Chapter 75: Chapter 73 – Masami

Little Kazuma Uchiha, who entered the Academy last year, skipped a class the following year. Jun was expecting it. Kazuma was too advanced; he was wasting his time with the little ones. However, Jun wasn’t totally going to let the Academy have its way. Even if Kazuma turned out to be a prodigy, he would not graduate until he was ten years old. The Uchiha clan leader wasn’t going to budge on that. He wanted his brother to enjoy his childhood as well.

Gai applied to become jonin-sensei the following year. Hiruzen thought this was a very good opportunity to replenish his ranks of jonin-senseis and nominated several other candidates, including Kakashi and Asuma. Kakashi would have to get out of the ANBU anyway. Naruto was going to graduate in less than four years, and Hiruzen didn't have many jonins that would be able to contain the jinchuriki in case of an accident.

Jun presented a new seal, a suicide seal, which he had created years ago but had just completed modifications to make it easier to use. Hiruzen couldn't help thinking with a shudder what Danzo would have done with that seal. He wondered if Jun had waited for the end of the Root's reintegration to bring out this jutsu.

But how could he have known that Danzo had the Root? How could he have anticipated that a year and a half was the time it would take for all those traumatized ANBUs to start being deprogrammed?

Hiruzen preferred to give him the benefit of the doubt. He entrusted him with a new project of Fuinjutsu, how to remove the seal that was on the tongue of the Root ANBU members. The Hokage claimed it was a seal that was on a prisoner. But judging by the way Jun's eyebrows rose, he clearly knew more than he was letting on.

Well, he had killed Danzo. His mess had to be cleaned up, and the teenager owed him that.

Weeks passed, and Konoha hosted the Chunin Exam again. Several foreign ninjas made snide remarks about the Uchiha clan's absence, but Shiba Arata had done a good job, and the police force was both impressive and efficient. And there was a member of the Uchiha clan in the exam.

Izumi Uchiha took the exam with her team and passed it. She was not the winner of the tournament, only coming in third place. But her performance was exceptional, and Izumi was rewarded for it. It was unusual to see a medic rise in rank at fifteen years old, as it was rare for members of this profession to be good fighters. But Izumi was an Uchiha, so she couldn’t be treated as an average medical ninja.

Sasuke Uchiha was starting to come out of his shell. He was always withdrawn into himself at the Academy, which his teachers had noticed, and only spent time with the other Uchihas. But now, a year and a half after the massacre, the pain seemed to be easing. Mentioning the clan no longer made him tense. He wasn't looking for a fight with Naruto anymore. And for the first time, when Iruka had asked him about his project for the future, he had said he wanted to become chief of police.

Then Anko, four months pregnant was placed on maternity leave. Previously, no one seemed to have noticed her pregnancy, even though she had quit drinking and stopped playing with poisons. As if the idea of ​​her being a mother was so incongruous that no one had considered it. But then, all of a sudden, the rumors exploded. Who was the father? How had she met him? Did he know it was Orochimaru's apprentice? Everyone was discussing it frantically.

Hiruzen went to visit Naruto, and the boy happily told him he had made friends. Apparently, Iruka had discussed with some parents how their kids treated Naruto. Thus, Naruto was regularly invited to the Inuzukas to play with the puppies. And that was not all. Ino Yamanaka had defended him several times in class.

Hiruzen…. He was happy for Naruto, really, but he wondered if it was too good to be true. Things were working too perfectly. He had forbidden the clan leaders from approaching Naruto, but he hadn't said anything about their children. And then… The Inuzuka clan hardly played political games, but they had a sufficiently respected status that no one tried to dissuade them from getting close to Kyubi’s Jinchuriki.

Suddenly, the Yamanaka also decided to get involved. Inoichi had probably ordered his daughter to make sure Naruto didn't shame Konoha, and little Ino had eagerly seized on the idea. The Yamanaka had an alliance with the Nara and the Akimichi, whose heirs were also in Naruto’s class… Suddenly four major clans had their heir becoming friends with Naruto in addition to the teacher. Even the densest of kids had figured out that being openly hostile to Naruto wasn't a good plan.

Neji was the top student in his class, and at the next Clans Council, Hiashi Hyuga suggested advancing him to one class. Neji was almost ten. If he advanced to the next class, he would probably graduate at the end of the year. That said, Iruka blocked the request and received unexpected support from Jun.

Jun was really against the concept of graduating the kids early. Maybe Hiruzen should fight for this cause, too. Hadn't the village been founded so that no more children should perish on the battlefield? But the Hokage felt so tired. He was too old to hang on to new fights. He was doing his duty and waiting for a worthy successor to appear, but he no longer had enough energy to try to reform Konoha. This would be the mission of the next generation. He... He had already lived so long. He held on, but he knew he couldn't do more.

