A/N: thank you guys so much for the support! I read through every single review and I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story so far! Please stay tune for more~

Act 20
solace

"Tadashi."

Said redhead turned around in his chair when he heard his name. A man with hair that resembled a giant pineapple was standing by the door. As soon as their eyes met, Shikaku tilted his head to the left—motioning for Tadashi to follow him.

"Sorry, Chōza, can you take care of this?" Tadashi stood up, taking a handful of reports from his desk to give to his co-worker.

Chōza answered with a smile. "Take your time." he took the papers and bid his friend goodbye.

Tadashi followed the Jōnin commander out of the Intelligence Division's building. Without Shikaku giving him any information, he knew where they were headed; The Hokage Tower.

Did they figure out who Anonymous is? Was it really his daughter?

There were thoughts going through his head—all of them were about Haruka. He hated himself for having to choose between the family he loves and the village he sworn his loyalty to. The past month has been hard for him. For the first time, he didn't want to come home for the purpose to spy on his own daughter.

The thought of having to interrogate his own daughter was too painful to even think, but as head interrogator, he would have to do it.

"Don't look so glum, Tadashi."

The look on Shikaku's face was the exact opposite of Tadashi's.

Shikaku smiled. "In fact, you should celebrate."

"Celebrate?" Tadashi echoed; his eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Shikaku didn't tell him why.

He didn't know until later when the Hokage told him the news.

"Your daughter has been cleared from the list."

It was music to his ears.

Tadashi held his urge to breathe out a long sigh of relief, but he couldn't hide the surprise look on his face. He was beyond relieved, but he was also confused as to why they suddenly decided to cross out her name. Out of all the five suspects, his daughter was on top of the list—placing number one above the Snake Sannin.

Jiraiya decided to clear things up. "Those were sent this afternoon," he pointed to the four wooden cards on the Hokage's table; one painted with the face of a cute frog and three were bright red. There was also a cassette player. "They were from our lovely friend."

"Anonymous?" Tadashi's eyes widened. His eyes scanned the items, looking for a message to decipher. He didn't know what they meant, but the frog probably indicates Jiraiya's status as the Toad Sage. He figured; the message was directed to Jiraiya rather than the village. "At first glance, I think it's for you Jiraiya-sama."

"Exactly." Jiraiya emphasized with a troubled look. His arms were crossed and his eyebrows knitted. "It's from the same address as before—except this was supposed to be delivered before the Kannabi one."

"Before?" Tadashi blinked confusedly. "How is that possible?"

"Apparently, it was misplaced." Shikaku answered. After Jiraiya confirmed that it was not him who sent the message for Kannabi bridge, they searched the whole post office. They didn't find anything suspicious nor did they found the package that was supposed to be delivered before the Kannabi one. "The delivery boy, Yamamoto Sōta, said the post office has been a clutter and they just found the package today—all dusty and whatnot."

Minato placed his hand on his chin. "Though... what is Anonymous trying to say this time?" a frog and three red cards. A cassette player as well.

"They want me to go to Amegakure." Jiraiya stated straightforwardly.

The three men, minus the Hokage, looked at him in surprise. It was clear that only Jiraiya got the message what Anonymous was trying to say.

"How so, Jiraiya-sama?" Shikaku asked, curious as to what made Jiraiya decide so quickly.

Jiraiya pressed the play button on the cassette player.

"The dark skies have shed tears yet again...

after the rain, the frogs are at war.

We await your return, sensei."

A woman's voice.

"So, this is Anonymous..." Tadashi began after a moment of silence. He was surprised Anonymous didn't disguise their voice for the recording.

The white-haired man shook his head. "More like Anonymous is using my student's voice." once again, he was met with surprised looks. The only students he had taken were Minato and his two teammates, who were all male. "Other than sensei, I never told anyone about this, but after the Second war ended, I trained three orphans from Amegakure; Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan."

Minato nodded, taking in the information.

"I taught them a 'Hop-in' system—one that is only known between the four of us." Jiraiya continued before he turned to gace the redhead. "This is one of the reasons why we conclude Haruka isn't Anonymous."

"The other reason... She couldn't have mimicked Konan's voice because they never met."

Tadashi's lips tightened to a thin line. "That's true."

Shikaku hummed, the gears in his head turning. "Anonymous knew your students personally and the system you created, and yet they don't seem to know where your students live judging by the address they used." he closed his eyes as his hand stroked his beard. It was strange, he thought.

