***
Chapter 16: :Sen so shitsuren
a thousand broken hearts
***
Something very beautiful happens to people when their world has fallen apart: a humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor.
Marianne Williamson
***
I indulged Danzo.
I pampered Mari.
I coddled Orochimaru.
I cannot make the same mistake again.
I will not make the same mistake again.
Sarutobi Beniko had grown up in her sister's shadow.
Biwako had been a talented medi-nin, old enough during the establishment of the village to be one of its first children and the love of Sarutobi Hiruzen's life.
Beniko had been born after the village's founding, really only excelled at fuinjutsu, and had remained unmarried her entire life.
And her ninety-second birthday was in three days.
She was well aware she'd had a blessed life. She came from a bloodline well respected in the clan. Her sister had married the clan heir, later Hokage, and then insisted on maintaining her own work as a medic.
Beniko, with a less demanding career, had been the obvious choice to assist her sister and brother-in-law when needed.
The challenge had been what all younger siblings faced: Older siblings who thought they knew better.
No amount of Beniko pushing could budge them when they thought they knew better, and usually, they weren't wrong. Both Biwako and Hiruzen had been gifted individuals, Beniko's assistance had mostly been administrative and hosting.
When Mari, Kenzo, and Asuma had been born, Beniko had expected to assist with raising them, too, but Biwako and Hiruzen had been determined to raise their children themselves.
Despite advice from more than just Beniko, they had refused to hire help, and they'd both severely underestimated the amount of time and energy their work required.
Their clan members' attempts to assist had only made matters worse, leaving Mari and, later, Kenzo feeling caged and resentful. Mari had turned to Danzo, Kenzo to ANBU and neither had ended well.
And poor Asuma, the baby. He'd had to pick up their slack when their parents finally realized they'd made a mistake and deal with parents who'd suddenly decided to be parents after he'd stopped needing them. And they were both still called away constantly to deal with work.
Beniko hadn't been all that fond of Mari; the spoiled princess had never treated the rest of them like they were anything more than a burden, and she'd treated her brothers terribly. Kenzo had viewed career and progression as more important than anything else, striving to live up to his father, the Hokage, but lacking the experience and touch with the people. He'd always been a bit of an ass but not as bad as Mari. And his wife and son more than made up for him.
Asuma had been the baby, the gentle one, and the only one Beniko had actually liked. But then, he'd also been the one she'd stepped in to raise after realizing how badly it was going with Mari.
Biwako had a blind eye where all her children were concerned and Hiruzen had favored his daughter, harsher on his sons like many fathers of the time. They'd both been blindsided when they'd learned the truth about Mari and Danzo's actions and the children that had resulted.
Beniko had always thought the feeling of betrayal must have been tenfold for the Uchiha, who up until then had had a healthy relationship with Hiruzen.
Though Biwako had carried her childhood fears all the way into adulthood and her twilight years. One moment of frightened surprise when she'd run into Madara, who hadn't even gotten angry, and she'd always considered the Uchiha scary.
Once, in a fit of rage and sake, when Biwako had been yelling at her for covering for Asuma, Beniko had yelled right back that Biwako's childish prejudice was the reason Mari had done what she'd done.
Her sister hadn't spoken to her for months, but Beniko had refused to apologize. She'd even gone against Biwako and Hiruzen's orders and told Asuma the truth about what had happened.
And she'd fought so, so hard when Hiruzen had decided to take a hard line with Azuma in the wake of Mari and Orochimaru. Had warned him again and again that he was going to ruin any remaining relationship with his youngest child.
He hadn't listened and Asuma had taken the first excuse to leave the village that he could find and never looked back.
There were times over the years that followed that she thought she'd seen regret in Hiruzen. Moments where she'd find him in quiet contemplation with a terribly sad look on his face, but he'd never spoken of it. Or when he saw Obito or Iruka or Fugaku and, later, Itachi and Sasuke.
When Mikoto had finally drawn the line and refused to allow him near the children, he hadn't spoken for two days. Officially called a meditation period by the clan, Beniko had been the one to bring him his meals and plead with him to return to his work and stop sulking- you haven't shown any kindness before. You don't get to sulk now.
Eventually, he had, but Beniko had suspected that was one of the final nails in the coffin, as it were. Followed not long after by Danzo's final strike at the Uchiha, seemingly concrete evidence of the Uchiha's coming uprising and the vote seemingly supporting their execution.
