their kids.
He picked them both up, hanging his head.
“Chiyo, Kakashi, you have to promise you're going to be serious about training them, if not we are going to re-home them. All of them. And it's your responsibility to take care of them and clean up after them.” He regretted it almost instantly despite the children running to hug his legs swearing to take good care of them.
“I'll just... go make more dog houses I guess.” Naruto backed out of the house after handing him Uhari and a scroll that held the rest of the shopping. Maybe he should reach out to Tsume and ask if her clan needed more dogs anyway...
When had he gotten so soft?
Chapter 71: A 'Small' Party
Summary:
This is another festival, it isn't fooling anyone.
Notes:
I decided to put both the first two sections together for this chapter rather than try and break it up.
Chapter Text
“Pakkun, you're in charge of the house while were gone, send one of the foxes if something happens.”
“Roger.” The pug saluted, barking at the other dogs who scattered to the edges of the yard and began sniffing about.
Shikamaru straightened Saito's hanten, his son wasn't paying attention at all, showing Nao his notebook as they talked about... storage seal arrays? He combed his fingers through Kabuto's hair to try and straighten it out.
“Will you stop fussing?” Naruto took one of his hands, kissing the back of it.
The party had become more of an unofficial festival, the clan council had had something to do with that. Fu was with Jun and Yugure on the back of one fox summons, Megumi and Bashira on the back of another, the rest of their children able to walk were meandering in a herd about them having their own conversation. They'd never been to a festival before, not to enjoy one at least, so they were excited.
“I am not fussing.” He lied, even as he slowed Urushi down to remove a leaf from his hair. How had that even gotten there?
“It'll be okay.” He hummed, keeping track of the children's shadows. “I'm going to do one of the lotto ticket stands, what do you want to do?”
“Huh? They won't have one of those.”
“Trust me, there's definitely one. They're a staple.” He rolled his eyes until they got to the edge of what was definitely a huge public festival and not a small party to celebrate the completion of a peace agreement between villages. It was the tension of a long and worrying war suddenly vanishing. Of course it was thrown together, but the mood was jovial.
“Dad, can I have some ryo to play festival games?” He snorted at that. He was, thus far, the parent that stayed home and (aside from cooking) took care of the house and children, while Naruto was the one who'd been working. It was a bit funny he wasn't seen as the one to ask despite that.
“Hold on...” Naruto smiled, sly, pointing to a ticket booth and Shikamaru groaned. Sure enough there was a granny hawking scratch tickets. This was perhaps a bit unfair. He bought a few, letting a giggling Nanami help him.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes as she whooped, holding them up.
“We won!”
“Lucky fox.” He mumbled and Naruto's ear twitched, eyes briefly flashing red, too light for anyone else to notice.
He divided the winnings up and gave them out to the older kids, letting Shikamaru hold onto the girls and Fu's coins.
“Don't run ahead!” Shikamaru laughed watching him try to wrangle them as they all quickly found a booth that they wanted to spend their money at and split in various directions.
“I wanna try festival food!” Yugure made eye contact, already drooling a bit as she started to list foods off. Shikamaru's head was pulled back lightly and he turned it around- maybe a bit too far- to glance at Uhari who was pulling on it.
“Can we have cotton candy?” [A/N:I will not say candy floss] Fu's eyes were sparkling, “I want Meimei to try some too!” Shikamaru eased his hair free, righting his head back the right way around, glancing at the girl on his hip who had been munching on some puffed cereal since they left the house.
“If we can find some.”
“Ichika! Help us find cotton candy.” The vixen was snickering, before sniffing around.
“This way, bew!” he followed, not minding the way people stared.
“Kakashi!” He watched the boy get sidelined by someone new. Oh, shit! Tiny Gai.
“Get off!” Kakashi folded like wet paper, making no actual effort to push the boy off.
“Nii-chan!” Yugure covered her mouth with her hands, “Is he your boyfriend ?!”
Kakashi shoved Gai off and jumped up, flushed and annoyed.
“Ew, no!”
“Nii-chan is dating Obito, remember?” Bashira stage whispered which only made Kakashi more upset.
“ I am not! He's- I'm- Obito is not my boyfriend! ” Kakashi stomped and Shikamaru chuckled.
“Are you one of Kakashi's friends?” He spotted Duy running his way over looking panicked until he spotted his son. That has to be Duy, he looks just like Gai.
“I'm Maito Gai!” He was such a little cutie. He wanted to squeeze his cheeks.
“Namakazi Inei.” He shook the boy's hand. He'd always planned to take whatever name Naruto used once they got married so he doubted it mattered beyond that. It was becoming more and more common in this time to take the family name of your partner, and among clan members, usually the non clan spouse took their partner's name, or kept theirs if they were both from clans.
“Kakashi is my eternal rival!” he pounded his chest, grinning.
“It's good to challenge one another to improve.” His smile grew as Kakashi got more embarrassed, bouncing Mei on his hip.
“Shika, can you take Shin, the twins are fighting over a goldfish-!” Naruto had appeared, faster than Duy, but seemed shocked to see a very small version of Konoha's Green Beast. “I'd introduce myself by they're pulling hair...”
“I can take him.” Kakashi opened his hands for the boy and Naruto looked touched.
“Thanks big guy.” Shin instantly latched on and started to teeth on Kakashi's hanten, but being used to having dog spit on everything he seemed unconcerned. Naruto had bolted back the way he came.
“Papa is so silly.” He patted Megumi's head. Glad he had all the children who couldn't wander.
“Why are you wearing that?” Gai tugged on his sleeve and Kakashi raised his nose, haughty, up in the air.
“I don't want to hear that from you.”
“Gai, you shouldn't run off like that.”
“I wanted to find Kakashi! Rin said he'd definitely be here.”
“Do you want to go find your teammates, Kakashi? I can handle Shin too.” He looked torn. “You should go have fun.” He mumbled something and looked down, holding Shin up, Shikamaru took him, and just like with Mei, used shadows to secure him and lighten the armload slightly.
“I'll be back soon.” He assured before darting off with Gai, leaving Duy in the dust. The man sighed.
“Your son?”
“Yeah...”
“He seems... energetic.” Duy just nodded, smiling a little despite himself, “Namakazi Inei.”
“Maito Duy.”
“Does this mean Kakashi doesn't want cotton candy?” Fu looked up at him confused.
“He's been cooped up at home, he just wants to play with his friends, don't worry about it.” Fu nodded.
“They'll be fine, right?”
“Yeah. Kakashi's already made jonin, and I'm tracking their shadows, if anything happens I can protect them.” He seemed to take Shikamaru in fully.
“You're the shadow man.” He shrugged. “I didn't realize you had such a big family.”
“My husband is trying to herd our older kids back. First festival as a family, they got a bit overexcited.”
“I heard someone had adopted all the children from the orphanage.”
He nodded, spotting a woman selling cotton candy.
“Here Fu.” He tossed a few coins from his pocket with a shadow and the boy got Ichika to the woman, enough to buy three, and the boy circled back, Jun clapping for his masterful riding abilities... or for candy.
“For Meimei.” Fu held one out, offering the other to the girls opposite him on Feifei.
“What do we say?”
“Thank you nii-chan!” “Thank you!” Both Shin and Mei were soon sticky from the candy. Yugure had switched with Fu to ‘drive’ Ichika, and he and Duy had begun to make small talk.
He raised a shadow off the ground and actually managed to trip Bee, who'd spotted them during the first hour and was running over. At the same time, Saito and Yosaku were running back over, the younger boy had a stuffed bird doll in his arms that looked almost uncomfortable to hold.
“Look, nii-chan won this for me!” He was laughing, Saito had already slowed down, panting. He was probably the least physically active child they had, it didn't help Tsunade thought he likely developed asthma from his lungs being treated improperly when he was a child after the house fire.
“You okay, Saito?”
He held up a thumbs-up but stayed doubled over.
Urushi and Keiko came bolting back with Kabuto chasing them, he had to pull them apart with his shadows.
“They ate my yakitori!” He sighed.
“He took too long in the bathroom!”
“We said we'd buy him more...”
“You have your hands full!” Duy observed, he'd relaxed considerably when he spotted Gai and Kakashi with other kids their age all gathered around a ring toss stall. It was thankfully still in view now.
“I'm missing six still.” He heard the twins shouting. “Four, sorry.”
“She cut me in line!”
“I was gonna win it for you, dummy!”
“Both of you stop yelling. One more fight and I'm taking you home.” They were still light four children... The commotion brought over Yuki, however, who had found a stand selling grilled squid.
“Haha.” Their laugh came off as condescending and fake, but... they'd yet to laugh any other way. It didn't make the twins any less irritated.
“Where are your sister?”
“Momo said, and I'm quoting, ‘The cute milk boy is working at a takoyaki stand, were going to watch him. They've been there for like... thirty minutes.” He sighed, he shouldn't be surprised. That damned milk boy again...
“Who's your friend, Kakashi?” He groaned, trying to shake Himari and Chiyo who had found him, or rather that his team and Gai's who they'd met up with had wandered past where his sisters were creepily watching some idiot manning a food stall. Poorly.
“Hey Obito, Rin.” Chiyo waved her fingers to the girl, “Think I saw Shizune playing darts with Tenzo not far from here.” Rin flushed, excusing herself.
“Leave.” Momo grabbed the back of the hanten he'd gotten as a gift that morning and pulled the back of it over his head.
“No. Go make out with your boyfriend or whatever and let us enjoy the festival, okay?”
“I don't have a boyfriend!” Momo rolled her eyes.
“E-excuse me?” He forgot. Ebisu . The weirdo was eyeing his sisters up and down. Specifically Momo's- “Would you mind introducing us to your older acquaintances.” He didn't like the look on his face.
“Namikaze Momo, my sisters , Himari, and Chiyo.” She lisped a bit from her missing teeth, and Kakashi sent a prayer to the sage they didn't mention it- she'd given Obito a black eye when he had upon first meeting her.
“Kakashi, who's the cute one?” Himari tugged on his mask, her real goal was to not so subtly pinch his cheek. Ebisu, the dummy, flushed at that, about to introduce himself.
“Gai.” he threw a thumb toward the green menace who had been counting out pocket change for the ring toss, and his sisters shared a look.
“We meant the brunet, mister ‘ I don't have a boyfriend ’.” Genma went a little pink at that.
“The ugly one is Ebisu.” He tried to divert them.
“At least we can agree on something. You've got shit taste Kakashi, but I guess it could be worse.” Momo dug in her pocket until she found a few of the coins Haruki had given her earlier. “You must be hungry right? Go buy some snacks to share with Gai and Obito.”
“I have money too-!” She dunked his head and he allowed it.
“What, something wrong with me wanting to treat my kid brother?”
“Brother?” Genma looked around at the three girls who were actively bullying him. “But... aren't you an only child?”
“Kakashi's been living with our dads since like... a week before we got adopted.” Himari finally let his cheek go, and he glared at her, she just crossed her arms. “He's practically a Namikaze.”
“Yeah, he's pretty much my twin.”
“Don't decide that on your own!”
“We've got so much in common though! Short tempers, love dogs, hate people, y'know. The important stuff.” He scoffed, but looked a little fond.
“I'm so glad to be an only child...” Obito rubbed his covered eye socket, as if afraid Momo would give him a second to match.
“Why are you guys just standing around anyway?” They had all taken to ignoring Ebisu, who had yet to recover from being called ugly and having Momo agree to it. He knew she was kind of pretty, but he wasn't sympathetic to Ebisu. Even with sunglasses on it was clear where he was looking.
“Easy. Milk boy.” She pointed at an unsuspecting teenager currently being berated by an old woman at a food stall nearby.
“Gross. Stop stalking him.”
“We aren't! Momo and I were looking at the mask stall next to his family's booth and there he was.”
“Yuki and I were going halfsies on snacks and I found them objectifying the guy, I thought it was funny so I stayed.”
“... where is Yuki then?”
“I gave them my squid and told them to go back to dad and papa.” She waved him off.
“Did they make it there?” Kakashi suddenly felt paranoid. There had been a lot of ANBU watching their house for a while, and some unknown shinobi still did sometimes even though the ANBUA had stopped.
“Kakashi, you know dad. If he hears Yuki even breathe a little differently he'll pop out of nowhere to check on them.” He couldn't argue that.
Himari was offering a very shy Genma some of her cold soba, he wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. Ebisu had seemed to find some courage and was trying to convince Obito and Gai to help him impress Momo, Kakashi just sighed. He'd get punched and deserve it.
Rin returned then with Shizune, Tenzo was holding on tight to her hand. Peaking around her side.
“Hey Shizune.” Chiyo waved, and Shizune waved back.
“You having fun, Tenzo?” the boy nodded at his question, reaching out for Kakashi's hand, which he let him squeeze briefly. They heard some sort of commotion not far away, and there was a sudden shift in air pressure, though it did little more than pop their ear drums.
“That doesn't seem good.”
“You think the weirdo who's been hitting on dad is here?”
“Papa's probably kicking his ass, I wouldn't worry.”
Kakashi wanted to believe his sisters, until he heard the sudden screaming he did believe it . Then all they could do was run toward it.
Chapter 72: Never Get Between A Yokai and Their Kids
Summary:
Stay at home dads are (extremely) dangerous.
TW: Gore, Death, Discriptions of vilolence.
If you don't want to or can't read that it starts right after Shikamaru starts giving chase, and it's over completely after the page break.
Notes:
For the foreseeable future I'll be putting the kids age in years next to the first appearance of their names in the chapters starting from here, since it's been pointed out how confusing it is. Uhari, since she's under a year will get hers in months, (_m) like that. I won't be adding their descriptions back in every chapter, but hopefully this helps. Kakashi and his squad, as well as the other young squads are all around thirteen or fourteen, Obito and Rin are both fourteen as well as Shizune.
Also if I refer to the group as the 'little girls' it's usually in refference to Bashira, Megumi, Yugure, and Jun, eventually also Mei, since the only other two young children under five at this point are Shin, who's 1, and Uhari, who is about five months old.
In my head I keep them split up into four groups, Older than Kakshi, Younger but not in the academy, Academy, and misc. babies- But I can see why that doesn't really help anyone else keep them straight.
Chapter Text
Bee had caught up to them and was having a barely collared argument with Naruto, if the children weren't around then things might have gotten a bit bloody. The younger jinchiruki (and that was still an adjustment) was trying and failing to make the argument that, since Naruto was away from home often he should at least be allowed to take Shikamaru on one date to see how things went- the ultimate argument was three dads are better than two but that was just... Although Shikamaru had never really considered it before, Bee was just... way too young to even be on his radar. He was only a few years older than Saito(16). He couldn't look at that baby faced kid without his skin crawling at the thought of a romantic relationship with the guy. Though they were keeping things to a whisper yell for the most part, Shikamaru had heard Naruto angrily ask why Bee kept trying to cuck him, and under any other circumstances that would probably be funny... Bee would grow out of it, he was only so interested because, acroding to Kurama, yokai and biju have a surprisingly complementary chakra feeling. Enough time and distance would solve this, he hoped...
Ignoring the two jinchiruki he tried to focus on their very small kids, the older children were still keeping close, though they were told to remain in sight this time so Shikamaru was far more at ease. He had just helped Jun(2) and Yugure(3) down to get their hands and faces wiped off from the candy and was talking with Duy, who wasn't a threat, when his girls both squealed at something, tugging on his pants for attention.
“Daddy, can we?” There was a goldfish game both girls were making puppy eyes, pointing to it. How could he say no? He smiled, handing each girl a coin.
“Do you know how to play?” They nodded excitedly.
“I remember watching the last time when papa did it! I'll show Jun!” So she had been lingering around during the last festival they'd been at. He kissed their heads and let them totter to the booth. He didn't need to go with or send one of their siblings since they were easily within eyeshot, close enough it would only take a second to scoop them up with a shadow and have them back at his side. Fu(6) had calmed Kabuto(7) down and replacement yakitori had been found. The other kids save the little girls who were excitedly watching the argument were playing at nearby stalls, and he could feel the older girls and Kakashi within a few hundred feet.
Jun squealed as she dropped her fish, it broke the paper paddle, and Yugure dropped hers by accident.
He was about to go over and see if they wanted to try again, they were less than ten feet from him, when one of the men walking by passed between his line of sight and the girls and he heard them both shout- the man began to run with one of his daughters under each arm.
He pushed all three of their youngest into Naruto and Duy's arms with barely any warning save securing them so they wouldn't be dropped and sprinted after. His first instinct was to prevent the man from escaping so the shadows along the booths cut a jagged line up into the heavens, too high to scale- the sudden rise made a wind tear past and he realized the man wasn't alone. The man in unusual clothing under his cloak had passed Jun to someone else, also wearing an unfamiliar pattern. It was saying something that he couldn't place it, but it just made his heart drop into his stomach as white hot panic seemed to ignite his senses. Someone screamed having noticed they were suddenly trapped- not one of the threats.
There were six more.
They two holding his girls tried to use some sort of jutsu to boost themselves over the wall, and he called the shadows under their cloaks, hearing them scream as the darkness became razor sharp, slicing their arms at the elbow- he capped the cut flesh at both ends so neither child could be splashed with blood. He dashed forward, easily avoiding the few blades drawn at him- for some reason the had seals emitting light on them, as if that could do anything. They were prepared but only in the very loosest sense- cheap and faulty information.
His shadows reached past his hands, shooting out into the open air between him and the now falling bodies, and he caught both of his daughters, bringing them to his chest and raising the shadows around his feet- they wiped the air in a frenzy. They were able to yank the weapons out of the assailants hands, and for his daughter's sake he decided not to drag it out.
Black, spectral hands made of shadows emerged from under their clothing and grabbed them, most in a choke hold, others found themselves broken as the hands wrenched their limbs into disjointed and painful configurations, leaving them writhing on the cold ground, the two who he had removed the arms of were not spared. Yugure was watching curiously, but Jun was crying, curling tightly into him. The only real thought that remained in his head was that he needed to sooth them both, they must have been so scared. He gently rubbed his chin to the crown of Jun's head, bringing Yugure closer to his chest and tried to turn her away from the now incapacitated assailants.
“It's okay, Jun. Everything is okay.” he kissed the top of her head as he walked forward, the ring of shadows falling as he put his foot on the head of the man who had dared to grab his children. “Daddy's got you.” Something urged him on, instinct maybe- his lingering deal with his daughter, to protect her. It whispered in his mind that they would have hurt his children, and for that they deserved to die.
“N-no! Stop-!”
There was a wet crack, he'd covered the eyes of any children in the area so they couldn't see as he crushed the man's head under his foot. It cracked like an egg, as he continued to comfort his daughter, walking to the other man who had dared touch them. Even though he tried to protect her from the sight Yugure pushed at his chest to look down, cold and detached, her fingers were balled in his hanten and her eyes had gotten harsh.
“Can I do it? He made Jun sad.” Yugure whispered it near his cheek, looking down at the man who had began to plead and curse, not sure which could save his life.
“No. You're still little, it's my job to take care of you. Both of you.” She pouted as rather than crushing the man's skull they watched him writhe, unable to claw at his chest as inside his body shadows began to exert pressure, forming fists and arms, until his organs began to rupture and his bones shattered. The sharp shards ripped open his muscle and skin and hands reached blindly out of the holes, widening them with wriggling fingers. He died of shock within a few seconds of seeing the first one begin to free itself from his belly. Both Yugure and his strange desire for bloodshed seemed appeased at that. The man had been unable to scream from the shadow fingers clawing out of his lips, so thankfully aside from the wet tearing he didn't make any sounds that might scare his little ones.
Calmly he moved to the next one, the hand on his neck began to squeeze mercilessly, his desperate hands passed through the shadow, clawing desperately for it as it crushed his larynx-
“Inei!” He nearly slashed outward but froze, Shikaku had grabbed his shoulder, “Stop!” He was white as a sheet, he looked like he had either recently been ill, or was bout to be ill.
“Why?” His brow furrowed, not sure why the request would be made of him. They had tried to take his kids. Jun was crying . They had invited this fate and now they would receive it.
“Don't make the kids watch this.” He froze. Yugure was staring with cold eyes at the man he had rendered unconscious but not yet dead, but Jun was crying, arms around his neck and hiding, sobbing wet and loud. His breathing stopped as his mind slowly began to clear a bit. What the hell was he doing? He shifted the shadows along his body to help support her more firmly and shifted until he could stroke the short brown hair at the nape of her neck. The comfort seemed to calm her just a bit, but she was still crying. He could make out her tiny, scared, weak voice whimpering 'Daddy' over and over. Yugure tugged on his hanten and looked pointedly, angrily, at the shadow-trussed enemies still writhing on the ground with no way to escape. Maybe, if he hadn't had Jun crying against him he might have allowed the tug of rage to pull him back, to finish what he started. Instead he shook his head and Yugure pouted, curling back into him.
“Oh...” He leaned his cheek on Jun's head, rocking both girls lightly. “Sorry, I just... they shouldn't have touched my family.” There was a static edge to his voice before he let Shikaku lead him away from the bloody mess, the wall of shadows had dropped and ANBU were gathering the surviving attackers and trying to clean up the mess he'd made. The festival would quickly be shuttered, the jovial mood was broken.
He registered each of his children, safe and all together, and when he joined them Naruto pulled him into his arms. Uhari(5m) was crying and he sunk to kneel on the ground, letting the kids each reach out to grab on- checking on their little sisters but a bit... scared of him. Not for what he did, as it had happened far away enough they hadn't seen exactly how he'd so quickly gotten their sisters back. He was unaware he'd let his human appearance slip again, his black eyes made even Kabuto hesitate a moment before demanding a hug in comfort.
Somewhere nearby he could hear Ay and Bee talking, but it was soon distant. Ay had dragged his brother away, and for once Bee hadn't protested it in the least, understanding that his involvement wouldn't make anything better and potentially only distress Shikamaru more.
He didn't remember going home, not really, not even if it was on his own feet or if he'd been carried. (It had been neither. Naruto had carefully set him on Ichika's back, he'd taken Mei(1) back from Duy, and he had rushed them out of the crowd not wanting people to gawk at his family.) He remembered checking the children's shadows over and over to assure himself they were right beside them, and Naruto pushed him into the bathroom when they got home, stripping him of his bloody clothing and lowering him into the bath. Leaving him with the promise he was going to check on the kids. He missed the anxious look Naruto gave him as he closed the door almost completely.
He sat, mind occupied by checking the position of his family's shadows to make sure they were safe, that no one else was going to appear to harm them.
His very being ached at the thought someone could have hurt either of his daughters.
The shadows in the room crept slowly, expanding as far as they could without more conscious assistance from Shikamaru, who was having his first mental breakdown since Yugure was born.
Naruto had to calm down the children, trying hard to stay calm himself. He did his best to explain what had happened, why, and maybe for the first time even Kakashi who had seen what Shikamaru could do seemed to finally understand it.
He was not human. He loved them, and wanted to protect them, and he had been human prior, but he wasn't anymore. As a result of his deal he would feel the inescapable urge to protect Yugure, but maybe something had gone a little pear shaped, because that same urge seemed to extend to the other's. He was still their dad, he still loved them, and only wanted the best for them, but he had no qualms about slaughtering any who might put them in real danger. He didn't say it like that but it was clear what he had meant. He was torn, wanting to stay with them, to keep reassuring them that nothing bad was going to happen, that Shikamaru was going to be okay, and needing to check on him. He hadn't been this bad since-
Since the incident on his birthday. This haunted, hollow eyed look he had worn back then too. Shikamaru looked like his head had been emptied out.
He left the kids with a few shadow clones and went to take care of his husband, not wanting him to be left alone in the bath for too long. He'd hardly moved, and only started breathing again when Naruto reminded him to- how long had he gone without? He knew Shikamaru didn't need to breathe as much, maybe at all now that he was mostly yokai, but it still made him anxious to see how still he was, like a corpse. He didn't fight it but didn't particularly help as Naruto drained the water and hauled him out of the water as it emptied out.
Naruto dried him off and got him dressed- he went so far as to put one of his own shirts on Shikamaru since it would smell strongly of him and that might lend some comfort-, leading him down to their bedroom and tucking him in, Yugure wriggled past him with Jun tightly holding her hand and both girls curled up in his hold- he seemed to relax then, falling into a troubled sleep. Naruto made sure both girls were under the blankets too, kissing them both goodnight. He wouldn't make them brush their teeth tonight, not after what happened- it looked like Yugure had helped her sister get their pajamas on since they were a bit skewed, buttons not matching up to holes on their shirts. He hesitated, summoning a tiny fox cub, who he tucked up beside Jun. The little girl hugged the cub, who cuddled back, and he hoped that might help. They'd need to contact Tsunade in the morning, for Shikamaru and Jun at least, if not all the kids.
When he left the room, Fu, Megumi(5), and Bashira(5) had snuck past his shadow clones to seek comfort, they'd been more scared of their sisters being grabbed like that as they hadn't seen what Shikamaru did to get the girls back. They clung to him as he put Shin(1), Mei, and Uhari down for bed. He picked the girls up, one on each hip after h e had laid the infants down in the nursery to sleep, Fu clung to his side on the steps up- he took them one at a time for once. Back upstairs, the older children were anxiously waiting. Kabuto and Keiko(8) both grabbed tight to his elbows since his hands were full with their younger sisters.
“I want to learn how to use a real spear.” Momo(15) spoke up, arms crossed. He didn't mist the way she was shaking slightly.
“Me too!” Urushi(9) stomped slightly. A murmur passed through the crowd of kids, Kakashi included. He had been told on the way back that the attackers were from some splinter group that were trying to frame Kumogakure for the kidnapping, not wanting peace. There motives were unclear, no clue on who backed them since they obviously had information and resources they shouldn't have, but they hadn't expected a fight like that. They had been under-informed about their target's abilities. If Shikamaru hadn't handed him their cubs he would have been on them himself. He may have shown even less mercy given the way he felt Kurama's energy roll through his muscles restlessly still. Shikaku had managed to have the others spared, but it was so they could be sent to T&I, at least Shikamaru would have killed them relatively quickly.
“We want to be able to protect ourselves.” If they could Shikamaru wouldn't likely be triggered into acting like that to protect them, and they may feel less powerless if something like this were to happen again.
“Alright. Starting tomorrow, we get serious.” He hated that his kids needed to learn self defense. It was fun when they just wanted to, but now... Whoever had tried to arrange this had better hope that ANBU finds them before Naruto and Kurama did.
Chapter 73: Morning Post Threatening Display
Summary:
Shikamaru has some introspection. Naruto has implemented the training.
Chapter Text
Shikamaru woke up the next morning and carried both girls up the stairs, finding Naruto was helping wrap Kabuto's(7) hands for taijutsu practice.
“Did they find anything out?”
“They think the funding came from Kiri. Those who participated were all shinobi that had protested the peace accords back in Kumo. It isn't clear what their motive is.” He nodded. It would look fairly bad if the incumbent kage of Leaf's young nieces were kidnapped by Kumogakure shinobi. Kiri also wouldn't likely have accurate information about all those involved given Shikamaru had never directly fought them. There was also no telling if it was from a group within the same country or from the hidden village itself, they'd just have to wait and that would drive him up the walls.
“We'll just have to keep an eye on things, won't we?” Naruto nodded, his eyes glowed slightly red. "I thought you wanted to take things easy today." There had been a plan since it would be post celebration that they'd spend a lazy day at home, a final day of break before the kids all went back to their respective schools. But Naruto didn't look as if he'd even slept in their bed the night before- he couldn't tell given how Jun had kicked around the blankets in her sleep but he didn't think Naruto had even laid down beside him like he usually did when he had trouble sleeping.
“I thought it would be prudent to teach the kids a bit more self defense.” He finished wrapping Kabuto's hands, and the boy ran out to the yard, there was plenty of barking from the dogs, the distant sound of fists hitting fists, wooden poles clacking. “I'm going to help them train the dogs to attack as well, it would be good to have them stick around all the kids.” He nodded and leaned forward as Naruto pecked his cheek, pressing a kiss to each sleepy child's head while Shikamaru began feeling out the shadows of his family- the children, Kakashi's nindogs, Minato and Kushina, Shikaku and Yoshino, then further still, Hizashi and his wife, Tsunade and Shizune, Tenzo, Obito, Asuma and Kurinai, Rin, and on. Once he had exhausted his anxieties for the moment he relaxed.
“Not a bad idea...” He looked dejected out the open door, “I'm going to take this out on the garden...” He shouldn't push himself too much, he still felt shaky both inside his head and outside of it. He could hear crying as a shadow clone of Naruto tried to pick up a fussy Uhari(5m)- she could always tell it wasn't the real him and she'd scream her little lungs out until he actually took her. Shin(1) and Mei(1) had been let down from breakfast, and an exhausted looking shadow clone of his husband dragged himself into the room and handed him Uhari and her bottle. She went peacefully silent the moment the real Naruto was holding her.
“Okay love. Want me to set up the playpen in the shade?” He nodded and the clone Naruto went to go dig it out, while his actual husband took Uhari outside to supervise their other children and pace while feeding her. Shin and Mei had crawled and otherwise wobbled their way to him. He crouched down to kiss both on the head, they'd have to wait until Naruto was ready to go outside.
He had probably freaked people out. Maybe the killing had been a little... unnecessary. But he had been understandably distressed, his poor baby was crying and in danger, of course he'd do whatever he had to, and Yugure had wanted them dead-
He looked at the tiny girl currently braiding his hair and she glanced up, looking at him with a sort of blank expectation. Yugure had wanted them dead. Yugure had wanted to kill them herself.
“Why did you want me to kill them?” She looked at Jun, who was sleeping again, snoring softly on his shoulder, and her blue eyes met his, looking colder than he was used to seeing on her.
“They made Jun cry.” They both looked at Jun. She'd just started to put on a healthy weight. Her messy brown hair was stuck to the side of her mouth, and her tiny fingers curled into his hair, tugging it lightly. Unlike Yugure, Jun was actually a toddler. She didn't speak much, and she was slow to trust either himself or Naruto. But she had clung so tightly with her frail hold when he'd scooped her back into his hold the night before.
Yugure seemed to already be learning what she was capable of with her human body, but Jun wasn't like her. Jun was, and he was making an educated guess here, a neglected child with poor socialization, one who likely had trouble communicating, or had trauma related to speaking, distrusted adults -especially men- who had, like the other children, not always had steady access to food. He had read her file, all the kids files if he were honest, and she'd been left at the orphanage not long after she had started walking. There was a note that it had been her father to leave her there, and unlike some parents he hadn't left any clothes other than what she had been wearing. She had been dirty, and flinched when touched.
“They did.” He sighed, resting his chin on her head even as her arms squeezed him a little tighter. She had followed Yugure everywhere, likely because she felt safe. It was out of his control as all he could do was support her and try to make her comfortable, but he hoped someday she was able to grow out of her clear trust issues, even if she never really had too many friends, he'd be happy if she was able to finally feel comfortable. She could have been hurt. Depending on what they were there for, he could have lost her.
Was it too early to get her psychiatric help?
There were shadow clones in the yard once he'd gone out, all of their youngest five ended up in the play pen even though Yugure had complained about wanting to run around she seemed to understand keeping them in once place where he could see all of them was something he had really needed. There was at least one clone for each child- even Saito(16) was doing his best. As they got tired they all slowly migrated to take a breather with him. He had to reassure them, and likely many other people that that he wasn't a monster, that he wouldn't hurt anyone-
Well, he wouldn't hurt anyone who didn't tempt fate first.
Chapter 74: They Don't Teach That
Summary:
Himari learns that when they said they'd love her unconditionally(cringe?) they had actually meant that.
Naruto get's to show off some of what he knows about the laws of the village. Shikamaru isn't the only one between the two who is a bit... overprotective.
TW: Transphobia, purposeful misgendering
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Himari(14) was twiddling her thumbs, sat on an uncomfortable wooden stool outside the headmaster's office at school. They had come back a few days ago. Her thumbs were bandaged, as were a number of other cuts and scrapes she'd quickly began to accumulate since family sparing had become a thing. She didn't have to, but it made her feel better. Her muscles were sore and she was getting callouses from the spear- she wasn't against the wiry muscle she was gaining, but for the last few days it had been pointed out to her again and again by- her eyes cut to her smug looking classmate who was currently nursing a bruised cheek with an ice pack. Himari had slapped her and now they were waiting for their parents. Inei was still at home, auntie Tsunade had practically been sleeping over the last few days, so she got to see a lot of Tenzo, the little cutie, and Shizune had been spending most of her days reading with Keiko(8) about medicine in one of the upstairs rooms. Suki's parents came first, she was waiting for Haruki who had sent a fox to intercept the request that Inei come to the school- he likely ran into the messenger just outside of their house. He'd be checking on Inei before coming to the school so she just had to wait for him to show.
All the while Suki was saying who knew what and making everything much worse. She caught sight of the giant blonde checking in with one of the attendance women nearby-distracted she wasn't watching the office door like before.
“Namikaze Himari.” She flinched, standing up and walking into the headmasters office. She felt sick to her stomach. She'd been crying for the last two hours, since the whole thing started, yet she couldn't stop. Dodging through the door before it could shut was Haruki, he was still dressed from a mission, flak jacket hanging open and his bandana skewed left off center. She knew what to look for, seeing dried blood on his sleeves.
“Sorry, came as quickly as I could.” He ignored the extra chair when it became obvious she wasn't going to sit in it even though he'd gestured for her to do so- this was a moment after he'd pressed a handkerchief into her palm. Suki's parents, who had gotten their early and sneered at her as she sat crying had likely been waiting to see who her parents were- they looked the sort to care about that type of thing- and they looked at him wide eyed, “My husband couldn't make it, hope you understand, one of the boys brought a cold home.” Of her younger siblings only Fu wasn't sick, but that was because he'd already recovered from having it earlier. It went unsaid that Inei was still recovering from the mental break down he'd had when someone had attempted to kidnap her sisters out in the open and he'd- she just knew it was really, really bad.
“Of course.” There were two chairs for both her guardians as well, she'd been eyeing the extra chair until she realized Himari had looked at her, the girl she'd been fighting was standing beside her dad's chair and sneering again. Haruki patted her shoulder, even sitting he was too tall, and assured her softly it would be handled. As if he already knew the issue and had a solution. She wouldn't put it past him, between his foxes and Inei's shadows, there probably wasn't a secret in the village they couldn't learn.
“Mr. Namikaze, your ward-”
“Daughter.” The headmaster stopped, giving him a small but unwise glare. “She is my daughter.”
“Your daughter. Broke the school's code of conduct. Multiple students have come forward and corroborated that Himari used profanity and threatened the young lady there, even assaulted her.”
"It was one slap-!" She flinched as a stern glare was suddenly on her from the headmaster and she toed slightly behind Haruki.
“What did she say?” Since there wasn't a work around for the slap, he'd start with the rest of it it seamed.
“It does not matter-!”
“I called her an ugly, heartless bitch after she blocked me from going into the bathroom.” He would prefer she be honest, and she felt the need to defend herself. If she didn't then they'd tell whatever story would make her get in the most trouble possible. It was better to tell him than not, so she ignored the anger being directed at her.
“I see. Is... she? Being disciplined as well?” He looked at the other girl- Suki, and her parents.
“We're here to ensure our little darling is apologized to properly.” Her stomach rolled.
“Why was she blocking you from the bathroom?” She opened her mouth but Suki butted in before she could answer.
“It's a girls bathroom.” Himari flinched. It didn't escape Haruki, whose eyes sharpened a bit. This wasn't how she wanted her new parents to find out.
“Thank you for clarifying? Why did that make you think you could block the bathroom?”
“It matters because it isn't right to force the young girls at the school to use the same bathroom as an immoral sex pervert.”
Haruki's brows furrowed, and the look he was giving Suki's mother was the mostly annoyed, exasperated look he had gotten within five minutes of meeting Kakashi's ‘not friend’ Ebisu for the first time.
“I'm fairly certain teenagers are just like that. They can't have changed that much since I was one.” He shrugged, having missed the point, “Girls are just as bad as boys at that age, they just express it differently, but I know our Himari is at least more well behaved than to talk about boys like that at school so-!”
“Your ‘daughter’ has a penis! He should not be using the girls room!” Himari flinched. “Who knows what deviant things he's doing, using their bathrooms, peeping on innocent girls! Does he act out his perverse fantasies at home?”
The chair Haruki was sitting in suddenly pushed back, hitting the ground with a terrible clatter as Haruki stood up . His fists were balled, and he planted one on the back of Suki’s mother's chair, the backrest cracking under his fingers as a look of barely contained anger twisted his face. Himari had never even seen him get angry, anxious yes, but this...
“It's really fucking creepy how obsessed you seem with my underage daughters genitals, y'know?” Himari feels like she's been thrown through a loop.
“Um... papa?” She wasn't sure what to do. This wasn't exactly what she had been expecting after all. Disgust, of course, outrage, accusations... but more so from Haruki. He was acting as if he'd already known, accepted it, and had stopped caring about what she would deem as her most guarded secret.
“In a minute, hime.” He lightened his expression enough to give her a tense smile, and she felt... relief? “You're telling me that I had to rush here after a mission because my daughter told your bigot crotch spawn she was a bitch, much nicer than what I would call her, for preventing her from using the bathroom which is definitely discriminatory harassment, and it's only my kid who's in trouble?” The chair back cracked further, splinters hitting the tiles below with an audible clack. "I know she slapped her, but I can at least understand why."
“W-well you see-!”
“Not only that, I'm certain that, as requested when she was enrolled here, her file was made confidential to prevent this exact situation from happening, so the only way your kid could have that information would be from peeping on my daughter in the bathroom. By your own words, doesn't that make her an immoral sex pervert?”
The woman had gone white as a sheet. Suki had flushed an uncomfortable shade of red and her lip was quivering. Suki had peeped on her, actually, though she hadn't understood why the girl had wanted to.
“You can't treat my wife this way!” Suki’s father didn't last long, one glare and he was sitting back down like a chastised schoolboy.
“I believe you and your daughter owe Himari an apology, she also deserves an academic punishment. I'll settle for in-school suspension." This was pointed at the headmaster, who had started sweating when he'd mentioned ‘discriminatory harassment’ and how Himari's file was supposedly closed. "I know Himari will probably get detention and that's fine, she should know better than to use her fists.” He tacked on, as if that was him making a concession to them, before his eyes cut back toward Suki and her parents. “Of course if you're convinced she's innocent we can always get the police involved.”
“Why would you do that?” Himari tugged on his sleeve and he finally backed off, giving her a reassuring smile. She didn't think that Suki's parents knew he was on friendly terms with the Uchiha clan, and quietly wondered if what he was suggesting was actually legal given that clan were the police.
“Amendment 31.2, article six of the Village charter. ‘No persons, regardless of age, sex, gender, marital, clan, or financial status may be subject to derogatory, demeaning, discriminatory, or defamatory acts committed by individual citizens, institutions, clans, or government officials. Any proven to have done so will be sentenced in accordance with the penal code as a class C or higher misconduct as decided by a jury on behalf of the village.’ Usually when people reference it they call it the 4D article.” He used his foot to kick his chair back onto it's four legs, and put a hand on the back of it, leaning slightly, “And, seeing as Himari is a member of the Namikaze clan, this could be escalated to a 4D article against a clan as a whole.”
“What?!” Himari fought a smile as Suki's mother shreeked.
“By purposefully embarrassing my second eldest daughter, discriminating against her in a demeaning way in public, and the defamation you just said yourself a moment ago... Well, as the head of my clan, any unjust attack against one of my children could be considered as an act to undermine our legitimacy.”
“That will never hold up.” Suki's father didn't look exactly certain of that though.
“Maybe not. But I'm willing to wait. How long can you fight a frivolous civil lawsuit, especially if you're almost guaranteed to lose the criminal one?” Himari's eyes widened.
Oh .
That was... underhanded. Filing a criminal and civil lawsuit for the same thing, it was a... what did her literature teacher call it... a Slapp suit? The Namikaze clan is still extremely young by village standards, so citing a possible defamation case against one of only a (large)handful of children from the clan? It wouldn't matter if it won or not. It would go to court. It would be dragged on as long as possible as a low priority case. And the longer it dragged on the worse the litigation costs would get. Not only that, like it or not they were the same clan as the new hokage, and this would be very public given the dark look Haruki was giving them. Win or lose, it would become a political issue- she knew from what Suki had said in class herself, her father was trying to gain an office on the Civilian Council. This would be shooting himself in the foot.
Haruki wasn't just threatening to get the Uchiha involved, he was warning them that he was willing to financially and socially ruin them over an apology. One that wasn't even for HIM ! Just for her. She wasn't sure if she liked the ethical gray area he had maneuvered himself into on her behalf, but it was touching.
Suki was, inevitably, suspended for a week, and she had to write her an apology letter for Himari, who felt a bit stunned. Himari herself only got two days of detention, and had to go home for the rest of the day.
“You... knew about...”
“We're not that dumb, you know?” She went quiet, walking elbow to elbow with him- well, elbow to wrist given how tall he was. “It isn't that big a deal, stop over thinking it.”
“... but I'm not normal...”
“No one is normal. There isn't anything wrong with you- er, unless you want to have reassignment surgery, then maybe there are but they can be fixed?” He didn't look certain on that, or particularly comfortable thinking on it to long, though she suspected that was more because he didn't want to think about her having that sort of surger than being disgusted by the idea of it. She was his kid after all, even optional surgeries could be dangerous. “Either way it doesn't matter. If anyone tries to give you a hard time let Inei or I know.”
She looked down at her feet as they shuffled along. After a few minutes she heard him sigh.
“I might regret asking, but where are you getting your estrogen from? The orphanage probably didn't...”
“I know a guy!” She had been introduced to him through one of the orphanage staff, and she may or may not have been stealing things here and there to afford it, she'd been using her allowance to buy it since she got one now.
That answer got her sat across from Lady Tsunade the moment they were through the door as the dangers of using unregulated estrogen were drilled into her head. She was also written an actual prescription for it. She spent quite a while staring at the paper it was written on after Tsunade had handed it to her. She would have another checkup that weekend to make sure she was healthy given she had no idea where her source sourced his own estrogen. She was unwilling to rat him out, since she'd been using his supply for almost two years, but if she saw him she'd ask him to consider going straight before her new parent's knocked the shit out of him for endangering her.
When she got down to the floor her room was on she made a beeline to Momo's(15) for a hug, who didn't understand why she was being told she was right, or why her sister was suddenly crying, but it did make her feel a bit smug.
Notes:
The only thing Himari is in trouble for is hitting the other girl- since she'd been training so much she could have done a lot of damage and Naruto wants to make sure she understands that.
Her E guy does not get caught for this, but he might consider a carer change.
Taking hormones without a doctor supervising it can be dangerous, especially if you don't know the source very well, so I wouldn't suggest DIY HRT treatments. They didn't say anything sooner because Shikamaru was keeping an eye on her health and they wanted her to come out only when she was comfortable. They had not realized how sketchy her access to gender affirming care was or they would have stepped in sooner than nearly two months after adopting her.
Chapter 75: Bureaucracy, It Keeps the Lights On
Summary:
Naruto attends his first clan council meeting as a recognized clan head (he filed out a mountain of paperwork), and it's just as boring from a slightly taller chair.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Da!”
“That's right, there's daddy.” Naruto was carrying Shin(1), who had proven himself to be quite a daddy's boy, at the moment Shikamaru was finishing getting all the documents Naruto would need for his first official clan council meeting. He'd not had a recognized seat the last two months, just a regular seat, but now he did. The process was a bit tedious, but there was no monetary or social bar of entry to gain one of the recognized seats.
The council had two levels, all clan representatives were part of the first level, they could vote, make objections, and were heard whenever a decision was put to vote, the second level, the recognized seats, were the ones who were able to put forward proposals, lead meetings, and so long as their remained an odd number of the second group they even had private veto power if the issue needed to be examined- if there was an even number, the hokage was allowed to cast the deciding vote under those circumstances.
The problem was the sheer amount of paperwork required to be filled out for the seat was prohibitively difficult. You practically needed to be a lawyer to fill it out, as the forms were actually designed to trick you- it was meant to ensure vigilance but the seat was hereditary so that meant less than nothing given a clan heir might be practically illiterate but still able to retain the seat of their parent.
Naruto, who had during his first life had every law, bylaw, amendment, ratification, sanction, and code of ethics for every position drilled into his head, had been able to fill it out. Even with shadow clones it still took him two months because it made his brain hurt .
The paperwork had gotten steeply harder by the time of the third hokage, as originally their had been a two year probationary period before a clan could take an actual seat, it had been changed to the paperwork method by the second hokage during his relatively short reign as he'd supposedly bribed most of the council to do so, and the only clan to join under the new charter were the Aburame- well, before that is.
“You sure you don't want to come?” He handed Shin to Shikamaru in exchange for a bundle of paperwork, the boy began babbling excitedly. Tsunade had finally given him a clear bill of mental health... well, as close to what he was usually at prior to the festival incident. He was less anxious leaving him alone than he had been before.
“I'm sure. Someone has to make sure Fu(6) doesn't trip down the stairs again .” They both shot a look toward the boy in question, who was trailing behind Keiko(8) with an armload of wooden practice spears, they smacked the wall and before he could drop them all or fall, Shikamaru righted them, lifting the boy up of the ground for a moment with his shadows before setting him down. “Fu, you should take more than one trip.”
“ I got it! ” He sighed, the boy couldn't even see his own feet. They heard another clatter and a quiet ‘Thanks dad’ from the direction of the front door. Shikamaru had picked up a mug of tea and just hummed. Maybe they should let him fall, then he might learn... but the idea of him getting hurt wasn't something either was okay with.
He kissed Shikamaru, then gave Shin a peck to the top of his head, the boy made a loud kissing sound back, and he headed for the door to get his sandals on. In the thirty seconds it took to do so, the little girls all came over to give him a hug goodbye, their academy age boys waved as he left through the door amid the sound of barking dogs, and their oldest wished him luck- they had been on the way home from somewhere- maybe it was the book store?
The meeting hall was on neutral ground, a space near the tower, and he entered the hall and began to make small talk almost instantly. They had gone from eight official seats to nine, it had been seven for the last twelve years prior to Tsunade returning and being able to take her seat, and it would be ten if Kakashi had even one more member of his clan.
He took his new seat, beside Shikaku and Tsunade, when the meeting began, and they read the minutes from the last meeting, then went over the list of items to be gone over in order of priority.
It was boring but a very necessary government obligation, as the village functioned based on decisions made both individually and jointly with the citizen's council- they were elected positions by district, and no member of one could hold a seat in the other to prevent conflicts of interest. (This didn't stop members of clans not part of the main family from holding seats on the civilian council, they just couldn't be shinobi.)
There was a budget for the upcoming (official) summer festival that needed to be divided as clans usually sponsored them, a proposed budget change for the academy, debate once again on if clans should be allowed to skirt the entry tax for goods into the village (Naruto opposed it as he knew how much of the budget that particular tax fed for the village and he didn't want to deliberately screw over Minato), then they moved onto grievances. Clan's squabbling with each other got floor space to make a case before the council to prevent violence, they'd follow the council's choice. The Lee and Shiranui clans were once again in a spat over the same disputed damage to a shared wall on their properties. At the last meeting, he had offered to pay for the damage and settle it outside of the clans so they could stop fighting about it twice a month, but they had been in agreement for once that he was overstepping and it didn't involve the Namikaze.
He was shocked the head of the family had the energy to fight, as apparently she'd given birth to Rock Lee in November, and speaking from experience, any child under a year old was exhausting. He had still been pleasantly shocked to see baby Lee during their first meeting, he'd been asleep the whole of it but it had been reassuring that they hadn't, in fact, fucked everything up.
Tenten had also been born not long after they'd come back home with Yugure. He'd held her even, as her parents turned out to be the ones who owned the weapons shop they frequented with Kakashi. She was the smallest baby he had ever held, and being only a few weeks old he knew he'd get to watch her grow up.
It was weird, but not bad.
After another fruitless argument between Lee's mom and Genma's uncle, they took a recess, and after the short break they went over new proposals and old business that had been gathering dust for months that they still couldn't make any decisions about.
Shikamaru suggested they wait until fall to propose the building of low cost housing and he had to agree. It would mean a crunch getting them together, but it would give them time to get everything prepared to make the proposal. He felt... not fulfilled, but he definitely felt as if he were doing something of value even if it was tedious.
It was late by the time they finished. Inoichi had to run, saying his girlfriend would kill him for being late, and knowing the woman was the one he married and whom Ino took after personality wise, he couldn't exactly argue she wouldn't.
Choza asked if he wanted to grab a drink with Shikaku, Tsume, Shibi, and himself but he declined.
“The kids have been up early the last week for taijutsu training, so I need to sleep while I can.”
“My Hana is in the same class as your boy Fu, so I can believe that. She said you've got a lot of dogs...” Tsume had, thankfully, not asked Shikamaru to father her next child a second time, and from what he'd seen she was maybe even talking with a chunin at the mission desk who looked a bit like Kiba...
“Kakashi and Chiyo rounded up every stray in the neighborhood.” He shook his head, “If you want any let us know, there are way too many. We got complaints about barking until our son figured out a way to seal the noise from leaving the fence.”
“You need to specify, you've got what, seven sons?” He knew Shikaku was just teasing, mostly. He had trouble with remembering the girls more than the boys, but that was because there was an overwhelming majority of one and not the other.
“Our oldest, Saito(16).”
“Maybe I should hire him to put one up for us, then you'd stop complaining, eh, Shibi?” Tsume elbowed the poor Aburame clan head a bit too hard in the ribs, but he toughed out any pain and kept his somewhat mysterious and aloof demeanor... mostly.
“The barking upsets our colonies.” He sounded like that smarted.
“I think he'd be thrilled.”
He said his goodbyes and hurried home. The nights were still chilly but the days had gotten so warm. A year ago Shikamaru would have been complaining about being cold, now he hardly noticed it. He saw the light glow from their house over the almost hedge looking wall- the vining plants Keiko had insisted on made it seem as if there wasn't a three foot thick wall of earth under them.
Chiyo(13) was out in the yard with the dogs, saying goodnight it seemed, given she was in pajamas.
“Hey kiddo.”
“Hey old man.” He didn't know if he liked that she was calling him that now, but she'd probably grow out of it. “How was the boring meeting?”
“Boring. How are the dogs?”
“Stinky.” She wiped the dog spit off on his side when he got close enough.
Shikamaru was pacing with Uhari(6m), who was having trouble sleeping again it would seem.
“Welcome home.” He melted a bit, getting a kiss from Shikamaru, bending to kiss the fussy girl's head.
“Glad to be back. Want me to take her?”
“If you're offering...” He got another kiss for that, Chiyo made a vomiting noise at their open affection. “Thank you.”
“Any time...” Uhari kicked him hard under the chin- if she didn't have baby legs it may have actually hurt. “Okay, okay, here we go.” He began to walk her about, bouncing her slightly until she stopped crying.
He managed to heat up leftovers, thankfully Momo(15) had finished cooking what he'd put on earlier. He had to make a shadow clone do it, as Uhari always seemed to know when it wasn't the real him- she had no issue with Shikamaru’s shadow hands but sage forbid a Naruto that wasn't the physical body hold her for more than a minute. He had no idea how she could tell.
“Okay, everyone's brushed their teeth, baths are done, all that's left is to read bedtime stories and tuck them in.” Shikamaru hugged him from behind, forehead resting just between his shoulder blades.
“Almost done.” He placed his bowl in the sink, letting Shikamaru tug him by the hand toward the stairs.
“Come on, handsome.”
“Oh, I'm handsome?” Shikamaru punched his shoulder lightly before he leaned in to whisper.
“I'm only with you for your perfect ass.” He snorted at that, pulling Shikamaru flush again to kiss him one more time. Uhari reached up sleepily to grab at their chins.
“Stop smooching!” Bashira(5) had poked her little brunette head up the stairs to yell at them.
“I wanna read Ninja Kitty!” Megumi(5) waved the cardboard page book above her head.
“Just for that, I'm going to smooch him even more.” Shikamaru was laughing as he peppered his face with little pecks.
“Papa!”
“Stoooop!” The girls started to push his legs, tugging their clothes to try and get them to detangle and read their bedtime stories.
It was a long day, but if every day ended just like this? Well it was worth the wait.
Notes:
The clans with recognized official seats that are active are: Hyuga, Akamichi, Aburame, Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara, Senju, Uchiha, and now the Namikaze clan, Hatake is the only inactive clan with a seat.
Chapter 76: May In Review, June Was Boring.
Summary:
May flashes by, as does June because nothing really cool happened.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Himari(14) was still getting bullied at school, but her recent interest in the law and Saito’s(16/17) newest seal which could record and playback things said around it had curbed most of that. It was at least bearable. It had ignited a new passion for learning funinjutsu in her, and she kept going back and forth between wanting to make seals when she grew up and continuing on to become a lawyer. Of course they'd be proud of her and support her either way.
Just before May, Amegakure came for their own peace accords, which went extremely well, save a small incident where Nagato had to drag Yahiko and Konan drunk to stay with them after they had ended the meeting post signing of the document. They had been drinking with Minato, who they had roped in and started to address as ‘Big brother’ despite how he was only a year older than them. They had drunkenly also gone along with shaming Jiraiya, though they had no idea what for they were delighted to be included. The kids were extremely interested in them when they visited. Hanzo had other accommodation for the meeting but since they were old friends they got the experience of staying in a house with far too many energetic kids who didn’t care if they were hung over or not the next day. Nothing could stop their children from yelling. Nothing. They had tried.
Suna’s was boring, they hadn’t actively been fighting them, and Rasa was an unpleasant man who didn’t seem all that concerned that it was his uncle’s disappearance that had seemingly started the whole fiasco. He had brought his wife, who seemed a bit... distant. Shikamaru wasn’t certain he could save her- he tried but he wasn’t able to get close to her during her visit It was early May by that point, the visits had been back to back, and it would be about two months from then that she and Rasa would conceive Gaara, if he was going to be born at all.
Karura had asked him politely about his children, since the news of what happened with the attempted kidnapping that was common knowledge he had at least two young daughters, and she was actually happy telling him about her two she already had. Temari and Kankuro (as if he didn't already know them). Temari was almost three, and Kankuro was one- or he would be just as soon as they got home. She was upset with Rasa since she had been told to come, leaving her baby at home just before his first birthday. Outside of the kids they hardly spoke, she wasn’t thrilled to be there and Shikamaru didn’t want to force a connection. Even still... He didn’t think it was right for her to die. He wanted to make a deal with her, but he didn’t think she’d agree, and he couldn’t do anything without outing himself in some way.
She was able to return home in time to celebrate Kankuro’s birthday. But he felt a sort of guilty hollowness in his chest knowing that he hadn't really tried.
The day after Suna left, it was Saito’s birthday, the twelfth of May.
Saito had his seventeen birthday as a small family affair- which was a misnomer with how much family he now had. It involved a lot of cake, loud singing, squealing children, and dog barking. At some point in preparation for it, Kakashi(13) and Chiyo(13) had taught the majority of the dogs to howl out a stilted and awkward ‘birthday’ song. If it weren’t so loud it would be impressive. It was after Minato, Kushina, Shikaku, and Yoshino went home and the majority of the younger children had all wandered off to their own rooms or the yard that Saito had hesitantly asked if he would have to move out. He had actually started to cry when they both asserted he was expected to stay- he was only seventeen, he wouldn't be expected to leave just because the village saw him as an adult. He'd been anxious about it for weeks, after all, but they'd never send him away, not like that. They would have tried to persuade him to stay even if he'd wanted to move out. Naruto was tempted to tell him he couldn’t get a place of his own unless he was getting married but given how focused on his studies Saito was they didn’t want to get him wound up. The last thing he needed was to think they were expecting him to start dating and settle down at his age.
He threw himself fully into creating new seals after his birthday, and his enthusiasm was a bit infectious as Itachi would start to complain that the table was getting cramped during his lessons. At some point Kakashi had decided to show Itachi how to whittle when he waited for Mikoto to pick him up, not that either boy was particularly good, not that he knew where Kakashi had picked that up from, but Itachi seemed to really enjoy it. He made a very chunky butterfly for Yugure and the girl had run about showing it off for weeks. During that time Shikamaru started to notice that someone seemed to be keeping an eye on his children, and it had sparked a resurgence of family training, and they were expected to go out with seals that acted as emergency flairs when torn in half. He had an idea of who would bee keeping tabs of his little ones and though he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Danzo, he'd prefer to keep it that way. The observations weren't constant thankfully and he could usually intimidate the offending party off.
It had started when Minato began the work necessary to tear down ROOT, citing it as a waste of village resources, as well as how it undermined the Hokage's authority since in some cases it's charter worded that it could go over the hokage's head to perform certain acts if it was for the betterment of the village. That was too open for interpretation, not to mention the majority of ROOT members were very young, and he was worried about their socialization. ROOT was being folded into ANBU, and at a quiet suggestion from Naruto Minato had sought help from the Yamanaka clan to begin deprograming the children and teens who were making the move. The tongue seal either hadn't yet been used or it had yet to be triggered, but either way they'd be okay- Naruto could remove the seal if they started turning up.
If Danzo knew they were to blame he had done very little to show it. So his interest was likely in their children. Shikamaru wouldn't allow them to be touched however, which only seemed to make Danzo more interested. Excluding the stalking, b etween Saito’s birthday, on the fifteenth of May, and the twins birthday on the nineteenth of July, everything remained fairly quiet, well, with a single hiccup, though it was an expected one.
Notes:
The next chapter is NSFW.
Chapter 77: Concepts In Practice (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW
Additional tags for this chapter:
Double penetration, Stomach Bulge (Regular size?), Light Nipple Play, Inappropriate use of Ninjutsu, Over-stimulation, and Over-stimulation as Kink.
Notes:
I wouldn't outright put it down as vaginal sex, but Naruto does wonder how they'd classify the part of Shikamaru they'd been penetrating, it doesn't go down any particular rabbit hole.
*Edit, day of posting, I forgot to name the chapter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Fuck...” Shikamaru hissed, leaning further back against Naruto, eyes half lidded and black.
“Yeah?” He smiled watching the way Shikamaru’s limbs twitched, muscles shifting with effort to stay still. “This good?” Shikamaru could only moan as his fingers crooked deeper, the twitching, shifting tendrils between his legs wrapped up Naruto's wrist as he fingered the smaller man, enjoying the way he bit his lip to stifle any cries or moans that might be a bit too loud. It was a bit hard to pin down what he was fingering, since Shikamaru could shape-shift it was either his ass, or maybe in his current state it was a cunt? Either way it was warmer than the rest of his body, slightly slick in an oily way, and supple. He hadn't appreciated Naruto describing it aloud to him before so he refrained from bringing it up again. Naruto also hadn't been able to get his tongue inside Shikamaru since prior to the change, given Shikamaru's external sex liked to try and pop into his nose... and ears... and jab his eyes.
“I-I'm ready.” He smiled, pressing a kiss to his neck, nipping along his pulse point. His neck was usually sensitive enough that giving it a nibble made Shikamaru make the sweetest sounds, but strung open on Naruto’s fingers? He could listen to him forever. The hand not slowly entering him moved to palm his chest, tracing the slightly raised edge of his scar. The breathy gasp he got in return for it went right to his cock.
“You still want to do this?” He nodded, eyes closing as Naruto dragged his fingers along the sensitive healed tissue, feeling the muscles tense below his touch as Shikamaru arched into it. It was still slightly ashen even all these months later, sharp edges from his clawed fingers, all converging just below his heart. The point that stuck furthest out like the edge of a star rested in a razor thin slash just below his left nipple, the other ends never making it quite as far out from its center.
“You've been preparing me for too lah-long!” His eyes jumped to Shikamaru’s face, he had a lovely flush to his cheeks, and his teeth had begun to sharpen too. He was practically shivering, a cool sweat was building on his skin. “Just-!”
“It's okay. Just a moment. Can't do this without Kurama, can we?” If he kept Shikamaru waiting any longer he might lash out. It had been a while he'd been at this... then again he needed to be absolutely sure Shikamaru was ready, he didn't want to hurt him after all.
Shikamaru almost didn't let his hand free, not intentionally of course as his tendrils had been pulsing and rubbing against his wrist and they tightened when he tried to remove it, but he needed it. Naruto and Kurama had been modifying the shadow clone jutsu lately, and he'd mentioned its intended effects to Shikamaru... that's how they got here tonight.
He supposed it could be handy for other jinchuriki, but to be fully honest, just like the seal he'd made to clean someone out, this was specifically for sex. He performed the hand signs, Shikamaru wriggled to spread his knees wide open with a low whimper that made Naruto's head pound. He helped lift his thighs, hooking Shikamaru’s knees over his legs so he could rest them while the jutsu formed.
Once finished, a human shaped... well, thing really, was kneeling in front of them, a pale grimy white color that only held the most basic shape of a human. He pulled it forward by the neck, he didn't really need to touch it so tenderly as a tap would be enough but it was an excuse to press Shikamaru between them, close enough he could nudge their foreheads together. The whole thing trembled, flesh rippling before changing- it glowed the corrosive red-orange of Kurama's chakra before suddenly it had eyes, a mouth, a sharp long nose. Long ginger locks tumbled down their shoulders as it finished reshaping the body. It was built a bit thicker than him, though side by side they'd probably have the same height, Kurama's body was broader with larger muscles. He only had to glance to confirm their cocks were the same size.
Once it incurred a certain amount of damage or ran out of chakra the spirit inside would return to where it came from. It was far more durable than a shadow clone, and if Kurama took in nature chakra he could prolong the time it would take for it to end. But for now...
“This is much more comfortable.” The deep voice looked more natural coming from his mouth rather than Naruto's, and he sucked air in through his teeth knowing that Shikamaru was also ogling him.
His eyes were red, lined with black, he had whisker marks, his skin a few shades tanner than Naruto's and flawless, and his ears were... fox ears, lacking human ones. Big and fluffy, the same ginger as his hair, black edged, and white puff inside. It didn't help that he had nine fluffy, twitching ginger tails tipped with cream white to really hammer it home. His hands were clawed, sharp and shiny black, so Naruto was doubly happy that he'd already ensured Shikamaru was loose and relaxed. The idea of watching Kurama try and lick Shikamaru open was tempting until he caught sight of how sharp and large the fox had made his human teeth and tossed the idea out for the moment. He'd probably get a tentacle up the nose anyway.
“Mind giving me a hand?” Kurama grinned at him, all sharp teeth, and dragged his nails down Shikamaru’s belly- in response Shikamaru’s belly flexed and tensed and his nails dug into Naruto's wrist. His pupils dilated as Shikamaru whined in response to his touch, tendrils wrapping tightly around Kurama's wrist.
With them distracted he used his free hand to help Naruto shift Shikamaru into a better position, grabbing him a bit roughly to guide his cock into place. From the moment the head pushed into place he was surrounded by the perfect heat that concentrated in Shikamaru’s belly. He also had no control over their husband since he'd pinned both of Naruto's hands on his thighs to keep him from meddling as he finally took what he wanted.
He was so beautiful, so pretty as he pressed his hips down, taking Naruto fully with a swift motion as Kurama watched. His other half leaned forward, long tongue dragging across Shikamaru’s chilled skin as Naruto rocked them together. Now that he finally had Naruto inside him like he wanted, he let go of his hands. Naruto replaced Kurama's hand with his own against Shikamaru's sex, the other reached up to tangle in Kurama's surprisingly soft hair.
Kurama bit down, from the angle he wasn’t certain, but it seemed like his left nipple. Shikamaru was soon clawing at him, not that Kurama seemed to mind. Naruto was mostly laid back by then, and Shikamaru’s knees were still hooked on either side of his, pressed open as Kurama distracted him, laying over him. He'd had a few moments to adjust, and although he'd like a bit more in the way of friction, he wouldn't mind just staying buried inside his love like this for hours- maybe sometime they could try that. But that wasn't what was planned for tonight.
“ Fuck !” It reverberated in his skull, he did understand, even if it hurt his whole brain when he did it. He could feel the inhumanly hot tip of Kurama's cock as it split Shikamaru open. He had to bite down on his lip because the sensation of already being squeezed tight inside Shikamaru was nothing when paired with the sensation of having that at the same time as Kurama's burning hot, throbbing cock slowly dragged up against his as he got comfortable on top of them.
“You’re so warm inside.” Kurama purred, rocking his hips and slowly pushing deeper and deeper until they were both snugly pressed inside him, he could feel his heart in his ears as he struggled for a moment to process the barrage of sensation when Kurama slipped up and he was flooded with their shared sense of touch.
Shikamaru pressed his face into Naruto's neck, scraping him slightly as he panted, chest rising and falling rapidly, his body was clenching, tensing and twitching around them, it was clearly too much, but his only response was to let out an almost animalistic whimper, hips twitching needily between them.
When Kurama leaned back to take them both in, the shift only making his whole body tense because he'd be embarrassed to admit how good it felt just having Kurama rub against him inside their mate, Naruto growled himself. Shikamaru's usually mostly flat stomach was bulging just below his belly button, and not just a bit as it usually did when one of them was this deep inside. No. It shifted when Kurama rolled his hips, bobbing in place and causing their mate to writhe. It was an obvious bump, Naruto let go of Kurama's hair where he'd run his fingers through it in order to cover the hard swell. Pushing down on it made all three hiss and groan, the already impossibly tight heat inside Shikamaru increased, right over where the heads of their cocks were resting. Shikamaru's cum coated his hand as his tentacles pulsed and squeezed, rubbing and rolling over his fingers, palm, and wrist as he palmed the bump to wring another cry out of him.
Shikamaru’s insides were much like his outsides, wrapping around them both, squeezing and pulsing, not that he was going to tell him as much. Not that he could string together a sentence with Shikamaru orgasming from being stuffed so full of their cocks he might actually burst.
He hardly needed to tug Shikamaru’s hair before he stopped hiding his face, going back to rubbing and pawing his belly as their mouths connected harshly, Kurama began to thrust then- growling appreciatively as Naruto licked into Shikamaru’s mouth. The pace he set involved a bit of shifting this way and that, until the blunt head of his cock was rubbing the prostate equivalent inside of Shikamaru's tight hole, leaving their mate slack jawed as Kurama bent forward to bite his shoulder. Naruto just watched as Kurama leaned more toward roughly fucking than gentle love making, but Shikamaru was openly enjoying it.
It didn't take much before Shikamaru’s body went taut again, he was already so sensitive, the longest among the shadows of his groin spurted his seed against Kurama's belly, it had wriggled free of the other seemingly just to do so. He just reached forward and Kurama laid chest to chest against him, letting Shikamaru hug him tightly as Naruto took his hand back to brace his elbows and gently began to roll his hips into Shikamaru.
This was what he had wanted- more than having both of his mates inside him, though he seemed to like it, he had wanted Naruto and Kurama to drive him to the edge. To keep touching and feeling and overstimulating his every nerve while he laid helpless between them. Keeping him riding the razors edge between not enough and too much, never properly letting him settle down into the blissful high of orgasm before drawing him taut again.
The gentle thrusts were slowly built upon, faster, then rougher, just out of sync with Kurama's. He had the access so he bit down on Shikamaru's neck, sucking and biting the back of it. Kurama must have kissed Shikamaru because his breathy moans were soon muffled, Shikamaru grabbed a fistful of his hair even as they smothered him. Tiny pleased mewls made it past Kurama's mouth where it worried the smaller man's lower lip.
Even separated they are linked down to their cores, though they'd been trying to remain unaffected by one another, putting up a mental wall or they might have fallen apart far sooner. Still, when Kurama gets a bit too excited he drags Naruto down with him. He isn't exactly sure what part of this whole thing is finally too much, both of them inside their mate or from their union being visible outside Shikamaru’s body. It could just be something even more simple too, a particularly good thrust, or whimper- the result is the same.
Naruto, without Kurama's influence, doesn't knot- Kurama still does, of course, and if Shikamaru had been tight prior then the result of being squeezed by both Shikamaru's body and Kurama's knot is something like putting your sensitive bits in a stone press. It traps them together, and Shikamaru practically screams as it settles inside his hips. Already too thick, Naruto just leaned his head back, stroking Shikamaru’s sides.
He was already so full, he couldn't imagine how much pressure he must be feeling. Naruto had first hand experience on just how much Kurma could shoot and it was no small miracle that their mate didn't find it spurting out around their trapped cocks, his eyes might be deceiving him but the tight swell on Shikamaru's belly looked as if it might have gotten just a little bigger. It was soon out of view, Shikamaru sobbed lightly between them as they both curled around him as best they could in this position.
“Is it too much?” He shook his head, stubborn, but he would have said if it was. His breath feels hot where it's trapped between them, blocking him in, keeping him trapped again. Why was he always on the bottom?
“Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.” Kurama growled out, Naruto hummed in agreement.
“Get down here, fucker.” Kurama yelped as Shikamaru grabbed him by his hair, pressing their foreheads together.
“Oi! Brat, who are you pulling around?”
“Given you knotted him without asking again, I think you deserve it old man.” Kurama barked out a laugh, throwing back his own insult as Shikamaru nuzzled their noses, he'd gone mostly boneless as his body got accustomed to the knot.
He stroked Shikamaru’s shoulder as they waited for Kurama's cock to stop sticking them together. Unsure of the time but aware it was taking longer to start showing signs that it was shrinking than he expected.
“I want a nap... and two cigarettes. Then we should do this again.” The implication, no mater if it was for a joke or not, that Shikamaru was not only capable of holding one, but also capable of going through all that again- He tightened his arms around Shikamaru as if to help prevent him from trying to wiggle free and hurt himself.
“I thought you were done smoking.” His voice is practically drowned out by Kurama who has wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“I won't mate you if you stink like those awful things.” Shikamaru chuckled, nuzzling them both. "They're bad for the pups." Naruto wasn't sure if he meant their actual children that physically existed- which it was fair they shouldn't smoke around them- or the more... conceptual pups that Kurama was hoping he sired every time he knotted Shikamaru. He'd been acting too coy to give a straight answer but Naruto was fairly certain he thought with enough effort both Shikamaru and Naruto could carry his pups. Why an ancient chakra beast was so fixated on having his male and presumably mortal lovers give him offspring he wasn't sure. If he was closer with other jinchiruki he might ask them if they had a similar problem, but the only adult jinchiruki he knew in this time was Bee, and the only person Bee and by extension Gyuki would feel that sort of way for was unfortunately his own mate so he wasn't keen on asking if the breeding thing was just Kurama's kink or if it was universal.
“Shut up, it's ruining your pretty face.” Naruto kissed Shikamaru’s cheek as he insulted Kurama, shifting his hips and making them both groan even if it hadn't been his intention.
“...maybe more than a nap then...” He mumbled, taking in the sharp nails that instantly dug into his arms. “Kurama's body will run out of chakra in the next hour, do you just want to cuddle?” Both of his bed-mates nodded enthusiastically to that.
Kurama could extend his time in the body easily, especially given how they were just laying on top of each other, doing little else but breathing, but it wouldn't accomplish much. Shikamaru had, as he expected, gotten way too overwhelmed (it had been the whole point but it didn't exactly leave the option open for multiple rounds), and Naruto didn't want to go again enough to suggest he and Kurama do it without their mate. He liked it, don't get him wrong, but part of the reason was that he liked watching Shikamaru watch them , and their husband was going to pass out the moment he could. Kurama could stay until the morning, but he hadn't tried sleeping in the proxy body yet and seemed reluctant to do so.
Although having another adult in the house would be nice, Kurama would probably give the children knives and teach them ancient jutsu lost to time- it had happened before... Not to mention the chakra cost for making a blank host for Kurama's consciousness to take over was- well it wasn't taxing for them but it was more than most could ever hope to scrounge up. It would also be very hard to explain who Kurama was and maybe more importantly what he was.
Oh well. Shikamaru fell asleep within a few moments of them pulling out as he had expected, and Kurama returned, soul bound to do so. The body dissolved into the darkness of their unlit bedroom. Naruto managed to wrangle shorts back onto Shikamaru and got them both comfortable under the blankets. Usually Shikamaru was a lighter sleeper, but that had been a lot, so he wasn't surprised that he kept snoring even as Naruto dressed him and pulled him into his arms to sleep.
Notes:
Kurama finally has a body he could maintain on his own but it isn't a great time to use it outside of their private escapades.
He and Naruto are now, at least using his proxy jutsu, no longer mostly identical, but their bone structures are- the presentation of their features is different enough they'd be mistaken for brothers or cousins, not identical twins. Kurama could also potentially lean more animalistic with his body but has thus far chosen not to.
I'm honestly on the fence about a possible baby resulting from this, or any of their encounters, and it wouldn't exactly fall under traditional mpreg if I end up going with it- unconventional yokai pregnancy would likely be the path for that if it were to happen at all- and I'm not making any promises.
That being said, Kurama really, really, REALLY would like if it happened.
Chapter 78: Time Keeps Advancing, Like Turning A Screw
Summary:
Hizashi and his wife welcome in their son.
Notes:
I know it's been a hot minute, sorry for not posting anything recently. I have a lot typed up that just needs editing and finishing touches, but my partner has been sick recently. She's doing a lot better now so I'm going to put up a few chapters today while I can, not sure how many, but most of the summer moths in the fic are going to be skipped through.
Thank you for your patience. I promise I haven't abandoned this.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He winced as he over extended his reach, a hand going to massage his lower back. He'd have to remember that, while his body was far more accommodating and bounced back better, it still had limits and pushing them had consequences. His hips had ached for the last two days- not that he regretted a second of what caused it, but that particular activity might be taken off the table indefinitely if this was the result.
“Daddy, can we have more blueberries?” It didn't help that he didn't really have the time to rest. The kids were all home for the short summer break and Naruto had gotten slapped with another overnight mission, at least both Saito and Himari had been helping a bit with watching their younger siblings. He hissed as turning slightly too far sent a protest up the muscles of his back in a way he had sort of wished had vanished when he became a yokai. Next time he was going to show Kurama just how uncomfortable that really was.
“Here we go.” He took his cup of overly caffeinated tea and downed it in one go after settling the bowl in front of his girls and Fu. He'd been reviewing some of the land surveys at the counter since the kids wanted to take their snack time in the kitchen, but the window suddenly popping open by the sink had him scrambling to gather the reports.
“Urgent news!” He barely had time to move everything out of the way as a young todd (Raz?), barreled in with a message scroll tied around his neck. “Miss Aimi is in labor!” Like a switch had been flipped, Shikamaru began to hurry. He had a bag packed for this already in the entry way, and he sent a knock up to the study where Saito had been showing a few of his younger brothers something- it drew several heads of dark haired children to peak down the stairs.
“Saito, you're in charge. Do not pass it off to one of your sisters or Kakashi! No more dogs! Your sisters and Shin are down for a nap in the pen in the living room, follow the list on the fridge for their dinner. If anyone comes to the house you don't know send a fox to the Uchiha station immediately. ” He grabbed a medical bag they kept in one of the lower cabinets in the kitchen, “Tell your father whats happening when he gets home.”
“Okay...” Saito had been briefed on all the emergency rules, but Naruto had been expected home before Shikamaru would need to leave.
“Bye daddy!”
“...bye...”
Then he was puddle hopping through shadows until he made it to Hizashi and Aimi’s home in the Hyuga compound. For reasons he would likely understand if he took a step back and really thought about it, she had wanted him to be her midwife- there wasn't really a male equivalent term for it. He was extremely skilled with healing jutsu, he was a good friend, he'd delivered his own child though Aimi had admitted she hoped that the experiences would be different. To be fair an emergency C-section was probably not something any expectant mother would want, and he certainly wouldn't have cut himself open like that if there had been an alternative.
And, true to that expectation, despite a long and painful labor, there were no complications- Hizashi nearly had a few fingers broken holding her hand, and it was the loudest he'd ever heard the usually soft spoken women. She had repeatedly told her husband they were never having another baby- this was a fairly common statement however, and unless something changed it would actually be true. In the wee hours of the third of July, Aimi and Hizashi welcomed a healthy, somewhat larger than average baby boy into their family. Predictably, if you were a time traveler at least, they named the boy Neji. He already had his extremely pale lilac eyes, and a tiny tuft of dark looking hair near the back of his head. He was cute in the generic way all babies were, though as a newborn he looked a little... well like a newborn. Shikamaru gently squeezed one of his tiny little fists while cleaning him up.
Like most babies, he had been learning, Neji seemed to be soothed in his hold. Yugure had said intention often affected how humans perceive him, as well as animals, and babies were no exception. Shikamaru's intention to protect baby Neji probably had more to do with the newborn falling asleep right away in his arms than anything else while Aimi got some sleep and Hizashi helped fill out his son's birth certificate. It had been a very long night for her, and things had actually progressed rather quickly, but even still it had taken a lot out of her and Shikamaru could commensurate; he had been exhausted after Yugure, he could only imagine how much harder it would be on a person if they had to push.
Naruto stopped by in the morning to collect his husband and drop off a meal that just needed to be baked, the blanket he'd been knitting for their baby, and the contraption he'd devised using sealing that separated out solid and liquid waste from cloth diapers- it was still gross, and they needed to be washed after every use even if they went through it, but it should make things easier for the new parents. At the very least they'd appreciate it.
He showed Hizashi how to use it as Shikamaru helped Aimi, making sure she had the post-birth items she'd need for her comfort; pads, light pain killers, heat seals that would help her muscles, that sort of thing. They stood speaking very quietly as Naruto got the chance to hold newborn Neji before they left, his gaze was tender and he kept stroking the boy's tiny, round cheeks. The newborn didn't seem to care, only fussing a bit when Naruto tapped his button nose. He did have to hand the boy back eventually, he had started to cry a warbling little mewl of a sound, and Aimi had made grabby hands for her child. They'd be over to visit again before too long, Naruto and Hizashi had become close enough friends that it was expected they'd stop in frequently. They'd need to bring more food, since Neji would no doubt take up so much of their time
They left the couple with the same todd as before in case they had an emergency, and Naruto dragged his husband home to get some rest. Shikamaru kept thinking up things that could go wrong and trying to turn around, but even though he didn't technically need sleep it was obvious he could use it anyway. Halfway there he gave up all pretext of letting Shikamaru trudge on his own and had simply scooped him up while protesting and shunshin'd there. The speed kept too many people from noticing he was being carried like a baby by Naruto more than half the way home.
“Daddy!” It took a few shadow clones to grab their girls, who ran instantly to them as they'd just woken up. He'd left breakfast for the kids but they appeared to still be waking up and finding their way to it. From the sounds of dishes moving about in the dinning room it was clear some of their more food oriented kids had found breakfast, and Yugure smelled like miso so she'd definitely abandoned her breakfast to throw herself at them.
“Daddy had a very long night last night, so he's going straight to bed. If you want you can cuddle him but don't keep him awake, okay?” He let the four girls down, dispelling his shadow clones and sending them back to finish breakfast as he pulled off Shikamaru’s sandals despite him protesting he could do it. He looked so tired Naruto was hesitant to let him even stand on his own.
Soon he was changed and being laid down on their bed, they still didn't have a frame and at this rate would never get one, and Naruto tucked him in under the quilts after braiding his hair like he used to. It moved on its own so he wasn't certain he needed to, but Shikamaru usually liked when he did and his husband was too sleepy to protest it. It wasn't often he got to actually take care of his husband like this. He heard the door creak behind him on it's wooden tracks, a few curious heads were peaking around it at their parent's room.
“I'll bring something for you at lunch, okay?” He tried to sit up while he disputed that- the blanket cocoon was wound too tightly for him to sit up more than half a foot.
“I'm not that tired...” But Naruto still bullied him into laying back down and pulled one of the blankets up to his chin.
“I don't care. Sleep .”
He was out like a light within a few minutes. He never slept well when Naruto was gone, and he'd been up the whole night bringing someone they cared about into the world . It would be emotionally exhausting on its own even if it was just any old newborn but it was Neji and having him here... Shikamaru didn't stir when slowly but surely the majority of their younger children joined him for a nap.
Notes:
This chapter title was also a bit of a pun on Neji's name, but a bad one because I couldn't think of anything better.
Chapter 79: Some Life Changing News
Summary:
Yoshino tells Shikamaru something he wasn't quite prepared to hear.
Chapter Text
“I'm shocked you didn't kidnap him, honestly.” Yoshino had come over after she heard Neji was born- she'd love to see the little guy. It had only happened a few days ago so she'd yet to see Hizashi out and about to talk to- a few other clan wives had babies and she was tempted to try and help pull together a mothers group- well... Inei would be welcomed into that so maybe not a ‘mothers group' exactly. Her brother-in-law looked perpetually exhausted, much like her husband, but at least he had the excuse of chasing after his children.
Well... Shikaku would probably die from exhaustion by the time they had a child crawling. She felt warmth bubble in her chest at the thought of him following a crawling black haired baby around the house while fretting over everything. They'd already started putting up corner guards on every surface that he could overthink the dangers of.
“I don't just indiscriminately steal children. I'd only do that if they were being abused or neglected.” Despite being older than her sometimes he sounded like a petulant child, whining.
“Right.” She sighed, debating it. “You promise you won't just snatch a baby out of their mothers arms without a good reason?” He'd find out soon enough anyway, so telling him early should be fine. Besides this way they wouldn't have to tell Haruki since he'd find out through Inei. Those two practically shared a brain so it would save a bit of time.
“On my life.” He picked up his tea cup, sipping, and she couldn't resist. He practically asked for this, so she delighted in it.
“Good, because in five months you'll be an uncle-!” He began to choke on his tea. As expected. He quickly righted himself and put his cup down, liquid inside sloshing a bit, there was a wet mess on the table in front of him, and she thought it was worth having to clean it up as she'd never forget the face he just made.
“You're pregnant?!” She smiled, patting her middle- the baby was only just starting to show. They'd walked it back, and she'd likely gotten pregnant from their honeymoon... maybe a little before... She had thought about telling him that but the idea of her having a baby seemed to have stunned him enough. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” She beamed, “I don't have the last ultrasound image with me, but... were having a girl. Don't tell Shikaku, I want it to be a surprise.” Inei nodded, a bit dumbly, he'd yet to recover. It was a bit of payback for the Yugure situation, when she hadn't been warned she'd have a niece and all of a sudden she did. At least Inei had a few months to prepare for his brother's first child- she expected her daughter to be properly spoiled after all given how they spoiled their own children.
“I'll see if Haruki can make her a blanket too then.” That was exactly what she was talking about. She had been extremely jealous when she'd seen the beautiful silver and royal blue blanket Haruki had made for baby Neji, especially since it was still early enough in her pregnancy that they didn't want to tell anyone. To be safe. Haruki was extremely good at mending and knitting, sewing and clothes making in genral if she were honest, and she wanted one of his beautiful blankets for her own baby. She'd be his niece after all, much closer than the daughter of a friend...
“November. Mid November.” She was beaming, “You'll be there, right? Like you were for Aimi?” If he was present she was sure nothing would go wrong, he was extremely skilled in medicine, and given how much he adored children she knew he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her daughter.
“Of course.” He seemed to fully recover from his shock, taking her hand and promising that he'd be there. A weight lifted off her shoulders. Inei could show up in less than a minute and he'd been a big help according to Hizashi. She was grateful he would be there to take care of her and her baby.
It was reassuring.
Shikamaru was freaking the fuck out. Yoshino had stopped by and casually informed him that she was pregnant.
No big deal, right? Happy news.
But Shikamaru did not have an older sister. As far as he knew his mother and father had only ever expected him, and though he didn't have conformation of it he could say pretty expertly that they must have fucked something up. With how tight it would be between Yoshino's due date and when Shikamaru himself would have to be conceived- it wasn't impossible but it was damn near unlikely.
He tried to pinpoint when exactly they may have affected this outcome but couldn't come up with anything concrete save giving them the bangle. Their wedding happened the day it was meant to. Shikaku was able to stay home with her longer since there wasn't a war to fight, both before and after the wedding- had they just... gone harder? Or more? It made his skin itch thinking about it but he was facing his younger self not existing so he had worse things to think of that would hurt him.
He managed to keep it bottled up until that night when they were alone and exploded, working himself into a panic as Naruto tried to calm him down. Nothing was set in stone, maybe... maybe they'd still have him, but Shikamaru had no idea how .
What was more important was making sure Yoshino was okay. They could panic next year at this time when she wasn't pregnant with him, for now they should just support her as best they could. She was having a baby, and as exciting as that was it could also be scary- she'd need all the help they could give her, even if it wasn't much.
But Shikamaru was frightened. He might not exist. Ever. This version of himself might be the only one ever to exist in this timeline, and for some reason that frightened him. He thought he'd be able to accept it if it happened but he couldn't beat down the anxieties he was feeling now that he was facing exactly that. If he was never born, would Ino not be born? Choji? Naruto?!
He had gotten too comfortable when Gai's team were all born safely. The future was so uncertain, and they'd changed so much, what if...
... what if they'd unwritten half the people they cared about from existing?
Chapter 80: Official
Summary:
Saito begins to plan his future. Naruto and Shikamaru finish the last of the paperwork that had been idling.
Chapter Text
“-so by making contact with all five fingers-!”
“It would activate the seal!” Saito was grinning as Haruki messed up his hair. “That's genius!” He was glad to cheer Haruki up, something had been bothering him lately, though he kept plastering on a smile, but this one was genuine.
“This way I can still use funinjutsu even without help!” Momo and Himari pushed them to get a look at the seal he'd designed and began to whisper to each other- he hated when they did that.
“Couldn't you apply a similar principle to the human body?” Yosaku was rocking on his heels, he had been spending a lot of time with Saito lately. He was very interested in sealing- Inei made sure he finished his homework before he was allowed to start experimenting with them after school however.
“It would be dangerously unstable, you'd turn into an animal from the influx of nature chakra.” Haruki dismissed Yosaku, not wanting to give it another thought.
“What if you stabilized it with a seal that was designed to keep you human?” Haruki seemed to think about it.
“There would be too many risks.” He began, clearly considering his words carefully, “If you opened up a person's internal chakra pathway to ambient chakra, they become an animal, but if you place a seal to keep them human and it doesn't work well they might be stuck in a loop of turning into an animal and back to human. Their heart might explode depending on what animal it was and how much strain was being placed on it.”
“What if you locked it at each chakra point? All three hundred and sixty one? That way they wouldn't be able to open too wide a channel for ambient chakra, and then a seal to maintain human form as a final redundancy?”
“That would be, at minimum four hundred seals, with the majority being unique. You'd have to also lock the pathways to a certain extent, at least the major ones, if not all of them. So four hundred to eight hundred seals.” Yuki was bouncing his leg as Haruki went over it.
“So if we made it a permit seal?”
“I need... at minimum... two years to design the initial seal. It'll take a few months to align the seal onto a person perfectly, and I don't know what it might do to someone who already has chakra control.” But it might be possible.
Saito knew there were really only two types of people in the world when you stripped everything else away. People who could manipulate chakra, and people who couldn't. Shinobi and Civilians. Civilians had chakra, some had a lot of it in their bodies even, and they could be damaged by attacks targeting their chakra network as sure as a shinobi, but even among shinobi there were those who only had a certain amount of control.
Taijutsu performed by a shinobi was enhanced by their chakra, as were everything else they did- it was why Keiko could easily beat Momo despite Momo being physically bigger and stronger. There were certain conditions that could affect the chakra network, some prevented the circulation of Chakra outside the body or through the flesh, which would lead someone to be unable to progress far as a taijutsu master, and the inverse where channeling it with intention was impossible.
The second condition was far more common, affecting maybe one in five hundred shinobi born, whereas the first occurred maybe once every two thousand shinobi. Typically when the condition, Physical Chakra Reflux, or it's partner, Spacial Chakra Reflux occurs the young shinobi is given the same chance to become a ninja, but typically they give up. The condition isn't noted as being hereditary, so those suffering from one or the other tend to marry other shinobi, even though they can't be active themselves.
Unlike himself and the majority of his siblings, they didn't really know of anyone suffering from P/S CR, even still this particular technique, if it was able to be done, would be an effective cure for the condition. The intended use was to allow for civilians to use chakra in a limited capacity, like activating seals or strengthening one's body or senses, but there was a potential medical use.
Saito only knew about P/S CR because Inei had several books on it in the medical shelves of his study. Nao had been trying to read his way through both studies but he'd gotten flustered and told Saito not to read any of the poetry books Inei kept in the shelf under the window. Saito discovered the majority, while lovely, were almost exclusively collections of homoerotic or romantically queer poetry. Nothing too inappropriate for his siblings to read, but it would be almost surprising if he didn't Inei as well as he did at this point.
He wasn't sure which book Nao had accidentally exposed himself to men kissing via text, but the one he'd chosen at random was mostly about lesbian yearning, and the second one, lifted from the higher shelves that lined the window, had some... suggestive poetry. He'd never heard or read someone wax lyrical about the cut of a man's silhouette before. It didn't do anything for him, but the poetry itself was nice.
Kakashi, the pipsqueak, had informed them that there was an even more torrid book of homoerotic poetry that was conspicuously missing from the shelf, he had seen and read it back when he was on an assignment to investigate them when they came to the village almost a year ago. He went pink alluding to it, the little pervert.
His musings were interrupted as Haruki handed him the glove with the finished seal. It was a white glove with seals on the inside palm, up the fingers in red- blood.
It was a startling revelation to learn that most sealing ink was made with a blood base, as it conducted chakra better, however there was something unsettling about it. Human or animal blood didn't matter thankfully, but Haruki mentioned for some seals using one's own blood was more potent- these were seals meant to change ones body permanently, he had directed that more toward Himari who perked up.
He had told her that after the dog incident, they could probably kill someone and so long as it was self defense they'd be forgiven. He didn't want to test it but especially with the events of the festival he was certain. Haruki and Inei loved them enough that they would probably cover it up even, so long as they could. It was equal parts terrifying and relieving.
The glove fit perfectly and he dew out a seal, touching all five fingers to it before the seal activated as if he were a shinobi doing the same, turning into a bubble of light.
The five seals, one on each finger made a circuit that sparked chakra in the seal on the palm, and then it was carried down and imbued into whatever was being touched. For more chakra hold longer, for less shorter. The circuit would break if the seal was damaged, or the chakra was consumed by the affected seal. In theory chakra could be applied to a mundane object but it would likely explode once it couldn't contain any more.
“Now you can place and activate your own seals.” He tightened his hand into a fist, it wouldn't activate against itself- one of the redundant.
“I think I know what I want to do now.” He said it softly. Haruki tilted his head. “I'm going to find a way to use sealing to make people's lives easier.”
He knew it was possible. There were dozens of seals around the house that had been placed for their courtesy, to keep it warm and cool, to make it so their socked feet didn't slide on the steps. The house had also been raised with it, and was reinforced by funinjutsu. How much would life in the village improve if buildings could be finished in a few days? If they could insulate every cold home? Generate heat? Naturally deter bugs from crops like in the garden? What about communication? Instantly sending messages between scrolls could be possible, he'd been working on it- he might even make it so people could speak directly to one another if he could work out the kinks.
“I think that's a great idea.”
“ This is the clan symbol?” Shikamaru had come home to find a room full of Naruto's embroidering a symbol onto every single hanten the family owned collectively, which was a lot . Despite the older girls calling them ugly they'd all taken to wearing them, and their younger siblings followed suit wanting to dress like ‘a family’ so now they owned a near disgusting amount of them.
“You don't like it?”
“I didn't say that...” It was a nice distraction from the worries that had been weighing on his mind lately.
The symbol was simple, a stylized infinity loop, made with two swirls, one clockwise, the other counter clockwise, the outer ends meeting at the center. He ran a finger over the thread on a hanten he recognized as one of Fu's
“It... fits.” Naruto smiled at him. “I suspect it's too late to stop you, anyway.” Naruto laughed, tugging him onto his lap and asking what color thread he should use for the next one, one of Jun's in royal blue.
“I'm giving a set to Kushina and Minato, Kushina's will just have the Uzumaki spiral.” He leaned into Naruto's hold.
Later it was painted on the round gateway door, and it was officially submitted for record with the Hokage tower.
By then all the paperwork to change or give their children the Namikaze name had gone through. Given most had been abandoned, only three had names from before, Saito, who was a Tanaka, and the twins Nanami and Nao who were Aikawa. It was only when notice of the name changes went out that they learned the three had any surviving family. The twins had an aunt who tried to fight the official change, sighting they'd erase the family name from the village- but as she'd been able to take them in at any time and had chosen to leave them in the orphanage for the last six years, her claim was shut down. Saito had an estranged grandfather who made the same claim, but he was an adult at that point and simply brushed it off.
Shikamaru was a bit angry that there had been people who could have taken them in but refused to do so, leaving them in the orphanage without any support or care for their well being. Naruto had had to sooth him, or he may have gone out and done something… perhaps a bit horrible.
*The Clan symbol
Chapter 81: Fall Forward (We'll Catch You)
Summary:
Summer ends, fall starts, an unexpected crisis is averted- consequences unknown.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
There were a fair number of summer birthdays to celebrate beyond Saito's in May, at least within the family. T he twins turned twelve on the ninteenth, Momo turned 16 on the twenty seventh of July, their five year old's became six all at the end of July (Megumi actually turned six on August second but not sharing a birthday month with Bashira had made her cry, her sister being born on the last day of July, maybe she'd grow out of that) and in August Fu turned seven, on the twentieth, Urushi had his tenth birthday in September on the fourth a little over a week before Kakashi's own birthday.
It was during Urushi's small family get together, prior the delegation from Kiri had come and gone in early August, and all that remained was Iwa, who were already shouldering the brunt of war reparations., that something… happened.
“Aunty, my cousin sounds weird.” Yugure had been sitting with Yoshino, who was fussing over her, no doubt excited to have her own dark haired little girl, and her words made Shikamaru freeze. “She's going gah-thump bumb bumb bumb. Is that normal?”
Yugure, either from having a bit of yokai still in her, or from Kurama's chakra, had extremely delicate senses. She had learned how to dim them in crowds, but if she was focusing on something…
“What do you mean?” Yoshino was six, almost seven months pregnant, her baby's heart beat should be at the very least steady .
“Auntie Aimi's belly made a ba-thump.” She said, as if to clarify.
“Yoshino… would you be okay if I scanned you? Better safe than sorry.” Yoshino had begun to look a bit… concerned, and nodded.
So Shikamaru used chakra to careful check over her fetal development- and promptly felt his blood run cold. Yoshino noticed something was wrong then, and Shikaku who'd been talking with Naruto and Minato finally seemed to notice when she went pale herself.
“What's going on? Is something wrong?!” His eyes were darting back and forth between Shikamaru and Yoshino, who had grabbed his hand and was staring down at her middle with clear worry.
“We need to go to the hospital. Yoshino, try and stay as calm as you can, okay? I can… I can fix this.” His mind was racing. Could he fix it?
Shikaku carried his wife to the hospital as quickly and carefully as he could, and Shikamaru tried to calmly explain what was happening. The baby's heart wasn't formed correctly. Most babies born with some heart deformity would have a normal life, with minimal surgeries, some wouldn't even need that much. Their baby's heart did not fall into that category. Not only were her heart chambers of improper sizes, it seemed there was something wrong with the valves of her heart. If they left it as it was, she could very well die before ever leaving the womb.
His insides felt like ice as he realized that maybe he should have had a sister but the way they lost her was too painful to ever speak of. If, at her seven month checkup they'd learned they lost the baby, of course they'd never tell Shikamaru-
But this is different. This version of the village had Tsunade, and Orochimaru, and him. They had Naruto to make seals to help prolong the baby's life until he could piece together what the hell he needed to do.
Tsunade confirmed what he already knew. Orochimaru was practically summoned because Shikamaru had come to the hospital, so he was roped in- it was his idea.
They had the senju cells, why not use them to make her a new heart. Replacement valves wouldn't do much good if her heart continued to develop as it was. The sooner the better. Naruto was able to make a seal and place it on Yoshino's stomach that would keep oxygenated blood circling through the babies system if her heart failed to beat while they ran everything through the ethics board and debated on when the baby would need to be removed in order to perform the surgery. How much longer did she need to develop before they could safely remove her via c-section.
Yoshino was surprisingly brave, Shikaku spent the five days that followed Yoshino entering the hospital like a ghost when not by her side.
They received approval from the ethics board, wasting no time to form the cells needed into a heart that would be the appropriate size for the baby. That alone took over two weeks even though they had secretly started it before getting word back from the hospital ethics board. Even with months of studying it was asking a lot to form the cells they had into a working heart, and There were more than a few failed attempts before they managed to make one that would not only work at the extremely small size for a premature baby, but also one that would grow with her as she got older. It would be a difficult surgery as it was, but it was actually two, the C-section and then the open heart surgery on the baby, Tsunade would pass the surgery onto him, she was still working through her fear of blood- he was the only one who had a chance of pulling it off. He'd never performed this sort of procedure, but he had helped Sakura operate in their former timeline, so studied both operations to the extent he could, and Naruto supplied everything he'd need to keep the baby stable while replacing her heart with the Senju-heart.
The day before the surgery the hospital received disapproval from the other villages they were now in an alliance with, they didn't believe it was ethical, hinting that it was akin to human experimentation. There could even be a backlash with wider reaching consequences if it was found to be human experimentation. But the baby couldn't wait forever- she needed a new heart or she would die, maybe not right away, but she wouldn't survive outside of the womb with the one she had, and their fears had already been realized when the seal meant to keep circulating blood began to activate off and on- indicating her heart was already failing her.
“Shikaku…” His head snapped up. He hadn't gotten hardly any sleep in the last week while they'd been preparing for the surgery, though it had been quite a while since he'd gotten any good sleep as it had been weeks now since Yoshino had entered the hospital, and now they were on the brink of the peace accords falling apart if they went through with it. His unborn daughter would die , and if they performed the surgery anyway they might go back to war. Inei had an odd, stormy look on his face when he put a hand on Shikakus's shoulder.
“I know Minato said he'd support our choice but how can we put the lives of the village at risk for just one-”
“Shut up.” His teeth clacked closed. “Stop thinking like a strategist and think like a father. Would you really do anything for her?”
“Of course.” He didn't even need to stop and think. It didn't matter if Inei was talking about Yoshino or the baby. “ Anything .” Inei's eyes flicked black then, the air took on the feeling of electricity and he recognized it distantly.
“Then let's make a deal.” He looked down at Inei's hand, the fingers were a bit too long, nails too sharp, and he swallowed hard. The villages who were protesting, they had all signed the accords with the vow to stay out of any private deals Inei made. To honor them so long as they were personal. What was more personal than saving his younger brother's child?
“You're on.” Electricity popped and raced up his arm when he took Inei's hand. It didn't sting but he felt like it should.
“I will do whatever I must to treat her heart condition, and ensure she can grow up in good health, and in exchange…” Here he eyed Shikaku, considering him. “Nara Shikaku and his wife shall name me the child's godfather. Do we have a deal?”
They had planned to do so anyway. Inei had to know that. He agreed to those terms.
It felt like something was being etched into the very fiber of his being, and it was- agony adjacent. It didn't hurt him but he had the feeling if he thought about it he'd always feel something, a part or him, that now connected him to Inei. Forever.
He heard it when Minato fumbled and dropped a cup of water behind them, and a nurse swore nearby as the lights flickered rapidly around them- in the temporary gloom he saw what he knew Inei now actually looked like- antlered, black eyed and inhuman.
“The deal is struck.”
And without saying anything else, Inei turned and headed toward Yoshino's room.
Shikamaru didn't need help after retrieving the heart and locking himself and his patient in an operating theater. He sedated Yoshino, scrubbed in, and within an hour she was closed back up and he was performing the heart replacement surgery needed to save the baby's life. Hands made from shadows provided all the additional support he required- he was even able to reconnect the broken chakra paths from when he removed her original heart. The seals provided to him bridged the gaps while he sewed her heart in using snipped pieces of his own shadow.
The operating room was pitch black to give him the most control possible, and there was, eventually, a lot of banging on the door.
He used shadows to weave everything closed, strengthening them, and left additional energy inside her that would protect the surgical scars as they healed. He sat with the sleeping baby for a few minutes once he had finished. Watching her tiny chest rise and fall, her too small hands clench on nothing.
She was removed at 31 weeks, she'd likely spend the next month in the NICU. He stroked her cheek with a finger. She could fit in both of his hands with wiggle room. He had expected Yugure to come out as a baby, and even knowing the little infant in front of him was premature and thus extremely small, it made him ache a bit for how things could have been. It was for the best, he wouldn't change his own daughter for anything.
The doors propped themselves open as he carefully wheeled her out, already hooked up to heart monitors and an IV, oxygen, and on the other side was Tsunade, wide eyed. It seemed the other villages save Iwa had all sent a medical nin to dispute this, but it was far too late. His eyes were still black and he tilted his head, before looking down at the sleeping infant again, across her chest in place of bandages were wisps of shadow.
“Is something the matter?” His eyes flicked slightly before returning to normal, “I need to get her to the naval unit. Please move.”
“What did you do?!” A hand made of shadows sprung from under the clothes of the shinobi from Kiri and covered his mouth, Shikamaru raised a finger to his own lips.
“Shhh. You might disturb her. Don't you know it's rude to shout in a hospital?” He began to push her past them, removing the hand, “Lady Tsuande, Yoshino is still resting after the procedure, would you mind taking her back to her room? And tell her and Shikaku that it was a success once she's awake of course...I'm sure he'll want to be with her.”
She hesitated before leaving to collect Yoshino and take her back to her room, the other shinobi seemed uncertain what to do.
“This could mean war, is your village prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions?”
“Oh, but you're missing information. I had a deal, a personal one, to treat her heart condition. If your villages don't respect that, I won't be barred from fighting in the war you're threatening so casually. I'll remember the faces of the men who tried to prevent me from treating my niece.” He could feel them as their steps slowed. “Is your village prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions?”
He knew that loophole would be useful, he just didn't expect to need it so soon.
Shikari. They couldn't hold her yet, and she would need to be under special care for at least another week, but… She was perfect.
Yoshino looked at her through the glass, so small yet she'd already been through so much. She could have lost her.
Any price would have been worth paying, but she knew there were arguments happening. Inei had told her that morning, after she'd had a full night's rest from her surgery, that he didn't care if he had to fight again, because knowing Shikari was safe was worth it.
He and her husband weren't brothers on paper, but she could tell Inei felt attached in his own aloof way. He had been prepared to save their daughters life before they'd even known she would be in danger. He did so much for them.
Yoshino sniffled, emotional, not that anyone could blame her. On the other side of the glass she saw her baby yawn, legs kicking in her tiny smock, so little. Bellow it she knew that her infant was being cradled securely by Inei's shadows, monitoring her even now that the danger had seemingly passed. The prosthetic heart was beating independently, her wound seemed to be closing well, her body wasn't rejecting it. She'd have so many checkups growing up, making sure her heart was growing with her, making sure her body never had any issues with it, that it kept beating without worry.
“I can't believe how little she is.” Shukaku mumbled, leaning down to kiss her temple and staring with her at their newborn.
“She's smaller than most babies…” Yoshino smiled as her tiny fist wriggled up near her head from by her side. “Our next baby should be a lot bigger.”
“ Next baby? We just had her…”
“I want a son too.” She gave him a glare. “If we have him in the next year or two then we'll get that out of the way. Unlike your brother I don't want a house full of babies forever.” Shikaku shook his head.
“Yeah, okay. Once you've got a clean bill of health we can start trying for a son.”
“I already have a name picked out.” He hummed, “I'm not telling, it'll be a surprise.”
“You know, traditionally-!”
“It'll follow your dumb naming trend, don't worry.” He huffed but both lapsed into silence watching Shikari sleep.
Notes:
I wanted to get all of the sections about Shikari's birth in one chapter. Sorry if this seemed to spring on you suddenly since her coming was just introduced, but I didn't have anything else planned for the summer months we skipped. I wrote the next chapters a little bit out of sequence so I'm going to take the next day or so to reorganize them, I may or may not post something tomorrow depending on how that goes.
Chapter 82: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
Summary:
They have avoided war, but that doesn't mean things are slowing down.
Saito is trying to be an entrepreneur.
Notes:
I think I have things worked out, so I'm going to post what I have. I had some writers block for a section I'm working on that comes way later, but I think I fixed it. You'll know if it takes me a month to fix it again or not.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“It won't come to war.” Minato finally stated. They'd been standing in the hokage office for the better part of an hour as they waited for the last messenger from Kiri. Shikamaru noticed the lack of Danzo's presence while there. He didn't trust for a moment the man had given up so easily, and with ROOT being dismantled he expected more of a fight, not less.
“Were quite lucky then.” Naruto responded for the both of them.
“Did you… know something like this was going to happen?” Shikamaru looked up from the ground and met Minato's confused gaze.
“Not exactly. But I'm glad I was ready.” In truth he had a few uses in mind for it, but this was off even his radar.
Minato accepted it, then looked with dread at the stack of papers that Naruto had handed him upon their entering. Just because Shikamaru was handling the emergency with Yoshino and Shiakri didn't mean Naruto had been idle. Far from it.
The housing proposal was complete. They'd verified all levels of disrepair on even occupied buildings, gathered maintenance records, checked planned real estate developments that had fallen through, and had even amassed a dossier full of traced misappropriated funds that had been given to develop the district.
“Don't either of you ever sleep?” Minato had not been handed a complete list of all the members of the civilian council they had bribed, backed, or blackmailed to approve the plan, but as he'd been assured it would pass there with a majority, he could infer.
“Four to six hours a night.” Minato sighed at Naruto's chipper response.
“Are we moving forward with it then?”
“You can guarantee it'll pass the clan council?”
“It'll get the majority vote from the seated clans, and given prior voting trends I'm sure they'll follow their normal patterns.” Minato nodded.
“I'll give my approval to the project the morning after the vote, but expect a fight. Some of the land holders are using it as potential equity, even if they're paid back the value of the land at its last estimate, it'll be a huge loss.”
“Then they should have developed the land. They should be well aware of the laws regarding land used for housing.” Shikamaru had no sympathy. “Besides, with things planned as they are, it will benefit the village as a whole. Anyone who opposes will be seen as someone without the village's best interests at heart.”
Kakashi, in an effort not to be swept up in the firestorm that was to come, had leased out his clans land to the Aburame for the cultivation of bees and honey- that summer Tenzo had been allowed to use the open spaces of the Hatake clan to practice his jutsu and had filled the place with flowers. They had spoken to both Kakashi and Tsunade, and so until Kakashi knew what he wanted to use his clans land for, he would allow the compound to be used as a practice ground and then for commercial honey farming. Unlike the other land owners Kakashi had already had the documents prepared to enter an agreement with the Namikaze clan and the village to develop any remaining plots in the district with the others- he would retain ownership but pay higher taxes to the village, and in exchange for hosting and funding a predetermined number of charitable organization across the six locations, the work would be pro bono for erecting the buildings and outfitting them as well as maintenance for a stipulated period of time, that could be extended so long as Kakashi ensured the charities funding was continued.
The chosen charitable works would include a soup kitchen, a free bath house, a public library, an animal shelter and two overnight shelters for the homeless. That the charitable organizations could then be used as a tax write off that would almost entirely negate the higher cost of property tax on the land was unintentional, but welcome.
The actual owners of the land would be given a notice and of course they could always negotiate with the village, but they wouldn’t be allowed to make any changes to any existing properties to try and circumvent or appeal the decision. As it had turned out the third Hokage had also tried to persuade them to make changes over five years ago before the war began in full- they weren't required to give a second order and instead could move straight to consequences.
Minato was already stressed with the changing of powers, and he was already seen as the People's Hokage, so scorning a select few wouldn't usually be a huge problem… But the select few in question had a financial impact on the whole village.
We just need to offset the loss as it occurs.
If only it was that simple.
“This looks a lot better than I thought it would, thanks Chiyo.” She beamed at them.
“Just remember, when your company makes it big I'm the head of design and marketing, okay?”
“I doubt it'll be that much of a success…” Saito smiled at the cover document where a stylized fox sat with a spiral of nine tails behind it. They had considered a toad, but Kitsune sounded better. Saito was officially founding a small business, Haruki had approved of him using the clan name in conjunction with it so long as he let them comb the books occasionally to make sure he was staying on the straight and narrow. So far he only had an extremely limited client base- the Inuzuka clan, for soundproofing, they paid a very small monthly retainer fee for maintenance, and the Akamichi clan had hired him the week before to place a few silencing seals in private seating areas at one of their restaurants. Even if it never got to be a large operation, he never dreamed of owning his own business.
The Kitsune Sealing Company. It was made up of himself, owner and operator, Momo and Himari, as first and second officers, and Chiyo, head of advertising- in Chiyo’s words of course, not his. The twins wanted to work for him but Inei was adamant they focus on school, so it might be a few years before they join the ‘family’ business.
“Alright, I'll make a few copies and we can put up the fliers around the market!” The sealing gloves had been the whole reason he could even do this much. Haruki mentioned they might have some large scale construction that would come up in the near future, and Saito had personally designed a few blueprint seals to raise them, Haruki of course double checked his arrays, but he approved of them for the most part with minor changes.
He paused in the entry way as his sisters were getting their shoes on and looked up- one of Minato-san's special kunai hung above the door. He'd studied the seal obsessively, but he had trouble figuring out the human component to it- not that he believed he could do it or anything! The seal was etched into the metal to prevent it from being worn down. It made it a much more permanent seal as a result.
“Hey, Momo, remember that distance transceiver seal we made?”
“Uh… the one that caught the paper on fire?”
“Uhuh. What if we made it out of a sheet of metal instead.”
“... it wouldn't be very practical.” She finally supplied, pulling a light jacket on, not that she really needed it. “The seal is complex so it takes up a huge amount of surface area, and metal's too inflexible.”
“What if we just made the seal smaller.”
"Like... how small?"
"Small enough the human eye couldn't read it without aid." He watched her mull it over, their siters had already bolted, wanting to finish up quickly given how much time they'd spent sitting around in the room Haruki was letting him use upstairs.
“... maybe?” He smiled.
“Let's try it when we get home!”
“You're such a dork! We were going to listen to Ghost Detective, remember?”
“We can work and listen at the same time.” She rolled her eyes as he followed them out.
Notes:
No one has asked Saito to start a business, he's just going for it. He will soon be way out of his comfort zone.
Chapter 83: Unadvised
Summary:
Kakashi gets bad relationship advice from a magazine aimed at teenage girls.
Urushi is trying to be a good son.
Someone else is watching.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kakashi had been on a mission during his birthday. Then everything happened with Shikari starting just before and ending by October- he had seen her in the hospital. He knew she'd be tiny but he didn't think babies came that small. There was a big important meeting, too, it was happening around the same time as all this. This.
Haruki had sewn him a new hanten, this one was a very lovely black with the inner pattern being puppies. He loved it. It had secret pockets, almost a dozen of them to hide whatever he wanted inside. It had been wrapped in butcher paper and left just inside his room. Inei's subtle gift had been something a bit less noticeable, not that Kakashi knew when he had the time to do it, at least at first. He crashed from a mission and wanted to read a little to help him relax only to find his paltry bookshelf was sporting the second Gutsy Shinobi book, as well as a small stack of two ryo backroom romance novels. He'd noticed what Kakashi had been touching in his study then...
They were bodice rippers, and he was starting to see them as a guilty pleasure. True it was a women's romantic fantasy, but it was incredibly personal to him .
(Chiyo would both take it to her grave, and never let him live it down when she found him writing his own cheap bodice ripper. A torrid romance historical fantasy he was writing about a male concubine who just happened to look like him being sold to a roguish but foolish lord with battle scars that looked NOTHING like Obito. She told him he should research his little story by making out with Obito and he had thrown her laughing out of his room and swearing to cut off her hair in her sleep. He had made sure to hide his work a lot better after but he got the anxious feeling she was still finding it and reading it.)
He had gotten a new whetstone from Minato, Kushina had drawn him as a character from his favorite book series, and his siblings had belatedly wished him a happy birthday within a few days of him being home, most just gave him a big hug rather than a gift but they were too cute to be annoyed by it. It wasn't like he said he had wanted anything anyway.
Rin had gotten him a little enamel pin that looked eerily similar to Pakkun. Shizune and Tenzo had made a bookmark for him with pressed flowers. Gai had taken him out for a meal,which became an eating contest (they both lost). Genma had vandalized the side of the Hyuuga compound wall with an ugly mural of dogs eating out of what were probably garbage cans, just for Kakashi.
Yugure gave him her favorite leaf.
Even Ebisu had gotten him a present. It was a gross centerfold poster he passed off to Chiyo who made paper cut outfits for the poor naked woman, but there had been an attempt.
They trickled in, little gestures that showed they cared about him.
Not Obito. With each day that passed he got more and more cranky about it too. He had been on the mission with Kakashi on the day of his actual birthday. He wasn't expecting too much, just a well wishing would have been enough.
Rin, who'd been conspicuously absent and wearing more high necked clothing, told him he should just talk to Obito. He had retorted she should just go get more hickies from her girlfriend, and then he'd gotten lightly beaten and chased off. As October came in and everyone seemed to get really busy he tried to take his mind off of this clear betrayal.
He had cottoned on to it being Haruki's birthday and had whittled him a somewhat lacking set of Frog and Toad book ends, rather than giving them to him he had just put them in the shelf in his office and run away. The issue was it was now over a month since his birthday and Obito had yet to say anything. Not a single thing.
He'd interrogated their close friends, found nothing, brought Obito's grandmother tea, learned nothing while snooping then. He had tried to be cool asking Shisui and even Itachi but no luck.
He'd also bullied Asuma, the little punk that had been hanging around Obito as some weird way to get back at his dad. He was only a year younger but he was so immature that Kakashi couldn't imagine wanting to spend time with him ever . Not willingly at least. He had experienced some not so great feelings about the kid up until he was certain Obito was not, in fact, weird about the guy.
Momo had called him a stalker, but she was still following Milk Boy around so he didn't want to hear it from her . Himari had seen sense given she wasn't following Momo to watch the poor idiot anymore, or so he thought because he saw her and Genma at the ramen shop that Haruki and Inei always went to and it made him want to throw up.
Needless to say Genma wasn't amused when he told him not to date his sister.
By the middle of October he was depressed enough to read Himari's shitty magazines since she had gotten a boy she was... interested in... to pay attention to her. Surely she'd gotten some decent advice. Kakashi vowed that if nothing stood out he'd actually tell a very much confused Obito why he'd been pricklier than usual.
Teen Spotlight suggested spending time with an emotional or social rival, so Gai, obviously. Spend lots of time with Gai, in front of Obito- crucially not with Obito. Just where he would see them. Make Obito jealous, like he couldn't spend time with Kakashi if he even wanted to and... Megumi or Bashira had cut off the rest of the article, but that was fine. Obito wasn't that thick, he'd figure out that Kakashi was upset and get his shit together.
Definitely.
Probably.
Urushi straightened his hair, fixed his haneten, and took a deep breath. He had a big test today at the academy. Tenzo and Iruka, his desk mates, had been helping him study- he didn't want to let his dads down so he needed to pass. His papa had a really important clan meeting thing tonight, so he wanted to do his best so tomorrow he could bring home good grades.
The issue was he was really bad at taking tests.
Inei walked him and his younger siblings (it filled him with so much happiness even thinking that) as he did every school day.
“Just do your best, okay?”
“I'm gonna ace it!”
Tenzo was waiting by their desks, he was picking flowers out of his hair again, hurriedly. It was of course an open secret in their class that Tenzo could grow flowers anywhere and everywhere. He had told Urushi it was a super secret when he'd found out on the boy's second visit to the house- their parent's were friends.
Urushi had promised not to tell anyone, but he didn't really need to given Tenzo just… bloomed. Often.
“Morning Tenzo!” The boy jumped, and thus dumped his armload of flowers which scattered everywhere. Before he could make his weird upset face Iruka sidelined them both into a hug.
“Hey!”
“Quit it!”
“Iruka!”
The boy laughed, letting them go and kneeling to help them gather up flowers, he technically hadn't been told, but he always helped cover up. They tossed the armload of flowers out the window, even as Tenzo's unruly hair filled with more.
“You did study, right?” Iruka hummed, shrugging. If he weren't his best friend he'd strangle him.
“Auntie and I studied but I'm worried I won't do well…”
“At least you'll pass. Urushi’s gonna bomb the test like always.”
“That's not true! I worked really hard to study for this. You'll see!”
The test was a flop, of course.
He knew the material but he panicked. It didn't help that the teacher hated him. He hadn’t even done anything to warrant the hatred, at least he was fairly sure he hadn't. He knew she and his dad would glare at one another whenever they laid eyes upon each other, but he was worried he was just overreacting. Maybe she was like this to a lot of kids …
Tenzo gave him a hug after the test, offering him some of the daisies that had twined up and out from under his clothes. Iruka had offered to stop by one of the shops on their walk back and buy him a snack, recognizing that Urushi had messed up again. His parents were already so busy and now they'd need to worry about him, now they'd probably ask if he needed tutoring.
Kabuto and Fu both ran to pull at his sleeves, Fu kept going on and on about what Hana and Torune had said during class. Keiko was ignoring them to go over a scroll she had picked up on acupuncture, Kabuto kept trying to read it over her shoulder, only half tuned in to whatever nonsense Fu was going on about.
They parted ways with Iruka and Tenzo, their papa wanted them to go straight home, so they did as told. It had been like this since just after his birthday cousin was born actually, something about being suspicious of somebody and how quiet it had suddenly gotten. Urushi didn't understand it, but he'd been trying to be like the cool and responsible older brother Kakashi always seemed to be and not worrying them even when he was a bit too keyed up himself about the whole thing. It had been easy to play it cool when Inei picked them up, but it was a completely different story when he was doing it alone, and if he stopped to think about it for even a minute it made his stomach roll. Even still, he was the big brother, he'd look after his little siblings.
Urushi felt his skin crawl when they were halfway home and looked around but didn't see anyone. Still… he glanced about and carefully did the hand-signs that papa had taught him, summoning a young vixen who yipped and circled his legs. He had begged to learn how to summon foxes, and he'd had to ask permission from a very old vixen to put his name in the scroll, but she had allowed it.
He wouldn't realize for a long time that most ten year old's didn't learn summoning jutsu. His only basis for what was typical for shinobi was Kakashi, who had already had a summoning contract by the time he was eight. If anything it just made him feel a bit behind.
The vixen kept alert and informed him a moment later, very softly, that the person who had been observing them was back. By then they were nearly home. He hovered his fingers over the weapons pouch he'd gotten for his birthday, and kept a stiff upper lip so as not to alert his siblings to something being off.
When they reached the gate his heart was pounding. He unclasped the catch of his pouch, finger brushing the rounded loop of a kunai-
Relief flooded him as the shadows around the gate warped, hands waving. Fu laughed, running forward and clapping them as he darted through the gate, and Urushi didn't miss it as Keiko relaxed while he pushed Kabuto through.
He held it together while Kabuto and Fu ran down to their rooms, and Keiko went up to trade out for a new medical text. Their dad was lingering by the door, and when he opened his arms Urushi ran into them, sniffling. That had been scary. He knew what it felt like to be watched by people he knew, his dad peaked on him through the shadows when he wasn't at home, never enough to make him uncomfortable- and papa sent foxes to follow at a distance when he'd gone out to play with Tenzo and Iruka during the summer. But those eyes were unfamiliar. They didn't make him feel safe like his parents did when they were checking up on him.
“You were so brave.” His dad rubbed his back, letting him cry, “I'm so proud of you. You did everything right.”
He got help, he kept vigilant.
When he summoned Talia, the vixen, the other foxes that lingered around their house noticed and probably told his dad.
Their parents had sat him, Keiko, and all their older siblings down and told them months ago that if they ever felt like they were being watched to go to a populated area. Kakashi had asked why . He was a jonin, but they'd been asked to do so anyway, to find an adult they trusted if possible. Signal somehow that they weren't safe.
Kakashi had said they probably had enemies who'd want to snatch them, but Urushi… wasn't sure. After he started being able to summon foxes he felt like the eyes were on him a lot more.