"Maybe..." Tadashi was relieved his daughter wasn't Anonymous. His daughter was smart and talented, but she could never think of terrorizing the village like Anonymous is doing now. Of course, what Anonymous meant was good. They helped Konoha win the war, but the fact that they managed to breach their security and made them go around in circles were something not to be taken lightly. "Maybe Anonymous are your students, Jiraiya-sama."

"I don't believe my students are Anonymous." Jiraiya denied, a frown on his lips.

"They knew you personally and were the only ones who are aware of the Hop-in system you created. Perhaps, they faked the address to avoid getting detected by Hanzō." the redhead explained, clearing a few things up.

"Tadashi might be on to something." Minato came in defense. "This was supposed to be sent before the Kannabi Bridge one, but because of a mix-up, this was delivered at a later date." he continued, understanding where Tadashi was getting at.

"They wanted you to come back and help them with something."

Hiruzen hummed in thought. "As believable as that may be, it doesn't explain the second package. What does Jiraiya's students have to do with aiding Konoha? What would they gain in return?"

"I've heard there's a group of shinobi from Ame who has been rebelling against Hanzō's leadership. Perhaps your students are a part of this group." Shikaku heard a lot of rumors surrounding Ame despite their tight security. The group were known because of their strong and ambitious shinobi. "Not just Kusa, but there were rumors about Iwa trying to expand their territory to Ame before Kannabi Bridge was destroyed."

The Hokage gave a nod. "I suppose we shall believe that story for now. At the meantime, Jiraiya," the white-haired man straightened when he heard his name. "Since this involved your students, I'm sending you on a mission to find them and confirm if these are all true. Team Minato shall be your backup." the blond nodded his head.

"Shikaku; Tadashi; do keep an eye on the four other suspects, my ANBU shall continue to assist you both."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tadashi came home with a light heart.

His mind was no longer haunted by the thought of interrogating his own daughter. He can finally come home without the burden on his shoulders.

"I'm glad Haruka isn't the person we're looking for." Minato's voice broke him away from his thoughts. "I apologize for even suggesting her in the first place." he said sincerely.

The redhead shook his head, "No, I understand." Minato and Jiraiya were one of the first people to suggest Haruka to be put in the suspect list. Tadashi didn't blame the man for thinking such possibilities. From the given facts, his daughter's motives were to be questioned. "I know you were only looking out for her."

Whether Minato told the Hokage or not, Danzō would figure it out one way or another.

Team Minato—specifically Minato has been babysitting Haruka frequently. Once Danzō heard Hiruzen was looking for an Anonymous Shinobi, his ROOT shinobi were back in action. It might seem like Danzō was assisting Hiruzen in finding the identity of the anonymous shinobi, but the man was actually scouting for potential recruits.

Haruka just happened to be in his list.

"I've known her since she was a toddler—I think of her as my own now." Minato placed his hand on Tadashi's shoulder, giving a reassuring pat. He watched Haruka and Shisui grew during the past two years. He could say that their childhood was more eventful than his own. People often told him: he was a prodigy—a once in a lifetime type of prodigy, but he was sure he didn't organize a whole charity event when he was three years old.

Tadashi smiled, "You better not think of stealing my daughter."

"I'm considering it." Minato joked.

They both shared a laugh.

"Thank you, Minato... For being there when I couldn't."

"No problem."

The two Jōnin finally reached their destination, the Fujino household. Team Minato were, as usual, babysitting the kids. They always do when they have free time. No matter how much Kakashi thought of it as a 'waste of his time', babysitting the kids became a routine for the lucky team 7.

They could particularly hear all the noise inside from the front door.

"I'm home!"

"And then—ah! Tou-chan! Welcome home!" a voice greeted the redhead happily. Haruka was sitting on the floor with Shisui, Kabuto, and Obito. From the books laid across the low table, Tadashi assumed they were doing their homework before they came in. "Minato-sensei! Welcome back too!"

Said blond waved his hand in return.

Tadashi slipped off his sandals before walking inside. "Did you kids have fun while we were away?" he asked curiously, because it seemed that they were.

Haruka nodded her head. "Yeah! We were just talking about today's taijutsu practice! Did you know Shisui—"

"Homework." Kakashi deadpanned with his arms crossed and eyes staring at the back of Haruka's head.

"We... have a week to finish! We have plenty of time before we go camping!"

Shisui laughed nervously as Kabuto cleared his throat.

