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despressolattes · 4 years

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It All Started With Him | Neji Hyūga; Sasuke Uchiha

Characters: (Main) Neji Hyūga, Sasuke Uchiha. (Side characters) the rest of Konoha 12(I know it’s technically Konoha 11 because Sasuke isn’t included in it, but imma still refer to them as konoha 12), Tsunade, and the senseis.

Warnings: heartache; angst; death

Summary: The slow progression of a relationship between two unlikely shinobi, one reserved and one who wore her heart upon her sleeve; the aftermath of having to grieve and move on after one is gone, the heart upon her sleeve frosting over; denying finding a safe space within another troubled soul. A story of things coming full circle, for it all started with him.

Words: 9425 (i went overboard with this one and i still wanna make it longer/into an actual book instead of an imagine)

was originally going to make it a reader insert, but instead i gave the girl a name. Feel free to read it as a reader insert??

In this story, the konoha 12 is the konoha 15 as the girl is a shinobi and has her own squad.

*AUTHOR’S NOTE: I may have gone overboard with this one?? Kinda wanna write an expanded version of it, as an actual series with in depth descriptions instead of just flashes of moments*

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

She had fallen in love once in her life with a beautiful boy with a troubled past and a soft soul. She had fallen in love with someone who had struggled with the light and dark aspects of himself since his birth—where he was born with a destiny. He was fated to protect the main branch of his family.

Oh, how he had hated that as a child and into his early pre-teen years. But as life as a Leaf shinobi continued, he made friends, he crossed paths with worthy rivals, and had his frozen heart thawed out by those around him.

Maybe it was the way she seemed to always be glowing, or the way her smile was warming. Maybe it was the way Naruto spoke to him with such passion. Even Neji Hyūga, full of distrust and resentment for his uncle and his cousins, was able to move past it.

The once angry child prodigy—the top genin of his class—was able to become a sweet, responsible, and serene teenage boy. He stayed reserved, an affectionate side to him scarce to many. Even his teammates and sensei rarely saw a compassionate Neji, though he was softer with Tenten out of the four of them. She was basically his best friend.

But there was something about Minori that went past the way Naruto had gotten through to him. It was an unlikely pair. Where Neji was calm and observant, she could be energetic and oblivious. Where he was reserved, she often wore her heart on her sleeve.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

Minori was a kunoichi from their village the same year as Naruto, and a year younger than Neji and his team. She was the only girl who had set out with the Sasuke Recovery Team when they were all still pre-teens, when the Uchiha boy left the village to seek out Orochimaru. She stayed by to fight Kidomaru with Neji. Despite the fact that they had won their battle, the two of them had sustained too many injuries to regroup with the rest of the recovery team.

Back in the village after being unsuccessful in retrieving Sasuke before he made it to Otokagure, the Sasuke Recovery Team had gone back to their own teams and their own lives while Naruto went off training with Jiraya.

It was in those three years that Naruto was gone that Minori and Neji became closer. Where they once would cross paths and not acknowledge one another, their shared fight built the mutual respect the two had for the other. Occasion nods in the other’s direction in an attempt to greet one another gradually turned into stopping for small talk.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

ONE YEAR AFTER THE SASUKE RECOVERY MISSION & NARUTO’S DEPARTURE FOR TRAINING

There were footsteps that could be heard rushing down the pathway behind her. Minori turned around in curiosity, wondering who it was who was rushing through Konoha so fast. In her hands were groceries, but a moment later, they were on the floor alongside her.

“Ouch,” she groaned, sitting up slowly and rubbing her head, looking up at her assailant.

Through the rough glare of the sun blocking most of her eyesight, she was able to make out the shadow of a green jumpsuit and round, black hair.

“Ah! Minori-san!” a worried Lee called out, a sweat breaking on the side of his forehead as he realized he had just bulldozed into her. He bowed his head in the overly exaggerated way he did, his arms stiff at his side. “My apologies for running you over, Minori-san!”

“It’s okay, Lee,” she said with a small giggle. “No harm, no foul.”

He glanced down at her groceries, a few tomatoes that had fallen out of her bag.

“Allow me to buy you new groceries!” he offered.

“No need,” she said, waving her hands in front of her in defense, staying on the floor as she reached over to collect her things.

“Lee!” someone called out from behind him.

The boy turned around while Minori just looked up, pausing to grab her groceries from the floor. Light lavender, almost white, eyes stopped on the girl on the floor, blinking a few times in surprise.

“Minori-san?” he questioned, looking down at the girl on the floor. His eyes trailed down to her groceries, walking swiftly over and squatting down. He grabbed one of the bags from the floor, grabbing the remaining tomatoes on the floor.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Minori told him as she got to her feet, dusting them off.

Brief small talk turned into the occasional meal or walk through the village together during their down time from missions—normally with other members of Konoha 15. They had grown comfortable with one another. Their mutual friends would like to credit their shared time in the hospital after a shared battle for the unique bond they had since the Sasuke Recovery Mission.

“Again, so sorry, Minori-san!” Lee exclaimed, bowing to her one last time before beginning to run again.

She turned around as he passed.

“Why is he running through the village like that?” Minori questioned, looking over her shoulder at the long haired Hyuuga boy.

“He’s training,” Neji said with a strained sigh, a slight smile on his face. Despite Lee’s antics, you couldn’t help but love him.

“Ah,” she nodded.

“Are you heading home?” Neji questioned, and she nodded. “I’ll walk you?”

She was surprised with the suggestion. Despite growing close to one another over the years and countless times spent hanging out together, it wasn’t like Neji offered to walk her to her next destination unless they were assigned a mission together.

“S-sure,” she nodded, a slight tint on her cheeks that anyone would miss if they weren’t looking at her closely.

He had kept one of the bags in his arms, allowing her to carry her other one. It was bright outside that day, the afternoon sun high in the sky.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

“So, Minori-chan,” Ino started, dragging the words out as Minori looked at the flowers in the Yamanaka flower shop. She was manning the register, leaning her head against her palm, her arm supported by her elbow. “Are you getting flowers for Neji?”

On his last mission, he had to be admitted into the Konoha Hospital due to a few of his injuries.

She gave Ino a playful yet warning expression. Over the past few weeks, the members of Konoha 15 grew a habit of teasing Minori over Neji’s new-found hobby of spending more time with her than before—and alone. It was out of character for the Hyuuga, who remained reserved with all others and formerly used to be frequently found on missions, training with Tenten, not alongside the young Kunoichi.

The interesting part of it all was that they all teased Minori as opposed to Neji, who was the one always initiating their time alone together.

“Yes, Ino-chan,” Minori said, her voice breathy as if the entire sentence was a sigh. “I am getting flowers for Neji-san.”

“Neji-san? Minori-san? You two are too formal with each other,” Ino muttered, walking out from behind the counter towards Minori, eyeing the flower selection that Minori was standing by.

“Yellow Acacia,” Ino stated, pointing at a flower. “I can put it into an arrangement with some white daisies for you.”

“Daisies mean ‘get well soon,’ right?” questioned Minori. “I remember you telling me that before.”

Ino nodded, a small smile at the comment that Minori listened to her when she told her meanings of flowers.

“And the Yellow Acacia?” wondered Minori. “What does that mean.”

“It’s perfect to explain you and Neji,” Ino stated, earning yet another playful, warning glare from Minori, who didn’t want Ino to continue to tease her about him. “Oh, calm down, Minori-chan. It just signifies the value of true friendship! You and Neji have had that since your battle to try to save Sasuke.”

Minori relaxed at the explanation, glad that Ino was taking this more seriously. Then, the blonde leaned in closer to her.

“But it can also mean hidden love,” she whispered.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

THE DAY NARUTO COMES BACK FROM HIS TRAINING

Minori laid on her bed, weeks later. She stared up at the ceiling. Naruto had just come back from his training with Jirarya, and his first question to her and Neji when he saw them was, “I didn’t see this coming, but you guys have my support! Believe it!”

They were merely walking outside of the Yakiniku Q together. Perhaps something about it was a bit odd—Neji was laughing at something Minori was saying.

Her cheeks were heating up at the memory of the embarrassment. For almost a year, she had been teased endlessly about Neji by their friends in private, none of them ballsy enough to bring it up in Neji’s presence. Well, other than Sai, but Neji was too focused on Tenten being aggressive over something Lee had said to hear Sai’s comment.

She remembered turning as red as a tomato when Naruto gawked at them, immediately thinking they were a couple. She refused to even look at Neji, biting her lip and looking down in embarrassment at Naruto’s misinterpreted impression. After the blonde left, the two comrades merely walked in silence, until splitting up to go home.

Even Naruto? wondered Minori. And he hasn’t even been with us like the rest of them. AND he’s the slowest one of us all, and even he thinks it?

She couldn’t comprehend why everything thought she and Neji were together. I mean, it wasn’t like she tended to giggle at most of the things coming out of his mouth, or how he actually let out a laugh or two around her as well. It wasn’t like she looked forward to bumping into him around Konoha in between missions because she knew they’d stop to catch up together. It wasn’t like she got extra excited whenever one of their friends invited her to hang out and told her that Neji would be amongst the people going.

It wasn’t as if she liked him, right?

She turned onto her side, looking out her window. On her windowsill was wilted flowers, one that Neji had gotten her ages ago when she was in the hospital, before she got him those Yellow Acacias. She could never bring herself to throw them away, so they just sat there in the vase, brown and turned down.

“Crap,” she muttered to herself, pulling her blanket over her shoulders. “I like Neji.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

She reported to the Hokage’s office, getting a notice that Tsunade wanted to see her for a mission. As the two years that Naruto had been training had gone by, a lot of important changes for their little friend group had happened. Last time Naruto had shown up, the final part of the Chunin exam had been halted due to the Konoha Crush mission from the sand village. However, most of the Konoha 15, excluding Naruto, were able to retake the test the next time it came around. As for Neji and Minori, they were also able to progress to the ranks of Jounin.

The newfound ranking gave them both a wider range of missions to take on. Despite still taking on missions in their own three man squads, they were also able to take on missions with greater responsibilities outside of their squads.

Though, they had yet to be assigned a high class mission together.

Minori knew all of that was going to change when she walked into Tsunade’s office and saw Neji already standing there. Minori tried not to panic about it, especially after her self realization the previous night about her feelings for Neji.