He had passed the information down to Kabuto and Fu, trying to put it in a way that didn't scare them, and both boys admitted they had also felt watched.
It pricked at his skin, and he tried not to let it bother him too much, but more and more…
It felt like someone was making choices for him, ones he'd never be okay with, decisions his new parents would never force him to make. He didn't like it, and the feeling had only been getting worse since his cousin was born. Something was wrong but he didn't know what, or why it involved him and his siblings.
Danzo was simply an elder again, not supported by a village organization anymore. But just because he didn't have village backing didn't make him less of a threat to their family and others.
Shikamaru had sat Urushi down with tea, and his vixen had been trying to comfort him, but he needed to tell Naruto.
Danzo still had followers in his bizarre cult, ones who had been stalking their children for over a month. They'd also confirmed that there was a splinter group from Kiri he'd been communicating with. He was likely the one behind the attempted abduction months ago, hiding in the shadows as always.
“Daddy?” he hummed, tearing his mind away from his worries. Bashira was looking up at him with worry “Are you sick?” he sighed.
“No.” She touched his forehead when he bent down to be at her eye level.
“You look like your tummy hurts.”
“Hmm. Sometimes I think too hard and it does hurt.” She nodded, kissing her palm and pushing it on his stomach. “Thank you, baby, I feel all better now.” he forced himself to relax as she hugged him around the neck then ran off. He didn't have the time to stand fully as she was back and dragging Megumi behind her. She also tried to make his stomach feel better.
He pulled them both up to hug them, thanking them softly. He knew he wanted to be a parent, but even then he hadn't expected to feel so... fulfilled. He knew his heart was never in it for missions, but living this quiet life- he didn't ever want to go back to how things had been.
Minato had assigned him to the hospital, his shifts there were always worked around Naruto's mission schedule, and he'd been working with Tsunade and Orochimaru, or in administration for the most part.
He knew it would happen, but his life was revolving around their kids. He was never as social as Naruto, and Shikaku and Yoshino stopping by with Shikari, or Hizashi and his family was more than enough for him, besides he was making friends at the hospital.
“Something wrong?” Naruto was peeking into the living room, his flack jacket draped over one arm.
“Why don't you two go play in your rooms for a bit, I need to talk to papa alone for a while.” Both girls were reluctant but hoped down off his lap to run out of the living room. He felt the shadows around them as Naruto sat next to him, looking worried. He didn't protest when Naruto took his hands, squeezing them in his own.
“What happened?”
“Urushi said someone was following them home from the academy.” Naruto's eyes hardened, something dark passing over his expression. “He summoned Talia on their walk home so I'd know and she could help protect them.”
“Was it one of Danzo's?” Shikamaru nodded. They'd kept their distance, but he recognized them as an ANBU that had formerly been in the now disbanded organization. “Who?”
“I'm not sure. I'd know them if I saw them.” Naruto pulled him in, resting his head on Shikamaru's as he began to slowly rub his back. “You need to get ready for the clan meeting.” He sighed.
“I... will you be okay if I leave again?”
“I can handle Danzo. I'd prefer if he came at us straight on, really.” He'd be easier to kill in self defense that way.
“After the meeting we'll figure out what to do about him. We've let him live long enough.”
Naruto was, generally, of the belief that most people could be spared. But even he had limits. He went to get showered and changed, and Shikamaru had the documents ready. Kakashi and Saito would both be accompanying him- Kakashi as he could still give his opinion even if he couldn't vote, and Saito who would be assisting him if they were given the go ahead to rebuild the neighborhood. It may also serve as a misdirect- Saito would likely be confused as the clan heir when in truth...
Naruto was just planning on handing the clan over to the child who wanted it the most and was the best suited. Yugure should be the clan heir, given she was their only biological child, but she wasn't sure she even wanted to be a shinobi yet. That was a lot of weight to place on her shoulders, especially given that she wanted to use her humanity to enjoy life- experience the world, eat, make friends- which would be difficult with the responsibility that would land on her.
Saito had no interest in becoming the next clan head, he was busy with the business he'd been putting together. If he wanted it it would be another story.
“Himari is going to reheat the curry in the fridge for everyone, so don't help.” Naruto kissed him on his way out, their two oldest boys waiting by the door.
“Good luck.”
Once they were gone he went on high alert, for any unusual movements around their home.
Couldn't be too careful, after all.
Notes:
Kakashi is aware that people are following his siblings, but he's also under the belief that they'll be safe because his foster dads wouldn't let anything bad happen. This is freeing him up to make terrible choices in regards to his interpersonal relationships, he isn't ignoring the issues or pretending they don't affect him, he's just a teenager who's finally acting like one.
On a related note, Danzo was always a much more interesting big bad to me than the plot with the chakra goddess. I want to explore him more as a character, but I also want to roll him in lint, cover him in oil, and chuck him into a furnace. Unlike Orochimaru he will not be receiving a redemption arc, don't worry.
Chapter 84: New Foundations
Summary:
Saito is, unintentionally, now a public figure. He is not yet aware of it.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“As I'm sure everyone here is well aware, the social welfare system of the village has been on a dramatic down slide the last fifteen years, and the war had only exacerbated that decline.” It was his turn to speak. It had been a bit scandalous when they'd arrived, Kakashi had went over to talk with Shizune and Tenzo, who always spectated these meetings. A number of the unseated clans had been staring at Saito, who was engrossed in his notes when they arrived. The curiosity spilled over into something else when he greeted Shikaku as uncle- he'd insisted the last few months, if Saito was his elder brother's son, he had to be uncle. (Naruto privately thought it was just some convoluted way to mess with Inoichi, as it required very little physical effort and had the affect of making the blonde feel old despite the fact he was still in his early twenties. Sometimes he felt bad for Choza who was the least ridiculous one amid the trio, but maybe that was only because of his lack of exposure.)
They had wrongly assumed he had come to test the waters to see how the boy would be received. A few of the smaller clans he knew of with daughters around Saito's age began to bother him. Naruto only sighed as his teenage son missed the memo and began to politely try and escape conversation.
When Naruto had asked him if there were any girls, or boys for that matter, he was interested in, Saito had given him a flat look and said he was focusing on his career, and didn't want to think about dating until he was able to fully establish his small company. He pitted whatever idiot fell in love with his kid at this point, given his tunnel vision he probably wouldn't even notice if someone threw themselves at him naked...
Still, it had been a bit funny to see his poor introverted son try and escape middle aged clan heads all trying to find a way to get in with the current hokage's clan. A foot in the door was better than nothing.
This was clearly an unexpected development, as Saito helped him hand out leaflets with the information for his proposal. It wouldn't help him distance himself from the rumors that he was an heir candidate for their clan, but it might help his business.
“Within the Eastern Wall district, there are forty eight registered plots of land, of those, only ten have structures that meet or exceed current building safety codes. The remaining thirty eight either have no standing structures, buildings that are not up to code and have been allowed to run down, or are abandoned structures.
“Is there a point to this, Namikaze-san?” Hiashi interrupted him, clearly trying to figure out his angle. They'd been neutral to one another up until now, given he was friends with Hiashi's brother, but it was clear he might already suspect were this is going.
“There's a bylaw within the village charter that any buildings or properties that have been left abandoned or neglected, specified as being without maintenance for excess of three years, are, if the owner has already received a written warning and nothing has changed within six months, within the villages right to seize.”
That seemed to snap everyone to attention. It stopped the whispered side conversations at least.
“What does this have to do with the villages social welfare, are you suggesting the properties are seized and sold to turn a profit for charities?” Hiashi always sounded condescending, the prick. He didn't know how Hizashi could stand him.
“Not exactly. I do suggest they be seized, but rather than sell them back, as would likely happen, I've drawn up a plan that would allow for their development, with revenue generated being paid into the village. If you wouldn't mind opening the hand out I've prepared.” It was thin paper, and unfolded several times. Saito, who had been fully filled in the week before, had come up with even further ideas for the area. It was extremely ambitious. “The idea is that, by using funinjutsu, we could easily raise permanent structures for subsidized housing, ideally a few would provide housing at no expense so long as residents followed certain guidelines, the displaced earth would create sufficient space bellow the major roadways of the district,while that space could be turned into an underground market. By maximizing the space available in such a way we could easily solve the housing issue in the district as well as give the village a new revenue stream that could be put to other social projects.”
“Don't you think its a bit too ambitious for just one man to accomplish?” He knew why Hiashi was so critical. Some of his clan's backers would stand to lose a good deal of money in this, but he also didn't particularly care.
“My eldest, Saito, has generously volunteered his time to assist me. Between the two of us we could fully finish a building every three days, so long as we could clear the lots efficiently. It could be finished no later than the winter festival so long as we could begin work within the next two weeks.”
“Your civilian son?” Hiashi fired back.
“Saito has a natural talent for the art. He's actually responsible for the design of the subterranean market. Just because he isn't able to use jutsu doesn't bar him from funinjitsu.”
“Without chakra, seals cannot be activated. Unless you expected a shinobi to follow him around-!” Saito had pulled on one of his gloves, having quickly drawn out a seal on a piece of notebook paper and torn it out. The markings on the glove glowed, and the piece of paper shot upward, drawing in streams of ambient chakra that glowed as they reached it while it crumbled. A steady floating ball of light hovered above the now silent meeting.
“Permission to speak?” Enough members of the seated council nodded dumbly, staring at it. “I am fully capable of activating my own seals. My inability to use chakra on my own only spurred me on to find a way to circumvent the limitation I was born with.” He had tucked his notebook into a pocket of his hanten and carefully removed his glove. “I may be young but I have the sufficient skills to help my father if it's for the betterment of the village. Even if only a few buildings are put up before the deadline, there would be that fewer people having to live the winter on the streets.” It wasn't about money. If that's what it took to make the world spin they'd figure something out to ensure it, but at the end of the day the only important thing was the result.
“I support the proposed development.” Shikaku was the first to speak as the rest of those present seemed to soak it in.
“I second that.” Inoichi was quick to agree.
“My clan could benefit from a new market space. I support the development.” Choza winked toward him, he'd have agreed anyway, but the idea of opening a restaurant in such a novel location was probably very attractive to him.
“I see one of the proposed buildings would host an animal shelter.” Tsume had a large grin on her face, “I can get behind that, besides, I've seen the kids skill first hand.”
“The Aburame clan will back the construction.” Shibi tacked on, no doubt interested in the inclusion of rooftop gardens, those that could serve to help pollination efforts as well as lending more natural habitat to native bugs given how difficult it would be for the average person to disturb them.
“The Senju clan gives their support. It falls in line with my grandfather's ideals.” It was almost a threat to the other clans, but she could claim it was an opinon rather than a warning so she'd avoid being spoken to on it.
“It would certainly help civilian crime rates if more housing was opened. People tend to follow laws better when they feel safe.” Fugaku remarked. “So long as a police station is designated in the area you have my clan's full support.”
The smaller clan heads began to speak up their own approval.
“Some of the proposed lands belong to the Hatake clan.” The room was silenced again as eyes drifted toward Kakashi.
“I appreciate your concern, but even if the village isn't able to carry out the proposed plan I already approved the development of the land in my clan's name, it's sat empty for too long.” He looked bored, even as Tenzo finished weaving him a flower crown, dropping it lopsided on his head.
“There is an option within the proposal that ownership of the land can be kept so long as they hand over the development rights, the current landowners could stand to gain from the development, after all, and outright seizing the land would only happen in extreme circumstances. They would also be compensated for the land at the value it was last appraised at.”
Hiashi couldn't think of any additional arguments, but he was clearly furious. Excluding two smaller clans that sided with Hiashi, the vote pushed the development plan through, the next week the citizen council also passed it after hearing the Hokage had endorsed it. (It didn't hurt that palms had been greased and certain people had been blackmailed.)
The attempt to fight it was beaten down when it was leaked to the public that they (the wealthy land owners) had already been ordered to clean up years ago and hadn’t done so.
It was almost a year after they'd moved to the village when Shikamaru was wrapping a scarf around his neck as he and Saito prepared to begin their first site. There was a light chill in the air. He'd already promised Naruto a birthday present once he finished getting everything he needed done for the development done.
He was almost thankful that Yoshino's baby had had so many complications because Shikamaru hadn't had any time to dwell on how it was Ino's birthday.... that said... he was trying to keep his own birthday from coming up among their family this year.
He didn't see a point in slowing down to celebrate it, but it would (if everything went well) be his last year where he didn't share it with baby Naruto. Even still, he had an agenda, making the village safer and more prosperous for his kids. He would look forward to whatever it was Shikamaru had planned, but he was hoping it would pass by otherwise unnoticed.
“Both of you stay warm.” Shikamaru pushed a hat on Saito, who mumbled about not being a child.
“See you soon.”
Saito double checked the seal he'd drawn up as a rough draft, then the one he'd spent the last hour placing. He sprayed down the fuse seal so he wouldn't get hit by the building as it rose, and Haruki looked over it one last time and nodded, there was a small crowd gathered to watch them- they had only asked the crowd not to get within twenty feet of the array.
“Now, remember, Tori, Tatsu, Ne, Tora.” He nodded. The new gloves could be charged with a certain amount of chakra before use, and so he could use hand signs in a limited capacity to that end. He performed them carefully, before touching the smaller seal that was attached at a distance, a line of characters connected it like an explosive fuse to the much larger seal, it was well over four hundred feet in diameter, and had taken most of the morning to draw.
It glowed, charka sparking through the gloves as it connected, then the smaller seal kicked off to the fuse, and the fuse hit the large scale construction seal. It sunk into the earth for a second, before the ground rumbled slightly, and it began to rise up in a far more regular shape. It climbed higher than the Namikaze house did, three floors quickly surpassed as it crawled to be an almost impossible feeling seven. It was sharply tall, the seal still taking affect as the body if the building rose- with each window the earth rolled down and out to make balconies with the excess stone. It was without a doubt the tallest in the village, by a lot.
His heart hammered in his chest.
He had done that.
“Give it five minutes to settle, then we'll get to work.” Haruki clapped his arm, and the gathered crowd had cheered a bit, impressed. He was impressed too to be honest. It was one thing designing a seal, and another thing entirely to see said seal come to life like this- especially at the massive scale it was on.
Next would be reinforcement. Between the two of them it shouldn't take more than a few hours. Choza and his clan had offered to help clear the building cites, so they'd have tomorrow to connect up a system of seals for water circulation in the building and to double check everything one last time. Once water and electricity were hooked up, Haruki would use his shadow clones to lay down flooring and paint, outfitting doors and windows, and a building inspector would comb the structure. The first building would then be moved into by the tenants of the buildings across from them, so the demolition could start on that plot.
The next few buildings already had applicants lined up.
Their family had a good reputation in the area, the donation pantry on the outside wall usually had fresh fruits and vegetables, one shelf had a seal meant to keep things cold and was usually stocked with milk, and there were two water spigots- one hot one cold- and a sheet of paper up for requests. It had been Nanami and Nao who had put most of the work into it. Inei may have suggested it but it was the twins who had taken it over.
Inei never made a fuss over it, but some of the people in the area who slept rough had started to come up to him to ask about basic medical treatments, and he'd seen Inei treat them for any number of things when they'd quietly show up at the gate.
They were little things, but they were making an impact.
The local gang that used a decrepit warehouse as a base had also recently been raided, the group had been manufacturing a number of drugs, and seeing them out of the neighborhood had calmed the less aggressive factions.
Himari and Momo had helped a number of those in the area that had been squatting fill out the application forms for housing. Some because it was difficult, most because they had trouble reading or couldn't do it at all.
It felt.... good.
It soothed some part of him that had been more than a little scared that if he took one misstep out in the real world he could end up homeless, hungry, hurt. He really had been incredibly lucky.
If this was one small thing he could do to ease someone else the way his being adopted had eased him? He wanted to do it.
The building had finished settling and he grabbed another can of chakra rich spray paint, shaking it as he began to draw seals on the outside, Haruki had already made clones and vanished inside. He was more sensitive to chakra now that he'd been exposed to it as often as he had been, feeling seals activate, he did his best to keep up, finishing the outside and going in.
The inside had a similar design to their own home on a larger scale, a courtyard in the center, but rather than rooms there were units, two on each cardinal direction going up, the buildings entry way had two flights of stairs up and down, and so he turned down to start on the lower floors. One floor down and the hall wrapped to go around the outside, there were four entrances and all mirrored this one. From here to the last floor down it was eight stories. That was the planned depth for the subterranean market, which would also allow it to double as a second emergency shelter if the village was attacked- though given the amount of seals they were placing that would constantly be active there was no telling if these buildings could even come down due to natural disasters, let alone the machinations of men.
The bottom floor would be for stores, hopefully markets and other essentials, but there was a very real possibility this area's primary renting would be entertainment and for the most part a tourist trap. Even still, Minato oji had promised he'd make sure there were at least a few things, a grocery store or two, coin laundromats, it would be nice to set up a clinic. Kakashi's land would have the bottom two floors dedicated to charities, and though it wasn't planned, with staircases up and down, Saito had been workshopping a platform that could raise and lower down to the markets level, eighty feet under ground. it would make going and coming easier, and more attractive than allowing it to become some sort of micro city within the city.
To call the whole thing a mega project was to do it a disservice. In some ways it could be considered a sort of... magnum opus. This was what sealing could really do. It wasn't some relic of the past used for minor convenience or to... to trap chakra beasts. It was an extremely versatile art. It was jutsu in physical form as much as jutsu could be considered the same way Inei used his shadows. They might overlap but they were two distinct entities. Sealing was a lasting way to change the world around you.
The design of the seals they used took in nature chakra, but they were also designed in a way to encourage the proliferation of natural chakra. Limits might be placed in later, but with enough buildings in the village producing high levels of natural chakra the village might actually disappear into the leaves, as it tended to drastically encourage plant growth. The ancient trees around Konoha might grow ever taller, which in turn might open up new pathways of utilizing sealing as a way to capitalize on lumber or perhaps even using the trees to expand the city some day. It felt... fitting.
He had finished the first two floors from the bottom up when he spotted Haruki's clones two floors above him- they'd be done even sooner than expected. It felt like a waste to stop here... They could set up the water system tonight instead, that would put them ahead to start deciding how to divide up the space underground.
The proposed subterranean market would actually be a series of wide tunnels, connecting the planned buildings but also with several places up the the surface in various locations. It was the main reason that Saito wanted to make an easier way up and down, both to save time, and to make the market more appealing.
It would also help stock shelves, supply produce, and make the market more attractive to potential vendors to open shops in the market. No one wanted to walk up and down eight flights just to browse, though alternate markets could probably be constructed higher too... like roots to the buildings tree like forms. The plant growth that would be encouraged would likely make them seem more like massive trees than buildings.
He'd look over his seals he'd designed to form a solution to this when he got home.
They started on the water system, finishing it for all but the upper floors, as well as the waste disposal system, and seals were used to keep the building water-tight from anyone wanting an early look around. They had a day off tomorrow so Momo, Himari, and Chiyo would tag along- Chiyo wasn't good at sealing, but she could help put up paint which she seemed eager to do.
A few of the other clans had all put money in a pool to outfit the units with necessary appliances, like a stove and toilets though that was more plumbing, even if they weren't great. They would be put in just before the building was moved into, if everything went well it would be three days, if it didn't... it could be a week.
Saito was welcomed home to hugs, the other kids had watched from behind the wall as the building shot up, and they knew it had been him who'd done that.
This was it. This was the life he wanted. He just hadn't known. Be was so grateful.
Notes:
I got another architecture chapter anyway.
Chapter 85: Busy, Busy, Busy
Summary:
Shikamaru's usual bloodlust is once again targeted on one old man, Gai doesn't understand why everyone's acting so strange about him spending time with his best friend, and Naruto is tired.
Chapter Text
Shikamaru returned the Shinobi he'd kept in shadow space for the last year, he had to do it one at a time because they were still under the mistaken impression they were along the border of Iwa in February of what would before long be last year, up against an enemy devoid of compassion- a few shakily asked if this was the after life as they were walked away.
The deal was unfair, of course, because life was. Shikaku felt little pity given, from what he had gathered, it was Iwa that had started the fighting at the border after the second Kazekage had suddenly vanished because they purposefully hid information on his whereabouts. When it had come out that the man was dead, Suna had blamed them and gotten involved. An unfortunate border crossing had dragged in Konoha, and Kiri had gotten Kumo involved by siding with Iwa initially. Kumo didn't appreciate having their own borders crossed so that the Kiri shinobi could aid their temporary allies. The fight had escalated and escalated until it was all our war. Amegakure had managed to drag itself out of the conflict.
And now finally... it was over. Early.
He had nearly everything he wanted. Naruto, the children, a comfortable home, a fulfilling but not taxing job, friends, a peaceful village to enjoy it in, Hidan's head stuffed in a soundproof jar in their closet, all that was really missing was one thing.
Danzo's blood, preferably spilled in some gruesome and painful way. Prolonged.
Danzo had just been a check mark. He had just been one of those standing in their way to a smooth and peaceful future. He had made himself a larger problem than Shikamaru could accept. He'd have to kill him sooner rather than later.
He was a cornered rat, who knows who he'd try to bite.
Fu tugged on his hand when he got home, laughing and asking Shikamaru to help him with his henge- Naruto was working on the buildings going up in the district.
“Daddy, please?” He lifted the boy onto his hip, tapping their foreheads together and walked him back out to the garden.
Chiyo had wanted to earn a little more pocket money, and she had gotten sick of helping paint so she was babysitting whenever Shikamaru had to leave during the day. The twins also got a little money for helping out too.
Things should be boring, he was essentially a stay at home dad with a part time job. He shouldn't be worrying that an old man who stole eyeballs was going to snatch one of his children!
He smiled as Fu managed a mostly successful henge as Kabuto.
It was childish- no. Was it selfish to want a mostly boring life? He knew he'd never get that, not exactly the way he hoped for as a kid. Laying it out, he had time traveled, fallen in love with his best friend, averted the end of the world, saved Obito, posed as his own uncle, became a father figure to Hatake Kakashi , birthed(?) a former yokai, become a yokai, adopted a slew of children who were shaping up to be world class talents (even the kids who didn't have jutsu), and maybe more obviously... He'd married Uzumaki Sage-Be-Damned Naruto, willingly. These were his life choices, and they shouldn't affect his children, not in a negative way at least. He could stand it if his life remained one unusual mess after another, really he could.
But his kids should grow up without a looming threat like being kidnapped weighing over their heads constantly. He didn't think that would be too much to ask.
Gai was having a great last few days. He and Kakashi were hanging out a lot, which was tons of fun! Doing youthful things, like going for races in the park, doing the spicy soba challenge at a local noodle stand, sometimes they'd just take long meandering walks through the market. They kept running into Obito, though, and when he'd mention inviting Obito to their fun Kakashi would say he was trying to focus on their friendship/rivalry, and that he spent so much time with Obito already he wouldn't mind.
Still... he was starting to seem a little hurt when Kakashi would loop his arm with Gai's and tug him a different way, leaning in close to ask him if he wanted to do a lap around the village or scale a tree without using their feet.
He asked Genma if he should feel bad, but Genma had just sighed, shook his head, and told Gai he was on his own and that Genma ‘Refused to get involved in this romantic mess’. He supposed the vigor of youth was a bit romantic...
Ebisu had balked at his mentioning how much time he was spending with Kakashi. He had mumbled something about not knowing that Gai was ‘that way’ and canceling their plan to go to the bath house later. He knew Ebisu only went to try and get a look at the ladies who used the bath, but he enjoyed the company, and his dad had been busy training again...
What was even stranger was that now whenever he ran into Obito without Kakashi, the other boy always got a sour look and had been a little short with Gai. He didn't think he'd done anything wrong, and when he mentioned as much to Kakashi, he'd just said it was Obito probably having a lot on his mind. It had been a year since he'd had the traumatic incident and came back to the village after all...
Needless to say Obito hadn't been very welcoming when Gai had given him some calming tea and asked if he was okay- stormed off without speaking is what he'd done. Choza Sensei had passed the issue to his dad, who'd sat him down awkwardly at their table and said nothing for twenty minutes but got progressively more flustered as he tried to think of something to say.
“Son... you're at that age when... in every man's life... as a young man in the full blossom of youth you're probably starting to feel...” Gai tilted his head, uncertain. “Oh sage... Gai, you... like Kakashi?”
“He's my eternal rival!” Gai chirped, excitedly kicking his legs along the ground. “And best friend too...” He added softly more to himself.
“I know, son... do you... feel, ah... more youthful vigor around him than other boys- or girls?” He tacked it on as an afterthought.
“Challenging him and honing our skills as splendid shinobi is exhilarating! I don't feel like that with anyone else.” His father just sighed. Was he missing something?
“What I'm asking is, in the future, when your an old man like me, what sort of relationship do you want with Kakashi?”
When they got old?
“I want things to stay just as they are! I would hate to lose my dear friend.” His father nodded, but he had a look on his face Gai didn't quite understand, patting his shoulder and softly wishing him good luck.
Good luck against Kakashi?
Naruto was so mentally drained. The work wasn't physically demanding, but making dozens of shadow clones and repeating the same thing day after day was making his brain turn to mush. On the bright side, Saito had gotten better by leagues in the last month.
His eldest son had really hit his stride, cutting down the time each seal had taken to place by virtue of it just coming easy to him now with loads of practice. Of course Naruto kept checking his work, but it was always satisfactory. They only had a few actual buildings left to put up, then they had the work of making the Root Market, which was what he heard some civilians calling it the other day. The name had followed the first few buildings almost instantly being overtaken by plant life, enough so they started to resemble the giant trees outside of the village.
Independent of their efforts to get the unhoused population of Konoha into safe sleeping areas before winter, Inoichi had opened his clan up to giving therapy, as much as they could, to the most in need of the formerly homeless community that were struggling to adjust. The Akamichi clan had subtly begun offering back of house jobs too, to those able to work that needed more help than others reentering the workforce, in addition to opening a soup kitchen in the area. Tsume had teamed up with Kakashi, when he wasn't extremely busy being an actual teenager for once in his emotionally repressed life, to help home dogs and cats that had been rescued into the shelter with the people in the area- something about animals helping people's mental states and killing two birds with one stone?
Meanwhile Shikaku had been the one to start putting together what they'd need for a reduced cost clinic for the underground market area, as well as coordinating with various other smaller clans to ensure they'd get the businesses needed to support the influx of population to the area.
It was all pulling together nicely. Shikamaru gave him some flower tea and pulled a blanket over him on the couch as his brain dripped out of his ears. Despite his best efforts, he was soon being gently crushed under the weight of his little girls, Mei was stable enough walking now that she was starting to be included in Jun and Yugure's mischief, and Megumi and Bashira were never too far off.
“Girls, papa is supposed to be resting.”
“It's fine...” One of them had taken off his bandana and was attempting to brush his hair.
“I'm going out with Gai to the night market, don't wait up!”
“Kakashi! Take a fox with you!”
That was another thing.
Kakashi had been spending a considerable amount of time with Gai. It was fine, of course, and he was still hanging out with most of his other friends- but not Obito.
Naruto speculated that maybe the two were fighting, or he'd shifted his crush onto Gai and Obito wasn't handling it well...
Either way it didn't really bother him but he should still probably check in on the kid... right after he and Saito finished the construction and he could focus again.
Chapter 86: Devil's Advocate
Summary:
A T4T power couple cause problems on purpose.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“No, I'm serious.” Himari was tossing out handfuls of birdseed to the fat pigeons they'd been visiting the last week when they wanted to meet up. “He's literally using the 'jealousy manipulation' method to get Obito's attention.”
“I noticed. Gai told me he was spending a lot of time with him.” He took a handful and scattered it for the sparrows that had come nearby.
Genma wasn't exactly the best choice for a confidant, but he was better than Ebisu, who was a gross pig. At least he'd stopped being gross to Genma when he went on hormones, it made later missions with him bearable.
Himari had been a sort of... Oh moment for him. She understood him. Her experience was different than his in a lot of ways, but the basics were similar enough that... he liked spending time with her. He was comfortable talking to her about the less desirable effects of being on T, and she could gripe about her experiences with estrogen.
They were a safe place for each other.
His family didn't get it, but Himari's family was really supportive of her. Sometimes he was jealous of that. The support, even silent, would be nice. Better than the cold and hard looks his family gave him when he corrected them on his name and gender. His uncle hadn't even bothered to learn his new name even when it was recognized by the village. Even when it was on his official paperwork as a chunin.
At least Choza sensei had helped him with that.
“It's kind of funny, y'know?” Himari elbowed him lightly, and he agreed with a snort, “It'd be better if Obito tried to fix things though. The last thing we need is for Obito to make things...”
“Worse?” They shared an evil smile. “What do you have in mind?”
“Who is the person Kakashi can't stand?”
“... Ebisu.” He finally settled on it after thinking it over. He found the guy an annoying pervert.
“So, here's what we do.” She leaned in, and Genma nodded along, eyes widening as they both started to crack up.
“You're so evil .” Genma cackled.
“But you can make it happen?”
“Yeah, yeah of course. Sage... we should make a betting pool!”
Kakashi had been annoying him more than usual, so it would be a bit of harmless payback.
Or so he thought.
“Hey, Ebisu, hang back a minute with me? We'll catch up, Gai.”
Ebisu's skin pricked. He was always awkward around Genma even before the whole boy thing. He had nothing against the guy, but he was sure he'd say something rude so he tried not to talk at all.
“What?”
“So you know the whole... Gai and Kakashi thing, right?” He groaned. How could he not? Those two had been practically dating the last two weeks. What was worse was that rather than being the usual numpity he was, Obito had been getting a bit mean about the whole mess. “I need a favor.”
“I won't involve myself in such debauchery.”
“I can make it worth your while.” He sincerely doubted it. “I'm friends with Himari, right?” He nodded, not understanding the relevance. “She and Momo do their laundry together.” He suddenly felt hot blood rush through his whole body. “Willing to listen at least?”
He hesitated. Genma was... implying.... that Ebisu might perhaps come to look at or maybe even posses a pair of Momo's...
But the cost. He shouldn't rush ahead of himself. It sounded too good to be true.
“I'll listen.”
Genma had a small smile. He really hated it.
“Kakashi is oblivious that Obito likes him, clearly. Himari is tired of hearing about the whole thing, so we were thinking you tell Obito to hang out with you like Kakashi is with Gai, maybe he'll get it.”
“I refuse to date a man!”
“Not date! Just be seen around together. When Kakashi sees you two he'll get jealous and you can back out, they'll figure it out from their.” Ebisu ground his teeth. There was no way- “I can promise you once that happens, you'll get a pair of Momo's underwear. Himari says she's got lacy undies-!”
“Alright I'll do it!” He wasn't sure why he felt like he'd just sold his soul. “But what if Obito doesn't agree to do it?”
“Then don't worry about it. You'll have lost nothing.” He supposed that was true. And he could blame it on Genma if Obito thought he was a weirdo for offering to help him with this.
What could go wrong, honestly?
Obito had been asking Rin why Kakashi was mad at him for over month at this point. He couldn't remember having done anything wrong- he hadn't even mentioned his dads lately!
But Kakashi was avoiding him, canceling plans outside of missions, and lately he and Gai went everywhere together. Alone. Without him. He wasn't sure why but it made him... sour inside.
It made him mean.
What was so special about Gai anyway? His hair was kind of nice, but he always had it in that ugly half bowl/half mullet cut. His nose was big too, and his eyebrows were...
Did Kakashi like his eyebrows?
He fought himself trying to decide if he should just ask Rin or Shizune how to make his eyebrows a little thicker with makeup. That might be his last option, he'd hold on to it.
That was the point he was at when Ebisu of all people told him he'd give him a hand. Apparently Gai spending so much time with Kakashi was affecting their squad, and besides that, it was obvious that Kakashi didn't really find Gai that interesting. He just needed a push to realize how much more he'd prefer spending time with Obito.
That was how he found himself taking a walk with Ebisu around the time he usually ran into Kakashi and Gai.
He'd been skeptical but... Kakashi's visible eye had gone wide seeing them together.
Oh-ho!
It was like a light bulb going off. But Kakashi doubled down. The reaction hardly lasted a second before he was loudly asking Gai to go spar with him.
But it was working.
This was it. He'd just make Kakashi jealous! Ebisu was a bit of a weird choice, but if it got Kakashi to talk to him again he wouldn't mind!
Notes:
Genma has no intention of even giving Ebisu underwear fresh out of the package and trying to pass it off as Momo's.
Chapter 87: Introspection From the Fifth Son
Summary:
Yosaku wanders the house after school on a normal afternoon.
Chapter Text
Yosaku was wandering the halls, making bird calls. He had homework he should be doing but... Eh. Nao had had a point, in a way. Funinjutsu was fun, he liked it more than his classes, but understood why he needed to go. Still... He wanted to end it fast, so he could move on to what he really wanted to do.
He liked birds, but he didn't want to study them, you didn't need a license or certificates to bird watch after all. He wasn't going to go into medicine no matter how interesting or useful learning first aid from dad was, and law was boring- Himari disagreed, she'd been obsessively studying village laws since fall had started, and it sounded like she might actually want to be a lawyer.
The point was, he already knew he was just going to work for the family business or whatever it was Saito was up to once he was old enough. Yuki had actually been expressing an interest in seeing if they could work at the academy when they grew up- even as a non-shinobi Yuki was extraordinary at every fighting style he'd been taught so far.
Yosaku would be happy to make seals for the rest of his life, maybe that made him boring, but at least he could say he would be doing what he loved.
Ever since he'd reached proficiency in sealing he'd been allowed to the thrice weekly discussions on sealing that his older siblings had, usually they just bounce ideas off of one another. He'd helped Saito work through a mental block and they'd made a seal together for raising and lowering a platform, and how to control it without direct chakra usage since people without it would need to use it. It had made him feel good to know he'd helped solve an important problem too, and he got to use the elevation platform that they'd designed first with his big brother. It had been really cool, if he was honest. No one else has ever done something like this!
The seal to go up, down, and stop were all triggered by being temporarily contacted as a completed seal via a button with partial seals on each side facing one another. There were dozens of redundancies about the speed, how and when it could stop, how to keep people from touching the sides of the enclosed drop, but ultimately they got one working. Then a few dozen more. Chiyo suggested the catchy name ‘Elevator’ after they’d rejected Lifty, Eleplat, Platform, Updown, Sinker, Anthill, and a few dozen more that had gotten progressively sillier the longer they tried to outdo one another.
The ‘Elevators’ were marked with the street names, though they remained unpowered until the Root Market would open. He was really excited for that. The rent down there was very low to encourage businesses to set up shop, so a lot of small vendors would be getting permanent locations now. If things went well he'd overheard that they might try to encourage more immigration to the village, which hadn't happened since its founding- talk of the walls being pushed back and more Earth Tree towers going up. It meant more neat hobby shops would probably open up, and there'd be a lot of new kids moving in- the greenery would attract more birds too...
He loved how green the neighborhood had become, and a lot of people seemed much more comfortable than they had been. It wasn't perfect, but it was so much nicer. There were even people not from the district moving in now, since the majority of the residents, even those who'd been without lodging, now had homes, they could open up a few buildings for that.
There were a lot more kids around, and it made him happy.
He wished they could go out and play with all of them whenever they wanted, but dad had told them to stay in the yard when playing, and not to go out without one of his older siblings. He hated it but he knew that they had a good reason, since Yosaku had seen someone in a mask in the shadows of a building one day... following him when he wasn't supposed to be out by himself. He hadn't done that again, still feeling eyes crawl up his back whenever he left or came home, and sometimes in between that too.
He stopped at the bottom floor of the house, poking into each room until he found it since he'd gotten turned around- a sort of catchall secret kids room that he was fairly sure their parents already knew about. Inside were a variety of bric-a-brac, a few busted practice spears, books that kept getting fought over and changing hands, toys that had been (and he wouldn't have believed this possible a year ago in the orphanage) deemed as boring or that were already outgrown and waiting for the next kid to grab it. Extra blankets and pillows, cool rocks, that sort of thing.
Within was what he'd actually come here for. Digging around a box he pulled out a pair of binoculars, and the signal lamp that they'd found among their parents miscellaneous junk. That was in another of the basement rooms, they weren't supposed to go in that one but nothing had happened since they'd done it so either their parents hadn't noticed (impossible, they noticed everything) or it was deemed as a permissible rule to break. Their parents had a few of those. Rules they would like to be respected but there was no punishment for breaking. Nanami called them ‘Soft Rules’ and Himari had eagerly pointed out they were like superfluous laws, like keeping off the grass or vandalizing abandoned buildings. There was only a punishment if you explicitly got caught while doing the rule breaking like when Keiko had tried to put a wad of gum under the table at dinner and had to clean the underside of the table for being caught. She never did it again, and to be fair most of that gum had been hers.
Soft Rules aside, the room was interesting, mostly camping equipment, maps, books, star charting things, crates full of old books with boring or foreign titles, locked cases with medical equipment like scalpels and bone saws (he had pressed his face to the glass last time when looking at it and swore there were dried flecks of blood on it), and a box that they couldn't open because of a seal that Saito had called ‘impenetrable’ that when asked- papa had advised they not admit to going somewhere they shouldn't be in the future- they had been told it had some keepsakes from lost friends and they'd prefer the kids not mess with that one.
The binoculars had an odd mark on them, one he didn't recognize from any village or brand, but they were really, really good. The signal light was for his new friend from school who had moved into the third floor of the building across the way. His dad was a shinobi, he wasn't, but he was learning how to use flash signals, and papa had found him a book on them so they were going to try and talk tonight.
Saito had earned a second floor office space of his own after helping with all the buildings since he got to put his company name on the Elevators. His was much less relaxed than the ones their parents had, but it was nice, and Saito used it to make his own ink and paper, and keep track of the handful of contracts he had now, and there were big boards full of ideas, scattered books with half formed seal ideas that he allowed them to look through and even jot down ideas in so long as they signed their contributions and took it seriously.
Saito wanted to be able to properly credit them if any single idea worked out. The altered books were stuck with a bookmark in place for the note or idea and left on Saito's desk in a specific wooden box. He did look at them . Fu had been scolded for writing that Saito needed to go for more walks as a suggestion on the journal messily scrawled as ‘Communication seal’ just the week before.
Yosaku was going to go up to the room above Saito's office to talk to Tetsuya via the window. Maybe he'd pop in and see what progress had been made on the working copy of the seal made to store energy after his talk. He chucked his items into his backpack, having thought to bring one this time, and ran up the stairs- he had to stop in the kitchen for some water because the task of going all the way back up at a run was a lot.
His papa gave him a bowl of cut fruit, reminded him to do his homework since he had to wait for it to get dark, and to come down when dinner was called or he'd get his signal lamp taken away until the weekend.
Then he was able to run up to the south room on the third floor, it was still bright enough that he actually spotted Tetsuya in his room and they waved to one another. He actually got his homework out of the backpack he'd been dragging around and did it as asked while eating his fruit. By the time he was done, he was able to get his book on signals out, and his lamp, and they both sluggishly sent each other messages.
They were starting to get better, even when he heard his daddy make the whole house sort of... Thunk . He said his goodbye quickly, getting one in response, and raced down to take his place at the table. There were a few different thunks, the laundry thunk, the dinner thunk, the emergency thunk , he'd only heard that one once, as a practice. It wasn't a thunk exactly, more like the horrible sudden absence of what a thunk should have been. That one meant get down to the lowest floor, stop for nothing unless it was helping one of his siblings get down to the basement.
They were having grilled fish tonight, he piled his plate with stir fried vegetables and got caught trying to swap half of his fish for the remainder of Megumi's rice- about half the bowl. Both were reminded they could have more, so long as they finished what they had.
By this point in dinner, Kabuto had already done his emotionally needy, almost pathetic, ‘ please pay attention to me ’ middle child whine. Today it seemed he was fussy about the sauce on the vegetables. Their dad would negotiate that the sauce wasn't that bad, Kabuto would give it a lukewarm second chance, and say ‘okay I'll try’ and the necessary theatrics came to their usual end.
Yosaku had once seen Kabuto eat a hot, somewhat old and squashed tomato off the ground in the alley behind the orphanage. There had been flies on it. But that wasn't the point. The reason no one ever complained when Kabuto fussed was because it was a bit... self soothing to hear it.
No one else wanted to make an issue, the food was delicious, but it was almost... a test. Is it okay if I don't want to eat this? Will there still be food for me if it isn't this? Will I be punished for not eating it?
Papa always seemed to see the core of it, he had grown up similar to how they all had, and usually in cases like this, their dad would look to their papa to see if he should be worried and then allow the farce to continue. Kabuto really was bad with spicy food, but that and undercooked meat were his only disliked foods, yet he had taken the hit as being the one to sooth the whole group.
By Kabuto always finding something he didn't like or couldn't possibly eat, it allowed them as a whole to make sure it was okay if they felt that way.
It was okay if they didn't want to eat something. There would still be something they could eat even if it was bland or not as good. They wouldn't be punished for it.
No one had asked him to do it, he just kept it up, but it made them all feel a little better.
Yosaku also knew that someday he wouldn't do it anymore, but that wasn't today.
He wondered if Tetsuya had to eat grilled fish even if he didn't really like it...
Chapter 88: Sooner or Later
Summary:
Keiko is getting tired of being stuck inside. Kakashi and Fu make plans for the festival.
Chapter Text
Keiko had been listening to her dad as he walked her through treating a basic sprain, Kabuto sat beside her as they both watched him bandage the boy who'd been brought to the gate by his mother. Without the clinic open yet this was the best the area had for treatment. The Root Market was almost ready, the grand opening would be just in time for the winter festival, some of it would be held there, while most of it would be in the main market- mostly stuff for very small children and the elderly would be held inside where it would be warmer. It was to prevent any anger over the market taking business from the main fairway.
She watched lazily as the little boy tested the bandaged leg, complaining it was too stiff, but his mother thanked them and left.
She had a lot to learn before they'd let her actually treat someone, but she'd already decided she was going to be like auntie Tsunade when she grew up. Kabuto specifically wanted to go into pediatrics, though he was politely interested in more cutting edge medicine, whereas Keiko wanted to bring traditional medicine into a more contemporary light. Acupuncture, herbalism, and chakra balancing.
She could practically feel the people watching them in their gate from somewhere nearby. During their weekend training their papa had started to show them how to sense chakra, which was difficult and extremely tedious and boring. She and Urushi had actually been somewhat decent at, surprisingly. Better than her little brothers at least. It meant that when someone was watching her, intently? She knew. It had really compounded all the uneasiness she'd been filled with since her oji became hokage.
She didn't think it was his fault , but she knew it was a byproduct of some aspect of him becoming hokage.
Keiko wasn't scared. Not for herself, maybe because she was confident in her abilities she had been learning at school, but she was worried about her little brothers.
Kabuto and Fu were both so... naive. Kabuto had yet to meet an adult he couldn't trust, at least as far as she knew, and Fu didn't even seem capable of understanding that not all people would have his best interest at heart.
It made things stressful for not only herself but Urushi. He was their big brother, and when their older siblings or parent's weren't around he was the one they looked to. He had been extremely stressed lately, even though their dad was walking them to and from school now after the day he'd summoned a fox on their walk home. He was getting better at sensing than her, and he no doubt could see the people who followed them better than she could.
She hated this. Feeling trapped. Her parents were stressed, and she knew they were trying to deal with this. as best they could at least. She knows it can't last forever.
Soon, sooner than later at least, she'll be able to run around outside without being afraid. She just has to be patient and trust that her parents would set everything straight- she wasn't dumb. She knew they could do a lot more than normal adults could. But waiting was hard, and she didn't want to be on edge all the time.
Maybe that was what she should ask for her birthday, for the masked men to stop following them...
Kakashi had cut his time out in the village short when he noticed the masked men had returned again. Although neither adult had said it, Kakashi had a feeling it was something to do with that weird elder who kept glaring at them whenever they saw each other at clan meetings.
The man rubbed Kakashi the wrong way.
Even though he was fairly certain he could handle them, he still headed home quickly. He'd just have to spend extra time together at the Snow festival with Gai. He hadn't really seemed to notice what Kakashi was really up to and that made the boy feel bad, but at the same time... Gai seemed more than happy to spend time with Kakashi. He made a mental note to spend more time with Gai once Obito cracked, just in general.
He turned his nose up angrily seeing Obito and Ebisu sitting beside one another on a bench, sharing a scarf . His belly tightened with rage.
He muttered to himself as he sped up, furious.
Fucking Ebisu .
Of all people. It just had to be that fucking creep. He was the worst. He didn't respect women, was always saying something derogatory, kept making passes at Momo, was rude to both Gai and Kakashi for no fucking reason-
And there he was. Cozy with Obito. Ebisu didn't even like Obito. Somehow that made Kakashi more upset. Maybe if it had been that Asuma kid he would have at least chalked it up to an unlikely friendship, but there was no way Ebisu would have innocent intentions with Obito.
Obito was so naive he was an easy target. What if Ebisu was just using him to experiment. Obito was such a softy he'd probably fallen in love or something and Ebisu was going to break his stupid heart and Kakashi couldn't even be there to comfort him because he was still too outwardly upset about everything else that was happening he wouldn't be the person Obito went to when he eventually got dumped. To make things even worse he'd gotten so mean to Gai lately Kakashi had switched from being mad about his birthday to being upset that Obito was bully his best friend- not that Gai had realized he was being bullied.
Kakashi wanted to scream.
He made it home safely, stopping to pet a few of the dogs on his way inside- Nanami and Yosaku had started to knit vests for all the dogs so half were clothed and half were still naked. Once inside he put his shoes and jacket in his cubby and headed straight for the kitchen, snagging two tangerines he went to see who was loitering in the living room, he might still go down to his room if none of his siblings wanted to spend time with him or if they'd gotten out another puzzle. Haruki swore they weren't buying them anymore bit it seemed like there were constantly new puzzles filling up the game and puzzle shelf so someone was buying them.
Fu was alone, pouting at the table. He debated turning quietly away but felt like that might make him a bad brother so he sat down next to him at the kotatsu and began to peel his fruits to share them. Fu laid his cheek on the table and watched for a bit.
“What?”
“I wanted to go to the Snow festival with Torune and Hana but they're going to the regular one with their moms. Daddy said I can't to alone, and papa is only going to take us to the underground one.” It made sense that given how hard the clan had worked on the subterranean market they'd want to be seen enjoying it. It lasted for two days, so...
“On the first day of the festival, I can take you. I don't have plans to hang out with my friends until the second day.” Fu sat up quickly, like an excited puppy.
“Really?!” He nodded, not expecting the arm full of little brother he got. “You're the best brother in the whole world!” His heart warmed at that.
“We still have to ask dad.” He could spend one day with Fu. He was such a baby, and Kakashi didn't want him to cry about it. Besides he'd get tired after an hour or two and Kakashi could drop him off at home and catch up with Gai, Rin, and Shizune after he did.
He got permission to take Fu, though he was reminded not to let the boy out of his sight. It shouldn't be too difficult given the usual festival streets would be less crowded with a second location for it that was a bit warmer.
Chapter 89: The Root Market
Summary:
The market is open, the festival has started.
Chapter Text
The Root Market opened three days before the festival. Everything about it was a novelty, after all. There were large public staircases for emergencies, but the real draw were the Elevators. People came to try those out alone- a civilian being able to activate a seal was practically unheard of after all. The ride down was smooth and comfortable- the walls of the tunnels down had large beautiful seals that emitted light as you passed them so it was almost like being on a train as it passed through a tall forest, light almost always constant but occasionally flickering. The light seals had a purpose other than keeping it bright- as they had a short string of numbers and letters that would assist in quickly locating a platform if it stalled for any reason. There was a small hammer on a chain that had a seal that would resonate with the light seals when hit as a form of distress call.
The market itself was not dissimilar to the one above ground save it had a three story high ceiling. There were shorter distance Elevators that went from the lowest to the higher two floors, and large walkways that spanned the boulevards between. Floating above were modified light orbs that drew their energy from the heat of the market, and stored it so even if the temperature lowered they would maintain power for a day or two. There were plenty of empty storefronts still, but over a third had been occupied or were being tested out by vendors for the festival- lots of restaurants and stores. There were three new police stations, though they weren't full size, they were easy to spot at the intersections of the market, though sections had yet to be opened to foot traffic, the residents of the Tree Towers were able to get through them. The clinic was up and running, and two grocers were open on opposite ends of the public areas of the market- clan presence was felt openly when walking around. Three of the larger restaurants were run by the Akimichi clan, there was a small flower stand run by the Yamanaka near the northernmost end, one of the Inuzuka pet supply stores had a large storefront, even the Hyuga who had been against the initial plan had reluctantly opened a physical store to sell the instruments their clan members without the present kekkei genkai were well known for producing- formerly the only way to obtain one was to order it and wait, that was still the recommended course of action but supplies for upkeep and maintenance or repair were now available as well as a few examples that could be viewed when deciding what you'd want.
It had been an opportunity for small businesses owners to open larger stores since the price of renting a space in the market was drastically reduced given they could easily be layered up, with room to further grow until they were near the ground level, and there were plenty of directories to help people find their way to a specific location- that in itself was a bit of advertising. There had been talk of allowing a few gambling establishments to be set up in certain areas, further away from the more family oriented sections- bars and even a few hotels were being considered, but the wall being moved was also still on the table.
The successful first few days of the new market would hopefully draw the eyes of more merchants, which would increase commerce, which would in turn encourage people to move to the village.
Saito had been in shockingly high demand after the opening of the market- the light seals were of keen interest, which had shocked him because they were only a slightly modified version of his first seal. Of course the hospital was interested in if he'd be able to place an Elevator, as that would make moving patients easier, and half his requests in the first two days were for temperature regulating seals. He wasn't prepared to be so busy. This was of course all happening just as he and Yosaku had finished their first prototype for a permanent communication seal. It had taken a while to determine how finely it would need to be etched into a sheet of metal, and how they'd be able to distinguish it from others, and how to use that to contact others. He thought it would be useful on long distance missions or for inter village communication so he had planned to present it at the start of December to the Yondaime and the council of elders (he felt weird thinking of the hokage as his uncle, even if when Minato wasn't working he had less issue with it). As such he'd been too burned out to want to go to the festival. Momo had been trying to help him in between class and her own hobbies, but her solutions weren't for the issues he was dealing with- she was too interested in developing storage seals that could be used by non-shinobi.
She wanted to gift one to Kenta- apparently that was the boy she had a crush on who worked part time at the corner mart- to make his job a little easier. How the guy hadn't noticed his sister showing up all the time Saito didn't want to think about. He was shuffling through request that had come in, thinking maybe he needed an actual office, and bemoaning the fact that he only had help from two of his sisters on a part time basis when an idea struck him.
He could just... hire a few people. Teaching basic sealing, or even just a few specific ones so that they could burn through the growing backlog of work requests would drastically reduce his stress, and the training wouldn't need to be too involved if they were only placing a few seals here and there. The time he'd have to set aside to train them would be minimal, and he'd quickly be able to pick out any potentially gifted individuals to keep them on long term- offering further training as an incentive to stay on would place it adjacent to apprenticeships, but if he only accepted people who are legally adults he could side step that and thus avoid the paperwork.
It would also be an attractive opportunity because he would be paying them even while training them. He would ask for Inei's help crunching the numbers, as well as help setting prices and rates, but if all went well before the new year he'd have people outside of the family working for him.
Anything to reduce the stack of requests that just kept growing.
The first day of the festival, Shikamaru was staying home with their youngest. Yugure had thrown a small fit when she realized that she was among those who would be expected to stay home, but she was pacified when Naruto promised her he'd win her lots of prizes and they'd bring home candy and a few special treats. Megumi and Bashira promised they'd win her and Jun a fish each, especially since Jun's birthday would fall the day after the festival finished. Mei and Shin, who were both two now, weren't sure why their sisters were fussing but joined in anyway.
Shikamaru reminded Kakashi that he expected him to bring Fu home before seven, and that if his brother got too cold to apply warming seals, he made sure they had spending money before they split ways to go to the different branches of the festival. Naruto had wrapped all of the children in scarves and hats, and Chiyo reminded Kakahi loudly as they parted she wanted to play him in the water game once he dropped Fu at home.
Naruto was less worried about Momo and Himari, who locked arms and were both carrying collapsible bo-staffs in their pockets, and more worried about Urushi and Yosaku who kept trying to wander off together toward obscure looking booths the moment they made it to the bottom floor. Saito had stayed home, the poor kid had a headache that just kept growing- he had made it pretty obvious what he and his tiny company had contributed individually after all.
Nanami had made a bag for herself that had an expansion seal on the inside, so when she and Nao finally stopped arguing over what booth they wanted to start at for games she was able to cram every prize into it as they devastated swaths of the set up booths. Yuki and Chiyo had reluctantly agreed to let Keiko and Kabuto tag along while they did a sort of snack tour of the festival, and Naruto was able to take the girls to a goldfish stall where after six attempts they got one each. Naruto may have subtly helped.
Everything was going well, all things considered. Occasionally they'd run into someone who wanted to talk to him about the market and how they'd designed it, and unfortunately he had to field a lot of the questions toward Saito, as this had actually been in large part his design. He'd come up with the idea to just make a market street and then stack them one on top of the other with the walkways in between, and had needed very little help from Naruto who was then able to focus more on the actual detailing part of things.
He would apologize to him later, somehow. Maybe help train some of the applicants to the temporary jobs he was receiving...
A particular merchant from Suna kept asking more and more questions, and the girls got bored, tugging his hands to try and get him to politely run away with them from the boring business man when there was a tiny shout and a small fox leapt to land on his shoulder- panicked.
“Fu's missing!”
Chapter Text
Kakashi had not let go of Fu's hand. He let Tsume and Usagi fuss over him while Fu got to play with Hana and Torune at a few game stalls, and every time they moved to a different one he took Fu's hand. Fu was having a lot of fun, and despite himself Kakashi wasn't as bored as he expected to be. His brother was half his age, and even if he was a bit childish, Kakashi found it didn't bother him at all. His brother's tiny hand in his own made him feel... fuzzy. This was going to be a good memory for both of them to talk about even when Fu was twice the age Kakashi was now- or it should have been.
It was almost time to bring him home, then he could go meet up with his friends and Chiyo. They had just split from the two women and Fu's school friends, at the unofficial mouth of the festival street. Fu had been jabbering on and on about how much fun he'd had as they left the crowd, turning toward home. He'd squeezed his hand, and Fu squeezed back. It was in the seconds after he relaxed his hands he felt Fu's slip out of his. He turned in an instant, thinking the boy had tripped, or stumbled, but he would have tightened his hold not let go-
He found himself dodging kunai. Fu's stupidly big golden eyes were wide with panic as someone a little bigger than Kakashi and dressed all in black was running him the opposite way. He grabbed a kunai and tried to give chase, but two people about his size got in the way. The wore ANBU masks but they were clearly high effort fakes. It took too long to incapacitate them, and he used the summoning seal on his inner arm to bring Bisuke and Akino out.
“Akino, go home and tell Inei that Fu's been kidnapped, Bisuke, were going to try and track them. Hurry!” He had been holding Fu's scarf for him since he had gotten too warm, and Bisuke gave it a sniff before they were running full tilt, trying to chase them through the darkened streets.
In his head he kept circling back to Fu's terrified expression. His little brother had been kidnapped. He hadn't kept him safe. It was his fault.
It was just like Kannabi bridge.
But they were in the village. They were supposed to be safe .
Tears were staining his mask as he pushed himself harder, running and running, down street after street, until he hit a dead end and slammed his fists on the wall.
He summoned the other dogs, trying to have them spread out to try and catch his scent. He couldn't give up. His brother needed him to find him. If anything happened to the little pipsqueak he'd never forgive himself.
Shikamaru was frantic. Feeling through every shadow for any sign of his son. He hadn't thought Danzo would make a move while Kakashi was watching Fu. He might be young but Kakashi was a jonin, he wasn't weak- but he'd been surprised and outnumbered, and now his baby was somewhere he couldn't find. No doubt scared and confused.
Naruto had just gotten back with their older children, and Shikamaru was going out to send Kakashi back to the house, the last thing they needed was for him to be kidnapped too. He'd pulled the sobbing child into his arms in an alleyway, his dogs had run to Shikamaru to guide him there the moment they scented him- Kakashi was having a panic attack. It was while convincing a crying Kakashi to go back to the house and wait he realized something.
Danzo would know he could look into the shadows, he had definitely learned everything he could about Shikamaru and that had been in one of his files. He shouldn't be looking for Fu, he should be looking for a space he couldn't see into because of how bright it was. Once he realized that there was an immediate place that came into focus. It was a building behind the monument at the far end along the village wall. Kakashi, convinced to head home, left his sight before he dropped down to the shadows under his feet.
He reached it in seconds, finding a small guest house on one of the properties there lit up completely despite the sun having only just set. The lights were industrial, and so vibrant it actually hurt his eyes, but it did its job he supposed. They had prevented him from noticing where they'd taken his son at first, and stopped him from entering easily, but...
He counted twelve people inside given the dark pockets inside their bodies, locating Fu at a depth that likely meant it was a basement. It had been a little under an hour, but an hour with Danzo was enough for him to do something unforgivable. He found the power lines, and tried to decide what would be faster, he made a fast choice. However t rying to cut the power didn't work- each room had its own generator that he didn't know the location of, and soon he was swarmed, fighting his way hand to hand against ten masked shinobi, going deeper into the house until he incapacitated the final one- even without Yugure here it was extremely hard not to just kill them. Fire surged through his veins, and some part of him registered he'd be scolded for excessive force rather than congratulated for his mercy, but none had been Fu and they'd just been his way.
He had kicked the door down that separated him from his child, and predictably found Danzo trying to drag the child toward what looked like a secret escape hatch in the wall- it was dark enough inside that space that he realized there was a seal placed inside. It was difficult to read through shadows, but he couldn't mistake it for anything other than a short range teleportation seal.
Danzo found himself assailed with senbon, and he was foolish enough to reveal one of the stolen sharingan and try to use it. He tossed a senbon up and it smashed the light bulb above them, an electric spark along an exposed wire the only light as he reached his shadows out.
Danzo tossed down a flash bomb, but Shikamaru had already wrapped Fu in one of his shadows, using the odd arc of light and shadow the flash produced, he could slice the arm holding onto Fu clean off at the shoulder. He cut his losses and retreated to use the seal and Shikamaru lashed after him- connecting briefly with flesh before he was gone.
Spreading out his senses he ditected Danzo for a second before he used a second seal and left his range completely. Instead of try and find him, Shikamaru cut Fu's bound hands free and carefully removed the cloth gag that had been placed on him, pulling the sobbing boy into his arms.
The commotion of his fighting down to the basement had led to ANBU arriving soon after.
The neighbor had apparently sounded an alarm at the screaming, the actual property owner had not been home which might have been the idea. When most of the village was concentrated in two places, when two of his children were separated from Naruto's protection, when the village felt different than usual in the shadows.
He didn't know if Fu had been the initial target or if he'd been grabbed just because he was an easier target with fewer witnesses around. He wasn't sure why Danzo had wanted to steal one of his children either. Was it because Fu was actually gifted or was this done with the intent to hurt Shikamaru and Naruto for having gotten in his way?
“I don't know how, but Elder Shimura had a sharingan.” He had to have what happened recorded, his word against Danzo's reputation. Fu was still clinging to him though he'd stopped crying he was clearly still in shock.
Out of instinct Shikamaru had begun to pulse his chakra, which seemed to calm the boy. It was a familiar comfort, and Fu who'd been training to become a sensor was more sensitive to it.
“That's impossible. He isn't an Uchiha.”
“I saw it too...” Fu mumbled, looking up. His eyes were red rimmed and he'd rubbed his cheeks raw trying to clear away his own tears. “Like Nii-chan and Obito-kun.” He sniffled. “Just one eye.”
It was telling that he covered the same one that Danzo always did- Fu had never actually met him until tonight. When Danzo had removed his eyepatch to try and fight, he'd let Fu see under the curtain too. A blood thief trying to steal away a child yet again.
There would be no hiding this. Many people had seen Kakashi panicking and running through the streets. They'd seen and heard the fox that had been sent to get Naruto- he was a public figure now and people were paying a lot of attention to him given they were in a place he'd recently helped build for the village. On top of that any incident that involved Shikamaru usually got covered, even if it was a minor argument given how appropriately they'd assigned a danger rating to him. There's probably something to be said about the village media assigning him a threat rating while also giving him a high public approval rating, but in the moment it works to their advantage.
He isn't looking forward to the witch hunt that will no doubt kick off now. Danzo's supporters would either switch sides or double down, and the Uchiha clan would be out for blood given there was no record of Danzo receiving an eye from any living clan member- implying he stole it from a dead one at some point around or just before he started covering his eye. Shikamaru carried Fu home once the questioning had finished and Fu had been cleared by a second medic.
He didn't whine at all despite how much he usually hated being babied. It made Shikamaru worry even more.
Naruto took him once they were home, and Kakashi was eventually brave enough to go sit with them and talk to Fu, make sure he was okay. Apologize for having lost him.
“It's okay. Daddy said you tried really hard to find me.” Both boys were at risk for crying again, and Chiyo decided to step in, dropping a confused todd on Fu's lap and pushing Kakashi over to make space for herself.
“He's home. That's what matters. And we're going to catch Danzo and beat him up so he can't ever do this again. Right? ” She looked between Shikamaru and Naruto, trying to hide how scared she was too. She needed the assurance just as much as Fu and Kakashi. It was the second time Danzo had tried to kidnap children from their family, and even if it was more difficult with him outside of the village it wasn't impossible.
“That's right.” Naruto had begun to rub Fu's back, the boy curling into him sniffling again. “He won't be so lucky next time.”
“I'm gonna destroy him.” Fu mumbled. Those tears were in frustration, or maybe anger. Shikamaru privately hoped they wouldn't have more than one bloodthirsty child, but he'd just be glad they could teach them how to protect themselves without them trying to leave the village on a revenge quest.
At least not until he was older than Sasuke had been.
For now all they could do was comfort him and try to keep him from boiling over. He had sort of thought Kabuto would be the one to go off the deep end given their first lives...
Notes:
I didn't want to split this up into parts even though it could have built a lot of tension. It's the last one I'm editing tonight and I didn't want to leave it on a cliff hanger.
Chapter 91: A Fairy Present
Summary:
Jun's birthday wish comes true.
Notes:
I may only post one day a week for a while (either Saturday or Sunday) but I plan to put up a few chapters every time I do.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Jun got her fish for her birthday. She liked them very, very much. There was also a very tasty cream cake with strawberries, her favorite fruit. Her papa had made her a special new dress that matched her favorite jacket, white and blue, and her daddy put on a little shadow puppet play of a book she had liked the last few weeks.
Fu held her hand when they listened to the radio that night, even though he usually fussed when she'd grab him.
She got new hair ribbons, a new dolly, and books, and Yugure had made them a set of paper dolls that she could make actually walk around with shadows inside them- they were a special present and a secret one, just for her.
She was careful not to tell her extra special birthday wish to anyone else after blowing out her candles since it wouldn't come true if she told anyone about it. But that night after being tucked into bed and having the lamp switched off she laid with her eyes closed and repeated her wish over and over and over again in her head.
In the morning she got up even before her fathers and crept up the stairs, peaking through the tiny peep hole that was about knee height on the door- papa had been kind enough to put one in for her and her other short siblings.
To her dismay her wish wasn't there. It was while attempting to quietly climb down the stairs she heard crunching outside- there had been a light snowfall during her party and the path outside had yet to be swept. It was a cold morning, and the dogs were probably cozy in the heated little huts they slept in out in the yard, so there wasn't any barking. She snuck back to the peep hole and saw a woman, she thought maybe, who was wearing a cloak over her clothing that hid her face, and holding a large basket. Jun must have made a noise because the woman hurriedly set the basket down and ran as fast as she probably could out of sight- the dogs started barking then. Jun got on her tip toes to try and look down more at the slight stoop of the outside entryway, but could only see the handle of the basket. She squeaked as she was lifted up onto her daddy's hip, his pretty long hair was a little messy, and he was wearing one of her papa's too big shirts again.
“My birthday wish!” she whispered it loudly as he unlocked the door and tugged it open. “A fairy brought it!”
The basket was big because there was a big thick blanket, a little old and worn looking, and it was wrapped around a very tiny, pink cheeked little baby.
“Oh sage...” She was set down and her daddy hurried to pick the boy up in his blanket, forgetting the basket- Jun pulled it inside since it wasn't heavy without the blanket and the baby.
“Baby brother? Please?” Jun was trying to get a better look.
She had specifically wished for another baby brother. She thought they maybe had too many sisters, and she had wanted at least one more little brother. The Wish Fairy had brought her one because she wished for him so hard. Her daddy was staring down at the baby, her special little brother that she wished for. She saw a folded bit of paper in the basket and pulled it loose, offering it up to her daddy.
“A card!” He always read the cards on presents for her and her little siblings, even her big sister Yugure got her cards read aloud still- not Megumi and Bashira though, they could read on their own now. She hoped for a special birthday message from the fairy.
Her daddy took the card with a shadowy hand- Jun liked them, they felt a little cold to the touch and they were always really helpful, but he didn't read the card aloud. She stomped her foot.
“It's my card.” He raised a brow, but his face was... complicated. Her daddy usually had a small easy smile, unless he was tummy aching, then his brows would pinch and he'd be picking at his lip or drumming his fingers, sometimes pulling loose threads or going after his cuticles. This one wasn't quite one she recognized. He looked... a little sad.
“It says... ‘I read that you were the kind of people to do anything for your children, so please do the same for my baby. I can't take care of him and I don't know what else to do. His Name is Sai, and he's five days old. Don't try to find me. If you don't want him just...’” Her daddy trailed off, taking a shuddering breath before he began to gently rock her new brother, Sai.
He was the fairy's own son? Jun felt very lucky. He didn't tell her what to do if they didn't want him, but that's okay, she didn't need to know it anyway since they were definitely keeping him.
“Can I kiss ‘em?” He was still wearing that odd sad look as he knelt down and she gave the baby a kiss on his fuzzy little head. He made as if to wake up but she felt her daddy's... self? Something she knew was him but couldn't touch. It rolled over them like a gentle breeze and he didn't start crying like he looked like he wanted to.
Her special birthday brother. Five days old. She was careful, wriggling her fingers into his blankets until she could take his tiny hand with a few of her fingers.
There would be a big fuss when her papa woke up, and then her siblings, but she was too happy to care as everyone learned about Sai. She would be a really good Onee-chan to him, and give him a hundred kisses a day.
“I got him, Shika.” Naruto had scooped Sai from his arms since he had the bottle ready, and was soon feeding him. It had been a very long morning.
Jun had been out of bed, and he'd found Sai in a basket on their front step when he went looking for her, especially after noticing a disturbance outside. Five days old. He leaned against Naruto's side watching him. He was so quiet.
“He's got quite a grip.” Naruto remarked, the newborn boy had a tight hold on one of his fingers. Shikamaru reached out to gently stroke his fuzzy head again as if to remind himself it was real. Just seeing him, so tiny and helpless had... awakened something in him. He didn’t want the baby out of his sight.
He felt like this on occasion with the other children, but save Yugure and Uhari he'd never felt the pull so deep. Maybe the more helpless the child the deeper the desire to guard and protect them? It didn't really matter to him much the cause of it.
“He has so much hair...”
“He does... Uhari was almost fully bald and he came out ready for a hairbrush...” Naruto snorted, easing the bottle back and laying him on his shoulder, rubbing his back and patting it just so until they heard him burp. Then he was starting to yawn- his little mitten covered hands rubbed across his cheeks, already covered in tiny little scratches. Baby nails were shockingly sharp, and too small to do anything about at the moment, so he got mittens.
Shikamaru took him back, rocking him and singing a lullaby softly as he paced the length of the kitchen. It was about two in the morning and they'd been woken up by Sai's tiny mewling cries. Naruto had been up reading with another bout of insomnia, but it had woken Shikamaru fully. He insisted he couldn't go back to sleep until he knew that Sai was taken care of fully. The kitchen was unlit, given Shikamaru actually saw better in total darkness and Naruto had extremely good night vision.
The note that had come along with the baby had said if they didn't want him to just smother him. Shikamaru hoped for the woman's sake they never met. He could almost understand how desperate she may have been, but... He might just kill her for suggesting to snuff out Sais's life just on the off chance they didn't have the time or space for another baby. He bent his head and gently rubbed his cheek against Sais's, adding his subtle scent to the one Naruto had rubbed against the baby on the way up the stairs. He thought that was likely a Kurama thing he'd picked up just because of the fox, rather than typical yokai behavior he found himself adapted to possess.
There hadn't been a question, they would keep him. They had planned to but... with the orphanage essentially closed they weren't sure how he'd find his way to them. He just hadn't expected Sai's mother to so quickly pass him off after he was born on the twenty fifth. Six days old now, depending on when in the day he was born.
Jun had thought he was some sort of birthday gift. Maybe they'd let him believe that, at least when he was little. A fairy brought him to their home because Jun wanted him there so badly. It was a bit more magical than his mother was either financially, physically, or likely emotionally unable to care for him so she dumped him at some strangers' front door because she'd read about them a little in the paper.
It was a bit fitting that Sai ended up with them just as Danzo was banned from the village and listed as a traitor.
He hummed when Naruto pulled him in for a hug from behind, resting his chin on Shikamaru's shoulder to look down at the sleeping infant.
One of the rudest, most socially inept shinobi to ever come out of their village, and now they'd be responsible for him. Shikamaru wondered if he and Shin would still be as close as he used to talk about being with him. If he'd still want to learn funinjutsu. If he'd get a crush on Ino... his whole life may end up very different than how it did in their time- it would have to.
Sai wasn't an orphan in this timeline. He was a surprise, but a welcome one. He'd grow up in a loving, hopefully stable home. Sai would get to be a child. No one would ever hurt him the way Danzo had. The very idea that someone might try sent sharp angry pinpricks up and down his spine.
“You're thinking too loud, you'll wake the baby.” He rolled his eyes, letting Naruto scoop him up and start carrying them back toward their bedroom.
He laid Sai carefully down into the crib that Naruto had brought back up from one of the spare rooms in the basement, since Uhari had long since moved into the one Mei had left when she started sleeping on a futon.
It was small and low to the ground, so Shikamaru could see into it through the bars even laying down.
He stroked the baby's soft cheek one last time before going to get back in bed. He'd be up again in an hour or two but the sleep was needed for his mental state more than anything else. Naruto joined him, pulling him flush against his chest to spoon, both keeping a tired eye on the cradle until they both fell asleep.
Notes:
It's for something in the future, more toward the end half of the fic, but if everyone who gets here and reads this before the end of June (2024) could comment a number between 1 and 6 I would appreciate it. Thank you in advanced to everyone who does.
***EDIT JULY 7TH***
The poll is finished, thank you to everyone who participated while it was active. #3 won with 6, second place was #4 with 4, I'm excited to show you guys what that was about but it'll be a bit.
Chapter 92: Another Birthday
Summary:
A birthday for a one year old. Frustrations regarding family planing.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Uhari officially turned one on the tenth of that month. Hizashi and Aimi brought Neji, who was a bit fussy since he missed a nap, and Yoshino brought baby Shikari with her- Shikaku was going to be very late.
Shikari had a mostly clean bill of health, Shikari's surgical scar had healed with only a slight hairline of grayish tissue, like the matching one on Shikamaru's own chest. It felt... poignant, like a secret he would share with her- neither were supposed to be here, not really. But they were. Her heart beat steady and strong in her tiny chest, and when he showed her Sai she had simply stared, eyes big and brown as she blinked uselessly at him. She didn't care, more interested in tangling her chubby fingers into his hair just to feel it.
The mothers group that Yoshino had wanted to start would begin meeting before too long; it had taken a while to coordinate everything. Two months ago at the hospital he'd seen Urikohime , Choza's wife. Choji’s mother. She'd been feeling unwell, and the routine urine panel he had run confirmed what he had sort of been hoping for. She was pregnant, he hoped with Choji, but he wasn't going to hold his breath, just in case. After Yoshino's emergency C-section, and treating Shikari, Urikohime had asked if he'd be the doctor present for her labor and he promised to try and be there. He'd seen Sakura's mother in the maternity ward too, it looked like a checkup, and prior to everything that happened during the festival, Tsume had told Naruto after a council meeting to ask Shikamaru to be there for her kids' birth too.
Shibi had apparently been asking Naruto for advice after the council meetings on what he should expect for his son once he got there- Naruto said he'd sounded more anxious than his wife, and he seemed convinced at first that breathing wrong around his unborn child might be dangerous for the baby.
It seems like the rookie nine were all going to be born, or at least babies who would be born from the same parents in the same time frame. Maybe that was fate. Yugure had informed him that most Yokai couldn't see the future, but they could detect radical shifts, as she had when they'd fallen into the past- it was hard to say if the shift they caused would affect the others. If Lee, Tenten, Neji and Sai had been born, even with the addition of a new Nara baby, that didn't mean much.
He discussed the first unofficial parents group meeting while Naruto tried and failed to get the cake and frosting out of Uhari's fluffy and unwieldy hair.
“Has she had her chakra sensitivity test yet?” Aimi had gratefully passed a squirming Neji to Hizashi, who had migrated more towards Naruto, he'd wanted to talk about a new taijutsu technique he'd read about, and as much as he clearly loved his wife and son he wasn't exactly thrilled to sit and mother hen over infants. He overheard Naruto mention Duy, who had come over once or twice to spar and was surprisingly able to keep up though not match power with his husband.
“Yes and no. They had tested her when she entered the system-”
“Standard?” Yoshino asked softly, cutting him off.
“When one of the parents is a shinobi they do. But testing that young, you're likely to get a false negative, we plan to have her officially retested at her next checkup.”
Chakra sensitivity testing was the method they used to determine if a child was a shinobi or not. Officially her file said she wasn't one, but given how receptive she was with chakra after being in their care, he knew she at least felt it. The test itself was two parts, exposing the child, usually between one and five, to a low amount of external and unfamiliar chakra, it was essentially just a medical jutsu assessment. The second part involved uncomfortably stimulating a chakra point. The irritation would cause their bodies, if they were capable, to lash chakra out in defense- most children grew out of that by the time they were academy age, it was difficult to train back up once the instinct went away- like how babies will make the motions of swimming when placed belly down against water.
Shikamaru had been shocked enough times by Uhari's probing little hands to be certain her paperwork would change. It wasn't an uncommon behavior, especially given her improvement of fine motor function, but it was mildly unpleasant for her to do it as often as she did.
He couldn't find it in his heart to be mad, however, as she was just a baby, and he had a particular weakness to babies in general, and as Shikaku put it a ‘disgusting and overbearing adoration’ for his own children. He'd argue that wasn't true, but he knew it was.
“Shikaku's mother has been trying to push for us to have Kari tested, but she isn't even four months old yet.”
“I know what you mean. You should hear my mother...” Aimi shook her head, “She seems to think that if Hiashi and his wife can't have a baby Neji will be named clan heir. She tried to talk me into sending a contraceptive tea to poor Kaede. As if she isn't stressed enough being married to Hiashi...”
“It could have been you .” Yoshino's voice was sing-song, and Aimi made a face. That was another thing he learned. When negotiating their marriages, Aimi and Kaede who were cousins and quite distant collateral relatives of the clan were chosen, Hiashi had actually been more interested in Aimi . It was hard to say why she didn't end up his wife, but she was grateful to have married Hizashi instead- it didn't stop her mothers ambitions for her and her child however.
“I can't believe there are clans practicing arranged marriages still.” He knew there were. He knew this intimately because the minute Naruto got his official seat and it was clear that Minato was going to take his place as hokage without issue, they'd been flooded with them. At the time they'd just been for Yugure, and he had been disgusted by most of them- a majority had originated outside of the village which had surprised him at first, until he realized they were trying to get a foot in the door to become Konoha clan's through betrothing their sons to his three year old. The only ones he remembered clearly were a clan from the border with Rice Paddy who proffered up their twelve year old son as a potential groom, which made his skin crawl, and Lee Nori, who had wanted a political engagement between Yugure and the, at the time, four month old Rock Lee. Though at the time she had written his name as Lee Rock, which implied she had him purposefully switch the order of his name to distance him from their clan when he was diagnosed with his chakra disorder.
He hadn't even met her until this lifetime, and Lee had never talked about his family as far as he could remember. Gai was the closest thing he'd had to a father, so Shikamaru had assumed he'd been orphaned, but from what Tenten told him after Lee died in the war, he'd actually had a number of younger siblings that he'd been isolated from. He hadn't chosen to turn his back on his birth family after the chunin exams when he'd been injured, his mother had signed his guardianship over to Gai willingly, stating she couldn't have a broken weakling as the next head of their clan. He hoped she ate those words, though it didn't seem to matter by that point.
There had only been a few hundred of them left, and none of them were from the Lee clan. He wouldn’t have even known if he hadn't been the one tasked with trying and inevitably failing to save Tenten’s leg after it was mangled escaping the same fight that had killed Lee. She had been delirious from blood loss and had been desperately trying to profess how unfair the world was, as if he didn't know it already. As if he had been unaffected when Neji was murdered, Lee a few hours before, his father and soon following his mother. But he hadn't stopped her because she was grieving and in pain and shock and if she wanted to drag every piece of dirty laundry she knew out he was going to let her do it.
He was brought out of his musing as the door banged open.
“Where's the birthday girl?!”
“Sorry we're late...” Kushina had rushed into the dinning room and singled in on Uhari, who she snatched from Naruto. Uhari squealed, she loved her auntie and her flagging energy was replenished.
“Sweet little baby!” Kushina chirped, spinning them around and peppering Uhari's head with kisses. She gave Minato a pointed look and he fidgeted. “Are you having a good birthday?” Uhari had gently grabbed her hair but wasn't tugging it thankfully.
“Shikaku got stopped by one of the elders, sorry Yoshino, I abandoned him...”
“It's okay...”
After Kushina got her fix cuddling Uhari she gave her back to Naruto, who held her just close enough with Neji the two could make sounds at one another, Uhari's far more skilled hands reached out to try and grab the other baby's hands.
Shikamaru carefully passed Sai to Kushina who had practically been vibrating to take him. She wasted no time in kissing the top of his head and nuzzling his nose- she had scented him lightly, not that he or Naruto would object. Kushina was family, no matter whose perspective you looked at it from.
Their older children had been their for cake, but Saito had dragged his available siblings up to his work room for something, and Kakashi had taken Fu out to practice chakra control- he wanted to learn how to shunshin himself and Kakashi was determined to be the one to teach him. They'd gotten oddly close after the attempted kidnapping, but Shikamaru shouldn't be surprised. The rest of the kids, those not wanting to squeeze in another round of extra training or hit their heads against a metaphorical wall had snuck into the living room, the radio played just loud enough that in conversational lulls he could hear it.
Shikaku eventually stumbled in, accusing Minato of sacrificing him.
Kushina wanted a baby. Minato knew .
He wanted a baby.
It wasn't like they weren't trying. He knew she didn't blame him but it still made him feel like he was letting her down somehow. They were doing everything they could think of. Kushina was keeping an extremely close eye on her cycle, they had changed their diets to include foods that supposedly helped with fertility, and she kept taking her temperature to determine the best time for them to try. But it just seemed like nothing was working.
Kushina had wanted a baby, well always, but especially after Yugure was born. The week after she first met the little girl she had confessed how she kept dreaming of having their own blue eyed little baby. It had only gotten worse when his older brother had adopted so many very small children. Kushina specifically wanted a little girl, but she'd be happy with a boy too.
Last week when she'd first held Sai, the second smallest baby she'd ever held after Shikari, she had looked helplessly up at Minato, as if to ask if she could just... run off with him.
It wasn't yet to the point there was a strain on their relationship, but he was starting to get anxious. Was there something wrong with him? He didn't think anything was preventing Kushina from getting pregnant so was it his fault? On top of that Tsunade was cautioning them about how dangerous it could be for them to have a child, the risks weren't small after all. She wasn't advising them against it, but she had strongly implied that if Kushina did get pregnant they should tell his brother and Inei. Haruki, as someone who'd also been a jinchiruki for the fox may be able to help keep it in check, especially when the seal strained in her late pregnancy, and Inei was the one medical nin people would probably start fighting over to have present at the birth of their children. Haruki could protect the seal integrity, and Inei would do the same to keep Kushina and the baby safe.
But that was, more or less, the problem. There wasn't a baby yet. It made his belly tight and painful when, a few years ago, they'd had a pregnancy scare and they'd been relieved she wasn't expecting. Not because she hadn't been pregnant, but because she miscarried so early in that it hadn't caused all too many health problems. They'd only been eighteen, and he was painfully aware they weren't ready to be parents no matter how much they both desired to have a family in the hazy future of ‘ someday ’.
But what if that had been their only chance?
Occasionally he also felt a bit bitter. If they couldn't have one of their own, how would they? Haruki and his husband had adopted all of the children in the village. Would they have to ask for one from them ? That wasn't fair of him to be so upset. It wasn't like Haruki and Inei had done it to take the chance of parenthood away from others, but it was something of a common belief now that if you had a child you couldn't care for to just... drop them at the Namikaze clan. Clearly it had enough weight, since it had actually happened now.
If he and Kushina couldn't have children, would they have adopted Sai?
He didn't know how to talk to his brother about this.
If he asked Inei, was there anything he could do as a yokai to help them?
He shouldn't make deals with his brother-in-law however, for a number of reasons. Firstly he had no way of knowing if Inei could help, and even if he could, what would he deem as equal value for that help? Even if he didn't ask for something Minato couldn't do, even if there was something he could do, he was the hokage now. If it got out then it could cause huge problems. His reputation was good, great even, but if he sought out a deal with Inei...
Shikaku didn't take a hit when it got out that he made a deal with Inei for Shikari's health, because Inei had approached him . If Minato was willing to make a deal and approached Inei, it would say something negative about his morality at best . Cutting corners, looking for easy solutions, abusing personal relationships. The hokage gambling an unknown promise or item to an entity that was controversially well liked for his contributions to medicine and the ending of the war, while also being a highly feared unknown that had proved time and time again to be uncaring of human life and possessing unknowable designs for the future.
Haruki patted his back and he flinched, having zoned out staring at Uhari who was waving around a cloth toad doll.
“You okay?” He nodded, not certain if he actually was but convinced he shouldn't be having an episode of self doubt this existential at his youngest niece’s birthday party. “Can you hold her for a minute? I need to get Sai's bottle ready.” He wasn't sure he should but still took her anyway. Hizashi gave him a smile- he'd gotten surprisingly close with the Hyuga simply by the exposure of him being Haruki's friend.
Unlike his obnoxious brother, Hizashi was a thoughtful, mostly soft spoken man of a gentle temperament. He got the feeling Hiashi wasn't actually a bad person, but that he was so stressed out from having been funneled down the ‘Hyuga heir’ pipeline and that despite being the head of his clan he was chained to the absolute authority of his clan's elders. The Hyuga twins were closer to his brother's age than his, so he hadn't known them almost at all aside from conceptually growing up. The Hyuga clan had a pair of identical twins in the main family. He was disgusted to learn about the family seal that both Hizashi and his wife bore.
“Lucky you're getting all this practice in.” Hizashi winced as his son got a hold of his hair and began to tug, giggling at his pained expression. “Neither Aimi or I had ever held a baby until Uhari and her siblings, and that was only a few months before Neji was born.”
“Yeah...” He looked down at his niece who was chewing on her doll again- teething, she had her front teeth coming in, Inei had told him that when he'd dropped off Tsunade and Orochimaru's most recent report a few days ago for them.
“You're still very young, you know?” He perked a bit at that, Hizashi was trying to get his hair out of Neji's sticky little fingers. “Aimi and I didn't have Neji until after a few years, and not for lack of effort.” His cheeks burned a bit.
“Am I that obvious?” Sometimes he disliked how little experience he had, something only time could solve. Hizashi didn't push him, though the opportunity to call him out existed.
“It'll happen in due time. We aren't at war so there's no rush. I wouldn't start worrying yet.” He nodded. Knit pink fabric was soon pushing against his chin as Uhari tried to give it to him. She laughed when he took it to prevent the spit soaked eye of the frog from going into his mouth.
“... you're right.” He and Kushina were still in their twenties. Early twenties. They had plenty of time. He was sure if he talked to Haruki about it, and another baby turned up on their doorstep they'd gladly offer Minato and Kushina the chance to adopt the baby instead. They were more than a family, they were a clan now. Haruki was the clan head, but ultimately he wanted what was best for his family, and he had the power and maturity to help his brother become a father even if it meant that he and Inei might not directly raise the theoretical child. Children were moved from house to house in clans all the time, usually because the death of a parent in order to take care of the children left behind, but it was easier to relocate a child in a clan than adopt a child from outside the clan.
If they really couldn't have a baby of their own, a closed clan adoption would be the easiest solution, and his brother gaining a reputation as being willing to take in any unwanted child meant he and Kushina would have multiple chances to have a child through clan adoption.
He wasn't running out of time to become a father. There wasn't some hidden countdown they were working against.
“Hey, Kushina, you want to give him his bottle?” Haruki had returned from the other room, and she nodded wide eyed and excited.
Practice taking care of a baby. Plenty of time to have one. They were still young.
Hearing it from outside, from someone who'd maybe felt the way he had, the frustration of wanting something but not understanding why you couldn't have it when you were doing everything you were supposed to... it eased the pressure in his chest a little.
There was no need to rush. It'd happen when it happened, and if it didn't they'd do something else.
They had their whole lives ahead of them.
Notes:
Minato is just frustrated.
Chapter 93: A Small Business
Summary:
Saito is overwhelmed by his unprecidented success.
Chapter Text
As it turned out, if owning and caring for a few extra houseplants was what it took for a household to be able to be heated and cooled to a comfortable temperature with only yearly maintenance that cost hardly a crumb compared to electric or coal heating alone... People were going to get a few extra houseplants.
It was an accidental uptick in business.
Kitsune Sealing Company, KSC, or simply Kitsune, recommended for best results of their climate seals to have a few plants. It was a pretty simple explanation- plant life increases localized levels of nature chakra, the more complicated the seal, the higher the draw, the solution was to just add a few potted plants to the house if it started to get a bit too cool or too hot depending on season. The stabilized temperature was good for growing a variety of houseplants, which is why the Yamanaka flower shop suddenly had an increased demand for potted plants, as Saito had gotten about five employees not related to him to help curb the overwhelming demand for climate seals. This in turn freed up the rather choked power grid of the village, allowing for more municipal use of some of the energy that had been set aside for house heating to go toward streetlamps, and more vending machines popped up as it was cheaper to pay the electric bill on them. A bill had been lobbied and passed that existing electric companies would have security in demand for power in regards to lighting in private homes and business, until a working solution could be agreed upon between the long standing power companies, and the seventeen year old wunderkin who had accidentally revolutionized the market and threatened to destabilize the whole thing.
The whole issue was made all the more ridiculous of course, because the village was suddenly attracting outside offers and interest in their seemingly booming sealing industry- prospective investors had been unaware that the mega project that had neatly cleaned up about 80% of the village's housing crisis was down to a father son pair, of whom only the son was able to be contracted out because the father was too busy- too many obligations, among which included running a clan and being one of the most skilled shinobi and thus under high demand for lucrative S Rank missions that he was obligated to take as he was contracted by the village, and that excluded the fact that he was apparently the father of over twenty children, all but the oldest were minors.
Oddly enough, it was sheer luck that a merchant in Suna was the first to drop his request on Saito's desk in his actual office, the one not at his parents house. He wanted Saito to build a structure like the Root Market into the craggy cliffs that surrounded the hidden village. Housing, markets, commercial space, there was a grand design he had in mind, but it would require extensive land surveys, readings of ambient chakra- the material of the cliffs might not even be able to support the proposed development.
After a bit of back and forth Saito had realized he'd need to go and do the surveying himself. Luckily he could put the trip back until Momo's graduation from her school and have her run things for the company visa-vi keeping things running while he was gone for a few weeks to do all the initial work. He'd be going back to Suna after having designed a few options that could work with the terrain and what was being asked, and then return in spring to actually perform the construction- fee negotiations would occur sometime during that, but he had been encouraged to set a somewhat high consultation fee that he wasn't sure he felt comfortable with. Momo and Himari both insisted that, as no one else was doing what he did, he could set prices as he wanted, and no one could tell him he was wrong so long as it wasn't ridiculous.
That trip was tentatively planned for February.
In the mean time he had gotten a contract to produce communication seals for village shinobi, with a plan to make a version for civilian use by next year.
He almost wished he'd kept his name off of the Root Market project, but it was too late to cry about that now. Besides, the domino effect in the village had people in a generally good mood despite one of the elders having fled the village as an exposed blood thief after attempting to kidnap a young child. He thought Fu was taking things well but it was hard to be sure given the little guy didn't talk with him often, especially lately.
His own personal projects were being advanced by his younger siblings- Yuki had pointed out they could dramatically speed up scroll productions if they could find some way to repurposed printing presses, and that was a current focus- with winter warming seals his sibling's had made for some extra pocket money had a steep demand increase, and if they could at least speed up or produce them in larger batches rather than one at a time, they'd have more time to focus on other things...
Not Momo, she was still stuck on perfecting her special storage scrolls, so he tried to ignore her while working but she was almost too pathetic about the whole thing, and kept dragging his attention away from his work with questions. He tried to be as patent as he could but he hoped she found a solution soon.
Of course he was personally focused on making the communication seals while waiting for the details with Suna finish coming through. When he had time of course, between his work, siblings, and actually needing to chase Momo out of his office so she'd stop filling the place with her messy angry looking notes and ignoring her one responsibility for using his office which included cleaning the brushes and restocking paper. He was a little busy and it was only bound to get worse.
Chapter 94: What's the worst...
Summary:
Naruto leaves for a mission, Kurama stays behind in his new body. It's just a few days so it ought to be fine.
Notes:
It was brought up in an NSFW chapter, so for those of you who have been skipping them, Naruto and Kurama have a way of forming him a body through chakra. It can be sustained by taking in nature chakra so even if he runs out of the initial energy Naruto gives him he can keep going indefinitely.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Naruto wasn't sure if it was anything in particular, really, that led to it.
He had to leave for a mission late at night, expected back two days from then and he thought... why not leave Kurama with Shikamaru? Kurama could at least be arsed enough to ask before purposefully dissolving the proxy body- they had since learned that if he left him too far away, Naruto would get winded from being smacked by Kurama's consciousness returning to their shared physical body. Kurama was usually decent enough to warn him, but it would be the first time he'd spend any long period away from Naruto, let alone with just Shikamaru. It might actually be difficult for the old man, given he'd have to keep hidden from the kids since they still had no clue how to handle that mess, explaining who he was to them that is.
Shikamaru would have company for at least one of the nights he'd be gone- the kids had gone back to sleeping in their own beds recently, even Fu who they'd understand not wanting to be alone- and Kurama could enjoy a break from him. As much as they got along, it was hard having even your best friend sharing a brain with you, after all.
Shikamaru agreed to it, promising to tell Naruto if they got up to anything interesting in exacting detail, and he had Kurama formed and said goodbye in the bedroom before leaving the village. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he was making a mistake, however.
It wasn't a taxing mission, he'd be back in two days, tops. If anything happened, he could still hear Kurama no matter the distance, though he'd asked for a mental wall to be maintained- the last thing he needed during his mission was to get distracted by whatever his other half and their mate got up to. All Kurama had to do was hang out around their bedroom and keep himself busy, he'd managed it before after all.
It didn't help the knot in his belly, but he chose to keep going, they'd be fine.
Naruto had just left, leaving Kurama in their den with their mate, the cubs not far away. Kurama was a bit... saddened that he didn't get many direct interactions with their young but what mattered was he would protect them if he had to. He did realize that felt hollow when it was always his mate doing the protecting when it came to their cubs, but he and his kin provided for Shikamaru in a number of ways.
His relationship with Naruto was complex, feeling at times in their past as prisoner and jailer, father and son, brothers, enemies, and now something he didn't think even his father could have foreseen, even with his abilities. Kurama did not have the words to express what being bound to the brat was like.
They were simultaneously one being, and still distinct individuals. Prior to intertwining he hadn't experienced the world fully. He had never know the pleasures of mortal beings. He liked food, for one thing- he hadn't needed to eat before and thus hadn't even tried it really- which was apparently a universal experience for quasi spiritual beings given their precious cub was so obsessed with food too. Yokai and chakra beasts were adjacent, and many of the things Yugure was going through and discovering herself he had also done in some capacity.
He wished he'd known what was happening. He'd been a terrible mate during that time, frightening their cub, not properly caring for Shikamaru when he should have. He also only had a very short window to enjoy that their mate was with cub.
By becoming more mortal, a being of flesh and blood, it had become... Apparent his father had molded him a bit too closely to mortal foxes. Not that he would ever admit it.
Shikamaru disliked it, he knew. His fixation on it. But in very short order, Kurama had become a physical being, with all new wants and desires, and he had been... accepting in the beginning of their courtship of their mate that cubs were off the table. Shikamaru was male. He could live with it. Then Shikamaru had inexplicably produced a cub that bore a chakra like his own, a near perfect blend of himself, his other half, and their mate. The circumstances were very specific. Not replicable. It had been traumatic, physically and emotionally, and there had been a chance they could have lost him.
But an instinct older than even himself made him long for their mate to give them another healthy cub. Surely he'd be a better, more attentive sire, and yokai didn't really have set in stone genders, from the few he'd met in his long life.
But Shikamaru wasn't exactly warm to the idea, and he was extremely young by yokai standards, it might take a few centuries before he had both the control of his body and the desire for another cub. It would be alright, he and his other half could wait. Still... he could do without Naruto's teasing. He wasn't obsessed with the idea. He just didn't have many other things to think about.
The thought that, if their mate didn't want to carry their next cub he could had struck him while he was lazing about reading. It would be much safer for him to carry a cub, since this body he was using wasn't tied to his mortal soul, not fully, and it was malleable enough... He would try bringing the idea up with his other half and his mate, when they were all home together. He knew before that he'd need to properly meet their cubs, but surely they'd get him introduced by this time next year, he could wait, there wasn't a rush after all.
Notes:
I have a few extra days off this coming week, so I'll probably power ahead with the story, since I fell behind my writing goals this last week, I got through a mental block I was having. Not sure if I'll post more than one day this week, we'll see how much I get done.
Next Chapter is NSFW.
Chapter 95: Source Material (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW
Kurama and Shikamaru get some alone time together.New tags:
Vaginal sex, Kurama as a hermaphrodite, Cunt boy Kurama, Oral through clothing, Tentacle's as a masturbation tool, Conversations during sex, Elements of Dubious Consent
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru had put the cubs to bed and finally come to join him in the bedroom. He'd taken to wearing one of their shirts to sleep, and Kurama very much appreciated the view. He could admit that he provided very little as a mate, but it wasn't for lack of desire. He would very much like to help more with the cubs, especially with another newborn in their home.
Shikamaru straddled his lap, curling into him and just breathed him in- he began to scent their mate, nuzzling and occasionally licking him.
“I could make myself look like the brat.” He offered as Shikamaru threaded his fingers into his hair. “They wouldn't be able to notice a difference.” His palms rested on his mate's lean hips, giving them a light squeeze.
“He's gone, remember? They'll notice if you're suddenly here to help me.” He grumbled at that, burying his nose in Shikamaru's neck, breathing in his sweet, musky scent.
“The little one's wouldn't...” Shikamaru chuckled at that, fingers still playing in his hair. Kurama squeezed his hips again, more firmly, scraping his teeth lightly over the other's pulse point.
He was grateful that the brat was such a good cook- he'd fattened their mate back up after his long illness. Kurama could admit when he was thankful, and even accept that he'd had no hand in it even though he wished he had on occasion.
“Let's not risk it...” Shikamaru mumbled, his breathing had began to grow sharp, pulling lightly on Kurama's hair as he bit down gently.
Naruto was so sure that Kurama would mount Shikamaru while he was away, and Kurama had wanted to spite him and spend their whole stretch of time alone chastely. But he was weak, and their mate was far too tempting an offering to leave untouched when he knew he was allowed.
He inched his claws further, until he had a firm hold of Shikamaru’s ass, dragging him closer.
“No need to rush.” Shikamaru chided, even when Kurama ran his tongue in a slow line up the column of his throat.
Shikamaru grew quiet as he picked a spot and began to worry it with his tongue and teeth, massaging his ass as he continued to slowly drag him closer and closer.
Before long Shikamaru was grinding their hips together, panting and clinging to him.
“You've been working so hard...” Kurama pulled just far enough away from Shikamaru's skin to mumble and be heard by him, “Is there anything in particular you want to do?” He wanted to reward his beautiful mate, as there wasn't much else he could do to be of service at the moment.
His ears being higher than a humans meant he could whisper the bashful request into Kurama's ear while still sat on his lap. His ear twitched, and he growled appreciatively. Rather than continue to lick and grope Shikamaru, though he'd have been happy to keep that up indefinitely, he helped his mate get onto unsteady legs.
This body was a lot more malleable than the shadow clone bodies that had preceded it. It took just a bit of will and hardly any chakra before he could make slight changes. Shikamaru’s request had been that he wanted to fuck Kurama from behind, and though they could certainly waste time waiting for his ass to relax he had a faster solution.
“Fucking hell, Kurama...” He took a fast breath as fingers gently explored his groin.
“Do you not like it?” Kurama had, in rearranging his genitals for this, removed his testicles in exchange for a slit, one that was already leaking slick as Shikamaru's fingers probed it- two fingers spreading the soft flesh of the lips to study its structure. He still had his cock, it hadn't moved, the entrance he'd formed may be female but his cock sat where a woman's clitoris would. He was suddenly anxious he had made himself unattractive to his mate.
“That isn't it.” Shikamaru reassured him. His cheeks were soon so red they may as well be glowing, “Before we... Can I eat you out?” Kurama perked at that. That was far more positive than he expected, so he just stretched like a cat, legs open and waiting.
“ Please .”
It's all the permission Shikamaru seemed to need, and Kurama has to gently grab him before he can dive in- he allows himself to be manhandled as usual until in theory Kurama could use his own mouth on Shikamaru. Not caring how Kurama might try to give oral back, and now essentially laying on him with his face in Kurama's groin, he nuzzled his cock.
His mate had clever fingers, spreading Kurama open as he licked and nuzzled the base of his cock, until his already hard length was throbbing and dripping precum. Despite initial attention, it was abandoned at that point- Shikamaru had not asked to suck his cock, he wanted to taste other things, and with his tongue he did. His tongue could extend quite far, though he would likely experiment with it further he started with broad, slow licks, keeping firm pressure without pushing in.
Kurama saw an opportunity while Shikamaru was getting familiar. His mate's sex was awake and had already changed forms, shifting and prodding about, but it was still covered. Hot breath rolled over him as it left Shikamaru- he'd leaned up to lick his fabric covered sex. It couldn't attack his nose, or ears this way, though the texture of it was a bit odd through the tight cotton of his underwear. He was sure at some point following this Shikamaru would grumble about it, but for the moment he was unconcerned.
The shifting flesh of his tendrils tried to find its way free, and he opened his mouth to suck it through the fabric. The ends of one curled around the backs of his teeth, as if trying to drag itself and the others inside. This all made it extremely hard for Shikamaru to focus on whatever he'd actually planned to do- as he'd given up any sort of gentle exploration and was feeling deep inside Kurama with a surprisingly strong tongue. The tortuously slow hand job he was giving alongside it made Kurama bite back a howl, trying to intensify his own efforts. He didn't stop until the front of Shikamaru's underwear were soaked through, by then he seemed satisfied with his progress so he got off of Kurama, watching him get back into the best position possible to fulfill his request. Hands and knees, ass in the air.
Shikamaru got behind him, stroking over his ass and thighs, feeling the light dusting of soft red fur under his palms as he stroked up and down his legs and ass. He had only bothered to remove his sleep shirt and had tossed it to one side, opting to simply shove his small clothes down, and close the distance between them.
Kurama's back arched as the long tendrils of Shikamaru’s sex curled at the base of his tail, prodded his unprepared hole, and then likely with a bit of extreme focus on Shikamaru's part seemed to notice the slick wet entrance that had been readied. They wriggled inside, one after another. Rubbing and rolling against his inner walls, each other, prodding and lashing.
“There are... a lot more than I remember...” Shikamaru's genitals have no set shape or even number of tendrils, but from the times he'd been directly able to interact with them, on average Shikamaru had somewhere between eight up to twenty three at the most, they were different sizes, thickness, even somewhat different textures. He didn't seem to have much intentional control over them, but it seemed that generally if Shikamaru expected to be on the receiving end he had fewer and thinner, but on the occasions he knew or expected to be on the giving end there seemed to be more and thicker .
“Sorry...” Shikamaru's hips pressed into him, and he seemed to hesitate before grabbing Kurama at the base of his tail, giving it a gentle tug. He moaned, hips rolling back into his mate. “That feels okay?” He tugged a little harder and Kurama arched- as he did the shifting mass inside him pressed outward, twisting together as they seemed to roll deeper still.
“Shikamaru...” He growled it softly out, eyes squeezing shut as their hips ground together- thrusting wasn't exactly necessary but grinding together seemed to keep Shikamaru's tendrils stimulated. It only took his body beginning to tremble before the majority of the shorter and thicker tendrils were mercilessly stimulating the sensitive spot near his entrance- he had read about it with Naruto in some of the old perverts books and figured it was important but he hadn't expected his vision to get spotty from the intense pressure and rubbing.
Those not trying to slowly rub a hole through his pelvis were probing deeply, seeing just how much space he'd made for Shikamaru inside himself. This lead to an uncomfortable situation rather quickly.
“Ow!” All movement stilled.
“Ow?” He could taste Shikamaru’s sudden panic, “What hurts, should I pull out-!”
“No, not... I...” He flushed. "It’s just a little uncomfortable when you hit my cervix.” He twisted the blankets under his fingers but Shikamaru was quiet for an uncomfortably long time. “I'm sorry, I'll just tough it-!”
“Why do you have a cervix?”
“Huh?”
“Kurama... you... you gave yourself a cervix?” He turned his head, seeing how bewildered Shikamaru was. “Why... Did you do that?”
“You have one? Vaginas come with them.”
“I really don't though. Do you even have a womb? Why do you need one?”
“In icha icha-!” Shikamaru groaned when he brought the erotica up, he dropped his explanation at that point. “Should I get rid of it?”
“I can't tell you what to do with your vagina, Kurama.” His tendrils shifted and Kurama winced again.
“No, I'm getting rid of it.” He focused, the feeling wasn't uncomfortable for him but things must have shifted oddly inside him as Shikamaru made a strange noise. He whined, folding his arms and dropping his face into them. “I ruined it.”
“You didn't.” But he felt like he had. Shikamaru stroked his back as he burned with embarrassment. He should have looked into this more than those terrible books, even the brat thought they were wrong. He shivered slightly as his tails were squeezed at the base, and Shikamaru carefully leaned over his back. “Are you okay to be touched?”
“You're inside me.” He wasn't wriggling like before, static, with only minor shifting, but still buried all the way inside.
“I meant to touch your dick.”
“Oh... yes, I suppose.” Shikamaru trailed a hand down his belly until it met his groin, using some of the slick from their thighs that had been oozing out of him to wet his palm before he began to slowly try stroking Kurama.
He was a little embarrassed that his flagging arousal came back full force from just a few strokes, and soon he was trying to fuck his hand. The movement stirred Shikamaru inside him, and slowly they got back into a sort of rhythm.
“See?” He squeezed the base of Kurama's tails more tightly, “Nothings ruined.” He closed his eyes, his body was becoming fairly sensitive to the stirrings inside him, so much so his form began to tremble as one particularly thick tendril inside him began to rub the sensitive tissue just within the entrance of his temporary slit.
He didn't knot when he came, but he did spill his seed all over the sheets, making quite a mess, and Shikamaru kept tugging his tails which kept his hips rocking even when he stopped being conscious of it. He groaned softly when Shikamaru came inside of him, easing out even though his groin seemed too lively to go down.
“...” Kurama rolled until he was able to sit back up, artfully dodging the now soiled blanket. He could feel Shikamaru's seed as it slowly tried to ooze out of him and quickly sealed and returned his external anatomy to normal. He had had less than innocent intentions earlier beyond accuracy to the source material he based his anatomy on.
Logically even he was aware that just slapping a set of female genitalia onto his anatomy wouldn't result in a cub. He had little experience with the physical world despite having lived in it prior to becoming trapped, but he'd had no need to care back then. It sounded like an extremely complicated and delicate process. He and his brothers had not been shaped with the intention they'd be able to procreate. This body was certainly not compatible to the task as it was, and he wasn't certain that their mate would even want another cub to be born like that regardless of who was carrying it. He had already pestered the brat while trying to mask his true intentions, who had informed him it wasn't happening- as if Kurama was the weird one for wanting more young.
Still, he'd hold onto the gift Shikamaru had given him for a little bit. He'd returned all the inside parts he had had earlier, and maybe something would happen.
“Want to try something else?” He cocked his head, as Shikamaru shimmied out of underwear finally, dropping it on the ruined sheet, and got back on his lap, both looking down as his tendrils latched around Kurama's cock- he hissed at the feeling of them just gently stroking along his flesh.
“Just this?” As if this wasn't an experience worthy of note. It both felt like being inside him, and terribly teasing all at once.
“Mhmm.” Shikamaru kissed him, warm lips pressing his own, head tilting as their mouths worked against one another, until he could lick the seam of Shikamaru’s lips and flick inside.
Their tongues slid together slowly, rolling lazily from Kurama invading his mouth to Shikamaru taking charge, back and forth. In between them Kurama could feel it building in his belly, Shikamaru's sex was clinging and rubbing, stroking any and every sensitive bit of skin. They'd all taken on a slightly silky texture, squeezing him at the base whenever it seemed like he might get close to the edge.
It was torture.
He loved it.
The brat had colored his own tastes, a fondness for men with dark hair, intelligent too. Shikamaru was his preferred choice, out of all the men that the brat had been close to. Sasuke was too violent, and Neji hadn't had nearly enough bite once he got older and mellowed.
Shikamaru had a strong body prior to the yokai, their cub, but it had been a difficult situation, and he had bounced back more resilient than before.
Beyond physical attraction, their mate was extremely skilled and intelligent. They had been a good match, in spite of the circumstances . He rarely felt his age, and he had trouble imagining how short a life they would live now that he was mortal, but he wanted to spend every moment he had with his other half, their mate, and the cubs.
Shikamaru actually came first, his cum oozing over Kurama's cock, slicking it further as they wrung his length mercilessly, not stopping or slowing until Kurama came. He did knot, oddly enough. Shikamaru, coming down from his release, was interested in it. He only really ever got to interact with it when it was jammed inside of him, so the curiosity was almost a bit cute.
The sheets that were soiled were stripped and replaced, their bodies wiped down, Shikamaru put on a different pair of tight bottoms and put his shirt back on, and Kurama sat up playing with his hair as he fell asleep.
He would be disappointed to learn later that his body had in fact absorbed Shikamaru's cum, but rather than for the reasons he hoped he was despondent to realize it had been broken down and converted into energy. Not even that much, given how much it felt like he'd had inside him.
Maybe he'd look into it more, be more informed for the next time... Well at least he could hold it over the brat's head. He was wrong- Shikamaru had been the one to mount him, not the other way around. He doubted Naruto would roll over and accept it, but the argument would at least be fun to tug back and forth.
Notes:
The last additional tag is because Kurama doesn't tell Shikamaru he is experimenting with trying to get pregnant. He didn't actually think it would work but that's probably something he should have discussed with Shikamaru before they had sex.
Chapter 96: ... That Could Happen?
Summary:
A completely foreseen outcome.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru was asleep. He didn't expect anything less, but sleeping in this form made him uncomfortable- he didn't dream. He'd gotten used to dreaming when his soul rested in Naruto, and the lack of dreams was a bit upsetting. It was why when his ears twitched at the sounds of a baby stirring he debated it before just getting up himself- he found a pair of the brats boxers though they rode low given his tails were in the way, he knew better than to walk around fully nude in a house with cubs even if he wouldn't see any. He slid through the door to the nursery. The newest cub was wriggling, unhappy, and he glanced into the other crib. Uhari was fast asleep, even as he carefully lifted their youngest cub out of his crib.
“Are you hungry?” He was making frustrated little noises, and his tiny mouth kept imitating nursing, so that had to be it. “Shika said to wake him but...”
He carefully made his way upstairs to the kitchen, preparing a bottle using Naruto's memories of the process. He could take care of their cub just this once, it was the middle of the night, and all of their other young were fast asleep. He hummed, rocking the tiny baby gently as he took his bottle. It was so soothing. With his eyes closed, Sai looked so much like Shikamaru- a bit pale with a tuft of thick black hair...
There was a clattering behind him and he turned- freezing.
Across from him was Yuki in the doorway of the kitchen. Their eyes were wide as they took him in, then they slid to Sai, and he could smell the panic in the air.
“Yuki-!”
“Dad!” The sudden scream scared Sai, who pushed his bottle away and began to wail, and he could hear it as everyone in the house woke up. Shikamaru was leaping out of a shadow with a kunai in hand after only a second and Kurama saw it the moment Shikamaru went from hyper awareness to exasperation and defeat. “That weirdo has Sai!”
“I know the weirdo, it's okay-!” The yelling had brought a horde of half asleep and ready to fight cubs stumbling up from their rooms. Kakashi led the charge with his sword, but the other children all appeared to have staff's. “Weapons down! Kurama, give me him.”
He scrambled to do so, feeling oddly exposed. He hadn't had any real socialization in a long time, and as much as he loved them their young didn't... exactly.... know him.
“Who is that?”
“Is he a summons?”
“... those are papa's boxers.”
“In my defense it's the first time I've needed clothes.” The children blinked, as if not expecting the deep voice that rumbled out. They seemed to be processing what was happening now.
“Dad, are you... cheating on papa?” Chiyo had gone pale, on the verge of tears.
“No. That is not what's happening!” Shikamaru got a hand free to rub the bridge of his nose, “Your papa knows he's here, he's not a summons... technically.” Trying to reassure them and talk them down seemed to be a bit unhelpful.
“Would it be better if I dissolved?” Going back to Naruto would get him out of the way but the glare Shikamaru gave him at the suggestion made him hold up his hands, placating.
“Don't you dare.”
“Sorry.”
Shikamaru had calmed Sai down.
“This isn't a conversation that should be had at three in the morning.” He decided, and was probably right. “Haruki gets back tomorrow, or he should, and once he is home, we'll all sit down and talk about this. You kids have school tomorrow, so go back to bed.”
“But-!”
“I promise, nothing is wrong. This will make sense tomorrow . Just... keep that he's here to yourselves until Haruki gets home, okay?”
“Is he a criminal?” Kakashi was staring at him with an almost unnerving level of scrutiny.
“I'm not sure I even count as a person.” That didn't seem to help.
“Kurama, stop helping. You're worse than Haruki.”
“It's his fault I'm like this...”
Shikamaru herded the children back to bed, and Kurama leaned on the counter, covering his face with his hands and groaning.
He had hoped meeting his cubs would go better.
Naruto had expected the mission to last two days, until Kurama dropped the awkward events of the night into his head. He had finished his assassination assignment and turned home as quickly as possible. He dropped his report at the desk and had to force himself to be calm on his way home. It was afternoon by the time he got to the village, the kids were home from school and he'd somehow had to explain what he was, what happened to him-
He didn't want it to be a secret but he had hoped he'd get to approach this on his own time.
He came home to find Kurama in a pair of his pants with a sheet wrapped around his upper half being interrogated by Chiyo and Kakashi on the steps.
“Papa!” Chiyo perked, but was still glaring at Kurama.
“Brat...”
“Geezer.” He sighed, “Let the old man up, sitting on the stairs like that is probably bad for his back.”
“I am not old, you sniveling child.” But he was yanked up, and they were being pushed toward the living room where he sensed the majority of his family were sitting around.
“Welcome home.” He hugged Shikamaru, because he had missed him, before focusing on the matter at hand.
“Glad to be here...” He just wished trouble would stop finding him. “Alright, children, this is Kurama, Kurama, you know the kids.”
“Of course I know them.” He scoffed, childish. Kurama slid from being a cantankerous old bastard to a bashful childish fool at the drop of a pin. He seemed caught in between currently, not that he could blame him. This was the worst case scenario.
“Has he been here the whole time?” Momo looked mortified.
“Was he living in the walls?” Kabuto tried to stop her but Yugure had wriggled free and ran headlong into his legs.
“Fox!” She squealed, all past grievances forgiven it would seem. Kurama lifted her easily.
“Little shadow.” He was loudly purring, and Yugure reached up to grab at his twitching ears, he let her do so with a sort of tired fondness that would have warmed Naruto's heart if it wasn't for the extremely uncomfortable situation they were currently in.
“He wasn't living in the walls, and... technically yeah, he's been here the whole time.”
“I normally don't have my own body.” He hummed, watching Yugure as she gathered some of his hair to instantly start braiding it.
“So... are you some kind of yokai then?” He blinked, Kakashi was curled up between his sisters and by the way they kept whispering to him they'd clearly developed a number of theories.
“Kurama is a bijuu.” Shikamaru dropped it casually, “Part of one anyway.” He had a point in ripping off the bandage, but...
“Bijuu... a chakra beast? No way. They're giant monsters, this guy is-!”
“He's the nine tails.” Yugure said it softly, Kurama smiled at that, sharp teeth in a broad grin too large for a living human. “...was. Right?”
“That's right.”
“Even if you aren't lying, the kyuubi has a jinchiruki. He would be just wandering... someone would have said something-!”
“They wouldn't, because only a handful know there's two. More than a handful now.”
“Two...”
“You can't be serious.”
“There can't be two kyuubi.”
It was almost a relief to hear their children whine and argue, rather than showing fear at the unexpected development. It might not be a great sign that when faced with one of the great chakra beasts his kids began to debate its existence, but Kurama was family, technically they were the same person.
So, Naruto gave them the watered down version of their lie. The children, specifically the older ones, especially Kakashi then gave Shikamaru an odd glance.
“Is dad a bigamist then? Since he has two husbands...”
“Huh... I mean... maybe?” Shikamaru flushed and he dodged a shadow that popped up to smack him. “Kurama and I have different thoughts, feelings, and personalities- even memories. But ... since we fused our souls we technically only have one soul, and until recently Kurama lacked a body at all.”
“This form is composed of energy, not flesh and blood. It's not much different than a wooden puppet.” As if to prove a point he knocked hard on his head which emitted a strangely deep thumping sound.
“Kurama... is your head hollow?”
“... is something supposed to be there?” Despite the uncomfortable tension of the last few days, it made the younger children laugh.
Him wandering around the house was considered acceptable after the talk, but he was mercilessly assailed by questions the first few days. He couldn't go outside either, but he seemed... much happier now that he was getting to spend time with their cubs. Maybe they should have done this sooner.
He still had to find a way to explain this to Minato, hopefully before the New Year's party they had agreed to host, since Kurama would no doubt want to be out and about for it. Even still, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He should teach Kurama how to cook, since Shikamaru was hopeless...
Notes:
Basically the kids all get an extra dad. It'll take longer for the older kids to get used to. I'm going to put the updated ages and descriptions chart up in the next chapter.
Chapter 97: Parenting
Summary:
Kurama is too soft for his own good.
They're reminded they can't change everything.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Baba!” He caught the little ball of sunshine that had rocketed at his shins, Mei was scooped up and put on his hip as he continued cooking- as it turned out the brat's skills passed over into his own. Learning he was an adult that could cook when Naruto was away on missions had the kids dropping the last of their weariness of him.
“Hungry?” She nodded, peering into the pots on their stove. “Should we set out a snack for your big sisters and brothers too, little cub?” She made a soft rawer at being called a cub and he nuzzled her button nose.
Kurama only regretted not being able to go outside because he couldn't show his lovely cubs to the whole world that way. He was worse than Shikamaru, he knew, spoiling them, but he really couldn't stop himself. He had never had a healthy relationship with his father, the sage, who had split his brothers from the same rotten tree. Hagoromo had not seen Kurama and his eight brothers as children, and had sent them out into a world that would never truly accept them. He was regarded with either reverence or fear, and as they'd been separated he couldn't communicate with his brothers- the ability had not been discovered until far too late. Kurama had held a deep hatred and resentment for him for a very long time, especially after he had been imprisoned as a weapon.
Mei was giggling as he gave her a tangerine, already peeled, Shin had peaked around the corner and he toddled in to take his own.
Kurama had never been a child. He was either a demon, or a god depending on who and when you asked. But that wasn't for lack of interest. A life of solitude was best for the world, but Kurama... he had a longing to be surrounded by others. Fox hunted alone, they looked after themselves, but... they also formed communities for companionship. Living on top of one another, competing but never truly, dangerously, hostile.
Kurama had been so isolated. His jinchuriki had been isolated too, forced to stand at a distance from the world. None had been more isolated than Naruto. He saw himself in the child, and though he grumbled and occasionally snapped, he was fond of the child.
Things had gotten so complicated...
“You'll ruin their appetites.” Shikamaru had a fond smile on his face, and Kurama just turned up his nose. Shikamaru didn't need help to prepare a bottle, soon he had boosted himself up with a shadow and was bottle feeding Sai while sitting on the counter.
“It's just a little fruit.” He mumbled, aware he'd given them a snack every time they wandered in for one, and in fact, they probably wouldn't be too hungry at dinner.
“Mhmm.” Kurama watched their mate as he shifted his focus down on the little cub. Sai was an insufferable prick, but he couldn't reconcile the obnoxious little bastard with their precious little cub. Their Sai just ate, slept, and made messes. The boy was only a month old. Maybe he'd grow to have a different personality, or maybe Kurama would just be more fond of him if he raised him by hand like this.
They would talk to the yellow flash about him just before new years. Until then he would try to stay focused on his mate, the little cubs, and his own obnoxious brat he'd chained himself to willingly.
The hospital was a familiar place now. He spent a lot of time here, usually as a test subject or as a healer, but today was special.
Uhari was getting her testing done. He had spotted Lee Nori, she had her own one year old baby- Rock Lee. She had spotted him first and had been chatting with him even if the woman always rubbed him the wrong way. She was specifically alluding to how both her son and his daughter were within a month of each other in age and that both families were on the clan council- it was clear she wanted to talk about a match between the two infants. His own family had been against strategic engagements and arranged marriages, and he agreed with that.
Besides, it was Lee . He knew that Lee was still a baby, was looking at baby Lee even, but in his head Lee was a twenty two year old jonin who died with valor. Not a nearly thirteen month old who had no right looking that adorable in a beige snowsuit. He would look cuter in green.
“Once you see his results, maybe you'd reconsider. Both his father and I are excellent shinobi and I'm sure he's inherited some of our prowess.” The Lee clan didn't specialize in taijutsu. They specialized in genjutsu.
“They're a bit young for all of that.” He denied her again, “If they like one another when they grow up I wouldn't care but neither can even walk on their own more than a few steps.” She just wouldn't take the hint.
Before she could protest again, Shikamaru was called back with Uhari, and quickly excused himself. That woman was so intense... he always assumed Lee just picked it up from Gai, but was it genetic?
As he expected, Uhari passed her chakra testing. She had the sensitivity to be a shinobi, and the ability to spark her own chakra out, which would lead her to be able to freely manipulate it as she got older. He stopped to chat with a nurse on the way out, the young woman floated between pediatric and the birthing center so they worked together often, when he heard a horrible wailing.
Lee was one. It was the earliest he could have a chakra sensitivity test. His mother was an obsessive elitist. Lee had P/S CR, specifically Spacial Chakra Reflux. He would be extremely sensitive to the chakra applied to him, but his body had likely zapped itself being unable to arc it out during the chakra node probing. His heart clenched. From what little he'd seen, Nori had adored her son as an infant, but by the time they were genin she had fully abandoned him emotionally and physically- only providing the most basic essentials for living.
