Shisui tugged at his shirt, lips twitching down into a small frown. Lack of the constant weight of his trusty tanto on his shoulder made him feel naked, vulnerable in ways that made him deeply uncomfortable.
Civilian clothing sucked.
Obito and Rin—those damn meddlers—at least let him keep a few hidden kunai. Shisui even sneaked in a good length of ninja wire. Date or not, there was no way he was going out of his apartment completely unarmed.
Such was the life of a ninja.
Shisui readjusted and tugged at his shirt again in uncomfortable motion. Blue and orange were his cousin's colors, not his. Damn that Obito. He could only hope now that Naruto would not think that he looked ridiculous.
Noticing a figure in the black-orange kimono dress among the crowd, Shisui forced himself to stop fidgeting.
A moment later, Naruto spotted the lone Uchiha standing under the tree and broke into a grin that could light up the night. Red strands cascaded down her shoulders like molten fire. It was cut a little shorter around her face, feathered to accentuate her delicate features. And her eyes shined in million shades of blue, those different hues the envy of any summer day.
If Shisui wouldn't have been already completely smitten, it would have changed right now.
As Naruto approached, her eyes moved up and down the Uchiha's body. "I like the orange," she commented, a smile growing only wider. "It suits you."
Alright, Shisui had to admit, Obito's choice of color wasn't that bad after all. Still, "Really?" he asked as he gave an impatient tug at the corner of his shirt.
"Yep," the redhead popped 'p'. "Sasuke looked so silly when I forced him to wear it that one time. You though? You look good."
Shisui blinked. "Sasuke?"
"Sasuke back from my world. We were teammates." Naruto's expression grew wistful. "I adopted him as my older brother and, despite his initial reluctance, he took that role pretty seriously." Seeing a confused expression on the Uchiha's face, she hurried to explain, "Our timelines are not in sync, mine was almost a decade ahead."
"So, it's not just crossing dimensions but also time travel?" Shisui asked. "Do you ever do something simple?"
"I try!" Naruto huffed, clearly miffed. "Not my fault that things often get out of hand, 'ttebane."
Shisui laughed at that. "Oh," he said. "I have something for you." He shoved a hand into his pants' pocket and pulled out a small hairpin with a ceramic sunflower attached to its end. "I know it's nothing special, but, um..." His smile suddenly turned nervous. Why did he decide that such a silly gift would be good for this occasion? "I saw it and thought you might like it."
Naruto picked the hairpin and stared at it. "I love it!" she exclaimed before quickly clipping it into her hair and beaming straight at the Uchiha. "How do I look?"
"Very pretty." The warm glow of happiness on Naruto's face brought by his honest compliment made Shisui's heart flutter. "Shall we go?"
"Where are we going?"
"Well, I was thinking somewhere to eat..." the teen trailed off when Naruto's head snapped to look at him. He could almost see that one particular word imprinted in her eyes. "...Like ramen?"
The redhead fist pumped the air with a cheerful, "Yeah!"
Shisui could only shake his head in exasperation. Just his luck to find another person obsessed with a specific food. Good thing that he wasn't all that fussy about his meals, be it dango or ramen.
Two teenagers walked along the street, chatting happily about this and that. They were just about to make a turn into another street when a blond boy rounded the corner at full speed, cackling like crazy, and almost collided with Shisui.
"Whoa, there!" the teen yelped as he ducked to the side to avoid being run over. "Why are you in such a hurry, squirt?"
Menma skidded to a halt and blinked owlishly at the Uchiha. After a second, his face split into a toothy grin. "Shisui-niis—"
Another kid—a girl of the same age with the wild mop of red hair and glasses—appeared from the same direction and, with a startled squawk when she couldn't stop in time, crashed into the blond.
"—oof!" Menma grunted as he stumbled forward. Ultimately, he managed to keep his balance.
Until the third kid rounded the corner. The boy's black eyes widened, but it was too late. The collision sent all three of them sprawling on the ground.
There was a brief outburst of guffaw from Naruto quickly brought under control. Shisui himself barely held it in. A surprise he felt by seeing Sasuke as one of the trios helped to keep his mirth in check. It was the first time he saw the red-haired girl though. His curiosity was piqued.
