26

Chapter 26: i wish that you would stayNotes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It has been a while since Hiruzen last visited the Hokage Monument. He cannot even remember anymore. Was it that time he brought Asuma for a visit when his youngest son had still been small enough to fit in his arms? He closes his eyes and tires to recall—Asuma's wide smile, teeth missing and face sticky from ice cream, his boy a warm weight against him.

This morning Asuma had looked at him with pinched brows and pursed lips before announcing that he would be moving into an apartment of his own within the week. Apparently, he had been looking for months and the tenancy agreement has already been finalised. Hiruzen…hadn't known.

He sighs and clasps his hands behind his back, twisting aching fingers together. These days, every single injury and failure seems to have caught up to him at long last. Hiruzen feels so very old and so very weary. Retiring will be good for him, he thinks.

For so long now, he has had the weight of all his years pressing upon his shoulders. As a boy, he had been certain that he would have all the answers in the world by the time he grew old. Now though, he thinks he knows even less than he knew back then.

He hasn't been a very good husband, though Biwako has never complained. He certainly hasn't been a very good father, and neither of his sons have hesitated from telling him this. He thought he made a good teacher, but looking at the scattered remains of Team 7 now, he has to wonder. And if he'd been a better friend, perhaps things wouldn't have become as bitter and complicated as they have with Danzou, Homura and Koharu.

He hopes he has been a decent Hokage at the very least, but with each passing day, he is less and less sure.

What he does know is that his next step must be to retire. He has worn the hat for too long, fought in too many wars and made enough mistakes. Now, he'd like to be man before shinobi once again. He would like to make it up to his wife and sons if he is so allowed. He would like to study chakra theory and civilian trade policies for fun. He would like to rest and breathe without the weight of the world on his shoulders.

There is the soft landing of feet behind him and Hiruzen tenses even though he knows his ANBU guards are still around. A moment later, a very distinct head of blond is at his side and he relaxes. Hiruzen is not as familiar with Raijin as he is Minato, but he still finds that he rather likes the boy.

"Fancy running into you here, Hokage-sama," Raijin says, flashing a cheeky grin that has his whiskered cheeks dimpling slightly.

Hiruzen smiles back. "It is good to see you, Raijin-kun. Are you here to admire the sunset?"

Shrugging, Raijin turns to squint at the setting sun and shakes his head. "Not really. I like looking at the village more. It's nice to see all the people go about their day, living their lives." He smiles, and it is touched with something bittersweet. "I missed being part of a village."

For a moment, Hiruzen watches the boy. Then he hums. "You weren't fond of the nomadic lifestyle?"

Nose wrinkling, Raijin says, "Not really. It was necessary with the war and all, but…not my first choice by far." He glances at Hiruzen from the corner of his eye. "I'm not really built for it like Jiraiya-san seems to be."

Hiruzen smiles wryly at that. "Indeed. Jiraiya-kun has only gotten more restless with time."

"It's weird because I can tell he's getting kind of lonely," Raijin comments lightly. "He seemed excited to be travelling with someone again when we rescued Obito-kun. The road is harsh when there's no one to walk it with you."

Though he had suspected, Hiruzen had never brought it up with his former student. As the war went on and his students grew up into formidable shinobi in their own rights, Hiruzen had neglected keeping up with them for other, more pressing duties. There is always something more to be done. Always another treaty, another mission, another battle. He had figured he'd done his duty as their sensei and could trust his students to sort their issues out for themselves.

But maybe those are excuses. He knows better than anyone else that, for most of their lives, his students had only ever had him and each other to rely on. There had been no one else to turn to. Hiruzen turned his back to them first. It is only fair that, now, they have done the same to him.

When he stays quiet for too long, Raijin changes the subject. "I ran into Orochimaru-san the other day," he brings up conversationally.

Hiruzen blinks, intrigued. It has been some time since he has spoken to Orochimaru outside of mission assignments and reports. The guilt churns in his gut unpleasantly. At least with Tsunade and Jiraiya, he can say that they're no longer in Konoha. With Orochimaru, Hiruzen has no such excuses. He swallows. "Oh?"

