The Insidious Effects of Love

Chapter 30: Epilogue

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The sun slowly started its descent on a warm summer day as birds finished their last song for the evening. A lone figure stood amongst gentle swaying grass as it danced around her feet, tickling her ankles. Hinata reached for the clothespin holding blue sheets in place from falling off the clothing line, her demeanor relaxed and peaceful as she listened to the birds singing.

The Hyuga momentarily paused as she turned her head in the direction of the house alarmed. A tea kettle whistled in the distance, interrupting the bird's song.

Hinata sighed as she heard the kettle whistling. While she was collecting her laundry, she'd forgotten the kettle was left boiling on the stove. Since it was on low heat it took a long time to boil; she must have spaced out for some time while she was enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of the evening.

She hastily plopped the last sheet in a basket before hoisting it up to rest on her hips as she made her way back to the house. Momentarily looking up at the sky, she paused a bit as she reached the steps leading inside her home.

It's been four years since the last fight regarding the Sound Village. Four blissful years of peace.

Hinata smiled to herself as she turned to walk into the house, surprised when she noticed a tall figure turning the stove off. Itachi turned to her with a smile. "We finally completed all of the renovations and you're trying to burn the house down?" he teased her as she dropped the basket of clothes and ran into his arms.

"Itachi-kun!" Hinata greeted warmly as she hugged him fiercely. He must have been home long enough to take a shower, Hinata noted as his hair was slightly damp and he smelled like soap. She smiled brightly while she looked up at him. Itachi returned the smile as he dipped his head to kiss her tenderly on her lips. "How was the mission?" she asked once they finally pulled apart enough to talk.

"Boring." Itachi murmured as he nuzzled her neck while they hugged. "I missed you guys." Hinata giggled as Itachi's hand gently touched her stomach. "How are you faring?"

"Great!" Hinata grinned just as they heard a cry upstairs. They recently learned that Hinata was pregnant . . . again. "I'll be right back." Hinata smiled as she went upstairs to check on their daughter.

Itachi smiled softly to himself as he turned around and reached for the cabinet where they kept tea. Who would have thought he would be married with kids at 31? It felt like it was just yesterday he was being framed by Danzo and on the run with Akatsuki Hidden in the Sound.

Itachi shook his head as he chuckled, placing jasmine tea leaves into a glass tea pot. He was still in Anbu – that much was the same, while Hinata used to teach at the academy. She was technically a criminal and not allowed din most public positions – but she assisted at teaching young children at the academy. She eventually left to stay home and raise their daughter. He'd never seen her so happy before; her heart was overjoyed with being a stay at home mother and spending her time with their daughter, Haruhi, who just made three.

"Papa! I missed you!" a girlish shriek emanated behind Itachi. He looked up behind him and smiled as Hinata walked down the stairs with their daughter in her arms. She was so young, but was already a chatterbox – another Uchiha prodigy in the making.

Hinata's heart fluttered as Itachi crossed the room and reached for his daughter, twirling her in the air as she giggled in mirth.

"Haruhi," Itachi smiled as his daughter laughed at him. "How much did you miss me?"

Haruhi giggled as she opened her arms wide "This much!" she laughed before reaching out for her papa as Itachi brought her close for a hug.

Hinata smiled to herself as she watched Itachi interacting with their daughter. This was their moment. A moment she craved her entire life and was finally living.

Peace.

She couldn't remember much during the time she was under Mika's control, but she remembered waking up feeling like shit on a clean linen bed in the Hyuga manor. Her body ached all over and she had so many questions, but the first thing on her mind was if everyone was safe.

Hinata was relieved when Neji entered the room as if he sensed her waking up. He calmly filled her in on everything that happened; how she and Sasuke were already affected by Pein's chakra links and how the others were soon infected.

Mika's group original goal was to take over Sasuke, Hinata, Itachi, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Neji's body; however, Kiba and Kin intervened by tricking Tayuya into infecting Kiba instead of Neji, allowing Neji to remain free and aid in taking down Pein in the final fight that released everyone from Mika's hold.

Ino gave Neji the opportunity by using her jutsu to get inside Naruto's head and briefly bring Kurama's consciousness at the forefront of Naruto's mind. Since Kurama's pure fox chakra was too overbearing for the chakra link, it burned Orochimaru's chakra right out of everyone who was linked. Pein was so fried after the surge of chakra and Neji's gentle fist, he almost fell over dead.

Sparing her the grimy details of their fight, she was happy to learn that Mika was taken into custody by Suna and Pein was easily detained as well by Konoha.

Obito would have gotten away, but more reinforcements came in time and detained him. Shortly after they were captured, the Sound village released a statement of peace and now in present day, had maintained it with Konan leading it for four years.

Shortly after waking up from the ordeal, Hinata wondered how she would return to a "normal" life. Turns out, it wasn't that difficult . . . not with Itachi by her side to help her with it. They kept their promise to figure things out together. It wasn't long before they married and Hinata moved into the Uchiha Complex.

"Mama," Haruhi called out to Hinata, interrupting her thoughts. Hinata smiled as she went over and joined the family hug, tears pricking her eyes.

She would do anything in her power to protect the peace and love she now found herself amid.

"I'll prepare her snack." Itachi kissed his wife on the cheek as he moved Haruhi to hold her on his hip.