"Hey, brats," Naruto called, still obviously fighting the urge to laugh, "you three alright?"
"Yep!"
"Yeah..."
"Mm."
There was a soft chuckle. Shisui looked up. Upon seeing a red-haired woman standing next to Itachi, his curiosity grew even more. The Uzumaki perhaps?
"I warned you all not to run in the streets," Itachi said, his shoulders dropping. He sounded resigned to them not listening.
"Hehehe..." Menma rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly still sitting on the dusty ground.
Sasuke stood up, dusted himself off, and glowered at the other boy. "Why would you stop like that while we were racing?"
"I wasn't expecting to meet Shisui-niisan and Neesan here, 'ttebayo."
The youngest Uchiha crossed his arms, puffed his chest, and declared, "I would have won anyway."
Unsurprisingly, Menma flared up like an agitated firecracker. He jumped to his feet and rounded up on Sasuke. "No, you wouldn't!"
"I would!"
"Wouldn't!"
They practically rammed their heads together and growled at each other.
"Boys," Naruto interrupted with her hands on her hips and a sweet, sweet smile on her face. Both boys looked at her with wide eyes. "Shouldn't you help your friend first instead of arguing?"
Menma grinned sheepishly before sucking in a breath and extending his hand to the girl to pull her up. At the same time, Sasuke turned away with a slight tinge of red on his cheeks and one of his hands outstretched towards the little redhead.
The girl's expression brightened up instantly. She grabbed both hands with her own and effortlessly hopped back up.
"Sorry, Karin," Menma said, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "You okay?"
"Yeah!" the girl assured. "Completely fine!"
Sasuke tried a bit too hard to pretend that he wasn't happy about it, but a little quirk of his lips fooled no one.
"So, how come you're together with Itachi and Sasuke, Kana-san?" Naruto asked.
"We just had dinner at the ramen stand and met these two young men while going for a walk. They volunteered to show us around," the woman replied. "Menma mentioned that you'll be in a meeting with your fiancée. Although, I believe a date was the word he was looking... for..." Noticing Naruto starting to fiddle with the lock of her hair, she trailed off, tilting her head in confusion. Then, her gaze flicked to the teen standing next to her fellow redhead and a sudden realization flitted across her features. "...Oh."
Shisui grinned. "Shisui Uchiha," he introduced with a bow.
The woman returned the respectful gesture, "Kana Uzumaki." She nodded towards the girl. "And that's my daughter Karin."
The little redhead dutifully followed the greeting etiquette. "Nice to meet you, Uchiha-san."
"No need to be so formal, just call me Shisui-niisan like this brat does," he said as he reached for Menma to give a boy a thorough hair ruffle. The blond huffed, looking as indignant as you can get, but made no move to shy away from the touch.
Karin's smile was like a ray of sunshine. "Shisui-niisan!"
Shisui's chest swelled with every good emotion known to humanity. Making Uzumakis happy might just become his favorite pastime. Besides, he now had two little ones calling him niisan. Take that, Itachi!
"Alright, kids!" Kana clapped her hands. "Time for us to go. There's still so much to see!" She gathered all her company and ushered them forward. As they were leaving, she sent a wink over her shoulder and mouthed, 'Have fun,' at the young couple.
Shisui sniggered at Itachi pursing his lips rather petulantly when he was included in the 'kids' category. He also felt very pleased to know that at least someone didn't try to get in the way of his relationship with Naruto. Kana was supportive of it even. He already liked her.
"Kana and Karin just arrived at Konoha," Naruto supplied. "That's why I was busy these past few days, helped them to settle down here." She frowned in the direction the group disappeared and growled under her breath, "Damn Kusa."
Subtly, Shisui did a quick survey of the area. At this point, no one could fault him for getting a tad bit too paranoid. But he was a ninja known for his speed, so if he acted swiftly, even if someone wanted to interfere, they would be too late.
Deeming his surroundings safe enough, Shisui stepped closer to Naruto, put a hand on her neck while his lips touched her forehead. He pulled away silently and brushed a thumb across his girl's brow that was once again smooth and missing creases of anger. "There. Much better," the teen uttered quietly, looking into those wide pools of blue with a smile all too mischievous. Mischievous, charming, and openly affectionate. "Frown doesn't fit your pretty face, Naruto."
