Chapter 7- A glimpse of the future

Fugaku Uchiha POV

It is not everyday that the Chief of the Konoha Police and the Leader of the most powerful clan in Konoha is summoned to the Shinobi Academy on grounds of his ward beating up other students in the academy.

He found them both waiting for him near the gates of the academy, with no teacher in sight.

"What did you do this time, Ren?" He asked the boy who, instead of looking guilty for beating up other students, looked downright smug.

*sigh* If he had known that Ren would become such a troublesome child then perhaps he would've thought twice before jumping in to adopt him.

Not that he still wouldn't have adopted the boy. Ren's presence has clearly been good for both Itachi and Mikoto. And it has certainly made life more interesting for him. Even though he sometimes wished that it would be less interesting.

"I beat up a few idiots that were bullying Itachi-chan." Ren said proudly.

He raised and eyebrow and looked at Itachi who couldn't even meet his eyes anymore.

"Is this true Itachi?" He asked in a grave voice. "Are you being bullied in the academy."

Itachi reluctantly rose her head to meet his eyes and let out a sigh. "It was hust a few dumb kids."

"It's not good to lie to your own father Itachi-chan." Ren tutted from the side and Itachi's face flushed.

"Stop calling me that." Itachi snapped at Ren, though there wasn't any real heat in her voice.

He gave an even more stern look to Itachi now. "Explain."

Itachi squirmed under his gaze but looked away and refused to speak this time. So he had no choice but to look at Ren to explain things to him.

Ren gave him the cheshire smile of a cat that caught the canary and spoke up. "Well, it was a few dumb kids at first and Itachi ignored them. But then they attacked her and she beat them up. We both thought that things would stop at that, but instead, it escalated."

"Escalated? How?"

"Those kids called their senior class brothers and sisters. Itachi beat them up as well. And once again we both thought that things would stop at that. But…"

'Don't tell me.' "Did they call a genin to fight on their behalf?" He asked, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

"Meh. If you could call that failed excuse of a shinobi a genin. Then I suppose." Ren said with a casual shrug before a tinge of embarrassment surfaced on his expression. "Ah... I might have beaten him up a bit more severely than I first intended to. But he just had such a good punchable face, you know."

"He said some mean things about Ren's parents upon learning that Ren is an orphan." Itachi supplied from the side and his bad mood worsened.

Few transgressions in Konoha were as reprehensible as taunting a child about their deceased parents, especially when those parents had sacrificed their lives in the war to protect the village.

"I see." He said with a forced calmness. "Is there anything else either of you want to tell me?"

"Nah. That's about it. You can ask the other students in our class to serve as witness if you like."

"I would certainly do that." He said and started walking toward the main building. "Come. Let's go and have a talk with your teachers."

"Before you rip into the Chunin Instructors. Can I ask you not to do anything against that idiot genin?" Ren asked him and he gave a raised eyebrow to the boy.

"And why would I do that for someone who clearly broke the unwritten rules of a Konoha shinobi and sought to harm a civilian of his own village." A civilian who also happened to be his own daughter.

"Because I already broke multiple bones in his body. I think that's enough punishment for his mistake, don't you think so?"

'No, he didn't believe so. Ren was present to safeguard Itachi this time. However, what if he weren't here? How severe could the Genin have escalated things? Would he have to come to school to deal with the broken form of his daughter?' "I'll deal with this situation without any further input from you, Ren." He stated plainly.

"*Sigh.* If that's what you want. But please don't punish him too much. The Chief of Uchiha Police going after a lowly Genin just because that guy decided to bully the Chief's daughter will only harm Uchiha's reputation. And our reputation is already not all that good to begin with."

He slowed down in his footsteps and turned back to look at Ren. "Why are you always so worried about Uchiha's reputation, Ren?"

Ren looked him in the eyes and asked. "Is it really so bad that I want the clan to have a closer relationship with the village."