Anko, whose pregnancy was showing by the day, was moping with boredom on maternity leave. She manages to convince one of the Hokage's secretaries to give up her position, so she could work there. She must be really bored taking desk duty. Initially, the other secretaries were wary. No one really liked Anko. But on the other hand, no one really knew her. So… Anko learned to be nicer to be appreciated. She constantly brought candy to the office, told hilarious stories, and made a genuine effort to calm her creepy laughter and carnivorous smiles. Being pregnant also reduced her range of motion, so she couldn't sneak around people or creepily lean toward them, which immediately made her a lot more likable.

***

Anko’s daughter was born in November, three days after the second anniversary of the Uchiha clan massacre. Hiruzen personally felt it was a good thing. It would give the Uchihas something positive to celebrate at this time of the year.

On the civil registry, Anko named her daughter Masami, without a surname, and designated Jun Uchiha as godfather. On the Hokage's confidential records, the little girl was named Masami Uchiha, with Jun as the main legal guardian.

The bedside table next to Anko's hospital bed was overflowing with cards and gifts. There was one signed by each member of the Uchiha clan as well as Karin and Neji. Hiruzen, who came to visit her at the hospital, wondered if Hiashi had noticed his nephew had more or less been adopted by another clan.

There was another card from Genma, another from Kotetsu and Izumo, a gigantic bouquet from Gai, a stuffed teddy bear offered by Ibiki, and another one offered by Kurenai…

Hiruzen then turned to the S-rank secret and couldn't help but smile fondly. Masami had Uchiha black eyes, but her dark hair had purple shades that evoked Anko's hair. She was tiny, with the rounded, crumpled face of a newborn, and deep in a baby's sleep. Hiruzen wondered what she would look like when she grows up.

He wondered if Jun and Izumi would see their grandmother's ghost in her since Nao’s DNA was used in her conception. Probably not. It was going to be hard to see the reflection of an old woman in the chubby face of a baby. Besides, they wouldn't see Masami often. This was Anko's mission… Anko's daughter. She would be raising her. Of course, all the members of the Uchiha clan would have some interest in the kid, but they would keep their distance so as not to spill the beans.

Hiruzen thought it was probably a relief for Jun. He would be her godfather, then her clan leader. It was probably a sufficiently distant role that he didn't feel trapped by his responsibilities. After all, Jun already had a lot of them. He was not just the clan leader but also the head of the family. A large family, with many children to look after. Children who were all too vulnerable, knowing many coveted the Sharingan. Hiruzen wasn't so stupid as to believe that Danzo had been the only person to desire the Dojutsu for himself.

But the Uchihas were Konoha ninjas. They were under the Hokage protection. And Hiruzen had failed them sorely in the past: he was indebted to them. A whole clan had almost been exterminated under his watch because he had been too stupid, too naive, and too trusting. He was determined to redeem himself.

Yes, he would probably never forgive Jun Uchiha for killing Danzo, although he knew he couldn't blame him for it. But this baby was innocent. This baby, born thanks to the science that Konoha owed to Orochimaru, the cold ambition of Koharu and Homura, and thanks to the DNA of Nao Uchiha, did not carry on her shoulders the faults of her ancestors. She represented the future of the clan, the future of the village, and it was a future that deserved to be defended.

He hoped to be able to see her grow up one day.

So Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped back, quietly supported Anko, and kept an eye on what was going on.

Anko returned home with her daughter and continued to live her life. She would return to active duty within a year but would remain inside the village until she decided otherwise. Hiruzen was pretty sure Jun had already started pulling some strings to get her a position within the Konoha Police.

The Uchihas did not become overly involved in Masami's life. Jun kept his word. The Uchiha weren't going to claim any kind of ownership over this child… yet. Or maybe they didn't want to offend Anko by seeming to doubt her ability to raise a kid? In any case, they weren't trying to rule her life or even push her to join the clan.

Kazuma, Sasuke, and Karin sometimes saw each other for babysitting, but that was it. Izumi and Jun didn't even go to Anko’s anymore. It was Anko who came to see them, and half the time she didn't even bring her daughter. She came to have tea, chatted, then went home. The Uchiha didn't give her any instructions on how to take care of Masami… And even if they did, Hiruzen was under the impression that Anko would have still acted as she wanted.

Until she was ten, Masami would grow up like a Mitarashi and not like an Uchiha.

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Hiruzen mentioned this to Jun a few weeks later, when the jonin was reporting to him on a confidential mission. He knew he would never have the confidence to entrust the future of the Sarutobi clan to an outsider to the clan. But the teenager, almost a young man now, just snorted amusedly:

“I don't value clans the way you do, Sandaime. I did not have the same education. The clan is first and foremost a family for me, while for some… There's something almost sacred about it.”