Minori was the last person to be able to hide how she felt from people once she realized it. She wore her heart upon her sleeve, as her teammates would call it. When they were just starting out as genin, she had developed a bit of a crush for Kiba Inuzuka, having been intrigued by his loud and bold personality. It never went beyond a silly little crush, nothing of importance, especially since it only lasted two weeks. However, in those two weeks, Minori didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was always trying to be around Kiba outside of missions, listening intently to the things he said. Even Kiba, as oblivious as he was, was able to catch on to the girl’s obvious infatuation with him.

They were kinda like how her and Neji were, without forcing the interactions, Minori noted to herself.

“Ah, good, you’re here,” smiled Tsunade. “I have a mission for you two.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

A mission alone with Neji?! she panicked on her way home.

It was a simple escort mission, but the woman had specifically asked for Jounin and had enough money for the request. She was a member of a known clan within her own village. When she had been traveling to Konoha, she was robbed. Instead of believing it was a simple mugging, she thought that perhaps her family’s enemies were targeting her, and wanted someone to guard over her during her passage home.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

The client, an elderly woman named Lady Bianca, was in her late50s perhaps. She walked alongside Minori. Neji was a few feet away from them, guiding them through the woods as the sun began to set, his byakugan activated.

Minori had to remind herself not to wear her heart upon her sleeve—not with Neji. However, that didn’t stop her from beginning to admire him in secret. His long hair that she once used to bombard him with questions about, wondering how he managed to keep it so healthy, was now shining in the evening sun. She had the strong urge to play with it—or even to just braid it.

No, Minori, she scolded herself, shaking her head vigorously.

“You Leaf shinobi are weird,” Lady Bianca commented from beside Minori, sending her judging eyes, catching Minori shaking her head for no reason.

Minori’s cheeks heated. Neji turned around curiously to see if Minori was already because of Lady Bianca’s random statement. The concern on his face over Minori merely made her cheeks head up more, even if he looked a little bit intimidated with his byakugan activated.

It’s a good thing those couldn’t see what people were feeling, Minori said to herself.

Neji slowed down after that, allowing for the two behind him to catch up to his spot. His byakugan was no longer activated, seeing no threat for miles, and they were going to stop to set up camp soon anyways. He walked alongside Minori, glancing down at the quiet kunoichi next to him.

Since when was Minori this quiet? He asked himself, but kept his questions to himself. He looked to the woman that they were guarding, his eyes narrowing on her. Had she said something that made Minori upset?

His eyes widened. Had he?

“Do you not like him or something?” Bianca asked, directing the question at Minori, had causing Neji’s face to contort with confusion.

“What brings you to that conclusion?” Minori asked, appalled.

“Your awkward tension can be sensed even at my age.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

They made camp in a small cave, a small fire in the middle to keep them warm. Lady Bianca laid burritoed in her sleeping bag across from where Minori and Neji sat, facing at the wall.

Minori, who had forgotten her blanket, sat next to Neji awkwardly as the Hyūga boy took out his own belongings. A blanket came spread across her, over her legs, and bundled at her waist. She looked up in surprise, quirking up an eyebrow at Neji.

“What’re you doing?”

“You’re cold,” he shrugged.

“But Neji-san, you’ll get cold. This is yours,” she said, taking the blanket and putting it back on him.

“And I want you to wear it.” He put it back on her.

“No—”

“Both of you wear it!” interrupted Lady Bianca, turning around to look at them. “I see now that the awkwardness is not dislike, but quite the opposite.”

Minori’s cheeks heated up yet again, and Neji’s eyes widened before he looked away.

“Now, lovebirds, just share the damn blanket and let an old lady get her beauty sleep,” Lady Bianca practically scolded them.

No one spoke as Neji draped the blanket over both himself and Minori, not commenting on anything their client had asid.

“I’ll take first watch,” Minori said, knowing she’d be unable to sleep anyways. “I’ll wake you up if I get tired.”

Neji didn’t protest her statement and nodded in silence. He moved around a bit in his seat, attempting to get comfortable. To Minori’s surprise, his head ended up on her shoulder. Neji closed his eyes, and Minori stared at hte top of his head.

“Lovebirds, eh?” he mumbled.

Something churned inside of her stomach with how Neji was at such close proximity to her, saying things like that.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

The trip was uneventful. Minori was unsure if she was disappointed or not. On one hand, she nad Neji didn’t have to risk their lives or fight to protect Lady Bianca. On the other hand, the wealthy woman had spent money on two Jounin that she didn’t actually need. Then, there was a also the realization that Minori would be having to travel back to Konoha alone with Neji.

And only one blanket.

Her cheeks turned red at the mere thought of it.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

“Minori! Please come out of your room!”

She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling once more, her mother knocking on her door.

“I’m not hungry, Mom!” she called back out.

She hadn’t really been in the mood to talk to people much ever since she admitted to herself that she liked Neji. There was no way for her to stomach her feelings. They just wanted to come out. She wanted to tell anyone and everyone, but she wanted absolutely no one to know. Her friends already suspected something, but their teasing would become more serious once they actually realized there was some weight to their words. Minori actually liked Neji.

“There’s someone here for you,” her mom said from the other side of the door. “That nice boy who you hang out with a lot.”

“Please be more specific,” Minori said, opening the door.

She looked up, stopping abruptly when she saw Neji standing behind her mother. She was clad in casual clothing, sleeping shorts and a tank top, her hair up in a messy bun. Instead of her cheeks, her entire face went red. Even Neji had a slightly flushed face from seeing her in such a casual state.

“Ah!” she yelped, closing the door on them. “I, uh, sorry! Let me compose myself.”

She scrambled to make herself look decent, which just included putting on decent pants and a sweater over her tank top. She opened the door again, opting to leave her hair in the bun. Neji was now standing out there, leaning against the wall across from her room, her mother out of sight.

“Neji-san,” she greeted, walking out of her room and closing the door. “What brings you here?”

She brought the two of them out onto the back balcony where there was patio furniture, sitting across from him.

“Sorry for not giving you a warning,” Neji apologized. “I was just worried about you.”

“Worried about me?”

“Well, last time we really saw each other was a few weeks ago when we escorted Lady Bianca,” he explained. “You haven’t come out to any of the outings, and you were acting a bit odd during the mission, as well. I was just wondering if you were all right.”

“Ah,” she nodded, moving some stray hair behind her ear. “Yes, Neji-san. I am okay. I guess I just needed some time for myself, to figure out some things.”

Neji looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. “Like what?” he asked.

She wasn’t too sure how to respond.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

“Ah, Minori-chan!” someone called out.

She turned around to see Tenten across the street from her, standing at the Yamanaka flower shop. She was waving her hand at her, trying to wave her down.

“Hi, Tenten-chan,” Minori greeted, walking across the way towards her.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages,” Tenten commented. “I’d usually find you with Neji.”

Minori made a face. Ever since she realized her feelings, she did everything she could to put some distance between her and Neji. And now everyone was noticing.

“Did something bad happen between you two?” Tenten asked, analyzing her face.

“W-what? No! Of course not!”

“Did something romantic happen between you two?” she asked next.

“Definitely not!”

“Oh,” Tenten acknowledged. “I guess it’s just weird not seeing you two together. I was so sure for a second there that you two were going to end up admitting you liked each other, or something. I’ve never seen Neji act like he does with you with anyone else. I guess I was wrong, then.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

A FEW WEEKS LATER

“I knew it!” Ino exclaimed.

Neji gritted his teeth annoyingly, wishing that he had gone to the Yamanaka flower shop when Ino wasn’t the one watching it.

“Knew what, Ino?” he asked, his eyes closed as he turned around to face her.

“You’re all dressed up, looking for flowers to buy, you have a date,” Ino teased, glancing up and down at Neji.

“And so what if I did?” he asked. He didn’t have one, but he wanted to know what it was that Ino believed she knew.

“I’m sure I know who it is,” Ino giggled.

“Doubt it.”

“Minori-chan, who else,” she stated with a shrug, as if it was the most obvious thing.

Minori-san? Neji wondered. Wait, do these people think Minori-san and I have romantic feelings for one another?

Ino’s face dropped when she saw the confusion on Neji’s face, and he furrowed his eyebrows at the blonde.

“It’s… not Minori-chan?” Ino asked, a sad expression on her face. “You’re going on a date with someone else?”

“What?! No!” Neji denied. “I never said I was going on a date!”

“You never said you weren’t!” Ino argued. “Then why do you look like that?”

He looked down awkwardly, a tint on his cheeks.

“Minori-san and I don’t see each other like that,” he muttered to her. “But I am going to dinner at her house. Her mother invited me.”

Ino’s smirk was back.

“But it’s not a date?”

“No, why? Has Minori-san told you she thinks I’ll ask her on a date?” Neji wondered, wanting to know where Ino was coming from.

“Nope,” Ino said honestly. “Minori-chan is almost as good as you are at hiding her feelings for you. But I know two people in love when I see them.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

So, maybe all of Konoha was right. Minori liked Neji, and Neji liked Minori. They just had a slow progression, full of oblivion and then attempts at repressing feelings.

Neji Hyūga had become the first boy Minori had ever fallen in love with. A beautiful boy with a troubled past and a soft soul. She had fallen in love with him and watched as he struggled with certain aspects of himself, life and dark; destiny and chosen path. She fell in love with the man who vowed to protect his baby cousins with everything he could, just as he was fated to at his birth.

It was surprising because of how they were the unlikely pair. Their personalities as children wouldn’t have been compatible. Neji, the prodigy who had little space in his heart for love, and Minori, the small kunoichi who was socially awkward and wore her heart on her sleeve, everything she did was full of love and compassion.

As they both rose to the rank of Jounin, they both mellowed out. Neji began to think more lovingly about life, and Minori had began to think more rationally. The two of them were calm and collected, and for a while, oblivious to the whimsical romance brewing between the two of them.

Neji loved how she always seemed to be glowing, and she loved the way he looked at her.

They loved each other. It took them a while to admit it, but once they did, it was as if everything was starting to make sense. Not much really changed in their lives after the confessions—Neji having confessed first. They were always softer with one another than everyone else, they were always in one another’s presence. Minori wasn’t so scared to wear her heart upon her sleeve anymore. Not with Neji.

Despite not being the type to indulge in public displays of affection, Neji had a tendency to be okay simple touches. He wasn’t opposed to holding hands around their friends or walking around the village or for Minori to lean up against him—he was the one to lean against her first, before they even started dating, in that cave with Lady Bianca. He didn’t mind simple forehead kisses. In private, he was more touchy with her. His head always found itself in her lap as they did something as simple as reading, and she’d play with his hair.

