A Senju's Family

Chapter 7 🌟

Authors note: 32 year old Haru supremacy, that's it. That's the authors note.

Also, this chap is a monster in length so consider yourself warned Lmfao 😭💗 ahhh I hope you guys like it!

••••••

Third Person POV

"Boil release: Stream Dash!" Katsuro yelled out, bubbling up his chakra to an extreme temperature before shooting a stream of magma from his lips, effectively scorching the cloaked enemy.

He clenched his jaw at his rival, watching as whoever he just burned alive used the last bits of their life to weakly use a transportation jutsu.

Katsuro didn't care much, either his enemy would burn to death wherever he was transported to, or he'd survive and live a life filled with wounds.

Lord, if his mother witnessed that she'd have a stroke, Katsuro was sure of it.

Katsuro didn't manage to catch a good look at his attacker's face, only ever noting that he used a chain to fight, he was short, and had pale skin.

Once the mysterious figure was gone, Katsuro ran a hand through his hair in apprehension. It wasn't out of the ordinary that he would engage in combat, rogue ninja and criminals were still very prominent, but something about this altercation felt odd.

"Dad? You good?" Katsuro called, turning his back and jogging towards his father who he separated from recently to go and fight whoever that cloaked person was.

Once he found his father, he approached him with an arched brow. That was until his ruby red eyes landed on the child on the floor.

Katsuro's eyes narrowed, and he was thrown for a loop as this enemy and the cloaked one who just fought had certain similarities that Katsuro was barely able to make the connection between.

"Oh damn there are more of them?" Katsuro asked curiously, going to walk towards the opponent on the floor, but Sasuke shot out an arm, stopping him from doing so.

Katsuro sent his father a confused glance.

Sasuke was protective of Katsuro, sure. But he also believed in his son's skillset enough to let him handle things on his own, so why was he stopping him now?

It's not like the opponent seemed exponentially strong or anything....

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, his sharingan clad gaze pointed directly towards the odd enemy across from them.

The boy in question didn't speak, but instead slowly rose up from the ground and turned to face the two Uchiha men. Katsuro's jaw subtly dropped and Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the sight of the boy's eyes.

He had the sharingan!

The boy, much like Katsuro's opponent from minutes prior, used a simple transportation jutsu to flee as he knew this would be a fight he couldn't win. In turn, he left the father son duo in a state of stunned silence.

"Did your opponent also have the sharingan?" Sasuke asked seriously, turning to his son who looked deep in thought.

Katsuro shrugged, "I didn't get a look of his face, he had that cloak on and fled before-" He paused mid sentence, a look of realization dawning on his features.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"I hit him with a boil style jutsu, and it was burning him from the feet upwards. But he looked desperate to preserve where his eyes would've been, that isn't somebody's first reaction when I hit them with that jutsu." Katsuro claimed.

Sasuke's stoic face remained, but after years of knowing the man Katsuro knew better than that. His dad looked concerned.

"That means we're dealing with a group of people who have access to the sharingan." Katsuro went on to say, worry clearly etched into his face. Sasuke sighed and turned around, opting to summon one of his messenger hawks.

"I'm going to update Naruto."

••••••

His name was Shin Uchiha, or at least that is what he named himself. He was a cloaked man standing on top of a pillar in the center of his extravagant cave-like hideout.

Beneath him was one of his subordinates, specifically the one who had survived his encounter with Sasuke Uchiha. The other who was sent to fight Katsuro passed away from his injuries, but managed to preserve his eyes before dying as he was instructed.

"So, you've seen him?" Shin asked curiously beneath his cloak, gazing down at the clone standing beneath him.

"And? How was Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Strong...Really Strong." The child-like clone admitted, retelling the events seriously.

"That's nothing like his true power. The power of Sasuke Uchiha's sharingan, that is." Shin replied much to the clone's angered expression.

"Sharingan? He killed Itachi. He's unforgivable. Must kill-" The clone exclaimed

"That's right. Sasuke, the disgrace of the proud Uchiha. He tainted his bloodline with the blood of his enemies by having children with Haru Oshiro Senju of the Akatsuki. And then he gave her his last name. He doesn't deserve to have the sharingan." Shin murmured, disdain laced through his tone.

Shin's young clone nodded in understanding.

"I saw Katsuro Uchiha as well, I don't think he's the one you were looking for. But he's also very strong." The clone claimed.

Shin nodded at the news, "Well then, that leaves three candidates. The twins, and the youngest amongst the five."

"How do we know Masahiko didn't have it? The rinnegan?" The clone asked curiously, looking up at his master with respect.

"He would've used it to escape, but he didn't. He escaped through brute strength, that's how I know he isn't the one." Shin admitted, thinking back to the white haired teenager who looked so much like the second hokage Shin loathed.

He managed to slip away from being captured earlier, and it angered Shin greatly. Masahiko would've made an honorable kill for the Uchiha clan, he's a disgrace.

He's the biggest disgrace out of all of those kids, and yet he wields the sharingan the most.

"Well, you know your mission. Update me soon."

And with that, a new plan commenced.

•••Runa's POV•••

(Before she and Haruki left the village)

I could hear my own heartbeat just from how nervous I am walking through the doors of the Konoha hospital.

My mom specifically told me to stay in my room, but of course, I was itching to go outside and get the answers I craved after crying my lungs of anger for ten minutes in my room.

So now I'm here, in the Konoha hospital, the same building as my mom. Hopefully all of my experience hiding from fanboys will help me out here!

I walked around with hesitation, dark eyes scoping the various hallways and waiting rooms with caution as I made my move.

Okay. Hide from mom. She's somewhere in this hospital so I gotta be careful. Find granny Tsunade or Ms.Shizune-

"Runa? Oh my goodness I haven't seen you in so long!"

Oh! That was way easier than I expected...

I pivot my foot and turn around to face one of the two women I was looking for in the first place. "Ms.Shizune!" I exclaim, walking towards her with a bright smile.

Shizune's been a friend of my mom for years, therefore she was always around with granny Tsunade when I was growing up! Hopefully I could talk to her in confidence about this...

Under the fluorescent hospital lights, I can't tell if Shizune notices my reddened nose and glossy eyes. God I wish I could be one of those people who easily masked signs of crying after a couple of minutes, but no.

Ever since I was little, my eyes would be a dead give away for hours of my previous crying state, and that hasn't changed ever since.

Shizune arches a brow at me but approaches nonetheless, it's clear that she's confused by my presence but it's overrun by her happiness in seeing me. "Looking for Haru? She's upstairs I could take you to her-"

"No! No, that's not what I came here for." I say with a sweatdrop. Again, her eyebrow quirks upward in confusion. I gulp, eyes shifting around nervously in search for any trace of my mom's presence in the hospital hallway I've found myself in.

If my mom knew I left my room, she'd kill me!

No no it's fine, she won't notice! She's too busy with Daisuke right now.

"There's actually something I'd like to ask you Ms.Shizune," I admit, looking around cautiously for any traces of my mom in the hallway. Luckily, she's still nowhere to be found.

"But please don't tell my mom about it!" I exclaim, stepping towards her hopefully. Shizune tilted her head a bit, even more confused than before but agreed nonetheless.

She brought me to a place where we could sit down a bit more privately, away from the sneaky ears of anybody who'd be curious enough to listen on.

It's then that I ask her the question that's been plaguing my brain.

"Of course Haru is your mother!" Shizune exclaimed, bewildered at the question I threw her way. I bite my inner cheek, looking down at my manicure analyzing the black paint coating each nail.

•••Runa's memories•••

I was around six years old at the time. I had a missing front tooth, unruly long black hair that was always windswept, and little scuffs on my arms and legs from playing outside for too long.

I walked back into the house after a long running around session, the light purple dress my mom put me in had stains from the grass all over it, and in the back of my head I was worried that she'd be upset with me over it.

Once I found her however, she said nothing about the dress and looked over at me with a big smile. Haruki was sitting across from her on the couch, never one to rough around and play outside in the scorching hot sun and adrenaline running through her veins.

No, she always stayed inside (Unless the outdoorsy activity was strolling through my mom's carefully crafted flower garden with an umbrella protecting her pale skin) and followed my mom around.

Just like she was now, as she sat across from my mom I noticed the various bottles of nail polishes, some had iridescent sparkles and some were pigmented with soft pastel shades.

Upon further inspection, my mom was holding one of the bottles in her hand, a light pink shade with sparse sparkles running through the color.

So Haruki.

I glanced over at my sister, noticing how her hair was neatly tied up in a sleek ponytail with a cute bow, and the ends of her white hair bounced up in big girls.

It was a huge contrast to my windswept hair, to say the least.

The dress she wore was identical to mine except for the color, as hers was a powdery blue color while mine was a soft lavender. And of course, hers was free of any stains from the outdoors unlike mine.

If my mom cared about the state of my dress (Which she never did) She didn't show it. Instead, her bright smile only grew at the sight of me, and gestured that I walk over to her with her free hand.

I followed her orders to a T and approached the two, glancing between Haruki's outstretched hands and my mom's face.

"Hey, you've been out there for a long time. You want me to make you some lemonade? Or do you want some ice cream?" Her voice was melodic, soft, very loving.

Much to my initial worries, she seemed amused rather than terrified by my visuals as a result from playing outside for too long. She tightened the polish bottle in her hand, done with Haruki's little manicure and ready to pay me full attention.

She did so by gently brushing away wisps of dark locks that had fallen on my face with her fingertips, and pinching at my already reddened cheeks from the sun exposure.

I blinked up at her curiously, going back to looking between Haruki's nails, the row of polish bottles, and my mom's face.

My mom easily noticed where my attention was, and she quirked a brow at me. "Do you wanna do your nails too Runa?"

Again, I glanced back and forth between all of the sparkly bottles, Haruki (Who had finished her manicure) And had resorted to laying down on the single seated sofa for a nap with her stuffed bear, and my mom.

I look down at my tiny hands curiously, the small bangle on my right hand with numerous sparkling crystals glittering under our living room lighting catching my eye.

Hmmm....If I had sparkly nails and a sparkly bracelet, that'd be too much!

"I don't want those colors." I mumble honestly, letting my mom hook her hands under my arms and pick me up to sit me down where Haruki once was.

"No? Then what colors would you like?" My mom asked, still toying with my hair and fixing up my disheveled appearance. She pulls away only for a second, to lightly scratch a small spot on her arm, and yet my eyes follow her hand.

My mom's always had the same manicure, always always always.

Her nails are long, like...really long. And they're black! A far cry from Haruki's sparkles and pastel shades.

"I want them like yours mommy." I say out loud, reaching out and taking her hand in my smaller one.

Unbeknownst to me since I'm stuck staring at her nails and playing with her slender hands, toying with her glittering ring, she freezes at my request.

"You want them like mine?" She asks, a small smile appearing on her face. I nodded nonchalantly, squeaking out in surprise when she hooked her hands under my arms once more and picked me up.

She placed me on her hip and stood up, carrying me over to her room upstairs where she had her own stash of darkly colored polishes.

I don't know if I've ever seen her so excited, she plopped me down between her dozens of soft pillows and kissed my cheek before rushing into her walk in closet and rummaging through some storage units.

