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Hanabi gently held Hinata's hands in hers encouragingly. "Hinata, you should just tell Naruto how you feel. Have an honest talk with him about it. I bet you he's just been dying to ravish you, but he probably just doesn't know if you're up for it. You're both married and love each other so you should both try to be more honest with how you both feel instead of trying to play a guessing game."

Hinata bit her lip and contemplated what Hanabi said. "Then...what about you and Izaya? How do you bring up the topic when you...I mean...you know...need him?"

Hanabi's face flushed red. "To be honest I don't have to...Ahem...I-Izaya is pretty attentive about my wants and needs...and sometimes more…"

Hinata raised her eyebrow at Hanabi's last comment. "What do you mean by more?"

Hanabi felt her body heat up in embarrassment as she recalled what she and Izaya had done in this very kitchen. In fact it didn't just end in the kitchen. She couldn't think of a single room in the house that had been spared from her and Izaya's actions that day except for Hiroshi and Iraia's bedrooms.

"Hanabi?" Hinata questioned in curiosity.

"Ahem! Let's just say that I'm always more than...satisfied. Anyways, Hinata you should definitely talk to Naruto about this. And not just that but dress...well...less."

Hinata blushed at Hanabi's suggestion. "That's embarrassing though…"

"Hmpf. Embarrassing or not I refuse to believe that Naruto would be able to resist you. If you're worried about the kids then you can always send them over here. Father is always happy to spend more time with them. Besides Hiroshi and Iraia are here too so I doubt Boruto and Himawari would mind. Anyways, think about what I said sis. You need to be a bit more bold. Honestly I can't believe Naruto's neglected you like that for so long."

"Don't be so hard on him Hanabi. He has a lot on his plate right now. After all there is the whole issue with the Otsutsuki clan and-"

Hanabi interjected as she simply let out a sigh. "Haaaa...alright alright I get it. You'll defend Naruto's point of view to the very end, but just so you know that's exactly the point I was trying to get across. He may have a lot of worries right now but your worries should be included in that list. And in order for him to know that you even have any you should talk to him. Jeez...don't be like me too."

Hinata raised her eyebrow curiously at Hanabi's last comment and inquired, "What do you mean by that?"

Hanabi softly smiled at the memory of last night when Izaya returned home and woke her from her nightmare. "Well, it's not as if I don't have my own worries and frustrations. Izaya is often gone exploring different worlds and dimensions. Who knows what kinds of dangers he'll meet. My greatest fear is that one day he'll never return. That he might get injured so badly he'll never come back to me. And if it's in another dimension then I can't even help him. I can't even reach him. Worse I'll never even know. My fear and worries and anxieties had gotten pretty bad to the point where I have horrible nightmares. They keep me up at night and oftentimes on those days I don't go back to sleep. That's why the kids always think I'm up early in the day, but the truth is I was up the entire night. Once the kids leave after breakfast I take short naps throughout the day to try and get rid of my drowsiness. I don't want the kids to worry about me. They already worry enough if Izaya will return home or not. But napping throughout the day also causes me to run a little behind on my work as the Head of the clan. Honestly it's been getting stressful, but then Izaya finally returned last night. And...as always he knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. After we talked I told him about how I felt and all my anxieties and worries and stress disappeared. This is why I'm telling you Hinata, talk to Naruto and tell him about your worries and frustrations. No matter what they are. Even if you're worried that it'll cause Naruto to worry, if you don't tell him then it'll get to a point where the outcome is even worse than what it might've been."

Hinata simply listened to Hanabi talk and held her sister's hand as they both had their little heart to heart. It was then that the kitchen door opened revealing Hiashi and Himawari. He carried Himawari in his arms and walked over to his two daughters smiling happily. Hanabi smiled at the sight and asked, "Father, where are the other kids?"

Hiashi lightly chuckled. "Don't worry about them. They're off somewhere doing their own things. It's been awhile since they simply got to play around without any worries."