She even got it braided once, and Neji wore it around her house that day. Her mother had gushed about how much she liked it, and Neji had turned red, unaware that her mother had been home.

Minori’s love language was touch, and despite never saying it, Neji knew.

Ah, young love, Guy-sensei had said when he saw Neji kiss his girlfriend’s forehead before Team Guy left on one of their missions. Oh, to be sixteen and in love.

But love was a rare thing to those who chose the path of the Shinobi. The world of Shinobi was full of hardships, heartbreak, death, war, and devastation. It was also full of friendship and passion, but life wasn’t a guaranteed thing when you vow to protect your village.

The Fourth Great Ninja war caused massive destruction all over—friendships broken, people loss, family’s hurting. But Minori hadn’t expected to come out of the war with a cold heart upon her sleeve.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

First, she had to watch as her two squadmates perished. The two people she might’ve considered her best friends, the ones she had spent countless time training with, eating with, going on missions with. The faces she had seen more than her family’s faces in the three years since they were assigned to their squads as mere genin. Two people she loved more than life itself that she would never get to see become Jounin, never get to see get married and have kids, tell stories about with and reminisce. Two people whose names she now stared at on the Memorial Stone.

The part of the war that may have broken her more than the deaths of her squadmates was watching the love of her life die. She had stopped on the battlefield where she was fighting alongside Neji, anger and tears in her eyes from the deaths of her comrades just days earlier. Neji had got her through it, holding her hand when she found out the news. She was with Sakura at the back end of the war at the time, helping with healing the injured, and Neji had rushed back to be with her.

She had watched as Neji separated from her, her world going in slow motion from there. It was an out of body experience, one she never wanted to go through.

Naruto’s voice calling for a medic rang through her ears, Hinata’s face as Naruto held his body. Minori just stared in shock, her body unable to move even when she yelled at it to do so.

She heard Neji whisper something to Naruto, unable to make out what he was saying from where she was.

She seemed to have spaced out, because all of a sudden Lee and Tenten were there, Lee holding her boyfriend’s body.

Naruto marched over to Minori, his head down as he made his way to her. Tears were flowing down her face rapidly as she looked at his body, unable to stop herself from shaking. Naruto grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into himself.

“I’m sorry, Minori-chan,” he said, struggling to keep his voice stable. “He told me to tell you that he’s sorry he had to leave your side so early, but protecting the ones he loved was the path he would always choose. And he said that even if you didn’t say it, he knows the answer to the question he asked you earlier. And he’s glad to know it was yes.””

Minori began to audibly sob at this point, all of their comrades stopping to listen to her heartbroken cries. Naruto supported her weight when her knees gave in, Tenten looking away from her teammates body and his girlfriend’s broken hysteria. Lee cried alongside with her, silently, holding onto Neji.

Naruto guided her over to the body, and she kneeled down on the floor. Lee allowed for her to take Neji into her arms, and she held him close and dear.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

They had won the war, but Minori was changed in ways the Konoha 15, now Konoha 12, had no idea how to fix. At nineteen years old, Minori’s heart upon her sleeve was frozen. Where many of her friends were getting married or becoming a couple, she had been unable to move past her first love, the only boy she believed she might ever be able to love. She wasn’t even sure what she would give to be able to feel the warmth that was that love again.

The funerals they held for those who died in combat was the hardest string of days and funerals for her. Her sensei, who had survived the war with her, stood with her hand on the girl’s shoulder as she sobbed, watching her squadmates' names be etched on the Memorial Stone. She stood with Team Guy during Neji’s funeral, and when his name was placed onto the stone as well. Lee and Guy let tears river down their faces while Tenten and Minori stared sorrowfully, arms linked with one another.

Tenten hadn’t cried in public over Neji’s death. She had kept a strong stance, despite the fact that her heart was breaking. Minori didn’t have it in her to cry at his funeral, having spent the days since the war sobbing endlessly in her bedroom. Tears involuntarily fell down her face at the end of the service though, the girl collapsing from exhaustion. Team Guy and Hinata stayed with her, the five of them there in silence.

Sasuke Uchiha was back in the village, and it was all that anyone could talk about. She was with the girls at the Yakiniku Q, sitting next to Tenten and Hinata—who she had grown the closest to in the time after the war, and Sakura, Ino, Karui, and Temari were also with them. The only three that hadn’t started to date any of the boys from Konoha 12 were Tenten, Sakura, and Minori herself.

Though, Minori liked to believe that she was still Neji’s girlfriend, no matter what life took from her.

“So, Sakura-chan, now that Sasuke-kun’s back in town, are you going to try with him again?” Ino asked, placing barbecue down onto the grill.

“No,” Sakura shook her head, earning confused glances from her friends. Even Temari and Karui, who hadn’t grown up with Sakura, were surprised. “I’m pretty much over Sasuke-kun,” she admitted. “It’s nice to have my old teammate back, but those feelings are a thing of the past.”

“What about you, Tenten?” Ino asked, turning her. “Are you interested in Sasuke-kun?”

“No,” Tenten shook her head. “I've come to the conclusion that I’m not too sure I ever want to get married.”

“So, that means Sasuke-kun’s asked out,” Ino sighed. “All the other girls worth his time are all taken.”

She didn’t even dare ask Minori if she was perhaps interested in going for Sasuke. While Minori was able to go out on occasion with her friends and attempt to have a good time, the topic of her dating was still a sore subject. Plus, she refused every single guy that had asked her out, and sometimes, she could be a bit emotionless. She wasn’t entirely changed from the old her, her bubbly personality still existed. She just had her days when the grief was a bit too much.

She refused to let her heart be warmed again.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

“Minori-chan?”

A soft voice was behind her as she walked through the village late at night, flowers in her hand.

When she turned around, she saw Hinata.

“Hina-chan,” Minori said with a warm smile, gripping onto the flowers tighter. “What are you doing out so late?”

“I was going to Neji nii-san’s grave,” she said, her lavender eyes, the same as Neji’s, on the flowers. “Are you, too?”

“Hm,” she nodded.

Hinata walked forward so that she was now next to Minori. Minori’s face was a little hot as she gripped onto the flowers, a tad bit disappointed that she had run into Hinata. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her, but she just preferred to be at Neji’s grave alone. She no longer liked to be so open about her pain in front of other people, even if it was her loved one’s family.

She had grown closer to Hinata and Tenten since the war, finding it easy to connect with each other through their mutual loss of Neji. Though all of Konoha 15, now Konoha 12, felt Neji’s death personally, but those three girls were the ones who were able to get the closest to him, other than perhaps Naruto, who had changed Neji’s perspective on life.

Those three girls; his cousin, his best friend, and his girlfriend.

They had just gotten to the cemetery when they heard a familiar and energetic voice calling out to them.

“Oi! Hina-chan! Mino-chan!”

There was Naruto. Hinata’s cheeks flushed at the sound of her boyfriend, turning around to see him walking. Beside him, contrasting his orange with black, was the infamous Sasuke Uchiha. His expressionless face looked in front of him at the two girls, walking side-by-side with Naruto.

“Naruto-kun!” smiled Hinata as the two girls waited for the boys to catch up.

“Visiting Neji?” asked Naruto.

“Hai,” nodded Minori.

She wished she could leave and go to the grave already, but she knew it would be rude to just leave. As Naruto and Hinata spoke to one another, she glanced at the Uchiha. She had only seen him from afar at the war, where he was legendary. All of the Three Sannin’s disciples were legendary during the war. When he had come back to the village, she hadn’t the chance to see him up close and personal before he embarked on his path to redemption.

He was taller than she remembered him to be. The brat of a genin he had now seemed disconnected. As kids, though he might have had a superiority complex, he also had a personality. He was competitive and full of himself—information she had learned from Naruto, compassionate for his teammates, protective and secretly very loving—information she had heard from Sakura. Even she used to see the amusement in his eyes over his rivalry with Naruto.

And now it seemed like the previous light in his eyes were gone.

But he could say the same about her.

The group of four began to walk towards Neji’s grave together. Minori was sure the awkwardness she felt wasn’t solely her. While Naruto and Hinata were likely not experiencing it, she was certain Sasuke had to be. But she couldn’t read the stoic expression on his face.

At the grave, Hinata began to clean the headstone while Minori arranged her flowers where she wanted them, taking the old, wilted ones she had left there before off.

Wilted flowers… she thought. I still have the ones he gave me…

She had moved them into a shadow box, preserving the flowers themselves without the stems. They now hung in a shadow box in her bedroom.

Naruto’s energetic energy quieted down once they got to the grave, now staring at it with a sorrowful expression. He knew to be respectful at one's grave, but there was also a look of guilt on his face.

Minori looked away.

They were all silent for a while. Minori was clenching the fabric of her pants tight in her hands, her knuckles turning red. Hinata got up to leave, Minori stayed put.

“Minori-chan? Are you going to be staying longer?” Hinata asked softly, bending forward. “Do you want me to stay so we can walk you home?”

It was then that Hinata realized the state Minori was in. The lavender girl’s eyes widened and then softened, tearing away from looking at her with sad eyes. Minori, clenching onto her pants as if she would break if she let go, was looking down with silent tears flowing out of her eyes, biting down on her lip to prevent her from making a noise.

Hinata looked at Naruto, who merely just nodded, and Hinata linked her arm through his. The two of them began to walk away from her, allowing her the time she needed at the grave. Sasuke looked at the situation with a raised eyebrow, not understanding why Naruto and Hinata of all people were leaving the girl at the grave in the state she was in.

Especially at night.

When they got far enough away, Sasuke broke his silence, looking to Naruto as he spoke.

“Is it wise to leave her there?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto and Hinata shared a look, nodding.

“I guess you never got the chance to get to know Mino-chan, huh, Teme?” Naruto pondered. “She’s a strong girl, Sasuke. She prefers it when no one can see her cry.”

“Hn,” he nodded at Naruto’s response, but halted in his steps, turning his body around to face Minori.

Naruto and Hinata stopped abruptly, unsure what it was that Sasuke was doing.

“I’ll stay until she leaves,” he informs them. “Just to make sure nothing happens to her at night, in such a vulnerable state.”

This takes his best friend and his best friend’s girlfriend off guard. Sasuke wanting to watch over Minori? What was all of that about?

