Thunder rumbled through the thick, black clouds as the lightning traced their way through the rain as it showered down unrelentingly upon the village of Konohagakure. It had been a gloomy day for everyone in the village. There seemed like there was nothing joyful to partake in that day, even the academy students had come home all despondent. It had been a rain that was long coming. Yet for Yumetsuki, the entire week had been like that.
It had all started when Shisui had arrived unexpectedly at her home without no prior notice. It had been late in the evening just as Yumetsuki had finished with dinner and set Naruto to bed. Rain had graced them that day as well yet it had not been as heavy as the look in Shisui's deep, dark eyes. He had stepped in through the veranda and not from the front door.
Shisui had not even allowed her to stand up when the fourteen-year-old had leaned against her body it was far from his usual behaviour but Yumetsuki had known at once: his body was heavy with exhaustion and burning with the fever he was acquiring.
Although he was taller and bigger than her, Shisui set his head against her shoulder like a young boy, curling his body around in her direction as if she was beacon that he needed to reach.
"Yumeko-Chan," Shisui muttered as let out a long, deep breath and closed his eyes. "Sorry for coming by so unexpectedly... I didn't mean to disturb you..."
"It is alright, Shisui-Kun," Yumetsuki said, although she was bubbling with concern for him, she held herself calm. "However, would you like to share what ails you? I have never seen you like this,"
For a moment, it was quiet between the two of them and Yumetsuki noted that Shisui was really out of it because he didn't use that she was using her Medical Ninjutsu on him to treat him for the fever that he was running. Then, with his eyes still closed, he decided to speak.
"Life is so hard, isn't it, Yumeko-Chan?" Shisui asked in a small voice, and that broke Yumetsuki's heart, knowing that someone so young was suffering like this. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, you have suffered –"
"No," Yumetsuki interjected softly. "What I have gone through does not undermine what you feel, Shisui-Kun," She bit her lower lip. "Are you... concerned about your father?"
During the last Great War, Shisui's father had lost a leg. And in his stubbornness, he had not gotten it checked out until it had deteriorated to a degree that it would never fully heal. Even now, he would react negatively if someone suggested that he got himself medically checked.
Ever since that, and given that his mother was only a housewife, Shisui had taken up the role as the sole breadwinner of his little family. He had mentioned that once cheerfully but he was not so now.
In fact, over the months, Shisui had begun to grow more and more exhausted. Yumetsuki had freed him from her tutelage but he visited her often – and every time, he appeared more and more so.
"He's completely bedridden now," Shisui spoke with a sigh. "And he's gotten a lot weaker lately..." His soft features twisted slightly. "He's also stopped recognising who I am,"
"Would you like me to check on his health for you?" Yumetsuki asked, looking at him with a frown. "If he refuses to visit the hospital, I can make a house-call for him,"
"I'll ask him, though I'm not sure if you should visit the compound," Shisui said, which was strange.
"Is there something the matter?" Yumetsuki inquired curiously.
"No, I'm just trying to get myself ready for it," Shisui said, and it felt like he was changing the subject. "I mean, everyone dies someday... I want to be ready and be strong when the day comes for him,"
That was the sad resolve that Shisui had imparted her, and before Yumetsuki could talk to him about it, the boy descended into a fever slumber. She reached for the Zabuton cushion, gently moving Shisui to lay his head down on it so he could sleep.
Even when she finished healing him and got up to make him a soup, those words had swirled around in Yumetsuki's head. She felt very concerned for the mental wellbeing of her one and only student.
Yet when Shisui had woken up, he spoke nothing further about it. He still looked tired even after his fever had subsided but he didn't seem to want to pick up the subject with her again.
"Thank you for the soup, Yumeko-Chan," said Shisui as he got ready to leave later that evening. "Your food is always so delicious. Your home is such a sanctuary for me,"
"I am happy you enjoyed it," Yumetsuki replied. "But I want you to now take care of your health. I cannot see you sick. And whenever you feel like things are getting heavy for you to carry, please know that I am there to take some of your burden for you,"
At this, Shisui had stared at her for several long seconds when she had said that, with a smile on his lips that appeared to Yumetsuki to be more sad and less happy.