Raijin nods. "Come to think of it, he seemed really lonely too."

This isn't surprising. It doesn't make it any easier for Hiruzen to accept. This one, he knows he could have done something about. He knows he could have helped. He knows he could have stepped in when Danzou brought up having Orochimaru conduct experiments on prisoners, and then later, when Danzou recruited him for ROOT. And yet, he hadn't.

Because there was always something else to do. Because Orochimaru hadn't asked him to.

Orochimaru who went from calling him 'Hiruzen-sensei' to 'Sarutobi-sensei' to an impersonal 'Hokage-sama'.

Hiruzen exhales slowly. "I am retiring soon," he tells Raijin. The boy turns to blink at him. He does not look surprised. "There is a meeting with the Daimyo next week. I am going to nominate Minato-kun as my successor."

Nodding, Raijin turns away and peers up at the sky. "You should talk to Orochimaru-san about that too," he says. Eyes widening, he flaps his hands in panic. "I mean, not that I'm not super thrilled for my brother. I am! He's going to be an amazing Hokage and I know it and I'm extremely happy for him. He totally deserves it! But," he deflates, "I have a feeling Orochimaru-san isn't going to be as ecstatic."

Closing his eyes, Hiruzen sighs. "No. No, I don't think he will be."

"You should talk to him," Raijin repeats. "I think he really needs that right now. He said he misses his team."

Hiruzen's eyebrows rise. "He said that?"

Raijin makes a noncommittal sound. "Well, it was implied," he says. "He didn't deny it."

Which really is as good as confirmation from someone as reticent as Orochimaru. Hiruzen massages at his temple, squeezing his eyes shut. "My sensei used to say that willful ignorance could prove fatal for a leader," he says.

"He isn't wrong," Raijin agrees. "Nothing goes away just because you stick your head in the sand."

Hiruzen flinches. "I have much to atone for, Raijin-kun."

The boy watches him with too sharp eyes, lips pressed together. "It won't be easy," he warns. "It might not even work."

"I know," Hiruzen admits quietly.

"But it's important to try anyway," Raijin says knowingly, offering him a thin smile. "That's all anyone can do, really."

'From the mouth of babes,' Hiruzen thinks.

"Good luck with that retirement, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you, Raijin-kun. I'm afraid I will be needing it."

Raijin watches Obito moodily prod at his new hoya plant, glaring at the little flowers even as he coaxes that extra burst of life into them. The younger boy is still an Uchiha after all; he too must have some sort of quota for brooding he has to fulfil or something. Maybe that's how the Uchiha pay tribute for taxes. Maybe they give all the little Uchiha kiddies lessons on how to master the Uchiha pout.

"You've gotten pretty good with mokuton," Raijin notes, peering up from his notes.

Obito hums, dropping his cheek against his fist. "It took a while to get used to but once I kind of just…accepted it, it came to me pretty naturally. Like, I had to just go with it instead of trying to control it."

Raijin nods, figuring that makes sense. "You can't control nature," he says thoughtfully, "so I guess you can't wrestle mokuton into submission either."

"Yeah," Obito sighs. He droops even further.

For a moment, Raijin stares at the chunin with pursed lips before rolling his eyes. "Alright, that's enough," he mutters, setting his notes down. "What's up with you? Why are you sighing like some forlorn maiden?"

"Maiden?!" Obito squawks indignantly, straightening up to glare at Raijin. "I am not!"

"Are too," Raijin returns. "You're going to start growing mushrooms in my living room at this rate!"

Obito pouts at him, puffing his cheeks out. "Stop being mean," he whines.

Raising his eyebrows, Raijin doesn't bother keeping his amusement off his face. "Come on," he prompts, "tell me what's up. Maybe I can help."

Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Obito falls sideways onto the sofa, curling up and peeking at Raijin through dark lashes. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise," Raijin assures patiently.

Obito grabs one of the many pillows that live on the sofa, squeezing it in his arms as he bites the inside of his cheek in thought. Finally, hesitantly, he brings up, "I heard you're going to be Itachi-kun's mentor. Officially."

Raijin blinks, nodding slowly. "Yes."