Minori had been there for what felt like ages, but it must’ve only been about an hour and a half. Sasuke couldn’t make out her words from where he was, but it sounded as if she was speaking in between the occasional sniffle or sob, and he watched the countless times she brought the sleeve of her sweater up to wipe her face.

She finally got up, and proclaimed words loud enough for even Sasuke to hear, “And I’m still mad at you for leaving me!” She had clenched her fits at her sides as she said this, screaming it into what she thought was an empty cemetery.

Sasuke felt guilty for staying and overhearing that statement. He was unable to understand the severity of her grief. He had never been in love himself, and he had never seen the epic romance that Naruto claimed was Neji and Minori. In the years that he still knew the two of them, Neji was someone he saw as a rival from a grade older than them, meeting him as two prodigy brats back in the Chunin exams. Minori had gone to the academy with them, and seemed to be the only girl other than Hinata who wasn’t constantly trying to tug on Sasuke’s sleeve. Before he left, Neji and Minori weren’t even within the same friend group as one another, let alone lovers.

He missed out on watching them, which according to Naruto, was pretty heartwarming to watch.

“You could really tell how much they loved each other,” Naruto told Sasuke. He had been giving him a massive update on everyone in their friend group, how their lives were while Sasuke was gone. “Even though Neji wasn’t big on PDA or anything like that, you could just tell. When they were around… man, what am I saying? I sound like a hopeless romantic right now. I’m starving, wanna go to Ichiraku’s?”

Minori turned around from the grave, stopping abruptly in her tracks when she saw that the Uchiha had lingered. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red. She felt embarrassed that he was seeing her in such a state.

“Sasuke-san…” she trailed off, walking towards him. She was a big lightheaded from all the crying, but she made it to him safely. Her eyes were also drooping with exhaustion. “Why did you stay?”

“It’s late,” he merely responded.

Minori quirked up an eyebrow at him. Sasuke Uchiha wasn’t one to show he cared about people, let alone about a girl he hardly ever talked to. The only connection Minori really had to Sasuke was that they shared the same precious loved ones.

Sasuke ended up walking her home. The silence was uncomfortable, but they both bared it. Minori was too exhausted to fight him on it, and she had a feeling that once he made a decision, he’d be stubborn about it. It just felt so weird and out of character for her to have him there with her.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

As time passed, all of the remaining members of their friend group began to notice Sasuke and Minori. At group events, he’d sit by her even if Naruto was further from him, and they began to be able to make small talk with one another. Yet another unlikely friendship was beginning to blossom the same way Minori’s one and only relationship had, but this time, no one said anything about it.

Where they had all teased her relentlessly about Neji, they kept their mouths shut and only watched when it came to Sasuke. Was it that she was finding herself in the same situation yet again, just with a different boy?

“Sasuke fits her type,” Tenten said softly, her and Lee watching as Minori left Ichiraku’s, Sasuke trailing behind her. “Almost always emotionless, born of a high prestige clan, was a brat when we were kids,” she listed off the similarities between Neji and Sasuke. “With a troubled past and a soul who had to be saved by Naruto? That describes both him and Neji, right Lee?”

Lee was staring intently as Sasuke walked with Minori. Then, he said—with his normal ferocity, “That wonderfully broken girl seems as if she has found a safe place in someone who may or may not remind her of Neji.”

Tenten looked at him with a cringe on her face, the boy seeming as if fire could be in his eyes. She looked over at Minori, who was now vanishing from view with Sasuke. Would she finally allow herself to move on?

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

The relationships in Konoha began to get serious despite most of them being barely eighteen. The first one of the group to tie the knot was Naruto and Hinata. Their celebration was beautiful, and Konohamaru went around trying to get a video log of all the different teams congratulating them on their marriage.

Minori didn’t have a team. She was surprised when Team Guy asked her to do the congratulation video with them. She’d never tell them, but she cried later on. She felt embarrassed about it; crying like that when it was supposed to be a happy occasion for Naruto and Hinata. She felt selfish for feeling so alone and sad when she should have been overjoyed for her friends. A part of her was envious of the love they had.

But it warmed her heart seeing the two people Neji laid his life on the line for made it out okay in the end. At least Neji could rest in peace knowing that.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

At the wedding reception, when everyone was mingling and chatting, she found herself standing alone. She was dressed up—even had lipstick on. A small smile was on her face from the liveliness of the event. Naruto and Hinata’s love was beautiful.

She heard footsteps approaching. When she turned around, she saw Sasuke standing there. Her eyes widened, for she thought he had been away on a mission. But she wasn’t too surprised. Of course he’d come back home for his best friend’s wedding.

“Hello, Sasuke-san,” she greeted him, bowing.

Tenten nudged Lee, and the two of them looked over at Minori and Sasuke. Tenten merely nodded in approval while Lee looked analytical of the two of them. They glanced around the party, Tenten making eye contact with Ino, who was standing by Sai. They both were looking at Minori as well, and before long, Tenten realized all of their friends’ attention had moved to them for a moment, before resuming their focus on the newlyweds.

Still, none of their friends said anything.

Hanabi had run up to Minori, a photo of Neji in her arms as she absentmindedly and excitedly talked to the kunoichi. Sasuke watched as Minori’s eyes softened slightly with sorrow when she saw the photo, but covered it with a fake smile at the little Hyūga.

When she had left, Minori’s smile finally dropped. She looked up at Sasuke, and he just wore an everlasting frown in the first place. But she smiled when she looked at him, but the smile was accompanied with furrowed eyebrows, as if she was just remembering a pleasant memory.

He quirked up an eyebrow at her, silently asking her “What is it?” without having to use words.

“I forgot to thank you for leaving the village,” she said bluntly, earning a shocked response from the Uchiha. She waved her hands in front of her, shaking his head. “I don’t mean it like that.” She looked up at the sky, a smile still on her face. “But it was you leaving that brought me and Neji on the mission to rescue you. And it was that mission that brought me and him closer. So, without you, I may have never experienced such a love before. So, thank you. It all started with you.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

The breaking point to the silence over the possible connection between Minori and Sasuke was when Minori had ended up in the hospital, and Sasuke, far away from the village on a mission, had rushed back home after hearing about what had happened through messenger birds. He acted calm as he entered the hospital room, but everyone could feel the worry seething off of him.

It wasn’t like he rushed back home whenever any of their other friends got injured on missions. He rarely rushed home when he himself was injured on missions.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

Tenten and Hinata were with Minori at Ichiraku’s.

“So, Minori,” Tenten started out, playing with the noodles in her bowl as she began to beat around the bush. “Anyone peak your interest?”

Minori snorted, slurping away on noodles as she shook her head.

Tenten and Hinata shared a look.

“Not even Sasuke?” Tenten asked boldly, earning a light nudge from Hinata.

All of their friends had agreed to go easy on Minori, but Tenten, who now considered herself Minori’s best friend, wasn’t going to baby her any longer. Not when the only reason she was holding herself back from being in a happy relationship was because she felt guilty about being happy when Neji was dead.

“No!” denied Minori quickly, her cheeks turning a ruby red, and she bent her head over her bowl more, trying to hide herself.

“Neji wouldn’t have wanted this for you,” Tenten said boldly, a sigh in her voice as she made the statement that made the hairs on Minori’s arms stand up.

She looked up abruptly, biting down on her noodles and letting them splash back into her bowl.

“Wanted what?” snapped Minori.

“A life alone.”

“You’ve also decided to be alone.”

“But I’m content with it,” Tenten snapped back.

The two kunoichi stared at each other intently. Their words to each other were sharp and a bit harsh, like they were packing a punch with every pause.

“Tenten-chan…” Hinata said softly, a warning hint in her delicate voice.

Clenching her fists around the fabric of her pants, Minori looked away from Tenten’s eyes into her bowl of soup, seeing her reflection in the broth. “He asked me to marry him.”

Her words were so soft and low, it was almost as if she had never said it. But the other two had caught it, their heads snapping up just a bit, alert and clouded with shock.

“W-what?” Hinata asked.

Minori sucked in and let out a shaky breath.

“Neji,” she said, her voice cracking. She paused, trying to find her voice. “During the war started…” she kept losing her breath as she spoke, something getting choked up in her voice.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

FLASHBACK TO DURING THE WAR

“I want to marry you,” Neji had said to her, the two of them in a medical tent together.

She had gotten injured, but nothing major. Neji was standing by her after the medics left, telling her she was able to get back onto the battlefield.

“Oh, shut up,” she laughed at his proclamation, thinking he was just joking, and she fumbled with the bandages on her arm..

“I’m serious,” he insisted.

“W-what?” she breathed out, looking up from her arm. On his beautiful face, there was no sigh of it being a joke.

“When the war is over, let’s get married,” he said. “I know you’re only seventeen, and I’m eighteen, but by the time we plan the ceremony, we’ll be eighteen and nineteen. That’s normal for people to get married.”

“What’re you saying?” she asked, even though she could tell he had put a lot of thought into what he had been asking her.

“That I want to be your husband.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

“Why didn’t you tell any of us?!” Tenten asked her. Why didn’t Neji tell her?

“Because of what I said to him.”

“What did you say?” Hinata asked, curious about this proposal her cousin had given Minori.

“I told him I’d answer him when the war was over,” she said, guilt written all over her face. “And that is why I cannot date Sasuke,” she said, standing up. She looked over her shoulder at her friends and said, “Because if Neji was alive, then I’d…”

She shook her head, unable to finish her sentence as she turned to walk away. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

She took off running despite Tenten and Hinata’s calls for her to come back. It was raining outside, and despite it, she kept on running.

She ended up at Neji’s grave, hunched over with her hands on bent knees, trying to catch her breath.

Staring at the grave, she balled her fists and yelled, “Yes!” A sob stopped her halfway, so she paused before yelling again. “The answer was yes! Yes! I would marry you!” She was screaming so loud, letting the words she had never spoken out loud before. She allowed herself to collapse into the muddied floor, sobbing. “Yes, I want you to be my husband,” she whispered. “But you already knew that.”

She remembered the words Naruto relayed to her in Neji’s final breaths, the words he had told Naruto to tell her. “And he said that even if you didn’t say it, he knows the answer to the question he asked you earlier. And he’s glad to know it was yes.”

Before she knew it, the rain stopped falling over her and a shadow blocked whatever light she had in the first place. She looked up only to see darkness. In the wind, she could hear the flapping of a cape, and the familiar cologne of the Uchiha boy whom her friends wondered if she could end up loving next. The one who she had been spending lots of time with.

The one whom her first love had started because of.