"Have I ever told you how wonderful you are, Yumeko-Chan?" Shisui asked suddenly, and in a strange tone of voice. "I hope you stay this sweet your entire life,"
These words had taken Yumetsuki by surprise – Shisui had often complimented her but he had never sounded the way he did at that moment. But more surprising than anything else was the fact that Shisui reached his arms out and hugged her.
Shisui had hugged her against himself, hugged her so warmly and so tightly and for so long that Yumetsuki had no clue what to say to him. And then he had left with a merry wave of his hand.
Yumetsuki rubbed her forehead as she absentmindedly leafed through the book open in front of her on the Chabudai. Her thoughts continued to trail to that occasion.
For the life of her, Yumetsuki could not quite put a finger on what exactly was causing this. She missed the cheerful, blushing face of Shisui that she had first met years ago.
While she had been this busy with her thoughts, Yumetsuki had not at all focused on the fact that Chakra was moving to the direction of her home.
Not until there was a knock on the front door, sounding through the heavy downpour and Yumetsuki looked up in surprise.
Familiar Chakra reached out to her and Yumetsuki went toward the door, and without having to ask, she opened it to find the figure of Kakashi there.
Kakashi appeared to have reached his full height and towered over Yumetsuki. He was starting to resemble his father with his features and the way he grew out to be so broad.
"Kakashi-Kun, what brings you here?" Yumetsuki inquired curiously. "Is there something going on?"
"There wasn't much to do in this rain so I brought this," Kakashi answered and he held up two bags of food. "Felt we both could do with some company,"
Yumetsuki admittedly felt like she really could do with the company. She wasn't able to focus on anything anyhow and she hadn't had dinner either. And so, she welcomed Kakashi inside, heading to the kitchen to fetch some utensils for them.
"Is Naruto sleeping already?" Kakashi asked as he set the food down on the Kotatsu.
"Yes, he was quite bored with staying in," Yumetsuki replied. "But exhausting himself to sleep just by playing around,"
"Has he started Academy?" Kakashi asked, causing Yumetsuki to look at him strangely.
"You are so forgetful, Kakashi-Kun," Yumetsuki mused as they sat down together at the table, leaning against the Zabuton. "At such a young age as well,"
"Well, I've got you to keep me updated, don't I?" Kakashi asked. "I can spare some thoughts to forgetfulness,"
Just as he had become recently, these words had been rather cheeky. Kakashi had changed a lot – for good or for bad, she had no idea but she felt like she was okay with this Kakashi.
This Kakashi was just as perceptive as the old one and he carried the same scars but he was not allowing himself to be overcome by darkness. Yumetsuki found him inspiring.
"Such strange things you say at times," Yumetsuki muttered but she didn't appear to mind so Kakashi chuckled.
Expressing emotions was always so difficult for the two of them but now that Yumetsuki saw that Kakashi could do it, she felt like she would learn more about it as well.
"It was cold and raining so I got some fish barbecue," Kakashi said as he opened the bags of food. "I've got some fried food as well but if you want to avoid too much oil, it's perfectly fine,"
Yumetsuki and Kakashi were like that – they knew each other too well. They could even communicate without speaking. They knew each other and their abodes like the back of their hands. It was a strange but comforting relationship.
Kurenai had once commented that it was like a married relationship but Yumetsuki hadn't understood that. She had never seen anyone in Kirigakure like this.
And even then, they were not married so there was nothing like that sort between them. Yumetsuki had still found the thought to be rather embarrassing.
Thanking him for bringing delicious food, Yumetsuki and Kakashi had talked to each other about what was going on with their lives recently, with both of them busy with missions.
Missions were a lot to take because the early graduation system had finished and all of the older Ninjas had to take up the mantle to control the surge of missions coming through.
It was only going to get worse from here on and Yumetsuki wondered if she would get to spend time like this with her friends ever again.
Naruto had entered the Ninja Academy in the spring following his fourth birthday. It had already been a year and a half since the day Yumetsuki had adopted him.
When Yumetsuki had walked the young boy to his first day at the academy, there was not a single person who had been happy at the sight of the two of them appearing in public.
Yet there was nothing that she could do about it as Yumetsuki had to listen to the things that he went through in his life.
