I'm back! Have you missed me?! I'm back with another fanfiction meal! This chapter has got lots of little plot snacks in it. I also felt the calling for angst, hence the onion cutting ninjas at the end.

Reminder: Forget about canon, we are so far past that at this point xD

Tw: mentions of parental death and terminal illness . Also slight sexual references

Early one chilly spring morning, sixteen-year old Katsumi sat at the base of an old tree with a book resting on her knee. It wasn't one of her usual spots for training. Since these sessions were secret, Itachi and the young kunoichi had decided to move to a new field each time.

It had been a while since the incident with Orochimaru. Even the thought of that time still sent chills down her spine. Luckily for her, she had enough friends to keep her busy. Most of her spare time was spent babysitting Naruto or Sasuke (sometimes both at the same time) or training. But ANBU still took up the bulk of her time. The wolf kunoichi was so busy in fact that the twins had to celebrate their sixteenth birthday a week late. Though she managed to celebrate Obito's eighteenth birthday on time, much to the Uchiha's delight.

Time seemed to slip by faster with each passing day. Kushina-sensei announced she was six-months pregnant with their second child around Christmas time and she was already close to her due date. Katsumi turned the page in her book as she continued to contemplate the chaos of her life. It was difficult to watch her sensei struggle to do everyday tasks. Especially when the young teen knew she didn't have the time to help like she used to. Maybe it was time to step back from the black-ops. The curly-haired jounin tapped her chin as she thought about her options.

"Distracted already. Just because your resistance is improving doesn't mean you should lose focus, Katsumi-chan," Itachi strolled up to her before slipping his hands in his pockets to wait for her reply.

His familiar voice broke her out of her silent brooding. The informal use of her name made the young woman flood with pride. It had taken so many secret training sessions to get Itachi to address her as a friend.

'I was thinking too much. You have the same problem,' Katsumi signed back with a smirk before snapping her book shut and storing it away.

Itachi rolled his obsidian eyes and crossed his arms. For a twelve-year old he certainly acted too big for his britches, but unlike most, Itachi actually had the skills to back it up.

"If you ever want to hold your own against the sharingan, you can't have any distractions. No need to amplify your weakness," his cool tone remained unfazed by the irritated twitching of her eye.

Katsumi brushed the dirt off of her pants as she stood. Her heterochromatic eyes pinned the younger boy with a devilish grin. 'Let's begin, before I call in a favour from Gai-kun.'

Itachi's normal expression twisted from neutral to terror, "Anything but that."

The silver-haired kunoichi snickered before she joined him in the field to begin their training. Hours passed and Katsumi fell into Itachi's genjutsu time and time again. She avoided his glowing red gaze as best she could as they sparred but even the tiniest glimpse trapped her. The world morphed and changed around her as she fell backwards onto her butt once more.

"Too slow, Katsumi-chan. Release the genjutsu," Itachi drawled.

Katsumi groaned in infinite frustration before she focused her chakra. "Kai," She whispered and dispersed Itachi's illusion.

Itachi rolled his shoulders and offered his hand to help her up. "Your chakra has depleted enough for today. Training is over."

Her seaglass gaze rose to stare up at the long-haired Uchiha. Inside, she felt like a failure. Her inner turmoil started to leak into her mismatched irises. Despite Katsumi's consistent failure to resist his genjutsu, Itachi's face held no disappointment.

"Slow progress is progress. Nothing is gained from self pity," the Uchiha genius read his friend's emotions like an open book. His tone was sharp but his intentions were genuine.

Katsumi felt herself release the breath she had been holding in subconsciously. With a firm nod she took his hand and he pulled her to her feet with ease. The curly-haired kunoichi held the boy's arm and felt the growing muscle. 'Improvement. I noticed your increased strength during our spar,' she signed as she released his arm.

A gentle blush rose on the young Uchiha's nose. He shook his head as his blank mask returned. "Thank you. I have another training session to attend." The dark-haired preteen escaped before she could say another word.

Ah, Itachi, as elusive as ever, she thought as a smile spread across her masked face. The kunoichi checked the position of the sun in the sky and decided she had a few hours to kill before her lunch with Rin.

The wolf kunoichi leapt up into the rooftops and started to run. Her feet barely touched the tiles as she soared through the air. The wind whistled as it whizzed passed her ears, the cool sting added to the exhilaration of her speed. Her petite body was nothing but a flash as she darted across the rooftops towards Kushina and Minato's home. The phantom-like ninja was keen to get in as much time with her homebound sensei as she could manage. It didn't take long until she climbed down from her roof and slipped through the open window.