“Sasuke-san?” she questioned, and the cape came off from above her head, and instead, Sasuke took his off, and wrapped it around her.

In his button up that he wore under, one of the sleeves moved with the wind. He stared at her, not saying much. He was not a man of many words. He offered her a hand, and she took it, letting him pull her up.

“I’m sorry,” he said to her, his words genuine.

“It’s not your fault,” she said.

“I’m still sorry that you’re in pain.”

He kept his hand clamped in hers, pulling her behind him as they walked away from the cemetery. She blushed as she wiped her swollen face, tugging his cape closer to her body to keep warm. Tears began to fall again, but this time in appreciation for Sasuke. And perhaps in the slight guilt that she couldn’t deny that she liked being by his side, and it felt like she was disrespecting Neji in doing so.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

TWO YEAR LATER

The night before Minori’s wedding—which was later than most of her friends’ due to the fact that she and her future husband still had their own demons they had to figure out while they were just boyfriend and girlfriend—she had a dream.

Everyone was light and warm, and she felt no pain.

She saw the back of someone, their long and shiny hair. Her heart felt like it would burst, and she went running.

“Neji-kun!” she yelled out.

The boy turned around, revealing a beautiful face she hadn’t seen forever. She paused right in front of him, scared if she touched him that he’d break. Tears flowed down her face. He reached a hand out, wiping them away.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said with his loving smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

She couldn’t break right there, over the sound of his voice—one she always felt guilty for forgetting from time to time. Looking into his lavender eyes was comforting.

“I miss you so much,” she sobbed, grabbing his hand that was on her face in her own, letting her head tilt into his touch. “You had no idea.”

“I know you do,” he said. “And I miss you, too. But I can wait to see you again.”

“How long will that be?” she wondered.

“As long as it takes for you to start a family, and live a beautiful life full of love,” he responded. “Because that is your destiny, darling.”

“You had a nephew now!” she exclaimed. “He looks exactly like Naruto.”

“Hai,” he said. “Boruto. I check in on them from time to time.”

She hesitated on what to say next, but did it anyway. “I’m getting married tomorrow,” she said, wiping her own tears.

“Hai,” Neji said with a nod and closing his eyes, allowing himself to give her a sorrowful smile. “I know.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “It was supposed to be to you.”

“It’s quite alright, darling,” he said. “My destiny was different from yours, but I was lucky to know love before I left. And I know you feel guilty, but don’t. I’m happy for you. I hope you know, I envy Uchiha-san. Though, I don’t hate him.”

“Really?” she asked, wanting to know if he was telling her the truth.

“It’s hard not to envy him, when he gets to be the one by your side. But I came to terms with where my life ended when I did what I did. I’m glad it’s Uchiha-san. It’s hard to hate the man who I have to thank for being able to fall in love with you in the first place.”

Her eyes widened, remembering when she made the same connection during Naruto and Hinata’s wedding.

“It all started with him,” Neji said, and he placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be here waiting, but don’t you dare rush to see me again.”

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

Minori woke up with a jolt, panting from her dream. She looked over at her fiance sleeping next to her, and her heart calmed down a little. She laid on her side, her elbow popping her head up. She played with Sasuke’s hair, shorter than Neji’s, and then cupped his face in her hands. She smiled at the man beside her, knowing she was lucky to have ended up with him.

She kissed his forehead, muttering, “It also ends with you,” before laying herself back down, and drifting off to sleep.

•─────────°❋❀°─────────•

*AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sooo, if you guys think I should make an expanded version that goes more in depth about these events in the form of chapters, lmk!! I loved writing this one, though I definitely got carried away and made it longer than I originally intended for it to be. I’m definitely down to turn this into a full blown series where all the gaps are filled in, so send me an ask if that’s what you want! Especially since the sasuke parts are a bit rushed just bc length.

Also yes, I made it so that Sasuke was at the NaruHina wedding. So what?

❋❀TAGS (send me an ask if you wanna be addedto (or taken off) my taglist!*

@jjouterbanks @spilledtee @sortagaysortahigh @p0tat0-es

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britishassistant · 4 years

Text

But I Like One Piece (6)

It has to come to a head at some point.

She knows something bad’s going to happen when the teacher tells them they’re going be fighting one another in pairs in the center of a taped-off square. Winners either force their opponents out of the square or put them in a position where a killing blow could be struck.

Their classmates stand around the edge to watch and cheer.

Chopper’s Rumble Balls. This couldn’t scream “blood sport” any harder if they were in a cage arena and betting on the matches.

Though she thinks she does spot some money changing hands...

First up is Shikamaru vs Chouji. Shikamaru promptly declares it a drag and flings himself out of the square at Chouji’s first blow. Chouji looks worried right up until Shika rolls onto his side for a nap. Then he just looks exasperated.

Then Chouji’s set against Hinata. They’re both too hesitant to really hit each other, but eventually Hinata manages to get him to step out of the square through speed and disorientation.

Hinata versus Kiba. Kiba versus Ino. Ino versus Fuuka. Ino versus Shino. Shino versus Sasuke. Sasuke versus Sakura. Sasuke versus Mori, Ami, Yosuke, an endless number of civilian kids he effortlessly beats in one or two blows, using moves that don’t look like the Academy kata they’ve learned.

Sasuke versus Naruto.

She shoots him a thumbs up and a grin as he goes into the ring. He beams back, returning the gesture before focusing.

The pair of them make the silly-looking “Seal of Confrontation”.

Naruto takes up the opening position for Strong Fist style.

Sasuke, with his hands in his pockets, snorts dismissively.

“Begin!” The teacher yells.

Uchiha fakes a punch like the one that dropped Mori, before going for the sweeping kick that knocked Ami and Junko on their backs.

Naruto doesn’t balk at the feint and neatly hops over the sweep (Gai-sensei’s training makes you good at dodging), jabbing a quick palm strike into Uchiha’s chest.

Sasuke stumbles. He’s frowning.

So’s the teacher.

This isn’t the way they expected this to go.

She grins, fiercely proud. Good.

Uchiha’s style is fast. The teacher is right that it’s technically flawless, leg perfectly straight with every kick, stance perfectly solid for every punch. He’s clearly been trained in this from a young age.

But he’s skinnier than he used to be, and his lunchboxes are pathetic. It’s simple, easy-prep foods, under or overcooked rice and ragged tomato slices, which aren’t bad, but shouldn’t be the only foods he’s eating if he wants to have strength and energy.

Naruto’s still got some kinks in his form he’s got to work on with Gai-sensei, overbalancing here, not defending there. But he can take his opponent’s blows, and his own land with all the force of a freight train, mixing up Strong Fist, Academy style, and what looks like street brawling.

Naruto’s also been eating well-balanced diet for as long as he’s known her, which may not count for much in the long term, but it’s counting here.

Because, as much of a prodigy as Sasuke is, it’s slowly becoming apparent that he’s on even ground in this fight, and may even be losing.

“Come on, Naruto!” She yells, as he manages to kick Uchiha’s ankle out from under him and—

FWEEEEEEET!!

Kiba and Akamaru yelp as the teacher keeps blowing a whistle until he’s red in the face, yanking Naruto away from his opponent by his collar.

“I said we would be sparring WITH ACADEMY KATAS, Uzumaki!” He roars. “If you can’t keep to SIMPLE INSTRUCTION, you’ll be spending the rest of the MONTH in DETENTION, do you hear me?!”

Naruto’s looking stunned and frightened, like he’s not sure what he did to merit this reaction. “B-but—”

The teacher drops Naruto with a dismissive, “Disqualified. Match default to Uchiha Sasuke.”

“But that’s not fair!” She howls. Chouji’s holding her hand tight, probably so she doesn’t do something stupid like try to break this hypocritical farce of an educator’s kneecaps.

Kiba points at Uchiha. “He’s been using non-academy techniques since his match with Bug-boy! How come you haven’t pulled him, huh?”

The teacher sniffs. “Sasuke is advanced in taijutsu and can be trusted not to seriously damage his opponents. Uzumaki is too violent and out of control to be trusted—only once he masters the Academy Three will he have the discipline to avoid reckless stunts like this. And if you’re done shrieking, Ketsugi, get your behind in the ring.”

Her ears burn hot. She wants to hurt somebody. She wants to hurt them badly, for even being witness to Naruto’s ill-treatment. It’s not a nice feeling, hot and roiling in her belly like bile.

Don’t act out aggression violently. That’ll just give the masks ammunition and they’ll hurt you. Remember what Okaa-sama said. If calming down is impossible, escape the situation.

“Sorry.” She can’t stop herself from snapping. “I’m not disciplined enough to avoid breaking your sheltered little prodigy.”

She stomps over to Naruto and helps him up. His palm is trembling in hers as she leads him away, ignoring the Uchiha’s insulted look and the teacher’s yells.

They’ve both had enough of the academy for today.

Bread is excellent for venting anger.

She’s probably overworking the dough, but better that than doing something she’ll regret later. Like kicking the stupid teacher as hard as she can between his stupid legs.

Naruto’s despondently fiddling with Habu-san’s leaves.

“I wouldn’t have hurt him.” He murmurs. “I’ve done it with you an’ Lee an’ you two haven’t been hurt, right?”

“No, we weren’t. But you would’ve beat him. Pass me a bit?” She washes the rosemary off, muttering darkly as she pats them dry. “He didn’t want you to win and make his little teacher’s pet look bad.”

Naruto’s brow furrows as she folds the rosemary into the dough, placing it in a bowl and covering it with plastic wrap and leaving it aside for the first prove, setting the timer for an hour.

“You’re really mad, aren’t you? You’re not even doing the singy thing.”

She stops in the midst of washing her hands. “Singy thing?”

Naruto shrugs. “Yeah, when you cook normally, you do this thing. Like you’re singin’ but there’s no words an’ the sounds are all weird. Like this.”

Then, in quiet, heavily accented English he croons, «An’all the roads we have to walk are WINDing, an’all the lights that lead us there’re BLINDing, THERE are many THINGS that I Would LIKE to SAY to YOU—»

She covers his mouth with a wet hand, because if she has to hear Naruto sing any more of that song she’s gonna either crack up or melt into a little puddle of shame on the floor. “Yes, I get the idea, thank you Naruto.”

Then she shrieks because he’s licked her hand and seizes his shirt so he can’t escape as she wipes off the saliva off on his cheek, before he grabs her other arm and rubs his face on it.

They end up wrestling until the timer shrills that it’s time to take the bread out and knead it again.