Danzo had attempted to keep all the copies of the scrolls he showed Hiruzen, but the Hokage hadn't been that foolish. He'd entrusted them to Beniko when they'd both quickly realized Danzo had lied, and she'd hidden them in the one place they knew Danzo would never be able to reach them.
The Uchiha Library. Safe behind blood wards fueled by generations stretching back to Indra himself. Hiruzen, in a preemptive deathbed attempt to make up for everything, had given it all to Iruka and Itachi to keep safe. He'd slowly started siphoning out every important scroll and document he could, well aware Danzo had been doing the same. It had become a secret race to see which of them was more motivated to have their version of history win out. Beniko had done her best to ensure Hiruzen won, and even after Kenzo had died and Hiruzen's relationship with Iruka had splintered, she had ensured Iruka still had the access he needed to continue his work.
There had been a few years of peace there when both sides were just shoring up their defenses, but the war had always been on the horizon. Beniko had never forgotten it was coming, and neither had Hiruzen.
He had not been surprised to learn Orochimaru was planning to attack Konoha. He'd even predicted his own death, leaving Beniko strict instructions to allow Tsunade and Jiraiya to learn the truth on their own. She'd argued, naturally -at the end, that was all they'd seemed to do- but Hiruzen had been correct that time. His loyal students would not believe her if she just came out with it all and Danzo had proved to be more resilient than she'd expected, nearly making it to Hokage before Sasuke had stopped him.
She'd been seconds away from telling Tsunade everything when that news had reached the compound.
What she had not expected, and she doesn't know if Hiruzen ever did, was the Sarutobi Clan's reaction. The Elders had wanted Sasuke executed, had even supported the claim from the Shimura Clan that Sasuke, as the last recognized Uchiha, should be forced to hand over what was left of the Uchiha Clan property as restitution.
The blatant attempt to steal the wealth of a founding clan had enraged Beniko and several other key members of the village leadership, which had been enough to stave it off, thankfully.
And save a few lives since Iruka was seriously contemplating murder by that point.
With Asuma's return and assumption of the position of the Clan Head, Beniko was looking forward to forcing out the senior clan members still supporting the Council.
Hiruzen had never managed to repair his relationship with Asuma, but her nephew had willingly suffered several long, awkward, in-depth conversations with Beniko about his father's actions and motives until she was convinced he didn't blame himself for any of it.
And until they'd both been satisfied, they could raise Konohamaru without any of their baggage.
Kenzo's widow, an ANBU of some skill, was one of the few members of the clan that didn't support the Council, but she was deep undercover in Root and had been, since Kenzo's death, a key part of Taka's effort to take them down, and her cover couldn't be risked.
Even now, Asuma was struggling with the Clan Elders and the senior shinobi, who'd been attempting to bar his ascension to Clan Head since his resurrection. He'd been furious to learn the clan hadn't offered any support to Kurenai after his death, unsurprising since most had opposed the marriage. Kenzo had been the preferred heir, not as troublesome as Mari or as rebellious as Asuma.
They'd gotten spoiled, Beniko thought, enjoying the status Hirzuen's rise to Hokage had given them and unwilling to let it go. The Old Guard, that generation she, Hiruzen, Biwako, Danzo, and the others all hailed from, was clinging to power like a spider to its web in a windstorm.
She wasn't at all surprised when Asuma returned, his chakra roiling.
"They didn't budge then?"
"No. They said my nature was in question, and they couldn't accept a clan leader who doesn't meet the definition of human."
"You're joking," Even she hadn't expected an argument that stupid. "The Hokage has fully reinstated you."
"They said her judgment is in doubt; they want to wait for the Council's ruling."
"That's…blatant."
"They said they're taking custody of Konohamaru. He's unsafe with me." He paced the length of the room. "They've spoken with the other clans. They think they have enough support for a vote of no-confidence in Tsunade."
"That means nothing. They can't actually remove her."
"It would damage her significantly. She's in a precarious position right now. The village is vulnerable. Do you think they actually have enough support, Auntie?"
She took her time and thought back over the last few years. There'd been deaths, a few divorces, and a few flip-flops. Tsunade still held the respect of many in power, but her erratic behavior lately -pardoning Sasuke, the execution after the battle, the investigations- was raising questions. Not to mention, those outside of Hiruzen's personal circle were beginning to question those who remained. How could his precious students not have known what he'd done?
And even if they made a believable argument that they hadn't, they were still tainted by how close they'd been to him. It would be enough to cast doubt on Tsunade, and she would end her tenure as Hokage under a tainted cloud. As stubborn and ornery as she could be, she didn't deserve that.