Himawari yawned and rubbed her eyes as she held Shukaku's pot in her arms. Hinata smiled at Himawari's drowsiness and stood up saying, "Looks like someone needs to head off to bed."

Himawari struggled to keep her eyes open but in the end she fell asleep in Hiashi's arms. Hiashi simply smiled. "I'll go put her to bed."

Hinata nodded in appreciation. "I'll go with you." She then turned to Hanabi with an apologetic look, but Hanabi simply smiled. "Go go. Himawari needs you and it's been awhile since you and father spent some time together. I'll go check up on how Naruto and Izaya are doing."

She watched as Hiashi, Hinata, and Himawari disappeared from the kitchen before she stood up and grabbed a new pot of hot tea with some snacks on a tray making her way to where the two Kage's were. After a good minute of walking through the compound she found the two sitting in a neat room by the courtyard garden with the screen door open to let the moon shine through as their source of light. She couldn't help but feel happy at the sight. She was especially entranced by the way the moonlight glowed off of Izaya's body making him seem like a desirable majestic celestial being. She swallowed down her desire and shook her head.

Tch. Why does Izaya have to look so desirable all the time? Wait...am I the only one who sees him like this or do other women see him just as desirable? If that's the case how many eyes is he drawing towards him everyday? Hmpf. He probably doesn't even notice huh? Or maybe he does and likes it...

Hanabi was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Izaya's voice by her side. "Hanabi? Are you alright?"

She was completely startled and embarrassed at the fact that she was caught staring and had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Izaya had walked over to her. In her flustered state she quickly turned to respond but no words came out and instead she accidentally tipped the tray she was carrying causing the snacks and hot tea to fall towards the ground, however before things could become too chaotic time froze in that moment as Izaya had activated the power of his Rinnegan. He quickly grabbed the tray from Hanabi's hands and neatly placed the falling teapot and snacks back on it before time began moving again. Hanabi was still completely flustered and didn't even realize that Izaya now held the tray as she was trying to formulate a thought, however Izaya just smirked and kissed her on the lips prompting her to calm down and relax.

"I didn't mean to startle you like that."

He held Hanabi's hand in his and escorted her to where he and Naruto were relaxing. After he put the tray down on the table they both took a seat across from Naruto who smiled at them, but he felt a bit jealous at their affectionate display. Izaya took note of Naruto's awkwardness and smirked. "Naruto, why don't you go check up on Hinata? Better make sure she isn't overworking herself."

Naruto quickly nodded in agreement with the suggestion and excused himself.

"You got Naruto to leave on purpose didn't you?"

Izaya just smiled mischievously at Hanabi's question and grabbed a blanket from the room. He grabbed Hanabi's hand and dragged her over to the edge of the screen door. He sat down and leaned his back against the giant door frame as he pulled her down so she was seated between his legs. She leaned her back comfortably against his chest as Izaya draped the blanket over them whilst they sat in peaceful silence watching the night sky. Hanabi took in a deep breath in and out as she felt the strong heartbeat and protective warmth of Izaya's embrace and without realizing it, she fell into a deep and comfortable sleep. Izaya kept his arms wrapped around Hanabi as he held her hands and massaged comforting circles on the back of her smooth silky palm. Just as he was about to doze off himself he was interrupted by Boruto's presence.

Boruto awkwardly scratched the side of his cheeks as he watched his uncle Izaya and aunt Hanabi in their current position.

Aunt Hanabi looks like she's asleep. I can't tell if uncle Izaya is asleep or not with that blindfold of his. And here I was wanting to ask him some things but I probably shouldn't disturb them. Ah...How embarrassing, they don't mind looking all lovey dovey like that in the open? Well...I guess it's not such a bad thing. Dad could learn a thing or two from uncle Izaya. I bet mom would be happy if dad was a bit more bold.

Just as Boruto was about to turn around and leave he heard Izaya's voice. "Leaving already? You look like you had something to say."

Boruto stopped in his tracks and awkwardly turned back to face Izaya. "Haha...so you were awake...I had no idea. Ahem. Well, it can wait. You look like you're busy and I don't want to wake up Hanabi."

