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"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."

- Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

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I know I'm telling like 8 stories at a time with this format and it gets confusing, but I swear I'm going somewhere with this 😭😭

So take this hastily written chapter i wrote with Merry Go Round of Life and Alleyway by the Neighborhood playing in the background <3

Tell me why it's been so long that I'm kind of nervous to post this 🧍‍♂️

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"I'm going to ask you this once, and I want the full truth." Minato crossed his arms over his chest, leaning heavily on his desk.

Kakashi and Naruto had been summoned from Shisui's apartment like a pair of mischievous four year olds about to get a scolding from their parents. After bidding their friends goodbye and promising to talk more later, Kakashi and Naruto were escorted to Naruto's home, where Kushina was angrily making dinner in the kitchen.

Kakashi and Naruto slipped off their shoes, each greeting Kushina with a smile, but the woman didn't smile back. "You two are in big trouble, you know?" She scolded them, a frown marring her beautiful face. "Don't dilly dally! Get upstairs now!"

"Yeah, yeah, mom. Thanks," Naruto sighed, leading the way up the stairs. Kakashi smiled nervously at Kushina, who gave him an unimpressed look, before he followed Naruto.

Once they made it to the second floor, the two of them crossed the hall to the room that was Minato's office. Naruto knocked twice before the two heard Minato's curt, 'come in.'

Opening the door to the office was like watching their last shred of hope circle the drain three times before being sucked down into the pipes never to be seen again. Sitting in two chairs that had clearly been pulled from another room were Killer B and Yugito. It was incredibly weird to see Killer B's huge self sitting in the little kitchen chair with all eight of his swords, but what was weirder was Minato standing over them with his hands on his hips and a scolding expression.

"Ah, and there they are." Minato's lips thinned more in a clear indication that he was beyond displeased. "My troublemaking, meddlesome sons."

Naruto fought back laughter at Kakashi's startled expression, knowing that his father was going into this with Full Guilt Trip Mode activated.

"Do you have anything to say to explain yourself, Kakashi? Taking a five year old- multiple five year olds to Kumogakure? And then going again later on with Naruto without telling anyone?"

They totally snitched on us.

Naruto watched Nii Yugito and B's awkward expressions.

Fake friends.

Fake friends.

Killer B and Yugito exchanged glances before they both got up and left the room, shutting the door behind them, sensing that this was a more personal matter.

Naruto sighed deeply. It appeared that Minato had already gotten to work on their friends before their arrival and had gotten all of the details from them. Which, ugh.

They had three options, now. Tell Minato the complete truth, the vague truth, or come up with an elaborate bullshit excuse in the next three seconds flat.

"The first time, I took Sakura and Sasuke because Sakura wanted a summon that could only be found on a special mountain in Kumo." Kakashi spoke, head facing down.

Okay, vague truth it is.

"So you, what, just took two little kids on a perilous journey to Suna, up a mountain to get a five year old a summoning animal? As simple as that? The five year old got summons for panthers as easily as if they're collectible stuffed animals?" Minato was righteously pissed, but it was getting really really hard not to burst into laughter at Kakashi's ashamed expression.

"In the moment, it seemed like a good idea..."

Naruto snorted, before quickly covering his mouth. Minato shot his son a glare, but for now was still focused on Kakashi, his blue eyes narrowing in barely contained rage.

"You're an adult, Kakashi! Get that into your thick skull! Seven years ago, you were, what, early 20's? You were the adult in that situation! And you just let them leave and worse, you went with them. Where is your impulse control? Huh? Where did it go, ANBU Captain Hatake?"

Kakashi appeared properly scolded. He nodded dejectedly, still not meeting anyone's eyes. Naruto winced sympathetically at him, because it was common knowledge that disappointing Minato was the worst feeling in the world.

Minato's eyes followed the movement, and he crossed his arms over his chest, turning to his son. "And you! You lied to me! You probably have multiple times, too, huh? I found a stuffed octopus in your room and you swore up and down that you'd just found it, but the tag read that it was from Kumo."

"Listen, dad, in my defense," Naruto began. "It was a really cute octopus and it reminded me of Octopop so I got it because I missed him, and-"

"You're grounded." Minato crossed his arms over his chest firmly. "Both of you."

"Hokage-sama, you can't ground me. I'm an adult." Kakashi raised his hand meekly, with a distinct feeling that his words would make no difference at all.

"Are you."

"No sir, I'm a minor. I don't pay my own bills, nor can I drink alcohol." Kakashi replied, looking super ashamed of himself, although that was probably sarcasm. Not that Kakashi would attempt to use sarcasm on disappointed Minato. "I definitely don't have sole guardianship over a child."

"How can I even trust you with Sakura-chan anymore?" Minato pressed the heels of his palms to his forehead, voice solemn. "What if you two do something crazy like that, and she ends up dead? Do you want that on your conscience, Kakashi? I awarded you guardianship of her when I trusted you completely. Now what?"

Kakashi sobered up immediately, eyes widening. "Don't take her away." She needs me. Please don't make me give her up.

Minato's mouth shut tightly, and he closed his eyes, looking away. Sakura had been through so much already. Minato's decision to have her live with Kakashi was because they weren't a genin team anymore (familial bonds didn't work well in a team setting) and because he'd thought that Kakashi would be a good influence over her. After all, Kakashi had also lost everything, and found a way to be happy. Minato was so proud of him.

