Lost in the Whirlwind (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 33

Nine years ago, Shisui honestly didn't know what to expect when he was called into the Hokage's office for a mission briefing. And stalking a three year old girl was definitely not on the list of possibilities he had on his mind. But as ANBU Crow, he obediently nodded and trailed after the said girl that Lord Third had blatantly expressed interests in, whether that was a good thing or not, they would have to see.

Despite her annoyingly plain appearance, Naka was interesting. She was precocious. Prodigy, a voice whispered at the back of his head and he pushed that thought away. She was smart, although nothing on his little cousin, but she was still bright in her own way. She had a good grasp of her emotions, polite when needed to be and he had never seen her throw a tantrum- which was so weird because even Itachi as a toddler was prone to certain (although rare) fits of his own.

Shisui wanted to say that he was creeped out, but truth was he wasn't. He had watched Konoha raise and nurture the several geniuses that appear with every generation and viciously tore them apart. He didn't want to be invested with this girl- wasn't supposed to be because he already had his hands full as an ANBU, but he couldn't look away from her eyes, her guarded eyes that reminded him of Itachi (his little brother who he needed to protect at all costs). Her brown eyes did not shine with the brightness that came with the innocence of a child, they held something else entirely but he couldn't figure out what it was. Not until he went home and stared into his reflection in the bathroom mirror did he finally recognize it.

Tired.

Naka was tired.

The kind of exhaustion that wasn't supposed to haunt her until she becomes a chunin and realize that people weren't going to always have her back. The kind of tired as if she carried all the weight of the world on her shoulders and couldn't, surely and undoubtedly couldn't, share with anyone else, otherwise the weight would fall on her and crush her completely. She was mourning- and he didn't know what she was mourning for.

The Uchiha found himself following her more often than not, first out of curiosity then it evolved into something more. He made her his mission- just like how he made Itachi his. They wouldn't need to carry the weight themselves, wouldn't be forced to grow up too fast.

The orphan was apathetic in a way that could put some Uchihas to shame, so when her eyes shone with determination and unrivaled passion when she asked him to train her, he accepts. He realized that he didn't make the wrong decision, because he watched her grow and mature into a respectable shinobi with a sane mind and, for god's sake, even developed a love for dango as he does.

She even managed to drag her blonde friend into the mix and together the two minxes wormed their way into his heart. Naruto (jinchuriki, a part of him screams because it is so painfully obvious) was a ball of sunshine, a complete opposite of his friend. It was not Shisui's fault he had a soft spot for orphans ever since he lost his parents at a tender age.

Naka exceeded his expectations on and throughout. Her words were wise beyond her years and her every action was calculated. The arranged marriage was confusing, to him at least, but it managed to keep Fugaku at bay and keep the Uchiha away from prying eyes for a while, something he was relieved for because the lingering of Shimura Danzo was starting to raise some red flags. He was amused and mildly impressed when he found out that she had opened bakeries across the Fire Nation, and even expanded to Suna and Ame, through a stash of letters Naka and the orphans exchanged that she had hidden in her bookshelf. Naka was discreet, but even she couldn't escape an ANBU veteran.