She has to rewash and dry her hands before she can touch the dough.

“D’you wanna talk to Gai-sensei about it? He could always go and kick the teacher’s a—butt until he lets you use Strong Fist.”

He shrugs, gaping at how the dough has doubled in size. “I’unno. Maybe I’ll ask him to drill me on the Three?

She blinks, eyebrows raised.

Naruto shoots her a cheeky grin. “He did say I could do whatever I wanted once I mastered it.”

She snorts gleefully. “Do it. See if you can beat everybody using just that.”

There’s a comfortable silence as she kneads, then stretches the dough to see if it has the proper consistency, before folding in more rosemary and putting it back in the bowl for the second prove.

“He felt really light. When I was fighting him.” Naruto says slowly. “I think he could...y’know...”

He wraps his hand around his wrist, where his thumb and pointer finger can no longer touch.

She hums. “You think I should feed him.”

Naruto nods rapidly, giving her his damn puppy-eyes again.

Technically, Uchiha’s got food in abundance. She sees it when they run by the worn down compound on Gai-sensei’s laps in the morning, bags of rice and fruit and vegetable baskets and freezers waiting outside the complex for its sole occupant to collect them.

The problem is that he obviously has no idea what to do with all of it.

And despite said lack of expertise, he still refuses all of his fangirls’ offers of lunchboxes made with their feelings and lives off of rice and tomatoes. It’s probably a pride thing. Sanji would—

Wait. Pride.

She removes the dough from the second prove, scores its top and sprinkles some salt over it, covering the baking tray with foil and sliding it into the hot oven. “I have an idea to feed him.”

Naruto cheers, leaning forward eagerly.

“We’re going to have to eat the ‘fire curry’ tomorrow.”

Naruto slumps down, exuding betrayal from every pore.

She makes four servings of chicken tikka masala.

Three for their plan, and one for Lee.

She’s not going to make one of his favorite foods and then not have a portion ready for him. That’d just be cruel.

He’s horrified when Naruto recounts what happened in the spar, puffing up in indignation when he hears of the stolen victory and baseless favor bestowed on his opponent.

She’s never seen Gai-sensei look so stony-faced as when he hears what the teacher said about Naruto being violent and lacking discipline.

He does his usual tears of joy when Naruto asks about drilling in the Academy Three, yelling for all and sundry to hear about, “the BLOSSOMING of your YOUTHFUL WILL OF FIRE!!”

But they’re close enough to see it’s more playacting than his usual dramatics, his expression subtly determined and scheming as he makes them run through Academy kata.

Otou-sama makes them both promise to come to him or Gai-sensei if the teacher tries anything like this again, drumming his fingers on the hilt of the bokken he always carries.

This is despite the on-again off-again debate he’s been having with Okaa-sama since last night over whether Hokage-sama and the Village Council will take it poorly if he attempts to intercede on Naruto’s behalf.

At least they both agree to trust Gai-sensei to act for them if they can’t intervene, even if they both end up blushing that deep beetroot shade and staring off into the distance at the mention of him.

The teacher glares at them when they walk into class.

She glares right back, and it’s only because Naruto’s holding her hand that she doesn’t immediately flip him off again.

Surprisingly the teacher doesn't make any mentions of punishments for their skiving yesterday, though he looks like he wants to.

The Uchiha is also glaring at them, but in a slightly more considering fashion.

They need to play this carefully—too little, and he may not even approach them, and Hinata might end up with a competitor for her stalking. Too much and he’ll wise up to what they’re doing, which will probably make him deliberately avoid them because he feels slighted.

So she leans over to Naruto and whispers, “His hair looks like a duck’s butt.”

Naruto snorts a little too loudly, glancing over and away not-quite-quickly enough not to be obvious, snickering as he takes his seat for class.

She mentally fist pumps as the Uchiha catches the looks and laughter but not the words that caused them, bristling like a wet cat.

Ino sends her a calculating look, and she smiles innocently back before focusing on the lesson.

At lunchtime, Naruto waits until after they’ve carefully reheated the curry and are on their way back to the classroom to begin complaining loudly about how it’s too spicy, and she and Lee are secretly robots for being able to eat it.

She falls into the swing of the argument, projecting her voice so anybody could easily hear her say that this isn’t even the spiciest curry she can make (it isn’t), and that Naruto doesn’t really have anything to complain about with the huge serving of sour cream she brought along for him, dulling it down for his delicate tastebuds.

They’ve no sooner re-entered the classroom than the Uchiha stands, striding over to them.

“Fight me.” He says to Naruto.

Naruto blinks, the picture of bemused innocence. “Now? But it’s lunch.”

She rolls her eyes dismissively. “Leave it Naruto. He’s just a sore loser who’ll run to the teacher when you win again. Let’s eat.”

He steps in front of her, blocking her path. “I am not.” He grits out, brows furrowed. “I could’ve won yesterday, if not for the interference.”

Oooh, someone’s bitter.

She pretends she’s Sanji looking down on Zoro, channels that disdain into every aspect of her posture. “What? You and your basic white rice lunches? Please.”

“Yeah, everyone knew I was gonna win yesterday.” Naruto boasts, cocky façade not quite hiding the slyness in his eyes. “You’re just lucky Mizuki-sensei likes you too much to let you lose.”

“I bet he couldn’t even stomach my curry.” She says, faux-conspiratorially.

Naruto shoots her an affronted look. “Only robots can eat your curry.” He says. “Even I can’t handle it.”

“Sasuke-kun could do it!” Ino improvises, flouncing over uninvited. “He can do anything better than you can, Naruto, isn’t that right Sasuke-kun?” She flutters her eyelashes at him.

She holds her breath. This wasn’t part of the plan. If this tips him off...

Uchiha Sasuke eyes Ino, then turns away from her with a dismissive huff. “Whatever. I bet it isn’t even that spicy.”

“Care to prove it?” She challenges sweetly.

“Gladly.” He growls back, ignorant of the discreet thumbs up Naruto flashes Ino.

Turns out Uchiha actually can handle spice a little more than Naruto can.

That’s not saying much to be honest.

His face has turned a healthy pink as he eats, despite the face that she gave him the portion with rice.

He’s refused all of Naruto’s offers to share the sour cream so far, intent on finishing it as is.

He’s also picky, pushing the red peppers and onions to one side as he eats.

Maybe she should feel bad for pointing that out and telling him it sounds like he’s trying to say he can’t do it when he grudgingly admits that he doesn’t like them, but she’s on a mission here.

He’s not going to get his vitamins by leaving anything behind on his plate.

Plus this way when they plot their next avenue of attack, she can tailor the meals a little more so he doesn’t fuss as much.

Eventually he finishes his meal.

He then seizes Sakura’s juice box and chugs it without so much as a by your leave. Not that the girl seems to mind, given how she promptly swoons and collapses into Hinata’s lap.

Ino pouts, despite sitting in the coveted next-to-Sasuke-kun spot.

“There.” He says, panting like he’s run a marathon. “I did it. Fight me.”

“Okay.” She replies. “But if I win, I get to look in your kitchen.”

He squints, a look of offense crossing his face that’s so comical she has to fight not to laugh. “Not you. Naruto.”

“Okay.” Naruto says. “But it’s gotta be on Monday after school—it’s Ichiraku’s night tonight and ‘m seein’ Jiji this weekend. Also if I win, Mayu gets to look at stuff in your kitchen.”

Uchiha Sasuke shoots him a look of profound betrayal. “...Fine.” He eventually concedes. “When I win, Ketsugi’s not allowed to force me to eat her cooking again.”

The poor boy, she muses to herself, as she and Naruto shake on it with him.

He could’ve stood a chance if he hadn’t stipulated that.

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hazusreaderinserts · 5 years

Text

Legacy [Naruto Reader-Insert]

You’re definitely a Yamanaka, aren’t you?

Family and Village secrets run rampant. All you wanna do is survive long enough to see Naruto become Hokage and to find out who you really are.

[Fem! Reader x Various]

Warnings: Long plot. Slow-burn. The slowest of the burn.

Crossposted on Wattpad and Quotev. Masterlist

Chapter 7 The curtain rises.

It's been three years since the Uchiha massacre, since the events that made your life crumble apart like a cookie crumbling in milk. You will gladly use another simile to summarize those three years but it had seemed so easy, you know? How a couple of events could just dismantle the life you knew in the span of a several months. Human life is just so fragile.

You never found out the cause of Shisui's death and after you confronted Itachi about his death that one time, he massacred his entire clan. You heard news. The entire Uchiha District, completely wiped out. Civvies and shinobi alike. Dead. His parents too.

The village shook at the news, but it was just swept under the rug. And people didn't seem to make a big deal out of it. Just a snap of a finger, and the main civvie population of the village just forgot that the Uchiha clan ever existed. The genin kids from civilian backgrounds never even knew the details behind the Uchiha, just that they were once a powerful clan in Konoha and one day, they were gone. Like you said, the big, pink elephant in the room was swept under the rug with relative ease.

In three years, all that the Uchiha clan stood for was forgotten. Their holiday stamped out from the map and renamed into the Festival of Fireflies. Their Clan grounds burnt to the ground, all that's left is just a shadow of the grandeur of the district that it used to have. All that is left of the Uchiha is a boy, a broken shell of what he used to be. The younger brother of the butcher himself, Uchiha Sasuke.

All the other clans panicked after realizing it was the prized prodigy of the Uchiha clan that lead them into their misfortune. You don't really know what the other clans did, but the Yamanaka reeled in the leashes of all the shinobi in service under their clan banner. You were not exempt from this. One of father's close aides shadows you around everywhere, and you couldn't skip Kunoichi class anymore. So you've been obedient in attending all your classes.

Everyone; the clan-sponsored orphans, kids of the branch families, staff of the Torture & Intel Bureau (it's a fact that everyone in there is in the palm and pockets of the Yamanaka Clan) and you, had to go under various psyche and mental health evaluations, provided by the Clan's best doctors and researches. Since the Yamanaka clan specializes in the mind and psyche, it makes sense that they have their own private research facility.

Beneficial pieces of research do trickle down to the General hospitals but most of the stuff that they are researching aren't really appropriate for medical use. ____

You sit there, by the side of brother's hospital bed, his meticulously bandaged up hand in yours. It wasn't as big as you remembered anymore, it was only half as big as it used to be. Your hands were no longer small and child-like, instead they are full of callouses and scarred knuckles.