Faltering, Obito says, "Bet you're gonna get real busy now."

'Oh,' Raijin thinks, fighting valiantly to keep himself from gaping outright. 'Oh, Sage, is this what it's like to have kids? Am I a parent?"

"Obito-kun," he starts carefully, "are you worried that I won't have time for you anymore?"

Groaning, Obito buries his face into the pillow, actively trying to smother himself with it. "Maybe," he admits despondently, voice muffled.

Raijin thinks he might be dissociating. He hasn't felt this out of depth since he failed the Academy's graduation test like a million years ago. Of course, he had known that Obito is attached to him and seeks emotional comfort from him, but he didn't think that Itachi's introduction to his life would make Obito feel insecure. Raijin hadn't realised he meant that much to Obito.

Eloquently, he says, "Oh."

Obito tries even harder to become one with Raijin's sofa, letting out a high-pitched keen that will probably summon every canine in a five-block radius to Raijin's apartment building.

That snaps him back into action and he rises so he can round his coffee table and drop onto the sofa, taking a seat by Obito's head. Lowering the pillow, Obito peers up at him cautiously, ears bright red.

With a grin, Raijin lightly flicks the boy's forehead. "Stop freaking out about it," he says, propping his feet up onto the table. "Listen, I'm not going to deny that I'm going to get busier. I'm also not going to deny that Itachi-kun will be added to the list of my priorities from now on. As his mentor, I'll be responsible for his education and growth and I'm not going to risk disrespecting the trust that Itachi and his parents are placing in me. But," he continues pointedly before Obito can wilt, "that doesn't mean that I'm suddenly just going to stop seeing you, Obito-kun."

"That's what you think," Obito grumbles, turning onto his side so he's facing the back of the sofa. "Just wait until you start teaching Itachi-kun and realise how much cuter and smarter and better than me he is. You're totally going to forget all about me."

It'd probably be supremely inappropriate for him to coo and pinch Obito's cheeks when the boy is literally pouring his heart out to Raijin about his insecurities. He's tempted to do it anyway. Raijin buries his hands into the soft wool of the nearest throw blanket to keep himself from acting on the evil impulses of the inner grandma of his soul.

"Hey, Obito-kun," he starts instead, "have I ever given you the impression that I'm the kind of person who'd replace the people in my life like that?"

Begrudgingly, Obito grumbles, "No."

Raijin hums. "Then what makes you think I'm going to do that to you?"

"Because it's me," Obito says quietly. "Why would you ever want me? My own clan doesn't think I belong. Itachi-kun is smart and polite and adorable. Me? I'm loud and annoying and stupid. It makes sense to choose him."

Frowning, Raijin rests a hand on Obito's shoulder. "It's not about choosing one over the other, Obito-kun. I want Itachi-kun in my life but that doesn't mean I want him at your expense. My heart isn't so small that it doesn't have enough space to fit both of you. I'm not just going to suddenly start refusing to see you."

Obito curls in on himself even further, drawing his chakra in tight like a protective cloak of some sort. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Raijin softens, running careful fingers through Obito's dark curls. "You have nothing to apologise for, Obito-kun," he assures softly. "I'm sorry that your clan is too dumb to see how great you are. You're so much more than just loud, annoying or stupid. You're brave, hardworking, funny, and kind. You're a good shinobi, a good friend, and a great person. Besides," Raijin grins, "I'm loud and annoying and kind of stupid too, so you're in excellent company."

Peeking up at him, Obito uncurls ever so slightly. "You mean it?"

"I really do," Raijin promises, smiling gently. "It's going to be okay, Obito-kun. I'm not going to forget you and I'm not choosing Itachi-kun over you. I like hanging out with you, you know, and you're always going to be welcome here. Okay?"

Chakra flaring like butterfly wings, Obito smiles back tentatively. "Okay. Thanks, Raijin-san."

"No problem, kid."

"I have a standing invitation to his house whenever I want and I didn't even mean to get it," Obito reports dutifully.

Rin nods, impressed, as she marks it down on their checklist. "That's jumping two steps ahead to number seven. Good job, Obito-kun! You're ahead of schedule for once."