Izaya just smiled amusedly and curiously at Boruto's reaction so he pointed with his chin for Boruto to take a seat near him. "It's alright. It's still only 10:30pm at night. I have time to talk. As for Hanabi, you don't have to worry about waking her up or not."

Boruto just shrugged his shoulders and took Izaya up on his offer as he quickly took a seat nearby. After a moment of silence passed between them Boruto clenched his right hand and asked, "Uncle Izaya...you said that if I ever had some questions about anything at all whether it was Ninjutsu related or not I could ask you."

Izaya nodded his head as he recalled their conversation. "I did. Anything at all. What's troubling you?"

Boruto stared at the moon trying to formulate his thoughts. "I was just wondering...do you know anything about the Otsutsuki clan? Like why did they attack us? And...and do you think it's possible for their spirit to linger around after they're dead?"

"Do your concerns have anything to do with the mark on your right palm?"

Boruto widened his eyes in shock and shouted, "WHAT?!" He then quickly covered his mouth realizing his mistake as he took a peek to see if Hanabi woke up from his yelling. After confirming that Hanabi remained asleep he took a deep breath and continued, "Uncle Izaya, how did you know about that?"

Izaya just stared amusedly at Boruto's reaction. "I had a talk with your dad and got a summary of everything that's been happening."

Boruto widened his eyes again in shock. "Wait...dad already knows about this mark too? Oh...right Sasuke-san probably told him. He was the only one I mentioned it to."

"Would you mind showing it to me Boruto?"

Boruto simply shrugged his shoulders and raised his right palm up for Izaya to see. Izaya took a moment to take in the mark imprinted on Boruto's palm.

Interesting. What is it? Some sort of seal maybe? It's in the shape of a black diamond. According to Naruto it hasn't reacted to anything at all yet. It just seems like a tattoo mark for now, however he supposedly obtained this after defeating Momoshiki. I can't be too certain on what it is or what it's function is supposed to be until it reacts to something. Unfortunately we can only continue to monitor the situation. Any thoughts Senko?

Senko simply thought back within Izaya's mental psyche.

Unfortunately I can't tell you much. Both the Royal clan and the Otsutsuki clan had many secret abilities that they kept heavily guarded. One such ability is the matter of their Byakugan. It is rumored that in extremely rare individuals amongst the Otsutsuki clan they have the potential to awaken a unique ocular power even greater than the Byakugan. It is rumored that Kaguwen, the child born of both clans not only awakened the Rinne Sharingan, but also one of the unique and rare ocular powers of the Otsutsuki clan. That clan has kept all information about it well guarded. I am only aware of the Tenseigan that can be awakened from the Byakugan, but I'm certain this was not the ocular power awakened by Kaguwen. There is most definitely another. As for this mark on Boruto's palm I can't be too certain either. All I can tell you is that there were those in the Heavenly Plane who bore that mark. Before I fled the amount of beings who bore that mark were few in number. After I left the amount of those who bear the mark could have increased. I do know that you should be wary of it. There are some who bore the mark in the Heavenly Plane and their personalities began to change. Then there were also those who seemed to have been able to utilize great power with it and still retain their sanity. This mark is a bit of a mystery and the Otsutsuki clan has ensured the protection of its secret from those of the Heavenly Plane. But even with having said all that there is still one common link that connects all those who bore that mark. It's the fact that they had defeated a high ranking member within the Otsutsuki clan.

Boruto snapped Izaya out of his thoughts as he questioned, "So? Anything comes to mind?"

Izaya just let out a defeated sigh. "Unfortunately not."

Boruto frowned. "Guess this thing really is a mystery."

"Boruto. Can you tell me exactly how you got that mark? I was told that you were the one to defeat Momoshiki, but is that really all? The mark on your palm seems to me like some sort of seal. To place a seal on someone some sort of trigger, ritual, or interaction needs to happen. Even if defeating Momoshiki was the trigger there had to have been some sort of reaction that occurred either after his defeat or during his defeat. Can you remember anything at all? No matter how small the detail."