He thought on it for a moment and then gave a curt nod to the boy. "I'll see to it that the Genin is not punished too harshly then."

It was the least he could do for the boy who served as a protector for his daughter. A boy whom he'd also come to see as his own son.

—————

Kushina Uzumaki POV

She stared at the two boys as they huddled together in the rooftop and giggled to themselves, a distinctly orange book in their hand.

On one hand, she was glad that the two of them were getting along. Mostly because Kakashi has shown a remarkable improvement in his mental health ever since that happened.

On the other hand… did the two of them really have to bond over that damnable pervert's book of all the things in the world.

Did the two of them even understand what was written inside that book? Kakashi was clearly of the age when he would start feeling attraction for girls. But Ren… he was only 5 years old.

Then again, this was Ren. So you can never be too sure about anything.

Their giggling intensified and her eyebrow twitched violently, her hands curled up in a fist as she snuck up behind them.

Her shadow loomed over their huddled forms, her hair rising up in all directions as the two of them immediately froze up.

"And what are you two brats reading?" She asked in her usual 'kind' voice and their spines stiffened.

"It was him. He asked me to read that book with him." Ren said, immediately tattling on Kakashi.

She raised her eyebrow at Kakashi who had a deadpanned look on his face as if saying 'Really?'

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Kakashi?" She asked.

Kakashi looked between her and Ren, then Ren and her. And then he finally let out a sigh and slumped. "Please be gentle."

Had she been aware of the extent to which Kakashi would succumb to those accursed books, she wouldn't have been gentle with him on that day.

—————

Itachi Uchiha POV

A mere couple of months had passed since their initial enrollment in the academy, and now they found themselves at the forefront of a classroom teeming with 12-year-olds. The gazes directed at them ranged from envy and curiosity to outright amusement.

This was the result of her desire to make sure that the classes were more challenging for her.

So at first she jumped from 1st to 2nd class. And Ren joined her.

Then, when she still failed to find any challenge in that class, she jumped again. And then again and again and again until they were finally in the same class as the students who would graduate the next year.

Ren accompanied her through every leap, even though he showed no urgency to graduate, doing so solely to remain by her side.

Probably so that they could be in the same team and he can protect her from any unexpected circumstances once they eventually go out on missions.

She didn't truly appreciate the sentiment as it made her seem like some sort of weak, helpless girl who can't fend for herself. However, she acknowledged the logic behind Ren's actions and understood that she owed him one for it.

Nevertheless, if the decision rested solely with her, her father, or her clan members, she wouldn't have halted at this class either; she would have already submitted her application for graduation from the academy. As there was little for her to learn here.

But after skipping classes so many times, her mom finally put her foot down and said that she'll not allow them to graduate until they spent at least one year in the shinobi academy.

And considering that her mother was now in the lates stages of her pregnancy and was now getting mood swings that could make her rival the most deranged shinobi out there, no one wanted to get on her bad side and risk her wrath.

So they agreed to her 'polite request' and now they'll have to spend the greater part of this year among these 12 year olds who clearly seemed to have no idea what to make of the two of them.

Oh well, their new classmates will just have to adjust to their presence.

...she really hoped that these ones didn't try to bully her because she looked like an acceptable target.

Ren had not been as lenient against the last few students who'd tried to bully her.

His protectiveness was endearing, even if it could feel a bit stifling at times.

"Ready to meet your new 'friends'?" Ren inquired, casting a subtle Genjutsu on her as the teacher concluded his introduction and summoned them to the podium for self-introductions.

She gave a subtle nod to him in return, wishing once again that she was also capable of auditory genjutsu so that she could talk with him without restrains.

Then she climbed up the podium and faced her new classmates. 'Well, here goes nothing.'

—————

Mikoto Uchiha POV

She sat in the hospital bed, completely exhausted from the 8 hour long ordeal but with an enormous smile on her face as she cradled the new bundle of joy in her arms.