Nori did not leave during the twenty extra minutes he hung around, and he eventually needed to leave. She wouldn't abuse her baby, but he knew in his gut Lee would no longer be brought along to clan council meetings, and the days of Nori touting him around herself were over.
It wasn't his fault.
He had so much potential, and the drive to do anything he set his mind to.
Who cares if he can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu?
He was a baby.
He plastered on a smile for the kids, telling them about how Uhari passed it easily, not wanting to take away from the excitement of her being a shinobi. Both Naruto and Kurama had to comfort him when he told them what had happened at the hospital.
Notes:
I once again apologize for the shitty quality of my screenshot, not sure how to fix it.
Chapter 98: In Preparation
Summary:
Minato meets Kurama officially. They get ready for the party.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Minato had no idea what he was looking at.
A man who looked... vaguely familiar... was laying in his brothers living room, his younger nieces and Shin all piled on top of him, and was reading aloud a children's book. The red head might even pass for normal if it weren't for the fluffy fox ears and his veritable mound of twitching fuzzy tails.
“Yo.” His voice was so deep it made Minato feel a bit... emasculated? Who the hell was this?!
“Hey Minato.” His hair was messed up by Haruki's large hand. Minato finally clicked into place why he looked familiar. He looks like Haruki... kind of .
“Who...” He would remember someone like that. Any Shinobi who would go around so flamboyantly-
“Oh, that's Kurama. You know, the fox.” His blood ran cold for all of a second before his brain and eyes caught up.
The man who looked like some sort of fairytale version of a kitsune was reading to the kids was the same chakra beast that had nearly destroyed Haruki's village when he was a baby and haunted Kushina? The big softy who was reading Ninja Kitty Goes to School to his nieces?
“How is he... out?”
“It's kind of like a spiritual medium or a proxy clone? If the body can't be maintained his consciousness goes back to me, and were still connected even now.” He watched Kurama flick his tails as Megumi and Bashira attempted to grab them to tie bows on them. “The uh... the kids found out so... they know about him...”
Minato rubbed his temples.
“Does anyone else?”
“... Tsunade may have talked to him... the last time she was here...” As long as she didn't tell anyone it should be okay. What the hell were they going to do about this? A nearly seven foot tall kitsune man built like a brick wall wouldn't go unnoticed forever.
He would have to talk to Kushina. They were having new years here in a few days, so she needed to be warned.
“Hey, baba?” The massive man hummed, and Fu wrung his hands, shifting the blade between them nervously. “We look alike.” Fox ears twitched at that. “So could you be my real dad?”
“No chance. But it does make me happy that we look alike.” His baba fixed the hold he had on the blade, “Brace this with your thumb more. Have you never stabbed anyone before?”
“No.” His baba just shook his head. “Daddy told me I have to wait until I'm older...”
“Hmm. I'm going to take you and your siblings on a night hunt.” He grumbled as he adjusted Fu's posture before letting him go back to practicing his stances, “At the very least you're old enough to kill your first rabbit.”
“But I don't want to kill a rabbit. I want to kill Elder Danzo.”
“You don't start killing tigers, you start with rabbits and work your way up.” Fu pouted, it was around then his daddy noticed they were knife training again and came down to scold them.
“The new years party is starting in a few hours, go wash up, Fu.” He got around the corner into the hallway of the lowest floor before he could hear his baba being chewed out for trying to teach him knife play again. Fu ran up the stairs at a fast clip until he was at his room, running into his bathroom to freshen up after training and struggling to put on the nice kimono that his papa had given him for the holiday. He fingered the scale like embroidery along the cuffs as he struggled to put it on. He went two rooms clockwise and knocked on the screen.
“Whats wrong?” Kakashi poked his head out and Fu gestured to his mess of a kimono. Kakashi had already changed and sighed, helping him get dressed. He could hear through the open courtyard screens that their older sisters were running about changing hair pins and the like.
It was their first new years as a family. His oji and oba would be coming for the party, Hizashi-san and his family would visit too, and Kakashi's friends were coming. Tsunade oba would bring Tenzo and Shizune too, and their papa had been cooking with baba's help off and on all day. They'd go ring bells tomorrow with his other oji and oba, and there were going to be fireworks tonight.
Kakashi didn't say anything when he hid his knife in his sleeve.
Fu had been... bad. He was worse , but now it was just bad. He didn't want to sleep alone, so when Kakashi was home he would crawl into his futon beside him, and when Kakashi wasn't home he'd bounce between Urushi's room and Chiyo's.
He had also been treated strangely at school, like people thought he was made of glass.
Fu wasn't scared though. He was angry.
He was just so full up on burning rage that he couldn't sleep. Their new baba, or old he guessed, Kurama... He understood. His new baba was trying to help him channel his rage, and he could listen to him without getting upset because of how Fu felt. Kurama had told him that if he could, he would have killed the man who imprisoned him initially without hesitation. Time had mellowed it, but he wasn't trying to force Fu to make it happen for himself. In some ways... it was calming him down. Kurama was letting him be angry and take the steps he felt he needed to so he could get his revenge. Daddy and papa allowed it because at least training with baba he had someone that could make sure he did things safely.
“Fu, come on. Don't you want to eat the snacks papa made?” It's quiet. His big brother never calls them daddy or papa when they're around to hear it, but he's been doing it when the two are alone. Maybe someday his brother would be brave enough to say it around them.
“Yeah...” Kakashi was a good big brother. He took his hand and let himself be led upstairs. He knew Kakashi still felt like it was his fault, but Fu didn't blame him.
He didn't always understand, but he knew everyone was worried about him.
Kakashi hugged his shoulders with one arm.
He'd be okay. Someday.
Once he got his revenge.
Notes:
They defiantly got all the kids new clothes for new years, since it'll be special as their first while being a family. The next few chapters are going to be about their new years party.
Chapter 99: Kushina and Kurama
Summary:
Kushina has a heart to heart with her bijuu, sort of. Now to do it again with her real one.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“So... he's...” Kushina was staring at the man. He looked like Haruki, sharper nose and red eyes instead of blue- more Uzumaki than Namikaze she'd guess if someone told her the two were brother's. He had bronze toned skin and blood red hair so much like her own.
“Yeah, the kyuubi.” Minato tapped their shoulders together.
“Oy, brat, who's checking the pork?”
“Eh? I just checked it, old man.”
“Both of you quit it, stop shouting so much.”
“...right...”
“Sorry Shika.”
Both men bent to talk to Inei, who kicked their shins.
“Daddy, you shouldn't kick them...” Keiko was tugging on his sleeve.
“ He's the fox?” Kurama had dropped down to his knees and had curled in on himself to cradle his shin. Both Mei and Shin had toddled over to pat him on the side.
“Baba, you're really pathetic...” Yuki was shuffling over with tea, carefully sidestepping the over-sized Uzumaki lookalike.
“I'm not used to physical pain.”
“What was it you told me... broken bones mean nothing ?”
“I was wroooong.”
“How is someone already hurt!? The sun isn't even fully down!” Tsunade had let herself in, Tenzo was excitedly holding a basket of fruit over his head, and Shizune had a paper bag full of what looked like alcohol bottles.
“Urushi! Look at the fruit I grew!”
“Whoa! That stuff is all out of season but it looks really good! Come on, let's put it in the kitchen!”
“I have some for Iruka when we see him tomorrow too!”
“Mr. Haruki, where should I leave the um...”
“I can take it, thanks Shizune. Kakashi should be in the living room. Rin isn't here yet.” She pouted but slipped through the chaos.
“Kurama, if you're going to pout, do it in a corner.” Inei had a hand on his hip, a sleepy looking baby Sai was curled against his chest. “You're blocking the walkway.”
“Such a cruel mate...”
“I could kick you again.” He rolled away, the toddlers chased him as he made his escape.
“You're lying and I hate you.” He squeezed her hand.
The kyuubi was a monster, a shackle she had to wear until she died. He couldn't possibly be a thirty something loaf who got picked on by her brother in law and the kids. It was just an exterior. Inside he was a cold blooded killer.
They ended up shuffled around until it was just the two of them in the kitchen giving Sai a bottle.
“... so... you've been glaring a lot.” His voice was as deep as she remembered, but rather than disdain he sounded nervous. “Is... the version of me you have really that awful?”
“You knew?” He nodded, shifting from hip to hip and briefly cooing down at Sai.
“I can sense him, Haruki noticed too but... not our secret to tell. Inei knows, and maybe Yugure. For weird mystic reasons, obviously but...” He looked like he was thinking something over. “I know it's the last thing you probably want, but I'd try talking with him. Don't tell him, but the brat was right, I was just lonely and hurting.”
“He said he'd eat me. I was really young back then but I never got the courage to go back...”
“Do you know how many times I threatened to eat Haruki? You're an Uzumaki too, just like the brat. You're stubborn, and not a scared little girl anymore.” She felt odd being comforted by him, knowing what he was. “If anyone can connect with him its you. Forced to take on a burden no adult would ever agree to, sent far away from your home and family.”
“It was an honor to...” She cut herself off. “How would he know how I feel?”
“Well... one day I was taken from my home, shoved into a human prison, and left with no one to speak to. My jinchuriki were afraid of me, and scorned me. They only ever spoke to me when they had something to gain. I spent decades alone with my own thoughts. My only solace was sleep. I had no way of knowing if my brothers had also been captured, if I'd be forced to fight against them some day... I was free for a moment but not long enough to have enjoyed it before it was back to the silence. Then Haruki, the little brat, found his way to me. He was insolent, loud, selfish.... but he was a child. He looked so small and scared on the other side of the bars. He demanded my help even though he must have been terrified of me, so I rewarded his bravery. He kept finding his way back after that. His persistence won me over. In a millennium, he was the first person to ask for my name. Only my brothers had ever called me by it, and it felt... good. Hearing it from someone else.” She nodded, putting a hand on her stomach, eyes pricking at the corner with tears. She hadn't known the fox could feel. Maybe she ought to speak with him.
It wouldn't hurt to try, though not tonight.
She still wasn't sure how to feel about Kurama, but... at least this version of him seemed nice.
Notes:
Kushina would have trouble seeing Kurama as the same fox who's sealed in her, because unlike that repressed angry guy, our current Kurama has been able to grow as a person and experience the world more than before, and no longer feels like he was captured and forced into imprisonment. He's a lot more mellow, but Naruto's childish nature definitely rubbed off on him, making him seem to goofy to be the same chakara beast she knows. Her Kurama, even if he does chill out, will never be quite like the Kurama who's been with Naruto for decades.
The next chapter marks the hundreth one, so rather than write it out I'm going to post some of the original doodles I made while coming up with this AU, hopefully the quality of my phone camera is better than the screen shot tool on my computer...
The rest of the new years party is going to resume after that.
Chapter 100: Early Concept Art
Summary:
I drew these months ago when I started to come up with the idea for the fic, not all of them are accurate to the direction it went in, but I chose my favorites to share.
Notes:
Hope the picture quality is a little better since my phone cooperated with me, these aren't properly scanned in so quality may be meh. I drew them on scrap paper at one of my jobs with a pencil.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
(Text: Saddest wettest cat* *Boyfriend on a week long mission* This kage level ninja cried in the shower)
(Text: (Haruki) *Shojo Vision*)
(Text: (Inei, Haruki, and dog) I love these idiots/// Me and the bad bitch I pulled by being autistic/// His BF stole all of his shirts. All of them./// Ugly baby dog favorite. (Kakashi and dogs) Came to Yell Surrounded by Dogs)
(Text: Loud angry baby man hissing Threatened)
(Text: (Haruki) *Up to something* (Muppet Inei) Muppet screech
(Haruki with Children and animals) When your newly discovered brother rounds up all the orphans, stray animals, and invasive wild life to make up your clan, then his boyfriend perfectly defends him a court of law, making you an uncle to like... twenty kids, fifty pets, & 13 raccoons Bork)
Notes:
Sorry the photo sizes are so weird.
Chapter 101: Settling Old Issues
Summary:
A misunderstanding is finally cleared up.
Notes:
I had intended to post this last week on one of my extra days off but my niece was born so that didn't happen. Both she and my sister are doing good, I volunteered to help out here and there while she's recovering so I'll either have a lot of down time or none at all to write, we'll see. Thank you to everyone who's left a comment on chapter 91, since the month is half over if you haven't and want to write a number down now would be a good time to go back and do it. Really looking forward to getting to tell ya'll what it was for next month.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“We're going to watch the fireworks from the roof. You coming?” Obito was glaring at him again. He was holding hands with Kakashi, sure, but just because they were about to head up. Ebisu wasn't invited, but he and his dad were, and Obito had come as well. Rin was somewhere, probably cuddling with Shizune, but he didn't want to miss them. The fireworks. They were being set off early, at ten rather than midnight. There'd be more in a few hours from the area behind the monument, but his dad expected him to be asleep by then.
“Yeah... can I talk to you first. Alone.” Kakashi looked surprised when he said that, but let go of Gai's hand.
“I'll meet you up there.” He helped heard his siblings up the stairs, everyone else had already gone up who was going to, and Obito tugged him into the laundry room for some reason. He wasn't sure he'd ever even been in this room before, but he wouldn't have a reason to go now would he?
“Is everything okay, Obito?” The other boy held it together for an impressive forty seconds before the tears he'd clearly been holding back the entire walk to the room spilled over. “Oh, come here.” Obito lightly beat his chest and shoulders as he gave him a hug.
“I hate this! I can't even be mad at you because you're so nice!” Gai had no idea what he was talking about and kept rubbing his back. “Why does Kakashi like you but not me ?!” That struck him as odd.
“What are you talking about? You two are very close. He's always talking about you.” Obito shook his head and gave up all pretense of hating his hug, leaning his full weight into Gai.
“But he's dating you .” Gai froze, confused. His cheeks went pink.
“We aren't dating!” It comes out a hasty stammer and Obito is of course ready to counter it.
“But you two go everywhere together and are always holding hands and-!”
“Kakashi is my eternal rival. I think I'd know if we were dating.” Did Kakashi think they were dating? Gai wasn't prepared for this! He wasn't ready for a relationship, and Kakashi... he was a good potential partner, but Gai didn't think they had that sort of chemistry. “Although it would be flattering if he liked me, he's just a very good friend.” The rest of Obito's panicked declaration finally processed in his mind. “Are you not dating Ebisu?”
“What?! Ew, no!” He didn't hesitate to answer. Poor Ebisu. “Ebisu told me that if we just did what you two were doing one of you would get jealous and the two of you would break up. I thought he was trying to split you guys up for the good of your squad!”
“But our squad hasn't had any problems...”
“But wait, if you aren't dating him then why are you two always together?”
“He just wanted to hang out. He said he spent a lot of time with you on missions, and he wanted to train more so...” He trailed off. Ebisu wasn't dating Obito? But they’ve been going everywhere together, and Ebisu kept avoiding the question. He just thought Ebisu was embarrassed.
“Does... does Kakashi really talk about me a lot?”
“Yeah. I was actually relieved, since he was so mad at you for forgetting his birthday back in September. I'm glad he put it behind him and you two reconciled ”
“I... I what?” Obito looked pale. “I didn't.... I couldn't have forgotten his birthday.”
“He thought you did. He asked Rin, Shizune, me, my squad, his sisters, his parents, I think he even talked to your grandmother because he was certain you'd planned a surprise or something. It must have been really special.” Gai patted his arm, “Anyway, I don't want to miss the fire works, so join us soon.”
Obito stood staring at his hands in the laundry room as Gai left. That sure was odd, imagine, him and Kakashi. His cheeks flushed, shaking his head.
Silly... right?
“You should have just told me.” Kakashi tilted his head. Obito had sat next to him, and everyone else seemed to have shuffled away. Kakahi didn't speak to him though. “How am I supposed to know you're upset with me if you don't tell me. I was going to take you for ramen for your birthday but I guess I forgot since we were on a mission the day of.” Kakashi turned his head away. “Geeze, I'm sorry, all right?!”
“Why don't you just go hang out with Ebisu, since he's your best friend now.” Obito groaned.
“He asked to hang out with me because you're spending so much time with Gai had been messing with their team... besides... when I hung out with him you finally were looking at me again.”
It was embarrassing to admit it out loud, but it would be worse not to tell him. He glanced up and Kakashi was staring at him, visible eye wide.
“So you two aren't....”
“I would rather die.” Kakashi snorted at that, looking back toward the dark sky, stars had started to pop up through the low cloud coverage. “I really am sorry, Kakashi.” His heart clenched when Kakashi slumped against his shoulder.
“I'm sorry too. I... don't really know what I was thinking. I just...” He waited, not wanting to rush him. It had been nearly two full months since they'd spoken outside of missions. He didn't want to push Kakashi away again. “Ever since you came back I haven't known how to feel about you. I didn't realize how much I needed you in my life until you weren't there.” He hesitated before carefully taking one of Kakashi's hands. “Then you came back and you only ever wanted to talk about Haruki and Inei, and then they pretty much adopted me and it made me really uncomfortable.”
“I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable but...” Looking back he was a bit shameless. “I guess I didn't see how much it upset you. I thought you were just trying to argue like we used to.”
“Dummy.” Kakashi squeezed his hand.
The first few fireworks started to pop above them, green, silver, and blue. He could hear the other people around them but it felt like they were on an island. His chest felt tight. He felt so stupid, why had he gone along with Ebisu in the first place? He was just upsetting Kakashi more. True, he probably should have told Obito why he was upset, but...
“Are you going to be up at midnight?” Kakashi gave him an odd look at that.
“I don't know. Gai was supposed to have a sleepover and we were going to play board games with my sisters, but his dad told him he couldn't anymore...”
“Can I sleep over instead?”
“... if you want to.”
They sat quietly enjoying the fireworks, once it was done they went to Kakashi's room and he felt like a weight was off of his chest. They were awake at eleven, right before the clock changed, Gai's father had carried him home at that point since he fell asleep like a baby. Kakashi's siblings, both sisters and brothers had run upstairs to yell the countdown along with the radio, but Obito had taken Kakashi's hand and held him back.
“Oh.” Their eye's met, the stare felt more intense, just one eye on another.
“Three!”
He was going to do it.
“Two!”
He'd just go for it, and if Kakashi hated him he'd just have to live with it.
“One!”
He was not prepared for Kakashi to pull him in by the shoulder, mask tugged down.
“Happy New Year!”
The kiss squished their noses together, and their teeth clacked, he was fairly sure he'd cut his lip on one of Kakashi's canines. He wasn't sure which one of them had actually lunged forward like that, probably him given the butterflies drilling holes through his stomach.
The sound of cheering, loud laughter, dogs barking, everything filtering in from upstairs felt muted. He took both of Kakashi's hands in his.
“Happy new year.” He muttered, stupidly, and Kakashi hesitated before they much more carefully pecked one another on the lips.
“Finally!” Both jumped, heads whipping around to see Himari, Chiyo, and Momo on the stairs, “I thought we'd need to lock you guys in a closet.”
“Aaaah, you're the worst!” Kakashi's immediate response to his sisters catching them kissing was to take off one of his socks, ball it up, and throw it while it was infused with chakra. Himari and Momo ducked, and it crashed into the paper screen, popping through it and crashing with force into something in the courtyard or one of the balconies bellow.
“I'm telling papa you broke a screen!”
“You ugly snitch!” Obito was left standing in the hallway beside Kakashi's door blinking as his (boy?)friend chased Chiyo up the stairs while Momo and Himari cackled.
“Get off the stairs, I want to go to bed!”
“Move it...”
He could hear the twins whining as his face went fully red while he processed what had just happened.
He had shared his new years kiss with Kakashi. Twice. Then they immediately got caught-
“Huh? I think Obito's going to pass out.”
Notes:
Everyone wish our boys luck, team Minato has one brain cell to share and it's always with Rin.
Chapter 102: Where'd You Learn To Talk Like That
Summary:
Kurama has managed to get drunk. Kushina will never let Shikamaru forget it.
Notes:
If you have trouble with second hand embarrassment I'll sum up what happens at the end of the chapter in the notes.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was about one in the morning, the kids had all mostly gone to their rooms, or one another's where they'd fallen asleep playing games or talking. Their youngest had already gone to bed hours ago. He had checked
There had been some incident down stairs right after midnight, but it sounded like Natuto had it handled. All that remained of their adult visitors were Kushina and Minato, who were going to crash in a spare room rather than amble home, and Tsunade who was working on sobering up. Tenzo was sleeping over with Urushi, and Shizune was doing the same with Chiyo. Duy had thought Kurama was wearing some elaborate new years costume, so he was officially the only one at the party who didn't know. They'd explained it to Rin, Obito, and Gai, while Tenzo and Shizune knew already from previous visits. Rin's father worked with Orochimaru and had been one of the people he was consulting on about... everything, so he had taken that in stride.
“I wish there'd been more fireworks.” Kushina was complaining, though only half halfheartedly, and it had been at least thirty minutes since he last saw either of his husbands. Was he actually married to Kurama? Legally? It felt wrong not to count him. The last he'd seen Kurama he'd been doing some drinking game with Tsunade, but she had joined them with a glass of water over twenty minutes ago.
“It wasn't in the budget, besides they had to be done by eleven...”
“Maybe next year there'll be more funds for... it...” He trailed off as they all glanced to the doorway, shinobi instincts had alerted them all to someone entering.
Kurama had wandered in, face flushed, and sat himself on Shikamaru's lap, arms wrapping tight around his shoulders. Usually it would be a little embarrassing, but seeing the fox flushed with intoxication softened it. He was probably to blame for him behaving like this anyway. It was hard to tell Kurama no when it was something involving him just wanting a little human contact- besides it was after a party, he didn't think it mattered all that much. Kushina would find something to tease him over either way after all.
“Hi Kurama.” He purred in response. “I didn't think you could get drunk.” In truth he shouldn't be able to at all, so Shikamaru was going to scan him when they were alone to see what he'd done to his proxy body this time, but it could wait.
“I am very talented.” He grinned, all teeth, and Kushina began to laugh, still a bit tipsy herself.
“Well no more, alright? I don't want to test if you can get sick too...”
“I do though, give him another cup, I want to see what would even come up.” Tsunade was laughing at him. For a woman who had almost thrown up an hour ago, she sure was throwing a lot of stones. Before he could say anything to that Kurama had began to stroke his cheek. He should call Naruto up, Kurama might be more than he could handle alone like this.
“Inei.” He hummed, eyes unfocusing as he looked for Naruto. “Pay attention to me.”
“I think we need to put you to bed, big guy.” Naruto appeared to be cleaning something up in the kitchen, so thankfully he was close by if Kurama got out of hand. He gently stroked Kurama's head and the big fox purred louder. Like a giant cat....
“Inei.” He was speaking in a sort of rumbling half whisper, the kind that was definitely loud enough for an amused Minato and Kushina to hear. Tsunade wasn't even pretending not to listen in at that point, and he knew she'd mock him mercilessly in the morning when she came to get Tenzo and Shizune.
“Yeah?” Kurama pushed his head forward to nuzzle Shikamaru, grabbing his free hand and placing it firmly on his stomach.
“I want you to put a cub in me.” It's said in a low, sultry tone, and maybe if they'd been alone his response would have been different.
“Kurama!” They weren't alone.
Kushina had burst out laughing, and Minato had gone pink. Tsunade was politely trying to cover her own laughter.
“That was so inappropriate-!”
“But it is okay for Kushina to say things like that about Minato?”
“There's ah-!” Kushina tried to school her expression, “There's a big difference between telling people you're trying for a baby, and what you said.” Kurama frowned.
“But it means the same thing.”
“It does not .” Shikamaru didn't even want to know how red he must be. Of course Kurama would say something like that in front of people. He doesn't know better, he doesn't really talk to anyone outside of the house, but even Naruto wouldn't say something like that so he probably learned it form some weird book or magazine just like the other weird things he'd picked up that Naruto never corrected.
“You essentially asked him to bend you over the couch and-”
“You are not helping.” He had a warning tone, but they both knew he couldn't do shit to her. In response Kushina grinned almost maliciously, enjoying his pain. Her getting along with Kurama would be a good thing, but he couldn't stand the two bonding over this.
“What did I miss?” Naruto had returned with a few glasses of water, which he was passing out. Shikamaru wanted to curl up and die but was currently trapped under their massive and inebriated partner. He could escape, but not from the embarrassment. Kushina wouldn't let this go.
“Kurama wants a baby.”
“Not this again... old man, your body's made of energy, it's not exactly a welcoming environment for a fetus.”
“He phrased it very differently.” Minato was looking more like a lobster. Kushina just started laughing again, harder this time.
“How did he...” He went quiet for a moment, locking eyes with Kurama as they no doubt shared memories, before flushing, “Why did you say it like that, geezer?!”
“I could have a cub. I can do it.” It was spoken with drunken confidence. “I can do it. I even read a book about it.” The real question was if that book was penned by Jiraiya in their old world or not.
“That's it, either you go to bed or were dissolving your body, come on-!”
“No!” Kurama refused to let go of him, and Naruto kept trying to scruff him. Sensing broken bones would be imminent he shot his husband a look that made him back up.
“Haruki, help them find the room they're staying in, I've got this.” He couldn't escape, so he'd just have to be the one to take care of it. He slid an arm behind Kurama's knees, and one to support his lower back and stood taking the giant fuzzy idiot with him. He barely felt any sort of strain despite Kurama being as heavy as Naruto, which easily had him pushing three hundred, maybe more actually given how much more filled out he was.
“ Oh .” Kurama started to nuzzle him again. He had the wrong idea.
“I'm dropping him in the tub.”
“Noooo!”
“Is he... really that strong?” He tuned them out as he took Kurama to the bathroom, and planned to bury him under blankets until the morning where maybe he'd be lucky and Kushina would have blacked out the last hour.
Notes:
Chapter Summery: Kurama asks Shikamaru for a baby. In front of Minato, Kushina, and Tsunade. He is drunk, but Kushina will no doubt tease Shikamaru for it until they die. He makes Kurama take a bath before trying to put him to bed.
Next Chapter is NSFW
Chapter 103: Attempt Number Two
Summary:
NSFW
Kurama, the spoiled brat, get's what he wants. Sort of.
New Tags to be added-
Breeding Kink, Heat/Rut, Womb Tattoos, Dirty Talk, (Slight) Cum inflation
Chapter Text
Kurama was pouting in the tub as Shikamaru poured more cool water over his head. It did seem to be helping clear the fog in his mind, though his debate with Shikamaru that had started the moment he was wrestled into the water had yet to end. He had also been trying to keep up his argument that, although somehow inappropriate, he wasn't wrong.
“It's an auspicious day...” he mumbled it more to himself than Shikamaru, who was still upset.
“You essentially asked me to fuck you in front of our family.” Kurama didn't understand why that was such a big deal, but apparently it was. “It's embarrassing, Kurama.”
“I will admit I was not myself when I asked that...” His head had felt so warm and fuzzy, and his mate looked so handsome, felt so solid below him... his instincts were still screaming at him even now.
“How did you even get drunk?” He shrugged, not wanting to admit he had been experimenting with his form and he might be a bit more physical in certain parts of his body than others.
“So...you won't mate me?” Shikamaru groaned.
“Let's just get you to bed, okay?”
“Okay...” Shikamaru helped him dry off, bullying him into a pair of shorts and draping the towel over his back and shoulders. He'd braided Kurama's long hair back at some point but he couldn't remember when that was, since the shadows wrung out most of the water.
Naruto was waiting in their room, sitting on the bed with his arms crossed. He notably had not put his usual pajamas on. It made Kurama's ears perk slightly, though Shikamaru didn't seem to notice as he began to strip off his clothes.
“Tsunade ended up taking one of the spare rooms too...” He trailed off, squinting at Kurama, who squirmed under the gaze. “Kurama. What the fuck is that?” He knew the brat had noticed it earlier and had been waiting to call him out until they were alone with Shikamaru.
“Nothing...” He mumbled, wanting to turn around and leave, maybe sleep on the floor in the nursery. He stayed rooted in his spot as Shikamaru's bare skin being revieled was too enticing to turn away from.
“What did he do now?”
“How did I not notice this before?” He refused to make eye contact with the brat, Naruto poked his stomach. “How did you hide it this long?”
“It's only been a few days...” The look of annoyance that was building on Shikamaru's face for being left out of the loop would usually be cute, but given how much he'd annoyed their mate today Kurama felt a bit like he may be in danger.
“One of you is going to tell me what you're talking about or I swear-!”
“Kurama has a womb.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. But this one is organic.” He heard Shikamaru swear softly, “What did you even make it out of?”
“... leaf debris mostly. Some of your blood-!”
“When did he get that?” Shikamaru was looking worriedly at Naruto and neither wanted to admit that Fu had accidentally stabbed Naruto a few days ago while sparring. He chose to carry on the list of ingredients he'd used to turn into human tissue with the help of Naruto's blood.
“Egg shells, the food I ate recently too...”
“What would happen if you popped right now?” He mumbled quietly. “Louder, old man.”
“It'd probably fall on the ground.” Both of them groaned, “I can absorb it if I have to but I really thought it would work... this time.”
“This isn't something you should decide on your own.” He knew that. But he couldn't really stop himself either. Shikamaru had made it very clear he didn't want to carry another cub, at least not now, and Naruto refused to examine his complex relationship with gender enough to agree to finding a way for him to have a cub, so that just left Kurama. And Kurama wanted a cub. Even if he had to carry and birth it himself.
“I know but...”
“Kurama, we know that you really want to have a baby, but... I mean, Sai’s barely a month old. We already have a lot of really young kids in the house...” He folded, sitting beside their mattress, tails curling around his back and sides in comfort- they were still damp and it felt bad. Naruto had already teased him for grooming his tails with his tongue though.
“I can handle it...” He wriggled, “Just one cub wouldn't be too much, and besides, Sai will be almost a year old by the time I'd have the cub so...”
“...”
“Naruto...”
“I mean... it might not even work.” Kurama perked up. Of course his other half understood him, saw where he was coming from. It was only logical that Kurama should carry the cub, after all.
“Yeah, but if it does there could be a lot of complications. Kurama still has trouble with having a body, and he'd need to take care of it properly or it could hamper fetal development. Not to mention it isn't as simple as having a uterus and eggs, there are a lot of hormones that need to be regulated-!”
“I mean, I can't get him pregnant, we have the same DNA, and since you're part yokai you don't have DNA, so it might not even be possible.” He didn't know what they were talking about, but the brat was surprisingly on his side. “Why not just humor him, for the holiday?”
“... fine, but you get to be the one to explain this to Tsunade if it works.”
“I don't think she'll need an explanation after what happened earlier... but sure. I promise if Kurama gets pregnant I'll be the one to disclose it to our extremely judgmental doctor.”
“So we are going to breed?” His tails flicked excitedly.
“Yeah, but don't get your hopes up, okay?” His ears perked up as he rolled to yank off the uncomfortable clothing, his wet tails smacked Naruto's side and caused the brat to whine in discomfort.
“Hold still...” He whined as his other half grabbed a handful of his tails and performed... something on them that made them dry and fluffy again.
“ I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready -!” Once released he wasted no time in spreading his legs open.
“Your deep voice is really uncute.” Naruto poked his cheek even as he pressed his front onto the bed and raised his ass as high as he could, tails whipping.
“I still have to get naked, hold on.” Shikamaru had only half undressed, and focused on finishing the task as Naruto began to touch him.
“What do you want me to do?” Naruto had started to rub his back, and Kurama whined, rolling his hips impatiently.
“Keep him from breaking my pelvis, please.” Shikamaru's hand rested on his ass, rubbing the muscle lightly before his fingers dragged along the curve and a knuckle stroked Kurama from one hole to the next.
“Kurama, let me use your mouth, okay?” He rolled his head to look up at the brat, he had pulled his own sleep pants down past his hips, his already hard cock sprung to attention the moment it was freed. He clawed the brat's thigh, licking up the length of his cock before wrapping his tongue to pull it into his mouth. Heat was already building in his gut at the feather light touches of their mate against him.
He whined as a finger pushed into him, he was already wet from the moment they'd said they could try for a cub- as if he were nothing but a bitch in heat. He needed his mate inside him, stirring him up and filling him with cubs- his mate was instead slowly working him open with just fingers. He didn't know who but one of them was grabbing his tails to keep them out of the way and the light tugging made his hips jerk.
“He's really sensitive right now.” He whined, trying to be careful with his teeth as thick fingers gently scratched his scalp. He pushed himself a bit forward, the head of it hitting the back of his throat before pressing down- he didn't want a gag reflex so thankfully he didn't have one at the moment.
“I think he's worked himself into a heat or something similar...” His hips slammed back as a second finger was soon pressed into him, slick running down his thighs like water as he imagined their mate finally pushing inside. “Whatever it is... it's pretty effective...” He moaned at the appreciative tone, eyes shut tight as he rolled his hips, head bobbing up and down Naruto's length.
“Hm? Oh, shit. That's a lot more tentacles than usual.”
“You're imagining things.” Shikamaru's voice was strained, two fingers were now three, pace speeding up, but he was ready, he didn't want fingers, he needed Shikamaru's cocks, desperate to be bred.
“They're definitely thicker than usual too... once you're done with Kurama, fuck me next.”
“I think he's going to decide when I'm done with him...”
“Good thing you two don't need to sleep.”
It was three fingers with a fourth now edging to press into his slit, and the hand at the base of his tails was now gripping so firmly he had trouble moving his hips. They were longer than they should be, rubbing his inner walls as they carefully delved deeper, pushing and rubbing any spot that made him twitch.
His other half pulled his mouth away, giving him his thumb to suck on, caressing his cheek and no doubt watching their mate wedge him open.
“I think he's actually ready this time.” He was. He was so ready. He really, really wanted their mate inside him, not just fingers.
“... I want to see his face though... but with his tails that would be uncomfortable.”
“Let him ride you?”
“I'm worried he'll hurt one of us.” He whined, they were wasting too much time when he felt so rushed and desperate.
Kurama did not want to wait even another second.
He rolled onto his side and spread his legs, keening loudly.
“That'll get uncomfortable too, old man.” Their mate was kneeling, fingers of one hand still shiny with slick, his groin was a mass of writhing and wriggling shadows. While they made a few more comments, Kurama made a choice for them. He was rolling up onto his knees and pouncing onto Shikamaru’s lap- nearly knocking them both over.
“Fuck!” Several cold sets of hands grabbed him, a warm pair balanced his hips, keeping him upright as Kurama lowered his groin down to grind against Shikamaru’s. “Kurama, be careful-!”
He whined as Shikamaru's sex wriggled up into his own by it's own volition.
xXx
Kurama, even made of energy, weighed about two hundred and sixty, maybe up to two hundred and eighty pounds as a lower estimate. Shikamaru had only been half joking about making sure Kurma didn't break his pelvis. If he wasn't a yokai he might actually have been hurt by suddenly having a lap full of him. Kurama’s cunt was slick and wet, and Shikamaru had to actually focus so he didn't shove every single shadow that made up his genitals into his much larger husband at once.
“It's not too much?” Kurama had wrapped him in his arms, clinging tight- Shikamaru’s face was against his bare pecs. Even forcing his body to move slowly, there wasn't much slowing them down, and with each tendril that burried into him he became more aware of how tight a fit it was.
“ So full.” He whined, nuzzling Shikamaru head with his chin.
Naruto was behind Kurama, helping take some of his weight. Not that that was nearly as pressing as how Kurama was already rocking his hips slightly.
“You're doing really well.” Naruto was whispering in Kurama's ear, even as he tried to roll his hips. It was a tighter fit than the last few times Kurama had presented himself like this. He let his sex move as it wanted now that it was inside, until the tips began to feel over something inside of him, Kurama gasped at it and pressed down harder. Kurama's cervix, theoretically it connected to his womb, which may or may not be able to be inseminated. Shikamaru was just glad that pushing on it didn't seem to cause any discomfort now.
He wasn't attracted to women, but he had to admit this did something for him. Kurama still had his dick, and he looked like a man, and he could kind of see where Kurama was coming from- the thought of putting a baby inside either of them- Naruto or Kurama that is- was fairly erotic. Maybe because he was certain it wouldn't really happen.
“You didn't forget ovaries, right?” Kurama suddenly whined, Naruto was stroking his stomach, large hands dragging over his muscular belly until they cupped just below his belly button. “Can't get you pregnant if you're missing them, you know?”
“I made them-!” He whimpered as Shikamaru grabbed his ass, squeezing the base of his tails again as Naruto bit down to worry his collar bone with his teeth and tongue, still feeling over his belly and then up his chest to fondle his pecs. “I'm ready, I'm in heat, please-!”
Kurama smelled slightly sweeter than he usually did. If he'd actually managed to recreate the necessary internal reproductive organs maybe it was from hormones? Shikamaru inhaled his scent. It didn't take much actual movement for his sex to start pumping in and out on it's own, rolling together and curling inside, Kurama kept panting and rolling his hips, eyes a hazy red.
“He looks so good riding you.” Shikamaru grunted, tightening his hold on Kurama's tails and giving them a rough tug-
Kurama whined long and low, walls clenching and thrumming with heat, cum landing on his belly from Kurama rubbing his cock there as he came.
“Selfish, finishing on your own.” Kurama writhed on his lap as he tugged his tails again. He knew the fox couldn't help it, he and Naruto were being rather cruel in their attentions after all.
“Keep moving your hips, Shika needs to cum inside you a lot if you want to get pregnant.” Naruto might be enjoying this a bit too much, but his hands guided Kurama back into rocking on Shikamaru's lap, the ginger was crushing him now in his hold, the slight space Naruto had bought with his groping lost again as Kurama nuzzled the side of his head, hips grinding harshly with Shikamaru's.
They might be bullying him a bit, but he didn't seem to dislike it.
Kurama was still squeezing him, his cunt was soaking wet, and it seemed whatever had caused discomfort the last time they'd been intimate and Kurama had a cervix, it wasn't bothering him now. If anything-
“Inside, put your cubs in me-!” Kurama had managed to string together two brain cells again and every time the tips of his sex rubbed or pressed too close to his cervix he'd squirm harder and get louder. It was better than it causing pain or discomfort, but was also making it harder for Shikamaru to hold back. “Need your seed-!”
His nails dug into the meat of Kurama's thigh, his tendrils balled up inside Kurama who hissed at the feeling.
“Holy shit...” Naruto was watching his face as he bit down on Kurama's shoulder, voice barking out as a static growl as he came. His body kept moving even as his mind whited out for just a moment.
"I-its's leaking out...” Kurama’s pathetic whimpering registered after he collected himself. Sure enough as his tendrils had slowly uncurled it gave enough space for his seed to ooze out around them.
“I'll just give you more, don't worry.” Naruto made a noise at that.
“Wait... hold on, I always wanted to try this.”
“Try what?” He was skeptical as Kurama pushed himself up a bit, still flushed and hazy eyed and so clearly nowhere near done.
Naruto bit his finger, pulling Kurama back and flush to his chest and began to trace something in blood on Kurama's belly.
“Hngh!” Kurama jolted, back arching.
“Now he won't leak.”
“The hell is that thing?”
Just over his hips, under his belly button was a slightly pink, glowing seal. The characters were curved into an almost heart shape at the center, and stretched out like the wings of a bird. Kurama touched it but it didn't smudge, and he whined.
“Womb tattoo. Well, temporary.”
“You're a pervert.” Kurama groaned, still stroking it.
“Says the one trying to get knocked up.”
“Okay, but what is it?” Shikamaru lightly tugged on Kurama's tails to get them to stop arguing.
“Sweet innocent Shika.”
“He really doesn't know...” He felt his eyebrow twitch. “Ah!” His tendrils rolled suddenly inside Kurama.
“Usually a womb tattoo glows when the person it's on gets impregnated, in this case the seal is meant to glow the more cum is inside of him, and it also will keep it inside of him.”
“Oh, it's a porn thing.” He rolled his eyes.
“You just don't get the allure.” Naruto framed the seal with his hands, Kurama allowed it, the blonde pressed himself to the fox's back so closely they were cheek to cheek staring down at him, “The satisfaction of seeing your partner get knocked up immediately after the act.” He was unimpressed at Naruto's passionate explanation.
“That isn't how conception works. It usually occurs several hours after coitus because sperm only moves at-!”
“Shikamaru, please let us have the magical pregnancy tattoo. Stop being a doctor for five minutes.”
“I'm actually kind of into this...” Kurama mumbled. He'd started to gently rock his hips again. “What do I do with the stuff I don't use?”
“I dunno, absorb it?” Shikamaru shook his head.
“You still comfortable up top?” Kurama nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder, the other brushed over the marks on his belly again.
“Don't be so gentle.” Naruto murmured, he'd reached up and had begun to grope Kurama's pecs. “He can take it...”
“He doesn't like pain.” Naruto didn't mind things getting a bit too rough, but Kurama usually asked him to stop or slow down at even the slightest discomfort, which was cute given he often liked to push a little too hard. “Besides, we need to be gentle, remember?” He figured he may as well humor them, given the lengths the two had gone through for this particular scenario. “For the cub.” Kurama flushed as red as his hair, and Naruto tried to hold in his laughter.
He settled his hands back over Kurama's hips, letting Naruto grab his tails as he liked. It took a moment for Kurama to relax, letting him guide the steady roll of his hips. He hated to admit it, but the softly glowing heart shaped marks on Kurama's belly weren't a turn off. It did make him wonder what the source material was for them, given Naruto and by extension Kurama had likely been exposed to that sort of thing for much longer than they should have been.
“He's so cute like this, isn't he?” Naruto nuzzled Kurama's neck, biting his shoulder. He must be tugging on Kurama's tails because the bijuu began to jerk his hips, whining. "Kurama looks so good riding you while you knock him up. You think he'll get more sensitive once he's pregnant?”
“Maybe.” Shikamaru let one of Kurama's hips go, reaching up to gently massage one of his muscular, large pecs. If Kurama could get pregnant- “Will you breastfeed?” The question was meant to be far less horny than it came out as, Kurama howled softly, thankfully the room was soundproofed at the moment.
“ Yes. ” It's hissed, desperate.
“Lean forward, old man.” Naruto pushed him and Shikamaru supported him as Kurama curled over him again- their hips were moving against one another in a slow grind that didn't match the movements of his sex inside the bijuu. Kurama clawed him and he heard something wet.
“What are you doing to him?” His tendrils had began to thrust and curl faster, heat was building in his stomach again.
“I want to use his ass, since I can't help knock him up.”
“Hold on, you're going too fast with him.” Naruto sat back, watching shadow hands sprout from under Kurama's tails, Kurama for his part began to make some interesting whimpers while they spread his ass open with the lube initially, then when they gathered up and used a small amount of the slick dripping from his cunt to start easing him open.
Naruto had only gotten the tip of one finger inside him so far, the shadowy fingers were thinner and so they slid inside him with a gentle deliberateness. Kurama came with a tiny chirp of shock- between the fingering, his rubbing his own cock on Shikamaru's belly, and the tendrils single minded drilling into every sensitive spot in his cunt it shouldn't surprise him. His seed was hot where it began to ooze down Shikamaru's chest. He could feel Kurama's cunt throb around him, squeezing him desperately.
“Tell me what you need.”
“ Please -!” Kurama whined against his ear, shaking slightly, and Shikamaru pushed him back to a sitting position, Naruto had to scramble to support his weight. There was cum smeared on their bellies still, but Shikamaru wanted to see it. “Fill me with cubs!”
He bit his lip, finishing inside Kurama again, and Naruto leaned forward over the bijuu’s shoulder to watch the marks on his stomach glow brighter. Kurama, for his part, buried his face against the side of Naruto's head and rocked his hips, belly tensing as he clamped down again- nothing came out of him this time but he was clearly overstimulated.
“How much more do you need to open him?” Kurama was hiccuping and his face was a bit wet, he kept twitching his hips and had dug his claws into Shikamaru when he went to try and help him off, refusing to let him pull out even though it was clearly too much for him.
"For you? Few more minutes at least.” He gently touched Kurama's stomach, the big guy moaned as he stroked over it. His belly was unnaturally warm, tacky with cum, and glowing pink. He traced his fingers over the marks and pressed lightly down, feeling Kurama's insides clench and throb around him. “You're sure you don't want to stop?”
Kurama just whimpered, clawed hand gripping his wrist and pushing his flat palm more firmly to his belly.
“I need more.” Naruto had a point... Kurama's voice wasn't cute at all. It was so deep it even went past gruff and made most of what he said sound like a threat. He was big, muscular...
“Alright. But I want to get at least a little sleep tonight, so we can't stay up too much longer.”
Shikamaru liked his physique. It lit a fire in his belly when Kurama would beg for Shikamaru to fuck him. He wasn't even small , but Naruto and Kurama were just so damn big. He kind of liked it, when one of them would straddle his lap, crushing him down on the mattress and just take what they wanted- he was fairly passive as a lover, and if Kurama really wanted to sit on him and pin his arms, riding him so hard he could feel his bones creak, well Shikamaru looked forward to it.
Kurama let him actually lay down properly, fully back on the floor, looking up at him as he wriggled his hips to invite Shikamaru’s tendrils back into his slit.
“Shikamaru...” Kurama rumbled, leaning down to whisper into his ear even though he knew Naruto could hear whatever it was he was planning on saying. “Can you...”
“Mhmm?” He stroked Kurama's side.
“I want you to...” He was blushing. It looked so strange on his face.
“Go on.” He encouraged softly. Was Kurama embarrassed about this? Now?
“Please... ah... my um...”
“He wants you to suck on his tits.” He heard the impact as Kurama whopped Naruto with his tails.
“Don't say it like that!”
“How are you embarrassed by nipple play but not by the breeding kink?” Shikamaru was smiling, though, and pulled Kurama down to kiss him. Kurama could be oddly sensitive about things so he should have expected this to happen.
“Your chest is almost as big as granny's, I don't know why you're being so sensitive...” Naruto scooted over. “I don't mind if you say I have tits.” he squeezed his muscular chest with both hands, rubbing over his nipples. Kurama sputtered even though he clearly liked the contact.
“Is this related to the breeding thing?”
“... yeah...”
“Okay. I don't mind.”
“Can I please fuck your butt now? If not its fine but I have not been touching myself and I really want to cum too.”
“No one asked you not to touch yourself, dummy.”
“Just put it in, brat.”
“It's kind of cute how shy you are.” Shikamaru wrapped his arms lazily around Kurama's back, it took a bit of adjusting but Kurama got his chest in mouth range with a little bending.
Kurama gasped softly as he kissed his left nipple, before running the flat of his tongue over it. He could tell when Naruto finally got in position, mostly because he kneed him in the thigh several times, but definitely when Kurama's lower body flexed suddenly. No doubt from Naruto slowly pushing in.
Kurama's chest was firm, and ample, though Naruto compared the size, the shape was different from breasts, he assumed texture was different too. Kurama's thick fingers tangled in his hair, claws scratching his scalp as he rubbed his tongue slowly over the nub.
Naruto decided that it was the perfect time to start dirty talk. Kurama shifted his hips back into each thrust, the movement stirred Shikamaru's sex inside him.
Shikamaru chose to focus all of his attention on Kurama's nipples, which he had began to gently pinch and tug, alternating which one had the attention of his mouth. Even still he could hear Naruto whispering in Kurama's ear because of the proximity. His own ears went red as his husband described in a low, suggestive voice in great detail just how he thought Kurama's body would change from being pregnant and the things he was going to do to him, Kurama kept whining as Naruto asked him several times if he wanted Shikamaru to watch or to join.
The two were in their own little world so Shikamaru let his own mind wander.
Would the kids have tails? Kurama was so big, would he even show that much if he did get pregnant? He bit lightly, tugging with his teeth, feeling Kurama buck between them, unable to escape. Why did Naruto always complain about getting stuck on the bottom of the threesome anyway? Shikamaru was tiny compared to them, so if he couldn't quick-escape with shadows he might actually get crushed, but this was hot. Kurama getting fucked above him, feeling every movement the other two made, watching them kiss.
“-leaking, stuffed so full of our cubs, until you can't even crawl -”
He'd lost the thread of whatever Naruto was saying, but Kurama's cunt clamped down again, muscles going tight as he came between them again. He went boneless on top of Shikamaru, who managed to catch enough of him in his hands he didn't suffocate Shikamaru under his chest. Now with a handful of him, he cut his losses and began to grope his chest, thumbing over his now extremely sensitive nipples.
“Fuck...” Naruto slammed all the way into Kurama as their lover was still mentally elsewhere, and Shikamaru could almost feel him moving through Kurama's inner walls. Naruto had wrapped an arm between them around Kurama's waist and was stroking the mark with his fingertips-
“If he does it inside, you'll get knocked up for sure, do you really want his cubs that bad?” He could focus again enough to hear them, Naruto was breathless and relentless. “You want to grow fat with our mate's cubs?” Kurama whined, long and low at that. “So you should beg then, right? Beg our strong mate to breed your greedy cunt.” Oh . Yeah, he could see it. Not every day, but...
“Shikamaru, please-!” Kurama tugged his hair lightly, he sounded close to tears, “Fill me with cubs-!” He hissed softly, and Naruto mumbled something, “B-breed my greedy cunt.” Now Naruto was just outright bullying him.
“You promise not to waste it?” Kurama was pretty cute when he got ganged up on.
“Promise! Promise, promise, promise- !”
Kurama, wriggling over top of him, already full of his cum and begging to have Shikamaru cum inside him again was the final straw. He was oversensitive himself, and he'd already cum multiple times-
“I think he passed out.” Naruto mumbled, gently easing both of them up and off. Both froze, staring at Kurama's stomach. The marks were glowing a bright petal pink, but more interesting was that his usually flat and chiseled stomach was now a bit... round. Like he was so full of cum it was pushing his stomach out-
“It's way too late to sneak to the bath.” Shikamaru used a shadow to run over them, peeling away drying sweat, Kurama's various fluids, and all the cum on their stomachs. He tucked that neatly into a pocket of shadow and resolved to dump it the next chance he got.
They laid him down, Naruto had to fight to get him in a pair of sleep pants while Shikamaru pulled on a pair of shorts and one of their shirts.
“Should I end the seal?” Shikamaru snorted, having already curled up in his own sleep clothes half on top of a sleeping Kurama.
“Like I said, conception takes place hours after intercourse. We said we'd let him try, so let's just deal with it in the morning.”
“You were serious?” He didn't like the look on Naruto’s face so he buried his nose in Kurama's wild red hair.
“It's important to him.”
“I know! It's just... what if he does get pregnant? Not that I wouldn't be thrilled but... the majority of the village don't know he even exists. It might be hard on him...”
“Weirder things have happened to us. We'll figure things out as they come.”
He knew that, and he wouldn't actually be upset if it did happen, but honestly. Kurama might eventually figure this out, but it was attempt number two, he gave it at least a few years before Kurama found a way to actually get pregnant- he had no doubt the fox was stubborn enough to do it. For now at least, he'd just have to hope Kurama would be content with a bit of roleplay.
Notes:
*Kitsune in legends use leaves, reeds, or even skulls to create illusions, Kurama's situation is very real, but him using just bits and bobs he's found around is supposed to be a nod to that.
All part of my Pathetic Kurama agenda. Kurama is a sad whimpering looser and he deserves the world. You can't convince me that once he can feel pain he would hate it. Torn between letting him be a pillow princess and knowing in my heart that he would hate it.
Chapter 104: New Years Day Part 1
Summary:
The family go to ring new years bells, and individual snippets that follow.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kurama stayed home with the littlest ones when they went to the temple to ring bells with Shikaku's family. Himari left with Genma to hang out from there, Kakashi was pouting about it but Shikamaru just let them go. So much had changed that if his daughter wanted to date Genma of all people he wouldn't get in her way. (Besides, he was fairly certain that Kakashi and Obito had had some sort of breakthrough in their weird realtionship since the boy followed them to the temple and didn't seem to be planning to go home.)
“Dad, it's still okay if I go over to Iruka's right? His parents got a television and he said they're going to play a bunch of movies today...”
“Yeah, just be home in time for dinner, okay?” Shikamaru had honestly forgotten those existed. He knew they got extremely popular with civilians around the time he would have been born, but his family never had one. He had gone over and watched things with Naruto, but a screen being his only source of human connection for a few years probably did more harm to his husband than anything else.
He didn't know how cameras worked, the motion picture cameras, and his understanding of how regular photo cameras worked was only slightly better. He would have thought cameras could develop a photo faster, but the patent on the design kept anyone else from experimenting with better versions and had for decades. The kind that were used for surveillance and film were built extremely different. Surveillance cameras were only used by villages to monitor highly restricted areas because they were expensive to make and maintain, and film cameras were extremely temperamental, mostly because whoever built them had to reinvent the wheel for it as knowing how any one village's surveillance cameras worked was a liability, and they couldn't function with the same parts as a photo camera.
Movies would boom in popularity over the years, and Shikamaru had fond memories of sitting in the academy yard on late summer nights with his friends to watch a movie be projected- but at the moment their village didn't have a theater, so the only source would be the grainy weird televisions. They had gotten very cheap lately, the war ended and luxury goods were being frequently purchased again.
He felt... strangely old watching their son run off to join Iruka and his parents. It must be the new year, making him feel the weight of the years that had passed. Meanwhile, he spotted Yugure and Jun tackling Itachi, who had come to ring bells with his own family, and he waved to Makoto, she and Fugaku made conversation while the children ran around as every so often bells kept loudly being rung around them. Fu had taken Kakashi's hand and the older boy had walked him still in sight to say hello to Hana and Torune, who's own families seemed to have decided to come as well. They stayed until Jun's cheeks turned pink; at that point they separated from friends and family and left the temple.
When they got home, Kurama had cooked, so they ate together, then most of the kids scattered, some went to go kite flying with the other kids in the neighborhood, Saito and some of the older children went to go play around with new designs for sealing upstairs, which left them with their youngest in the living room, radio on to listen to music and the news. Naruto was playing with Shin, Mei, and Uhari, who were putting up blocks to knock them down with increasingly evil childish laughter, Jun and Yugure had curled up under the kotatsu for a nap, and he was trying his hand at needle point- it wasn't going well. Kurama had Sai asleep on his chest, one hand absentmindedly rubbing his stomach.
“You feeling okay?” Kurama blinked at him, then looked down at Sai.
“I'm fine.” His hand had stilled, resting it on his belly, giving Shikamaru his full attention.
“You're sure?” Kurama nodded.
“Just feels... warm.” Shikamaru went a bit red at that. Kurama had fashioned a few organs out of organic matter, so it would be warm, especially since he wouldn't be used to having anything generating heat inside of his form. Thinking it was something else... of course not. Kurama had only ever tried making internal organs twice, and the second attempt used leaves, besides it had been less than twenty four hours. He was being paranoid and Kurama was definitely just projecting.
When Sai started to stir Shikamaru took him to change his diaper and get a bottle ready. While Naruto was distracted, Kurama cupped his belly with both hands and stared at it curiously, not that Shikamaru saw.
“I can't believe that worked.” Genma shook his head. He'd been stuck with his clan for New Years, so Himari was updating him on what happened.
“Kakashi got so mad when he realized we were watching them, but to be fair he was kissing his boyfriend in the hallway.” Himari brushed some of her long dark hair behind her ears and Genma looked away, heart squeezing.
“Yeah I bet. You want to stop for food? My cousin gave me a coupon for barbecue.”
“Oh! That sounds great! We always get noodles, it'll be nice to change it up.”
Himari linked their arms and they turned down a different street. Himari talked about the different foods her parents had made for the holiday, some of them extremely non-traditional. Genma sort of understood though, Himari's immediate family was actually bigger than his entire clan so the volume and variety would be different. His clan only consisted of his mother and father, his uncle and aunt who had three children, a more distantly related aunt and uncle that had three children as well, and his grandmother. His parents had announced at new years they'd have another child, and Genma didn't miss the implications that they hoped this one wouldn't disappoint them. He had gone so far as to move into Shinobi housing just to get away from his family, but he had to go to big family events like that to keep up appearances.
He wished he'd gotten to spend the holiday with the Namikaze clan, and not just to have seen Kakashi's little meltdown.
The restaurant was surprisingly slow when they arrived, and so they got seated and were able to put an order in before business picked up.
She was listening to him complain about his older and younger cousins, he hadn't had it in him yet to tell her about his younger sibling on the way, and adding her own complaints about her siblings in as appropriate. He kept catching flashes of her shining gray eyes between her lashes as she laughed.
“You're lucky you're already done with school. I'm going to try and graduate early.”
“But aren't you going to go in for more school after you're done?” She shushed him. “I think you'll be a great lawyer.”
“Aw, thanks Gen.” He was about to say something else when someone stopped beside their booth, he didn't recognize the girl so that must mean she knew Himari in some way.
“Namikaze.” She was scowling at Himari.
“Osada.” She glared right back. Genma looked between them. About the same age... classmates?
“Shouldn't you be at home helping wrangle your million siblings?”
“Funny, I was just about to ask why you weren't torturing small animals like you usually do at this time.”
“Uh...” The other girl seemed to finally notice him, eyes narrowing as she took him in.
“Who's the twink?” He wasn't sure if he should be honored that he was passing so well, or upset at being labeled a twink.
“Shiranui Genma, Genma, this is my transphobic classmate Osada Suki.” She sputtered and Genma glared at her now too. He'd heard all about Suki .
“You know she isn't really a girl. You're just dating a man in a skirt.” She crossed her arms, as if she'd delivered some devastating blow.
“If that's true I'd just be a woman in pants.” It was worth it to see her sputter. “Would you mind leaving? You're making the food taste bad.”
“You're both...” She was going red.
“Don't have an aneurysm. And he's right, you're killing the mood, go back to your own table.” She made a shooing motion, and in response Suki took her cup of water and dumped it on her head before storming off.
“Are you okay? I'll get a towel from the-”
“I got it, pass me a napkin.” He did as asked, and she took out a marker, drawing on it before placing the napkin on her head, “I don't have my gloves with me, can you put a little chakra in the seal for me?” He nodded reaching out to touch her head. His fingers brushed her silky hair.
There was a puff of steam, and she tugged the napkin off, mostly dry again.
“Whoa.”
“I'm just glad it wasn't your tea. You always put in a ton of sugar and I would have had that in my hair...”
“Yeah...” Himari hadn't refuted this being a date, true there were more important things to be upset about like the misgendering. Was Kakashi right? Did he actually like Himari like that? She was nice, and funny, and really smart- even though she sometimes acted childishly, she always seemed to do whatever she put her mind to. Genma liked spending time with her too, going for walks, feeding the birds...
“You okay, Genma?” He blinked owlishly at her, before nodding. He'd unpack this later, right now he wanted to enjoy their time together.
Notes:
For the reader who wanted to see more of Itachi a few chapters back, I do have an Itachi-centric chapter coming up, but it might be a bit.
Chapter 105: New Years Day Part 2
Summary:
Kakashi and Obito have a talk, there's a minor kite flying accident, and Urushi finishes the day.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“You need to break up with Ebisu.” Kakashi was shorter than him, not by a lot, but noticeably, he was a year younger after all. Even still Obito was feeling extremely small pinned by a single arm under him against Kakashi's bedroom wall.
“We aren't even dating!” Kakashi's eye narrowed. “Ebisu and I! We aren't dating.” He should be more careful with how he words things.
“Still.” It's too threatening to be anything less than a warning. “When did you tell your grandma you were coming home?” He dropped it, and Obito made a note to tell Ebisu to stay away from him as soon as possible.
“This afternoon. Asuma wanted to come over tonight so...” His skin pricked. “You've met his dad, I wouldn't want to be stuck with him for more than a day either.” Kakashi stared him down for another minute, until he was squirming.
“Okay. But let's spend all day tomorrow together, alright?” His arm finally dropped the arm pinning him, taking Obito's hand and giving it an almost too gentle squeeze.
It would take a lot of getting used to for this. Kakashi was... sweet. He knew that. Judgmental, anxious, a perfectionist, short temper, bad with people, great with animals, always sleepy- he knew Kakashi. This was still the Kakashi he knew, just a different side of him than he usually saw.
“I'd love to.”
Kakashi tugged him to sit by the wall and hesitantly leaned against his shoulder, still holding his hand. His hair tickled the side of Obito's face, and the odd hold he had on Obito's arm wasn't exactly comfortable to maintain like this, but he was soon half asleep himself.
This was nice. He felt so dumb that he though Kakashi was actually dating Gai and his jealousy hadn’t tipped him off instantly that he had feelings for his teammate. They had agreed to start seeing each other that morning. New Years day as an anniversary. It felt pretty lucky.
The kite flying was especially good today. Megumi held tight to her sister's hand as their koi kite climbed higher into the sky. Bashira was grinning as it danced between the buildings with the others. Yosaku was helping a younger boy from their neighborhood fix his strings, and Keiko was sitting on the clan wall with Fu watching- Kabuto's kite was stuck in a bit of foliage on one of the buildings and he'd been trying to teach himself how to walk up the wall like their daddy to get it back.
“We're lucky it's so mild today.” One of the older girls from the neighborhood who was flying a dragon kite commented, smiling down at them.
“It's still cold!”
“Uh Huh! Cold!”
“If you girls are cold, Keiko has warming seals.” Yosaku had finished helping one child and another had taken her place. As the default oldest child in the area he had taken over the child minding duty so he'd been stuck fixing kites for the last hour. Megumi stuck her tongue out at him, not caring if it wasn't lady-like as her preschool teacher told her.
“Can I have one?” A boy they didn't recognize approached the wall, and Keiko hopped down, helping him place one just under his coat.
“Anyone else cold?” Keiko was soon swamped, and Fu had to come down to help. Bashira squeezed her hand and whispered a joke into her ear which sent her into a fit of giggles.
“I got it!” Kabuto shouted and they looked up, he was wobbling about ten feet off the ground, his kite untangled and held loftily as he tried to carefully step down. He made it down about four feet before something happened and he fell.
“Kabuto!” Keiko rushed to check on him, and Fu looked to Yosaku with wide panicked eyes.
“Fu, go get dad.” He bolted inside, and Bashira took the other kite string so Megumi could run over to check on Kabuto.
His nose was smushed funny and bleeding, and his glasses were cracked but his eyes weren't bleeding. He'd crushed his box kite, it wouldn't see the skies again any time soon.
“Is nii-chan okay?”
“Dummy broke his nose... I don't know how to fix that...”
“Oh... my kite...” He wasn't even worried about his dumb nose at all, was he?
Their dad was outside within a minute, helping Kabuto up. Megumi flinched hearing Kabuto's nose make a funny sound, and he looked extremely uncomfortable.
“Your septum will be fine, but the shape... might be permanent. We'll know for sure when the swelling goes down. Don't practiced advanced jutsu without one of us there to watch, okay?”
“Okay daddy.”
“I'll see if these can't be fixed...” she watched her daddy scoop all the glass fragments up from the ground and the bent glasses frames, “Why don't you come in and warm up?”
Kabuto nodded, taking their dad's free hand and following him inside. Megumi ran back to take Bashira's hand again, reclaiming her half of the kite string and thinking hard.
“What?”
“What if we asked Saito nii-chan to make special shoes that could walk up walls?”
“That would be so much fun!” She had thought more so that then their brother wouldn't fall face first into the street next time a kite got stuck, but if Bashira could find fun uses for them too that would be even better.
Urushi, Iruka, and Tenzo, who had run home to get a fresh change of clothes for his overnight bag while they were at the shrine, were now huddled on the thick rug in Iruka's living room.
Iruka was totally absorbed into the movie about a giant monsters fighting, hardly noticed it when Tenzo fell asleep between them, leaning his head on Urushi's shoulder.
“Hey, Iruka?” The other boy hummed at him. “Next spring we graduate, you know?” That got his attention, and he looked over. “Don't you think it'd be cool for us to be on a squad together?”
“Yeah! That'd be great!” Iruka was buzzing, “Who should our squad leader be?” Urushi thought on that a moment.
“It'd be cool if it was my papa.” Iruka seemed to think on it too.
“Would they let him be your squad leader? Since he's your dad?”
“I specialize in summoning jutsu already, and there aren't too many people in the village who do... maybe they'll let him anyway.”
“I hope so.” They lapsed back into silence for a bit.
“When this movie's over I'll need to head home.” Iruka nodded sadly. Tenzo had started to grow baby's breath in his hair while sleeping again and they rock paper scissored for who would have to wake him up. Urushi won and Iruka carefully shook Tenzo awake, they'd learned from their first sleepover that Tenzo had a habit of going for the throat if woken too quickly.
He sleepily moved to lean on Iruka, and Urushi got his few belongings together. Iruka yelled goodbye, and he heard a sleepy Tenzo echo it even though he wouldn't likely remember even waking up. Iruka lived in an apartment, so he got down to street level and then summoned Ichika, the big vixen licked his cheek, letting him climb onto her back before they took off towards home.
He got his shoes off, having to make room for Ichika who was pushing him out of the way as she sniffed something out, leaving him to hang up his coat and stow his bag in his cubby before he ran to the kitchen, passing the dinning room where his siblings were starting to gather. His papa was still in the kitchen, mixing some bitter greens as he jumped onto the step stool and washed his hands. He saw Ichika following their baba around sniffing him, and wondered what that was about.
His baba was trying to keep a fussy baby Sai out of her breathing range, Urushi shrugged and went to go sit with Kabuto at the table where he was shocked to see his nose bandaged up.
“What happened?”
“He fell face first into the ground.” He fussed over his little brother, even as their dad finished bringing out pitchers of water and juice. Himari ran in, looking breathless even as she pushed her way to her chair beside Momo. She looked happy.
Kabuto made a small fuss about having to eat the salad, Yosaku got in trouble for trying to swap out his protein for more of the vegetable side dishes and rice, the twins began to argue over who should have the last of the steamed buns- they were borth late as Yugure took it to split with Jun.
Yosaku was the first to leave the table, he wanted to use his new signal lamp he'd gotten two days ago for his birthday to talk to his friend. He wondered to himself if his brother was unhappy with the gift he'd given him, since it was just a book about birds, but he'd liked it well enough.
Keiko stayed until their parents were starting to clean up, tugging lightly at their dad's sleeve to double check her tutoring in medicine from Shizune would start next week when they went back to school. She hadn't wanted anything else, and it was right after Fu was kidnapped and they suddenly had a new baby in the house, but Urushi felt like a bad brother that he hadn't gotten her a gift for her own birthday.
“Hey, kiddo, can you send her back now?” His baba was pushing Ichika's large head away from his hip, but she wasn't deterred.
“I know this smell, bew! Just can't place it yet, bew!”
“Come on, Ichika-san, I'll brush you out before I send you back.” The fox twitched her ears, but followed down to his room to brush her.
"Really, it smells... I should know it, bew! I'm sure I'll remember it later, bew!" She rubbed her head under his hand as she followed him down to his room.
What an interesting day to start the year with...
Notes:
I had the energy to edit two chapters so I wanted to finish the New Years section of the story. I probably won't have the time/energy to do it again before the weekend.
Chapter 106: Like Brother, Like Sister, Like Sibling
Summary:
Yuki as an extremely serious child, certainly much more mature than their siblings. Pay no mind to the dog.
Chapter Text
Yuki sat down with their papa to begin making their own spear a few days after New Years. He said it was a right of passage, and given Yuki was already at a master level, it was time. They went to the lumber yard together and Yuki listened to their papa drone on and on about different wood types and which one would work best for their spear. If they fell asleep standing up, they could be forgiven, seeing how they were only 10 (at the time, but it was less than a week until their birthday at that point).
They started on their birthday, the eighth, since they had already chosen the wood they'd work from. Next it was carved down carefully into a proper shape, over the days that followed their papa helped them delicately inlay seals to the wood before it was coated with a special sealant. They hand picked the metals for the spearhead, and they drew seals onto the hammers that would be used to form it before they were turned over to the blacksmith their family used and they were left waiting. It was given back, well shaped, the day before Chiyo's birthday, the thirteenth, and they spent most of her birthday trying to choose the right name for it. Chiyo insisted they choose a name for the spear before the end of her birthday, since they'd been agonizing over it for the last two days. Still better than Kakashi, since she stole one of his journals and wrapped it as a present for herself. Yuki had never seen their older brother get so red before. They didn't get the appeal since it was mostly boring historical fantasy stuff in Kakashi's journals, but Chiyo seemed more entertained watching Kakashi loose it so maybe that was why she seemed to have started doing this weekly.
When it was finally returned to them, Yuki stared at the blade for a solid hour just appreciating it as thoroughly as he could. The mix of metals had leanded the blade a sharp white sheen, and the long body of the spear was made of a tough black wood, making the blade stand out ever further. Getting annoyed they asked Yosaku what he would name it, which was just Moonbeam Blade. Yuki didn't want that, but unable to come up with something better they gave it a slightly classed up version of it. Mūnbīmuburēdo.
Chiyo wasted zero time in drawing them as an over-dramatic feudal warrior with the spear saying something along the lines of ‘You aren't prepared for my transforming Moonbeam Blade technique.' It was put on the fridge much to their despair. Baba, who he was still getting used to calling that, had asked Yuki if they wanted a costume like the one in Chiyo's drawing, and all they could think of was the over-sized fox man bent over a tiny embroidery hoop. They declined while trying very hard not to burst out laughing.
It was very little consolation when Urushi and Yosaku told them it was really cool.
Kabuto's nose finished healing, and it was just a little smushed now, like Urushi's, their baby brother was strangely happy about it, even. When Yuki had asked, Kabuto had been beaming, talking about how he and Urushi looked like brothers now. They wished their brother's would stop causing trouble, but at least this was cute, unlike when Jun and Yugure decided to make a mess. (They'd glued Fu's work book together- every page, and then attempted to help unsuccessfully pry it open without admitting what they'd done, the excuse of their being little kids who didn't know what they were doing fell apart when Yugure clearly did know better.)
Saito was busy getting things ready for his business trip, they'd leave by the end of the month and he planned to stay a week or two so he'd be gone for the whole month with travel times. If the architecture project went through there was even talk of an official train route being laid down as a more permanent sign of peace. Yosaku had been talking their ear off about it since the information was accidentally leaked at dinner.
Yuki was a bit sad their oldest brother would be gone for so long, but if need be they knew their dad could go and check on him and make sure he was okay. Teleportaition seemed really useful. Other than Saito's trip, not much else was happening aside from a few rooms getting shuffled around.
Fu moved his bedroom down a floor, the one kidy-corner to Kakashi, next to Kabuto's room. Jun and Yugure got their own bedrooms, and the nursery was moved to the room they had had. Shin and Mei were still in the same room together for now, but Yuki expected when Megumi and Bashira were ready to move down they'd get their own rooms.
Yuki entered their own room, aware that an extremely chubby young dog had followed them down their- Mochi. She was almost a year old, they thought, but she was a butterball of a dog with no aggression that begged for whatever you were holding thinking it was food. She was dumb and clumsy, not particularly pretty, and she was in no way fit to be a guard dog. Yuki would kill for her.
Mochi took her rightful place on Yuki's futon and rolled until her belly was facing sky up. They pet her belly as she wriggled happily. They were supposed to be getting a safe place for the spear to hang up when not in use but instead they let themselves be trapped by the dog again, not physically but mentally as she consumed their full attention. They could decide in the morning.
“Mochi, I will become the most celebrated spearman, shinobi or not, in the whole world. And you will be the most spoiled puppy in the world.” They tapped her nose and she huffed softly at them but made no move to get up or show discomfort. “My chubby princess.” She laid patiently as Yuki dug out a paper crown from new years and placed it on the futon above her head so she looked like she was wearing it.
Most of the dogs were named after foods, but Mochi was special, because Yuki had named her that when she tried to steal their mochi. She had been following Yuki around for treats ever since, and Yuki more often than not gave in...
“Is this what papa meant when he told Jun he was full just watching her eat?” Yuki had given her a small piece of cheese they'd hidden in their pocket when in the kitchen earlier. Even the way she ate was cute....
She let them touch her paw pads, laying down beside her, staring at her intently.
"I hope you get even chubbier." Her whole tiny body moved when Yuki pet her belly, and she kicked her tiny feet at them before she started to snore happily. "You've never worried about anything in your whole life, have you?" She didn't answer, but Yuki vowed silently to keep it that way.
Chapter 107: For Now, Just Work
Summary:
Shikamaru isn't sure if he's seeing actual parallels or if he's just seeing coincidences, and Saito arrives in Sunagakure.
Chapter Text
“I'm making tea, do you want some?” Kurama looked up, he had been reading to their little ones and nodded happily, beaming.
“Something with lemon?” Shikamaru nodded, pausing to kiss his head before heading to the kitchen. Kurama had been a lot more... sedate than usual. He always enjoyed eating, and he was taking regular meals, drinking water even though he didn't really need to, and aside from seeming sleepy all the time, Shikamaru couldn't point to anything being wrong. Both he and Naruto noticed his smell was a bit strange, but nothing concerning, and his temperature was a bit hotter than usual but that just made him better to snuggle up with. He doubted a bijuu could't get a fever after all.
He was favoring flower teas, but he hadn't tried a lot of different types of tea so maybe he was just more fond of them? Shikamaru didn't want to overthink things, especially given Kurama hadn't had a body for very long, besides Kurama couldn't keep secrets from Naruto, and Naruto would definitely tell him if what he thought was happening was happening. Kurama might just be holding onto hope or maybe this was his way of preparing for it to actually work out mentally.
Besides, he had other things to worry about. Like how the mothers of all the people he grew up with were now apparently his patients. He'd excluded Sakura but her mother had been referred to him as she was having specific symptoms that often occur in a civilian who's carrying a shinobi pregnancy. Looking back they weren't dissimilar to the symptoms he'd had while forming Yugure's energy reserves...
Shinobi fetuses required more chakra to develop given they tended to have more robust chakra networks, and the specific type of exhaustion while not fatal could be extremely uncomfortable for the expectant mother. For civilians with small enough chakra reserves it could actually be dangerous, and Sakura's mother was right on the edge- Shikamaru had somehow gained the reputation as a specialist so she'd been referred to him.
Contrary to popular belief, there was a way to eat chakra rich foods, they just had such a small effect on shinobi that it would never be the go to. For a civilian woman with a small chakra reserve and a shinobi baby on the way, however, it was more than adequate. Honey contained a lot of chakra for instance, but thoroughly pasteurized honey was difficult to come by... outside of the village. Because the Aburame clan had scaled up production the village had a surplus of quality honey. Fruits also contained high amounts of nature chakra, and animal liver, specifically beef and pig liver, had an unusually high concentration of it. Not to mention plenty of iron. Seaweed had it, various types of fish both freshwater and saltwater, though those needed to be cooked very well to avoid illness given the weakened immune systems of those carrying, and dark greens tended to have them as well.
Shibi and his wife had been at the hospital a few days ago and he'd been relieved that Shino was safely delivered. Fu was friends with his cousin, and Naruto got along with Shibi during clan council meetings so he was staying updated from outside sources. The next of their friends to be born would be Sakura in March, then they'd be overwhelmed with summer babies.
He felt his gut clench thinking about Gaara and how his mother's death had just reached the village. Minato had said some unkind things when he'd come over to drink the night following the news with Kushina, Shikamaru couldn't blame him. Rasa had traded the life of both his wife and the well being of their son for a weapon. They could have at least waited until Gaara was born... Minato had been furious, at least drunk Minato was openly furious.
Kurama thanked him for the tea and he went to catch up on some household chores.
Kurama hadn't mentioned anything yet about the slightly altered menu, even if Naruto definitely knew why he was making things with more liver, or greens- they'd had seaweed in a side dish every night the last week, and there were a lot of honey candies in the treat cupboard now.
Shikamaru just wanted to know so that if it was something he should be concerned about... well he could over think it as much as he liked. He really should just check.
But... Kurama wanted a baby more than anything, if he knew he had one in there he wouldn't be able to shut up about it... right? Kurama should be bouncing off the walls. If that was what was happening.
He didn't want to jump to conclusions. Kurama behaved like a fox often enough, so he might also just be more tired than usual given it was winter and thus hibernation season. He'd give it a bit longer before he really started worrying. He really should be thinking more about his patients anyway, especially Haruno Tohru since she deserved more of his concern than most. It felt silly if he was honest.
For now, just work.
Saito decided that he didn't really like traveling that much. He had been given use of Kasumi, a large fox summons that had three twitching tails and thankfully liked walking to ride. He and his guards belongings were stored in scrolls to make the trip lighter, including food and water, but the fact was it would tale ages to get to Suna. He had been anxious with Danzo out and about in the world, so even though the journey had been sedate and unexciting he had paid for his escorts to be S rank. The fee was high but the sense of security he got was worth it.
Besides the last thing he'd want would be to accidentally put a less trained ninja in the path of Danzo. They'd already protected him from bandits, though strangely enough he wasn't scared of the few highway men who had popped up on the journey. Maybe because Kasumi could have easily handled them without even unseating him? It was good for the village economy however so he wouldn't complain too much.
The desert was unbearable. He disliked heat on principle and even wearing clothes meant to alleviate discomfort and protect his skin he was sweating, he had even made a few cooling seals for himself and his escorts but that didn't do much good. Maybe seals woven into clothing to wick water and dispel heat? He jotted it down in his notebook for later. He hoped the village would feel a bit cooler.
“Namikaze-san, we're only a few hours out now.” He was relieved. He might try to privately fund a train himself if it would mean never needing to walk through the desert like that again.
He would send ahead teleportation scrolls to various points along the way next time and just pop his way between them. He was never physically traveling the whole way like this again. Never .
The gate into Suna was small, and he understood the need for more space upon entering. This place was packed in. When it was established it was likely done so without thinking of needing space to grow into. It was highly defensible, but with how tightly packed the houses were...
He found himself removing his notebook and starting to write down ideas already- not for the cliffs. With how much sand there was... and with the right seals it could be formed into glass...
“Namikaze Saito, yes?” He jumped slightly, giving the man who'd spoken his full attention. He recognized the merchant who'd represented the group wanting the cliff development.
“Saaf, right?” They shook hands.
“Come, we've prepared lodgings for your stay, a guide has been arranged for the morning and if there's anything you need for your surveying let me know.” Right, he had a job to do.
For now, just work.
Chapter 108: Long Overdue
Summary:
Jiraiya finally has a chance to apologize about a full year after the fact.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“You're so lame, what is that?”
“Huh? It's supposed to be Pakkun.” Obito looked up from his snow sculpture and Kakashi burst out laughing.
“I thought it was a toad.” Obito flushed, before flinging a snowball at Kakashi who let himself be hit.
He stumbled dramatically as if given a dying blow and fell in the snow beside Obito. When he reached out a mittened hand, Obito took it, smiling.
Kakashi was so happy. His foster family was doing well, and they loved him, he was gaining respect as a shinobi from adults outside of his family, and of course, he had Obito. Things were going especially well on that front.
They had a lot of dates where they just wandered around, holding hands, every so often they'd share short kisses that made him feel like he was full of bees.
To make up for forgetting his birthday he gave Kakashi a plant he'd apparently named already- Mr. Ukki. Kakashi loved the stupid plant but wouldn't ever say as much. He also did not write the epilogue of his totally normal romantic historical fantasy as the titular lovers hatching a dragon and naming it Ukki, raising the shape-shifting lizard as their own son. No one could prove it. Chiyo having started to refer to his plant as prince Ukki was a coincidence. He was still looking for cracks in his defenses.
“Oh, Kashi, do you want to go to the bookstore in the root market with me later? I heard you can preorder the next Gutsy Shinobi book.” He jumped, excited.
“Yes! Can't we leave now?”
“I thought you were waiting for Chiyo to get home to tell her to stop going in your room?” Kakashi deflated.
“Oh. Yeah...”
It was while laying in the snow of their lawn he spotted a head of white hair. Wasn't that...
He barked out of instinct, which startled Obito and got the dogs barking in turn. The man jumped slightly, and Inei opened the door to see what the hell was happening.
“Oh. Jiraiya.” Inei crossed his arms, foot tapping.
“Is uh... Is Haruki home? I...” He had a paper bag, probably an apology gift. He'd been busy so he hadn't tried to intercept Haruki for a while, but he was still trying to apologize for something that had happened months and months ago.
Obito was finger combing his hair, so he wouldn't do something else silly like bark again, and Kakashi watched Inei's jaw grind for a moment before sighing, letting him in. The door closed and Kakashi was up, running around the outside of the house until he was near the living room windows, Obito clumsily following.
“Snooping?”
“Hell yeah were snooping.”
Jiraiya was already a little afraid of Inei before the full Yokai thing, now... ugh, it was worse. He'd never been let inside before and if they could reconcile he wanted to ask so many questions, but for now he was more worried Haruki wouldn't forgive him.
A new information network was picking up the slack, so Jiraiya had more free time for spending around the village. He'd spent most of it with Minato and Kushina, as well as his old squad. He wasn't ready to retire yet, but he had a feeling Minato was slowly pushing him toward that.
He was seated and Inei left him alone for a moment to start making tea. He nearly jumped when a chubby brunette child cornered hard into the living room and was soon hiding under the kotatsu. A boy with silvery gray hair popped his head in, looking about before creeping toward the couch to look behind it. The kid was a little unsteady, but he had confidence.
“Meimei?” The child's soft voice was barely a whisper.
“Are you two playing hide and seek?” Inei had returned with a tea tray, and the tiny boy nodded. “Have you checked everywhere ?” The boy seemed to think it over, before looking under the kotatsu. The little girl squealed and tackled him into a hug, taking them both down in the process. Inei used his foot to cushion their fall and set the tray down on the kotatsu. “Don't be too rough with your brother, Mei.” He gestured for Jiraiya to take his cup, and it was just in time as the children smacked the side of the kotatsu with their roughhousing. A small bowl of shucked sunflower seeds is partially spilled on the tray but it doesn't seem to bother Inei.
He simply gestured for Jiraiya to get to the point as the two toddlers struggle to climb up onto the couch.
“I was hoping Haruki would be here, I've been trying to apologize to him for months.” Inei just hummed, sipping his tea.
“My husband is still upset with you. You understand why, don't you?” Jiraiya did. He and Haruki had hit it off, likely to quickly become good friends, but he'd fucked that up. He had a duty to the village, but he should have gone to Haruki first with his concerns. What's worse was Danzo had gotten involved. Jiraiya had never liked him to begin with, he was a slimy creep, but he'd still been surprised to hear everything that had been going on, and Jiraiya knew that at the very least his involvement in the whole problem had likely sped it up if not actually made things worse for the two and their family..
They had been new to the village and stabbed in the back. Minato had only recently actually forgiven him, but he wouldn't go out drinking with Jiraiya if he didn't reconcile with Haruki. But Haruki had been avoiding him in increasingly elaborate ways. The last time he had even spotted him at the mission desk and Haruki had locked eyes with him, picked up a random S-rank scroll, and informed the chunin he'd been chatting with he'd get right to the assignment before vanishing in a puff of smoke that left everyone bewildered until they noticed him. Not knowing why they were seemingly feuding but aware the two weren't around each other on principal.
“At the time I thought I was making the right choice for the village. I thought the old man would take the news better given everything you two had done up until that point. I stand by that he needed to know, but I should have let Haruki tell him himself. I had sensei would have used more discretion and that Danzo wouldn't have been aware, but looking back that was foolish. I made a mistake, and I'm prepared to accept the consequences of that mistake whatever they might be.” Inei smiled, shaking his head.
“Apology accepted, perv.” He blinked wide eyed as the henge he hadn't detected suddenly popped, and Haruki was sitting where Inei had been.
“How the hell did you do that?!” Jiraiya had been sure it was Inei. He even got the weird feeling of dread the other man gave him- like heartburn. That was more than just a good henge, that was scary .
“Language.” Haruki glared, picking both children up and setting them one by one on his knees, they giggled as he grabbed the bowl of sunflower seeds and the two children began to pick the individual seeds up one by one to eat them. “And after Shadow Clones, the henge is my best jutsu.”
“Knew papa.” The little girl looked up at Haruki while saying it, and he folded to nuzzle her with his cheek.
“Our Meimei is so smart.”
The boy made an indignant sound and Haruki nuzzled him too.
“By the way, Kurama should be around here somewhere, you want to meet him?”
“... who?”
“Y'know. The fox.” Jiraiya's stomach twisted in knots suddenly. Oh . No he really didn't. There was shouting from outside and a young girl with red hair ran in, eyes blazing, Kakashi, Minato's student, on her heels. They were ducking and weaving in and out of rooms it seemed.
“Stop going through my things!”
“Stop writing feudal era fanfiction of yourself and your boyfriend then!”
“Stop running in the house!” A deep voice he did not recognize nearly shook the walls, and Kakashi was grabbed by the back of his jacket. “If you two are going to fight, do it outside.” Jiraiya thought Haruki was big. It took an embarrassingly long moment to notice the tails and ears.
“Tell Chiyo to stop going through my stuff!”
“Tell Kakashi to stop leaving his stupid diary out where anyone can read it!”
“Shh!” Both teens quieted and he set Kakashi down, “Obito seems to be waiting for you outside. And Chiyo, I recall you promising to help your sisters paint the screens on their rooms this afternoon. Now go. ” Both grumbled, going different ways, and the big red headed fox tailed man turned and- was he holding a baby in one arm?
“Yo.” The man grumbled at Haruki, adjusting the bored looking infant.
“Give me Shin.”
“Why?” But Haruki was lifting the boy up to hand him over.
“He ran away from me when I was marking his height on the door to the kitchen. He will be returned once I’ve finished.”
“Meimei!” The tot dramatically reached for the little girl, who reached back.
“Shinshin!” The two toddlers started to cry.
“Should... Should I leave?” He hadn't known what he expected, but he should have known these guys would still be weirdos. Of course the literal embodiment of destruction and rage had a body and was doing weird doting housewife/mother things while Haruki impersonated his husband as some sort of test.
“If you want. I'll stop avoiding you in public.” He stood with the sniffling little girl, and Jiraiya was politely guided out of the house.
He needed a drink.
Notes:
I feel like Naruto cares more about the sincerity of the apology over it being timely or thoughtful or even comprehensive of everything they need to apologize for. (Look at Sasuke.)
For any wondering, Shikamaru was at work, he knows Naruto can pretty accurately henge as him, so the only rule he has with that is that he has to be in character and can't do things Shikamaru never would. That still leaves room for a lot of weird stuff but at least he'd never henge as Shikamaru and walk into an adult book store.
Chapter 109: Bloom
Summary:
Shin notice's something on his sister's face.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shin was pouting but held still as his baba marked his height. His eyes drifted to Sai.
Sai was loud. He had to be carried everywhere, he was tiny, and Shin didn't really feel one way or the other about him. He perked up, hearing Meimei run giggling toward him. Baba let him go so Shin met her halfway, hugging where they ran into one another. Meimei was his best friend. They did everything together.
She tugged his hand and they carefully scooted down the steps, baba following them with baby Sai. He pulled Meimei ahead with him toward their room, excited to pull out their blocks.
Baba sat on the floor and helped them stack blocks, at least until Uhari started crying for help getting out of her crib after her nap and he went to collect her.
Shin was trying to negotiate a large bridge block when he noticed something on Meimei's cheek.
“Paint?” He reached out to touch her cheek and she made a disgruntled sound.
“Shinshin...” She rubbed her cheek but the blue smudge on her cheek didn't go anywhere. Sai wondered what that was, but it didn't seem to bother her so Shin wasn't too worried.
They heard crying and both snuck to the nursery, looking in they saw that their baba was rocking Sai, Uhari was free and crawled her way toward them. Their baba began to make soft little yips and rumbles, laying Sai on the changing table. Uhari tried to use Shin to stand and they shocked each other. He was very brave and tough because he didn't cry when she purposefully shocked him again. Uhari was mean.
“My little cub.” He began to hum, a deep low rumble that always made Shin giggle as it rumbled his own chest.
Shin waited. Baba finished changing his little brother, picking him up again and carefully nuzzled his tiny nose, baby Sai burbled at him.
“Goodness, why are we just standing around?” Uhari had made grabby hands to be picked up, shocking him too, no doubt, but he didn't seem to mind, while Shin led them back toward the stairs where he and his sister carefully climbed them one by one. They had been practicing, and their papa had drawn some silly pictures on the steps so they didn't fall. The same pictures kept them from going too far down, Shin had checked.
“Where's the baby parade headed?” Papa was near the top of the stairs, and Shin turned to head toward the room with the big table. He and Meimei liked to play under it.
“We're following Shin.” He felt proud to be the leader, and soon papa followed them too.
Daddy came home not long after looking tired.
“I shouldn't have to go back in for a few days.” He sat on the floor by the table and reached out to pat both Shin and Meimei’s heads, he hesitated, “Were you finger painting with the kids?”
“Huh? No, not after last time.” Papa shuddered, bending to look under the table.
“Mei's got something on her face...” Shin chased after when she was scooped up and brought to the kitchen, set beside the sink, and their daddy was soon gently washing her cheeks. “It's not coming up...”
“Meimei?” he tugged on his daddy's pants to try and get his attention.
“What could it be if it isn't paint?”
Shin was scooped up under his armpits and sat beside her on the counter and he took her hand. The flecks of blue on her cheeks were slightly surrounded by pink from trying to wash them off. Their daddy held one of her cheeks.
“I'm not finding anything unusual... maybe I should ask Tsunade...”
“They kinda look like the beginnings of clan marks.” Shin touched the blue flecks on his sisters face, since they sounded special, she grabbed his hand and pulled it toward herself.
“We'll just need to keep an eye on them in case its something serious.”
“Those are Akamichi all right.” Choza had stopped by to inspect her cheeks, since they'd ruled out Inuzuka already given the color, they'd since gotten a fair amount darker, going from flecks of sky blue to a deep almost purple shade of dark blue. They'd also been filling in, starting to take the shape of two six pointed stars. “Definitely. You can tell because the poors are actually lighter inside than the outer skin, whereas if it were dye or paint it would be darker because it gathered there.”
“Huh.” Shikamaru watched him gently prod the edge of one star, looking interested.
“She's about the right age for it too, if she's an Akamichi, even only half. The marks should finish coming in within the next week, and they'll start to lighten as she gets older.” He tapped his own, which were a mid-range shade of purple, and Shikamaru knew they'd been lilac by his death about twenty years later.
“The shapes a bit complex though, isn't it?”
“Mhmm, not really. Stars are uncommon but I've seen one or two before. Our clan believes your destiny can be hinted at based on the marks you receive as a child, I can try and figure out what her's say about her.”
“Would you?” Mei scrubbed her cheeks after they were touched. “I really can't thank you enough...”
“Don't mention it!” Choza lifted Mei up in the air, grinning, “Now don't forget little one, I'm Choza oji now, alright? We're family too!” She kicked him square in mouth, and Shikamaru flinched. She got that from Naruto... Choza just laughed it off, thankfully, “What a strong kick! Make sure you eat well and grow up strong.” She hid her face in Shikamaru's shoulder when she was given back.
Choza had made no mention of trying to take Mei given she was part of his clan. Technically speaking this was a great opportunity to further legitimize their clan, as well as establish a lasting bond with the Akamichi clan. It mattered a lot less than Mei continuing to remain in their care, however. He kissed the top of her head as she kept pouting against his shoulder.
Shikamaru had thought Mei was maybe a little more plump for her age than normal, but her being an Akamichi made sense. Choza had implied he knew who may have fathered her, but given the man hadn't stepped up after Mei's mother died he wasn't going to allow him to try and claim her now. It was quite the relief for Shikamaru, granted anyone stupid enough to try and steal one of his children was a dead man walking.
Choza said his goodbyes and Shikamaru turned his attention to Mei, who was playing with the stud in his ear.
“Having fun?”
“Yeah.”
Who would have thought one of their kids shared blood with a clan? Usually they kept better track of their members- the Hyuuga were especially famous for shaking down mothers of illegitimate clan children to protect their bloodline. At Least they got to deal with Choza and not Hiashi. That would have been a nightmare.
“M'hungry.” He bounced her on his hip, walking her toward the kitchen.
“Can't have that, can we? Do you want some fruit and granola to split with Sai?” She nodded excitedly and he went to get something together.
The older kids were responsible for their own snacks, but Mei and Shin were too little so a few times a day they'd get a small snack to split from Shikamaru or Kurama. Naruto would give them snacks whenever they made puppy eyes at him so he had to be watched or the kids might get a stomach ache.
Naruto was making bread, it seemed, since he'd been given a few days off he'd already gone stir crazy.
He let Mei smack the dough.
“She's an Akamichi. Choza's looking up what her marks are supposed to mean.” Naruto made a sound of interest as he re-covered the dough.
“That's a relief.”
It really was. If they'd had a child from any other clan there could have been a dispute about who they belonged with. Choza was extremely family oriented so he wouldn't make an attempt to remove their daughter from their home, but if it had been a kekkei genkai instead of clan marks to appear, it may have been a different story.
Fugaku and Mikoto would have eventually found a settlement for Mei's well being, but the Hyuga would not. They'd keep trying to remove her until they either succeeded or she reached adulthood and had to start fighting on her own against them. Getting the laws reformed to prevent the Hyuga family curse mark should be prioritized, lest Neji be put under its thumb again, but at the same time it was extremely difficult to protest against a clan's individual rules. He finished putting two small bowls together, one with raspberries the other with granola, and brought both and Mei to the living room where he found Kurama with the rest of their younger children.
She was set down, and both children dug into their snack as Shikamaru sat beside Kurama, throwing his legs over the bigger man's lap to get comfortable, one hand going to stroke Sai's sleeping cheek.
“So?”
“Akamichi.” He looked relieved too. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as the children began to play with their snack, and Yugure had quietly snuck out of the room with Jun not so quietly following after.
Notes:
My personal head cannon for clan marks being that real ones appear after a few years, though some children are born with them already. I think that would be more common in the Inuzuka clan than the Akamichi.
I probably won't do too many perspective chapters from he really young kids, since I don't have any other's planned, but I hope I didn't mess up dialog too much.
Chapter 110: Out of Office
Summary:
Saito's dad comes to (visit him) finish a mission in Suna. Having your dad at work is surprisingly stressful.
Chapter Text
A small group of representatives of the village had been sent to Suna while Saito was staying to complete his work, and they greeted him politely. He wasn't sure why they were here, but as a civilian he tried to show them basic respect. They were in talks with the Kasakage, and though he had no idea what for, he reasoned it was something important for the village.
“Saito-sama, would you mind joining us tomorrow?” He had been sharing a meal with them at the inn, and severely missing his family's cooking- it wasn't that the food was bad, it was just... very different from the things he usually ate and after over a week he was starting to feel a bit homesick and the food wasn't helping.
“What, when you meet the kage?” They nodded and he balked. “Why?” Usually meeting another village's kage was unheard of for a civilian, granted most civilians from Konoha weren't related to the hokage, but the point that Saito was neither a diplomat or a high ranking shinobi who would have reason to meet the Kazekage.
“It's regarding the construction of a permanent rail line between villages. We'd like your opinion.” He cursed himself for having made such a name for himself in architecture but hesitantly agreed. He privately wanted to question what raising buildings had to do with laying railroad tracks, but they might need seals to keep said tracks free of sand so he decided to keep his mouth shut since he wasn't sure why they wanted him there.
As he learned the next morning, the rail line project, though genuine, had been an excuse to have his dad bring something to Suna that the group from Konoha had 'forgotten'. There had been reports that Danzo had been spotted in the country, and he had the range to find him if he was hiding out so long as he could spend a bit of time in Sunagakure, given the village was closer to the heart of the country. He had just needed an excuse to make the trip, a non combat mission to Suna. If they could see his mission records for the last seven months had him almost constantly working in the hospital the other village may have gotten a bit suspicious, but Inei really was the only person who could travel the way he did, and the time saved was actually crucial given the documents he brought weren't fake, but rather actually needed for the discussions.
It didn't change the fact that he met his dad in the Kazekage's office and was handed a tube of papers, ones that had the proposed budget. He was offered to stay until the end of the day which he took, citing how he'd missed his son (that meant Saito who felt embarrassed that his dad was praising him like he was in front of people). It was what he expected given his dad was just quietly following him around for the afternoon as he continued his surveying work on the cliff sides, which was slow going since he couldn't stick to the walls like everyone else around him at the time could. Maybe he should seriously consider making the 'spider shoes' that his younger sisters had been bothering him about from New Years day to the minute he left home to come here. It would certainly make this grunt work a lot easier- it may also make working on future projects safer...
Aside from writing the idea down and starting to form a potential seal for it in his note book while waiting for another sample of the rock could be drilled out to check it's composition, he really did keep busy the whole time. He felt a bit proud, given his dad had never seen him work before and he hoped his dad was impressed with how diligent he was. It seemed a silly thing to want but at the very least he knew that no part of Inei watching him was judgmental.
That night he was informed he, the delegation, and his dad would be sharing a meal with the Kazekage, and he promptly had a very quiet and contained melt down as his dad pat his back trying to sooth him. It was way too much pressure for him to have already met the man, now he was expected to eat with him? He didn't work himself up to the point of needing a seditive, thankfully, but he was made to lay down while his dad chose his clothes for the night- he left and bought some since most of Saito's clothes he'd brought needed to be washed, and those remaining were meant to be worn while working and thus stained with paint, ink, and a bit choppy from being cut up by rocks and worn down from repeat washings that never got the aforementioned ink or paint out.
The meal with lord Rasa that evening before his dad would go back and he could return to his actual work was enough to give him indigestion he was so nervous. He excused himself as early as possible, then felt like a baby because he got a hug goodbye from his dad- he couldn't say no to the hug either because his dad would have actually been hurt if he had and for all the annoyance he had, he loved his parents and didn't want to disappoint any of them. Also if it had been Haruki instead he would have been even more embarrassed because his papa might actually cry over how grown up Saito was. In front of a bunch of high level shinobi and the kage of Suna. And he would have done it without any shame. (But Saito would have had to live with it.)
He hardly remembered getting back to the inn and changing out of his uncomfortable dress clothes. His dad had slipped two antacid tablets into his pocket and he was grateful for them. He stayed up for a bit to work on the seal for those shoes again, he'd wait to test them until he got home, since he didn't like the idea of falling off the side of a cliff. It was around midnight when he actually turned in, needing extra blankets because as hot as it was during the day, it was freezing at night. He'd need to remember that when they designed the residential area's for the cliff.
Because he left early he missed the issues that followed, blissfully unaware anything was wrong until the morning when they questioned if he'd helped stage a kidnapping. He was cleared within an hour, but it had been... a bit scary to be honest. Maybe he shouldn't have left early after all.
Chapter 111: Dissplacement
Summary:
When people ask you to bring souvenirs back from your trip, they definitely don't mean like this.
Alternately, if you sign a big important binding document saying you'll comply with a verbal agreement, then you might have to comply with the binding verbal agreement.
Notes:
For any worried that he does this out of nowhere and Rasa had no warning- Rasa is very aware that Inei is a yokai, that he could be tricked into making a deal with him if he isn't careful with wording, and had been warned during the peace accords very explicitly to choose his words around the man carefully. If he fails to do so it's more or less his own fault even if the consequences affect more than just him.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Danzo had not been in Suna, but he took the day to spend it with his son. Saito was tanning, sort of, burning mostly, and he looked tired but excited. Early testing proved the cliff could be compatible with the construction method, and he'd alluded to a project that could turn all of Sunagakure into an artificial greenhouse, but that one was more fantasy than anything else. It was still good to see him excited. He did seem weirdly excited about the long and boring process of taking rock samples, measurements, and careful note taking on areas of the cliff, since he'd been doing about the same for days at this point, but if his son didn't mind the busy work he wasn't going to complain either. He did feel a bit sleepy given how bright a day it was while they were out together.
They had dinner with Rasa that night, who was even more gruff than the last they'd met, tired too. Shikamaru knew why . Gaara was a newborn, and Shukaku was likely taking advantage of the fact that his host needed so much sleep. But keeping the baby awake was akin to child abuse. He did always wonder how they'd managed it, but knowing he just might find out was a bit like watching a deadly accident occur and not having the power to jump in and stop it. He had to remain uninvolved.
His poor boy clearly felt too stressed and practically ran away, not before he could hide something for his upset stomach on his person during a hug goodbye. He really felt lucky to have the kid as a son, especially because if one of his parents had tried to hug him when he was seventeen in front of other's he would have run away and never returned home. Instead Saito had actually hugged him back before scurrying off.
Yashamaru unexpectedly arrived after most of the rest of the group from Konoha had left, Shikamaru had stayed back to answer a few questions Rasa had had about their medical program. Trailing behind him dressed for bed was a toddler Kankuro (walking quite early given his age), and an only slightly older Temari. In his arms was a fussy, too small infant. Yashamaru looked surprised to see Shikamaru, but he made no comment. He noticed the uneasy way Yashamaru was watching Rasa and could almost feel it in his bones that something had happened to make the young man so nervous, and recently too.
Rasa looked at his crying son with cold eyes. Yashamaru was asking Rasa to watch over Gaara while he slept to protect the village from Shukaku, they called him the Ichibi, but Shikamaru was to familiar with him to call him that, but Rasa was having none of it. Did he hate his son for killing his wife? Or was he scared because of Shukaku? What a fool, given Gaara was simply the end product of his own actions.
“Will you shut him up?” Something dark etched up his throat. Gaara was a good kid, he just needed help. He remembered him as a gentle soul, one who'd changed for the better the moment he was given the chance. Gaara would suffer here, and he knew Kankuro and Temari wouldn't be better off, being ignored by their father for not having their families iron sand ability. Spares. Only ever given attention when their father could gain something from it.
“May I try? I have a baby at home not much older than him.” It came out, soft, kind. Yashamaru hesitated. He clearly needed help, since he'd definitely been watching all three children, not just Gaara at this point in time.
“He's... special... you might get hurt.” A warning, cute.
“I can handle it.” And then Gaara, so small and fragile, was in his arms. He weighed less than Sai when he first entered their home, maybe only four pounds, he had a full head of fluffy red hair, and he already had dark circles forming under his eyes. Shikamaru pulsed his chakra faintly, shifting the baby in his hold so he could hear Shikamaru's heart beat soothingly beside his head. Gaara gradually began to quiet, and he scanned his body to assess his condition and didn't like what he found. Gaara was less than a month old and he already was showing signs of stress internally, his stunted growth was likely caused by lack of sleep too.
The others in the room looked anxious as Gaara drifted to sleep, sand in the room swirled up but Shikamaru smothered Shukaku’s attempt with his own energy. After a moment Gaara was fast asleep and curled against his chest. He could feel the one tail trying to push up, but he physically couldn't manifest his chakra outside of Gaara's body with Shikamaru pushing him down like this. Gaara snored softly, but Shikamaru felt a rage he hadn't in months building as he stared down at the thick black bruising and bags under the infant's eyes. He wasn't even a full month old yet.
“I don't believe it...”
“Yashamaru, take the children to bed.” Rasa looked dumbfounded. Shikamaru spoke without overthinking it again, it came almost instinctually.
“I can take them, Yashamaru, would you accompany me?” There was no one remaining from Konoha in the small dinning space, no one who knew to warn Rasa as the air took on a slightly electric tang. The words carried more weight than they ought to have, and he waited almost breathlessly for two responses.
“If it means Gaara can sleep longer by all means, take them.” Rasa looked relieved, if only slightly. Yashamaru had relaxed himself. There was half.
“I can show you the way.” And the other. He'd picked up his niece and nephew, and Shikamaru put an arm around his shoulders, eyes fully black as he looked to Rasa and the shadows of the room moved.
“I accept your deal.”
The shadows under them swelled, and Yashamaru made a confused noise of panic as soon they sunk into the shadows.
He had never traveled between villages like this, and certainly not with another person, let alone four. He wrapped them in a protective layer of chakra that functioned as an air pocket, and raced back toward Konoha.
Naruto was outside with the twins, trying to pull a new sweater on one of the larger dogs when a shadow spat them out. Yashamaru was able to set the children down before he doubled over and vomited. The children seemed dizzy and began to cry, and Gaara stirred, though Shikamaru pulsed his chakra and soon got him sleeping again.
“Shika.”
“I may have acted rashly.”
Naruto pulled the dogs head out of the head hole of the sweater and sent the kids inside before coming over to check on Yashamaru.
“This is...”
“Yashamaru, brother-in-law of the current Kazekage. And Rasa's children who I may have tricked him into letting me take...”
Naruto covered his face with his hands for a moment, pulling them slowly down.
“That isn't the reason you went there.”
“I don't know why I did it either.” He looked down at Gaara as Naruto helped the disoriented man up, before carefully picking up the two tots. “I just... saw how horribly he was being treated by his father and I...”
“Okay, but what about the other kids? And Yashamaru?”
“If I just took the baby I was worried what Rasa would do to him, and if he's treating one child so poorly...”
Naruto sighed. Yashamaru was too disoriented to know what was happening, so he made a shadow clone to scoop the man up and led them inside, down to a spare room where futons were laid out and Shikamaru sat holding Gaara as the three others were put to bed.
“I'll talk to Minato in the morning...”
Yashamaru was confused, scared, and defenseless when he woke the next morning feeling as if his bones had all solidified into one single piece of rock. Temari and Kankuro were asleep beside him, and sitting by the door with a bottle in hand was the man from the night before, carefully feeding his nephew.
The room was unfamiliar in design, and the air felt different- a bit humid and warmer, the smell of plant life and damp earth heavy around them.
“You can sleep more, if you're still tired.” He nearly jumped, even knowing he was there he'd been sure the man was fully focused on Gaara. “It can't have been easy for you, you probably got even less sleep than he did.” His eyes bounced down to Gaara again, his complexion looked a bit better, and the bags under his eyes seemed smaller but not yet gone.
“Who are you?”
“Namakazi Inei.” The man offered, “The yokai. Before you get upset it's really Rasa's fault. You need to be careful with your words around me. I asked if I could take the children and have you come with, and he gave me permission so long as I helped Gaara sleep longer.” The man smiled at him, tired and self assured, “He has no one to blame but himself.”
Yashamaru wanted to protest that this was definitely all Inei's fault, but it died in his throat when the implications finally caught up to him. The yokai . And his brother-in-law had told him he could take the children without a second thought. The rest hit him like a hammer. He also gave permission for the yokai to take him .
He'd heard some pretty gruesome stories...
“Daddy, papa and baba thought you'd be hungry.” Two little girls opened the screen, one had a tray with food, the other had what looked like a thermos of tea. They stared at him before whispering to one another, turning to give the yokai an incredulous look.
“Daddy, we don't want another father.”
“Yeah, three is enough, silly daddy.”
“He's a guest. Stop saying weird things about me.” The girls giggled, eyeing the baby and the sleeping tots.
“New siblings?” He just hummed. Gaara finished his bottle and began to cry softly, Yashamaru braced for a disaster but...
The yokai shifted the baby to pat his back, cleaning his face of milk once he'd burped, and then got up to pace the room, gently rocking his nephew until he was asleep once again. No sand spirit emerged this time either. He blinked.
“How are you doing that?”
“Shukaku is a pushover.” The yokai was smiling down at his nephew, and turned a curious eye towards him. “You should eat, it'll take some time to get settled here.”
“Do I... live here now?” The girls had run off at some point, and he was surprised to see a large gray dog sniff its way into the room, a small fat one following it.
“If you'd like. We can make you your own lodgings on the grounds if you'd prefer. Welcome to Konoha, by the way.” Konoha. He'd only been here once or twice, but the air felt so... strange. Different than he remembered.
“Am I a prisoner?” He stared as a shadow moved the tray and thermos to him.
“Ah... no. I don't believe so. You could go back... but... I may have made it difficult for you.”
Yashamaru stared at his peacefully sleeping nephew, then at the still asleep tangle that were his other nephew and niece.
His brother-in-law had never been particularly close with his children, but he made time for them while his sister was still alive. When she died, his time for them seemed to end as well. He only ever looked at Gaara with disgust and barely concealed fear.
Maybe, at least for a little while, they could stay here. Until things could be properly sorted out.
“I'll stay, keep an eye on them.”
“You're a good uncle, Yashamaru.” He felt, privately, that since he'd been unable to stop his own kidnapping, let alone theirs, that he probably wasn't...But didn't want to say as much to the man who'd yanked him halfway across the continent in a single night.
Temari wasn't exactly sure how they got here. She had thought that the night before was a dream. The dango was definitely real, however. It was sweet and chewy, and she got to choose a few different flavors from the plate. Kankuro was nibbling one that Yashamaru had carefully cut up for him since he had trouble biting things cleanly still, wide eyes looking around the room from their uncle's lap. This place was magic, she was sure of it.
There was a big fox man in an apron, a man who looked like him without being a fox kept bringing in snacks and asking her how she was doing, the man who'd been there when they woke up could make the shadows dance around, and there were dogs and foxes all over. She saw snow outside the windows, but the balcony inside that went down for what must be a mile was covered in verdant green plants twining up and down the railings and supports. Some were flowering and the scent made the air taste sweet. Temari looked only a bit nervously toward the big blonde man, who was rocking her sleeping baby brother. Usually Gaara got scary when he slept, but he looked just like the other baby in the room.
Yugure, the other girl her age that lived in this magic place, offered her another strawberry dango. She wondered where her father was, but since her uncle seemed calm she wasn't worried. It was sometimes weeks between seeing her father, especially around the time just before and after Gaara was born. Another big blonde man seemed to pop out of nowhere and she clapped at the trick, Kankuro followed her lead, clapping as well.
“Inei, I really don't ask for much.” The man was rubbing his temples, “What exactly happened?”
“I acted rashly, but stand by my actions.” The shadow man shrugged.
“If I ordered you to send them back would you?”
“No.” She gasped as his eyes turned black, the blonde stranger raised his hands and took a step back.
“Okay. I'll try and... talk to Rasa then....”
“His hands are tied.” The biggest blonde man had come to stand behind her, patting her head. He offered her a sippy cup of milk and she accepted it eagerly. “He signed the same accords as everyone else. As much as he must regret it, he made a deal.”
“He was tricked.” Her uncle stated, softly, and she stared at him. He'd been very quiet all of today.
“But he knew who Inei was, and that he should be careful with his words.”
Temari didn't mean to, but she yawned then, rubbing her eyes. It had been a very long and exciting day, after all, in this fairy-tale place she found herself in.
“Do you want to sleepover in my room?” Yugure offered her hand, and Temari took it, rubbing her eyes.
“You can borrow some pajamas for now...” The big fox man took her free hand, then the little girl, Jun's hand, and lead them away toward the bathroom.
She brushed her teeth, they had a purple toothbrush with little butterflies for her, and then they went down one of the stair case, the one that went up and down, not just down. She picked out a nightie, and the fox man helped the other little girl change clothes, she could do her own.
The beds were different here, like giant cushions on the floor, and two were laid down in the center of the room- the quilts had pretty patterns and were very fluffy. Jun walked her to find a stuffed animal to sleep with and she chose one that looked like a lizard with a blue tongue sticking out, while Jun grabbed a frog and Yugure took a fox. Jun curled up under Yugure's blanket, and the big fox man kissed their heads, a few other older children, whom she was still learning the names of, came to sit by the door in their pajamas, and they listened to the bedtime story the fox man read before leaving for their own rooms, she supposed.
Yugure's room was like a princess, with lots of dolls, and interesting things all about, there were painted flowers on the walls of varying skill levels, and some lit up in the darkness. She heard paws and a large green fox shuffled its way in, the two girls next to her greeted it sleepily.
“Hello, little princesses, bew.” She had the voice of a beautiful woman, like mother had. The fox licked their cheeks, before looking at Temari, “So far from home, bew... But it's okay, we'll take good care of you, sand princess, bew.” She was nuzzled by a cold wet nose attached to a warm, silkily furred snout.
Talking animals too. This place was like a dream.
She wished mother had come too, from wherever she had gone. Maybe she could bring her father and they could all spend time together as a family, this time with Gaara too.
Notes:
I have been waiting for this since I started writing this fic. These two clowns 'surprise' adopting Gaara and his siblings was the second thing I wanted to happen when I was coming up with this story, right behind Yokai!Shikamaru. It took over a hundred chapters and nearly two hundred and thirty thousand words, but my little guy is now in a safe and loving home.
Poor Yashamaru is just along for the ride, he's free to go home if he wants but is choosing to stay at least for the time being.
Chapter 112: A First, A Fourth, A Five Hundred and Thirty Seventh
Summary:
A Birthday.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was her birthday. Technically her first, officially her fourth, and in reality her five hundred and thirty seventh, rounding since she didn't know when exactly she'd been formed as a yokai. She had started as a dust spirit, in either case, no parents then . She'd actually eaten the other dust spirits around her (quite common for low level spirits to do, especially of the same kind), and once big enough had learned to gamble- she was extraordinarily lucky, and her taste for competition meant she was wagering her life force against other yokai who were chiefly denizen of the night. She'd quit entirely after playing a young dark kitsune in five rounds of Cho-Han, and after the fifth watching him turn to nil. Yokai, most at least, quit when their life force got so low as to actually disband their consciousness completely. It could recover slowly, over a long time, the more you usually had the stronger you got- and the kitsune she'd technically more or less eaten had already had four tails. It had been the first time watching another spirit effectively die had upset her, as eating the other dust spirits hadn't bothered her since they seemed to be unintelligent.
She felt horrible about it, and had sworn off gambling- she was also such a prolific gambler, and so changed by all the life force she'd intaken during the time she was still gambling she was no longer a dust spirit, and rather something odd and new all together. After eating the kitsune she got control over the shadows, and as she aged over the next four hundred years she found that power growing considerably. By eating it whole it seemed she'd taken on the kitsune ability to grow more powerful just by living a long life.
Her own new affinity with foxes lead her to the valley when she finally grew too guilty to continue living in the mortal world. It was so curious that a deer bore her former life now- her daddy's human born affinity was with stag so he retained none of her formerly gained fox qualities. Yet he'd chosen a fox as his life companion.
It was all a bit curious to her.
Kurama was carefully brushing out her hair, still long and black, longer than a year before when it reached the back of her neck. Now it reached her mid back, having grown very quickly. She wasn't as small either, as big as Temari now, bigger than Itachi by a hair though he was tiny for a boy his age.
Jun had picked out her party clothes, rusty red colored overalls and a white shirt with toads on it, her favorite purple hanten over the whole thing.
She took the steps up two, three at a time, and ran into her daddy's arms. Sometimes when they hugged she could still feel a piece of herself resonating with him. Papa scooped her up next, putting her on his shoulder while she squealed.
Saito and Minato were both busy and far away right then, so they'd miss her birthday but that was okay. Oji sent her a lovely card, and her oba looked as if she'd brought a present, and her nii-chan had sent a gift all the way from Suna, even if it might not be much. Her daddy took her back and she was soon surrounded by family all wishing her a happy birthday.
She was warm, surrounded by loved ones, her friends and family, with lots of tasty foods to eat.
Kakashi hugged her tight and she held back just as tightly. Her first big brother. She'd always secretly love him the very most.
“Okay, hurry, blow out the candles!” She glanced around the dining room at a sea of familiar faces, before closing her eyes and blowing with all her tiny might. There was a loud cheer and Temari was asking what she wished for, Jun trying to shush her or it might not come true.
Soft hands holding tight to her own, Itachi threw his arms around her shoulders to hug her, and she felt the loving gaze of her parents settle over her.
This, truly, was the human life she had dreamed of. For all the hardships and fear that had plagued her up until the year before, knowing what she had now, it was worth it a thousand times over.
“I'm really happy I was born.” It's too quiet for even those hugging her tight to hear, but she means it with every piece of herself she has. A mortal human life was worth it.
Notes:
A pretty short chapter, and the last one I'm going to post until next week.
I'd like to once again thank everyone whose left a comment on this story, I read every one and they mean a lot to me, even if I don't write back. When I post next it should be right before the cut off for commenting a number on chapter 91 ends, so if you're reading this in June of 2024, please consider going back and doing that if you haven't already.
Chapter 113: Emergency Meeting
Summary:
Minato is stressed, but he kind of signed up for that.
Notes:
Saito is, accidentally, becoming the Tesla of the Naruto universe. It really wasn't his intention.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“You understand I can't actually order Inei to do anything, don't you?” This was an emergency Kage summit. The first since peace was achieved, held in Amegakure. Over the taken siblings from sand and their uncle. “I've seen the children and can assure they're in good health. Yashamaru-san has also made it clear that he will be sending reports on their well being back to you and I've promised to deliver them safely to you on my own honor.”
“He is your brother-in-law .” Rasa hissed, angrily, fist slamming down, “He has committed a crime!”
“You must have been aware who he was, given during our own negotiations he was introduced clearly as a yokai. He made a point of insisting on the conditions for his non-engagement openly. It is not the burden of the other villages to break that agreement simply because you were careless with your words!” Ay glared him down tiredly.
“Kumo washes its hands of this. Your problems are your own. My people have gone through enough because of that demon.” Onoki crossed his arms, stubborn to a fault, but he had a point. Out of those assembled the one who should be the most aware of what Inei could do were those from Kumogakure.
“Kiri will not back you.” Yagura, who was a very young looking, and tired seeming man fidgeted. “I have had the...unique honor of having met Inei-san prior to his joining the Leaf.” Here he rubbed his chest anxiously, eyes darting far away, “He was already a force of nature before becoming a spirit, I wouldn't dare step in his path now that he's actually become a natural force.” Minato briefly wondered what Yagura meant. The mizukage had seemed first shocked, then confused seeing Inei at the peace accords. He had been jumpy and kept touching his chest, the middle of it, around his heart. Minato had also caught the young kage mumbling something to himself in the hall after Inei had left, but he never could tell if Yagura was afraid of Inei or... worryingly like Bee... in love with him? His behavior now cleared up absolutely nothing. He knew that sometime between Ame closing its borders and the death of Madara Uchiha, Yagura had become a jinchuriki under very secretive circumstance, and his brothers intelligence network had been keeping him abreast of what might be a splinter group within the other village that was working against it's kage. The group was theorized to be the same one helping Danzo, to what end he was unsure, he just knew that Yagura had been trying to stomp them out secretly but was finding the task difficult.
“Do you expect me to sit back and allow that thing to have stolen my children?” Rasa was fuming still, and Minato was forced to propose the solution that Inei had offered before the meeting.
“Although he won't return them, he will allow you to see them, and he informed me that once they were old enough he'd allow them to return to Sunagakure if they desired to. I'm not sure why he's doing what he's doing, but he has intentions at least of honoring their choice to return to you someday.”
“When?” He saw the calculated look in Rasa's eyes, it was nearly manic- they hadn't just taken his children, they'd taken the sand spirit too after all. It worried Minato that he wasn't sure which Rasa was more upset about.
“Inei plans to ask them as they reach academy age for our village, six. But if they refuse to leave then no force on earth will be able to take them, you understand that much, don't you?” Rasa nodded but he got the feeling he didn't, not really. Even mentioning returning the children the last time he'd been at his brothers had made him feel as if he was walking a razors edge, and one wrong move could have lead to his death. And as far as he knew Inei liked him, Rasa was on his brother-in-law's shit list so he couldn't begin to even quantify how much danger the man might find himself in if he tried to forcibly remove the kids. Even with the discussion seemingly over, Rasa was still fuming and uncooperative after the fact
There were a few smaller issues to discuss- the rail line was tabled between Konoha and Suna, but other villages showed interest, at least in connecting with Ami, who could act as a hub to the various villages. Even Onoki was interested, though it seemed hesitant. A rail line might also let enemy ninja into the village if it wasn't secured properly after all, and the last thing his village needed was an attack inside it's walls.
“Your own clan would stand to profit from a completed rail line, would it not?” The old man was observing him closely. He knew people had been digging up information about him, he was aware of most of his enemies outside the village, but it was still a bit strange to hear something like that- it was still a pleasant shock some mornings to wake up and remember he had a family beyond Kushina now.