I watched with big and curious eyes as she returned with the desired color and shook the bottle, giddily taking my small hands and carefully going to paint my nails like I wanted.

I watched with wide eyes, this being the first time that I've ever done my nails & that I've ever had a moment to myself with my mom like this. Normally she had Daisuke attached to one hip and Haruki attached to the other.

Once she was done, she gently blew on my manicure so that it'd dry a bit faster, and showed my own hands to me in excitement.

"Do you like them?" She asked, eyeing me carefully to garner my expression.

My mouth turned into an O shape out of surprise, which then morphed into a smile. My mom, excited by my reaction, hauled me into her arms once more and attacked my face with kisses.

All I remember hearing was her telling me how cute I looked and how I was her mini me, and that she loved me so so much-

•••Runa's memories end•••

I blink slowly, tearing my eyes away from my hands to look over at Shizune.

I take a deep breath after remembering the fond memory (One of my only fond memories with her) and frown.

"Could you tell me about my birth? You were there right? Who else was there? I haven't seen any pictures of my mom carrying me when I was born, but I've seen pictures of everybody else." I go on to say inquisitively.

"Oh- umm well a lot of that is confidential." Shizune admitted softly. It does nothing to ease my suspicions, instead, it only furthers my need to investigate further.

"You know, I looked around and found Haruki's birth certificate but I couldn't find my own." I reveal, turning to her with an arched brow.

"Oh honey but that doesn't mean anything! I'm sure Haru has it somewhere in that big house of hers." Shizune said calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Trust me when I say you're her daughter. I've known her since she was around your age now and you two are more alike than you think." She admitted with a smile, mentally noting my similarities to my mom.

I look away from her, staring off into the distance rather blankly. All of my mom's friends always tell me the same thing, that she and I are the same, but I just can't see it.

If we were alike, then I'd think we'd get along! Not fight all the time like we usually do...

"There are just so many coincidences, too many that are adding up. Do you know about a red haired woman with glasses? While my mom was in that coma, my dad would always bring me to her. But he wouldn't leave Haruki with her, do you know anything about that?"

To my absolute horror (Although I don't show it) Shizune tenses up. She tries to mask the reaction by sending me another comfortable smile, but I know what I saw.

She's hiding something from me.

"I do, but I'm sorry Runa, it's also confidential." She sighed, her calm expression turning into one of worry. "But I can promise you, you are Haru's daughter. There's not a single doubt in my mind."

"Ms.Shizune, I'm sorry. That's very nice but it's not enough." I say softly, bowing my head away from her.

"How could I confront you with all of these questions and evidence, and only receive a 'trust me' in response? How am I supposed to believe that?" I ask, then standing up from beside her.

"Runa I know it must sound bad, but you really do have to trust me on this" Shizune sighed. I blink at that, still entirely unconvinced by her argument.

"Right...Well, I'm gonna go now, I think I got the answers I needed." I say, sending her a curt nod before walking off on my own.

So many thoughts are coursing through my head. Why couldn't she just give me some evidence to prove me wrong?! The missing birth certificate, my mom's secrecy, the situation with my dad, Haruki, and Karin, my relationship with my mom, everything!

Everything is making sense in a way I don't want it to!

Who can I even go to talk to now?

....Maybe I should ask my dad directly! Yes! That's it!

I'll seek him out myself and ask him everything I want to know, and I'll get to see him at the same time! It's a double win!

Brain still overrun with so many flustering thoughts, I nearly miss the sight of a certain white haired girl crossing paths with me in one of the hospital's many hallways.

I freeze at the sight of her, and she freezes as well, equally as shocked to find me here of all places. Well, I'd be shocked to find myself here if I were her as well.

I absolutely hate hospitals! All they do is make my very rational irrational fear of needles ten times worse!

With both of us awkwardly paused in the middle of the hallway, I take a moment to notice the flowers and box cupcakes occupying Haruki's arms.

I eye the balloons that are tied to the box of sweets, all decorated with a 'get well soon!' lettering that makes her intentions in this building crystal clear.

"I just wanted to leave these with mom, so that Daisuke will have them when he wakes up." Haruki claimed, skipping the greetings as we both endure this awkward stare off.

I nod slowly, shifting my gaze from her dark yet sparkling eyes to the wall besides me.

I'd rather watch paint dry than stare into her critical gaze, I swear she gets creepy as hell and forgets to blink it's terrible-

"Did you go see mom?" She asked, taking a step towards me and narrowing her eyes the slightest bit. I sigh, knowing that lying to Haruki is a waste of time.

She's like mom in that sense. She more often than not could tell when people lie. How does she do that? I have zero clue.

My older brother Masahiko has the same little trait, and it was the absolute worst growing up with him knowing he'd always catch you in a little white lie!! Plus, his sharp red eyes are fifty times scarier than Haruki's doll-like ones.

Maybe it's just a weird superpower shared between the white haired members of this family....

God, speaking of Masahiko, I haven't seen him in a really long time!

I realize amidst all of my thinking I haven't uttered a single word since we've encountered each other, and it looks like Haruki's noticed as well.

"Are we just going to stare at each other forever or talk? I have a dango date with Mitsuki in half an hour from now so I gotta get going...." She mumbles, looking at me as if she has a million words to say yet she's holding back.

"Dango date with Mitsuki?!" I sputter out, bewildered by the news.

It'd be one thing if she told me she was gonna go hang out with Inojin and call it a 'date' (They're practically always real dates, if I'm being honest.) But to find out that she's going to hang out with Mitsuki?

And she's calling it a date?!

She nods, unphased by my confusion. "Mhm, but that's not important. Did you go see mom?" She asks for a second time and I almost smirk by the way she deliberately ignores the fight we had hours earlier.

Almost.

"No, I didn't. She doesn't want to see me remember?" I muse, noting the way Haruki's face dropped by my admission.

"Are you still going to villainize her?" She asks, a snarl peeking through her delicate features. Ah, it takes a lot to get her worked up like this, my fight with mom must've really bothered her.

I shrug, letting my hand run through my hair and pushing it out of my face.

"It's not like i'm trying to. She told me she 'doesn't have time for my bullshit' I'm not making that up," I claim, using my hands to air quote my mom's exact words from when she screamed at me earlier.

Well, she didn't necessarily scream.

She just....very angrily told me off.

Haruki scoffs, adjusting the flowers and boxes in her arms and shaking her head at me. "You act like you didn't provoke her at all and she just blew up out of nowhere. Mom is stressed Runa with way more important things-"

It was like Haruki's words lit a fuse in me.

"Well I'm sorry, but I'm starting to think that I'm the only person who considers  my crumbling relationship with her important!" I scoff, literally offended by the words that came tumbling from her lips.

Does she even listen to herself?!

'More important things-'  Well just damn me and push my problems into a corner am I right?!

Haruki sighs, closing her eyes for a couple of seconds before reopening them. "That's not what I meant and you know that."

"Yes it is, you don't have to lie." I say, the frown on my lips mirroring hers. She blinks at me for a moment as if she were wondering what she should say next.

"If you didn't come here for mom, what did you come here for?" She asks, deflecting from our little spat.

I blink blankly for a moment, wondering if I should even bother to confide in her when it came to my conversation with Tsunade.

"...Don't worry about it." I choose to say after a long pause, watching as her eyes practically narrowed into slits.

She shifted the things in her arms around once more, although this time it looked like she did it only to distract herself as she tried to come up with a reasonable response.

She nodded slowly, already starting to figure out more or less what I came here for. She sighed, clearly tired because of the argument we had earlier today and the situation in general.

"Let's just talk later, I want to go drop these off. Dai is already in surgery or he's about to go be so..." She trailed off, not knowing how to end the conversation properly.

Again, we share an odd tension filled moment of eye contact for a couple of moments before she's wishing me farewell and turning on her heel, leaving me on my own in the hallway.

With her back turned to me however, I can't help the words that tumbled from my lips.

"I want to find dad, and no, mom won't give me permission. I'm going to look for him myself. Do you want to come?"

We're in the middle of an unresolved fight, yes, but doing something so drastic without her would just feel wrong.

It was far-fetched, the idea that my sister would ever dare go against any of my mothers wishes. Especially when it comes to something so serious like this.

However, when she pivoted her foot and turned to me, the look on her face surprised me to my core-

••••••

Haruki is clearly more complex than I originally thought she was, recently she's been showing me more and more layers to her personality I barely knew existed in the first place.

For example, the fact that she's going against mom right now.

"I'm surprised you agreed," I muse, pushing my back off of the village gates and walking towards Haruki. She looks conflicted to say the least, torn between right and wrong.

"I know what we're doing is wrong. But I just want to see him," She admitted softly, looking away from me with a small frown.

I sigh, shaking my head at her.

This I expected, I could count the amount of times Haruki willingly went against our mother on one hand; and each time resulted in this loopy depressed version of her.

However, her desire to see dad overran and sense she had to stay back home, and it showed.

"What was up with that dango date with Mitsuki earlier? I totally didn't think he was your type!" Chocho exclaimed by my side, taking me by surprise. Oh right! I forgot Chocho was joining us!

Haruki looks surprised as well, eyebrows raising at my best friend.

"Cho-cho?" She exclaimed, stepping towards us curiously. "Are you coming with us?-"

"That's right! We're going on a journey to find my real father." Chocho replied with a bright smile before digging her hand in her bag of chips.

Haruki and I both blink at her in unison, even going as far as to tilt our heads simultaneously.

"I hate it when you two do that! It must be a part of some weird twin magic or something!" Chocho mused, pointing a chip at the two of us before munching on the snack herself.

Haruki sends me a pointed glance, one that screams 'see? We're twins!' But I choose to ignore it for the sake of peace.

"Well, okay. In any sense, how do you plan on finding dad? I don't know his chakra like that, and I think Katsuro is too far away to be traced properly." Haruki asked, looking over at me curiously.

"I overheard lord seventh earlier, he's going to meet up with dad and we're following him." I state with my hands on my hips.

Before she could say anything though, I squeaked out in surprise at the sight of Shikadai's dad and the seventh hokage approaching the village gates. I grab Haruki's hand and the back of Chocho's shirt and haul the two girls over to the trees and bushes lining the outside of the gates so that we could hide.

Before we could even blink however, the seventh hokage ran off in a flash, and although Haruki and I quickly ran off to go and chase after him, Cho-cho tripped and as a result ended up with Haruki and I falling on top of each other.

"Maybe this is a sign to not go?" Haruki groaned, shifting beneath me uncomfortably. I frown at her hesitance, and as I'm about to try and encourage her to keep on with the mission, I catch a slither of blonde hair from the corner of my eye.

I look back over to the gates and gasp. It's Boruto! It looks like he just missed his dad and came through the premise of bringing him food. Boruto looked hesitant to chase after him, not caring much for the situation at hand.

I on the other hand see this as our golden ticket.

Aha! This is the perfect excuse!

"Hey Boruto!! Do you want me to deliver that lunch box for you?!" I ask with a bright smile, grabbing both Chocho and Haruki and yanking them both up with me.

Haruki makes an incomprehensible noise of panic from behind me at the sight of Boruto, and in any other situation I would've laughed,but I'm too busy concocting my next plan.