"Ok, I still have some things to do." Hinata smiled as she followed Itachi into the kitchen. At the confused look he threw over his shoulder, Hinata sighed. "It's our turn to host dinner, remember?" Hinata chided her husband.

"Oh," Itachi answered. "I . . . forgot." He chuckled at his forgetfulness. Such a mundane thing for a husband to do. Last time dinner was at the Hyuga Manor with Tenten and Neji as hosts, along with their twin boys who they originally thought that one of them would be a girl.

"Neji said he'll come over to help, but they are running late." Hinata laughed as she went to the oven after reaching for her oven mitts and taking out some food. "Hmm, this smells so good." She gushed. Hinata placed it on the stove while Itachi rummaged through the fridge before finally finding Haruhi's snack. She was really into fruits lately, especially sliced mango. He moved to sit at the dinner table with Haruhi in his lap squealing in excitement when she noticed the fruit.

"Is Sasuke coming?" Hinata asked. Itachi frowned at the question. He hadn't heard from his brother in a few weeks or so.

Two months after the younger Uchiha woke from Pein's jutsu and free of Mika's control, Sasuke left for Suna and currently resided there helping out their defenses. After Suna took Mika, Sasuke was vital in getting her to give up the secret to the body transfer jutsu, allowing the former Kazekage to return to his body and Karin, Orochimaru's lackey, to be detained. Coincidentally, the former Kazekage resigned from the position allowing Gaara to be Kazekage full time as Sasuke worked with him closely to bolster their defenses as a diplomat of Konoha.

It was supposed to be a short assignment, but it quickly turned into a couple of years. Itachi was sure a certain blonde woman by the name of Temari had something to do with that.

"I'm not sure." Itachi remarked as he fed Haruhi a mango slice. Due to being all the way in Suna, Sasuke rarely attended their get-together's. It's been six months since he'd last seen his brother.

After spending five years apart while he was in Akatsuki, they were awkward with one another. At first, Itachi was concerned that with Sasuke leaving for Suna, spending even more time apart after finally returning to a sense of normalcy would ruin their relationship, but it became stronger. Conversing over phone or via webcam helped break the ice and take some pressure off of in-person interactions.

Sasuke would visit Konoha often enough and although they hadn't returned to what they had been before the Uchiha massacre – too much had happened for them to ever return to those days – the new bond they formed was stronger than ever. Not to mention, Sasuke was apparently great with kids and Haruhi adored him. If Itachi couldn't lure his brother back to Konoha, Haruhi usually did the trick. He couldn't spend too long without seeing his niece.

"There's a chance he'll show up tonight." Itachi smirked as he watched his daughter greedily grab the last slice of mango from his fingers and mash the juicy fruit into her mouth.

Hinata shook her head. Despite being the same age as Sasuke, she still worried for his well-being and tended to nag him when he didn't call often; much like a worrisome older sibling. When they first met, their relationship was strained, but as time passed they learned to lean on one another and ironically, Orochimaru's curse brought them closer. Their bond soon become unbreakable and their respect for one another solidified the deep trust they now shared.

A knock on their door brought Hinata out of her thoughts, but she had a feeling she already knew who it was. "Coming!" she called out before heading to the entrance and opening the door, revealing Neji and Tenten with their twin boys and Hanabi. The adults all looked a little worn out, but Tenten looked drained.

"Hi auntie Hinata!" the two boys greeted together as they smiled up at their beloved aunt.

"Hello Nori and Temma!" Hinata greeted as she stooped down to give them a hug.

"How are you?" Nori ventured, the quiet one out of the two and the second born. He had long hair like his father with his mother's lighter hair color while Temma wore his brown hair in a shorter style, but had dark brown hair like Neji. Nori tended to be more quiet and formal – even with family, while Temma was curious and confident, always thinking of a scheme. "I hope your pregnancy is well." He inquired.

Hinata smiled as she patted his head. "I'm doing well Nori, thank you for asking!"

"Is Haruhi awake?" Nori asked, wondering about his cousin.

"Of course she is, she knew we were coming!" Temma grinned as he rushed ahead to the kitchen, Nori excitedly running along to catch up.

"They seem a little more energetic than normal." Hinata laughed as she heard them greeting Itachi and Haruhi loudly. As the kids chatted away, Hinata was always amazed at how articulate they were – they were only five years old!

"The reason why we're late is because it took forever to dress them thanks to their sugar rush." Hanabi complained as she stretched. She ended up having to help out when she realized Tenten was not going to get them ready in time.

"I wonder why." Neji deadpanned as Tenten flinched with an apologetic smile.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at this. Neji made sure they rarely ate sugary food and was usually in charge of getting them ready for outings.

"Don't look at me," Neji told her as he threw a pointed look in Tenten's direction. He was the strict parent while Tenten tended to be the "fun" one.

"I had no choice." Tenten said gravely to Hinata.

12 Flash back 21

Earlier in the day, Tenten returned from a training session with Lee and was bombarded by her children as soon as she entered the door. She laughed to herself – she was still working as a secret service operative but easily succumb to two children – as she hugged them in greeting. Noticing a glint in their eyes, she gave them a questioning look.

"What's up you two?" she asked as the twins looked at one another before Temma smiled at her sweetly. Tenten immediately knew something was certainly up. Temma was the mischievous one, but Nori, the shy quiet one, was the real mastermind. Tenten looked at Nori suspiciously but he gave no signs of his emotions.