But now finding out about this? He betrayed my trust. He took my son out of the village without telling me.

Yet as mad as he was, he couldn't separate Kakashi and Sakura. Kakashi was the only familial figure Sakura had left, aside from Sasuke and Naruto. It wouldn't be fair to Sakura to take that from her. Besides, even though Minato was reasonably angry about his son being taken without his permission, Minato had always trusted that Kakashi had Naruto's best interests at heart, and wouldn't ever let the kids get hurt. He was bothered by the fact that they felt like they needed to hide their little excursions that bothered him.

"Minato-sensei, I'm sorry." Kakashi murmured apologetically, sitting down on the floor. "I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you about our little expeditions. I'm sorry about taking your son to Kumo without your permission, and for lying to you."

"I'm sorry too, Dad," Naruto interrupted, a genuinely remorseful look on his face.

"We're all sorry. None of us wanted to lie to you." Kakashi continued. "I know there is no way to make it up to you. You trusted in me and I lied to you, and I know that that's borderline treason. But I'm going to ask you to trust me one more time. Everything we're doing, everything we've ever done is for a purpose. I can't explain it to you now, but as soon as I can, I will."

"How can you expect me to believe that after what I've just found out?" Minato asked, sighing. He collapsed into his seat, looking weary and worn. The Hokage mantle has been wearing on him more than usual lately, and this certainly was no help.

"I don't know." Kakashi replied, looking up at Minato with a pleading expression. "In my whole life, have you ever known me to make a decision that would harm the village? Even after what happened to my dad?"

"No." Minato acknowledged.

"Have you ever felt like you can't trust me to protect your son and the other kids, when you're not around?" Kakashi asked, nodding to Naruto, who had realized that this was a conversation that needed to be had between his surrogate older brother and his father.

"No." Not even now. I know those kids were in Kumo. I don't know why. But I know that Kakashi was there, and he would protect them to his dying breath.

"You know that your family and those kids are practically my family, Minato-sensei. You're my family."

"And you know you're a son to me, Kakashi." Minato reminded him. "That's why what hurts me most is that this came from you."

Kakashi nodded, wincing. He knew he deserved that, but it still hurt. Minato hadn't wanted to say it, but he needed to see Kakashi's resolve. How determined Kakashi was to keep this secret also determined how important this is.

"I know. And it won't happen again." Kakashi answered, but didn't provide details.

Minato looked at Naruto, who shrugged. "And you won't tell me what you're hiding either?"

"Kakashi-sensei's right, Dad." Naruto seemed to be remembering something, zoning out momentarily. His face went slack, and a kind of light died from his eyes for a minute. Naruto came back when Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him, the two of them having a quiet conversation. "The thing we're hiding... we're not hiding it because we want to. We're hiding it because if we tell anyone else, something bad could happen. Too many hands in the pot will spoil the sauce, you know."

"Is it something bad?" Minato asked, crossing his arms. If they're hiding something that could potentially be a threat, what do I do?

"Depends." Naruto answered.

"On what?"

"On what you do from here. What everyone does. Whether or not Sasuke woke up today and decided to be an asshole. It depends on every tiny detail of the whole world. But the we get all of our ducks in a row, it'll be fine." Naruto shrugged. "A lot goes into it."

Minato was now certain that whatever they weren't telling him was probably more important than anything he'd ever dealt with before. That scared him.

Even after all of this, he wants me to trust him.

And even after all of this, I still do.

But I can't let Kakashi operate unchecked like I used to. Until he tells me whatever secret he, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are hiding, I have to watch them and make sure they're safe. For their sakes. Prodigies get killed when they mess with things beyond their scope. I should know.

"You can keep Sakura with you." Minato decided aloud. "I wouldn't take her from you."

Kakashi looked so relieved that Minato felt guilty for even bringing up the idea of taking Sakura away, even though he'd had no intentions of actually doing it.

"And I guess if Naruto and the other kids are alright, and since this was years ago, it doesn't really matter anymore." Minato's lips thinned. "So I'm not going to berate you or punish you too harshly for it, since you clearly both feel bad about it."

Kakashi and Naruto's relief was practically tangible.

"But I'm going to tell you this: what you did hurt me, and as much as I hope you don't do it again, I can't control you two. Your decisions are your own." Minato informed them.

Naruto nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad. We would tell you if we could."

"And we will tell you as soon as we can." Kakashi added.

"I understand." Minato waved away their commentary. "But whatever it is that you two are doing, it's outside of village limits. As Hokage and as your father, I have to warn you. If you do illegal things and get caught, I would have no choice but to punish you. Not because I want to, but because I wouldn't want anyone thinking that I'm playing favorites. That goes for you, too, Naruto. Don't do that to me and your mother. You know what the punishment for treason is."

The status of rogue ninja, and an eventual death, depending on how far and fast you run.

"Kakashi, as much as I doubt it sometimes, you are an adult. I'm sorry for blowing up on you."

"No, I deserve that and more." Kakashi shook his head, denying Minato's apology.

Minato uncrossed his arms and leaned heavily on his desk. "It was immature of me. You deserve better than that."

Naruto beamed at the two. Two of his most important people fighting had been an awkward situation to be put in, because he was loyal to both and didn't know who he'd listen to if they asked. Probably Kakashi, out of pure necessity. But it would tear at him.

