Chapter 30- First Weekend

It was a cool and crisp morning in Konoha. The first nips of winter could be felt in the air, however, the sun was intensifying and quickly burning off the early chill.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked out across the village from his one-time office atop the Hokage Tower. The view was all too familiar, and none too welcome.

He was loathe to be here. By all means, he should be retired and this office should belong to Minato. He shouldn't be sitting in this seat once again.

Hiruzen gazed at the clouds rolling by. They drifted without care, and the sky between them was a shameless blue.

It was days like this that he wished for bad weather. Something to fit his mood.

He had spent the previous night gallivanting with the recent immigrant Yama, and it had been fun and cathartic. Hiruzen was an old and tired shinobi, and he had found somewhat of a kindred spirit in Yama.

Yama was nothing like his former teammates or Danzo. They were all too ready to plot and scheme. They might be old, but their brains were still firing on all cylinders, a hundred miles a minute. He wondered where they got the energy at their age.

Hiruzen, on the other hand, oh how dearly he craved rest. His first taste of retirement had been sweet, but it was now all ashes in his mouth. His successor had been incapacitated, and he had to stand up to hold the burden aloft once more.

He didn't even have the proper time to mourn his wife before the great beast of Konoha started making demands of him once again.

He was glad to serve Konoha. He loved it more than life itself. But sometimes, he wanted a break. Could anyone fault him that?

Konoha had lost their fourth Hokage, the man who single-handedly ended the Third Great Shinobi War, and they'd lost their last line of defense, the nine-tails jinchuuriki.

The village was in shambles, great swathes of destruction wrought by the Kyuubi had laid them low.

The casualties were numerous, and the long lasting detrimental effects incalculable.

And here was the sky;

bright, blue, and beautiful.

Mocking him.

A voice broke him from his reverie.

"Hokage-sama, you called for me?"

Hiruzen shook himself of his emotions and sharpened his frame of mind back into the leader the Konoha needed, no longer allowing the whimsy of a dotard frolic within his thoughts.

He gazed at the source of the voice.

It was Shikaku Nara, the current jonin commander.

Although the man was quite young, and reports had warned the Sandaime of his laziness, his capability was second to none.

The man had a razor wit, and Hiruzen found him invaluable during his transition out of retirement.

The rumors might have spoken of his laziness, but Hiruzen saw little of it.

The young man knew when it was time to work, and was ceaseless in his efforts to keep Konoha afloat.

The third Hokage spoke.

"Do we have any updates on the Yondaime?"

Shikaku frowned.

"He is still at the safe house. We haven't been able to rouse him from his coma.

Otherwise, we think his condition is stable. We don't have any pressing fears, but we don't know how to proceed."

Hiruzen sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Update Kushina at the nearest possible convenience. I'll not have her kept in the dark with her family. In fact, just keep her updated at all times."

"Yes sir, Hokage-sama. Anything else?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew more than almost anyone how weak the current Konoha was. He had seen the strength of the village when Hashirama and Tobirama Senju were at their peak, and the current village was a far cry from that.

If it was ever the time, now was the time for drastic measures.

"Direct order to Jiraiya. Highest Priority.

Have Tsunade come back to village to treat the Yondaime as soon as possible.

S-ranked mission. All material pertaining it ranked as S-class secret. We cannot have the Fourth's status leak to the other nations. Not while our treaty with Iwagakure is still shaky.

If Tsunade does not comply, she will be excommunicated from Konoha and declared as missing nin.

Jiraiya is authorized to use all necessary means to complete the mission. Tell Jiraiya the life of Minato hangs in the balance."

Shikaku shook his head.

"I'm not sure if that threat will work on her, Hokage-sama. It wouldn't matter to her if she was a missing-nin or not."

The Hokage wasn't looking at Shikaku. He was writing something on a small piece of paper.

As soon as he was done, he folded it and then wrote on the outside before handing it over to Shikaku.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked ten years older. His face was grim and his eyes glassy.

"Give that to Jiraiya. He will deliver it to Tsunade as part of mission."

Shikaku took a quick glance at the outside of the folded piece of paper that the third Hokage had handed him.

Tsunade, I beg of you to return to Konoha. We need you.

Please return and destroy this note without looking inside.

We have all lost much, but your stubbornness inflict the same wounds you bear unto others.

If you persist in your folly, and wish to never return home,

Then open this note. God forgive me.

Shikaku took one last look at the note before looking back at the Sandaime.