"It hardly matters if they have the vote, the damage alone could be enough," she admitted and watched his fists clench. "They have no grounds to take Konohamaru from us, though."
But the fight would be traumatizing, she didn't add. Asuma knew exactly how damaging an inter-clan fight over custody could be, and thus far, they'd managed to spare Konohamaru from so much.
"They will destroy this village with their petty infighting," Asuma murmured.
"There is still time. Measures were taken that are bearing fruit." Rumors of a scroll bearing lists of names and incidents associated with Root were circulating and Tsunade had re-assigned a notable number of ANBU to an unnamed secret protective detail. Koharu and Homaru were among the many searching desperately, but no one had had any luck locating it.
Wisely, she'd hidden it well.
"What if it's not enough? Kaguya is circling. The Old Wards will take years to repair, not to mention the number of shinobi. Why the hell are they so intent on doing this now?"
"They sense an end to their influence. They strike in desperation. It's just bad luck that it also happens to be a period when we are weak."
His shoulders are slumped, nearly up to his ears, the way he used to react when Hiruzen lectured him to be better. It was always followed by hours of brooding silence and hurt and no amount of mochi and hot chocolate could sooth it.
"There is hope, nephew." She tries to reassure him. "You always talk so highly of your students and their peers. Itachi is back now. And Minato."
It doesn't seem to be helping. There's a dark cloud over Asuma now. Maybe it was always there, but there was enough light to hold it off. He hasn't seen anyone yet, either. Just jumped right back in where he left off, and he, of all people, should know better. He spent years telling Iruka and Kakashi to get help, of trying to impart the important of self-care to his students. Thankfully, he married a woman who believed the same, part of the reason Kurenai refused to integrate with the Sarutobi clan completely.
He's on his feet before she can stop him, pacing again, before he comes to a sudden stop in front of an old picture of a much younger Hiruzen and Biwako in front of the Hattori Gate, days after it had first been completed.
Standing like that, back forced straight, eyes straight ahead but unseeing.
He looks just like Hiruzen.
***
Years Ago
: :Memorial Stone, Konohagakure: :
It was a wet fall the year after the Nine-Tails attack. Naruto, who'd been cared for in the children's ward of the hospital since his birth the year before, was due to be discharged soon. Debate about what to do with him had been raging for weeks before Beniko found Hirzuen at the Memorial Stone that morning.
He'd been alone, a rare occurrence, but the sun had only just started to rise, and the Ceremonial Park was still closed as they continued to add the names of those killed in the attack the previous year.
Beniko had followed his chakra signature, intent on continuing their argument from the previous day.
Apparently, Hiruzen had hinted at the decision to come to Iruka, who had told Fugaku and Obito, who had told Mikoto and Asuma, respectively. Mikoto had barred Hiruzen from seeing Obito and Iruka in a family setting ever again, and Asuma had returned home the day before after school and called his father a monster before retreating to his room and refusing to come out until he left for the Academy the next morning.
Beniko had demanded to know what was going on, and when Hiruzen wouldn't speak of it, she'd asked Asuma, and then she'd gone and lit into Hiruzen, too. Until he'd ordered her out of his office.
"I am not in the mood." He'd said before she'd even reached him.
"I don't care," she'd snarled right back before bowing respectfully to the stone and automatically searching out her sister and nephew's name.
Sarutobi Mari was not inscribed on the stone, because even Biwako had not been able to convince Hiruzen to order it.
"The decision has been made, Beniko. The village must come first."
"You are not putting the village first. You are letting paranoia and fear run wild. He is a child. No, he is an infant. He should be with a family, not in an orphanage."
"There is no one that can be trusted."
"Yes, there is. Follow Kushina and Minato's wishes."
"The Uchiha cannot be given more power than they already have."
"It wouldn't be giving them power! It would be giving a child a home with people who will love him regardless of what is trapped inside him."
"It would start a war. The Shimura-"
"Don't count. That's just Danzo's scheming."
"And the Utatane?"
"The same, and you know it."
"The Hyuga? The Akimichi? The Izuno and Kurama?"
"You are supposed to lead Hiruzen, not let a bunch of petty infighting dictate how this village treats its innocents."
"We cannot alienate the clans. The village would collapse."
"Yet you are willingly alienating one of the two founding clans!"
He'd refused to look away from the stone. All those new names still crisp and clean.
"What about Iruka? He is an orphan now. Will you not let Fugaku take him in? Or is he to relegated to the streets as well?"