I jog over to them, hauling a blushing Haruki and an (already tired) Cho-cho along with me.

"Runa?" Boruto asked in surprise, turning over to us and eyeing me suspiciously. In any other day, I would've retorted with some snort of snarky reply initiating some stupid argument between the two of us, but not today.

Today, I jog up to him with a smile that's a little too wide to be considered casual.

"We're going on a little trip now. If you like, we can take that to lord seventh." I say, leaning up to him brightly. Boruto blinks at me for a moment, obviously weary about my enthusiasm and kind tone.

"Why are you being so nice all of the sudden? What are you planning?" He asked suspiciously, and my eye might've twitched a bit at the questions.

I'm very nice!

Okay, maybe when it comes to Boruto I have a short fuse, but it's not like he's some angel who could do no wrong either!

"I don't know what you're talking about. If you don't believe me, I'll have you know it's actually Haruki's idea." I claim confidently, taking my blushing sisters hand and bringing her to my side.

Hehe there's no way Boruto would refuse now! Being Haruki's sister really does come with its perks sometimes!

Haruki's turns to me confusedly "That's not!-"

"C'mon Boruto you'd believe Haruki right? She just wants to do something nice for you!" I smile, discreetly nudging her with my boot. She immediately shuts up, too much of a blushing mess to properly respond to my lies.

Boruto's eyes widen, and I catch the very light reddening of his cheeks. Hah, bingo!

"I guess that's fine?" He admitted, although his statement sounded more like a question due to his own confusions.

I smirk a bit, mentally thanking the gods that Haruki went along with my mini scheme.

"Now wait a minute, does Haru know about this?" Shikamaru suddenly asked as I held the lunch box Boruto handed me. Haruki and I both look up at him with widened eyes, frozen in place at the confrontation.

Shit shit shit!! Shikadai's dad is one of my mom's best friends, he'd for sure tell her we left the village!

My grip on Haruki's hand instinctively tightens as I wrack my brain for any sort of reasonable response, but before I could even come up with one, Shikamaru let out a tired sigh.

"I'm taking that as a no." He claimed, looking down at the two of us.

My eyes widen, how'd he know?!-

"Haruki can't look at me in the eye and you act just like your mom so I could tell." He admits, amused by our flustered expressions.

"Please don't tell her?!" I ask, hugging the lunch box closer to my body instinctively. Uncle Shikamaru's eyes darted between Haruki and I for a moment and he sighed, to which the two of us tensed up.

I don't know what was going through his mind really, all I know is that I've never felt more relieved hearing the word "Fine." tumble from somebody's lips.

Of course, he mentioned how troublesome the two of us were but that didn't matter!

"Naruto is heading towards the Shikoro pass." Uncle Shikamaru claimed. Haruki and I both stared up at him blankly, waiting for his next words, but to our surprise he shoo's us off.

"Just go, I never saw you two and you never saw me."

Haruki and I share big smiles and nod in unison "You're the best uncle Shika!" We both say naturally, glancing at each other awkwardly right after.

I mean...At least we act like twins right?

••••••

"You guys! The food in the bento is gonna get all mixed up if you keep running like this! Though the same things gonna happen once you eat it!" Chocho panted from behind us, clearly wanting to take a break.

Although it's true, Haruki, Chocho, and me have been running pretty intensely for the past couple of minutes, there is zero part of me that wants to slow down or stop.

"We have to hurry, or else we won't be able to catch up." I say, turning to her as we run with my long black hair flowing all around me.

"It's okay Chocho, we'll take a break once we see Uncle Naru!" Haruki smiled, turning to her as well. When Haruki and I turn back around to face forward, still very much on the move, the two of us freeze up at the sight in front of us.

"Oh thank god we're stopping!" Chocho gasped, falling on her knees and taking the moment to catch her breath.

I feel Haruki inch towards me, the two of us have our eyes set on the strange boy who's appeared in front of us. 

He has pale-white skin and white hair that is slicked back and tapered to a point.  He lacks eyebrows and is wearing a white high-collared kimono shirt with a dark blue obi wrapped around his waist.

Haruki tenses up greatly, not liking the chakra this guy gives off. I follow her lead in becoming weary of course, knowing very well what happened last time I didn't listen to Haruki and her sensory abilities.

The boy looks up at us, making eye contact with me specifically, and I gasp at the sight of the sharingan?!

But how?!

"Who are you?" I ask, gingerly taking a step towards him.

"Shin Uchiha." The boy responded calmly with a blank expression on his face. Haruki and I share a stunned glance.

"T-that's impossible. Me, my dad, and my siblings are supposed to be the only survivors of the Uchiha clan." Haruki says from beside me, her eyes narrowing in the boy's direction.

He doesn't listen to her claims, instead pulling out a scroll. "Come with me." Shin murmured, sharingan still very activated and tone still as calm as ever.

"And if we refuse?" I ask, a small smirk playing on my lips at the question of a challenge.

"My father...said to bring you. His word...absolute!"

"Interesting speech pattern." I mumble, earning a small nudge from Haruki's elbow. Haruki, Chocho and I all naturally form defensive stances as Shin lays down his scroll.

We watch wearily, wondering just what he could possibly have up his sleeve.

He ended up summoning a large shuriken attached to a chain and looked up at us with a newfound determination. "I'm taking you away."

"Huh?! What're you gonna do with me after you kidnap me?!" Chocho gasps. We don't have time to react to her question, since this Shin guy quickly used his chained shuriken and flung it in our direction.

The three of us were quick to swiftly evade the attack, and since I took the high ground in jumping upwards, I flung a variety of kunai his way for distraction.

As expected, he dodged the attacks with his chain, but that was exactly what we wanted.

Haruki jumped on the chain, her added weight nailing it to the ground. "Chocho!" I yell out, and she quickly appears behind Shin.

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Chocho yelled out, her hand enlarging greatly via her clans powers, however Shin was far too quick for such a simple attack!

He easily dodged the attack and yanked his chain upwards, forcing Haruki away from it and letting Chocho fall to the ground as a result. Haruki glanced between Chocho and I, and she noticed a small scuff on my cheek from the battle.

From the corner of my eye I saw Haruki grit her teeth, she looked pissed.

She began performing a series of hand signs with a look in her eye that even I've never seen before, but before she could slam her hand on the ground to perform it, a figure appeared behind her.

I gasp at the sight of the seventh hokage, Naruto quickly helping up Chocho and holding onto Haruki's shoulder. "Isn't this a bit much for a kid's fight?" the hokage asked, to which the three of us sighed in relief.

Well, Haruki had a look in her eyes that screamed 'if you weren't here I would've done something really bad'

Damn...I wonder what it is!

"I think my villages kids are well behaved but everyone slips up a couple of times." He chuckled, cloak flowing behind him heroically.

Shin stood up from the debris across from us, and narrowed his eyes at Naruto, revealing his sharingan. "Sharingan...I see, so you're the one." the hokage smirked.

"Sorry but I'm gonna have to keep you restrained. I have some questions for you." Naruto admitted, only pausing when Shin's face morphed into one of even more anger.

His eyes then turned from the regular sharingan to one I didn't recognize, an odd pattern in his eye. However, Naruto looked well informed and narrowed his eyes.

"Mangekyo Sharingan, I guess I can't go easy on you." He claimed, overtaking a newform as a golden chakra enveloped his being.

The three of us watched with dropped jaws as Shin remotely threw a massive amount of Kunai our way, but Naruto deflected them all without even moving a muscle!

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were listening to someone speak. Then once he opened his eyes there was a small smirk on his lips. The golden chakra that coated his body then morphed into a whole bunch of hands that were coming from his cloak?!

Honestly, I have zero clue as to what's going on. All I know is that Naruto is literally glowing and so are all of the nine chakra arm/tail things he created!

This has to be a part of his tailed beast power I learned about once while in school!

"R-runa, is this what they say is inside the hokage's body?" Chocho asked with widened eyes.

"Yeah, it's the tailed beast, the nine tails power." I reply, unable to tear my eyes away from Naruto's form.

"Heh, go easy on me alright?" He then commenced fighting Shin, using those chakra tails and extending them in Shin's direction. I watched on, almost starstruck as he used his massive amounts of chakra to fight the enemy with precision.

Wait- massive chakra-

My eyes snap towards Haruki and my features soften a bit. Her head is bowed into her hands and she's rubbing at her forehead trying to ease the massive headache that's come over her.

Oof, I knew this would happen!

Haruki always gets terrible headaches whenever she's exposed or overwhelmed by so much chakra, and although it's barely ever happened before, my mom told me that it was normal and that Masahiko goes through the same thing.

She can't even look up from her hands, even shaking slightly from how overwhelmed her senses were.

Chocho went on to compliment the seventh hokage, marveling at the way he casually fought Shin with not much effort, but due to Haruki's condition I found myself glancing between the fight and my sister in worry.

However, I do catch Shin somehow transporting away. What?! How the hell did he do that?!

Naruto then released his golden chakra form, and it was through my perceptive gaze that I noticed Haruki audibly sigh and falter a bit from how tensed she was.

"Hey who was that anyway? This journey was all about finding my dad but am I like the fair maiden everyone's fighting for?!" Cho-Cho asked, shuddering at the thought.

"No, you're probably not their target Cho-cho. It's probably Haruki and Runa they're after." Naruto claimed, looking back at us worriedly.

He noticed Haruki's state and sighed, walking up to her and placing a hand on her head. "Haruki, I forgot how sensitive you were to things like that. Are you alright?"

Haruki nodded of course, not one to deliberately worry anybody, but it was clear by the way she couldn't drop her hands from her face that she was really just bluffing.

"H-hey who were they anyway? They said they were Uchiha." Naruto smiled at me this time, walking over to me and placing a hand on my shoulder .

"You don't have to worry about a thing Runa. I'll protect you!" My eyes widened a bit, and a small smile of appreciation overtook my features.

"Hey, does your mom know you're out here by the way?" He asked, quirking a brow at me. I sweatdrop and shake my head, only to frown in confusion at the morbid expression on his face.

Why does he look scared?!

"Uhh Lord seventh? What's wrong?" I ask curiously.

"Your mother...It's a dangerous game going against her like that." It was his time to shudder, he ended up looking more disturbed than Haruki does now!

"Huh? My mom wouldn't hurt a fly. Sure she's loud when she's mad but that's as far as it gets." I say easily, watching in confusion as he blinked at me dumbly.

"...Is that what she tells you guys?!"

"Huh?!"

"Nevermind, I'll deal with Haru when the time comes. Well, either way as it is I can't send you back to the village. Both of you are coming with me! I think that'll be the safest." Naruto claimed.

"With you?! All right!" Cho-Cho cheered.

"Actually, I'm on my way to meet with Sasuke who I haven't seen in awhile. I know he'll probably be happy to see you guys too!" Naruto smiled.

At that Haruki brightened up a bit, still rubbing at her temples but more distracted by the prospect of seeing our dad after so long.

I brighten up as well, but I'm quickly reminded of the bento box in my hands and hand it over to Naruto. "Oh yeah! I came to deliver this to you!" I exclaimed.

Naruto chuckled, gingerly taking the bento box with a smile. "Thanks, sorry for the trouble."