The short sword that Shisui gifted to you is no longer in use, now a decoration. A reminder. A trinket of the past. You possess the hands of a fighter now, the hands of a shinobi. Your copious use of hand cream doesn't prevent the roughness of your palms.

Mother had to pry the white sword from his cold, clammy grasp when he checked in, courtesy of Hound. It now sits on a worn out weapon display beside the front door. You hear that it didn't want to leave brother's hand until Mother separated the cord-string from the hilt. Suddenly you are reminded of that time at the Deer Festival a couple years ago. You remember Brother's bright smile.

He's in a coma. Has been ever since Hound brought him back from the incident with the bright white light. He tells you that Brother skirmished with someone during the Uchiha Massacre.

Tears pool in your eyes as you tighten your grip on Brother's fingers. There is no trace of white in his hair anymore. And it's much more longer now.

The doctors and Mother says that there's no hope of him recovering. Your eyes grow hot and prickly at the thought.

You hear a rustle on your right and you wipe your hot, prickly eyes with one swift motion. Hound moves in his seat, turning a page of his orange novel. Three years is enough to change your perception of this man.

"Hound, stop reading your ero novels in front of a minor." You say, giving him a disapproving look.

"Stop calling me Hound then." He retorts with a lazy drawl. He looks tired. Like, you know. Tired. Like he’s aged a lot more than the amount of time that actually passed.

You just let out a sigh and turn your attention back to Brother.

Hound was a cold, effective and ruthless shinobi in the past and he showed it. This Hound however (he insists that you call him by his name) is lazy, tired, gives pathetic reasons whenever he's late (which is always) and a huge weirdo with a kink of reading dirty novels in public.

This Hound still has the qualities of his old self but he carries himself in a different way now.

"Hey Hound? "

"Don't call me that. What is it?"

"How long have you known Brother?"

Hound pauses to think, an eye veering to the upper left as he searches his memories. "About seven years, give or take." He counts down with his gloved hands, "Yeah seven."

Hound now wears his hitai-ate to cover his scarred eye and a Konoha-style flak jacket, instead of his ANBU clothing. Everything else is black or a dark navy blue. The wrinkles around his eyes are more noticeable now. When you say wrinkles you meant the creases. Not actual wrinkles. Though his silvery hair does give him an illusion of being an old fogey (if Hound knew you call him that sometimes in your head, he'd probably not be very amused).

Or maybe he's just tired, you can't tell.

You count mentally in your head if it all lined up and it did. Seven years huh. He stayed in Brother's shadow for seven years because of the sword. Seven long years.

Will he be your shadow you once the sword is yours? You didn't want to think about that. It's way too soon.

You know Hound visits your brother during the weekends and sometimes during his free time, which made him a good guy in your book. You also see him visiting the memorial stone if he's not there by Brother. You'd need to search it up later. His name. You kinda hate not knowing the identity of your future guard dog. And his abilities.

Hound audibly flips another page. Then the silence settles and the both of you just sit there. By Brother's bed. ____

Sasuke Uchiha is a completely different person now, you think as you observe his shurikenjutsu from the trees. He is no longer the bright, outgoing little boy with a very competitive streak. He is, however, still competitive.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

The shuriken bounces off each other and they change their trajectory to hit the square targets, all queued up in a straight line, one behind another. It's a pretty impressive feat to be able to bend all those stars and make all of them hit.

Sasuke lets out a breath of air that he had been holding and throws one in your direction.

You narrowly dodge it and jump down to a clear area beside him. Sasuke's expression turns unto a guarded one and you immediately put both of your arms up in a mock surrender. He looks into your eyes.

"Not here to ambush you, just wanted to ask you if you'd like to come over for dinner." This is the nth time that you asked him. You throw a punch at him and he catches it with his fist.

You are ambushing him, He thinks.

"How is your brother?" Sasuke asks after minutes of contemplation. He's deflecting, you notice. Two can play at that game. His grip on your clenched knuckles tightens and he twists hard, flipping you over to your side.

You press the issue even more, "I'll make your favourite." Your eyes show him how determined you are to get him to eat dinner at your place. You were more calm than Sasuke anticipated and your form flickers from his vision, only for you to appear behind him with a blade to his neck. Ah, you've gotten better at shunshin, he notes. The blade you're using isn't your family heirloom. Its Shisui's ninjato. His gift to you.

"No." His tone is flat and uninterested. Sasuke holds his breath. He didn't even hear the tachikaze. You've gotten faster. Sasuke holds out the handsign for Kawarimi and feels a pull on his entire body, his body pops out from a distance away. He replaces himself with a nearby boulder.

"Tomato pasta." Your tone is equally flat and uninterested. You focused as much chakra as you can in bursts with each step you take, angling your blade to pierce him.

"No." Sasuke deflects your blow with a kunai he pulls out from his pouch.

"Curry with tomatoes. Lots of tomato-" You swing again.

"No." He blocks. He drops his kunai and grabs your wrist with both of his hands. And uses the leverage he has to throw you over his shoulder.

"Grilled salmon with lots of tomatoes in your miso soup." You twist your body in the air and land on your feet, holding your blade up in a defensive stance.

He pauses for a second. Just a second. You know that you're getting to him. "Wrong type of fish. No."

"Onigiri with bonito flakes, sun-dried cherry tomatoes and grilled tuna with a large serving of tomatoes."

Sasuke's stomach let out a loud growl and you know you have him in the palm of your hand. "Y-yeah? I don't need your pity." He crosses his arms against his chest and you feel his hostility drop.

You just give him a sad smile, sliding your blade back into the sheath behind you. "He's fine, thanks for asking. Let's spar again after, okay? You can use that fireball jutsu you've been practicing."

Ah there it is, your true intention of inviting him over. You want him to help you out with chakra control, his is much more better than yours. At least this is much better than your other plans that involved threatening to let Ino loose on him.

"Heh, you've gotten better mouse." Sasuke's face transforms into a cynical smile. He catches on pretty fast. This time it held no condescending tone, not like that time he beat you down at the academy. He turns around and catches you off-guard when he knocks you to your back with his forearm pressed onto your neck.

And you did get better. All the books you studied about the psyche helped. And you knew his favourite foods. And what makes him tick. Or at least you think. Sasuke sees that you have that same look that you had back when you ran from him before the massacre. He caves in easy when it came to you.

"If I can't beat you in taijutsu, why not something that I'm good at?" You smile. It doesn't reach your eyes. The pressure of his arm is choking you.

Sasuke just lets out a soft heh and sighs, he gets up and drags you too your feet. He's known you for this long that he could pick up on your tells. And you made him feel somewhat normal, like the massacre didn't happen. For a while. The only person he has good associations with of his past.

"You're a big idiot. You'll never get better at taijutsu, you don't have the strength to parry most of my hits." He says. You know exactly what he's talking about.

He sticks his hands into his pockets and walks toward the direction of your house. You follow him wordlessly.

Sasuke finishes all the food that you cook for him, right down to the last morsel and lingers at your place a little longer after your spar (he uses the neck grab thing on you again, that bastard.)

____

You wake up with your hand outstretched towards the hilt of that blade in your house and you hear it sing. The sharp vibrato of the metal blade sings. It rings in your ears loudly, making you fall into a deep trance.

Then Mother's hand is around your wrist. She wakes you up by calling your name.

"It's happening again, " Mother lets out a shaky breath, "It's happening." The light from the moon shines on Mother in such a way that she looks more aged and tired than you last remember.

This isn't the first time it's happened. It started the night right after Brother checks into the hospital and the blade. You wake up all confused just standing there. Right before the sword.

She's mounted right up there, paper seals littering the outside of her wooden sheathe. And she sings, just like how she's singing now. Like she's calling out to you. To reach forward. To touch her.

Mother puts both her eyes around you and embraces you in tight hug. The one time she shows you motherly affection is after she made it sound like you were going to die. It's ironic.

"She's going to choose you. Of course she is. You're the only one left." Mother whispers under her breath. You aren't sure if she is talking to you or to herself.

"What's going to happen to me...?" All you could do is narrow your eyes into small slits, they were burning.. The helpless feeling from before bubbles up in your throat. You didn't have a choice then and you didn't have a choice now. There is never one, you realize that only now. For you, choice was always an illusion. Mother sits you down to tell you everything. And you are in for a long night. Finally you know why Mother and Brother both refer to the sword as Her.

____

You’re the last one to arrive in your class, with a large, white sword that’s way too big for you. The moment you enter the classroom, all eyes are on you. Ino sits at the middle-top row, mouthing angrily at you about 'Sasuke' something, something. Shikamaru and Choji are beside her. The Nara boy mouths something else at you, then shakes his head angrily before signing and gesturing at you with hasty hand motions. Talk later. Important.

Shikamaru had caved in and just learnt sign-language from his father because he was tired of whenever you weave your fingers in signs when you're angry and you didn't want to talk.

Choji just nods and gestures as if to say, what he said. The long talk from Mother still weighs heavily in your head so you just nod at their direction and you just slide into the nearest seat. Which happens to be in between Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba. Kiba wolf-whistles as you slide past, "Heyyyy Mousey, lookin' good." Akamaru, his dog, barks in affirmation. You choke audibly as your eyes widen. You are ten. He is ten. Everyone is ten. How on earth did he think that wolf-whistling a little girl is appropriate?! Granted that he is a dog boy, but that doesn't mean he has to behave like one. A blush rises to your cheeks as you hasten your movements. Naruto just greets you with a loud smile and wave. How can a smile be so loud? But that's just Naruto, everything about him is loud. Like his orange jumpsuit. "I meant your sword! Your sword!" Kiba emphasizes on the sword part in a whisper-shout and gestures at the blade by your hip, then turning away to the shy-looking girl beside him to chatter away, with a hint of pink on his cheeks. You just settle into your seat and ignore the two noisy boys beside you, one of them is trying to get your attention. Naruto chatters on about his dream of becoming the Hokage, which you doubt at this point, but you hold your tongue. Just smiling and nodding when appropriate. You don't think Naruto notices that you are kinda zoning out at this point.

You feel sorry that you aren't listening to the Uzumaki boy as much but you needed to think about the things that Mother finally revealed to you about the sword. which is yours now. Her weight is heavy by your waist, but you'll grow into her soon. The Uchiha boy sitting in front of you just smirks audibly with a loud heh. You know this is his way of laughing at you.

Iruka-sensei steps into the classroom five minutes later and begins his lesson. You sneak Akamaru a few pets before concentrating your focus on Iruka's particularly interesting lecture about chakra transformation.