The young Uzumaki turned away abruptly with a muttered, "L-let's go already, 'ttebane." She couldn't hide the red glow that came over her face nor that blissful curve of her lips.
Shisui chuckled. This adorable, bashful reaction was exactly what he wanted to see. Besides, no one jumped in to interrupt, so that was a great achievement on its own. Hopefully, his luck would last for a bit longer today.
As they approached the Ichiraku Ramen, three middle-aged men exited the establishment, obviously in a happy and content mood. The moment their eyes landed on Shisui—or more specifically the Uchiwa embroidery on his shirt—their expressions twisted into grimaces.
Shisui tsked under his breath. It was his off-duty day, but more importantly, he was on a date with his fiancée. A ninja headband seemed unnecessary for this occasion and so he left it at home. These bastards wouldn't dare to find trouble with the ninja, but not all Uchihas were trained soldiers and could defend themselves against the more rabid haters.
One man focused on Naruto and his face morphed into a cruel leer.
Shisui's irises flashed crimson in a warning.
Tales about the prowess of Sharingan were enough to scare ninjas, civilians felt completely terrified by them. These three were no exception. The second they glimpsed black bleeding red, regardless of how brief it was, their demeanor changed from aggressive posturing to a submissive state.
As the two parties were passing by, Naruto suddenly stumbled over something on the path and fell straight towards the group of men. She caught herself on time before anyone could even react to her unfortunate clumsiness. Gracefully slipping between them, she apologized, "Oops, sorry!" with such a politely empty smile that even Danzo would have been impressed.
Once they were out of earshot, Naruto scoffed, "Assholes."
Shisui suppressed a wince. Poor bastards. The stumble was done on purpose.
Just outside the Ichiraku Ramen, both teens turned around when they heard a commotion behind them.
The three men they had just passed were standing in the middle of the street, wildly gesticulating and loudly oinking.
"Oink, oink."
"Oink!"
"Squeeeeeeal!"
Shisui raised an eyebrow. Oinking? And squealing?
People nearby grew justifiably merry at the trio's behavior. Not every day they could witness humans letting out authentic pig sounds. Kids pointed their fingers as they giggled, some adults gossiped, others didn't shy from mocking the weirdoes.
Feeling thoroughly amused, Shisui inevitably turned towards Naruto, admiration shimmering in his gaze. "What did you do?"
"Nothing special," Naruto replied with a little dismissive wave of her hand. "It's just a harmless seal. It will last for a week. Maybe." A smirk appeared on her face then, vicious and merciless. "Pigs should talk pig."
Shisui barked out a laugh. So sassy! He loved it.
The guys stopped oinking, humiliation blazing on their faces, and fled the gathering crowd, followed by sarcastic shouts and a buzz of laughter.
"No one gets away with hurting those I care, 'ttebane," Naruto scoffed, but the next moment she spun on her heel and entered the ramen stand with a joyful, "Teuchi-san! Miso ramen, please!"
The ramen chef jolted where he was still staring dumbly in the direction the naked men left. "Welcome, Naruto!" he greeted the energetic Uzumaki warmly as she sat down at the counter. "Miso ramen coming right up!"
A girl around ten years old poked her head from the back room, twin pigtails under the white bandana bobbing as she perked up at the sight of the redhead. "Naruto-neesan!"
"Ayame-chan! You look so cute today!"
Naruto's compliment elicited a delighted giggle from Ayame.
Meanwhile, as Shisui joined Naruto at the counter, echoing her order for miso ramen, Teuchi immediately favored him with the same broad and welcoming smile. "Good to see you again, Uchiha-san."
"Please, just Shisui is enough." The teen leaned closer and waved to the chef to do the same. "I have a sneaking suspicion that I'll become a regular here after all," he murmured, shooting a meaningful glance at the redhead Uzumaki.
Teuchi laughed heartily. Shisui grinned. He already liked this old man.
"What's so funny?"
Both males turned to Naruto curiously staring at them.
"It's a secret!"
The redhead narrowed her eyes at Shisui, but the latter didn't budge and said nothing more. She looked at Teuchi then. But the man made a swift move along his lips as a sign that they were sealed and continued working on the ramen as if nothing happened.