The door swung open, and in entered Fugaku, accompanied by a curious-looking Itachi and Ren.

"Husband, come and name our daughter," she urged, reluctantly parting from the girl and presenting her to Fugaku.

Fugaku held the girl and stared at her for a long moment before he gave a nod. "Her name shall be Satsuki. Satsuki Uchiha."

"A fine name." She said as she took the child back into her arms before beckoning the two 5-year-olds forward.

"Itachi, Ren. Come and meet your new family." She said and both of them climbed upon a stool to get a better look at Satsuki.

"Huh… I can see what people talked about when they said that a newborn baby looks like an ugly potato." Ren quipped, earning an elbow to the stomach from Itachi in response to his jest. Yet, despite his words, she could discern the genuine affection and care in his eyes.

And she had no doubt that he would protect her younger daughter just as fiercely as he protected her older one.

She also noticed the Two Tomoe Sharingan spinning in his eyes, capturing every single moment he was witnessing here and wondered when it was that he unlocked his second pair of tomoe.

But those questions could come later. For now, she simply decided to bask in this little moment of happiness with her family.

"She's beautiful." Itachi said as she reached out to poke the baby.

"Would you like to hold her?" she inquired of her older daughter, who gazed up at her with a mix of apprehension and concealed excitement.

"Can I?"

"Of course. Hold her head like this." She said as she taught her daughter on the nuances of holding a newborn baby. Hoping that moments of contentment and happiness like these would last forever, despite knowing well enough that they wouldn't have that luxury.

Not when her daughter and all-but-son-in-name would be graduating the very next year. Something that filled her with worry despite the current jovial atmosphere.

—————

Minato Namikaze POV

He returned home from yet another heavy day at work in the office.

His predecessor had given up the office as soon as the 3rd Great Shinobi War had ended, completely fed up with the office and all the accompanying responsibilities.

Regrettably, this left him in a bit of a predicament, considering the village's economy remained in a dire state due to the aftermath of the last two shinobi wars. The burden of the recovery effort rested solely on his shoulders.

The 3rd Hokage came by every now and then to offer helpful advice but for the most part, he was left on his own. Probably in an undisguised test of some sort to see whether he'll sink or swim.

With the economy and the future of the entire Konoha at stake, he was determined to swim.

"I'm home!" He shouted as he entered the home, a tired but content smile forming on his face as he reached the living room and came across the sight of his 7 months pregnant wife teaching Fuinjutsu to her young prodigious student.

"Welcome home Minato!" Kushina shouted from her seat and got up to pull him into a warm hug that melted away all the worries clouding his heart from a hard day at the office.

"Yo, Hokage-sama." Ren said his own form of strange greeting, his face not even rising from his Fuinjutsu scrolls as he remained completely engrossed in his studies.

Sometimes, he got the feeling that Ren didn't really respected or liked him all that much. Though for the life of him, he couldn't ever figure out why that was.

"Minato. Guess what?" His wife asked.

"What?"

"Mikoto gave birth to a girl earlier this morning. We should go and offer our congratulations, preferably with a gift."

"Oh… that's great news." He said, his eyes lighting up in joy before he froze as he thought something. "Though I have no idea what kind of gift to take with me."

"Some sweets. And maybe a dress for the little noisemaker." Ren supplied from the side as he raised his head to look at him, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. "Though before we do that, there is something I must tell you."

Sensing the shift in mood, his wife became concerned and walked over to the boy's side. "Oh? Is something wrong, Ren-kun?"

The boy gave a hum before he looked around at the room. "Can you activate the privacy seals, Kushina-san. At the highest settings please."

"That's not a problem. But this better be something serious and not another one of your jokes, Ren-kun." Kushina warned as she activated the pre-drawn seals throughout their living room.

A moment later, all the sound and visuals inside the room were cut off from the outside world.

At this moment, a Hyuuga with the highest attainment in Byakugan could stare into home and see nothing but a wall of chakra. An Inuzuka would detect no scent, and a sensor would remain oblivious to the events unfolding within the room.