••••••

The four of us took a small break via Naruto wanting to sit down and eat lunch (Cho-cho did not fight the request at all). Haruki and I sat together across from Naruto and Chocho, and I couldn't help but notice how silent Haruki had become.

However, before I could question it, we were interrupted by the seventh hokage's words.

"That was delicious! Thanks for bringing this." Naruto exclaimed, happily finishing up the meal his wife prepared for him back home.

"Oh you should thank Boruto instead." I claim, mentally pausing once I realized I just instinctively helped the blonde out...

Weird...

Naruto chuckled and agreed. "Runa's dad huh? Originally this was supposed to be a trip to find my dad." Cho-cho mumbled longingly. Naruto looked over at the Akimichi girl in confusion. "Did Choji go somewhere?"

"What's your dad like Runa? I've never met him, even once." Cho-Cho asked, completely ignoring the hokage's question and turning to me expectantly.

I pause before looking away rather awkwardly "I don't remember him all that much, he hasn't visited us in years."

"That's right...He's been out traveling this whole time." Naruto mumbled, realizing that Sasuke really hadn't come home in literal years to see the girls or even Daisuke.

Then, a sneaky smile appeared on his face.

"Let's see here. If I were to describe him, He was always popular with the kunoichi at the academy, just like me. And he was quite handsome, just like me. Plus, he always got the top grade in ninjutsu, just like me!"

Cho-Cho and I both blanch at him while Haruki smiles sweetly. "Isn't it usually just one top scorer? Sounds suspicious!" Cho-Cho exclaimed, pointing her chopsticks at the hokage.

"But! He was antisocial, arrogant, and rude! Totally not like me!!" Naruto exclaimed with a personal vendetta in his eyes. I deadpan at that, seriously?!

"Dad was popular with the girls? What about mom? Was she popular with the boys?" Haruki asked with wide, curious eyes.

Naruto choked a bit whilst taking a sip from his water bottle before smiling sheepishly at us.

"Uh, yeah I'd say she was popular!" He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck,

"Did dad like her even back then?" Haruki asked, now really interested in the topic at hand.

Ah, she's always been pretty in love with their love story.

"Oh yeah he did! He was like your mom's biggest fanboy! Weirdly possessive too! I'd say he was threatened by me being her best friend!!" Naruto smirked, waving his chopsticks around to dramatize the scenario.

Haruki giggled as a result of the silly face he made, and went back to silently picking at her food.

"In other words, he's my rival! And that stands even now!" He went on to say, a smirk playing on his lips. "Runa, watching you earlier reminded me of him back in the day." The kage admitted.

My eyes widened, not expecting the comment. "The two of you look really alike, I remember Haru got really excited when you were little since you started to look more and more like him as you got older." Naruto chuckled, running a hand through his blonde hair.

"It always confused me, she was so upset about Katsuro looking like Sasuke, but she was excited when you turned out looking like him. I think it's because you remind her of somebody in his family, I don't know who though."

I tilt my head a bit as I've heard that reasoning once before too. But I was super little and I've forgotten the details by now. Who was it that I looked like again?

"You know, you may physically look just like him, but to me it's way more obvious that you're Haru's kid. You're just like her!" I blink at him, almost flustered by the sudden words.

"Kakashi sensei would laugh all the time when you were a baby and acted out with her, because he said it was payback for Haru being so difficult with him when she was little too." He chuckled.

I take a sip out of my soda as I listen on, all of my life I've had people telling me that I'm truly just like my mom, but to hear it in detail like this?

It's...nice.

"And you Haruki, you may look like Haru, but your eyes are just like Sasuke's." Naruto exclaimed with a big smile. Haruki blushed a bit before looking down at her dango.

"You know, he's the one who named you Haruki! After your mom of course." Haruki smiled at the news, she never knew that small tidbit!

"What about our brothers?" Haruki asked, still looking down but curious nonetheless.

"Your brothers hm? Well Katsuro looks just like your dad from when he was younger. But his personality is definitely a mixture between Haru & Sasuke." Naruto admitted, tapping his index finger to his chin.

"And if you two wanted to really know what your dad was like, you'd take a good look at Masahiko. They don't look alike but they sure do act the same! Gosh, it's been like fifteen years and I'm still trying to get a smile out of Hiko!" Naruto exclaimed with a sweatdrop.

Haruki and I both share amused glances.

We also have yet to get him to smile....I swear I've only ever seen him smile around my mom, Katsuro, the sixth hokage, or our cousin Reiji.

He took a last bite out of his bento box before continuing. "And little Daisuke, he's a fighter, I'm sure he gets it from Haru. He looks just like her too once you get past the black hair and rinnegan." He chuckled, shaking his head a bit.

"Don't worry you two. No matter how far apart you are, or how long you haven't seen him, it doesn't change the fact that you're his daughters."

•••Haru's POV•••

Oh I can't wait to drag Runa and Haruki back home, they're in SO MUCH TROUBLE!!

They're dead. So fucking dead when I catch them oh my god- When I catch up to them I don't know how I'm going to hold back-

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!

I pace back and forth in the middle of my bedroom as my mind runs wild with the thought of my two girls.

They left, AFTER I TOLD THEM TO STAY HOME!! AND THEY LEFT THE VILLAGE AT THAT!!

Fuck, if it weren't for the fact that I knew Naruto was with them and protecting them, I would've chased after them and hauled their little asses back home within seconds!

I'm so gonna get a drink after this shit show is over.

Haven't I told them it's a dangerous world out there?! Have I failed them as a mom that poorly for them to just waltz out of the village with zero precautions?!

I sigh a bit to myself and pull out a little picture I always keep in one of the pockets in my flowing dress. I eye the folded up picture fondly, carefully opening it up revealing the image.

It's a picture from twelve years ago, way back when the twins were just born. I'm holding Runa in the hospital bed, and it's literally the only picture I have from that day where it's just me and her.

Of course I have dozens of pictures with the two girls and Haruki alone; but since this is the only one I have of Runa and me, I always keep it close.

I frown a bit at the thought of Runa as I eye the picture. Why must she be so stubborn?

I'd like to think I warned her enough about the outside world, but it looks like whatever I've told her has flown one ear and out the other. The same goes for Haruki.

I know Runa is upset with me, and I deserve that, but to go and fling herself in the face of danger by running off to do god only knows what?!

....Damn, she's just like me hehe.

No! This isn't funny! I'm furious! And I can't believe Haruki joined her at that!

The last time I saw Ruki, she was handing me those cupcakes and balloons for Daisuke at the hospital. She seemed lost in thought, and I assumed it was because of the fight she had earlier with Runa, but now I know better.

I'd go as far as to say that by the time Haruki met with me to give me Daisuke's little gifts, she already knew she was going to leave with Runa.

Well, at least they made up?

Handling two girls that are the same age is tough, and although Haruki isn't prone to fighting at all, recently she's been really getting more antsy and more confrontational.

Although it's been a small shift, I easily noticed it.

Hm, looks like i'll have to watch out for that.

I sigh once more, stopping my pacing and instead taking a moment to fall backwards on my bed. I don't know how long I lay there for, staring blankly at the ceiling in a cheap attempt to soothe my bubbling anxieties and anger.

I gingerly place my clear hand on my marked ungloved one, and close my eyes in order to figure out where they are sensory wise. My eyebrows then shoot up towards my hairline, they're going to go see Sasuke?!

I groan at that, opening my eyes and facepalming at my own parenting. It's my fault for not forcing Sasuke to come back home when the girls were clearly yearning from him.

But it wasn't so simple!

Sasuke's been hellbent to figure out more about this Kaguya business ever since I woke up from my coma all those years ago, and although I don't blame him, he's gone too far.

He hasn't been home in seven years, and although my heart hurts for him because he clearly wants to protect all of us, especially Haruki, he was inadvertently hurting the girls at the same time.

Now I get it, they left to go find him huh. I think to myself, rubbing at my eyes out of frustration.

Wherever Sasuke is, I'm positive he isn't in the best position to reunite with them. He's constantly traveling and going through high stakes scenarios, so it might be stressful to have to look after them and pay attention to his surroundings at the same time.

I sight yet again, frustrated with myself and with Sasuke.

God I feel like such a fuck up.

Then there's Daisuke, my little innocent Daisuke who's currently going through a literal operation. Am I being a bad mom by not being by his side? I promised him I'd be with him when he wakes up, what if i'm not back in time and I mess up?

I close my eyes once more, trying to control the raging headache that's been bubbling up ever since I realized the girls left. I can't do this alone anymore.

Sasuke has to come back home and be a dad to the five of them, not just Katsuro, not just Masahiko. I refuse to go on like this.

I can't help but look at everything now as a result of our parenting. The girls ran off, Daisuke's alone on an operating table, Katsuro's fighting some fucking demon's alongside Sasuke, and Masahiko...

Masahiko's missing. 

Oh god just the thought of my white haired baby has my heart constricting in dread and my brain pounding, resulting in a worsening headache.

My 'mom senses' as I like to put them have been blaring out at me for weeks now, something about this whole Masahiko situation just seems so off!

He's my baby, I can't fathom the thought of him being in serious trouble without me there to protect him!

I always tell Naruto to stop giving him such intense missions, and he really does try to lessen Hiko's workload, but my white haired boy is constantly pushing himself.

Plus, there are some missions that really require Masahiko's rare skill set.

I get that, but I also worry for my own damned health whenever he's out there. It's one thing to know that Katsuro is with Sasuke, but Masahiko is alone!!

And If my worst fears are coming true, then I really think that's finally caught up with him!

I can't stand this state of not knowing, of having zero control. Now that I'm going out on the field, I'm going to find him and bring him home myself.

Yeah, I'm really gonna need some alcohol later...

With the thought of Masahiko, the girls, Katsuro, and Daisuke all lingering in the back of my mind, I stand up from my bed and walk into my closet.

Time to get out of this dress and into something I could fight in.

Not to say that I can't fight in a dress and heels, but these dresses are wayyy too expensive for the type of combat I'm expecting to get into today.

My fingertips skim past all of my pretty gowns and sun dresses that are organized by color.

I enjoy the cool feel of the different silks and fabrics as I do so, letting my mind wander off and away from the shitload of problems that'll only give me heart disease if I think of them any longer.

That is until I reach one of the back corners of my closet and arrive in a section of sleek drawers I have mapped up along the wall.

I take my time in opening the first drawer and pulling out one of my crop tops and eyeing the piece of fabric rather curiously.

I haven't worn something like this in years!

I then went on to strip myself from my dress of the day, and I leisurely put on the cropped top that clings onto my curves in a way I forgot it ever did.

I adjust my top, then I go onto a slide on a pair of black joggers that hug my hips and flow outwards due to it's baggy fabric.

I sigh, turning around and facing the mirror with curiosity.

My red eyes analyze my body up and down, noting just how much it's changed since I've last worn something like this. I don't know, I look pretty much the same, but five kids would do something to the body of any woman!

I would say though....I'm definitely curvier now than I was at 15, and I was pretty curvy at 15.

I'm still fit however, my stomach's flat save for the small ridges lining my abs, and the diamond stud that's pierced through my belly button is shining as brightly as ever.