"By your orders, sir."

And he walked out from the office, setting off to complete his current task.

Hiruzen sat in his chair, feeling much older than he had the day before.

He looked back at the fluffy clouds rolling past in the clear, blue sky.

He lit up his pipe and wearily leaned into his chair.

A sardonic and self-hating smile crossed his face, and he cursed at the unfairness of it all.

The inside of the note had read;

If you do not return, I am having Dan and Nawaki's names stricken from the memorial stone.

Yama opened his eyes that morning and found himself in the courtyard at the Hatake residence.

He didn't quite remember how he got back, but it wasn't that important anyway.

Kakashi was watching him from the kitchen through one of the windows.

Does this guy spend every single moment of his life in the courtyard?

I better remind him of his meeting with Might Guy, I don't need Guy bothering me today.

Kakashi walked out into the courtyard, and Yama quickly noticed his presence.

"What brings the young and talented Kakashi to my humble abode?"

"It's my house, you senile geriatric. I'm just reminding you of your training.

It's at ground 7. Good luck. I've got business today. Don't look for me."

Kakashi made a quick one-handed seal and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Yama laughed and dusted off his pants as he stood up.

"Ha, I guess even Kakashi is at that age. Ah whatever,

Young men need their privacy. Best to get out of his hair for a bit."

Yama strolled on his way to training ground 7, taking in the sights and scenes of the village.

It was busy, which Yama supposed made sense. The people weren't particularly happy, many still bearing the recent wounds and losses from the Kyuubi attack.

However, even those who still felt pain went about their business, picking up the pieces and trying to put it all back together.

People were smiling, but very seldom did their smiles reach their eyes.

It may have been a smile. It may have been a grimace.

It was probably just a way to grit their teeth and let the world know

I'm okay. You haven't broken me yet.

Yama wasn't busy enough to walk past without a word.

A middle aged man was struggling, stumbling down the road with a large wooden beam on his shoulder.

His foot steps were unsteady, but his eyes were facing forward.

Yama walked over and got in front of the man.

With a deft motion, he caught the beam on his shoulder and started to share the burden.

Yama looked back over his shoulder with a smile and called out.

"You gotta direct me, I don't know where we're going!"

The younger man laughed.

"We got a ways to go, straight ahead. Don't die on me, old man!"

"Worry about yourself, I can still run it with the young ones."

And the two marched on towards their destination.

They got there, set down their load, and Yama saw it.

A house, half destroyed, somewhat burnt. A canvas tarp covered the gaping hole in the ceiling and wall, a remnant and memory of that fateful night.

A young girl ran out.

"Dad!"

and she jumped into her father's arms.

The young man smiled and hugged the small girl before settling her on his hip.

The younger man tried to thank Yama and invite him to his house for tea, but Yama declined.

"I appreciate the offer, but I've got a meeting I might be late for!"

As Yama walked off, the young man shouted after him.

"I didn't even get your name?"

Yama waved him off and yelled back.

"Today, you. Tomorrow, me!"

and the young man watched Yama turn onto a different road and disappear into the hustle and bustle of the crowds.

The young girl looked quizzically at her father.

"What does that mean? 'Today, you. Tomorrow, me'?"

The young man shook his head.

"I wish I knew, pumpkin.

Let's get some lunch."

He set the girl down and was about to walk inside with her when he saw one of his neighbors struggling with a bag of rice.

He quickly ran over and caught it as it fell from her grasp.

Mrs. Nakami, the usually crotchety and nagging neighborhood harpy gave him a small smile. It surprised him to see it.

"Many thanks. I didn't know the youngsters still had manners these days.

Now could you be a deary and carry it to my kitchen? Its only a couple more yards."

The young man sheepishly grinned.

"What are these young arms good for otherwise?"

And he and Mrs. Nakami shared a laugh.

He walked the rest of the distance to Mrs. Nakami's kitchen and then set the large bag of rice down in her pantry.

He didn't notice before hand, but his daughter had followed him into Mrs. Nakami's home.

"Hey, Dad, can we go get some lunch now?"

"Sure thing, what are you feeling hungry for?"

Before she could answer though, Mrs. Nakami interrupted.

"Why don't you stay here? I just bought some groceries and it's been so long since I've cooked for someone."

The young man glanced at his daughter before turning back to Mrs. Nakami.

"We'd be honored."

"All of that formality is wasted on me, just sit down and make yourself at home."

A few hours later, Yama finally made it to training ground 7.

