Prodigy.

Naruto walked towards the backyard, quickly slipping his sandals back on. He walked past Kushina and he saw the saw look on her face and the way she looked at him it made his heart ache a little.

He thought back to what Yugao said about Kushina being worried about him and wanting him to be safe and sound. Then there was earlier where he saw Sheba act towards Kiara and how happy she was when she saw she was safe and unhurt.

He stopped but did not turn around.

"The mission was fine." He said as Kushina perked up and looked towards him. "There were no problems and I am unharmed. Everyone made it back and I should be home for a few days."

He then walked away and when he when he left her sight a smile appeared on her face as she sniffed.

'I still have a chance to bring by baby back. I just have to be patient and let him come to me and to be there for him when he needs it.' Kushina thought since perhaps just giving Naruto his space would be what was needed to repair the bridge between Naruto and Kushina and Minato.

Wiping her eyes she started dinner as she watched three of her children from the kitchen window.

Naruto steadily ate his cereal as he watched Mito and Eiji argue with one another while Mina was eating her toast and making a mess of it with peanut butter smeared all over her face and cheeks. Kushina was in the kitchen making her own breakfast while Minato had already left for work.

It was Saturday and the twins were arguing over who would have the last piece of toast. Both had themselves in a headlock before Naruto picked up a spoon and gave them both a good whack on the top of their heads. "OWWWW NII-CHAN!" both moaned as they nursed their heads and pouted at Naruto who just look at them with an amused look on his face.

"If you didn't fight then I would not have to knock some sense into you."

"Yeah no fighting!" Mina said as Mito and Eiji glared at their little sister while Naruto rustled the top of Mito's hair which had grown in length now that she was five. Her hair went down and stopped just past her shoulders and was still a vibrant red just like Kushina's.

"Messy girl aren't you Mina-chan?" He said as Mina gave him a toothy smile while Kushina appeared beside Mina and wiped her youngest child's face making Mina wriggle in her seat. While Mina was not looking he leaned over a took a bite out of her toast.

Mina caught him as he took the bite and pouted before she started tapping Naruto on the cheek with her little fingers, an unhappy look plastered on her face.

"No take my toast," she said as Naruto laughed.

"Kaa-chan where is tou-san?" Mito asked as she and Eiji split the last piece of toast.

"He is at the office. He has a meeting with the elders again," she said making Naruto frown a little as he ate his breakfast.

His father and Hiruzen had dozens of meeting with the elders over the last few weeks and it made him curious to what was going on. Never before had they had so many meeting and been so secretive about them since it started.

The two elders Koharu and Homura he knew a little of since they were his jiji's team mates and friends but the other elder he did not know much about.

He was called Danzo and when he saw him on the rare occasions, the man just had this uneasy, chilling feel to him. Like everything he looked at he was analysing and studying their worth.

His mother and father had told him when he was little that he was to stay away from him. Naruto thought they were being silly but when he started being taught by Tsunade, Shizune and Hiruzen they all told him the same thing. Only then did Naruto begin to take that seriously and keep his distance from the man.

Not only that but he felt something odd was going on with Itachi and his family. He rarely saw Mikoto as of late and when he did she had this jumpy look about her, almost like she was scared of something. When he tried asking Itachi he would never answer and would divert the conversation somewhere else.

Finishing his breakfast and shaking his head as he left the thought for another time, he got up, washed his plate and left the room just as Kushina had sat down to have her own breakfast. He didn't have time to think on that since today was a big day for him, Itachi and Anko. It was the day they were moving into their apartment. After working their butts off for the last year along with her and Itachi being moved up to special Jonin.

They would have made Jonin given their spotless records and increasing strength but the council had all agreed that like the Konoha Academy where they moved up the age of admittance from six to eight, they did the same for becoming a Jonin and Anbu.

Now the age was fourteen which neither Itachi nor Naruto minded since it meant they only had to wait one more year; Anko was not quite ready though but they knew within the year she would work her butt off and try and match them.

As he walked to the stairs to begin to pack Naruto stopped at a small cabinet and looked at framed photo that sat on top of it.

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