Yumetsuki had wept to Minato and Kushina's graves, unable to understand how she could look at the sunshine that was her godson in the eyes and tell him that hers was all the love that he was going to receive so unconditionally.
Wept because she knew that she had gone through the same thing and never learned how to fix it. Wept because these were the scars that would follow him for forever.
Every day when they would meet each other after his academy was over, Naruto would talk about his classmates and Yumetsuki had seen many of them on the first day.
Hyuga Hinata, for one, had immediately caught the attention of Yumetsuki because the older female at recognised the oversized cream-coloured jacket she had been wearing.
And then there was a girl named Haruno Sakura whom Naruto had liked immediately for some reason. Yumetsuki wondered if Naruto felt for her what she had felt for Obito.
There had also been Uchiha Sasuke, a very smart young boy who had looked at her with those curious eyes that every Uchiha had. In fact, Yumetsuki had run into his parents.
Mikoto had kept a polite smile on her lips while her husband appeared to be interested elsewhere, browsing the children that were to be his younger son's classmates. He had noticed Naruto as well, and with that, also seen Yumetsuki.
Yumetsuki had been busy talking to a blushing Umino Iruka, who was to be Naruto's homeroom teacher and she had been too displeased with him to really think much about the Uchiha.
Hiruzen had been visited by Yumetsuki in regards to Iruka's personal feelings about Naruto but there was nothing that she could do to get Naruto's class shifted.
Now that she thought back to it, Yumetsuki wondered if she had been too distracted and missed something substantial.
The Uchiha Clan was always under scrutiny, and even more so recently due their alleged role in the Kyuubi attack. Yumetsuki had not made any opinion about that.
And to be fair, Yumetsuki had always thought they were a bit strange. She had once loved Obito and she was the teacher of Shisui but their clan had always given her a strange vibe, especially when it came to the men of the clan.
Over the years, there had been strange interactions with them for Yumetsuki and she had always done her best to keep her distance from them and their eyes. Even in missions. In fact, only Obito and Shisui were the two Uchihas that she could stand to go on a mission with alone.
"Are you listening, Yuren-Chan?"
Yumetsuki suddenly felt a weight on her legs and she turned to look down in surprise to find that it was actually Kakashi, who had laid his head on her lap, looking up at her with a pouty look that told her that he wanted her attention.
Never before had Kakashi had made such a move and Yumetsuki found herself feeling a little embarrassed as her cheeks turned pink, "I apologise, what is it, Kakashi-Kun?"
"Uchiha Itachi joined ANBU," Kakashi informed her, watching her silver-blue eyes widen slightly in surprise. "And he has been submitted to my unit, Team Ro,"
"... I am surprised," Yumetsuki breathed. "Not only is he the first Uchiha in ANBU in so long... but he is also going to join your team? And I am sure they will be having him stalk his own clan on suspicion of strange movements,"
"I'm just as surprised as you are," Kakashi responded. "He is talented and mature for an eleven-year-old but I'm not sure how it will entail in the long run,"
Kakashi had stifled his incoming yawn and began to tell her all about what had happened. Yumetsuki listened to him attentively as she now understood why Kakashi really wanted to talk to her – they two of them had their own perceptions about what was going on in the village.
Yumetsuki was lost in her thoughts again by the time Kakashi finished sleeping and it wasn't until she spoke her opinion that she realised that he had fallen asleep to her subconsciously stroking his hair.
Had it been anyone else, Yumetsuki wouldn't have liked this at all but she found herself continuing to run fingers through Kakashi's silver-grey hair, their soft, silky touch very similar to Naruto's. And she allowed herself to return to her endless thoughts.
Uchiha Itachi in ANBU, hm?
It wasn't until it was very early in the morning that Kakashi woke up. He moved to stretch himself only to realise that someone else was sleeping right next to him. With his head still on her lap, it was Yumetsuki sleeping with her back against the wall. He was covered by a blanket and her fingers were still resting against his scalp.
Rain was still falling heavily outside even though it was early in the morning now. Kakashi yawned, getting up from her lap as carefully as he could to not jerk her awake before he reached down to pull the girl up into his arms so he could get her in her own bed.