Perking up, Obito puffs out his chest and grins. "Thanks for helping me out, Rin-chan!"

"Of course," she smiles, flipping the notebook shut. "Now, how are things going with Kakashi-kun? Did you bring up registering for an official marriage certificate?"

Obito frowns, glaring down at his bento. "He runs away every time I try to bring it up."

Rin hums. "Well, the three of us do have that mission coming up soon. He can't exactly run away then, can he?"

They exchange knowing glances, matching devious grins in place.

"I do think it's high time for an intervention, Obito-kun. You can't have your marriage fall apart this way."

"I do believe you're right, Rin-chan, and I think I have an idea."

"Let's hear it then."

"Okay, so, first—"

Contrary to what was often said about him in his childhood and adolescence, Raijin isn't in fact a total idiot, thank you very much. Just because he likes to play by the ear doesn't mean he's incapable of thinking ahead; he just tends not to do it. Not this time though. This time, he has the incredible foresight to swear Kakashi off from telling Minato about Raijin's birthday having passed months ago.

Because Kakashi is pretty good about honouring his word, he does keep the truth from Minato.

But because he's an absolute little shit, he goes straight to Kushina and snitches to her at the earliest opportunity instead. Kushina then proceeds to immediately inform Minato who insists on having a belated celebration for Raijin on his own birthday.

"A combined party is an adorable idea!" Kushina coos, snapping pictures of everything.

Disoriented from the flash of the camera, Raijin doesn't bother fighting when Minato tugs him into a fierce hug that squeezes the air right out of his lungs. To Raijin's utmost horror, his brother looks alarmingly misty-eyed.

Sometimes it's hard for him to mentally reconcile Minato (his dorky older brother) with the Yondaime Hokage (role model, genius, and guy who essentially doomed Raijin by sealing the Nine Tails into him at birth, but that's a whole can of worms he has refused to touch since he was sixteen). As more time passes, Raijin finds himself getting progressively caught between his past, his present, and the future that will never be.

His brother is going to be Hokage soon, and Raijin is happy for him, really. But he also can't deny that a part of him is resentful for the fact that he'd had to give up his own dream for this new reality. Raijin will never be Hokage as he had intended since he was a child who'd had nothing except for himself and a wild ambition. He won't ever even get to tell anyone that he had wanted that for basically his entire life.

It can be…a lot. He tries not to think about it. Has refused to do so all this time in fact. He very carefully refuses to examine everything he has lost; everything that will never be his. In some ways, he is lucky he even gets to have this. In others, he wonders if it will be enough. If everything he has given up is worth his one-man crusade through time and space.

"Next year, we'll throw a special party just for you," Minato promises, gently rocking them from side to side, yanking Raijin back down to reality. "I wish you'd told me so I could have at least sent you a present."

Kushina comes up behind Raijin to poke his cheek in passing on her way to the cake. "He's right, Rai-kun. I'm mad that you kept your birthday a secret."

Grumbling incoherently, Raijin tucks his face into Minato's shoulder and scowls. "It's not a big deal," he mutters under his breath.

"Not a big deal?" Kushina repeats incredulously.

Minato releases his younger brother to frown down at him. He doesn't even look angry or disappointed. He just looks sad. It makes Raijin want to kick him and then himself.

"Of course, it's a big deal, Raijin," Minato insists earnestly. "I'm so glad to have you; so glad that you were born and that you're my brother. You deserve to be celebrated. We want to celebrate you because we love you."

Throwing her arm around Raijin's shoulders, Kushina gently knocks her head against his. "What the sissy said," she agrees. "We haven't been able to ever celebrate your birthday before, you know. Let us have this now."

Raijin blinks hard, bringing a hand up to clutch at his chest because his heart feels so swollen with joy in his chest that he's pretty sure it's just straight up going to explode and he's literally going to die from happiness and that would make Minato and Kushina sad.

The last time he got to celebrate his birthday was when he turned sixteen. Since then, each of his birthdays has been spent while at war where there just hadn't been time for silly things like parties. They'd just been trying to make it through to another day.