"Can we have some cake before we visit auntie Hinata?" Temma asked. Uh oh, that did not sound like a good idea.

"Did you ask your father?" Tenten asked, raising an eyebrow. Neji oversaw sugar intake because, according to him, if it was up to Tenten they would have cavities. It's not her fault they inherited Neji's pretty-boy good looks! It was hard to say no! And they knew it.

"Yes," Nori answered truthfully as Temma butted in, "Daddy said no!"

"Then why ask me?" Tenten sighed. "You know Daddy's the boss of sugar!"

"He's not the boss of you." Nori casually mentioned as they looked up at their mother with big wide Hyuga eyes.

Don't fall for it

Don't fall for it

Don't fall for it

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"Tenten," said woman "eeped" when her husband found her later after the twins ambushed him in his office, high off sugar. He barely survived the fallout and his hair was pulled out of its usual style in all directions as proof. The twins decided to attack him, pretending to use the byakugan they hadn't awakened just yet and imitate their father's rotation and gentle fist . . . which apparently involved a lot of hair pulling.

Neji was looking over some clan documents with his cousin Tokuma before the twins launched their attack. Luckily for Tokuma, who had shorter hair, he was able to avoid the brunt of their full-scale attack – but didn't leave completely unscathed. Neji was slightly impressed with how they quickly switched up their strategy mid strike after noticing Tokuma's shorter hair and kicked him in the shin.

After finally grabbing the crafty twins and scolding them – for heaven sake pulling hair was just low for a future agent! – he quickly deduced Tenten had given them sugar. They were normally well-behaved and polite until they ate sugar and he just knew Tenten gave them that damn cake. Neji told her not to buy that diabetes infested Vienna cake – with even more sugary jelly filling between layers – but she just couldn't say no to their children.

Luckily Hanabi was walking by and they shooed the children off to follow their aunt as Neji and Tokuma recovered and collected documents that now littered the floor. To lighten the mood, Tokuma complimented the twin's stealth since the former Anbu agents didn't sense them coming. After that, Neji promptly went to throw the rest of the cake away – but found nothing left. Tenten literally bought that cake yesterday!

Tenten avoided looking into Neji's all-seeing eyes as she dried her hair with a towel. Also, she would have burst out laughing if she stared at his messed-up hair any longer. She had just exited the shower when Neji cornered her and she intently began focusing on rubbing her hair dry as she thought of an excuse.

"Yes, my love?" Tenten asked sheepishly.

"Care to explain the twins sugar rush?" Neji questioned as he leaned against the doorframe of their room. When Tenten didn't respond, his eyes narrowed. "And the missing Vienna cake?"

"Would you believe it if I told you that I was minding my business and then found the boys already eating cake?" She laughed awkwardly.

"They were already eating cake?" Neji questioned as Tenten nodded. "And how did they get the cake? Certainly not from the counter it was on . . . which they cannot reach."

"Ummm," Tenten backtracked, trying to cover up her lie before deciding to just give up. "I gave them cake, but they tricked me!" She confessed.

"How did two four-year-old's trick you?" Neji demanded of the Secret Service Captain.

After Tenten rehashed the story, making sure to point out the times when she was obviously manipulated by boyish charm and smooth talk, she finished her tale. "And here we are!" Tenten laughed awkwardly as Neji sighed heavily again. He supposed he couldn't be too upset at her, seeing that he was certain they got that manipulative personality from his side of the family.

He briefly wondered why they never took out their sugar rush on Tenten but remembered how the one time they did, Tenten managed to hit them as they ran away with a hard decorated pillow that took them down. That's when they learned that their mother never missed her target – and what the tooth fairy was because they each lost a tooth from the ordeal. It was sort of traumatizing for them.

While Tenten was a pushover with sweets, Neji tended to be a pushover whenever they had their tantrums because they really were some adorable kids. The way Nori spun around, imitating his dad "rotation" warmed Neji's heart. And little Temma pretended to shoot him with a gun! How cute! But Tenten didn't need to know that.

"I see." Neji said simply as he could hear the twins fighting from the living room. Usually, he would break it up since he was the better mediator, but . . . "As punishment, you have to deal with their sugar rush. Hopefully they go to bed on time." Neji responded before he left their room. He needed Tenten to understand how crazy they could get if given too much sugar.

"Wait no, Neji please," Tenten cried as her husband left her with the intention of not helping with their two boys full of sugar. She would have to be the one to get them dressed for Hinata's later. "Don't you love me?" She cried.

23 End flashback 32

Both Itachi and Hinata laughed as Tenten retold the story while they all gathered in the spacious living room. The children were playing with building blocks and various toys at their feet as the adults talked.

"Just wait, I'll get my revenge." Tenten promised Neji who looked at her haughtily. As if.

"This is why I'm never having children." Hanabi complained.

"You're only 20!" Both Neji and Hinata automatically yelled at the mere mention of children being uttered from their little sister's mouth.

Hanabi gave them a look. "You both just heard the word "children" and freaked out, didn't you?" she deadpanned as Tenten laughed at how flustered the Hyuga's got.

