Soulmates (NaruSasu)

Chapter 27 (Naruto)

We'll be getting a new character soon, within about a chapter or two. You'll know that they're arriving soon by the chapter being headed by Tsunade. Hint, hint, it's going to be the child of another one of my favorite ships, but I'm not saying who until you meet them.

I absolutely hate Grandma Tsunade's plan to send Sasuke to the Akatsuki. I just got him back, and she wants to take him away again. Even though I hate it, I can't fault her logic. She's right, we need someone in their ranks to help us stop them, and Sasuke is the one with the best motivation to join them.

"I agree with Sasuke," I tell Granny. "As much as I hate the idea of losing him again, it's the best plan we have for now. I'll have have the Kunai made while the eye transplant is happening so that they should be ready by the time he goes to the Akatsuki."

Grandma Tsunade nods in acceptance of my plan for the Kunai.

If he's going to be gone again, I should make the most of what time we'll have. "How long will everything take to heal after the surgery?" I need to know how long I have with him.

"Two weeks."

With that said, she bids us goodnight and leaves dragging Itachi back over to his side of the hospital room with her.

"So what exactly is the official story for Itachi's return?" Sasuke asks after a while. I forgot that he is the only person who knows the truth, but doesn't know what the village is going to be told.

"It's going to be announced that a member of the Akatsuki, named Tobi, killed the clan, and to protect you, your parents asked Itachi to kill them before Tobi could so that he could join the Akatsuki and spy on them. Personally, I think the official tale is a little too vague, but it's the best Granny could come up with."

Sasuke shakes his head. "Who all knows the truth?"

"Granny, Izumi, Sakura, Shizune, Shikamaru and his dad, and Kakashi Sensei." I pause to make sure I didn't forget anyone. "Oh yeah. Konohamaru and Kazuto know too. Shikamaru and his dad only know because they were part of our strategy team, and Kazuto is part of Izumi's Anbu team, so Sakura was given permission to tell him."

From that point, Sasuke decides not to ask further. Instead, he just moves over on his bed enough that I can squeeze in with him. There isn't much room, but we fit enough to fall asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, I'm awakened by a small hand tapping my face. When I open my eyes, I find Itaku leaning over me as if he's standing on the chair again.

"Wake up, Tou-chan." He grinns when he notices that my eyes are open. "Why seep wit papa?" (Why are you sleeping with papa?)

"Because I can," I respond jokingly as I stand up to move Ita onto the bed so he can wake Sasuke. "Why don't you wake Papa up?"

"Otay!"

"Thanks, Konohamaru," I look to the boy who's really only nine years older than my son. "I can go home with him tonight so you can have some peace."

Konohamaru shakes his head. "You've been apart long enough, Naruto Nii-san. I don't mind taking care of him." He looks over at my son who has yet to successfully wake Sasuke. "See you later, Itaku."

"Bye, Hamu Nii-chan!"

Konohamaru gives him a wide smile before heading out.

I help Itaku wake Sasuke, and it's surprisingly difficult to get him to wake up. We used to be the exact opposite. I was difficult to wake up, and he always woke to the slightest touch.

Unfortunately, Granny shows up to take care of the eye transplant at about the same time that Itaku and I finally succeed in waking the stubborn former Uchiha, so we have to leave. Since we have nothing else to do, I head off for the weapons shop to request three of the Kunai needed for the Flying Rajin teleportation technique. The ones I'm ordering are different from the ones I carry because these are made from a special metal that conducts chakra, and when someone sends chakra into the weapon, I'm immediately alerted to teleport to them.

By the time we get back to the hospital room, Grandma Tsunade is finishing the process of wrapping Itachi's eyes in bandages, she already finished with Sasuke.

"Why no eye, Papa?" Itaku asks his father once we're back to his part of the room. "Uncle Tachi no eye eder." (Why don't you have eyes, Papa? Uncle Itachi has no eyes either.)

Sasuke looks confused as if he doesn't know how to answer our son.

"Those bandages protect Papa's eyes," I answer for him. "He has to wear them for two weeks. Uncle Itachi has to as well."

"Tect eye?" (Protect eyes?)

After lifting Ita up and placing him on Sasuke's bed, I open the curtains so that Itaku can see his Uncle as well.

Once Sasuke manages to find Itaku in his temporary blindness, he holds the toddler tight to him until Ita attempts to squirm out of his grasp. It's still early in the day, so he has way too much energy to be held down. Ita jumps down to run around the room over and over again. If only people could know that Sasuke is here, then we could take him to the park to keep him occupied.

Every now and then, Itaku will run up to Sasuke or Itachi to ask if they're okay, or to climb in their laps for about ten seconds before jumping back down to run some more. I know that I have a lot of energy, but I'm starting to think that my son has even more than I could ever imagine.

"I wish I could actually see him right now," Sasuke comments after Itaku has finally settled down for a nap in his lap. "I'm sorry for leaving. I could have trained with you and Master Jiraiya. I missed everything with Itaku."

Sasuke's hand absent-mindedly strokes our son's hair.

"Training with Pervy Sage, I missed some stuff too," I tell him, hoping that it will make him feel a little better. "The first time he pulled himself up to stand, his first word, his first steps, those were all while I was working to get stronger. His future aunt was the one who watched those things happen."

"His future aunt?" Sasuke asks, confused.

I laugh at his cluelessness. "Mei, Izumi, whichever name you want to use. It's not hard to tell that Itachi will eventually marry her."

Even though he can't actually see, he turns his head towards the side of the room that his brother is on. Itachi looks like he's sleeping, but from the whispers that I hear from both him and Izumi, I can tell that he's not.

"You should talk to him," I comment noticing the downturn of his lips. "You're family. Even though I get angry sometimes, thinking about my father sealing the nine tails in me, I don't think I'd be able to shut him out if he were alive. It isn't worth the pain of being alone."