“My eldest nephew Saito would, unfortunately, be the one consulted in its construction, and he has been adamant on not wanting to ever leave the village again. He was apparently so miserable traveling he's sworn off doing it again for a year.” He had a slight smile on his face, recalling the connection he'd made with his nephew the night before when preparing for the summit, knowing they'd talk about the rail line, the poor kid had blisters from sun burn now and he was still dumping sand out of his shoes, “As for it benefiting my clan, the chances are quite high that any pay he'd receive he'd end up funneling out of the village at this point anyway- my brother tells me he's decided to sponsor a number of orphanages in the capital, and any money not sent out has been used to fuel his inventions. Ones I'm certain we'll all benefit from using. Which reminds me...” He nodded, and the guard he brought with him went around passing out a slim small box. It was a bit low hanging, but distracting the other kage would mean he could keep Saito uninvolved for a little longer, at least so he didn't need to travel. “He recently made these with one of my younger nephew's, to be used for emergencies. There are instructions, but once you get the hang of them they're fairly easy to use.”
Inside the box were Com-seals. Flat rectangles made of shinobi grade steel, with a bit of tempered and treated glass covering its surface. Below the glass was an odd weaving pattern, but upon closer inspection it was writing , some sort of seal etched into the metal so small and meticulous it was hard to read without something to assist the process. It whirled in eleven spots, and etched into the glass were numbers over nine of the whirls. The two remaining whirls had an 'x' and a check mark, since they were fairly universal. They were still prototypes, since Saito and Yosaku were apparently trying to find a way to streamline making them, improving them along the way, but the ANBU and a few other high ranked shinobi were already testing them and giving feedback to that end.
“Feel free to inspect them thoroughly. We've found the prototypes he's finished for the village to be of great use already.” While the other's all picked up the leaflet that came with the metal cards, essentially, he gave Rasa a tired look, “I've included the code used to reach my brother's family so you can set up meetings with your children independently.”
“Fascinating... what's the number along the edge?” Ay was turning the thing over, having spotted a six value long number along the side.
“The code assigned specifically to that Communication Seal. He was really quite proud of it.”
“Aren't you afraid of having this technology stolen?” It was clear that Onoki, who had finished reading the pamphlet, was already trying to figure out how to go about it. He was a bit selfish, but then again, it would be a huge boon if his own village could make them if they were so useful- however recreating them was harder than he likely imagined it to be, given Minato had been tinkering trying to do so himself and one had erupted into sparks before sucking itself into nothing while leaving behind scortch marks on his desk.
“I have been informed that the method of inlaying the seal into metal is difficult enough to prevent theft of the design. Though if you do intend to try and copy it, Saito wanted me to warn you that if the material isn't durable enough the seal tends to combust it.” He said nothing of his own failed attempts, only wishing he could see Onoki's face when it turned itself into an event horizon.
Minato had been fairly amazed by them at first. By using a small amount of chakra, so long as you input a six digit code that connected to another communication seal it could transmit audio between the two metal items. They would light up, and a small amount of chakra was needed to connect on the other end of the seal, but once connected they would remain so until one was intentionally terminated. It wasn't hard to understand, and even Jun, after learning one of the existent codes, was able to call Minato the week before Saito left.
When Minato had asked he explained that the transmission was actually put through the void between summoning lands, which allowed for smooth, seamless communication even over great distances. He didn't fully understand the relay network within the summoning lands- if it was a physical set of seals or like the storage scrolls a pocket within the empty space- as he'd been too busy dealing with the fallout of his brother-in-law collecting someone else's children.
Tsunade had confirmed that the baby at least had been suffering acute stress and the negative effects of insomnia despite being only a month old. The infant was able to sleep safely around Inei without worry to the village, and after only a week he was already healing from the strain on his body. Haruki had made a comment about adjusting the seal for both Gaara's comfort as well as the bijuu he carried’s comfort.
Rasa didn't seem pleased.
He would just keep up damage control, as best he could. He hoped at the vary least these would make some things easier, though he did recognize that it might lead to secret communications between villages he was willing to put up with it so long as they stayed on the cutting edge of the advancements.
Notes:
This is the last day of June, so although the voting will finish for chapter 91 at midnight tonight (30-6-2024) there's a pretty clear winner so I'd like to thank ahead of time everyone who left a vote on that chapter, I really appreciated the participation.
HAPPY PRIDE! (Or what's left of it.)
Chapter 114: Child Detectives
Summary:
Itachi is brilliant, but still only four.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Itachi held Yugure's hand tightly, possessively, eyes narrowed at the other child who had been ushered over to play with them. Temari .
Yugure had introduced the girl as her new sister. Temari seemed unaware of the fact. Temari was not as intellectually stimulating as Yugure was. She had told him he looked like a fairy tale prince, which had been flattering until he realized she fully meant it. He glared at her as she sang something to herself while messily coloring. She wasn't as skilled as Itachi was, and no where close to Yugure, coloring outside the lines and having such poor penmanship...
To make things worse, his mother had been feeling even worse. A few months ago she had some type of tummy bug, and went to the doctor, but both her and father seemed happy when she got home even though she wasn't getting better. His mother had started to get a big tummy recently too, just a little at first, but he could notice it himself now. His father seemed very happy about it, and he guessed it wasn't a problem really, but all the grannies and aunties kept saying strange things to her, and asking him if he was excited, but he didn't know what for. And Haruki sensei had told him he was making a special blanket for his mother, and true enough it was Uchiha blue with their fan sewn into it- very pretty.
He just knew it was connected but he didn't know how .
“Did she eat a watermelon seed?” Yugure finished her drawing of him, holding it up for inspection before handing it over to him. "Keiko said if I eat them a water melon will grow in my tummy."
“Well... I don't think so.” His mother wasn't a big fan of water melon, and they hadn't had it before she started getting sick.
“What about a spider?” Temari was bouncing, “If it's rolling things up in a web in her tummy that would make it bigger, and make her sick!” He hadn't considered that either, but his mother wasn't the sort to eat spiders, intentionally or not. There house was also very clean and he didn't think he'd ever seen one inside.
“Well if it isn't a watermelon, and it isn't a spider, there's only one thing it could be.” Yugure crossed her arms, looking rather sagely.
“What is it?” Yugure's daddy was a doctor, so she might know of some other illness. Maybe a cure too.
“A baby.” Temari's eyes lit up.
“My mother got sick like that too when Gaara was in her tummy.” The girl clapped, and he was irritated she didn't suggest that sooner if she had the information. A baby was more likely than a spider after all.
“I would have been told.” He grumbled. But she had a point, Yugure's dad was an expert on babies, and Temari's little brother was little enough she'd remember her mother having him inside clearly enough. “But how do we get it out, since its making her sick?”
“Easy. Make her drink a lot of tea.”
“I don't follow, Temari.” She huffed, and he decided he didn't like how smug she was being.
“Baby's come out the pee place, so if she drinks a lot of tea or water, the baby will come out and she'll stop being sick.”
“That isn't where babies come out of, Temari. Yugure came out of her daddy's ribs.”
“But I saw! I peaked in when Gaara was born, and he came out from between her legs, and when I asked my oji Yashamaru, he said they don't come out of your butt.” All three considered this for a moment, and Itachi worried because although he knew his mother didn't have the same bits as his father and he did, it still must hurt to pee out a baby.
The drawing had been forgotten at this point.
“Let's ask baba.” So they all got up, each taking Yugure's hand and letting her lead them to the nursery from her room. The large fox man was sitting with Gaara sleeping against his chest, humming some soft ballad or other. “Baba, where do babies come from?” His ears perked and he looked down at the trio. He seemed a bit thrown at the question but recovered quickly.
“Where do babies... oh.” He looked down at Gaara, who was snoring very softly, and then back to the children. “Uh... well. Some people, usually women, are born with an... extra place. The baby comes out of that place.”
“But where?” Itachi demanded.
“Between the legs, on humans at least, most mammals too, not all fish though since fish don't typically have legs...” He rested a hand on his middle, “It connects to a place near their stomachs, which is why people who are expecting get so large there.”
“So not the pee place, and not the butt?”
“No.”
“See Temari, making my mother drink water won't get the baby out!”
“Young man, it isn't good to take babies out before they're ready to come, I'd stop plotting it.” Itachi began to wring the material of his shirt.
“But it's making mother sick.”
“Kari came out early, and she's okay now, why can't Makoto oba's baby?” Yugure added on.
“I think Gaara came out early too!” Temari stomped.
“Well, nowadays it's safer for babies to come out a bit early, and in cases like the young Nara girl it's necessary, but it isn't good for the baby. Look, see how small Gaara is? Sai was this big the day he came home at only five days old, and Gaara is over a month old now, he's behind. In fact Sai may actually still have been bigger.” The children ooh'd at him, that made sense. “Besides, young master Itachi, you're forgetting something very important.”
“I don't think I am.” He crossed his arms- usually he was extremely quick to discover things, but if Yugure's kitsune dad was saying he missed something...
“You've been so worried about your mother feeling sick with a baby you forgot that if your mother is having a baby, then you're going to be an older brother once the baby is born.” Itachi stared at him for a full minute before his eyes widened.
He hadn't thought about that. He was going to be an older brother, provided they diagnosed his mother correctly.
Yugure seemed excited about the whole thing, enough for both of them, and Temari asked the kitsune to kiss her brother before they left the nursery- Yugure also gave the baby a kiss, and with enough peer pressure he did as well.
When his mother came to pick him up he waited until they'd walked quite a ways from Yugure's clan gate before he quietly asked if maybe she was having a baby.
“You really are too clever for your own good. Your father and I wanted to tell you this weekend.” She patted his head and he stared at her belly, under the thick coat she wore he couldn't tell. “You'll be a big brother before too long. We're expecting your little brother in July, August if he refuses to come out, like you did.” He giggled when she tickled under his chin.
A little brother. Maybe he should ask Yugure and Temari what to expect, since they had so many little siblings.
... maybe Temari wasn't that bad, either, but he still thought she needed to learn how to color propperly.
Notes:
Itachi is definitely possessive of his friend(s). He'll warm up to Temari eventually.
I did my best to write by kid logic. Yugure also knew exactly how babies were made and where they came out of, but she didn't want have to be the one to explain that.
Chapter 115: Home At Last
Summary:
Both Namikaze who were out return to the village.
Chapter Text
Minato had returned from the emergency kage summit, and Kushina had dragged him straight to bed. He had looked exhausted.
If the next morning she gave him even more reason to be exhausted, that was between them. As she cooked breakfast she took her temperature writing it down, thinking to herself that Minato had come home right on time. She had a good feeling about this month. February. Definitely February for sure.
Lots of babies were born in October, early November, why not theirs?
She was glad Minato had the next two days off, she missed him. The only company she'd had at home was when Jiraiya had stopped in to chat, and the old man. Kurama. Not her soon to be brother-in-law's partial fox, no, the full fledged one. Her Kurama. She'd taken the more human Kurama's advice and talked with her own. While he'd been scary at first, it didn’t take long before he was simply a grumpy old man more than a chakra beast threatening to eat her. It was hard to find him scary knowing that a part of him was just as baby crazed as she was. She would forgive her in-laws for being busy at home, but was annoyed her nieces and nephews didn't stop in at all in. She'd need to give them a talking to the next time she saw them.
She'd told Kurama she and Minato were trying for a baby and not to mess it up, and he'd complained that he'd noticed and they should have been parents twice over by now.
Minato dragged himself to the table, smiling tiredly as she nuzzled his cheek, she'd let him have some food and a nap before asking him to try again.
He was being such a trooper over the whole thing. Honestly.
“You can take an hour... maybe two hour nap, alright?” She sat herself on his lap, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
“I'm not complaining, but maybe Hizashi was right... maybe if we just stop over thinking-!” She squeezed his face gently between her hands, before kissing him softly.
“Minato. I love you so much. I have been taking my temperature and eating these weird chalk vitamins for months, I refuse to put our future baby in fate’s hands alone.” He hummed, and she let his cheeks go. “So finish up and we can cuddle until you fall asleep.”
“Yes dear.” She nuzzled him again, closing her eyes and leaning her head on his shoulder. This time. This time for sure.
Saito vowed to never, ever travel again. He returned home with a sunburn so bad it had blistered, a new appreciation for any form of traveling merchant, a deep and recently acquired fear of being illegally detained in a foreign country, and a desire to take a week long bath. Instead he was bowled over by his younger siblings, which now included a new sister, shyly introduced to a new uncle, Yashamaru, whose house was being sketched up by Haruki, and then promptly handed two new little brothers, one of which was asleep, the other whom instantly began to bite his clothes and hair. Teething supposedly. He had enough of his teeth it hurt when he tried to chew on Saito's shirt and got skin.
All he wanted was a nap. He had a lot of work to do even now that he was home, but instead he was ushered to a chair in the living room, still holding his new brothers, and someone told him they were making him something to eat. Kankuro, the older baby, tried to take the onigiri he was eventually offered, chubby little hands kept just out of reach.
“Nii-chan, look at the pictures Temari and I made!” Jun was trying to climb on his lap, but he didn't have the space for her to fit with both boys, and Yugure was holding up pictures for him to inspect at his elbow.
“Those are really nice...”
“When your done eating, can we show you the new seal we made?” Yosaku and Nao were hanging back watching the circus. Yuki was trying to heard their other siblings out since the room was crowded when they all stood in the middle of it like this.
“Maybe in the morning, I'm pretty tired.”
“Alright, that's enough cubs, give your brother some space.” Kurama walked by, picking the smaller children up, using his tails even as he breezed by much to their delight and annoyance. With the help Yuki pushed Megumi and Keiko out of the room, Bashira had ducked behind the couch and stuck her head up pouting to see her favorite sister dragged out.
“Baba-!”
“But he was gone for ages-!”
Inei took both infants from him, settling Kankuro on his back given he was also holding a sleeping Sai. If his dad had had a free hand he knew he would have used it to mess up his hair.
“Go take a bath and a nap, kiddo, we'll wake you for dinner.” He nodded, getting up to escape while Haruki blocked his younger siblings from ambushing him again.
Momo had watered his plants while he was gone, and there was a stack of notebooks sitting just inside his door to go over. He stretched before shucking off his traveling clothes, grabbing something fresh to change into, and stepped into the small bathroom attached to his room. He pointedly didn't look in the mirror before stepping into the shower and rinsing the dirt and sand out of his hair.
He began working on an aptitude test, mentally, to determine who native to Sunagakure could study under him so he wouldn't have to travel constantly to Suna every year for maintenance and safety inspections. He fumbled blindly for a towel as he got out and froze, staring at his reflection.
Burns. He tried not to look at them or think much of them since he couldn't really do anything about them, they covered his arms, chest, most of his back, and were scattered on patches on his legs- his clothes had caught fire and though he'd luckily been put out quickly before it could spread to his hair, it left permanent marks. The skin now was no longer red given it had happened over a decade ago, and if he were honest, he didn't actually remember the night of the fire anymore- funny given it changed his life forever.
The healed scarring was a bit more sensitive than the rest of his skin. It reminded him of knotted spider webs, or the pocked surface of a sponge- he'd go so far as to compare it to some type of thin wrinkled fabric in flesh tone across his body. It had gotten less pronounced as he got older, as he grew into an adult and his skin had stretched to cover his growing bones and muscle, but he had never quite managed to accept seeing his own body in the mirror.
It felt wrong, not bad, not really. Just... off. Knowing he shouldn't look like this, but also knowing the alternative was not surviving the fire at all. The body that looked back at him was his but he never really accepted that that was what he really looked like. He pulled a shirt on first, to cover the worst of it, then finished dressing as he normally would before hanging up his towel and going to lay down in bed. He had a real mattress, much like his parents it was flat on the ground, he couldn't get used to the futon, not when he was used to springs. He cleared his head as he laid down, and slowly drifted off.
He'd wake up in an hour to Keiko and Nanami looming over him to tell him dinner was ready, but now he drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 116: Milk Boy Has A Name, Actually
Summary:
After six months of stalking, Milk Boy goes on a date with Momo.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kenta was, admittedly, not the most observant guy. He knew he saw the pretty girl with big brown eyes often at the store he worked part time at, but outside of the clerk teasing him that she must have a crush on him, he didn't think much beyond that. He had seen her going in and out of a gate to a private housing area nearby, and just assumed she must come here often because she lived close. Besides, she was gorgeous, and he was... tall? A bit pudgy, as his father sometimes pointed out, and otherwise average. Not in her league, as his younger sisters would say.
His mother was an Akamichi, and on the off chance he was a shinobi, he was given the clan name- of course he wasn't so it just lead to his father being a bit bitter that his only son didn't even bear his name, but in his defense- well it wasn't his fault. He didn't get a say in it, and who cared anyway? The village needed more than just ninja to keep running, not everything depended on being able to make yourself look like someone else or walking up trees or whatever it was they did when not being mysterious.
It was no surprise that, in the divorce, he chose to live with his mother and two younger sisters, who were shinobi. Funny how that worked out. It was almost like he'd prefer to live with the family members who actually cared about him.
But back to the mater at hand, the gorgeous girl who lived nearby who came to the store a lot had come right up and looked him in the eye, so he couldn't pretend he didn't hear her like he had the last time she'd gotten this close. It made his palms sweat. He was bad with girls his age, they tended to ignore him if he was lucky, and if he wasn't he was compared to more conventionally attractive guys he would never stack up to. Not that it bothered him too much, he was comfortable in his own body and he liked how he looked, but it had been difficult finding a girlfriend to the point he'd given it up as a lost cause for the time being. Especially since Kumagai hadn't gotten a girlfriend yet, and he was at least decently good looking. Not compared to shinobi guys but-
“Do you have plans for tomorrow night?” Right, the girl. She had walked right up to him while he was restocking the drink coolers, and he forgot to breathe for a moment, then he had zoned out staring at her.
“Wh- uh... no.” His cheeks heated up, and she giggled. There was a gap in her front teeth he hadn't noticed before, but he couldn't help but find it charming as she grinned, all teeth at him, so it stood out clearly. “Why do you ask?”
“I was wondering if you'd want to go out for ramen with me?” He didn't think he heard her right.
“Huh?”
“Ramen. You. Me. Tomorrow. Say... six? At Ichiraku’s?” She brushed a lock of long, honey colored hair behind her ear. “My treat.” A date. She was asking him on a date. A real one too, to a restaurant, even if it was just a ramen stall. He wasn't prepared for that. Anything else, maybe, and she seemed sincere too, so this wasn't just some sort of elaborate prank to embarrass him.
“Oh.... yes. I'd love to...” He could feel the disbelieving gaze on him from the clerk. He wasn't exactly sure this was real either to be honest. In his limited social experiance, guys asked out girls, and girls turned him down.
“Great. It's a date.” She turned to walk away before pausing, half turned, her face partially covered by her own hair in a way that forced him to meet her gaze, “Don't you dare stand me up.”
Then she was gone in a plum scented haze. He was left blinking trying to decide if he'd just hallucinated the whole thing.
“What the hell was that about?” He wandered back to the counter, needing a sip from his tea after that, and Kumagai grabbed his shoulder and shook it lightly. So it had been real.
“I have a date tomorrow.” Kenta stated dumbly, looking down at his canned tea as if it held some sort of answer for how.
“Do you have any idea who she even is?” He blinked at that, should he? Kumagai thought he ought to. “The clan patch on her jacket is from the Namikaze clan.” So she was more than an ordinary regular.
“That explains the hair... well, her’s is more sandy than golden but-!” The fourth had golden blonde hair, but he supposed blonde of any shade was fairly unusual in the village, since the only other clan he could think of were the Yamanaka, and they weren't a very large clan.
“Kenta! She's adopted, they aren't related by blood you dolt.” He made a surprised sound at that, quietly forgiving Kumagai for being rude since they were both in shock still from that. “Do you have any idea how out of your league she is? You're a civilian-!”
“I'm one of the proud sons of the Akamichi clan-!” Kumagai glared at him again. It almost made him want to snap again, but he let it go. Pick your battles and all that.
“A civilian . The Namikaze clan may be recently founded but they have a lot of money, power, and influence. She probably runs in circles you can hardly imagine.” He was frowning by this point. “What I mean is, if you're going to go out with her at all, lock her in.” Kumagai wanted him to...
“... what?” Kumagai groaned, upset.
“You know, invite her back to your place, and give her a reason to marry you, idiot.” Kenta was only sixteen, marriage wasn't exactly something he thought about... he wasn't even sure what it was that girls looked for in future spouses. He felt his sisters weren't good to base off of because they were... well ten and twelve, and also very invested in their future carers.
But there was one thing he thought he might be able to impress her with.
“Yeah, that's not a bad idea.”
“Just wish she'd liked me instead...” Kumagai leaned sadly against the counter.
Kenta finished up restocking and headed home after punching out on his time card.
Once home he flipped through a few cook books, being mindful they already had dinner plans. His mom would be on her own date that night, his sisters had their visit with his dad that weekend so he wouldn't need to defend it... the little terrors would embarrass him if they were home, and his mom wouldn't mean to but she'd also embarrass him.
He settled on Mont Blanc. His mother always told him he'd have no issues finding a wife so long as he could cook, and so if he wanted to show off that he was husband material- even though he wasn't sure he was ready to get married any time soon- was to show her how well he could cook.
Kamagai was pretty smart. To bad girls always called him a creep.
“Remember, even though you invited him out, you can walk away at any point.” She let her dad fuss, “Haruki has a fox watching the stand, just tell it if he makes you uncomfortable.”
“I'll be fine, dad. I've got my staff with me if anyone touches me without permission so don't worry.” She should have expected as much, seeing Obito got quite the talk even though they knew him when he and Kakashi got caught holding hands earlier in the month. She was just sad she had missed it.
“I know you're a smart kid, but remember, you're still very young. Trust your instincts okay? And if he gets a second date, your fathers and I want to meet him.”
“Is meeting Kurama a good idea?” He chuckled, shrugging.
“You know him, good idea or not once he gets one...” He patted her head, careful not to mess up her hair that Himari had helped her with for the last hour. “Have fun. Be home by nine.”
She walked to Ichiraku’s stand from the house since it wasn't actually all that far, getting their a bit early to see Kenta awkwardly waiting with a paper box in hand, he brightened when he spotted her. She felt bad, hoping he hadn't been waiting for too long even though they were both early.
“I um... I made desert. My mom said you'd probably be uncomfortable if I asked you to come to my house to have it so I just brought it with me... You don't think the owner will mind do you?” Her heart melted. She'd rudely commanded him to meet her for a date, and the big softy had went and made her sweets about it.
“The owners become something of a family friend, he probably won't mind.” Kenta looked relieved.
He was tall, not as tall as papa, but much taller than Momo was herself. He had dark brown hair and eyes, a sweet round face, and though he wasn't muscular in a traditional sense, she got the feeling he wasn't a pushover. Himari had teasingly called her type hefty idiots but her sisters type was skinny losers so she didn't want to hear it. Besides, the village shinobi greatly skewed standards of physical beauty. He was at least a solid six. Cutest of all though, she thought, was that Kenta had small, peachy pink colored clan marks on his cheeks. Two dots on a diagonal, the top dot closest to his ears, the bottom to his nose. Unlike Meimei's vibrant blue marks, his were far more subdued, but they were adorable to her.
She watched him order, since Ichiraku knew her usual by now, and she politely asked about him. She thought she'd heard about him having siblings but two younger sisters were still a surprise, she'd have expected little brothers the way he talked about them. She was looking forward to learning a lot about him, hoping he was having a good time too.
They didn't actually have a lot to talk about, but the silences in between were comfortable, at least for her. The owner wasn't upset when after their meal Kenta shared the desert he made- it was really sweet and surprisingly light. She told him he had a talent and he flushed to his ears over her minimal praise. She knew it right then, she wanted to see him again and again, for as long as he didn't mind her company.
He hadn't even said a thing about her teeth.
Notes:
To clarify, she hadn't been following him home or going through his things, she just kept showing up where he worked, in the last few months she's been working up the courage to talk to him. He isn't closely related to Choza or our little Mei so think of him as being on the edge of his clan.
I'm sure his slimy weird clerk friend won't come up again... (>ᴗ•)
Chapter 117: Something In the Water
Summary:
Namikaze 'Never Going To Lose A Mother Or Baby Even If He Has To Fist Fight The Shinigami' Inei, verses Konoha- 'Ridiculously High Infant Mortality Rate' -gakure.
Place your bets.
Chapter Text
“A blood test?” Yoshino was sat across from him in the small office he kept now at the hospital.
“We used an at home test, this is just for confirmation.” It was near the middle of February, if it was his past self she was pregnant with she'd be between five and seven weeks, roughly. “We waited a bit too long, but my cycle wasn't very regular after Shikari was born. Shikaku got me some prenatal vitamins to take when we started to suspect I might be pregnant.”
“I would have liked you to have come in earlier, but for now let's run the test, I should have results fairly quickly.”
He drew her blood for the test, mechanically going through the motions. He had run a lot of tests like this since he'd gotten his position here at the hospital. He had seen a lot of his friend's mothers, and given them the good news. He would never tell anyone the tests were a bit unnecessary, given he could usually detect the faint pulse of a much smaller heart by the time some women came in, regardless of if he wanted to or not.
He could hear the almost insect wing flutter of a heart now too. Was it a tiny Shikamaru? Was it a different child entirely? He wouldn't get his hopes up, they'd changed so much, why would he expect to see another version of himself, one who'd never experience the pain and fear he did, be born now? A part of him really did hope it was, but he wasn't quite sure it even mattered. It took fifteen mintues since the lab was the department over, and it was apparently a slow day.
The blood test showed she was pregnant. He scanned her using jutsu and estimated her due date- early September. They talked about what she'd need to do, dietary changes activity levels. She'd likely need to have another c section done, for her own safety.
“Let me be the first to officially congratulate you.” She hugged him tightly, and he missed his mother, the one who had known him, who would squeeze him in too tight hugs just like this and scold him all the while. He resolved to love and support the kid, even if it wasn't a little Shikamaru.
The next morning, much to his surprise, he had an appointment with Noriko. Noriko was Inoichi's girlfriend, and more memorably to Shikamaru, Ino's mother. She was in a panic when she entered his office. He wasn't very close with her, or Inoichi to be fair, but they had seen each other around at this point enough he could tell she was out of it.
“I need a pregnancy test.” He offered her some tissues, and she took them, swipping at her tear stained cheeks, more stressed than panicked.
“Noriko, do you... feel safe at home?” She stared at him for a moment before her eyes widened and she nodded furiously.
“I moved in with Inoichi last month.” Ino had not know her maternal grandparents, there had been a catastrophic fight in the year prior to her birth that Ino never knew the details of. Shikamaru now knew the fight was because Noriko parents had been trying to set her up with a man from a very politically active family in the capital, and her relationship with Inoichi had been secret until it very suddenly wasn't. It had been a lot of back and forth panic for the two, and he knew Noriko had had to let go of her family as a result- Shikaku had been keeping him informed. “I just... Inoichi has had to put up with so much and I... I don't know if we're ready for a baby.” He nodded, picking up the waist basket to offer her so she could throw out her now soiled tissues. “Don't get me wrong, I want a baby, and if I am I'm keeping it no mater what he says. But...” She didn't need to explain it.
Inoichi was a very busy man, he had just taken over the clan that year, and he'd only started assisting T&I within the last two but he'd advanced quickly up the ranks, and on top of that he was taking on more and more responsibilities with maintaining his mothers flower shop, and now the stand in the root market. Demand for potted plants had risen so sharply they'd opened a second temporary storefront in the root market and he had scrambled to find help. Inoichi had a very laid back personality, but to anyone who knew him they were deeply aware he was stretched too thin at the moment.
“One step at a time, I'll draw some blood for the test and then we can talk about what you want to do after we know the results okay?” She nodded, and the thirty minutes waiting were the tensest of his life. Ino may or may not exist depending on the results.
He wasn't shocked when her results came back, she was pregnant and she had already done an at home test so that wasn't a shock. It was when she laid back on the exame table so he could scan her that things went sideways. To his surprise Noriko was not only expecting, which he knew for certain from the tests he'd just gotten back, but she was much earlier in her pregancy than he would have expected given Ino was born less than twenty four hours before he was. He had a much more shocking revelation ten seconds later as he continued scanning her and realized-
“Oh...”
“Is everything okay?” He hadn't meant to worry her, really, but he couldn't exactly have a crisis in the middle of a clinic visit. Especially not when he wasn't even the patient.
“Everything is fine. But you might need to reword what you were planning to tell Inoichi. It's twins.” She seemed shocked too, staring at her middle- it was early enough there wasn't any sort of change, no outward ones at least. He definitely wouldn't have been told if Noriko and Inoichi lost a baby the day Ino was born, and the two were exactly the type to never bring something like that up again even under threat of death, so now he was deeply troubled by that. He racked his brain to try and remember anything about Noriko's health he would have heard as a child-
Ino had once told him when they were really little her mom had a big scar on her stomach. Ino may have been surgically delivered. If that was the case it could have been in an attempt to save the other child- the infant mortality rate in Konoha during the post war period was slightly improved from where it had been during the war, but they still hadn't been screening very well. There could have been any number of reasons for Ino's sibling to have been stillborn. If Noriko was even pregnant with Ino this time around.
“I might need more help than I thought...” She was scowling, but he knew she wasn't actually upset, just annoyed that she was being put through so much- he couldn't exactly blame her having sort of gone through an unplanned... pregnancy... himself. It still icked him out referring to the situation with Yugure like that but he at least recognized it was the easiest way to convey the facts of what happened.
He wrote her a prescription for a new type of prenatal vitamin that had been developed that should help keep her chakra levels up- if both were shinobi then they would have competed for who got more chakra, and the supply would be low given Noriko was a civilian, the one who fell behind could have died from that alone- and that was excluding all manor of other complications that could have occurred that could happen to both civilian and shinobi babies. He'd keep an extra close eye on Noriko. Not just because she was Ino's mom, but because her expecting twins may actually put her health at risk if he missed anything.
He did wonder if he was bad, for hoping that the first time around Ino did lose a sibling, because this way at least she'd still be born. He should be able to prevent it, but...
“You okay, Kurama?” Naruto bumped his hip against the fox, who had been zoning out while staring down at Sai- the boy was taking a bottle, but he'd started on mashed foods a few days back with mixed success.
“I'm fine. Just thinking, brat.” Naruto nodded, wrapping an arm around his waist to watch the boy for a few minutes.
“... Kurama?”
“Mhmm?”
“Are you... y'know.” Kurama turned his red eyes up to look at his other half. “Ah...” He tilted his head.
“Before I die of old age, brat.” Naruto glared, but gently squeezed his hip.
“Did your new year's wish come true?” His finger brushed the edge of Kurama's stomach and the fox hummed.
“...Not sure.” Naruto tilted his head at that. “I can't exactly feel anything, and I know Shika has scanned me when he thinks I haven't been paying attention but... It's hard to say. My instincts tell me yes, but maybe they're feeding off of what I want and not what is real.” Naruto nodded.
“I guess there'd be some sort of tangible proof by now, huh?” Kurama hesitated.
“That would be true for fully human cubs, but this cub wouldn't be human, hardly at all. Even considering it would have part of you, it would be overwhelmingly Yokai, and even Bijuu. Both of which are chiefly formed of energy. Even still you'd expect at least I would know how to answer the question of if I was carrying by now.” Naruto squeezed his side lightly.
“You haven't felt anything strange?” Kurama seemed to be thinking again, staring down into Sai's dark eyes as the baby slowly started to drift asleep while eating.
“...Little flutters of heat. Not burning hot, but like being touched, just on the inside. Occasionally I think someone is... pulling? On my reserves, the ones in your body though, but only when were physically touching like this.”
“I see.” Kurama couldn't truly keep secrets from Naruto, but neither could Naruto keep secrets from Kurama. They tried not to invade one another's mental privacy without permission. Naruto and Shikamaru were worried about Kurama, who seemed oddly introspective the last few months. They had been... thorough, and Kurama had, theoretically at least, recreated the parts required with organic matter- but making an organ out of leafs and table scraps didn't bode well for it actually working.
He also had a unique point, however, if it had worked, slim a chance as that was, two of the three members of their relationship had a dubious physical presence in the material world. Kurama was, when you boil it all down, a being of living energy, and yokai were spirits before living things. Shikamaru had a body, and so does Naruto, but maybe the cub would manifest as energy before growing a body, or maybe the rate of growth was so incredibly slow even Shikamaru wouldn't be able to detect the cub for months, maybe years.
Or, Kurama, who had baby fever so strongly it was almost terminal, was imagining all of the small events that kept hope alive in him. There were other explanations for them, it wasn't certain .
Naruto wasn't actually sure how to feel about it either, if he were to be honest. Kurama wanted a cub of their own so badly, and he did too in his own way, but he could live without. They had lots of children, he felt lucky to get such a big family already, and adding one or two more wouldn't make much difference to him.
He ignored the small voice inside of him that was insisting that he should have been the one to get pregnant, since he'd neatly sealed his more torrid and uncomfortable thoughts on his own gender into a box and buried it away in his subconscious years ago. He would not examine his teenage musings about changing parts of his anatomy, either removing or adding. He was twenty eight, the mater should be settled . (It really wasn't and was it's own type of ticking time-bomb that would eventually combust but that was for some future Naruto to worry about.)
Of course the idea of seeing Shikamaru pregnant made his blood boil and his stomach roll in very pleasant ways, he wouldn't tell his husband that either. The very short period where Shikamaru had hosted Yugure in his chest and Naruto had known were the closest he'd ever get to it, that being said, even with no outward signs of it and him now harshly denying the specific wording of ‘being pregnant with Yugure’ Naruto had thoroughly enjoyed thinking about it.
Of course Shikamaru was decidedly male even though people seemed to get that wrong more often than not on first meetings now, and being equated to having gone through things people with uterus usually go through would obviously distress him. Shikamaru was not a woman. He didn't see himself as one, and even with the unusual changes in anatomy, if he said he was male then Naruto wouldn't press, it didn't matter to him after all. Shikamaru was the love of his life, and that would be true even if his gender was much more ambiguous, or even female.
Kurama agreed with him, nosing the side of his head as he carefully plucked the now empty bottle out of Sai's sleeping hands.
“Whatever is true, we'll deal with it.” Kurama nodded, eyes unfocused, and Naruto wondered, if Kurama was pregnant, how long it would take given what he was. What they were. Would the baby have a tail?
Chapter 118: Good News
Summary:
Kushina and Minato have a very eventful morning.
Chapter Text
“Kushina, whats wrong?” Minato had crept after Kushina when she had dropped her chopsticks and ran to the bathroom during breakfast. He was alarmed to hear her vomiting, and shouldered in, gathering her hair up and out of the way as she was violently ill. “Just... ah... get it out?” He had no idea what to do. Kushina didn't get sick. Not only that, but that had been so sudden...
He gave her a cup of water when it seemed to have passed, and cleaned her mouth with a wet cloth, even though she told him not to and that it was gross. He kneeled beside her on the ground, and she took his hands. They started to go over everything they'd eaten to see if it could have been food poisoning, but nothing stood out, and the stomach flu wasn't going around at the moment. She wasn't sensitive to any food in particular either.
“Maybe it's morning sickness.” She was only half joking, and Minato cocked his head to the side, sizing her up.
“It's March.”
“For the last few days, yeah.”
“And you usually have your period at the start of the month.”
“Sometimes it's a few days late.” He understood her not wanting to get her hopes up, to protect herself. This wasn't the first time they'd jumped the gun and gotten excited for nothing, after all. However...
“Kushina, it's the ninth.” She hummed, looking down. “I think it's safe to say you missed it.” Her hands squeezed his so tightly he could feel his bones shifting.
“I missed my period.” Her breath began to quicken, and her eyes were starting to become glossy with unshed tears. “And I threw up for no reason.”
“Should I pick up a pregnancy test now or wait until after work?” He was afraid his fingers would break for the barest of seconds as she squeezed his hands tightly.
“If we don't find out now together I am not waiting for you.” It was a jumpy sort of electric excitement racing through him. He shouldn't get too excited, shouldn't get his hopes up-
“Alright, I'm going, drink some water while I'm gone so you can pee.” She gave him a harsh kiss before he was up and running to grab his wallet before zipping away. The poor kid manning the corner stores register at seven that morning was treated to the hokage practically sprinting at him, a giddy expression on his face as he handed over a test box. The kid would stew on whatever that was about for a while. Although he tried not to get ahead of himself... well it was a bit hard not to be excited. Maybe this time...
Minato got home almost as fast as he'd run out, and Kushina set her cup of water down heavy on the counter as he tried and failed not to tear the packaging to get it out. Kushina was laughing and he kept fumbling, too hopeful and excited.
“Stay out of the bathroom!” He had almost followed her in, and he paced beside the door as she took the test. While waiting the fifteen minutes for it to develop, Minato found something to feed his girlfriend that she was keeping down, they'd had a few grapes left over from the day before.
She pushed him when the timer went off, and he skidded into the doorway when he tried to corner after her.
“Box! Minato, what do two pink lines mean?” She was already holding it up to read it,so he grabbed the box off the floor and started to read it.
“One line negative.... two is positive!” He had to brace his whole body as Kushina threw herself into his arms with a loud squeal, nearly bowling him over.
She kissed him, and he picked her up, gently spinning them as his chest filled with butterflies.
“Minato!” He peppered her forehead with kisses as she shook him, “We're going to have a baby!”
“Make an appointment at the hospital to get an official one done.” He squeezed her tight when she wrapped herself around him once more. Neither would mention the tears, since they were both crying at that point.
Kushina made an appointment that day while Minato was at work- he was late to the tower that morning even with teleportation.
A baby . He couldn't stop grinning like a fool.
“Congratulations, Kushina.” Shikamaru managed to brace in time for the tackle hug she gave him. It warmed his heart to see her this happy. He started gathering various pamphlets and began writing out a list for her once she detangled from him.
“Given your unique condition I want to keep a close eye on you, especially as your due date gets closer. If you'll permit me I want to ask Haruki to help make temporary seals for your bijuu so your current seal doesn't weaken. The sooner they're made the better for your seals overall integrity.”
“That's fine!” She was practically vibrating in her seat, he didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy about anything before.
“I'm going to suggest Tsunade as your midwife, she may have trouble helping you actually deliver given her history with blood, but she'll be able to take care of you until I'm able to take over. She's also aware of the situation and will be able to better treat you.” Kushina nodded. He was struck then by just how... young she actually was.
The baby was probably, hopefully, Naruto, but a part of him couldn't stop worrying. Kushina was only twenty, she'd be twenty one by the birth, but...
He was worried. She was only twenty. He remembered being that age- twenty year olds weren't meant to be having children. He wasn't, and not just with the never ending battle against extinction, even without death constantly looming over his head, he wouldn't have been prepared to be a dad. Kids were so much work, and she was still practically a kid herself.
This was what they had wanted- what she and Minato wanted! And there were others almost her age who were having kids too, it was normal. This was a post war village, that was expected. Even still it left him feeling a little uneasy, though he covered that so he didn't worry or upset her as she eagerly asked him questions about the baby while he scanned her- to small to answer most of them, honestly.
She didn't make it to twenty two in their world. He'd make sure that she got to grow old with Minato this time.
As old as lord third- no, even older. As old as Madara....
Chapter 119: Reflection
Summary:
Naruto thinks about the kids, and how things are changing.
Chapter Text
It's funny how time can pass so slowly when you have don't have much to do.
There were still tensions with Suna, but Saito was moving forward with the development- he'd devised a test to give civil engineers and architects in Suna to test aptitude for funinjutsu, and had been training them with what they'd need to know to help him build and maintain the development, otherwise he was keeping busy with other projects whenever he had down time (Naruto was worried that his son had picked up his insomnia given the weird hours he was keeping now). Momo was now in a serious relationship, which Naruto wasn't sure how he should feel about it. On one hand he was happy his daughter was finding love, on the other he felt too young for her to be dating, but stopping her was ill advised at best, dangerous at worst. Himari had began to prepare to test out of her final year at her school to begin attending lectures with the hope of becoming a lawyer, and though she said she wasn't he was pretty sure she and Genma were involved. If the two ended up together her could become Genma's father-in-law. Scary.
Chiyo was focusing on her art and dog training, he'd even say her dogs were almost on the level of guard dogs, albeit guard dogs usually didn't have a specific command that had them ‘dance’. Kakashi was dating too, way too young, but he'd also become more interested in writing than anything else, and had even turned down an offer to join ANBU. Naruto had asked and Kakashi claimed they were weirdos who followed kids around- which they had done so it was fair. He did wonder what that change would do for future Kakashi, but he now had trouble reconciling his boy with the sensei who had been such an influence on him. He was more expressive and happy, for one thing...
The twins were both throwing themselves into improving at funinjutsu, but Nao had developed an interest in plants and farming applications, while Nanami had began to research how to use it in production to make higher quality goods and medicines more efficiently and cheaply- it warmed his heart as they were doing so to further their community pantry and it's supplies long term. Yuki was now skilled enough Naruto had to actually take them seriously when sparing or end up stabbed... again. Yosaku had spent the last two months trying to come up with a more simplified design for the communication seals. He had also managed to sneak an injured pigeon into the house without being caught outright, and they were seeing how long it would take before he told them about the bird. It had been three weeks and it wasn't looking likely.
Urushi was proving himself incredibly worthy of the summoning lessons he'd been given, and Naruto was confident he could pass the Fox scroll down to him once he reached Chunin. Keiko, while still struggling at the academy, had began occasionally being tutored by Tsunade in medicine, she had no stomach for violence and her teachers punished her for not having the attitude they thought most appropriate for village ninja. She'd do wonderfully in a world not dominated by war, and he was more worried for students in her class who were impressing the teachers. Kabuto was right along side his older sister, no signs he'd point to as worrying had come up for the boy- he was a picky eater still and a bit of a crybaby, but he thought privately it would be okay if he never grew out of that, and hoped he'd remain a sensitive and kind child at heart forever.
Fu had finally relented and willingly went to therapy. He and Shikamaru had been fighting with Fu's teachers about letting him graduate early given his sudden progress, but he was seven. No seven year old should be made a shinobi, especially not in peace-times. He was doing a little better, but Danzo had best hope someone else kill him first as Naruto would ensure his suffering should he ever catch him.
Megumi and Bashira had started school, they seemed to like it, and he was content to let them do mostly as they wished, of course he made sure they could keep learning how to fight. To be safe. Just in case. The girls had been following Kurama around and he had started to tell them stories of the ancient world- they seemed to enjoy that too. Jun, Temari, and Yugure were inseparable. He was glad that Yashamaru's presence seemed to be all it took for Temari to be at ease, but that worried him too. Rasa would have his first supervised meeting with the children in a week and in the almost month since bringing them, Yashamaru had applied for village citizenship. Telling him the more or less truth of Kurama and Naruto's relationship, of the peace and understanding they'd created, and the fact that Gaara was sleeping normally and growing like an infant his age should be without missing any developmental milestones- it gave Yashamaru hope that his sisters child would get to be a child.
It was enough to leave his village if it meant protecting the children. The very trait that Naruto respected him the most for he was bearing criticism over. Putting the village before yourself was noble, but some seemed to misunderstand that without putting children before the village, any village, they had forgotten why the villages existed in the first place. The village was not some faceless thing, greater than any man, the village was a place built so that people could come together and build a better life for their children. He could never really forgive Sarutobi for convincing him as a child that his life was somehow worth less than the lives of other children simply because he could last against an enemy longer than an unarmed or untrained child.
It had taken a very long time to break Kakashi's belief that he must sacrifice for the village. That he owed it some unfathomable debt. As if a child could ever owe so much to a community that had been less than nurturing when he had been most in need of it. He could hardly talk, throwing himself into danger for the same reasons, but at least he could make it so Kakashi, and the other children to some extent, were never put into that position until they were old enough to make their own choices.
His musings were interrupted as Kankuro pulled at his sleeve, eyes watering. He'd been chopping onions and it had been enough to bother the boy. He carried the boy back toward the living room where his new siblings were drawing together, Kurama had fallen asleep with both small infants protectively curled against his chest. Kankuro offered him his closed fist and he held out his palm as something dropped into it. A dirty coin likely from under the couch.
“Thank you.” The boy giggled when he set him down, looking about before grabbing a fabric hand puppet and made it do a little dance before giving it to the boy. He seemed happy to have it, making it wriggle about as he tried to get Shin and Mei's attention.
He crept back into the kitchen and got the stock pot going,
All of his little girls were doing good. Shin had no interest in Sai, which was fine since Sai's most interesting accomplishment so far was rollings early, from his stomach to his back, and that he had spat mashed peas across the table the first time they attempted solids with him. He began wonder if their legendary brotherhood would even happen in this lifetime given Shin was so close to Mei, and Sai was being raised like twins with Gaara.
Sai and Gaara as twins, the world wasn't ready for it.
He tried not to worry about the redesigned seal he'd be placing on Gaara before long. It needed to be done for both Gaara and Shukaku’s sakes but it could wait until the boy was a bit bigger- it had too.
Kids filtered through the kitchen, stopping for snacks or water, asking about dinner or for help with homework, and Shikamaru got home last. After dinner when their kids were distracted by the radio or homework he told him that Kushina was pregnant. They were really in it now. Somehow everything seemed to have lined up and he couldn't deny he was afraid.
He didn't want his mom to die. Even if she'd never know he was her son. He never worried about her like he had to about Minato, she was so independent and strong... but now all he could do was worry. If he could communicate with her Kurama through the mental space it would be different, but he'd been unable to thus far. It wasn't that her Kurama isn't answering... more like it was akin to trying to open a door from both sides. It couldn't be done no matter how hard he tried. Kurama couldn't talk to himself, and for all intents and purposes, Naruto was Kurama now.
He had wanted to use Gyuki as a middleman, but his tensions with Bee had taken that off the table. Shukaku was out since they had to keep him asleep to protect Gaara, and too many people knowing about him would be... bad... probably.
As it was, they planned to introduce Kurama as another Yokai, one that had attached himself to Naruto in a mostly harmless way. The story they were putting together would make Kurama seem like he was harmless. For the most part he was.
Kurama was within the realms of normal human limitations physically with his current body, though that ranged from Ino who had trouble lifting over twenty pounds for more than ten minutes, and Tsunade who could rip off and carry one of the faces from the monument for two days straight without getting tired. In those terms he was closer to Tsunade. He was able to draw in natural energy very easily however, and he didn't need to make hand signs for any of his devastating beam attacks. Not that they'd bring that up.
Luckily there were centuries worth of stories about kitsune taking human shape and living with human men. The stories said they became beautiful women but Yugure had told him when he asked her what she knew of Kitsune that it happened more frequently that they turned into men and women were just less boastful about marrying one. It was probably because a man scoring a hot mystical shapeshifting wife was cool and enviable, but if a woman got a hot mystical shapeshifting husband they would probably be ostracized from their communities. Sage forbid a woman do anything .
Hopefully the village never found out the truth...
“What are you thinking about?” He didn't jump when Shikamaru hugged him from behind, instead putting a hand over one of his husbands and squeezing it.
“Times been flying by lately.”
“Guess so...” He yawned, and Naruto smiled.
“Go lay down for a bit, I'll wake you once I'm done washing up.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” Shikamaru shuffled toward the living room, and he went back to his musings.
Notes:
I'm not putting up the chart again for a little bit, but for this chapter I'll leave the kids ages down here.
Saito- 17
Momo- 16
Himari- 15
Chiyo- 14
Kakashi- 14
Nanami- 12
Nao-12
Yuki- 11
Yosaku- 11
Urushi-10
Keiko- 9
Kabuto- 8
Fu- 7
Bashira- 6
Megumi- 6
Temari- 4
Yugure- 4
Jun- 3
Shin-2
Mei- 2
Kankuro- 1 (almost 2)
Uhari- 1
Sai- 4m
Gaara- 2m
Chapter 120: Visitation Rights
Summary:
Yashamaru is anxious about seeing Rasa. Rasa has yet to realize that he might be the problem.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
He hadn't thought he could get comfortable in this village. It was far from home, from what little family he had aside Temari and his nephews, but...
“Yashamaru! We made this for you!” He took the picture from Temari. He wasn't sleeping in the main house anymore, he had a small one room home beside it now, it was much more comfortable even though the space was limited. It wasn't because they were unwilling to give him more room, he just... didn't want it. The small space reminded him of his apartment he'd kept prior to his sisters passing, and he was only a few minutes walk away from the kids this way. He'd been ignoring Rasa's correspondence, bitter that his brother-in-law had chosen power over his sister, over Gaara. He wasn't even interested in becoming a shinobi of this village were he to be fully honest- the Namikaze clan had offered to fully support him, and the only expectation was that he teach Temari and the boys their culture and heritage from Suna. He had worried they'd try and steal village secrets from him but...
“There's nothing your village has that I don't already know.” It had been chilling when Haruki had told him that. He had offhandedly mentioned a few village secrets that even Yashamaru was only aware of out of necessity, like he was commenting on the weather and not a huge security breach... but was it Yashamaru's problem?
He had only been so loyal to the village because of his sister, after all. He had never really felt the same attachment to their village, but when Karura had married Rasa, he had vowed to live and die protecting the village- for her. Now she was gone, and her children that she loved so much were far away from it.
The air here was humid, the winter had been mild, and there was plant life everywhere. The birds were unfamiliar in their calls, and he would wake in a cold sweat and panic not knowing where he was on occasion...
But Gaara was behaving like a normal baby. This village was safe for his niece and nephews to grow up in- they didn't know Gaara was a jinchuriki.
“This is wonderful.” Temari was taking everything so well. The sudden move, the change to their little family being let out from under the cage Rasa claimed was there for protection. “Thank you.”
Temari was beaming, taking Jun's hand the two girls ran back toward the pile of loose paper on the floor.
Tomorrow they would see Rasa. His heart began to pound and he knew his palms were sweaty as he hung the picture up with a magnet on the fridge. There was a much more private reason he didn't want to see his brother-in-law.
Just after Karura's death, Rasa had gotten drunk. Yashamaru had tried to help him to bed, he couldn't forgive him for allowing Kurura to die, but knew how his sister would have felt seeing the man she loved crumpled on the floor as he had been. Rasa had looked at him with cloudy, dead eyes as he eased him down onto his bed, and his grip was strong when Rasa had fisted his hair and cupped his cheek.
He had mistaken Yashamaru for Karura. He likely didn't even remember as the next morning Yashamaru had heard him comment to an advisor that he wasn't sure how he got to bed the night before. He hadn't done anything, passing out fully and allowing Yashamaru to untangle his fingers and back away.
There had been an unbearable moment in the middle, however, that had been keeping him awake. Rasa had such a dark look in his eyes, and Yashamaru had genuinely feared he wouldn't be let go if. Rasa had never done anything else, it seemed silly to be so scared of him.
But what if it happened again? What if he meant to grab him next time? What if he really was only keeping Yashamaru around because he looked so much like his sister? He could say no to Rasa, but Rasa was a kage, if he wanted to hurt or even kill Yashamaru he could and no one would stop him in their village. He wasn't afraid to die, but he was terrified to leave the kids with him, alone with that monster who wore their father's face.
Tomorrow morning he would see Rasa again, but this time he would be escorted by Haruki and Inei. They would discuss the children's futures, and how they planned to split raising them- how much would they even let Rasa see his own children?
He knew it wasn't fair. That he should be furious that they ended up here and that there wasn't anything he could do to make the yokai let them return... but as foreign and uncomfortable as this village felt, he knew that the kids were loved. Temari was making friends when before she'd been hidden away to prepare herself as the eldest child of the Kazekage for a life of duty- here she was playing and having fun. Kankuro wouldn't be held to standards they knew he couldn't meet with his inability to control sand, as usually that ability manifested in small ways by now, and Gaara-
“Girls, its almost lunch, come back to the house. Do you want to join us today, Yashamaru?” Gaara was wide eyed, swaddled up in a blanket to fight the early spring chill, Inei had poked his head into the house after knocking.
“That would be lovely.”
Gaara may be a weapon, but at least here he would have a chance to be a child. He doubted anyone alive would be stupid enough to try and lay a finger on his nephew now. Not with a monster like Inei cooing over him.
They'd take things a step at a time. Just get through each day as it comes. Tomorrow would happen, and then the day after that, and he'd make sure the kids got to enjoy those days as they passed. He promised Karura in his mind that he meant it this time.
Rasa is impatient. After a bit more than a month he would be seeing his children. In that month he'd had a lot of time to grow very, very worried. His hope that Yashamaru would sneak the children out of the village had been dashed when he learned he was applying for citizenship in Konohagakure. He felt betrayed.
“Father.” Temari looked up at him, hiding shyly behind the legs of a man who towered over Rasa. He had Kankuro on his hip, and a sleeping Gaara against his chest.
“It's okay, Temari.” She darted out to hug his legs, smiling up at him bright and happy, and his chest squeezed. She looked like Karura when she smiled. He didn't see the yokai anywhere but knew better than to think that meant he wasn't around.
The visit was about an hour, Yashamaru didn't speak to him, the man, Haruki, updated him on the children's eating and sleeping habits, the types of things they played. Had he not been painfully aware that his children had essentially been stolen from him, it would feel like receiving a report from a nanny.
Haruki was the jonin from the Leaf to watch, aside from the yokai that is. Had he been born in any village, he easily could have take the seat of a kage, he was stronger than Rasa, which he felt in his bones. The yokai didn't need to show his face if this was what he was willing to send out in his place.
Haruki didn't need to drag Temari kicking and screaming away, nor did either of his boys cry when they were taken back. They honestly all seemed more comfortable with him than with Rasa. Especially Gaara, who'd cried when held by his real father, but settled almost instantly in the strangers arms.
He hated this. Why had the yokai decided to rip apart his family? Was losing his wife not enough? The village needed Gaara, on top of everything else, their safety depended on his return.
“The heart is a bad place to anchor a seal.” Haruki met his eyes as the children huddled around him and the still silent Yashamaru, “Especially on a child. When he's a bit older and it's more stable I'm going to re-anchor it elsewhere on his body. It should put less stress on him overall, and the seal will be more stable so Shukaku stops trying to break loose.” His eyes, blue, were far too intense where they bore into his own. He almost took a step back.
“Is that why the yokai took them?”
“... I'm not sure. I don't think he fully knows why he did that himself.” That seemed to be the truth.
Another day would be chosen by correspondence, and he would see them again at that time.
Until then his children would be raised outside of the village, by men he didn't know or trust. His village needed his heirs, they needed their jinchuriki.
He didn't realize that he thought of those as separate things, with Gaara not counting along side his siblings.
Notes:
I wish Rasa hadn't been killed by Orochimaru in cannon, I get why they did that, and I know they didn't have the time to shoe horn in every character's life when Naruto wasn't around to see it or it didn't deserve a back story, but I would have loved to see him interacting with his children. Zombie Rasa doesn't count, that was just so Gaara could get closure.
Chapter 121: Foreshadowing is a literary device-
Summary:
Naruto is asked to train Tenzo after he officially graduates. Kakashi is learning how to cook. Kurama is...
Chapter Text
“Teaching?” Naruto was sat across from Minato in the small sitting area of the Hokage's office, he'd been asked to come for an early morning appointment the night before, and true enough the sun was starting to peak from the horizon only now after they'd both had a few sips of tea.
“For the next round of genin. I would... appreciate it if you kept an eye on Tenzo. There's a lot of expectations on him from the village.” He nodded, understanding, “I know you'd be able to guide him without pressuring him to be like the shodai.”
“I can understand where you're coming from, he's made a lot of progress already by being allowed to cultivate it in his own way, and forcing him to emulate the first hokage would likely only stunt his growth, but... I haven't served the village for the required amount of time to be considered for an instructor position.”
“It's a special circumstances, and I've already spoken with the civilian council and a number of clan heads, Tsunade specifically requested you as well.” He nodded, looking down at his tea.
“I would be honored, then. Who were you considering as his team mates?”
“Iruka, he has the highest grades in his class.” Naruto nodded, setting his cup down, “And.... Urushi.” He hummed, but his eyes widened. “I don't believe the way teams have been structured have been working. The three already work well together, and I want to implement group training where teams have to complete assignments with other squads instead.”
“There isn't a precedent for this, Urushi is my son, what if I favor him? Or if I'm too protective of him and hamper his growth?”
“As if you wouldn't be just as over protective of the other two boys. I believe you'll be the best teacher for them, and should they do well, once they're all grown out of your instruction you could easily take another genin squad.”
He had a point, and although it was traditional for jonin to only take one one squad in their carriers, it wasn't against any rules to train more than one.
“Will Inei be considered to train a squad?”
“I had something else in mind, actually. Tsunade suggested that we scout future mednin while they're in the academy, offer them extra classes after school a few days a week.”
“He'd like that.” It wasn't a bad idea, having someone with medical training right out of the academy, he did wonder how they'd choose who to train for the role. The village would benefit from it greatly, having a more standardized training method...
“Tsunade is going to propose it to him soon, but knowing you two he already has an idea about it I'm sure.”
“Probably... before I forget, congratulations.”
“Isn't there any doctor patient confidentiality?” Minato grinned, cheeks flushing red.
“Kushina told Makoto a few days ago, and Itachi had a playdate two days ago. That boy is a worse gossip than Obito.” He lied smoothly- Itachi had blurted it out but Naruto had already been told at that point.
“Aren't you still apprenticing him?”
“Aside from practical application I can't teach him much else. He's brilliant, I'm sure he'll excel wherever he ends up, but he's yet to make an original seal that hasn't caught fire, exploded, or turned to mush.”
“Mush?” Minato had stood to stretch his legs, putting the empty tea cups back on the tray he'd brought them over in.
“Tried to gather moisture out of the air, saturated the paper.”
“Ahh, yeah, that'd do it.” He shook his head fondly.
“So... you two thinking of names yet?”
“She isn't due until October... well, Inei said she could be pregnant longer or shorter than normal women because of the... Kurama.” He trailed off, but Naruto nodded. “We have a few ideas.” He mumbled when he realized Naruto wasn't going to quit staring him down
“Let me know what ones you don't use.” He stretched, mind wandering to the situation back home- if it was a situation at all...
“... Is Inei...”
“No. I mean probably not, he'd notice I think. Kurama's been weird, and Inei says there isn't anything there but it looks like there should be...” He was rubbing the bridge of his nose and Minato patted his shoulder.
“How do you even get a bijuu pregnant?” He looked mildly scared.
“I'm not fully convinced we did. Kurama'sbody has a habit of changing how he wants it to, and he may have absorbed some organic matter that's acting the same way.” He gave a strained smile back to that. “You'll be the first to know once we have a definite answer on that one.”
“Great.”
He headed home after that, hoping things hadn't gone off the rails while he was here. Kurama was around to cook, and his husband could handle the kids and keep them from under foot well enough.
“Listen to it, you'll know when to flip it.” Kurama was teaching Kakashi how to cook- the process was slow going, but he was determined to learn before Obito's birthday came back around. He had almost a full year. Even still he'd improved a lot, he wasn't charring everything nearly as badly.
It was a great distraction from his mate, who was scanning his stomach again .
From what he understood, Kurama's few organs he kept around, specifically the uterus, was consistent with one within the first few weeks after conception. Endometrial lining, what his mate speculated might be a placenta forming, the issues being that there was not a baby. The conception was memorable, at least to Kurama, and if he had managed to luck out and it had taken, he would be near the end of the first trimester and thus should be showing, and the baby should be visible to a medical scan.
But there wasn't anything. He hadn't noticed anything else off, aside from what he'd already told the brat. This wasn't familiar to Kushina's pregnancy with Naruto, that one he remembered, nor was it similar to when Shikamaru was carrying Yugure's soul. The chakra drain was minimal, there had been no symptoms, and aside from all signs internally pointing to there being a fetus, there wasn't one.
Even still, he was eating proper meals, sleeping even though it was boring, drinking plenty of water, and had been taking vitamins, since he wasn't certain his diet wasn't missing important things. He didn't eat for energy, after all, so he had no clue if he was hungry or deficient in anything.
“Ease up on the heat, big guy.” Kakashi rolled his eyes but did as he was told.
“Still nothing.” Their mate was looking at him with worry.
“What are you looking for?” Kakashi had pulled his mask down, sniffing the omelet he was cooking, hardly paying attention to them.
“Kurama swallowed something weird. Waiting to see if it passes.”
They weren't ready to tell the cubs about whatever was happening to him.
“Gross.”
The brat came home about then, making a few clones to chase after the kids and gather them for breakfast.
“Anything interesting?”
“Not really.” Kurama gave Kakashi his nearly passing grade for the omlet, before pushing him out of the way to get back to finishing cooking. Luckily it wasn't a school day so most of the other cubs had slept in, save Saito who had wandered in having not slept since the day before, ate a pear and two pieces of toast when pushed, and wandered down in the direction of the stairs. If he wasn't asleep after breakfast Kurama would scold him.
He had been busy lately, but missing sleep wasn't okay.
Kurama began frying some sausages and promptly shoved himself away from the smell of them, doubled over on the ground and gagging like an animal trying to cough something up.
“Kurama!”
Chapter 122: A Lead
Summary:
Yugure makes an observation.
Chapter Text
Kurama was currently tucked into bed, their younger children had all crawled in with him despite being asked to let him sleep.
Whatever happened earlier had come as quite the shock. Kurama told them once he'd stopped gagging and foaming at the mouth that the smell had been far too intense and it had made him feel... well sick, but it took a while for him to even use that word since he'd never actually been sick.
He seemed to be okay now , but Shikamaru had made him lay down anyway. He was half asleep as it was, and if he'd had blood Shikamaru would be running a few panels, but he didn't have blood. None. Whatever was circulating things through his organs wasn't blood, and Shikamaru didn't want to risk drawing a sample as that would mean doing so from one of his internal organs directly, and he didn't have that many to begin with.
One kidney, most of a human liver, the connective and circulatory systems for both, the stomach and a small portion of the intestine, and of course, the organ that was likely causing any unusual reactions, his womb.
Shikamaru wasn't too worried about his health, if he was fully honest- he didn't want him to suffer unduly, or hurt himself, but his body as it was.... wasn't his actual body. If it took too much damage it would pop, and Kurama's mind could leave it at any point regardless of damage taken or how much power he had in reserves. The real issue was that if there was something he just couldn't see, Kurama had to maintain the body. If he didn't... it didn't bare thinking about.
“What are we going to do?” Naruto had been pacing, and Shikamaru honestly didn't know.
“Just... keep an eye on him I guess. Make sure he's eating properly, sleeping enough...” He anxiously began to pick at his lip as he tried to cover all their bases, “Staying hydrated will be important, and... I guess restrict how much weight he lifts. Beyond that I don't think there's much we can do.”
He had no clue what to expect, what to watch for, if this was all psychosomatic or if this was just what they could expect given Kurama was a bijuu. What if there was a baby but it came out an unformed ball of energy? What if there wasn't and this was all just unintended side effects of him being formed for so long, or the organs? It was the not knowing that was driving him crazy, because he didn't know how to help without knowing what was wrong first.
Yugure had made herself comfortable laying with her head on her baba's lap, looking up at him. He was reading some boring looking book while Megumi helped Temari braid his hair, Bashira was picking out some of the play makeup that the two older girls had gotten for their birthday.
She perked up slightly, turning to side-eye his stomach, before scooting her head closer and pressing it lightly to his belly.
“Hey baba?” He hummed, still reading. Must be finishing a page then. She waited until he folded the book closed around his thumb, giving his full attention. “Did you eat a dust spirit?”
“I haven't eaten any spirits ever. Also the house is too clean to have any.” She frowned, pushing her ear even closer. “Why?”
“Sounds familiar.” She mumbled.
Her daddy came into the room and warned them not to be too rough with baba, and handed him a cup of tea before he started to straighten up, a few shadows were folding clean clothes and storing them away as he tried to dust some of the clutter on one of their shelves.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, little shade?”
“Baba's tummy sounds weird. It's like she swallowed a dust spirit.”
“Yugure, baba is a boy.” Kurama gently corrected and she huffed.
“It sounds like he swallowed a dust spirit.”
“Dust spirit?”
“A weak little yokai! I used to be one before I got big!” She hugged him about the middle, nuzzling his belly, “But baba said she- said he hasn't eaten any!”
“A... yokai.” He was looking at baba funny now. “Yugure, how are yokai usually formed?”
“Mhmmm....” She stirred up her memories, “Sometimes we just happen, like me, uh... humans used to call us susuwatari. Objects can too if they're really loved or really hated, tsukumogami, I think... Some are really old and have always been around, and some are from nature like rivers or mountains.... Old animals too. Fox are the most well known, kitsune, since they become spirits if they live to a hundred, and gain a second tail, but all animals can if they live long enough. Animals that don't want to become spirits but live that long and have young are the ancestors of most summons, like the toads and foxes and deer an stuff.”
“And animals that become spirits can't have children?”
“Nuh-uh, daddy, they can. They just don't usually ‘cause it takes a long time and a lot of energy. Mama Kitsune usually give up a whole tail if they have a baby just to make sure it isn't born a normal fox. Oh, and they can have babies with humans but the baby is usually mostly human. Like me!”
Given she had retained just a bit of yokai energy in her soul she couldn't exactly be classed as human, but she technically fell into the same class as children born between a spirit like a kitsune and a human. Maybe because of kurama, but she felt more like a fox than a stag.
“Inei...”
“That might explain some things...” Her daddy scrubbed his face with his hands for a moment, before kneeling to be near eye level with her. “Do you know a lot about that? Yokai and people?” She shook her head.
“Just what I already said. And being born.” Her daddy seemed to deflate a little bit. “Granny fox might know more. She told me once her mama was a kitsune.”
“Granny?” Temari, who had found the whole thing a bit too boring and had already moved forward with messily braiding baba's hair, peaked around his side.
“She's the biggest, oldest fox ever. She lives in the valley with Ichika an’ Talia and the other fox when they aren't visiting.” Temari looked delighted at that.
“I don't know if I'd hold form if they reverse summoned the brat...”
“Daddy?” Megumi had shared a look with Bashira. “Urushi could go.”
“Yeah, he can go for sure.” Her older sisters were very interested in the foxes, and had learned almost as much as she knew from living for so long with them just by virtue of asking a lot of questions.
“He could take you with...”
“We'll sit down and talk about this when Haruki is home.”
Chapter 123: Akarui Shinpi-Tekina Valley
Summary:
A trip the the valley is necessary.
Notes:
I'm adding some of my head cannons as world building in this chapter, also sorry if things are a little vague, I can explain stuff further if it doesn't make sense, just let me know.
Chapter Text
Urushi was nervous. He'd only been reverse summoned to the valley once, with papa. He knew that his dad had been there before, but someone with a contract needed to go with him, and for whatever reason papa couldn't take him. What was even more nerve wracking was that they'd be talking with Granny Kuzuryu, the elder vixen. She was very big and very intimidating...
They were bringing her a cask of wine, a whole roasted bird, and a large basket worth of sweet berries he didn't know the name of. Personally he didn’t think it would be enough to make her happy given how big she was, but he was also unwilling to speak up on that.
Urushi, luckily, would only stop by to pay his respects to her in the forest that encircled most of the open land, before Ichika had plans to take him off to begin training... something. There was a pond she was very insistent he wade in, and berries she demanded he eat while doing so- she also informed him he may get a bit bruised on the trip but it was all for his own well being. He wasn't sure he liked that but...
Well his papa said it would work out, so he wasn't too worried.
With their tribute in a scroll both he and his papa got on Ichika's back, and with a final goodbye they popped out of the material world and into the summoning lands.
The Akarui shinpi-tekina valley was a sprawling meadow pocketed with clusters of trees large enough that anywhere else they could be called a woods, but not here. The tall grass was filled with wildflowers and berry bushes, some of the berries were so large they could obscure his head if he held one on front of his face. The valley smelled sweet, and the foxes made a lot of wine, he'd learned. The meadow was surrounded by trees even larger than the biggest trees he'd seen around the village, the ones that towered over even the wall. He could see the huts and lean-to's that were peppered around the bases of trees. He followed behind his dad, anxious, and didn't even complain about being too old to be babied when his dad took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
Deep into the woods, so deep the sun only came down in sparse shafts of light through the canopy above. The foxes who walked the large trails between trees were house sized or bigger, but smaller foxes ran along the roots of trees. It took a lot of walking before they reached the Grove. To one side was a blue fox with a graying muzzle, behind her were seven long wiry tails, she was easily three times Ichika's size. To the other side was a much smaller male fox, he had eight tails, but his once red fur was almost white with only the barest glimpses of its former luster.
Sat behind both in a crook of trees was a vixen nearly the size of the hokage tower, her fur was a silvery white, long since bleached with age, her eyes were a pale and watery blue, hazed over and blind, old stains of tear tracks dyed her fur, and when she opened her mouth she was missing most of her teeth and her hot breath stunk of sake.
“Hello, little todd.” Her voice was ancient but kind, even still it hurt his ears for the volume of it standing so close.
The trees behind her shuddered when she shifted, her tails wrapped around a number of them, Urushi didn't know how many tails she had, but certainly more than ten.
“Hello, Granny Kuzuryu.”
“Feh, such insolence!”
“Hush, Arisu, always fussing.” The old male fox barked, “You're scaring the little thing.”
“Both of you...” The old fox shook her head and the other two elders bowed their heads. “You've gotten a bit bigger since we last spoke. Still so small... are you feeding him?” The question was to his dad, who smiled softly.
“As often and as much as he'll let us.” She chuckled, lips pulled back a bit in an almost smile, he could see her tongue through the gaps in her teeth, “We've brought you a gift.”
“I expected as much, you've always been such a well bred guest.” He studied the old male fox, Daichi, who huffed softly, rolling his eyes as his dad poured the wine into a very large bowl for the old fox. “ Delicious .” Ichika had been waiting and chose then to speak up while the other foxes looked on enviously of the bowl of alcohol.
“Granny, I was waiting for your permission to continue Urushi's training, bew.” Was that related to the swimming thing she was talking about earlier?
“Hmm? I suppose it will be fine. Besides, I expect the discussion with our guest will last quite some time.” Her blind eyes turned toward him, “Ichika, please fully explain what it is you'll be teaching him, and why it's so important that he learn it as the next scroll barer.”
He bowed and thanked her, walking away while following the massive mint green fox as she led him back to the meadow.
“What did she mean? As a scroll barer?”
“Your papa currently holds the scroll we gave to humans, he's a sage, so he's long earned the right to bare it, bew.” He tilted his head, showing he was listening. “Once you prove the same, you’ll be of age to carry it in his place, bew.”
“What makes him a sage?”
“A sage is a human who can draw in the energy of nature. Crucially without turning into an animal. I am going to start teaching you how to do so, bew.”
“I might turn into an animal!?”
“Not with me watching you, cub. Bew.” She teased, “You'll eat a few of the green berries that grow by the pond, they help open chakra pathways, and the water will help you center your mind during the process. Be grateful we aren't like the toads, they use this stinky oil, just slather their poor summoners in the stuff, dreadful, bew!”
“Is becoming a sage going to make me stronger?”
“Oh yes, among the strongest in the world, bew.” It had taken a bit but they reached the pond, and Urushi took two of the berries- they were horribly bitter, “Now grab onto me and we'll walk in, if you start turning into an animal I'll nip you-”
“What?!”
“Now, what are your questions?” She had waited for Urushi to leave ear shot, and Shikamaru sat on the moss covered earth before her.
“I'm sure our situation has gotten back to you.” She chuckled, before throwing her massive head back to laugh with her full belly.
“Yes, indeed it has. But that doesn't provide me with all the information I would need, Lost Nara.” He took a calming breath.
“I'd like to request any information you have on yokai pregnancies, even if it isn't much.”
“Hmm.” Her tails flicked and the sound of leaves crashing together filled the space as she adjusted. “My mother became a kitsune in the time after the Human Sage. She had been in love with the great chakra beast, the nine tailed son. But she was too cowardly to approach him. She instead spent time with another kitsune, she had eight tails, he had only five, but she believed it to be love.” She paused to take another lick of wine, “He left her for a human lord, changing his face to that of a woman and seducing the lord. My mother refused to give up one of her tails if he would leave her in such a state. I was born after one year. My father gave four of his tails to his human children, and when the lord he loved died he died at his side.”
Shikamaru waited while she decided how to continue. After a few moments she seemed to have strung together her thought further.
“Even though I was born a fox, my mother was very protective of me. I did not meet my father, but I met my half siblings. They commanded an unusual amount of power, vitality, and strength for humans. Three sons, and one daughter.” He nodded. “The lord my father died for, nearly two thousand years ago, was the small feudal lord, Uzumaki.”
“Then your siblings founded the clan that we know today?” Kuzuryu grinned as the information sunk into him like a stone.
“This is why I like you. Yes. I was brought to the valley, where there weren't many other foxes at the time, many older than I was, by my mother to protect me before she left the area entirely. I returned to the lands my human half siblings resided in, and offered to make them the scroll your mate now carries. I never revealed our relationship, and so few of their descendants ever had such a connection.”
“Is that why the scroll is so empty?” She barked a laugh and the trees shook around her.
“The names of the scroll fade when the one they were written by becomes someone else. Humans reincarnate, after all. Have your mate unwind the scroll out a few meters and you shall see the names of those who signed before fade as they are born again.”
It felt like lightning down his spine. If the scroll was that ancient, of course it wouldn't make sense for only four, including Naruto and Urushi's, name columns to be filled.
“In the time between then and now, many kitsune have abandoned their children here, and many I raised in their place myself. You and I share that quality. I have witnessed some even give birth. The average fox will carry her cubs for fifty days, but a kitsune, even one not willing to cut off a tail for their child, will carry their cub for one year. It takes those touched by spirits longer to mature, and much is to do with energy. We bridge the divide between spirit and animal, and children born in the valley are carried as long as humans carry their own cubs. It is because with too much energy the child would die, but too little and the time would drag on indefinitely. I cannot speak for the toads, the deer, the snakes, or the slugs, but from all I know of you, of your mate, of the eldest tailed beast, it is likely that you need only maintain a certain amount of energy to speed along the cub.” Then she was confirming what they couldn't yet, in her own way. “You must walk a long path, it matters little how you deliver it, but you must supplement the role of providing energy to the cub. Every day, you must sacrifice a piece of yourself for the cub. As you maintain the best qualities of your humanity, you will quickly recover what you have given away. Just be careful not to give too much, as it may hurt the cub.”
“I understand.” It wasn't dissimilar to Yugure then, he's just have to be careful about how much chakra he gave Kurama.
“As you likely want a human cub, to be safe, and without giving too much energy it would harm the cub, I estimate the birth to be eighteen to thirty six moons from now.”
He felt like he'd been punched. A year and a half to two and a half years? And Kurama would be pregnant the whole time?
“There may also be a small chance your children are born as spirits even with precautions. Although the blood is quite diluted, your mate is still the descendant of foxes, but your own blood had affinity with deer, so there's a chance they will be born a fawn rather than a cub. They will still require your love and care, but yokai tend to seek independence at a young age.” He thought of Yugure, curled against his side, clinging tightly to him the day before they left for the valley. He doubted she'd be trying to leave the nest early.
“I understand.” The old fox sighed, eyes closed now, “I appreciate you sharing so much with me.”
“Are we not family?” One loose tail hovered nearby to gently flick him. “Besides, you'll need to learn more history eventually, and this will surely not be the last time I see you before I die.”
“I hope that day is delayed a very long time.” She snorted.
“It already has been. Now, tell me all about your cubs, your mate is always so stingy with details.”
It was hard to tell the passage of time, but eventually he was let go of, heading toward his son whose chakra kept bouncing up and down, signifying he was making some progress in at least absorbing nature chakra.
Urushi was dazed as he was dragged out of the water and hit with a stick covered in scratched on seals, he was barely tapped before he was throwing up.
“Wait until it's expelled the other way. It'll feel even worse, bew!”
“Purging the chakra catalyst?”
“Usually we'd let it run out of his system normally, but he needs supervision to continue training and we're not coming back with you to watch him, bew.” He sighed, rubbing Urushi's back.
“We'll send him back this weekend, please let it come out normally.” He didn't exactly like her method of removing the catalyst, but it would be bad for it to remain in his system if he wasn't being closely watched.
Chapter 124: Life. Lemons.
Summary:
For every good thing, something bad seems to balance it out. Their really going through it now.
Notes:
Sorry I didn't post anything last week! We were supposed to have something in our apartment inspected, but they ended up not entering to check it? But we spent the whole weekend cleaning up and moving stuff so it would be out of their way and I forgot about posting. To make up for it I'm going to post extra today.
Chapter Text
Naruto was just carrying Uhari up from her nap, Kurama was entertaining the other children, save Temari and Kankuro who were with Yashamaru in his home to look at old photos of their mother (Shikamaru may have gone back to Suna to grab his prized possessions for him but no one had seemed to notice yet...). He was talking to her about nothing in particular, she was starting to talk a little and so she'd occasionally babble words back at him. She had gone quiet but she might still be tired, it was difficult to pinpoint.
“Are you excited for Neji to come over this weekend?” She cooed up at him and he grinned like a fool, “Do you like playing with your cousin?” She seemed distracted as her eyes scanned over his face for a moment, squinting before she suddenly began to cry, “What's wrong?”
She didn't stop crying. He tried everything he could that usually calmed her down, but the minute she looked at him she started to scream again, and not normally, in fear .
“It's papa, Uhari, what's wrong?” Covering his face with his hands just made things worse, and he had to swap with Kurama who apparently didn't set her off.
“She's squinting more than she usually would.” Kurama was rocking her now, and she was sucking her thumb to self soothe.
“I don't know why she's screaming, its like every time she looks at me she freaks out...”
“But why not me?” Kurama stared down at her, and tilted his head. “Brat, did she start screaming after she started squinting or before?”
“After?”
“And she was happy?”
“Yeah...”
“I don't think she's squinting.”
“What?” He ventured closer, but she started to cry again. She wasn't even looking at him directly this time.
“Look at the area around her eyes closely. It isn't as well defined but...”
The skin was pulled tighter around her eyes leading to unusual wrinkles, however looking closely-
“No.”
“Denial won't help any, brat.”
“She's just a baby. Babies don't develop kekkei genkai, I don't care what family -!”
“Brat, there isn't any changing this.” He quieted. “If I suddenly could only clearly see the chakra system inside someone I'd be upset too.” Naruto was panicking.
“What are we going to do? If Hiashi finds out... ugh it'll be a nightmare.” He could imagine it now, the Hyuga were merciless when it came to protecting their bloodline. They'd protest his and Shikamaru's right to even keep her, and even if they were allowed that much it would be with the requisite that she be placed under their curse mark. He felt his teeth sharpen at the thought of anyone putting one of his children through that.
“I think you mean ‘when’ but yes, this is going to be a difficult issue to solve.” Kurama was careful to keep her immediate line of sight clear. “When our mate gets back we'll need to tell him.” Shikamaru wouldn't take it well, of course he wouldn't, she was one of his babies, and the Hyuga would be an implicit threat going forward. They might need to worry about their husband attacking the clan as a way to protect Uhari.
“Tell me what?” There had been a pop, but they hadn't noticed it as they'd been preoccupied, “Is Uhari sick?” He easily pushed past Naruto, but getting in her range had Uhair crying again. “Is it her teeth bothering her!? Does she have a fever-!”
“Shika, her eyes are...”
“Dad I don't feel good.” Urushi had trudged in after him, damp, and a bit pale looking. Naruto recognized the smell of the chakra catalyst berries and hurried to shepherd his boy somewhere he could lay down. He was fairly sure he had asked Ichika not to start his training yet but that was a moot point now.
“I'll take him to his room, Kurama, can you-!”
“Go. I've got this.”
“This can't be happening.” Shikamaru had Uhari asleep against his chest, cradling her carefully as Kurama ran clawed fingers through his hair.
“Just breathe.” The words are meant to be soothing but they grate at him. He couldn't calm down. His daughter was in danger.
“What are we going to do?” For once he truly felt at a loss. What could they do? His little one was under threat, one that for all intent and purpose, the village would side with. Their clan was the one who had less rights in this situation, and she would be the one to suffer for that.
“We'll fight them if they try to take her or place the seal.” Kurama soothed him. “For now I think it would be best to keep this a secret.”
Shikamaru nodded, but his head was pounding. Why ?
Hadn't their daughter gone through enough? He'd never heard of a kekkei genkai awakening this early, usually children were two or three when it happened, and that was unusually quickly. Most showed up by the age of five or not at all, and the Hyuga were in practice of placing the seal as soon as the kekkei genkai manifested. It wouldn't matter to them that Uhari wasn't even a year and a half old.
“It may activate again without her intent so we should try and limit how much she interacts outside of the family.” He finally settled on it, they just needed to protect her as long as possible. She had very few Hyuga traits so he hadn't even suspected it to be a possibility. The best he could do really was hide her away while they built an air tight defense to keep her when the Hyuga inevitably tried to take her. And they would try.
He hated himself for it, but they couldn't even tell Hizashi. The risk of his brother finding out was too high, even if they could really use his advice right about now.
“What did Kuzuryu say?” Kurama was trying to distract him, and though he appreciated it, and he did need to tell Kurama about it, but he was still panicking about their daughter and her safety.
“You need more energy. Also it could be two years before the baby comes.”
“That isn't very long...” Kurama pat his stomach, but he looked happy.
“Yes it is, a normal baby takes less than half that time. Some of us haven't been around for thousands of years. I need to start giving you my energy daily, so I guess we'll figure that out as we go.” Kurama shrugged, leaning against him and watching Uhari with worry.
“She's so little.” It comes out of Kurama like a tired sigh as he reached to tuck a lock of brown hair back and out of her face. “What are the Hyuga even thinking?”
“Their kekkei genkai is important to them, and protecting it is part of their job of maintaining their heritage. It's not that I don't understand why they're like this... but it doesn't excuse child abuse, or turning their clansmen into slaves. The seal itself doesn't even have to cause harm, just prevent their secrets from being taken. The choice to cause pain... it was intentional.” He knew that the closer Naruto got to Hizashi the more they both learned about how much influence the elders had over clan politics, at least within the Hyuga clan, and how little say Hiashi had in anything.
The Hyuga clan was often overlooked by civilians, they maintained a lot of the heritage of the village, protecting historical sights, furthered art and culture... so most people never even learned about the caged bird seal. The seal made it impossible to treat any sort of eye related illness or injury to branch members, activating when anyone got too near them. Many branch members developed cataracts, glaucoma, and chronic dry eye, but treating them was difficult as not even doctors from the village could get within touching range of them. Many of the clan elders who also had the seal placed at a young age and still support it to this day went blind at young ages. Kekkei genkai come with a price, usually immense strain on the body, and maybe because two ocular kekkei genkai existed in the village they were able to notice similarities between the two with long term use. Sharingan users went blind with heavy use, but byakugan users tended to go blind slowly, taking years to destroy their vision, unlike in Uchiha who tended to suddenly decline steeply, their's faded out with plenty of warning.
But Uchiha usually got treatment for their eyes, stopping the degeneration of their eyes before becoming totally blind, and sometimes with treatment they were even able to regain some lost vision. Hyuga, even among the main family, did not seek treatment for their eyes. Too careful not to allow anyone to know how they work outside of the family. Even so the family produced very few doctors, and the seal didn't discriminate between strangers and family, taking effect instantly no matter who it was who attempted it.
And there was a chance his daughter would be swept up in all that.
“Urushi is lying down, what did they even do to him? He's been leaking from both...” Naruto quieted, seeing the two curled together. “Is everything okay? Did she... y'know, again?”
“No, she's okay right now.” But how long would she be okay?
“Oh, brat, come here, our mate says I am pregnant.”
“Really? Did granny Kuzuryu share some secret pregnancy test secret?”
“No, brat she... wait did she?”
“... you're both lucky I'm already in love with you.” Shikamaru sighed. “Okay, from the beginning-!”
Suffice to say, Naruto did not actually understand it any more than before, but Kurama became very smug, not because he had been right, but more because he had been less wrong than Naruto. Either way, it didn't change the renewed excitement Kurama had been harboring. They would, eventually, have another beautiful pup.
All and all it had been a good distraction from his fears regarding Uhari's future, though that one would come to a head long before the pup.
Chapter 125: The Strongest Kunoichi Ever Born
Summary:
Shikamaru getting existential and emotional about the passing of time.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Mrs. Haruno went into labor at about eleven thirteen at night on March twenty seventh, and by nine on the morning of the twenty eight she was resting at the hospital with a mostly bald sleeping infant with a single long curling fluff of pink hair at the crown of her head. They had named her Sakura, though he had expected that. She was healthy, a whopping seven pounds three ounces, and surprisingly long for a newborn, but otherwise there was nothing particularly noteworthy about her. Just a pink haired shinobi baby born to civilian parents- her dad in his prime actually had an almost reddish brown hair, and he wondered if he was an Uzumaki descendant but chose not to pry. Sakura would inherit freakish strength and force of will from somewhere, did the source really matter?
Her mother cried a lot while rocking her, already obsessing over how tiny she was when a few hours prior she had been cursing her baby for having such a huge head. Motherhood. He got to hold her, while Mebuki slept, she'd be discharged the next day, and her husband had been shooed home at the end of visiting hours so he could get things ready for his wife and baby.
“You're strong. You're smart. You'll change the world.” He whispered it softly to her, not that she'd remember. Sakura had taught him everything he knew about medicine, how to coat his body in chakra, her advice has saved his life more than once.
Now she was less than a day old, wrinkly, pink, small enough to weigh almost nothing in his arms, and helpless. He knew it was her, though. The Sakura he grew up with, Ino's real best friend. He laid her down carefully in the bassinet beside her mother's bed, checking the charts left by a nurse, before exiting the patient room and walking to the nurses station.
One of the nurses, he suspected Miwa, the nurse that floated between OB and pediatric, had started a photo wall for him next to the other doctors in his department. He hadn't just delivered a few of his peers, after all. In a week or two, the Haruno family might drop off a picture of baby Sakura, and it would join the other's that had started to fall in, two rows, one of six, one with just two. The other OB who specializes in shinobi medicine and care had a photo of baby Shino, sometimes he'd look at it and wonder when they started him on the bugs. It made his skin crawl, but he knew the process was, for the most part, not painful. He'd asked Shino.
The remainder of his shift was slow, noting of note happened after all. Nothing more important that Sakura being born. He wondered if anyone would notice if he went back in and held her again but decided against it- he'd get to see a lot more of her as she grew up, even if he never got to be an important part of her life or anything of the sort. He still peaked back in at her were she was fast asleep before he hung up his coat for the night and went home, taking the long way and trying his best not to start crying. Sakura was alive. He knew she and Naruto had always been closer, but she had been his friend too, and he now had proof that she was here. She would grow up to be an amazing shinobi. The strongest Kunoichi ever born, and he had the honor of being there when she was. He was still having trouble reconciling her with the grown up Sakura he remembered, she was so small, for one thing. But she'd grow. He'd make sure she had every opportunity to flourish, so long as he was able to.
When he returned home he found that Sai, Gaara, Kankuro, and Shin had all squished in between his husbands, with the two youngest infants asleep on Kurama's chest. He pulled a blanket up over them and went to sit with his legs dangling through the railing of the balcony, staring up at the stars for a few minutes. He'd figure out how to wiggle into the over crowded bed sooner than later, but for the moment he supposed he could be alone with his thoughts a little longer. The air felt nice, and the smell of the balcony plants reminded him of being out in nature.
He heard feet on the wood the floor below, Yuki was getting up for their cup of water, like they did most nights they had trouble sleeping. He could hear their girls snoring in their bedrooms, the gentle hum of the dogs sleeping on the wind just outside, Saito's pen scratching away while he sat up gripped by his need to create. He debated snuffing the lantern his son had lit but decided against it. He'd only scare the boy, and given how sleep deprived he'd been lately he ought to avoid spooking him if possible.
He shifted his focus higher, and felt Kakashi's presence on the roof, tuning into the shadows in the eaves he could hear him using his communication seal he'd gotten the week prior to talk late into the night with Obito, going back and forth on goodbyes and who should hang up and how neither had yet. He'd give them ten more minutes before going up and telling Kakashi to go to bed.
It was hard to imagine his boy as a squad captain. As Sakura's squad captain.
Twelve years were going to go by in the blink of an eye.
He was both terrified and excited for it all the same.
Notes:
The next chapter will be NSFW.
Chapter 126: Bound
Summary:
NSFW
New tags:
Discussion of kinks, blindfolds, rope, full sensory deprivation, fisting, bukkake, after care.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“I would like a kiss.” Kurama was giving him puppy eyes, so he stopped to give him one.
They had decided the easiest method of delivering the daily energy needed would be a kiss. Although Shikamaru understood why Kurama would eagerly suggest sex as the method, daily sex would become a hassle the further along this went. Especially since Kurama apparently had the parts needed to get nauseous. Every once and a while as a treat would be okay.
Neither he nor Kurama were surprised that, out of the three of them, it was Naruto who was the most into the idea of Kurama being pregnant as some kind of sexual fantasy. That wasn't to say Kurama wasn't being extremely weird about it, but Naruto was definitely worse.
Shikamaru, prior to his romantic and subsequently sexual involvement with Naruto had been pretty vanilla. True his experiences were a bit limited, but excluding the minimal amount of oral and fingering he'd done with a few hook ups during some of the more... dark periods of the war where he had just wanted human touch and didn't care where it came from, the spiciest thing he'd ever done was over the underwear mutual masturbation, wherein he and Choji, on a mission, laid back to back and rubbed one out at the same time-
Neither saw one another naked, and both were too embarrassed to ever talk about that again.
Now he was married to a sexual deviant who had an actual written list of kinks he wanted to try at some point, several Shikamaru had actually blacklisted from even talking about.
He was starting to relent on sounding, more for the fact that it had to be done to Naruto because his dick tended to turn into a writhing mass when given too much attention. Not that he expected Naruto wanted to do it to him, but Naruto had- through talking incessantly about wanting it done to himself - convinced him to try double penetration.
Shikamaru was convinced it was some kind of mind control.
“Are you sure you really don't want me to do a foot job on you?”
“Keep your feet away from my crotch.” He was deadpan when he joined his husband in the bedroom.
“Do you think my feet are ugly?”
“What? No, I don't have an opinion? I'm just not into feet as a sexual thing, that's why I crossed it out, remember?”
“Oh yeah.” He stretched, naked and barely covered by a bed sheet, for a notebook he had left open by the mattress, “What about...spit-roast? Wait, we did that recently...”
“We could just have boring, normal person sex, you know? It doesn't have to be...”
“I know, I just... I like it. I get to learn new things about you when we try different stuff. Like how you hated it when Kurama gave you a tongue bath.”
“He licked my armpit. Also I'm not convinced that was sexual for him.” He began to strip. “What else do you have?”
“Blindfold?” He hummed, kneeling down to sit on Naruto’s back where he began to rub his shoulders. “I haven't finished that box I was making, so the sex box is out.”
“I am begging you to call your weird claustrophobic nightmare box something else.”
“... maybe... oh! Consensual non-consent-!”
“I don't want to pretend I don't want to be intimate with you.”
“... you could have Kurama hold me down...” he sighed.
“Table that. Does that one just say somnophilia with five question marks?”
“Uhuh. I don't think we'll be able to do that one, since Kurama only sleeps for fetal development, I have insomnia, and you only need like an hour or two of sleep on any normal day.”
“It would be hard...” Both looked over as Kurama slid in through the nursery door.
“Both are back asleep, Gaara had been wet- wait why are you two just laying about? You made it sound as if I'd walk into a mess.”
“He wants to try something new.” Shikamaru tapped Naruto's head, the blonde sighed, holding up his notebook for Kurama to take.
“I'll just choose a random page.” He closed his eyes, flipping the worn pages back and forth before stopping and putting his finger down on the left side of the notebook. He read whatever was there and made a face, pulling the pen stuck in the spine and crossed whatever was written there out several times.
“What was that one?” Shikamaru leaned back to look him in the eye better.
“It was already crossed out.” By the disgusted look on his face Shikamaru knew it was one of the ones Naruto had only written down because they were fairly common.
“Was it the piss one?”
“Yeah, it was piss.” He laughed as both of his husband's shuddered.
“You're grossed out by pee, so why include that one again?”
“It was one of the ones in Icha Icha, and pervy sensei said it was-!” A shadow covered his mouth before he could finish his thought.
“Don't tell me. Pick a different one, Kurama.”
“Hmm.” He repeated the process but made pleased hum this time when he read it. “Blindfolding, but we could also do full restraint bondage?”
“On who?”
“The brat loves being held down, as we've discovered.” He considered it.
“Actually...” He shouldn't be embarrassed. He was a grown man. His partners had seen him in more embarrassing situations. “I wouldn't be against it if we did that with full sensory deprivation on me...” Kurama purred loudly at that, and Naruto twisted to look back at him with sparkling eyes, “If you mention your freaky sex box I swear-!”
“I want to be an actual object during sex some day, is that really a problem?” He groaned, rolling off of Naruto's back and onto the bed while Kurama dug around for rope, the blindfold, and presumably something to cover his ears.
“The design you showed me looks like a coffin with a glory hole.”
“Okay, I got everything, how do you want to be tied up?” Unbothered, Kurama dropped a pile of things onto the bed, dropping his yukata off with no ceremony.
“Arms in front would probably be more comfortable, but arms behind your back would be more helpless.” Shikamaru tested the rope, Naruto had laid seals into it so it wouldn't cut off circulation or chafe the skin too much, just enough to feel like real rope without causing any damage.
“... Behind my back.” He sat still, giving up the rope to Naruto as he wrapped it around his chest, holding his arms in place to have the rope secure them behind him- they'd actually practiced this one- the rope would also slacken if too much pressure was applied in a certain way once tied so he could quickly release the knots if he changed his mind or panicked- he was glad they'd tried it out before actually using it.
The rope held his biceps down against his sides, and his arms crossed behind his back, he was holding his own elbows and his forearms were braced together tightly, and he wiggled slightly to test to see how secure his hold was.
“Do you want us to tie your legs too?” They had more rope, after all. There was another option if he wanted to be trussed up but they hadn't tested to see how comfortable they were with it, so the spreader bar with clamps was still hidden away,
“Yeah, let's see how it feels.” He folded his legs, rolling onto his side to do so, and Kurama held him in position as Naruto quickly bound him, the rope dug in at his ankle and his upper thigh, and he flexed his leg to test the first bond, it was tight, and a little uncomfortable, but he knew if he asked Naruto would untie his legs if they got too stiff. “You can tie the other one.”
It took a very short period before he was soon kneeling on their bed, naked, trussed and Kurama was kneeling in front of him, having pulled his hair up into a messy bun to keep it out of his way as he placed the blindfold over his eyes and left him in absolute darkness. He tried to disconnected himself from the shadows in the room.
“Safe word?” Kurama stroked his cheek, and he racked his brain for something he could easily remember. Usually Naruto needed the safe word.
“Ramen.” He could hear Naruto giggling at that. A slim pair of ear muffs that had seals on them he wasn't sure the purpose of was resting beside his ears now.
“If your legs or arms start going numb, or hurting, or if it's too much, just say, okay?” He startled slightly as Naruto stroked his neck lightly- it had to be him because there were two right hands touching him now. “We'll stop right away.”
“I will.”
And with that, the ear muffs slid over his ears and the world went silent.
He was given a moment to try and right his bearings as he adjusted to the now almost disorienting nothingness. He began to wonder if they'd both gotten up and left him, as the minutes stretched on.
Then he was touched.
“Ah!” He arched as a finger tip ran quickly down from his sternum to his belly button and then vanished, his head turned uselessly about looking for the source.
He jumped again, but arched into a familiar hand, as it dragged slowly, starting as fingertips at his shoulder before cupping his peck with a full palm, massaging the muscle. He couldn't help the soft breathy gasps that came at being touched, or for that touch to vanish.
The hand was gone after a moment, and he shivered as warm air ghosted against his neck.
“Oh...” He exposed his throat, and was rewarded by sharp teeth that rested along his neck, squeezing lightly until he gasped in pain before a warm tongue was lapping over the bite. He gasped and jolted again as sharp teeth, with no warning this time, bit his chest, and two hands gripped his thighs, one from in front, one from behind. The mouth at his neck began to suck his skin, flashing sharp teeth to nip and scrape occasionally, but it was leaving hickies up and down his throat.
The mouth on his chest had found his nipple and was rolling it's tongue over the bud, he couldn't see but he could feel it stiffen- he keened as the aggressive mouth nipped him there before it began to suck as well, the hand on his right thigh abandoned it's post and he soon had the same somewhat rough treatment being dealt to the other half of his chest.
“S’a little rough-!” His arms strained slightly as the mouth on his neck bit down again, a little harder, and he cried out.
The hand still on his right thigh moved, joined by another they held his hips as he was forced to tilt onto his knees into the abuse from the more aggressive mouth. Both had matching sharp teeth, and he couldn't tell who was who, or even if it was the real Naruto or just clones. That thought began to make him anxious and he started to squirm.
“Naruto, Kurama-!” The mouths left his skin, hands stilling, and he nearly breathed a sigh of relief when he was kissed on both cheeks, a hand stroking his jaw gently- maybe he did, he stopped squirming as he tried to calm down.
The kissing trailed down his neck, until the one from in front of him vanished and he arched looking for the touch in the darkness. He knew at some point while he was distracted his form had shifted, and he flexed his thighs as he was tugged back against a firm chest, knees being nudged open. He was panting and hot all over at this point, every muscles taut and anxious to see where the next touch would land.
The noise that came out of his mouth was probably ugly, but he couldn't hear it let alone focus on it as something warm and wet ran against the searching tendrils of his groin.
“Is that a tongue?” he gasped, rolling his chest and head back into the firm body behind him- the same body grabbed his knees and pushed them fully apart- as far as the bindings and his own flexibility would allow.
He couldn't control what exactly his sex was doing as what was definitely a tongue lapped against him. It rolled against warm skin, the sensation made his hips twitch, but try as they may his sex wasn't finding another entrance, so of mostly their own volition they ran along the tongue looking for somewhere to bury.
“Ah... wait-!” He threw his head back gasping as the majority of his sex pushed through into the mouth belonging to the tongue. He was fairly sure it was Kurama in front of him and Naruto behind, so he was only briefly worried that he was actively choking his husband.
The mouth was warm . Warm, wet, and his sex rolled and curled, exploring the space with a mind of its own.
The body behind him started to kiss his neck, lingering and innocent in a way that sharply contrasted the rest of the situation.
He jerked when a clawed thumb rubbed the sensitive darkness between his legs before the claw seemed to dissolve, thumb pushing into the pliant softness. It was more a permeable membrane, and neither of his partners could describe what it felt like pushing through it accurately since it always parted naturally for him.
The thumb rubbed in and out, waking up his insides until his pelvis was tingly and hot, and he knew there was a decent amount of slick starting to ooze free.
He shivered while the single thumb turned into two fingers, removed and replaced with two that began to piston in and out of him slowly. Behind him, the mouth grew less innocent again as it turned into long licks from his shoulder up to the edge of the ear muffs. Between the fingers, the mouth currently allowing itself to be fucked, and the tongue tracing his pulse he tried to squirm to free his arms.
“It's too much-!” All movement stopped, and he took a few gulps of air, once his heart stopped racing he leaned back into the hold behind him, “I'm okay. Don't stop.”
After a moment, everything resumed, slowly.
He had no concept of time as his body was relaxed manually for penetrative sex, and he almost started drooling just thinking about how he wouldn't know who would be inside of him.
“Ah! Yes-!” The mouth licking his neck bit down on his shoulder, hard enough to break skin, and something like blood trickled from between his teeth- the hand between his leg used the distraction to pop inside him, thumb tucked in. His hips jerked, trying to roll down but unable as the fist sat just inside of him.
He hadn't agreed to fisting, but one of their hands was still smaller than both of their cocks, and the aching fullness inside him drove him over.
“Fuck! N-Naruto! Kurama! Need you, need you, I need you, I-” He began to babble as he came, hips twitching and struggling to move as he was bowled over by an orgasm that probably would have blacked out his vision if it wasn't already obstructed.
As he squirmed and wriggled, the hand inside him began to shift carefully, edging deeper until he could feel it inside his belly, no doubt bulging his slim stomach. He really wanted to see that, but not knowing... it was good too.
The body behind him shifted, and he felt it as his back was poked by a cock- he was almost sure it was Naruto, but he couldn't be fully certain. The mouth on his groin pulled away, his tendrils wrapped quickly around the wrist inside him instead, rubbing and squeezing it.
He needed something else, however. There was something impersonal about the fist, and though he surprisingly enjoyed it, he wanted a connection.
He was disoriented when the muff over his left ear was gently lifted and panting and slick shifting noises flooded his quiet darkness.
“Do you want us to both inside you or one at a time?” He was very aware there were two sets of hot breath panting against his ear, and he ached inside.
Usually he tried to learn his lesson, but the idea of having both of them inside him when he was like this... It would be worth any hip or back pain that the next day would bring.
“Both of you.” The earmuff was slid back, and the world went deathly quiet as he was laid back against one of their chests while being re-positioned, the hand inside him gently pulled out leaving him feeling empty.
He had expected one at a time to push into him, so he couldn't hold back his surprised gasp as two heads were soon pushing side by side against him. Through the membrane of shadows and deeper into his body. His insides burned lightly from the more pronounced stretch, but it didn't really hurt.
He was convinced then that Naruto was under him, as Kurama had been very careful about putting any significant weight against his stomach. For a man always whining about being at the bottom when they took this particular position, he sure allowed himself to end up there often.
Both cocks were slowly edging into him, and he pulled his arms again lightly, wishing he could grab onto something for stability.
The fact that he couldn't just hammered home how at their mercy he was. His stomach tied in knots as both of them finished pushing in, head falling back as the feeling of being stuffed full settled over him. They were mercifully still as he took a few minutes to adjust, and one of them started rubbing soothing circled on his inner thigh, near the rope.
“Okay...” He tried to wriggle his hips, difficult already because of how bound he was, especially hard because not only was he tied up he was currently stuffed full and moving between two buff, broad men was tricky while sandwiched.
The one bellow him lifted their hips, holding his up further with his hands so there was a slight space between Shikamaru's ass and his (presumably Naruto's) groin, and he used that to pull out and roll his hips back in. The body above him purposefully waited to do the same until the first was half out, so one was pushing in while the other was pulling out.
The out of rhythm thrusts were quickly driving him to madness, even before his bedmates began to hasten, encouraged by his breathy moans.
The one above him began to nibble his neck, alighting on the marks the other mouth had left, and his toes curled as the frantic pace was soon enough his mind was going blank.
It rocked his hips and his insides -if normal- would probably be bruised and tender following this, he'd manage to walk it off with only some lingering stiffness. He came, feeling his seed smear between their bellies, and the cock taking him from the front swelled at the base before shoving inside and tearing a low howl from him as he was already being bowled over by an orgasm-
He was thrown through a loop when the cock hitting him from behind also swelled and jammed into him, making him writhe and babble, hips twitching as he peaked again, though nothing came out of him this time.
His belly was taut, and hot seed was settling inside, he was a little too sensitive as he was covered again in kisses and appreciative strokes. He should probably ask them to stop knotting his ass, and he would... right after it stopped feeling so good.
It was only once his breathing calmed down he felt the ear muff be moved again, quiet panting that he'd usually tune out when in this state drowned out his own thinking.
“You still okay?” He nodded, not sure he wanted to actually hear his own voice at the moment. Naruto's lips were close enough they tickled his ear just from the breath rolling over them. “Do you want to keep going? Kurama wants to try a few more things, and you're already tied up...”
“Just... need a... a minute...” His voice was almost horse, and he was suddenly worried he may have been screaming some of his sounds.
“Would you be okay if we used a few shadow clones? Not to go in you, just...” fingers soothingly ran up and down his neck, curling against his jaw, and a head with an unreasonable mane of hair laid on his chest over his heart, the long strands tickled his sensitive skin. “Kurama really wants to try bukkake, and I figure clone jiz vanishes when they pop.”
“Y-yeah...” he swallowed hard, turning into Naruto to nuzzle him blindly, “You've got me, right?”
“I've got you.” He reassured, leaving his ear uncovered until they both gently eased out of his now aching flesh. They moved him gently, just scooting him up Naruto's chest, and he could hear it as Kurama whined, sinking onto Naruto's cock, his own sex wrapping gingerly around Kurama's as it was laid against his belly. His feet were able to rest for the most part on Kurama's thighs, although they were still bound tightly. The earmuff was back in place after that, and Kurama's hips rocked against his, presumably fucking himself at his own pace on Naruto’s cock.
In contrast to before, when he felt as if he were being eaten, Naruto was pressing delicate kisses to his neck and jaw, the side of his head, and Kurama was nuzzling his chest.
He felt fuzzy inside and out, the slow grind of Kurama's hips against his was gentle, almost enough to lull him into a trance.
He was almost startled when Kurama sat back away from him, and he assumed it was Naruto who stroked his bottom lip with his thumb. Kurama squeezed his thigh twice, and it was the only warning he got before he felt hot seed begin to spray on his chest and belly.
“Ngh!” His hip was grabbed tightly and he could feel hot slick as Kurama came, seed mixing with the slick from his sex.
He didn't care for how tacky and weird the seed on his chest felt, but he'd probably be okay to do this again so long as he got to watch Kurama's face the next time. A large palm began to smear cum around on his belly and he knew he had just enough energy to yell at Naruto if it turned out to be him and not Kurama doing it.
The feeling of it all vanishing left him surprisingly cold and it was Kurama who slowly removed his earmuffs, letting the sound of breathing in, then the blindfold was gently eased off of him and he had to blink as he adjusted to the low light of the room. Kurama had a sharp toothed grin, leaning back in to kiss him gently before he unsat himself and rolled onto his side on their bed.
“Lets get your legs first, then arms.” He sat still as Naruto pulled the ropes hitch on each side, loosening them enough to pull apart and Kurama fumbled to help him gently stretch his legs out. There were rope marks but they were already fading, and once the pins and needles stopped it would be as if he never got trussed in the first place.
Once he could use his legs for balance, Naruto pushed him into a sitting position, picking the knots at his wrists until they fully released. He hissed as the circulation returning fully stung, and Naruto tried to help him by rubbing his arms gently from shoulder to wrist.
He was pulled in to Kurama and the blankets as Naruto got up, stretching, to put things away and get a damp rag.
“Did you like that?” He just nodded tiredly, resting his hand on Kurama's belly and pulsing a bit of chakra into him. “You must have hurt your voice, all the screaming you did.” He flushed, curling more closely into Kurama as if to deflect.
He was actually starting to fall asleep as Naruto yanked a pair of underwear on him after doing his best to wipe Shikamaru down since he made no move to help, picking his battles that night.
Notes:
Between the three, Naruto is definitely the biggest freak, so I figured he probably has a book of ideas that he brings out to spice things up. His long suffering partners sometimes find themselves enjoying it more than him.
Chapter 127: Kakashi's Off Day
Summary:
Both out with friends, and at home, Kakashi is having a weird (read, embarrassing) day.
Chapter Text
“I just realized it, but are you two married?” Kakashi began to choke and Obito had to slap his back until he coughed up the bite he'd just attempted to take of his takoyaki.
The double date Obito and Shizune had wanted to take them on had been going well until Rin said that out of the blue when they stopped for food while wandering the root market together.
“Why would you ask that? It's been three months?” Obito was still trying to placate him as Shizune tried to make Rin shut up- it wasn't working for either of them.
“Isn't it a really old Uchiha custom to offer your eye to the person you want to marry?” Rin defended, at that point her girlfriend gave up and just sighed, leaning against her side.
“Where'd you hear that?” Obito wasn't denying it yet and suddenly Kakashi felt he should be getting nervous, or maybe just annoyed.
“Mikoto was saying something about it the other day- I was studying at Kushina and sensei's place and they were talking about it.”
“We aren't married. We're fourteen .”
“ You're fourteen. Obito and I are both sixteen.”
“My birthday is coming up! Besides it doesn't matter .”
“Your birthday in September?”
“Shut up!” It was easy to forget Kakashi was actually younger than his squadmates by so much, but he didn't think it was a big deal.
“So if you aren't married yet, could you be considered engaged?”
“Huh... she's kinda got a point...” Obito looked away when Kakashi glared at him. “Would it really be that bad marrying into my clan...”
“Wouldn't you be marrying into his though?” All three froze to look at Shizune, who was carefully eating all of the strawberries from the crepe she was splitting with Rin. “What? He's the heir of his clan, so it would only make sense.”
“You're right.” Rin began to laugh at them, and Kakashi felt himself turning several shades darker as Obito decided at that moment to test out the name ‘Hatake Obito’ as if the others couldn't hear him.
“Invite us to the wedding, yeah? I'll buy you guys a rice cooker for the gift.” Rin finally noticed the fruit was gone from their desert and began to whine about it without any heat as Shizune dug around in the bag she had brought with for a notebook.
“It's never too early to start planning, especially since your family's so big, Kakashi. You'll need to set a date, choose a venue, make the guest list, then theirs the invitations and the cake -!”
“I'm not getting married until my parents have their wedding. Definitely not before I'm an adult .”
“Oh yeah, your dad's haven't had a ceremony.”
“Mhmm, Tsunade mentioned Noriko and Inoichi are having rushed marriage, so they could probably have theirs this summer. It would be a good time to introduce Kurama to the village too.”
“Rushed marriage?” Obito had leaned over the notebook on the table and seemed to be making his own notes beside Shizune's list. Clearly the brunt of any future wedding planing was going to be picked up by Obito then.
“I bet a hundred ryo it's cause she's pregnant.”
“Please, its definitely that. The only other reason would be if her parents were trying to force her to marry that loser-!” Kakashi shrunk at the look both girls were giving him. “What?”
“How do you of all people know anything about that?”
“The grown ups are finally hosting that dumb parents group and my dad was talking with Yoshino oba to see if they should invite Noriko.” He drawled, finally feeling safe enough to finish eating, tugging his mask down again.
“You and Obito always know all the good gossip before I do.” Shizune comforted Rin, who had thought for once she had learned something before Kakahi, but alas, it was her loss again.
“Anyway, I think you two should have a fall wedding, It could be right after Kakashi's birthday, there's this little park that rents out their gazebo for things like that and it would be perfect-”
Both boys groaned, it was their turn to feel defeat as Rin didn't save them.
The group that met consisted of most of the original rookie nine's moms, some still expecting, Aimi and Hizashi, an awkward Mebuki included despite her reminding them she wasn't a kunoichi. It didn't stop them from inviting her, nor her from coming. So that was a win.
Itachi had made a beeline for Yugure's room when Mikoto and Fugaku came, and Hana vanished from her mothers side, presumably to pet dogs outside with Fu.
They mostly talked about the kids- how stressful they were, advice on things like bed time routines, questions about newborns- just talking about having very young children.
Surprisingly things were going smoothly until Shikamaru heard the tell tale sound of his children fighting.
“Give it back!” Kakashi was, once again, chasing Chiyo. He wasn't even sure when his son got back from his outing that afternoon, but of course it was in time to notice his sister had once again snuck into his room. He was considereing making them move rooms to be further away from one another, but the two had complained when he suggested it before, as as much as the two seemed to hate one another they refused to stop spending time together. Was that what siblings were like?
“Give what back?” She managed to duck behind Naruto, prepared to sprint one way or the other as Kakashi skidded into the room behind her, both weaving slightly.
“You took my journal! Again!”
“Did not!”
“Inside voices.” Both looked sheepish for just a moment before they returned to being at one another's throats.
“Did too. I was in the bathroom for less than five minutes and when I came out it was gone , and I found THIS in its place!” It was a bit more quiet, but he held up a hastily sketched picture of what might have been him as a samurai in full armor. “Stop touching my stuff.”
“...Okay, I took it, but only because I need to know how the poison thing you wrote ends.”
“Give it back!”
“I wanna finish the chapter!”
“Why is it only when we have company over you two start up?” Naruto was trying to side step out of their fight but Chiyo was sticking behind them.
“Dad, tell her to give it back!” Shikamaru suddenly became hyper focused, he wasn't the only one.
“You just called him dad!” Chiyo was less excited about this huge moment of personal growth and more excited about a possible distraction.
“I- wait-!” Kakashi then, predictably, panicked and shinshuned away, journal forgotten.
Chiyo let it fall out from under her shirt, holding it to her chest and laughing, while Shikamaru clutched a hand over his heart.
Kakashi had called him dad .
“Chiyo, go give that back to your brother.” He felt a little teary eyed, and rather than sass him their daughter just did as she was told in mostly good humor.
He didn't think he'd ever be called dad by Kakashi. It was impossible to reconcile the over dramatic teenager with the apathetic man he'd known, not fully. For one he didn't respect him in the same way, and for another his protective urges sometimes made him see Kakashi as a small fragile child. He couldn't view him as the cool headed, highly capable, emotionally stunted sixth hokage. He had the potential of course, and he wanted Kakashi to keep growing up well, but...
Kakashi was a dog obsessed, socially awkward, dramatic, touch starved boy. His dog obsessed, socially awkward, dramatic, touch starved boy.
And his boy had called him dad.
“That was so sweet....” Kushina was also getting misty eyed, while Mebuki seemed bewildered.
“Does that happen often?”
“Oh yeah. Anyway, Shibi, I don't think you need to worry yet if he's having trouble rolling over.” Naruto went back to discussions, since he considered the matter settled.
Shikamaru was still busy commiting the whole of it to memory.
Chapter 128: An Older Twin's Burden
Summary:
Perhaps the only child actually interested in taking over the clan has deluded themselves into thinking it's not an option.
In typical Namikaze fashion, Nanami is over protective of her family to the extreme.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Nanami was worried about her brother. Nao was... sensitive.
All their lives up until they found themselves in the orphanage, her father had told her to look after him. Nao was her baby brother, an hour younger than her, and she was responsible for him even if she was only an hour more experienced at life.
Then their father hadn't returned home, and when the rent wasn't paid she and her brother were dropped at the orphanage by the landlord who hadn't even realized their were children on the property when she came to sell his things for the back payment.
She knew now with help from her adoptive parents that her mother had died of a respiratory illness when they were about two- not that she remembered- and her father had died during an accident at his job. Crushed under lumber. She had very little that had ever belonged to either, a book of poems that had been her fathers and a locket with her and her brother's baby pictures that had belonged to her mother.
They hadn't been well off, but they weren't poor. Her dad had been saving money for her and Nao to attend school, late but better than never. She knew her aunt had somehow gotten into it, and their paltry inheritance was gone.
The money hadn't mattered. It was the documents for the account she was bitter about having been thrown out when it was closed. Her parents had both signed them. She never told Nao about them because he'd be inconsolable at having lost another thing linking them to their parents.
She couldn't say she remembered her father better than Nao, the man had worked himself to the bone to provide a good life for them, and they had been self-sufficient from a very young age to accommodate that. As for their mother she only remembered her as how her father would sometimes describe her. They weren't shinobi, so no photos existed of either parent as they'd not taken many in life and all of those in existence were carelessly thrown out.
The thing that upset her the most, however, was their biological aunt. Nanami hadn't know she existed until the letter pleading with the twins to keep their name for the sake of the family. One that had clearly ignored their existence when she hadn't needed them. She wished she could ask her father why he never mentioned her once, what falling out they had- was it over money or marriage or something else she didn't know.
She didn't trust her aunt not to lie. She didn't want to see her. Uninterested in them until they were someone in her eyes.
She and Nao were adopted into a clan. One that had strong ties to other prominent clans. One that claimed the current Hokage. Not as wealthy as the Hyuga or Akamichi, but they could afford to feed all of the kids and the dogs, send them to further their education, and still had the money to spoil herself and her siblings as often as they could.
It would benefit her aunt to be close to her and Nao. It was why Nanami hid letters from the woman- Nao was too soft to do anything but agree and nod along, an anti-social marshmallow of a boy, happy to keep waters calm even if it meant sacrificing his own pride or comfort. No. No more of that, not ever again.
Nanami was more mature than him, she didn't like to use the word smarter because she wasn't, maybe just more aware. Out of her siblings she thought maybe only Saito truly grasped what it meant to be a child of this clan.
Their parents shielded them well from it, but there were expectations of all of them, heavy ones. Socially as well they were in a very different place than before at the orphanage.
Konoha didn't have an official class system, and it was possible to move between the socially distinct unofficial barriers, but children from good homes learned more than just reading and writing.
The academy she went to doubled as a finishing school for girls, and there were optional etiquette classes, flower arranging, dance, art, and even speech classes that many girls and even some boys took. She wasn't just Nanami, even though she was at home. She was the esteemed fourth daughter of the Namikaze clan, Namikaze Nanami. She knew because a boy she had thought might like her had called her that-
He had been trying to invite her over for tea.
His parents owned part of a large merchant group, he had almost bragged, he had had etiquette and dance class and philosophy, a long list of additional education that amounted to little more than posturing. Look at how well bred I am, how good my family is, is it enough?
She had told him he was slimy, and she wouldn't speak with him again.
Her sisters were lucky- Momo had found a boyfriend outside of school, he was a bit dull but he made Momo happy so Nanami wouldn't insult him without cause. Himari was also fortunate, courting that Shiranui boy, or whatever it was they were up to- she had learned you don't need to be well educated if you were a shinobi from a clan as that was enough to cover any social mistakes you made (provided you were from the main branch or your parents were). Chiyo had it the easiest of all of them since she didn't care at all about marriage or dating. Happy by herself.
She was being melodramatic, but a part of her had to be. After all, she'd be the one stuck making sure her brother didn't choose the wrong partner. They were only twelve, but some kids in their class were already dating, and it was only a matter of time before the girls in their class realized how soft and vulnerable poor Nao was.
An easy target from a good home- worse yet none of her siblings wanted to take the mantel of clan head from papa as of yet. With no heir to the role picked, it would seem like a huge potential status boost. The more aggressive girls in her class would probably use him as a stepping stone- if he got the title of clan heir, they could be married to a clan heir, and there was social currency to that that couldn't be ignored. It was a rare chance for a non-shinobi to become the head of a clan, and that in turn was a chance for someone to leap up the social ladder with almost no effort. She wouldn't allow that, of course, for more reasons than wanting to protect Nao.
Nao, oblivious to the double talk, underhanded scheming, posturing, and vile plotting of their baby faced classmates, had managed to avoid almost everything Nanami had had to deal with by only talking with her or Yosaku and Yuki.
Yuki confused her classmates too much to be threatened yet, and Yosaku was too earnest and kind to even realize people were trying to manipulate him- he was so oblivious he'd essentially become immune. Short of the girls in his class realizing he had a passion for ornithology, there was no good way to reach him.
The other annoying thing she was protecting her younger siblings from (Himari and Chiyo didn't need her help, in fact anyone stupid enough to annoy either girl would need protection from them ) was the bizarre animosity she kept running into. Usually clan children didn't go to anywhere but the ninja academy, especially not children from the main branch of a clan. It was a unique opportunity for some particularly twisted children to bully those they saw as socially above themselves. The rare exception of a non shinobi leading a shinobi clan was for them to be born into it- and Nanami could pick out the sort who would cause trouble because of that at a distance now.
Maybe Nao would become the clan head, but right now they were twelve, and he was a crybaby. Making him sob now, they'd be able to remember all the awful things they said and did to him when he was out of reach.
Get your kicks in while you can .
She didn't want to bother her parents with all this. It wasn't a bother, she knew, but she felt their time was more valuable than trying to cool hostilities at their school- also they would likely make things worse, given the incident last year with Himari and that transphobic girl- it had been great in the moment but long term it had just raised tensions.
Even if she shut herself away in a study and made seals all day for the rest of her life, she'd still occasionally have to leave and then come face to face with her classmates who wanted her to be or do something she couldn't, or who hated her for having the ‘luck’ of being orphaned and adopted into the family she was. Besides, she couldn't protect her brother if she locked herself up.
Nanami hoped she wasn't coddling him too much.