"That sounds like my favourite apprentice. Close that window behind you, please." Kushina sat on her couch with papers and different colour samples scattered atop the coffee table. Naruto was playing with his toys on the floor beside his mother.

Katsumi shimmied the window shut and immediately came over to her sensei to give her a tender hug. She pulled back and signed, 'I am your only apprentice, Sensei.'

"And for good reason! It's good to see you, pup. The ANBU takes up too much of your valuable time. I never see you anymore and I mean… uh... Naruto missed you heaps…" The motherly kunoichi gestured to the little blond boy who was consequently staring at them. When the two-year old had their full attention he squealed in delight and threw his rubber ball at the ground. The toy bounced high, arcing through the air towards the females. Katsumi caught it with ease, which resulted in his vivacious laughter.

"Kadsumi-nee! Play wif me!" Naruto laughed again and clutched his small hands in the wolf kunoichi's direction.

Neither Kushina or Katsumi could help the cute "Aw" that escaped them. Katsumi leapt to her feet and came to sit in front of the troublemaking child. She gently rolled the ball to him which elicited an excited giggle from him as he stopped the object with both of his chubby hands. With great concentration, Naruto pushed the ball back in her direction. The ball veered wildly, of course. Katsumi swifty stretched her leg out and placed her foot on the ball to stop it. Naruto's wide blue eyes lit up in awe as he watched the flexible ninja move her leg at lightning speed. The tiny boy stuck out his own and mimicked her stance. Amusement sung through the teen's body as she kicked herself the ball and caught it. The blond boy put his hand out in front of him and slapped the mat. His innocent imitation made the silver-haired kunoichi laugh.

Kushina let out a hearty chuckle from her spot. "Someone is rubbing off on my son. He'll be calling you senpai soon," the red-haired woman egged her student on with a playful tone. She was fully aware of her apprentice's hatred for that title.

Katsumi blanched at this and let out a shiver. 'Absolutely not. Katsumi-nee is just perfect, thank you. I don't need another kami damn Shisui. One is already too much,' she signed with exasperation etched on her face.

The crimson-haired mother burst into a fit of raw belly laughs. Her jovial actions caused her baby to kick, in response she began to rub her swollen abdomen in soothing motions. Katsumi shot her a playful glare before she turned back to the toddler in front of her. The boy had already moved on and distracted himself with one of his educational toys. His tongue was stuck out of the side of his mouth as he aggressively tried to fit a cube into a triangle shaped hole. The silver-haired teen just sighed as she watched the kid struggle.

A knock sounded at the door. Katsumi got up without a word and went to answer it. She tugged the door open and was greeted by a kind smile.

Mikoto Uchiha cradled Sasuke on her hip and nodded her head. "Good morning, Katsumi-chan," the gentle natured mother chuckled as her little boy began to struggle and reach for Katsumi. "Woah there, baby boy. Katsumi-nee isn't going to run away," the raven-haired woman handed her excitable son to the teenage girl as she stepped inside.

Sasuke laughed in his sweet voice and reached up to tug at the mess of silver ringlets that hung loosely around her face. Katsumi only giggled at his behaviour before closing and locking the door behind them. Wow bub, you are getting big! Did I grow this fast? she thought to herself as she made her way back to the mat. The raven-haired toddler continued to pull at one of her curls and watch in awe as he released it so it could bounce back into shape.

"Miko-chan! You are a sight for sore eyes, you have to help me with these colours!" Kushina didn't move from her spot on the couch, instead she slowly rubbed her stomach and motioned for her best friend to join her.

The two older kunoichi sat together and began to chatter on about wedding plans. Minato and Kushina had recently decided with the upcoming birth of their second child that it was time to make things "official". Their students were all so incredibly pumped to see their parental figures finally tie the knot. Though Rin had mentioned she was so sure Minato-sensei was more "traditional" than that, Katsumi knew better. The couple fit perfectly into place, in her eyes the fact that Minato didn't even need to ask was romantic in itself.

Katsumi carefully sat down with her legs crossed and placed Sasuke on the rug in front of her. Naruto looked up from his battle with the unyielding toy and pouted at his new playmate. Sasuke immediately began to crawl over to the frustrated blond. The blue-eyed child smiled at his companion for a second before he gave an animated frown and began to bash the cube against the wrong shaped hole once again.