"N-No," Hinata blushed as she looked down at the ground. "You have your whole life ahead of you, you don't have to rush and make any decisions now." She ended with a soft smile. When Hinata was 20, she was running away from the Hyuga clan with a then 11-year-old Hanabi. Hinata was beyond happy that Hanabi would not follow the path she was forced to walk in order to survive; how she longed for peace when she was always at war.

"Yeah, yeah," Hanabi scoffed. "Keep that same energy when you pester me about Konohamaru!"

"You're dating the former President's grandson?" Neji asked alarmed. The younger adults both attended university together and got along well.

"No, but Hinata wants me to!" Hanabi smirked as Hinata tried to explain.

"I just think they look cute together!" Hinata protested as everyone laughed again, Neji shaking his head as Itachi silently agreed. They would make a cute couple.

Before Hanabi could tease Hinata more, the doorbell rang and Hinata quickly got up to open it, leaving the living room and opening the door wide after hearing the familiar voices outside.

"Hinata!" Kiba grinned when she opened the door before hugging her. Sakura laughed at Kiba's actions.

"Babe, put Hinata down." Sakura sighed as she patted his back.

"But she's pregnant again," Kiba grinned as he obliged and put Hinata down. Hinata told them the happy news last week, but only now he was able to see her in person. "I'm so happy for you Hinata! Our kids will be born around the same time!" He grinned as Sakura blushed and Hinata eyes widened in shock.

"You're expecting too?" She asked before quickly reaching for Sakura who grinned at her as they clasped hands.

"Yes!" the two women squealed in excitement as they walked into the Uchiha Manor.

At first, Sakura and Hinata's relationship was rocky at best. They were like strangers who had mutual friends. After things finally returned to normal and bumping into each other more often – this time in social settings rather than life or death scenarios – they realized they could be great friends.

It was slow to form, but it gradually got there. Sakura would come to Hinata when Kiba inevitably pissed her off and Hinata would complain about Uchiha's (especially when Sasuke had his mood swings) and Sakura could relate and give her advice. Hinata's calm and surprisingly shy demeanor matched well when Sakura began to panic or become slightly insecure with her worrying, while Sakura's conviction and bubbly personality helped reintegrate Hinata into a new life.

"Did you guys hear the news?!" Kiba asked excitedly as they entered the living room and Sakura laughed at how excited he was. He was almost, if not more, excited than on their wedding day! "I'm going to be a father!"

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"Kin, have you seen my jacket?" Shikamaru called out as he looked through his closet in the bedroom that already had multiple jackets in it.

"On the back of the door in the bathroom!" Kin called out from somewhere in the living room.

Shikamaru went into the bathroom and was surprised to find the exact jacket he was looking for and pulled it over his shoulders as he put it on. "How does she do that?" he murmured to himself. It's not like he was specific, but somehow she knew! Bah, women.

The lazy genius walked into the living room where Kin was reading a book on the couch. She sported normal civilian clothes and their son laid on her lap fast asleep. Kin gave birth only a few months ago, but Shikamaru knew that despite having a newborn, she was itching to get back into the field.

'You can take the woman out of the fight, but not the fight out of the woman.' Shikamaru smirked. But these last few days, she didn't look as restless.

Shikamaru laughed to himself before sliding in behind Kin, wrapping his arms around her as she made herself comfortable in his arms. She placed the book beside her on the couch and gently picked up their sleeping son and cradled him in her arms. "Having second thoughts about going back to Anbu?" Shikamaru teased her as he pulled her long deep purple hair strands away from her face before kissing her ear.

In the past, Shikamaru speculated that she dyed her hair seeing that her older sister Anko had purple hair. She denied it of course, but during the pregnancy she claimed her hair magically changed on her. Shikamaru wasn't a doctor, but he doubted that was an effect of pregnancy. More like she couldn't dye her hair anymore so it returned to its natural color.

Kin smiled as Shikamaru kissed her. "Yes," she answered his earlier question sadly while looking at their son who was fast asleep. She kissed him on his forehead tenderly. "Never thought I'd say this, but it may take me a while to go back."

"Don't tell Haku that," Shikamaru joked. Her Anbu partner would be pissed.

Kina chuckled at the thought of Haku hearing that news. It would not go over well with him. "You think he'd be upset?" Kin mused as she smirked thinking about yesterday when Haku visited them for the first time to see their son. "He seemed pretty smitten with Shin."

Shikamaru thought about it before laughing. "You're right, he might not even want you back."

"He's taking being a god father a lot more seriously than I anticipated." Kin mused, remembering how enamored Haku was with Shin, holding his little hands and staring as he yawned. Witnessing such innocence was rare in their world and Haku was completely captivated by it. He demanded that they teach him how to feed Shin and change his diapers and took his teaching earnestly.

"I hope he keeps that same energy when Shin is in his terrible two's." Shikamaru chuckled as Kin laughed before lightly caressing their son's cheek with a smile on her face.

Shikamaru couldn't believe he was a father to a healthy baby boy, a husband to his first love . . . and a member of Anbu.

He never thought he would be back, but he ended up accepting the job offer all those years ago with the promise of reforming the organization so agents weren't overworked and had longer periods off the field as they did in. Life was all about balance . . . and sometimes he needed to be the change he wanted to see.