“Ah! That was a cheap trick!” He whined across from her, his practice spear was out of his hands and planted firmly in ground after she'd smacked it in her last attack.
“It's not my fault you suck!” He stuck his tongue out at her and she internally sighed- he was still so immature.
“Loser has to spar Yuki, remember?” She teased him as he freed his spear.
“Ugh, why do you hate me so much?” Still, he got back into position.
“It's because you're obnoxious.”
She could worry about him and beat him at sparing at the same time- she was multi talented like that.
It had not yet occurred to her that she had just as much right to the position of clan heir as her brothers.
Notes:
Nanami and Saito are, genuinely, the only kids who spend any time at all thinking about the social hierarchy of the village. Saito has chosen to live outside of it as much as possible, and Nanami is slowly being pushed on a path to become the top of it, if only to keep her much more trusting siblings from being hurt.
Inei is aware of his daughter having started pushing back against the clicks in her school, but isn't as worried as he maybe should be.
Chapter 129: Conspiracy and Inovation
Summary:
Saito finds he's often interrupted by his younger siblings, sometimes the interruptions are less welcome than others.
Chapter Text
“Back up, tell me all that again , but don't talk so fast.” Saito was leaning at the desk in his room, he had two cups of overly caffeinated tea, and was hiding to avoid being put to bed by their probably justifiably worried parents. He wasn't sure how many hours it had been since he last laid down to sleep, but from the scowl Kurama had given him when he'd gone up to get a box of tea earlier that (Morning? Afternoon? Was it actually last night?) day he knew if he surfaced again without a nap he'd be tucked in and potentially sedated if dad was home. it wasn't his fault he was in the middle of a huge project where the deadline for the seal blueprints was fast approaching for the Suna Cliff project- not to mention they were still fixing the bugs for the printing press they were modifying to hopefully streamline the communication seal production- and his sister hadn't given his mind time to stop thinking about that and switch to listening before she started going off.
“I said, I think baba is pregnant .” Keiko crossed her arms, glaring at her elder brother. Clearly that was the summary and not what she'd actually said. “What's not to understand?” He stared at her for a moment before groaning and leaning back in his chair. He didn't have time for this.
“Not another conspiracy.” This one was almost as unbelievable as when she'd tried to convince him the Sage of Six Path's was some kind of alien- that was a new term to learn since he thought it was a person from another country and she insisted it was a being from another planet. The whole thing was nonsense, and he was hoping she'd grow out of it sooner rather than later. She unfortunately only shared her fringe theories with him, so their other siblings were blissfully unaware of how paranoid she really was- the stalking and attempted kidnap last year had definitely made things worse, to the point they were now...
“This isn't a conspiracy.” She stomped her foot, pulling out a rancid looking notebook- it was beaten, glued together, covered in dubious stains, and extra paper had clearly been hastily shoved in on more than one occasion. She opened it and the poor thing made a terrible cracking sound, and a piece of paper fell to the floor that she didn't initially notice. “Sensitivity to smell! He threw up when cooking breakfast twice last week. He doesn't have a stomach-!”
“Keiko-!”
“Food aversion, he won't touch pork of any kind! Not to mention, he's been eating a lot of red bean paste buns-!”
“They're good, Keiko, he's like Yugure with food, you know that.” She would not be deterred, this had clearly been building for weeks now since she was clearly reading from a list.
“Mood swings! He started crying yesterday when Meg and Shira made him that card at school.”
“He's always emotional.” He remembered that, the card was really cute, and to be fair Kurama had cried more than once just holding one of his youngest brothers, and that was from the beginning of him being around all the time.
“He's been dizzy a lot, and he got a headache last week. Not to mention when Kankuro was biting him this morning he super overreacted. Breast tenderness-”
“Kankuro has so many teeth, it hurts when he bites. It hurts a lot .” He rubbed his own shoulder, where his new younger brother had drawn blood the other day. Dad said it probably wouldn't scar, but he had the sinking feeling he'd never get rid of it. The good news was you could hardly see it under his scar tissue, and it only hurt half as bad as it should have from the nerve damage.
“Okay, but what about his fatigue? He never got tired until recently.” He would admit that was a little weird given he got all his energy from the air around them, but there could be other explanations.
“Keiko, I'm serious, I need to finish this, can you attack me with this after I get some sleep?”
“I'm going to Momo then.” He groaned, leaning back. Momo was just likely to encourage her. She didn't recognize it as a concerning pattern of behavior.
“She's bothering her boyfriend, who knows when she'll get home.” Keiko whined, kicking a paper ball on the floor. “I thought you had homework?”
“I already did it, papa made a clone to show me the kata I was supposed to practice.” His desperate attempt to send her away before she got mad at him wasn't going well.
“You didn't run out of medical texts did you?”
“Stop trying to distract me! It's because of my private studying that I know baba is pregnant. You'll be sorry when I'm right !” If he was less tired, or maybe if his sister wasn't, for the most part, an adorable nine year old, he may actually have felt threatened.
She stormed out of his room, slamming the sliding door on her way out and he hastily finished chugging one cup of over saturated black tea- it had gone cold while she'd come to vent. It sounded like she may have punched a dent into one of the railings as she ran away, and he hoped he wouldn't be asked to fix that.
He was defeated when he heard the door slide open, turning to see Nao and Yosaku poking their heads in. Both had their back packs strung over a shoulder and were glancing around nervously- they might get scolded for helping keep Saito awake too long and this was clearly a calculated risk.
“Is she gone now?” He shrugged which was good enough for them and both hurried inside, Nao pulled the small low table down from its place against the wall while Yosaku grabbed a few cushions and they got comfortable, dumping their bags onto the now ready surface and spreading things out. He went back to his own work when it became clear the two just wanted to work near him since they seemed to be brainstorming something together. If their papa was out for any reason, be it clan duties or work for the village, then it fell to Saito to answer questions as an officially approved 'Master' of funinjutsu... according to his dad and uncle. He didn't fully understand the requirements. Even with little experience, Saito was a bit more knowledgeable at sealing so he was the person to ask.
“Nii-chan, what if we stacked the layers of seals inside the communication seal? It might make it thicker but maybe we could add more functionality?” Yosaku asked it softly after twenty or so minutes of them working in silence.
“What, like retaining subrutines?” Nao perked up.
“Yeah, but it might be difficult to do that, since adding multiple layers would increase the size and we've already gotten feedback that they're a little too large to be comfortably used......”
“Hmm. what if you placed the additional seal inside a storage seal and bypassed access to the storage via redundancy?” Both Yosaku and Saito turned to look at him wide eyed. Nao began to look nervous as they both turned the idea around in their heads.
“What, like place the majority of the functionality of the over all seal inside a seal?”
“Yeah. I've been doing some experiments and if you rewrite portions of papa's storage seal to allow remote access, so long as the seal inside is linked to the one outside it doesn't interfere in its activation.”
“That's... genius.”
“With that, we can add however much functionality we want.” Yosaku began digging around a stack of papers in one of his school textbooks, “We could change the interface too-!”
“What else could we use that for...” Saito felt excited, he hadn't even thought of integrating seals together in that manner.
“Can we call them nesting seals? Like those funny little wooden ladies?” Saito nodded, distracted as he began to dig for clean papers to start sketching- Nao had liked the souvenir he had brought back from Suna, which were women painted in desert clothes that nestled one inside the other, it felt fitting to refer to the new seal design as ‘nesting’ as a result.
“We can call them whatever you want. You invented them.” Nao flushed, curling over his work to hide his shy smile.
“You know what would be useful?” Both hummed, “A camera. It might help with information gathering.”
“We'd need to reinvent the whole thing, remember?” Momo had wanted to make a better camera for their dad, one that didn't use long exposure, for his and their papa's anniversary, but that had come and gone and they hadn't been able to break through the frankly ridiculous patent law that the only camera manufacturer held, that existed in every major nation.
“So let's reinvent the whole thing.” Yosaku shrugged, “It would circumvent the patent if we made one that used seals instead of traditional physical parts anyway.”
“We'll see.” First they should work out the new design of the seal.
All thoughts of frustration over Keiko's new weird theory went out the window in the face of this interesting puzzle. He would only remember it later when she was smugly standing in his room once again- but that was some ways off.
Chapter 130: One Night, Three Points of View
Summary:
Kurama is at home, Naruto is at a clan meeting, and Shikamaru is at work.
Chapter Text
Kurama was happy. Fulfilled . Elated.
He has slowed down to subtly glance at himself in the mirror again while helping their little ones bathe.
He was expecting a cub. He put a hand on his belly and smiled before a loud splash drew his attention again, ears going up.
Bath. Two toddlers, one already sitting in the water, one on his hip- Gaara and Sai were too little for even the small tub, and were bathed in the sink, it was Kankuro's first bath with Shin, Meimei and Uhari would have their baths after, for right now it was just his boys. Shin was, more or less, decent in the tub sitting by himself- he shouldn't be left alone by any means, but he could sit up and keep himself that way while playing with his duck and his boat. Kankuro looked less certain as he was carefully set down beside Shin, clearly uncomfortable even though his baths alone were okay.
Shin shared his duck with Kankuro, who was smaller than him by quite a bit- his little cub had gotten so big recently, thankfully his feisty little cub took the duck without any issues from Shin. He hardly paid it any mind when he reached for the pitcher of water and his forearm got too close to his third youngest- Kankuro bit, demonstrating it by digging his teeth into Kurama's arm as he poured more warm water over the child's head, kneeling beside the tub. He didn't have any blood or bone in the arm, and though he'd been asked not to, he sometimes let Kankuro teethe on his wrist as he was trying to do now.
After a bit, both boys were taken out and dried off well with fluffy towels before Kurama put them both in pajamas- Kankuro wanted to climb back into the small tub but Kurama picked him and Shin up, walking them out of the bathroom toward the first subfloor. He knew he needed to be mindful of how much he lifted currently, but just this once should be fine.. Leaving them to pick up the girls, he was soon surrounded by his remaining little cubs, their girls.
Uhari clung sleepily to him as he filled both tubs, the older girls didn't need his help after all, so he got Mei and Uhari rinsed clean and placed them in the small tub, his older cubs were splashing and playing with toys in the bigger tub. His sleeves were getting wet but he hardly minded, since he could change. He wondered if the cub would be a boy or girl- it didn't really matter to him, but seeing as they already had an adorable little girl who looked like Shikamaru, it would be nice to have a little boy. He'd scarcely stopped thinking about it as it was.
Naruto was at a council meeting, and Shikamaru had been called in for some sort of emergency at the hospital. He struggled a bit trying to get the girls in their pajamas after the bath, not needing to glance up when the door opened to see Kabuto peeking in.
“I can help baba.” Kurama smiled, allowing him to take Mei and finish buttoning up her shirt.
“Thank you, Kabuto.”
“... baba?” He hummed, snapping the buttons of Uhari's pajamas down. “What... would you do if you were trying to find someone?”
“That depends, do they want to be found? Were they taken from me or did they go willingly?” Kabuto fidgeted as Mei hugged him, crawling onto his lap.
“I... don't know.”
“Who are you trying to find?” He couldn't look up at Kurama to answer, but it was clearly important to him, so he gave him his full attention.
“... her name is Nono. She was like my mom back when we lived in the orphanage, but she disappeared right before we got adopted. I'm worried she doesn't know where we went.” How long had he felt that way? It had been a full year and he'd just been stewing on it? “I just want to tell her were okay now.”
“We'll help you find her.” He reached out to muse the boys hair, “But right now we need to put your little sisters to bed.”
“Okay baba.” He wobbled for a second when he stood carrying Mei, but he safely got her to the sink so she could practice brushing her teeth. Kurama took her back after that and he followed them down the stairs while Kurama put them to bed, Kabuto stayed while he read them their bedtime story- one of the colorful and cheery ones that the brat chose since Kurama's lived experiences were 'horrifying and brutal' and 'not okay to tell kids because they caused nightmares'.
After reading them to sleep, Kurama made his rounds to remind the other children they should go to bed- having to break up another secret meeting by some of the older boys and force Saito to drink some calming tea or risk his notes being confiscated- the follow up threat for if taking them away didn't work was Kurama physically knocking him out since he'd been up for almost two days straight again. Once he was confidant that all of the cubs were sleeping in mostly their own rooms he went to drink some of his own floral tea and wait out the brat and their mate- whoever came home first.
He welcomed Yashamaru not long after he put the kettle back on, as the young human dumped a few books onto the table in the kitchen and slumped, looking stressed.
“Why is this village's citizenship exam so difficult?”
“It would be easier for you if you entered as a shinobi.” Yashamaru glared at him but accepted the cup of tea presented him. “I thought given your circumstance you wouldn't be rushed for the test.”
“... I want to be able to take Kankuro and Temari out for his birthday. I don't want to rely on Inei-san and Haruki-san to escort me every time I leave the compound.” Kurama hummed. The rules with Yashamaru were unique and strict given he was technically a foreign shinobi. The boy's birthday was less than two months away, and the citizenship test would only be held once in the time between, he had to pass it on his first attempt, but it was a lot to go through. Usually test prep lasted six to eight months before the exams given how high one would need to score to pass it. Granted most people studying for the exams weren't under temporary house arrest barring the passing of the exam.
That was one of the things Minato was trying to change, but even with Danzo gone there was still too much dead weight from the elders. Those that remained were relics of an awkward time for the village- the first ones to really be born and raised in the established village, but now too set in their ways to see any change as positive. Kurama's polite suggestion of him offering to bite their heads off was of course rejected, but it would have been a very quick solution to finishing clearing away the dead weight.
Kurama didn't understand how anyone who had lived so long could be so inflexible. He found himself more accepting of change with age than he had ever been in his youth, if you could call his first few hundred years youth . Experience should make it easier , but he supposed they had gotten too comfortable in their positions with their authority. He had been mostly alone, and there hadn't been anyone to lord over after all, even the few foxes who'd investigate him rarely stayed long enough to count as a visitor in his lonely territory before he was forced on a host.
If left to fate those crones would live another two decades at least and keep making trouble the whole way, so making them resign would be the easiest option. They should have left with Sarutobi, or only agreed to stay on until Minato had established himself- six months to a year. But here they were, dragging along behind him like chains.
Given the Hyuga held the village's cultural heritage now, not to mention there existed a civilian historical preservation society, any need for the elders was significantly diminished. The hokage should be working with the civilian and clan councils, and no unaffiliated old bat should be able to veto the hokage's decisions. The Lord of Fire was the highest seat in the nation behind the daimyo, so as long as what he did was in his people's best interest and not outright illegal in the nation, no one should really be able to stop them.
Kurama helped Yashamaru study for an hour before sending the man back to his home to sleep, picking up the kitchen while he waited for either of his partners to come home. While waiting he went down to peak in on their tiniest cubs. A few weeks ago the brat had finished a seal to suppress Shukaku and it had been weaved into all of the baby clothes- it wouldn't hurt Sai if he came in contact with it, and the side of the seal they saw was usually made to look like embroidered on flowers, bees, lizards, things of that sort. It made caring for the other children a bit easier now that he could just lay the infant down and come back after a few minutes opening to do anything . He could safely sleep the whole night, and he seemed much more alert and happy for it, he was also gaining weight; albeit more slowly than Sai had a month ago when he was the same number of weeks old.
Gaara, being three and a half months old, probably didn't affect things too much at the moment but soon he'd be sharing his opinions and running about, knocking things over. If he's anything like his older siblings...
Maybe not, though, he was a quiet baby, one who seemed to love sleep above almost everything else, even food, and even when fussy he never wailed or screamed. Just cried softly.
Kurama was fascinated on how different human babies were from one another as Gaara didn't even stir when he leaned in to kiss the red headed infant's forehead. Meanwhile Uhari began to fuss the moment she felt eyes on her, making sounds like she'd wake up suddenly.
Uhari was loud, and she liked to pull hair, pinch, and bite, but Kankuro bit too though that was less to cause a reaction and more because he liked to chew. Sai had started laughing recently, so much that sometimes he'd still be giggling as he was rocked to sleep- Kurama loved that. Mei was always hungry and looking for food, Shin was always causing trouble because he got bored-
Yugure loved to draw and eat, Jun would make up stories and enjoyed hiding for fun. Temari just wanted to be included but if you ignored her she'd start mouthing off- cute now, maybe not in a few years.
Megumi was a bit more blunt, and uncaring, easily annoyed and over protective of her sister, while Bashira was very empathetic but could on occasion grow unusually shy- she left anything she thought of as scary to Megumi.
He hoped the cub would come sooner rather than later, he wanted to meet them very, very much, wanting to see if they were like any of his current cubs, or if they'd be completely unique as well.
Naruto wanted to go home.
As he had learned some time ago, just because they agreed on social issues didn't mean his clan would be on the same page as the other clans for literally anything else.
They had spent the last four hours arguing back and forth over a zoning issue. One that didn't affect the majority of those present. But it did help the Aburame clan a little for things to remain as they were-
The zoning issue was over if the village should allow commercial enterprises to conduct businesses on public grounds, and if so what would the village recieve in exchange for the privalage, but they were still stuck on the 'if it was allowed' part. The Aburame had a vested interest in maintaining a few bee hives near the proposed parks that were being planned. The Hyuga were shockingly quiet on this one, but Fugaku and Tsunade were adamant on changing it. Vandalism to the hives and injuries from bee stings being cited as the main concerns.
Naruto had proposed several solutions that had been rejected- laying a seal that would restrict the bees to certain areas and placing the hives out of reach of normal civilians, educating the public at large about bees and how to safely interact with them, having the Aburame clan cover maintenance fees relating to the parks and store bees off cite during hibernation months-
He was told to shove it. So now he stared dead eyed down at his paper, knowing they'd need to discuss the new hospital the civilian council had already approved and the budget for the first spring festival- it would seem despite it ending in an enemy attack the one in April of last year had gone well and they'd host it again officially-
Never say Konoha didn't love festivals, there was the winter festival, now there would be one at the beginning and end of Spring, three in the summer for founders day, the equinox, and an early harvest celebration, and they were considering one for fall that year as well, around the end of September,
He had already gone over the cost estimates until his head was swimming, and had broken down what his clan could contribute- it was shockingly a lot.
Saito had insisted that, for using his affiliation to the clan in his business, he'd put back ten percent of his profits to the clan's funds, which was proving to be an astronomical amount of money even after he paid out his employees and took out the cost of equipment. The clan funds were used to further the clan only , so for festivals, public works that the Namikaze name would be attached to, that sort of thing. Naruto made enough money with the information network and his missions that they didn't need to worry about money even if they had twice as big a family, and Shikamaru had a salary at the hospital that was used almost exclusively to buy things to spoil the children, so Saito insisting he tithe to the clan had been an ongoing argument.
It had meant they could be much more generous in donating to various programs- but seeing as Saito had contributed the money they insured he had final say on what was done with it. Mostly it was used to help pay hospital bills for financially limited families, provide ingredients and even pay wages for those working at the newly established public kitchens, helping fund public blood drives, and any number of other small public works charities meant to fill the gap the village government may have left behind..
It was times like this he started to daydream of retirement- none of his children were likely to take up this particular mantel as only an idiot would willingly run headlong in to this figurative brick wall.
Privately he wanted Saito to become more stable in his work, but he knew his son was stretched thin managing the business when he clearly had wanted to spend most of his time developing the seals- not selling them. He knew Momo had been helping a lot, able to recognize her handwriting in their balance books where she often corrected mistakes made by her brother. They weren't harmful or intentional, but the amount of overworked his boy was didn't make his life easy. Momo on the other hand seemed to have a talent for it, and he wanted to ask her if she was going to help her brother full time. Of course if she wanted to do something else with her life he wouldn't blame her, Saito could find an accountant and hire them, but he got so easily flustered with people he wasn't close to so Naruto worried he may have trouble working that directly with someone he didn't know already. Either way neither of his oldest two children would want to touch the clan seat with a twenty foot pole if they didn't have to.
He tuned back in and was unsurprised that Shikaku had fallen asleep beside him, while it seemed that Tsume had joined the argument on Shibi's side. He had adapted part of Naruto's offer and suggested an area where civilians could safely bring their pets to wander around off leash so she'd taken a side.
“I don't think we're coming to a conclusion tonight.” He cut in in a brief moment between arguing where the four were ether taking a breath or a sip of water, “We have a few more time sensitive issues to go over so I suggest that if by the end of the next meeting we still don't have a conclusion we hold a separate debate before the parks open.” Inoichi nodded gratefully and seconded him, the other seated clans not involved agreed, and those without an official seat gave their support, so his motion carried.
He expected to be stuck here well past midnight despite that.
“You're doing so well.” Shikamaru had been called in because there was an outbreak of a stomach bug at the academy, and he was fussing over young children who had to be on fluids given their dehydration levels. Usually he wouldn't be called in for something like this but several of the nurses had also caught the bug that was going around. The good news was it wasn't too serious, and he could use it to help their recently apprenticed med nin practice their bedside manor as well was how to properly administer IV fluids and medicine. The bad news was he didn’t think he'd be going home anytime soon.
His job at the hospital was rewarding, and it kept his skills sharp, but he hoped they'd finish training more staff soon, even civilian nurses- he hadn't had much down time between work and the kids lately, and even if the best compromise was a nap on the couch with the kids he'd take it gladly.
He'd hate to be anywhere near Himari right about now, she'd been studying like mad the last few weeks and even those with good intentions had been snapped at for bothering her. Maybe he should ask Genma to check on her instead... maybe that would help her relax.
At this rate he was considering double checking his older kids had been given the talk. Momo and Himari were smart girls, but their boyfriends were a bit dumb. He wasn't ready to be a grandpa yet. He didn't think he needed to worry about Saito or Chiyo, since Saito had tunnel vision and was a workaholic he hadn't even noticed anyone interested in him romantically yet, and Chiyo had embarrassed told him once she never ever wanted to get married or date, so he didn't need to worry about grandkids, just grandpets. He was eighty percent sure that Kakashi and Obito didn't need that talk yet , but the little brats wouldn't be getting out of it forever. Especially since Obito was older than Kakashi by a year and a half. If he had to worry about the twins or their younger siblings at this point he'd probably start stabbing.
His dad had it easy, just one kid, and it was him , so he never even worried...
“Oh sage, Yugure will start dating at some point too.”
“Are you okay, Namikaze-sama?” One of the younger nurses looked at him with concern. It was clear that although he was mostly there he was starting to mentally wander and would have to mope over this at a seperate time.
“I'm fine. Just... feeling old.” He didn't think a man or woman alive would be good enough for his daughter... that was going to be a problem when she got older, wasn't it?
“You aren't that old, sir.”
Come to think of it, he wasn't entirely positive how much time actually passed between their final orders and actually coming back to the past. Maybe it was a lot longer. He started becoming a yokai early on and Naruto's aging might be affected by Kurama. Maybe he's already forty?
Naruto had been keeping track of it, but time moves differently in the summoning lands, sometimes by a lot, and he wasn't fully conscious for a long time after while Naruto made the corresponding seal on solid earth. Maybe he miscounted, or more time passed in the valley than they thought. Maybe he was just an old soul and really wanted a nap- he couldn't even get the pains people got as they aged anymore so he didn't know why he was acting so morose.
Their official history was set in stone anyway, the only person who'd hear about it aside from his husbands was Tsunade, and she'd probably just call him old even if he wasn't.
One worry at a time.
“Let me see the next round of charts.”
“Right away sir!” He shook himself off and mentally prepared himself for the overwhelming amount of busy work he still had to do given he was one of only a handfull of capable healers in the middle of this miniature disaster.
Chapter 131: Middle Child Syndrome
Summary:
It's normal to compare yourself with your siblings sometimes. But maybe Urushi should take a step back.
Iruka has growing concerns.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Iruka was starting to worry about Urushi. He had told Iruka and Tenzo that he'd started doing special training recently, but he was definitely pushing it too far. His grades hadn't fallen, but that wasn't saying much since he was dead last in class- he wasn't failing or anything like that, not yet, but he kept zoning in and out, and recently it had started getting harder to sneak up on him- that might be a good thing though. Even Tenzo, who had the makings of an assassin had been caught no matter what he tried- if Iruka wasn't so concerned he'd be impressed.
Even weirder he'd started keeping his summons Talia with him at all times. She kept nipping at him at random intervals. She didn't seem to be drawing blood or anything like that, but it was definitely hard enough to worry about seeing as she did it so often- especially when he was zoning out. Iruka wasn't sure but he thought that he might have seen Urushi's ears start to come to a point one day, and he started looking... a little fuzzy. Then Talia bit him and he was back to normal thanking her softly. Was he practicing his henge? Maybe without hand signs... Even when he was fully aware though he and Talia were always whispering about things only to go quiet when others got close.
Their teacher had tried to make her leave, but she had produced a note from Urushi's parents that said she needed to stay with him at all times though she refused to stop biting him when they tried to compromise. Weirdly enough, Urushi also didn't think she should stop biting him. He refused to comment on it though when pressed by both of them.
He just kept saying how it was important that he learn it, and once he finished he'd tell them everything- but not yet.
So Iruka worried. He was also worried about Tenzo since Tenzo had, without much warning before it happened, just been announced the official heir of the Senju clan. Iruka could honestly say that, although obvious , it had still been a shock. Who else would even inherit that clan anyway, Shizune? No. It would be Tenzo. Tenzo who had mokuton.
But that's a lot of pressure for an eleven year old. Especially a kid like Tenzo, who was pretty shy and anxious.
He himself was up late that night, trying to decide how necessary it was to finish his homework on chakra points they'd been assigned. He'd breezed through his history homework. His mom had helped him with target practice that afternoon, and his dad had corrected his forms for their current kata assignments following that. Now he was just... sitting up in his room, anxiously glaring down at a poor anatomical drawing in one of the old textbooks that they had all had to borrow to go through. It wasn't his homework's fault that he felt this way, that he was worried, that his friends were going through so much and not telling him anything.
Tenzo kept saying he was fine, but Iruka was too aware of how Tenzo was to believe him. As bad as Tenzo was, Urushi was a thousand times worse as he was lying to his face that he was fine when he clearly wasn't. It was frustrating that his friends didn't always tell him the truth- it must be a clan kid thing, or maybe it was Iruka's problem, always making friends with people who hid their troubles. Maybe he just dug too deep.
It was a good thing he was too stubborn to let either get away with that behavior for long. Tenzo was too anxious to actually be okay with having so much additional attention on him, and Urushi had trouble keeping secrets (that wasn't actually true, he just knew better than to try and lie to either of his friends as they always somehow knew ) so he'd just have to keep pushing. Soon he'd break, and then Iruka would figure out how to help him since his parents hadn't stepped in yet.
Whatever it was that was troubling his friends, he'd know soon enough.
Urushi was exhausted. Mentally. Physically he felt like he could push the monument back ten feet by himself and still have energy left to lap around the village a hundred times on his hands. He could feel the energy in his skin, in his muscles, in his bones as it pulsed.
Sage training was... constant. It was his fault, since he wanted to reach that level as quickly as possible, but even then, it was too much for him a lot of the time. Talia would follow him and nip him to keep him from turning into an animal even at home since he refused to let Ichika ‘purge’ the catalyst berries like she had the first time he ate them-
He had never felt so sick in his whole life. She had been right . The other end was so much worse than when he'd had to puke. If given the option, he'd rather die than be ‘purged’ again. Maybe the toads were better, even with that stinky oil or whatever it was. The berries were worse coming out than going in, even without the purge stick. Never needing to eat another one was motivation enough to be pushing himself this hard. Supposedly the elder foxes would make wine out of the catalyst berries, but he was told even a drop of that might kill him even as a sage so he could only wonder if it tasted any better.
His dad had told him if he collapsed again he would be taking an indefinite break from sage training, however. Papa had reminded him that the point of him starting early had been so that he could take his time, that becoming a sage took a long time and a lot of effort, and that his continued training to learn other jutsu the fox performed, including how to prepare a victim for their genjutsu was just as important, if not more important than his finishing his sage training. He was still learning his fighting style, he needed to try as much as he could before he settled himself in his ways fully as he was trying by barreling forward to become a sage.
But it was also extremely difficult for Urushi not to rush himself.
He wanted to make his parents proud, he wanted the foxes to be proud. He wanted to be a good shinobi. He wanted to prove to his teachers they were wrong about him, that he may be terrible in the classroom, but he wouldn't be lacking in the field. He wanted everyone to see in him what he knew his parents must see. That he would help lift their village ever higher.
He wanted to be special.
How could he not? His parents were war hero's, and had become so important to the village post war, and his older brothers were so skilled, both Saito and Kakashi.... His little siblings were also extremely impressive, Fu was already being told by his teachers he could graduate the academy early, and Kabuto and Keiko were going to join the junior medical program. They were both so smart and talented they'd be doctors at this rate before he could use sage mode.
Was it so selfish to want to stand out? To be special and important, and have people say he was living up to the name. Namikaze.
His uncle was the hokage. Should he want to be hokage? He didn't know what he wanted, not long term.
He wanted to be a good son.
He wanted to be a good brother.
He wanted to be a good friend.
He wanted to be a good shinobi.
But what made a person those things? Was he already good at them? Kabuto thought he was a good brother, and Yugure told him his other much younger siblings loved him. His parents loved him, but did that mean he was a good son, or just that they were good parents? He was worrying his friends and he knew that was a bad thing. He was the worst in his class even when he tried his best, he let everyone down in that respect.
How could he not compare himself to others when the word ‘genius’ got used so often around him but never about him. He knew that feeling this way wasn't special either. A lot of his classmates felt that way.
About Iruka. About Tenzo.
Iruka was brilliant, yeah he played pranks some times but he was the top of the class. Everyone wished were that smart.
And Tenzo. Tenzo was the nephew of a sannin. Tenzo had mokuton. Tenzo was funny and sweet and he had an army of girls in their class who were in love with him already.
Urushi wasn't smart. He wasn't clever. He was adopted by great people but he didn't share their blood and everyone seemed to think blood was important. He didn't have a kekkei genkai. He didn't have a crazy amount of chakra, or innate talent at controlling it. He wasn't handsome. Some of his female classmates might even call him ugly .
So what?
He was going to become the Fox Sage, and inherit the scroll. Maybe by then he'd know what he really wanted.
Notes:
I have no experience as a middle child, but it seems like it can be stressful, if your siblings are... for example... wunderkind inventors, or 'the prodigy' of the village.
Chapter 132: Brothers
Summary:
Kakashi is a good big brother. Kakashi also has a good big brother.
Said brother is not ready for his extended business trip.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kurama had come to a sort of epiphany recently. Toddlers are, by far, the most dangerous creatures in existence. Not always to themselves, either.
One of the older boys (he suspected it was Yosaku as he was well meaning enough but also absentminded enough to think it a good idea) had thought it would be a great idea to teach Mei and Shin a few seals. ‘Harmless' ones, no doubt. Kurama did not have a brain, physically, but he felt a migraine coming on. He wondered absently if that was because of the cub, but didn't have time to examine that in any depth.
Both children were wailing, with Shin having trapped Megumi with an earth spike (it hadn't actually hit her, they were extremely lucky, but it was big enough that she couldn't move until it was undone or broken) and Mei had gotten stuck on top of a pillar. The seals in question had been scribbled in the mud when Kurama had taken the children out to help him check the garden beds to see if they could do anything to prep them before the weekend when they'd get the vegetables planted. Though they had been destroyed by being activated he knew the two and was going to be having a very stern talk about not teaching offensive sealing tactics to two year olds. Again, he'd worry about that later, maybe after he laid down and his head stopped hurting.
Kurama was trying to distract Mei, who was about ten feet from the ground in the yard, having drawn her seal under her in the mud, from the fact that she was still ten feet off the ground and wouldn't be getting down by herself any time soon. Shin was tugging at his coat and pointing in panic to his sister, who was trying to make the boy calm down since his panicking wasn't going to help things.
“It's okay Shin, I'm not hurt, see?” She held up her hands but as Bashira was having trouble countering the seal now that it had been activated, and Kurama was forbidden from lifting more than fifty pounds (the curved spike was close to two hundred, and he wasn't going to do anything to potentially endanger the cub if there wasn't an emergent reason to do so) she was still trapped. It wasn't exerting any pressure on her, thankfully but it was positioned in a way that it wasn't possible for her to get up.
“Mei, just jump, baba will catch you, I promise.” She sobbed, shaking her head and seemed to plant herself more firmly on the top of the pillar, hugging it and getting herself covered even more in mud.
“Oh no.” Kakashi, who had been on his way home from a particularly hard mission, stumbled upon that in the yard. He himself looked dead tired, a little bruised, and was holding an ice pack to his shoulder, eye darting around at the scene before him.
“Kakashi, can you climb up there and get her?” His cub sighed and used chakra to stick himself to the pillar of earth, scooting up until he was close enough Mei wrapped tight around his shoulders like an octopus, still crying of course. Kakashi slowly began to scoot down, Mei was quickly taken from him by Kurama, who began to check her over for bruises or scrapes as she'd bounced on the top of the pillar when it had shot her up into the air. Kakashi then went over to his trapped sister, and with a grunt, broke the spike and freed her. He was soon trying to pry his younger siblings off his legs, just wanting to go lay down now that everything was fine. Kurama started the bath for him, and though he complained his younger siblings (who were by that point all covered in mud from trying to pry the spike up or climb the pillar to get Mei) joined him in the bath he really didn't mind. Shin called him a 'Hew-ow', he suspected he meant 'hero' but made no attempts to try and correct him. He'd been trying to avoid home after he embarrassed himself a while back calling Inei dad and expected vicious teasing from Chiyo and maybe Himari at the very least.
Even still, the praise he got later at dinner was... nice. He hadn't done it for that, but apparently the little brats had told Inei and Haruki about it and they were... proud. It didn't get him out of his sisters childishly elbowing him and asking him if he and dad were going to go fishing or some other father-son bonding activity. They weren't that creative of course, so it got stale quickly, but he figured they'd get bored of it eventually.
He steeled himself, still embarrassed about calling Inei dad. He may never recover from the embarrassment. Not even if he made it to old age.
It still felt nice however. Having your dads be proud of you.
Before he could run to hide in his room, Saito had caught him, messing up his hair and telling him he did a good job. Saito was a civilian, he was weak. Kakashi still felt fuzzy, happy to be praised by his older brother too. Not that he'd tell Saito. Not that he could explain why it made him feel good. It wasn't like Kakashi looked up to Saito in particular or anything...
... well maybe he did just a little bit...
Saito was staring down at his bag, already dreading the trip back to Suna. He'd be gone for months.
His blueprints were done, approved by the merchant group and government agencies who had hired him, and his team was prepared and waiting for training. He had even found a work around for the low ambient nature chakra of Suna, by having the seals form a network and convert energy from solar panels. Panels which had been made ahead of time and stress tested already in his workshop.
It was an extremely detailed, delicate, and sophisticated design that should more than double the usable space of Suna, while also raising the natural barrier wall around the village while reinforcing it. He was extremely pleased with it.
His only issue was...
He had to travel to Suna.
He hated traveling. He was also not entirely sure how welcoming Rasa would be to him seeing as his parents stole Rasa's children. Saito secretly agreed with the highprofile kidnapping of at least Gaara, if not also Temari and Kankuro even if she was a little weasel who got into everything and he bit everyone hard enough to break skin.
The argument that he had nothing to do with it probably wouldn't stand up if the Kazekage decided to take it out on him-
But he also knew the last supervised visitation his new younger siblings had with their dad, the kage was informed if he did anything to Saito there would no longer be a Hidden Sand Village. He wasn't sure what wiping a hidden village of the map would entail but knowing his parents it seemed almost terrifyingly likely to happen if they meant for it to.
So he was at an impasse. Should he be scared? He would try to keep his head down, but this was a complicated situation as he couldn't keep his head down. He was a major developer that would be massively impacting their village. Even if he didn't want the attention, he would likely have it. That didn't even account for any corporate spies who might try and steal his arrays, not that they'd have an easy time doing so.
Yashamaru had offered to come with and act as a guide, but he didn't want to put him in a bind if his brother-in-law made trouble. He had already been a huge help in designing the cliff project, at least for what the people of Suna would likely accept more easily. He didn't want to put something up that clashed with the village's heritage or culture, and Yashamaru had found examples of Suna architecture he could base his designs on. In truth they were still arguing if Yashamaru should be credited as a designer, with Saito for it and Yashamaru against it.
Yashimaru was older than him, but younger than his adopted parents, so sometimes it felt like he had an older brother, but sometimes it was more like having an uncle. Saito didn't actually have much in the way of a social life, outside of family that is, so having someone he could talk to really meant a lot to him. Yashamaru also really lit up when talking about his old village, and Saito never minded when he'd tell stories about himself and his sister when they were younger. She sounded like a great woman, not fully dissimilar to his oba Kushina. At least before she got married. They had similar personalities so they got along well, and he wouldn't say it but it clearly made Yashimaru less stressed to have someone to spend time with who wasn't a small child or Saito's parent's. Once he passed his citizenship testing, he'd be able to go out and make more friends, maybe he'd even start dating. He was old enough to be dating, right? He still felt anxious over the whole idea of going out and meeting people, trying to court someone, it sounded like a lot of hassle... Who know's though, he might meet someone in Suna? Fat chance since he would be so busy, but who knows, weirder things had happened to him. He'd been adopted right before becoming an adult after all, and now he was the eldest son of a relatively successful clan and doing business internationally before he hit twenty.
He sighed, zipping his bag closed, having double checked everything. Ichika couldn't give him a ride this time, but they hired a coach to get to the edge of Fire country at least, and they planned to have camels to make the trek to the village faster once in Sand. Camels were cute, but he wasn't great with animals, and they smelled off. Not to mention they'd be taking twice as long as when he'd had Ichika.
He jerked slightly at the knock on his door, and his papa poked his head in.
“You finish packing for tomorrow?” Saito nodded, and he felt small as Haruki ruffled his hair- not in a bad way. Haruki made everyone feel small, he was pretty sure. Being well over a head taller than most of the village did that. It made Saito feel safe, honestly, for just a moment he could pretend to be a little younger than he was. “Here, we got you a little something for the road.” It was a small paper charm, meant for good luck while traveling. It wasn't a seal, since he wasn't sure luck could be manipulated like that and clearly his papa didn't know either, but he'd take it for what it was. “Kurama and I made you some traveling snacks too, but they're in the kitchen.”
“Thanks.” He felt a bit selfish, wishing that Haruki and Inei had adopted him sooner, had been there longer, when he had needed them more. What a difference they could have made for him if they'd showed up when he was ten, or even younger.
But they were here now. That was what mattered.
“Also, don't laugh, but your dad might have made you something for the trip, his stitchs still need work when they aren't on a person's skin.” He promised he wouldn't, more curious than ever now.
Saito would understand what Haruki meant the next morning when he was getting his sandals on when his dad presented him a handkerchief with his name embroidered on it, but it... it was a little rough.... a lot rough.
Luckily it was Keiko who pointed out how bad it looked so Saito was spared when he held back a chuckle. Even still, he wouldn't let it go for anything. It was good luck, he could feel it.
Notes:
I have an idea for a romantic interest for Saito, but I'm not sold on it yet, you'll see who when we get there. Hopefully by then I'll have decided if the two should be end game or not.
Chapter 133: A Birth, A Babe, and a Bride
Summary:
The Leaf Village's Ragging (Piglet) Boar is born.
Notable developments in the expected newest Namakazi.
Noriko and Inoichi get hitched (and other weddings are talked about).
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Choji is a big baby. He knew that he would be- ten pounds right from the first. Choji’s mom had told him often how it was just more for her to love. She was sappy like that.
Shikamaru was sappy too.
He knew, just from holding him, that this was Choji. In another lifetime, his very best friend. Instinct, stronger than when he'd held Sakura, or Shino, even Sai and Gaara . Without a single doubt this baby boy was the Leaf Village's own Raging Boar.
He had dimples , and wrist rolls .
He was the chubbiest and happiest baby he had ever personally delivered, and he told the Akamichi's as much. His mother had knit a hat with little pig ears on it, and his fluff of brown hair stuck out just under it.
He was cute, adorable even, and Shikamaru knew he would be, because Choji was a very chubby baby, and chubby babies were undeniably adorable, but he was almost too cute. Thankfully the urge to steal him didn't occur, but would he need to? Choji had good parents, and he'd see a lot of the little tyke. He had been scared he'd try and wander off with baby Choji, but thankfully he had no desire to steal him.
Next would be Kiba, in July, followed by Sasuke at the end of that month...
Then in September it would be Yoshino's baby, he hoped it was a little Shikamaru, but he couldn't really know for certain, then... Then Ino and her brother- Noriko had been in, her twins were healthy, one of each, the wedding was next week, but she was already showing since it was twins. There were a few concerns with the boy, as Shikamaru had worried he had been getting less chakra than the girl (Ino, he hoped it was Ino), but even more than that he had noticed and corrected a minor birth defect- cleft palate. Noriko had been told about it before he did it, but she seemed grateful even though she was going through a lot generally and he wouldn't blame her for simply going through the motions without acknowledging it.
He was also worried about the baby boys umbilical cord, which kept shifting near his head- Shikamaru was going to drag out and beat the shinigami to death if the boy was asphyxiated by his own umbilical cord. He wondered why the universe seemed to be conspiring so strongly against the unborn Yamanaka boy, but decided not to think on it much. There wasn't anyone to ask after all.
After that, it was Naruto and then Hinata at the end of the year. Her mother hadn't come in to him yet, but she might be receiving treatment through the clan. It would be such a Hyuga thing to do, after all.
He had the thought after holding Choji, but he was suddenly anxious to hold his own baby.
This feeling was a bit conflicted as he physically couldn't hold all of the kids at once, even with shadows, as they liked to wriggle away, but it wasn't directed at any particular child- maybe Gaara and Sai more , but only because they were so little.
He looked like Mei. He would. He couldn't believe he'd never noticed before
Shikamaru returned home, and hugged or held every single one of his children, regardless of their age or protesting him doing so that he could. Fu even whined, finally getting to the age it wasn't about being independent, but his parents being embarrassing that made him complain when babied. His younger sisters and down seemed much happier to get cuddles from him. He spent most of the night getting hugs from the kids, and that was more than fine with him.
If Naruto was home he would have teased Shikamaru, but also probably joined him.
Kurama had stolen one of his hands later that night in the hall and put it against his stomach-
Shikamaru hadn't been sure the reason for it until he felt the small and flickering, but steady pulse of foreign chakra under his hand. Chakra that wasn't Kurama's, or Naruto’s, or anyone he'd ever met- he couldn't think of anyone who felt like that.
“I noticed this morning.” Kurama mumbled. Naruto had left that morning for a mission, so Kurama had probably told him through their bond, but Shikamaru wished Naruto was here to have this moment together.
They were having a baby.
He knew that. Had known that for some time. But this was the first tangible proof for him.
“How do you feel?” Kurama purred softly, squeezing his wrist in his large hand.
“Good.” He seemed to think on that, “Tired. It's strange, experiencing that on my own.” Kurama hadn't had the joys of experiencing a physical body before, and so even the bad parts about having a body were novel to him- he didn't like throwing up though. He sometimes had an infectious excitement over things like getting nauseous or dizzy which was odd but he wouldn't fault him for it.
His belly hadn't changed, the baby was, fundamentally, energy without form, so it took up no space really. But that should change before too long. How many months before the yukata Kurama liked to wear got snug around his middle? Before other people noticed?
Kurama was taller than him, like Naruto, and he laid his chin on Shikamaru's head, just holding him and purring, since most of the kids had been put to bed neither worried about one of them running up and complaining that the two were being sappy.
Kurama made a soft oof when Shikamaru scooped him up, carrying him to bed. That night Kurama was happily the little spoon, and Shikamaru kept his hand gently over his love's middle, dozing with the steady thrum of chakra below his palm.
The wedding was small, they sat on the bride's side. Noriko looked beautiful in her dress, Inoichi nearly dropped the ring several times, stumbling over himself.
But they looked happy.
Naruto thought the wedding was lovely. Shikamaru had been in high spirits. Had been since last week when Kurama shared the baby's chakra signature with him. Seeing baby Choji definitely helped on that front.
They had gotten the couple a set of dishes, though Naruto had a few other gifts for them for later- when the kids came, matching blankets for the twins, a diaper cleaner like the one they had at home and had given to Hizashi and his wife for Neji.
Momo thought they should patent that seal and sell them commercially, but that sounded like a lot of work. Nanami had agreed and the two girls were being exceptionally gungho about finding a way to industrialize seal making- the two were so clever he figured it was just a matter of time. Especially seeing as they'd somehow acquired a printing press and had been tinkering with it for a while.
When they got home Kakashi had been at the table with Obito, talking very softly. Naruto had mixed feelings about the whole thing. Kakashi was still fairly young, and Obito was his first serious relationship- on the other hand Kakashi had been a very lonely and isolated man in their past who could have benefited from having such a strong and stable relationship for support and comfort...
But that Kakashi was his teacher, and this Kakashi was his fourteen year old son. Obito nudged him and Kakashi flushed before clearing his throat- his voice had started cracking recently which was cute but obviously embarrassing for the kid.
“Are you guys ever going to have a wedding?” Shika had picked up Kankuro and Shin, Mei clinging to his legs, and Naruto was about to start making dinner when the question came up.
“Oh.” They looked at one another uncertainty.
They were married. On paper. Legally husbands. They filed their taxes jointly, had each other as their emergency contact, next of kin, insurance beneficiary, all the boring legal things that meant they were married.
But they hadn't had a wedding. At the time they got married he was more concerned about protecting Yugure and getting the kids out of the orphanage, and Shika was more interested in the children and busy with the peace accords, so they never talked about when they'd actually have a ceremony for friends and family. Of which they now had a lot of both .
“Well... that was the plan.” Their toddlers were set down and wandered back to their play area in the living room. Kurama was no doubt napping with their very youngest three at the moment, given how much sleep he needed for the baby, otherwise he'd butt in with his own opinions. “We've just been busy.” Kakashi could clearly sympathize, he was there for quite a bit of the ‘busy’ part.
“But couldn't you get married now?” Kakahi must have been thinking a lot about the wedding they just came from.
“Well...” He shared a look with his husband, who seemed thankfully just as caught off guard as he did. “We could start planning one, but we can't hold it until your brother gets back from his business trip.” Kakashi beamed at that.
It was weird that this mattered to him so much, but then again, the little rascal was a romantic. Maybe they should have seen this coming.
“For now, Kakashi, you want to help me start dinner?” The boy went a little pink but hopped up to help, and Obito was quietly asked if he could give Shika a hand with checking on the little ones- Obito was great with kids, it turned out.
Notes:
That's it for this week! I have a camping trip with some friends next weekend, but we don't leave until Saturday, so I might try and have chapters posted early on Friday night so I don't miss next week. There's one boring economics chapter planned, a few birth's, Saito's potential romance, and of course, our number one knuckle headed ninja's birth, another wedding, after that I have a time skipped planned so we can move on and finish tying up loose ends. Just to give everyone still reading a road map of what to expect. I fully plan to add more fluff wherever I can, and maybe a few more spicy chapters.
This has nothing to do with the fic itself, but while editing this chapter my cat Merlin has had his butt on the left half of my keyboard and it's been a challenge. I just wanted to let you know he 'helped' with this one.
Chapter 134: (Soon To Be) Older Siblings
Summary:
Yugure and Itachi have questions.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kurama nuzzled Gaara, who had reached up and was gently feeling over his nose. It felt odd, seeing his younger brother's host as his cub, but he couldn't help it. His tails flicked as he picked up his other unusually stoic cub, Sai, and began to rock them. Gaara would fall asleep without issue, but sometimes Sai would fight his nap. Uhari was in her own crib, holding a doll and quietly amusing herself, though she was almost asleep.
He purred softly, and watched Sai's eyes finally close and stay closed before he carefully laid both infants down, bending into the crib to kiss Gaara's forehead to place suppressing chakra on him, then a normal kiss to Sai's head. Uhari burbled at him, reaching up and feeling the base of his ear as he gave her a kiss too, but she was snoring by the time he reached the door and flicked the lights off.
He heard the girls running on the other side of the courtyard, and when he made a circle of the hall they were darting in and out of their rooms, playing tag or something similar. There was a time not all that long ago he wouldn't have felt anything seeing them- human children playing. A time even sooner than that that it might have filled him with rage... Now the only feeling bubbling inside him was joy.
“Your little brothers and Uhari are napping, so try to not make too much noise, alright?” He wasn't too concerned with the little cubs being woken by their older sisters, but he figured he should still warn them not to be too rowdy. He'd left the three toddlers asleep where they'd dropped on the couch upstairs and apparently Kankuro was a light sleeper.
“Okay baba!” His legs were hugged, and he didn't miss it when Temari yawned, sleepily rubbing her eye even as she grabbed Megumi's hand to follow her. “If Temari gets tired, make sure she lays down, Jun too.”
“We will.” Bashira pushed him lightly, before she followed Jun into their bedroom again, squealing. Yugurue stopped to tightly hug his leg. He smiled, messing up her hair a bit, her braid was already falling loose as it was anyway.
She dashed to chase her sisters and he slowly made his way up stairs. Sure enough their quiet shrieking and laughter got quiet enough by the landing that he wasn't worried they'd wake up the little ones.
Their academy age children were all out practicing taijutsu in the yard, or holed away working on seals, he worried they didn't get enough sunlight. Once their mate got home he'd ask the indoor children be tossed outside for a bit, and their outdoor children inside to rest and rehydrate. He made himself busy in the kitchen in the interim, there was always something for him to do with so many children to feed between prepping ingredients and putting together snacks, or dishes he was always a little behind on during the school week since the cubs were told to prioritize homework and self study during the week. The older cubs were starting to learn how to cook for themselves by helping out here and there, and they rotated chores out on weekends- with the brat's shadow clones they kept up for the most part during the week. He got out one of the large stock pots and got it on the burner, lighting it as he used his tail to fill a measuring cup with water to start measuring out what he'd need.
He'd start dinner now, at least the soup which should take longer than usual, he had read a recipe in a magazine recently and it sounded delicious.
Magazines were amazing, he had decided. They made them for everything . Men, women, teenagers both boys and girls, children, cooking, medicine, sewing, painting, art, architecture, fishing . The breadth of human knowledge could be condensed into twenty to thirty glossy pages and printed every month. Sometimes twice a month.
Himari had shown them to him, and since he wasn't really supposed to leave the house she brought some home for him fairly often. Sometimes they had amusing little puzzles. He would cut the things he liked out of them and then turn the husks over to his creative little cubs, who would then do the same. He had a little box he kept them in, one he opened to double check the ingredients of his current recipe since he had had to triple it.
“Baba, can you get me a juice?” Yugure had come running up at some point though he couldn't pinpoint when given how silent she was and how he'd been busy, and she boosted herself onto the counter by the sink- he thought she may have used a shadow or she could have just jumped given she had a much stronger physique than other children her age.
He poured her a small glass of whatever juice was in the fridge (apple, or maybe it was pear?) and she sat watching him silently for some time.
“Jun and Temari are sleeping, an Meg and Shira are making another boring collage.” He nodded. She was quiet just watching him, and he wondered if she had something she wanted to say or if it was just his company she wanted, he had trouble reading all of his cubs but her even more so. “Is it just gonna be one baby, baba?” He froze, and he should have known that she'd be aware, since she noticed the energy, but it still surprised him. “I told daddy and papa I wanted nine little siblings, but I only got seven so far. Temari doesn't count cause she's older than me by a little.”
“So what, you want it to be twins?” She mumbled to herself, shaking her head, and his shoulders relaxed.
“It could be more than nine, baba...” He went to wash his hands and kissed the side of her head.
“One is already a lot, little shadow.” She grumbled but went back to sipping her juice.
He could hardly imagine it. It would be extremely inconvenient, especially at the end half.
“Are you sure?” He sighed, nuzzling their heads.
“If it is, I'll be just as happy, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, since there's no way of knowing.” She still looked defeated, and set down her cup, sliding down to the floor.
“I'm gonna take a nap too.”
“Okay, little shadow.” And off she ran. Alone again, he put a hand on his middle, even more curious now than before.
Itachi had moved bedrooms. His new bedroom had a lovely view of the garden- he wanted to let his baby brother have it, but his old room was next to his parents room and his baby brother should be close to them. He'd just have to show his brother the view later.
His mother and his oba Kushina were spending a lot of time talking about babies, since she was having a baby soon too even if her belly hadn't gotten very big yet like his mother's had. In a way, Itachi was getting two little siblings, so he felt very lucky.
Yugure had told him a secret the last time he'd been over for one of his lessons. Her baba was going to have a baby too, but they weren't sure when- it might be a long time. Itachi had, naturally, asked his father why everyone was having babies but he couldn't give an answer that Itachi could accept- neither could the grannies that Obito was always helping. Or Obito. Or Obito's boyfriend, Kakashi nii-chan. Shisui didn't know either.
“It's because it feels like a good time to have children.” His mother was combing his hair after his bath, he was sat beside her on the couch with his eyes closed to enjoy it.
“Was it not a good time when I was born?” she sighed, and it sounded fond.
“It was the perfect time, since we had you.” He giggled when she kissed the crown of his head. “You remember how we were at war until recently?”
“Yes, mother.” He remembered people had all seemed very nervous all the time, and people kept coming back to the village injured. Some people didn't come back, not htat he remembered that very well, but he knew there had been holes in people he knew's lives that he couldn't explain let alone fix.
“Well, when it ended a lot of grown ups felt relieved. The world feels like a safer place without people fighting all the time, and every parent wants to make sure their little ones grow up in a safe place.” It did seem like a lot fewer people came back to the village hurt, a lot fewer people.
“That makes sense.” He began to tug the fabric of his sleeve as he thought.
“Was there anything else you wanted to ask me, little crow?” He shook his head, now that she was done. He had to give her a hand getting up off the couch, she got stuck sitting down a lot now. “Oh! Itachi, hurry, he's kicking.” He gave her his hand and she placed it carefully against her belly- it had gotten really big. He squeaked when he felt a thump against his palm. “That's our little Sasuke.” Itachi was wide eyed.
“Can he hear me?” She began to walk him toward his new room to tuck him in, since it was getting late.
“He can. Hearing you might have woke him up.”
“You should get lots of sleep, otouto, so you can come out and play with me soon.” He was very nervous about his baby brother. He should ask Haruki Sensei to teach him how to make dango so he and his otouto could share it together once he came... well maybe it would need to wait until Sasuke was a little bigger, since Itachi remembered Uhari couldn't eat anything but milk until she was a lot bigger. He hadn't checked but he was pretty sure Sai and Gaara only drank milk too.
How long before he could eat together with his baby brother? When he'd asked his parents they'd laughed but not in the way that was at him, and his father called him overeager.
It was okay to be excited, right?
Notes:
I ended up not going camping so I've been working on future chapters since I didn't have much else to do.
Chapter 135: Shaken Foundations
Summary:
A hiccup in the grand plan.
Possible TW; Descriptions of birth (not extremely detailed)
Chapter Text
Shikamaru learned... something about Kiba.
Tsume had asked him to come to her home for the delivery, they'd worked everything out already. The only last minute change was that the father would not be present as he had gotten into a fight with her a week ago and she was unwilling to let him be there. Fine. Shikamaru was technically her doctor, but she didn't trust him to keep the baby's gender a secret for whatever reason, so she had a clan-mate as her actual doctor- Shikamaru didn't mind standing in as a midwife. This was Kiba, as annoying as the kid was, he wanted to make sure Kiba was born safely.
Labor was progressing normally, it wasn't her first baby, and Hana had also been born in the home, with assistance from the same Inuzuka currently checking Tsume's vitals. No concerns yet, she had refused an epidural, which he couldn't fault her for since he knew quite well how pain medications could affect a shinobi. She was clawing the edge of her tub hard enough it was actually being gouged, and he rubbed a comforting hand on her lower back, trying to help lessen the tension but knowing it was a drop of water in the sea. Of course despite being where he was he was still caught off guard when he was told to catch the baby. He had done it before, but he hadn't fully expected her to be at the point of pushing the kid out already.
He was not at all prepared to be the first living person to look at Kiba and say, surprised, genuinly-
“It's a girl!” He managed to keep it from becoming a question. Was... was this not Kiba?! His shock was missed as he numbly stared at the squirming and messy newborn. All sounds seemed distant as he took in the tiny little 'fangs' on the newborn's cheeks, not red yet but more on odd burnt orange color.
“She's beautiful Tsume...” He moved on instinct, clearing the airway, cutting the umbilical cord, cleaning up the newborn, keeping an eye on Tsume while she dealt with the afterbirth like a seasoned professional- he saw them put it in a container and decided not to ask why she was keeping the placenta. He had a hunch and didn't want it confirmed.
“I know...” He handed a now swaddled, mostly clean newborn to Tsume, who was grinning like mad. “Your daddy doesn't know what he's talking about, does he?” She cooed, “Kiba is the perfect name for my little bloodhound, huh?” Her baby voice was... unsettling. However some of his panic died away hearing the familiar name. So boy or girl, she had planned to name the baby the same thing? That almost gave him a little hope but he was still in a state of shock and he doubted it would change any time soon.
“That's an unusual name.” She hummed, scenting her newborn heavily. The smell was surprisingly delicate, and his nose was now sensitive enough to pick it up propperly. Right from birth Kiba would have a sensitive nose, and his- her mother's familiar scent would keep the baby calm.
“My mother's dog growing up was named Kiba, I always thought it would be perfect.” So she had always been bizarre, he smiled softly, because he couldn't not smile, a healthy baby was curled up with their equally healthy if not exhausted mother. Maybe he should help her get to bed and off the tiled floors. He used a shadow to lay down a pad meant to be bled on on Tsume's bed, and he waited for Tsume's cousin to finish double checking her over before she gave him the okay to lift her with the shadows and get her laid down in bed. She only winced a little bit. He brought a basin of water and a few rags and helped clean her brow, turning when she used them to clean less appropriate areas, not that he blamed her since nothing was as gross or as wonderful as childbirth, but it was gross. Very messy, exhausting, and certainly not for everyone. He sure as hell had no plans to go through it again, and his was less prolonged anguish and more sharp acute pain.
“Ah, so it's a family name then?” She beamed, he could just feel it, before sighing tiredly.
“It really would have been better if you'd been the father, you at least have a sense of humor.” She elbowed him, but she was clearly exhausted as the blow didn't nearly knock him over as it usually did when he wasn't prepared to be hit.
“Get some sleep, alright?” She waved him off, and he bid her cousin, the medic she'd had actually treating her, goodbye.
The night air was fairly cold on his face, but the detail was lost to him as he focused on just putting one foot in front of the other.
The way home felt surreal as he was trapped with his thoughts. There'd be no way of knowing if the baby was their Kiba for a very long time. Tsume was the kind of person to beat someone up for misgendering her child, and if Kiba was transgender and began identifying as a boy before they started at the academy together he really wouldn't have any way of knowing since it had been Sakura to treat him during the war, up until he'd been lost. It left him with the worst sort of anxiety over the whole thing. He couldn't tell but his hands had started to shake where he was forcing them to stay at his sides.
He wouldn't know it if it was or wasn't their Kiba for a long time. Years.
He actually walked the whole way home instead of traveling between shadows because he hoped the fresh air might help some- it wasn't. He was still panicked and without any sort of plan on how to deal with it if this Kiba wasn't the one they knew.
Naruto and Kurama were surprisingly genial about him crashing into their bed and wriggling between them with only a whispered ‘hold me’ as explanation when he got home late that night after having wandered the streats for well over an hour. Maybe it had been more, since he'd watched the sun set and the moon had been high above them by the time he slipped into the house.
Naruto shared his worries when he felt present enough to share them, and Kurama had shrugged and gone back to sleep. He couldn't do much in the way of helping, after all, and he wasn't so emotionally attached to their friends in the previous life to lose sleep over a guy more obnoxious than Naruto. Shikamaru tried to rationalize it as Kurama looking out for the baby more than anything since he really did need to sleep now, and that took away some of the sting. Kiba was annoying, but he was one of their friends. Shikamaru hadn't wanted anything bad to happen to him, he wanted him to live a completely normal and happy life- as much as anyone born into this lifestyle could at least.
Did it make him a bad person to desperately wish Tsume's newborn daughter was transgender even knowing how difficult it was to go through something like that even in a village that was very open and accepting of it? What would he even do if that wasn't the case? If this Kiba and their Kiba had different dads and so they weren't the same person at all? When would they realize? It was already too late now, far too late to do anything. He wished he'd known who fathered their Kiba because he could have at least comforted himself a little better if it was the man who had fathered this Kiba was the same as the one who had been responsible for the Kiba they knew.
He felt responsible if Kiba never existed now- they hadn't been warned of any such risk, but the Sage didn't warn them about the violent reentry either. He had been willing to sacrifice everything he had to unweave time- but not to erase the people he was doing it for in the first place. His life had been a small price to pay, but it was different to gamble with the lives of his friends. Naruto was going through the seven stages of grief silently beside him, Kurama's head on his lap- stroking his husband's ears was doing a lot to keep him semi grounded but he knew that this would be the sort of fear that kept coming over and over again until he got his answer. If he was lucky it would only hit him randomly and he wouldn't experience it at all hours of the day.
They'd just have to see. It was too soon to grieve, after all. Shikamaru hadn't known Genma was transgender until coming to the past, maybe it was like that.
Naruto eventually got up to turn the light back off, and he was dragged back into the middle of his husbands holds, even if he couldn't stop turning it over in his mind, as if a new approach to the panic would yield better results.
Kurama wrapped him in his tails and grumbled, dragging him closer, and he forced himself to stop thinking.
It wasn't doing any good after all.
The feeling of guilt remained, firmly planted until he got the answers to his questions.
Chapter 136: Start Up
Summary:
Momo thinks about work, getting a little side tracked somewhere on the way.
Notes:
Not going to lie I've been pretty sleepy while editing this so I might do a second sweep of the whole chapter for bugs, we'll see once I'm more well rested. This is the only chapter going up tonight as a result.
Chapter Text
She wished she could say that Saito had left very specific instructions for her before leaving but he the fact was he hadn't. So well over a month after her brother left for work it was Momo who was dealing with the not so glamorous aspects of running a company. Even a small one. Technically speaking, it was a rapidly expanding business, and people were up until then getting hired and trained to fill gaps- until they had figured out the retrofit for the old printing press. He had left her that mess when he went to supervise construction in Suna.
They retained ten employees for maintenance of existing contracts for temperature seals (technicians, in the ledger), the first yearly inspections would begin in fall, but occasionally they could be damaged so keeping ten for the whole village wasn't overdoing it considering some people were still signing up for various seal services over half a year later. The waiting list had also kept a schedule for a long time. Five additional employees now were assigned to upkeep the printing press that allowed them to mass produce both warming and cooling seals for individual use, she was shocked they managed it in such a short time but it made her life easier and was what had really allowed them to change focus solely from construction which they'd been most famous for, and diversify. That of course didn't mean that that aspect would be scaled back. Saito planned to offer the option to current employees to train in construction seals, before looking outside of their current workforce- talking with various village officials and clan heads, as well as a long and draining conversation with the hokage (Minato looked dead on his feet) about city planning, he wanted to start with at least ten. They would be tasked with building maintenance in the off season from construction, and contracted out to fix municipal property damage. Each employee had a set salary, though they could earn a bonus or even a not insubstantial share of the profits if they invented a new seal that Kitsune could market either privately or commercially.
Momo had been the one to keep the company moving. Saito was more interested in making than in marketing. She was surpise how long he even lasted if she were honest.
She had set up payroll, put together a benefits package to entice their current employees to stay, and managed schedules. She knew that once positions opened up again they'd be flooded with applicants.
Kitsune paid much higher wages than local manufacturers, logging, farming, or other blue collar work, it also implemented coverage for employee medical expenses, not just in the event of an accident either- so long as they were submitted properly, Kitsune reimburse their employees up to eighty percent for medical care, and should the worst happen Momo had set aside funds from monthly revenue that could be used to cover funeral costs and support any bereaved family, how much assistance would be decided after that occurred. Saito had promised at the very least to one man that if he were to pass away, Kitsune would help support his children until they reached adulthood. Momo could ensure cost of living at least was covered.
Every month, they had overhead on the office in the root market, reduced rent for the first five years as a thank you from the village for building it, a warehouse which housed the press as well as where they were going to mix the different types of ink used- Saito had made an abundance to use while he was away, and the recipe would require a number of relatively cheap ingredients.
Choza had been negotiating with her on a long term deal on slaughterhouse byproducts (blood, needed to make sealing ink, hair from animals that could be turned into brushes, and hooves, oddly enough, for making glue designed to withstand an active seal without deteriorating) and she had permission to hire as many people as needed for that process. They were just waiting for the large drums required to make the ink to be finished. The'd make it several concentrations of the ink to do a variety of jobs.
She had asked Kenta (with permission from his boss) to hand out drying seals at work and tell her any feedback he got from them. She was also talking to Aburame Shibi about designing seals that caused bugs to avoid the user. It would prevent spread of disease from ticks and mosquitoes, as well as potentially give Shibi leverage in keeping bee hives in public areas. It meant she got a lot of free test subjects.
With the change in weather recently, their best seller had changed to the cooling seals, single use seals sold in packs- once fall came around it would be the warming seals again.
It was just a lot.
Her brother's seals were great, don't get her wrong, but most weren't marketable. Not yet at least, or not on their own. She wanted to have a market ready and waiting for their frankly bizarre interests, but the fact was that sealing had, up until very recently, been a dying art. Even those who made storage scrolls were using an outdated, inefficient form of sealing, one that had stagnated to that point because that was the only seal they learned and had no fraim of referance to what they could look like.
So yes. Spider Boots that allow you to walk up walls and maintain not only your balance, but equilibrium without straining every muscle, they're really cool. But almost no one would buy them at this point. The communication seal was an over designed nightmare that could function but it would take a lot for people to want it beyond just basic functionality, including time to get used to the idea of it storing images or working as a compass, or a calculator, or whatever else they had shoved into it now. She refused to even dignify the mirror Yosaku had placed a seal on that made you perceive yourself as having uncomfortably large eyes- he found a way to translate a genjutsu into a seal and that was what he used it for.
Even still, if they could get a few more in demand products to be safe, in combination with the contracts with the village and other clans, her brothers hopeful idealist business would be big enough to expand. Maybe sell their premade seals and a few other novelties outside the village.
They hadn't needed to worry about start up costs the same way other businesses did, since they had connections through their family to their initial client base, their papa also helped out physically in the first few weeks. Saito's initial material costs were also extremely low given he made the ink himself, as well as the applicators, and she and Himari had strong armed him into setting prices reasonable rather than doing anything pro bono.
She looked over the notes she'd been making and wondered if Saito would agree. She had to wonder if he'd bee happier to just... hand Kitsune to someone else.
He didn't want to run Kitsune as was telegraphed by his words and actions., he wanted to make seals. He wanted to make the world a better place, make people's lives easier. Even if he occasionally shared his burden with Momo, he was overworked trying to keep up.
She was planning to suggest that he be officially put in charge of research and development, and let Momo handle the business side of things. She kind of liked the boring bureaucratic process, and she worried he was going to collapse at this rate- besides he hated paperwork.
It also gave them the perfect excuse to turn down the seat for the next clan head- too busy. Himari wanted to be a lawyer, so that was her excuse- Chiyo refused, she was going to be an artist even if it killed someone. Kakashi couldn't because he wasn't technically a Namikaze, and the twins-
“Actually... Nanami might like it...”
Momo wasn't a control freak, not fully, but Nanami was. She'd be perfect for the job. Momo understood social hierarchy, but that was just enough to pick out the rich people and the snobs when entering a room- interacting with them was another thing entirely, one she was by and large awful at. Their connections to other clans weren't forged by her, after all, and there was a level of endearment that came from being the children of a good friend- papa had a true talent for charming people. Momo herself had plenty of issues in interacting with others, and that was without taking into account her temper, which was a constant struggle to maintain even among pleasant company.
Nanami, however, wasn't like that.
Nanami had proven herself adaptable, much more than Momo was. She took to the frankly confusing and bizarre world of social elites and postured in a way that Momo suspected one had to be born with a talent for. She was becoming extremely well spoken (not at home, never really with family, they knew her too well to believe the refined and gracious mask she could slip on) and maybe even a bit charming. She was still, of course, Momo's bratty little sister no matter what she did, but outside observers might mistake her as some young noble woman if she really tried.
And if that failed to gain respect, Nanami had recently began challenging her peers who upset her to duels, not always with weapons either. She wasn't as good as Yuki, but the comparison wasn't fair- Yuki was as good as at least chunin level shinobi at taijutsu and several weapons now, and they were only getting better. Nanami could and had beaten grown adults too, just... ones without jutsu, unlike Yuki who had beaten Kakashi's weird creepy friend- that kid was already almost a jonin so it was probably embarrassing to lose to such a little kid in a physical fight, especially a kid who couldn't use chakra, but still...
Nanami was the ideal candidate so far. She was knowledgeable on seals, she was smart, she was already active in charity circles, she was charming, strong, had a backbone, and seemed to actually care about the clan's reputation. She was also too young just yet, but not for much longer.
With Nanami as the next clan heir she was free to steal their remaining siblings for Kitsune to help further things along. If Momo was allowed to take over Kitsune, her goal, long term, would be to make it the largest employer in Konoha, and to do as much business internationally as she could. She'd never be a great ninja, for a number of reasons, and she refused to take over the clan, so if she wanted a legacy for the ages, this would be it... besides, the bigger the company, the more Saito could do to help with his seals, and she agreed with her brother, the world could use a few more dozen people interested in making people's lives easier rather than harder.
But first... she needed to clean up the ledger again, she could get her talking points in order later, when Saito was actually around to hear her argue it.
Chapter 137: Entering Mid-Life (Crisis)
Summary:
While out drinking, Orochimaru contemplates his legacy, Jiraiya is entering his 'weird uncle' phase of life, and Tsunade is acknowledged by other's to be a parent.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Orochimaru was staring at the cup in his hands, eyes burning a hole into it. Tsunade had dragged him to the shitty bar they used to go to when they were younger after work, and then dumped him on Jiraiya, informing them she was going to get the first round.
When he said dumped, he meant dumped. She'd pushed him practically onto Jiraiya and laughed, already tipsy, as they pushed to get away from each other. He couldn't remember doing anything to have annoyed her lately so he assumed that was for something Jiraiya had done.
She had dropped off a bottle with only two glasses, holding her own cup, spotted someone she knew, and ran off, as best that she could run like that. It left him with Jiraiya, both shaking their heads fondly- as irritating as it could be it was nice to see her in such a good mood lately. He was thinking about that, about how nice it was to have them both home so often, working so close to his former squad member and getting to keep tabs on her.
“... I'm thinking of retiring soon.” His head shot up, eyes locking with his former teammate. “Don't give me that look. Minato's brother's pretty much replaced me, and I'm starting to slow down anyway. It'll give me more time to write.”
“I didn't expect you to be the first of us to do it. Hime has always been more interested in it...”The three of them were all workaholics, it felt wrong that Jiraiya was talking about putting an end to his adventures already. Orochimaru couldn't even imagine how he'd spend his time if he wasn't working.
“Yeah, well, I still plan to cause lots of trouble, don't worry.” He stiffed back his cup, “I'll be around more to drag you out of your lab, too. All the fresh air you've been getting seems like it's done a lot of good.” He glossed over that, not wanting to admit that it had been good for not only his health but his mood as well. Sometimes it felt as if he could hardly recognize the person he was while working for ROOT.
“It just means you'll be even more of a lazy bum.” He huffed, but there was no heat behind it, drinking his own cup dry and accepting more. He should probably cut himself off soon, there was a pleasant burning in his belly and his finger tips were starting to feel fuzzy.
“Hey now, I resent that! Besides, I'm sure I'll be really busy, since my little twerp is gonna be a dad, he'll need me around to babysit.”
“I don't know if I'd trust you to watch a baby.” Jiraiya pouted, and Orochimaru began to relax. “Are you that excited to be a grandfather?”
Jiraiya, who had made the mistake of trying to take a drink, shot sake out of his nose and began to cough. There was the idiot he knew, Jiraiya had been acting far too serious.
“Uncle. I'll be an uncle .” He pounded his chest, likely to dislodge any additional alcohol that was still where it shouldn't be, “I'm too young and spry to be a a grandfather just yet you know. Besides, I haven't had any kids yet, so don't even joke about that! You hear me, Orochi?”
“Yes, yes, you're still in your prime.” He rolled his eyes, “Do you plan to?”
“To what?” Jiraiya's face was red, and his eyes were still watering, it had likely hurt, he was also distracted trying to scrub his now ruined drink off of his jacket. Orochimaru would make no comment on how it already smelled like booze and the addition of a fresher sample wasn't likely to change that. To think they were planing to let him watch a baby.
“Have children.”
“Very funny.”
“I never joke.” He received a flat look that let him know that Jiraiya knew that was bullshit, but refused to back down.
“With who, exactly? We both know the only girl either of us was ever interested in isn't going to lower her standards for either of us. Besides, I've got a certain reputation, not exactly husband material.”
“I'm shocked you didn't spout some nonsense about still sewing your wild oats.”
“Watch it.” They both lapsed into silence.
“Hime has her children.” Orochimaru observed once the tension began to abate. “Shizune and Tenzo.” They might call her aunt, but it was clear how she really felt about them. And she'd never really move on from Dan. Not enough to start a new relationship. “I think it would be... nice. Leaving a legacy.”
“Is being a sannin not enough for you?” The joke fell flat, and he began to tilt his cup onto its edge with a finger, considering that.
“It's my research. It's like a whole world has been opened up to me, I'm... sentimental. It would be nice to have a child to pass what I've discovered on to.”
“What about your students?” He shrugged.
“They're very bright children, but they don't have the same passion I do for research, let alone science as a whole.”
“And a baby Orochimaru would?” He shrugged, not sure what else to say.
He had learned a lot, but maybe it was what he'd been learning that made him feel so...
Chakra not only carried genetic information, with enough poking and theoretically the correct container, chakra and a small amount of biological material could be enough to produce a child. He'd been experimenting with mice, and he'd had his first successful test group. Of course, if only one person's chakra was put through the process they could create tissue, organs, bone, in a way very similar the Senju cells, and qualities of the Senju cells had been recreated in a laboratory setting by his research team.
This was a massive breakthrough. Once he finished perfecting the container, they'd be able to grow replacement organs, bone marrow, skin grafts, eyes even, and... Well, a little less ethically, in theory, children. Not clones, either. Well actually, yes clones, but that was illegal now rather than simply being taboo, and unethical besides. It could make it possible for couples who otherwise couldn't have children to... well... have children- infertile couples, same sex couples, those with medical issues who couldn't carry their own children. A tissue or blood sample, collecting some of each persons chakra as well, and provided nothing unexpected happens, in thirty eight to forty weeks this process he'd made could make a child.
Cloning being illegal, Orochimaru really just needed to find a willing tissue and chakra donor, and once he got approved by the ethics board to do so, he could independently become a father. There was more to it than that, and he could recognize he probably didn't have the time for a child- not with his work occupying him like it was, and that was without considering how bad he was with children and emotions. He could recognize he might not be a good fit as a father, so if he was going to do this, shared custody with their other parent might be the ideal way to go...
“I think in a few years I might grow one in the lab..” Jiraiya snorted, shaking his head.
“Yeah? Well if you need a babysitter let me know, alright?” He clapped Orochimaru's arm, and he just nodded. Who would he even ask that would let him use their blood and cells for that?
“You two look so dumb!” Both were half bowled over as Tsunade practically jumped on them, an arm around each of their shoulders. “C'mon, we have tomorrow off, let's party!”
Maybe he should save that for when he was sure he was fully sober.
Notes:
I haven't actually watched Boruto, and I don't know if I'll ever have the mental strength to sit through it, but I do love Mitsuki and Log (from what I've seen of them in other fan works) and I feel like at some point Orochimaru would get around to making them. If that means in the next five years or twenty five years? No clue if either will make it into this fic even during the epilogue chapters I have planned or not.
Chapter 138: Wrapping Up July
Summary:
Saito meets Baki, some of the kids have questions, and Kabuto bonds further with his (somewhat newer) baba.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“ Happy birthday Nii-chan, we miss you so much, please come home soon. ” He read it aloud again before flopping the letter down beside him on his bed.
It had been two months- nearly three, and he was still in Suna. He had to do each part of the cliffs in sections, and they had to be done precisely, all while training the maintenance teams to help assist him, and keeping the village informed so they could rotate guards to keep civilians away from active construction.
This was made all the harder by how miserably hot Suna was. He was always dusty and sweaty. The food was too spicy. He thought winter had been bad but summer was so much worse.
“I hope I come home soon too.” He grumbled, placing another breeze seal on the wall above his head with a piece of paper and letting it roll over him. It helped a bit.
He was so sticky.
He didn't want to get up when he heard a knock on his door, it was his day off and he planned to stay in his cold dark inn room and pretend to be dead. He got up anyway, pulling on a loose linen shirt that covered almost all of his scars, and opened the door. He didn't recognize the Suna shinobi on the other side.
“Uh...”
“Namikaze Saito, right?” He nodded. “Your former guard hired by the merchant guild was called away by the Kazekage, so I'll be taking his place. Baki.” He took the offered hand and the man... boy? He looked about Saito's age. He shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I'll be in your care.” He bowed his head slightly. “... would you like something to drink?” His last guard had been of the opinion they should establish a rapport since they’d be around each other for so long. Baki did not share that sentiment. He made a disgusted face.
“You trust me just because of what I said? Are you stupid? What if I came to kill you?”
“Oh, that.” He sighed, turning his back to head to the small 'kitchenette', pulling out a jug of water from a cabinet he'd turned into an impromptu refrigerator with seals. “You would have tried to sneak in, fewer witnesses. The windows, outer and inner walls, and even the ceilings and floors have been treated with a seal that will send ten million volts of electricity directly through your central nervous system if you try and force your way through.” He poured a second glass, he could just drink it if Baki didn't want it. “There's a chance it might not kill you instantly but it'll knock you on your ass. An alarm sound is tied into the seal so it would instantly draw attention while your down.” He turned around, finding Baki had entered the room, eyes shadowed. “I also have a seal on my body that, should I be injured, even slightly, a barrier will automatically form, its tested up to my fathers monstrous strength, so no normal ninja could break it. Also...” He hopped to sit on the counter and took a sip of his water, “My last guard told me he'd be leaving yesterday and gave me a description of you ahead of time.”
“How do you know I'm not henged?” Saito snorted.
“I could tell if you were using a jutsu, trust me.” He was so sensitive to chakra now from constant exposure even a minor henge would set him off. He extended his hand with the glass, and Baki finally took it, but nearly dropped it.
“It's cold.”
“Uh, yeah, figured that would be better than it being hot?” He smiled sipping it.
“But that's a cabinet.”
“Seal that leaches heat. Once the closed cabin reaches a certain temperature it maintains it.” He knocked on the wood.
“You... made that?” He ventured, and Saito nodded. “Just to have cold water?”
“I mean, not just for cold water. I've got some eggs in there too.”
“There isn't a stove.” The cabinets were more for holding dry goods, and if you wanted to heat any food they expected you to go down stairs with it and ask the kitchen.
“I've got a seal for that too.” He kicked his feet, “...You hungry? I can make some food?”
“No.” He answered a bit too quickly, still staring at the glass in his hand. “Why?” He tapped the side of the glass and Saito gave it a moments thought.
“It makes me feel like I'm home, I guess? The refrigerator at home was made in a similar way. The oven too. My papa cooks a lot so I guess he just wanted things to be exactly how he thought they should be. It's not hard for me to do either.”
“... but it's stupid.” He shrugged to that, “Why waste your time with these when there are things that work?” Baki seemed to think that it was a waist of effort, and to be completely honest it might be, but Saito at the very least liked them so he wasn't worried about how much time it took. Maybe stupid wasn't the right wording for it... lazy? Saito could understand that accusation at least.
“Keeps my skills sharp for one thing. Besides, maybe I'll make something that changes the world from all my dumb little ideas. The temperature regulation in the cliff-side project is just an improved version of the one at my parents house, but it'll be more efficient and help more people, so I don't think it was a waste to experiment with it.” Baki drank some of the water but put the glass down, giving him a funny look.
“You're strange.”
“Yeah, I know.” Baki turned to leave, “I'll be up just before dawn, I want to get started before it gets too hot.” If they could work at night that would be ideal, but even though the seals weren't dangerous exactly, they were loud. Night construction was a no-no. He'd checked
“Ill be here.” He had the feeling maybe Baki wasn't excited to follow him around.
Sasuke is small, and pink, and pretty wrinkly. A far cry from what he used to look like, Naruto thinks to himself. This Sasuke is surprisingly loud, he cries a lot, and at just a day old, he's already driven both his parents to exhaustion. Mikoto is understandably tired. Fugaku has less of an excuse. Shikamaru had gone home to crash when Naruto came over with a few of the girls to do what he could to help their friends now that the baby was here- as an excuse to see the little brat.
Naruto has circled their dining room four times now, and the infant has just started to calm down- he was amused to note that Sasuke calmed down a fair amount just in his arms alone, but going from screaming his lungs out to just crying was still an improvement. He would argue that later, at least.
Itachi was very excited for his sensei to meet his new little brother, and he wasted no time in introducing the now sleeping infant to Yugure, Temari, and Jun, who seemed to be debating something where they sat in a row across form Itachi as Naruto circled them again.
“Papa.” He hummed, staring at the little teme. Silently promising that he'd get to live an ordinary and happy life, when Yugure and Jun began to tug at his sleeve. “Papa, when will our baby get here?” He blinked, turning to give his girls his full attention.
“What?”
“The one in baba's tummy.” Jun whispered, knowing he'd catch it.
“Yeah, when!” Temari was hopping slightly, and both of her hands were taken by her sisters to help her stop fidgeting- Itachi could be a bit rude to her when she got on his nerves as she couldn't sit still so it was her sister's way of keeping the peace- Temari punched back at insults when she understood them and had already given him a black eye, so it was more to prevent that than Itachi speaking up.
“I have no idea what you're talking about.” He cleared his throat.
It wasn't really a secret. But the whole thing would take so long, and the baby was just energy at the moment so... it felt a bit early to start telling people. He figured Yugure had something to do with why her sisters already knew.
“Baba has a baby in his belly.” Temari crossed her arms after tugging them free, stomping her tiny foot in protest. “When do we get to play with him?”
“No, they'll be like Gaara and Sai, little.” Temari blinked at Yugure, before stomping her foot again.
“When do we get to cuddle him?” She corrected herself with all the intensity of her first demand. He sighed, kneeling down, Itachi took the chance to get as close as he could to Sasuke and kissed his cheek.
“You know that baba is very different than us, right?” Temari and Jun both nodded, and Yugure smiled brightly, “Well, it'll be a really, really long time before you'll get to meet the baby.”
“Because he's different?” Jun ventured, clinging now to his sleeve.
“That's right. Your cousin that Kushina oba is going to have will be born way before the baby we're having with baba.”
His two girls seemed to understand, or at least accept it, and they went back to staring at Sasuke, who thankfully had slept through their tantrums.
He had to give Sasuke back to an exhausted looking Fugaku eventually, the boy got hungry and that was one thing he was aware he couldn't help with, and he took his girls home- they hugged Kurama extra tightly when he greeted them in the garden, and both Temari and Jun whispered ‘I love you’ to his stomach, which was firm but still flat. He knew neither Kurama or his husband would sympathize with being put on the spot by the kids, however he could at least join them in laughing over it.
He secretly hoped they had to go through something similar.
Kabuto and Keiko had started their extra training at the hospital with Tsunade oba and their dad. He was of course more interested in healing wounds, he had decided he wanted to specialize in surgery. Keiko was more interested in making medicines, to the point she had actually asked an apothecary to teach her more... old fashioned.... medicine. He knew her process of making medicines was different from just crushing up dried moth wings and tree bark to make tea, but it made him anxious she was throwing away her talent.
She had actually been moved to learn under Orochimaru, since she was more interested in studying traditional medicine and it's ingredients.
Kabuto had peaked into one of the nice research journals she kept, not to be confused with her special journal which he was fairly certain had caught fire at least once. In beautiful and small print she had written down the ingredients chemical composition, average natural chakra levels and type, and a number of other concepts he didn't fully understand. She seemed to like it, however, and it was a great distraction from times she'd get very quiet and distant while muttering to herself.
Kabuto had already brought up her unusual paranoid behaviors to their parents, and they were aware and keeping an eye on her. It was mostly harmless, he thought, as once when Urushi had complained about how difficult his homework was Keiko had told him it was a conspiracy to divide students- that was why less successful students were openly criticized by teachers, in an attempt to weaponize shame. Kabuto didn't believe that, but it sure seemed as if his sister did, so he would keep his mouth shut- maybe some teachers did do that, but he doubted it was systemic...
Some of her other theories were just as strange- he'd had a peak in her special journal once when he'd found it unattended, and it was something about aliens (people from other villages maybe?) plotting to take over the planet... and that the founders of the leaf village were manipulated in trying to aid in that plan? She had gotten mad and taken her book back when she'd seen him peaking in it, and Kabuto had had to wash his hands after touching it- sometimes it got too close to her research... or food maybe... she always had it and though she was protective of it she didn't seem to take very good care of it.
He remembered she'd once told him at the orphanage she expected they'd be kidnapped into a secret program to turn them into living weapons... Well maybe that part had been true actually. One in a hundred wasn't that bad.
He carefully closed the anatomy text he'd been going over- his eyes were strained, and got up to head downstairs- his dad's library was extremely informative after all. It was on the stairs he found himself blocking the way to Shin, Mai, and Kankuro, who seemed surprised at being caught.
“You know your too little to go into the studies upstairs.” He crossed his arms and the three toddlers seemed to conference, he was never good at deciphering their baby talk, and booked it away from the stairs and toward the bathroom, he'd guess. He shook his head wondering what their goal had even been- maybe to look out the windows upstairs since the view wasn't terrible with all the buildings around them flowering and bearing fruit now.
He wandered into the kitchen and found Kurama was making... something. He was shooed over to the table in the corner, Kurama put the kettle on to make him some milk tea, and he laid his head down on the table. He hoped his dad would come home soon so he could ask him questions about one of the surgical procedures be read about. His parents were always so busy all of the time...
“Kabuto.” He looked up, and his hair was gently ruffled by Kurama. He wasn't sure how to feel about the bijuu. Kurama clearly cared about him, and he was always around even if he was usually doing things around the house. “Do you want me to teach you something secret?” He thought about it before nodding, and Kurama lifted one of his hands- Kurama had claw like nails but he'd yet to be scratched once by them. “Can you gather chakra like when performing healing?”
Simple enough, he nodded and did just that. His hand felt funny as he could feel Kurama's overwhelming and uncomfortably warm chakra mold over his own, forcing it's shape to change along the edge of his fingertips.
“This... is a chakra blade. Why do you think this could be useful?” He looked at it, thrumming along the skin of his finger tips and the edges of his pinky and pointer finger now without aid, though occasionally flickering in shape since he wasn't used to the form or density.
“For close combat?” He hazarded a guess, and Kurama chuckled and messed up his hair again.
“Yes I suppose it could be.” He considered it more closely as Kurama set a cup in front of him, “What else is a blade good for?”
“... cooking?” Kurama nodded encouragingly, “Getting out of traps.” Another nod. He racked his brains-
“It's not a dissimilar use to the healing palm jutsu.” It felt like he'd been struck by lightening at the hint.
“ Surgery! ” Kurama patted his head again.
“And why is it so good for that?”
“It's naturally sterile.” He ventured, “I always have it on hand so I could use it in an emergency... I can change it's properties to fit the task, and use chakra to cauterize the wound as I'm cutting...” It finally dawned on him. From sharpness to blade size he could directly control it at will.
“That's exactly right. It's what your dad uses. I know there's other reasons to use a chakra blade over traditional medical tools, but I'll let him tell you about it when he gets home. It should give you time to think up a lot of questions.
He spent the rest of the time waiting for his dad trying to perfect the shape of his blade, and its density. He hardly noticed when a small bowl of dried persimmons was slid in front of him. As a result his father came home before he knew it.
Notes:
The last section I really wanted to include but didn't know were else to put it, I kind of shoved together three sections I liked but didn't have anything specific I wanted to pair them with.
Chapter 139: Kushina's Long Afternoon
Summary:
This is NOT a typical day in Kushina's life since she got pregnant.
Chapter Text
Kushina had never felt so sick and so happy in her life. The fox prevented her from getting traditional illnesses, that included the stomach flu. She could now sympathize with people who got it. She had thought morning sickness would go away after the first trimester but here hers was, rearing its ugly head still. She looked through the box that Haruki had dropped off earlier and cooed. He'd knit tiny little socks for her baby, orange and blue. There was also a knit fox doll inside the box, and a cap that had tiny ears on it. She began to sniffle as she brought the hat to her chest.
Always so emotional. She ignored Kurama, wanting to bite back that he clearly could become an emotional wreck too, since his counterpart had cried in front of her the first time Kankuro had spoken. (He had said ‘oh no’ very softly after knocking his bowl over the side of the table when they'd joined for family dinner and Kurama had practically been bawling.)
They would be moving into a little house together soon, then she could work on the nursery. She already had all the furniture and colors chosen. Inei had informed her her baby looked healthy during her last appointment, and she had already made a birth plan with Tsunade. The seals meant to help keep Kurama inside his own seal had already been made and were prepared for use at any point even with nearly two and a half months left to go.
Kushina was ready . They'd even picked out the perfect name for him- one for a girl too to be safe. She got up and carefully put the little knit items away in a drawer, putting a hand on her stomach.
“I don't know about you, but I'm starving. ” There was no response, not even a kick, “Lets get some ramen to split.”
Minato had already joked that the baby was made out of ramen, but luckily she could still eat her favorite food. Some smells, tastes, and textures made her feel ill now, but ramen had thankfully remained safe and delicious throughout her pregnancy.
While walking to Ichiraku’s she actually ran into Kakashi and Obito, who she offered to treat to a meal. The two were such a cute little couple.
In another life, Kakashi would have been her babies older brother, but she knew that he'd be just as good as a cousin. Haruki and Inei had done a lot of good for the boy, and she was just happy to see him more relaxed.
The two boys were chatting while she caught up with Teuchi, who congratulated her again, teasing and asking her if she planned to bottle feed the baby miso broth. This was something she wanted to share with her baby, when they got a bit older.
There was so much she wanted to do with the baby, a whole world she wanted to show them. She was so happy she was pregnant, she couldn't wait to hold her little one, see who they'd look more like, hear their laughter, watch them grow up. The boys had gone a bit quiet and Teuchi was making their order, so hearing Kakashi quietly call her name almost made her jump.
“What's up?” He shared a look with Obito, who urged him on.
“I already had the talk from sensei.” He began with that, and suddenly Kushina felt... worried. She glanced at Obito who shrunk but didn't avoid her eye, “This isn't about me, either. I asked Obito but he doesn't know.”
“So what's the question?” Both boys nodded, and she wisely didn't touch her water.
“Can men get pregnant?” She blinked at them.
“Uh... not usually.”
“But Inei did.” Kakashi pointed out, and while that was technically true...
“There were unusual circumstances involved....” Why was he asking about this? She knew a lot of women in the village were expecting or had recently delivered, but-
“But it can happen?”
“Well, I mean, if the man has a uterus...” They had a friend who fit that description. One who was all but officially dating her niece, who was also transgender- “Is this about Genma-!”
“No!” Both boys shouted, looking appalled.
“Oh, good.” She remembered being about Himari's age and around that time she had started getting more physical with Minato so... it was a valid concern. Not that she didn't trust them to be smart, but accidents happened and she hoped they'd both make well informed decisions if that were to happen.
“It's about Kurama.” She could feel her own fox growl in annoyed confusion.
“Kurama? Are we talking about the same one?” He nodded.
“He's been acting a lot like you have because of the baby. Also Keiko's pretty convinced he is, and Inei's been monitoring his health which is a little weird since he doesn't have a real body.” That was odd.
“I could ask him.” She was pretty curious herself now. If he was , would that make her fox a father, or an uncle? He didn't appreciate her line of inquiry however and refused to play along with her. Mentally she could see him curling up and covering his head with his tails to ignore her.
She'd go talk to him right after, since the rest of the day was free.
Kakashi walked her over, since Obito had to go help an old women he'd met that morning in her garden now, and while she went inside Kakashi flopped on the lawn with his arms out for the dogs to essentially trample him. It didn't take long to find Kurama, who was apparently showing Nanami and Nao how to cook something- her young nephews were asleep in a popup crib near the little table alseep, and Uhari was sat in a highchair working her way single-mindedly through a tray of apple slices.
“Kushina.” The way he looked now, with his tan skin and wild mane of red hair, he almost seemed like an Uzumaki, and her heart clenched painfully in loss.
“Kurama. Hey kiddo's.”
“Are you hungry oba?” Nao asked innocently- it looked like they were helping make curry. They seemed to eat a lot of different curries lately, though a damaged looking magazine on the counter by the fridge suggested it was inspired by Kurama's reading habits as of late.
“No, I just had lunch.” The twins nodded, though Nao seemed a bit upset he couldn't offer her anything. “Could I borrow your baba for just a second?” They looked at one another and Kurama patted their heads.
“Why don't you two go up to the study and pick out a dessert recipe, huh? I'll come get you in a bit.” Both nodded, before racing one another toward the stairs, Kushina remembered distantly that Nao liked sweets and Nanami didn't, so it must be some sort of competition. “What was it you wanted to talk about?” He put the kettle on, and she sat near Uhari, handing her another apple slice.
“Kakashi thinks... this is maybe a bit silly but since it involves you I'm curious...” How was she supposed to ask this anyway? 'Hey Kurama, are you pregnant? I know your a bijuu but you seemed really into that a few months ago so did it work?’
Kurama just tilted his head, like a real fox, and she sighed.
“Kakashi wants to know if you are... expecting?” He stared at her for a moment. This had been stupid. Of course he wasn't pregnant. He was the kyuubi, a spirit, made of pure chakra-
“Was that all?” He laughed reaching into one of the frankly too tall cupboards to get down a few mugs, “Yes.”
She felt winded.
“Pardon?”
“I am.” Kurama patted his stomach, which still looked flat and muscular, presumably, under his yukata, and turned back to get out a box of tea. “Chamomile or Rose Hip?”
“... I'm sorry?”
“Too much caffeine can be bad for fetal development, so I figured flower tea would be okay, do you want something else? I also have jasmine and hibiscus-!”
“No, you're actually pregnant?” He turned halfway back to look at her, red eyes wide and mostly innocent. “How?”
“Trade secret.” His eyes darted away, which told her he probably could explain it but had been discouraged from talking about it by Inei and Haruki. Or it was weird and upsetting so he didn't want to explain it even around the toddler and two infants.
“Since when?”
“Oh... New Years?” He shrugged and frowned down at the collection of tea boxes, “I'm just going to make the Rose Hip. Honey? Or milk?”
“Wait...” Kushina distinctly remembered New Years. It had been funny, a little gross, and she'd used what had happened to tease both Minato and her fox for months. Inei actually followed through with it? “Why aren't you showing yet?”
“Things are a bit weird since I'm a bijuu and Inei is a yokai. It'll be a while.” She nodded, numbly. “Your baby should already be born well before this little cub.”
“... How long?”
“Unsure. It could be sometime next summer? Hard to say.” She nodded, sure there was some sort of explanation but aware she'd need to wait a bit to hear it. Probably from Inei. He excused himself to get the twins, and she sipped her tea. It was lovely.
Uhari gave her a chewed on apple slice and she thanked the little girl for it, and held it tightly in her hand. What does this mean?
Would the baby be a bijuu? A Yokai? Human?
Nanami looked sad when they came back, and Kurama was helping them get everything ready to make cookies. Nao excitedly began to tell her about school as they baked, going so far as sitting down with her while they were in the oven and then the cooling racks, he had made a friend who was interested in seals. Nanami quietly told her after about a social club she was considering joining- Blossoms of Konoha, which was some kind of debutante group.
“Would you, Mikoto oba, and Yoshino oba come over this weekend so I can practice my tea service? They grade it at the Blossoms and I'm worried I won't be very good at it.”
“Of course we can, but are you sure you want to be in a stuffy club like that?” She nodded, a determined look on her face.
“I have to beat them at their own game.” She glanced toward Kurama who was adding something to the pot of curry before getting close to whisper. “They called me a second rate orphan with no class.” Kushina felt her own blood boil as Nanami stepped back again. “I'm going to make them eat their words by outclassing them at everything they value.”
“Oh.” Some of the anger subsided. That might be a little malicious but it would certainly stick.
“... Momo thinks I should try to be the next clan heir...” That surprised her- Haruki was almost always complaining about how non of his kids were interested in taking over the clan- even Yugure had laughed at him when he asked when she'd want to start preparing to do it. She wouldn't have any competition. “It would make my victory all the sweeter. Besides, I could keep Nao safer too. He's really soft you know?” She did. It did make her sad to see how grown up Nanami already was, but some of that was just who the girl was now that she was out of her shell.
“You can't make choices for your brother, you know that right?”
“I know. But I can keep people who want to use him away from him. Same for Yosaku and Yuki, and the twins.” She suspected that Nanami meant Bashira and Megumi. “And... I think papa is tired. Maybe if I can help even a little bit...”
Nanami was still only twelve. She sees that her parents are both extremely busy, and truthfully Haruki did work a lot more than other shinobi. And they'd have a baby, another one, within the next year. What would she do if Minato was gone as long as Haruki often was? Would their baby even recognize him?
“I think that would be wonderful.” Nanami smiled, a tiny one, it was pretty though she didn't smile nearly enough. She was so serious.
“Oba, take some cookies for you and Minato Oji!” Nao had wrapped some up, they were still warm, just barely firm enough to survive the journey home. When had it gotten so late?
“Urushi, can you walk her home?” She nearly jumped out of her skin, having not noticed the boy enter the kitchen, he had a glass of juice and looked like death warmed over.
“Okay baba.” He finished his juice and offered her his hand. It was small and calloused like hers had been when she was his age.
She listened to him tell her about his special training, something with the foxes.
“You're working really hard, aren't you?” He hesitated before nodding, and she patted his head. “Make sure you rest too, okay? If you're going to be a spy master like your papa you gotta rest more. At this rate you're not going to get taller than me, you know? Growing kids need a lot of sleep.” He flushed but nodded.
“Okay, oba.”
She started cooking when she got home, seeing Urushi taking a fox back to the clan compound.
Minato came home an hour later.
“Hey, Minato, we need to talk.”
“Is it the baby?” He looked panicked and she laughed, taking his hand.
“No, not the baby.” He sighed and hugged her, relaxing. “You should send Haruki on fewer missions. I went over there today and it seems like his kids miss him.”
“...” Minato sighed, “I'm working on that, I promise. My stupid brothers even more of a workaholic than I am.”
“Must be a Namikaze thing.” He rocked her as they stood together in the kitchen, she curled against him, of course the baby was already starting to get between them. “Honey, dinner is going to burn.”
“Right, right!”
Chapter 140: A Pea
Summary:
There are some developments with the baby. Shikamaru is strangely emotional.
Notes:
I want to start off by saying that I'm really sorry that I vanished without a word for two weeks. AO3 was down when I tried to upload two weeks ago (I think it would have been that Monday unlike the Sunday I usually post on) and I just spaced it out after that attempt. This last week was my parent's 45th wedding anniversary so I spent most of the day with them and my siblings so I didn't have enough time to sit down and edit what I had written up.
I have a lot more I've decided I want to add in the later half after a time skip but I also realized with my job moving into peak season I might have less time to work on this so I'm going to try and just crank out as much as I can. Starting in October depending on how much is left the updating might get sporadic.
Chapter Text
Naruto nuzzled Kurama's stomach, both idling in wait for Shikamaru, who had been trying to put Kankuro to sleep, since the boy had started to cling lately. As heartwarming as it was for the toddler to cling onto them and always want hugs, his tendancy to bite and his seemingly new separation anxiety had made sleeping in his own bed hard; even if they were just planning on going to bed as usual it was still a production when Kankuro decided he needed to be coddled until the wee hours of the morning.
Kurama's belly was warm, very warm. He could sense the energy pulsing inside too, it'd increased a lot in the last few months. Kurama was lazily playing with his hair, clearly getting sleepy, his book abandoned on the bed next to them with a hasty bent corner to mark his place.
“Have you gotten bigger?” Kurama made a questioning noise, but didn't move beyond gently scratching Naruto's scalp. He actually focused his senses and Kurama made a slight sound of discomfort as Naruto carefully inspected his insides. Kurama being predominantly made of chakra meant that having it pushed around was a very uncomfortable experience or so he said. It could just be for any reason to complain
It wasn't because he thought Kurama was hiding anything, honestly the bijuu probably hadn't noticed it yet if he had gotten bigger. It had been a few days since his last check up, and there hadn't been anything interesting to have happened since then. Nothing noticeable at least. He stilled, having found... something.
“I think they're starting to physically develop.” Kurama became alert at that, half sitting up as he tried to parse through his own energy.
“Are you sure? That's so tiny...” He mumbled and Naruto had shuffled into a kneeling position, both poking his stomach together. Gentle prods of chakra that fizzled when contacting what might just be-
“Yeah, pretty sure. It would make sense since embryos are really tiny...”
The two were still both touching his stomach in awe when Shikamaru tiredly entered their bedroom, coming upon his spouses both rubbing Kurama's stomach in some strange ritual. To his credit he just sighed and slid the screen shut behind him as he walked in.
“Are you constipated?”
“No!” Both yelled together, Naruto in excitement and Kurama with indignance. He sighed, stripping down and digging for a shirt of Naruto's to sleep in. “The baby is an embryo now!” He blinked, before sitting down beside them to check for himself.
“Holy shit.” He mumbled, only to be dragged into a hug by Naruto as Kurama basked under what he rightfully interpreted as praise. “You're incredible.”
“I am, aren't I?” Kurama preened, and Shikamaru kissed him, then Naruto. “Wait, does this mean the cub will start showing soon?” He looked excited, and he was pulled into a hug by Naruto who nuzzled him fiercely.
The blonde, being the most emotional of the three, was babbling excitedly and sniffling even though it wasn't exactly news. They'd known for months. That being said there was a bit of a difference between a physical baby gestating and changing every day, and what equated to a soul developing. It also raised some concerning questions on when a soul enters a body in the case of reincarnation, and if, as part yokai, they were formed in an entirely unique way. Shikamaru didn't want to debate the ranifications of it regardless.
Shikamaru put a hand to his chest over his scar. If things had been different, safer, more... anatomically traditional... would Naruto have been more openly excited once he'd known about Yugure? He'd had almost no time to prepare for fatherhood and Shikamaru had spent so long mentally detaching himself from the reality of it that they just didn't have the same excitement over Yugure, even though they did love her and want her once it had all sunk in.
“Hey, Shika, if you carried the baby do you think you'd lay an egg?” Kurama snorted as Naruto was punched for that, whining pathetically and dramatically nursing the forming and already healing bruise.
“Why the hell would I lay an egg?!” Now Kurama was laughing openly.
“Its-!” Kurama started, but interrupted himself to guffaw, “It's a tentacle thing.”
“That would hurt .” He didn't hit as hard but began to lightly slap Naruto's shoulder as he tried to justify himself, “That'd be like pushing a melon out when you tried to pee.”
“But they're kinda weird, right, they change shape-”
“Not enough to fit a melon out!”
“You have a cloaca, perhaps it would come out there?”
“I do not.” He crossed his arms, going pink.
“Sorry. You have a cloaca while aroused.” Kurama ducked behind Naruto, giving doe eyes to him. “Remember I'm pregnant, and spousal abuse is abhorrent and unforgivable.”
“I wouldn't hit you.” His anger and indignation fizzled out.
“But you hit him?” Naruto blinked, as if surprised they were talking about him. Maybe not surprised... but definitely wary to be in the middle of things again.
“I don't mean to hurt him...” It felt like a sudden stab. If he meant it or not, wasn't he?
“You don't. Just drop it, Kurama.” There was a sudden authority to Naruto's tone but it was too late.
Did Shikamaru hurt Naruto? Abuse him? He did strike him a lot, but he never did so with the intent to actually hurt him- but wasn't that the problem? How much casual domestic violence had they shown around their kids?! He began to panic.
The two seemed to have a silent argument, before Naruto dragged him into a hug he didn't think he deserved.
“Hey, it's okay.” He wanted to argue but Kurama shushed him.
“How is it that you two are more emotional than I am?” Kurama grumbled, laying down and pushing his way to put his head on Shikamaru's lap.
“Stop complaining old man.” Naruto mumbled, and Shikamaru let himself be tucked under Naruto's chin as Kurama circled his waist. “You freaked him out.”
“You humans are so sensitive...”
“I'm sorry-!” Both began to hush him, and Naruto stroked his hair, neither commented on his crying.
The next morning Shikamaru gave himself a full examination just to be safe. He had no reason to think it was true of course but... The last thing they needed was another surprise, after all, and the elder vixen had alluded to it being possible so...
Of course it amounted to nothing. He could probably chalk that small breakdown up to being keyed up from the news about the baby, stress from work, maybe it was his continued anxiety and guilt over Kiba, or anxiety about the fact that his younger self was the next baby on the delivery schedule, but the cause was thankfully not an unplanned pregnancy. Well. Another unplanned pregnancy. He would argue on his and Kurama's behalf that Yugure was planned well in advanced, and at least Kurama had planned on having the current baby, it was more of a surprise to his partners than intended.
Would he have to consciously decide to want a baby? Maybe they should use protection.... He flushed when his mind strayed toward oral contraceptives and what that would even look like given he was only ‘technically’ human and a male besides... Maybe he should try and find someone to ask, there had to be someone who knew more about yokai somewhere, right?
They'd just have to take some... creative precautions for now.
Chapter 141: Gender Fluid (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW
Assume this takes place the day or so after the last chapter.
Additional tags: Face Sitting, Squirting, Gender Fluid Characters
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“It was uncomfortable.” Kurama said it without much thought. Shrugging. Shikamaru had untied the foxes fundoshi to find he no longer had a penis. “I've been bloated and standing to pee felt bad.” He sighed resting his cheek on Kurama's thigh. It was a bit ridiculous but...
“I love you.” He was trying not to laugh.
“Is sitting to pee that much better?” Kurama had to crane his head up to look at Naruto, who's lap he was mostly lying in. He currently had his fingers burred in wild red hair, massaging the foxes scalp.
“I think so. At least right now. When standing up gets difficult to do on my own it might be better to put it back.” Kurama frowned, “I do miss seeing it, but this isn't bad.
“You going to be okay with this? I know you're not... into those parts...” Naruto checked in on him, and Shikamaru shrugged.
“It's Kurama's. That makes it different.”
“You uh... even know what to do when there isn't a dick?” It was a fair question given Shikamaru pretending to be straight as a teenager had lasted at maximum two years, during which time he had had zero relationships, and the closest he ever got to a clitoris physically was seeing a photo in a dirty magazine that he hadn't been all that interested in even looking at (curtesy of Naruto).
“I'll make up for it with enthusiasm?” He knew he had a smug grin on his face. True, he probably would flounder if he was expected to please literally anyone else possessing female genitalia but Kurama was easy to please. They'd tried it before after all. He realized then that with Kurama being discovered around that time by the kids he may not have mentioned it to his husband...
“He knows what he's doing, brat.” Kurama gave him a smug look, and Naruto just tilted his head curiously.
“I'm clearly missing something.” Both rolled their eyes, and Shikamaru placed the flat of his tongue down against Kurama's folds, licking a flat stripe upwards, tongue slowly getting longer until he reached the clitoris that Kurama had decided belonged there now that his dick was gone, the extra length meant he could somewhat wrap it- it was a bit longer than what he knew to be normal, but he couldn't really criticize anyone's genitals knowing what his own looked like. Kurama whimpered, legs wriggling further apart until he felt a foot land lightly on his back between his shoulder blades.
Kurama let out a stream of breathy moans and whimpers as Shikamaru slowly lapped his tongue against his clit. He got his hands up against the backs of Kurama's thighs, hoisting his lower half higher, thumbs in place with a bit more physical-form shifting so that he could slowly rub them against the soft plump lips of Kurama's slit.
“ Oh. ” Naruto mumbled, just watching as Shikamaru savored Kurama. No doubt the fox was sharing what he was currently feeling with the blonde.
Kurama was already slick without Shikamaru's tongue bath, Shikamaru could feel it on his chin, starting to run down his neck as it mixed with his spit. It was messy, but Kurama liked things a bit messy, looking back, and when Shikamaru began to press his tongue into the bijuu all the fox could do was raise his hips and push back onto it.
His nose pressed near enough to Kurama's clit that when he nuzzled it forward against the fox's groin he began to twitch. His tongue re-acquainted itself with this part of Kurama, quickly finding every sensitive spot inside and twisted his tongue to pressure and rub them.
“He's really going for it...” Naruto groaned, his own hands no longer idle as he had started massaging his other half's chest- it was all muscle but it seemed like it must feel good as Kurama was rocking his hips as best he could against Shikamaru's tongue, shaking hands curing around Naruto's wrists but seemingly not to stop him but rather just to have something to hold tight to.
Kurama squeezed down on his tongue, hips twitching, muscles tensing and a low whimper leaving him as he came. Shikamaru removed his tongue, kissing Kurama's thigh, leaving a slow trail up over the jut of his hip and ending just under his belly button, touch lingering on the firm flesh under his lips.
“Shika?” He hummed, glancing up as he lowered Kurama's hips carefully, his thumbs and palms slick, some of it was slowly rolling over his wrists. “Could you... do that to me sometime?” He blinked, his own mind a bit hazy as he processed what Naruto was asking.
“What, you mean you transform to have-!”
“You don't have to-!”
“Dummy.” He flinched, and Shikamaru reached up to stroke Naruto's cheek with the backs of his fingers which seemed to be clean thankfully, Kurama squished between them at a somewhat odd angle. “Of course I will.”
“Be careful brat...” Kurama finally cracked his eyes open again, looking boneless still. “Our mate is very potent.”
“Unlike you, I'm not going to make ovaries and a womb, so I doubt I'll be getting pregnant.” It was petulant, but there wasn't any heat to either's teasing.
Shikamaru sat back on his knees inspecting his work. The fox kicked him lightly on the sternum and he actually sat fully on their mattress once he was tired of being stared at.
“Why wait?” Kurama grumbled seemingly to himself. “I want to be on top.” Shikamaru shrugged, and Kurama struggled to sit up since his muscles were still lax, and he was aided in climbing onto Shikamaru's lap. He stroked Kurama's thighs as the bijuu half laid on his chest, thankfully even if he was pushed onto his back it wouldn't be terribly uncomfortable. “You coming?” This was directed at Naruto, who seemed to be fidgeting. As Kurama pushed him fully onto his back he realized that might have been the point
“You can wait if you aren't ready.” Naruto hesitated but began to make a few hand signs. Shikamaru wasn't sure what type of transformation Naruto was using, since there were several and he was a master of all of them, but the results were the same.
It looked a bit like Kurama's, when he was finished and had gotten close enough Shikamaru could see it, but his clit was smaller, and for whatever reason he'd removed all the hair on his groin.
“It looks good on you.” Naruto flushed, unable to meet his eye but seeming very pleased nontheless.
“Why are you so smooth? Are you an infant?” Kurama had started to rub himself on Shikamaru, head bowed to watch his own work, and missed the brief look of shame that passed on Naruto's face.
“Kurama!” Shikamaru admonished Kurama, “Naruto, it's fine. As long as you're comfortable it doesn't matter, right ?” Kurama grumbled when his thigh was lightly pinched seeing as he was a bit absorbed in watching Shikamaru's clothed tentacles rub against him, straining and damp while trying to twist between his folds, agreeing reluctantly.
“I could-!”
“Naruto.” He stilled, meeting Shikamaru's eye finally. “You look fine. It doesn't matter to me. Besides, Kurama's just hairy in general, don't let him bother you.”
“I guess he is...” Naruro finally relaxed a bit. At least he wouldn't be trying to hide or cover himself now . Kurama had a very fine layer of fur on his arms, legs, and most of his back and chest, too fine to see most of the time but obvious when touching him, his groin was not exempt from his general fuzziness.
“You want to get closer?” Shikamaru watched him fidget, but he scooted on his knees until he was just about kneeling over Shikamaru's head.
Kurama sat back again, and Shikamaru sighed as he heard and felt Kurama rip his underwear. Again.
“If you keep doing that he won't have any.” Naruto sighed, still looking nervous about the whole thing.
“Good, they're in the way.” Kurama practically purred when he scooted back, and Shikamaru sighed, his sex having wormed its way inside Kurama with of a mind of it's own. “Feels nice.”
“Naruto, you want to come here or you just want to watch?”
“Oh... um...”
“If you're not comfortable with it yet you don't have to.”
“No. I can do this.” He had psyched himself up, and Shikamaru helped steady his hips as he kneeled above his head.
“Okay, just relax and bring your hips down. I don't need to breathe much so don't worry about that.” He couldn't tell what response Naruto gave as he was going nonverbal, but he slowly did as asked.
Shikamaru was fairly sure he wasn't supposed to taste so sweet , but he wouldn't complain, feeling the muscles in Naruto's legs jump and tense as he pressed his tongue inside slowly, feeling and exploring it as Kurama began to roll his hips, bouncing on Shikamaru's lap. Naruto's temporarily transformed sex was tight, and boiling hot, the muscles squeezing and just as suddenly relaxing as his tongue stroked deeper- shapeshifting came in handy as he was able to press more and more of his tongue in until it ran out of space to go. Naruto really hadn't included any of the other parts, just as well. If Naruto wanted to keep trying new things with the assumed features the last thing they needed was to risk another of them getting pregnant.
For a gay man, he seemed to be having a lot of almost straight passing sex as of late.
He had to help keep Naruto steady, and was almost winded when a palm landed on his stomach as it seemed like Naruto began to double over into himself, hips rolling against the movements of his tongue. It would seem he'd found a sensitive spot and chose to rub it with the tip of his tongue repeatedly, listening to Naruto's breathy moans become more and more rapid.
Kurama was practically using him like a dildo, occasionally he'd thrust up as hard as he could to mess up Kurama's rhythm but the fox seemed to enjoy that too, and since it was their first time doing this he wasn't sure if Naruto was reacting well or poorly to what he was doing, but as he hadn't pushed himself away and Kurama wasn't showing any signs of distress he merely accepted that things must be okay. He tried to keep his focus on Naruto- he was so warm and slick inside, soft too, but not too much. He doubled his efforts on the sensitive spaces along Naruto's inner walls, pressuring them with his tongue just to hear Naruto's breath suddenly hitch and for more and more needy whimpers to fill the air. He knew he was already pushing it, but he blindly fumbled to rub Naruto's clit with his thumb, hoping that it wouldn't be too rough- he only managed to gently catch the edge of his thumb on the hood before Naruto's entire lower abdomen began to tense.
“Shika!” Naruto rocked down hard on his tongue, and ground his clitoris on Shikamaru's chin, and suddenly everything was wet.
“Fuck, did you just squirt ?” Kurama was laughing, interrupted by his own gasps and soft moans as he was still focused on his own pleasure.
“Fuck, I am so sorry, are you okay?” Shikamaru blinked up at Naruto, who was worrying over him after scrambling back.
“Were going to need to change the sheets.” He mumbled, staring up at Naruto in wonder, before swiping his damp cheek with a finger and licking it- not that there wasn't plenty on his lips, chin, possibly up his nose...
“Gross, don't taste it, it's like pee!”
“It's as much like pee as precome but you never complain about that getting in my mouth. Come back, I wanna see if I can make you do that again.”
“Why the hell would you want to?”
“Because you seemed to enjoy it?” Naruto stopped protesting but was too flustered to speak. “Is it really gross that I want to make you feel good?”
“... no...” He messed up his hair, looking momentarily at a loss. “Are you sure?”
“Just let him give you cunalingus, brat. He really seemed to be enjoying it.” Naruto perked up, head tilting, “His dicks got bigger .”
“ Oh. ”
Now it was Shikamaru's turn to be embarrassed at having that particular reaction expose in addition to how Kurama phrased it, but Kurama had inspired Naruto to come back, this time kneeling so they could meet eyes before he was sinking down to rest his temporarily acquired folds in place above his mouth. Unseen to him Kurama hugged Naruto from behind, returning the favor from earlier by roughly beginning to squeeze and rub Naruto's chest. If he weren't so stupidly durable now he might worry about having them both effectively sitting on him but... well his bones might not actually be able to break now.
He still tasted sweet.
In the changed position Naruto could more easily grind on his face, which he took the liberty of doing repeatedly. He was so engrossed in exploring his husband that he was snuck up on by his own orgasm.
He hadn't forgotten Kurama was riding him- Kurama was a nearly seven foot tall, three hundred pound, ancient chakra beast- he was hard to forget. Especially with how tight and wet he was inside, however he was just a bit distracted. His mild distraction aside, Kurama was thoroughly pleased, whining and biting at Naruto's neck as Shikamaru came inside him, sparking his own orgasm because the dirty old fuck had a worse breeding kink than Naruto...
When he was showering after, because... well he had to -he had fluids in his hair and he was sticky from both of them- he thought about how vulnerable Naruto had made himself. He knew it must have been extremely difficult for him to even voice that desire let alone act on it. Shikamaru would have to be both blind and dumb to not have noticed Naruto's somewhat complicated relationship with his gender- he'd seen it his whole life after all. It was impressive that Naruto had had the courage to do what he did. He wondered how much it would outwardly affect his husband, but he also didn't expect any huge changes to occur- after all Naruto would take to exploring this further on his own and keep circling back for validation as he often did, but hopefully, eventually, even bringing it up wouldn't be nearly too much for Naruto to handle.
He returned to bed to find both of his partners passed out, curled together tightly on the thankfully new and clean sheets. Kurama had essentially borrowed Naruto's face with minor changes, so it wasn't a wonder that the two looked like a pair of sleeping twins. Kurama only grumbled when he climbed in behind Naruto while flicking off the last lamp in the room, his fingers stroked gently against Kurama's muscular forearm, feeling silken fur prick against his nailbed when he scratched lightly the wrong way. Before too long it might get difficult to cuddle up like this given the baby was physically growing now.
Notes:
I'm going to start going back and adding the (NSFW) to all chapters that have explicit scenes of this nature in them, but it might take me a while. Naruto's gender stuff may or may not be covered before the planned time skip but we'll see.
Chapter 142: August Into September
Summary:
A Birthday in a new home, a baby incoming, and two acquaintances.
Notes:
September has a lot of plot relivent things happening, with one being EXTREMELY important for the plot, so I'm going to break it up between this chapter and the one I'm posting next weekend, there was a lot more editing to do than I thought for chapters 140-142 than I had thought.
Chapter Text
“Happy birthday, Temari.” She hugged her oji tightly. He had taken her out to a tea house for lunch on her birthday- he finally passed the dumb test that meant he could go outside alone now- she didn't know much about it other than the grown ups talked a bout it a lot that summer. He had given her a fan that had belonged to her mother, and she knew there were other presents and cards waiting at home as she ate her dango.
“Yashamaru oji?” He hummed, brushing the hair from her eyes. “Would mother be happy here too?” She watched a complicated expression pass over his face, but ultimately he smiled.
“Yeah, she would have loved it here.” Temari smiled shyly in return, looking down at her cup of milk. “I know she'd be happy to see how well you and Kankuro have settled in here.”
“And Gaara too, right?”
“Of course. But he's very little still, so he probably didn't even notice when we moved.” That made sense. Gaara didn't seem like he knew anything at all, since he only just started to sit up on his own, and it was still very wobbly.
“... next fall I start at the academy right?” He hummed, “Do you think I'll do good?”
“I think you'll be great. Besides you won't be alone, will you?”