A teenage shinobi, dressed in all green was doing pushups at the other end of the training grounds.

Yama smiled wryly. He didn't know how this would go, but it couldn't be that bad right?

As he walked over to the young man engrossed in his physical training, he started to overhear some of what the young man was saying.

"If I do not complete these one thousand pushups, I will run 50 laps of Konoha. 989

And if I do not complete that, I will do one thousand squats. 990

And If I do not complete that, I will do another 50 laps around Konoha. 991

and it continued on and on in this fashion.

The boy collapsed and gave out a final groan.

"999,..

I am much too weak."

Yama chose this moment to interject.

"Uh excuse me?

The young man dressed in green spandex jumped up with new found energy and ran over to Yama and starred shaking one of his hands vigorously with both of his.

"You must be Yama-sensei, Kakashi-san has said many good things about you. I am Might Guy and it is my honor to meet you."

He said that we can spar today, and I am most excited for the opportunity. I have started some of my physical training already, I hope you do not mind."

"No, no, of course I don't mind. In fact, I apologize for being late, I got caught up in..."

Yama was trying to explain, but the fact that Guy was continuously shaking his hand but had also started to cry had given him pause.

Guy's tears started flowing even more and the boy burst into speech like he could no longer hold it in.

"No wonder you come with such high regards from Kakashi-san.

He is late all the time, and I am used to it, but for you to apologize for being late is a testament to your character."

Yama could only laugh nervously

If Guy is this moved by an apology for being late, how poorly is Kakashi treating him?

"No really, it is my fault for being late. Kakashi told me that you're a taijutsu specialist?"

"I am indeed a specialist in the art of the fist! I hope to one day be the greatest taijutsu master in the world!"

"That's a really great goal, Guy, but could you let go of my hand?"

Guy had not stopped shaking Yama's hand the entire conversation up to this point.

Guy immediately let go with both hands and stepped back before striking a cool guy pose with one eye closed and a single thumb up.

Yama said nothing, and just waited for the boy to continue.

"I heard from Kakashi that you are an excellent taijutsu practitioner and it would be my honor to duel you."

"Yeah we can do that, but I have to warn you that I am crippled. I have no chakra, and I was only a genin beforehand. This won't be a very fun fight for you."

"Nonsense, we all have something to learn, and we all have something to teach.

Besides, Kakashi said that you learned the basic style of Konoha in single night. I am positive that you are a shinobi of extreme caliber."

"Okay, but don't hurt me too bad."

Yama was actually a little bit at a loss. He should've expected it, buy young Guy was eerily similar to Rock Lee.

I know that Lee is like a replica of Guy, but this is just downright uncanny.

Guy spoke again.

"Do you need to warm up at all? I would like to spar right now, but warming up is extremely important."

Yama stretched his neck, getting a few cracks, and circled his arms a little before shaking out his legs.

"It won't help much at my age. We'll just start slow. Light contact, and maybe we can go from there."

"Very well, Yama-sensei!"

"You don't have to call me that Guy, I only teach at the academy. Frankly speaking, you're my superior officer."

"Anyone who can earn the respect of my rival is a person worth respecting as well."

"I don't know if Kakashi respects me though..."

I think he's just trying to get you off his back for a day...

"Nonsense, now let us spar!"

The two settled into their respective stances.

Guy was lightly bouncing on his feet, both hands up, guarding his head and torso in a fairly orthodox stance.

Yama got into the textbook starting position of the Konoha Strong Fist, and waited for Guy to move.

Guy charged in fast, but not so fast that Yama couldn't even respond.

Yama tried to stop his advance with a couple jabs, but Guy weaved between them and closed distance effectively.

Once they were within arms reach of each other, they started to trade blows at a faster pace.

Guy led with a left hook, which Yama intercepted with a forearm strike from his own left arm.

Guy didn't stop there though, and he soon erupted into a flurry of blows, striking with his hands and feet.

Yama was quite a bit slower than Guy, and was only throwing blows half as frequently as Guy was, however, Yama was doing quite a good job of blocking, and they ended up receiving about the same amount of blows.

As they distanced from each other, Yama threw out one final push kick at Guy's abdomen, and Guy jumped up and using Yama's foot as a stepping stone, backflipped out of range.

Neither of the two had even started to be out of breath, so Guy charged back in.

This time however, Yama started to incorporate elements of the Konoha Soft fist into the spar.