His Anbu partner was Itachi and they returned earlier from a two-week mission in Sound and Sand. Nothing serious this time, just assisting their new allies, Sound, with a bit of work before checking in with Suna. It was nice to see Konan, the blue haired former assassin of Akatsuki, as the leader and a damn good one at that. However, they didn't get to see Sasuke or Temari, who were currently out on their own mission.

Shikamaru leaned back on the couch as his hands supported his wife in his arms while she cradled their baby and gushed over him. He only dreamed of a day like this – to see Kin finally at peace, no more running, no more secrets.

His hand lazily squeezed Kin's thigh to get her attention from their sleeping son. "Hmm?" she asked as she turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. He opened his mouth to say something but her phone began vibrating.

"Oh, Shika, hold Shin for a minute." Kin said as Shikamaru took over for her as she reached for her phone and smirked. "Hey Ino!" she answered happily as the women chatted.

Shikamaru's heart overflowed with joy. It was nice seeing those two become friends again. After the attack with Mika, Shikamaru sat Ino and Choji down and told them the real reason why Kin left him all those years ago; that she fled not to break his heart, but to save him from Orochimaru. It made for a teary scene as everyone let out their truth and the group began reforming their bond. It was nice to see everyone as friends again.

Kin hung up and turned to Shikamaru who merely raised an eyebrow at her excitement. "Are you ready to go over to Hinata's?" She asked. "Ino and Naruto are almost here."

"Yes, I'm ready." Shikamaru smirked. "I'll look after Shin while you freshen up."

Kin leaned forward and kissed him, before getting up and heading to their room for some new clothes to wear.

Shikamaru glanced down at his son in his arms, a ghost of a smile gracing his features as Shin yawned, waking up from his nap. "Troublesome." The shadow user grinned.

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"I'm letting myself in!" A loud voice was heard before Naruto indeed let himself into the house as he greeted the others in the living room with Ino, Shikamaru and Kin walking in after him.

"Naruto, you'll wake the kids." Ino complained as she held their three-year-old daughter in her arms, her blonde hair covered by a purple beanie.

"Such a drag." Shikamaru tsked as his son began to stir in his arms after he rocked him back to sleep in the car ride over.

"Sorry," Naruto grinned sheepishly as Kin snickered.

"Ohh, is Inoa-chan sleeping?" Temma pouted as he went over to check out the new arrivals. They got along well and usually got into trouble together.

"Don't worry Temma, she's just taking a nap." Ino laughed as the boy sighed before walking back over to sit with Nori and Haruhi.

"I can't get over how well behaved your children are," Sakura gushed as the adults watched the children play as they laughed and chatted with each other. "You're going to have to help me with mine Neji."

"Hey, I helped too!" Tenten pouted as Hanabi scoffed.

"If you want to raise devils then ask Tenten." She snickered as Tenten shoved her playfully.

"Not true!" she whined as Neji smirked.

"You're better off getting help from Lee." He sighed dramatically as his wife glared at him. Lee was currently away with Sai. The two secret service members were away on duty with the President, accompanied with Shino, Minato's personal doctor while Sakura was on maternity leave.

"I mean, Lee is great when the kids have a sugar rush." Tenten acknowledged as Neji chuckled at his wife. "It's not my fault that I let them get away with everything! They are so cute! Sakura, you'll understand how weak we are to our children when you have yours!" she complained as everyone laughed again.

"I'll give you that Tenten." Neji laughed as she sighed.

The twins were the future of the Hyuga clan, a new generation that wouldn't have to live in a clan of lies and treachery. Neji worked endlessly the past four years rebuilding the laws and systems of their clan with a personal goal of making everyone equal and creating a more open minded mentality. There was still a lot to do, but there was some progress made.

Namely, everyone seemed to adore the twins, whose mother was from outside the clan – something that wouldn't happen with Hiashi in charge.

Neji glanced at Haruhi as she giggled at something Temma said. No one knew if the girl would inherit the sharingan or byakugan; her eyes weren't black or light lilac. They were a beautiful cloudy gray, like dark and angry storm clouds with hints of deep purple of a calm night.

Whatever blood trait she inherited, Neji wanted to make sure she would be welcomed with open arms into the clan. As of right now . . . they were on the right track.

"Naruto, did you forget to bring in our cake from the car?!" Ino yelled at the blonde who sighed before he teleported out of the room.

During these get-togethers, everyone would bring something as they all caught up on each other's activities. It was a way they managed to keep sane in the aftermath of Orochimaru/Kabuto. They were the only ones who could understand each other, so it was a good way to keep tabs on everyone to make sure they were all ok mentally and physically.

Naruto teleported back in with a large cake in his arms. "Where should I put this Hinata?" he asked before the twins were immediately surrounding him.

"Uncle Naruto," Temma began earnestly. "We must have some cake now!"

"Temma," Neji warned before the children backed off immediately with a sigh.

"Wha-what?!" Tenten stammered. "Why don't you two listen to me?!" Tenten yelled as everyone laughed as Temma shrugged and Nori avoided eye contact with his fuming mother.

"I'll take it Naruto!" Hinata smiled as she reached for it. "I have to check something in the kitchen anyways."

"Ok, here ya go!" Naruto grinned as Hinata took the cake and made her way to the kitchen. She placed the large cake – decorated with lots of edible purple flowers – on the stove as she headed to the fridge to grab the pitcher of juice she had prepared for everyone.