“Nope! It'll be me and Yugure, and Itachi too!” She shook her lingering worries, smiling brightly. “Papa said I can come with next time he goes to the blacksmith so we can pick out my weapon pouch. That way I get used to wearing it before school.”
“Are you excited?” She nodded, wanting to make a lot more friends. It may be a year away but she was really looking forward to it.
“Uhuh.”
They finished up, and she let him scoop her up to put on his shoulders.
“What do you think Saito Nii-chan sent me?” A box posted from Wind had come about a week before, just like with Fu's a few days ago and their other siblings birthdays weeks and months before.
“You'll finally get to open it and see.” It was her first birthday in their new house with her new parents. She had hoped father would visit too, or send a card, but it didn't look as if he had. She hoped that there was one waiting for her anyway, or maybe it would be late and she'd get her birthday card tomorrow. She kept that to herself however, since her oji always got skittish when they talked about her father for too long.
At home she was swept up by her daddy and baba, who fussed over her, and Yashimaru relieved her papa of Gaara, who was starting to get very loud. When she's set down again her sisters rush to hug her- she used to be so upset, just having her brothers, now she had lots of sisters that were almost her age to play with. Sometimes the older girls didn't want to play with them, and sometimes their little siblings got annoying, but Temari hadn't felt alone once since coming to live here.
Her oba Yoshino can't come, she's too tired because of her baby cousin who isn't here yet. Daddy was going to take her over tomorrow to be fussed over there too, and play with her cute baby cousin Kari. Her oba Kushina and oji Minato did come to her party- they got her a new purple kimono, it should still fit her for the next festival which was coming up soon.
She got a lot of pretty cards, new clothes, books too, and when she opened Saito's gift she was greeted with something a bit odd.
It looked like a giant wooden puppet, but it had a stand.
“It's a special training dummy. You can only find ones like this on Suna.” Yashamaru told her softly, and she squealed. If she hit different parts of its body a panel would flip to show it being ‘damaged’.
“I love it!” She smacked it and it whirled to show a panel that had painted on cracks.
“Okay, Kankuro, can you give her your gift?” She looked over to see her baby brother toddle up with an envelope- it had some obvious teeth marks. He held it up for her and she took it with a soft thank you, Kankuro scurried back to hug and hide behind Urushi's leg.
It was almost all scribbles of crayon, but there was one crooked purple colored heart atop it all. There were also hair ribbons in the envelope with the card, and when asked her daddy used them to tie up her hair. She hugged Kankuro, having to go to him, since he was hiding very poorly. He squirmed in her hug before she cupped his chubby cheeks and kissed the top of his head.
She was very thankful, even if father couldn't come.
Yoshino was sitting with Shikari while Shikaku tried his hand at cooking lunch. It was hard to believe their little girl was already almost a year old. Harder still to imagine that in about two weeks she'd check in at the hospital for her scheduled c-section. She'd asked Inei to keep it a secret from Shikaku, but they were having a boy.
Shikari cooed, deft little fingers balling in Yoshino's shirt. She guessed what her mother said was true, that she'd be bigger for the second pregnancy. Of course that had been obvious, Shikari hadn't been carried to term, but she hadn't expected to get as big as she had. Just one baby, don't worry. Inei had reassured her when she'd hesitantly asked about her having twins.
She almost felt bad for Noriko, twins would be hell, especially for her first time, not that Yoshino wanted to find out for herself.
They were going to have one of each, and after their son was born, Shikaku had told her he was getting sniped. They'd actually scheduled both procedures on the same visit- not one of her checkups, but Shikari's to check how her heart was doing.
The Senju heart she had was developing at the same pace as her other organs, and had healed without any further issues- aside from a patch of slightly grayish skin on her chest she didn't even have a scar. It beat a little slowly, so they were talking about potentially giving her a pacemaker when she was older if it started to cause her any issues as she grew.
She felt a shifting against what was definitely her bladder and sighed.
“Shikaku, can you give me a hand up? The baby's using my bladder as a pillow again.” He poked his head in and she could tell right away whatever mess he'd made in the kitchen would lead to him going to get take out. She loved him and he was doing his best, but Nara men just couldn't cook.
“I gotcha.” Shikari was able to sit up by herself and watched her mother get carefully pulled to her feet, but seeing her waddle away made Shikari start crying, she'd leave that to her husband, before their restless little boy made her pee herself... again.
He didn't kick much but it was almost like he was tossing and turning. Sleepy, just like his older sister and father then...
She got back to the living room and took their daughter, who stopped crying right away, it was a bit awkward to hold her since her middle was in the way of almost everything she did now, but Shikari was a trouper and didn't fuss even though the hold probably wasn't that comfortable.
She hoped their son would be a shinobi, as Shikari likely wasn't one. She had none of the early signs of having chakra, despite it being time to start seeing them. The clan elders wanted her tested, but they'd put it off; those same elders would be furious if their little boy was also a civilian and they stood firm on not having any more children. The clan would have to either be passed to a collateral line, creativity inherited by Yugure who was of Nara blood, or less likely the elders would allow Shikari or her little brother to take the roll.
It would also mean the end of a fifteen generation long streak between the Nara, Akamichi, and Yamanaka families, even prior to the villages being established, but what could be done?
Noriko had informed her and Urikohime that she would not be having any more children after the twins were born, and Inoichi had been in agreement, and Urikohime had said she and Choza weren't planning to have any other children yet, if ever. Although he was a very calm and sweet child, like all newborns Choji , as it turned out, was still a handful. He was very cute, however.
“The stir-fry didn't turn out...” She could see that, as it had already burned before he left it unattended to help her up and hold Shikari.
“Why don't you just pick up some curry rice.” He looked relieved, leaning in to give her a kiss, before giving Shikari's head a kiss too.
“You need me to do anything before I...”
“We should be just fine.” He smiled, and she watched him pat himself down for a moment before he remembered with a slump of his shoulders that he had decided to cut down, and was only smoking a pack a week, one he had already finished the day before and couldn't replace until tomorrow. “I'm really proud of you, you know that?” He looked back at them and grinned, trying to look cool. It didn't work, since she and their daughter knew he was soft.
“Gotta set a good example.”
It also had to do more with the fact that Shikari was at a higher risk for conditions related to secondhand smoking because of her heart. Yoshino being pregnant had just wedged that more firmly. He'd been a bit of a grouch at first, but he was doing very well- he wanted to quit fully by New Years.
She knew it was difficult already, but it was made harder by the fact that most ninja in the village were smokers. Noriko had gotten on Inoichi about smoking in the house, and Urikohime was just lucky Choza had never started.
“Should we sing for the baby, Kari?” She began to hum, and Shikari, who had started to make a lot of sounds that usually prelude talking in the last month, made her own sounds not quite on pitch along side Yoshino as she walked them both toward her and Shikaku's bedroom, it would be easier if she could lay down to watch Shikari, who usually clung to her side.
Shikaku got home and had to find his wife who was eight and a half months pregnant and their nearly one year old daughter fast asleep even though he'd only been gone twenty minutes. He felt bad having to wake them, but knew it would be worse if Yoshino woke up in the middle of the night hungry, and their little girl would be a terror in the morning if she missed a meal.
Still, he probably didn't deserve the stink eye from both of them. A small price to pay to be a good husband and father.
Baki doesn't like Namikaze. The young man keeps insisting he be called Saito, but that feels too familiar. The guy's almost too considerate, aside from the frankly terrifying level of self defense he had put up that Baki had managed to verify, he seemed soft and weak.
Namikaze is too familiar with the group apprenticing him. He knows too many of the guards, and he talks too much about nothing- mostly to himself. He's a pain to protect, since he hasn't seemed to notice the various kidnapping or assassination attempts that have happened in the short time since Baki took over.
He didn't seem to understand how valuable he was- alive or dead.
He was Baki's age, and even as a civilian he'd acquired more enemies than Baki would likely ever even meet in his entire career.
Half wanted to lock him in a dungeon to crank out seals, and half wanted him dead before he could disrupt their businesses. There was even a subset that wanted to hold him for ransom because he was the Hokage's adopted nephew and would likely fetch a high price.
He didn't personally understand how every single hitman and thug hired to come and go after the guy hadn't accounted for the very real threat of the Shade of Death coming after them if they so much as breathed on Namikaze, but he couldn't let things get there either since he'd be court martialed for failing this mission- as much as Lord third hated it, they needed Namikaze to complete his work safely, no unexpected emergencies. They needed the cliff development, as well as a chance to smooth their village's somewhat rocky relationship with the Leaf.
If rumors kept spreading about animosity between the villages they'd lose trade routes, and the jobs that came with them. The people needed supplies and to trade their own goods, and the village needed revenue from contracting shinobi out as guards and guides. The fate of the village rested on ensuring that the chatty bastard was safe from harm until he passed over the border back into Fire.
“Hmm.” He was looking at a piece of sealing paper in his hand, then to a spot higher that had been excavated to form a small area to stand and work- he wouldn't be able to juggle his equipment of which there was a lot, and climbing up with the ladder would be a feat even if it wasn't bogged down by the heavy materials. “Can I borrow a kunai for just a minute?” Baki raised his brow, but got one from his pouch and handed it over. He wrote something, a seal Baki would assume, on the paper and stuck it to the kunai, before aiming it.
Baki wanted to warm him to be careful, but the knife had left Namikaze's fingers, landing in the cliff edge that had been carved out at what would be eye level, the paper dangled down. Saito placed a seal with some sort of simple mark on the three large cases he always seemed to be dragging around, then climbed up the ladder, pulled on his gloves, and-
He caught his kunai in surprise, it had seemed to swap places with the stack of cases, which were now safely up on the ledge.
“That worked even better than I thought it would.” Namikaze was smiling, and Baki felt his veins ice over.
That was the thunder god technique. The signature move of the fourth hokage. He had just... replicated it. Like it was nothing.
“I can't compress what's in them in a seal since they're sensitive to chakra density changes, but since it was short range it didn't disturb anything.” He smiled at Baki, but faltered slightly. “You going to come up here?”
“How did you do that?” Namikaze hummed, already opening up his equipment.
“Do what?”
An excellent question. What part? How did he recreate that jutsu? How come he didn't use it more often? How was he even able to throw the kunai with any accuracy at all given his low athleticism? He didn't realize but he had asked his three most pressing questions aloud.
“It's not like I recreated Minato oji's technique exactly, for one thing I don't think I could safely send anything living like that. It isn't practical in every day life so even though I drew it up a while ago I didn't have a reason to actually test it until now. Oh, and um, my dads made all of my siblings learn some of the basics, not just me... I'm worse than my six year old sisters actually.” He smiled, scratching the back of his head.
“You never even tested it?”
“Made it with a redundancy that would make it inert if it didn't work. Less things explode that way.” That sentence implied far more than he would have expected. It also worried him because Namikaze was currently constructing housing. “The uh... explosions only usually happen when mixing types of seals that aren't compatible...” He had seemed to notice Baki was doubting his abilities.
“Don't blow up my village.” He warned, but still felt like he was off balance.
He'd been following Namikaze around for over two weeks, he thought he knew him. Clearly not as well as he thought.
“I'll try not to.” Namikaze smiled, and Baki had the thought that it was a bit disarming.
“So... weapons training?” He ventured, and Saito laughed awkwardly.
“I know the basics, standard forms and maintenance, but... you should see my younger sibling, Yuki. If they were born a shinobi I'd be betting on them to be the next hokage.” Baki raised a brow.
“Yeah?” Saito had taken out one of his blueprints and was starting to place the seal, able to talk but otherwise unaware of his surroundings.
“I'm serious. If papa didn't heal a hundred times faster than a normal person, Yuki might have actually cut off his ear during their first spar with real spears.” That gave him pause. ‘Papa’ was an oddly childish thing to call one's father given they were both eighteen. Processing what he actually said beyond that... If it was spear practice, then that would mean the Golden Storm. Was a child, because this Yuki kid had to be pretty young, able to do that kind of damage to a man said to be almost as formidable as a literal natural disaster?
“I'll believe that when I see it.”
“If you ever come to Konoha, I'm sure Yuki would love to show you. They'd be pretty interested in swordsmanship, since that one papa isn't as good with- Kashi's pretty decent with one but he probably shouldn't be teaching, y'know? He's just a little kid too.”
“Kashi? Wait, Hatake Kakashi? Isn't he a jonin?”
“He's only fourteen... wait, no his birthday is soon.” Namikaze seemed to panic, “You know a lot about swords right?”
“Uh...” He found himself on the backfoot again, not sure when the switch in topics had happened, as usual he couldn't quite follow Saito's logic.
“I know you'd have to follow me anyway, but can you help me pick something out for him? I remembered Urushi and Shin's presents but I guess I spaced out his...”
“Why are you getting him a gift?”
“... he's my brother?”
Maybe Baki didn't know enough about his charge after all.
Chapter 143: Toddler POV's
Summary:
The point of view from a few very young shinobi.
One of these things is not like the other.
Notes:
Possible TW for child neglect in the middle section.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Gaara stared at his brother's sleeping face- usually he was the one asleep at this time, well for most times. He could hear familiar voices in the distance, and he kicked his small feet into the air. He was in their crib. He recognized the flowers that spun over their heads when they were laid down to sleep. Sometimes he'd wake up and be somewhere else, or have fallen asleep elsewhere and woken up here. He turned his head, realizing he had a soother that he began to suck, before flailing to knock it out of his mouth. He didn't like it in his mouth when he wasn't sleeping, so it was no great loss that it was now by the wooden bar like slats of his and Sai's crib. It was while blinking at it, as it was the only thing aside from himself to have moved in the last few moments, he heard a sound he was familiar with. He craned his head up as much as he could- it was impressive how long he could hold himself like that, though it spoke more to how he refused to sit up than how strong his neck and back muscles were getting. He was able to sit all on his own after all, and everyone seemed really pleased whenever he made noises with his mouth. In the gloom of their nursery he could see the other crib, one made for much bigger babies than he or Sai.
Uhari was standing with her hands on the top of her own crib , swinging a foot up to climb out. There was another thunk as her foot hit the wooden bars. That probably woke him up. Uhari had woken both himself and Sai up in the middle of the night before, so he wasn't alarmed or upset by the development, or the following thunks as she kept at it. Sai was somehow still asleep beside him in their crib, his soft snores almost enough to lull him back to sleep.
He watched her sleepily as she got her foot up high enough, wrenching herself up with it once her ankle hooked over the railing edge and landing softly outside of her crib on a pillow she must have tossed out ahead of her. She used mostly steady legs to come right up to their bars, no doubt seeing his eyes open, reaching her chubby, bigger than his hand through the bars and grabbed his soother, trying to hand it to him. He wouldn't take it, so she bit it, chewing on it as she made her escape. Gaara regretted not taking it when offered it now, having nothing he could reach to replace it, save the tanuki doll that was in the corner of their crib next to the little lion that Sai was always chewing on. He didn't like how it felt in his mouth though. He could cry, but then Uhari's absence would be noticed so much faster, and he didn't have the energy...
“What are you doing up?” He turned his head to look where the voice came from, and brightened. Papa. Papa was standing in the door way to the nursery that Uhari had cracked when she broke out, his big body was backlit by moonlight as he quietly made his way across the floor in a few long strides.
He burbled, and his papa picked him up, smiling down at him as he was nestled securely against his papa's chest, he didn't even wince when he gave Gaara his knuckle to chew on while he poked around for something on one of the shelves that usually housed things they could only play with sometimes, and old dusty looking things too. Gaara made fast work of imbedding his three front teeth, two on bottom with one on top, into his papa's finger.
“Uhari snuck in for cuddles but she had something that wasn't hers, didn't she?” Gaara grabbed a fist full of his papa's shirt as he was rocked, reluctant to let his knuckle go he almost drew blood, tasting skin against his top tooth, but papa just reached up far higher than even his eyes usually wandered. “She bit a few holes in it, so lets get you a new one.” They were kept in a box high up, where he couldn't really see, and annoyance probably would have filled him if he wasn't presented with a new soother. Given his sister loved to climb and, since Uhari chewed through them when she took them, putting them where only papa could reach just made sense.. “There we go. Let’s get you back to sleep kiddo.” His eyes already felt heavy and he turned into his papa's hold.
Papa walked around the room in a circle, and Gaara was soon being lulled to sleep. When he was laid back down, Sai rolled and grabbed the sleeve of his pajamas tightly. Big fingers ruffled his hair, and his eyes were too heavy to stay open.
Rock Lee was clutching his ratty stuffed turtle, hesitating before the door. The sound of the rain hitting the roof scared him. He was a big boy. He was almost two. His mother was having another baby and he was going to be a big brother so he couldn't be scared but...
He clutched his turtle tighter to his chest, sniffling.
He would be scolded if he was caught wandering around at night again, but the rain was so loud. He hesitated, crouching and almost waddling closer to the door. It was open a crack, he could push it in and then maybe he'd be scooped up and carried around for a little bit. Until he was put back in bed at least. It might be worth it, even if it was only going to make his mother and father look at him like they always seemed to. Like they had tasted something sour.
He broke out of his trance when he heard raised voices from the room that he stood in front of, again. Distantly he heard his own name float behind the cracked open door, their voices were getting too loud and he scrambled back to hide behind the bend of the hallway. Just in time as his father stormed out. It was late but Lee could hear the door out open and close, maybe he went to yell in the garden. He peered in at his mother who seemed upset. Her hand was balled up in the fabric of her sleep clothes over her stomach, which had gotten pretty big. He was torn because he wanted to see if there was mud to play in in the garden or trying to creep into his parents room when his mother was upset, his father was usually lenient when he caught Lee out of bed- and maybe if he played a little he'd need a bath and that would be more time with one or both of them. Mother would not appreciate his attempt at comfort. She usually didn't appreciate anything Lee tried to do. She hardly ever picked him up once he got the hang of walking on his own, and any hugs or kisses were out the window. He mostly spent a lot of time 'meditating' but all that meant was that he had to sit quietly and leave her and his father alone.
He wasn't allowed out to play with his cousins often. He was very sick. He felt fine but he wasn't according to mother. But he thought his cousins got hugs and kisses when they felt sick, and their parent's spent time with them too...
He snuck back to his room, a dark, empty space. The nursery, was on the way, but he didn't even dare look inside at anything even though he knew it was colorful and full of toys that he was technically not too old to play with yet- that had been his back before the baby needed them. That was for his baby sister or brother. He sniffled and shut the door as much as he could manage and dropped down onto the futon, eyes watering as the sound of rain once again became deafening.
His blanket was gray and a bit scratchy, but it was warm and thick, and he covered himself completely with it. It would have been better to use all that bravery he used when he decided to walk to his parent's door on something more practical, like pretending the rain wasn't bothering him. He began to hum to try and cover the sound of the rain, squeezing his turtle tight to his chest.
In the morning there would be a bowl for him, like always, but no one to help him eat it. He would have to find something quiet to distract himself with all day. Just like the day before. Just like it would be in a week.
He didn't blame his little brother or sister, because his mother had been this way since before them, but his father had only grown like this once the baby was coming. A treacherous part of his young mind supplied that he was being replaced. That his parents were tired of him, or really it was true that he was sick and one day he would drop so they were trying not to get attached. Maybe if he knew how he was sick he could find something to make him all better, then he could....
Then his mother wouldn't look at him like he was some horrible thing that was standing where her son ought to be.
In the morning his father was still out and his mother was not feeling well enough to put more than leftover rice in his bowl. It was okay. Lee was a very strong young shinobi. He could handle this much.
Neij was sniffing the flowers, his chubby hands reaching up to stroke the petals as his mother cut some fresh hydrangeas for the vase inside. In the open area of the side yard, his daddy was sparing with his funny friend who had a mustache. He could hear them laughing over the lattice partition that separated the flower garden his mother kept from the lawn space used to train by his parents and their friends. Under the leaves he was able to look through and he watched a little bit before his mother tugged his arm gently and he toddled after her. He was given a rice cake to chew on and from his place on the kitchen floor he watched her breeze about the kitchen, the sun caught in her shiny black hair and she tied it back with just her hands, knotting it to keep it out of her way he guessed.
"Neji, did you know your oji and oba are going to have a baby soon?" He slowed his nibbling to look up at her as she spoke. "They think they'll have a girl. Wont that be just so nice?"
Neji was not yet at the point of talking, so instead he moved his hand in one of the gestures he had learned. 'More'. She chuckled and gave him another, and he watched his daddy come back inside with his silly friend covered in all sorts of bumps and nicks, but he looked very happy. The two talked animatedly about something while his mother located the first aid kit to help them start getting cleaned up, she was able to leave it with them and Neji ping-ponged his attention between where she was preparing dinner, his father who was using jut one hand and his teeth to put on the bandages of his hands.
"Next time just bring him, who knows maybe he and Neji will get along." They were saying something but he was distracted by a small beetle that had snuck in with the table flowers, staring at it intently before it fluttered up and landed on his own head.
"Oh, how did that get through." He covered his head to take it as his own, hoping to protect it so it could come and lie inside with him, wobbling as he put up a short chase.
"If that thing attacks my stove it's over, I won't be able to save it."
"I got him. Neji, want to walk with me o t let him out?" He took his dad's hand to the sliding paper screen and gently tumbled the large beetle back to where it had come from. "Duy has a son too, you know. Maybe next week when we spar Gai could baby sit you and your mother could get some rest. Wouldn't that be fun?" Neji tugged at his knee until he was scooped up, walked back toward the kitchen where his mother asking his daddy's friend if he was staying for lunch.
Notes:
I got really tired while editing this chapter so it might be the only one I post today, we'll see how I feel after a nap.
Chapter 144: No Gift Like the Present
Summary:
The worst day and the best day and the first day.
Notes:
I didn't mean to do another unannounced hiatus but I've had trouble focusing on anything at all recently. I also had a lot more prepared than I thought so I'm just going to spam as many chapters as I can without falling asleep at my desk or going insane.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The day wasn't special. It was overcast. The leaves were threatening to change color, some already having done so. It was an unusually hot day for September, and everything smelled slightly of burning from a controlled fire a few miles out of the village. The smoke made everything a little hazy. No different however from the year before, aside from the smoke. Aside from the calendar.
It was Shikamaru's birthday, in more ways than one. He talked with Yoshino and Shikaku as they entered the sterile space, the florecent lights flickered and hummed above them as Yoshino unpacked her hospital bag and Shikaku filled out forums ahead of time, what ones he could. Kurama was watching Shikari while they were at the hospital, it had all been prearranged. Everything was planned, the hour that the baby would be born was blocked out on his schedule in the nurse station. It was going to be a quick procedure after all, no need to wait for nature to take it's course given Yoshino had already had a C-section the year before when Shikari was born. The operating room was waiting, a little blue hat and pair of socks had been snuck in so that Shikaku didn't see, since he wanted to be surprised. Yoshino finally sat on the edge of the bed, a wheelchair waiting in the corner however, just in case. He checked the baby- a boy, maybe him . Healthy, developed enough to be born.
Yoshino was prepped for surgery after he did his preliminary examination, not a moment too soon as she actually started labor while they were getting her hooked up to an IV. In less than an hour of arriving she was ready. The baby was ready. The nurses were waiting. He knew he was the only one who felt it- the knife like tension in the air, pressing in on his lungs. Did he mess everything up? What if the baby wasn't him? Would he even be able to tell? Did it matter, really?
He scrubbed in. He had done this before, it wasn't as high pressure as the first time. He'd done it more than just once even- this was his job. He was a good doctor, he had the highest survival rate in the hospital, his patients tended to recover better too, so he was usually the one they brought in when he was on call, for emergency C-sections. He shouldn't be feeling butterflies, or like he was being pushed down by someone else's thumb. Even still his hands remained steady.
He cut.
It took thirty five minutes. Just thirty five. He took his time, but with his shadows and extra perception, it wasn't unusual for him to finish a bit faster than others- certainly well under the typical fifty minutes. His hands had thrummed when he passed the newborn to a nurse so he could quickly close her up- he didn't need assistance so he could go much more quickly with that too. He could still feel phantom sensations on his palms as he finished closing up the incision, spoke with one of the nurses about preparing to have her rolled back to her room and what medications she should be given and at what times, he'd removed his gloves and was writing it down when he heard the soft, wet shriek behind him but he didn't dare turn around, there had been softer, smaller sounds from the newborn as they cleaned his airways and got him dried off.
He left everything else to the nurses as he took care of Yoshino-who was groggy and asking about the baby, he was healthy, getting weighted, they'd bring him to her in a moment-, then talked with Shikaku- no worries, everything went perfectly, the baby is fine. He has a son. Shikaku hugged him when he told him. It's warm and grounding, more than he realized he had desperately needed, and a part of Shikamaru is still in shock because... because...
It's actually hours later, Shikamaru is holding the baby, Shikamaru . He looked down at the baby, the baby looked back up at him- he'd say curiously, and maybe the infant is. The baby, the boy, has a surprisingly full head of dark hair that's currently plastered to his forehead under a powder blue baby hat, he's got watery, puffy, dark eyes, and he's a bit blotchy and red. Birth was a traumatic experience for both parties after all, and as cute as newborns were, they also tended to look a bit odd in the first few days. The overwhelmingly small nature of the tiny life in his arms is also closing up his throat, making it impossible to speak even if he wanted to.
There's something thicker than air, sharper than electricity passing between them, painless, almost serene. Resonation. Recognition. Like a distorted funhouse mirror- uncanny. But not upsetting. This was him, in a way, stripped down, with an undecided future ahead of him. He wonders what the baby sees. But the fear is gone now, the anxiety has dissolved and left something raw and exhausted in it's wake. He had been worried he wouldn't be able to tell, but he's certain- they have the same soul after all. Even as a yokai, enough of him, the original, is left. And it's thrumming inside him at even the lightest touch, like magnets trying to find one another. The baby seems to at least feel it a bit too, suddenly looking so awake and alert without crying once Shikamaru had picked him up.
“Hello, Shikamaru.” His voice is soft in the mostly dark hospital room. It's late, he stayed to keep an eye on both the baby and Yoshino, as well as get through some paperwork that had piled up, go over schedule of appointments coming up, until he was sure he'd have even a few minutes alone with the baby. Flimsy excuses that lead him to this moment. The baby blinks. “I am..." He swallowed, finding the act of speaking harder than he ever had, but there was only one thing left to say. One thing he'd been putting off. "You may call me Inei.” The air tingles as it comes out, a promise, a vow, maybe even a confession.
He's giving it up. His name. The last of his former life that he clung to. They don't belong to him anymore. He's the outsider. He should have known when Naru-
When Haruki signed his name in the scroll years ago.
This world would take them, but there couldn't be two Shikamaru, two Naruto. Kurama was now a part of... a part of Haruki. One being, one soul, two minds. There was still a space for him, he wasn't being erased.
(But wasn't he? The person he had been was no more, and never could be again. This version of himself would never truly be him, his experiences different, the circumstances of his life would never be the same, nor would the relationships he'd have given how many little changes had already been showing as shockwaves.)
He felt tears roll down his cheeks, eyes burning, blinking them away. This was not an ending. This was the start of Shikamaru’s life. In a way it was the start of his too, finally free from a weight he hadn't realized was crushing him.
“I'll always watch over you.” He vows silently, with no witness to it, “You'll get to grow up in a peaceful world. I swear that to you.” He feels it burn inside him. A promise.
A Yokai Promise. A deal that he would walk away with nothing to gain from, but he was compelled to make all the same. He kissed the baby's forehead, putting his own against the soft, new skin, feeling soft warm breath roll over his nose- he smells like milk. Of course he does. He's twelve hours old. He thinks of his own little ones, holding... well, himself. Thinks of Sai, and Gaara, of Uhari when she first came home, bigger but still soft and warm and trusting him to mean it when he loved her unconditionally.
Little Shikamaru. He had a watery smile laying him back in his cot, releasing the silent dark bubble that he'd been in with the newborn, watching him drift off to sleep before heading for the door as silent as a grave. He hung up his coat, making sure it was in his locker, checked the chart for the next morning, and said his goodbye quietly to the overnight nurse, setting a canned tea on the counter of the nurses station for her- he had bought it in the break area when putting his things away. The lights hum above him as he walks, some halls that branch off are unlit given the hour. He feels like a ghost, slipping out of the hospital and out into the now much cooler night. He makes it two blocks before purposefully turning toward the path that weaves out, circling further rather than the one that's only a few minutes from home.
He again takes the long way home- he needs time to think, time to settle, time to adjust to reality which was now standing on its edge. Not many were in the area at the time, given most shops were closed, aside from a few bars and restaurants that were on the far edge of the main market area, shinobi running late night errands, or those who had just come back into the village, third shift workers, people out having a celebratory drink, a dog walker who had looked exhausted and hadn't even noticed him aside from clicking their tongue for their dog to stop sniffing at his knees so they could keep going. A storm front that feels like it's moving in has probably contributed to it, as the wind picked up at some point between then and his leaving the hospital, but it's almost refreshing. The walk helps, and the world which had felt like it was spinning too fast slows, down, enough that his feet cease shuffling and he glanced up at his reflection in the unlit window. It's dark, and not as good as an actual mirror, but he doesn't remember the last time he really looked at himself.
When did his hair get so long? It's almost to his waist, a smooth black sheet that lifts with a thought. There are faint lines forming at the corners of his mouth from smiling, and his cheeks are almost a bit round- from Kurama and Haruki's hard work at fattening him up during his recovery from... he snorted softly to himself, seeing the dark reflection copy him, unattractive and all teeth, eyes crinkling at the edges as he does. He won't admit it out loud, of course, but the weight he gained was hard won after he'd had Yugure, he still in his own mind didn't want to refer to it as giving birth but... maybe he had more in common with his mother than his father at this point.
This was so much different than what he thought his life would be like.
He is a father. A husband. A doctor. A yokai.
He touched his cheek, taking a deep breath he doesn't need but that helps him, finger tips smoothing over those light furrows and wrinkles, the apples of his own cheeks, the crinkles around his eyes, and he finishes his walk home.
“Hey Inei.” Haruki greets him, tiredly, when he slips through the house to their bedroom. Asleep on his lap is Uhari. Kurama is already passed out on the bed with Kankuro and Shin hugging him in their sleep, and Mei is sipping from a water cup beside the bed. He takes it from her when she tries to give it to him, moving it to a shelf and picked her up. "The wind woke them up.” Her tiny fists curl into his shirt.
“Its okay.” He kissed the star on her cheek and she giggled sleepily. “Should we go to bed?”
“M'not sleepy...” Mei whines, already curling against his chest.
He glanced around and Haruki sighed, putting the book he'd been reading to the side so he can take her so Inei can get changed out of his work clothes.
“Shikari is actually sleeping in the nursery, unlike a certain someone.” Uhari grumbled as he scooted to lay down, Mei was already falling asleep as he did, face hiding against his shoulder. Inei took one of Kurama's shirts and a new pair of shorts into the bathroom, coming out changed and scooping up Uhari to hold her against his chest as he squeezed between his husbands, Mei dozing against Haruki's chest as he used a shadow to turn off the lamp on the nearby shelf and bring the room to an acceptable level of darkness.
“Goodnight, love.”
Inei was fetched to come to the hospital at seven the morning that followed and regretting not hurrying home to catch up on sleep before the birth even knowing that it was going to happen, Noriko was having her twins-
Unlike with Yoshino, Noriko didn't need a C-section and she was fairly liberal in the cusses she shot at a pale and anxious looking Inoichi who Inei was tempted to send out of the room given how jumpy he was- even more so than the woman in labor. If Inoichi wasn't used to sitting in on the torture half of Torture and Interrogation he probably would have fallen into the category of new fathers who passed out in the delivery room. He was still fairly pale by the time he had a baby in both arms and Inei had had to forcibly sit him in a chair so he didn't risk falling over, still somewhat damp infants and all.
He wouldn't tell a soul but he had had to carefully unwrap the boy's umbilical cord from where it was dangerously close to tightening about his neck with a shadow during early labor, he didn't want to actually say it but it seemed like maybe there was some universal force trying to prevent the poor infant from joining the land of the living. The girl, who he knew in his soul was Ino, without a doubt, was born first, mostly bald, and within the hour she was joined by an undersized but otherwise healthy boy who actually had fuzzy blonde hair on his tiny head- side by side, swaddled up, powder pink and blue hats, both passed out now, with the boy in Noriko's arms, and Ino in Inoichi's arms. Noriko is exhausted, haired, and probably wanting nothing more than a shower and a sixteen hour nap, but she also looked extremely happy, cooing down at the two, Inoichi had long sense started crying and it looked like Noriko might also cry at this rate.
He left the room to give them space and chug a few cups of overly caffeinated tea. If it actually did anything it didn't matter, it was that he thought it helped that really did it. He was going over a few stacks of paperwork that afternoon when he got the birth certificates to sign off on for the twins.
Ino was, no surprise, named Ino, while her new younger twin brother was named Inosuke. He wondered if they'd had a backup name for Ino and decided against it, or if each had named one, as it definitely felt like something Inoichi would do. They looked like angles that evening, both asleep in Noriko’s arms when he popped in to check on them, but he knew within a week that they were little screaming devils as Inoichi begged Haruki to watch the two for one night so he and his wife could catch up on sleep. Of course they were sweet little darlings the night they weren't at home.
Notes:
Only two left of the rook 9 to go.
Chapter 145: There Is An Empty Place You Used To Fill
Summary:
Saito is finally leaving for home. Baki has some feelings about that.
Keiko is proven right.
Chapter Text
Saito was double checking his luggage before he'd shove everything into seals for the journey home. There was a ribbon cutting in the morning. He'd have to play nice with Rasa for that- the awful tension and cold atmosphere anytime they had to be within sight of one another made it very clear how much Rasa disliked him, and he didn't blame the man for being thorny but it wasn't as if Saito had taken his kids- , and the party that followed, then he'd have an early night and leave even earlier the next day. Excluding his dress clothes and the clothes he planned to sleep in and leave in after the party, almost everything was packed.
His payment for the construction would come in installments over the next five years, monthly, and the company retained one of the residences and an office space in the cliffs, on the eastern side of the village. Privately he doubted that it'd see much if any use, but damn it real-estate was real-estate and it might come in handy at some point so he might as well retain it. He thought they'd done a fairly good job, he'd read a few early reviews of the cliff development, and they were almost all positive, but he knew that there were probably just as many people who would find fault with it- he'd already seen some of it over the last few months. The cliffs weren't considered religiously important, only a small section that was excluded in the construction was used for burial, and he'd even ensured there would still be plenty of nesting spaces for the indigenous birds that were extremely common in the village, he knew because he accounted for them. The biggest complaint was that they were ugly, but that seemed to be a matter of opinion and not the general consensus. He'd hear all about it at the ribbon cutting in the morning. He was already dreading it, as amazing as dragging new districts from out of the sandstone and bedrock was, after all the complaints about how heartless or ugly or gaudy and tacky they thought it was, people were more impressed with the elevators. Too impressed with elevators.
Why always elevators?
He heard a knock at his door and got up, checking the seals lining up and down his arms before answering. At some point they'd put a peep hole on the door so he could check who it was before he opened it, something about security , but it was just Baki, who had a complicated expression on his face. This was not unusual, as Baki always seemed to have an uncomfortable look on his face, and Saito was certain that Baki just looked somewhat upset by default, even when he was happy. Baki scanned the room as Saito let him in, as he usually did, diligent even now. It would be a bit upsetting if they made it right up until he was about to go home only for an assassin to make an attempt on him now.
Saito would say that he and Baki were... tentatively... friends. Baki was gruff, sometimes inflexible, but seemed like a very genuine person. Saito knew he irritated the piss out of him, but at least Baki would be honest about it and tell him. Saito couldn't claim to have too many friends, perhaps... no friends, if he had to exclude Yashimaru, which felt like maybe he should exclude him given in some very removed way Yashimaru was kind of his uncle now because of Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara. He would truly miss him when he left for home, but what could he do? It wasn't as if he could spirit him off to the Leaf, Baki loved his village too much to leave and Rasa would probably kill him for it since he was already on thin ice with the kage because of his family, and he couldn't stand living in Suna long term either. He would just have to write to the guy, maybe send him a comseal so they could talk. He really would hate to fall out of touch with him just because they lived in different villages after all.
Baki had brought some sake, and though Saito wasn't much for drinking they shared a few cups. Maybe a few more than would be advisable given the bottle was nearly empty when he noticed the light flush on the shinobi's cheeks.
“You're an idiot, so make sure you take care of yourself, okaaay?” He did so well, until he slurred at the end. Who would have guessed Baki was such a lightweight? True Saito didn't drink much, but when he had in the past it was with papa and papa could definitely hold alcohol better than Saito. It was endearing to hear his façade crack a little, but he should probably stop Baki from drinking any more. It was weird to be the responsible one out of them but in this rare occasion he'd have to be.
“I will. You should be careful too, since you actually put yourself in danger.” He moved the bottle away from them before another round could be poured. Baki would be embarrassed enough that he got tipsy during this little goodbye party.
“Your jobs juss as dangerous.” Baki mumbled as he put his head in his folded arms. As sweet as it was, he should probably keep an eye on him, since he didn't know how well Baki's stomach would react to the drink in an hour or so.
“... thanks for worrying about me.” His companion hummed, closing his eyes, falling half asleep. Saito couldn't send him home like this, even if he was confident that his friend could even walk on his own more than a few steps. He was also worried that Baki might get in trouble for drinking on the job. “Come on.” It was amazing how pliant Baki was while drunk, he didn't complain at all when Saito pulled him to his feet, throwing an arm over his shoulder to support his surprisingly light weight, and guided him to the bed, pushed him to sit on the edge of it, and told him he was taking off his flack jacket, he hesitated to touch anything else, knowing how weird Kakashi was with his own weapons pouch and gear. It might be uncomfortable but... “That's probably fine... scoot over, the bed’s big enough and I hate sleeping on the floor.” Baki had flopped at that point and was actually snoring softly, so Saito dragged his feet onto the bed for him after pulling off his sandals, and climbed over him to rest against the wall. It was how he'd probably have slept anyway given how cool the wall got, so excluding the knee now poking into his thigh he was perfectly content.
It was hot enough he didn't want a blanket, and he passed out listening to Baki's even breathing, feeling just a little warm from drinking.
...
Baki woke in a room he was familiar with, but not this angle. It was early, the sun hadn't come up yet but he could see it slowly brightening the world outside the windows, and he was mortified to realize he was laying on the bed in Saito's rented room. He sat slowly, grateful to find himself fully clothed, and felt the mattress shift though not because of him, he nearly groaned, having shut his eyes in a hurry, but peaking one open he was once again flooded with relief- Saito had slept in his clothes as well, he didn't even look dishevled at all despite clearly having dropped as he'd been right before Baki-
The relief dried up and turned into shame and embarrassment when he realized that, although he was up on his elbow now, he had been... using Saito as a pillow. He used all of his training to extract himself from the bed, having to remove his knee from over Saito's thigh. His head hurt and his mouth had a foul taste that could only have come from drinking. He looked around, finding his flack jacket as well as his sandals in a heap near the bed, well maybe a little bit more carefully placed but still, piled on the floor for him. He got his sandals and then jacket back on as he tried to recall the night before in better detail, because he didn't know how he ended up on the bed when he last remebered nodding off at the table.
He remembered falling asleep at the table for sure. He investigated and saw that the remains of the bottle, of which he had only really planned to share a glass each with Saito, was almost dry. They had been talking, and Baki recognized it was his own hand that had absentmindedly kept them topped up- but Saito hadn't seemed to be feeling it at all by the time Baki fell asleep, and the stuff was fairly strong. He felt like a mess. He was lucky no one had attacked when he was in that state as he wasn't even able to defend himself let alone anyone else. He had been trying so hard to keep professional, they were friendly, and once he actually made the effort, he didn't dislike Saito, but friendship had been out of the question. The congratulatory and farewell toast had been a laps in his better judgment. Getting drunk enough to fall asleep and then sharing a bed with the guy was a mistake he would probably regret for more time than he even spent knowing Saito. In his defense he felt a bit at ease around the guy and he might not regret it as much as he was trying to convince himself he did.
He got some water, and held the cold glass to his head. It helped a little. He didn't know the exact time, but he could guess it when Saito sat up, going from laying as still as a corpse to stretching and rolling himself off the end of the bed. He didn't seem to be fully awake yet. Baki had always arrived to find Saito fully awake, dressed, fed or in the process of cooking, and chipper. This was a very different side to him. He must have forgotten Baki was here, as without any warning Saito began to undress. He meant to look away, but Saito had his back to him as he fumbled for the dress clothes that had clearly been left out for this morning.
Saito's back, which was not especially broad given how weirdly strong he was, was covered from the back of his neck nearly to his hairline, down to his midback in healed burn scars, one large section, with gaps here and there of smooth unmarked skin. It had a rough edge, crooked, and Baki realized that, more or less as he saw the scars roll down his arms and end just before his wrists, that the scar almost covered him like a shirt. He had known that Saito had them of course, the chatterbox had even mentioned having survived a fire as a child, but there was something of a difference from hearing about them and actually looking at them, even if they were faded and seemed to have healed well.
Saito kept his underwear on but kicked off his pants from the day before, and his thighs had patches of burned skin too, none past a certain point on his calves, and concentrated on the sides of his legs, likely the front too. Baki could draw a conclusion- Saito had once caught fire wearing clothes, and either those clothes concentrated the blaze around certain parts of his body, or the fabric melted to his skin. A bit more concerning than 'getting a bit burned' as Saito had claimed. It painted a gruesome picture. He was redressing just as quickly as he'd gotten undressed. Beneath the quiet horror and concern he burred the interest at having seen so much of Saito's bare skin, that he was actually quite fit looking, as it would take another whole bottle of sake to come to terms with that.
Baki had been aware that Saito had burn scars, they peaked out along the edges of his sleeves and the collar of his shirts, but they looked very old, and Saito had never offered any information about them beyond mentioning them. He and Baki weren't that close so he had never bothered to ask more about them. He hadn't expected them to be so large, cover so much of the mans body. Maybe if they'd had more time he could have, and maybe if he felt comfortable Saito would have told him. He was in a bit of a daze when Saito finally seemed awake enough to notice his surroundings he spotted Baki and smiled, as unguarded and genuine as always, he would really miss that.
“Oh, you're still here? Bet you're head doesn't feel too good.” Saito had turned and smiled at him- somehow unfazed that Baki had clearly just been staring at him while he undressed and redressed. This was why he worried about Saito, he should be upset but he didn't seem to realize that. “I'll make some breakfast, I was actually worried about having to throw stuff out when I left so you'd be helping me out.”
“I think I'll actually take you up on that.”
He had also noticed, more subtly, below the burn scarring, that Saito- a man built like a twig about to fall over- was actually far more muscular than Baki had expected, and now he knew that was true with his own eyes and couldn't not notice it. He had expected him to be as lanky as the dressed version made him seem but...
His eyes darted away.
He shouldn't be too surprised. Saito said his parents made sure he did self defense training once a week at least, and despite having no aptitude he was almost passable for a ginin’s level of physical fitness, which put him at an extreme level for a civilian. He'd witnessed that himself. Saito wasn't weak. He just... didn't stack up against an actual shinobi. He wore clothes a little to big, and always covered himself, likely to hide his scaring, so Baki had just...
Staying to eat was a mistake, as Saito had lied about his culinary skills, he was much better than he'd let on. Even if the food wasn't quite to his taste he could honestly admit that it was something he'd want to have again, not that he'd probably ever get the chance. For his own sake he should cut all ties with Saito once he left.
Saito asked if he could write him over that meal, not wanting to lose a friend, and Baki cursed himself quietly.
It didn't mean anything. Saito would write him a letter every now and then and he could respond. He failed at not forming any attachment, but pen pals was fine.
Saito was charismatic that morning during the ribbon cutting, shaking hands with merchants and members of the village government and even a few from the nation's capitol. You could almost ignore the clear hostility between the Kazekage and Saito when their picture is taken for some paper somewhere, which should probably smooth some tensions between Leaf and Suna, at least from an outsider stand point. It's a success, and a grand one at that. The issues with over crowding would be wiped out, at least for the next few decades, if they were lucky, and now there was a unique draw to Suna for tourism outside of shinobi monuments.
Traces of Namikaze Saito lingered around the village, even when the man himself had long since given him a tight hug before getting a hand onto the back of a camel on his way out of town. He hadn't looked back, and thought he told himself it was just to make sure he passed safely out of eyesight Baki didn't look away until he was a speck on the horizon.
It was days after Namikaze Saito had crossed the border that Baki realized that no one should feel this type of emptiness and loneliness from a friend leaving. Of course he kept it to himself, not even sure he had someone who would be able to advise him on the ache in his chest given he was sure it wasn't a medical symptom.
What was wrong with him?
“Did something happen when I was gone?” Saito was ambushed by his siblings the moment he fought his way past the dogs in the yard and into the door, of course, his dad had taken his bag full of laundry and vanished with it so he wouldn't have a chance to do it himself. The air felt different, it was the only way to explain it. Maybe he had just been gone too long?
“Yeah!” Temari jumped up and down, “A lot! Lots and lots!” He was dragged toward a chair in the living room, little hands tugging at his sleeves even after he was sitting and trying to pay them each attention.
He listened to them all jump over each other to try and tell him what he missed since he was gone all summer- lots of babies were born in the village, he missed a lot of birthdays, funny things that happened, minor mishaps, reprimands at school for his younger siblings and their ‘inappropriate’ use of seals, mostly what he expected. He was a little sad, noticing how big some of his youngest siblings had gotten while he was away, though it did seem like Urushi had finally started sleeping again given the bags under his eyes seemed smaller. Slowly they all began to run out of things to tell him, though he was sure he missed a lot of it given they hadn't been taking turns in the least.
“Papa, since Saito's home can you, baba, and daddy tell us now ?” Yugure tugged on Haruki's sleeve, he had just reentered the extremely crowded room after having ducked out to check something and seemed blindsided by her. The assembled children, all of them and also Yashamaru who'd been drinking tea with Kurama, gave the man a curious look.
“Well...” He looked at Inei, then Kurama, both of them nodded, and Saito watched him scoop Yugure up and onto his hip. “We're having a baby.”
“I knew it !” Keiko jumped up, pointing at him, “I told you-!”
“Is that why daddy's been acting funny lately? Because he's going to have a baby like Kushina oba?” Bashira cut in over Keiko, who continued to rant, undeterred of the fact no one was listening to her. Saito refused to make eye contact because he remembered her saying something of the sort before he left for Suna in the spring. He would be hearing about this again and again wouldn't he?
“No, I made progress in therapy. I am not pregnant.” Inei's eye twitched and they all wisely dropped it.
“So papa, you ' re pregnant?” Fu ventured and Haruki laughed to the point he was nearly doubled over, Yugure scrambled to cling onto his back like a little monkey when she nearly was dropped. Mercifully their attention was directed to their remaining parent who raised a hand in the confusion.
“I am.” Kurama was smiling at them and they all took a moment to process the news.
“But your body is made of energy.” Kakashi pointed it out, single eye narrowed.
“Not all of it. Currently...” He patted his stomach, which looked flat still, or maybe it wasn't, and Saito shrugged. Might as well happen, really. It was a surprise that it was one of the dads who hadn't had a baby before having one, but in all honesty he knew there were weirder things that could have happened. In fact, he was glad that only one of his dads was pregnant. If he'd known it was a possibility leaving, he probably would have expected this to be what he came back to after his long business trip.
At least none of his siblings got married while he was away, right? He scrutinized Kakashi’s hands for a moment before he was satisfied that Obito hadn’t jumped the gun since shinobi seemed to get married concerning early, but even in his civilian clothes there wasn’t a hint of an engagement ring yet so that was something. (If he also eyed Momo and Himari, well he couldn’t be faulted since he was just trying to be a good brother.)
Keiko resumed her gloating now that the rest of their usually loud and boisterous family had quieted a bit to break off while whispering to one another, and Kabuto started asking questions about it, which made him a little uncomfortable because he didn't want to know how or when exactly Kurama got pregnant. Instead he focused on the three devils, Shin, Mei, and Kankuro, who had climbed up and were babbling at him. If it were possible for siblings to end up on squads together he had no doubt these three would. Kakuro was already chewing on his sleeve while Mei and Shin were examining anything in his hanten pockets. It wasn't much but they'd found one of his passes from his stay in Suna, his bottle of eye drops, and some cactus fruit candy he'd bought and didn't really like while out of town. Kankuro and Mei liked it, Shin seemed to hate it.
“Wait, what do you mean next year ?” He looked up at that, and realized he missed something potentially important.
“Technically it isn't a... human pregnancy? It'll take a lot longer.” That made sense, Kurama was one of the bijuu, so things must take longer because of that... or something. Dad was carrying Yugure in some form or another for what, four years? A year was practically nothing if that's how long a usual yokai pregnancy was.
“How did Suna look?” Yashamaru asked him softly, drawing his attention away, he had probably been waiting to do so until everything calmed down, but now the younger kids were distracted so he had an opening to steal Saito’s attention without his siblings pouting and whining.
“It was... nice. Hot though, and dry. I made a friend, actually.”
“Yeah?”
“His name is Baki, he was my guard for the last two months I was there... he kind of reminds me of dad a little...”
“Baki? Really? He's usually not very good with people...” Yashimaru was looking at him with a contemplative air, as if introduced to some strange new idea.
“He wasn't.” Saito said, chipper, “But we got along pretty well. We're going to keep in touch.”
“Tell him to send me photos of the village now that it's different.”
“Yeah, okay.” He smiled but flinched, “Kankuro, I thought you outgrew biting?!”
Chapter 146: The Universal Humiliation And Consequences Of Your Parent's Finding Your Self Published Eroica
Summary:
Kakashi, aspiring author.
Minato, tired soon to be father.
Chapter Text
Chiyo was painting. She had gotten very, very good at it since she could devote almost all her time to it now. She had told Kakashi that his birthday present was going to be late, and she had meant that. It was almost October but it had finally come in that morning and she'd wrapped it for him and left it for him to find while he was out. A mock print of his manuscript, one she had painted the cover of herself. Technically speaking if he wanted to try and properly publish the thing the manuscript was still with the small publishing company she'd used and it probably wouldn't be too hard to get it circulating- maybe if he annoyed her she'd do it for him and see how he reacted. She didn't hate him so she'd make sure it was published under a pseudonym.
He had finished his little self insert high fantasy historical romantic fiction novel, even titled it- Caged Moonlight. She thought it was an edgy and stupid name but it was his book and he could call it what he wanted. Even still, she was waiting for him to get home and see it on his bed. She had used a seal to copy the pages, edited them herself, and sent them in to be properly bound. The cover was essentially a small portrait of Kakashi and Obito, but made to look like they were from a hundred or more years ago, and distinctly older since fictional Lord Mizu and concubine/servant Go were supposed to be in their twenties. Kakashi dragged himself through the gate after being gone for two days on a mission before noon looking like death warmed over, stopping to admire her painting of the dogs, his own perked up to follow him inside as she went back to capturing the likeness of their oldest rescued dog, Pickled Plum, who had a gray muzzle and bald spots, who was asleep on her side with Raspberry, a five or six year old dog twice her size, curled up as if she were her baby.
It was around the time she was packing up her paints and easel that she had to brace herself for a tackle with very little warning. Kakashi had the book, brown paper wrapping torn off but still clinging because of the tight hold of his fist, in one hand. The hard corner of the cover actually dug into her ribs.
“You’re such a jerk.” He sniffled, and she wrapped an arm around him, messing up his hair a bit.
“So you like it?” He nodded, eyes shining. “I'm glad.”
“Thank you.” She grinned wider, patting his shoulder.
“It's just one copy, but you're published now.” He was still sniffling, and they sat down, dogs surrounding them and sniffing at them as he laid his head on her shoulder, “You're always such a cry baby. Aren't you supposed to be a jonin?”
“I am not a crybaby.” The sniffle that followed made it even less convincing.
“Are too.” He pulled down his mask so they could make faces at one another, before she hauled him up off the grass and pushed him inside so she could put together something for them to share and talk about the book, his thoughts on her cover art and the snippet of the book she'd picked to tease on the back. She had put her own mock reviews on it too. He seemed pleased when she told him he really should get it published, and that it would do well. He would make a decent writer and was maybe spending too much of his youth as a shinobi and not enough time working on his other skills.
She learned, a bit later, that Obito had mistaken the book as one of Kakashi's regular reading materials and borrowed it the day after he had gotten it. He returned it two days later asking if he had anything else by the same author, red in the face. Chiyo had laughed at them for nearly twenty minutes when he learned that it was a fictional romance between them and Kakashi was the one who penned it. Now Kakashi had two people who wanted him to write a follow up, if he could ever get over the embarrassment of Obito reading all of the steamy scenes he'd written about their fictional counter parts he just might write that sequel.
This got worse when baba found it and read it, which of course prompted Kakashi being sat down with all three dads, asking where he got it and if he had questions, since he was still fairly young and the subject matter was-
I wrote it. Chiyo got it bound for me for my birthday. She had been listening in, wondering why they'd looked so serious with the book. She would kill to have seen her parents' faces for that. Kakashi got it back but he was told not to let any of their younger siblings read it, granted none of their little siblings were probably interested in it at all they should still be prevented from reading it.
“So when you gave him the talk...” Minato was sat at the bar with Haruki, not sure why he was invited out, but taking it as one last excursion before they'd be in ‘baby watch’ for Kushina and their baby boy- he hadn't told his brother yet, but they'd chosen the name ‘Naruto’ for the little tyke. “What exactly did you tell Kakashi?” He nearly had beer come out of his nose.
“Uh, just... you know the basics? Why?” He had all of a second before he began to panic, “Did you catch him and Obito-!”
“No. Not yet, thankfully. He uh... he wrote some... very age-inappropriate fiction, and Chiyo got it professionally bound and made cover art for it for his birthday.” He had almost relaxed but suddenly felt winded. “Kurama found it in his room, thought it was one of Inei's, decided to read it and...”
“No.”
“Minato, I will be the first to admit that I'm a pervert, and I read it, y'know thinking that it probably wasn't as bad as Kurama said it was, since he scales human behavior differently than I could ever hope to understand... Minato, that book was a lot even for me. ”
“Inei reads books like that?” Haruki scoffed as if that was a dumb question, or maybe not.
“ I don't even read books like that! The worst thing Kakashi could have read in the house that's not secured behind a seal is... I dunno, shirtless make out scenes?” He seemed a bit doubtful, and that implied that there were worse books the kid could have found if they weren’t sealed away which was more than he ever wanted to know about his brother-in-law's reading habits. He would have another beer and hopefully forget that part.
“Do I... want to read Kakashi's book?” The look he got was almost patronizing.
“You couldn't handle it.” He was shot down instantly, and he was almost insulted by that until he remembered he didn’t have any interest in gay erotica, especially not a book written by the kid he had practically raised. “Besides he based the main characters on himself and Obito, which...” He made a face at that, one he was sure matched the one Minato made upon learning it, “I don't know if we should be disappointed or impressed, because on the one hand it's surprisingly good considering a teenager wrote it, on the other hand he definitely used some kind of reference material and he is way too young for whatever it was he read.”
“I mean... as a jonin he's legally considered an adult, if he made a strong enough case he could buy almost anything aside from alcohol and cigarettes.”
“That makes things worse.” Haruki rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted. “I know he's not a little kid, but I worry about him...”
“Yeah... so do I.” Both sipped their beer quietly.
“Oh, before one of the kids blurts it out, we're going to have another baby.” Minato did snort his beer at that.
“I thought Inei wasn't going to have anymore-!”
“Kurama's pregnant.” Minato stared at him, wide eyed.
“ How?! ”
“He turned organic matter into human cells using my blood as a blueprint. Custom made his own parts...” He shook his head, “It'll be a long while before the baby's due, but we told the kids a few days ago so they'll probably start talking about it soon.”
“You'll have to tell people about him then, huh?” He knew the plan but it felt... weird. Weird that they were just going to write off one of the bijuu as a yokai, and weird that the prideful bastard was willing to let them- maybe he was going too much off of what Kushina said about the fox they had known longer, but the one attached to his brother was much... softer? He was always thrown off by Kurama, just when he thought he understood the guy something else would come up and he’d find himself at a loss.
“Mhmm. I mean, he wants to go out and explore, so it was bound to happen eventually, but things probably would have been better if he wasn't pregnant when people meet him but, well, what can you do?” Haruki shrugged. Minato had a few choice words about contraception, but then again he wasn’t even sure how the bijuu got pregnant in the first place so maybe that wouldn’t have helped, and more than likely it was only a matter of time given how much Haruki and his... partners... loved kids. He just sort of expected it to be a long time from now. And for Inei to have been the one expecting given his past history with it... well maybe not seeing as his first niece was removed like a lung tumor in a trench but still...
“So... Do you know when the baby's coming?” He was smart enough not to touch his glass at this point since he expected something outrageous like ‘next month’ or something equally as worrying.
“Mhmm, no. With Kurama and Inei being what they are it's... complicated. We have a guess, but it could change, if that makes sense?” He mentally tallied another ‘not answer’ for his brother, who seemed to be a master of those, since they had ‘a guess’ but he hadn’t shared it that meant it was something that Minato would have to worry about wasn’t it?
“Not really... have you told Orochimaru yet?”
“Keiko wanted to tell him, since he's been monitoring her studies. I'm sure he'll want to come over and see Kurama and examine him himself...” He drained the rest of his beer so Minato followed thinking it might be safe to do so now rather than wait for it to get warm and his brother less cryptic, “It's progressing so slowly that the baby's hardly grown at all in the last three months.”
“So he's already three months in?”
“Try nine, almost ten, developing a spirits soul takes a lot longer than the body, so the first six the baby was just energy.”
“Eh?! So Kurama's been pregnant longer than Kushina at this point?”
“Yep. Even now that they're growing, it’s going to take forever, and they'll probably age slowly once they're born. They might not, but as it turns out they have a lot more yokai blood than we first thought.”
“What's that mean?” He wisely pushed his mostly empty mug away since he hadn’t been as quick as his brother and his nose still stung from the alcohol coming out of it earlier , looks like the second beer was out of the question. He turned to face Haruki- why did he always ambush Minato with important things like this? Always when they were out for a beer or going over missions...
“We asked the elder, Kuzuryu, of the fox summoning lands, she's old enough to remember centuries ago so we hoped she'd know something about yokai pregnancies. She did... but apparently she's more connected to the Uzumaki clan than I knew.”
“How so?”
“Kushina is part yokai.” He felt his mouth go dry, “Lady Kuzuryu was born from two Kitsune, but her mother refused to give up her tail for Kuzuryu when her mate fell in love with a human and turned into a woman and married that human. The descendants of that union became the Uzumaki clan. The scroll was given to them because of their shared blood. It's distant, very, very distant, but that's likely the reason for our famous strength and vitality. So yeah, very distant, but yokai blood is still yokai blood, y’know?”
“ ‘Our’ ?”
“Half Uzumaki, remember?” He... might have actually forgotten. To be fair there was so much going on with his brother it was hard to keep track of everything. “Not sure how much that'll affect the kid. It's what Kurama's effect is going to be that's more concerning. After all, he and his brothers are...” Haruki hesitated.
“Are... what?” The words not said felt charged, and he was reminded once again of how much more his older brother seemed to know about the bijuu and the sage, things he sometimes desperately wished he understood, especially regarding how they might affect Kushina, and their baby. He just had to convince himself that Haruki was withholding things for his own good, as Haruki seemed to have his best interest and that of the village at heart, but sometimes... sometimes he wondered if he should exercise some authority as the hokage and make his brother tell him all the things he seemed hesitant to tell. He knew deep down it wouldn't work and that threatening Haruki would only make it more difficult for Haruki to tell him things in the future, but he doubted anyone else would be patient enough with him to wait as long as Minato had.
“... ask me that again in a about... ten years.” He frowned but didn’t bring it up again. Haruki would tell him if it actually affected Konoha and outside of that he was hoping to avoid learning anything else that would shift his world view that night. His brother laughed at him when he ordered another beer and some gyoza, Kushina didn’t expect him home for another two hours so he might as well try to relax despite the new information.
Chapter 147: Here Comes Trouble
Summary:
Here he comes, our littlest guy.
TW for the last section, descriptions of birth, maybe a bit graphic.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kushina was meditating on the floor of their baby’s nursery. She found she could talk much more easily with her Kurama this way. They'd been doing a lot of that, recently.
Talking.
Mostly about the baby. Kurama had tensely referred to the little guy as ‘the cub’ and she hadn't let him live it down. Cub was what the other Kurama lovingly called her nieces and nephews. She could only take it as Kurama telling her he loved the baby without actually saying it. Despite all their recent communication she found that her fox had a lot of trouble actually saying anything, but it was worth it no matter how frustrating it was.
Ever since they started talking, Minato had told her she looked less stressed. She felt less stressed. All her life she'd been struggling against the fox, for a decade , and now that weight was gone. He wasn't some horrible monster she was trapped in her own body with anymore- well maybe a little bit, but he was in the same boat (body) as she was with not really wanting to be in the situation and now somewhat trapped. Her Kurama had almost even admitted to liking her a little bit during their last talk. He had caught himself and threatened her reflexively but... well he really wasn't a monster when she got to know him. He was lonely, and frustrated, and claustrophobic, his hostility was justifiable though, he had been out living his life one day and then shoved into a succession of human's the next, trapped for nearly a century against his will. Kushina didn't know how she'd have handled it but probably not much better, knowing herself.
‘ If I can, I'll give the runt a gift, so stop bothering me ’ She had been asking what he intended to give her baby, teasingly, since they would be holding a party after her son was born given the risks, no baby shower before it. She laughed at how annoyed he sounded as it wasn't genuine at all.
All these years and she could have had a portable friend rather than an eternal enemy. She wished she could go back and shake her own shoulders. The discussion was interupted, as it now often was, as the mental space they met in trembled slightly and there was light pounding. Kurama rolled his eyes and curled up to get comfortable, even though he was huffy and annoyed he was clearly pleased. She shifted out of her meditation and put a hand on her now very obviously pregnant stomach.
“Oh! Good morning to you too.” She felt the baby kick her ribs, and it felt... well bad because even in utero her son had Uzumaki strength, but soon she'd get to see her baby. “Not much longer, okay? You've gotten really big, so it must be uncomfortable, but your uncle Inei says you shouldn't come out for at least another week.” The weather was starting to cool outside, and the leaves that changed color in the forest had began to do so, painting the forest beyond the wall red and gold, like fire.
It was this sight that was why they called this nation the Land of Fire. The change of the leaves made the vast nation blaze like the sun. Her first fall spent in the village had taken her breath away for that very reason, as the leaves didn't change color on such a scale back in Uzushio, and it had been her favorite sight for the years she'd lived in the village. Fall really was the beast season here...
“Hmm. Your daddy thinks you'll make it to the twelfth, and your uncle says we'll be lucky if you don't come before the third...” She stroked her stomach, which had once again trapped her on the floor- she couldn't believe she'd gotten so big with just one baby- Not even Noriko with her twins had looked quite this miserably pregnant... Well maybe that was an exaggeration. “Your mommy thinks you'll come on... the tenth. Then your birthday will be ten out of ten!” She laughed to herself. Kurama grumbled at the edge of her mind, “... You'll also be birthday buddies with your uncle Haruki if you're born then. You're going to be a lot like him, you know? He's half Uzumaki too. I wonder if you'll look more like your daddy than me...” Another series of kicks, less hard, probably signaling the baby was falling back asleep, and she began to hum.
If her little one wasn't out by the fifteenth then she'd need to have a c-section, since the drugs to induce might not work with Kurama around. But there were other worries if that was the case...
Soon. She shouldn't worry about this now. She couldn't be pregnant forever, after all.
Inei prodded, feeling Kurama's chakra and his own mixing together inside the fox- a healthy amount of Haruki's was there too. Under the layers of chakra was... well, a blob. The smallest blob possible. A few hundred, maybe several thousand cells. More than there had been when he last checked a few weeks ago.
A lot more, actually. His brow scrunched.
More than he expected. Should they move the due date up? But nothing had changed...
“The cub is...” He looked up, his silence had made Kurama nervous and he chided himself. He was stressed enough, and now Inei was worrying him.
“Fine, Kurama. Our baby is fine. Bigger than I expected though...” Kurama preened a bit at that.
“That's a good thing, right?” Haruki asked softly, eyeing Kurama with worry. There were so many unknowns and concerns when it came to Kurama's pregnancy that if they didn't keep an extremely close eye on everything for abnormalities something could easily go wrong. Inei knew this but he had the unexplainable sense that this wasn't something he should worry about. Instinct had been oddly right for the last few years (at least since becoming a yokai) so he chalked this up as nothing to be too conerned about.
“It's nothing bad, at least.” He pulled his fingertips away. “We'll tell Tsunade after Naruto is born, so that way she can focus on helping Kushina.”
Kurama had had... other symptoms aside from morning sickness and sensitivity to smells. Dizziness, mostly, exhaustion, and his chest was getting tender- that one had been discovered when Kankuro had chomped on him like he tended to do to anyone with either large breasts or muscular chests, and Kurama had nearly dropped him in sudden and unexpected pain. He had caught him with his tails, and the boy had squealed in delight, but that had been a little too close for comfort. His symptoms were normal, they would obviously monitor him for the dizziness to make sure he didn't fall or run into anything, but there weren't anything Inei would think of as a red flag... except how big the baby seemed to be. He'd just check him more frequently and hopefully it wasn't the sign of some sort of horrible birth defect.
Kurama was almost immediately preoccupied with touching his still mostly flat stomach, purring. Haruki hugged Kurama from behind, staring down at his movements with worry clearly etching lines on his forehead. Seeing both husbands distracted, Inei sighed, getting up with a stretch and heading out of their room, he waved behind him as the two complained that he would wander off. Despite their complaints they would probably wander up sooner rather than later to get on with the day.
“How's the baby looking?” Yashimaru had been watching their more flighty children outside, who were trying to pile leaves only for the dogs to come crashing through sending them up into the air.
“No issues so far. It's nerve-wracking though. Any progress with Kankuro?”
“Yeah, when Kurama started crying last time I think it freaked him out, he hasn't tried to bite anyone else yet.” They watched him dart after one of the larger dogs laughing, before he crashed into Jun and took them both down. Neither acted hurt so they waited for them to sort themselves out. Sure enough they both got back up and Kankuro hugged Jun to apologize before he took off again toward Mei.
“How are you settling in?”
“Fine.” Yashamaru answered instantly, and suffered one of Inei's side eyes for it, “Better than expected. I get homesick sometimes but... not as much as I think I should. Does that make me a bad person?”
“... I don't think so. Knowing Rasa, it was only a matter of time before he did something stupid, like see Gaara as a threat. You're a better friend than an enemy, and it was easier to keep you on good terms if I didn't separate you from them. The bad person is the one who decided kidnapping three children and their uncle was for the greater good.” He tapped Yashimaru's shoulder, smiling softly.
“If it had been anyone else, there would have been war. I heard they were trying to pressure Rasa into remarrying. No heirs to the hat...”
“Mhmm. He won't. He's a terrible person but he did love your sister, as much as he can love anything at least.” He felt eyes burring into him but refused to actually look, already able to predict the incredulous look on the other's face.
“You know that as a yokai?” Yashimaru glanced at him, but Inei just smiled entreatingly while staring at the chaos in the yard. “You're infuriating.”
“Thank you.” Both chuckled. “You do know there's a gay bar that opened in the Root Market right?” Yashimaru flushed and started protesting. “I'm not telling you to go out and get laid, but the only person you talk to aside from us is Saito, he's too much of a workaholic to introduce you to any new friends.”
“... does Saito have friends?”
“There's that Baki guy, apparently.” Yashimaru gave him a look at that but both just shrugged.
“Yeah. Friend.”
“I think I would know if my son got a boyfriend.”
“I don't think your son would know if he got a boyfriend.” Inei opened his mouth and then shut it, blinking. The silence gave way to the sounds of children and dogs playing in the drying grass, and leaves crunching.
“Kids! Katsudon or pork curry?!” Kurama shouted, having opened the kitchen window over the sink, and an excited chorus of ‘katsudon’ was shouted back. Inei shook his head.
Haruki went out a few minutes later, toward the small workshop he'd put up in the corner. It was mostly for weapon maintenance and a few smaller wood projects he'd taken up lately, the big blonde pretended he didn't see the horde of children follow him like ducklings to see what he was going to be doing. He should probably go see if there was anything he should be doing but he wasn't in a rush, besides he'd sent their older kids to clean their rooms so it would be a bit before he'd need to start laundry or sweep up the hallways. He really regretted how many hallways they had. He should probably check the basement room they were preparing for the birth too...
There were plans.
Lots of plans.
Even still, Kushina didn't expect to find herself in her brother-in-law's basement, trying to fit a watermelon out of her vagina, ten minutes to midnight on the tenth of October. She knew she'd be here of course, but the watermelon bit was what she was honestly upset about.
Basement wasn't the right word. It was one of the weird rooms they kept in the lowest floor, this one had a proper bed, and a metal tub full of warm water had been dragged in at some point. There were towels and active seals all over and Minato was crying- either he was so emotional about the birth he couldn't stop it, or she had broken some of his fingers. She wasn't exactly minding her strength because, again, water mellon.
Two hours ago when she'd started pushing, they had realized there was an issue with her seal, and there had been several fights about how to deal with that because Kurama getting out would be the worst possible thing-
Only for the fox to promise on his own name not to leave Kushina and thus kill her if they removed the seal so she could safely pop out the baby she was starting to question wanting so badly. Maybe that was the pain talking. Either way the seal was now gone, and the baby was supposed to follow it, and if it weren't for Kurama trying to help with pain management this might be a lot worse- she had tried a dozen different positions and was currently back on her knees- Inei had barked at her that he wouldn't let her deliver on her back because that was apparently how things tear and it didn't matter how fast she could heal he wasn't dealing with that on top of a newborn. She almost wanted to go back into the tub because the water had taken some of the weight off and the heat had been nice, but given the kid was crowning she couldn't really move again.
Birth was... gross. She knew, had been told by several good friends that it was gross, but she didn't think she would spend all of ten seconds trying to figure out if that feeling was her baby finally getting their massive stupid head through, or if she had just had an accident in front of her family. Luckily it was the baby but the mortification didn't vanish because well, an hour ago she maybe... had... but it had just been Inei in the room since he'd sent both Haruki and Minto to go and grab something or other, and he had promised to take that to the grave with him- she was pushing and there was a lot of things in the pelvis that could get pushed so... This time, however, she was sure within t en seconds, because then she felt fluids on her legs, more than before, and there was a mad scramble of activity once the little guy slipped out of her because after the shoulders it was as if he was racing, and the baby started to cry within a few seconds once their nose and mouth were cleared, and she was so exhausted but she'd be damned if she didn't get to properly hold the baby right that instant.
“Congratulations, it's a boy.” She dragged his wet, kind of wrinkly body up against her bare chest, holding him tightly and crying as he cried. He had some kind of wet film on him, and was almost slippery from the amniotic fluid. All she saw was a surprisingly thick head of blonde hair that plastered to his pink face.
“Your head isn't even that big.” She sniffled, leaning back into Minato as all strength left her legs.
“Yo still need to get the placenta out-”
“Give me a fucking minute Inei!” His teeth clacked together, and she buried her nose in her baby's damp hair. He did not smell like the other babies she'd held- he kind of smelled like blood. Well he did just come out of her...
“I got a towel, I'll get him dried up, okay?” Oh, yikes, Minato had two purple bruised fingers, maybe she had broken them...
She shuffled her baby into Minato's arms, ready to be done- she had never been so tired in her life. She felt her nails sharpen slightly, and a chakra she used to dread filled her veins, carrying off some of the dead weight in her body.
‘ I gave him two of my tails. ’ She blinked, still sweating and pushing, though this was much easier than before.
“Kurama.”
‘ They're connected to me still. It's the gift I wanted to give him. Someday when you die of old age I'll transfer my remaining tails to him. ’
“Why didn't you ask me, stupid fox...”
‘ It's still early, I could take them back without hurting the little cub... or give him more, so long as you have one it shouldn't put either of you in danger. ’
“Honey?” Minato still looked worried, Inei had split his focus between treating Minato's severely broken fingers and rubbing her lower back to help with the after birth.
“I'll tell you later...” She flinched at the wet sound of something falling between her legs. That'd be the placenta. Ugh. Never again.
Holding him later after they'd both been cleaned up and dressed in something fresh and dry, she marveled at just how tiny he was given all the trouble he'd caused her, her little Naruto... she privately thought they could have just one more, but not for a long, long, long time.
Notes:
My sister once told me after she had my oldest niece 'You are GOING to shit yourself. The nurse knows it will happen. Don't worry about it.' and for better or worse I decided to allude to that in this fic. Given how many jokes like that exist in the actual Naruto Manga/Anime I felt like I could pepper that in even if that isn't my usual sense of humor.
Chapter 148: Fox. Fox. Fox. Fox?
Summary:
This one is actually pretty Kurama centric, even if it alternates between the two.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey.” Haruki was pacing with the baby in his arms, both Kushina and Minato were passed out, squished together on the bed, and Inei was cleaning up and pretending to give him his privacy so he'd gracefully accept that. “Naruto... hard to believe how little you...”
He cut himself off. Was this what his husband felt when he held Shikamaru?
He could feel himself, and Kurama, but they were like two gobs of paint sitting next to one another, sometimes mixing along the edge, unlike what he was sure he and his own Kurama looked like mixed together as they were. Did the baby feel that he was familiar? The roll of energy coming from the baby, could it recognize itself in Haruki? He had become so mixed with Kurama there was no clear end to either, but did this tiny little... him? Could he tell? He knew Kurama could-
The one from this time. The one they had been careful around. He wasn't worried, not like he had been years ago. Kushina and his relationship was good, he clearly loved the little blonde baby enough to willingly part with two of his tails to connect with the child.
“I would prefer they don't know.” He mumbled it to the baby's forehead, aware the fox could hear him, comprehend. The time to play coy was long over. “By now, you should know I don't mean you or Kushina any harm.” He stroked one whiskered cheek, smiling down at the newborn, “This life... I like to think of it as my reward for the one I had to live before. Don't ask what we did, or what happened. Just be grateful you get to have a happy life with my nephew now.”
The fox was silent. That, too, was a good sign.
This world wasn't perfect, but it was safe. It was the world he got to be with Inei in, got to be a father in. He had the family he'd always wanted now.
“I should get the remaining Uzumaki together, since they'll be expanding the wall.” He pressed a kiss to the newborns head before he carefully laid the sleeping baby back in the crib Minato had brought.
In the morning, Tsunade would come to double check Kushina and Naruto's health, then they'd go home- the house was mostly put together and ready for them to bring the newborn home, of course he had a few things to send with them including the blue orange and red quilt he'd stitched together that Kushina was currently holding for dear life in her sleep. He'd have his foxes deliver an invitation to the now nomadic clan members that had survived and managed to avoid being forced to settle anywhere, and possibly just... liberate, any Uzumaki left in the known nations to bring them to Konoha. Most weren't staying where they were because they wanted to after all- his heart ached thinking of Karin and even Nagato, as they both had deserved better than what they'd gotten.
Kushina deserved a family to support her too. If she'd been born in this village, she could have become hokage with her skills, after all... Why not give her a taste of the power she deserved. She could become the head of a new Uzumaki clan. He selfishly wanted it too, to see the family he should have always had finally settle somewhere they could be safe after so many years of uncertainty. He also wanted his mom to feel more comfortable in the village, knowing how alone she must feel as the only true Uzumaki around.
The world would be different anyway, why not see how different it could get?
He had felt for a moment like the sage. Like Kurama's father. But more worryingly, he had felt like the baby. Kurama put it together quickly, he was among the most clever of his family after all. Even so, he never would have believed it if he hadn't seen it himself.
He wasn't sure if Haruki came from some other version of this world, or some future gone wrong, but he was, in no way, Minato's brother. He also was much older than he had claimed to be. Inei also then, must be of the same place...
But he had been right. If the short glimpse of his true self had told Kurama anything, it was that they would have leveled this village long ago if they wanted to. Maybe the whole of the human nations too.
Instead they had played house, and improved his relationship with his jinchuriki. Not even the founders of the various hidden village's had filled him with such dread, yet... well it wasn't dread exactly. Just like he was waiting for something to happen, but unsure if it would ever come true, not bad or good exactly... He understood now how exactly the other Kurama came about too, he had doubted a bijuu could be split and it was conformation of his suspicions. If he had a face it would have heated up given what that alternate version of him was like- it was older and more experienced than him even if it wasn't by that much given how long they'd lived, but it was so different it was hard to reconcile. Very little of that was from fusing with Haruki, as that would have changed Haruki personality too and yet the man didn't seem anything like Kurama in ways that would count. In another time would he have wanted to have.... to get... were the other him's children going to technically be his own? He didn't want to over think it.
In the end, was it his business what that one did? He seemed to have Kushina and the baby's best interest at heart, and if his own relationship with the other Kurama was something to go by, then... It was all just so strange. Maybe he should have a talk with the other Kurama at some point, get a few more answers. So long as they didn't interfere with one another's lives it should be fine.
“You three are idiots.” Tsunade gave them an unimpressed look. “First you manage to knock up a bijuu, then you don ' t tell me for almost a year, and you dumbasses don't even know how many you're having despite one of you being an obstetrician.” Tsunade had given Kushina a clean bill of health, her and baby Naruto (and Minato who's fingers were in splints but expected to finish healing by the end of the week) home, and Inei had explained Kurama's condition and wanting a second opinion. This much was to be expected.
“There's just one cub.” Kurama protested, “I would know.”
“To be fair we didn't know if it was going to work, or stick for that matter and we didn't want to worry you...” Inei refused to make eye contact, because everyone present at this impromptu consultation knew he was importantly both the father in this case, as well as the more experienced doctor when it came to pregnancy between himself and Tsunade.
“Hold on. It's not one?” Haruki had latched onto the point Inei had ignored and Kurama had argued against, head ping-ponging between Tsunade and his partners.
“You three prevented the end of the world....” She shook her head. “Three.” Her voice was flat, and she was faintly glaring.
“... three?”
“Three... us three?” Haruki glanced at both of his partners.
“No. Three. In him.” Kurama blinked, before putting a hand on his stomach. “Yeah. Congrats, you idiots are having triplets.”
“But I checked. There weren't two additional chakra signatures-!”
“Inei. That's because only one of them has a strong chakra signature, the other two feel like you do.” She looked ready to lunge and strangle him.
“... what's that supposed to mean?”
“Just look again, but don ' t focus.” The instructions weren't clear, but if he didn't she really might try and kick his ass so...
Inei rolled his eyes, doing as she said and frowned. His glowing palm shifted over Kurama's stomach a few times before-
“You've got to be fucking kidding me...” His eyes snapped wide, “How the hell did I miss two whole embryo-!” Sure enough, only one was giving off a chakra signature that he was familiar with, whereas the other two had an energy that felt more like his own after becoming a yokai. He had wrongly mistaken the minimal amount of energy as interference from himself.
“We need to adjust your dietary needs then, huh?” Haruki was fairly calm, and Kurama had tears in his eyes. Maybe mood swings should be added to his list of symptoms.
“We're having three cubs?!" He was practically vibrating with how excited he was, in his own little world and thrilled by the news.
“-no wonder there was so much fetal tissue! How did I not notice-” He kept prodding at Kurama's stomach as if trying to unravel how he could have overlooked it, but it likely would have become obvious in another week or so. Even still Tsunade was exasperated.
“I'll write down a few things. Inei, stop it that isn't helping.”
“I'm so happy...” Kurama was crying, sniffling, and that seemed to actually snap Inei out of... whatever was going on with him, hugging the red headed fox. Haruki dragged them both half onto his lap, burying his face in Kurama's hair to hide how emotional he was getting as well.
“... hopeless...”
Even saying that, her tone was fond.
Notes:
This was what that A/N poll at the end of chapter 91 was for! I couldn't decide and I asked a few people who I talk to the fic about that I work with and my friend 'Duke' suggested I do a poll. I have trouble with links on ao3 so that's why it was done the way it was.
To be honest I was really hoping back then that 3 would win but I'd committed to it at that point.
Time skip stuff will be starting soon, at least bigger skips than when I breeze through a season or a few months, just have a few more loose ends.
Chapter 149: Clueless
Summary:
Genma had been... underinformed.
Notes:
I was pretty busy this weekend, so I'm posting one chapter now, and I might post a second one after I take a nap, maybe not.
Chapter Text
“So.” Himari was watching Genma, who had come to walk her home from school. As usual there were a few of her classmates watching them, mostly girls she didn't really get along with, as if they didn't have anything better to do.
“Yeah... so...” He cleared his throat. “Right. Uh. I have uh, this friend right?” It was a bit of an unexpected topic, however she didn't really mind, and rushing Genma too much usually meant he'd get frustrated and take that much longer to say whatever it was he was thinking.
“A friend? Other than me? Should I be jealous, Gen?” He flushed. Even still she couldn't help but tease him.
“His names Raido.”
“Oh, so this isn't a hypothetical then.”
“Huh?” She urged him on and he fumbled with the senbon he'd been fiddling with. “Right, well, anyway, I have this friend Raido and he uh... said you seemed really cool.” His hands didn't become more coordinated, in fact he nearly dropped his senbon more than four times while getting the words out. Why was he so nervous?
“You talk about me with this mysterious Raido a lot?”
“Not a lot...” He took a deep breath, “Anyway, he said, it's kinda stupid actually-!”
“Genma, do I need to start pulling teeth?” It was less the situation of he didn't know how to say it and that he was anxious to even bring it up. If that was the case she would simply make him talk, he probably was too embarrassed to snap at her.
“He said it sounds like we like each other.” His face was blotchy red, and he refused to meet her eyes.
“Hm.” She studied him as he fidgeted. “Now, this Raido, he's got a working pair of eyes?”
“Huh?” It threw him enough he stopped fidgeting. “I mean... yeah?”
“Good. I thought so.” She smiled at him, “Are you free tomorrow afternoon? We have class off.”
“I don't have another mission for the next few days...”
“Great, pick me up at my house, there's a restaurant I want to try- oh, and try and dress up a little bit, don't just wear your ratty mission jacket.” He picked at his sleeve, wondering what was wrong with it, but she was laughing at him and he pushed her shoulder lightly. “Lets go between lunch and dinner, say three?”
“What, like old people?” Himari puffed out her cheeks.
“If you go between rush’s they have open tables. If you go with me I promise we can look at the blacksmith shop my parents use, you said you needed more quality senbon right?”
“You remembered that ? Alright.” The bashful smile returned, Genma thought he was safe.
Until he told Raido about it later that day when they met up to spar.
“Genma, bud, she asked you on a date.” He stared at Raido. “She told you to dress nice, pick her up, and take her to a restaurant. That's a date dumbass.”
“But we do stuff like that all the time. I'd know if I had a girlfriend.” He was distracted enough that Raido swept his legs from under him, knocking him onto his back to pin him.
“Congrats, you've had a girlfriend for months, you were just too dense to notice it.”
Himari was a very pretty girl. She had long, shiny black hair that had been very silky the few times Genma had actually touched it, and she had pretty gray eyes, though usually they were mostly closed- unless she was angry. Genma could admit that he felt strongly for her, even early on. She had a bit of a mean streak, but then again so did he. She was charismatic and funny, and he often had issues with his palms sweating around her. So he was naturally panicking about the date. Because this was absolutely a date.
Did it count as a first date if they'd apparently been going on them for almost a year? What if she broke up with him today and he didn't even know they were dating? He straightened his nicest shirt again, but worried he just looked like an asshole. He also, for reasons that seemed out of his control, had almost soaked the back of his shirt with sweat by the time he even made it to her street, let alone her house. He was going to throw up, this was more stressful than a B rank mission...
“Hey sweaty.” He jumped slightly, he hadn't expected her to pop up without warning. “Hell, you okay? You're not going to have a heart attack if I talk too loud, right?” He was a shinobi for the sage's sake... No need to be so jumpy.
“I'm fine.” He attempted to compose himself, holding up a flower he'd brought, because when he'd been panicking to his team earlier in the morning, Gai of all people told him that roses were a good choice. “Is this weird? You don't need to take it, I-!”
“It's beautiful, thank you... I am just going to run over and leave this with my baba, hold on.” She slipped through the round gate of her clan and assumedly back toward the house, and he did his best to get his breathing back to normal and once more dry his palms on his pants, hopefully she either didn't notice or had decided not to say anything about his disheveled appearance. It did little good because the though of her sitting across from him in the restaurant looking as pretty as she always did...
Genma’s palms were sweating. It was so much easier before he knew this was a date. Himari returned to his side after what was booth too long and too short a time, and they started walking. She was wearing a dress, it was simple, black, and she was wearing her red hanten over it, her clan’s emblem embroidered with golden and white threads. She was observing the world as they passed by, he nearly tripped on a crack in the sidewalk when she asked how his missions had been lately.
His tongue felt several sizes too big for his mouth as she looked at him. He hoped he wasn't stuttering at all. He couldn't actually remember what he said after speaking.
The restaurant was a sukiyaki place, apparently, he hadn’t even known. He had blanked out between almost tripping and being sat down at a table. They had gone down one of the elevators into the Root Market, he recognized the busy candy stand outside of the window and knew they were on the bottom floor. This was one of the places recently opened by the Akamichi clan, if he wasn’t mistaken. He zoned back into her words as she was trying to figure out what they wanted in their hotpot.
“Are you feeling okay?” It was after their order was taken, and his skin felt on fire when she touched his hand on the table, he was so nervous.
“Himari?” She tilted her head, brow still scrunched with worry, even her usually half crescent eyes were wide open and studying him as if he might fall over. “This... is a date, right?”
“Dummy.” She mumbled, squeezing his hand. “Momo said you didn’t even know we were dating, I hate when she’s right.”
“How long have we been dating?” He felt a little alarmed.
“Well I thought we started seeing each other before New Years, but I guess not.” He was silent a minute, “I should have talked to you about this sooner huh?”
“I don’t mind.” The weight on his shoulders, and constriction on his throat had eased. Himari thought they’d been dating for almost a year? That did explain a lot. She had been sad when they hadn’t been able to spend new years eve together. They always went out together, even if it was just to walk around town and enjoy the weather, she had made him a hanten for his birthday that year, which... should have been a dead giveaway seeing as her clan wore hanten's all the time. That was practically a marriage proposal wasn’t it? He felt a bit stupid.
“I mean, it’s kind of a huge problem to date someone and them not know about it.” She was pouting.
“Then... ah... Do you want to go out with me, Namikaze Himari?” She blinked at him, out of her somewhat depressed funk.
“Yeah. I really want to.” He squeezed her hand on the table, and she squeezed his back.
He owed Raido two thousand ryo for being wrong.
Chapter 150: In Preparation
Summary:
Plans for the upcoming winter festival are discussed
Notes:
Sorry everyone for taking an unexpected two month hiatus. I ended up getting pretty bad writers block and October-December is when both myself and my girlfriend put in a lot of extra hours at our respective jobs, so on top of working more I also had to help out more around the house since she was doing 10-13 hour days (she was like a zombie I was getting pretty worried for her ;_;).
But she's back to her regular schedule, and I've gotten over my writers block! Which means I'm going to do a big update.Thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story, and I hope you enjoy!
Chapter Text
The festival that year was much noisier than predicted. Plans for the spring would have the wall moved, and there was something of a conflict over how best to divide up the new districts that would emerge, and as a result there were a lot of business trying to grab attention for the anticipated land auctions that would come. Haruki didn't envy his kids who would soon be swamped with construction requests. As it was he was exhausted from the council meetings lately, even though he'd been sent on fewer missions to prepare to become an instructor he still had his work as an intelligence agent, and lately as an expert opinion on funinjutsu. He was also helping pick up the slack as Minato was torn between work and home with a new baby.
This time next year he was looking forward to dumping something on Minato while he spent time at home with their newborns. If it only took a year that is. That reminded him... he had to bring it up during this meeting. Tsunade and Shikaku knew, and he knew Choza and Inoichi had seen Kurama at least in passing, Fugaku would have heard Itachi talk about him too probably, but otherwise it would be coming out of left field.
He wanted to get it over with. This year he wanted to take the whole family, including Kurama to the festival together. He wanted to make sure Fu was able to enjoy it despite how things went wrong the year before, and he wanted every chance he had to spend time with the kids.
He could already picture the look that he was going to get from Hiashi though. Well... it would be another month or three before Kurama started showing so maybe he could just tell them about the fox now and they'd announce the pregnancy in a bit? It wasn't like he got Kurama pregnant, but he wasn't uninvolved either.
“There was something you wanted to discuss, wasn't there, Namikaze-san?” He made eye contact with Fugaku, who absolutely knew about their little ‘second yokai’ situation and that Kurama was carrying, but was pretending not to.
“Right. It's less of a discussion and more of an announcement I suppose.” Curse him. “The Namikaze clan is officially registering one additional member as a yokai.”
“So your daughter Yugure is being classified as a spirit then?” Shibi drawled uncertainly. Although in terms of having another powerhouse in the village a yokai would be a good thing, people were a bit... scared of Inei on principal.
“... no, actually.” It would have been easier if she had, and maybe she counted as one from her unusual circumstances but... “In truth he's been with me since entering the village but he's fairly shy. I... also made a deal with a yokai about ten years ago, but mine was very different from Inei's. Kurama is a kitsune, and up until recently he wasn't very interested in living as a human but he's changed his mind.”
“I... see.” The vein standing out on Hiashi's forehead was not a very good sign, so he launched to his own defense.
“Kurama isn't fond of fighting, hates getting hurt or dirty, and dislikes most people on principle so he isn't likely to involve himself in any village conflicts. He also likes to... borrow my face when he uses a human form so if you see someone who looks like me with fox ears and a tail, that would be him.”
“What deal did you make with this yokai?” It was an expected question. He could be severely compromised, after all.
“At the time I needed to get stronger, as well as have someone who could help Inei and I learn how to properly use jutsu. Kurama wanted a companion and someone who could help him eventually join the reincarnation cycle.” He scratched his cheek, refusing to meet anyone's eyes, “We, ah... fused our souls together. Someday when I die he'll be able to tag along with me to the other side. It was over a decade ago now, and Kurama was happy hiding as a fox for a long time but again he changed his mind.”
“So theirs another adult yokai in the village and you decided not to even mention him until now?”
“It wasn't relevant at the time we joined the village.” He shrugged, “It isn't likely to affect anything. Kurama isn't fond of making deals, he likes children, and he wouldn't involve himself in a battle if you begged him so aside from being a kitsune he's not much different than a regular civilian.”
“... you aren't hiding any other yokai, are you?” That was the exact look Haruki knew Hiashi would make.
“None that I'm aware of.” True, as there was an extremely slim chance their expected triplets would be one hundred percent human. It was more likely that every member of the Konoha clan council would ascend to godhood in the next ten minutes, but it wasn't a flat out lie. After all, an improbability was very different from an impossibility.
The look he was given was skeptical, but he wasn't pushed further. He was asked to bring Kurama to the next council meeting, but they moved on to other matters, since there was always a lot to wrap up. More arguing about budgets for the festival. He chose to focus on that over the incredulous and somewhat hateful stares of the unseated council members.
The only real lie he'd told was saying Kurama was a yokai, but no one was likely to fact check him on that one. By new years when they'd be unable to put off announcing they were expecting he was sure to get yelled at again, but... he liked his privacy, and if his soul bound companion was pregnant it wasn't anyone else's business. He was expecting to be told he was very wrong, very soon.
Saito had officially named her the chief financial officer of his company, as well as the executive officer too, giving her full control over the books and hiring so long as she hired who he wanted her to when he asked for his 'department'. She had officially taken over the office, while Saito had shuffled everything he needed with him to the warehouse and was seemingly making changes as he pleased with the location. She'd already started looking over a few proposals from business's looking to open shop in Konoha, and they'd officially accepted the bid to construct the new wall and any municipal buildings in the expanded districts. There were architects that would consult with Saito over the construction of five new police stations, a new coliseum so that the old one could finally be decommissioned with plans of having it refit as a museum that were being pushed by the Hyuga clan, and the wall itself would be dramatically altered in it's rebuilding efforts.
Saito had said something about building in stations for shinobi use within the wall, additional check points for civilians, and something about agriculture that she suspected would be another area to safely keep bees and other pollinators by the Aburame clan. They were very active in that.
The land itself was originally owned by the Nara clan who used selected sections on rotation for logging, and the trees in that space were being evaluated with plans to only cut down only those that were absolutely necessary to remove- the lumber from expanding the village by almost double was expected to go for a high price at open auction, as Konoha lumber was second to none when being processed to make scrolls- due largely to the soil surrounding the village having been affected by mokuton for decades.
She'd already cut a deal to receive around a thousand pounds worth of paper from the Nara clan, in exchange they'd make talisman, or chain seals that would help prevent termites and wood weevils from attacking their other tree farms. The paper they expected to get would be used to make storage scrolls, which would finally implement the design Saito had made that would allow civilians to use them without the use of a chakra glove. Konoha wood made extremely chakra sensitive and durable paper, and it had withstood Saito's testing of it which had shredded nearly every other type.
She jumped when she heard a soft knock, but it was just Kenta, who had apparently brought her a bento. He smiled at her softly as she complained about the work her brother had left half finished and oftentimes wrong .
“-sorry I'm rambling. You had the interview at that restaurant today, right? How did it go?” He fidgeted, but shook his head sadly. “Oh, baby...”
“I didn't have the experience they were looking for.” She cursed them in her mind, and would tell her family they were blacklisted- at least Himari wouldn't go there with her boyfriend anymore. “It's okay, I was hoping to work in a bakery anyway. I'll just have to keep looking.”
He had wanted to quit his job at the convenience store for the last few months, but his mom wanted him to keep working if he was living with her, and he didn't want to take the easy route and get a job at one of the clan owned restaurants. He may be hired at an Akamichi restaurant, but the kitchens were actually extremely cutthroat and he'd likely be put on dishes rather than near a grill or oven.
“At this point you'd be better off starting your own bakery...” She grumbled, staring down at the cat shaped onigir Kenta had shaped.
“I don't have the money for that.” She tapped the table. “I've been thinking about that too, and it would be nice. It's just not something I could afford any time soon.”
“You might not... but...”
Momo had been saving money. She had her own plans for it, of course, squirreling some of it away for a wedding she hoped would happen in the next few years, for a place that she and Kenta could live together, her own ideas she wanted to fund for their business-
Kenta never asked for anything. He was so sweet and he had put up with so much from her, especially with how much she'd been working lately...
“I know what you're thinking. I want to do this on my own.” She opened her mouth and he kissed her cheek. “I have enough to set up a stall for the festival, I'll bake things at home and bring them to sell and maybe I can do a few of them over the next couple years and have enough to open an actual store. Or maybe I'll hear back from Okatsuka...” He scratched his neck, but was still grinning at her.
“Are you sure? I don't mind investing, I know you'll do great-!” He nuzzled her nose and she sighed, leaning into him. “Okay, fine. But you are going to get help from me somehow okay? Even if it's just making something to keep cookies warm or your cold deserts frozen during the festival.”
“I figured you'd say something like that.” He stroked her cheek, “Thank you, Momo.”
He had to leave not long after, and Momo got back to work. Maybe she could talk with someone from the Akamichi clan and... No, Kenta wouldn't accept it even if she did find a way to pull strings and get him a proper position. As much as she wanted to help him it was nice that he didn't immediately jump to use her- still she wanted to help because she loved him and it was frustrating that she couldn't.
“Mhm. I could have Chiyo help paint his sign for the festival....” It was only a temporary distraction, as she realized she still had far too much to do to be daydreaming.
“So you can come with, right?” Tenzo was shuffling his feet, Urushi and Iruka were both trying to climb the tree next to the swing where he was twisting- they'd just gotten out of school and the other kids had all ran off for the most part.
“Auntie said I could.” He nodded, looking up and seeing both of his friends push one another before Iruka's feet unstuck and he fell, catching himself on his hands before he could break anything. “You guys...”
“Sorry, I thought I had a better hold.” Urushi jumped down while Iruka tried to sooth him.
“We'll stop.” Urushi offered him a hand, and he took it and let himself be pulled up. “My papa told me we had to walk there with him, but we could go off on our own once we got there since the market is closed off like last year.” Urushi didn't complain that Tenzo didn't let go of his hand, and Iruka took his other hand, swinging their joined fists between them as they started walking in the vague direction they all lived in. Iruka would drop off first since his parents had an apartment in the shinobi housing not far from the academy, then Tenzo who's clan lodging was near the tower, Urushi walked most of the way alone or with his siblings, but two of them had had medical training that afternoon, and Fu had gone with Hana and Torune to the Inozuka compound to fuss over Hana's little sister.
Tenzo didn't get how Fu could be interested in other peoples siblings given trying to remember the whole of the Namikaze clans kids gave him a headache at best.
“Did you figure out that jutsu yet?” He asked it softly, and Urushi frowned.
“Not quite. I'm taking a break right now, I'll start trying again during winter break.” He didn't miss the slight relief on Tenzo's face when he admitted that.
“Ugh, it better be really special given how much you've worried us because of it.” Iruka was glaring, but he meant well. Urushi had really worried them, and he'd only recently gotten better after he'd been running himself ragged trying to learn some family technique. Even if they were told, however, without context they likely wouldn't fully grasp just how difficult the jutsu was.
“It'll blow your mind.” He assured, and Iruka pulled them both into a hug and ran off toward his building with a shouted goodbye.
“You promise you aren't pushing yourself too hard, right?” Tenzo tugged his hand and Urushi grinned. “I'm serious!”
“I know. I promise not to worry you and Iruka again, okay, Zozo?” Tenzo turned his head away at the nickname, Iruka had come up with it and neither would stop calling him that.
“Stop it. I'm the heir to the Senju clan.” He parroted something he had heard said about him. Something about dignity and honor that came with such a prestigious legacy...
“Yeah, so? I'm the next scroll bearer of the Namikaze clan.” Urushi jabbed his ribs and he flinched. “Don't go saying that dumb shit to Iruka either, knowing him he's gonna be hokage or academy director, or run ANBU in ten years. That sorta talk doesn't suit you.” Tenzo knew it, but he'd been hearing it so much lately... “Just have Shizune become the next head of your clan, she's pretty much a Senju anyway, right?”
“I don't know...” Urushi rolled his eyes.
“Either way you're too young to be worrying about that stuff. Wait until we're at least Chunin okay?” He fidgeted but took Urushi's hand back when offered it.
“Yeah, okay.”
Maybe Urushi was right, maybe he shouldn't worry about it so much. His Auntie had thrown all those different guys out who had come to talk about arranging his marriage after all...
“Wanna get mochi without Iruka?” He grinned at that, letting Urushi drag him off to pick some up. His friends were definitely right, he still had a lot of time to worry about that kind of stuff later.
Chapter 151: The Torch
Summary:
Nanami makes her ambitions known.
Chapter Text
“Papa, are you busy?” Nanami had poked her head in to peek at him, her father was bent over a few different scrolls and had a small pair of glasses perched at the end of his nose, they made him look older than she thought he was. The sight of them firmed her resolve.
“Never too busy to talk.” He shoved what looked like council documents off the edge of his low desk as if he'd been waiting for an excuse and she smiled. It took one kick to send a nearby blue cushion to her papa's side and she crossed to floor quickly to take her place, trying to remain as dignified as possible. She had to show him she was ready, that she was capable of taking over the clan and that he could put his trust in her. “Everything alright at school? Those girls still bothering you?” He must already know all about her bullies to be asking about them, and she knew he was aware that she had exacted revenge several times in her own way. Even still it was nice to hear him worry about her, even if it was unnecessary- she was just grateful he hadn't butted in, she could handle them on her own and she didn't want to get a reputation for running to her papa every time someone said something rude to her. She wasn't a snitch.
“I can manage them.” She straightened up, steeling her nerves and taking a deep breath. She had been waiting to tell him this for several months, and now felt like a good time- she had done well in the society clubs she'd joined, her grades were among the highest for her class, he teachers had praised her at the last parent meeting, and she was close to mastering the spear as well as her taijutsu forms. She wasn't going to get any more ready than she was right now, showing her very best to her papa and hoping it would be enough. “I was actually wanting to talk to you about something more important.” He smiled softly, encouraging her to continue with a roll of his hand- it was still clutching a pen. “I want to be an heir candidate.”
He hadn't expected that, clearly, as his eyes widened and he sat up straight. It meant they were nearly a foot further apart but it was a sign he was taking her seriously. Her papa took very little seriously, at least on the surface that was true, but she was aware that was something of an act, one she couldn't pull of- she'd tried. If she couldn't match the same air as her papa, she'd just have to become beyond reproach, clan heads were highly influential and public figures and thus very critically judged- she couldn't give anyone a reason to find fault in her.
“You're... willingly saying you want to do... this?” He tapped the stack of scrolls in front of him, and she became aware one of his clones had poked out from the doorway with more to also look at her. It seemed like a lot of work, but with the right preparation she was sure she could do this.
“I want to someday lead and represent our clan.” She confirmed, and he floundered for a moment. Had it been so much of a shock to him? Really? Momo had assured her that things would go well, that it wouldn't matter that she wasn't a shinobi, that their papa would have expected it given how hard she worked in everything, and how much dignity she held for their clan. The idea of being rejected in this still scared her however. She could be passed over. Her papa was obviously very fond of Urushi, Keiko would be out, she was a bit unstable, but Kabuto had a good temperament and was extremely smart so maybe he was being considered for it- or Fu, Yugure was no doubt first pick though, she had his eyes. Nanami was sometimes jealous, if she had those same clear blue eyes, no one would question her legitimacy. He studied her face for a long time, and she was worried he was waiting for her to crack. She wanted to ask him if she was lacking, if so what could she do to change that short of being born with the ability to use chakra. She would do anything, anything at all she could to prove she was deserving of the title and the responsibility.
“Huh.” She worried she'd come on too strongly. There had never been a clan head who wasn't a shinobi in the history of the village after all- it must be asking too much. That must be influencing his judgment, she needed to prove she was- “Sure.” She blinked at him as he gathered up the work he'd tossed away, now crinkled up a bit he tried to flatten the pages using the edge of his desk. She wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly though, and watched his face closely as he judged his efforts to straighten his papers were pointless and looked back to her, meeting her eyes. “It'll be a lot of work though, and you can't change your mind later-!” She squeaked, unintentionally, hands slamming down on her folded knees to keep her from jumping to hug him. Her heart was in her throat, she felt like she was made of bubbles.
“I wont!” He ruffled her hair, a soft smile on his face. “I know, since I'm lacking I'll need to be beyond reproach-!” She began to babble but he cut her off, patting her cheek and stopping her ranting cold.
“Nanami.” She stilled, his thumb arched over the apple of her cheek and he lowered his head a bit as if telling her a secret. “If anyone is stupid enough to insinuate you're ‘lacking’, I'll gut them myself." With that he kissed the top of her head, and she wondered why she had ever been worried in the first place. Of course he would support her, and that support would be vital as there would likely be pushback from his appointing her as the clan heir. She sniffled and he pulled her into his side for a hug, practically swallowing her in his hold- it reminded her that she was probably in his eyes still a little kid even if she was thirteen now and eager to be a grown up and get all the respect that came with it. “You can come with for the next meeting with Kurama, the council wants to meet him, and you can get a sense for what things are like.” Even now he was keeping in mind what she would like- he probably didn't actually want to bring her yet because the other clan heads might say things that hurt- they Hyuga clan and a few smaller clans might outright try and argue she couldn't, but he would let her because he knew she wanted to go.
“Okay.” Her voice came out a bit wet and small, and she sniffled again. She was just so relived, she had been expecting to have to fight for what she wanted, to have to prove that she deserved it.
“You can cry, it's okay.” His voice was a low comforting murmur and she finally folded in, her tears escaped the corners of her eyes and she burred herself into his chest.
“I thought I had to convince you-!” she hiccupped, clinging to her father as he rubbed her back, rocking them lightly from side to side.
“If you want something and put in the effort, I'll always support you, your siblings too. Just live as you like, okay? Don't let other people bother you so much.” She felt so silly for having worried as she had but even still, she clung tighter, fingers bunching up in the fabric of his hanten.
She had been nervous that she'd have to argue to get her desired end, that she might need to fight and defend her actions and explain her wishes as if she was staging a coup. That there would be more fights to follow as she proved herself to the whole village, while her papa refused her at every turn until she forced him to concede. She'd been foolish. Of course her papa would hand it to her as if it was expected of him, as if he'd been waiting for her to reach out and take it and she was the last to know. She knew he secretly (not so secretly) hated being a clan head and having her take over was the best outcome for him, if he had to wait for her younger siblings he'd be stuck doing it longer. But what about her siblings? Yugure especially had more right to the position of heir than she did, she was actually his by blood or maybe it wasn't blood but-
“Ha, I was starting to think I'd be stuck doing this forever.” Her spiraling thoughts crashed at how relieved he sounded, still rubbing her back and encouraging her to cry it all out.
Or maybe she wouldn't have seen any competition at all.
Chapter 152: Myself and I (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW after the page break.
Kurama is preening. Haruki is fondly exasperated.
Chapter Text
Kurama was rolling around the bed by himself while Haruki finished putting the cubs to bed, scenting everything. He was so happy. After a week or two their unborn cubs chakra had leveled out and now they could be noticed by normal scans. Three cubs.
Kurama purred.
An itch deep inside his subconscious had been scratched. He had found a suitable and strong mate, and now he was carrying the fruits of their labor. He hadn't expected to enjoy the process so much. There were downsides of course-
Illness, dizziness, but it was okay. It was worth a little discomfort.
He put a hand over the small bump of his stomach and his purring increased again.
“You having fun?” Kurama wriggled to look up at Haruki, purring intensifying.
“Our mate did a good job.” Kurama was cupping the swell with both hands, tails flicking.
“I can see that.” He raised a brow at him. Inei was busy that night, something had come up at the hospital and he probably would be away for a few more hours.
“Come feel.” Kurama demanded, like a petulant child, and Haruki closed the door behind him and came to kneel by the bed. Kurama took his hand and put it firmly over his stomach- as expected the flesh below his palm was firm and warm. Haruki could faintly sense three chakra signatures below the surface of Kurama's, which was nearly identical to his own.
“You're doing a good job.” He praised softly, which was likely what Kurama actually wanted. Sure enough he preened again, tails curling around himself as he held back kicking his feet with joy. The fox wouldn't appreciate it but he'd mellowed out so much Haruki was sometimes struck by it. The grouchy old man he had first met was a flippant, occasionally naïve, softy who now with his own body would rather laze about than even think of fighting.
Haruki understood why Kurama was so ecstatic about this. It was an impossible feat and he was doing it regardless. There were other reasons, too, Kurama still had a crippling fear of being alone and being pregnant meant he was never alone- their unborn would be dependent on him even after they were born and Kurama loved a captive audience as it turned out. It had been strange to learn that the fox who had been fighting to be free for ages actually liked being stuck to someone. The issue was not having a choice about it, which had now mostly been resolved with his alternate counterpart.
Kurama also, just... loved kids. More than expected. A lot more than expected.
When he was tugged at he let himself be dragged down to join Kurama on the bed, instantly wrapped up in fluffy red and cream colored tails, with most of Kurama's weight pinning him.
“You know you don't need to scent me? We already smell the same.” Kurama was rubbing all over him. Kurama had been scenting everyone lately, Inei, himself, the older children, the babies, even some of the dogs had gotten Kurama's oddly spicy sweet scent left on them. Of course, marking territory in a way was probably expected of Kurama at this point.
Haruki thought it may actually be because of his own kitsune blood affecting Kurama rather than fox instincts, diluted as the ancestry may have been. He wouldn't say this, knowing Kurama likely wouldn't make the mental leap needed to come to the same conclusion on his own, only because his pride would prevent the fox from even admitting he acted in any way like an animal. Even still, Kurama was a bit cute like this.
“Hey, brat...”
As expected, the innocence of his behavior suddenly ended. His strong hands grabbed Haruki by the shirt and flipped him onto his back, straddling him.
“Mate with me.” It was goading, and Kurama's cheeks were flushing to a deep pink color.
This was another strange symptom from his pregnancy that had occurred, if you asked Haruki.
Kurama was horny. A lot of the time. He also wasn't picky if it was Inei or Haruki who attended to him when he was in that state, which had dramatically spiked the amount of sexual interactions he had with Kurama, as before it had been unusual for the two touch one another in that way if Inei wasn't present.
He didn't mind. It was nice sometimes- like masturbating with a clone, which no one could prove he had done. The issue was that Kurama had somewhat recently realized how much he enjoyed bottoming, especially given how he'd not formed a dick in months, not a problem on its own, but he also liked to be dominated and would fight Haruki every step of the way despite complaining when he didn ' t do it. Inei was spared from it for the most part, mostly because even Kurama realized that Inei absolutely didn't care and if it came to a fight would simply surrender which was no fun for the fox. (Unless he asked to be restrained beforehand, which both of them really enjoyed, but could occasionally make Inei bashful which was cute and fun to tease him about but stopped being so when Inei would get frustrated and refuse to do it anymore.)
Kurama growled at him, and he growled back, flipping them again and pinning Kurama's hands above his head- this would certainly look bizarre to anyone not aware of their... situation. They looked so much alike, even accounting for the large sharp fox ears and fluffy tails on Kurama, and it might at first seem like two brothers wrestling. He was glad he had locked the door, as he knew the moment he lost his hold on Kurama's wrists clothes would become a casualty of this short fight.
Even trying to break Haruki's hold, Kurama raised his hips to grind their lower body's together.
“You're such a bastard. Do you want me to fuck you or not?” Kurama snarled, broke the hold and, rolled them once again, going for Haruki's throat with his teeth, hands busy struggling to disrobe him as Haruki grabbed his head and held his jaw open with fingers in his mouth, prying it open. “You're worse than Kankuro-!”
The scuffle continued, twisting and rolling, Haruki having to make a conscious effort to be gentle with Kurama while the fox actively tried to hurt him it seemed, at least draw a bit of blood. Haruki didn't understand it, but Kurama would cease to be in the mood if they didn't do this weird foreplay so he went with it.
By the time Kurama had his wrists slammed firmly above his head, and he seemed to stop fighting. They were naked excluding one of Kurama's socks and his own boxers which had caught on one ankle and he had had to abandon caring about because Kurama had tried to bite him again. Haruki would have to mend a few pieces of clothing after seeing as Kurama had put holes in them with his claws. Kurama was staring at him with fire in his eyes before he delicately turned his head and exposed the column of his throat. Haruki nearly rolled his eyes, swooping down quickly and biting, not too hard, and he could feel as much as hear the sweet little mewling sound Kurama made at that. Pleased.
Kurama wrapped a leg around his waist, and he transferred his hold of Kurama's wrists to one hand, hitching the foxes hips upward with his now freed hand. If he let go of Kurama's neck the fox would pout.
His cock glided against Kurama's groin, slipping against the slick and notching itself between Kurama's folds as they pressed together before it pushed a bit too hard and slipped away. The fox whined, trying to roll against him.
Kurama, once he'd decided he'd lost, would go practically boneless and be uncooperative with Haruki, as if on purpose. Haruki knew that wasn't really the case, if he told Kurama to do something he would, but that might require him letting go of Kurama's wrists which would make the fox resume his battle for dominance he didn't actually want to win, or let go of his neck, which would ruin whatever bizarre sexual fantasy he was fulfilling for the fox and this would end with maybe a lackluster handjob and the fox complaining to Inei later that Haruki was really bad at sex.
He knew this very well, because it had happened a lot in the last few months. Pretty much every time they were home alone without Inei. He'd had to put his foot down and tell Kurama they couldn't fuck in the shower anymore because it was too much of a slip hazard, and Kurama couldn't exactly afford to fall. Reminding Kurama he was technically in a delicate condition sometimes made him a bit less fussy, but usually it just made the fox more aggressive as if reminded he had to protect their unborn children even if their was no danger present and he was actively seeking Haruki's physical attention.
It was frustrating.
Even still...
Kurama whined, chest arching into him as the head of his cock finally managed to catch between Kurama's folds, angling carefully to push it inside. Once it was about halfway in, slick leaking out around his shaft, he pressed his hips forward until he was fully seated, the fox howling softly with pleasure.
The strain against his hand lessoned, and he finally let go of Kurama's wrists, not his neck yet, as he got a firmer hold on the fox's waist, pulling out only to ease back in, slowly fucking into his counterpart who began relaxed into his touch. It was when claw tipped fingers began to play with his hair he finally let go of Kurama's neck, licking the bite mark he'd left behind and nuzzling it as if to apologize.
Kurama began to purr as Haruki nuzzled his jaw, scenting him in return for earlier.
“So much fuss for nothing...” He grumbled, sitting back slightly on his knees even as Kurama whimpered and his hips chased backwards.
The fox below him was disheveled, eyes unfocused and hazy, whining and huffing with each thrust into him, arms now uselessly laying by his head as he tried and failed to look at Haruki without going cross eyed. This was mostly because by now Haruki knew exactly what angle to hit to rub every sensitive spot inside the fox at once.
He squeezed Kurama's thighs before leaning forward again, able to rut deeper inside the fox at this angle, pressing their bodies tightly together so he could kiss Kurama's neck.
The fox was making tiny, garbled whimpers, though they became sharp gasps as his nipples were brushed, then rubbed intentionally. Calloused fingers working slowly outward to massage his sensitive chest, still somewhat muscular for the moment but destined to soften up. Kurama was pretty big, admittedly, very, very big, and it did make Haruki curious how soon it would be obvious Kurama was pregnant. How long could the old bastard take it while laying on his back like this? Would his chest even develop? It seemed like it might, and although very slight, it was already visible, so maybe sooner than expected.
He took some amount of pity on the old fox, enough to stop bullying him at least, holding him at his waist with one hand, his free hand pressed between their bellies, and he got to watch Kurama wriggle even more as he flicked and rubbed his clit. He knew even with his size he didn't stack up to Inei, he'd been on the receiving end of all those tentacles before and knew that if given the choice between them Kurama would choose Inei without fail, but then again... so would he. There was a difference between a blunt instrument and a precision tool. He wished Inei were home, he would finally be in the middle if he was...
Kurama was fairly keyed up, so it didn't take much after that before he came with a yip, not the most pleasant sound to have made loudly in your ear, and Haruki was able to follow a few dozen thrusts after, biting Kurama's shoulder harshly. Both sat panting for a moment before Kurama began to lightly knock on his head with a closed fist.
“Get off!” He groaned, pulling out and rolling onto his back. “You should have knotted me...”
“Last time you told me not to do that.” He was glaring at the fox, who whined pathetically, mostly to himself about how Haruki was such an inconsiderate brat. His mind wandered off for a bit until blunt claws were pinching his ribs. “What?”
“Can you get me water?” He sighed, getting up and almost tripping as he'd forgotten his underwear were still around one ankle, “And a towel?”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it...”
Kurama's eyes were glassy when he came back with a cup of water he'd sourced from the bathroom sink and a damp rag. He was gently stroking his stomach again and Haruki sighed, flicked his wrist back, and slapped the damp towel between Kurama's thighs.
“Ah! That was cold you brat!” He felt the only half genuine agitation and chuckled to himself. He tossed sleep shorts and a shirt towards the fox, hopping into his own night wear.
Before he could drop back into the bed they heard crying from the nursery and Haruki sighed, bending down to kiss Kurama's forehead.
“I got this.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mhmm.”
Kurama later peeked into the nursery when more than an hour had passed and found Haruki had fallen asleep in the chair with Sai curled up on his chest, a book of old fables fallen, pages skewed on the grounds beside them. He sighed before gently removing Sai and putting him in his crib with a deeply sleeping Gaara and hauled Haruki up against his shoulder after summoning a few clones to do the heavy lifting, dragging him and dropping him in bed before sprawling against his back and falling asleep leaching his heat.
Inei found the two cuddling when he returned home around two that morning after having been called for an emergency procedure. He took a shower, threw on some of Haruki's clothes, and curled up behind Haruki, a hand reaching out to rest over Kurama's shoulder and across Haruki's chest, before he fell asleep.
Chapter 153: Finally, A Safe Festival
Summary:
The entire winter festival, from multiple children's perspectives.
Notes:
I debated breaking this one up but decided it flowed better as one giant monster.
Chapter Text
Jun was chasing after Temari, they had gotten new kimono for the festival and she matched both Temari and Yugure, the patterns were the same but the colors were different. She could hear bickering from somewhere downstairs as her other siblings prepared to leave for the festival. She slowed down, as Temari had, when going around their baba, who currently had Gaara in a sling against his chest, their littlest brother was asleep again, all she could see was his fluffy red hair and a sliver of Gaara’s chubby cheek.
“Don't run, girls.” The warning floated after them as they rushed around the corner and then hurried down the stairs.
They had a clear destination, after all.
“Temari, Jun, you two want help with your hair?” Bashira asked from the doorway to her room, Megumi was currently braiding her long hair with the intent to twist it into two loops and pin them up.
“Nope!”
“Uh-uh.” Down another flight of stairs, round the left side of the hall, then-
“Whoa!” They were caught by a pair of wiry but strong arms. “Careful.” Kakashi messed up their already knotted hair. Chiyo poked her head out of her room where she was shoving something into the small silken purse she'd altered for the festival.
“Oh, great timing, you two ready?”
Jun sat as still as possible as her hair was combed and then put up in a neat bun, Temari had her own hair which was of a much more bristled texture put in two cloth covered buns and adorned with a small set of bells, she shook her head in delight to make them tinkle.
Yugure had already been in Chiyo's room and was poking through a number of hair combs that Chiyo had made herself, apparently picking one for their sister to use.
The whole family would be going to the festival, all of her siblings, all three fathers, and Yashimaru oji too. She couldn't remember the last festival she went to since she had been so young. It was the one she and Yugure almost got snatched at, according to Momo, but she had wanted to go to one since she saw people leaving the summer festival dressed up and with all sorts of interesting things.
She couldn't remember the last one, if she were honest, not only because she'd stayed home either. She remembered the aftermath of what happened with Fu the last year- but it was fuzzy.
She wanted another goldfish for the tank in her room. She had kept the ones she had gotten for her birthday the year before alive, and she wanted to give them a new friend. Of course she also wanted to find something special for Sai too.
His birthday was right before hers, and more importantly, he was her special birthday baby. The fairy had brought him just for her, and she wanted to give him something extra special to celebrate that. She didn't think she could catch him a goldfish, and she didn't think he could keep it alive on his own anyway given he hadn't yet managed to stand even with the furniture helping. He was too little for most foods that her siblings had talked about being sold, and his habit of chewing meant she wasn't supposed to give him anything with buttons or beads because he might accidentally eat them.
Jun found herself sandwiched between Yugure and Temari when they left the house, a veritable mob of her family heading toward the elevator nearest them. Of course, once down, her older siblings all ran off on their own. Momo went to bother her boyfriend who was going to sell tasty foods during the festival, Himari slipped off with her own who stammered a lot when talking to their parents before they vanished, and Kakashi and Chiyo went to go with their own friends (Genma, she knew, was also their friend, but he was going to spend some alone time with Himari and so they went separate directions).
Saito split off with Nao, Nanami, Yuki and Yosaku like a chaperone. Urushi spotted his own friends after splitting dumplings with her and her sisters, running off with a reminder of where to meet up to go home by their daddy, like her other siblings.
Fu was the next to leave, Tsume oba came to take him with Hana and Torune herself, after talking quietly with her papa for a few minutes. Keiko and Kabuto were sticking to their baba's side, helping wrangle the three troublemakers, her little siblings but not her littlest siblings, alongside their daddy. They then ran into Mikoto oba and Fugaku oji, and she happily hugged Itachi, who was telling them about a game stall he wanted to try-
She was distracted, of course, as Sai was staring at baby Sasuke. They looked a lot alike. Her papa and Fugaku oji didn't seem to notice the two staring at one another extremely intently. Jun thought they were very cute.