I rid myself of these thoughts, knowing this self analyzing session was really just a way to momentarily distract myself from the twenty million issues I have going on with my kids.

I need to get going, plus...

I kinda wanna see Sasuke already...

Okay not kinda, I really wanna see him, I've missed him like crazy! But I don't know whether I'm gonna wanna punch or kiss him when I see him.

I'm probably gonna punch him, if I'm being honest with myself.

I'm just so mad at him! This entire Masahiko situation has me going crazy, and I specifically told Katsuro to update me (And I just know Sasuke stopped him from doing so) Since I haven't received any updates from them.

But at the same time...I really wanna kiss him! I've missed him and his stupidly handsome face so much!

I'll just punch him then I'll kiss him! Perfect!

I shake my head a bit at my own thoughts, knowing that I'm just deflecting my worries again. I know they girls will be fine with Naruto but-

Wait....

I freeze, placing my hand on my ungloved once once more to use my sensory abilities. My heartbeat quickens when I realize that the girls are engaged in a fight. Sasuke's there, so are Naruto and Isamu.

I freeze up when I realize that whoever's fighting them has an extremely powerful chakra.

Anxiety bubbles up in my chest, is this enemy after the girls?! What if that's the same person who took Hiko?! What if they want to take Katsuro?! God damnit why did the girls have to run off at a time like this?!

I could sense the enemies chakra attacking and my red eyes darken, narrowing into slits.

I'm going to kill somebody.

•••Runa's POV•••

"It's coming into view! That tower is where I'm supposed to meet up with Sasuke." Naruto smiles. Haruki and I share wide eyed glances before breaking out into our own individual smiles.

My heart raced with the idea of finally seeing him after all these years, I knew it was a good idea to go out on my own instead of waiting around for mom!

The excitement is promptly interrupted when Chocho suddenly stops, tired out of her mind, and claims that she needs a break. I frown out of impatience, and through narrowed eyes I glance over at the temple longingly.

Haruki kneels by Chocho, lending her some water as Naruto agrees to take a small break. I bite my inner cheek, eyeing the tower as if I were looking at a candy I really liked as a little kid but couldn't have.

That's when an idea rings in my head. "Oh, I need to use the toilet, I'll be right back!" Naruto blinks at me for a moment before smiling.

"Alright, don't stray too far." He then turns around and walks over to Haruki and Cho-Cho, going on to ask them if they were alright. I don't notice Haruki glancing over at me with a small pout as if she could read my mind, she knows what I'm doing.

I nod obediently, although my mind is going haywire with excitement at the prospect of finally reuniting with my dad. I run off in the direction of the tower (As discreetly as possible, of course)

I don't even realize it, but my eyes suddenly glow a bright red due to my built up emotions, signalling that I've just unlocked my own sharingan!

Running through all of the trees and shrubbery, I finally reach the temple.

Standing in front of the large green doors, I take a deep breath before placing a manicure hand on the entrance and pushing my way through.

I take a few tentative steps into the darkness, my (Now red) eyes glowing amidst the black atmosphere. The lighting is very dim, and I rush towards the only source of it. It's a small torch perched on one giant pillar, and I give myself the courtesy of leaning on it to catch my breath.

Sheesh! And I thought I was good at cardio! I really need to work on running long distances or something...

Amidst my silly thinking, I suddenly feel a chill run down my spine, and I realize that I'm not alone in this dark room. I gingerly turn around and gasp at the sight of the man I've been looking for.

So startled, I can't find the power within me to speak up the closer and closer he gets to me. Tears suddenly well up in my eyes when his face becomes clearer and he enters the light.

"Dad?" I whisper, but I'm talked over by the man I've been aching to know.

"I'm surprised you've managed to find me." He claims, glowering down at me. "Are you one of them?"

What?! He...doesn't recognize me?

I leaned against the cold cobblestone wall, looking up at him like a deer struck in the headlights.

His sharp silver blade that was pointed at my face was then stabbed into the wall, merely inches away from my face, rendering me to a state of fear and astonishment.

With his blade jabbed into the wall right next to me, he reaches out a hand, seemingly to finish off whatever he was trying to do in the first place.

"D-dad?!" I cry out, leaning away from his hand in a last ditch effort to have him realize it's me. His hand falters, and now it's his turn to stare at me in shock.

"You're...Runa?" If I weren't already frozen in shock or fear, the sound of my fathers voice definitely did the job.

I thought I forgot the sound of his voice, but no, I never did. I always knew what his voice was like in the back of my mind. How could I ever forget it?!

My dad was my world once and now-

Now I don't know what's happening.

I nod helplessly, tears streaming down my cheeks out of a mixed concoction of shock and fear. He leans away from me, his hand dropping by his side as he realizes what he's just done.

"I see." He muttered, looking off to the side and away from me.

At the sight of him now, stored memories resurface and flood through my head. He's changed a bit in the looks department, he's taller than I remember him being, and his hair's longer, and his facial structure is far more defined than it once was seven years ago.

Despite the changes, I just knew it was him from the second I saw him, but he couldn't do the same for me?!

I gulp down the sudden wave of overwhelming tears as he slowly takes back his sword and sheathes it away from me. Suddenly, the two of us are immersed in a yet another tense silence that I know no way out of.

"Dad w-why?-" I ask, too stunned to properly make out a proper sentence. He looks conflicted, staring off into the side after realizing that he nearly hurt me.

"Hey dad do you think mom would be upset if I got some new ink?-WHOA!" My head snaps over to the entryway and I nearly laugh at the sight of Katsuro who looks like he's just gone through a heart attack at the sight of me.

Nearly.

My dad just had a sword in my face so....I'm not in any sort of mood to laugh,

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked, composing himself rather quickly and asking the question I'm sure is on my father's mind.

I don't answer, looking away from him with tears streaming down my face, still too overwhelmed to even really speak properly. "Hey hey look over here." He sighed, walking towards me and bending down to my height.

I silently do as follows, looking his way, and to my surprise he grabs my face and inspects my eyes? "You have the sharingan, mom's gonna flip out." He murmured, his naturally ruby colored eyes red eyes narrowing in worry.

"Take a deep breath and try to stop concentrating all that chakra in your head, that's what's keeping it activated." He advised, placing a comforting hand on the crest of my head much to my surprise.

I gulp down yet another swarm of tears (Between fighting my mom, having such a horrible reunion with my father, and dealing with a suddenly comforting Katsuro, I barely know what to make of all these emotions!).

However, I do as told yet again, and he nods at the sight of my glowy red eyes reverting back to their black color.

Before any of us could even address the shit show that just went down between my dad and I, the tower's doors opened once more, revealing Haruki, Naruto, and Cho-Cho.

"There you are!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Runa why'd you run off like that? Oh-So handsome!!" Cho-cho cheered happily, blushing at the sight of my dad and Katsuro. Haruki on the other hand, well she looks frozen in place.

She blinks up at the sight of our father, instantly recognizing the tall man with jet black hair.

Quicker than I could even blink, she's gone from her place next to Naruto in the doorway and she suddenly appears in front of my dad.

"Dad?!" Haruki gasps, and for the first time since she's arrived on this trip, she reverted to her usual self.

Her eyes were glittering like crazy, and she was quick to attack him with a hug, wrapping her arms around his waist and stuffing her face in his cloak.

"It's really you!!" She squealed excitedly, hugging him as tightly as she possibly could.

My fathers eyes widened for a moment at the sight of Haruki, barely believing it was truly his daughter just from how big she's gotten since the last time he's seen her. (He held the same reaction with me when he realized who I was, but it was laced with many other emotions as well)

Haruki looked up at him from her place in his arms, and he was shocked by her resemblance to Haru, instantly garnering memories of Haru from when she was a kid.

My dad doesn't look like the most expressive person around, in fact his reactions were rather muted. But by the slight widening of his eyes I could tell how surprised he truly was at the sight of the two of us.

"Haruki.." My dad mumbled, tearing his eyes away from her to look over at a smiling Naruto.

"Sorry we're late." The blonde claimed, walking over to us and placing a hand on Katsuro's shoulder out of acknowledgment.

"Naruto, what's going on? Why did you bring children with you?" Dad asked, his tone assertive and maybe even angry? I wouldn't know, he just looks really serious.

I glanced over at Katsuro who had a rather worried look on his face as his eyes snapped between our father and Naruto, and that tells me everything I need to know.

Yeah, dad looks pissed.

However, I'm equally as pissed.

"I came to see you! And I was the one who brought Haruki and Cho-Cho along! I found out Lord Seventh was meeting up with you, so I followed him." I say, to which everyone turns back over to me.

My dad's eyes widen, and Katsuro stares at me like he's seen a ghost.

"Mom is going to kill you." He murmured before slapping a hand over his forehead and dragging it over his face.

"No wonder she's so stressed out all the time." He muttered, unimpressed by my choice in coming here.

I don't care though, staring at my father with a fierce determination in my eye. "I came here because I wanted to see you, sure. ButI also wanted to ask you something."

Haruki perks up at that, tearing herself away from our dad and whirling around to face me with a scowl on her otherwise soft features.

"Really?! This again?!" She snaps, her anger from earlier coming out in full fledged waves.

Our dad noticed this, and placed a hand on her shoulder, to which she snapped out of her anger and looked up at him in surprise.

He didn't say anything to her, although the hand on her shoulder was clearly meant to calm her down, and it somehow worked.

He looked over at me curiously "Something you wanted to ask me?"

I nod before taking a step towards him. "Is my mom my real mom?" I ask boldly much to the bewilderment of just about every adult (And Katsuro) In the room.

My dad arched a brow, looking genuinely shocked by the question. "What happened?" He asked. My jaw drops momentarily, and I could literally see red by the amount of anger bubbling up in me.

"What happened?! What happened is that you left us! You're never around, I've had literal fits of panic thinking I forgot your face, you clearly forgot mine, and my relationship with my own parents is a joke!

Mom never has time for me, you only ever make time for Katsuro, and I need answers!" I'm hysterical by the end of my mini rant, but I don't end there.

"Who was that red haired woman in those pictures with you huh?! Why did mom lie and say you two never broke up?!

She only ever talks nicely about you even though you left her with three kids, one of whom is in surgery right now! Did you even know that, dad?!" I snap, taking yet another step towards him.

He says nothing, probably because I don't give him the chance to at all.

"You know what?! I can't even trust you to tell me the truth either! Because you don't care about me! You don't care about me, or Haruki, or Daisuke because if you did, you would've had the decency to know what my face looked like! This whole thing is a mess!"

I take a deep breath before narrowing my eyes at him. "Just tell me, where have you been?!" I beg, finally letting out the plethora of emotions that have been building up inside of me for years now.

"Oh? I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I come bearing warnings." a deep voice suddenly claimed, We all freeze and turn around to face the owner of the voice in question, Isamu.

He's trotting over to us with an odd expression, he looks tired to say the least. the large wolf scans all of our figures languidly before his eyes finally rest on Haruki and I.

"Haru is pissed, like...Really pissed." He claimed, sitting down in front of us and tilting his head. Naruto clicked his tongue, knowing she would be really angry.

Haruki frowned, bowing her head in slight shame since she knows she disobeyed our moms orders, and she's always hated doing that.