"I explained why this must happen to him."
"No wonder he never wishes to see you again."
That had made him flinch. As she'd intended.
"Danzo will kill him the moment he sets foot in the Uchiha Compound."
"Danzo will kill him anyway. He is only waiting."
"He gave me his word."
"He is a liar. Why you insist on remembering the child from long ago instead of the man you face now, I will never understand."
"Regardless of what you think of him, Danzo is not so foolish as to kill my blood."
"Of course not, he'll just bed your daughter."
A man of lesser control would have slapped her, but Hiruzen was the most physically disciplined man she'd ever known. His fists only clenched, though he shot her a look of such poison that she laughed.
"You made your own bed, Hiruzen. Don't take it out on me. How will you explain this to the village? To all those civilians and clanless shinobi who don't care about politics, only about right and wrong?"
"I will explain the balance of power, Sister."
"You do that. See how many of them accept that as an excuse."
His shoulders had slumped then, just like Asuma's did.
"I will explain it until they understand. The balance cannot be damaged, Sister. The village would not survive."
"The village…or you?"
He'd fallen silent then. Over the years his silences had gotten longer, more frequent. Gone was the hyperactive, curious boy who'd been so, so proud to be the Senju Tobirama's student, the Uchiha Kagami's teammate.
"I would die for the village."
"It has always amused me that being Tobirama-sensei's student and Kagami's best friend did not impart more of their wisdom on you, Hiruzen. The point is not to die for the village. The point is to live for it."
A sad look crossed his face, tortured as it always did when someone mentioned Uchiha Kagami. His death, even more so than Tobirama or Mari's, had changed Hiruzen. Though her brother-in-law had never once spoken of him out loud after his passing.
She'd never worked up the courage to ask why.
"Kikyo-meijin will never return to the village." He says suddenly.
"We killed her children. Why would she?"
"She believed in it. Once."
"Change is the one constant in life, Hiruzen. I've heard you tell your students that."
How ironic that none of them remained in the village, but she's not quite that mean.
"I indulged Danzo, and he killed thousands. His fellow shinobi, people he should have protected. I pampered Mari, and she murdered her own children. My grandchildren. I coddled Orochimaru, and he tortured his own students and started a war."
He'd looked at her then, and for a moment, the boy she remembered was back. Idealistic, hopeful, trusting.
"I loved them, and look what they did."
"Hiruzen…"
"I cannot make the same mistake again. Not again."
And then there'd been children starving in the streets.
***
It is part of the unceasing human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his own nature.
Chung San Suu Kyi
***
Present Day
: :Main House, Uchiha Compound, Konohagakure: :
Iruka set the last bag of groceries on the gleaming counter and paused to look around the now spotless kitchen.
It had been well over a decade since he'd spent every real-time in this house.
The short visits he'd made to take care of Sasuke had barely scratched the surface since he'd rarely stepped beyond the small kitchen, Sasuke's room, and the back entrance.
When he'd had Kohari and Ikakku, he hadn't paid much attention to the sprawling Main House of the Uchiha Compound. Their small house near the Hattori Gate had been HOME.
It had just been four rooms, all two starving refugees too proud to accept too much help could afford. A room for his parents, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. Perfect for a young married couple starting out, and even after they'd adopted Iruka, it had been cozy but not suffocating. He'd slept under the too-small kotatsu that Ikkaku had always refused to replace with a laugh and a wink because it gave him an excuse to cuddle up to Kohari.
She'd always blown him a kiss when he said that.
He hadn't cared what he was missing out on then because the love that had filled that too-small house had made it the best place on earth.
Iruka could still remember the few visits Fugaku and Mikoto had managed. How the stern, blank personas they'd worn on the front steps had faded to something soft and warm once they were tucked under the thick blanket, laughing over tea with Kohari and Ikakku, usually at whatever trouble Iruka had gotten himself into that week.
That house hadn't survived the Nine-Tails attack either, and Iruka still fell into a melancholy mood when he had to walk by the old street. The houses rebuilt on the remains of Iruka's childhood home had been destroyed in Pain's attack and then again during the Yokai attack. And now that the wall was down, it was unlikely they'd build more.
It was odd to think that no one would ever live there again, but unless they put up a new wall, it would never be safe that close to the forest.
And the appetite for that was…low, to say the least. He'd already received communications demanding to know whatever he knew about the jutsu in the wall from ANBU, T&I, Legal, the Ethics Office, the Senior Council, and Tsunade's personal office.