“Hey kiddos.” She squealed, breaking off to hug her Kushina oba's legs the moment she spotted her. Her oba couldn't pick her up, of course, her baby cousin was in the way, but it was okay because he was extremely cute, too. “Having fun?”
“Uhuh, but...” Her aunt knew her well enough by now and got close so she could whisper something to her.
“I see.” She had a mischievous smile on her face. “Haruki, I'm borrowing your kid for a bit.”
“Yeah? Jun, hold your auntie's hand tight, okay?”
“Okay!” Once they got far enough away, Kushina shared a sly smile with her.
“Lets go pick out a good present for your baby brother, yeah?” She clutched her aunt's hand as they snuck about looking for something good for her little brother.
They looked at a few dozen booths, but eventually Jun slowed to a stop, eyes wide. Kushina shifted her cousin, shooting Jun a look as the little girl scurried closer and touched one of the scarves on the rack outside a small textile stand.
“It's high quality silk, very soft, extremely durable. You have a good eye.” The old woman who seemed to own the stand was watching her gently touch it.
“It's for my little brother.” She informed the old woman. “It's his birthday soon.”
“I see.” The scarf was thin, soft, and a deep red shade that she hoped her brother would like. It was very close to her oba's hair color.
“Is that what you want to get him?” Jun nodded. Looking closer there was a very slightly lighter and darker set of red threads running through the scarf that made a pattern of roses. She didn't see her oba pay for the scarf, but helped the old woman carefully take it from the rack and watched her fold it up and place it in a paper bag. Jun held it close to her chest as they went back to rejoin her dads.
Fu would not say he was traumatized. He had experienced something bad, but he was a very strong minded person. He didn't even have nightmares anymore! Even still, Torune and Hana wouldn't let go of his hands. He had reminded them that he was fine but that didn't change anything. There were probably worse things than walking around with his two best friends, but they were treating him like he was delicate and he didn't like that.
He didn't feel any particular way about the festival itself, not frightened or anything at least. What still scared him... were ANBU masks. The people who had taken him wore them. They scared him, made his heart race in the worst ways. He knew the average ANBU wasn't one of Danzo's, but seeing those dead eyed white animal masks left him feeling panicked. They were there to protect him, and his siblings. There to take care of the village. They reported directly to his uncle, and there was no more ROOT.
Even so he always had to suppress a cry when one showed up.
He had told Kakashi, in the days following his kidnapping last year, and his brother had turned around and told the ANBU recruiters he wouldn't ever join them. He had felt bad about it. Hindering his brothers career just because he got a little spooked by the uniform. It had taken a while for Kakashi to inform him he'd long decided not to join ANBU since they had bothered Yugure and their dad's when she was first brought home. Even so he sniffled over it and let Kakashi comfort him at the time.
He wouldn't say it because it was probably rude and hurtful seeing as he had a number of older brothers, but Kakashi was his favorite older brother. He had always thought Kakashi was cool, and skilled, and he really wanted to be like him when he got older. He even had a cool personal saying, the thing about shinobi never leaving their comrades behind, it was so neat. It was safe to say being compared to Kakashi would be a complement for him, even so he's still sometimes anxious around his brother. Sometimes its worse when he isn't there.
He keeps catching glimpses of silver hair through gaps between stands lining the large inner section of the halls of the root market's ground floor. It calms him down, but he also knows a few ANBU are about, just doing their jobs, but it sets his teeth on edge. He does a skilled job of hiding as much from his friends but they still hold his hands tight and warn him about turns and watching his step. He understands Hana acting this way, but Torune is usually a little more...
“Careful, Fu. There is a leaf on the ground.” He stared at Torune for a moment before sighing. What did they think would happen? That he'd trip? Torune must be making fun of him, or be so ridiculous he'd loose the tense set of his shoulders. Hana was too nice to do something like that on purpose... probably. She would at least be more obvious about it.
In spite of, perhaps because of the fact that he was with the two so closely, he ended up having a good time when they moved on to game stalls. It was interesting to realize that some of the things their papa trained them to do had probably been modified from a few of the games. Weirdly it was most of the ball games.
He managed to win Hana a stuffed dog at one of the ring-toss games, and a very ugly looking butterfly stuffed animal for Torune when playing a game to knock over bottles. After that they tried several different food stalls and Hana sat still to get her face painted- Torune said he was too old for something like that, but he clearly wanted to have his face painted like ladybug- Fu didn't say anything to protect his pride.
Every so often Tsume oba would remind them to slow down or stay put- she had baby Kiba in a sling across her chest and the infant kept fussing. Hana told him it was probably from the noise and smells. It couldn't feel good to have such powerful senses and have them overwhelmed and not even understand why.
Eventually he was given back to his parents, Tsume oba had managed to sniff them out in a crowd, and he ended up picking up Shin, who was attempting to wander off. His pouting brother might have fallen asleep in his arms not long after that.
“Your book is nasty, you should write one about a princess falling in love with her brother's concubine next instead.” Rin jabbed him for the third time as he grabbed the small paper boat from the food vendor and they migrated slowly out of the way of others who had been waiting.
“It'd be really romantic if you wrote me a historical romance novel about us.” Shizune teased Rin, who went pink.
“I'm way too busy!”
“C'mon, Rin, it's impressive. I'm proud of you.” Obito kissed Kakashi covered cheek and he preened. His finger hooked under the edge of his mask and he brought it down to his chin so he and Obito could enjoy their snack together. Obito's stupid smile was so cute-
“I want fifteen more books.” He was pulled out of his warm and fuzzy thoughts by Chiyo, “One should be about how the emperor spies Go through the garden fence and falls in love, stealing him away to the palace, so Lord Mizu has to go rescue him. Love triangles seem to be really popular right now...”
“You should have the emperor be an old pervert who chains him up in his dungeon to-!”
“Shizune!” Rin was pink, stopping her girlfriend from continuing, “Maybe we shouldn't talk about this with all the little kids around...”
“Ah... right.”
He shook his head. He didn't even know if he wanted to write anything else and here were his friends deciding the plot of the next novel for him. Obito tugged him toward a stand to buy a popsicle to split, as if his hands weren't already full and they listened to their friends argue about if he should make this theoretical emperor young and handsome or old and gross.
“Y'know, I could make it so a prince kidnapped him, but the actual emperor, his father, was the one to put him in the dungeon.” Three sets of eyes blinked at him before they began talking over each other.
Maybe he would write a sequel. Just to share with friends. He had gotten a letter from the small publisher who had professionally bound his book- one of their editors had read the copy of his manuscript and was interested in turning it into an actual book. It would be a cheap paperback novel, one of a few dozen in the romance section, but he was considering it. It couldn't hurt, and he'd put down a pen name rather than his real name. The real issue was...
He didn't want to have to tell his dads about it. It had been mortifying when he'd been sat down to talk about the book before. Of course, some of that stuff was taught in the academy, but usually just to kunoichi, and he'd picked up his own books when he’d become... interested in finding out that sort of thing, not that he'd ever admit to his guardians that he had actively sought out and procured gay erotica, even if it was a consequence of puberty. He bought it while henged in a civilian town so unless there was a fox around to snitch on him he shouldn't have any issues with that information getting back to his parents.
Besides, it wasn't as if he was doing anything he'd written about. Obito was still a blushing virgin. They were too young for a lot of what he wrote about anyway, Obito had finally gotten brave enough to kiss him more than five seconds the week before, so the contents of chapters three, eight, eleven, and fourteen hadn't had a chance to transpire.
Even still he would rather cut off his own arm than have to sit across from Haruki and Inei and listen to them give him the ‘gay’ version of the talk to make sure he understood how some of the things in the book he ‘read’ might be dangerous or uncomfortable-
Of course they were, Kakashi had no practical experience and had written the book without doing any research beyond the bodice rippers he already had and two books he found about promiscuous princes and their throngs of male lovers. The author of those two books was a woman, not that he thought women couldn't write that sort of fiction given how many men wrote the reverse style of it, and the preface of the book even included a section warning that it might not be accurate to reality.
He had cut them off before they told him anything too embarrassing to hear from your dad, but he knew eventually he would need them to explain a few things...
Oh. Or. Or. He could get it published, but ask one of them to give him suggested edits. Inei was the kind of person who wouldn't want misinformation that could lead to injury circulating, even in a fictional novel, even if Haruki was the one more likely to accept the role of editing those parts given he seemed to have less shame when it came to that sort of thing (Even Kakashi would be surprised by how much less shame Haruki had over that sort of thing than Inei). Kakashi wouldn't need to directly ask any questions that way. Also Haruki would argue on his behalf that they had sworn to encourage their kids interests- the argument had already come up once or twice when talking about Yuki who may have broken a sparring partner from the academy's fingers, and Yosaku who had snuck even more birds into the house, so it wasn't impossible-
“Kakashi?” His eye focused back in on Obito, who used a napkin to gently clean the corner of his mouth. It made his face feel hot. “You don't need to write anything else, if you don't want to, you know?” They glanced over to the girls, who were in their own little world at that point. “... my favorite part was when uh... Mizu taught Go how to read under the sakura trees.” Oh. Of course the part of the raunchy under researched novel he had written that Obito liked would be the fluffy, overly romantic part he only added because he wanted Go to learn how to read since Chiyo told him Go shouldn't know how given he was from a peasant background and had had no formal education.
“You would.” He grumbled, refusing to meet eyes with Obito, who laughed at him, knocking their foreheads together.
“I'm gonna win you that fat dog doll.” Kakashi pulled up his mask at Obito's confident declaration, and let himself be dragged off, the girls noticed they were moving and complained, following after. Chiyo even saying she'd beat Obito and keep the doll for herself.
“Iruka, if you eat any more dumplings, you're gonna throw up.” Tenzo was worrying as Urushi was trying the goldfish game again, and Iruka was well... on his fifth dumpling. This was ignoring the other festival foods they had eaten on their way to the goldfish game.
“It's worth it.” His very serious tone only upset Tenzo more.
“Let him suffer.” Urushi chimed in, “It's half the fun.”
He focused in on the fish and deftly moved, managing to catch the fish he'd had his eye on. It was black and orange, to match the white and orange one he'd already caught. The vendor looked annoyed as it was carefully bagged and he lifted both bags, handing one to each of his friends. The white one to Iruka and the black one to Tenzo.
“Now I'll have to get a bowl...” Iruka grumbled, but looked pleased.
“I love him.” Tenzo whispered, holding his own up to look at. He had a dopy grin as he stood, snagging the last dumpling Iruka had been saving, to the other boy's protest.
“Come on!” His friends carefully carried their fish, following him. He intended to buy Iruka another dumpling when he felt Tenzo grab his sleeve and stop him. He followed the other two boys pointing fingers and saw what they were staring at.
It was a mask stall. His eyes widened and he stopped completely too. Sitting three in a row were a fox, a cat, and a sparrow. It was with zero hesitance that the three boys each bought one, laughing and putting them on. Urushi got the fox mask, obviously, and Tenzo the cat, while Iruka made bird calls putting on his sparrow looking mask.
He took both of their arms and steered them to the nearest food vendor, treating both to some fried bread, an odd addition but he wasn't complaining.
While Tenzo meowed at Iruka, who cawed back, Urushi's own, accurate, fox calls made both boys and all those around him complain.
He realized it then, arms locked together with his two best friends, that in the next year they'd be shinobi. It was urgently important to him that they enjoy this, as much as possible, come spring they'd be taking graduation tests. He was anxious about passing, but the elbow tightening on his own eased that feeling, Iruka was getting his attention- he wanted to get okonomiyaki, Tenzo whining that Iruka was going to make them all throw up.
The festival lights felt warmer and brighter as his friends argued with him in the middle, deftly making their way as a single six legged line toward a food stall advertising it.
He hoped they did eat so much they threw up. He hoped that he could win them both more prizes too. He wanted to hang this mask on his wall and consider it fondly until he was old and gray and still smell frying vegetables and cooking meat, loud laughter and distant music always too far to distinguish but too loud not to notice. He hoped the matching fish grew fat and old too. He hoped this festival would blend together with a dozen more, a hundred, of a long and happy life with the people he loved.
“Urushi, he only ever listens to you, tell him to stop.” Tenzo was pouting, actually worried but not angry or even really annoyed.
“Awe, Zozo, it's so cute you think anything on earth could keep Iruka from over eating tonight.” Iruka cackled beside him and even under the whiskered cheeks of the mask Tenzo had a righteous flush, reminding him not so sweetly that he hated being called Zozo.
“This was a bad idea.” Saito had allowed himself to turn over watch of their siblings back to his parents, and Momo had dragged him to a small stall near the entrance that was serving alcohol.
“It's fine!” Momo was grinning, pouring them two cups, “It's not like we're gonna get drunk.” He sighed, accepting the cup from her and looking down. It smelled sweet, and the liquid behaved a bit different than water, but it was clear looking. It was cheap festival liquor, and he compared it mentally to the bottle that he had shared with Baki before he went home from Suna.
The alcohol then had tasted better, and not just because it had cost more. He adored his sister, but...
“Hey, hey, Saito, I have an important question.” He blinked, her face was looming close, studying him, her face was already flushed after hardly a sip and he worried he'd need to wrestle the small white bottle away from her.
“Yeah?”
“Have you met anybody?” He stared silently at her. “Like, anybody you'd want to date?” He made a face at that.
“I don't have time for that right now...” She glared at him. “Why do you care?”
“... Just... don't want my big brother to be old and alone.”
“Chiyo isn't dating anyone either, you know.” She was the youngest among the older children who could probably get away with dating and their parents not telling her she was too young.
“Chiyo won't be lonely though. She'll have a pack of dogs, and when she's old she'll move in with Kakashi and Obito and bother them.” He silently wondered if Kakashi was aware she'd live with him after retirement, but scrapped it. Chiyo might not know that was Momo's plan for her either. He was still grateful to be having this talk with Momo and not Himari, not after the nonsense she and her boyfriend orchestrated last year. Not that he was happy to be having this talk at all. “But you don't even have friends. Yashimaru doesn't count, he's practically our uncle too.” His mouth shut and he grumbled.
“I have a friend.” She perked up at that. “His name's Baki, he lives in Suna.” She groaned, dramatically heaving herself upon the table like a desperate soul clutching to a board in a flood.
“Oh yes, a ‘friend’ in Suna. You must think I'm stupid.”
“I do though. We shared some drinks together before I came home, even.” Baki was his friend. His only real one if he were honest. He didn't have time to make friends, so on the job making one had been... nice. “Yashimaru knows him, too, ask him. I'm not making up a person so you won't feel bad for me.” It was clear she still didn't believe him.
“... Let me set you up on a date.” She brightened, and he sputtered. “Boys or girls? I know a bunch of both!”
“Momo-!”
“If you just go on one date, I will never ever bother you about this again, promise.” He sighed.
“You promise?”
“Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a senbon in my eye.” She drew an ‘x’ over her heart as she said it and he shook his head.
“Okay.”
“Yeah? No takesees backsees.”
“If it'll stop you from doing whatever this is again, sure.” He finished his cup, grimacing at the after taste as he dropped a few ryo on the table as a tip, slinging an arm around his sister who swayed a bit even though they'd only had two cups. “A boy, if you can manage. My age or... a little older.”
“I knew it .” She grinned, watching her feet as they headed towards Kenta's booth. “Shame you couldn't date Yashimaru.
“He's not my type.”
“What is your type. Help me out a little, niiii-chan.”
“... I guess...” He thought of thin lips set in a stern frown, of two dark brown eyes, one with a scar on the lower lid and slightly discolored when he had been tucking in his drunk friend. He thought of sharp and new face tattoos, vibrant red like the sunset over the desert on golden bronze skin . “I dunno, someone serious?”
“Ugh, so boring?” He wanted to argue- serious didn't mean boring. He bit his tongue, not liking the bubbles in his chest. “Are we going to see Kenta?”
“Yeah, figured you'd want to.” She was beaming.
“I'm gonna marry him someday, y'know?” He hummed, hiding any surprise. Momo obviously would want to marry, settle down, he just... hadn't expected her to already feel that way about anyone. Especially not Kenta- there wasn't anything wrong with him, his sister was just... Is that why she was worried about him? At seventeen she'd already found the man she wanted to marry so of course she'd worry about him, married to his work, almost no social life, he understood.
“Yeah?”
“Uhuh. We're gonna have two kids, one boy, one girl, the girl first I think. They'll be Namikaze, obviously.”
“Obviously.” He parroted, he could see the sign Chiyo had painted as they rounded the line of stalls and he saw who was likely to be his brother in law some day.
“Papa will cry at the wedding.” She mused, “I want daddy to give me away. Is that silly? Papa's the clan head, and it's not like that silly stuff maters, they aren't our real parents, y'know, but...” Here her voice got very small, “It would mean everything to me.” He patted her shoulder with the hand he was using to support her.
“I don't think he'll mind.” Kenta spotted them and looked momentarily alarmed, the table that had been covered in sweet breads was nearly empty already, he'd been worried it wouldn't sell.
“Is she okay?”
“She's fine, make her drink some water, alright? She should sober up in time for you two to enjoy some of the festival together.”
“How much did she have?” Kenta, much like their papa, is a worrier, soft, enjoys cooking, big, and Saito has been holding off a joke about all girls wanting to marry men like their fathers for months, one that is doubled because Himari's boyfriend reminds him an almost disgusting amount of their dad, but he keeps it behind his teeth. (After all, isn't their a certain too serious, skilled shinobi he thinks about a bit too much too?)
“Two cups of sake.” Kenta frowned, looked at Momo, who had reached up and was gently stroking the fuzz of hair on the side of his cheek, and then back to Saito. “Apparently she's a lightweight.”
“I'll keep that in mind.” He sighed, parking her in a chair behind the table. “I'll return her once she's sobered up.”
“I'll stop by with something for her to eat. It can't hurt. If you don't mind you could walk her home after the market closes, I'll tell out parents.”
“Oh, sure.” He smiled, a bit more relieved, and Saito wandered to find something to give his sister that might help her.
He did have to wonder who his sister had in mind for him, but he wasn't in a hurry to find out. He started to draft a letter in his mind to Baki, what he might tell him about tonight.
Chapter 154: A Party
Summary:
Sai turns one.
Chapter Text
Sai sat in his baba's lap, wide eyed as everyone sang off key around him. The day had been strange. He had a bath when he woke up, odd because that was a before bed thing his parents did to him. Then he was put in new clothes, there had been a lot of those in the last week, like the funny dress everyone wore to the loud colorful place a few days ago. Gaara did not get a nice new set of clothes, just his favorite ones he liked wearing- clean, he knew because they weren't sticky from spilled juice anymore- and they were sat beside each other in their highchairs. They had cut up blueberries and scrambled tofu for breakfast, his favorite, and it was about then he noticed they were hanging up the ribbons around doorways. The colorful flat strings that seemed to go up whenever something special happened. They usually meant cake, and off key singing and shiny boxes with bows on them. He wondered who would get them this time.
Last time it was Meimei, who had gotten a bunch of new clothes and coloring books out of the boxes. He was picked up again and brought to play with Gaara in the living room, someone had put out the padded tumbling mat, that had also come out of a shiny bowed box at some point but it ended up here. A lot of things ended up here. He followed Gaara, they both liked to roll around on it, and listened to people coming and going in the other rooms. Papa came in to check on then- Kakashi and Yosaku were in the room too but Papa was always checking on them when he was home.
Right around when lunch was usually held, his auntie Kushina came barging in, baby cousin Naruto in a sling all bundled up on her back, and she kneeled to give himself and Gaara what felt like a million kisses each.
“Happy birthday!” He tried to push her kissing face away but she just took his hands and kissed his palms.
“Kushina, we need to get our coats off, and you tracked snow in...” She looked back at her legs, seemed to notice she still had boots on, and kicked them off, standing, grabbed them, and loudly asked where the mop was. Kakashi laughed on the couch, he'd been petting Pakkun, Sai's favorite puppy, and listening to the radio.
The door opened again, he could hear, and he knew the particular yell of his favorite cousin, Shikari, which meant his other auntie and uncle had come with his second littlest cousin in toe.
Then his daddy came in and scooped them both up with his shadows, Gaara giggled like mad, but Sai just clung to his daddy once he was safe in his arms. He didn't like the shadows as much as Gaara did.
Daddy took them back to the big table, and rather than sit in his highchair, he was passed to baba, who gave him a nuzzle- Sai did like those, it was like being rubbed on by a kitty (Megumi and Bashira had snuck in a kitty a few months ago, and it got out of their rooms and came to cuddle Gaara and him, it was fluffy and rumbled just like their baba). They ate fried veggies and more tofu, this time it had been grilled, and then once he was finished getting it mostly to his mouth, they brought out a cake. This one was for him . He made a mess, he knew, getting it in his hair and on his clothes, under his chin and maybe even inside his shirt, but everyone seemed okay with it. His aunties cooed, calling him cute.
Then he got cleaned up, mostly, and they all went to the living room where he was able to sit on the floor with Gaara and Kari, who had been asleep for most of the party but was now awake and clinging to his arm. Her baby brother and Naruto were in a baby staring contest, wide eyed just looking at one another on his aunties laps. Papa was sitting on the floor with him, and helped him pick up shiny boxes and bags, he would pluck cards out of or off of them before turning the whole thing over to Sai who had help tearing the pretty paper from Gaara and Kari.
Lots of clothes, some new blocks, a cloth doll that he started to chew on instantly given the good texture of the bunnies ears, and nearing the end when Gaara had gone so far as to try and climb into an empty box, and Kari was ripping thin colorful paper and tossing it up over them, Jun offered him a bag.
“For my baby.” He crawled over and she had sat so he could get comfortable on her lap- she was only so much bigger than he was so it wasn't comfortable but he loved his big sister. She helped him pull out what was inside and his eyes widened, it was red. He kept pulling and pulling and more soft red kept spilling out of the bag, until he had enough it filled his arms, and he hugged it to his face.
“I think he likes it.” Papa whispered to Jun, and Sai made a soft squealing noise as he rubbed his face into it. He did like it. He loved it. The color, how soft it was, it was like a blanket for snakes.
He didn't fuss when Jun placed a loud smack kiss on the side of his head, too busy digging his fingers into the fabric. He didn't even want to chew it, just keep touching it forever.
He started to get sleepy not long after, and he, Gaara, and Kari were laid down for a nap on the tumbling mat, his new red thing over them like a blanket. His baby cousins would nap in his and Gaara’s crib so the adults could talk longer, and he fell asleep to the sounds of his family slowly dispersing around the house.
Chapter 155: Baby's First Clan Council Meeting
Summary:
Nanami goes with her papa to see bureaucracy in action. She gets a little more hands on than expected.
TW for child abuse/neglect at the end of the chapter.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Nanami had dressed up for her first clan council meeting. Her baba had put a very lovely pin in her hair for her, and she was looking at the fan in her right hand, part of a matching set, but the other was in the silk pouch on her wrist.
A gift from her brothers. It had seals painted on the inside of it, and collapsing it and applying chakra would have several different results, the fan folding to different degrees and in different places meant to change its use. Mostly it caused wind, fire, and if touching the ground could destabilize it. The brothers in question (Nao, Yosaku, and Yuki who was her sibling but signed their fate to get lumped into that by willingly helping their brothers) had bought a hundred cheap fans during the festival and experimented over the few days that followed before presenting her with a very nice one- the finished product. Of course she loved it.
This was something like a soft run-through of a societal debut and she might be meeting a lot of important people. Some of them, her siblings reasoned, would be assholes, so if she wanted to challenge them to a fight she could at least wipe the smug look off of one of their faces with her fan. She had practiced with Yuki all afternoon, and though it was still a bit clumsy she was confident she could defend herself reasonably well. Papa had told her she wasn't allowed to fight the other members of the council yet, she was too little, and if there was fighting he would be the one doing it. She sensed their could be an exception to that rule and had continued to practice with them regardless.
Her baba took her hand and they followed papa to the meeting, listening to him with varying levels of care as he tried to prepare them for what was going to happen. Nanami listened, baba was fussing with her hair instead.
Outside the building they met with Shikaku, who looked exhausted (she should offer to baby sit so he and her auntie could take a nap). He was viciously chewing the end of a toothpick, shredding it, face dark, until he spotted them and stuck the remains of it in a pocket, giving them a small smile. He congratulated Nanami, becoming her clan's official heir was a big deal. Not that she wasn't aware, but her siblings had all been laughing and joking about how she was making a sacrifice taking up the mantle and how they never could have done something like that.
Maybe to other families it was a distinct honor. In the current generation of her clan, it was an unwanted burden that her siblings were happy to be rid of.
“You excited for the most boring three hours of your life?” She giggled as he patted her shoulder and they went in.
People were chatting before the meeting, and she quickly began to assign faces to the names she had been reading up on. Of the major clans the only one she was seeing for the first time was Hiashi Hyuga, she was familiar with his brother however so his face was easy to place. It was the smaller clans that gave her pause. She was already receiving curious looks, but one of clear annoyances was coming from a woman with long black hair (the Lee clan, she remembered after a moment, just came back after an absence- had a baby, boy or girl Nanami didn't know). Her papa put his hand on her shoulder and guided her over to formally introduce her as their clan's heir to several of the uncles she knew. Auntie Tsunade grinned at her and told her it was refreshing they'd soon have another woman join the council, Tsume seconded it.
When the meeting began, her baba had to be introduced specifically, he'd put his ears and tails away, but let them back out once doing so. They asked him questions, and she made a mental note of them all, who asked what, what they were saying but not really saying. The duplicitous double speak of blue blooded social elitist's was a second language and one her classmates had helped her learn a long time ago.
Of course, it mostly boiled down to if he planned to involve himself to protect the village, to which the answer was ‘kind of’ and how that annoyed many of the smaller or older clans. Auntie Tsunade had laughed, and she caught her uncle Shikaku smiling to himself and trying to hide it when baba told a room full of clan heads he only had an interest in protecting children, and they were more than capable of protecting themselves. During the recess halfway through the meeting he patted her head a informed her and her papa he was going home. If she had been maybe a year or two younger he would have hugged her tight and maybe tried to bring her with him, as it was he just kissed her forehead and reminded papa to come straight home with her.
Lee Nori was staring at them again. It was not in her head.
The Lee clan was one of the smaller clans, absorbed into Konoha relatively recently, after the Nara and Hyuga clans, before the Inozuka had moved in. They specialized in genjutsu, their usual technique involved causing severe disorientation, dizziness, head aches, and impairment. Although they guarded their secrets fiercely, the genjutsu wasn't unique enough to land them a spot among the notable clans of Konoha. No kekkei gen kai, no shadow manipulation or mind capturing, not even the dog-like traits or insect control of other famous clans.
It must be annoying to her, small clans without much chance of growing probably hated her own which was beating the odds. But hating the clan was very different from glaring at her personally.
She had only ever seen the woman in passing, and from how her parents talked about that clan the few times it was brought up they had no problems between them. It didn't make sense to her. Even still, it wasn't enough to really bother her. It wouldn't have been at least if it had amounted to only harsh looks.
There was an open question period at the end of the meeting, separate from the one before with her papa. It was for other issues until they needed to talk about the new years festivities. Clan disputes, policy questions, discussing citizen council measures that would be coming up for a vote in their own council soon. It was actually five minutes over the time they had blocked for the meeting.
Even so, when it came time to end the meeting, Choza, who was very polite and diplomatic at this meeting (not usually true according to her papa, as usually he was having a tense showdown with Shibi that predated his knowing either of them so there was no explanation for it) and Lee Nori raised a final issue at the exact moment everyone was trying to shuffle papers together and head for the door.
“This is a council for the shinobi clans of the village, so is it not a bit strange that one of the esteemed seated members plans to pass down his seat to a civilian?” Oh. That was why she was glaring then, wasn't it?
“I don't see how that has any relevance to the council.” Her papa smiled, the tight, sharp smile that preceded disaster. She ran through every possible thing she thought he might attempt in retaliation and realized the council hall wouldn't survive his anger, and her debut as clan heir would be over shadowed by her father's arrest for murder (worst case) and she decided to take matters into her own hands.
“If you wouldn't mind, Lady Nori, I would be happy to address your concerns personally. I would hate to waste the other clan heads precious time seeing as this appears to be personal business.” Unaware of it, but she also was wearing a tight, sharp smile, one her twin recognized as her at her limit of rage and seconds from breaking the training spear over his head. It was, of course, a learned behavior and eerie for others to see them both with it on display.
“An undisciplined civilian might not be up to the task of leading a clan, is all I meant. A seat on the civilian council-!”
“Then let's spar.” Her smile was almost mockingly polite, it took everything in her not to throw herself forward and strike like an angry cat. “To show I'm just as capable of the position as a shinobi my age would be. I'd only ask you not to use genjutsu since I'm not capable of dispelling it on my own.” Not true, if she shocked a bit of chakra on the nape of her neck she could jolt away any visions or hallucinations, but she wanted to keep that tucked away.
“Namikaze-san, surely you wouldn't allow your young daughter to fight an adult, a chunin at that.” His eyes rolled between them, and he had a toothy grin. If it had been Hiashi who had made this fuss she had no doubt that her papa would have handled it, but he must have judged Nori as being within Nanami's current fighting class as he seemed ready to let them fight rather than raise the building to the ground in defense of her.
“I don't see why she can't. I've been training her and her siblings so at the very least she knows her own limits and would surrender on her own if it was too much.”
What was going unsaid was that in the last spar that Kakashi had granted her she had managed to temporarily get him off balance and hit him face down in the dirt. He reversed her hold and held her until she was counted out, but it hadn't been a surprise attack. No jutsu on his end, no funinjutsu on hers, and in this match she'd be able to do as she pleased.
He was curious how his little girl stacked up against another clan head. Did it make him a bad father to let his teenage daughter fight a fully grown and well trained woman? Perhaps, but he also hadn't asked her to do this, and he would not stop her.
“Haruki, she's like, thirteen. What are you thinking?” Shikaku hissed, looking at his niece nervously. He shrugged. This didn't make his brother-in-law less anxious.
“Nonleathal, of course.” Nori agreed, “I would hate to do any real damage.”
“Since it's more of a spar, would it be possible to do it now in the courtyard? No point in drawing it out, is there?”
“Are you sure you don't want to step in?” Choza was giving her father nervous looks now too, but-
“It'll be a good experience for her regardless of how it turns out.” He stated confidently. No interference then. Perfect.
Most of the council shuffled out with them to the court yard, no doubt thinking they'd step in when it became clear Nanami was losing. The rules had already been established, no genjutsu, nothing lethal. Nanami pulled her gloves up, and took out her fan.
Both got into position, and she narrowed her fan with as much precision as she could and bent herself into a sturdier stance. Nori had taken out a kunai, though from the glint it was blunted, it would still hurt like hell if it connected. With lack of any better alternative, somehow, Fugaku had been put in charge of calling this match- he looked uncomfortable.
The 'b-e-g' of begin had hardly left him when Nanami had reversed her hold on the fan, flicking its radial tip along the earth as if sweeping dust. Her glove had sparked, a glint of energy, not quite electric as it zipped from her glove into the fan, the seal currently made by the folding of it was one to cause an earth spike, and it activated, shredding the ground ahead of her in multiple sharp barbs. She'd over juiced it, and the long sharp spikes of earth only missed Nori because her body instinctively pulled her back. She had been slow, however, her side had been cut, and blood was dropping lazily down to stain her hip.
Nanami had not waited to see if she'd hit, instead, twisting the fan, shifting its folds and sweeping it across the open air, a cutting gust of wind followed the sparking of chakra as it raced through. The wind cleared any and all dust instantly, leaving Nori no space to try and use substitution, and she attempted to use the kunai to lessen the wind- her face was scratched but not cut deeply. That hadn't been her intent anyway. Nori was focused on the fan, and thus didn't see or dodge the fist aimed at her gut in time.
Nanami would put herself as maybe the fourth strongest child in her family. Behind Yuki, who was a prodigy, Urushi who was a shinobi, and Kakashi, who was both a shinobi and a prodigy. Maybe in terms of raw strength Momo had her beat, even. But unlike her other siblings, Nanami actually enjoyed sparing with their papa.
He didn't go easy on them, never enough to do any harm, but the insurmountable gap in skill was a thrilling challenge for Nanami.
There was no such challenge as Nori took the blow hard, knocking over as Nanami surged. She was on top of Nori in almost a heart beat, knees pinning her arms down, fan flicked and with chakra ebbing into it a small flame danced along the apex of its curve. It was pointed at her head, the flame flickering reflected in her eyes.
Nanami was average size for her age. She had long brown hair, and brown eyes, even so she didn't really stand out much. The muscles she had built didn't bulge, they weren't obvious, and she had not intended to show any form of real strength, but the muscles in her belly tensed as she shifted her legs ever so slightly, pressing Nori's arms in a way that made gaining leverage impossible as she struggled. Unexpectedly, the fight was over as quickly as people assumed it would be, but a radically different outcome had occurred.
Blood rushed in her ears as Fugaku called the match and she ceased the flow of chakra to her fan, getting up in a smooth rock up to her heels and stepping away from a dazed looking Lee Nori. Her eyes sought out her father and when he raised an arm she rushed over to duck under it, he rubbed her back, and she noticed the dull throb of pain from her forearm where she had been struck without her even noticing. It didn't really bother her.
She melted a bit as her back was rubbed in a slow circle between her shoulders, and her papa began telling her how proud he was of her.
Those of the council who knew of or had personally seen what exactly Haruki and his husband were capable of had known they'd be raising a little monster, their blood daughter- they hadn't realized all of the kids would also turn out to be monsters too, even the non shinobi kids...
Nanami was only 13. How much more could she grow? Nori might rely on her genjutsu more than she should, but she was a chunin, and physically shouldn't have been knocked over by the little girl. But she had been.
“Just what the hell is Haruki teaching those kids?” Shikaku mumbled more to himself than to Choza or Inoichi beside him.
However, for the first time all night, the incredibly stoic young woman was grinning, actually looking like a child as her father fussed over her.
Nori stood with a tremble in her legs, head bowed and eyes burning. Cogs turning in her head. If a civilian child could get that strong and learn funinjutsu without having chakra then... maybe her oldest boy would finally show his worth.
Snow crunched under his feet, getting in through the open toe of his sandals as he tried to follow the kata his mother had shown him. She'd come home a few weeks before with her face all scratched up, and had talked with his father for a long time. The morning after that his mother had shown him some silly poses and motions for getting into them, and told him to do it until he did it perfectly.
So Rock had been doing just that. For hours every day. Until his limbs felt heavy, and his stomach was twisting with hunger. There was an implication that should he succeed, he could rejoin his parents for meals. He was eating, of course, but it was hardly enough given his new high activity levels.
He was always hungry, and always scared that if he took too long maybe his parents would stop looking at him all together. That was somehow scarier to him than having no food to eat. Even worse, if he lost their attention now he might never get it back, he had a new little brother, and he felt with painful certainty that his parents loved the baby more than him. Much more than him. If he couldn't meet expectations they might lose interest, and if they did... maybe he'd rather starve than live like a ghost in his own house. So he would keep getting up when he fell over, and keep moving until his arms were too heavy to do so, and maybe even after that.
Notes:
I promise Lee will be getting out of their soon ;_;
Chapter 156: For a Lifetime
Summary:
As it turns out, preventing the events of someone's death can domino into an unlikely bond between what will one day be a teacher and a student.
Chapter Text
“Gai!” Neji squeaked, trying to wriggle free of his mother and run to the boy, his small sweet smile prominent as his father greeted Gai's father. Neji was of course not at all interested in Duy or his father, not right now.
“Heya Neji!” Gai scooped him up, and he dug his fingers into the soft spandex across his favorite baby sitters chest. “How ya feeling today?” He burred his face into Gai's chest, ignoring the question and instead felt secure from the wiry but strong arms holding him tight.
Gai had been coming for a few months along with his father, though sometimes they all went to Mr. and Mr. and Dr. Namikaze's house so one of the Mr. Namikaze and his daddy, and Gai's daddy could all talk about fighting and spar. When they went to the Namikaze house he got to play with Uhari, and Uhari's older brother and Gai would play too, but their games seemed pretty silly. Neji really liked Gai, he was funny, and he didn't mind playing with Neji at all. Since he didn't have any siblings or cousins, he had mentally assigned a roll similar to Gai. This of course was not true, as a few days ago he did have one cousin, a little girl who had been named Hinata, but he had yet to see her and thus was fully unaware of her existance.
For his part, chasing after Neji and keeping him entertained was great exercise for the young shinobi, and it gave Aimi time to herself while her husband met with his taijutsu group. She did worry a bit that Neji was getting a bit too attached to Gai, but there weren't many children for him to play with outside of Inei and Haruki's kids, and they were all a fair bit older save for Uhari, or too young like their youngest boys.
So when her little boy couldn't go over to play with Uhari, it was nice that Gai would pop in to visit.
Newborns needed a lot of attention, yes, but newborns were stationary. Newborns didn't crawl or toddle halfway across the house when your back was turned. The also usually didn't fall off the porch and into a bush in the garden while trying to escape a bath. She had more concerns and stress over him now that he was mobile and getting faster than she had while pregnant. At least she always knew where he was before he started crawling.
Baby proofing their old traditional house had been a nightmare too- she'd paid one of Inei's sons to come over and put seals on that specifically kept Neji from opening or putting himself through paper screens, falling over drops, like the one in the garden, and out of the kitchen entirely after the fiasco where he had tugged on a low hanging kitchen towel and brought the knife set to dry on it down beside his foot. He wasn't hurt of course, thank the sage, but her sweet little boy seemed hell bent on finding every single danger and checking their reaction time to his setting it off.
Having Gai around prevented Neji from getting bored and thus nearly suicidal in his curiosity.
She just hoped he didn't grow up to want to wear nothing but leg warmers and green spandex like the Mighto men...
Gai had taken Neji, bundled in his snow suit, out into the back garden and was helping him make a small snowman. At their kotatsu Hizashi was sat with Duy and Haruki, who had brought them some fresh bread (too much time off apparently) and the three were chatting over a few cans of beer. She popped in to let Hizashi know she was going to take a nap, and to remind the boys to come in and warm up before too long, and went to do just that.
Outside, Neji laughed just loud enough for her to hear despite how quiet he usually was. He had shoved a tiny fist full of snow into Gai's face and had his hat pulled gently down over his eyes in retaliation.
Chapter 157: Shenanigans
Summary:
It's Yosaku's birthday, and two little girls make some unsupervised life choices.
Notes:
Updates will continue to be sporadic, I had another round of writers block but hopefully I won't have any more at least for this story until it's done, fingers crossed.
Chapter Text
Yosaku didn't mind having his birthday right before New Years. He had it off from school, so his friend Tetsuya could come and play with him, they'd gotten very good with their signal lamps. They were teaching his birds, Bubble and Seedhead to sing for treats to mixed success. He just wanted a sleep over- they'd have his cake tomorrow, and gifts from family outside the house then too. He'd already gotten a pile of books on birds, a stuffed cockatoo doll that his papa had sewn for him, and some new enrichment toys for the bird cages. He had also heard whisperings that he might be getting a new bird, very different from his sparrow and finch, from his uncle. He thought this might be true because several of his bird books from his older siblings were on falconry. He would love to keep a hawk or a falcon, they were such clever birds.
He and his friend were staying out the way, since New Years was a pretty big deal for clans, and theirs was no exception. Baba and papa were making a lot of food so it would be ready for tomorrow, and daddy was practically scrubbing every nook and cranny of the house. He had a new kimono for the holiday, Papa had had his clones helping make them the last few weeks and Yoskau had even helped a bit with his own. It had a pattern of feathers on it. Tetsuya and his family were invited this year and he was excited to spend even more time with him. As sad as it might have seemed to others, Yosaku only really had the one friend, but that was okay because Tetsuya was better then a dozen friends combined.
Tetsuya had said his parents had been really excited to be invited to the party, but it was pretty boring the year before. Yosaku did not yet realize that people would be excited for an opportunity to speak casually with the hokage, since he often forgot his uncle was the hokage. It could be hard to remember given Minato oji didn't like talking about work when he came over, and the only other shinobi Yosaku personally knew were his other uncles and aunts, and is parents- all others kind of seemed... soft compared to his dads, and he hadn't really thought too much about that either. The highlight last year was the fireworks, they had been good, and they'd be better this year apparently, the roof had a good view of them, and it was warm up there from the seals so it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. He was excited for the sparklers they'd gotten to play in the yard with too. The dogs didn't like the noise but this year Chiyo was going to take them all down to the courtyard for the fireworks display, it was sound proofed so they wouldn't get scared.
Yosaku tweeted at his sparrow, giving Bubbles another seed when she tweeted back. He didn't know if she was smart enough to learn how to tweet the village anthem but he'd do his best to teach her.
Tetsuya was sat beside him, watching with wide eyes. He liked birds too apparently, or he did now that he knew a few- he didn't even mind when Seedhead nipped his fingers impatiently. They'd been talking about school, it was on break for the holiday, and complaining to one another about homework and the other children in their class- specifically the girls. The girls in their class were rude to Tetsuya, who wanted to talk with them, and followed Yosaku around, who didn't want to talk to them. He wasn't very interested in become friends, however, as the year before when he'd started the semester late they had said some very mean things to him, and despite what Nanami thought, he did realize they were trying to get something out of him.
It just wasn't what he thought.
He knew his parents had a surprising amount of influence, and sure, his uncle was hokage, yes, but those things existed as concepts. He had just turned twelve, after all, and so thinking he was always flocked by the majority of his female classmates (and some from other classes too) had been written off as something to do with that. Nanami seemed to think so, and he trusted his older sister. If she thought the girls in his grade were trailing after him because he had connections, then that was likely true, their schools population was mostly made of the upper class of Konoha and there actually was a fair amount of backstabbing and social power plays that Yosaku did his best to avoid and mostly succedded. He didn't want to make trouble for his clan, especially not now that Nanami had been officially announced as clan heir, she scared him.
However, Nanami, who had been his sister for a very long time, even before they were all adopted together, couldn't look at Yosaku and see anything other than her bird obsessed brother. Which was true, he was obsessed, but usually people didn't learn that until they'd talked with him for an hour or two.
In truth, he had somehow acquired a similar reputation among his fairer classmates as a young Uchiha boy had in an alternate future-past.
Yosaku only spoke to Tetsuya, having made his assessment of the other students and how they initially treated him. He got top grades, was already showing signs of his family's training via a stronger and more striking physique, and further than that in the last few months he'd lost most of his baby fat from said training. He had every indication that he would glide gracefully through puberty, he'd already started to become a well known pretty boy.
He came off as aloof and untouchable, an ice prince- much in the same way Nanami was an ice princess not that she had realized that either. Her petty squabbles with the other girls in her grade were of course still bullying but less over any imagined slight or sociopolitical power plays, and more in anger that the boys of her class were weird about her and not them. Nanami often complained that the boys in her class were annoying and she'd rather sit alone then always have someone bugging her about some tedious posturing.
Even Nao had realized what Nanami had not, and all those invitations to tea or parties between families, to study one on one alone in the library, and countless other and more obvious invitations were for dates and not shallow overtures at comparing families or flaunting wealth. It would do little good for any boy or girl ignorant and persistent enough to still follow Nanami or Yosaku around like love drunk morons, but the attempts were still being made. Maybe Nanami got a bit of it right, for the posturing bit.
The moment any single girl among those who was hanging about him like a particular aggressive swarm of blood sucking parasite realized he had a soft spot for avians, all peace would vanish.
But that was later. Now it was time to turn on the radio in his room, a gift from last year that had taken him a week to notice had been set innocently on the shelf beside his futon.
Phantasm was on. Yugure loved the radio show more than him and never missed one, but Tetsuya was a big fan and the thing itself wasn't horrible. Yosaku settled his birds back in their cages and began to sort his books to put on his shelf, amused his friend was chanting softly to himself as the hero, a shinobi who could pass through walls and walk on air who protected a huge fictional imperial city from equally colorful and bizarre bad guys, fought the current villain. He'd missed the name of this current problem, but from description the creature or man had messed up some kind of jutsu and now permanently had the head of a wolf and liked to steal gold.
Tetsuya punched the air as if he was fighting the dog headed bad guy instead, only invisible and in Yosaku’s bedroom. Outside of his room he could hear shouts and popping sounds, like maybe one of the younger menaces he called his siblings had found the party favors and were setting a few off ahead of schedule.
Socked feet tore past, and the the sound of clipped nails (dog nails) clicked sharply past as well. Followed a few minutes later by his dad's voice reminding them not to run in the halls. This of course would not and had not stopped them.
He flopped back on his futon and stared at the model planets strung down from the cross braces of his ceiling. Above them on the actual ceiling were seals on yellowing paper he had put up to hide the smell of bird in his bedroom when he had first brought Bubbles and her broken wing home. They had remained long after Bubbles was finally openly acknowledged by him as having been brought inside- if he could successfully hide her his parents would pretend they didn't see her- because birds stunk as it turned out. They were pretty and clever, and Yosaku loved them more than he could ever explain, and they had a smell that lingered at the back of your nose.
It was those seals that kept him fresh smelling, rather than over running him with stink. He wouldn't really have cared, but it might be a deterrent to his own highly competitive and secretive fan club at school if he smelled like his beloved birds. Of course, had he known he might well have let himself smell like them, as finding he was the target of stalking to some extent would probably upset him and as a result, well, the smell really didn't bother him and the being followed would have.
Tetsuya, aware of the fan club, the rumors that though positive were definitely strange, and how his friend would react (badly) to those things, resolved once again to tell him later, since he was clearly in a good mood.
Since everyone was busy, once again, the two not quite twins had snuck upstairs and into papa's office. Megumi pulled two cushions free and placed a triangle of seals down on the floor, tapping them with a gloved finger while Bashira, who was a bit stronger, got the scroll. The fox scroll. The pattern of red, white, and black along its old edges smoothed under their fingers as they both took it in. This was by far the single greatest treasure of their family, hands down. They unwound the decorative cord that was fastened with a bead carved to look like a fox head, and gently unrolled the ancient paper that was silent beneath their fingers. First was papa's name written in dark rusty red, almost brown, it was in the box on the end, beside it was Urushi's name, also aged darker.
Between them on the floor as they unwound it further was a kunai that had been unknowingly but graciously donated for their current escapade from Kakashi's room. A fading name for an ‘Uzumaki Hitori’ was seven or eight blanks in. The girls faced one another, mumbling as their fists bobbed slightly ahead of them, in the open air between them.
“ Janken !” Bashira hissed triumphantly as she covered her sisters still closed fist with her flat hand. Megumi pouted for a moment but made no protest. That done they shuffled, and now in optimum position, Bashira pricked her thumb pad with the kunai, and quickly wrote her name on the blank beside Urushi's. Megumi took it from her then, and carefully wrote her own name beside Bashira's. The seals placed had glowed lightly when they'd pricked their thumbs, but they sat watching their blood sink into the old paper like ink, and it lost the glossy shine of fresh blood. Footsteps heading up made them scramble to quickly roll the scroll back up and tie it closed, placing it back and ripping up the seals that had been around them, they dropped open a book on animals between them just in time to see their baba poke his head in, sniffing the air lightly.
“Hi baba!” “Hello baba.” They greeted, hoping to not get caught, not until Urushi could be bullied to show them how to summon fox now that they had contracted themselves to the seal.
“Did one of you... get hurt?”
The book had not been dropped open on just any page. Both girls shyly lifted up two embroidery hoops, one with a deer half stitched into it, the other with a fox. They had anticipated this much.
“I pricked my finger.” Megumi lifted her thumb, putting it in her mouth to hide the cut that was definitely not born of a sewing needle.
“Don't tell, okay baba? It's a surprise.” Bashira gave him puppy eyes, and he faltered, coming in to pat them both on the head.
“Okay, but you two should take that book down to your room, you're too little to be up here alone, and the party is going to start soon, so finish those later.”
“Okay baba!”
“Thank you, baba!” they both hurried to gather the book- the kunai had been hidden back in a pocket by then, one that had thread spools poking out to imply the whole weight of the pocket came from them- and their hoops before hopping up to kiss his cheeks and running off. Kurama was so confused about the encounter that he didn't notice that the scroll in the stand by the window was facing the other way than it usually did.
Chapter 158: Double Booking
Summary:
A fruit basket can do wonders for unity among the village and a clan coming back to prominence.
Chapter Text
Actions speak louder than words. Fugaku believed words were just as important but he couldn't deny how important the action part really was.
When Sarutobi had come out to the village with an apology for not having interfered with Danzo during his time as Hokage, and been the one to whistleblow everything they'd discovered which included personal attacks fabricated against the Uchiha clan and the spread of unsavory rumors the apology had been nice.
Not enough, but it had been nice.
Saying ‘It was all made up’ did not fix relations with the village however.
What did was Itachi. Not singularly, that would be far too much to place on a child, no. Itachi was very well known to be close with Haruki as his student, though that would soon end. Itachi had opened a door for the clan.
The Namikaze clan backed the Uchiha clan because of what that connection had started. It could have just as easily ended in nothing after the discussions of Madara's body, but Itachi was such a lovable child the tenuous connection strengthened.
His friendship with Yugure was also a huge help. It gave Fugaku and Mikoto reasons to get closer to other clans- the Nara clan for one. Good relations with the Nara clan had opened up even more connections with the Yaminaka and more influential Akamichi clan.
He hadn't had to fight for Haruki and his son to insist more Uchiha police stations be built in a new commercial district. This had led to further changes. The Namikaze clan were well known now for their altruistic humanitarian efforts, and thus extremely well liked. It was good for the Uchiha clan's image for Uchiha to be seen close with Namikaze's.
First Itachi and Yugure, then also her sisters, and later Obito and Kakashi, who were being whispered about in a mostly good way.
The elders had wanted to push for a betrothal between Itachi and Yugure, but he could tell that would never happen.
The parenting group Shikaku's wife had started also helped. The majority of the group were clan heads or their spouses, and anyone who was truly informed knew that those meetings, between swapping parenting tips and baby clothes, was a stage where a lot of important policies were discussed before council meetings.
It was just bound to happen, half the seated members, over half, were a part of the group. Long before some new measure or budget ever crossed the council hall floor, it first was complained about and debated in a living room while infants, toddlers, and young children shrieked and played nearby. Usually over some very delicious snacks prepared not only by whoever it was whose turn had come up to host, but also Namikaze Haruki who was skilled enough Fugaku wouldn't be surprised if he retired as a shinobi one day and went to work as the personal chef of the diyamo.
It was, unfortunately, down to being seen in the right places with the right people. He had hoped that if the stars aligned he and Mikoto might have a child around the same age as a baby from Minato and Kushina, his wife's long time friend was marrying the current Hokage in spring, now that things had settled down, but he'd long support Minato's bid for the seat before that.
The Hokage's wife being very close with the Uchiha clan heads wife was also good for appearances, but a happy accident nonetheless.
He wasn't sure if Minato was doing this on purpose right now or not, however.
It was the last day of the year. They had been getting ready for the bedlam that followed every New Years, like every festival- drunks, many of whom were shinobi, minor property damage, catching animals that got out in panic from the fireworks, noise complaints, the works. Those not on the force got to enjoy a small party at the compound, with the reminder if he had to come and break it up because they got complaints, there would be hell to pay. The chief of police should not need to calm a wild party at his own house . Otherwise, however, he was preparing for a very long night.
Mikoto had invited Kushina and Minato, young son bundled up in what he knew now for certain was one of Haruki's quilts that were rightfully treated like incredible treasures, baby in Kushina's arms, and Minato had hauled in a basket.
A basket full of fruit. It was huge. It had a big blue ribbon on it too.
“Happy New Years!” The most powerful man in the village was laughing, pink cheeked like a child as he set the massive fruit basket on Fugaku's floor before hauling himself up to take off his shoes. Minato had insisted on walking with his extremely large gift basket to the compound apparently. The man who could teleport. Purposefully walked.
Fugaku was glad there was a party because even if they only ate fruit for a few days and Sasuke were capable of helping too there was no way his small family could make a noteworthy dent in the massive thing before it started to turn.
And Minato had effectively walked this advertisement of good will across the whole damn village personally. Fugaku was touched, Mikoto kept repeating how it was just too much and they shouldn't have, and Itachi was peaking through it for a banana he could sneak.
Baby Sasuke and little Naruto were laid in a pop up in the sitting area while Mikoto served tea, excitedly talking with Kushina about... Fugaku may have missed it. Minato had explained to him, though he couldn't really believe it, that they wanted to stop in early, they'd be with his clan for the actual celebration, of course, but Kushina really wanted to stop in and see Mikoto and let the boys socialize and he thought he should thank Fugaku and the others who'd be out that night early.
According to their chipper young hokage he had repeated this to anyone who had been brave enough to ask. He shouldn't be shocked. Minato had had to address the festival in the town square to open it, as was a loose tradition, and he'd also mentioned then a thank you to the Uchiha clan for keeping order. There had been smaller gestures, slowly building up to the fruit basket, now shy a banana and two peaches because of Itachi, who had eaten so much fruit with his tiny belly he was half laying beside the pop up and staring dreamily in on his brother and the tiny blonde baby staring at Sasuke.
In a vacuum, a fruit basket is an empty gesture, a congratulations, get better, or thank you, sometimes a ‘sorry for your loss’ that meant little and helped not at all. But not this one.
This one was paraded through Konoha by their much loved hokage, and loudly decried to be a thank you for the hard working Uchiha who would no doubt ensure another safe and happy holiday.
It was a huge flashing sign that screamed in neon letters ‘the village needs them and I happen to like and appreciate them and you should feel silly for not feeling that way too’ with a jaunty powder blue ribbon on top.
They had gotten their empty, too late apology that everyone ignored or simply didn't know about to ignore, and it had done, if you'll pardon him this one time, shit all . This silly basket would do twice what those empty words had wanted to do, and all without any coverage from local media who had made a shiny ryo off of his clan and fearmongering them to readers and radio owners.
Minato really was something. Twice the charismatic leader as Sarutobi had ever been. He'd be concerned if Minato had not, at every turn in the years of knowing him, proven to be an empathetic and soft soul. If the old bastard had turned it over to Minato even a few months earlier he was sure the blonde still would have come with fruit then too.
He smiled despite himself.
When they left Fugaku retrieved a smaller basket, and Mikoto helped him pick out what fruits would come with him to the preliminary brief and what would stay for the party out of the basket.
Kurama usually wore yukata, and given his current condition the only change would be the material of this one would look a bit more dressy than usual. It had a bit of spare space when he wrapped and tied it, but not as much as it had the week before when he had tried it on for size. The reason was obvious, especially now.
His cubs were tearing around the halls in a mad dash to get ready last minute when they'd had all day, as he was used to. His other half and mate were no doubt somewhere doing something important. Inei might be attempting to make sure that the kids were actually getting dressed and help however he could to that end even if it was only nagging. Haruki was without doubt upstairs in the kitchen, clones abound, trying to manage several large pots, the big rice cooker, a number of baked goods, and setting out punch and bowls of fruit and plates of finger foods that were not complicated to make but somewhat time consuming to prepare. He should be up there too, but Haruki had told him to take a nap earlier in the day, and Inei had agreed he should rest.
It was now two hours later, not long until guests would arrive, and he stood in front of a mirror with a critical eye.
A year ago, nearly exactly, was showing its results clearly now.
He preened, putting a hand over the gentle but clear swell from the cubs, considering himself in the mirror. If it was just the one it might not be noticeable until right before the day the cub came out, he only had the organs he needed for the cubs to grow healthy, cutting out everything else. It meant more space inside, and he was big enough that even one cub on the way might not need to push out his stomach as it grew. But three? It might actually get a little cramped.
The due date had been more accurately adjusted given the speed at which his cubs were developing, and they would be expecting them in fall of the coming year if all went well, if it didn't then as late as January of next year, but they were on track. Orochimaru had been prodding him lately, curious how he managed to get pregnant, then curious about how he was staying that way. He had been commenting off-handedly about a personal project he was working on, and Kurama should probably remember to ask about it, but for now he was just happy.
Leaving their bedroom he winced at the mess on the ground of the hallway, the cubs had gotten into the confetti again. Little bits of colored paper littered the floor and he sighed, brushing them out of his way with his tails as he walked.
A tiny brown haired boy ran straight into his knees and he shifted to keep balanced as Kankuro squeezed his leg and stuck out his tongue behind him. Kurama didn't need to give a full backwards glance to see Jun and Temari around the corner holding bows and watching him like hawks.
“Girls, leave your brother alone.” They both jumped and he judged how much Kankuro weighed versus how much he was allowed to carry, dismissed the concern, reinforced anything that might be strained, and stooped to scoop him up and settle him on his hip, a tail securing him. In order to lift the boy he'd had to practically squat as bending at the waist was an exercise in futility at this point, luckily he was strong enough not to get stuck, but eventually even that would become a challenge.
He was of course still in the fluttery, ever so happy to be expecting stages of pregnancy- Kushina had assured him that that would eventually fade to a desperate anxiety for the kid to come out already- and beyond the concept of humiliation as it sometimes applied to people who didn't like too much attention or want help even when they really did need it. Kurama was certain his pride, though an incredibly large target, would not be bruised when he started needing assistance getting up, lowering himself down, picking things up, or potentially knocking things over because he didn't see them under The Bump, capitalization mandatory as Kushina and Yoshino had both agreed.
He hadn't yet considered that he was going to get more and more emotional the longer the cubs cooked, nor how much he would likely cry, ugly and unrestrained, when that tipped from the ‘so excited for the baby’ to the ‘is pregnancy a chronic illness or does this end any other way then death’ phase.
He carried Kankuro up the stairs and reunited him with Shin and Mei, who he had to carefully remove ribbons from- their sisters had been quick.
He could feel the energy in the air shift just before a pair of hands, smaller than his own, were resting around him, a soft groan coming from his mate who was hiding against his back.
“Next year lets make Minato host...” Kurama laughed, secretly pleased as his mate absentmindedly began to stroke over his stomach.
“Can I get a hand in here?” Inei untangled himself and shuffled toward the kitchen, leaving Kurama with the children, Yugure slipped out of the shadows that shouldn't have hidden her half as well as it did, shoving something in her mouth and running to him-
It was a tiny fruit tart, and he smiled as she gave him the other one she had pinched from the kitchen. He herded them towards the living room, Kakashi was impatiently waiting for Obito to come pick him up, this year he planned to spend time at both parties, the first half with the Uchiha clan, the second half at home for fire works. Aside from their silver haired cub, Himari was helping Chiyo sort Nanami's hair, and Yosaku and his weird friend were tucked in an armchair together whispering about eagles. Temari and Jun had followed in and zeroed in on on their older sisters, wanting to help.
He didn't need to glance out the large window to know Yuki and Nao were in the yard still, trying to hurry the last of the dogs inside. Chiyo was meant to have done that already, but...
“We appear to be missing several children.” He stated, which was followed by more shouting as several of said missing children came up the stairs in a loud tangled group, nearly tripping over a dog or two on their way.
Kabuto was trying to flee, but Urushi was trying to fix his obe, and Kieko and Fu were both being steered forward by an exhausted looking Saito- they had glitter and bits of paper practically plastered to their clothes.
“There we are.” He mumbled. Mentally going through the roster of their kids. “Wait. Where are the twins?”
“Nao's outside.” Nanami answered softly, playing with the fan on her lap.
“No, Megumi, and-!” His nose twitched. “I'll be back.”
“Do you think baba knows they aren't actually twins?” He heard Kabuto ask it quietly, almost missing Chiyo's returning volley.
“Do they ?”
He found both girls upstairs in Haruki's study, apparently embroidering, sending them down with their book to finish later. He'd have to find the first aid kit and get Megumi's finger bandaged before their guests started showing up... he might be able to get Keiko to do it as first aid practice instead, as the thought of hunting it down amid the chaos was almost as exhausting as actually doing it.
Chapter 159: Come and Gone
Summary:
Another new years party.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The first to arrive were Tsunade and her family- Shizune went to bother Kakashi until Rin and her father showed up. Tenzo had produced more out of season fruit, and was excitedly telling Kurama about the fruits themselves while he tried to navigate the kitchen with an almost twelve year old at his heels and two other adults moving things around. Tsunade parked herself with a bottle at the kitchen table to bother Haruki and help herself to some of the food.
The next arrival was Genma, who had brought some flowers and was red faced as he presented them to Himari and politely greeted Inei at the door. He had to dodge a few blows thrown by Kakashi who was trying to give him the shovel talk while his sister watched threateningly from nearby with her flowers. He was threading a fine line because what he wanted to say to Genma would likely get his cheeks pinched by Himari for ‘threatening her boyfriend’ but he needed to impress upon Genma just how fucked he'd be if he ever hurt Himari. A difficult task to say the least.
Gai and Duy showed up at exactly the time they were invited. Duy had made a pot of curry with Gai and he had to hurry to get it back on the heat, while Gai excitedly ran over to tackle hug both Genma and Kakashi, who were in their weird shovel talk debacle still.
Rin and her father, along with Orochimaru who had met them on the street a few blocks before, came just about when Kakashi managed to crawl free of Gai's hug of death.
Rin bolted to find her girlfriend and get away from her father who was feeling sentimental again. Obito rounded the gate and waved, all the excuse Kakashi needed to run physically away from his family and friends shouting that they'd be back around ten and not to wait up.
Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Nohara Isamu politely began to ask Kurama about his present condition, how he was feeling, and then began to talk about whatever project Orochimaru had been working on, something about a jar?
Minato and family were getting their shoes off when an awkward looking Jiraiya shuffled through the door, and found himself holding Naruto while Kushina dug through the over stuffed diaper bag for his holiday card- they'd had pictures taken ‘professionally’ of their infant son and she was going to hand them out. Jiraiya stared what was effectively his grandson in the eye while his mother triumphantly pulled out a fat envelope and rifled through it for the one she had wanted to give him.
Naruto was nearly two months old, and he had chubby cheeks and wrist rolls, Kushina trilled often about how good he took his meals, as there are very few actions babies can perform and as his mother Kushina would boast about them all. Chubby cheeked, wide eyed baby Naruto sneezed in Jiraiya's face when he leaned in, wondering what impression the tiny little boy was getting of him.
He gladly handed him to Minato, who was trying to hide his laughter at the grossed out expression on Jiraiya's face and failing.
“Kenta!” Momo had to jump the growing pile of visitor shoes and nearly bowled her boyfriend over.
“Hey.” He carefully ensured her feet got back to the floor, he'd wisely placed the covered containers he brought on one of the cubbies. He'd brought deserts- cookies with candied orange peel and candied nuts.
“Don't be nervous.” She mumbled, taking his arm as he managed to carry in both containers while he steeled himself to officially meet her parents. “Daddy, don't say anything weird to Kenta or-!”
Inei raised his hands, even as shadow tendrils grabbed the containers of sweets and raced down the hall towards the table in the dining room to set them out. Kenta jumped and Momo began to yell at her father for purposefully scaring him.
There was some surprise as Yoshino and Shikaku arrived with their two bundled up infants within the hour that followed- Shikaku had made a shadow clone and they'd snuck out to avoid the boring party with his own clan. He didn't mention that several other Nara clan members had told him that trick the year before about leaving a shadow clone, and how the clan's official celebration was really just a formality for the elders.
Shikamaru was laid down beside Naruto and the two infants were looking at one another. Shikamaru threatened to roll onto his side but he was still too little to fully manage a turn like that. Shikari was placed with her cousins in a small pen, Gaara and Sai were inside playing with cloth dolls, chewing and throwing them mostly, and she crawled over to join them.
Yashimaru, who had just needed to cross the yard, brought some wine, which reminded Saito to run down and grab the bottle of plum wine that Baki had sent him, to which he received a lot of teasing from Yashimaru. When asked what he sent Baki he mumbled out that it wasn't Yashamaru's business.
After a majority of the food had been eaten the children and teens ran off to amuse themselves with other things, sparklers in the yard, games, the radio, and for the older children who had been foolish enough to invite their partners, be ruthlessly teased and play argue in the other rooms. Most of the adults, save Yashimaru who decided he wanted to tease Saito over his pen pal, and technically Saito, who wanted to run away from that, remained in the dinning room to talk and enjoy a few more drinks. Chiyo, who had bought a record player with money from ‘Kenta's commission’ from the festival had generously loaned it to them to use in the dining room, and Haruki, Shikaku, and Minato were in the corner trying to decide what to put on from the households limited collection. At the table, Duy and Jiraiya were trying and failing to keep up with whatever discussion was going on between Tsunade, Isamu, Orochimaru, and Inei, Kushina and Yoshino had stopped that attempt some time back and had snatched a thousand piece puzzle from the shelf in the living room and were attempting to solve it. Tetsuya's parents arrived a bit late, plates being made up for them, and his mother Fumiko joined the other mothers doing the puzzle while his father who was also a shinobi, Arata, was relegated to the sidelines with Duy and Jiraiya as he had no clue what was being discussed.
“Couldn't you ask Jiraiya?” Kurama, who had been fixing himself some milk tea given he couldn't drink, finally returned, having understood enough of the topic.
Tsuande began to laugh, curling into herself, Inei arched a brow but seemed amused, and Orochimaru went a bit pale and began to protest. Isamu chuckled softly and agreed with Kurama.
“Ask me what?”
“It's highly inappropriate-”
“To have a child together.” Kurama steam rolled him, and it got everyone's attention, even the three men who had finally agreed on a record. “Grow one in a pickling jar, anyway.”
“It's a bit more sophisticated than that.” Orochimari bit out, realized he had slipped and sounded annoyed, and clearly steeled himself. “It would still need to pass through the inter village medical ethics board. And Jiraiya would say no so there's no point in-!”
“It's just blood and chakra, right? He could manage that. Besides maybe a kid would mellow him out.” The grave, which some of his closest colleagues and friends were digging him, was getting fairly deep.
“Is this going to be a tradition?” Kushina, not to rescue either sanin but make things worse, loudly griped, “Last year Kurama was talking about wanting a baby, and this year it's Orochimaru and the old perv, who next?”
“Babe, I literally just managed to forget that happened last year.” Minato was pink faced now. Haruki slapped his back and started to chuckle.
“This feels like a conversation you two should have sober later.” Inei was looking away, even as Kurama grabbed his arm and laced their fingers together.
“Maybe next year Saito will have met someone and we can tease them?” Yoshino circled back to Kushina's joke.
“Saito has met someone, they're just too dumb to have realized it yet.” Haruki shook his head, “Well, he hasn't realized it, not sure about the poor idiot in Suna who sent him the wine.”
There was something bitter sweet that went unsaid, of course. Saito had been almost an adult when they had adopted him, but he was their son , and they loved him. The idea of their oldest boy meeting someone and settling down did funny nervous things to both Haruki and Inei. Saito might actually leave the nest, and what then? It was all well and good that their girls were dating, but their boyfriends lived in the village. What if Saito, as much as he hated traveling and disliked Suna's climate, what if he decided to move there to be closer to this mysterious ‘friend’ and they didn't get to see him, or only saw him a few times a year? They had never known Saito as a baby or toddler, had never changed his diapers or given their fingers to him to hold while he learned how to walk, but both viewed him not so differently than Shin or Jun. Helpless, at the core, but starting to become a big kid rather than an infant. A world where he didn't need them, even a little, was scary.
Haruki, who had never once in his life gotten ill, felt a cold chill on his spine all the same. He was not ready to become a grandfather. He was not ready to let even one of his children try and leave the nest just yet, even if they just moved around the corner.
He was suddenly paralyzed by the thought of seeing one of the children, any of them , in wedding clothes.
Inei had held it together at the idea a bit better, repeating in his mind that Suna made Saito miserable, and this potential boyfriend, if he loved Saito as much as he ought to, would make the trip here to see him instead. They'd keep it long-distance. Of course. Saito wouldn't live in Suna for good, Rasa didn't like their family, so Saito would be uncomfortable and return before long. These were not certainties, just loud hopes.
Saito wasn't like Kakashi, who they'd know could function, albeit poorly, as an adult. His former future, whatever it had been, had likely been difficult or even too much. Saito had more than likely died long before either had started the academy. He wasn't great at physical labor, he was smart but not educated given the orphanage only really taught reading, writing, and basic math, and he was bad with people. He would have had almost no money, no prospects, and he either worked himself to death, as his health overall was a bit poor even in a good environment where he had ample access to treatment, or had have been beaten or killed at best when he eventually moved onto the streets. At worst he was used in human experimentation, as Danzo had sourced plenty of young adults in addition to the children that Orochimaru had gotten his hands on. Or maybe he got addicted to drugs (Shinobi pills, both legitimate and prohibited substances) as they had been a large problem at some point during their early youth, just after the fox attack and the years that followed until they'd been starting school.
It was the not knowing what happened to him that killed Inei a bit. Made him feel especially protective of all the kids who he hadn't known in his first life. Saito, Momo, Himari, Chiyo, the twins, on and on. He hoped they were happier here than they had been there. He tried not to worry about what happened to them before because it wasn't going to happen now. Their son was healthy, for the most part, happy, with his whole life ahead of him, and worrying about something that didn't even happen wasn't a valid way to cope with his kids growing up.
But he was almost as bad as Haruki when it came to this sort of thing.
None of that managed to show, as Tsunade had decided Kurama was right and it really couldn't be anyone other than Jiraiya to go on the harrowing journey of parenthood with Orochimaru, and would not drop it now that she had her two idiots sweating and embarrassed in front of a crowd.
“I don't even like guys!” It was hard to keep from picking on him when he was being so obviously bothered. Orochimaru had gone silent and still, looking dead eyed into the can of beer that he had been nursing, likely regretting agreeing to come.
“No one's saying you two need to get together together. Co-parent, that's what they're calling it right? Orochimaru's gotten all sentimental, wants to have a kid, and you've got too much time on your hands, or you will when your brat doesn't need a babysitter all the time.” Tsunade, now openly drunk rather than hiding that she was, looked very pleased with herself. Orochimaru would get the other half required for his prodigal son or daughter, Jiraiya would finally shape up if he had a kid to mind, help him settle into the village fully, it was in her slightly spinning opinion the perfect solution. That Jiraiya was also the only person who wouldn't feel pressured into it because of Orochimaru's status in the village, well obviously it was perfect.
Both men would disagree strongly, and loudly, at every opportunity but Tsunade was, unfortunately, certain this was the correct match, at least as far as she cared.
“Do I get a say in it?” Orochimaru asked softly, his eyes were too large still, and he looked like he wanted to hide, honestly. If anyone were to tell the people currently in the room there was a future where he fled the village after being caught cutting open children, and spent the twentyish years that followed doing about the same on a larger almost automated scale until it literally became a matter of humanity's extinction or continued mad science, and he almost chose mad science until he realized he would not have test subjects, all but two wouldn't believe them.
The Orochimaru of the present could be sly, curt, sarcastic, socially inept and awkward, sullen, and even dare they say it childish. Whatever further manipulation Danzo would have done to him, or more likely what he had to do to himself to cope with what was being asked and expected of him...
Haruki had heard once from Sasuke that some of the chemical compounds that Orochimaru used were likely aiding the decay of his host bodies, beyond what forcing an ill fitting soul into an already occupied skin suit would do to it. Haruki had never asked for clarification and Sasuke, the adult one who had once been wanted by every nation and village as a terrorist, had never elaborated, but the disgusted look on his face had said enough.
He had had Kabuto at his side after all.
Inei's own experiences with the final sanin were only a handful more than with Jiraiya before coming back- he had talked to Jiraiya maybe five times, and Orochimaru maybe seven or eight. Tsunade was what he pictured when someone said sanin because he had worked as her aid after becoming a chunin, he did the more tedious and less vital clerical work while Shizune did the more important, still tedious clerical work that pared down what Tsunade actually had to deal with.
Inei, independent of Haruki, who had been thinking very similarly over by the record player, had wondered if it was the new year that was making him reminisce and fret like this. It was the right atmosphere for it.
Haruki had put it down to too much beer, even if it hadn't even gotten him buzzed, and left it at that.
“I think Tsunade was pretty clear, sorry.” Minato was snickering like an unruly child, Shikaku elbowed him lightly because he was also trying not to laugh, unlike Minato he might actually catch hell for it.
“Daaaad, papa, baba, I'm back!” It was a shout from the entry hall as Kakashi and Obito tripped over the pile of guest shoes, both boys looked in as they were on their way further into the house, likely to the living room.
“There's still fried eggplant and unless your sisters finished it there might even be dango too.” Both boys brightened before running off toward the kitchen.
“Oh, so he's intentionally calling you his dad, huh?” Minato poked Haruki's side and he rolled his eyes.
“I didn't expect it for another year to be honest.”
Kakashi has grown up too. But not in the way people usually would think- Kakashi is hiding his emotions less now, almost not at all. He speaks his mind, and shows vulnerabilities more openly. His maturing was emotional, the few inches he shot up recently aside, the biggest growth was his mental health and stability.
Nothing showed that more than the occasional mornings he would come up for breakfast while on a break from missions and not have his mask up. He had been pulling it down for meals, but otherwise he wore it constantly, but now? Now it was starting to only show up occasionally. Chiyo had pointed out he would probably get a lot more kisses from Obito if he left his moth uncovered and he was only a bit annoyed she had been right. It turns out your boyfriend is more likely to spontaneously kiss you when he remembered you actually possessed a mouth.
Kakashi, now home and surrounded by mostly familiar smells, pulled his mask down to sag around his neck as he and Obito plunder whatever snacks are still out on the counter and then dig into the leftovers stored in the fridge. They had eaten at the Uchiha party, mostly cut fruit and other nibbles, there had been more filling food but they had been aware then they'd be eating more once they got back and hadn't had more than enough to count as a light snack.
The Uchiha party was nice, Obito said it was more lively than the last time he'd gone, the year after he'd come back to the village. Rin called them over to the couch, stealing more food from their plates and asking how the compound was.
This was, of course, a way to pass the time before the fireworks started, and they chattered for that purpose, until someone, Kakashi thought it was Kushina, made a racket about the fireworks starting soon, and then there was a scramble to head up to the roof.
There wasn't the same charged atmosphere as Obito took his hand this year as last year, but it was nice. It was a little chilly but his hand was warm where their fingers touched.
Tomorrow, officially, was their one year anniversary. It was thankfully easy to remember, Kakashi had made it clear how upset he'd be if Obito forgot it now. Chiyo had run down to comfort the dogs, and his other annoying sisters had boyfriends now so they weren't going to bother him as he and Obito cuddled together, breath puffing out in clouds ahead of them as the sky brightened with the first fireworks of the night.
Kurama had decided to stay downstairs, and was gently stroking the sleeping head of baby Naruto, who had cried a bit when the noise began upstairs and prompted Kurama to soothe him. He was asleep again, and Kurama hummed low in his chest, pacing in a small circle. Under his fingers he could feel the persistent thrum of the other Kurama trying to get his attention.
“Is there something you need?”
I have questions.
“Hmm.” He bent his head to kiss the downy blonde fluff of the infant's head.
How much older are you than I am?
He thought on it, looking down at the sleeping Shikamaru, and where Shikari was asleep in a pile with Gaara and Sai.
“By human standards, a lot I suppose.” Kurama had a fairly decent internal clock, and when his other half and mate lost track of the years, he remembered. Their little one's influence on Inei, and his own on Haruki had considerably slowed the passage of time, at least outwardly, and time passed strangely within the summoning lands, and within a dead and lifeless world where every day was like a desert in winter, they could be forgiven for hoping they had not taken too long in return to the past.
If they had aged as they should have, instead of becoming stuck, unable to change without force of will, they could have passed as their own father and great uncle rather than uncles.
Kurama did not care to put a particular number to those years, they were gone, after all, they wouldn't come back. It had been a very bad time and it was one he would like to forget.
The fox within the sleeping boy was silent with thought himself, digesting it most likely. The other him remained silent and he laid the infant back down, putting a hand on his stomach and feeling happy and fuzzy inside.
Notes:
There will be a slight time skip following this chapter, moving everything forward into spring.
Chapter 160: Father and Sons
Summary:
Haruki is proud of Urushi, and maybe he's rubbed off on his kids more than he thought.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
It was only for about three seconds. Just long enough to blink. Urushi fell to his knees, panting, a wide grin on his face. Across from him, his papa hurried to his side, checking him over as he began to laugh. His blood was rushing in his ears, and he felt a bit light headed and jelly legged, but it was being eaten away by adrenaline.
“I did it!” His face was in his papa's large hands, being turned to inspect him for any lingering signs of the technique, but they had safely faded. Urushi would of course, later, want to be told in great detail how his face had changed while using the jutsu, but for now he was still shaking over the fact he'd finally done it.
“I'm proud of you.” His hair was messed up, and he could tell his papa was relieved too. Probably more so that he didn't turn into a fox than that he was able to, well...
“I feel great! Can I try again?” He was actually buzzing under his skin, but in the same way someone delirious with sleep deprivation might feel.
“I think you better get some rest. Now that you know how it'll get a lot easier.” He nodded, accepting a hand up. His legs wobbled but he was caught and hauled up into his papa's arms like a toddler, eyes dropping shut as they walked from the training area near the shed, past the garden beds and Yashimaru oji's small house, and through the door.
The snow was melting already, an early spring apparently, and by the time the door closed the afternoon sunlight off of their backs Urushi was fast asleep. Haruki carried him down to his room and got him tucked in to sleep, he'd bring him down a meal later and let him sleep through dinner.
His eyes had gone amber, the long black eye mask markings had appeared too, and his ears had briefly sharpened at the tips, finger nails becoming claw like. Had hadn't bared them but his teeth no doubt had been sharpened too. If Haruki had been closer he might have noticed the fine dusting of dark fur like hair that had appeared on Urushi's arms legs, his back too, though it was covered and thus impossible to notice at this time. Considering how long he'd been training, not just that particular skill, but in general, it was shocking he'd been able to look so human on his first attempt.
At eleven years old, just prior to becoming a genin, his son had accessed sage mode for the first time. His eleven year old son who got some of the lowest grades in his class could now be counted among the handful of shinobi in the world capable of using natural energy without turning themselves into an animal.
Handful of course being generous, four of maybe six or seven including Urushi lived in Konoha.
An eleven year old .
Urushi, who Haruki had met maybe two or three times prior to the end of the world had been a chunin of average skill. Under the right circumstances anyone was capable of anything . Urushi was living proof, of course the drive to accomplish anything was needed too.
Haruki had been, according to Jiraiya of his own time, a prodigy for mastering it by the age of sixteen. He knew he'd need to mention this to Minato and the old perv but... For now Urushi could get some rest. After all, he'd have to worry about being a grown up soon enough.
Minato was staring at him, wide eyed. Jiraiya had spent the last few minutes coughing, as he'd inhaled a piece of his skewer down the wrong pipe. Saito, who had come along and already known about Urushi's accomplishment just hummed and looked back in his notebook, scratching something down. They had started meeting occasionally to talk about funinjutsu, but it was as good a time as any to bring up... well... his extremely overpowered child.
“No way.” Jiraiya finally stopped choking, “He isn't even a shinobi yet.”
“I thought it would take longer.” Haruki shrugged. This was a lunch meeting, so thankfully Jiraiya hadn't been drinking- he might have sprayed them all with booze otherwise. Haruki wanted to tell him to drink less, but he also recognized that he might have contributed to the stress that was behind the drinking. The recent stress at least. Not all of it of course, Tsunade had doubled down on her drunken suggestion from New Years, so Jiraiya was trying to avoid her, which was hard because he was spending more time with the Namikaze clan as a whole, and she came over a lot. Haruki doubted he'd talked to Orochimaru since then either, but to be fair his husband's colleague had thrown himself into work and had yet to surface beyond mandatory outings.
Privately his own lobbying and efforts, regarding the Uzumaki clan had born some fruit, and by that summer he hoped to be helping Kushina fill out the appropriate forms to register the Uzumaki clan under the charter. Karin and her mother were currently being put up in a nice inn in town while he helped argue their immigration case, and they were hardly alone. If this fell through the Uzumaki who he had hoped to settle in Konoha had an open invitation to Amigakuri, Nagito would happily receive them after all.
This had been meant to distract his stressed brother from worrying about the village security while the wall construction began in a few weeks. Clearly it didn't work.
“Was he always that stubborn or did he pick that up from you?”
“I'm a great role model.” His protest was soft. Beside him his son chuckled. “Anyway, I figure we'll probably keep working on that, by the time his team takes the chunin exams he should be able to hold it for a minute or so.”
He had been comfortable pushing Urushi forward for training in sage mode because he had decent chakra control, and talent as a sensor, and his own affinity and personality meshed well with the foxes. He had figured if he started his boy early, he'd achieve sage-hood by the time Haruki himself had, and at a slow and easy speed with plenty of rest time. In under two years his son had achieved the near impossible feet of sage-hood by the age of eleven.
If more people understood what sage mode was and how difficult it was, or more aptly how powerful it could make a person, he had no doubt that people would be calling Urushi a genius, prodigy, or insinuating a successful future career as hokage. Thankfully no one outside of a small group of people knew what the hell it was much less how it defined those who could use it, so Urushi was safe. For now.
“We can focus more on other fox arts.” Transformation jutsu chief among them, but also genjutsu which he'd need to learn directly from the foxes since Haruki was less than worthless at it, and if possible fire jutsu. This was difficult because Haruki had sort of fallen into his affinities, not naturally either, and he might push his boy towards the Uchiha for explaining how those worked. He didn't have the correct affinity for fire so it would take him much longer. Earth and Water, with a very miniscule inkling to wind. The wind affinity helped, because if you didn't have that it was a bitch to learn, as Inei had once told him.
He only knew one or two techniques for wind and Asuma had had to beat those into him like a square peg through a round hole, and he'd never been eager to learn more.
Wind was tricky, it moved in ways that seemed random, but was calculated and influenced by the outside world, and knowing how to manipulate it was more mechanical know-how than actual talent. Haruki had learned sadly late in life that with a patient teacher he was good at math. Not just good, oh no, he was great at math. Once he understood what x was and formulas, well he could have passed the chunin exam, the written portion at least, with his eyes closed.
Saito, if he had been born with an affinity, the other, less talked about thing civilians lacked when compared to shinobi, would have no doubt shared a wind affinity. He suspected many of his more talented children would, if married to a shinobi and parents of shinobi children some day (Sage though, that scared him) those kids would have a better than half chance of having the wind affinity so rare in Konoha.
He thought, momentarily, of Asuma. If he'd known his own affinity sooner he probably would have spent more time bothering the man. He had, out of courtesy, respected Inei's choice to stay away from the boy- they had yet to have a good reason to know him after all.
They let each other have their own ghosts, for him it had been Jiraiya and Iruka, of course Inei knew Iruka, but not like Haruki.
Iruka had not been a father and big brother both to him. Now Iruka was constantly in their hair, sleeping over with their fifth oldest son, gracing their table at least once a week, sometimes two or three if their was a test to study for and he was helping Urushi study. An uneasy peace now existed between himself and Jiraiya, trust slowly being grown back. The photos, fake as they were, had finally found their way safely into the Namikaze photo album- the photo's that Jiraiya had pulled from the ruins of their fake village.
Inei had bitten the bullet but never fully, not with total closure, and was as close to Shikaku as he could be given the gulf of age and experience that now existed between them, and the vestiges of trauma that losing someone you loved in a horrible way tended to leave. But they had excuses.
Shared ghosts like Kakashi, Tsunade, they had had reason to meet. Haruki's brother, their son, medical needs, those had made bridges, but they didn't have a bridge to Asuma. It had been Inei's first big loss, and one he took almost harder than his fathers death because he didn't think Asuma could die. Dads die, eventually, but hopefully of old age, and you think about that as you get older so it doesn't sucker punch you, even if the death is traumatic and not peaceful, you'd think about it a little before it happened so it didn't feel like something impossible. Teachers? They're supposed to be immortal. Teachers don't die, they just get older, they outlive you . Like Jiraiya had outlived Minato in a very bad future.
Haruki didn't really like thinking of their awful past, of the friends and family he'd buried, worse the ones they couldn't bury at the end, and usually he kept it out of mind- he had to. But thinking of affinity, remembering Asuma, there was a hot stone caught and burning in his throat, more his chest, and if he weren't well practiced in beating that feeling down, he might have wept. The uncontrollable kind he used to when his friends had been dying left and right. Because his husband was mourning a man who was still alive, true he was still a boy and not the same as he'd exited, but Asuma was not dead. Yet Inei couldn't bear the thought of speaking of the boy.
Maybe he'd float the idea of tutoring the boy in his affinity again, his sensei was... well he could figure that out, and quickly too, the problem was...
It was not the current head of team fifteen he would ask permission from first, nor young Asuma's interest to court in practical application. It was Inei. ‘Can I bring him around? Teach him? Give him a place he feels safe from his fathers influence? Or will it rip your insides up and be too much? ’
He would ask. Later. Tonight probably. If he could keep it that long, Inei could always tell when he was keeping a secret.
Saito asked if Sage mode was different than the ‘Transcendence’ seal that they had been workshopping for the last year or so when time allowed and he found that, no he supposed it wasn't that different at all. An artificial and much weaker sage mode, but yes.
This skillfully captured both Jiraiya and Minato's attention, practitioners of both sage mode and funinjutsu, which may have been Saito's intention. He had very sharp senses, and even though no one else had likely noticed it, Saito had felt the dip in his fathers mood and checked it before it could take casualties. Even if he wasn't, it was observed by his children that discussions of them growing up and becoming independent had a history of depressing Haruki, so it saved a bit of time and effort just side stepping it.
As much as Saito might be okay with it, no one wants to console their crying parent, and never in public. As much of a good, filial son he was, Saito would like to take his weeping father home about as much as he would enjoy eating a bowl of glass shards and rusty nails with a rubbing alchohol chaser. He would do it, but he wouldn't
enjoy
it.
Notes:
It's spring now, sort of, I really keep meaning to do a big time skip but then I keep thinking of more little things I want to include and it's getting put off. This fic is much, much longer than it was ever intended to be, and very self indulgent, but I'm really happy with it anyway, and I guess it'll tell me when it's finished and not the other way around.
Chapter 161: Something On the Wind
Summary:
Inei is sure something is going to happen today. He just doesn't know what.
Chapter Text
Inei had woken up early, as he tended to do now even if he'd prefer to sleep until the last possible moment. He showered, brushed his teeth, got dressed, and went upstairs to get the kettle on for tea, and wash the rice for breakfast. Haruki sleepily joined him after about ten or twenty minutes. He had only a few days left before team assignments and had been helping Minato at the office more than anything as of late. He was shooed out of the kitchen and went to make sure all of the kids were woken up for breakfast, especially their school age children, then he escorted the hoard of half asleep, disheveled kids to the dinning room. Haruki let him back into the kitchen for his tea, and to cut some fruit. Momo helped bring out pitchers of juice, milk, and water. Kurama had breezed through and prepared their toddler's breakfast. Inei was not involved in any actual cooking, and hurried out of the way as more of their older and sadly more capable children wandered in to help.
It was easier not to think about the production that was feeding the kids, and so he didn't.
At the table he was bullied into helping with some last minute homework, at least until the majority of breakfast was ready. Then he was subjected to Jun asking him increasingly strange questions about what animals made eggs, and why some animals didn't lay them while others did. It was a bit difficult to explain to a small child the difference in classifications of animals and why avians and reptiles laid eggs and mammals (all of them as far as he knew) didn't. At this point Kurama chimed in to inform them that there was a mammal that laid eggs, or there had been.
"So daddy doesn't know everything?" Jun looked confused and worried, and he shot a glare at Haruki who started to laugh.
"No one knows everything." He patted her head, "And it's important that, if you learn something new or find out you were wrong you take it gracefully. Not knowing something isn't a crime. Don't get defensive if you're wrong, be polite." She nodded, staring at her eggs.
"Okay daddy."
"What is a platypus anyway?" Nao was clearly bored of the current educational topic, and wanted to hear more about an egg laying mammal.
"It has a duck bill, webbed feet, a furry body, and a flat wide tail that's leathery." Kurama was giving about as many slices of fruit to Gaara and Sai as he was eating himself. "I saw one once about... hmm... a thousand years ago?"
"Did they have ramen a thousand years ago?" Bashira asked, and he was left alone as the children shifted their focus to Kurama and asking him odd questions about the past, not that Kurama had knowledge on most of what they wanted him to answer because he lived in seclusion for the vast majority of the time.
Once he had made sure all the kids who had to leave for school were dressed, he walked their academy children to school, they liked to switch who walked which group often, in a few months he'd have to start walking Yugure and Temari to school. It was a week before graduation, which meant that Urushi would soon have to pass his test somehow, luckily he could pass even if his written tests weren't good so long as he could use jutsu... they tended to weed out the children who did poorly at academics as they went up the ranks. After dropping their kids off he headed to the hospital and went through his messages and patient charts for the day. There were a few checkups for his pregnant patients, a consultation about a potential treatments for unusual periods following the birth of another, and then he was going to help in the pediatric ward as they'd over booked for immunization appointments that week in preparations for all the kids who would be starting school soon who had gotten letters reminding parents that boosters were required before the school year would begin.
His nurse asked him when he planned to bring the girls in and he realized he'd need to book their own appointment still, or ask Haruki to come around with them before he became a jonin instructor. Halfway through the day he was asked to look at the treatment plan that a newer shinobi healer had written up for a patient and ended up tagging along for hands on instruction. He had agreed to mentor young shinobi in medicine, but it was still strange being the authority figure involved in the lessons. He was catching up on paper work around noon when he felt a chill up and down his spine, and he wondered what could have caused that.
It slipped his mind when he couldn't sense any issues with any of his family or friends through their shadows, but noticed Kakashi must have left the village for a gathering mission again- lots of spring herbs were useful in medicine and he was probably on a fetch quest for the hospital itself given how quickly he could find and collect the majority of medical herbs in the area- he had helped Keiko study them and unfortunately it got back to Minato so he'd been doing a lot of herb gathering lately. Aside from that there wasn't anything he would consider worth worrying about, and either way it didn't mater if no one was in danger.
Tsume brought Kiba around a little after he and his nurse ate lunch at the nurse station. Kiba was wearing overalls and a blue shirt with a puppy on it- Shikamaru couldn't tell that Kiba was a girl in those clothes which were chosen for their range of movement rather than because they looked cute on her. He got bitten, as he usually did by Kiba, the infant was teething, and he didn't envy Tsume for that. Kankuro had finally gotten his last molar in, he had been worried they'd need to see a specialist if it was impacted under the gum, but no their son just got his teeth late. Kiba did not have the same issue and she was cutting five teeth at once, three front teeth, one molar, and one of her premolars. She was chewing on his doctors coat, and he was a bit amazed at how big the little tyke had gotten in such a short amount of time but... well she was getting closer to a year old than not.
"So, you're going to have a new baby soon too, huh?" He hummed. They hadn't specifically announced it, but Kurama was getting so big it was obvious. He wouldn't deny it. "What, you didn't want to carry this one?"
"No." He handed Kiba back after getting her to let go of his coat. "I told Haruki I wouldn't mind carrying another baby after he did, and he's still..." He trailed off. Should he tell Tsume about his husband's complicated gender identity or?
"A man, yeah. Big babies. Honestly though, I think you and your boys need to take a break after Kurama pops, you've got a lot of kids as it is."
"Eh, there's always room for one more, but... I mean, Kurama decided we were having another one without us, after this we probably will only end up with another kid if someone drops one off on our doorstep again." She nodded, letting Kiba chew on her finger.
"Well, it's not like there are many options. There's funding if they need to reopen the orphanage, but... with the changes in program funding they've been finding foster homes with less trouble, and even if they didn't most of the village knows that you and your husbands would take a kid in if they couldn't find an alternative. They'll probably end up turning the old building into a community center at this rate." She had a point. Even though they'd surpassed the number of kids he would have assumed himself to be comfortable with a long, long time ago, if another baby or kid needed a home he knew he wouldn't hesitate to offer up his own- he knew Haruki would feel the same way. Without the war however there were way fewer orphans than there would have been at this time in their original time.
"I mean... we might end up wit a teenager too, you never know."
Their conversation moved to how Hana was doing in school. She would be walking most of the way home with his kids after all, Urushi was currently walking his siblings home, but in a few months it would be Keiko walking them instead. They still hadn't mentioned how Haruki would be his instructor, and Inei would kill to see their boy's face when he ended up with Iruka and Tenzo on a team lead by Haruki. He had mixed feelings about his son graduating the academy, but they weren't any worse than the feelings of Momo and Himari graduating. In a few years Himari would be taking her licensing tests to become a lawyer in the Land of Fire too, sooner if she proved as dedicated with studying law as she had been at her current school.
Tsume left not long after, needing to pick up groceries after Kiba's checkup, and Inei spared a thought about how it would be just his and Haruki's luck to end up with another baby on their doorstep, or a teenager. Hell, he might get home after work and spot a new face at their table just for thinking about it.
He finished up his paper work for the day, hung up his coat and said a polite goodbye to the nurse who had taken over for the morning nurse that day. On his way home he ran a few errands, the whole walk there he felt as if he was running behind, even if he'd only slowed down a little to complete them.
Upon his arrival home he got an arm full of Yugure, who refused to let him set her down. He noticed Obito's sandals, and a different pair, unfamiliar to him but they tickled some part of his brain. There was a faint scent of smoke as he headed to the kitchen and he had a moment of worry that one of the kids had stolen a cigarette from somewhere. Rounding into the kitchen Kurama ambushed him to give him a kiss and his eyes swept to see Obito and-
Sitting at their kitchen table, surprisingly baby faced, was Asuma.
His heart ached, and he tried not to show the sudden tidal wave of emotion that swept through him at seeing his former sensei. Because this was not him. This was a child, like his own, like Kakashi. His face was round, and he hadn't even attempted to grow any facial hair as of yet, or maybe he couldn't. He was strangely enough wearing one of Saito's shirts and a pair of shorts he thought were Chiyo's or at least had been on her last laundry day. Yugure hugged him tight, as if knowing he would need it- she might have- and he quickly made his escape, trying to shake the sudden weak feeling in his muscles. He curled up with Yugure and began to cry, his daughter, unfortunately, was the only one present to comfort him, and he felt like garbage for putting her in that situation.
She didn't seem concerned and told him everything would be okay, but he didn't know why seeing Asuma had made him cry, and he didn't think he had the time to contemplate what that might say about him. Once he stopped crying he went and dug Hidan out of the closet and shook his jar viciously. He glared down at Hidan's haggard face and dark circled eyes.
Yugure looked at the severed head with interest and upon noticing her Hidan looked... scared. It was fair, Yugure quietly asked if she could eat him after a few moments of him rolling the jar and shaking it. He'd need to hide it from her then, or she might take him out in her attempt to consume whatever was sustaining him in this horrible state.
He was sure dinner would be an awkward and painful affair too, but at least Haruki would be there.
But really, why was Asuma in their kitchen?
Chapter 162: Asuma's Strange Day
Summary:
Asuma is willing to follow his friend around, since he's been a little put out lately, but it leads to his first run in with the Namikaze clan.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Halfway across Konoha, sitting bored and waiting, a cigarette being chewed between nervous teeth, was Sarutobi Asuma. He had camped the last four days at a training ground, and only returned home when he knew his mom was there alone or the house was empty, and he needed to use the washing machine.
Ever since his old man had retired, things had gotten... worse. Don't get him wrong, things were almost always tense at home, he had to live up to his father's expectations, both himself and his brother, and it wasn't exactly easy to do so.
There had been a fight, a big one, between his father and his older brother- big brother Kichiro (who was misnamed because his luck was the worst in the village) had informed their father that he was putting in his resignation as a shionobi. He had met someone, a girl, whose family owned one of the small grocery stores at the edge of town- the one now open in the Forest district, basement floor of the market. Kichiro was going to marry her, this was a fact not a statement, and he knew that. Mother knew that. His father? To him it was his precious jonin son, pride and joy, who would be quitting as a shinobi to sell vegetables, it wasn't said but him planning on marrying a civilian girl had also been an issue but that was just implied. For now.
Asuma had hated the way his father had used that voice on Kichiro. The voice that told them both that they would need to work harder to become the fifth hokage, even if only one of them could even hold that spot they were both expected to reach the level necessary to achieve it, and that it didn't matter what he wanted he was going to do it. Or he had been, until last week. Asuma was thinking of declaring his independence and divorcing his father, not mom of course because she was so much better than the old man. She had tried to give both Kichiro and Asuma as normal a childhood as the hokage's sons could have, not at all helped by the old man planning their every waking second most of the time.
He lit another cigarette, after having dropped the other one and squished it to a messy pulp. He knew he'd catch hell, and soon for it, but he was still upset and willing to ignore that simple fact. He had realized that morning that he'd need to go back to the house and either secure more clean clothes or find another of his secret stashes of mission money he kept just for things like this- and he didn't know if his old man was home or not.
The person he was waiting for was Uchiha Obito, his father's least favorite acquaintance of Asuma's. There were many reasons, not a single one good, but they were supposed to convince Asuma to put distance between himself and Obito.
Obito was insubordinate, and ignorant, mouthy, rude, with very little respect for authority figures ( No, just you dad. Asuma thought as he fumbled with his beaten packet of stolen smokes to put his matches away inside it) but the worst crime of all in his fathers eyes was-
Obito had black hair, and sometimes red eyes.
It wasn't a hatred for the Uchiha that made that a crime- his dear father was fairly neutral in his dislike of all clans save for the historic Senju clan. The HISTORIC SENJU CLAN in all capitals was different from the current Senju clan, but his father would likely rather die than admit it beyond his disapproving side comments. His father was torn between hating the direction the clan was going and feeling affection for his former student- which Asuma sometimes thought he liked more than his own kids.
No, that wasn't it. It was Asuma's fault.
Asuma liked black hair and red eyes.
He had told his sensei that once, back when he had trusted the man before he learned he parroted everything Asuma said back to the great lord third. Asuma wanted to marry someone with black hair, and red eyes. Five years ago he had had a dream of a woman with ruby red eyes, framed by dark raven locks just... sitting in his dream, a black haired baby sleeping against her chest where she sat reading some book. He had known, as one always does in dreams, that she was his beautiful wife, and that was their sleeping baby, and that he would have torn down the monument with his teeth if she asked. He had woken up from that dream with tears in his eyes, and longing so deep in his bones it scared him.
He had not known how to broach the subject with anyone- I think I had a premonition of my soulmate, what should I do? Is it crazy to go and look for her? -so he had told his sensei on good faith that he liked those two most striking features, in a vain hope he might get told about a clan that was not the Uchiha who had said features, or a shinobi family, anything really. He was supposed to be able to trust his sensei after all, wasn't he?
But then it was being used against him.
He had wanted to learn more about what happened with Madara and that hadn't been unusual, his father had kept everything hushed up, or tried to because Madara being dead, for real this time, that was a story no one could hide, and his father had told him he disapproved of his association with Obito. Naturally that meant Asuma went out of his way to become friends with the Uchiha boy after their first meeting upon his return to the village. It was shockingly easy, actually, his only competition for Obito's attention was the other boy's squad and the two shinobi who had joined the village not long after rescuing him- he had more free time then Asuma would have assumed, even after he finished his physical therapy.
But Obito had black hair, and at least one sometimes red eye, and his father had decided there was some connection to Asuma's preferences and had forbidden their friendship. Asuma would have found it funny if not for how clearly it showed how little his father actually seemed to know or care about him.
Asuma was not gay.
Asuma was very decidedly straight, thank you. He had done his introspection on the topic and come out on the other side possessing the knowledge that he was definitely and exclusively attracted to women, and definitely and exclusively attracted to her, the woman from that near prophetic dream he'd had. (That dream had been formed of whole cloth, and he had woken from it in a jolt that was echoed by a sonic boom over six hundred miles away as time had briefly been a suggestion, and the natural laws that governed the world had shrugged, all that had ever been before unspooling to nothing and allowing him a glimpse at a world no longer.) And his father had somehow missed it.
But his dearest father, worried about Asuma's future, had said the thing parents should never say to their rebellious teenage children: he had forbidden Asuma to hang out with Obito.
Worried that Asuma might fall in love with the older boy? Maybe. Worried that it would be some kind of worse scandal? More likely. Ever since he realized he had no ability to trust his sensei, and that his father was willing to keep meddling in his life, Asuma had become quite keen on doing anything and everything to annoy or upset his father- it was a surprisingly long list of things he could do almost entirely independently, even.
So Asuma had had an armchair seat in watching his tenuously allotted Best Friend as Obito fell ass over tits in love with Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi was about a month older than Asuma, but the gap felt like years because Kakashi, the prodigy, had graduated early, very early. Asuma thought he was an asshole, but according to Obito, Kakashi was a soft, bashful, delicate soul. Love blinds, they say, and Obito only had the one eye to begin with.
Obito did not like that he smoked, so he tried not to do it around him, but today was worth the lecture. He was halfway tempted to ask Obito to put in a good word for him with the Namikaze's. If nothing else they might give him a bed to sleep in, better than the uncomfortable tree branches he'd nested himself in. (He only meant it half seriously, he doubted they would turn him away but that was a tiger whose tail he should avoid grabbing given the Namikaze clan had a habit of acquiring other peoples kids.)
That would really piss his old man off. Aside from Minato, his dear old dad hated that clan, with special hatred in particular for Haruki, generalized fear of Inei, and the type of concern adults have when they realize they have no respect or authority in regards to the bulk of the Namikaze kids.
“Geez, Asuma, you trying to get cancer by Friday?” Obito had finally showed up, late as always, he had a wrapped bundle that suggested his neighbor had needed a hand with taking out garbage again- she always gave him a few cookies or sweet buns for the effort.
“Kichiro and my dad are still fighting.” He had lit the new cigarette, and was letting the match burn down to his nails, until its fire nipped him. The cigarette itself was halfway ash already, he was dragging on it so hard. He had picked this bad habit up too, to upset his father.
“Y'know you could stay with me, right? It's not good, you camping out here every night, I mean.” Obito wore an eyepatch now, had been wearing it for a while, it was cloth, blue-black, and he knew because Obito had told him that the little embroidery stitching along the thicker than usual ties of it had been done by the little elite ninja himself- Kakashi. The clumsy pattern of flowers and leaves looked gaudy and awful but there was no convincing Obito of that. It gave him something to look at that wasn't the annoyed squint of Obito's remaining eye.
He hoped he didn't act like that when he met her .
He probably would anyway.
Obito was offering him one of his cookies, ginger with a little bit of peach or apricot jam, even as he reminded Asuma in painfully minuet detail what exactly his pack of Fire Herb double filters was doing to him. Asuma rolled his eyes but didn't stop him. He was worse if you tried to argue with him. Instead he got the Fire Herb radio jingle stuck in his head while Obito droned on. He had heard it enough to memorize it and mentally recited it over Obito's comments about teeth rotting and skin health. Genuine Fire Herb Double Filtered Cigarettes, the cleanest, sweetest tobacco around, that's the Double Filter Difference . His head tilted slightly back and forth to the light jingle that played behind the ad read in his head. Asuma had committed it to memory as he hoped that someday he could further embarrassed his father by doing one of their ad reads on the radio, they marketed toward shinobi and he could easily be chosen to do it once he was old enough to legally buy the damn things- otherwise he had no real favorite type of cigarette, they all tasted kind of bad and smelled worse. He didn't know it, but cigarette ads were going to soon be banned from the radio, and that ad spot would exist only in his mind within the next five months.
“Asuma, are you listening to me?” He blinked, dropping the filter down on the ground and crushing that one too.
“I heard.” He could recite it from memory. If his mother asked him to stop smoking, he would be done yesterday. She had not. Not yet anyway.
Obito gave him a look, the one that Kichiro gave him sometimes that made him feel like he was a very small boy who had been caught peeing in a potted plant. For an only child, it was scary that he could do that, let alone how... effective that stare was.
“You need a bath.” He couldn't argue that, so he didn't try, just shrugged, he didn't have bath house money with him, and even though they weren't supposed to because even genin were considered legal adults in Konoha, his account had been frozen. The old man trying to force him home, no doubt. His mom had snuck him some money but that was a few days ago, and now he really was considering going home rather than starving, or seeing his teammates smelling like he currently did.
“I'll be fine.” He lied. Obito was his friend, yes, maybe his best friend, but Asuma had too much pride to bum money or charity off of him.
“No.” Obito hauled him up from his slouch against the tree by his armpits, turning him toward town, “But you will be soon.” He protested as he was shoved forward step after step, frog marched out of the training grounds back into the village.
“Where are you making me go this time?” He hoped it would not involve the garden hose again, the one outside of Obito's neighbor, Auntie Yukina's house. The water was always freezing. That was of course excluding how humiliating an experience it was to be stripped to his boxers and hosed down next to her potted tomato plants.
“Just shut up and keep walking.” He ignored the good humor in Obito's voice in order to keep grumbling to himself about how pushy Obito had gotten since he started dating Kakashi.
Asuma was marched through the village, mostly avoiding the busy areas, and he realized where he was being shoved.
He didn't fight it as he willingly stepped through the massive round stone gate and a flurry of barking should have told everyone within three miles that Asuma was intruding on the Namikaze clan. A small army of dogs, many with long healed injuries and clear training that kept them from lunging at his ankles, barked at him. They trailed off as they swarmed, sniffing himself then Obito, and settled having concluded neither threat. He had had no idea they had so many dogs. Huh.
He had only seen it outside of the high and verdant stone walls that seemed to cage the place in- it was smaller than most clan compounds but Obito had told him they could fit more people and Asuma hadn't believed him. The tip of a short tower covered in fragrant green plants with windows sticking out like lonely eyes had been his only impression of the place since it was raised. There were children's toys on the ground in the grass, and dog toys too in nearly equal measure. The yard was big, and dotted with squat earthen huts that had grown a mossy grass up their sides and looked like small hills- dog houses- as well as big garden beds full of half grown spring vegetables and berries. There were only three buildings Asuma could see as he followed Obito down a dirt path in what could charitably be called the lawn. The tower, which was much bigger around than he had thought it would be, as mentioned covered in climbing vines and a few bushes that were fighting gravity like branches on the trunk of some enormous old tree, to the left of the tower and set back closer to the wall was a small round house, no plants growing on the outer walls but with a carpet of moss on the roof, there was a small bench out front of it and it had an unattended book taking up half of the seat- and some distance back, the opposite corner of this modestly sized compound, was a shed, it had an over hang, or covered patio might be more apt that had racks of training staffs and spears, and wooden swords, leaned over wooden targets, and a few stacks of coiled ropes. Whatever the shed was for, it seemed to have double duty of holding any and all training equipment.
Obito did not stop to knock, but just invited himself in. He pulled Asuma inside behind him.
“Kurama-san, can I borrow your bath? My friend stinks.” He shouted as Asuma looked around- Obito was pulling his sandals off and had already gotten up and halfway out of the genkin. This was clearly a busy and full house, most were empty but there were little cubbies, over thirty, for shoes and coats, the majority had a name stenciled into them- he couldn't tell if they were stone or wooden at a glance.
“You know where the towels are?” Is hollered back by a deep, bone rattling voice. Like a monster. Asuma is steered the opposite direction of the voice, the hall the entry way opens on is a curved T shaped intersection, his sandals are kicked into one of the unnamed cubbies, the floor level ones, and he's rounding a corner that feels for a moment as if he had entered a funhouse. Upon rounding that corner there's a large doorway void of a door that looks into a dark room, that room thrums like a living animal. Around a staircase that hugs one wall with a rail around its remaining two sides, the steps lead to another lit hall but he doesn't have time to snoop beyond noticing someone has hung a blanket over the railing and a slight breeze coming from somewhere he doesn't know picks it up at the corners but does little else. He is shoved again, harder, and the corner continues, there is a shelf in the wall outside of the next door and it is stuffed to bursting with towels- bath towels mostly, and some quite colorful. A white one, one that had strange blue colored stains along one edge, is put in his hands, and he is still confused as he is pushed into the biggest bath he had ever been in when you exclude the public ones. Not that he had much to compare it with.
“Use the small tub.” Obito says, like this is his house, “And leave your clothes in the basket, all the ones you brought, I can probably ask Saito to loan you some while yours are in the wash.” Asuma wants to ask who Saito is. He wants very much to ask why Obito knew his way around his boyfriends house like this. But Obito had commanded a strange and confident authority in bringing him here, in knowing where everything was, and so Asuma did as he was told. Besides he really did want a bath.
The ‘small’ tub was earthen, big enough another of him could have fit comfortably inside with him. The other tub was like one of those huge decorative ponds, shallow enough he figured he could sit up to at least his shoulders in it and still actually be sitting down, but it was huge. It has to be, they've got how many kids? Only a huge tub could fit them all .
He felt a little crazy, taking a bath in a stranger's house, but Obito had made good on his promise to steal his clothing, and was tracking something down for him to change into. Allegedly. He had already rinsed down and gotten into the bath at that point so he couldn't do much else but trust him.
Asuma started to get worried when he got out of the bath and still had no clothes to change into, not that the fuzzy white and blue stained towel wasn't warm enough, he just... wanted the assurance he wouldn't remain naked in a strangers home
Obito ducked in with a pair of shorts, nearly the right size, and a tee-shirt that was at least two too big. The shorts were Kakashi's sister's, Chiyo, she didn't really wear them anymore, and they were boys clothes anyway. Asuma wanted to be a little indignant about that but, well, she said he could keep them. They were a little big but very comfortable, and he planned on actually keeping them, not that he needed the charity of course.
The shirt that was almost comically too big belonged to Saito, eldest son, Kakashi's older brother. It was a bit roomy on him too, but he wore it as pajamas, and it would really only be until the dryer finished.
He almost comforted himself with that thought before he was tugged out of the bathroom, now dressed, and around the curve that never ended. Past a living room, it was big with overstuffed couches and shelves bursting with books, games, puzzles, and he caught a glimpse of a kid younger than them at the low table in its center that seemed to be coloring- further around and he noticed the paper screens along the inside of the curved hall, a few were open on this side, and he saw lower balconies-
He nearly ran into Obito when the other boy stopped. Turning his attention forward again he was shocked to realize they weren't alone in the hall.
He stared up. And up. Above him, is a very large man, not above exactly, in front of him. Asuma notes he is handsome, that he has gorgeous ruby red eyes, not as pretty blood red hair, and Asuma has to do a double take for... a few reasons. First for those velvety animal ears, then a second time to gawk at what only an idiot wouldn't identify as a clearly pregnant stomach. Subtle glance up, they look male for the most part, a look back down and...
“Sorry to impose.” Obito is saying, and they, because surely at the least they aren't a boy, right? They smile and the teeth are too many and too big and too sharp-
Kitsune. There's a kitsune that lives in this clan, so said the rumors.
“You're always welcome here.” Deep, the deep voice from before. “I'll make you two something. Kakashi won't be home for a bit longer though.”
“That's okay, we can wait.” And Asuma is finally parked at a four person table shoved in a corner of a huge kitchen, not just because there is a lot of kitchen in the space (there is, it's huge), but because it was made for someone of truly prodigious hight given how short he felt at a counter that came well up to his armpits. It didn't really matter though, because not long after he is staring at a bowl of edimame, and cut carrot sticks with some kind of slightly sweet sauce- to dip the carrots in apparently. Asuma finds it tart more than sweet despite how it smells.
He is sitting in what his father would think of as enemy territory and he has gone fully native, eating their food and wearing their clothes. The front door, big and round, creaks as it opens, and a shout of hello echoes throughout the tower, and Asuma starts because more voices than he expected are calling back in welcome. There can't be too many floors up or down, but over a dozen shouts from all around come in their own sort of echo.
“Daddy!” he watched a blur of black hair and bright green rush past and out of sight, the child who had been coloring he thinks, but a little girl's delighted squeal sounds off after a few seconds. Soft whispering from the direction she ran, not enough he could hear it, then his breath catches in his throat.
Long black hair, pale almost milky skin, if only those dark brooding eyes were red Asuma might have gone jelly legged. On one hip there's a little girl with black hair and blue eyes, hugging his side tight. It is definitely ‘he’ this time, though for a second he isn't fully sure.
“Hello.” Obito said it confidently, but it was clear that Asuma was the one being paid attention. Stared at. “He's the friend I had mentioned? He got into it with his dad again, d'you think he could stay here for a while...?”
“... he can.” It comes out small, and rough, like he had pushed the words out through a meat grinder. “We'll discuss it more when Haruki gets home.” It comes a little stronger, “I'll check on the kids then I think I'll take a nap...” This came out just fine, he was talking to the yokai playing happy-housewife.
Obito had shrugged after the man left, he got a kiss from Kurama -the man, not either of them, but Asuma suspected if he asked he could probably have a kiss on the cheek too- who was the extremely tall and expectant man who seemed to be doing some kind of meal prep. They were left in silence for another half hour, maybe, before something else disturbed the quiet.
The front door slammed open, an actual slam this time, and fast bare feet smacked the ground loud enough after what might generously be enough time for someone to literally kick their sandals off, Asuma felt like a bat using sonar from how loud the person was.
Around the corner into the kitchen came a silver and white streak before it was wrapping around Obito, mostly leg, and giggling with an almost childish madness. Asuma couldn't believe his eyes for a moment.
Wrapping like a constrictor to Obito was... Kakashi. Only, Asuma had pictured Kakashi as an overly serious miniature adult since their first encounter as little boys, a good decade back. Kakashi's father had been alive still, and the silver haired boy had been so shy he refused to talk let alone play with Asuma.
That morning, Asuma would have sworn up and down that Kakashi only had one smile, a small cruel one that said I know I'm better than you, and you know it too that Asuma had always wanted to punch into a bloody mess. (Not that he had ever seen the full smile because usually the bastard had a mask on that covered almost eighty percent of his face.) His face had been uncovered so Asuma could take in the full picture of it.
The unrestrained, wild grin on Kakashi's face showed almost all of his teeth like he was a stranger, one who was happy most of the time and probably laughed often. He was laughing now, almost hiccuping with it as he tucked himself between Obito's arms and practically stopped breathing as he held on tight. It had been a year ago these two got it all together, and Asuma had heard Obito talk about Kakashi, sure he had. But... this was not the Kakashi Asuma remembered.
“I missed you.” Obito mumbled it, but Asuma was too close not to hear, his skin is itching with his desire to flee.
“We saw each other last night, you sap.” Kakashi has no leg to stand on, however, given his flying leap into Obito's arms. He actually literally had no leg to stand on since he had yet to be set down yet. His feet touched the ground again, and Asuma heard low chuckling, glancing briefly at Kurama who had their back to the scene but clearly could see what was happening anyway.
“Asuma stunk, so I brought him here to get cleaned up, hope you don't mind.” Finally, one dark eye landed on him and Kakashi studied him for a minute.
“Is he wearing Chiyo's shorts?” It was not what he expected given a little over a year ago Kakashi glared at him whenever he talked to Obito- clearly he decided Asuma was not a threat then.
“Obito took all of my clothes, I don't even know where they went.”
To his surprise, Kakashi snorted, and he can see that there's a small mole (beauty mark) on Kakashi's chin just under his bunched down mask. Asuma does not like guys the way these two do, but he can admit Kakashi is at least not unattractive. It makes him wonder why he covers his face at all but he doesn't think they're on good enough terms to ask that.
“I'll show you the laundry room.” Kakashi takes Obito's hand in a vice grip, but his friend doesn't complain, and he follows him around the hall again, this time they continue clockwise around that open area he keeps seeing snippets of through open screens, there's a dining room on their left, he glanced in and saw a huge stone table with chairs crowding it but there isn't enough time to take in every detail. He wants to ask about the staircase going up and down they passed on their way out of the kitchen, if their rooms were all up in the tower, but they circle past the entryway and back to the dark humming room. Kakashi flips a light switch to reveal a room that had a stone counter, a deep and large sink, a few lines strung up over both to hang clothes, and several large humming machines, they are bigger than the washing machine at home, or the one at the coin operated laundromat he'd used a few times during his last vanishing act from home. There's also a line of bins standing empty along an clear space beside then wall, labeled even; towels, washcloths, rags, blankets.
Asuma watches Obito open one machine, his wet clothes plop out into the basket, and then the basket is lifted and tipped into one of the other machines, the door is closed, the knob is turned, and the machine makes a loud kick and begins to shimmy slightly, his wet clothes a lump together inside it.
He ignores it when Kakashi whispers something to Obito and his friend goes a bit pink. He doesn't want to know.
“You're staying for dinner, right?” It isn't friendly, but it's better than the clear contempt Kakashi used to address him with. He nodded, eager for a warm meal, and Kakashi sighed and crossed his arms. “Alright, come on then, I have a radio in my room, I guess you can hang out with us until then.”
Asuma expects them to go up, but instead, Kakashi leads them to the staircase that only goes down and takes them practically two at a time. The basement floor has screens too, but they're all open to reveal an enclosed balcony- piled along the railings are balls, a few kites slanted, a mess of buckets and shovels for playing in sand, a few abandoned dolls, a bicycle mid repair-
Down again, another set of stairs, and more rooms, Kakashi shouted and a boy poked his head out of the open screen not far from the steps, he had a squished nose and a pair of round glasses, oddly his hair was a similar shade to Kakashi's.
“What?”
“Don't forget, it's your turn to help wash the rice. I'm not covering for you again.” His face flushed and an eraser was chucked at Kakashi, who ducked, before they went down one more flight.
Kakashi's room had a lot of books, an oversized dog bed covered in blankets that a few of his summons were napping on, and a small table that looked set up to do paperwork at.
“Chiyo borrowed my Go board, I'm gonna go get it.” His mask was still down, and he kissed Obito on the temple before ducking back out. Obito gave him a nervous smile and he looked around a bit bewildered. This is Kakashi's room. His shelves were full of what looked like romance books, a few reference books, and a scroll rack. He had a sword hung on the wall, but also an overstuffed and frankly speaking extremely ugly dog doll on his bed. There was a plant in the corner by the screen door.
He had expected... well... not this. Minimalist? Only weapons manuals and jutsu scrolls? More weapons for sure. If you took out the scroll rack and the sword it would be hard to tell if this room belonged to a shinobi at all. He was reading the titles on the shelf closest to him and a few made him flush to his ears. What exactly were some of those about?
“Ravaged by the ocean king?” He read one aloud because it sounded so absurd and Obito, who he expected to be a bit... he wasn't even sure, but Obito seemed unfazed rather than embarrassed or nervous.
“Mermaid romance.” Obito supplied, nonplused. He tried another.
“Betrothed to the forest?” Obito squinted, looked and found the cover he had read and made a soft 'o' with his mouth.
“Forest god I think?”
“My midnight thief has only stolen my heart?”
“That one's really good.” Both jumped, Kakashi had his reclaimed board and began to set it up on the floor to play with them, “The woman is accused of being crazy, but the thief? He's actually a ghost, trying to protect her from her fiancé who's trying to force her into marrying him even though she's trying to leave him. At the end she gets murdered but it's okay because she and her ghost lover get to be together for eternity, they also push her fiancé into the ocean with their combined ghost powers where his soul is eaten by sirens.” Obito looked besotted as Kakashi explained the book, while Asuma made a face. His tough guy impression of Kakashi would need serious reevaluation it would seem.
They played a few games to pass the time, and Asuma joined the Namikaze's for dinner that night, and crashed in a spare room before sneaking out early the next morning.
Inei and Haruki had both been acting off- Inei had looked... sad. Haruki had seemed anxious, but they'd been surprisingly welcoming, and now he had a standing invitation to stay with their clan if he needed it.
He wasn't sure if he'd do it again or not- he left the borrowed shirt behind as he put on his own clothes, but, after debating it with himself, brought the shorts along in his bag. Kakashi’s sister had said she didn't want them back anyway.
It had been a lot, and he was still processing the insanity that was a dinner with their full household, but if he was invited again... maybe...