And now, to be told this—by his parents, at that. It's overwhelming.

He closes his eyes and exhales shakily, swallowing past the lump in his throat. "I don't know what to say," he admits, voice small.

"Look at that," Kushina remarks, ruffling his hair with a fond smile. "We rendered the chatterbox speechless."

Minato smiles. "You don't have to say anything, Raijin."

"But—"

Rolling her eyes, Kushina cuts him off, "Just say 'thank you'. Don't go overthinking this, you knucklehead."

Huffing out a watery laugh, Raijin nods. "Okay. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Rai-kun," she says kindly. "Now, I believe it's time for presents!"

Raijin gifts Minato a brand new sealing set and handmade ink that he found the recipe for in one of his books. Minato almost cries for the second time in one hour. Kushina, of course, makes sure to digitally immortalise this for posterity.

When it is her turn, she proudly presents Raijin with a voucher booklet for Ichiraku's that he is reasonably certain doesn't actually exist, which begs the question of how exactly she managed to convince Teuchi to create one for Raijin.

"As for Minato," she says, flashing her boyfriend a mischievous grin and a wink, "you'll get your present later."

Minato immediately turns bright red and starts spluttering, waving his hands about in panic while Kushina cackles. Meanwhile, Raijin tries to dissociate hard enough to physically eject his soul from this plane of existence.

Pointedly clearing his throat, Minato shakes his head and turns to Raijin with only slightly wild eyes. "So, I made something. A seal. You, uh, don't have to accept it. I'd have to put it on you, and I know that makes a lot of people antsy, so I'd understand if—"

"What is it?" Raijin interrupts, guarded. The last time Minato put a seal on him, it involved imprisoning an enraged chakra beast in his body as a newborn. Understandably, he has a few hangups about this.

Minato shifts, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it over for Raijin to examine. "It's an offshoot of my Hiraishin seal. Kind of like a summoning jutsu," he explains. "If you pulse your chakra into it, it will alert and summon me to you. It's not really a complete two-way connection, so I can't use it as an anchor point to jump to without you summoning me, but it would allow me to trace my way to you since it would resonate with my chakra."

Breath catching in his throat, Raijin stares at the design, wide-eyed. Minato's sealing hand is an elegant one. It is systematic and full of utmost care; graceful in its curved edges and sharp, decisive strokes. "Oh," he breathes, "it's beautiful."

Offering him a small smile, Minato shrugs. "It'd make me feel better to know that you will always have a way to reach me should you ever need it, or that if something ever happens, I can at least find you. We can anchor it to your blood and chakra so no one else can use it. Distance wouldn't affect the function either." Biting his lip, he looks to Raijin. "What—what do you think?"

It's an incredible amount of trust to place in him. Raijin is almost heady with it, in fact. Minato is trusting him with unlimited, unconditional access to himself. Just the thought has him close to trembling.

"You—" Raijin pauses, licking his lips and turning to gape at Minato. "Are you sure about this?"

Minato nods, completely unhesitant. "Of course. I wouldn't be giving it to you if I wasn't." He twists his fingers together. "So…will you let me place it on you?"

"Yeah," he says, voice thick. "Yeah. Let's do it."

Brightening like the sun itself, Minato nods. "Can I use the new ink you gave me?" he asks, leaning forward in excitement.

Raijin laughs and shakes his head. "It's your ink now. You can do whatever you want with it."

Minato does use the new ink. It's cold against the skin at the back of Raijin's neck, stinging ever so slightly when Minato anchors it to him with gentle, careful hands that never falter as they paint the arrays onto Raijin.

Kushina examines the newest addition to Raijin's growing collection of body seals with keen eyes, a pleased tilt to her mouth. "It is beautiful, Minato," she remarks, reaching out to squeeze Minato's hand. "Back on Uzushio, placing seals on loved ones was common, you know," she says, voice whisper soft. "Sometimes they didn't even mean anything; they were just practice kanji or protection symbols. Sometimes they were barrier seals for defense or something benign to store your loved ones' chakra, so you could carry a piece of them with you. The more seals you had, the more loved you were." Her lips twist into a wistful smile, eyes far away. "I can really tell how much you think of and love Rai-kun. You've done well, Minato."

