Because, I Love You All

3. Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Sei

The Uzumaki Club, as some jounin have started to call their little gathering, was held everyday as long as Sei wasn't out on a mission at sunset on training ground 9. The children who were included rarely spoke about what happened during their gathering, their lips tightly shut about anything involving Uzumaki Sei.

Chuunins speculated it was because Uzumaki Sei had threatened them not to spill the secrets of the special Uzumaki jutsu he was entrusting them with. Jounins thought the children were simply smart not to earn more competitors.

The jounin were half-right, Shikaku had sworn them all to secrecy because he didn't want anymore of Sei's time to be divided between them. They were genin and they were allowed to be childish about feeling extra special.

"You're holding it wrong," Sei said as he adjusted Inoichi's grip, a baby strapped to his back, "a katana is sensitive to how it's held, your degree of force in each swing, and the amount of strength you hold it with. There's a reason why people say it is an extension of your own arm."

Yamanaka Inoichi adjusted his stance, his grip, and finally smiled up at Sei.

"Better," Sei allowed with a thin smile, "now try swinging it in the sequence I taught you."

"We're leaving for our first genin mission, Sei-san," Chouza spoke from the ground he'd passed out on after a tough taijutsu fight, "not the war."

"The war is literally at Konoha's borders," Sei answered as he parried Inoichi's sequence accordingly, "again."

Inoichi scowled, because Sei was holding the sword with his left hand and bracing a child with his right.

Nara Shikaku rested his chin on his hand as he watched his friend grit his teeth, trying to get a strike in. Uzumaki Sei had come a long way from when he'd first met him, from an impassive Uzumaki jounin to an expressionless red-haired boy. He still spoke as though he was twice his age and acted like a veteran who'd come out of several wars, but he'd started smiling.

Regardless of how faint and strained it looked, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio counted that as a win. Even Shibi had shown interest in making sure the jounin was seen at least once around Konoha each day, under the sun, because of his deathly pallor.

"He's been going really hard on us," Chouza complained from where he laid on the ground.

"He's worried." Shikaku answered.

It showed in Sei's face as he watched them train. For the first time since they met, he'd introduced them to the other children he was advising, which was how they met Shibi and Raidou, who were only five. Although it couldn't quite be called 'advising' anymore, since he began training each of them in kenjutsu and taijutsu. Chouza thought it was the announcement of the upcoming war against Suna, but Shikaku had a hunch it was something else.

"Our sensei asked me why I'm not going along with his training regime as well as I'm following Sei-san's," Chouza huffed out a laugh.

"Why aren't you?"

Chouza looked at Shikaku as though he hadn't expected the question. Shikaku didn't pry into other people's opinions that often, mostly because he could guess and theorize with the confidence he was right.

"Because Sei-san's not doing this to turn us into weapons," Chouza spoke carefully, putting what he'd been thinking into words, "I feel like Sei-san's doing this for us. For our safety."

That wasn't true, as their sensei did care about their survival as he would have with any genin who was entrusted in their care. But Shikaku understood what his friend was saying.

Sei looked at each of them and recognized each individual for who they were. Sei never looked at the rumours and myths which shrouded most shinobi as they earned their reputation throughout the war, which also grew on the clan heirs as they faced expectations. He gave them what their parents often had no time to: A place to just be themselves.