He hadn't responded to any of them yet. And only partially because he didn't know anything and wouldn't until he sat down and went back through the memories to find Madara's.
Not something he was looking forward to. Madara's memories were always soaked in sadness and misery and left Iruka feeling depressed for days.
"Iruka?"
He turned as Mikoto approached with a stack of clean kitchen towels.
"Mikoto-mama."
She beamed, like she always did- does- when Iruka decided to call her mother in any form.
He's actually quite impressed with how much she's held herself back since her return. Aside from a very, very emotional reunion on the battlefield, she'd restricted herself to fussing when they were in the compound and had only ventured out to visit (clean) Iruka's apartment once the day before.
Mikoto had always been very conscious of the way she treated them. Painfully aware of the fact that she hadn't given birth to Obito and Iruka, nor had she raised them, but they were sons of her husband and brothers to her boys, and in the eyes of Clan Law, she was their mother.
Her caution didn't come from an unwillingness to claim them but from the knowledge that they'd had mothers in some form already, good ones whom Mikoto herself had liked and respected, and she was forever fearful of treading on their memory.
Neither Iruka or Obito had ever held it against her, not even in their wrath-filled teenage years, because she'd been the only adult in their lives at the time that had focused on what they wanted, as opposed to what the adults thought was best for them.
Iruka still had a crystal clear memory of the day Mikoto had banned Hiruzen from seeing either of them, finally fed up with the politics. Iruka had not seen him face to face for nearly five years after that, and for two of those, Mikoto had been dead.
She was a fearsome woman. Despite the fact that all four of the sons she claimed towered over her by a few inches, she'd still managed to wrangle them all for a family dinner…even after everything that happened since the last one.
"You're father and brothers are on the engawa. Go relax while I finish getting things ready."
"Do you want help?" She never accepted, but he always tried to offer. It had been great fun learning to cook at Kohari's elbow, but it was another way Mikoto tried not to overwrite his memories.
True to form, she just patted him on the arm, dropped a kiss on his cheek, and shooed him out the back door.
Apparently, Iruka was one of the last to arrive, as Naruto and Sasuke were already kicking water at one another in the koi pond, while Itachi, Kabuto, and Obito egged them on and Kurama perched on a rock, watching the large koi with a hungry gaze.
"Oi, watch out for the koi," Those damn fish had survived with minimal care for years and were nearly the size of Iruka's forearm now.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto launched himself out of the water for a hug, nearly crushing Iruka's ribs in the process. "Sasuke-teme started it!"
"I did not!"
Iruka's youngest brother stomped out of the water to defend himself, although he was still too mad at Iruka to give him a hug. He was thawing, day by day and question by question. Iruka was content to let him come around on his own since there'd been a time when he was sure Sasuke would never come around at all.
Itachi, comfortably sprawled across Kabuto's lap, smirked, "I think it's fair to say the argument started itself."
"Out of thin air and everything," Obito laughed, poking Sasuke in the forehead when he turned to glare at them.
The oldest of them, but also the most sensitive, Obito had been careful with them the first day and then given up any pretense of apology after Mikoto and Tsume had smacked him silly, and the others had agreed to call it good.
Or as good as it could be.
All four of them had agreed there was no point in blaming one another when there were far more appropriate people to take the brunt of it, and Itachi had negotiated a treaty of sorts between them to let bygones be bygones, enforced by the fact that he was the strongest and wasn't afraid to demonstrate that fact by holding Sasuke and Obito down until they agreed.
Which was how he'd been winning arguments with them all since he was five.
Before Naruto and Sasuke could start up again, Fugaku and Minato returned, brandishing a bag of fruit popsicles that should have been out of season as of weeks ago.
A treat native to Konoha and so popular, they're always hard to find in the summer. Iruka can eat them by the bag if he's in the mood. Naruto by the pound, and he nearly knocks Iruka to the ground in his excitement.
Even Kurama abandons the koi to investigate.
"We grabbed the last bag of the season," Minato high-fives his son as Fugaku opens the bag.
"I would advise strawberry or lycee." Fugaku murmurs, making sure Naruto and Sasuke got the first grab.
Naturally, all of them pick green apple, watermelon, or mandarin, and Fugaku and Minato are regulated to the boring strawberry and lycee.
Itachi gave Kurama a piece of his, but the little fox took one bite and spit it out in surprise, shrieking, "Cold!" and swiping at his tongue with his paws.