Yumetsuki looked relax for once, her features clear as her head moved to set against his chest and for a moment, Kakashi didn't want to let go of her. But he had to set her down on the bed at some time. He looked at her for a moment in the dark before he turned to leave.
"... Kakashi?"
On the sound of the whisper, Kakashi turned around to find that Yumetsuki was looking up at him from her pillow, squinting at him in confusion as to where he was going, "Are you heading home...? You can stay the night... we can share a bed, there is enough space,"
Kakashi halted there, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to weigh the options – he could go home in this heavy rainfall to sleep for three hours before his mission or he could rest here for four hours before he needed to head out.
"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked, and Yumetsuki nodded in reply, rolling aside to give him some space on the bed as she took the pillow next to the wall. "Alright..."
Loosening his blue ANBU clothing, Kakashi got into the bed as well and he didn't dare look toward Yumetsuki until he had laid down. He was surrounded with a pleasant, cool scent that was entirely of the girl laying in the bed right next to him. He glanced toward her.
A strange but comforting warmth was growing in Kakashi's chest and he couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched Yumetsuki fall asleep next to him: there was no better feeling.
How could there ever be a better feeling than sharing a warm bed with Yumetsuki in the middle of the winter rain after having dinner and sharing their opinions about the strange things that were going on in their village. For Kakashi, nothing could ever out-do this.
Morning arrived far too quickly and when his eyes opened, Kakashi found himself wrapped around his pillow. He had nuzzled closer to the warmth of it until he realised that he was not in his bed.
Kakashi almost jerked away – almost, until he realised that it would wake up Yumetsuki. The same Yumetsuki who was wrapped up in his arms, her cool body pressed against his warm one.
It was his doing, Kakashi knew at once, because he had pushed himself away from his pillow and onto hers, resting his head next to hers and wrapping his arms firmly around her until she was securely pressed to him.
And maybe because he had moved too much upon waking up, it had stirred Yumetsuki awake to the situation as well – before he could do something about it.
For a moment, Kakashi felt Yumetsuki become tense and then she turned her head around to look at him with those blue eyes of hers that had long swept his heart away.
They stared at each other in the silence and the meagre light that flowed through the window above them. Both of them were stripped of all masks that they bore throughout the day, only the two of them present in that moment.
If he had been courageous, Kakashi would've kissed her right then and there, revealed all of his feelings to her and asked her to be with him for eternity.
Yet nothing of that sort happened as both Yumetsuki and Kakashi simply untangled themselves from each other, supporting red cheeks and Kakashi had practically fled the house in a hurry, muttering about being late for his mission before Naruto came calling for his godmother.
I've never been more uncool.
❄️
Yumetsuki slowly spun herself around in her office chair, her blue eyes circling the room while she thought back to how things were going. Her mind was still stuck on Itachi being an ANBU member but between that, she was instead reminded of the fact that she had made Kakashi sleep in the same bed as her. She had not expected that to happen at all.
It wasn't that Yumetsuki minded Kakashi being around at all – in fact, she actually preferred him over any other one of her colleagues. But still, never had Kakashi touched her in the way that he had done that night: He had wrapped his arms around, even if it had been in his sleep.
What confused the seventeen-year-old girl was the fact that she had liked it. Yumetsuki had liked it, being hugged by Kakashi that is. It had been so warm and snug; it was nothing like she had ever known. Yet it had ended seconds after she had acknowledged it.
There was a knock on the office door and Yumetsuki spun around one last rotation just in time to see Shisui stepping inside her office, a smile spreading across his lips at the mere sight of her.
"Yumeko-Chan, good afternoon," greeted Shisui as he walked over to her, and Yumetsuki tilted her head, noticing that he was carrying something. "I got this for you,"
"Thank you, Shisui-Kun," Yumetsuki replied, curious as she looked down at the box of Dango, with a white rose taped on it. She smiled. "This is very sweet of you,"
"You're the sweetest," Shisui said, hiding his reddening face from the older female but rather than being confused, Yumetsuki directed her smile at him.
"Is that so?" Yumetsuki asked. "Well, what is the occasion?"
"Actually," Shisui muttered and he looked rather unsure. "I got promoted –" He watched as Yumetsuki looked at him gladly. "... to the ANBU,"
With that, all emotions escaped Yumetsuki in the same way it did whenever they were on a serious mission. She sat there, still in her seat, and she stared at Shisui in silence. There was a strange change in the air, just as Shisui had expected it to turn out to be.