Instead of meeting Guy's blows with force each and every time, Yama started to mix it up, and sometimes he would redirect the blows, or focus on dodging.

Guy handled it expertly though, and was not put off balance a single time.

Again, they were trading blows fairly evenly.

Yama was actually having quite a bit of fun at the moment. He hadn't had a light-hearted spar like this in a long time. Kakashi and the Sandaime had tested him yes, but this was something else.

It was sparring for the pure pleasure of it. Guy was not really thinking about anything else right now, he was simply having fun.

And Yama was having a hard time not getting caught up in the enthusiastic mindset of the young man.

As the spar developed, Yama started to weave in the Interceptor Fist and Counter Fist, and he could feel Guy start to up his speed and strength just a little in response.

After a few more minutes, the two broke apart and looked at one another.

Guy clenched his fists and ran over to Yama with starry eyes.

"YOUR SKILL AT THE KONOHA MARTIAL ARTS ARE MOST BEAUTIFUL YAMA-SENSEI.

ITS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PRACTICING THEM FOREVER.

THEY ARE CRISP AND CLEAN WITH NARY A HOLE THAT I CAN SEE.

PLEASE TELL ME YOUR TRAINING REGIMEN!!!"

Yama laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"I appreciate the complements, but I don't do anything special..."

Guy was still staring at him with starry eyes.

"I mean really, its just that my ninja career was long so i had a lot of time to practice."

Guy started to do his version of puppy dog eyes at Yama, who could barely stomach it.

"Fine, do you want to know my secret?"

"VERY MUCH SO YAMA-SENSEI!"

"I had a rival to push me. We both chased the same heights and raced against each other. Without him, I wouldn't half the man I am today."

"I KNEW THAT MY RIVALRY WITH KAKASHI WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE!"

Yama smiled to himself.

Good luck pawning Guy off on me again Kakashi. I'll put the final nail in your coffin.

Guy tried to calm himself down a little more before speaking again.

"Now that you've shown me your knowledge of the Konoha styles, do you think that we could spar a bit more seriously?

I would like to see how you normally fight if that is possible."

"It won't be that useful, Guy...

I can't fight the way I used to without my chakra."

"Please humor me, Yama-sensei!"

Yama sighed before getting back into a fighting stance.

To be honest, he didn't even know what his taijutsu was anymore.

At one point, it was a brawler's style the interfaced with Shadow Clones.

Following his time with the God Tree though, his style had been corrupted by so many different lifetimes and experiences that his fighting style was now a jumbled mess.

Guy got back into his orthodox stance, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Yama didn't adopt any particular stance that Guy could recognize.

The only feeling Guy got from Yama's stance was "casual".

When Yama took his stance, he took maybe a half step forward with his left foot and brought his left hand in front of him at about pelvis height while his right was a little under his ribcage.

Neither of his hands were clenched into fists, and his stance had no tension in it.

If anything, Yama almost looked lethargic, or relaxed.

Guy, being the young, hot blooded man he is, took some exception to that, especially since he had requested a more serious spar.

"Konoha Whirwind!"

Guy had doubled his speed to throw a kick right in front on Yama's face. It wouldn't hit him, but maybe it would get him in a more serious mood.

Yama didn't react to the blow at all, and Guy presumed that Yama hadn't had enough time to react.

"Yama-sensei, I would prefer you to be a bit more serious."

"I am being serious."

"Then why didn't you dodge my kick, or even react to it?"

"Because it wasn't going to hit me."

Guy laughed and threw another Konoha Whirlwind kick at Yama, except this time, aiming to kiss the tip of his nose.

Maybe a slight nosebleed would get the older man to gear up a bit.

It surprised Guy though to watch Yama lean about half an inch back and completely dodge his kick.

Guy frowned in concentration before running up and throwing a quick jab at Yama's face.

Yama leaned to the side and dodged it by a hair.

Guy threw another punch, which Yama also slipped, and started going into combinations.

As Guy started to intensify and vary his attacks, he started to get more and more surprised.

Yama was dodging everything with minimal movement.

He wasn't moving particularly fast, but everything was as simple as it could be.

To Guy, it was like fighting a ghost. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to make contact with Yama.

Guy was limiting his speed to mid to high chuunin levels, but still. It was a particularly eerie feeling to miss every single strike.

Yama wasn't even blocking anything, so as far as Guy was concerned, there was no difference between what he was doing right now and image training.

Guy started to get caught up in his own thoughts and stuttered for a half beat.