"No," Sasuke mumbled to Naruto before he snatched the block from his hands. While looking his friend directly in the eyes he waved the cube in front of himself before he deliberately slipped the block into the correct shaped compartment. "See! Like dat!" Sasuke raised his little voice in triumph. Naruto let out an offended squeal and picked up a triangle shaped block and began to slam that into the circular hole.

Katsumi covered her masked mouth with her hand as she laughed at the pair. Both young boys turned to look at her with delighted curiosity before they turned back to each other with frustrated expressions.

"No!" Sasuke cried once again. Naruto whined and threw the block at the dark-haired boy. The toy bounced off the uchiha boy's forehead with a loud "bonk".

Katsumi gave a small gasp before Sasuke began to suck in short sharp breaths. His shoulders began to shake as he started to wail, rubbing at his forehead with tears welling in his big black eyes. The curly-haired kunoichi's hands fluttered about as she desperately tried to figure out how to calm the crying toddler down. She began to inch towards the pair when Sasuke turned his teary gaze towards her. He stared at her for a moment before he desperately wiped the backs of his hands over his eyes. This gave the teen pause as she watched the child pull himself together and wobbled to his feet. Naruto stared up at his friend in a mixture of confusion and awe. With a little war cry Sasuke flopped himself onto Naruto and the pair began to roll around on the floor.

"Let them blow off steam, pup. You got to let them learn their own lessons," Kushina stopped her student from intervening with her thoroughly amused tone. Mikoto chuckled from beside her, although her eyes were glued to the tussling toddlers with mild concern as they rolled around on the soft rug.

Katsumi sighed as she watched the children play-fight, subconsciously evaluating their skills. Sasuke clearly had the upper hand in mobility but it looked as if Naruto had slightly more strength. They tumbled and squealed at each other like true brothers. It was only when Naruto let out a rip roaring fart that the boys broke apart. Both of them lay spread eagle with laughter wracking their bodies. Their anger turned to joy within the space of seconds. Children… she mused.

Time slipped through her fingers as she continued to watch over the troublesome toddlers. Before she knew it, it was midday and she had to leave to meet Rin for her lunch break. Katsumi placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke's crop of black hair. Naruto cried out as he watched, deeply offended that Sasuke got a kiss and he hadn't.

"Kadsumi-nee! Me! Me!" Naruto whined as he clutched his hand in her direction. Katsumi chuckled and pressed a tender kiss to the blond's hair. "No…" Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms. Petulant little boy. Gosh, he reminds me of Kakashi, she thought to herself as she moved to say goodbye to the two mothers.

"Don't stay away for too long this time. We are having dinner on your next free day ok, pup?" Kushina gave her student a long, warm hug before she finally let her go.

Mikoto nodded to the teen with a love filled smile, "Be safe, Katsumi-chan."

Katsumi smiled at the pair before she jogged backwards towards the window and slid it open. The little boys called out to her as she lifted the window. "Nee-chan! Don' go! Pwease!" They begged as they watched her leave. Her heart ached as she gave a salute to the boys and their mothers. Without a word she slipped out into the light of day and closed the window behind her as she perched on the sill. With trained ease, she flung herself up onto the roof once more.

A hop, skip and a jump later she landed at the door of the hospital. She made her way to Rin's office with a spring in her step. Katsumi gave a gentle tap on Rin's door.

"Come in, Katsumi-chan!" The medical kunoichi called out from within. The tracking kunoichi slipped into the office and closed the door tightly behind her. Rin turned her head from her stack of papers and waved at her silver friend. The dark circles under the brunette's doe-like eyes were getting worse by the day. Concern gnawed away at the wolf kunoichi as she studied her friends carefully constructed fissade of cheer.

"I'm running a bit late, do you mind if I finish up some work before we go?" She fluttered her thick brown eyelashes and Katsumi gave a gentle smile in response.

'Would I ever say no?' Katsumi signed back as she rested her back against the wall. She kept a distance from Rin's work space as she knew her presence would be more distracting than helpful.

"There really is no one quite like you, Katsumi-chan. I'll be done in five minutes, do you want to go get ramen for lunch? I'm starving!" Rin tapped her pen on her chin as she thought about food.

Katsumi snickered and waved her hand to get her obviously sleep deprived friend's attention before she signed, 'Rin-chan, your work?'

"Oh yeah," Rin chuckled and grinned at her friend sheepishly before she resumed her intense paperwork.

