The house was quiet.
Dinner had long been over, the dishes cleaned by a very eager Naruto (who nearly broke three plates), and most of the house had finally begun to wind down. But a few lights were still on in the extended Grayson mansion, and in one of the living rooms, a soft hum of voices carried through the walls.
Nolan sat on the couch, feet up, arms crossed, eyes watching the flickering fire from the built-in fireplace. Across from him sat Battle Beast, chewing slowly on what looked like the bone of some giant creature he'd hunted earlier—nobody asked too many questions.
"I still don't understand how you sit still for so long," Battle Beast rumbled. "This... resting. It dulls the edge."
Nolan chuckled. "That's what family does. You learn to slow down… just a bit. Especially when you have a dozen sons under one roof."
Obito popped his head in from the hallway, raising an eyebrow. "You mean thirteen. You're not counting Allen again."
"He's off-world," Nolan shot back. "Temporarily doesn't count."
Obito snorted and wandered in, followed by Itachi and Kakashi, who both looked mildly annoyed.
"You can't leave the training scrolls scattered around the bathroom," Kakashi muttered, looking directly at Naruto and Sasuke, who were laying upside down on a nearby couch, munching popcorn.
"It was Sasuke!" Naruto blurted.
"Liar." Sasuke didn't even look up from his manga.
Minato walked in next, holding two mugs of tea and handing one to Nolan. "Your sons are loud."
"You were a loud one too, sensei," Obito teased, earning a raised eyebrow from Minato.
Battle Beast looked around, bemused. "How does anyone get any stronger in this house? You're all constantly... talking."
"That's called 'bonding,'" Gebbie said from the door as she stepped in with a tray of cookies. "Eat. All of you. I made too many again."
Kakashi, Itachi, and Obito immediately dove in, while Naruto shouted, "Bagsies!" and tackled Mark, who just entered from the hallway.
"Hey! I literally just got back from cleaning up the zoo incident!"
"You're not exempt from cookie taxes," Obito smirked.
Mark took a deep breath and flopped into a chair. "Okay… I gotta say this. I never thought my life would turn into… this."
Everyone quieted for a moment.
"You mean, a Viltrimit half-blood who has an alien war-beast as a brother, seven superpowered ninja siblings, and a dad who adopted most of them after nearly conquering the planet?" Itachi asked dryly.
Mark blinked. "...Yeah. That."
"Life's weird," Sasuke said with a shrug.
"You don't say," Mark muttered.
Nolan finally stood and addressed the room. "We need to talk."
Everyone quieted again. That tone—serious, leader-like, dad-mode Nolan.
"I've been thinking. We've all been training. Watching, waiting. We've faced Viltrimit scouts, and it's only going to escalate from here."
"Then what's the move?" Kakashi asked.
"I want to take the fight off-world," Nolan said. "But we need time. Time for Mark to grow, for the rest of you to master your abilities—" He looked to the older versions of Naruto and Sasuke. "—and for us to build alliances."
Obito leaned forward. "Like the Coalition?"
"Exactly," Nolan nodded. "But it's risky. We're targets."
Gebbie placed a hand on his shoulder. "So we take the time we have and make it count."
"You think Earth can take the hit when the next wave comes?" Battle Beast asked.
"No," Nolan replied bluntly. "But that's why we can't let them come here."
Everyone fell quiet again.
Mark broke the silence. "I've been thinking about that Viltrimit… the one who beat me. She said if I didn't fall in line, Earth would pay the price."
"You don't believe that, do you?" Naruto asked, sitting upright now.
Mark hesitated. "I'm scared she might be right. And that I'm not enough."
Nolan walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not. Not alone. But you have us."
"Damn right," Obito added.
"Believe it," Naruto said firmly.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You still say that?"
"Shut up, emo king."
Minato gave a small smile. "We'll train. We'll prepare. And we'll make sure when they come, they'll wish they hadn't."
Mark took a deep breath, the weight on his chest a little lighter. "Thanks… all of you."
Gebbie smiled from the kitchen. "Now stop brooding and eat more cookies. Or I'm giving the rest to Battle Beast."
"Do it," Battle Beast growled. "I will claim them all."
Mark laughed, really laughed, for the first time in days.
Yeah, maybe things were crazy.
Maybe war was coming.
But for now, they had this moment. And together?
They were ready.