Not getting what she wanted, Naruto puffed her cheeks in a childish pout.
It was so cute! Shisui felt butterflies fluttering around his stomach. He took a moment to thank whatever deity was responsible for sending him this bundle of amazing that made up his future wife (even if that deity almost got its ass kicked by the said bundle). "You look like a chipmunk," he teased as he poked her cheek.
Naruto spluttered, "Am not!"
"He's right, Naruto-neesan!" Ayame chimed in happily. "You really look like a chipmunk!"
The redhead's mouth opened to retort, but then she closed it, crossed her arms, and didn't deign to say anything else. She also obviously made a conscious effort not to pout anymore.
"There, there. Don't be upset." The Uchiha patted Naruto's head. "Chipmunks are still not as cute as you are." He received a frustrated punch to his shoulder for his effort.
Two steaming bowls were placed in front of the couple.
Shisui quickly broke the chopsticks to pick up a couple of pieces of bacon. "Here, take my offering for a peace treaty," he said as he transferred it into his girl's bowl.
Naruto sent him an amused glance and quipped, "You're not a very good negotiator, are you?" In a flash, she snatched narutomaki out of his bowl. "None of this for you, 'ttebane!"
"Hey! Give it back!"
Naruto stuck her tongue at the Uchiha. And then made a show out of eating her acquired spoil in front of his eyes, exaggerated chewing and all.
It was Shisui's turn to pout. Narutomaki was his favorite part of ramen. What can he say? He was biased. No wonder that he felt wronged. Getting robbed of it was cruel.
To rub it in, Naruto mirrored his previous action and patted his head. "There, there. Don't be upset." Her smirk widened into a cheeky grin when Shisui's expression turned helpless.
Satisfied with her win, the young Uzumaki dug into her ramen. Only to freeze on her second bite, eyes widening. She quickly gulped the mouthful down and called out, "Teuchi-san, can we take our order with us and return bowls later?"
The chef looked confused by a strange request, but nodded anyway.
"Wha—" Shisui had no time to even finish his question when his ramen was shoved into his hands.
"Don't drop it, 'ttebane," Naruto said seriously. An obvious warning.
"Huh?"
And then Shisui almost fell out of the tree. Only years' worth of training saved him from tumbling down when he suddenly found himself on a branch in a tall tree, chakra sticking his feet to the surface on pure instinct.
It was a different experience from entering the sealspace where the Kyuubi took residence. Shisui physically felt being transported to this new place, the brief sensation of displacement leaving his brain scrambling to keep up with what was happening to his body.
It took him a few seconds to orient himself and note down the characteristics of the new surroundings. The trees were definitely from the Fire Country. The breeze didn't carry any distinct scents, but there was a faint buzz of the crowd somewhere in the distance.
"Sit, Shisui."
Shisui almost spilled his ramen when Naruto spoke suddenly. He stared at her getting comfortable before a three-pronged kunai stuck in a branch between them drew his attention. His eyes widened.
Was this what he thought it was?
"It's uncomfortable to eat while standing." Naruto patted a place next to Shisui's feet. "Sit."
Shisui complied, if still a bit out of it. "Where, uh, where are we?"
"At the edge of Konoha," the girl replied, slurping on her ramen without care. "They're here." She motioned at the opposite side of their perch.
The young jounin's eyes followed the direction. "Who—"
A group of people jumped out of trees into a clearing below. One female with distinct red hair and black-orange clothing stood in front of four males and one female, all black hair and arrogance etched in the smallest motion.
Naruto and five members of the Uchiha clan.
Shisui recognized them. The minority that still pursued the coup, most likely sent by the elders to get rid of the unexpected obstacle.
The obstacle by the name Naruto Uzumaki.
"Your clansmen wanted to talk in private," Naruto—the one sitting next to him—supplied between bites. "Had been stalking me for a few days now. Never noticed when I switched with a shadow clone."
Shisui glared at the Uchihas, his Sharingan spinning. He held hope that his clansmen wouldn't choose the path paved in blood. Yet, some still wanted a complete opposite. Nothing good would come from these people.
Naruto's clone crossed her arms and stared at the Uchihas with half-lidded eyes. "Speak." It was uttered deliberately slowly, with a force of authority that ruffled the opposing group's feathers.