"You're still grounded." Minato crossed his arms. "I can't let you both completely escape punishment. Naruto, you're grounded from ramen for half of a year. You're also not allowed to leave the village for three months. You'll be taking C and D rank missions during that time, as well."

"WHAT-?"

Kakashi snickered.

"And Kakashi, you're grounded from reading anything but mission reports for six months as well. You also will be taking D and C ranked missions for three months, regardless of your current status."

"Minato-sensei-!"

"No. I don't want to hear it." Minato shook his head. "I'll inform Ichiraku-san not to feed you for 2 months, Naruto, and Kakashi, I'll be informing the librarians to ban you from the library. I'll have Sakura take your books away. I'll station ANBU at both locations if need be."

"Dadddd, noooooo-!"

"Minato-sensei, I was in the middle of a-!"

"Maybe now you'll think twice before making rash decisions like going to Suna without an escort. And as an additional punishment, the two of you, Sakura and Sasuke will apologize to Sasuke's parents and Itachi. Now lose those pouts- we have guests to apologize to, as well."

Minato opened the door, and ushered both of the boys he raised out of it, before stepping out and closing it behind them. Minato had tried to be angry, but it really wasn't in his nature to be hold a grudge for longer than five minutes, so he gave up trying. He wasn't the kind of parent who ignored or punished his children out of anger anyway.

Naruto and Kakashi were troublesome and acting suspicious, but Minato had still raised both of them. He raised them better than to become traitors, so whatever they were dealing with, it was definitely important.

"Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?" Minato asked his guests, who were talking animatedly with Kushina. She'd already seated them so they were sipping tea at the bar in the kitchen while she made them dinner and everything.

Their faces sobered when they heard the 4th Hokage, and Naruto, Kakashi and Minato filed in one by one. Kushina hit both of the boys on the head, whispering angrily to them while Minato stood on the opposite side of the bar than Killer B and Yugito.

Yugito and B exchanged glances, before the woman tossed her braid behind her hair and leaned on the bar. "We think we're being stalked."

-

"That was a close one." Sakura sighed heavily, shifting her backpack from one shoulder to the other as the two of them entered back through the village gates.

Sasuke huffed in agreement, shooting glares at the weird faces Izumo and Kotetsu were making at them as they returned.

Sasuke winced at the bright sunlight that hit their backs as soon as they walked back into the village. His nose wrinkles in disgust. Something inside of him still hated the village, and everything it stood for. It had been quieted by Minato's reign as Hokage, because Minato was doing good things. But something still roared in disgust every time Sasuke returned, and he didn't know if it would ever go away.

He was scarred by the things he'd experienced, they all were. Sasuke couldn't help but mourn the fact that he couldn't relive this life with a blank slate. No memories of his prior existence, no matter predisposition to hatred and pain, no feeling like he was rewatching his least favorite movie.

He wished he didn't remember. It would be the perfect life, for the perfect Sasuke. Somewhere, in an alternate universe, there was a version of himself that had everything he'd ever wanted without all of the trauma behind it, and he was envious of that Sasuke's purity.

"Where should we go first?" Sakura chattered anxiously as they walked through the first street in the village, passing by all of the food and tourist traps. "Are you hungry?"

Sakura always did this. After a big mission, she refused to talk with the telepathic link. Sasuke preferred the link, because he didn't like people overhearing conversations, no matter how insignificant, but Sakura liked being heard. She considered noise a sign of life.

"If a tree falls in the forest, and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Sakura asked when Naruto asked her why she likes talking verbally. "I don't want to be quiet all the time. We got a second chance. Let me live my life loudly."

After she said that, Naruto found he agreed with her, so most insignificant conversations were had verbally with them. Sasuke thought it was stupid, but then again he thought most things were stupid.

When he talked in the telepathic link, Naruto and Sasuke treated him like parents who wanted their kid to learn a different language. They had begun to snap "speak out loud!" when Sasuke or Kakashi started a conversation in their heads.

Sasuke admired Sakura for her decision, in a way, but her chatter sometimes turned him back into the nonverbal version of himself hidden somewhere inside from his first life. He pointed at a stand that was selling meat and vegetables on a kabob, and Sakura got the message, still ranting about how happy she was to be back.

Sasuke paid, handing one to Sakura, and she took it gratefully.

"Seriously, though, where should we go first?" Sakura asked, taking a break from eating to ask.

"Kakashi." Sasuke answered, because they hadn't been able to get ahold of Kakashi via telepathy link, so that meant he was blocking them temporarily to focus on something else.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "He's blocking us, and I'm feeling annoying. Let's go bother him."

Where are you?

Sakura asked Naruto, waiting for his response.

My house. Are you guys back already?

It was relatively quick. But we got news, the kind we gotta talk about face to face.

Me and Kakashi are kinda busy right now, so can we meet up later? We've got stuff to talk about too.

Sakura raised her eyebrows at Sasuke, lips pursing in confusion.

"What?"

"He said they're busy."

"What are they doing? Their only job was keeping Naruto from getting kidnapped and Kakashi was supposed to distract Minato and Kushina." Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I swear on the Sage, if Kakashi is meddling again, I'll hang him from the Hokage Tower by his underwear."