Notes:
I know I didn't put in a description of their dinner together but I wasn't sure how to even go about writing the chaos of that. Rest assured it was loud, and overwhelming. I might write an extra chapter later about it but I'm not great at writing dialog and it was more a perspective on his day then a deep dive on his meeting each member of the clan.
Chapter 163: Family Planning
Summary:
Minato and Kushina start exploring options on expanding their small family.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Welcome home.” Kushina kissed Minato, Naruto was on her hip so he gave their little boy a kiss on the head too, and was hanging up his coat. Kushina had cooked dinner with the promise that Minato would come home on time tonight, and he may have called Haruki in to help a little bit to make sure he wasn't late. His brother had the free time at the moment so he didn't feel too guilty- he honestly thought Haruki was better at paperwork than him but it wasn't as if he could dump it all on his brother even if he sometimes desperately wanted to.
He took Naruto from her and held him up to pretend to eat the baby's belly, who squeaked and kicked him lightly. Minato couldn't believe how big his son had gotten.
“Hey, hey, don't ruin your appetite.” He fixed his hold and followed her to the small dinning room where he took it upon himself to put Naruto in his highchair. This was new- Naruto had started solid foods earlier that week.
Well.
Solid was a stretch. Pureed vegetables were closer to liquid than a solid in Minato's humble opinion but it was denser than formula so it could be considered more substantial.
“You eat, while it's hot. I will give our adorable spawn his foul gruel.” He snorted, feeling fond as Kushina put a new bib on Naruto- he wore one almost constantly on advisement from Haruki and Inei. Given how often their precious little bundle of joy spit up, it had been a good idea. Tonight, while Minato and Kushina would not join him in it, he would get to try pureed green beans. It was a departure from the rice gruel that he had been practicing with. Even though she told him to eat he still waited to see how Naruto would react to the unnapealing green goo in his bowl.
“Oh, is it good?” Kushina cooed, as Naruto seemed to prefer it to the rice, his little eyes lighting up and he wobbled forward to chase the spoon. Minato felt so incredibly lucky watching his two most precious people.
Minato caught her eye and they smiled at each other. They had both had to get used to a lot of things rather quickly once Naruto was born. Less sleep, baby things everywhere, everything smelled like milk on good days, something else on bad days. Kushina had only cried because Naruto was crying twice that month, which was an improvement from when she cried almost every time he did right after he was born.
Their baby was a huge commitment as they knew he would be, he needed a lot of time and attention, and this was not up for debate. What apparently was, and had been the last two weeks, was if they should have another baby.
Kushina wanted another baby, and Minato... he did too. But...
But Naruto was hardly six months old. But there had been a lot of potentially life threatening (for a number of reasons) complications. They had been talking about it in circles for the last few days. It wasn't that Kushina wanted a baby right then, but she wanted them to know how far out they would be waiting before they'd... well... try again. Minato wanted to wait until Naruto was at least a year old, because the idea of two infants that young in one house- well he'd seen how Shikaku was handling two children who were about eleven months apart and as cute as the two were he knew it was extremely stressful. He had mentioned it to Haruki, even, during paperwork. Maybe he just wanted some advice from him because he had so many kids running around, and he knew how much of a concern it would be for Kushina to get pregnant again, given her status as a jinchuriki and the complications that could arise because of it. He had been a bit surprised that Haruki had a potential solution.
Haruki had told him that, if they wanted, should another kid get left at the clan compound they could adopt the child instead- they'd be a Namikaze no matter what, after all.
It had been over a year since the last surprise baby, a year and half practically. Community support and access to health care expanding had likely been a factor. However it could potentially happen again. And if it did... well then Kushina wouldn't have to go through another high risk pregnancy, the village wouldn't have to be put under such extreme watch, and there was a chance they could end up with either a slightly older child, or a baby close to Naruto's age or younger- depending on how long it took Naruto might be a toddler by the time they got a baby or child and it would be easier on them both to take on another child. Not to mention, they could make a huge difference in a child's life, and Minato couldn't lie about liking the idea of it. Giving a child who needed it a loving home. He knew his brother would gladly take in another kid if they didn't want to or couldn't but...
He resolved to bring up the idea with Kushina after dinner, and let his head empty as he watched Kushina try and keep the purée mostly off of Naruto's face and either in the spoon or in his mouth. A futile effort, but a noble one.
He switched with her so she could eat some of her meal while it was still hot. Naruto began to burble, distracted even though Minato was making noises and flying the spoon about. Kushina laughed at him when he finally got Naruto to eat a bite, only for it to run down the boys chin.
“Haruki makes this look so easy...”
“Your brother is a baby whisperer, you're doing fine.” She kissed his cheek, picking up a rag to clean Naruto's face off, at least most of it. “By our next kid, you'll be a pro too.” He hummed, leaning back into her arms. His skin crawled at the sound that Naruto made. “I'll get another rag.”
“You're not supposed to spit it up... ugh...” It was while cleaning their son and the tray of his highchair off Naruto began to giggle. “Y'know... Haruki had brought it up but...”
“Mhmm?” Kushia was getting the sink in the kitchen ready for an impromptu bath, back to him and he hesitated. He needed to bring it up eventually.
“We could adopt. I mean, obviously if the opportunity doesn't come up in the next few years we could just try for another baby, but... who knows. Haruki said if another baby or kid gets dropped off at the compound he and Inei would be more than happy to facilitate our adoption of them, it'd be through the clan so...” He trailed off as his nerves got stronger.
“... do you want to?” He froze. He always did under her intense steel gray gaze. She was not angry, just curious, and that was a reassurance he didn't know he needed.
“Yes. I mean, I wasn't adopted, but it would have meant the world to me and... If we can, I'd want to give a child the opportunity I never got.”
“You're a big softie, you know that?” She kissed him, and they worked together to get Naruto out of his bib and onesie, stripped down and into the sink where they could hopefully get him fully clean again- he had gotten the rice behind his ear the first night he was eating it and it had been... unpleasant getting it off in the bath the night after, stuck in his hair. “What do you think, short stack? Do you think you'll get an older or younger sibling?” She only got spit bubbles in response and Minato went to get a towel. Alone with their son, Kushina sighed. “Maybe someday there'll be a safer way for us to give you a baby sister or brother. Not that mommy wouldn't love any sibling your daddy can bring home for you...” She kissed his damp forehead and he began to giggle again. “Hm. Three kids would be good, ya know?”
In the hall Minato was listening, though he wouldn't admit to it. That had gone better than he thought it would.
Notes:
Naruto's days as an only child are numbered.
Chapter 164: Genin Testing
Summary:
Team 18 is formed.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Urushi knew the materials. He had gone through them a thousand times by now. It was a test. A dumb test that he should be able to pass in his sleep. But sat in front of the paper? His head emptied out. He did his best, of course, but his best was C, D+ work. At least with what he was working with at his desk.
The practical went much, much better. He made a successful clone, performed a substitution jutsu, and his tai jutsu test went very well. Which is to say, he barely passed when combined with his awful test score.
Of course he got hugs and congratulations from his family even with the knowledge that, out of the kids who passed the test, he was rock bottom. Team assignment day followed it immediately, and he had his fingers crossed and was chanting ‘please’ under his breath as the assignments were read out. He breathed a sigh of relief when Mizuki, the most obnoxious and rude kid in their class was put on a different team than him or his friends, but the class was dwindling and he was anxious the longer it took. He let out a sigh of relief as team eighteen was called, and it was himself and his two friends. Of course they were second to last called. After that they would have a lunch period and the instructors would arrive after the teacher left. The room was full of nervous energy in the aftermath of team selection.
Jonin instructors would arrive soon, in less than two hours, so he hurried over to Tenzo and Iruka with his packed lunch- they were the only team without a girl...
“Guess you're gonna have to transition, Urushi.” He punched Iruka's shoulder. He was having a hard time keeping his teammates out of his food as it was without additional distractions.
“Why me? You're way prettier.” Iruka made a hurt face as he smacked his hand away from his onigiri.
“Guys, I don't think that's how this works...” Tenzo had abandoned trying to steal his tempura and was eating his own bento from the convenience store- Shizune hadn't had time to help him make lunch that morning.
“If we're going by pretty, then Zozo would need to be the kunoichi.” Iruka got punched for that.
Urushi was aware people were staring, judging too probably. Iruka had gotten the top grade in their class, and Tenzo was adorable and smart on top of being a member of the Senju clan. Urushi had been last place pretty much the whole way through school, he knew he wasn't very handsome, and although he was part of the Namikaze clan he was the first shinobi child to become a genin. Kakashi didn't count. The same expectations people had for his older siblings did not apply to him, and he knew there were more than a few waiting for him to fail and do so spectacularly. If only to take his clan down a peg.
“Urushi would have to do it because he has the most sisters so it'd be easier for him to get girl clothes.” Iruka finally squeaked out. Urushi punched him himself for that one.
“I have a trans sister, dumb ass. If I wanted to, which I don't, my dads would just buy me new clothes, I wouldn't need to borrow anyone else's." Tenzo got up to use the bathroom while they waited for instructors to arrive as Urushi and Iruka had a futile conversation about who on their team would be asked to become a girl to maintain tradition. He had left to avoid their bickering as he realized sometimes it was better to let the two argue rather than try and stop them, but Tenzo came back with a puzzled look on his face.
“What is a ‘sausage fest’ and why is our team one?” It took four minutes for either of his teammates to stop laughing and he waited patiently for them to stop and explain why it was so funny.
“It's cause we're all boys? And boys have uh...” Iruka didn't know how to phrase it given there were others around them- some of them girls- and he didn't really want to say it out loud. Thankfully Tenzo figured it out.
“Oh. It's about our genitals.” Tenzo's unusually stern face while saying it made Iruka crack up again. Around then teachers began to show up, and the other teams slowly cleared out. The only other team waiting was Mizuki's and the prick was glaring at them, especially Iruka.
The classroom door slid open and all six remaining students perked up.
“Papa?” Urushi had suspected that his papa would be an instructor this year, despite his abysmal scores he wasn't actually an idiot, but he felt his stomach drop. Was he here for Mizuki's group? That was so unfair-!
“When were with your squad it's ‘Haruki sensei’, okay big guy?” Relief washed through him, and smug satisfaction that his papa wouldn't be teaching their worst classmate. He shot the bastard a cheeky wink as he stood up and went to huddle beside his papa with his squad.
“Yeah!” He had jumped up, and Tenzo and Iruka followed him. They all got their hair messed up.
“Alright, team eighteen, let's head out.”
Urushi was buzzing, hopping up and down excitedly. This was going to be great, there was so much he wanted his papa to teach him, and he was excited for missions with his friends- it was going to be a fantastic time.
“Tomorrow, bright and early, were going to have a little test. No pressure but it will affect whether I stay your sensei or not.” Tenzo grabbed Urushi's sleeve and looked at him nervously. He hadn't expected a second test to come up, and not one with such high stakes...
“What kind of test?”
“You'll find out tomorrow.”
Urushi was certain the test wouldn't be something impossible. He was anxious anyway, of course, because you could still fail a test even if it was possible to pass it. He knew that quite personally. He tried not to let that show, and when his papa walked him home that night he tried to reassure his friends that things would be fine as they parted ways.
The next morning he left the house early to get to the training grounds they were meant to meet at and ran into Tenzo and Iruka on the way.
The sun was hardly over the horizon when they got there only to find... Haruki sensei waiting with a book, sitting on the wooden placard that had the training grounds number on it.
“You three are late.”
“You said sunrise.” Tenzo had taken Urushi's hand again, eyes going toward the sun which was just finishing it's way up over the ground. “It's sunrise.”
“Sunrise started twenty minutes ago.” He closed his book, and Urushi knew his papa well enough to clock this as being part of the test. It had still been predawn twenty minutes ago. He had wanted them here before that?
“But that's not fair, you should have been more specific-!”
“You three are genin. If we're meeting for training, or a test, you should always try to beat me here. If you do so with enough time you should finish any warming up you need to do before you even see me. That way you can make the most out of having me present during your training. I might be your teacher now, but I'm also a jonin of the village, and I might have missions that I have to prioritize over you. If I'm needed I won't have the time to wait around for you three to be ready. If I say sunrise, you should be here before dawn even begins.”
Tenzo looked... annoyed, but Urushi understood where he was coming from too. Even if there were nicer ways to put it. Maybe irritating them, getting them on edge, maybe that was part of the test.
“Now that you're finally here, I'll make it simple for you.” There was a jingle as he produced two bells from the pocket of his flack jacket. “Prove to me you have what it takes. If you can take a bell, you pass the test. If you can't, then you fail. If you fail this test, you will be sent to the mission desk and you'll have the chance to take this test with a different instructor next year.”
“But there's only two.” Iruka was already calculating. He had likely caught on too. “That's not enough for all of us.”
“Mhm.” Haruki smiled, small, tight, a little mean, “So you'll need to decide who stays and who gets sent back. Teams can be consolidated after the test so don't worry about your future squads head count.” Urushi squeezed Tenzo's hand. He looked nervous. “If you want to pass, come at me with the intention of killing me. I'll even give you a free opening.” They didn't need to be told twice.
Iruka threw kunai and dodged back, grabbing Tenzo's other hand and Urushi got the memo and darted to throw his own.
Haruki simply jumped, getting the vertical needed to avoid all of the thrown knives.
Tenzo sent a vine rocketing up to try and hit him but he grabbed it, yanking himself back down to earth. The three boys were all hiding in the foliage, but Urushi knew they weren't actually hidden from his papa. Haruki sensei was at least two to three times better as a sensor than he was, and even he could detect Iruka and Tenzo.
“The other reason you should have come early was to lay a few traps for me.” That was his last comment before the hell that was the next few hours began.
By noon, despite having made several attempts, they hadn't even brushed the bells that he had tied to his hip pouch. He had no weapons, had not attacked them, and yet the three were exhausted.
“I could use sage mode and run at him, but if he sees me he'll dodge.”
“I know a jutsu that should soften the ground and make him sink.” Iruka chimed in.
“Like he'll stand around and let us sink him and grab the bells...”
“... I could grow flowers. I know a kind that has an extremely strong sweet smell, maybe we can cast a genjutsu while he's distracted and buy time to sink him and steal the bells.”
It was not the worst plan of the day, which had been to attempt to trick Haruki into triggering a net trap and all three boys somehow got hoisted up in it instead. They had wasted thirty minutes sawing through the ropes with their kunai to escape.
The Flower plan did not exactly work either. The genjutsu did not stick, but the smell covered up Urushi's own smell until he was right on top of him- if Haruki had been sunk into the mud they could have gotten at least one, if not both of the bells, however... He used chakra to maintain his standing position even as the ground turned into quick mud under his sandals. Urushi got stuck instead.
A timer went off about then, from quite a distance away, and he hauled Urushi out of the mud by his hanten.
“Times up.” His stomach lurched. They hadn't gotten the bells. He was sat beside Tenzo and Iruka as Haruki crossed his arms, studying them as he leaned back against a tree. “I won't lie, this is about what I expected.” Iruka had frustrated tears forming in his eyes, and Tenzo was clawing his own pants for how tight his fingers had bunched against his legs.
“It's not fair asking a genin to beat a jonin. Especially not on their first day. Even three againat one-!”
“Urushi.” He closed his mouth, glaring at the ground between them. “It is unfair. That's why you weren't actually being tested on stealing the bells.” He had three wide eyed boys staring up at him now, and he gave them a sardonic smile. “Did you boys honestly think I'd have sent you back to the academy for failing?”
“...Yes?” Iruka guessed, and Haruki laughed.
“You boys passed. A while ago, actually. I just wanted to see how close you'd get to doing it, an assessment."
“We passed?”
“Yeah. Hours ago.” It took all of fifteen seconds before he had three angry tweens yelling at him and he couldn't stop laughing. “The test! It was about team work.” They quieted down. “Working in a squad means working together. I never had any doubt you three would gang up on me, and you did, right away. This is usually an incredibly difficult task for genin to succeed at because usually the group is made up of students who don't know one another well, or have conflicting personalities. The three of you immediately realized you stood no chance on your own and started working together, even thinking that one of you would still fail. You put the mission first over yourselves. I'm proud of you.” He patted their heads.
“So... we passed?”
“Yep.”
“You're our instructor now?”
“That is correct.”
“No more tests?”
“No village mandated ones.” He tossed the bells at them and Tenzo caught them, bringing them close to his chest. “Keep it secret, it ruins the surprise if the new genin know ahead of time.” Iruka stuck out his tongue, and Urushi had a nervous laugh over it knowing Keiko would be hounding him to know what had happened. “Now. It has been a long, long morning, let's get you kids some lunch.”
Haruki led them off the training grounds, and back towards the village, feeling nostalgic as three people, two of which had been precious to him for more than one lifetime, complained that he was still a jerk for letting the test continue even after they'd already passed it.
Notes:
Haruki is maybe a bit too much like his own sensei sometimes.
Chapter 165: Instigation
Summary:
Kakashi has become much more of a busybody than he was prior to living with his foster family, now he's starting to turn that on strangers on the street.
Kurenai is strong armed into a friendship she isn't sure she wants, but can't shake.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey. Asuma. It's curry night.” Kakashi had spotted him with his squad, coming back from a mission, “Are you coming over? Chiyo changed her mind and wants her shorts back.”
“Uh... yeah. I'll come over. But I'm not giving them back, they're really comfortable.” Kakashi rolled his eye, waving to the other boy as he turned down toward the market. He was running errands. He had to pick up rice, milk, flour, eggs, and apples. This was actually fairly routine. Shopping errands were pretty much daily, they always forgot something or ended up running out of something faster than expected, and even if they didn't they had to buy milk at least four times a week between all the little kids who drank it and it's uses in cooking.
“Usual?” He handed the list that Kurama had handed him on his way out to the clerk at the small shop.
“We need heavy cream too, my papa is going to make stew tomorrow.” He got the scroll ready and began to accept and place items into it. It was just easier to let the clerk do it- he didn't want to be accused of being a thief. Not that anyone would accuse him of stealing- it was fairly common knowledge that he had money, and even if he didn't then the clan he was currently living with wasn't poor, and he didn't get thrills shop lifting. But the scroll he was using was a prototype that Saito had been working on, Momo wanted to sell scrolls even civilians could use.
Kakashi was not testing it of course, it was just the one he happened to grab. There was a stack of them in the kitchen, and he'd checked to make sure it had a stasis seal weaved into it so nothing would spoil on the walk back- he didn't expect it to take long but being with Obito had seen his boyfriends habit of getting sidetracked rub off on him. No the milk shouldn't get hot on the ten minute walk back towards home, but it might if he runs into Gai and is challenged to a pushup contest halfway home... or if he sees an old woman who needs help with her groceries. Curse Obito for being such a good person and pushing Kakashi to be more charitable through sheer force of pure kindness and long term exposure.
He paid for the groceries- the reason his younger siblings sometimes fought for this chore was that you got to keep the change from the errand, and usually there was enough money for some kind of snack, or if you did a few you could buy a book or new board game. Kakashi didn't need the money, but he planned to get the few crumpled up ryo turned into coins and use them in the feeder machines that had recently been put up at a nearby park- Fu liked feeding the ducks, and Yosaku had been slowly trying to tame the local population of crows and this might go a long way... but Yosaku had been busy training Riku, the small hawk he'd gotten months ago for his birthday, how to bring back a variety of small colorful objects in hopes of training her to eventually find hidden messages that he and his friend wanted to hide for her to bring back to them. Fu would at least like the ducks... he might complain about being too old for it though.
“H-hold on, I swear I have it.” His ears perked up and he spotted a small girl frantically digging in her hip pouch- a new genin. Probably from Urushi's class. They only graduated a week ago, and Kakashi wondered if she was among the kids Urushi talked to or the ones that made fun of him about his poor grades and his voice cracking.
She seemed like she was having trouble buying a loaf of bread. Kakashi thought on it for all of four seconds before turning and walking to the stall. He had become a lot more nosy since being taken in by Inei and Haruki. Their influence rubbing off on him too, probably.
She was fifty ryo short. It wasn't much at all, but Kakahi knew the owner of this particular bakery, and he wouldn't overlook it and just let her have the bread. He didn't over think it when he put two coins down, which would cover the missing one the girl just couldn't seem to find, and smiled with his eye at the vendor. The loaf was pushed to the girl and that probably could have been that.
But Kakashi was just so nosy.
The girl’s hip pouch and headband were the only nice things she seemed to have- her clothing was well worn and carefully patched, but it was clear it was holding on for dear life before it would likely become patches for other clothes. She also had the look of a kid who had skipped a few meals.
He knew there were plenty of charities in the village now, soup kitchens, second hand shops that collected and redistributed good condition used clothing, a second free or reduced cost clinic would open too, and there was cheap and good housing available not a stone's throw from his front door (either one). But shinobi were, unfortunately, a thick headed and proud people. The help was out there, but you needed to pursue it actively since no one would know you needed it otherwise. And Kakashi suspected she probably could use a little help.
She was eyeing him, and he noticed her eyes were unusual. She had red eyes. Well, he knew someone else with red eyes so it wasn't that strange. They did stick out though, he didn't remember her from Urushi's weird graduation celebration at the school. He also wasn't invested in any of his brother's classmates aside from Iruka and Tenzo, who might as well be family at this point.
“I did have it.” She grumbled, and Kakashi instantly thought of Keiko. She was a little saucy huh?
“I wanted to. Seeing other people uncomfortable from my help is my hobby.” He lied, obviously, and she gave him a flat look as she shoved the bread as carefully as she could into her bag. “You need anything else?” He spotted a small list written in a shaky hand clutched in her fist and she squinted at him.
“No.” She lied.
“Hm.” He walked a half step behind her before swiping the paper. She needed a lot more. Not just groceries either, there was a reminder to stop and pick up some type of prescription from the apothecary.
“Hey! Give that back!” She squawked, and he turned them towards the nearest store that would sell most of the unprocured items on her list.
“I will. Once it's finished. Come on, it says you need rice, eggs, and tomatoes." He knew he looked like an asshole, but... he had been that prickly once too. “You just graduated right?” She didn't answer, glaring at his back, and he took that as a yes. “I'm one of Urushi's older brothers.”
“Urushi the dummy?” He caught it just in time to watch her slap her hands over her mouth at the slip. His newly acquired older brother instincts practically howled. She was adorable, and obnoxious, like all of his little sisters. He fought the urge to mess up her hair. “I mean- I-!”
“It's okay. He can be kinda dumb sometimes.” He silently apologized to his brother, but the little twerp liked to problem solve by throwing himself full body into the issue until he busted through to the other side of it -usually head first- so he didn't feel too bad. “What's your name?”
“...Yuhi Kurenai.” She mumbled it almost too softly to hear and he nodded, falsely sage like.
“Nice to meet you.” It was a little late but that's okay. “Have you gone on any missions yet?” They passed into a small market, and he made a beeline for the tomatoes.
“... we were supposed to. My teammate sprained his ankle training last night so we can't start yet.” She had huddled in on herself, trying to make herself small.
“I see.” She had probably been banking on her team making some money off of a few missions. The money wasn't a lot but if they did one or two D rank missions she probably would have been able to afford everything on her list. Her teammate had ruined that plan.
He passed her a paper bag of tomatoes, a carton of eggs, and carried the bag of rice himself. She had also needed to pick up soap, that prescription, and wire for hanging clothes.
She protested him paying for things for her, helping when he hadn't been asked, and also that he was walking too fast.
He eventually dropped to walk just behind her, following her towards her home.
There weren't quite slums in Konoha nowadays, but there were definitely rough areas still. The area Kurenai lead him was one of them. There was a seedy looking book store, one he suspected of selling the kind of magazine that Ebisu usually bought and hid under his bed. Kurenai lead him to the alley behind it and then up a staircase and through a heavy door to a short hallway, there were two doors inside the hall, 1A and 2A on the doors. She unlocked door 2A and shouldered her way in, Kakashi followed, curious and also aware he was pushing it.
It was cramped, mostly clean but with a layer of grime from someone smoking for years in the space.
“Kurenai?” A woman's voice called from one of the two assuredly small bedrooms. “You're already home?”
“I am, momma.” She took the few things Kakashi had been holding and set them on the kitchen counter. She mouthed for him to leave, but he didn't have the chance.
A woman, unkempt looking, with red eyes, had shuffled out of the bedroom, and Kakashi would have to be fully blind not to notice she was missing most of one of her arms.
“Whose this?” Her eyes scanned him in the way most shinobi assessed people. Just as mistrusting too.
“Hatake Kakashi. Kurenai went to the academy with my little brother.” He offered his right hand, so she could actually shake it if she wanted. “I saw Kurenai had some trouble carrying things and offered to help.” He was surprised at how strong her grip was, shaking his hand firmly.
“Sakumo's boy?” He felt his stomach clench, “I didn't think he'd had any other kids.”
“I've been living with the Namikaze clan.” He corrected and something connected in the woman's head.
“That kid Kurenai said was always crying about his bad tests?”
“Momma!” Oh, he was invested in Kurenai's family now.
“Yeah, he's a bad test taker.” He would buy Urushi so, so much soba to repay this bullying he was doing. She laughed, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Kurenai relax.
“Thanks for giving my kid a hand. She's pretty stubborn.” The woman had crossed the room and messed up Kurenai's hair- it was cathartic because Kakashi had wanted to do that for the last half hour. “I'm Yuhi Yuuko, sorry for not introducing myself properly."
“It's alright.” He was surprised when the woman moved to mess up his hair.
“It might be asking a lot, but can you keep an eye on my little Nai? I haven't been a shinobi in a long time, and she might need advice, or help training that I just can't do.” His eyes darted to her injured arm. Kakashi was definitely going to bother her again if he got the chance anyway, and it... it sounded like Mrs. Yuuko here knew his father. Maybe she could answer a few questions he still had...
“I don't mind.” Kurenai had begun to protest in the background over these choices being made for her. “If you two ever want to, I'm sure my foster parents would love to have you over for dinner.” He knew baba would take one look at Kurenai and start crowing about how skinny she was.
“We might just take you up on that, but not tonight, eh? Me and my little Nai are spending some quality time together.”
“Alright, I'll invite you again next time I see her. Bye, Kurenai.” He waved, and she was covering her eyes furtively, waving unhappily.
He was in a pretty good mood after that.
He suspected that Yuuko had had to retire after the loss of her arm -and she definitely lost it rather than never having had it- she was likely receiving a stipend from the village, which clearly wasn't enough to support herself and Kurenai, which was probably why she hadn't had enough money at the market- she'd been depending on the missions she would start getting. The prescription they'd picked up, too, if he was remembering right from his forced study sessions with his two medically inclined younger siblings... it was a medicine meant to boost immunity for those who had theirs compromised. It couldn't be Kurenai's, so that meant Yuuko was on it. She likely couldn't work at all, shinobi were underqualified for some jobs given their traditional education ended at twelve or eleven so...
He made it home and handed off groceries, before getting ambushed by his little sisters and dragged to help them with their current game.
He mentioned the two to his dad when he got home from work, and that Asuma was coming over for dinner too, and he noticed the strained smile Inei gave him at that, but didn't mention it. He still wasn't sure what that was about. He assumed bad blood between them and Lord Third, but he had the suspicion that it was something more than just that. He didn't treat Asuma poorly so Kakashi wouldn't call him out on that.
On his second visit, Asuma looked less like a startled animal, and was even comfortable enough to start arguing with Chiyo about those shorts she had bitched at him about Obito giving away. (Never mind that she had told Obito to take them, and maybe just liked to be upset about things sometimes.)
It was a little novel to have three fifteen year old's in one place, after all, but it would happen again- not for a decade and some change, eyeing Kankuro, Shin, and Mei- and Kakashi had a lingering thought.
What if Asuma moved in like he had?
It didn't upset him like he expected it to. Maybe because he was certain that Asuma, though likely a frequent guest, would never make the full leap into the household like he had. Asuma still had his mother and older brother, no matter how much he hated his dad.
That didn't change the fact that he could see his family already getting attached.
By the next time Asuma came over he'd likely be getting the smoking lecture that Shikaku had gotten until he quit the year before. His certainty that things would be alright solidified when Inei snorted at one of Asuma's rather... creative rebuttals on why he would not be returning The Shorts.
(‘If I never wash them, I can't return them, so even if you steal them back they'll stink of me even if you wash them.’)
It had been gross, and Kakashi was a little surprised it had earned a laugh given how stoic Inei always seemed but... well... he had married Haruki. Haruki who ticked between reassuring almost sage like wisdom and crass humor followed by childish behavior. With little in between.
... Kakashi didn't know if he could survive two of Haruki however. Good thing Asuma was more of a brat then a clown.
Notes:
I subscribe to Kurenai being at least three to four years younger than Asuma and Kakashi solely based on the throw away comment from the start of the series that was used to explain the chunin exams. (Ibiki's portion if I'm remembering right.)
Chapter 166: Discipline
Summary:
Exercising parental rights about punishment wasn't expected to be in his job description, actually.
Chapter Text
Parenthood sometimes comes with challenges that you are not prepared for. Your kids actually growing up, when the start dating, hell deviant behavior too. Haruki had expected that much, some graffiti, water buckets over doors, disrespecting authority figures- they were his kids, after all. Apple, tree. You get it.
Haruki was not expecting his two seven year old daughters to have added themselves to the Fox scroll. He didn't think that would even be possible, given they had no ability to use chakra without special equipment. He hadn't even known when they'd done it until he put pressure on the two.
He didn't know what was worse about the whole thing, actually. That they had done it at all, or that he had missed it for almost five months.
Both girls were kneeling with their heads bowed, he had maybe been ranting about how it could have been dangerous for the last ten minutes but-
But his little girls weren't supposed to get involved with that sort of thing. He didn't think they were discounted just because they were girls. He knew they weren't weak, and he didn't doubt their abilities, with time and practice, to summon foxes. No. They were civilians. By definition they weren't supposed to be messing with advanced jutsu. And summoning was advanced jutsu despite what some people now thought given Urushi could do it.
He only found out because Ichika asked when his new cubs would be summoning them. She had been getting antsy.
He had actually been a bit relieved that so many of their kids weren't going to become ninja specifically because of how dangerous it was. Now two of them had actively managed to add themselves to a somewhat short list of people who were approved to contract summons. That didn't mean that they'd transfer over and become shinobi, nor did it really change their future prospects in regards to other jobs, but it did make them both one hell of a target if the scroll was ever stolen.
He was sure they had a good reason for it, or at least one they thought was good. They loved the foxes, and were very interested in their history, culture, customs, which was all well and good- he could summon them foxes whenever they asked, they didn't need to do it for themselves.
They were grounded, but he'd never had to actually ground their kids and he didn't know what he should do in regards to said grounding. Inei had taken one look at the mess and informed him that summoning was Haruki's thing, and it wasn't his business getting involved in it. Then he ran away.
Well, he didn't run away, just exited Haruki's study and refused to come back to discipline the girls.
“No summoning until you're ten. No.” His eyes hardened, taking in their put out looks, “Twelve. And I'll know if you try. I'm telling your brother he'll be held responsible if he teaches you how behind my back so don't even think about it.”
“But Papa-!” “That's unfair Papa-”
“End of discussion. You went behind my back and hurt yourselves to add your names to the scroll. You're lucky I'm not going to the elder fox to ask her to remove your names from the scroll.” It might seem harsh but... well he was upset and worried and they had made a major life change without telling either himself or Inei, and lied to Kurama. They were only seven. Babies. Babies did not need to summon foxes.
... it was a little reassuring that they could if needed but...
He would revisit how mad exactly he was once he'd calmed down.
Chapter 167: Lee's Very Big Day
Summary:
A lot happens to Lee in a very short time.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Lee was sitting quietly around the corner listening to his parents talk. There had been a growing tension for some time as Lee failed and failed at meeting his mothers expectations. Another week had passed where he just... wasn't getting it. He tried really hard! It just wasn't good enough.
To make his situation more dire, they were going to have a new baby. His little brother had already replaced him, and now even the small corner he had managed to hold onto was under threat.
His father had mentioned something that had chilled Lee. ‘We could give him up.’
Give him up to what? Leave him somewhere like the poor children in the stories they read to his brother? He didn't think he could outsmart a witch or find his way out of the forest or...
But mother really liked that idea.
They were sifting through papers together in the other room and Lee sat nibbling a stale bun, wondering if... if he was going to be lost forever somewhere. His mother said something about having talked to 'those people' already and Lee was nigh certain of it. He would definitely be eaten up by a whole flock of witches.
The next morning Lee was put in some nice new clothes, a bit too big, and his little brother was left with an auntie while his father carried him. It was very, very early in the morning when they left, and Lee was lulled to sleep, hugging his father tightly, desperately needing the physical comfort. It was the first time in memory his father had carried him like this, and certainly the last. They were going to leave him in the woods.
His eyes blinked open when they stopped moving, and they were in some new place. There was a very tall man with sunshine colored hair, and a man with black hair greeting them, but they seemed tense. They went upstairs in this place he didn't know, and he watched from his father's arms as the screen shut behind them in a room with a low table and walls full of books. They put paper up on the screens.
“Rock has... unique needs. Needs my husband and I cannot meet.” His mother spoke, her voice as sharp and stern as always. His father was silent as his mother spoke for the both of them. Lee wished for once his father would speak up but he didn't.
This must be a witch's house, they were going to cook him into soup.
“And how exactly do you expect us to help?” He hid his face.
“... you're children are able to use funinjutsu despite their... handicap at using chakra. Is it really so strange we would like for our son to have the same resources?”
Lee didn't understand.
“...” The men looked at one another, speaking in the silent way parents sometimes did, without opening their mouths.
“You would have to surrender him to our clan.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “You wouldn't be able to claim him as your son from this point on, and you wouldn't be able to have a relationship with him unless he sought one out once he was older. As we discussed the day before."
“We are aware. This is what's best for him.” He heard the sound of a pen nib scratching over paper- his mother wrote letters, lots of them, he knew that distinct sound- and then his small fists were being pried from his father's shirt. He got a single kiss on the head from his father before being set on one of the cushions beside the table, his mother was too busy, shaking the dark haired man's hand. Then she left without looking back. His father stared at him for a moment, kneeling down and meeting his eyes.
“I'm sorry. I hope someday you'll understand.” Then he too, stood, and left. Lee wobbled up and tried to follow them, making it to the door of the room just in time to see his father's back vanish down the stairs and he fell back into an undignified sit on the floor, sniffling.
The man with black hair kneeled next to him, hesitating, before gently stroking the top of his head.
“I-I dun-!” He started crying, voice thick with tears, slurred a bit as he had trouble breathing properly through his sobs. “-dun wanna be soup!” A haneten sleeve was gently clearing the mess off his face even as it continued to grow, and the tall man went down the stairs and then came back up some time later with congee and a glass of warm milk. He'd calmed down a little, and was in just enough a state of shock that when a spoon full of congee was presented to him he opened his mouth. He kept crying even as bite by bite he was fed, drank his milk slowly between hiccupping sobs, and was eventually picked up and carried downstairs and then down again and settled in a futon to sleep.
When he woke later, unaware he had slept through into the next morning, a blue eyed girl was leaning over him- he jumped and shuffled back.
“My name's Yugure.” She crouched, head tilting curiously at him. “What's your name?”
He blinked at her. His name was Lee Rock, but he had trouble with R's and K's.
“‘M Lee.” She grinned brightly at him.
“You hungry, Lee?” He shook his head no, but his stomach grumbled. “Come on, it's breakfast time, and my oji and oba are going to come meet you after so we need to hurry so you have time to wash your face , too.” She scooped him up and set him on his feet, grabbing his hand to lead him back the way he had come the night before.
“Yugure, we were going to let him sleep a bit longer.” The dark haired man from the day before scolded her, and he ducked behind her, staring up at the man. He was kind of pretty.
“He's hungry, daddy.” She wasn't chastised at all. Lee couldn't believe she had spoken back to the man. “I'll help him wash up too, don't worry.” He sighed, patting her head and let them pass.
There was a big room with an even bigger table in it- lots of big kids were sitting there, and he could hear chopsticks and plates moving, dishes were being passed about and they were eating together, but he was walked past that. They dodged a girl with rusty red hair carrying some kind of tray that smelled and looked to be full of charred fish, who was yelling at the boy following her about pants? He had white hair and an eye patch, and two glass pitchers, one of milk and one of an amber colored juice.
“Hello little one.” He blinked up, eyes drawn instantly to the big fluffy puppy ears on the new adult addressing him. “We thought the dinning room might be a bit loud, so you'll have breakfast here with me and Yugure.”
There was a little wooden table, and he was helped up onto one of the chairs- there was a bowl of rice, a cup of berries, a small bowl of egg drop soup, and scrambled tofu with vegetables. He stared at the meal in front of him with wonder. The soup and rice still had steam wafting off of them. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten to a meal in time to eat it hot.
Yugure, as she had named herself, had the same breakfast but with a grilled fish, and the very big adult with fluffy ears had three fish.
He was given a glass of milk, and Yugure asked if he wanted to try any of the sauces on the table- apparently they were for the fish and tofu. He stared at her blankly as she put some on her own food and then offered him a little bite.
“It’s o'tay?” He asked softly, searching her face.
“Yeah, it's okay. If I'm still hungry I can get more.” He opened his mouth. The sauce was tangy, and his nose wrinkled. Yugure giggled, offering him something else to try.
He got to eat his whole meal, or he would have but it was a bit too much food. Yugure ate whatever he didn't though, and led him to wash his hands at the kitchen sink- there was a big step stool he needed to reach it, big enough Yugure could stand behind him and help him without falling off it.
Then they went across the funny shaped house to a big bathroom and she helped him wash his face too. The big blonde man came in to help him change into clean clothes- a green shirt and black overalls.
“Can I pick you up?” He asked it softly, and Lee froze, before shaking his head no. “Okay. But can you take my hand so we can go sit and wait for your visitors?”
“Okay.” He was led back the way they came and into a very comfortable room that had lots of colorful things and fluffy couches. Yugure helped him up onto one and asked if he wanted her to sit with him until her oji and oba came. He did. She held his hand while they waited and the dark haired man brought in a tray with tea, he gave the two a sad smile.
“They'll be here soon.” He kneeled in front of the couch to be eye level with Lee. “Do you know what's happening?”
“...” He shook his head. He thought he'd get eaten by a witch by now. He might still, they had fed him well, so maybe they'd fatten him up?
“Okay...” The man sighed. “Your parents... decided... that there was somewhere where you'd be taken better care of.” His stomach clenched. “They aren't going to come back.” His eyes watered, but he nodded. He knew they wouldn't but it still made him feel awful inside knowing it was true. “Haruki, my husband, and I, well we know someone who would really love a sweet little boy like you. But even if things don't work out, we'll take good care of you and you can stay here.”
The big blonde man, Haruki maybe, had come back into the room, and he kneeled too, though he was still higher than eye level.
“My younger brother and his wife have a baby named Naruto, but they really, really, really want another child.” He took Lee's little hand in his own. “If you like them, and they like you, then would you be okay going to live with them? We won't make you leave if you don't want to go, but it would be... nice, if you gave them a chance to maybe be your new mom and dad.” He fidgited.
New mom and dad. They had a baby though- his parents hadn't had any time for him with a baby. Why would they want another if they already had one? But... it would be rude not to meet them, maybe so he could at least...
“O'tay.”
They really didn't wait long, since the dark haired man went to get the door, not that he heard a knock or a ring, and another blonde man, a woman with pretty red hair, and a tiny baby followed him back. They were both smiling gently at him, and they chose to sit at the small table on the floor to talk with him. He squeezed Yugure's hand.
“Hello, Rock, my name is Minato.” The man introduced himself.
“I'm Kushina, and this is Naruto.” She picked up one of his tiny hands and waved it at Lee.
“He told me he was Lee.” Yugure asserted, and the dark haired man sighed, long suffering.
“Would you rather be called Lee?” Kushina asked him and he thought about it a moment, before nodding shyly. “Then it's very nice to meet you, Lee.”
“Did they tell you why we’re here?”
“Mhmm.” He nodded. The two shared a look, one he didn't understand.
“Why don't we just spend a little time together, and if you want to, you can come home with us after. No pressure." Minato extended his hand, “What do you say?”
“O'tay.” He shook it, and he felt callouses under his fingers along Minato's hand. Like father.
After that he was coaxed to sit with them, and they did some coloring together, and then a puzzle. Kushina let him gently touch Naruto's hands and his fluffy hair- more than Lee ever got to touch his own baby brother by blood.
She asked him what he liked to eat and he said he didn't know. He didn't have a favorite animal, or color, or song either, and Minato looked worried when he said he didn't know any games like tag or hide and seek.
Even still... It was nice.
They ate lunch together, and he felt comfortable enough Yugure could wander off- Kushina let him sit on her lap after and helped him draw a big turtle.
When it was time for them to leave, Lee was asked if he wanted to go with them, or stay the night in the same room as before. He thought long and hard about it.
“Can I... come bac'... if...” He didn't know how to ask what he was asking without hurting them, and they had been so nice to him all day.
“If you want to.” Haruki patted his head. He let Minato pick him up, and they left through the big round door, then the bigger rounder gate, and they walked in a direction he knew was different from the one he had been brought to that place from.
“We can decorate your room this weekend if you want.” Kushina was saying, “Of course, if you want to you can sleep in our room with us while you settle in. Naruto sometimes sleeps in the crib in our room if he's fussy.”
When he reached out she gently used her free hand to take his fingers in hers, squeezing them lightly.
He got to watch her cook, just watch, he was too little to help with anything she was doing, and Minato had laid Naruto down for a nap.
“Tomorrow I have to go to work, so it'll be just you three until I get done, do you think you can keep busy? Kushina gets bored easily.”
Kushina lightly smacked his shoulder. But she was smiling.
“Why don't you boys look at Lee's room, see what else he might need.”
Lee was led up the stairs to the small room off the stairs. Inside was a futon, a big box with frogs carved on it, a shelf with children's books, and a tiny table that had a box of crayons and a small stack of papers waiting for him. He hesitated in to doorway.
“We weren't sure what you'd like, but there are some toys in the toybox, do you want to check it out?” Lee nodded, gluing himself to Minato's leg as they entered the room and the box was flipped open. Inside were stuffed toads, a stuffed fox a wooden train painted green and blue, and at the bottom was a little turtle doll that Lee pulled tight to his chest, looking around the room with wide eyes.
“It's mine?” Minato looked... sad for a moment, but nodded yes.
“Do you want to help me draw for a little bit before dinner's ready?”
He went for the black crayon, and began to draw the turtle doll, and Minato used a number of crayons to draw him a series of very cute frogs- Minato told him they were toads but he couldn't tell the difference.
He was getting tired, but he was carried down to the table, they had to stack a few books under him in his chair, and Kushina mentioned something about a booster seat.
He had his own colorful little plate and Kushina filled it with rice and curry. He'd never eaten it before, but it was the best thing he ever tried.
“Cyuuuuwy. It's my favorite.” He mumbled, and they shared bright smiles for it so he guessed it was okay.
Minato fed Naruto some mushy orange stuff, squash and carrots, and Kushina had to explain to him why Naruto couldn't have any of his curry when he tried to offer it.
He got a toothbrush, Kushina gave it to him, and she and Minato brushed their teeth with him- he hadn't done that before either. After they helped him change into pajamas, they had a pair waiting for him that had little fogs on it. He was asked if he wanted to sleep with them or in his own bed and he hesitated.
“With you. Please.” So Kushina picked him up, and they walked into Naruto's nursery where he was already asleep and quietly wished him goodnight, and then she carried him into the big bedroom at the end of the hall and got him settled into the middle of the bed. Minato brought the turtle doll from earlier for him, and a story book about a clever bird who tricked a wolf. He didn't remember falling asleep.
He woke up, a little thirsty in the middle of the night and felt a preasure over his stomach, and looking down, Kushina and Minato were holding hands over him, and he was cuddled between the two.
“Bad dream?” He blinked, still adjusting to the dark, at Minato, his voice was rough with sleep.
“Uhuh, ‘m thusty.” He cringed slightly, having once again mispronounced the R sound. He expected to be scolded but it never came.
Minato smiled, wiggled his hand free, which prompted Kushina to curl her arm gently around Lee, and shuffled to get up. Lee blinked tiredly, yawning, nearly back to sleep when Minato had returned, a sippy cup with water in his grasp. He helped Lee take a drink from it, and once he finished took it back and set it to the side.
Calloused fingers fixed his hair and he was nearly back to sleep, so he might have dreamed the kiss on his temple and the murmured sweet dreams from Minato.
Notes:
I hope I treated what was happening in this chapter with the care it deserves. I knew I wanted Lee to leave his current family at the start of the fic, I had initially wanted him to be one of our main couple's kids, but I really thought on it and came around to wanting to have him and Naruto be brothers. Imagining the chaos is just *chefs kiss*
They just want him to be happy, and given how he was bullied in flashbacks in the series I don't think he had a happy home life either.
Chapter 168: A Day With Mom
Summary:
Kushina spends her first day alone with both of her little boys.
Chapter Text
Kushina had made breakfast- they all ate together, though Lee was sleepy at the table. When Minato left, she got Lee cleaned up and ready for the day, he was a two and a half year old, and almost upsettingly independent, but she wouldn't hold that against him.
She could tell he'd been forced to take care of himself already, and she was not going to let that continue.
Inei had given her a scroll full of large piece puzzles and picture books that his own children had fallen out of favor with, and so they spent the morning doing puzzles together. Lee was extremely interested in Naruto's play time that followed, watching him wriggle around, wobbling up onto his hands and knees and scooting about until he eventually slipped and landed back on his tummy.
Lee enjoyed the leftover curry they had for lunch, and she made a mental note to ask Kurama for recipes that their new toddler might enjoy given the sheer volume he had tried making in the last year. Both boys crashed after lunch, and she covered them with a blanket in the living room and did some cleaning. They'd also been gifted some hand-me-down clothes for Lee from his older cousins that she wanted to wash and put away. After she went to clean the kitchen.
Kushina didn't want to push Lee into seeing her as his mom- he was probably still hurting from... her fists tightened and snapped the broom handle she'd been fiddling with.
She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and peaked in on the boys, still snoozing in the afternoon sun coming in from the windows. Right. No use getting upset, she and Minato would take excellent care of Lee, there wasn't anything she could do to change the past. Lee was going to have an amazing life from this point on.
Minato sent a toad to let her know he was going to be late, but she could just set his dinner on one of the plates with a stasis seal on it and it should stay warm for him until he was able to eat it. She got dinner on and in the down time she had while the oil heated she read one of the reams of paper that Haruki was helping her fill out to establish the Uzumaki clan officially in Konoha.
She heard a rattling sound and found Lee was jiggling the baby gate in the living room. Both he and Naruto were up, Naruto was wriggling his way toward the gate at a much slower pace.
“Did you have a good nap?” Lee nodded, and she scooped him up to get him over the gate before hopping over it herself to snag her baby. “We'll have dinner soon, but until then could you draw me a pretty picture?” He nodded and she watched him to make sure he got up the stairs safely and went to put Naruto in his highchair, passing him a teething toy.
The oil was finally hot enough so she began frying the vegetables and then the cutlets she had prepared, listening for Lee if he needed her.
He came down on his own with a piece of paper clutched in his hands just before she finished cooking.
“Just a moment, I'm almost done, then you can show me.” He waited patiently for her as she finished plating and moved everything to the table- once her hands were free she knelt down and patted his head. “Thank you so much for waiting, Lee. I appreciated it. Can I see your picture?” He nodded, holding it up for her.
It was black and brown crayon, flowers, and in the middle was an oval shaped head with two green splotches a black dot, and a red U, with scribbled red around it.
“Oh my goodness, this is so pretty.” He smiled a little and her heart melted.
“‘s you.” He mumbled and she looked again. She supposed it was a bit like her, minimalistic, but not bad given how little he was.
“You did fantastic. Should we put this on the fridge so Minato sees it when he gets home?” He looked excited at the idea, and so she lifted him up to help him pin it to the fridge with a little magnet that looked like a fish cake.
Lee once again had to sit on books, but he seemed excited to try the new meal in front of him while Kushina fed Naruto.
“Do you like it more or less than curry?”
“mhmmm.” Lee's face scrunched adorably as he thought. “Cyuuwy.” He rose his hand high above the table, then lowered it a bit, “This.”
“Katsudon.”
“‘Atsuuudon.” He corrected.
“So it's good but you like curry more?” He nodded, going back to his vegetables. “Do you want to take a bath tonight?” He shrugged, and she wondered if he'd become more talkative as he got more comfortable.
Lee ended up being nervous in the bath, holding her hand tight as she floated a rubber toad in the water and used a cup to pour water down his back- he seemed to like that. Minato returned home about then, stopping into the bathroom and asking them how their day was, Lee was still too shy to speak much, but that was okay.
Minato had dinner while Kushina dried Lee off, helping him get ready for bed- brushing his silky black hair and tying it in a short braid to sleep in.
“My mom used to do this for me at night when I was really little. It helps keep your hair from getting messy while you sleep.” He looked adorable with two tiny black braids. He really was a cute kid, even his thick eyebrows were endearing, and she kissed the crown of his head when she had finished. They brushed their teeth, said goodnight to Naruto, who she had put down for bed after dinner, and the two kneeled to pick out a bedtime story.
Minato had finished eating, cleaned up the dishes, and changed for bed, poking his head in while still brushing his teeth.
“Do you want to sleep in your bed or ours tonight?” They had talked about Lee sleeping in his own room, and had decided they'd let him choose for the first few months, and slowly get him used to his own room if he kept choosing their bed.
Lee took her hand and glanced behind them to the door, tugging her gently.
“Okay. Let's go read this together then.” She scooped him up, holding him close, and carried him back to their bedroom to settle together in bed. Lee took the book and held it, waiting for Minato who joined them, turning off the overhead light so only the small nightstand lamp was on- he had brought a sippy cup full of water and she saw Lee noticed it. He also brought the turtle doll Lee was favoring.
“Who do you want to read it?” Lee squeezed the book before handing it to Minato. “Okay, lets see... The tortoise and the hair.”
“Tuddle.” Lee corrected.
“Ah right, my mistake. The turtle and the hair.” They smiled over the boys head. “In a grassy meadow there lived many animals, squirrels, and mice, ducks and tanuki, and many birds. They all had a problem, Mr. Hair, the fastest animal in the meadow was boasting agajn...”
Lee yawned, snuggling closer to Minato.
“Mr. Hair said ‘No one is faster than me. I could race the whole meadow and run circles around everyone.’”
“Mr. Hair sounds rude, doesn't he Lee?” Kushina whispered, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He nodded sleepily.
“If only there was an animal who could beat Mr. Hair, then they wouldn't have to listen to him day in and day out.” Minato eyed Lee as he flipped the page, the boy's eyes were already drooping. “Then one day, the wise old tort- I mean, turtle said ‘I'll race you, you loud little rabbit, and I think I'll win.’ Although they were sure he would loose, all the other animals helped clear a path for the race, from one side of the meadow... to the... other...” Lee had begun a tiny, breathy little snore. Minato smiled, closing the book and setting it aside. Kushina leaned over the sleeping tot to kiss him goodnight, and she flicked off the light.
He woke briefly when Lee curled in a ball, pushing into his armpit at one point, and closer to the wee hours of the morning to hand Lee his water cup before he was able to get a few more hours sleep.
Chapter 169: First Day Jitters
Summary:
It's Yugure and Temari's first day at the academy.
Chapter Text
Yugure did a final check.
Backpack. Bento. Lucky bracelet.
She was ready.
Temari was getting help putting her hair in braids, her own backpack sat beside Yugure's.
Today was the big day. Jun tugged on her sleeve, pouting, but Yugure couldn't tell her she was allowed to come. Jun was too little to come, and she wasn't a shinobi.
“I wanna go too. I wanna play with Itachi.” She was pouting, and Yugure frowned. Jun wasn't going to let it go, but she really couldn't this time.
Keiko, Kabuto, and Fu were dragging their feet that morning too- Urushi had run out the door the minute he had finished eating to go train with his squamates, but it was silly because Papa was going to walk them to their first day before going to meet them at the training grounds.
“Your sisters won't be playing with him either, they're going to be learning.” Daddy picked her up, settling her on his hip.
“Aw...”
“Remember, Keiko and Kabuto have their practical's at the hospital after class, so wait for me to walk you home.
“ I could walk them home. I'm getting really good with my spear.” Fu had perked up, and Yugure giggled as his hair was messed up.
“No weapons out while walking home. We don't want another letter about you.” He complained but without much actual ire. Papa had finished Temari's braids and had gone on to tease her brother.
“You're both growing up too fast.” baba warbled, both of their other fathers made protests but it was too late, he had kneeled down to fuss over them- he would need help getting back up.
“We'll be okay.” Yugure allowed herself to be squished in a hug, then her face squished a little, before it was Temari's turn.
“Baba! We're just going to school!” Her complaints would ultimately be in vain, but that was okay. He'd let them go eventually.
“Come on, you'll be late if we don't head out now.” They chorused their goodbyes and Yugure watched her daddy console baba and use his shadows to help him up- her little siblings were getting really big.
The walk to school was... anticlimactic. Yugure and Temari had in the past walked their already when accompanying one of their dads to run errands after, like when they had gotten their shots, or when they needed to stop by someone's house to drop off something. Last week she had gone with Papa, Temari, Jun and Uhari to visit Minato oji and Kushina oba to check on her new cousin- he was still very quiet and a bit jumpy, but she had a feeling he was happy. Yugure had asked Nanami to bite Lee's mom next she saw her, but had just been scolded instead and vowed revenge in her own way someday.
Lee was very sweet, and he deserved lots and lots of love.
At the doors of the academy one of her new teachers was waiting, an older man who seemed friendly with her papa, he joked about seeing the girls through before maybe retiring. She wondered what that meant for a moment, before her papa had scooped both her and Temari up, planting a very big and loud goodbye kiss on each of their heads.
“You two be good, and listen to your teachers.” He set them back down, fussed a moment fixing their hair from that, and sighed the way that Yugure knew meant he was really happy and really sad. “Learn lots.”
“Bye papa!” “Byebye!” They waved, he had to go teach her brother and his friends more jutsu now. She took Temari's hand and both girls greeted their teacher politely, he directed them inside, the first door on the right would be their classroom.
Inside, Itachi was already sitting at one of the tables, he perked up seeing them and they hurried to join him, flanking him on either side as they put their back packs under the desk. Keiko had warned her if she sat by her friends and talked they'd get separated, so they'd be very quiet and listen so they could keep sitting together.
Yugure imagined school would be lots of tests and writing, her older siblings made it sound like that, but instead once everyone was there and the bell had rung they played a game to get to know one another. Then they did have a test, but they were told to only answer what they knew, and it was okay to have something wrong or leave things blank. She, Temari, and Itachi filled the whole test out, and Temari was only wrong on two of the questions, she mixed up Madara and Hashirama when listing what clans they were from when forming the village.
After that, they went outside with the class, and the teachers had them do all sorts of physical tests. Run a lap as fast as you can, stretching tests, how much could they pick up and carry between one place and another, then back to running where they were told to just run as many laps as they could.
She, Itachi, and Temari were the last three running, and after three more laps Temari dropped out. Then ten more and Itachi had to sit down. Yugure kept running. And running.
Yugure did not usually get tired doing physical tasks. Something about her biology being a touch yokai, she had never reached her limits, but daddy said that was okay. Her classmates all sitting in the grass watching her run... made her wonder if it was okay.
She was eventually stopped, they were going to have lunch now, but apparently she had done almost a hundred laps around the training track, ninety seven in total.
She didn't know how to feel about that. As it turned out neither did her teachers or classmates. Itachi told her she was amazing, but he was always nice to her, and Temari had grabbed her hand and proclaimed ‘As expected of my sister!’ which had been very good for her ego but the other kids were looking at her funny.
She couldn't help it, overhearing two of the assistant teachers minding her class that day, they were talking so loudly in a shadowy area...
“Those three should probably be in a more advanced class.”
“I expected it from Uchiha, but I'm a little surprised about the Namikaze girls.”
“Well, you know what their parents are, is it that surprising?”
She forced herself to tune them out, squeezing Itachi's hand.
No one else came close to them when they got their bento out, but she felt stared at. This was not what she thought school was going to be like.
After lunch, their teacher started to teach them about chakra, where it comes from inside, and how to use it. Yugure and Temari had already learned how to move their chakra inside their bodies, and Itachi had been taught the substitution jutsu by his dad, and was learning how to use fire jutsu too now. Yugure did not say it, and neither did they.
It was during the last hour that she was surprised.
“Yugure, can you come up to the board?” she did not want to. She was being stared at enough. But she got up and scurried over. “Now, Yugure, you're a Namikaze, correct?”
“Uhuh.” She nodded, thrown.
“You're clan, from what we've seen, is very good at funinjutsu.” She nodded. It was a common hobby with her siblings. “Could you draw a seal for me?” She tilted her head.
“Oh... um... no.” He didn't seem surprised, “I'm not good at Funinjutsu yet.” She wasn't embarrassed to admit it.
“Thats okay. We're here to learn. You can sit back down.” She nodded, heading back, and some of the tension in the room had... eased. “For the rest of the day, we're going to make a seal that one of Yugure's older brothers gave me permission to teach you, it's called a ‘light orb’ seal.” Itachi groaned, putting his head on the desk, which caused some giggling in the rows behind them. “It isn't very difficult, and activating it should help you get the feeling for releasing chakra- it won't work if you can't move your chakra. So everyone take out your paper and we'll practice.”
Yugure followed along- she knew this seal, but... she purposefully struggled to make one, giving Temari and Itatchi a pointed look- they could do them too. Both took the hint, and let most of the rest of the class successfully light their seals before they did their own.
They couldn't do it forever, but seeing the three of them struggle with something... it seemed to make their class feel less nervous. Funinjutsu wasn't a subject officially on the books, but she was glad her teacher decided to throw some in anyway.
After class a few other students came over and began offering to help her so she could get better at it- the only seal they knew, and it was questionable if they had memorized it or not. She giggled, and Temari grabbed her arm, asking excitedly if they could help her too. Yugure had thought it was a mix of boys and girls, but it was actually mostly boys and one girl; she couldn't have picked the actual girl classmate out of a line up if her life depended on it either which might have reassured her classmates also. She was also wrong about their primary teacher being a boy.
Itachi quietly tagged along while they sat drawing it in the dirt outside the doors, waiting for her daddy to walk them all home. It wasn't what she thought school would be like, but it wasn't that bad, she supposed.
Chapter 170: (Kurama Is) Miserable
Summary:
The shiny has worn off, he wants it over.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kurama was lying on his side, half asleep- he had hated sleeping before and now he did it a lot. He was no longer able to see his toes while standing, and though he certainly had more room inside his body cavity for them, they had used it up. His middle had swollen up, and he now understood what Kushina had meant about wanting the baby out . He was hungry and tired and sore all of the time. They kicked, which had been exciting at first, but now only jolted him awake just when he drifted off, and they wiggled too. They all wiggled so much .
He was excited still, so very, very excited! Just. He hoped that they'd come sooner than New Years. He didn't know how much more growing they could even do ! Tsunade had told him they were developing well, and Inei had soothed him, that they were right on track for their timeline they'd put together, which was good. It was, he was happy their cubs were healthy! But it was easier to say they were growing as they should when they weren't growing in you .
His hips hurt! He didn't think they could hurt! Physically, he did not remember willing his pelvis to change but it had been and that was uncomfortable. And his feet. He couldn't stand for more than twenty minutes before he needed to sit down, which was also uncomfortable not long after he did. Laying down? Also uncomfortable. He didn't have enough organs to squish and yet they were doing that, squishing them anyway.
And maybe he could live with it. Maybe he could grin and bear it, because he knew his cubs were worth these small sacrifices, and it wouldn't last forever- he could reform his body and all the signs would vanish even.
But Kurama could not put up with the soreness and fatigue, and difficulty standing or sitting or getting up, the aversions to foods he liked but made him feel ill now, and the occasional false contractions that had started that always made him panic, and his chest was tender and his nipples were sensitive, on top of being indescribably horny.
He has, for all intents and purposes, two mates. Shouldn't be a huge problem, right?
Wrong!
Because he did not want to be touched!
He was so, so frustrated!
His tails flicked angrily as he brooded, upset and unable to really do anything one way or the other.
“How are you feeling?” Haruki had entered the room a few minutes ago and been watching him twitch.
“ Bad .” He growled.
“... is there something I can do to-”
“Don't touch me.”
“Should I get Inei?” His voice was soft, and Kurama glanced up at him, he'd kneeled beside where Kurama was laying.
“... no.” He sniffled, and got even more upset- of course he was crying again . He hated this.
“Oh, Kurama...”
“I'm fine, go away!” Haruki sighed, getting up and leaving the room. Kurama was actually more upset that he left. After a few minutes he noticed Inei had drifted in and kneeled next to him.
“Haruki says you're not feeling well.” He whined, and Inei reached out, gently stroking his head.
“I don't want to be pregnant anymore.” He mumbled, eyes closing as Inei found an itchy spot behind his ear.
“Just a little bit longer. Can I touch you to look at them?” He nodded, and Inei pressed his palm to Kurama side, shifting it slowly around- he could feel the tingle of chakra as it moved about.
Kurama found it soothing, and he closed his eyes, sighing as he managed to relax a little.
“Mhmm.” Inei hummed, “You'll be happy to know it really is just a little longer.” Kurama's ears perked. “Since you can just open a hole into your uterus Tsunade and I agreed it was safe for you to carry to full term, and given how much they've grown in the last week, it should only be another two, maybe three weeks.” He perked, almost sitting but getting trapped. “It seems like they've started taking in energy on their own.”
Kurama glanced down, covering Inei's hand with his own. If the cubs were able to draw in their own energy... they were definitely more yokai than not. He couldn't say he wasn't relieved that the cubs would be here within the month but... he wished it could be a little less time too.
Notes:
That time skip I promised keeps getting pushed back, sorry everyone.
Next chapter is NSFW.
Chapter 171: Shadow Play (NSFW)
Summary:
NSFW
Just realized I had written over 350 thousand words and hadn't used shadows like this so... uh... here we go!
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Kurama's spirits were improved, despite his grumbling still, and he was much more energetic that night than he'd been in the last few weeks.
The confirmation that the birth was soon was reassuring- he understood now why Kushina had complained so much. He had managed to eat his meal, and none of it came back up which was a pleasant surprise- morning sickness was a lie as he had it several times and usually late at night, and it didn't go away either like he'd been assured it would. He'd had a bath, which had soothed most of the aches, and Inei was brushing out his hair, Haruki had been dragged to read their children's bead time stories, not that he minded.
Once brushed, Inei's fingers quickly tied it back for bed, braiding it and laying it over his shoulder.
Kurama felt his stomach flutter when Inei kissed the nape of his neck, just leaning against him, arms slowly circling around his middle- the tips of his fingers couldn't touch now, holding him like this from behind. They rested on his stomach, thumbs stroking in slow circles.
“Inei?” He hummed, placing another lazy kiss on Kurama's shoulder. “Could you... I mean...”
Why was he suddenly so shy? He never hesitated before- that was why he was pregnant. Maybe because he had snipped at Inei the last time his mate had tried to cuddle him when he felt... not very touchy.
“If it's something I'm able to do, I'll do it.” He reassured Kurama softly, he got the feeling his mate was amused by him. “Do you need some water? Or I could rub your back if it's sore...” Both his mate and other half have been so attentive and he's been a grouch lately...
“Actually... would you...” He felt the butterflies increase- a different feeling from their cubs kicking, one he knew well, “Touch... me?”
“... of course.” He kissed Kurama's neck softly, and trailed his hands up. Even though he was being gentle, Kurama still gasped when his chest was brushed, the tie to his robe had been picked open by a shadow, and Inei was soon framing his pecs in his hands. “Is this okay? If you want me to touch lower we'll need to change positions.”
“It's okay.” Kurama watched, curiously as Inei pressed down, cupping his pecs and- oh. That's why they were tender. They're swollen. He had been amused when the relatively small and pink nipples he had kept around mostly for the comfort of his mate and other half had darkened and gotten bigger, but he had forgotten that was also the sign of something else. Would he start lactating?
It was a moot point, Inei's gentle squeezing made him squirm, arching into his touch as much as he could. He gasped when Inei went back to kissing his neck, lips leaving feather light presses against his suddenly hot skin.
“Can I try something?” Kurama blinked, the world coming back into focus. He nodded, not trusting his voice, his tails had curled around Inei's waist and his claws were digging into his mate knees on either side of his hips behind him where he was kneeling. “If it doesn't feel good, or you get overwhelmed just tell me and I'll stop.” He wondered what Inei would do?
He didn't need to wonder for long. The shadows that no doubt existed under his robe, skewed but still mostly on, suddenly took form. They rubbed him, lightly and exploratory as Inei continued to gently massage his chest. He was lacking a cock at the moment, and he'd gotten excited and was already slick, or at least enough that when something unseen and cool ran between his folds it came away wet- he pressed back into Inei's chest when that one covered his clit and began to rock slowly back and forth.
He rumbled out a low and throaty purr, and Inei kissed his cheek, nuzzling the side of his head. The shadow rubbing him was firmly moving, but adjusted to the sounds he was making, mostly pleased, it began to rub in a small circle and his toes curled.
“More?” Inei's voice was husky beside his ear, and he could only break his purr to whine.
The shadow teasing his clit was joined by a second, this one much thicker. Their shapes were similar to Inei's own sex, and the tip of the second shadow stroked along the seam of his flesh. He didn't even realize he had tensed until, as he relaxed, it pressed inside slowly, easing into him. It was strangely cool, not unpleasantly so, and it adjusted its size as it filled him.
“Not too much?”
“No.” His voice came out a squeak, and Inei responded with a low chuckle, manipulating the shadows so that the touch became lighter and the one inside him began to retract. “ Inei. ” It was nearly a snarl.
“Patience.” The shadow at his clit vanished, but returned, remoistened, and began to shift in odd patterns. The one inside thrust back in, faster than when it had crept inside before, but not enough it jarred him. Inei squeezed his chest again, pressing his pecs together slightly. He eased his hold again, rather than cupping them from the sides his hands shifted to hold them with an open palm.
“That feels-!” He leaned back further, legs slipping further open as the shadow inside him became textured . Kurama slammed his eyes shut, his tails thrashed slightly, and he tried to push his hips down into the feeling. Inei kissed just below his jaw, feigning innocence. He had to bite his tongue as a sharp whine threatened to break from him as the metaphorical cord in his belly snapped. He couldn't rock properly onto the shadow inside him, but it seemed Inei knew what he needed, the force of it and the one rubbing him doubled for just a moment as he turned his face to press against Inei, helping him through his orgasm. He was left a shaky and boneless mess, panting and slumped fully back in his mate's hold.
“I could watch that all day.” Inei hummed, pleased, kissing his cheek as the shadows slowly vanished. He had stopped massaging Kurama's chest, given up in favor of supporting the underside of Kurama's stomach- it took the weight that had began to hurt his hips and he was able to relax, purring and nuzzling his mate. “Will you let me try and help support you while you're sleeping? It might help a little with the fatigue.”
“ Please .”
When Haruki entered, exhausted for much more innocent reasons, he spotted his other half wrapped with shadows fast asleep, and Inei who was sitting up with Kurama's head on his lap, book in hand. He quietly collapsed onto the mattress and claimed Inei's free thigh as his pillow. A shadow flicked to bring the sheet up over both of the soon sleeping giants as Inei resigned himself to a nap on the day off he had in the morning.
Notes:
I'm stopping my updates here for today, I'm going to keep working ahead of the next chapter, not sure when I'll spree update again but we'll see.
Also it isn't for sure but I'm seriously considering doing a Naruto rewrite after this now after I had a very vivid dream last week- I just need to track down a few things that might have influenced it so I can properly credit where the ideas might have come from. That is assuming I finally wrap everything up with this story soon.
Chapter 172: Hiashi Hyuga, Father
Summary:
Hiashi is a clan head. He is a shinobi. In theory, he's a parent. Well... he's working on that part. So it's only natural he would make the best choices he could for his clan even if said clan might not agree with him.
Notes:
I HAVE HAD THIS AND ABOUT 30K MORE WORDS WRITTEN FOR FIVE MONTHS.
I am so sorry, this wasn't abandoned, I'll talk about why it's been delayed at the end, without further addo, the chapter-
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As far as worst kept secrets in the village go, Uhari having the Byakugan was about as well known as her notoriously temperamental aunt liking ramen. The hospital staff were aware- Inei had needed on several occasions to bring her with to pick up or drop off paperwork for one reason or another, and she wasn't shy about flicking it on to see if maybe the nurse was hiding candy to give her.
Most of the aunties at the market knew, as she had a bad habit of running ahead when Haruki or Kurama brought her and her siblings along, and though they could see her, she would use it to find her way back to them in the crowd she was unfortunately too small to see through otherwise.
Her playmates included children from most major clans, and her own clan held social meetings regularly- she was never shy about using it even when she wasn't at home.
Hiashi Hyuga was not as dimly aware that the girl was technically a member of the clan as he liked to pretend, and thus he technically had the right to do something about it. Namely report it to the clan elders and potentially have her removed to the Hyga clan's custody.
Hiashi was also not entirely a prideful idiot as his brother sometimes thought him to be. He had been trying to improve his relationship with his brother now that they were both fathers- he deeply regretted not being able to prevent his brother from being branded by their father as children, and was putting out feelers to try and gain outside support when he would openly refuse to allow the next Hyuga child from being marked. If Uhari remained under the radar it would be Neji.
This was a difficult line to walk, as he was not actually above scrutiny or consequences by the elders despite being the head of the clan. He was very carefully and deliberately wedging his way into the unofficial taijutsu club both his brother and Namikaze Haruki were in. He would need the Hokage's support, the older Namikaze would need to act as a go-between, and Haruki would have a vested interest in helping Hiashi reform his clan's outdated practices.
The other reason he wouldn't dare bring up Uhari being a Hyuga, even half Hyuga, aside from her wellbeing was that he was fairly sure Inei would divorce his head from his body. Inei was well known for being extremely overprotective and if anyone did anything to harm one of his children, Inei might kill someone over it.
If the elders put the mark on Uhari... Inei might kill him on his way to kill them. Which was why he was running interference however he could.
Maybe it was because they had so many children to mind, but the resident human weapons hadn't taken more than a cursory amount of precautions to keep it a secret. Or the fact that the first person to suggest placing a Hyuga mark on her would be made an example of being a deterrent was effective enough. At least for now.
He heard the soft hiccuping cry of his daughter and waited a moment. He'd been sitting up in his office, unable to sleep, and he gave his wife a moment to wake up if she was going to, but a second cry sounded, a bit louder, and he shuffled in to have a look. She looked at him, in the dark, and let out another hiccup. Hiashi hesitated. He was not good with children, not even his own daughter, his wife had been in poor health after Hinata's birth and the two had sequestered together with a doctor coming to see her often. Hinata was not used to sleeping in the nursery as a result. She did not like to be alone.
Her pudgy little hands reached up towards him, she was crying visibly, and he debated turning and leaving her to cry and fall back asleep. Instead he carefully picked her up, holding her awkwardly in his arms. Her crying stopped but now they were just staring at one another.
She still had tears, her cheeks were blotchy red from crying and her face was wet, more than tears, which was a bit gross to him. He was staring down at her, and she was staring up at him as if she hadn't thought this out and now was unsure what she wanted. He wasn't really sure what to do now himself.
Kaede found them like that, her husband and daughter staring at one another completely baffled.
“Hiashi?” He jumped, and Hinata cried at being jostled. “What are you doing? It's the middle of the night.”
“Hinata was crying and I...” He realized he had no idea what he was planning to do now that he was holding her.
“Is she wet?” He looked back down at her, she was looking at Kaede. He lifted her up and hesitantly sniffed her.
“No?”
“That's... not how you check that.” She held out her hands. “Give her here, you don't know what you're doing.” Her tone was about as teasing as it could be given the hour, and it smarted his pride.
“... I am her father. I can handle this.” Kaede raised a brow as he laid her on the nearby changing table and stared down helplessly. He did not have a clue what he was doing. It was painfully obvious he had no idea what he was doing but he didn't want to admit it.
“There are snaps you need to pop open to get to her diaper.” Kaede settled in to watch, a mischievous and amused smile began to shape on her mouth.
“I knew that.” Hinata kicked as he struggled to undo the snaps on her footie pajamas. He was a bit tripped up as the snaps only went down one leg, and it took maybe longer than it should have, given Kaede's little chuckles as he fumbled. She was wet.
“Take off the old one, use a wet cloth to wipe her, check for rash, if there is one use the creme in the top drawer, if there isn't the clean diapers are in the top drawer too.” He gave her a flat look, and she simply smirked and raised a brow at him.
He struggled to follow her steps, and Hinata seemed to be judging him every step of the way. Her little mouth was in a pout, brow furrowed, she looked just like her mother did when she was annoyed.
Finally she was in a new cloth diaper, and Kaede stepped up to his side to assess his work.
“It's loose.”
“Kaede, I did it just the way you do, I would know-” He had lifted Hinata up under her arms, and it fell back to the table. Kaede politely covered her laughter with her hand. “Okay. It was loose. That isn't difficult to fix.”
She was nodding, trying to get herself under control. Hinata, still held up under the armpits by Hiashi, decided she wasn't done when she had gone earlier.
Kaede hadn't been able to stop herself as she watched their six month old pee on her usually stoic and serious husband and he reacted like a disgusted child. She doubled over, laughing hard as he sputtered, clearly panicking.
“Why don't I run you a bath, Hinata can sit in it with you for a bit. We'll get you both cleaned up.” She managed to compose herself before Hiashi got too upset, and shuffled both towards the bathroom. She looked up at him while he held her to his chest in the warm water- not as hot as he'd usually take a bath but Hinata had delicate skin.
It wasn't until he was handing Hinata to Kaede who was waiting with a towel that Hiashi realized that had been the longest he had ever held Hinata.
It struck him, and he watched his wife leave the bathroom with their daughter, assumably to get her fresh clothes and put back to bed. His daughter was six months old, and until tonight, he had never changed her diaper, or held her for more than twenty minutes.
Treacherously his first thought was to justify that he was very busy- but so was Hizashi, and after Neji was born his brother never set the child down unless Aimi was the one holding him. It opened a hollow pit in his stomach. Their own father had never taken much interest in either of them, and he had likely never changed either of them, or taken a bath with them. Hiashi knew he hadn't done the latter, and only his late mother would know if he'd done the former.
Hizashi and he... they both resented their father, and they had their own reasons for it, he didn't want to compare their childhoods and see who had it worse, because that wasn't fair. His brother was neglected, and he was put under tremendous pressure to meet expectations. He still had scars from the training he was made to do with his father as a child, and that wasn't the same as the curse mark and he wouldn't dare say they were, but being the first born hadn't been easy either.
He wanted to be better than his own father. He sunk back in the water until only his nose was above the surface.
He was just as bad. He could hardly even imagine what the Namikaze must be thinking, wanting to protect Uhari. Not wanting her to die or suffer, he understood, but risking so much just for her when she wasn't at risk of dying?
He thought of the dead eyed look on Hizashi's face the day their father had placed the clan mark, and forced him to watch. His stomach rolled at the memory, and he ducked his head fully into the bath, covering his closed eyes with his hands as if to block it. Until that moment, he hadn't really understood what it had meant to be first born, what that had meant for Hizashi. The rift that had opened between them that day has only grown wider and deeper, and he never forgave their father for what he did but they were so small and there was nothing he could have done- if he could go back he'd take the mark himself rather than have to watch his younger brother suffer again.
... maybe he did understand it. Just a bit.
Notes:
I broke my fucking leg in April. I was roller skating and fell bad, snapped my fibia, and only recently got back to work and normal life in the last few weeks. I was in a bad mental place from that, and my hiatus I was accidentally taking while deciding on how to finish the fic sort of snowballed with the depression from being laid up. It also didn't help that I write mostly on my phone and do the editing and posting on our desktop, which I couldn't use because my leg was in a splint for six weeks and it wouldn't have been comfortable to sit there even if I had the mental energy to edit anything.
Thank you to everyone who's continued to read and comment on the fic, I don't usually respond to them, but every time I got a new comment I opened up my drafts and added a little more to them.
I'm editing this from my phone so please forgive me if there's more mistakes than usual, my keyboard auto corrects some words wrong because I fat fingered it too many times while writing and now it's juat wrong forever I guess.
Chapter Text
Nono sat quietly, head down, as the man paced across from her, agitated. She wanted to go home, but the seal placed on her wouldn't allow her to leave. Not without permission. She couldn't even speak unless ordered. It burned her to try, though he had loosened the restrictions on that to make his life a bit more comfortable.
She worried about her kids. She was too young to have been their mother, but she had loved them enough to have been one for them. No one else had ever cared for them and she was terrified what had become of them in her absence.
During the final legs of the war she had been threatened into accepting a dangerous mission that took her out of the village, and even when news of the end of the war reached her, she couldn't get back. Then she had been given new orders by Elder Danzo that had seen her having to travel about the whole of Fire country. If she didn't- he had threatened to force Kabuto into his ROOT program. She never would have seen him again. Nono didn't have anyone she could ask for help either. The orphanage staff wouldn't have said anything by then, as Watanabe would have retired, and no one else working there really loved the other children. She had only done what she felt she had to to protect them and yet... how was this protecting them? She didn't even know if they were still alive.
Then he had arrived at the safe house the winter before last injured, suddenly. She lost her chance to escape, as he had placed a modified Hyuga seal on her before ordering her to treat him. Since then she had been following him as he tried to find support for a coup de tet to gain control of Konoha.
Konoha did have enemies, or at least those who might profit by helping Danzo take the seat of hokage. His current top backer was a man named Gato, a rat of a man whose only concern was monetary gain. He had no value for human life.
In lue of money, Danzo loaned Nono's service to Gato, and she'd had to kill many of his business competitors for him, as well as act as a body guard. He was also getting desperate enough to sell sensitive village information to the highest bidder. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Gato had no interest in Nono beyond her abilities to kill his enemies, as she'd overheard him make a comment about her being a bit too old for his taste. It made her skin crawl, and she would have liked nothing more than to have killed him in that moment.
Her hopes of escaping rested on whoever it was who had taken a chunk out of Danzo. The wound was, even now, festering. It wasn't gangrenous, but the scabs kept falling off without fully healing, and the nerve damage left by the blow caused near constant agony to the bastard who had enslaved her. If they could track down Danzo, she was sure they would finish what they had started, as whatever had taken off Danzo's arm jad been coated in something nasty. The wound remaining was more than unnatural and even she could tell with her limited medical training that it was more than any average healer could treat.
At a barked command she began to redress his perpetual wound, and she had to fight to keep the cruel grin off her face seeing him stiffen with pain. There was nothing more that could be removed- the arm was gone and it would not regrow, and there was no space to trim the damaged flesh away, all that remained was shoulder and rib.
Nono wished that whoever had done it had gotten his neck instead.
She hoped she didn't have to wait for him to die, but she couldn't expect a rescue. She would just have to keep looking for a way to escape on her own. If she could just return to the village then the third hokage might be able to help her- if Elder Danzo was injured and on the run, surely that meant the village was hostile to him. She just needed a loophole. Anything that might allow her to move freely. He'd have to get sloppy eventually.
Whether he liked it or not, he knew she couldn't betray him, he'd grow lax at some point, and by then she hoped she'd have figured out what exactly she coule do to escape or send a message out for help.
Even if she was treated as his accomplice, she wanted to go home. She needed to check on her children. Nono needed to know they were safe.
Danzo had to keep moving, he was lucky to have taken a skilled shinobi with him beyond the few ROOT agents he'd stationed outside of the village, but he had had to leave Konoha to the mercy of that twirp and it boiled his blood.
His village was being made a mockery. The Uchiha were gaining support, the clans were falling into line with the childish whims of that useless daydreamer. They had made peace with the other villages and now they rolled over and showed them their belly at the slightest issue. The pride of his village was being trampled on!
He wished he'd been fast enough to take the boy, Fu, with him. He showed a great deal of promise. There were other children he wished he had gotten the chance to take as well. Kabuto would have been skilled enough at medicine to properly treat Danzo if he'd brought him in and trained him sooner, and of course the most desirable of the Namikaze children- Kakashi and Yugure.
Kakashi was the sole remaining Hatake, he was a genius shinobi, incredibly skilled, and Danzo would have preferred to keep him over Nono even if he had no medical training. Control over Yugure meant he could have studied her, and he was certain she would have been far more useful than any Nara, and having a hostage to protect him from those two would have done wonders for his sense of security. Instead he was stuck with the nearly useless young kunoichi, and down an arm while running from his own village. He had needed to lower himself to working with low level thugs in order to rebuild his base and gain support. He needed money, manpower, and weapons powerful enough to carve his way back into Konoha to restore it to it's true glory.
Most of his time was spent searching for some way to kill a yokai, as there must be a way to do it. There were practically none in the world today, save that dark eyed freak and his child. They must have been killed off, and as soon as he knew how, he was going to kill him. As slowly and painfully as possible. Maybe he would give him the mercy of a fast death if he gave him the cure to the necrotic wound delt to him.
Unless of course there was some way to enslave the yokai, he would make an excellent attack dog. But if that didn't exist the best course of action would be to kill him, if he couldn't be tamed he must be killed. A lowly bastard mutt that didn't follow orders was of nonuse to the village.
There was also the matter of Haruki to deal with. He was sure given enough time he could find a way to separate out the fox, then their village would have two jinchuriki under his command- he would have to kill that red head kunoichi and put the original fox into someone loyal, but it would be worth it. Two nine tailed fox. None would ever stand against them if he command that much power.
Only then with his obstacles out of the way, could he save his village from the laughing stock it had become, and put it on the right track again.
He should have stepped forward sooner, Hiruzen may be his friend but he never understood. Danzo would make the village stronger. Only he could save Konoha, and he would crush any who stood in his way.
Notes:
Just in case we forgot why we hate Danzo.
Chapter 174: Finally Time
Summary:
Three troublemakers.
TW for discriptions of birth after the page break.
Notes:
I wanted this to be two separate chapters at first but I realized that they've been pretty short overall so this one is a bit longer. One slids into the other.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Kankuro and his siblings were on an adventure. All of the older children except Jun were at school or work, so he, Shin, and Mei were going to explore the yard to the fullest. They had Omelet, an old and very big dog, by their side. He was sniffing the ground as they walked around the inside of the wall. Mei kept picking blue honeysuckle buds from the wall, and berries too, and Shin kept getting distracted by bugs, but Kankuro had a goal in mind for their play today. Papa's shed. Inside there was a lot of things they weren't supposed to touch, yes, but also inside was something that Kankuro really wanted to see.
Papa had told him he was making something for Kankuro to practice his chakra control with- he already had a grasp on it over both of his siblings, and Kankuro wanted a peek at it. Papa had made other fun toys in the past, there was a training dummy for Yuki that swung back when hit, they weren't allowed to play with it yet but their big sibling loved it a lot. There were also these little bugs that crawled when you pushed chakra into them- those had been Temari and Yugure's but they were relegated as baby toys now. They were Shin's current favorite.
He got distracted himself when Omelet ate a bug, Shin laughed too loudly over it for him not to. Mei examined a caterpillar consideringly and moved it up higher on the wall away from their chaperone dog. Somewhere behind them their uncle Yashimaru was watching too but he should be getting more tea right now so they hopefully had enough time for his stealth mission to be completed.
Once they reached the shed, he noticed an issue. Ichika was currently sprawled in the grass nearby, and she cracked an eye open to look at them. Ichika would either help them, or turn them around here and now. He waited anxiously to see what mood she was in today.
“What are you three up to, bew?” He put a chubby finger to his mouth, and then pointed at the shed. She considered him for a moment. On the one paw, the little cubs weren't supposed to go in there alone, on the other paw she didn't want to discourage their curiosity and she could supervise them... “Not without me, bew!” She got up and grabbed the handle with her mouth, opening the door for the three three-year olds and their dog. She was big enough the three huddled under her legs as she inched them into the shed, looking about curiously. The reason they shouldn't go in alone were the sharp wood working tools and several other unfinished projects that necessitated keeping around paint and wood varnish- things they might get into that would be dangerous. Ichika knew this. Kankuro was only a little aware it was dangerous for him inside. His siblings weren't paying much attention, kicking piles of sawdust and peering around at the shiny tools carefully hung on the walls.
Kankuro spotted something up on the counter beside the bench and bawled his fist in Ichika's fur.
“Help, please.” His voice was a tiny whisper, and she smiled at him, picking him up by the back of his overalls and depositing him on her back, it put him eye level with the counter, even though it was extra tall like his papa. His eyes shone with excitement seeing what was waiting for him.
Sitting on the counter was a wooden doll. It wasn't finished, it's leg was still being put together, and the head was off too- but it looked funny. at its elbows and knees were rounded pieces, and its fingers and even toes looked like they were fitted in little segments like a millipede. Ichika sniffed it, sneezing from some of the sawdust from sanding them and it clattered, the joints moved as it rocked in place from her sneeze. Despite being wooden it moved so much!
Kankuro was delighted by whatever it was. It was about his size too.
Ichika had picked up Shin and Mei by then, Omelet had wandered back out to the yard to chase off a bird with the other dogs.
“It's ugly.” Mei assessed, she had several dolls and they were prettier to look at. But papa hadn't made them for her.
“But ‘s not done.” Shin pointed out. They considered it for a moment. Kankuro hugged Ichika's neck, thinking hard on what it could be. It wouldn't be a doll, not at that size, and not made of wood...
“Oh! I know!” He remembered seeing something similar months ago, during the last festival. “A puppet!” Ichika laughed, and his siblings considered it.
“I guess.” Mei mumbled, her arms wrapped around him and she rested her head on his shoulder. Shin, who was at the back of their line on the foxes back, had turned back to look at the door just as a shadow fell over them.
“Uh oh.”
“Alright you three, come on.” Kankuro flinched. Yashamaru had spotted them and come over.
“What, they're supervised, bew.” He gave the fox an unimpressed look, but she trotted them out still and he closed the door behind them.
“You know you're only supposed to play where we can see you.” He got a mumbled chorus of ‘Sorry oji’ from the three children that didn't sound very sorry as he led them back towards the approved of area for playing.
Kankuro was expecting a lecture, but that would of course be delayed- his dad ran through the gate to the house followed by Tsunade oba and into the house. Yashimaru had frozen and was wide eyed, and Ichika perked her ears.
“It's time, bew!” She yipped, and ran toward the house with Yashimaru following quickly at her heels, all three children held on tight- what time was it? Why were they running?!
Kurama had been mending clothes. Their youngest were down for naps, their three year olds were out in the yard where Yashimaru had promised to keep an eye on them so Kurama could have a little quiet time.
He'd been having false contractions once again, all morning this time. He had just finished patching the knee on a pair of Fu's pants when the annoying feeling became suddenly sharp.
“Ungh.” He grunted, putting a hand to his side, easing it over his stomach. It felt like a stitch in his side. That hadn't been a kick, he was sure- “Ah!”
That one was worse!
He wobbled up, and made his way towards the kitchen, but had to grab hold of the stair rail when he was almost there because-
“Ow! Oh...” Another one! If he didn't know better, he'd think- “Oh no.” There was a fox lounging by the kitche sink in a sun beam, and it sat straight up, staring at him as her nose twitched, her eyes were all pupil. “Can you get Inei? Tell him-!” he hissed, eyes closing as the next one felt... longer. “Tell him I think I might be in early labor.”
“Got it!” She hoped out the window, and Kurama waddled uncomfortably to the sink, running the water and getting a rag to wet. Outside the window he spotted Ichika with their cubs near the shed-
“Mhm!” He doubled over against the sink. It was definitely getting worse.
The hospital wasn't that far- Inei was having a meeting with Tsunade today about something, it didn't really mater what. He slowly sunk to the ground, and he felt another contraction.
They were supposed to generously have another week to ten days. Not that they weren't ready! He was very ready! But Inei had taken time off to spend it with Kurama and help with the cubs right after the birth. Haruki had wanted to be present too, but he had taken his squad on an herb gathering mission and would likely take longer to get back then it would take to have the cubs-
Kurama hissed again. It wasn't the worst pain he had ever experienced, second hand pain from Haruki was much worse, but it didn't feel good either. It made his brain stop working every time he felt it.
He felt more than heard the door slam open, and the shadows around him jumped before Inei was suddenly in front of him, he took Kurama's hand to check his pulse, his eyes were wide with wory.
“Tsunade, head down to the room we prepared for Kushina, I'll bring Kurama down.” Tsunade, a bit flushed, rounded the corner. He'd left her at the door to get to Kurama faster.
“Can you lift him on your-!” Inei's arms made a cracking sound from extending as he got them under Kurama, and shadows oozed from them securing him in place, “Nevermind.” She turned towards the staircase and Inei walked briskly to the open balcony doors. He ignored the preasure of countless seals meant to prevent it, and got up on the rails before hopping down.
Kurama braced for impact- he wouldn't be dropped but he would be jostled. But the impact never came, shadows raced up to meet his fall.
The west doors slid open on their tracks and he strode them towards the improvised medical room. Inside shadowy tendrals were placing new sheets on the bed, carting a basin of water to the table nearby, and another small horde were getting a bassinet out from where it had been stored. Inei gently laid him on the bed. While waiting for Tsunade, he asked Kurama about the contractions, how far apart they were. They were not going to wait for Kurama to fully dilate, but they'd need to check it before he was opened up.
Tsunade finally joined them after running down all the stairs, she quickly fell into step with Inei in preparing for the imminent birth.
Once naked, Inei checked him and showed him where he'd need to open himself up and then-
Kurama couldn't think straight as another contraction started. He attempted to focus and will his body to change but each time his concentration was snapped by his increasingly close together contractions.
Tsunade confirmed he was dilating rapidly. Kurama was confused as his body refused to listen to him.
In between contractions he listened to Inei and Tsunade try and figure out what was happening- but it didn't matter even if he could understand it.
Inei attempted to cut him open in the twenty minutes that followed but the cut healed closed, almost as quickly as it was inflicted.
“...” Inei hissed, the sound made Tsunade flinch, but Kurama just perked his ears up. “If by some chance all three are yokai their energy might be interfering with yours in self preservation.”
“If you knew there was a chance we should have prepared for that!”
“I did prepare for it. If labor is too much for Kurama, he'll need to return to Haruki, his body will dissolve save for the organs he actually made. Then we can just... push them out if it won't cut.” Tsunade shook her head.
“So...” Kurama flinched as he had to sit through another contraction. “... what are we doing?”
“You're going to need to try and push them out the natural way.” Tsunade patted his shoulder and he looked down at his stomach.
“Really?” He was anxious now, but Inei took his hand, squeezing it.
“It'll be easier with gravity helping, let's get you up.” Kurama nodded, and needed help, to no surprise.
Inei rubbed his lower back, and Tsunade found and hung up the length of silk that Haruki had reinforced with seals for Kushina's birth. Kurama wrapped it around his arm once before grabbing it with both hands. He was kneeling for now, and Tsunade left to go collect some ice and more towels and hot water.
“You're doing well.” Inei murmured, the pressure on his lower back was helping a little, but he was extremely uncomfortable. “I need to check how far you're dilated.” Kurama whined, but Inei used a shadow to do so and it was less uncomfortable than if he'd used his hand.
“It hurts.” Kurama did not like pain. Kurama hated pain. He hadn't expected this to hurt, because they were supposed to come out the easy way. He wanted this to be over soon, as soon as possible.
“Deep breaths.” The uncomfortable pressure of the shadow inside him vanished, and Inei pushed hair from his face- he was starting to sweat. “You're fully dilated already, and the first baby is in place, you need to start pushing during the contractions.” Kurama whined, curling against Inei, who was holding him now.
“Here, chew on these.” Tsunade pushed the ice she'd brought at Kurama- she seemed to have crushed it herself. “You need to stay hydrated, this might take a while. How far along is he-?”
“He's ready.”
“It's been less than an hour.” Tsunade sounded surprised. Kurama took it that this was unusual. He didn't care.
“Let's count ourselves lucky.”
“His water hasn't broken yet.” Kurama wasn't able to listen for a moment, seeing black spots behind his eyes at the next contraction- Inei said to push so he tried.
He flushed in embarrassment, his thighs became soaked and an odd scent filled the air. It took Kurama a minute to realize he thankfully hadn't peed himself, and that it had been his water breaking.
“Never mind...”
Pushing was exhausting. Inei kept pushing chakra into him to help but it could only do so much. Inei and Tsunade were talking over his head, but so long as Inei kept squeezing his arm to remind him to breathe and rubbing his lower back, Kurama wouldn't pay them any attention.
He yanked the cloth in his hands, and Inei helped him into a proper squat. Kurama felt it as their cub dropped into place, the pushing finally doing what it was supposed to. He distantly heard one of them say something about crowning, and after two more contractions that he had to rest through, with a final push he finally felt some relief. The terrible pressure vanished, and more fluid ran down his thighs, his eyes cracked open when Inei began to lightly shake his shoulder.
“Congratulations.” Tsunade had caught their first cub, and Kurama was overcome with the urge to groom the little thing. It was a girl. She had a full head of short fuzzy hair, it was too damp and too short to tell what color. Her ears were oddly little folded things, and she had two similarly fuzzy but too short and damp to tell the color of tails. “Looks like she's a fox.”
Kurama began to cry.
Tsunade took her and went to clean her up, and Kurama felt his instincts scream at hearing her tiny little chirps.
“She'll bring her back, we're not done yet, remember?” Kurama whined pathetically, but didn't have the presence of mind to try and get up to follow after his cub even though he wanted to.
He really didn't have the time to get up yet, because their second cub was soon in position and his world narrowed again. He whined, continuing to push and rest between in time with the contractions. He was trying very hard to block out the pain- unconsciously he had shunted it to Haruki to endure and wouldn't learn that until a few hours later.
“Just one more push.” Tsunade was saying, and again there was relief, more fluid, and a moment to try and relax. He forced himself too focus and looked at their second cub, feeling surprise.
The newborn was squinting back up at him, eyes a glossy red. Just like Kurama's. Inei kissed the side of his head, Kurama had reached out and gently stroked his newborns wet cheek. There were little gray spots on the baby's face, sides, and even his legs, and his ears had a distinctive spoon-shape. He was a little fawn. Tsunade was telling him it was a boy, and Kurama watched her begin to towel the infant off gently, noticing the tiny little tail he also had.
“He has your eyes.” Inei was using a cool damp rag to clean away his sweat, and Kurama chuckled.
“He's a deer, like you.” Inei soothed him, and he had a few minutes before his final cub was ready. In that time, Tsunade brought their first cub to him, and he held her. Now dry, her short fuz was much lighter- a little blondie like the brat. She wasn't swaddled, and he happily shared his warmth with her, she was nuzzling weakly against Kurama's chest and cooeing.
“She's so tiny.” Her eyes were not open, and Kurama suspected they'd stay closed for a few more days at least. She was like him.
He tried to ignore it to hold her a bit longer, but he still had one cub left to deliver, and he had to give her back to Tsunade.
He was exhausted. It was much harder than the first two times. He kept pushing, but he needed to take more and more breaks. He clawed Inei's hand, stabbing into it by accident, but his mate kept reassuring him and helping him with his breathing. He wanted it to be over. He wanted to take care of their cubs. He wanted to sleep.
“I can see their head, you're almost done.” Kurama growled low and long. “Just one more push.” He tried to nod, but another contraction started and he had to push.
Unlike his first two cubs, their third and final cub howled, tiny little unhappy mewls. She was a fox, just like her older sister, and just as fuzzy, only Kurama could tell that she'd have deep red hair like his own fur. She was also, he noticed after being helped back into the bed as she was laid in the bassinet beside her siblings, bigger than both of them noticeably. Their middle cub was the runt of the three, small for a newborn, their first was about average, and their youngest was very big for a newborn.
No longer under whatever affect had been caused by their cubs, his body began absorbing all of the organs he had made and whatever was left inside them, placenta and all.
He hadn't noticed but apparently once outside of him his cubs umbilical cords had melted, which was unusual for humans, apparently.
He was able to hold his little ones now, and both their oldest and middle cub began nuzzling his chest.
“I think they're hungry.” Inei was holding their youngest cub, and Kurama considered it for a moment.
“... I think I can...” He jolted a bit when their little boy latched onto one of his nipples.
“Huh. You're lactating.” Tsunade observed, and Kurama watched fascinated as the infant made tiny suckling sounds. Smelling milk, the other cub in his arms began to wriggle as if she planned to push him out of the way.
“I have two.” He mumbled shifting his arm until she was close enough to notice he did in fact have two nipples. He jumped as she bit down. “Ah! That's too hard.” But her jaw loosened and she was nursing normally now.
Haruki returned just as Kurama settled back with their youngest cub, the other two were milk drunk and sleeping, now swaddled.
“What the hell happened?” Haruki looked a little shaky, but whatever annoyance or anger he had vanished seeing the newborns sleeping.
“Kurama had to have them the old fashioned way.” Tsunade was sitting, filling out paperwork, as Inei was cleaning up.
“Oh.” Haruki slumped a little before slowly entering the room to peer at them, heart clearly melting. "That explains the stabbing pelvic pain for the last two hours..."
“Just finish signing these and bring them in when you can.” Tsunade tapped the small pile of birth registrations. “I'm going to go home now, since it seems like my nephew is back from his mission.” She patted Haruki's shoulder on her way out.
All three sat quietly staring at their newborns.
Kurama was in condition to walk after an hour or so, and after a long nap, another round of feeding that he insisted on doing himself, and a shower, they brought them upstairs. Doing so meant all their other children crowded around eager to look at their long awaited siblings.
Haruki shooed the children out of their room, and Inei helped Kurama get comfortable. They had powdered formula, but Kurama was insistant that if he could make it, he wanted to feed them himself- he'd read it in one of his magazines as being better for a baby, and wouldn't hear it when Inei tried to tell him it wasn't dangerous to supplement with formula and that none of their other children who'd taken formula had any negative effects.
With order restored somewhat, two children at a time came in to see the newborns, and the older children were consulted on possible names. By nightfall all but their very youngest had been introduced to the triplets, and they'd decided on names.
The oldest newborn was named Katsumi, a lot of thought apparently went into it among their older children, at least between Momo, Himari, and Nanami. The baby name book they found it in said it meant ‘Victorious Beauty’, and they thought she'd grow into it.
Their little boy was ultimately named Yasushi, which actually seemed to fit him, peaceful, tranquil, he had hardly made a sound thus far, and laid very still as he slept. His little spots were more prominent on his back, and he really did seem like a little fawn.
Finally, just before bed, their little red headed newborn was named Masumi, it matched Katsumi, in a way. Pure or true beauty. Inei didn't think the name would actually make her beautiful, but he did like how they sounded together.
Things would certainly be hectic, but that was okay.
They were ready for it.
Notes:
In usual Kurama fashion, he made it Haruki's problem.
Chapter 175: Integration
Summary:
The Uzumaki clan is settling in Konoha, and they are dealing with growing pains that come with such a big change.
Saito is slightly more stressed than usual as he prepares for the latest architectural project while doing his aunt a favor.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The Uzumaki clan gained official recognition by the end of July, and a few strings were pulled so that their clan compound could be set up in the new district that was being prepared for once the wall moved, though it would still be a minth or more given the waiting list for construction was longer than even Saito had expected.
Kushina took the position of clan head, they'd only needed one more clan member to gain citizenship to establish the clan as long as they had the land purchased for the compound. After which the long process of applying for her clan members citizenship began.
Since the village was no longer at war, the process to take them in as shinobi was much slower, but they'd need work in the time between-
Which was why Saito currently had about sixteen teenage to elder aged red heads in his workshop- Kushina had bullied him.
“Okay... uh... how many of you know funinjutsu?” All hands shot up. He sighed in relief. “Traditional, or modern?”
“What's the difference?” He felt his spirit drop a bit. Instead of explaining the differences, as had become highlighted mostly by his clan's influence, he drew two seals side by side. They did the same thing, but with different methods and levels of results.
“Traditional. Modern.” He tapped the blackboard under each as he pointed it out. “Which one is familar?” He got a chorus of ‘traditional’ back to that, and sighed. The majority of the seals he used were based on the revised methods, but it was still better if they knew the basics. “Okay. I'm going to make an aptitude test. I'll divide what tasks you'll do depending on that for now.”
“What makes you think a squirt like you knows more than any of us?” He had gone to dust off the chalkboard and hesitated. “I've been a master of funinjutsu longer than you've been alive.”
“And I'm sure you're great.” He turned, eyes tired, “But I need people who are willing to learn new methods, and do what I ask them to. If you don't want to follow my orders that's fine, the door is right there.” Usually he would have been a bit more... understanding? But he was exhausted preparing for the wall expansion and new district, and he just couldn't muster his usually people pleasing airs.
“Who do you think you are?” It was the same old man, hair fading to silvery gray at his temples- he had likely survived the fall of Uzushio by escaping the city. He was big, and intimidating, but Saito was not particularly scared given the man wasn't anywhere near as tall as his adoptive dads, at least two of them. He likely deserved respect, but...
“I'm your boss. This is my company, my department, and while I'll always take your input, I don't owe you my respect just because you were born before me. I am very, very busy. This is a personal favor for my aunt. If you aren't willing to work with me, then I don't have the time or patience to let you slow everyone else down.” His jaw worked, and he leaned back against the board, glad the wheels were locked. “In two weeks, once the forest’s been cleared, I am going to raise the extension of the wall. If you aren't able to do what I assign you, you'll be in the way of the team I've already trained. If they fall behind I won't be able to step in and help them catch up.” There was an uneasiness that seemed to pass through the gathered Uzumaki. Saito didn't want to be rude, but this was a bad time for him to train in new staff, even if he needed them.
“... what are the jobs we could do like?” The youngest among them, probably close to Saito's own age, asked softly.
“It's the middle of summer, we need people to quality control the cooling seals that are being printed to ensure there are no issues with paper alignment in the printing press, or ink running out which would affect the quality of the seals. For those who are able to pick up the modern style of funinjutsu that Kitsune uses quickly, you'll be paired with more experienced technician and go do the yearly inspections on the climate seals that are in residential homes. You'll get hands-on training, for both laying the seals as well as maintaining them, and a few of you might end up helping test a new storage scroll seal.” He looked over their faces, some defiant, others tired, not as many as he would like seemed excited. “Once the wall is raised I'll choose the most advanced among the company to help me lay architecture seals and reinforced buildings in the new district. That doesn't necessarily exclude anyone present, but if your unwilling to even attempt to learn the style of funinjutsu we use the only work you'll find here will be mixing ink, or making deliveries.”
Saito did not expect to make friends. Saito was, to them, a snot-nosed nineteen year old who had no right to push them around.
After administering the test and dividing the group into different areas, he began preparing the seals needed for the area they planned to expand. He didn't hear any complaining from the newly invested Uzumaki, and they were provided time out of every work day to train in at least the basics of the revised sealing methods. Kushina also hadn't mentioned any problems so they hadn't complained about his outburst the other day to her, at least. Not yet anyway.
Kakashi ended up on the guard squad while he laid out the seals, since they were worried he'd be attacked during it. If this worked out the other side and the middle segment of the wall would also be expanded the following year. The tree stumps had been left behind, and all but a handful of trees had been cleared, with those left having been chosen to use as markers of a sort, but also to contribute to the natural energy that would be needed to raise the wall today, and the building in the weeks to come.
Konohaz's current wall was forty feet high, six feet wide, with guard towers spaced within the wall itself every one hundred yards. Saito's plan would radically alter that design by raising and thickening the walls, allowing for guard posts and even police stations to exist on the inside or outside of the wall. It would also include a second gate. He was trying not to be overly nervous of the crowd that had gathered to watch him. He knew it was exciting and interesting, but he worried he'd mess up with so many people staring at him.
His brother followed him around as he prepared the seal, checking the schematics he'd prepared. As this was the wall, and not just a building, the seal would also affect bellow it, down over a hundred feet to prevent tunneling under it, and the mass being removed to raise the wall would become a cistern, a hollow space to collect water that could be distributed to the village in case of drought.
He spotted most of his workers milling about, wanting to see, and was surprised to see among them most of his aunts clan that had come to work for him while they waited for mission approval to become shinobi of the village.
He shrugged it off, finishing laying the chain of characters back to a clear distance and put on his gloves to manipulate chakra. He had also placed seals earlier in the week to store excess energy from both the plants production of natural chakra, as well as the sun shining directly on them, and he would tap into those to prevent any strain on surrounding living things. It was designed not to draw from animals, but plant life might start dying off if he wasn't careful.
He made the sign for tiger, rat, dragon, ram, which charged the chakra to his fingertips in the appropriate amount, and then he touched the seal to activate it.
The ground lurched under his feet, but he remained in place, waiting.
Uzumaki Noboru was in his sixties. He had been barely scraping by to support his daughter and grandchildren in backwoods village that had never welcomed them. He had lost his wife when their home fell. He had escaped with their daughter. He had lost his brothers, sisters, cousins, neices and nephews... his eldest son too.
His younger son had to go into work as a mercinary to try and help support their now diminished family, and he had gotten himself killed.
Noboru had not been particularly wealthy, or powerful, but he had been a happy man. He had loved his wife, and enjoyed his work, and spent lots of time with his children as they got older.
Then his home had been raised to the ground because others were worried they might become a threat. His once proud clan was slaughtered. Uzushio had many people outside of the clan living within its walls. Even excluding the two or three thousand non clan members, the death toll had seen his clan diminish from somewhere around eight thousand to less than a hundred. Not all had been shinobi, many had no ability, just red hair and blood relation.
The Uzumaki had big families. He had been one of eight children. It wasn't uncommon. He and his wife, before he lost her, had wanted to have at least five children. His siblings had almost all been older than him, save his youngest sister, and they all had at least two kids, save his second oldest brother who joined a temple and vowed to abstain from marriage. Between both sides, he had seventeen uncles and aunts. A few dozen cousins from them.
But life was good. He made enough money his family was comfortable- most of Uzushio was the same. There was a booming export business- storage scrolls and fish mostly. He had made his own living making scrolls.
After they fled, after becoming unwanted refugees, he became a laborer. The work was hard. In summer he did farm work, in winter he was put to the task of logging.
His daughter had married one of the men from the village, but it hadn't been a happy union- he started beating her around the time she got pregnant with his oldest granddaughter. He tried many times to help her leave him, but she kept going back. Sometimes willingly, sometimes because he escorted her back and she was too frightened to push him away. He fell into the nearby river during spring after it had nearly burst its banks and was found a week later bloated and several miles downstream.
He had left his poor Suzume destitute, with too many mouths to feed and her husband's debts weighing on her.
It had already been hand to mouth, and even after moving her back in, and selling off anything of value, there were still debts left behind from her now dead husband's poor choices.
The following spring, a man had approched them, Namikaze Haruki, and he had been able to tell instantly by the relief seeing the familiar yet subtle similarities in his own face. He was kin. Haruki had offered to help them resettle in Konoha, there was an effort to reestablish the clan headed up by the Hokage's partner, an Uzumaki herself. His sister in law. He had offered to support their relocation however he could, providing transport, lodging while a clan compound was sorted-
He even settled Suzume's debts from her late husband.
He got them a seat on a wagon coach headed towards Konoha, himself, Suzume, and her four children.
They didn't have papers, but another blonde who had subtle signs of their blood checked them, reeding their chakra at the gate, and temporary forms were issued to let them into the village. They were brought to an inn, and were surprised to see most of the guests were also Uzumaki- none he had recognized. His grand children began playing with the other children, and he became acquainted with the others.
But living on charity didn't sit right with Noboru, and he and most of the other able boddied members wanted to work. Among them only himself and another elder (it broke his heart to think he was an elder, he wasn't even in his eighties) had been trained as shinobi at any point. Funinjutsu had been taught to most of the younger generation outside of Uzushio, and skill level varried, most were more well acquainted to working odd jobs, fishing, or logging.
Some had come from as far as the border with Sand, or Mist, but many were from around Fire. More kept trickling in, slowly but surely.
He had met their new clan head, the one fighting to give them a permanent place in the village. She was strong, and unwavering. She had two little boys- he was informed that the older of the two was adopted, but he could tell without anyone informing him. Not just his looks, the boy was very shy and clung to her tightly. Kushina had secured land outside of the village for them to build new homes on, and assured them the area would soon be within village limits.
When he had asked for work, where to begin looking, she had lit up. Her oldest nephew had established a company that sold seals to the public, they took a variety of forms, and he always needed more people.
Noboru had been hesitant tonwork for a young boy, but he and a few dozen others went to the large warehouse Kushina had told them about.
It was... not a workshop as he knew them. There were machines, for one thing, and a corner of the space was a mass of tables overflowing with papers and ink pots- there were people sitting down and cutting squares out of long sheets of paper, and others were preparing ink into pots for travel. Amid the chaos of the corner was a short young man, messy haired, wild eyed, who was dressed so most of his body was covered despite the summer heat. He was mumbling over a sheath of papers and crossing things out seemingly at random. He looked mad.
So Noboru had questioned him. He was a child, hardly a man, and he seemed as if he had no idea what he was doing. But... He needed work. Even if he was fully naturalized into the village, he wasn't a shinobi, he couldn't work as one.
The kid had a bad attitude, and his test he gave the next day was... baffling.
Noboru, despite his experience, was put with those checking seals and preparing them to go out.
“How does it even work? It makes no sense.” He shook his head, but the woman beside him glanced over and smiled.
“It ccirculates ir continuously around the surface of the skin. It changes the level of circulation depending on the reaction of the skin below it where applied.” He eyed her, unbelieving. “Here, boss lets us keep any that are duds so we can practice correcting them, I already fixed this one.” The warehouse was sweltering, but it seemed as if only his clan mates were suffering- he understood when she placed it on his arm. It was as if he was standing on the beach and cool sea air was gently flowing past him. It seemed to lessen after a bit, but he found it was keeping him at a comfortable temperature.
“Who could have thought something like this up?” He studied the seals on the paper below his gloved hands, and the woman elbowed him lightly.
“Boss did.” That rude brat? It must have shown on his face because she gave him a considering smile. “I know he makes a bad first impression, but you have to watch what he does, not what he says.”
Over the next week, Noboru did watch. Saito brought in bento's on the second day he was checking seals for everyone, including his clan mates. Although he spent most of his time in his corner, whenever one of the other workers approached him he made time for them, giving his full attention. He also checked the ink pots himself at the end of the day, doing inventory himself over what they needed.
The day that started his second week, at around four, three young boys came in and hurried towards him. They surrounded him and became immersed in whatever it was he was up to.
“Oh, his little brothers. They come in after school sometimes.” Ai, the woman who sat beside him who he learned loved to gossip, filled him in. The day after that a pretty girl with short sandy hair came in and yelled at Saito for about half an hour- it seemed to be about how he wasn't sleeping enough, and how the sheets he'd given her for something were a mess. He learned her name was Momo, and while it was technically Saito's business, it was her who handled payroll, contract negotiation, and... pretty much everything aside from making and designing new seals.
He had also noticed, though he was hesitant to admit it... that he was learning the ridiculous method they used for making seals. He wasn't comfortable with it, of course, that would likely take time, lots and lots of time, but it wasn't... completely unreasonable like he had thought it would be. Ai was helping tutor him and a few others, not just the Uzumaki who had just joined, a few others from the ink making group too. One of the young men who mixed ink told him he really wanted to become a technician, the hours were better, as was the pay. He wasn't struggling, he made it a point to tell Noboru this when he made a face, the young man, Kyou, had met someone and wanted to marry them, he wanted to save up for the wedding.
Another day Ai suddenly left in the middle of work after a courier stopped in, and she spoke quickly with Saito before dashing out. He learned the day that followed that Ai's daughter had fallen out of a tree and broken her arm at school. The day she came back, Saito stopped by their row of tables and asked how Ai's daughter was doing, he'd apparently stopped by the hospital on his way home at some point long after everyone else had left, and told her not to worry about the bill.
He learned that it wasn't entirely uncommon.
Then the day the wall was meant to be erected came, and Ai pushed him and the others to go watch- she didn't want them to miss it.
“It's amazing! Even you will be impressed.”
His opinion of their young boss was different than it had been, but Saito being a decent person didn't mean he was a better seal master.
He would admit the crowd was large but he didn't see how the boy would raise anything over such a vast area. The space within the seal was roughly one third the size of the current walled in city, and he doubted even a team of a hundred from his clan during its prime could taken on the same job.
At a distance it was hard to see, but he looked like he might be performing hand signs.
“Brace yourselves!” Someone in the crowd shouted. It was all the warning he got as the ground below them rolled and he nearly fell over. He'd barely gotten his balance back when he looked up and saw-
The ground was rising up. A curved line of earth that inched upwards, and Noboru felt the energy in the air shift.
He was drawing energy from nature.
It inched higher and higher, until it was far over their heads, towering above them, finally stopping at about sixty feet. He wasn't the only one impressed. The wall still maintained the shrub grass and plants that had been growing along the boundary line, save for where it had needed to be removed to lay the seal. He went to the nearest section of the wall and touched it, finding solid stone an inch into the soil when he pushed into it. The depression from his finger smoothed over once he removed it. He saw doorways made of stone spaced evenly along the wall, and at the center was an open hole meant for a gate- a separate team were heaving the two pieces of the new gate to stand up, a few had scaled the wall to do so. Saito meanwhile was handing out pieces of paper to a number of others- it seemed the more senior staff had decided they wanted to help, they began placing them evenly along the wall, and a few went inside to do the same in the hollowed spaces within the wall.
He wished he knew what they were placing...
“Renforcement seals. Probably ones to absorb shock as well- Saito designed one that absorbs energy from being hit so that might be the one they're using.” Ai chimed in, and he startled, he had forgotten she was here.
“I got a peek at its design the other day- there's a redundancy that'll sound alarms once hooked up if someone tries to pass over the wall entering or exiting the village. They were woven in so they couldn't be disabled without the whole wall coming down.” Kyou was eager to gush about it as well.
Whether he liked it or not, Noboru got stuck in the middle of an excited conversation about how the wall was constructed.
Later, when the sun was lowering, and the gates were placed and secured, Noboru was still watching the wall. Almost everyone had gone home, save himself, a few jonin, and Saito who was placing more seals still, and had only made his way a third of the way along the new structure, being extremely thorough.
Would a wall like this have been able to protect his clan? Uzushio had not been weak. It had had scores of shinobi, and brilliant masters of funinjutsu- it was a wealthy village, it had power even without the backing of its nation. Its problems had been that its ally was too far to reach it.
But would the other villages have attacked if it weren't for how strong Uzushio had become? In the end it was defenseless despite all of it's advantages.
Konoha was becoming how Uzushio had been. It was powerful, beginning to lead in commerce, people were living more comfortably. How long before jealous eyes turned onto this village? What if he lost his daughter, or his grandchildren? He'd give his life to save them but what would that amount to? His family, if they survived, would return to being destitute. He wouldn't even be able to support them anymore.
“You okay?” Haruki had snuck up on him- he was well acquainted now with the man. An Uzumaki, a respected shinobi, skilled, would he understand Noboru’s fears?
“Just lost in thought.” He said, distracted again, Saito was slowly walking their direction.
“You see him earlier?” He nodded, suddenly feeling tired, and far too old. “He isn't half bad, is he?” Haruki was grinning.
“I had thought the changes were... unnecessary. I didn't expect to be proven wrong by something so...” He searched for the right word, but couldn't think of anything.
“Papa, you didn't have to come all the way out here.” Saito had finally reached speaking distance.
“Someone has to make sure you head home. Your dad'll kill me if you spend another night in your workshop.” Haruki messed up Saito's hair, which only received an exasperated sigh from the boy. Noboru was experiencing some amount of shock.
Saito was not an Uzumaki. That wasn't a requirement for funinjutsu, but the majority he'd ever known were. More over, he looked nothing like Haruki, the man seemed too young to have a son at Saito's age to begin with.
“I have to grab my bag, Kakashi left it at the guard post, I'll be back in a minute.” Haruki waited a moment for Saito to hurry back the way he'd come, before turning to eye Noboru.
“Is my son treating you and the others well?” He knew.
“He's more compassionate than I thought, and not very social, but I don't have anything to complain about.” Haruki hummed.
“He does his best. Once he gets to know you, he can be pretty friendly.” Haruki nudged him, “I know you two had a rough start, and I'm sorry if he disrespected you.”
“No, I... may have misjudged him.”
“Some of my older children are interested in learning more about the Uzumaki clan, before the fall. I never got a chance to see it, so I must admit to being curious myself. If you and some of the older clan members wanted to, we could provide space for you to meet and pass on the oral traditions you remember. Not just to my kids, I know there are a lot of children in the clan too.”
He hadn't thought about that. He'd never been especially involved, but... he didn't want his grandchildren to grow up without any knowledge of their heritage. Bad enough they were bounced around and had to hide any ability they might have until recently, he would hate for the memories of his beloved village to fully die with him.
“I'll speak with the other elders.” If their clan was to remain in Konoha, they should do their best to bring back old traditions.
“Out of curiosity... is there a legend about the Uzumaki being related to... I don't know.... kitsune?” That was oddly specific.
“Several, actually. The only one I can fully remember was that a fox supposedly saved an ancestor of the clan from drowning in a river.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
“I suppose it is. Uzushio wasn't far from where the kyuubi made its home, and the ruling family within the clan were said to be fox summoner's, but I never saw anything like that. Foxes aren't associated with the clan, but I would say we were always partial to them, as a whole.”
“Well, I don't know who owned it before, but when I visited the ruins I did find a summoning scroll.” His heart caught in his throat. “I made a contract with the foxes, and one of my sons has decided to follow me in that. Of course if there's a desire to see it returned to the clan, or return to use at least, we can discuss that at a later time.”
“...” Returning had never been possible. His wife, his sons, were they still exposed to the air? Sea burials were the most common, or cremation that ended in the ashes being poured into the sea. It was tradition. His brother had always said that by sinking their bodies after death in the whirlpools, they were returned to the cycle of reincarnation. “... how did it look? Uzushio.”
“... it was nearly leveled.” He closed his eyes, breathing in harshly. He would not cry. “I spent a very long time there. My husband was with me... He... we did what we could to put those we found to rest. I don't think we left anyone, but it's hard to be sure.”
“Into the earth?” He felt his stomach clench. If his family were piled in a hole somewhere he didn't care, he'd find his way to them and perform the proper rights if it killed him.
“For an Uzumaki? No. I knew that much at least. We didn't have enough wood to send out individual prys, but they were set out to sea.”
“.. thank you.”
“Once the clan compound is finished, and you're all settled in the village, we can make a pilgrimage to Uzushio if you'd like. Make sure no one was missed.”
Before he could respond, Saito had returned, a younger boy at his side- a jonin with silver hair and seemingly just one eye.
“Let's go home already.” The younger boy, oddly enough, took Haruki's hand. He threw an arm over the older boy's shoulders.
“Alright, we're needed at home. We'll talk more on that later.”
He looked back at the wall, then began walking towards the way back inside, the old wall was being dismantled carefully and he shuffled through the rubble. On his way back, before passing back into the village over a soon to be invisible line, he walked over the plot that would become the Uzumaki clan compound.
When he returned to the inn they were staying in, his grandchildren swarmed him, and his daughter asked him how work had been. He broke down then, telling his daughter the conversation he'd had with Haruki, how their family had likely been put to rest. She just held his hand as other clan mates asked what had happened.
Notes:
We only ever meet like... four living Uzumaki, and thats including Naruto. You kind of have to assume most were killed off in the years following Uzushio falling, or having to hide their heritage since it was never specified what groups joined together to destroy it- they migt still be getting persecuted.
Saito is grumpy and overworked, and the Uzumaki who have started working for him have trouble trusting others and find him disrespectful.
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WingsLovelyReason on Chapter 1 Mon 11 Mar 2024 07:24PM UTC
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