Sasuke and Naruto even break theirs in half to share, though Naruto shoves both in his mouth at the same time.
"Don't forget to breathe, Naruto," Fugaku stashed the rest of the bag under a rock in the koi pond, which explained why Iruka could never find the damn things when he was younger and visiting for training sessions.
Itachi and Obito seemed to take note of the location as well, both of them sending Fugaku baleful stares as he returned to the engawa. They'd spent hours looking for his hiding place as children, and he'd taken great pleasure in sending them on wild goose chases all over the compound.
"What's the special occasion?" Obito looks slightly suspicious. No one would ever believe them, but Iruka got his penchant for pranks from somewhere.
Fugaku sniffed, managing to project dignified, wounded innocence as he sucked on his own popsicle, "It's our first family dinner in over a decade…Just don't tell your mother."
Minato snickered around his own popsicle, the first time Iruka had seen him laugh since his return. Itachi had shared the story about their surprise find in the Land of Iron, and the subsequent discussion -argument- between the Yondaime and the First Uchiha, and Iruka didn't envy anyone who had to stay in close quarters with them.
Minato, who somehow had ended up remembered as a calm, kind martyr despite a prodigious temper and ego that fit someone of his skill and ability, had spent the previous day locked in Tsunade's private office with the Hokage and Jiraiya. Iruka had it on good authority that it had been Minato doing the screaming and Tsunade and Jiraiya doing the crying as he'd told them exactly what he thought about the fact that they'd left his child to starve.
Even the office wards hadn't completely drowned out his voice, and most shinobi had been too uncomfortable to linger in the tower. It hadn't ended until Mikoto had finally gone in, thrown Minato over her shoulder, and carried him out.
Things were at an awkward standstill now, with Naruto displaying a level of tact even Iruka hadn't realized he'd learned and staying far away from the subject. He'd welcomed Minato back eagerly, and they were gently making their way to a relationship, but Minato seemed to know that Naruto wasn't a struggling young child anymore. He treated Naruto like a strong young man who'd figured out the path he wanted to walk and only looked a bit forlorn when Naruto wasn't around.
Although, Naruto also hadn't spoken with Tsunade or Jiraiya since before the battle, so maybe he wasn't letting everything go.
Fugaku had taken a similar track, leaving his sons to their own devices and keeping his own counsel unless asked. It was as annoying as it was gratifying, but Iruka wasn't quite ready to dig into that. They all had their own reasons for struggling with their feelings toward their father, but the bigger picture, the war against Kaguya, that they'd been so ingrained to focus on, loomed.
A lot of things could be forgiven in light of that.
Or at least put off until they found out who was still standing afterward.
Besides, Iruka had felt the deep sense of pride in Fugaku's chakra when Fugaku learned he'd become a teacher, fulfilling a dream Fugaku himself never had a chance to.
It made it somewhat more palatable to face him, though Iruka had realized over the last few days that most of the anger he'd clung to as a lonely teenager had dulled into simple sadness and loneliness over the years.
And the realization that parents had unfulfilled dreams, too. Something he'd never considered when he was a child and angry at the world. Now that he was kind of on the other side of it he wondered if Naruto ever thought about it.
Iruka finished his popsicle and bounced the stick off Obito's forehead with a smirk, but any attempt at retaliation disappeared at the sound of approaching footsteps and the rush to hide the evidence.
"Dinner's ready! Is everyone hungry?" A round of enthusiastic approval quickly fell silent when Mikoto looked at them and frowned. "Were you boys eating candy? I told you I was cooking."
"Of course not!"
"We wouldn't do that, ma."
"We've been waiting to eat all day!"
"Seriously, I didn't even eat breakfast, I'm starving!"
When she crosses her arms and gives them that disappointed look they fall silent, except for Sasuke's defiant, "You have no proof."
"Sasuke, sweetheart, your lips are green. And Iruka's are blue."
"I'm cold."
"You are not. Uchiha run hot; we're never cold. I've been cooking all afternoon, and you boys were out here eating popsicles. You could have saved them for dessert." She pouted and made them all feel ten times worse.
The mumbled apologies didn't seem to help. Fugaku and Minato stood to head inside, and Mikoto kissed Fugaku on the cheek and patted Minato on the head. "You should follow your father and Minato's example. They would never stuff themselves with candy right before dinner."
Fugaku sent them a placid smile as he ducked behind Mikoto and headed inside, and Minato followed, flashing them a peace sign behind her back, fleeing the rising outrage.
"Oi!"
You rat bastard traitors!" Obito hissed.