Katsumi played with the curls that hung loosely around her face. She tugged her fingers through her tresses and cringed at the tangled mess. It took the whole thirty minutes that Rin spent finishing up her paperwork for Katsumi to make her hair manageable enough to wrangle into messy pigtails.

"Sorry it took so long," Rin placed her pen down and gathered up a stack of papers as she spoke. "I just have to drop these off to Tsunade-shishou, then I can finally escape for a meal." She stood from her chair and stretched her aching limbs before she made her way to the door. Katsumi followed close behind her as they navigated the halls together. It wasn't long before Rin tapped on the door to her sensei's office.

"Enter," came Tsunade's distinctive voice.

Rin slid the door open and raced to her teachers desk. "I have those papers you asked for. I finished them early just in case you need me on the floor this afternoon."

"Thoughtful as always, Rin-chan. In fact, I do need you on the floor this afternoon. I have important business to attend to, so please only contact me if absolutely necessary." The blonde kunoichi sorted through her student's reports before she lifted her brown eyes to meet the younger medics' gaze.

They shared an intense look before Rin bowed in respect and nodded. "I won't fail you, Tsunade-sama."

"Dismissed." Tsunade's red-tinted lips pulled up at the corners before she waved her hand to emphasise her point.

Rin spun on her heels and joined Katsumi before the girls made their way out of the white-washed hospital.

'Congratulations, Rin-chan. That's huge!' The silver kunoichi signed to her companion as they began their brisk walk through the village streets.

"Talk about a challenge! This means she's put me in charge and I have to keep the hospital from falling apart. But I can handle it, it is only for the afternoon... Though, just between you and me, I think Tsunade-sama has a date." The young girls giggled at the theory.

'Really? Tsunade-sama has a romantic interest?' Katsumi inquired.

Rin nodded frantically before she replied, "Oh yeah! Dan-sama, they work intimately together. They had a close call on a mission a while back and Tsunade-sama has sort of glued herself to the hospital ever since. He spends a lot of time in her office, if you catch my drift. I am glad they are finally going to do something together away from work."

'You got all that… from that one conversation?' Katsumi raised her fair eyebrow.

"Katsumi-chan, it's not the words. It's in her eyes. A girl knows these things," Rin tapped her temple as she spoke and gave her friend a playful wink.

'Actually, something has been bothering me, Rin-chan. Are you ok? You look drained. And not just in the physical sense.' Katsumi changed the subject as the sunlight emphasised the shadows under her friend's doe-like eyes.

Rin suddenly became tense as they kept up their pace. "Uh, that's a loaded question. You see, my dreams have been… eerie lately." Her big eyes scanned the sparse crowd, her usually bubbly demeanour now full of paranoia. "The seal keeps the creature separated from my consciousness. But I still hear the voice in my dreams. It's low... haunting… I can't hear what it's saying… but it's…" she trailed off as they reached Ichiraku and sat down together. Carefully she chose her next word, "Intimidating." Rin tucked a strand of her straight brown hair behind her ear. "I uh, don't know what I thought being a … jinchuriki-" the young woman whispered with the ghost of her breath. "-was like. But I can tell you I am out of my depth."

Katsumi churned over her words before she reached out to clasp her friend's soft hand in her own. "You have support, Rin-chan. All you have to do is ask." They locked eyes for a split second before Rin wrapped her arms around her silver friend and hugged her with all her strength.

Once the love was thoroughly felt, Rin pulled back and they both began to browse the menu. "Actually, not to change the subject but you and Obito-kun have been dating for a long time now…"

Katsumi's heterochromatic eyes narrowed at the sudden change in direction. 'Rin-chan, where are you going with this..?' The wolf kunoichi signed.

"Well, it's just that you wear that beautiful pendant out in the open now. And Obito-kun told me what it means… do you think he's going to... you know… take it further?" Rin whispered to her masked friend as they huddled together like typical gossiping teenage girls.

A cherry red blush bloomed across her pale cheeks before she made an awkward strangled sound in the back of her throat. 'You mean like… marriage?'

Rin felt a drop of sweat roll down her forehead as she shook her head. "No Katsumi-chan… I mean-"

"Hey girls!" The devilishly handsome Obito Uchiha placed his warm hands on the two kunoichi's shoulders, which caused them both to flush. The pair turned around to glance back at the dark-haired Shinobi like kids caught with their hands in snacks. "Talking about me were you, babydoll? That's no fun if I don't get to listen."