"That'll make plenty of his fangirls really happy."

Sakura decided it would probably be a bad time to tell Sasuke that Kakashi had recruited his big brother to fight Kisame Hoshigaki. But it still felt wrong to keep this secret from him, so Sakura resolved to tell him later when they were all more settled in, and Sasuke was in less of a bad mood.

"Since when does Kakashi have fangirls?"

"Since he totally saved Konoha's ass when Orochimaru attacked." Sakura reminded him. "Remember how he just kinda got bossy for the first time in his life?"

Sasuke snorted, shaking his head. "There's no way that was Kakashi. He was possessed by Lord Minato, or something."

"First stage of grief, my friend." Sakura deactivated the traps and unlocked the door to Kakashi's house, where the two of them had ended up during their walk. "Denial."

They walked inside and noticed that it looked the same as it had yesterday morning when they'd left. Nothing was touched, everything perfectly in its place. Usually, when Kakashi was around, there was some kind of sign. Occasionally those signs were dirty dishes in the sink; a basket full of unfolded, clean laundry that Kakashi had forgotten about; random socks on the floor; takeout boxes on the table. There were none of those signs.

"Huh," Sakura crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. "Weird. Every time I come home, this place isn't... dirty, but it usually looks at least lived in."

"Looks like Kakashi went straight to sleep yesterday." Sasuke commented, noticing right away that there were no dishes in the sink (Kakashi's least favorite chore, everyone knew this).

"Yo," someone said from the open front door.

Sasuke turned around, immediately drawing his sword and pointing it at the intruder. Sakura lifted her glove covered fists from behind Sasuke, ready to step forward and pound whoever that was.

Shisui's arms shot into the air immediately, signaling that he wasn't armed. "Hey, what the hell!" He yelped, jumping back out the door and five feet away from the kids' violent reaction to being startled.

"Oops!" Sakura grimaced, lowering her fists. "Sorry, Shisui."

"Shisui, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, putting away Kusanagi and rolling his eyes, before stepping aside and letting his brother's best friend through the door.

Sakura lead the way in, removing her shoes at the door as she had been so meticulously trained to by her mother. ( Not that Mebuki was around to enforce that rule anymore. Sakura shuddered a little.) Sasuke performs the same methodical action, and Shisui just flippantly drops his over theirs before shutting the door behind him.

"I came by, my beloved little cousin, to see if Kakashi was home." Shisui took a seat at the kitchen table, and Sasuke did the same while Sakura set about making them tea. "He and Naruto ran out pretty quickly yesterday after the ANBU came to collect them, and-"

"Hold on, back up." Sakura interrupted, freezing with the full pot of water in her hands. "The ANBU came for them?"

Do you think they know about us? Should we run?

Even if they knew, Minato-sama wouldn't have them hunted down like criminals. And all ANBU work for Minato now that Danzo isn't alive anymore.

"Yeah. The ANBU just said, 'Lord Hokage would like to speak with you.' And the two of them jumped over each other trying to get out of my apartment." Shisui shrugged. "Itachi and I didn't know what to do, so we just decided to check on them later."

"Why were they at your apartment?" Sasuke asked, confused. Nothing about yesterday's plan has anything to do with Shisui or Itachi.

"Who knows? All I know is they barreled in dragging Itachi behind them, and we had a long talk about things, and then they left."

"A talk about... what things?" Sakura asked suspiciously, leaning against the counter and waiting for the water to boil.

Shisui smiled knowingly at them. "Like how you guys are from the future."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sasuke answered blandly, deciding that this was an interrogation. Shisui must've figured it out on his own, and was looking for confirmation.

"Yeah, did you have a nasty spill somewhere between here and the bar, Shisui?" Sakura raised her eyebrows, painting a convincing picture of a girl who didn't believe a word he said.

"It's okay, you guys can drop the act." Shisui waved his hands. "I'm not gonna tell anybody. Neither of us are."

"Itachi knows too?" Sakura sighed, running her hands through her hair and putting it up into a messy bun as she got three mugs down from Kakashi's cupboard. "I was really hoping to spare him from the knowledge that..."

Sasuke looked away, jaw clenching.

I'm coming for you two, Naruto, Kakashi.

WHAT- WHY-

Um?

You jerks, you couldn't have waited until we ALL decided to tell them??

We had no choice. Itachi was getting really suspicious and we all know how he gets when he thinks something dangerous is happening, so we just decided to tell them the whole truth. It isn't like they don't deserve it, for keeping our secrets for so many years.

Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can just give away our secrets without talking to us first. What if Sasuke wanted to be the one to tell him, and you took that from him? You asshole.

I was kind of dreading having to be honest, so technically you ripped off the bandaid for me, but I'm still mad at you two because you just made it a million times more awkward that I didn't tell him myself. For principle's sake I'll have to beat you both up anyway.

Valid.

This is an abusive friendship

Shut up

"Um..." Sakura and Sasuke were pulled out of their heads by Shisui awkwardly waving his hand in front of their lines of sight. "Hello?"

"Hey," Sakura answered, fully zoning in and realizing that the teapot had been going off. She poured the steaming water into cups while Shisui stared in shock. "What kind of tea do you want?"

"That was weird," the older man dragged the last syllable out. "Did you guys go into shock or something? Is that some kind of weird future ability you have?"