"Thank you, Kushina," Minato returns quietly, squeezing her hand back even as his other one finds it way to rest against Raijin's shoulder.

Raijin reaches back to let his fingertips graze the seal at his nape and shivers. A sign that tells the world he is loved, he thinks, feeling unbelievably full of emotion. 

"Would you guys let me place one you too?" he blurts out before he can think twice. "A seal, I mean. It doesn't have to actually do anything if you don't want it to. I just…like the sound of it."

Eyes widening, Kushina blinks at him. "You—you want to put one on me. Really?"

"Yeah." He offers her a tentative smile. "I mean, you're a part of my family, Kushina-nee."

"I am!" She grins at him, violet eyes glistening. "I'll let you place one on me only if I can put one on you too."

"Deal!"

She claps her hands together. "Oh, we can do matching seals! Wouldn't that be adorable?"

Raijin nods enthusiastically before turning to his brother with raised eyebrows. "And you, nii-chan?"

Minato smiles, all soft edges and unending affection as he ruffles Raijin's hair. "I'd love that, Raijin." Clearing his throat, he straightens, sending Kushina a pointed glance. "That said," he starts seriously, "Kushina and I actually have something to tell you."

"Oh?"

Kushina brightens, beaming. "We do!" she agrees, rising to her feet and crossing over to the other side of the sofa so she can sit by Minato. "We're getting married!"

Raijin's eyes very nearly pop out of his skull with how much he widens them. "Holy shit," he says. "Oh spirits. You're getting married."

Which he'd realised would happen at some point even if he hadn't processed that he'd actually get to see it happen in real time. He's going to be at his parents/pseudo-siblings' wedding. Numbly, he realises he's going to literally be at his own birth—or well, his counterpart's. If baby Naruto even happens that is. What if he has somehow screwed up his own birth? Holy shit, does that make him a child murderer?

What the fuck even is his life?

"We are," Minato smiles. "We don't have any final plans or dates yet but we're thinking a late summer wedding. Just a private ceremony with close family and friends and a small reception. Nothing too big or crazy."

Kushina volunteers the far more important information. Smugly, she says, "I'm the one who proposed. Minato is still losing."

"I'm the one who gets to marry you, aren't I? I'd say I'm the real winner."

"Aw, Minato! How sweet!"

Raijin mimes gagging exaggeratedly but he can't quite keep the grin off his face as he watches the couple bicker, bright smiles on both their faces. "I'm really happy for you guys," he says, and it comes out too open, too earnest, but he can't bring himself to mind.

Kushina's smile softens. "Thank you, Rai-kun."

"How exactly are you going to keep people from crashing your wedding though, oh esteemed future-Hokage-sama?" Raijin asks.

Minato shrugs, mischief in the narrowing of his eyes. "Maybe I'll make that your job."

"I'll run away," Raijin retorts immediately. "Don't think I won't."

"Well, there's an idea," Kushina says thoughtfully. "Maybe we should just run away too. Elope. We could go to the sea. That'd be romantic, right, Minato?"

Smiling indulgently, Minato nods. "Whatever you want, Kushina."

"You're so whipped." Raijin elbows his brother.

"I know right." Kushina grins. "It's actually kind of embarrassing for you."

"You're the one who proposed to me."

"Because you were taking too long!"

"We were at war!"

"Excuses!"

Somehow, Raijin is simultaneously nothing and exactly like what Itachi had expected from him as a teacher.

He is predictably rather hands on in the way he teaches. They have only had four days together so far, but everything he has Itachi do, Raijin does with him, guiding Itachi through each step by example and patient demonstration. For how easy-going he usually is, he is a surprisingly firm teacher, but he still maintains a thoughtful gentleness.

"You are a child, Itachi-kun," he had said after manhandling Itachi into resting. "I don't say this to belittle you, but to remind you that you have your whole life ahead of you. You're never going to stop learning. Take your time and lay down a solid foundation. You have the rest of your life to build on top of it."

Raijin is also surprisingly bent on providing Itachi with a thoroughly well-rounded education, revealing his plans to include regular lessons on history, politics, philosophy and economics.