"You have joined the ANBU," Yumetsuki spoke after a few minutes, and it was not a question but a statement. "Are you sure you were promoted, Shisui-Kun?"
Just as he would've expected from the girl, Yumetsuki had read through the entire charade. She was perceptive like that, and Shisui often wondered if he needed to be scared of her or in awe. She had always done it to others so he was in awe but now that he was on the chopping block, he was scared.
"... I asked Hokage-Sama for it," Shisui replied at last. "Listen, Yumeko-Chan, I've been working hard and doing things around the village – I need to be in the ANBU if I want to protect Konoha,"
Yumetsuki had not said anything to Shisui because she had nothing to say. She had simply replied affirmatively and informed him that she would talk to him about it sometime when they were free. But Yumetsuki had not been able to work properly after that and had to go talk to Hiruzen.
"Yumeko-Kun, it has been a while," Hiruzen said, smiling as his young student arrived into his office. But Yumetsuki knew that he must know as well. "Of what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Sensei," Yumetsuki said, stopping in front of his desk. "Shisui-Kun stopped by earlier and I found out that you removed him from his regular duties and appointed him into ANBU,"
"Shisui wanted me to give him the freedom to act," Hiruzen replied. "So, I opened the road for him to move at his own discretion and judgment,"
"Hiruzen Sensei, it cannot be this easy, could it?" Yumetsuki asked. "To appoint someone into the ANBU simply because they wished to work on their own accord,"
"I simply took into consideration the feelings of someone worried about the Uchiha clan," Hiruzen explained. "The boy is astute; he knows what is going on – and he also knows about your concerns about him. Please don't be too hard on him, he does mean well,"
Yumetsuki had not said anything further about this either and left the Hokage's Office. She trudged up the Hokage Monument where she often ventured off to whenever she felt overwhelmed by things that were happening all around her in a frenzy. It felt like she left all expectations on the bottom of the stairs.
From above here, everyone looked so small yet the collectiveness of them remined Yumetsuki what they were working for – to make a village that would be welcoming and provide every single one of its inhabitants with their basic necessities, no matter who they were.
Once a upon a time, Yumetsuki had been that as well, being served by those above her, and now she was a seventeen-year-old who worked around the clock to serve. Yumetsuki's eyes fell to the Ninja Academy, where she knew Naruto was studying today as well.
Am I being too hard on Shisui-Kun?
Shisui was not a child. He was turning fifteen any day now, and he had seen as much of the world as many of the more mature Ninjas. Yumetsuki felt like she was being unfair by treating him as a child just because she had lost all of her family when she was only twelve.
I have to trust in Shisui-Kun as well,
No matter what, I cannot baby him forever.
That was the understanding that Yumetsuki had reached in conclusion, and feeling bad that she had made Shisui feel so alienated from even her, she made sure to send an apology box of Dango to him through delivery before she returned to her office again.
Whether it was by fate or he was avoiding her now, Shisui was nowhere to be seen around Konohagakure and Yumetsuki wondered if he was busy. She contemplated about going to visit him at his home, even when she really wanted to avoid the Uchiha compound, but rather than that, she ended up running into another Uchiha who answered her curiosity instead.
It was a normal October evening – no, it was normal but for Yumetsuki did was important as it was the sixth birthday of Uzumaki Naruto and she had been busy preparing for a little party for him. Naruto had headed out to hang out at the playground, unaware of her plans.
Yumetsuki had been very busy lately but she had allowed him to head out so she could do some preparations. And she was on her way to fetch him that she found an interesting scene.
Naruto was sitting on the swing, shouting after the group of children leaving, "I'm telling you; you guys don't have a chance against the great Uzumaki Naruto here!"
But those words brought no change in the children, the shadows didn't turn back toward him, rather they just left the area, chatting to each other about something, seemingly friendly. Yumetsuki frowned as Naruto sat down on the swing dejectedly.
This was the behaviour that was common from the villagers for Uzumaki Naruto. Yumetsuki had once gone through something similar but she also never had as much courage as Naruto did. Yet regardless of their difference in personalities, they had both suffered greatly.