She happened to glance outside and noticed a piece of clothing on the ground in the back yard. One of the sheets must have fallen out of the basket when she was collecting laundry.

Sighing to herself – honestly, she would have been Anbu ranked, how could she be so careless? – she made her way outside, taking a moment to admire the sun that was setting; the sunset giving a beautiful glow.

She needed to remember not to be, or appear to be, so carefree. Although it was finally a time of peace, Haruhi had gained a lot of attention as everyone in the village wondered which blood trait she would inherit. When Hinata was a child, she was once kidnapped for the byakugan's secrets and knew their child's potential abilities had travelled far beyond Konoha.

It was always on her mind that her child would become a target much like she was, and since Itachi was away on missions sporadically, she would need to defend Haruhi.

Smirking to herself, Hinata laughed softly. Not that she would have any trouble with that, the lethal Byakugan user thought.

As she stooped down to pick up the sheet, the back of Hinata's neck tingled . . . someone was here.

Without missing a beat, she effortlessly swung around with her gentle fist, only for it to be blocked as she looked into teasing red eyes.

"S-Sasuke?!" Hinata blurted out before she heard commotion inside the house as Ino was screaming "Temaaarriii! We missed you!" in greeting at seeing a friend after so long.

Sasuke smirked, his hand still holding onto Hinata's wrist, his sharingan tails lazily twirling in his eyes. "The one and only." He responded dryly.

"How did I not sense you?" Hinata asked with a frown, she still had yet to deactivate her Byakugan. She always knew when Sasuke was near, it was why she had swung around with an attack because she didn't recognize who was behind her.

"You're getting soft Hyuga." Sasuke scoffed as Hinata rolled her eyes as her Byakugan faded as Sasuke's sharingan melted away.

"You snuck up on me intentionally!" Hinata pouted as Sasuke laughed, lowering their hands as he let go. "And you didn't say you were coming over." She chastised the Uchiha who rolled his eyes at her nagging.

"I couldn't let the opportunity go to waste." Sasuke shrugged. "It's rare when you don't sense me coming." He smiled softly as they made eye contact with each other, years of living with Orochimaru's chakra still in their system.

Unlike the others, who's lingering black chakra had burned out when Kurama's consciousness took over Naruto's body briefly during the chakra link, Sasuke and Hinata still had remnants of Orochimaru's chakra in their system. Throughout the years it thinned out, but was still ever present.

After many examinations, Sakura and Tsunade deduced it was due to the fact that they had been infected by Orochimaru directly so it was far more potent than what the others were injected with.

They were linked and forever will be . . .

"Uncle Sasssuke!" a voice cried out.

. . . in more ways than one.

Sasuke quickly turned around as he noticed Itachi standing on the back porch with an excited Haruhi squirming in his arms as she reached out for her uncle.

Smirking, Sasuke sauntered over with his arms reaching out for his niece who immediately began chattering away as he lifted her from her father, feeling the need to tell him everything he missed in the months he had been away right then and there.

Itachi flicked his little brother on his forehead, earning a scowl from Sasuke as Hinata joined them.

"Ow," Sasuke muttered as Haruhi laughed at him. "What was that for this time?" he asked suspiciously.

"You didn't call beforehand." Itachi goaded, giving him a teasing smirk. Sasuke knew Hinata worried about him.

"Surprise." Sasuke drawled humorously as Hinata giggled at their interaction.

"I was just in Suna and was told you were on a mission." Itachi raised an eyebrow as Sasuke let Haruhi attempt to braid his black hair, but really just ended up tugging at it happily. He normally kept it short, but it now fell beyond his shoulders. The longer look suited him and he even reminded Itachi of his younger self.

"A mission to surprise you!" Temari added as she smirked and joined them outside after greeting everyone.

"Temari!" Hinata smiled as they hugged. "Thank you for the surprise, we were wondering when we would see you both again!"

"Thank Sasuke, he's the one that dragged me back." Temari snickered as Sasuke's cheeks colored.

"It was time to return." He muttered before holding Haruhi high into the air, walking with her back into the house as she laughed at his antics.

"It's always shocking to see Sasuke do so well with kids." Temari chuckled as she heard Neji's twins screaming his name at seeing Sasuke.

"Everyone is still shocked." Itachi agreed as they headed back inside.

As expected, each twin was clamped onto Sasuke's leg, holding him in place as he held Haruhi. Inoa had awaken at the sudden noise and sleepily rubbed her eyes before noticing Sasuke. "Uncle Sah-say!" she smiled brightly, still having trouble pronouncing his name. The adults laughed at this as Sasuke sighed at the unofficial nickname that had been created for him as a result.

"Temma, Nori, you both have gotten stronger." Sasuke acknowledged as he tried to move forward but was held in place as the twins hugged him.

"We've been training." Nori said proudly.

"We attacked daddy this morning!" Temma gushed.

"We won." Nori smirked, a glint appearing in his eyes.

Sasuke almost laughed at the look, knowing damn well where he got that subdued craziness from. A certain indigo black haired Hyuga came to mind. They'd have to watch out for Nori in the future if he inherited his Aunts personality.

"Neji, you're too comfortable as Hyuga head." Sasuke called out to the Hyuga who glared at him. "You let two four year olds get the best of you?"