Boruto took a deep breath before he responded. "Well...I mean there was something...but I swear I'm not going crazy or anything. Even Sasuke-san said that he witnessed it. After I defeated Momoshiki it was like time froze all around us. And somehow Momoshiki was able to appear before me and talk to me. He held my arm and said something about no longer being ordinary after defeating a god. Then that was it. Time began to move again."

Izaya frowned at this new development. "Huh...interesting."

"Oi oi...uncle, how can you say it's interesting like I'm some sort of lab rat or something."

"Hahaha, sorry Boruto. I didn't mean interesting in the way that I'm curious how it will affect you, I meant interesting in the way that Momoshiki was able to speak to you after his defeat in a spiritual form and only Sasuke was able to bear witness to it. Most likely due to his Rinnegan, but even then it seems he was powerless to make a move and intervene. It's possible that Momshiki placed that brand on your palm after his death and it may be some sort of seal. I just don't know why though or what its purpose is for."

"Then...you think it's possible that his spirit could talk to me after he died?"

"Of course."

"Ehhhh? How's that even possible?"

"It's possible Boruto. There are many strange things and powers in this world that we don't understand, but just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. In fact just because we don't know whether or not something exists doesn't mean it doesn't exist. To put it simply for instance, Sasuke probably doesn't know that Hanabi and I are sitting here like this right now. Does that mean our actions don't exist in the world? Obviously not, it just means Sasuke is unaware of it. Anyways I'm getting off topic. The point is while there are many mysteries surrounding the world, as for the one pertaining to the Otsutsuki clan I do in fact know that it is possible for a member of the Otsutsuki clan who wields incredibly powerful chakra to linger even after death. It was so with the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, and his brother Otsutsuki Hamura. If they could accomplish this feat then it isn't a surprise that Momshiki was able to do the same. The difference is that we are unsure of what Momshiki's agenda was for meeting with and placing that brand on you. For now just keep an eye out and monitor your own health and condition. If anything strange happens, anything at all no matter how large or little, let us know."

Boruto could only nod his head. "Alright, I will. Thanks for the chat uncle."

Just as Boruto left, Izaya was about to doze off when he took note of another presence nearby. "Iraia. It's alright. You won't bother us if you stay."

Iraia flinched as she realized that Izaya had noticed her presence the entire time and stepped out from the shadows taking a seat next to him and Hanabi. "Papa. Is mom okay?"

"Is there a reason why mom wouldn't be okay?"

Iraia had an unsure look on her face as she replied, "I don't really know. The past couple of months it just seemed like mom was getting really tired more often."

Izaya looked down at Hanabi's peacefully sleeping form and felt his heart ache a bit inside as he recalled their conversation the night before. "Don't worry Iraia. I'm planning to stick around for a long while. I'll make sure to do everything I can to help mom out. She'll be fine okay?"

Iraia simply nodded and inwardly rejoiced.

Papa's going to stick around for awhile? Please tell me that's the case!

Izaya smiled as he took note of the corner of Iraia's lips curling up into a smile. He patted the seat next to him prompting Iraia to scoot closer letting him drape his arm around her and let her rest her head against the side of his chest. Iraia closed her eyes in comfort as she listened to the sound of Hanabi's steady breathing and felt the protective warmth of Izaya's hug.

"Papa. Can I ask you a question?"

"Mn. What is it?"

"It's about Zen."

"Oh? What do you want to know?"

"Can you tell me how you both met? How is it that Zen has the Sharingan? What happened to his parents? Why did you decide to take him as your disciple?"