Minato took a step forward. "About that..." he trailed off, his eyes glancing at each of his students. They all noticed the look and they immediately stood. The three kids stared at the older kids with curious glances. "We have a mission from tomorrow morning. I'll explain the details later."

"Yes, sensei!"

Kabuto was the first one to react out of the three. "Ah... You won't make it to the trip then, Obito-niisan?" he asked, turning to the Uchiha who seemed to froze at the mention of the other plan.

"Eh?! But you promised!" Haruka pouted, a disappointed look across her face.

Obito felt guilty all of a sudden. "I'm sorry, guys! I'll try to make it back on time! I promise!" he clapped his hands together in front of his face. They've been planning for the trip for over a month. She was excited about the whole trip. He turned to face his teacher, "How long do you think the mission will take, sensei?" he asked frantically.

"A week or two max."

"Oh..." Even Shisui and Kabuto look disappointed to hear Obito won't be joining their camping trip.

"D—Don't worry, guys! I'll make it up to you! I promise! Promise!" Obito grinned widely, trying to cheer the three kids up.

Kakashi scoffed at Obito's false promises. "Rule number 4, a shinobi always put the mission first." the boy pointed out. Though Obito gave him a sharp glare, neither anyone in the room corrected his words. "You three will understand when you're older."

Haruka huffed, but soon after she smiled at Obito. "We understand... Come back soon and be careful, kay?"

Obito grabbed a fist full of his shirt, crying animatedly. "You guys! Alright! I'll definitely come back soon and spend more time with all of you!" he pulled the closest one into a hug—which happened to be Haruka. "So, wait for me, okay?"

"Always!" Haruka happily returned the embrace.

Kakashi and Rin stared at the quartet—it was more like a deadpan look coming from Kakashi himself while Rin smiled at the interaction. Out of Team Minato, Obito was the weakest when it comes to the younger kids. Unlike Rin who can sometimes be strict and Kakashi who was always reprimanding them, the boy was too soft—especially when Haruka pulled the sad kicked puppy look.

"Before we leave," Minato fished something out from his pouch, a green colored scroll. He kneeled down to face the little red head and gave it to her with a smile across his face. She took it with a confused look, tilting her head as she examined the scroll. A storage scroll, she noted. "Your homework." he said with the same smile still plastered on his face.

"Eh?!" Haruka exclaimed loudly, her face scrunched up in distaste. "More homework?!"

Kakashi snorted at her comment.

Minato chuckled. "Of course! We don't want you to forget over summer vacation." Haruka stared at him in disbelief as Shisui snigged from behind her. She heard it and looked over her shoulder to glare at him. "If you finished it, who knows? Maybe Kushina and I will finally teach you the real deal." he winked, ruffling the girl's hair before he stood up.

Haruka's eyes seemed to brightened. She had been learning the very basic—which was just writing kanji with a paint brush for the past few months. "I'll definitely finish it by the time you come back, sensei!" she said in determination.

"Good." Minato nodded his head.

"Stay safe." Tadashi said, glancing to look at each team member. The three members of Team Minato were already chuunin. They've been stationed outside the village during war time, but he can't help but worry for the children he had known for some time.

"We will! Thank you, Fujino-san!" Rin answered for them all, waving her hand goodbye.

Tadashi smiled, waving his hand in return. He glanced down to look at the three kids. His daughter seemed to notice his stare and she smiled at him. He smiled, ruffling her hair before ushering the kids inside the house. He heard from his wife the kids were having a sleepover.

"Who's ready for dinner?"

"But, tou-chan! You suck at cooking!"

Tadashi gave a betrayed look. "H—Haru-chan! How could you say that?!" he whined and hugged her from behind, trapping her from running away. Shisui and Kabuto smiled nervously—they heard about the stories Haruka told them; the Black Miso from Hell or the Living Red Blob.

"I don't want to go to the hospital this summer! How about we go to Dai-san's restaurant instead?"

The man pinched the girl's cheeks, pouting at her, but deep down he was glad he didn't have to pretend all of the interactions again. He was glad he can finally enjoy his time with his one and only daughter. Miwa—of course—wasn't aware of their daughter being watched by the Hokage's ANBU. He never told her about it—he didn't know how she would react when he told her the truth. One thing was for sure, she would be furious with him and the other shinobi.

"Well? What do you say, boys?" Tadashi turned to look at the two boys, waiting for their reply.

Shisui and Kabuto exchanged looks.

"I don't mind!" Shisui grinned.

Kabuto nodded his head in agreement. "I'm fine with anything."