"Language," Mikoto snapped. "All of you inside. And you better eat dinner." She pointed, so they all trudged inside. All of them plotting revenge on the two men sitting serenely at the low table.
Mikoto watched, pleased as they settled around the table, but before anyone could start serving, Kurama howled in outrage at discovering Mikoto had set a food and water bowl out for him by the door like a dog. "What issss this insssult, Uchiha?"
"Oh, I wasn't sure-"
Kurama hissed as he dragged his food bowl to the table, though Naruto took pity on him and went to help before he reached the halfway point, setting it up between himself and Sasuke.
"My apologies, Kurama," Mikoto slid a small glass of water over, though the little fox just stuck his nose in the air and ignored her. Sasuke grabbed a couple extra zabuton and piled them up for Kurama so he could reach the table and his bowl and his nine tails began to sway as he sniffed the food.
"Okay, everyone dig in!"
At least none of them needed prompting for that. Despite making a ridiculous amount of food, feeding eight adult shinobi and a chakra demon, there was still a fight over food. Naruto and Iruka fought over the noodles, Itachi and Kabuto over pickled red cabbage with a concerning level of heat for a married couple, and Sasuke, Obito, and Kurama over the grilled meat.
Mikoto looked on indulgently, and Fugaku used the distraction to slide his portion of eel onto Minato's plate.
"Oh kami, I forgot how good home-cooked food was," Kabuto moaned around a mouthful.
"We should do this as often as possible before the battle with the God Tree." Naruto, already on his second helping of everything.
"I'm happy to cook every day," Mikoto offered, doing her best not to look immensely pleased.
Kurama nearly choked to death on a bite until Naruto whacked him on the back, while Sasuke snorted, "Maybe try chewing your food before you eat it, fox."
Kurama growled at him, but it wasn't nearly as threatening when he was the size of a house cat and had grains of rice stuck to his fur.
Minato broke in, "Alright, someone without a shared memory, tell me what's been going on."
The resulting conversation carried on for hours, with all of them speaking over one another to share stories and Mikoto even running to the kitchen for more food.
The whole scene had a domesticity to it that Iruka had never been able to replicate for Naruto or Sasuke, no matter how hard he tried, but as he watched, both boys, young men, blossomed under the attention of Mikoto, Fugaku, and Minato, sharing stories even Iruka hadn't heard yet.
Kurama even threw in a few anecdotes of his own, although they all seemed to paint Naruto, Sasuke, and the rest of them as idiots who survived through sheer luck.
Mikoto smiled suddenly, softer than she normally was, as she watched Naruto and Sasuke fight over the last slice of tomato. "Kushina and I had so many plans. We were going to make a marriage pact between you two. To unite the clans. She'd be thrilled to know you ended up together without it."
"Ur, what-"
"We're not-"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"I'm not involved with this idiot!"
Mikoto blinked and then giggled, "Oh, sweethearts, you don't need to try and hide it. The Uchiha have never had any issue with same-sex marriages. Love is love."
Since they both still looked like were going to asphyxiate, Iruka took pity on them. "Mikoto-mama, you're embarrassing them."
"I am not! They're my babies. I'm just happy they're happy. Especially that they're happy together. Oh, but you both better be safe."
Naruto wheezed. Sasuke's eye started twitching, and he hissed. "We're not doing anything unsafe!"
"Sasuke, I washed all the sheets at Iruka's apartment yesterday." Iruka wasn't the only one who choked on whatever they'd just taken a bite of. "I know exactly what you two have been up to."
Iruka smothered his laughter and then- "Wait, was it you two that stole all my condoms?"
"No!" Naruto looked so offended and outraged that Iruka almost believed him. Sasuke started eyeing the door.
"You little-"
"Wait, Iruka, why did you have condoms?" An unholy gleam entered Mikoto's eyes. "Are you seeing someone?"
"Err…."
Obito snickered, "Yeah, Ruka-chan, are you seeing someone?"
Iruka glared at him, "No. I'm not."
"Iruka, I cleaned all the sheets in your apartment," Mikoto stated.
"That was Itachi," Iruka hissed, giving said brother the stink eye. "I wasn't even there."
"Oh, where were you?"
Goddamn it. This was why Mikoto was so dangerous. She never missed a damn thing. "I was staying with a friend."
"A friend," Obito drawled, clearly enjoying this far more than he had any right. Had Kakashi told him?
"Which friend?" Fugaku, looking so innocent, like he wasn't just starting shit.