The Uchihas shared a glance, each giving an inconspicuous nod before all looked back at a teenage girl in front of them.
"Naruto Uzumaki," started the oldest man among them, "We are here to make you an offer."
Naruto didn't utter a word, just stared silently. A mute demand to go on.
"The current situation forced upon the Uchiha clan is wrong. We're being persecuted because the higher-ups of the village fear us, fear our Sharingan."
Naruto didn't even blink at the rising discontent of the Uchihas, still observing them as cool and unruffled as ever. Almost unnerving.
"And if they fear us, there is nothing else for us to do, but for us to control them!"
That brought a reaction out of the young Uzumaki. The man who shouted made a visible effort not to squirm under those sharp calculating blue eyes before heaving a sigh of relief once they moved away.
"I agree that the Uchiha clan had been wronged," Naruto said, "but we already started to fix it."
"It's foolish to assume that a few talks would change anything! You and Fugaku are being too naïve."
"So, you want to use force to instill more fear into an already fearful community?"
Shisui's head snapped to the side when he felt a tap on his arm. Bright blue eyes met his Sharingan.
"Are you going to eat it?"
It took him a few seconds to realize what Naruto was even talking about. He was so focused on the conversation below that the bowl of ramen that he was still holding completely slipped his mind.
"You can have it." Shisui couldn't help a fond curl on his lips at the way his girl's face lit up as she took his ramen.
"It's so good," Naruto mumbled as she slurped the food. "Don't understand why you didn't eat it, 'ttebane."
Shisui glanced down. Both the original Naruto and the shadow clone were entirely at ease, not a single sign of worry. Then, perhaps he shouldn't be this anxious either. She probably predicted it and had a plan.
"If you agree to work with us, we can guarantee a place for you and your clan in the new Konoha," the Uchiha carried on, his self-confidence boosted by prolonged Naruto's silence. "But know that some sacrifices have to be made and it is not negotiable." He paused. "Menma Uzumaki."
Naruto stopped eating.
Her clone frowned at the implication. "You want to unleash the Kyuubi," she stated. "What makes you think that you can control him?"
The man lowered his head. After a moment, he looked back up, eyes sharpened with crimson razors, dark pinwheel twisting and warping into a different form. He slithered a vicious smirk through crooked lips. "We have a way."
Shisui's mind worked a mile a minute. Kano Uchiha, he recalled the man's name, lost his younger brother recently. Suicide by fire. "That bastard..." he hissed, wrath igniting like fire in his veins.
"Hold my ramen."
Shisui barely had time to take hold of the half-eaten ramen that Naruto shoved his way before he saw her descending from the tree and landing gracefully next to her clone in a motion that was as fluid as it was quick.
Her sudden appearance surprised the Uchihas. Then Shisui followed suit and jumped down to stand with his fiancée, they grew even more agitated.
"Now you've really done it, 'ttebane." The girl's clone dispersed with a gleeful chuckle.
Naruto straightened up, meticulously brushed non-existent dust off her sleeve, and only then looked at the opposing group.
"You want to kill my little brother and enslave my friend," she spoke. Every word was slow, measured with a constrained rage. "And you think I'll be alright with that?"
Something terrifying flickered in her eyes as she said it. The force that shimmered in Naruto's features, the strength that was in the line of her shoulders, the challenging upward tilt of her chin, the atmosphere that rapidly grew heavy and oppressive, made the Uchihas take an unconscious step back.
Even Shisui felt paralyzed by the gaze.
Only an idiot would anger someone with enough power and fury to go against a god.
"You don't have a choice," the woman Uchiha growled. "We have someone watching the Jinchuuriki all this time. He should be in our hands by now!"
One glance from Naruto shut her up. "So tell me," the redhead said, "who taught you how to control the Bijuu?"
"What are you talking about?! I—"
"Someone calling himself Madara Uchiha perhaps?"
Shock and something akin to fear flitted across the man's face. It was gone on the next second, expression wiped clean as soon as it appeared.
"Oh, please." The redhead rolled her eyes. "You might know instinctively how to use Mangekyou Sharingan, but it doesn't come with instructions on how to control the Bijuu. That means, you," she pointed at the Kano and bared her teeth into a grin, malicious and unforgiving, "have answers we had been looking for." She paused. "Kurama, you want to deal with them?"