"Shut up, old man." Sasuke snapped in answer. "Sakura, I want jasmine."

"Okay."

"Excuse me??? I'm the old man? You're probably older than me! You're probably in your forties!"

"We were seventeen when we died." Sakura pulled the tea packets down from another cupboard and put Sasuke's jasmine in his tea. She got herself a mint tea, and pulled out a berry flavored one for Shisui. "And we're... thirteen now. So we've been alive for about 30 years, now."

"WHAT THE HELL-"

"We don't feel like it, though." Sasuke clarified, shrugging. "We aren't like... super old people inside young bodies. When we came back, we kind of restarted in a way. Our baby sides took hold of our basic emotions, so that was the reason why I was a huge asshole baby back then. I was really angry for a while."

"Oh my Kami, that explains it." Shisui sat back in his seat in wonder.

"Yeah. We mentally and emotionally progressed at the same time as our bodies, we just had a lifetime of memories in our bodies already, and it was easy to get our old self back. We already knew how to do the basic stuff, it just took training our bodies." Sakura shrugged, taking a seat with her tea and passing Shisui the little cup of sugar. "Even now, I still act like a child sometimes. So I don't feel thirty, I feel both seventeen and thirteen."

"Hm." Sasuke agreed, stirring his tea with the spoon Sakura had given him, before taking a long gulp of it.

Shisui dumped four scoops of sugar into his tea and stirred it good before taking a sip and sighing, more relaxed. "Which childhood feels more real?" He asked them, resting his jaw in his hand, his elbow on the table to support it.

Sakura shrugged her shoulders, cupping her much with both hands to appreciate the warmth. "Both are real. One is just more recent than the other."

"Gotcha." Shisui hummed, blowing aggressively on his tea like a child.

Sakura and Sasuke just watched him for a moment, in their 13 year old bodies with the most deadpan expression they've ever made.

"I can't get used to this." Shisui giggled anxiously. "I feel like I should be calling you guys senpai or some shit."

"If you call me senpai at any point, Shisui, I'll force feed you Obito's shoes." Sasuke threatened.

"Oh my god, that means Kakashi's like 50 years old." Shisui realized, not even acknowledging Sasuke's response. "I love that. He's finally old enough for all of the mid-life crisis' he has."

"Yep." Sakura replied, grinning. "You should start calling him Old Man Kakashi. That would make his day."

Shisui beamed back, smile blinding. Shisui was practically a beacon of light. "You know what? I just might."

For an Uchiha, he acts as goofy as Naruto. Sasuke rolled his eyes, quietly sipping his tea and Sakura made Shisui sign his own death contract.

Shisui sighed, staring off into space, his demeanor taking on a more serious tone. "I thought that when I saw you kids again I would see you guys differently than before. But in my mind, you're still just a trio of kids that I want to protect."

Sakura looked shocked for a moment, before a small smile grew on her face.

"I guess what I should say is this- what you guys did and were in your past doesn't define who you are in this life. You're different people, now." Shisui looked at Sakura, briefly before his eyes landed on Sasuke.

Sasuke averted his eyes and took a sip of his tea.

"Especially you, squirt. Kakashi told us what happened, and I knew you'd probably think Itachi would be mad at you, but he isn't. I know he isn't. Even if he was, and he isn't, he wouldn't have a right to be. None of us can make any judgments, because none of us were there, and we don't know what it was like."

Sasuke nodded, suddenly losing his appetite for tea and setting his cup down. For some reason it hadn't registered to him that Itachi knew. Like, he knew the whole story. He knew that Sasuke had turned against the village, then wanted to destroy it after his death. Sasuke suddenly felt sick to his stomach, the anxiety pressing up against his throat.

Shisui seemed to sense the shift in his emotions, going silent for a moment.

Sakura looked between the two of them, before setting her own cup of tea down. "Kakashi left a basket of laundry in the laundry room and didn't fold it. I'm going to go put the clothes away, I'll be right back."

Sasuke nodded absently, and Shisui gave Sakura a wave.

"What are you thinking?" Shisui asked, leaning forward and nudging Sasuke a little.

Sasuke stared up at his cousin, before sighing reluctantly. "I don't see how Itachi won't be disappointed in me, if he knows what really happened."

"Naruto and Kakashi told us everything from the beginning." Shisui informed him. "But Itachi doesn't think any differently of you."

"How do you know?" Sasuke muttered darkly, glaring holes into the grains of the wooden table. "You weren't the one I killed, in our past life."

"I know your brother. Just trust me. He's honestly more proud of you, than anything." Shisui argued, spinning the tea around with the spoon and tracking the movement with his brilliant, priceless eyes. "You did what you felt like you had to do. And yeah, it's a little weird to know that some version of my baby cousin is out there working for Orochimaru."

Sasuke cringed. That was a low point of my life, and I'd prefer to never talk about it again, but now Shisui is literally never going to let it go.

"But like I said, it doesn't really matter anymore. That's in the past, and it isn't who you are anymore, anyway." Shisui paused to sip his tea. "Itachi knows that. Sure, you made some mistakes, back then, but so did he. It's not like he's not going to love you anymore."

You don't have to forgive me. No matter what you decide to do from now on, I will love you always.

Sasuke nodded in response to his cousin because if he said nothing, Shisui would pry. "Yeah. Thanks, Shisui."