"It'd be one thing if I was just your shinobi instructor or jounin sensei," Raijin said, "but a mentorship is different. I am the only one you will learn from outside of your training for clan heirship. It's my responsibility to make sure you are equipped with everything you need to survive in the world, not just as a shinobi, but as a person."

Itachi is pretty sure the children at the Academy aren't going to be learning about the policy negotiations and legislative decisions from Konoha's founding, but he doesn't complain. After all, he is grateful. Raijin has clearly put a great deal of thought into how he wants Itachi's development to progress, and it is good to have tangible proof that his mentor is so serious about this.

Raijin is good at things like that, Itachi realises. Good at doing things that show how much he cares.

And now so much of that care is aimed at Itachi. Raijin gives him his full attention when they speak, always thinks deeply about Itachi's questions and considers his opinions seriously. He brings snacks to training and immediately stocks up on peach tea when Itachi shyly admits that he is partial to it. He always has a kind smile to offer, and he is free with his affection, whether it is a touch to Itachi's shoulder or a fleeting brush of sunny chakra.

Some part of Itachi is loathe to trust it. How can anyone be so kind? So free with his joy and his regard? What has Itachi done to deserve it? What can he do to keep this forever?

A much larger part of him holds onto every second greedily, eager for more and unwilling to let go. He doesn't know how much longer this will last though he is tentatively hopeful that he has some time before he has to start worrying about Raijin getting rid of him. Until then, however, Itachi will cherish every moment and keep it pressed close to his heart.

He refuses to miss anything, which is why he always pays rapt attention to what Raijin is saying. Itachi has always been good at staying quiet and listening to grownups, but Raijin likes it when Itachi asks questions, so he tries to do that. He wants his mentor to like him. He wants Raijin to keep smiling at him.

"How is Konoha going to pay off its debt?" he asks over lunch, mentioning a topic he has heard his parents discuss a lot lately.

Today, they are in Raijin's apartment so Itachi can be introduced to the beginner concepts of fuuinjutsu. From across the small, worn dining table, Raijin hums and flashes Itachi a smile as he always does when he is pleased about Itachi taking initiative. Bashful, Itachi ducks his head and hides a smile of his own around a mouthful of steamed rice.

"Do you know why we are in debt?" Raijin asks.

"Because of the war."

"Correct." He nods. "Konoha borrowed money from the Continent's central bank and from private investors to fund war expenses. They had to do this because the village borders were closed which meant that no export or import was happening and missions were severely restricted, so there wasn't enough income to sustain the village while also paying for all the extra weapons and resources."

Itachi hums. "How long can the village stay in debt?"

Raijin shrugs. "The specifics can depend, but a couple of years at least. Of course, that doesn't mean that we can just sit back and relax till the collectors come around. Konoha borrowed money because it doesn't have any, which means we have to start earning and fast. Luckily for us, the Sandaime Hokage is a very smart man."

Nodding at this, Itachi volunteers, "Mother said the same thing."

"Because your mom is very smart too," Raijin says, smiling. "Do you know the first thing Hokage-sama did?"

"Open borders?" Itachi suggests.

"Good guess, but before that, he actually decided to change up a few of Konoha's tax policies. See, usually, Konoha doesn't really involve itself in the market too much. There are no service or production taxes which means that sellers get to keep all the money they make, which makes Konoha so popular among merchants because, this way, they make more profit. And that hasn't changed much, except for a new luxury tax."

"Luxury tax," Itachi pronounces slowly.

Raijin nods. "Tax on typically expensive stuff like fancy alcohol or fancy coffee or fancy clothes or fancy artwork. You get the gist—all the fancy stuff is now being taxed. Including tobacco, which I bet Hokage-sama is thrilled about considering how he smokes like a chimney."

Lips twitching, Itachi hums. "I see."

"Right, so then Konoha reopened borders. It's also investing in rebuilding and the technological advances civilians made while shinobi were busy with war. The idea there is to create opportunities for more job openings for people to get income flowing regularly again," Raijin explains.

"So that they can pay income taxes," Itachi infers.

