Soulmates (NaruSasu)

Chapter 25 (Naruto)

Hopefully, Sasuke doesn't still blame himself after I told him what Granny said. She was telling me all sorts of weird technical terms to explain that the baby had been growing in some sort of tube thing that it wasn't supposed to be in. Knowing Sasuke, though, he's still going to blame himself no matter what.

I pull Izumi out of the room entirely to give Sasuke and Itachi some privacy. The pair of brothers have needed to talk for a long time, now. Although, I'm worried about how Sasuke is going to react to what Itachi has to tell him.

As we stand waiting, a squeal directs my attention down the hall where I find Itaku riding on Asuma Sensei's shoulders heading towards me.

"Where's Konohamaru?" I ask as my son is placed on the floor in front of me.

Asuma rubs the back of his neck. "He had a mission this morning, so I offered to bring Itaku back to you while Kurenai is at her appointment."

"Just wanted practice?" I ask, teasing the older man. "Congrats, by the way."

Asuma waves off my congratulations and heads back in the direction he came from.

Now that Itaku is with us, I decide that we've given the two Uchihas long enough to talk. It's time for Sasuke to finally see his son again.

"Uncle Tachi!" Ita yells, running at the elder Uchiha. "Papa wake?" (Is Papa awake?)

Itachi chuckles at his nephew's enthusiasm. "Yes, your Papa is awake."

Itaku runs past the curtains before any of us can follow him. "Hi, Papa! I Ita. I two. Tou-chan say you huwt. I be tawepull. What tawepull mean? Why twy? No twy, Papa. Mile!" (HI, Papa! I'm Ita. I'm two. Tou-chan says you're hurt. I have to be careful. What does careful mean? Why are you crying? Don't cry, Papa. Smile!)

"Slow down, Itaku," I tell him as walk through the curtains to see my son standing on the chair I had been sitting in earlier. "Papa isn't used to how you talk yet."

Tears are running down Sasuke's face as he reaches out to our son. "He knows who I am?"

"Konohamaru brought him here last night to tell me goodnight. I told him who you are then."

"I lite Hamu Nii-Chan!" (I like Konohamaru Nii-chan!) Ita agrees having only picked up on the name and my tone of voice.

Izumi and Itachi seem to have decided to give us some time as a family because they stay on the other side of the curtains. While Itaku sits on Sasuke's lap, I tell Sasuke as much as I can about everything that's gone on since he left. We fall back into rhythm as if he had never left in the first place. Sasuke refuses to release our son, holding tight to him as if his life depends on it. He doesn't tell me anything about his time with Orochimaru, but that doesn’t really surprise me, nor do I really want to hear about it.

About the time Itaku falls asleep, I decide that we need to talk about how he feels about what Itachi told him.

"How are you taking what your brother told you?" I can't think of any better way to word it.

Sasuke shakes his head. "I need to process this by myself. I don't hate him anymore, but..."

"But you don't know if you can trust him," I finish for him. "Everything he did, he did it to protect you. Itachi loves Itaku, and he will never do anything to hurt him. I get it though, he lied to you. His plan was for you to kill him one day and be considered the village hero for killing the S-class criminal who destroyed an entire clan."

Instead of saying anything else, Sasuke just looks away from me. I really wonder what he's thinking right now.

I'm sorry it's so short, but I really couldn't think of how to do this chapter.

Side note, Asuma is alive because they used the knowledge Itachi gave Tsunade to defeat Hidan and Kakazu using Shikamaru's strategy from the show, but sooner than last time since they already knew how to approach them.

Also, Jiraiya is alive. He didn't go to the Hidden Rain since Itachi was able to give them information on Pain. We are closing in on the battle against Pain.

Danzo has been imprisoned and has been stripped of all of his Sharingan, as I'm sure you figured out from the conversation with Izumi about her eyes.