Minato sat at his desk doing paperwork with a shadow clone by his side, "I don't understand why the old man complained about paper-work, this is too easy," Minato whispered as Kakashi appeared in front of him

"Sensei, I've come for my report," Kakashi said, bowing to Minato

"Go ahead, Kakashi," Minato replied. Kakashi nodded as he looked up at his sensei, "Naruto left the house early this morning and proceeded to walk around the village, seemingly like a morning jog. He later found a 'conveniently' placed bag of money on the ground and played at the local arcade. Naruto then went for another jog before grabbing a snack at a small mini-mart. As he left the mini-mart, he tripped and fell with only a few scrapes and bruises," Kakashi stated, lying to his sensei, but getting several nods from Minato

"I see... thank-you, Kakashi," Minato said

"You're welcome, sensei," Kakashi replied

"But, I'd like a second opinion," Minato said, snapping his fingers, "Itachi!"

"You called?" Itachi asked, appearing in a small murder of crows. Itachi was on one knee as Kakashi's eyes widened, 'Damn-it! I forgot Itachi!' Kakashi thought, grinding his teeth in frustration

"Itachi, can you confirm that Kakashi is telling the truth?" Minato's Shadow Clone asked

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I can confirm Kakashi-senpai is telling the truth," Itachi said, surprising Kakashi

'H-hold on, what is Itachi doing?!' Kakashi shouted in his mind

"I see," Minato mumbled, "you two are dismissed," he continued, waving them away. Itachi and Kakashi vanished from the room as they appeared on the roof of the Hokage Residence. Kakashi looked at Itachi as he asked: "Itachi... why did you lie?" as Itachi looked at him

"I don't know what you're talking about," Itachi replied

"We both know that I lied. You may be young, but you're an ANBU for a reason," Kakashi stated, crossing his arms

"*Sigh* It was nice to see Naruto smile for once. Last time I saw his smile was his 5th birthday," Itachi answered. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as Itachi looked back, "Listen, I don't approve of the Fourth's decision to send him to a civilian school. Naruto wants to be a shinobi a-"

"And he can't... we both know Naruto's going to die within the next year. That's why sensei is putting him in the civilian school. So his last days are peaceful,"

"And did you know that the suicide rate for a civilian school is 50% more than a shinobi school?" Itachi asked, making Kakashi raise and an eye-brow

"Excuse you?"

"Shinobi schools teach their students how to deal with stress. Shinobi schools are there to teach you how to kill, that's why the suicide rate is so low. But a civilian school... is not the same," Itachi explained

"D-Do you have evidence for this?" Kakashi stuttered

"Tell me, Kakashi... how much do you actually care about Naruto's feelings?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The development of a child his age is mostly affected by psychological occurrences. Sure, Shinobi children are bullied, but they deal with it by getting into fights, of which the teachers don't interfere until things go wrong. Yet, in civilian schools, the person who gets in trouble is not only the bully but also the person getting bullied. I've seen it during my patrols around the villages. Civilian children are somewhere between 40% to 50% more likely to kill themselves than a veteran shinobi," Itachi exclaimed. Kakashi thought about it for a bit and it did make sense. Shinobi are trained for war, not civilians. That's why there were more ANBU around the civilian school-house than the Shinobi Academy. Kakashi continued to think and think until he said: "I can understand where you're coming from, Itachi, but this conversation is getting me no answers,"

"*Sigh* How do you think Guy got to where he is today?" Itachi asked

"Through hard work and sheer will," Kakashi answered

"Naruto is working with all his might to prove his parents wrong. That's why, when the time comes, I'm going to convince him to re-open the physical entrance exam, as the Third did with Guy," Itachi explained

"*Sigh* And what makes you think Naruto is going to get that far? What makes you think Naruto is... going to live that long?" Kakashi questioned. Kakashi saw Itachi's fists tighten as Itachi said: "Because... I don't want to see my mother cry again,"

"Hm?" Kakashi asked

"Do you remember... the day Tsunade-sama said that Naruto would only have 8 years to live?" Itachi asked. Kakashi nodded slowly, taking several breaths, "Yeah, I do," Kakashi replied

"Well, my mother wept and wept for days along-side Kushina-sama. It was this that caused her to be so protective of Sasuke and make her a bit hesitant of me becoming ANBU. Even my father would take quick glances at Sasuke to make sure he was still by his side when going out to play... hm, remember the day Naruto and Sasuke met?"