However, before Yumetsuki could reach the blond, she noticed the sight of someone else approaching him first – and it was none other than Uchiha Itachi.
"Whoa!" gasped Naruto, who had looked up to find Itachi sit down next to him quietly, and the younger boy almost fell off of the swing in shock.
Just as most thing that he did, Naruto was dramatic – he flapped his arms and legs more than absolutely necessary, and managed to stop the swing before he fell. This was the difference: Yumetsuki would've simply frozen. They were like their Chakra natures, it appeared.
"Don't go scarin' me like that," Naruto accused as he turned his blue eyes suspiciously at Itachi.
"Sorry," replied Itachi calmly, curious. He could see at once that the boy was completely different from his godmother.
"So, like, who are you?" Naruto asked and stared at him with wide eyes.
Pumping the swing, Itachi turned his gaze forward as he spoke, "It doesn't matter who I am, does it?"
"My Oka-Chan says I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers," Naruto retorted, clearly wanting to find out who exactly this person was sitting next to him.
"She's gone, though?" Itachi pointed out, but he also wondered if the boy called Yumetsuki as 'Oka-Chan' – the thought of Yumetsuki as a mother made his cheeks pink.
"Yeah, but my Meiko-Chan also says that same so it stands!" Naruto said, and he also supported a bashful smile as he threw his right hand up to the back of his head.
"Meiko-Chan is... your godmother, right?" Itachi said. "Yuki Yumetsuki?"
"Her name is really hard to say," Naruto admitted. "But you know that?"
"Uzumaki Naruto is a famed prankster," Itachi replied.
"Am I that famous?" Naruto asked, his curious eyes wide.
"In a certain sense," Itachi replied in a bit of a sarcastic way but Naruto seemed not to understand as he laughed happily at it. "Your friends ran off,"
"If they don't get my pranks, then they're not my friends," Naruto replied, his voice bright in a way that he was trying to act cheerful but it was clear to Itachi that he was blanketing his loneliness.
Itachi lowered his head as he fell into his thoughts. He could understand how Naruto felt.
For the village, the Nine Tails incident had left a scar deeper than any other. Suspected of having controlled the Nine Tails, the Uchiha clan was also still trapped under that cloud. Itachi himself had been slandered more times than he could remember because of it.
There was probably not a single person in the village willing to have any meaningful contact with the boy who housed the source of that trauma in his body. In other words, Naruto was the greatest victim of the Nine Tails incident.
Itachi didn't know how the Nine Tails came to be sealed in the boy's body. But he thought that anyone who would seal the embodiment of disaster in a baby was not in their right mind. Perhaps they hadn't considered how the child would be persecuted.
The details of the Nine Tails incident were a closely guarded secret in the village. The truth was hidden in darkness, and only Naruto was left.
Naruto was one part of the darkness of the village. The village had been built sacrificing people like Naruto. The village officials had sealed the disaster in Naruto, and directed the dissatisfaction of the people somewhere else with their persecution of the Uchiha clan, in order to skilfully keep the village running.
Deliberately producing a darkness to hide their own darkness ... And now Itachi, too, was one part of the darkness in the village. Because the Anbu itself was the true darkness of the village.
It was during such thoughts that Itachi wondered what Yumetsuki thought about all of this – was she okay with this? Was she angry about it? Was she keeping it in for the sake of greater good?
Yuki Yumetsuki was an interesting part of Konohagakure: she was not born here yet she had been trusted deeply by two different Hokages. She had also been persecuted for being brought here from Kirigakure, she had lost a lot of people and she had once been more active as an ANBU member.
People of Konohagakure were simultaneously scared and wary of her, and they hated her well. Yet she had only worked harder to serve them. Yumetsuki had even taken Naruto in, it appeared, so no one else had to.
"Nii-San!" came Naruto's voice, and Itachi turned to see him looking up at him with big blue eyes.
"You just got real quiet all of a sudden," Naruto told him. "You alright?"
"I'm fine," Itachi replied.
"All right, good," Naruto replied but he still looked up at him with worry in his eyes.
"Keep fighting," Itachi said, words he thought offered no real peace of mind.