I on the other hand tilt my head upwards in defiance, not afraid of whatever my mom's gonna throw my way.

I came here in search of my dad and answers, and my mom is not getting in the way of that!

"Is she coming here?" My dad asked, turning to Isamu seriously. The wolf nods, sending Haruki and I worried glances.

"She told me to say, and I quote 'Tell them to put their two tiny brains together, and have them try to come up with an excuse before I get there' It was really nice knowing you two." Isamu snorts.

"Well, I'm not scared of her. What else is she gonna do beyond telling me that I'm a waste of her time?" I deadpan, turning to my father with determination.

Haruki on the other hand...yeah she looks worried.

"Dad, please answer the question. Where have you been?!" I ask yet again, stuck on the question I've been thinking about for years.

"That..Has nothing to do with you." He claimed, looking away from me.

My heart dropped at his reply. I stared at him, frozen in shock by his dismissal of my thoughts & feelings.

"I just accused you of not caring about us, and that's all you tell me?" I ask with widened eyes. He doesn't respond, and I quickly decide that he doesn't deserve the chance to respond either.

Instead, my stunned expression turns to a glare. "You're the worst." I claim, shrugging Haruki's hand away from me when she tries to reach out to me, and I walk out of the temple with a fierce look in my eye.

Haruki's jaw drops as she watches me leave (Followed by Cho-Cho who rushes out after me), and she whirls around to look back up at my father.

"Dad what's going on?! Why did you say that?!" She asks, wide eyes looking up innocently at him, hoping for him to say that it was all a misunderstanding.

Sasuke sighed, looking away from Haruki as well. "Haruki, don't worry about it. Go to your sister."

Haruki's hopeful expression fell, but much like she would with mom, she nodded obediently and hesitantly followed after me. She bit her tongue, also having a million things to say, but she didn't dare say a word.

"....Yeah Haru is going to freak out." Isamu deadpanned, glancing between everyone with a major sweatdrop on his forehead.

••••••

I don't know how long I've been sitting on this damned rock for, isolating myself from my sister and dad as my brain is overrun with so many fluctuating emotions.

I don't want to talk to Haruki right now, knowing damn well she'd just play the devil's advocate and side with our dad despite witnessing that entire confrontation. Moreso, I just don't want to see my dad.

It's like how people always say to never meet your idols, because you'll end up being disappointed.

Whoever came up with that saying was absolutely right.

A hand on my shoulder spooks me out of my thoughts, and I'm surprised to see the seventh hokage, Naruto by my side. "Hey Runa, could you at least believe this? Your father is the finest shinobi around." Naruto claimed.

The words didn't phase me like they would've before I actually met the man, whatever starry eyed illusion i had of him has been completely tarnished.

"I'm sure he is. But that doesn't mean anything to me. I want him to be a dad, not a strong shinobi." I mutter sadly, bowing my head and letting my forehead rest against my knees.

Naruto sighed, sitting down next to me as he tried to come up with ways to help me out. However, I'm the one who makes the first move to speak.

"If my dad isn't going to be honest with me, and if my mom isn't going to pay attention to me, then I'll just seek out that woman myself!" I exclaim, standing up from the rock much to Naruto's surprise.

He grabs my wrist before I could walk off however, and vehemently tries to convince me to stop. "Just go talk to Sasuke one more time!" He would exclaim, trying to get me to give his best friend another chance.

I stubbornly shook my head, hellbent on figuring things out on my own. However, everything seemed to stop at the sound of my sisters voice screaming out for help.

"DAD!!" She screeched, sounding absolutely terrified.

Naruto and I froze, turning to the direction her voice was coming from. Did she walk off on her own after she left the tower?!

Naruto runs over to her, as do I since I've never heard her sound so panicked before. My heart raced, and by the time I found her, my dad was already there somehow!

He was holding onto her protectively, and his sword unsheathed in the direction of a cloaked man who had recently thrown a variety of weapons Haruki's way.

It was clear that my dad arrived just on time, protecting her from this man's attack and deflecting all of the weapons that would've seriously hurt Haruki had he not arrived so quickly.

Haruki was shaking like a leaf, clinging onto my dad's cloak, and for the second time today, I could see a small vein popping out of her forehead. This man's chakra has to be overwhelming her, it's probably why she couldn't defend herself properly!

To my surprise, as quickly as I arrived on the scene, I also became a target rather quickly. The boy I met earlier today who called himself Shin Uchiha appeared out of nowhere, jumping upwards and throwing a plethora of weapons my way just like they did to Haruki.

It was all so fast, I barely had time to brace myself before a familiar golden cloak suddenly enveloped my body as well.

My eyes snapped towards Naruto, who swiftly used this chakra to protect me from the attack. The weapons couldn't penetrate his fox/like chakra barrier, and I stared in awe at his prowess yet again.

He can't be human!

"Haruki, go to Naruto, he'll protect you." I heard my dad softly order, placing a hand on her head in an attempt to let her know that it was okay and that he was still there.

However, with Naruto's chakra mode now on full display and the enemies in full swing, Haruki's sensory abilities must be going on full overdrive. It shows in the way she could barely raise her head, too overwhelmed with everything going on.

However, she managed to gingerly nod, and I made it a point to rush over to her and haul her inside the chakra barrier so that my dad could do whatever he had to do. Haruki whimpered in pain, clutching at her head once inside the barrier.

"Did you bring your medicine by any chance?" naruto asked softly, taking her to his side and looking down at her worriedly. I shared the same expression, although she and I were going through tense times, she's still my sister!

Haruki could barely nod, but I got the idea nonetheless, and I took it upon myself to dig into her pastel blue bag. I shifted through all of the sparkly trinkets before I finally landed on a small bottle of painkillers.

I handed her the medicine and watched as she dryly took the pills, a sour expression on her face as she did so without any water present.

"Thanks." She whispered hoarsely, head still bowed as she waited for the effects of the painkillers to kick in.

"What the hell is going on?!" Haruki and I turn around to face Katsuro who had suddenly appeared alongside Isamu. Katsuro was fiercely glaring at the enemy, but noticed Haruki's overwhelmed state and decided to question us instead.

"Is the chakra getting to you? That would happen to Hiko as well when he was younger." Katsuro sighed, entering the chakra barrier and placing a hand on Haruki's shoulder.

"Try counting backwards, it always helped him for some reason." Katsuro advised, to which Haruki faintly smiled, appreciating his small token of affection.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" My dad yelled out, using a simple hand sign before taking a sharp inhale of breath then blowing outwards, creating a huge ball of flames in the sky.

The two enemies, the taller man and the boy from earlier were both struck by the attack, and I watch in awe as my father easily handles the two of them at once.

Sure I'm mad but....I have to admit he's kinda cool!

The younger boy shielded the taller man much to my surprise, and my eyes widened when the two attackers fell to the ground, my father swiftly returning inside the barricade as well.

Whoah, he's amazing!

I don't admit it out loud though...I'm still upset.

"Dad, that's the same kid from earlier. I don't recognize the weird bald guy though." Katsuro mumbled, running a hand through his thick black hair as he eyed the two attackers apprehensively.

The older of the two, the 'weird bald guy' as Katsuro put it, slowly began rising from his fallen position.

"I see, Sasuke Uchiha. That's something I definitely want in order to revive the akatsuki." The man smirked.

"Akatsuki?! Who are you?" Naruto asked, confused by the mention of the old criminal organization. I could only listen curiously, not really knowing much about whatever the akatsuki is.

In fact, I've never heard the name before!

The man smirked, looking at us creepily much to my dismay. Now that he's standing across from us in one place, I get a full view of his body and he's horrifying, to say the least.

Why does he have so many eyeballs around his body?! Why doesn't he have teeth?! Why is his right eye pried open with staples?! Good grief this man looks crazy!

"My name is Shin Uchiha." he revealed, taking me by surprise.

"Shin Uchiha? But that's-" I go back in my memory, thinking back to the confrontation that Haruki, Chocho and I had earlier with the boy who called himself Shin Uchiha as well. "The same name as that boy?!"

"You can speak the truth at leisure after we've captured you. Until then, shut up." My dad ordered bluntly, to which Isamu chuckled in amusement.

"Nice to know you're still as charming as ever, Sasuke." He mused, shaking his head at the Uchiha.

The man who announced himself as Shin Uchiha turned to the boy, "Who told you to rest? Stand up."

"Yes, father." The boy reluctantly agreed, still rather injured from taking the brunt of my dad's fireball attack.

"Are they father and son? And he's using his own son as a shield?" Katsuro asked aloud, his red eyes narrowing between the odd enemy duo.

My dad narrowed his eyes and shifted his katana around, to which some of the blood that was there prior dripped down the edge and onto the floor.

"Naruto, take care of Runa and Haruki." He ordered.

"Yeah, as long as they're in here they can't touch them." Naruto agreed. "Just be careful and don't let your guard down."

My dad then ran forward, bracing his katana in the direction of Shin and completely ready to attack. I catch the smirk on Shin's face with my powerful vision, and a sense of dread washes over me.

How on earth could anyone be so confident while fighting against my father?!

His eyes glowed red, activating his dojutsu. Then, all hell broke loose. My father's Katana disappeared from his hand, and then was found pierced through-

Haruki's stomach.

Everyone froze in unison, slowly turning to her in shock.

Haruki, still barely starting to feel the relief from her pain medication, lets out a choked gasp. She falls to her knees as blood slowly drips down from her wound.

"Haruki!" My fathers the first to react, kneeling in front of her with his sharingan blaring a bright red in a state of contained panic I didn't even think was possible.

Haruki falls forward and into his arms, a cringe on her face from the searing pain regarding the new wound in the center of her abdomen and her headache from earlier.

"Haruki!!" I gasp in a panic as well, kneeling beside her and taking a hold of her arm.

She blinks slowly, looking up at my dad and smiling softly. "Don't worry dad, I could- *Cough* I could heal this!" She exclaimed, still clearly in pain by the way she winced through every word.

My dad's jaw clenched, and he was quick to grab me and haul me into his arms as well, acting as a shield just in case Shin decided to target me as well.

"How the hell is he doing that?" Sasuke asked darkly, glowering over at Shin with a newfound hatred in his eye.

"That guy's able to control other people's weapons with his visual poweress!" Naruto exclaimed, stepping forward seriously.

Then to literally everybody's surprise, the blade that pierced through Haruki's stomach was then jabbed into Naruto's abdomen as well via Shin Uchiha's visual abilities.

It was all happening so quickly, between lord seventh falling to his knees as well and the golden barricade weakening, I didn't know what to expect next!

My father looked like he knew what was coming, because his grip on the two of us tightened once he noticed all of the blades which were once jammed onto the surface of Naruto's defense loosening up.

The blades all rushed in our direction, but because my fathers hold on the two of us, he took the damage instead. A bunch of kunai pierced through his back, and I gasped in worry.

"Dad?!" I gasp, now dealing with two wounded family members all around me. I take a glance towards Isamu and Katsuro only to sigh in relief.

Thank god they're okay!

"Peace keeps humans from evolving. Just like it has with you two." Shin claimed, a smirk on his disgusting face. I watched with worry as my dad struggled to move, and as the seventh hokage dealt with the blade still wedged in his abdomen.