Yama didn't let the opportunity go. As soon as Guy faltered, Yama ducked low and lunged left before coming back up with a vicious hook to Guy's liver.

Guy didn't let the blow go unanswered though, and he got a solid kick onto Yama's right calf as he ate the liver shot.

Guy actually winced a little after landing the leg kick. Yama's leg's were like iron. Guy had been careful to avoid shin on shin contact in case Yama was wearing metal shin guards, and he thought that he had struck Yama in the meaty part of the calf, but the sting in his own leg disagreed.

Yama took advantage of Guy pausing again, and threw a roundhouse catching Guy under the ribs. Guy didn't let it go unanswered though and sent a right hook at Yama's head.

The punch didn't do much though. Yama tucked his head and hunched his shoulders, catching the punch with a shoulder, deflecting it so it would skip off his skull.

It wasn't good to take blows like that, but at least Yama kept the damage to a minimum.

The spar continued on like that.

Yama ceded the tempo and lead to Guy, who would break into constant offense.

Yama would then wait, dodging most every blow, until Guy made the simple mistake, and then Yama would move in, hitting a more vital target in exchange for catching a blow on a less vital target.

The two continued to spar for another ten minutes before Guy finally called it.

He stepped back from the fight, making the seal of reconciliation, and Yama mirrored him.

"It was an amazing fight, Yama-sensei, but I have missions with my team this afternoon.

Please excuse me!"

then Guy ran off into the distance, leaving Yama alone at training ground seven.

Yama grinned and put both of his hands behind his head before starting his walk back to the Hatake Clan grounds.

That went well. I hope Guy had fun. I even got a bit out of it, too. I think I know which direction to take my Taijutsu from now on.

Might Guy was a taijutsu specialist. With the exception of Master Chen, he was the best martial arts master Konoha had ever seen, even at his young age.

His demeanor was said to be lacking, and many people were disarmed by his unusual and unorthodox antics, but the man was not an idiot by any means.

He had become a chuunin by age 11, and now, at age 15, he was starting to close in on jonin, even with his average ninjutsu and genjutsu.

His taijutsu was damn near unparalleled, and when it came to hand to hand combat, his mind was a steel trap.

But right now, his mind was reeling.

His spar with Yama was...

Guy didn't know how to describe it.

After ending the spar early with an excuse about his team having missions, Guy immediately went home before meeting up with them.

He quickly made his way to the bathroom and stripped down in front of the mirror.

His body was black and blue, sporting large bruises on his ribs, legs, and arms. That first liver shot he took was particularly brutal, and he winced as he traced his fingers over it.

His ribs weren't broken, but they wouldn't feel good for several days at a minimum.

Faint red spots were visible on areas that Yama had hit but pulled his strikes. One on his Adam's apple. Another below his ear. Several in front of the heart. They were as numerous as the bruises, and each of them was on something vital like an organ, nerve cluster, or pressure point.

Guy inspected himself as his thoughts roamed.

Genin level! What a joke! Yama is high chuunin at the very least.

It scares me to think what he would be like with chakra enhancement if this is what he can do with only his body.

I wasn't going full speed against him, but I still took such a heavy beating.

I never got a single hit on him for free.

I hate to admit it, but even when we did trade, I think he got the upper hand every time.

Some of these blows might be very well lethal, especially if he had a kunai in his hand and it wasn't just a casual spar.

Besides, my fists and legs...

Guy looked at his fists as he peeled the bandages that normally covered them. They were raw and bleeding.

As he inspected his shins and feet a bit, it was more of the same. Some of the bruises on his shins were already starting to swell.

It might be one of the most infuriating styles I've ever fought against.

He was always patient, never fell for a feint, and always traded up.

He dodged everything, and when he blocked it was because he wanted to block, not because I forced him to block.

I can't count how many punches he caught with the tip of his elbow, or kicks caught with his knee.

And when I tried to grapple, I always felt off balance, like if I didn't immediately let go, he would flip me or throw me in a lock.

He obviously outclasses me in decision making, reflexes, and experience.

The only hope I, or anyone for that matter, has against him is to outclass him physically and pray he can't make the gap.

I feel like I learned something today, but it would be better If I could fight against him using my full strength, there's only so much I can get from him when I'm at half strength.

Not very far from Training Ground 7 was the memorial stone.

It bore the names of heroes that had died for Konoha.

Kakashi stood at looked at two names in particular.