But Naruto seemed happy, and chuckled to himself as he rubbed his nose with a finger. And then he leapt forcefully off the swing, stood tall, and pointed his index finger at Itachi, "My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be Hokage someday!"
"You are?" Itachi asked, a bit surprised but also curious if Yumetsuki had never let Naruto feel as if it would be nearly impossible for him to do at this point. "Hokage, huh?"
Yet still, a flame blazed up in Itachi's heart. Even as he carried the burden of the village's darkness, this boy was not giving up on his own destiny. Not resenting the village, not hating the people, he believed in his own dream, honestly and wholeheartedly.
"I hope you are," Itachi told him, and he wondered Yumetsuki felt the same way.
"I'm totally going to be Hokage," Naruto confirmed. "Remember me 'til then, Nii-San,"
Just as he was beginning to smile and turn to leave, Itachi caught the sight of another person entering the playground – and that person was someone who often plagued his thoughts.
"Yuki Yumetsuki-San," acknowledged Itachi, just in time for Naruto to yell, "Meiko-Chan!"
"Naruto-Chan," Yumetsuki said, crouching down to catch Naruto as he ran to her and she picked him up, standing up to face the other boy. "Itachi-Kun,"
"You know who this Nii-San is?" Naruto asked, looking toward his godmother, who nodded in reply.
Itachi looked at the sight of Yumetsuki as she held Naruto in her arms, sitting the six-year-old against her him – and he seemed to immediately understand why Shisui had fallen in love with the girl.
Yumetsuki and Naruto, standing together at dusk, looked as if they were the moon and the sun.
"How are you doing, Itachi-Kun?" Yumetsuki inquired softly, tilting her head slightly at the young boy. "I heard you were promoted to a new position,"
"I'm doing well, thank you," Itachi replied, his cheeks gaining colour. "Yes, I was promoted a few days ago... I have been working hard,"
"It is good to know that," Yumetsuki said, and she gave him a smile that was too lovely. "If you ever feel uncertain about anything, you may reach out to me as your Senpai,"
"Yes, thank you, Yumetsuki-San," Itachi said, unable to meet eyes with her.
"It would be my pleasure," Yumetsuki replied. "Oh, and call me Yumeko, hm?"
"Yumeko-San," Itachi repeated. Yumetsuki nodded with a smile and by now, he was positive that he was beet red in the cheeks. "I will do that,"
"Good," Yumetsuki said. "It feels good to have Itachi-Kun and Shisui-Kun as the future of our village," She looked toward. "Has Shisui-Kun been well? I suppose he is quite busy as well,"
Upon this, Itachi blinked, surprised that Shisui had managed to stay away from Yumetsuki long enough for her to worry about this. He felt that if he was sincere in his feelings for the Yuki girl, he would be more careful about his actions but it seemed like he was being reckless.
"Yes, he has been well, just busy with his missions," Itachi replied. "Um, I will be taking my leave now. I will pass greetings from you to him,"
"Thank you, that would be wonderful," Yumetsuki said. "Have a good evening,"
Itachi walked away from the pair of them quickly as Naruto turned to possessively inquire from Yumetsuki about who these 'Shisui' and 'Itachi' characters were. The eleven-year-old rubbed his chest over his heart, and he wondered if this was the feeling that struck all the Uchihas whenever they interacted with Yumetsuki, as if her Ice steamed their cheeks red whenever it came in contact with their Fire.
I can't blame Shisui for falling for her now.
On the other hand, Yumetsuki and Naruto set off toward their home together, with the blond narrating all of his day to his godmother. Yumetsuki listened to him patiently, not allowing any negative emotions to show when he told her how no one wanted to come to his party.
"But that's alright, right!" Naruto told her with a big smile. "I have you, Meiko-Chan!"
Yumetsuki turned her head so her icy blue eyes met with his sky-blue ones, and she almost wanted to cry for the pain that he kept inside of himself just to appear so bright for her.
"Yes, Naruto-Chan," Yumetsuki told him softly, holding her voice steady. "You will always have me there for you, no matter where we are – we will always be together,"
❄️
A/N: You know where this is going, right?
Also, a lot of Yumie and Itachi convos coming up.
We're going to starting the Naruto soon, so before we do that, if you want anything added, let me know.