"How about we step outside and test that?" Neji asked as he went over and grabbed the twins holding Sasuke in place, hoisting them up onto his hips as he glared daggers at Sasuke's mocking gaze, Haruhi laughing and clapping her hands as she was held in Sasuke's arm.

The two men didn't look so intimidating with toddlers attached to their hips, but they sure as hell tried.

"Can we watch?" Temma asked, always excited to watch the two spar as Nori nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"What do you say Tenten, how about a little tag team?" Temari asked the brunette as she came to stand next to Sasuke.

"Oh you're on, I've been meaning to test these new set of weapons I got!" Tenten smirked at them as she moved forward, a look of anticipation on her face.

Hinata sighed as Itachi chuckled next to her. Although their relationship had gotten better, Neji and Sasuke still butted heads from time to time and their naturally competitive spouses didn't help.

"How about we just eat?" Hinata called out to them, her face full of worry.

"Oh boy, here comes the deadliest pacifist." Kiba scoffed as everyone laughed at Hinata blushed.

"Isn't it odd that some of the strongest in the village are both pacifists?" Shikamaru smirked as Itachi rolled his eyes at his Anbu partner.

"Somehow, it makes sense with those two." Kin teased.

"Ok, everyone to the dining room!" Hinata ordered with a blush while clapping her hands as everyone laughed.

123

"We're going to have many children." Sasuke continued as he calmly drank his glass of water later while everyone ate. The kids were asleep upstairs while the older children were in the living room watching a cartoon as the adults talked.

Since Sasuke and Temari lived in Suna now, everyone was wondering how the newlyweds were faring. Not one for small talk, Sasuke knew exactly what everyone was really trying to ask, so he felt the need to settle the manner.

"W-What?!" Temari spat out her water while coughing. This was news to her!

"I have to rebuild my clan." Sasuke stated simply as Temari turned to him.

Temari gave him a look. "Do you have rebuild-my-clan-stamina?" she challenged, earning a scowl from Sasuke.

"We can go upstairs and—"

"Alright, that's enough." Naruto interrupted Sasuke's response loudly. "Please, before we're all scarred for life!" he complained.

"Too late," Shikamaru muttered while pushing his plate away as everyone around the table laughed.

"I can't let Itachi get ahead of me." Sasuke explained. "They are already on their second child."

Hinata blushed darkly as Itachi laughed at his younger brother. "You can't exactly rush the process, little brother."

Sasuke gave Itachi a look. "Clearly, since you both are only now on your second child. I've been here when you are both going at it, I'm surprised you don't have a whole army of—"

"S-Sasuke, please!" Hinata stammered as her blush darkened.

"Seriously, there's a time and place for everything Uchiha," Neji frowned, looking a little green at the tidbit of information he could have lived without knowing.

"No please, I feel like I need to hear this." Hanabi joked as another round of laughter ensued as Hinata turned red.

"Ok, I'll save you Hinata," Sakura laughed before she turned to Shikamaru and Kin. "So what's up with Anbu lately?"

"You know that's confidential information Sakura." Shikamaru responded seriously. "I can't just go around telling everybody everything!"

"So you telling me that Konoha is looking into preparing a joint academy with Sound and other neighboring villages was a lie?" Ino asked with a raised eyebrow as Shikamaru let out a big sigh as Sakura made an 'I thought so' expression.

"This is why I don't like telling you anything Ino." Shikamaru grumbled as Ino rolled her eyes.

"As if you could keep anything from me." She scoffed as Kin snickered at her husband.

"Ok, fine. Konoha is looking into a joint academy to amplify training for future agents." Shikamaru sighed as Hinata looked worriedly at Itachi who hadn't mentioned this to her yet.

"It's still being talked about." Itachi elaborated. "But the logic is that the villages are too isolated, which leads to mistrust of each other. We want to better strengthen our relationship with one another."

"And the children are our future, as the saying goes." Shikamaru drawled. "Our mission to Suna and Sound was to confirm future talks to establish such a school."

"I can tell you from now," Temari began, as she had already been briefed on it from Kankuro. "Suna is all on board. I think it's a great idea and Gaara feels the same."

"But working . . . with Sound." Hinata murmured. She worriedly looked out to the living room where Haruhi had already fallen asleep cuddled next to her cousins. Her experiences with the newfound village had left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I'm not exactly found of the idea." Kin began as Sasuke nodded solemnly. "But I understand it is to better our relationship with one another so personal grudges don't become large scale attacks." Kin sighed, thinking back to her own past with Orochimaru.

"I'm working on figuring out security." Sasuke added. "Some villages are historically enemies of Konoha and it would be unwise to open our gates with little consideration of the possibility of spying on us."

"Perhaps you should look into hosting the academy in neutral territory?" Hinata suggested as everyone turned to her. "The villages can come together and decide on neutral territory where the academy is built."

"That way it's not based in one village with that village having the added pressure of security." Sakura added as she nodded in agreement.

"It will be fairly monitored by all villages." Kiba noted, knowing damn well his clan would be charged with surveillance and tracking.

"That's a great idea Hinata!" Naruto grinned. "We could also establish rules that better aligns with each villages culture for the school since we're starting from scratch!"

"If Konoha was to host this, it would undeniably be a copy of our already established academy's, which wouldn't mesh well with others. Starting form scratch may be best in this instance." Neji murmured as he thought it over.