Haruki's wound already started healing up, but it was taking time as her abilities weren't as potent as mom's when it came to that field.

Luckily that blade didn't hit me though, I don't have those regenerative abilities at all and I surely would've died!

"He's inhibiting my movement with these." My dad muttered, all of the blades in his body forcing him to stay in place.

"Without evolution, creatures shall eventually perish. So, I'm taking your sharingan-" Shin claimed, only freezing at the appearance of a certain somebody.

Before I could even figure out who that certain somebody was, the voice told me everything I needed to know.

"Crystal style!" The hairs on the back of my neck stood up in realization.

She appeared in a flash, as did the giant spear of dazzling red crystal that burst from the ground upwards literally piercing through Shin's torso creating a really gory scene.

"M-mom?!" I screech, feeling my eyes bulge out of my head at the sight of the woman a couple of feet away from me.

Her back is facing us, with her long white hair (usually done up in a loose ponytail for comfort) flowing down her back.

She turns around slowly with an arched brow, and I almost feel like I'm lucid dreaming at the sight of her. My mom, my sweet innocent mom....Is terrifying!

She's wearing a completely different outfit than usual, long gone are the pretty pale dresses and heels and here she is in a tight crop top exposing her built physique.

"H-hey, has mom always had abs like that?" I whisper in a mixture of both awe and fear, grabbing Haruki and hauling her in front of me.

Luckily, Haruki's already healed pretty drastically, the once deep wound now looks like a mere papercut thanks to her regeneration abilities.

Even Katsuro takes a step back, feeling his jaw drop at the sight of our mom and well.....the body lying there....that man- she, I think she just-

IS THAT GUY DEAD?!

As if the giant crystal rod through his abdomen weren't enough, she slams her foot down on it, effectively nailing the villain who named himself Shin Uchiha to the ground.

"You messed with the wrong bitch, and that akatsuki cloak looks a little fake, don'tcha think?" She sneers much to my horror.

Her voice, has it always been so menacing?

She's relentless, grabbing Shin by his 'fake looking' akatsuki cloak and pushing his head in our direction, forcing him to look at us.

"See those two little girls? See that boy right there?" She asked, her grip on his bloodied cloak tightening. He doesn't respond, and she's quick to pull out a kunai and stab through his chest, only pinning him further to the ground.

"Answer me, I know you have lots to say." She seethes, eyes glowing a terrifying red even without the presence of a sharingan.

He's barely conscious, bloodied beyond belief because of my mom's crystal jutsu, and the stabbing through his chest only aided in his debilitated state. He could only nod slightly, submitting to her question as she easily established her dominance in the situation.

"Those are my babies, but I'm sure you knew that. And if you EVER try to get near any of them again, I will personally pay you a visit and rip out each of those disgusting sharingans, then I'll shove them down your throat. Do you understand me?" She asked, with a crazed look in her eye.

My jaw dropped in a mixture of awe and terror.

Holy shit!

He starts choking on his own blood, but she doesn't care, pulling back her gloved fist and slamming the side of his face back to the ground. "I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" She snapped, and I could practically see her chakra emit from her in huge waves.

He tried, but he couldn't respond, too weakened and debilitated by the state she rendered him to.

She scoffs down at him before shaking her head. "Fucking weakling. A true member of the akatsuki would never." She muttered in disgust, standing up from her knelt position and glowering down at Shin.

She whirled around and away from him, not even having the courtesy to spare him a glance as she walked towards us.

I was practically shaking as she neared our little group, this-this woman....

THIS IS MY MOTHER?!

My jaw hangs open as she continues to make steps our way, her deep red eyes scanning over all of us slowly.

way, she looks pissed, no, beyond pissed, she looks crazy!

In a pretty way though, wow! Mom should really wear crop tops more often! Her abs are amazing! No, what am I thinking?! She's gonna kill us!!

Isamu whistled, laying down on the floor and letting his head rest on his paws casually. "Told ya she was mad!"

I subtly hold Haruki in front of me, and she subtly grabs onto our dad's cloak and pulls him a bit in front of us.

Or at least she tried to, the man didn't budge, therefore we resorted to literally shuffling behind him.

"Dad you gotta protect us!!" I squeak out, peeking out from behind him only to gasp at the sight of my moms bright red eyes staring down at me.

"L-listen I'll forgive you for earlier if you just protect us from her!" I whisper yell, praying to the gods that he'd take my weak offer.

Normally, I wouldn't be scared of my mom at all. No, she's sweet! Not a fighter! She likes not being a ninja! Calm! Understanding!

This-This is not the mom I know!

"My god- real cute girls! You really think hiding behind your father is going to do anything?" My mom seethed, walking over to us with a taunting smile on her lips.

Haruki and me, thoroughly terrified, cling onto dad's cloak even tighter.

"Let's get one thing straight, Naruto and his literal demon fox plus your fathers ugly ass susanoo, no offense babe, would not be enough to stand in the way between me and the ass whooping I'm about to hand you both." She growled, stalking over to us like a predator would stalk their prey.

The two of us huddled behind dad shared petrified glances before I cleared my throat.

"M-mom! I'm only facing you if you promise to not scream at me!" I offer out the alternative option to this 'ass whooping' knowing that from the tone of my mom's voice she's going to discipline me either way.

But dad wouldn't let her....right?

"Runa, Haruki." My father says, turning to us with a rather blank expression. Haruki and I stare up at him hopefully, thinking he'll take our side and save us from our mom.

Haruki's pulled out all the stops and I mentally thank the gods for blessing her with those huge glittering puppy eyes that'll surely save us!

Our father didn't even try saving us, to say the least.

In an act of ultimate betrayal, he puts his hands on our heads and sighs down at the sight of our pleading faces.

"You should've listened to your mother." He claimed bluntly, showing us a tidbit of softness by the way he subtly ruffled our hair. For an ounce of a second, his eyes soften as well, and I think he's about to show us mercy, but no.

He steps away from us instead.

"D-dad?! You can't just feed us to the wolves!!" I gasp, scandalized by the betrayal, and I quite literally hear Haruki whimper out of fear once he steps away from us.

Katsuro tsk'ed at us and shook his head, pushing himself off of the tree he was leaning on and eyeing us pitifully. "Rookie mistake, dad would never defend any of us against mom."

"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW I'M IN A FAMILY FULL OF TRAITORS?!" I screech, hauling Haruki in front of me like a shield once our mom appears awfully close to us.

Naruto chuckled on the side, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh Runa you have no idea-" He pauses by the fierce glare my mom sends his way.

Haruki cringed at the face my mom made, bowing her head and already accepting whatever hellish punishment she could possibly send our way.

Haruki and I completely forget that we were ever even mad at each other, embracing each other and shutting our eyes out of our joint fear.

"Haruki, Runa. open your eyes." My mothers voice sounded from above, to which the two of us squeaked out in fear in unison.

Slowly but surely however, we both started slowly peeking our eyes open and turning to her, only to gawk at the sight of her kneeling in front of us.

She has her arms outstretched towards us as if she were going to hug us, but Haruki and I were hesitant. Could anybody blame us?! SHE JUST MURDERED A MAN!

Still wrapped up in each other's arms, we share worried glances. "Come here." Mom ordered softly, taking the two of us by surprise this time around.

Her voice completely changed from before, maybe she really isn't mad at us?!

Haruki's the one who moves first, gingerly separating herself from my arms and stepping towards my mom.

I don't know what criteria Haruki used to determine whether or not my mom was still a danger to our lives, but she passed the standards regardless.

Haruki let herself fall into our mom's hug, wrapping her arms around her neck and letting her cheek smush up against mom's shoulder.

My mom embraced her back just as tightly (If not more so) and kept an arm out for me to join as well.

I bite my inner cheek, contemplating the situation. "Runa, I know you're upset with me but for fucks sake just come here." My mom sighed, grabbing my arm and yanking me to her, bringing me into a tight hug.

I freeze up a bit before momentarily forgetting any looming threats, and I let myself relax in my moms arms. I could feel her hand on the back of my head, running through my hair soothingly.

Oh? This is nice! She isn't mad at us!

Then she softly pulls away from us, and that same threatening smile is back on her face.

"Now that I know you two are fine, WERE YOU TRYING TO GIVE ME A FUCKING HEART ATTACK?!" She screeches hysterically, grabbing onto both of our shoulders and shaking us as if we were the ones who had gone insane.

"W-what are you even doing here mom?" I whine, cringing at the feeling of her grip tightening on my shoulder.

"What am I doing here? Did you expect me to sit home and do nothing knowing damn well you were out here?!" She asked, a literal twitch in her eye as she spoke to me.

I bite my inner cheek and awkwardly look off to the side.

Yes, I really did think she'd do just that.

"But what about Daisuke-"

"But about Daisuke, what Runa? It's okay, you're not the one on the back burner any longer. You have my full attention now." She responds with just as much attitude as I'd expect her to.

I falter a bit, not knowing how to respond in a way that won't already get me in more trouble.

She sees the struggle, so instead she decides to make conversation herself.

"So, tell me. Have you figured one out yet?" My mom asked with a bright smile, glancing between the two of us expectantly.

I gulp out of fear, never having seen her look so mad, much less at Haruki as well.

"One what?" I ask, awkwardly glancing over to Haruki who looks just as confused as me.

Haruki twiddles with the curled up ends of her hair, pulling the strands and letting them bounce up as a way to distract herself from out mom's piercing glare.

Me on the other hand? I'm stuck having to stare into her face!

"One excuse that'll SAVE YOU FROM THE MONTH OF HELL I'M GOING TO RAISE ON YOU TWO. SERIOUSLY WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" She bellows once more, absolutely enraged with two of us.

Haruki bows her head and easily submits to our mom, never one to fight back. But even now, no matter how scary my mom manages to be, I still find the will to fight within me.

"I was thinking I wanted to see my dad! Is that so wrong?" I snap back only to recoil a bit when her eyes literally darken.

"The way you went about it? STUPID IS WHAT IT WAS!" My mom screams, and I could swear that there's steam coming out of her ears from how pissed off she is.

"Stupid how? Nothing happened!" I mumble, really setting her off this time. She lets go of Haruki and grabs my wrist, standing up to her full height and hauling me behind her as she walks over to the body of the guy we were just fighting.

She points to the man with her free hand and stares down at me, "Nothing happened?" She asks calmly, eye twitching as she tries to contain her anger.

"Your father and Naruto were getting their asses handed to them by this freak of nature and you wanna tell me nothing happened?"

I look away from the body and frown, not knowing what else to say to her. Flashes of my dad appearing in front of me and protecting me from all of those blades re-appear in my mind and my head swarms with guilt.

However, I know what she's truly mad about, and it isn't the fight we just found ourselves in before she arrived.

She always goes on and on about how enemies would target me because I'm her daughter, but I highly doubt any foreign ninja would figure that out!

Hell, people from the leaf village could barely figure it out!

"It's fine! I don't think anybody even realized I'm your kid." I mumble off to the side, avoiding her bright red eyes that are boring holes into the side of my face.

"You really think in the real world where rogue ninja kill people for bounties, nobody would know you're my kid?!" My mom chuckled, an almost crazed and desperate look in her eye.