"No problem, squirt." Shisui reached over and ruffled his hair, before grinning, eyes full of mirth. "Can I still call you that, if you're older than me?"

"That nickname was annoying even before you knew that I'm technically older than you." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, grandpa, you know you don't actually hate it."

"If it means you'll get rid of that monstrosity of a nickname, by all means, keep calling me squirt."

"Are we bullying Sasuke?" Sakura walked in toting a basket of half folded laundry.

"Is that Kakashi-senpai's laundry?" Shisui snickered.

Sakura nodded. "At first I was going to help him out by folding the load that was literally only his million versions of the same black shirt, but then I remembered that I'm mad at him, so now I'll dump them all over his bed."

Shisui cackled evilly, standing up to help her.

Sasuke sipped his tea, staring out the window thoughtfully. I just hope he won't take his past self's actions badly.

-

"What do you mean by that?" Minato asked, taking a seat at the head of the dinner table, facing the bar that the two were seated at.

Naruto and Kakashi had seated themselves at the same table, quiet so they wouldn't get into trouble again. It was an unspoken rule that Naruto was allowed to listen in to conversations like this- Jinchuriki related stuff, because he was one- but he also wasn't allowed to interrupt. He had to wait until people were done talking to speak his own opinion, because if it was something urgent that Minato needed to know right away, Naruto talking would only hinder the process. He supposed that made sense, and it seemed easy in theory, but it was a lot harder in practice.

"Something's not right, and it's giving us quite the fright." Killer B added, his usually jovial face was drawn into a tight frown. "We almost don't close our eyes when we sleep at night."

Yugito nodded in agreement with her friend. "We've both always kind of felt like something was watching us, but recently it's ramped up by a lot."

They're starting early. Naruto thought to himself, frowning deeply.

This is almost three years early. Kurama agreed, also sounding mildly put out. Watching his fellow Bijū get sealed hadn't been a fun experience for him, no matter what his opinions were on them. But they're right. I've told you that I felt Zetsu around you for a while now. He started spying on you ages ago. And there's another spy around, sometimes, but I can't put my claws on their exact location. 

"Our Tailed Beasts are feeling uneasy." Yugito expressed. "We informed the Raikage about this, and he's taken the necessary precautions to protect us and the village, but we thought it would be smart to visit the other Jinchuriki we know."

"You guys have heard about Fuu too, huh?" Naruto spoke up, eyes dark. He still felt awful about Fuu. If he and his teammates weren't so young, so stuck in this village... if they had been more capable of drifting around, they probably would've been able to help her.

Minato didn't seem bothered by the fact that their silent pact had been broken, instead turning to B and Yugito and continuing their conversation. "Yes, that's another concerning matter. Miss Fuu, of the Hidden Waterfall is missing."

"Fuu has been gone for a long time. We wanted to come see if our friends were safe, and find out who committed the crime." B's frown deepened. "We didn't know Fuu, but when we heard about her, we got worried about you." He said to Naruto.

"Thanks, Octopops." Naruto smiled. "I'm glad you guys are okay, too, 'ttebayo."

"We're at a loss." Yugito confessed. "I heard that no one has seen Roshi, the Jinchuriki of the Four Tails in a while, but he's also kind of a hermit, so he could also just be in hiding. B and I were going to go check on him after we visited you."

"I think you two should go back to your village." Kushina spoke up from where she was cooking lunch in the kitchen, behind the bar. Her opinion was invaluable, as the oldest person who had been a jinchuriki, right now. "And I think you should go quickly."

"What?" B asked, both of them clearly surprised.

"My wife has a point," Minato spoke up. "We were just attacked by the culprits of Fuu's kidnapping yesterday."

"What?" Yugito's eyes widened in shock.

"Two rogue ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki and Jūzo Biwa showed up in the village yesterday morning, and they went straight for Naruto." Kakashi spoke up from where he had been sitting quietly. "I set up an operation to make Naruto seem defenseless so we could capture them when they weren't expecting it, but it didn't work."

Minato nodded. "Kushina and I were in the Hokage tower, watching. Naruto and Itachi held their own against the two of them to get information on them, but they were never alone. There were ANBU all over the backyard, ready to jump in if it looked like one of them was getting overwhelmed." He looked at his son and smiled. "By the way, excellent job."

Naruto lit up. "Thanks, dad!"

"Itachi?" B asked, eyes narrowed. "The name sounds familiar, we've heard some stories about him that are peculiar."

"Itachi Uchiha." Minato clarified, nodding. "He's one of the best intelligence gatherers the village had, and he's one of our strongest. He can be trusted."

"Itachi Uchiha. The Reaper of the Uchiha, if I'm not mistaken?" Yugito raised an eyebrow.

"I guess, though he doesn't like that title." Minato shrugged.

"Kisame Hoshigaki and Jūzo Biwa are both survivors of the Blood Mist Village. It's strange that the two of them chose to attack Naruto. We weren't even sure if they were alive, because they've both been dead silent for years, now." Nii Yugito pointed out.

"That's because they weren't working by themselves." Kakashi informed the Jinchuriki. "They're members of a more wide-spread organization. Lord Jiraiya has informed us that it's called the Akatsuki, and their most identifying features are the black cloaks with red clouds on them. If you see people wearing that, beware. Maybe run."

