Naruto: Legacy Undone

From that point, it didn't take long for word to spread through the village.

Uzumaki Naruto was back.

Either they knew him as the child prodigy sponsored by the snake sannin, or they knew him as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, word that he'd returned from his long time abroad with the Daimyo had spread through the village grapevine that had been somewhat starved of good gossip lately.

As such, it didn't take long for one particular individual to hear of it.

Calmly, and slowly, Orochimaru finished his meal, wiping his mouth before asking for the check and paying.

In the same fashion he made his way out of the restaurant, focusing for a moment on the seals he'd placed over his two students to locate them both quickly and efficiently, and sending two clones off to go collect them.

Then, in his mind he began checking off the places the boy could be, eyes absently trailing up to notice the paint several gennin were cursing to high heaven as they tried to clean it off the four faces.

He raised an eyebrow. A testament to his skills...or the guards utter lack of any.

It took a few minutes as his mind cataloged and filed away locations and people and what most likely the boy he'd known would do upon arriving.

Finally he reached a conclusion and headed off.

-0-

She didn't know what she should feel, standing here again.

The sense of...emptiness though, that the compound exhumed was decidedly strange when she compared it to the crowded place she recalled.

She entered quietly, without ceremony or announcement. Made her way back into the house, through shaded halls and empty corridors before she found her old room, pristine and immaculate, as though waiting for her.

She bathed and changed, glad to be free from the grit and grime of travel and it was in the middle of this that she finally heard the arrival of another.

"Itachi?"

She turned, looking over her shoulder towards the door. "Mother."

She was surprised, though not very much so when the woman dropped what she was carrying and walked over to envelop her in a hug. Her mother was always the most affectionate in the family outside of Sasuke...

Mikoto pulled away, a smile on her features and Itachi wondered if the woman had any idea that she'd been on the verge of killing her six years ago.

"Come. Your father and brother will be home soon, they'll be overjoyed to see you."

"At least one of them will" The young woman thought.

-0-

"Aren't you two like, really busy at the hospital?" Naruto asked as he walked down the street.

"Yes but-"

"No we're not." Tsunade interrupted. "Besides you've come back! We're allowed to go out and celebrate this!"

"That's not how it-"

"Shush! Besides this is special. Its Dan's turn today but he won't mind if I steal his thunder for a day."

"Dan's turn for what?" Naruto asked, confused.

Tsunade kept her smile but said nothing.

To his surprise and bemusement, soon enough they were standing in front of the academy gates with other parents already waiting to pick up their children in a few minutes.

"What are we doing here?" He questioned.

"Yeah what are you doing here?" A familiar voice sounded off behind him and Naruto turned to look over his shoulder finding a confused Dan walking up to the three. Though confused, he smiled at Naruto, "Hey kiddo, we missed you."

Though not nearly as enthusiastic (painful) as Tsunade and Shizune's greetings, the smile on his face was no less heartfelt. Naruto appreciated that.

But still, his mind kept on going back to the question of what the hell they were doing here. And while he wasn't the sharpest kunai in the holster, even his mind was starting to slowly aquire a sneaking suspicion.

Dan + Tsunade + Relationship + Academy = …

Before he could reach the conclusion his mind was practically beating him in the face with, the doors opened and out poured the children into their parents waiting arms.

Naruto looked with wide eyes, heart beating a little stronger in his chest as he waited with what he didn't realize was baited breath.

He was infinitely surprised however, with the child that eventually approached with a smile as bright as the sun.

Not because it was a little girl.

Not because she was smaller than all her peers, he'd already done the mental math and realized that she could be no older than six before he'd ever seen her.

Not even because she actually called Tsunade Kaa-chan.

No. What surprised him was the fact that, rather than her hair being Tsunade's shade of blonde, or Dan's silver, her hair was red.

Bright, fiery red hair.

"Hi honey! How was your day?" Tsunade smiled as she hugged her, listening as the girl began to go off a mile a minute.

"It was great! Iruka sensei taught us all about the Hokage! Did you know the Fourth was the fastest person ever!?"

"No! Really?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah and Ji Ji knows like a billion Jutsu!"

"He's old enough for it." Tsunade snickered. "Come on there's someone here you should meet."

When Tsunade brought her forward the smile Naruto gave was a genuine one, the kind he'd nearly forgotten how to give in such a long time.

"Hi." He knelt down. "I'm Naruto...what's your name?"

"Akane." She answered back, bemused.

He touched her hand.

Her skin was hot to the touch...

-0-

"Itachi."

Her name was half a statement, half a question and half a greeting all at once as she turned her gaze towards the surprised clan head.

"Father." She nodded, her tone devoid of disapproval or affection in any case.

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