"Hmm, we'll take that back to the President and see where it goes. Temari, I'm sure you'll notify your brothers." Shikamaru assumed as Temari nodded.

"See? Isn't it great to share information?" Ino joked as everyone laughed, breaking the serious atmosphere that had started to build in the room with talks of the village safety.

"I guess gossiping has its benefits." Shikamaru smirked as Ino told him to shut up, earning more laughs.

123 321

Hinata rake a hand through her long indigo black hair as she sat at the edge of her bed, preparing for sleep. She left the window in their room open as soft light form the moon filtered inside. The last of the guest had returned to their respective homes, with Sasuke and Temari staying over with Naruto and Ino for a few nights. Normally they would stay at the Uchiha compound, but Naruto wanted to spar with Sasuke first sight of light and opted to just have them over.

Hearing the creak of a door being opened, Hinata turned to see Itachi entering their bedroom, having just put Haruhi to sleep after reading a bedtime story to her. "How was it?" Hinata smiled at Itachi who looked beyond tired.

"I can recite Peter Pan word for word in my sleep." Itachi muttered as he quickly got under the covers of their bed. Hinata giggled as she tied her hair up before crawling over to her drowsy husband. Haruhi was pretty obsessed with the story and demanded to have it read to her at least five times before she grew tired enough to sleep.

Hinata snuggled into Itachi's arms, her faced pressed against his chest as she breathed in his intoxicating scent. She always missed him when he went on missions, especially at night when she couldn't be wrapped in his arms.

She could feel his hands gently rubbing her back, before he spoke. "You're still thinking about the joint academy."

Hinata frowned. Throughout the years, Itachi seemingly developed the ability to read her mind. "And most importantly, about Haruhi joining the academy when she's older." Hinata looked up at Itachi only to find dark eyes looking down at her in amusement.

"The thought never crossed your mind?" Hinata pouted as Itachi chuckled. "Haruhi adores you, she will want to follow in your footsteps. I don't want to send Haruhi somewhere where Orochimaru's followers can access her. Konan couldn't have weeded them all out in just four years." Hinata said softly, looking down at her fist fisted in Itachi's shirt. While Konan had ushered in change in the new village, she still had many obstacles to overcome.

"True, Orochimaru and Kabuto's influence is powerful. It wouldn't be farfetched to assume they still have some followers and with Haruhi potentially inheriting our abilities . . . someone could attend the school as a student or faculty just to lure her away." Itachi said as he thought it over, bringing all of Hinata's fears to light.

Itachi's hands moved till they cupped his worried wife's face as he gently moved her to look at him once more. "We can't run away from this Hinata." He reminded her gently. "We knew before we made the decision to bring children into this world, that we were bringing them into a world curious . . . even lustful of their power."

"I know . . ." Hinata sighed as she conceded to Itachi's words thinking of their second child they were preparing for. "This reminds me of Hiashi wanting Hanabi as a puppet . . . a weapon . . . I'm worried history will repeat itself. This all began with a few people wanting power and they did any and everything to obtain it." Hinata murmured. "Danzo, Orochimaru, my father . . ."

"Unlike nine years ago, we were alone with very little options." Itachi reminded her gently. "This time around . . . I think the odds are more in our favor." He smirked as he thought of all the strong allies they had. He closed the gap between them as he gave her soft kisses along her jaw. "So what will be your choice this time?"

He had long decided to face whatever came his way. Itachi never wanted to regret years of his life trying to figure everything out by himself . . . all those long years he spent in Akatsuki Hidden in the Sound . . . while he felt it was necessary to do what he did, this time . . . he would choose opening up to and trusting in his peers for help when things become unbearable.

Hinata thought it over before realizing that he was right . . . she wasn't the weak 19-year-old girl scared of being alone and choosing darkness to selfishly protect her own interests. She was a formidable fighter who could even outwit the genius of Anbu, Shikamaru, on a good day. This time, she wouldn't let her fear win. This time she would meet each and every obstacle head on, no more hiding in the shadows.

This time, they had each other.

This time love wouldn't be the cause of rushed decisions but the reason why they stood firm.

Hinata smiled as she kissed Itachi deliberately slower than his airy kisses. "I won't run away." She promised.

A/N: Tah-dah!

So this took forever to create, mainly because I never write serious plots like this. I spent forever writing and rewriting the last chapter. I didn't know how to end it, everything I did seemed so "tame" and "boring" from the original story that was full of twists and turns. I wanted to end it with some much needed peace and tranquility in the character's lives, but still with some mystery we've grown to love. I have so many story ideas (some BL comedy, SasukeXTemari pairing since I started to really like that pairing after writing this story) and have already begun writing some while rewriting old ones and they are ready to upload!

Thank you for all of the lovely reviews and the constructive criticism! I really appreciate you all for sticking with me and I'm glad you were able to enjoy(?) my story! Please follow me on AO3 as I will update NEW stories on there from now on and this one is already up! Just search this title and it will pop up! Please leave a review or "kudos" there for me as well if you enjoyed this story because it barely has any reviews/kudos and I would like for it to be noticed on the site. Thank you all for rocking with me all these years and I hope this last chapter brought the story together for you!

I would love to read your final thoughts on this, so please share your thoughts here and on AO3!

Until next time ~ Byyye!