"Stop harassing them, dobe. I'm sure they were talking about much more interesting things," Kakashi interjected, slipping himself into the seat beside Rin.

Obito glared at his silver-haired rival and snorted. Katsumi on the other hand laughed and signed for them all to see, 'No, actually we were talking about him. I talk about my sexy boyfriend all the time, nii-san.' In response her lover's eyes lingered on her face before he raked his heated gaze down her form.

Rin burst out laughing before she hid her face behind her hands. Kakashi groaned before he glared at the perverted Uchiha currently undressing his little sister with his eyes.

"Anyway, we were actually on our way back from training together. Turns out Bakashi isn't too bad at listening." Kakashi made an indignant sound in response. "Then we saw our two favourite kunoichi and couldn't resist the detour," Obito broke the awkward silence before he took his seat next to his curly-haired girlfriend. As he sunk into his seat he dipped the tips of his fingers into the waistband of her pants and slid them along her soft skin. His fingers blazed a hot lingering trail across the small of her sensitive back. With a quiet chuckle the mischievous male withdrew his fingers from her waistline and firmly gripped the soft swell of her hip. Shivers shot up her spine as Katsumi placed her slim hand on his thigh to ground herself. Though the strong muscles that rested under her fingers did nothing to calm the blush that stained her pale cheeks, nor heat that welled between her thighs. The onyx-haired Uchiha placed a gentle kiss on her cheek as he followed her wide sea glass eyes to the menu.

"We were in the middle of a private conversation, but I guess we could use a little distraction." Rin spoke as she finally chose her desired meal. They all placed their orders before Obito swept them up in the story of their training session. The males began to banter again, falling into their typical pattern of behaviour. Rin and Katsumi shared a knowing look before they giggled and continued to listen to playful exchanges going on over their heads.

In the wee hours of the morning, Katsumi sat on her floor and stroked her paintbrush in calming swirls. In her nightmares a decrepit tree stood in the middle of a bare field at the peak of a huge looming waterfall. Inhuman screams permeated the air as her mind focused on the ancient husk, it's branches broken and brutally severed from its trunk. She let her artistic vision flow from her brush as she spread the dark brown paint. The beautifully intricate design sprawled across the sky blue wall. Dots, swirls and beautiful celtic designs intermingled into the detailed mural. It's long elegant branches loomed over her bed, not that she spent a lot of time sleeping in it.

Her heavy eyelids dropped but every time they closed she was met with the same bone chilling nightmare. The image unsettled the kunoichi to her core. So now she was attempting to make the nightmare into a work of art. To regain control of her dreams. Her mind conjured up symbols that she felt a personal connection to. The Celtic details gave the artwork a spiritual resonance and made the painting magnificent. She brushed a few of her sliver curls away from her face as she continued to detail the masterpiece as her soul saw fit.

There was a light knock on her bedroom door. Katsumi turned her exhausted eyes to the entrance to see her twin already standing in the doorway in his pyjamas, marveling at the incredible art.

Kakashi's dark eyes scanned the walls as a small gasp fell from his parted lips. "Wow. I didn't know you could do that…"

Katsumi glanced up at the artwork and then back at her brother with a smile. "I'll take that as a compliment, nii-san," her normally tinkling voice sounded lackluster. It was obvious to Kakashi that his twin was not okay.

Silently, he shut the door and made his way over to sit beside her. He slipped his fingers into her free hand and held it tight. Katsumi squeezed back as she continued to decorate her walls with her brush. With a final dot, she lifted her brush from the wall and turned to face her brother. Their eyes finally met. Kakashi could see the torment in her heterochromatic eyes and the dark bags under them.

"I-I-I think I need to step back… from the black-ops I mean," Katsumi stammered out. Ultimately, she was afraid that Kakashi may see her as weak for pulling back.

The older twin was silent for a moment, his eyes drifting closed as he registered her words. When his eyes finally popped open he made no sound, instead he wrapped his sturdy arms around her shoulders and pulled her into a comforting embrace.

The curly-haired kunoichi let go of the breath she was holding. She felt his approval soak into the warmth of their hug. The twins didn't even need to speak to know exactly how eachother felt. Katsumi rested her head on her brother's shoulder as she lifted her brush from the wall and took a good harsh look at her artwork. It was so easy to pick out the flaws within her line work, but it's imperfection gave the piece an earthy character.

"You should paint more, imouto. This is amazing," Kakashi's low voice broke the comfortable silence.