“Perhaps,” Hiruzen conceded. “But Masami is of your blood, of your family. Few people would let someone else raise their child without feeling…possessive.”

“Possessiveness has no place in the life of a shinobi.”

Hiruzen raised his eyebrows dubiously, and Jun sketched a sheepish smile. He didn't believe it either. The Uchihas had always been fiercely possessive, and Jun had probably inherited that trait.

“I guess possessiveness will come with time,” Jun finally said slowly. “When I get to know her and train her. As long as Masami Uchiha is just a concept, it's easier to keep her at bay. And this is a good thing… for the moment.”

“Really?” Hiruzen frowned.

Jun looked like he was weighing his words.

“Most children are born because they are wanted. Some are born to perpetuate a heritage, a lineage. In all cases, they are born with a place, a family. Masami… She was designed out of ambition. Because it was convenient. Because I wanted to see if I could.”

He must have seen the way Hiruzen frowned.

“I have no interest in cloning or scientific experiments. But I was curious to see if I would be able to do so, if Konoha had the technology, and if they would let me. I knew that lady Koharu and sir Homura wouldn't easily give up on their idea of ​​expanding the clan, and it seemed easier to put them on that trail than to have to resist their innuendos that I should retire and start making babies.”

I was curious to know if they would let me. Hiruzen didn't betray the way his stomach churned at hearing his words. Because… he was right, wasn't he? Hiruzen had let so many things happen. Orochimaru, Danzo, Itachi. He was a passive old man, and Jun had tested him. He realized that now. He had tested him to see if he would dare to say no to this experience that made him so clearly uncomfortable. Ultimately, he had bent so as not to lose face in front of his advisers.

Hiruzen had been tested by a kid on the strength of his will, and he had failed that test. He hadn't even realized it... He suppressed a darkly amused sniffle. Unaware of his mental wanderings, Jun continued.

“But it was cold. An experiment, a diversion shouldn't be a good reason to bring a child into the world. I didn't ask to be Uchiha, and neither did Izumi nor did Kazuma and Sasuke. But we were all born Uchiha because that was what our parents were, and they had no choice either. Masami was born Uchiha because we decided to make her that way. She didn't have a choice, but we did and made the decision for her… And it’s something she’d have to live it.”

Hiruzen suddenly understood why Jun wanted to keep his distance. One day Masami would become Masami Uchiha for good, but for now...

"Right now she's just Masami," he whispered.

Jun nodded.

“Being Anko Mitarashi's daughter might not do her any favors. But for at least ten years… Masami will have a mother who loves her and can devote her life to her, instead of living with a whole bunch of kids who need attention and two teenagers who have little time for them. She will have her entire childhood to figure out what she wants to be without the weight of a big name on her shoulders.

“It's very honorable of you,” Hiruzen smiled.

“No, certainly not.”

“No?” Hiruzen repeated in disbelief.

“No. Masami’s birth is a good thing. Masami herself is a good thing, but the reasons for her existence were bad. Even if it was for the greater good, even if it didn't hurt anyone, it was morally wrong to create a life for a power play. But we did. I did it because it wasn't the kind of thing that would weigh on my conscience. I've done worse, and the end result would make a lot of people happy, so why not? But it would be hypocritical of me to forget that if one person might suffer from it, it's Masami. She was the one who had no say in the matter, and it is her life that will be impacted by our decisions. So no, withdrawing from her life to let her grow free is not honorable. It's just the minimum I owe her.”

For a moment, Hiruzen remained silent. He hadn't…considered the situation from that angle. He was often so focused on his responsibilities, his duty, the emergencies, and the problems, that he had little time to step back and contemplate the morality of his choices. Usually, he didn't even think about it. Ninjas were not known to be particularly moral all the time.

But… Sometimes it wasn't a question of morality in the sense of whether it is right or wrong. Sometimes it was just the morality of a choice, an action. Can I live with this or is this the kind of person I am? Jun had… He hadn't lost sight of that. He knew where he stood, who he was, and the potential consequences of his decisions.

“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Tell me, Jun Uchiha, have you ever considered becoming Hokage?”

The Uchiha looked at him as if he had grown a second head.

“No.”

“Too bad,” he said. “I believe you would make a good Hokage for the village.”

Jun looked alarmed. When the old man told him he may take his leave, he stormed off with a Shunshin so fast that Shisui would have been jealous. Hiruzen couldn't help laughing, amused by his reaction.

He was eager to see what the young clan leader would do with the Uchiha clan.

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