"With pleasure."
With the familiar massive voice came the sheer killing intent. Sharp and brutal and cutting the air like the sharpest blade. Irises were marked with a single vulpine slit, bright red glow mimicking the cursed dojutsu of the Uchiha.
Naruto's aura exploded into a brilliant yellow light that wreathed her entire body. Nine chains fanned behind her back, enveloped in the pure golden chakra. Power pressed all around, dense and dark and terrifying, and maybe their minds had been overridden by adrenaline, coiled in preparation to fight or flee, but Shisui could have sworn the ground rattled with that raging, unchained force.
Naruto moved before anyone could even react.
Chains wrapped around the neck of each opposing Uchiha with four more to spare. Dojutsu fading as it got suppressed, they fell to their knees and screamed. The Bijuu chakra burned and ate at their skin like acid.
None of them expected their opponent to be the Jinchuuriki. And not just a simple one, but the Jinchuuriki of the most powerful of the Bijuu and in perfect sync with it too. No wonder, the fight was over faster than a blink.
"Ji-Jinchuu-uuriki..."
His host's lips drawn back into an inhuman malevolent grin, the Kyuubi stared down at the subdued enemy. "Weak," his voice rang out then, matching the vicious bite of the heavy air with the unbidden power behind his words. "And you think that you can control me?" The smile twisted into a sneer. "How unfortunate that we need you alive for information."
Chains tightened, choking the last breath out of the Uchihas. Soon, they slid away from around their necks and the unconscious humans fell in perfect unison. Chains retreated and the golden cloak dispersed together with it.
Naruto turned to look at Shisui with a furrowed brow and the latter was instantly on alert again. "What?" he almost whispered.
"He likes you."
The young jounin could only blink in a perplexing silence.
"Kurama."
"The—The Kyuubi?!"
"He left all of them alive because of you," Naruto explained, walking to him. "Shut up, Kurama. Stop denying it, 'ttebane."
That was... very considerate of the Kyuubi, albeit unnecessary. Shisui glowered at the bodies. These people were traitors and there is only one suitable punishment for treason.
"Anyway, pushing that aside," the redhead started, eyes sparkling. "Where is my ramen?"
Shisui opened his mouth to argue. Having second thought, he closed it. Maybe pushing this aside was the right thing to do. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with the Kyuubi's interest in him. He turned, pointing to the spot from where they were previously spying on the meeting. "It's up in the... tree..."
It wasn't. The bowl was gone.
Shisui felt a sense of foreboding. His gaze quickly moved under the branch and upon seeing the broken dish and spilled food, he sucked in a breath.
Naruto stared at it with such a solemn expression of loss that someone would think someone died.
"I'm sorry!" Shisui squeaked. He hated being the one to put that look on his girl's face. The idea came to him and he made a subtle sweep of the area. Excluding his unconscious clansmen, there was no one else around. "Hey," he stepped closer, his best smile plastered on his face, "I know how to make amends for what I've done."
Naruto wanted it too, Shisui was absolutely sure of it. He cupped one of her cheeks and leaned closer, heart hammering... This time, it should work. He would do it! He would finally kiss his girlfr—!
Naruto halted his advance by putting her palm on his chest.
—Or not.
Shisui's self-confidence wilted like a flower in a desert.
The redhead lifted one finger. "Hold that thought." Turning to the side with lush bushes, she put her hands on her hips and glowered at it. "I know you're there."
Shisui blinked. Someone was here? He also focused on the same place.
But there was no sign of anyone.
Naruto huffed. "Come out. Now!"
Nothing.
"Fine," the young Uzumaki said curtly. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "I guess I'll have to put an alarm seal on all the hot springs around the Fire Country that would go off as soon as you came anywhere near it."
A tall and well-built man shot up from the bush. He had a small notebook in his hand, waist-length, spiky white hair full of leaves and his features were currently contorted in genuine horror. "You wouldn't dare!"
Was this Jiraiya the Sannin?
Naruto raised an eyebrow, smirk dancing on her lips. "Really now?"
A few drops of sweat slid down the man's forehead. "There are a lot of hot springs and you're only one person," he tried meekly.