His observation is rewarded by a wide smile. "Look at you—well done, Itachi-kun!"

Itachi smiles back. He has been trying to do that more often too. It seems to make Raijin happy.

"The most important contribution, however," Raijin continues, smoothly bringing their discussion back on track, "comes from selling and renting out government owned land. Konoha has always been on very fertile fields and the Shodaime's mokuton had lingering effects which a lot of people are interested in making use of for agriculture and stuff. Land here is really valuable, and Sandaime-sama made excellent use of it to get the village back on its feet. And now, he gets to incur extra taxes on those buyers and collect regular rent."

"So, the village is doing okay now?"

Making a vague hand gesture, Raijin shrugs. "Not quite yet, but with the sheer volume of missions that Konoha carries out, it should get there soon enough. The important thing is that it's a really solid starting point. Remember what I told you about strong foundations being half the battle? It's the same thing."

Itachi nods in understanding, looking down at his empty bowl. "I guess a lot goes into being the Hokage."

"It's a lot of work," Raijin agrees. "Being the strongest isn't enough for the decisions that affect our daily lives. Governing almost always ends up being collaborative to some degree because it's impossible for one person to be an expert in all the fields that are necessary to lead a group of people. Everyone has a role to play. There's a lot more to it than brute force—stuff that is equally, if not more, important."

Fingers tapping against the grain of his chopsticks, Itachi admits, "Some of my clan elders tell me I could be Hokage."

"You could be," Raijin acquiesces. "Do you want to be?"

"I don't know." Itachi bites the inside of his cheek, considering. He hasn't dared say this out loud to anyone before, and for good reason. He is the heir to a noble shinobi clan. There are expectations that people want him to meet, standards that he has to live up to. But…but Raijin is supposed to be his teacher. His mentor. He should know if only to tailor Itachi's education to fit his needs. "I don't…really like the idea of fighting."

He risks a glance up at his mentor, but Raijin's face is unreadable.

Itachi puts his chopsticks down and clasps his hands in his lap. "I know what is expected of me," he says quietly, "and I will do what I must. I will bring honour to myself, my parents, and my clan."

When warm chakra reaches out to wrap around him, Itachi all but gasps in surprise. He had expected a reprimand, had been prepared to brace himself and set aside childish, selfish whims. He had not expected this comfort.

"It's okay to not want to fight, Itachi-kun," Raijin says softly, meeting Itachi's gaze. "It is not cowardly or weak of you. In fact, I think it shows how wise and kind you are. Thank you for telling me."

Itachi stares, uncomprehending. "I—is it really okay?"

"Absolutely." Raijin nods. "There are plenty of other ways to contribute that don't involve fighting. You could join research and development and help discover new techniques, theories and invent technology. You could join the intelligence division and go into decrypting. You could become a medic. You could specialise in economics or strategy and become an advisor to either the Hokage or the jounin commander. You could become an archivist and keep records. You could become a teacher or join the postal service. You could even become a seal master and stick to defensive measures for the village or just create seals to make life more convenient for shinobi and civilians alike."

Holding his breath, Itachi tightens his grip on his hands and keeps himself very still. For the first time ever, he can look and actually see more than one road forward. It's exhilarating enough that he feels like he might float away if he so much as twitches.

"The future is endless, Itachi-kun," Raijin says, smiling warmly. "You don't have to have the answers right now. Just focus on growing up well and take things one day at a time. We'll figure it out together when the time comes, okay?"

Itachi exhales slowly and nods, cautiously curling his own chakra around Raijin's. He is rewarded by a surprised but pleased smile. Itachi smiles back.

"Okay."

Notes:

At 6.3k+ words, this is probably the longest chapter so far.

Idk if anyone has noticed but this fic is progressively just driving closer to eventually pushing Raijin's hairpin trigger emotionally because homeboy needs catharsis stat.

Anyways, MinaKushi is getting married! They also conceive Naruto that night lmao.

The response with each update from you guys has just gotten bigger and bigger which I am eternally grateful for. I read all your comments and try to reply to as many as possible. If I miss yours, know I appreciate you regardless <3< p>