"Except for tou-chan's cooking~" Haruka pipped with a laugh.

Tadashi buried his face in Haruka's hair—faking his sobs. "Oh, you wound me, Haru-chan!" he sniffled and she patted his arm. A second later he recovered and placed her down. "Well, boys, you heard what the princess said. Let's head out!"

They returned two hours later with a bag of snacks they bought for their sleepover.

Tadashi helped them with their homework before they decided to call it a day. He helped them make a fortress out of sheets and pillows for their sleepover. He decided to leave them alone and come back later.

It was 10 PM when he decided to check on them again.

The room was filled with light snores and there weren't any more loud noises. He peeked inside the fortress and smiled. They were asleep despite Haruka proclaiming they will stay up all night playing games and chatting.

He tucked all of the kids into bed.

"Good night, tou-chan..." Haruka mumbled sleepily before drifting off to dreamland once more.

Tadashi chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Good night, Haruka."

He switched the light off and closed the door with a soft click.

Hours passed.

It was 12 AM.

There was a rustle.

"—team Minato shall assists you—"

" —Orochimaru was—"

Click

Despite her two friends sleeping soundly beside her, Haruka was wide awake.

"Hmm."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Phew! Summer in Konoha is no joke!

It's hot. It's humid. It's hot and humid!

"Shiiiiiiisssuuuuiiiiii~" I said into the fan. It made my voice sound robotic and weird, but Shisui and Kabuto are already used to my shenanigans. "When is your dad going to get an air conditioner?"

Shisui glanced up from his paper, giving me a look. "Are you kidding? Those are expensive!" he huffed out. Air conditioners, telephones, and whatnot are a luxury here. The Main Uchiha household has them—cough rich people cough. My house—eh, we don't have ACs. Sad... so, so sad. "And stop using the fan to yourself! You're not the only one who's sweating!" he complained.

I put the fan back to rotate before crawling over to the low table. "I'm melting!" I groaned, laying my forehead on the cool surface. I quickly recovered when I thought of a brilliant idea. "Let's buy some ice cream!"

"We can do that later. At the meantime, other than complaining, why don't you finish your homework?" Kabuto tapped the back of his pencil on my book.

Daikoku gave us a ton of homework—plus I have to do the ones given by Minato and Kushina as well and hot gosh darn I have a lot of things to do. Luckily, I work faster than these two slowpokes. We decided to finish our summer homework this week before going camping with Kazuo and maybe Obito. It's only been three days since Jiraiya and Team Minato departed, but yeah, we're not really sure if he's going to make it to the trip or not.

I took the cute pencil I got from Obito and began to continue where I left off. "I just need to do the writing one and then Minato-sensei and Kushina-sensei's homework and then I'm done!"

"What? No way! You finished math already?" Shisui exclaimed in surprise.

"Duh!" I gave him a triumph look. Apparently, math is one of the hardest subjects in the Academy. Even the genius Jiro was having trouble with Daikoku's math problems. I actually had fun doing math—hey, I might actually be on par with the legendary genius Minato! I'm really curious what sort of test they give to the shinobi. If Minato can get a high score, I want to try and get a perfect one! "I finished it first before moving to science." I flashed him a grin.

Shisui sighed. "Man... Daikoku-sensei's math homework are the worse! I heard the other classes have it easy with their homeroom teacher." he complained, scratching the back of his head in frustration.

The math problems are equal to 1st grade and 2nd grade level math, and sometimes, Daikoku gave us a 'challenge'. Basically, it's a question no four to six year old can answer. It's unfair for them to compare to me since I had learned this way back.

"I finished it yesterday. Kaa-san helped me with it." Kabuto said as he took his glasses off to rub his tired eyes.

Yup, folks, that's right, Nonō isn't doing espionage missions or any mission for that matter. She isn't anywhere near ROOT or Danzō. Sometimes, she has shifts at the hospital, not because the orphanage needed extra funds, but because she just wanted to help people. A literal angel, I tell you.

She's been raising Kabuto, Urushi, and the other kids with Keiri and Kanpu—the caretakers at the orphanage. The Hokage made sure the orphanage received the funds they needed. I know because I asked Keiri about it, if you know...they ever needed some extra donations. She said there's no objection to donations, but she doesn't want me to push myself to give something when I don't have it.

"I can't concentrate in this heat! Let's get some ice cream!"

Shisui stared at me with a frown, "It's not good to eat ice cream every day, you know."