Killer B sighed, looking a little disappointed. "I'm always lookin' for new styles of fighting, but I'll be careful with these guys, no matter how exciting."

"What happened when those two arrived?" Yugito asked.

"Naruto entertained them for a little while, before they all started fighting. Itachi showed up a little bit after they all went outside. Naruto and Jūzo started fighting, and Kisame and Itachi squared off too." Kakashi recalled.

Naruto nodded. Jūzo had been freakishly good with the Executioner's Blade. Maybe even- no, entirely better than Zabuza. By a lot, too. The skill difference was astounding, and Zabuza had been a real problem for them back then. Naruto had even been a little worried for a bit, but he always had the upper hand.

"The Reaper was strong enough to face the Tailless Tailed Beast?" Yugito looked impressed. "And he survived?"

"Alive and well." Kushina informed the blonde haired Jinchuriki. "Unfortunately, still stupid, for using his Sharingan too much, but he's fine." Tsunade had practically spirited herself to where Kushina and Mikoto were having tea to inform them of the state of Itachi's eyes. Itachi would be getting the scolding of a lifetime, right about now.

"The Reaper is a ninja I would like to meet. I wonder how hard he would be to beat." Killer B commented, pulling out his small notebook and taking note of the rhymes he was coming up with. Naruto bit back a bright grin. At least B isn't any different.

Kurama huffed indignantly at that. He is no less annoying.

"My advice to you at this point is that the two of you should go home, and be wary." Kushina warned the two of them. "According to Lord Jiraiya, the group is made up almost entirely of known criminals. Some of them are very strong. You should send messengers to find the other Jinchuriki, but the two of you shouldn't go anywhere else by yourselves. Also, you should probably both stick together. It would be harder for them to take you if you're both together. You have to have each other's back."

Naruto briefly wondered if things would've been much different for his mom if Konoha had two Tailed Beasts. Maybe his mom wouldn't have been kidnapped that day if she'd had a partner in crime, like B and Yugito. That's stupid. Naruto told himself. Dad's her partner in crime. Duh.

Minato had started talking. "I could send some ninja with you, to escort you home when you need, just to be safe." He offered. "And you're always welcome to stay here and rest for a while before you try to head back."

Yugito shook her head respectfully. "No, that's alright. But thank you, Lord Hokage. Killer B and I can handle ourselves, and we'll be home in no time."

"You two have to be careful." Kushina repeated, eyeing them both severely. "I don't know why they would want Jinchuriki, but it can't be anything good. If they beat Fuu, the Jinchuriki of the Seven Tails, they're strong. B, you have the Eight Tails, and Naruto of course has Kurama, which makes you two the strongest. But that is no excuse to get a big head."

Minato nodded in agreement, standing up to help his wife set the table for lunch that Kushina had made for all of them. "The Akatsuki are silent, but they're powerful. Now is the time that we have to learn all we can about them, while they're still making preparations. We have to be ready if they attack and we have to defend ourselves. Tell the Raikage that. I'll be sure to send messengers out to the rest of the Kage, too, to tell them to protect their Jinchuriki."

A pit of anxiety grew in Naruto's stomach. When do I have to start worrying about Gaara?

Your friend is in as much danger as you. Kurama answered. More, honestly, because his Tailed Beast is ultimately less powerful than me.  Deidara might not come for him this time, but remember that we don't know anything about Sasori, this time, either.

Naruto's brow furrowed. Damn. You're right.

He looked at Kakashi, who must be thinking something large and profound.

Thoughts? Feelings?

Not good ones.

Me too.

-

Sasuke slid open the door and shut it after him, before sliding it closed. Mikoto poked her head in from the kitchen, and when she spotted him, she beamed.

"Sasuke! Welcome home. How was your first mission as a Chūnin?" She asked, walking out of the kitchen and hugging him, kissing Sasuke in the hair gently.

"It was fine." Sasuke shrugged. "I'm exhausted, though."

"Yeah? Okay, so wash up and go take a nap. I'll keep some food for you for after you're not dead on your feet." Mikoto gently ruffled his spiky hair, before nudging him forward. "Go."

Sasuke nodded, waving a little at his mom. Mikoto smiled back, before turning to straighten his shoes out on the mat. Sasuke walked forward, into the middle part of the house. He was in no mood for a shower right now, he'd take one after he slept for three years.

Surprise surprise, Sasuke opened the door to his room to find his brother sitting against the wall, reading something.

Sasuke froze in place, a grimace stuck on his face.

Itachi looked up, greeting his brother with a smile. "Sasuke, welcome back. I apologize for raiding your room, but I'm hiding from Mother. She's been chewing me out nonstop since I got home."

"It's fine." Sasuke hesitated, before he spoke. "Just do me a favor don't get me in trouble with you. I'm already on thin ice."

"How was your mission?" Itachi asked, even though he must've known perfectly well that Sasuke hadn't been on a mission.

"It was okay." Sasuke dropped his backpack lazily on the floor and sank into his bed, glaring at the ceiling. Since we're pretending that it never happened, I'm assuming that he isn't that upset.

Itachi stood up and set his book down before he picked up the backpack and hung it up on the coat rack beside the door. "I had an enlightening conversation with your old sensei and Naruto, the other day."

"Yeah?"

"... yeah."