"Yeah, that was a happy day. Granted, I couldn't have been a part of it because of guard duty, but it was funny" Kakashi replied

Itachi was walking to the Uzumaki-Namikaze Compound, with Sasuke holding his hand, "Itachi, where are we going?" Sasuke asked, looking up at his big brother

"We're going to Hokage-sama's, Sasuke-kun," Itachi replied

"Really?!" Sasuke asked, excitedly

"Uh-huh. And guess what?"

"What?"

"You're going to get to play with Hokage-sama's children," Itachi answered with a smile

"Really!? Hokage-sama has kids?" Sasuke questioned

"Yup, around your age too. I'm sure the 4 of you will get along just fine,"

"Does mom and dad know about this?" Sasuke asked as Itachi turned his head. Itachi quickly got a glance of Mikoto vanished around a corner and Fugaku pulling up a newspaper on a bench. Itachi rolled his eyes as he couldn't help but chuckle, "Yes, yes, they know," Itachi answered. Sasuke and Itachi continued their way to the Uzumaki-Namikaze Compound as Mikoto and Fugaku followed them, making sure to blend into the streets and the small crowds. As Itachi and Sasuke came up to the Compound, Itachi knocked on the door, "Hokage-sama? Kushina-sama? Are you there? It's me, Itachi Uchiha," Itachi asked as he heard someone running to the door. The door opened to reveal Kushina, who smiled brightly at them, "Itachi-kun! Sasuke-kun! It's nice to see you both! How's your mother doing, if you don't mind me asking?" Kushina asked

"She's doing fine," Itachi answered

"Mom's doing good, Kushina-sama," Sasuke replied

"Please, dear, call me Kushina," Kushina said

"Mama, who is it?" a voice asked from behind Kushina as the ladder turned her head

"Naruto, could you please not hide behind my legs?" Kushina asked as Naruto peeked out from behind his mother. Kushina gave a sad smile to her son as she placed a hand on his back, "Naruto-kun, would you like to meet Itachi and Sasuke?" Kushina asked as Naruto slowly poked his head out. Itachi smiled as he bent down and said: "Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. I'm Itachi and this is my little brother, Sasuke. He's around your age. Say 'hi', Sasuke,"

"Hello," Sasuke said as he waved at Naruto

"Hello," Naruto replied, "I'm Naruto,"

"Do you wanna play?"

"Mama?" Naruto asked as he looked up at Kushina

"I can't see why not. Your father's taken your brother and sister out shopping and we're home alone. Some company wouldn't really be a bad thing," Kushina answered as Naruto came out from behind his mother as grabbed Sasuke's hand

"Come on! We can go play ball in the backyard!" Naruto said as he dragged Sasuke across the house

"Hahahaha!" Itachi and Kushina laughed as Fugaku, Mikato, and Kakashi laughed in the shadows.

"It was a good day," Itachi said

"So... what are you gonna do when Naruto does die?" Kakashi asked

"I can't stop my mother from crying... but the least I can do is make sure her tears are joyful, instead of mournful. Naruto's last days will be filled with joy, even if I must go behind Lord Fourth's back, wouldn't you agree?" Itachi asked and Kakashi couldn't help but nod

"Hai," Kakashi replied

"Then we both know what must be done?"

"Hai,"

"Then I guess it's time we call it a night," Itachi said as he disappeared in a murder of crows, leaving Kakashi alone on the roof. Kakashi pulled out his book as he sat on the roof, 'This is going to give me one hell of a headache,' Kakashi thought, 'Minato-sensei wants Naruto's last days to be peaceful, but considering the high amount of stress from the civilian schools as opposed to the stress management of shinobi schools... making Naruto a shinobi would not only be less stressful, but it would also make Naruto happy. Yet, if Naruto were to go to civilian school, Naruto wouldn't need to take stress-training for killing someone... decisions, decisions,' Kakashi pondered as he sat there through the night.