"Thank you, nii-san. The walls were too… empty. It just sort of came to me... " her voice was tender and full of quiet anxiety. She appreciated her brother's compliment, yet she couldn't help but feel self-conscious of her creation. Her half-lidded heterochromatic eyes scanned her wall before her gaze lingered on her bed. Suddenly, she recalled the switch she had made when they first moved in. When she unsealed her bed, she had retrieved the English novel and the stolen files before she stored them in the secret nook in the wall. Now, under her mattress she kept the family photo album that had previously occupied the hidden space.

Katsumi placed her brush down on the small square of material she was using to rest her wet tool on. When her hands were clear she gently pulled away from her twin and crawled over to her bed to plunge her arm beneath the mattress to retrieve her goal. "I-I-I found this when we were renovating, but I haven't looked through it all yet. I was waiting for you…"

"Nee-chan? What are you-? Is that a-" Kakashi's kept cutting himself off in the middle of his questions. Katsumi made her way back to her brother and sat on her knees in front of him. She placed the heavy album onto the clean wooden floor. Kakashi adjusted himself so that he was beside her and read the front cover. "Where did you get this? Is that Ma's writing?" The male twin wondered out loud.

Katsumi bit her lip and held her tongue, opening the book so that he could answer his own questions. Silently Kakashi read the humorous message their parents had left on the front page before he started to turn the pages. He marveled at the academy photos and silently slid his finger over the familiar faces in the class photos, still remaining silent. Slowly, he studied each photograph. His spare hand searched for Katsumi's cool calm grip. The silver kunoichi's fingers wove in between her brother's as she followed his intense gaze.

Every new picture of their parents' blossoming romance brought a mixture of pain and pride to the teenage twins. Some pictures were polaroids, some old academy photos, but in all of them the Hatake's were smiling. Kakashi's hand started to tremble as the photos of their parents' wedding came and went, their mother's pregnant state captured soon after in candid polaroids. Then came the dozens of pictures of the newborn Hatake twins. Around the photos was their parents ecstatic scrawl detailing their love for the children.

Eventually they came to the end of the pages, the last polaroid contained the whole family tucked into the master bed, the adults turned in towards their sleeping intertwined twins. It was obvious that their mother's condition was serious, as her beautiful rosy cheeks were sunken in and her hair was hidden under a colourful cloth. At this point the siblings' emotions were tearing them apart from the inside out, tears welled in their eyes as they began to read the note written along the page beside the lone photo.

To my beautiful pups: I may not have been with you long, but know that my life truly began the day you two were born. Every second I spent with my babies was a lifetime of happiness.

To my Kakashi-kun: my smart, stubborn little boy, remember to keep your head up high, don't let anyone stop you from the greatness you were born for. Eat your greens, don't slouch, keep yourself out of trouble and please… look after your little sister. She's going to need you more than you know.

And my radiant little Katsumi-chan: my curious babe keep feeding your hunger for knowledge, and remember to keep your paws out of the fire! Keep hydrated and remember to do your stretches every morning. Take care of your big brother, because if he's anything like your father, listening is key.

I know you two will take care of each other like you have from birth. Take care of your Father, because he loves you both more than life itself. Never forget that I love you my gorgeous pups. Be kind, wise, steadfast and strong… I believe in you.

I'm still with you always… Ma x

The twins sat in pure shocked silence. Every word felt like water slipping down a parched throat. Not since her death had the twins felt their mother's love surrounding them so tangibly. Their falling tears spattered on the page before Katsumi could push it out of range. After she slipped it out of the danger zone, she turned to fully sink into her brother's desperate hug. His fists clenched the back of her pyjama shirt as Katsumi rubbed his back in soothing motions. They swayed back and forth as they anchored themselves in each other's solid presence.

As painful as the memories were, it was also beautiful to see their parents' history laid out in such a wonderfully organic display of love. Their mother's last words echoed around in the well of their chests. Their bond strengthened with every passing breath. The Hatake twins held onto each other as if at any moment they could be torn apart. In that moment everything made sense. Everything was simple. Together they would be okay.

Owchies my heart. To answer questions, yes Dan is still alive. Since Orochimaru went awol earlier than canon it changed everything along that timeline. Let's be honest, Katsumi changed everything when Rin was saved anyway. So don't sweat it, just know I have everything perfectly aligned in my head. Also their mother Asumi Hatake became incredibly sick from cancer and passed away peacefully in her sleep 💔