Izaya thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright. Zen huh? I guess if you really want to know then I'll have to start at the very beginning. Iraia, as you know our world is divided into two continents. Ours is the Six Paths continent and the one Zen is from is the Sage continent. On the Sage continent the people there don't have a comprehensive system for utilizing Jutsu like we do on this side. I thought I was the first person from our side of the world to visit the Sage continent, however I was wrong. I discovered at a black merchant shop a scroll that was sealed utilizing the system of our techniques. The technique was too advanced and foreign for those of the Sage continent to know how to perform. That's when I realized that I was not the first person from the Six Paths continent to make it over there. After searching around I discovered that the scroll originally belonged to a person named Itachi. I immediately thought that this person named Itachi was connected to the Uchiha clan. It was too coincidental. The scroll using our system of Ninjutsu, the name Itachi being a name that I am familiar with. Even though I thought this I couldn't be too certain so I continued searching for answers."

"After a year of searching I stumbled upon an incident. Some assassins were in the middle of chasing several women and their guards. Some of the women were even carrying a baby with them. I overheard them mention the name Itachi so I intervened, but the assassins refused to say anything more. One of the female guards seemed to know who this Itachi was and requested my assistance in return for agreeing to tell me about this Itachi person. I agreed. Before I had the chance to get rid of the assassins in the vicinity several tens more of them arrived. In order to reduce the amount of unknown variables in the fight I had the guards and the women leave so I could fight without reserve. The guard gave me a sealed map so I could find them later. To my surprise the seal on the map was similar to the seal on the scroll I had discovered at the black merchant shop. After defeating the assassins I unsealed the map and left to search for that guard, however all I found was nothing but ruins. The remnants of a battle was all that was left. Even though I defeated the assassins they must have had some sort of backup plan as well. All these years I've been continuing my search in hopes of finding them every time I go to the Sage continent. So far I still haven't found a trace of them.'

"It wasn't until a few years ago that I learnt that this person named Itachi had actually passed away. Apparently he passed away the year I fought all those assassins. It could be that those assassins were sent to kill this person Itachi. Anyways I just couldn't shake off the feeling that this person Itachi was connected to the Uchiha clan and our continent. One day as I roamed the Sage continent continuing my search I stumbled upon Zen as a young boy. He was 10 years old at the time. When I found him he was half dead and unconscious. He had wounds all over his body and had multiple broken bones. He had lost a lot of blood and was greatly dehydrated. It's a miracle he had survived for as long as he did. I quickly did my best to treat his injuries. At that time I wasn't too sure what had happened to him. He was unconscious for several days and contracted a terrible fever. I honestly wasn't sure if he was going to make it, but during his unconscious state he sure mumbled a lot of things. I couldn't make out many of the things he was mumbling but from the words I could make out I knew he had a harsh upbringing. Eventually he overcame his fever and got better. When he finally woke he attacked me in a fit of rage and fury. It seemed like his mind was still plagued by death and he thought that he was still in the midst of whatever death match he was in previously. I let him vent out all his anger, his frustrations, his sadness, pain, everything until he lost the strength to fight. After that he finally returned to reality."

"Surprisingly he immediately apologized and begged me to forgive him for his actions. I hadn't even explained to him what the situation was yet. I was a bit perplexed because he obeyed every word and command I gave him. I remained by his side for a few days to ensure that he had recovered enough where he wouldn't need my aid anymore. Over those few days I learnt a bit about his past. He was haunted by nightmares of his mother's death which he personally witnessed when he was four. He was left orphaned on the streets starving and vulnerable, yet he continued to survive. I also confirmed a gnawing suspicion of mine. When I treated him his chakra system was strange. It felt like a mix of Ninjutsu and Senjutsu chakra. I wasn't sure of it at first but after spending those extra few days with him I became convinced that Zen was a unique existence on the Sage continent. The fact that both his Ninjutsu chakra and Senjutsu chakra could coexist inside his body without one overpowering the other is a testament to the fact that he had this condition since he was very young. I surmised that he was born with this condition and overtime his body adapted properly. I decided that I would teach Zen a little bit of Ninjutsu so he could better defend himself. After a month of teaching him I was preparing to leave. I suppose Zen had grown a bit attached. I was the first person to ever show Zen any sort of kindness after the death of his mother. He cried as I was leaving but accepted the fact that I couldn't remain by his side forever, however that was also when I took note of Zen's Sharingan. He hadn't told me he possessed such a power in the time I spent with him so I was quite shocked when I saw it. Instantly I knew that he must be connected to this person Itachi that I was searching for. Not only did he possess Ninjutsu chakra but also the Uchiha's Sharingan. In the end I decided that I couldn't leave him alone so I decided to make him my disciple. I spent a little more than a year teaching him as much as I could. Not just combative Ninjutsu, but about the world as well. I taught him about the Six Paths continent and what shinobi were. I taught him how to read and write. And perhaps most importantly I was able to help him overcome his anguish. I am most impressed with Zen's ability to learn and his sheer willpower. He rarely slept because he wanted to learn everything as much as possible and as fast as possible. He had a lot of catching up to do because he had to start at the very basics, reading and writing. In the time span of but a mere one year he had achieved an incredible proficiency level. He would train during the day and study at night. Over and over and over again. He was a very sensitive person. Contemplating deep and controversial philosophical views. He was thinking on a level that far surpassed what any child should have to think about and it was most likely due to the influence of his upbringing. Anyways that's how Zen and I met and how he became my disciple."