"Thoughts?" Sasuke channeled his inner Naruto. "Feelings?"

"What the fuck."

Sasuke actually couldn't contain his laughter, a snicker tearing his mouth open and giving way to a great belly laugh that left him rolling on his bed. Itachi started laughing, too, though it was quieter and much more composed.

When the two of them finally stopped, the humor wearing away to reveal mutual exhaustion, the two of them sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Sasuke found the courage to speak again.

"Are you mad at me?"

Itachi looked at his brother with a frown. "Of course not. Why would I be?"

"Obvious reasons."

"You were a child. It was beyond unfair and incredibly cruel of me to force that kind of decision on you." Itachi argued.

"He wasn't you." Sasuke corrected him, stopping this line of reasoning right where it started. "You two are different."

Itachi closed his mouth, thinking. "You think we're different?"

"Completely."

"But I'm him. We're capable of the same things. In another world, another life time... that could've been me." Itachi murmured, his gray eyes revealing the desperation he felt, the utter turmoil writhing underneath his skin.

Itachi had never wanted to be a murderer.

"It's not a matter of what you're capable of." Sasuke told his brother. "It's a matter of what choices you make. And sure, Kakashi altered the world so you didn't have to make that choice, but that means that you don't have to compare yourself to him. He was living in a completely different situation than you are. You two are not one and the same. You're just two sides of the same coin. A white queen and a black queen on a chess board are equals and opposites, and that's what you and the Old Itachi are, to me."

Itachi rubbed his temples, clearly nursing a raging headache. "I keep imagining what would've happened if I'd had to make that decision."

"You didn't have to make it." Sasuke turned so he was laying on his side, facing Itachi. "It's as simple as that."

The two of them sank into a silence, both pondering 'what if's' until the silence was broken again, this time by Itachi.

"Did you care about him, even after everything he did?"

Sasuke thought about that question, some part of his heart splintering at the thought of his old brother, and the pain he'd gone through and inflicted on others. Mostly Sasuke, but other innocents had been caught in the crossfire as well.

"He was my brother." Sasuke answered with absolute certainty. "I don't think I ever forgave him. It's very complicated. But I think somewhere, really deep down, I do still care about him."

"What does it feel like?" Itachi asked curiously.

"It feels like... if we were born into a family of three kids, I guess. My brother was killed a long, long time ago, so the pain is faded, but still there. I still have another brother that I need to take care of, though. Does that make sense?"

"Kind of."

"I think of you and the old Itachi as different brothers. I still mourn him, but I'm also happy to have you." Sasuke threw a smaller pillow at Itachi's shadow. "I think that he saved my life, and you're keeping me alive."

"That's... so unhealthy." Itachi wore a displeased frown, but he wasn't angry at all, which was nice. Not that Itachi ever got angry. Sasuke was the brother with anger issues.

"Yeah, well, it is what it is." Sasuke shrugged. "I've gotten a lot better over time. I'll probably get better with more time, but for now I'm just grateful for the second chance."

"I hope that things go better this time around." Itachi tipped his head back so he could lean it against the wall. "Because I've never been so violently humbled like I was earlier when I found out that this other version of me actually wore that hideous cloak and tacky hat, and used purple nail polish."

Sasuke choked on his laughter, forcing himself to cough with brutal shudders, shoulders shaking. Itachi crossed the room quickly, patting Sasuke's back supportively as he sat on the floor next to his brother's bed.

"Purple. Honestly. Black is more my style."

There were tears welling up in Sasuke's eyes. He buried his face into his pillow so his mother wouldn't hear his laughter.

"Although, according to Naruto, it was better than your outfit during your stay with Orochimaru."

Sasuke's laughs stopped immediately, and he stood up, steering his brother to the door with a glare. "Get out of my room."

"No, wait, he didn't tell me what it looked like- what was so bad about-"

Sasuke slid open the door and kicked his brother out. "I'm not emotionally stable enough to explain that. Be gone, my idiot brother. Find someone else to torment."

-

I AM SO SORRY FOR MY IMPROMPTU LEAVE OF ABSENCE!

I got into a different fixation,,,, which happened to be Genshin Impact, this time, and I've been hooked on it coincidentally for about as many months as I've been gone. I love the game, ofc, but I also got sucked into the fandoms and I am obsessed with Kaeya and Diluc bro reconciliation fics, long Zhongchi fics, etc.

Oh and school has literally KICKED MY ASS <3  I flunked two tests, an essay, and a playing test in orchestra this week 😎😎😎 the burnout is real, people.

Thus, I haven't rlly been on Wattpad in ages, but luckily I keep my notifications on and one of your notifications got through asking for an update and I realized, "oh my GOD WHAT ITS BEEN LITERALLY MONTHS HOW DID TIME GO BY THAT QUICKLY" like ofc I was aware of the time passing by but it didn't feel like that long- yk wut I mean-?

so now here I am begging for your forgiveness with a frantically fleshed out chapter </3 I'm terribly sorry for the low quality and the fact that most of it was dialogue this time, but that was all I had the energy for on this Friday night at 1:30 AM !!! I promise I will do better with the next update. See you guys soon.

Also, I love all of your guys' comments. You guys make my day.

I will edit this later today at a reasonable hour but I'm just gonna post it now bc I feel bad-

I AM SO SORRY GUYS 😭😭😭