"We do exercise every day! It's all balanced!" I argued. One thing that continued even after the ANBU stopped spying on me is Guy and Duy's habit of coming to my house early in the morning to pick me up for jogging. I'm glad I've receiving extra exercises and taijutsu training, even I don't have that sort of energy 24/7.

"Haruka's right... perhaps it's time we take that ice cream break." Kabuto glanced over to look at me, a small smile on his lips. He is such a sweet little boy! I'm glad I was able to take him out of the original path. Orochimaru and Danzō can never taint this boy while I'm around!

Shisui hummed, placing his pencil down. "You're right. Let's go."

It's been almost three months since the Kannabi bridge mission and the war is turning into Konoha's favor. Just a week ago, Iwa officially surrendered to Konoha. In the real timeline, Hiruzen established a policy of reconciliation to end the fighting, but nope! This time, Iwa really surrendered to Konoha—documents and statements and all that politic stuff.

Suna called a truce with Konoha and Kiri's been awfully silent. Kumo—eh...stubborn as ever, they don't want to call it quits and continue the fighting. Old man Ōnoki was intimidated by Minato's Hiraishin, but Kumo's A the third is just too hardheaded to stop.

All in all, I have no regrets sending those packages.

The "first" package would definitely throw them off my back. I should imitate more people who I haven't met! That would really make them confused and all that.

I can move freely again as Anonymous. Though, I won't be able to change the other casts' fate until I'm able to gather intel outside of the village—or until I'm old enough to travel. I can only predict what's going to happen with the info I currently have—which is the old plot of the anime. I can guess what might happen, but it won't be as accurate as before.

For now, I can only hear what they say near the cassette player—

—which is probably confidential and pretty illegal for a mere civilian to hear haha

Ehem, so, the cassette player I sent to Jiraiya was, in fact, bugged.

I managed to create a simple listening device and a receiver from the wireless radio the shinobi always used on missions. Of course, I also tinker with a radio—luckily Iō was inattentive about me learning the whole circuits. He thought I was really interested in inventing stuff and wanted to make me his apprentice. I don't mind; actually, I can learn a lot of thing from him!

The receiver would record the conversation. Basically, the receiver is the same model as the cassette player I sent Jiraiya. It only works if both devices are within range. I have no problem with it since my house and the Academy are within the range from the Hokage Tower.

They didn't find the receiver cuz they didn't look closely enough. They might think they're a step ahead, but I'm always three steps ahead! At least, I try to. They won't find the bug in the cassette either—unless, of course, one of them knows what the bug looks like. They might have real bugs and all that, but I doubt they've ever seen a 'bug' being planted inside a cassette player.

I did listen through a couple of conversations.

Like the mission Hiruzen assigned Jiraiya and Team Minato. I was rather sad Obito might not make it to the camping trip. Their mission was simple, I guess... Find Jiraiya's students and confirm if they're Anonymous or not. It's simple unless Hanzō or Danzō decided to interfere with this mission.

I don't know a lot outside the major plot points, but I'm pretty sure Hanzō was a really paranoid guy to the point he trusted Danzō without doing investigations first. Let's see... The peace treaty was supposed to happen in a few years, I guess. Hanzō wanted to make peace with the original Akatsuki, but then Danzō framed the Akatsuki by using his men to disguise themselves as the Ame shinobi killed by the group.

Hmm... I don't think it's wise to even listen to Hanzō in the first place—not matter what alternate universe it is. Maybe I can send a recording to Hiruzen, but I don't think the message will make it on time.

If the peace treaty thing happened earlier with Jiraiya and Team Minato there, I guess they'll be okay.

I pray their mission goes well!

On the other hand, I wonder if this changed Hiruzen and Minato's status. They—the council—Danzō can't peer pressure Hiruzen to step down because of his weak decision. Would he continue to be Hokage—or would he really retire because all this Hokage job is too much for someone his age?

In my opinion, Minato's one of the best, but I think he's a bit too young. He's only like twenty something now. I... don't want to pick Orochimaru either, so I hope Hiruzen is still Hokage for a few more years until Minato takes the hat.

Another thing I listened to: they've been monitoring Orochimaru more frequently than they did with me. The ANBU who reported back to Hiruzen stated that Orochimaru has been up to something.

They will definitely find out whatever he's cooking up with Danzō and I hope Hiruzen will save all the kids before it's too late and take them both into custody this time!

Okay! Next message, first hint Hanzō, and then Orochimaru and Danzō's doings!

"Well, well, if it isn't the little magician."