Iruka glared at him too. "You don't know him."
"That's funny, Kakashi was just telling me he let a friend stay over." Obito grinned.
"Kakashi?" Mikoto repeated head tilted as her Sharingan spun backward, retrieving the memory.
"Sakumo's boy?" Fugaku perked up.
"Oh, he's quite attractive," Mikoto fanned herself. Sasuke and Naruto pretended to puke.
"Ma! Don't look at those memories!" Iruka hissed, his face burning.
"How interesting," Fugaku murmured, "You and Itachi have such similar tastes."
Kabuto conveniently coughed into his napkin, Itachi sitting next to him the picture of innocence.
Iruka was going to kill them all. Loneliness be damned.
"Well done, Iruka. Will it be a winter wedding? Kakashi would look beautiful in Uchiha colors during winter."
"Ma!"
"They're not even dating yet, Mama," Itachi finally taking mercy on him, "Don't scare him away yet."
Mikoto pouted, "I'm not scaring anyone away. It takes time to plan these things. The montsuki's need to be aired out anyway." Her eyes darted back to Naruto and Sasuke, who had enough sense to realize they were in the danger zone again and quickly started shoving the last of their food into their mouths as Minato snickered.
Iruka left them to save themselves this time.
***
Present Day
: :Main House, Inuzuka Compound, Konohagakure: :
Not that she minded, but Tsume generally didn't get visitors so damn early in the morning.
Mirai was adorable, though, and Konohamaru reminded her of Hiruzen before the fear had taken root. All she had to do to occupy them was stick them in the kennel with the new batch of puppies, and they'd be occupied for hours.
Asuma was a problem.
She recognized that look in his eye. It was the same look Itachi and Obito had the night they'd slaughtered the Uchiha Clan when they'd been convinced there was no other way forward.
She'd known he was struggling with the Sarutobi Clan, as he had been for most of his life, but foolishly, she'd thought it wasn't this bad. Thought they'd already made it out the other side for this particular issue.
The shadow in his eyes said otherwise, and his request for her to take in Mirai and Konohamaru, and Kurenai if that was what she wanted, was….
It hadn't taken much to get him to sit down for a drink, and she'd sent Hana to find Kurenai and bring her to the compound.
Once they returned, Tsume would go handle the Sarutobi herself.
***
Present Day
: :Sarutobi Compound, Konohagakure: :
The Sarutobi had abandoned the Old Ways around the same time as the Senju, generations before the founding of the village. Their wards were descended from the Uzushio school that had come to the Land of Fire with Uzumaki Mito through her marriage to Senju Hashirama.
Strict followers of the New Ways only when it benefited them; they were more politically minded than most clans. Mostly due to the fact that Hiruzen had been the Nidaime Hokage's student and then Hokage himself for so long. They'd been directly related to the most powerful shinobi in the village for more than eighty percent of the village's existence.
It wasn't surprising it had given them an inflated sense of worth or that they were so desperate to hold onto it. But it had also blinded them to thought outside their own school, and as such, their wards were rather basic compared to what was now available.
Iruka had walked Asuma through why their wards were pointless years ago, but the clan had refused to make any changes. The same way they'd once refused to allow Iruka or Obito within the compound walls because they were bastards. Hiruzen had ended that little ruling pretty quickly, but it soured both of them on the clan as a whole.
Besides Asuma, of course.
And later, Konohamaru.
Like most of the clan wards in Konoha, they were layered for different purposes, with the strongest base layer being an alarm whenever someone crossed the walls. Further layers served as defense, tracking, and several unique ways to mark and block certain abilities from being used in the compound.
The strongest defense layer of the ward was a diluted version of the blood wards that had withstood Shinmoro's yokai for almost two days. Though the Sarutobi's wouldn't stand nearly as long against an enemy of any strength.
There was also a reverse layer to the same layer that most of the clan was unaware of.
Designed to keep in instead of keep out. There was no clan record of who had requested or installed that layer, but Hiruzen had shown it to Beniko a few years after Mari had died. He suspected they were Danzo's handiwork, as he'd found a similar ward around several Root bases, but he'd chosen to leave them in place rather than arouse suspicion by removing them.
Beniko had never expected to activate them. There wasn't much reason to lock something inside the compound when it also meant anyone inside would also be trapped.
And unlike the defensive ward, it didn't have an alarm built-in, so when she activated it, no one outside the compound would know.
Even those inside didn't notice at first.
***
A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Martin Luther King Jr.
***
~tbc~