He meticulously verified the seals, just to be sure, before emitting a satisfied hum. Then, he turned to fix his gaze on the boy, wearing a serious expression of his own. "Now, Ren-kun, what did you want to tell us?"

"Do you remember the aspect of my bloodline that allows me to see glimpses of the future?" The boy asked and nodded.

"Hard to forget something like that."

"Well…" The boy hesitated for a moment as his eyes darted toward Kushina and her belly before he continued. "I got another such glimpse recently. It's regarding Kushina-Sensei's childbirth. And Kyuubi."

In a fleeting moment, all traces of humor vanished from his eyes as he knelt before the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. He hoped not to appear overly aggressive at this moment. "Tell me everything." He ordered the boy in his authoritative Hokage voice and the boy nodded.

By the time the boy finished, he almost wished he hadn't asked.

The abduction of Kushina by a masked shinobi possessing intangibility powers. The Kyuubi's escape and its ensuing rampage through Konoha. His intense battle and the subsequent sealing of Kyuubi within his own newborn child, culminating in the tragic deaths of both him and his wife.

It was like the worst of his nightmares come true.

"If any of this comes to pass... you will receive a substantial S-class mission payment for your assistance in preventing such a significant disaster for Konoha," he informed the boy. "However, if this turns out to be untrue..." He let his words hang, a serious expression on his face. He felt a growing respect for the boy in his heart, and the boy simply gazed back at him without a hint of fear in his eyes.

"It's true." The boy replied confidently and he release a sigh he hadn't known he'd been holding till now.

"If your visions are indeed accurate, as I believe them to be, consider this an order from your Hokage. Henceforth, you are instructed to bring any future visions directly to me. Your compensation will be commensurate with the significance of your visions, ranging from the lowest to the highest S-class mission. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." The boy replied and he turned to look at Kushina who seemed to be even more shaken than him.

"Kushina. I'll not be able to accompany you to meet Mikoto. Take a more expensive gift as an apology from me." He said, his mind already coming up with plans on how to deal with this situation. "Also, your anbu guard detail will be tripled for the rest of the duration of your pregnancy."

If he'd told Kushina that he was tripling the amount of anbu he'd stationed around their home a day ago, then she would not have taken this well at all.

It said something about how seriously the both of them were taking this situation that she simply nodded at his words and didn't raise a single argument.

"I need to go and make some preparations. I'll meet you later." He said as he gave her one last hug before he Hiraishined out of his house and into his Hokage's office.

If the masked man targeted Kushina, there's a significant risk he might go after Rin too. Unlike Kushina, Rin's seal was already precariously stable. Any external interference would likely result in the Sanbi being unleashed in the heart of their village.

"Bring the 3rd Hokage, the Sannin, Jounin Commander Shikaku Nara, the Anbu Commander and Rin Nohara to me. Asap." He ordered his anbu and hearing the seriousness in his voice, they left immediately while he fell into deep thought once again.

'Could this be an action from Kiri?' He wondered. 'They were the one who planted Sanbi inside Rin in the first place. And the water body ability of the Hozuki clan seems similar to the intangibility power that Ren told me about. Just one taken to the extreme. Though, considering that the Intruder had a single Sharingan that he used to control the Nine Tails, I'm not so sure.'

'Regardless of the identity of the assailant targeting Kushina and unleashing the Nine Tails on Konoha, I'll give my utmost to protect my village and my family. And then...' A resolute gleam entered his expression as he gazed into the distance. 'And then, I'll destroy them, root and stem.'

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AN: Dun dun duuuuun.

The cat's out of the bag. And now that Minato knows what's about to happen, he'll start preparing for the dire future.

Also, Ren and Itachi are now both at the graduating class. And Sasuke is also born. Oh wait! Did I say Sasuke. I clearly meant Satsuki. Heh.