I continue to look away from her, not wanting to admit that she's right out of my own stubbornness.

Her grip on my shoulders tightened a bit before she suddenly let me go and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Honey, I don't care how little you look like me, it'd take the sensory abilities of a two year old to figure out you're my kid." She says, shaking her head.

"Right Sasuke?" She asks, turning to my dad with an arched brow. The look in her eye practically screams 'agree or else'  much to my dismay

He does end up agreeing, but the little scowl on my face does little to ease my mothers mood.

"H-Haru it's really okay! I take full responsibility!-" Naruto smiled sheepishly, but by the way her worried gaze shifts in to a fierce glare, I'm suddenly fearing for the seventh hokage's life

"Full responsibility my ass Naruto, I'm pissed off. You know Masahiko is missing and we don't know why! It could be somebody targeting me and Sasuke and you knew that!

And instead of bringing the girls back to the village where enemies won't scope them out, you brought them with you to this shit show?!" She snaps, feeling absolutely out of her mind at this point.

"Masahiko's missing?" Haruki asked with widened eyes. My jaw drops subtly. Masahiko is missing? Like actually missing? But that makes zero sense!

He's the most diligent and no nonsense guy I know, really like my dad now that I've met him properly, there's no way he got caught up in something like this!

"That's right, your brother has been missing for two weeks now. And the fact that you two ran off on your own-" She stopped herself before continuing to speak, choking up.

It became clear to everyone in that moment that she wasn't really angry, she just seemed really freaked out.

She regained her composure easily despite her eyes watering at the mention of Masahiko's disappearance.

"You know what? Fuck it, I'm out here anyway." She murmured, pinching the bridge of her nose in a weak attempt to control her swirling emotions.

She stands up from her kneeling position in front of me and turns around to face the seventh hokage and my dad.

"Listen, finding Masahiko comes first, I don't know what your mission was initially but it just changed now." She snaps, looking at the two of them through narrowed eyes.

I deadpan once I see the hokage subtly gulp and nod obediently, sending her a hesitant smile.

He's the hokage, and yet he's letting her boss him around like that?!

She then whirls around to face my father, pointedly glaring at him.

"And you." She muttered, walking over to him with narrowed eyes. She reached out a gloved hand and gripped one of the blades in his chest, yanking it out easily.

I cringe a bit, that wasn't gentle at all!

"You know, I was gonna give you a cute little kiss or something for this super romantic reunion, but seeing you just reminds me that you've kept Masahiko's situation under wraps." She muttered sarcastically, pointing the same blade that was wedged in his chest up at him.

"Oh wow, Haru being mad at Sasuke after reuniting for the first time in seven years? I must say, this is very on brand for you two." Isamu snorts, shaking his head at the duo.

My mom sighed, blinking up at dad seriously. "What the fuck is going on?! Who is that Akatsuki poser Danzo wannabe hybrid?"

"Well, that's what we're going to figure out now." My dad responds, reaching an arm to his side and yanking out yet another blade he took for us when he protected us earlier.

"Why didn't you let Katsuro tell me Masahiko wasn't here hm? Why? He was under direct orders from me!" She complained, crossing her arms over her chest

"Because I knew you'd react like this." He easily replied. Haruki and I subtly let our jaws drop, seeing them interact for the first time coming as an odd phenomenon to the both of us.

"You don't know me asshole!" She exclaimed, slapping his chest and glaring up at him.

"I'm pretty sure I know you very well." He deadpanned much to my bewilderment.

Something about their dynamic was starting to look a little silly? Entertaining? I don't even know-

"Ugh can you blame me?!" She asked, placing her hands on her hips as she addressed him with a scowl on her lips.

The face she makes really does resemble the one I previously had etched on my face, but I don't let that simmer in my head for too long.

His eyes shifted away from hers and he sighed "No, of course not. But I didn't want you going through all of this with Daisuke's issues at the same time." He reasoned.

My mom muttered some very colorful words under her breath, ones that I didn't hear. "You know, that's sweet and all, but not knowing anything is twenty times worse!" She frowned, frowning up at him.

She then turned over to the seventh hokage.

"And you Naruto! Really? It's been two weeks! Where is Hiko huh?!" She scoffed, shaking her head at the look on his face as well.

"Whatever, I'm now on this mission whether you like it or not." She claims, turning away from the two of them. I catch a glimpse of the look on her face and frown lightly. She looks so stressed!

And I added to that...

"Summoning jutsu!" She slammed her ungloved hand on the ground creating a large cloud of debris and smoke. My eyes narrowed, trying to look through the fog.

It quickly cleared up, revealing around twelve large summoning wolves from the Senju tundra. They all varied in ages and colors (I easily recognized Katsuro's black wolf out of the bunch).

My mom cleared her throat and eyed them all individually before sighing. "Masahiko has been missing for around two weeks." She informed bluntly, only to continue seriously.

"You all are the best tracking wolves the tundra has to offer. I need you to go out and look for Masahiko, there will be zero breaks until he's found, or at least until we catch a good lead. No sleeping, no eating, no anything! Do you understand me?"

All of the wolves nodded obediently and with the utmost respect, some even showing a bit of emotion in their eyes at the news that Masahiko is missing.

"Isamu will be in charge as always, report back to him with any intel. Your mission starts now." She claimed, to which the wolves nodded in unison obediently before running off and scattering in a flash.

My mom sighed once they were gone, letting her face fall in her hands. "This can't be happening," she whispered to herself before whirling around back to us.

"All of you are gonna stick by our sides alright? I do not want any of you wandering off." She ordered, pointing at each and every one of us (including Chocho, who I momentarily forgot was even around.)

Once we all quietly agreed, my mom let that mask of confidence crumble a bit, and her expression faltered.

Once it actually hit her that this was happening, and that Masahiko was really gone, she couldn't help but fall back into the saddened (And anxious) state she was in before.

She doesn't cry or anything, but she sure as hell looks like she wants to. She sighs, walking towards my dad once more. For a moment I think she's about to tell him off some more, but to my surprise she literally just walks into his embrace and lets her head fall on his shoulder.

"We'll find him Haru, don't worry so much." Our dad sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist rather naturally. Was she not mad at him a couple of moments ago?!

Before I could question the couple and their really confusing interactions, I was stopped by Katsuro stepping into the situation.

"Mom, let me go with the wolves to find Hiko." Katsuro urged, walking up to our parents seriously. Mom looked up from dad's shoulder and frowned at Katsuro.

"Absolutely not." She bluntly replied, not even having to think twice about the answer.

"What?! Why not?!" Katsuro whined, and to my absolute surprise, the look on his face morphed completely. Katsuro is someone who's stoic more often than not, with a real mean resting bitch face. He's serious, and I've never seen him act out of character like he's doing now.

Somehow, he's reverted into this oddly innocent persona, and dare I say cute?! I don't know how else to explain it! All I know is that his personality immediately changed as soon as he asked mom for something.

Huh, interesting...

"Have you been listening? I don't want you out of my sight! It's too dangerous and you're probably a target!" She retorted.

"Dad would let me go." Katsuro grumbled like the spoiled kid he's always been. Not that I could blame him, this is the first time he's probably ever heard the word 'no' come out of moms lips.

"And? I'm your mother, you do what I say. Your father is merely moral support in my presence." She claimed, turning to Sasuke with an arched brow. "Right?"

"Dad?" Katsuro asked, exasperated.

With the mother-son duo both staring at him expectantly, Sasuke sighed and sent my brother a knowing look. "Listen to your mother Katsuro."

Katsuro grits his teeth at that, only really not making a fuss because our mom is around and he respects her far too much to act out like that. I deadpan at him however.

"Weren't you the one telling us to not expect dad to take our sides?!" I question, arching a brow at the teenager standing across from me.

"I mean- yeah but they usually compromise when it comes to me. I'm different."

I sweatdrop at that.

Spoiled indeed.

"Different my ass, you're staying right there where I could keep my eye on you." My mom claimed, sending him a very stern look.

Katsuro couldn't help but sigh and submit to her wishes, not putting up much of a fight against her anyway.

What, am I just the only one who ever challenges her?!

"That guy was talking shit about you dad, you think he had some personal vendetta and took it out on Hiko?" Katsuro asked curiously.

"If there are more of those kids with the sharingan and they ambushed Masahiko after he left, then it's possible." My father admitted, clenching his jaw out of his own frustration.

"This is bad, you think he has something against Haru too?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms over his chest in contemplation.

Haruki and I share confused glances, why the hell would anyone have something against my mom?

She's an inactive ninja! And she has been one for a really long time...

"I'd be surprised if he didn't, he has a fixation with the Akatsuki so..." Dad trailed off, making direct eye contact with Naruto and the two seemed to almost be communicating telepathically!

My mom looks up from my dad's shoulder with a scowl on her face.

"If that freak and those little sharingan bearing demons are the ones behind Masahiko's disappearance, I'm killing them."

"Haru-"

"I'm. killing. them." My mom stated factually before letting her head drop on my dad's shoulder once more. He didn't seem to mind, rubbing small circles on her back (Much to Haruki and I's scandalized glances)

Naruto sighed, glancing towards the body of the enemy my mom just stopped in one move. He used his golden cloak to pick the bodies up and retrieve them, my mom's crystal dispersing via her command letting him do so.

Honestly, I don't know how long after the search party was sent out that it happened, but a wolf suddenly appeared from the trees with widened eyes.

"We found him! We found Masahiko!"

••••••••••

Helloo my lovely readers! Lemme know how you felt about this chap!

Omg there's so much to go over, what'd you think about Runa in the hospital scene?

And her flashback with Haru? (Omg that was so cute to write)

Do you think she's valid in her concerns and confusions over Haru being her mama? (Shizune rlly didn't help her suspicions lmao)

Omg did you expect Haruki to go with Runa to find Sasuke?! Or did you expect her to stay home?

Did y'all peep that Boruto/Runa/Haruki situation? Oop-

And the Haruki/Mitsuki Dango date?!🤭

Are you guys starting to see how similar Runa and Haru really are? They were raised differently, but have veryyy similar ways of thinking lmao.

What'd you think about Haru's mini Pov?

Do you sympathize with Haru? Or are you mad at her abt the whole Runa situation?

Omg, What did we think about Sasuke and Runa meeting?!

What about Haruki and Sasuke?!

Gimme all of your opinions on that I'm dying to hear them!!^

Omg did y'all peep Katsuro being a good big brother (for once) LMAO 💗

Were u satisfied when the kids realized Haru was rlly scary? 💀 LMAO I sure was!

Pls Haru and Runa arguing? What'd you guys think about that?!

And Omg, what'd you think about Haru confronting Shin Uchiha?! She beat tf outta him LMAO

What'd you think about Haru and Sasuke seeing each other for the first time?! Dw, they're gonna interact wayy more next chap!

We're finally gonna get to see our baby boy Masahiko next chap ahh! Lmk if you have any predictions on that whole situation!!

So yeah! Lmk if you have any predictions on the next chap in general I'd love to hear them!

Runa and Sasuke heart that had me swooning 💜

Tysm for reading and I hope to see you all next chap!!💕💘