Oh, speak of the devil—here he is!

"Good afternoon, Orochimaru-sama!" I greeted the Snake Sannin while holding onto my ice cream I just bought. We haven't seen each other in forever! I haven't seen Tsunade either, but Tsunade's not the one involved in a case. I have no idea what Orochimaru was doing near the Uchiha Compound. I smell something fishy! "It's been awhile hasn't it?" I asked him with a smile.

Both Shisui and Kabuto greeted the Sannin properly.

Orochimaru gave a nod, his snake like eyes glanced over to look at Shisui and Kabuto before me. "It has. I hope you're doing well."

"Yup! We're good! Summer vacation just started for us!" I informed him. It was basic information—everyone knows it's summer vacation for the Academy students. Though there are no rules or restrictions to who comes inside the Dango shop owned by the Uchihas—It was located just outside the compound. I find it a bit odd to find Orochimaru around here after being a hikikomori for so long. "And summer's a pain! It's so hot and humid!" I fanned myself with my hand.

"So, I see," Orochimaru hummed in reply. "Have you been hydrating yourselves?"

I raised my popsicle.

"Not a very good choice."

I grinned.

"Is there anything you need, Orochimaru-sama?" I asked curiously.

Orochimaru stared at me for a good few seconds before smiling. "Not at all. I was just passing by and happened to come across you children." he admitted.

Weirdddddd! Orochimaru just passing by and saying hello? I could never imagine him doing it without a purpose. Even though, he hasn't truly gone to the dark side—I can't help but worry about the glances he seems to sneak at Shisui. Where's ANBU when you need 'em? I can sense them around, but they're just standing there!

"Ohhh! Would you like to share then?" I ripped open the package and offered him the half side of my popsicle. It was the sharing type.

The man shook his head. "I apologize, I'm afraid I'm not a fan of sweets, Haruka-kun." he declined politely.

"Okay then!"

"Good afternoon," a new voice greeted with a gruff. We all turned to see the head of the Uchiha clan himself, Fugaku! He was in his uniform. Funny thing about the uniform. They have the Konoha-nin attire with the Uzushiogakure symbol instead of the Military Police Force's symbol. They still have it, but it's just an armband now. "To what do we owe this visit, Orochimaru-sama?" he stood beside me, tall and proud.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Uchiha-sama." Orochimaru replied. Come to think of it, I've never seen these two characters interact! First impression of the relationship, they don't seem to get along. "I was just on my way when I come across these young children."

"I see." Fugaku replied curtly.

"I shall be on my way then. Farewell, Uchiha-sama, Haruka-kun."

And that's that.

End of the conversation.

Lmao I never would've thought Orochimaru is intimidated by Fugaku!

Shisui sighed heavily from behind me. "Man! I know he's the Sannin and all, but I can't help but feel so tense around him..." he commented as he shared a look with Kabuto. I noticed both Shisui and Kabuto were silent through the whole conversation between me and Orochimaru. Shisui never really talked to Orochimaru other than greeting the man formally.

"Yes..." Kabuto nodded his head in agreement. Oh, snap! Hearing this from Orochimaru's future henchman is pure gold! Now I know for sure, this Kabuto won't be going around with baddie Orochimaru and Danzō. "You don't feel scared at all around him, Haruka?" he asked curiously.

I shook my head. "Not at all~"

Which is a lie, of course.

I am a little scared of Orochimaru because of what he's capable of doing.

"Orochimaru-sama may be one of the Legendary Sannin, but that does not mean you can lower your guard around him, Haruka." Fugaku advised. I almost chocked, tripped, and dropped my ice cream when I heard the Uchiha Fugaku showing his concern. What hit him in the head and changed his personality? Either way, I don't mind this version of Fugaku! "You as well, Shisui, Kabuto." he turned to look at each boys.

"Yes, sir!" Shisui saluted and Kabuto nodded.

"Thanks for all your hard work!" I offered Fugaku the popsicle I offered Orochimaru.

Fugaku took it.

He walked all of us back to Shisui's house before excusing himself.

Hmm

It makes me wonder.

How much did I already changed?

A/N:

The impression "Otsukaresama desu" is used a lot in Japan! It's the literal translation to "thank you for all of your hard work!". I know it seems a bit weird for Haruka to say it to Fugaku who is older, but it's pretty common. I say it all the time to my teacher when we finished classes.

The next chapter will revolve around Team Minato's mission!

That is all! Please tell me what you guys think of this chapter