Iraia gripped Izaya's shirt a little as a tear unknowingly fell from her eyes after listening to the story. She took a moment to calm down her feelings and asked, "Papa. Then did you ever find out who this person named Itachi was?"

Izaya shook his head. "No. Unfortunately I still don't know. I'm still searching for answers to this day. I'm almost certain that this person named Itachi is related to Zen. I just can't say with certainty how yet. I can only speculate until I obtain concrete proof. Zen also doesn't know as his mother never told him much about his father. His father died when he was a baby so they never met."

"Papa, wasn't there someone in the Uchiha clan named Itachi? I remember researching about the Uchiha clan in the past, but for some reason the files on Uchiha Itachi are restricted. According to history he had massacred the entire Uchiha clan and was also Sasuke's elder brother so I thought it'd be important to know more about him, but why isn't his information accessible to the public?"

Izaya's expression softened and saddened a little as he let out a soft sigh. Iraia took notice and was truly curious now.

"Papa?"

Izaya just softly patted her head. "Iraia...there is a reason why the file on Itachi is restricted. Unfortunately I can't tell you why. Not right now at least, but I'll tell you what I can. It's true. Uchiha Itachi massacred the entire Uchiha clan except for Sasuke, but I want you to know this, sometimes people are faced with unimaginable choices. It doesn't matter if the person is good or bad, it just so happens that they have a choice to make and either choice only leads to a path of darkness. So what do you do? You choose the lesser of the two evils that aligns as close as possible to your ninja way. That's it. So I want you to understand this about Itachi. No matter what history says about him, please don't think too horribly of him. Okay?"

Iraia was inwardly confused but nodded her head.

At first I thought that Uchiha Itachi was a criminal who mercilessly killed his entire clan out of spite, but if papa says differently then there is definitely more to the story. For some reason the entire truth can't be made public. Maybe if I become as strong as papa one day I'll get to learn more. And thanks to papa I now understand Zen a little better. To think that he had to go through all of the things he did when he was so young...no wonder whenever I look him in the eyes it feels like he carries so much sadness in them.

Iraia was brought out of her thoughts as Izaya poked her in the cheeks. "Why don't you get some rest. It's getting late now."

"Papa...will you really be staying around longer this time?"

Izaya smiled softly and nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

Iraia couldn't help the smile that formed on her face as she asked, "Then will you help me train my Magnet Style tomorrow? After seeing Shinki use his Magnet Style in the Chunin Exams I think I'm ready to start learning how to control mine."

"Alright. I will."

"Promise?"

Izaya chuckled and poked her nose.

"Promise."

With that Iraia happily dashed off leaving only him and Hanabi. He took in a deep breath before letting it out feeling his entire body relax. He felt Hanabi stir in her sleep as she unknowingly snuggled closer to his chest. It didn't take long before Izaya fell asleep to the sound of her soft rhythmic breathing.

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