Obito Uchiha

Rin Nohara

"Hi Rin. Hi Obito.

Sorry I haven't been visiting much.

I've been taking my training pretty seriously since sensei almost died.

Standing there, at the edge of Konoha, after being ordered to stand down.

I watched Konoha Ninja die in droves.

They made me watch.

They thought I was too weak to protect myself. Too weak to protect them.

Never have I felt to impotent. So useless.

I've made a lot of mistakes, as both of you know.

But this time, I didn't even have the opportunity to make a mistake.

It'll never happen again, I promise you that."

And Kakashi stared in silence for a few minutes before continuing.

"Other than than, not much is going on with me right now.

I looked at your goggles and bracelet the other day.

I'm sure you guys saw, but I cried.

I miss you guys a lot, and I wish I knew it before you were gone.

I don't want you to think that I'm suicidal or anything, but I'm tired of this world.

I'm tired of the killing, the hate, the wars, everything.

I don't plan on dying, and I'll fight tooth and nail to live because I know you guys would be mad otherwise.

That being said. I won't be too sad when I die.

I think I've done everything I'm meant to be here for already."

Kakashi stood there for another hour. He didn't say much, commented on the weather a little bit.

Rin had always loved Autumn. She said it was the most beautiful time of year in Konoha, when all the leaves turned colors and started to fall.

As the sun started to go down, Kakashi was ready to leave. Today was his day of rest, and he felt that it had been well spent so far.

He turned away and took a single step before stopping. He turned back to face the stone, one foot still pointed away.

He don't know why he did it, but the words came out without much thought.

"Hey Dad, I guess we don't really speak much.

I saw your letter. Didn't read it.

I don't understand you yet, but I feel like I'm starting to.

I'm nowhere near forgiving you though.

I met this guy named Yama. He kinda reminds me of you.

Might be the hair color.

He cares. Don't know why though."

And with that, Kakashi pivoted back and walked away without looking back.

The following morning, at the Uchiha clan grounds

Kushina and Mikoto were fussing over Shijin's formal dress.

Shijin was trying to get to stop.

"Uzumaki-san, Mikoto-san, please, the clothing is fine. We'll be late for the ceremony like this."

As soon as he said that though, the two women were giving him the evil eye.

The fiery red hot habenero of Konoha replied first.

"Who are you calling Uzumaki-san, Shijin? You make me sound like an old woman.

You calling me old, huh, punk? You sure got balls to be doing that? You want to lose them?"

"I would prefer not to."

"Than call me Kushina."

"Very well, Kushina-san."

"Drop the honorific.

"Yes ma'am."

"And no 'ma'am'ing me either. got it?"

"Yes, Kushina."

"Good boy."

Mikoto on the other hand was only building up steam.

"I am literally adopting you, my nephew, as my son today and you dare to call me 'Mikoto-san"?"

Shijin, with his normal flat affect, replied.

"Unless you would prefer otherwise."

"'unLEsS YOu WOulD PREFEr otHERwiSE"..

Yes I would prefer otherwise. After today, you are my son, and even if Fugaku is only doing this out of responsibility and clan concern, I am serious about this.

I am going to mother you so much you will drown in my affection.

You will run and hide from me, scared over how much I will mother goose you.

You will fear how much I will care for you.

Now, what do you think you should call me then?"

Shijin though for a few seconds before mildly replying.

"Mother?"

Mikoto smiled gently at the young man named Shijin before reaching out to hug him and drag him into her arms.

"Good enough for me.

Remember what I said. I am one hundred percent serious about this adoption.

You will not be my son in name. You will be my son, and I will not have it any other way."

Shijin didn't know how to respond, and no matter how hard he tried to come up with the words to say, nothing would come out.

Mikoto released him shortly enough and stared at him in his eyes.

"The adoption ceremony is starting. Let's get a move on. We shan't be late because you can't dress yourself properly."

She then turned to her live-in best friend, wet nurse.

"Kushina, can I trouble you to watch Sasuke? As much as I would love to have him there, he's a bit young for all the pomp and circumstance."

"No problem, Mikoto. Besides, he'd probably start to cry if we separated him from Naruto for too long."

Mikoto then grabbed Shijin by the hand and dragged him out of the room.

As Shijin left, he took one last look back and glanced at the two infants in the crib. Naruto and Sasuke were holding hands.

Shijin looked down at his chest where Mikoto's chest had met his during their embrace. As he was being dragged away, he placed a hand over his heart.

It was warm.