The girl made a seal and another her popped into existence. "Yo, Ero-sennin!" the clone saluted with a cheeky smile.
"You already did it once, didn't you?"
"You were reaaaaaaaaally annoying."
Jiraiya's face drained of all color.
"You know what? I have no time for this, I'm on a date and I'm so done with you all interrupting. These losers," Naruto pointed at the unconscious group with her thumb, "are yours. This Uchiha," she pointed at Shisui, "is mine and coming with me."
For a moment, pleased warmth at Naruto's possessive claim of him swamped other emotions inside Shisui.
Jiraiya giggled into his palm and was instantly at the end of a heated glare from both redheads. He composed himself, cleared his throat, and dismissed them with a casual wave. "Sure, sure, I'll take care of it. You two just run along now." There was kind of a dopey look on his face when he added, "Have fun~"
Naruto threw the last murderous glare at the sannin, then glanced at her shadow clone who gave her a supportive thumbs-up. She grinned at Shisui, eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that made him fall in love all over again.
He felt her gripping his forearm, there was another brief sensation of displacement and Shisui found himself standing somewhere else. He looked around, familiarizing himself with the new surroundings.
It was a small, cozy living room with a couch and a low coffee table in the middle. Pots in different sizes and colors were placed next to a wall window seemingly without any thought or order. Various plants grew in each of them, clearly well-loved and looked after if the sheer lavishness of their leaves and blossoms were any indication.
"My apartment," Naruto answered the question that Shisui was just about to ask. "Menma won't be back for at least a few hours. Itachi's with him. Kakashi and his old teammates are preparing for a mission, and Kurama is napping." A pause, her eyebrows drawing together for a split second. "Yep, napping. So, um." She hesitated, fidgeting nervously. "We're alone. No one will interrupt us this time."
Shisui's mouth curved upwards in a knowing smile. "Oh?" he asked, erasing the remaining distance between them with a single step, one of his arms coming around her waist. He tucked stray strands of Naruto's hair behind her ear and then trailed his finger along her jawline, resting on her chin, trying to convey all of his adoration in his touch.
"Sp-speaking of the mission," Naruto stammered out, breathless, but didn't shy away or lower her gaze from his. "I want you on the team. We're going to Ame and we don't know what we'll find, so I want everyone I trust in it."
The young jounin's smile grew only wider. "Is this how I'm going to receive missions once I marry the Hokage?" He took her face in his hands, "I could definitely get used to it," and brought his lips to hers. He could feel Naruto's tiny gasp, so he went softly, carefully. Just a sweet kiss.
Apparently, gentleness wasn't what she wanted. Naruto knotted her fists in his shirt, pulling him harder against her, sealing the tiny space between their bodies, pressing against him, deepening the kiss.
Time stopped and the world with it.
When their lips parted, Shisui rested his forehead against Naruto's, admiring her rosy cheeks and trying to etch every single line of her perfect features into his memory. Each of her breath coasting over his skin seemed to reach and set his very soul aflame.
Naruto opened her eyes. Two dazzling pools of blue, so full of anticipation, so intimate and pure, and all of it focused steadfastly on Shisui. So passionate, fierce, and carnal that the latter's heart literally skipped, a biological feat that made his breath stutter, especially when Naruto's lips spread into a particular smile he had never seen before on her.
Despite being a shameless flirt, Shisui always acted like a gentleman with females. He also was a competent ninja and had full control over himself. But, damn, he also was a male teenager with hormones raging through his veins and when the girl he had fallen in love with stared at him like that, well, not even he could fight against human biology.
Naruto pushed him and dazed Shisui fell onto the couch with an oof. The redhead put her folded legs on either side of his thighs and settled on his lap. Unconsciously, the teen gulped. A kiss was one thing, but this... This was completely new territory for him. He had never—
He thought about it, of course, tried to imagine, dreamed, and fantasized, but never—
"You know, there are certain perks of traveling with the world-renowned pervert and being forced to edit his books," Naruto said quietly, her fingers gently tracing the outline of his temple, jaw, neck. "I picked up a few... tricks. It'll be interesting to test them out. Never had an opportunity." Her hand slid across his chest. "Questionable as they may be."
Holy shit.
Shisui was happy to be alive.
He loved his life.
And he loved his future wife even more!
~THE END~