#Naruto #naruto imagine #Naruto Reader-Insert #naruto reader insert #Multi-Chapter #multi chaptered #reader insert #reader-insert #x reader #anime #anime x reader #slow burn #Eventual romance #long plot #reader x various

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littledrabbledribbles · 6 years

Text

The Uchihas during dinner

Sarada and Sasuke opened the house and smelled fresh herbs, fish, and warm spices.

“Okaerinasai,” Sakura said. “Mama! Everything smells great! Do you need help setting up the table?” “Thank you Sarada.” “Papa will you sit next to me?” She asked Sasuke as he was hanging his coat. “Aa,” he said. Sarada placed the table mats as Sakura was bringing over the food. Sasuke sat down as he watched both of them, smiling to himself. “Sarada, you’re in a good mood,” Sakura noticed. “What did you do all day?” “I practiced my fireball jutsu with papa,” Sarada said. “I am almost done perfecting it.” “After only a few hours? Sounds like you are becoming a prodigy like your uncle.” “Your brother mama?” she asked. “No,” she said, looking over at Sasuke. “I was thinking more like Itachi-san.” “Uncle Itachi? He was your big brother wasn’t he papa?” “Aa. He passed away a long time ago. But he was very proficient with kunai, and his genjutsu skills surpassed your grandfather.” “I hope to be just as strong as him!” Sakura looked over at Sasuke. She was worried that would not be the thing that he would want to hear from his daughter. He told her about Itachi, and what he had to do. He spoke to her about Itachi until morning one day. She cried because she understood his suffering, but she never imagined how much suffering his brother went through as well. Sasuke locked his eye with Sakura, making her a little uncomfortable. He gave her a somber look as he took a bite out of his food, as if to say there shouldn’t be any worry. “He was a great shinobi Sarada. I am sure you will be as well.”

When dinner was over Sakura went to wash dishes as Sarada sat down with Sasuke drinking hot tea. “Can you tell me more about Uncle Itachi papa?” Sarada asked. Sasuke shook his head, tapping her forehead in the process. “I think that would have to be a conversation for another time Sarada.” He smiled, “But you have come a long way. I am proud.” Sarada smiled. She touched her forehead gingerly and skipped over to her mother’s side. “Do you need help with dishes mama?” “Do you want to finish the rest? It will give me time to rest for a bit.” “Mmm? By papa’s side no doubt?” Sakura lightly bumped her head. “Do not mock your mother.” she smiled. As Sakura approached the couch, she saw Sasuke reading some notes. “More work? Take a break Anata.” “I will be leaving in the morning. Just reviewing where I am planning to go.” Sakura looked sad, but smiled either way to reassure him. “In that case I will make you a bento before you leave.” “Aa. Arigatou.” She sat beside him, “Do you think she will be looking into Itachi’s past? I feel as though I shouldn’t have said anything.” “No, it’s fine, I knew that it would be mentioned someday in passing. I was just not expecting it to happen today.” “You think she will?” “If she does, can you help her? I know it is something I shouldn’t ask from you.” Sakura shook her head. “I will help her as much as I can to help her understand.” She got closer to him. “So you do not have to worry.” Sasuke sighed peacefully. “She is like you. When we were young.” “A beauty?” Sakura joked. Sasuke smiled as he rose, walking towards the bedroom. “I’m going to bed soon. To leave at dawn.” Sakura rose as well. She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.”I prepared a bath for you and Sarada to relax. After I will be in bed shortly.”  Sarada finished the dishes as Sakura came into the kitchen. “All done mama.” “Thank you Sarada. I’m going to make papa his bento, do you want to help?” “Yes! I want to cut the apples.” “Be careful with the knife!” Sakura yelled over her shoulder. As she was preparing the chicken and tomatoes, she asked about what was on her daughter’s mind. “I would like to know more about uncle Itachi.” she said. “Was he really as strong and smart as papa said he was? Why and how did he die? Was he stronger than papa?” “All of these questions, it’s better to save them for another day when we have more time don’t you think Sarada? Besides, you want to make sure your knife skills are present in papa’s bento.” Sarada looked at the apples she was cutting. She focused again at the task at hand. Sarada searched in the back of her mind to remember what she could of her uncle Itachi. She heard about the massacre and read somewhere that Itachi was responsible, but it was absurd. Surely even a promising ninja like her uncle would do something so atrocious. She felt that asking her mother something like this was beyond her expertise. She looked down at her apples, pleased with the work she had done. “Maybe I will ask papa when he comes back from his mission.” “I think that sounds fine.”

Sakura walked over to the bed and laid her head down to rest. She was going to be pulling another double shift at the hospital tomorrow. When Sasuke leaves, she likes submerging herself in her work. Staying home alone while Sarada is at the academy leaves a small pang in the middle of her heart. No matter how many times Sasuke leaves, Sakura always feels a part of her missing. And the void stays empty until his return. “Sakura?” she heard him whisper. “Yes Sasuke-kun?” She turned over to his side, crooning her head to snuggle near him. He smelled of fresh linen and was cool to the touch. “Thank you.” He placed his lips over her forehead and kissed her with a tenderness that made Sakura cry. His calm peacefulness was always what Sakura wished for him. And to have him at home, content without demons, was more than she could have ever hoped for. She did everything in her power to bring him to this. Her, Naruto, and even Kakashi struggled to have him come back. And she would hold onto his happiness as long as she could for him if he couldn’t do it himself. “We will be waiting for you Anata,” she said, “Come home soon.”

“Aa,” he closed his eyes, hoping the sun would never rise.

#Sasuke Uchiha #Sakura Haruno #sasusaku #dinner #Sarada uchiha #uchiha family #sasusaku month #Sasusakusara

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offansandflames · 8 years

Text

Home

Sasuke has finally returned to Konoha. Amidst public ridicule, harassment, and disdain, can he still call this place his home? Canon compliant to chapter 698

He thought he remembered, momentarily, why he'd hated this village so damned much. Of course, other than the fact that certain decisions made here had resulted in the massacre of his entire family.

The strident sunshine offered the most cloying cacophony with his current mood, and he was glad to see the sun set. He felt a migraine coming his way, and the bright but waning sunlight was an affront to his vision. After all the abuse he'd put his eyes through in recent years, it was no wonder he was prone to headaches.

He'd just briefly checked in with a rather overtasked Kakashi, as he was scheduled to do this evening. He had only returned to Konoha six weeks ago, so he was kept on a short leash. He was required to report to a given superior daily. After all, they couldn't have him running off again.

In his spare time, he unrelentingly trained for the blessed day he'd finally be entrusted to missions again. He refused to lose his edge. His paid work over the next year was confined to administrative tasks that made him want to smash his head against a wall repeatedly.

He didn't know why he'd chosen to walk through downtown Konoha tonight to return to his house in the newly renovated but still quite vacant Uchiha district. It was the shortest way, but what was an extra fifteen minutes of walking for some solitude and peace? He did need to pick up some groceries, but he was now regretting not going to the smaller and quieter establishment closer to his home.

The area was bustling and well lit. A civilian couple was walking down the street, glaring at him blatantly as they passed. Sasuke kept his eyes in front of him, disregarding the pair completely and confidently. Everyone knew who he was: Uchiha Sasuke, the traitor.

He walked into a mildly crowded grocery store, and he could feel the atmosphere transition from casual and relaxed to tense and hostile. The wailing infant about three aisles over was doing wonders for his migraine, of course. A young girl, with a chubby face and a teddy bear in hand, pointed at him.

"Isn't he the one?" she whispered, just a little too loudly.

Her mother turned to face Sasuke, sneering at him for several seconds as Sasuke stared back at her expressionlessly.

"Yes, that's him," the mother whispered back. "Keep your voice down and don't look at him."

He sighed, rolling his eyes as he moved past the woman and her daughter, whose miniature features mimicked her mother's as she glowered up at Sasuke. It took a formidable supply of willpower not to glare back at the little brat. He grabbed some rice and headed towards the produce section.

And this is what it was like, every day. Every day, the same hushed voices and spewed insults, the same glares, the same hatred… He knew that fighting back would only make matters worse for him. It would engender the villain they so badly wanted to see. It was what they yearned for, putting his behavior under a microscope and scrutinizing for any evidence that he was a sham.

So he lifted his head, refusing to stare at the ground, walking proudly. He knew that this was what they despised most – peaceful dignity. They sought to reveal Sasuke as the criminal they believed him to be, and if they couldn't achieve that, they'd at least settle for humiliating him. His composed and unwavering demeanor rendered both endeavors futile. He had apologized to those who deserved it. He owed these simpletons nothing.

He recognized the cashier when he paid for his groceries: four tomatoes, one kilogram of rice, and a head of lettuce. A small woman, her well-kept grey hair and wrinkles set her apart. She used to smile at him and ask him how his training was going, and if a boy as handsome as he was had still succeeded in keeping away all those pesky girls.

More often than not, she'd have some food items for him that they were "just going to throw away anyhow." Sasuke was, of course, against taking advantage of people's pity, but she insisted upon it. He was getting too thin, she said, and he needed his strength for all of his training. He was such an impressive prodigy, she told him.

She grinned at the customer in front of Sasuke.

"That'll be 285 ryō, dear."

The woman paid and was on her way. Upon seeing Sasuke, that familiar face flattened instantaneously. She glanced at Sasuke, from top to bottom, and flatly announced the total. She grabbed Sasuke's money roughly, her lip rising venomously and perhaps subconsciously as she forced the change into his hand.

"Next," she blurted out, not bothering to give Sasuke his receipt.

It was times like these when Sasuke had to remind himself, yet again, of why he'd voluntarily chosen to return to Konoha. His brother had lived, suffered, and died for this village. He'd lost everything, because to protect this village, Itachi would do anything.

That is, anything but kill him.

The system was flawed, discrimination running rampant and unnecessary killing occurring daily. It was a cycle of bloodshed. Why were children sent to fight and die? Secrets and corruption were locked away. Those people who looked down on him… Had that civilian couple glaring at him earlier ever even seen someone die?

Of course, he couldn't breathe a word of this without someone insisting that he had no right to judge. He was, after all, the same man who betrayed this village to kill, and who would kill anyone who got in his way, including his own comrades. How could someone as blood thirsty as him rally for pacifism?

But he found himself every bit as qualified as anyone else to make such assertions, if not more so. He was a product of that flawed system, though that didn't keep him from accepting responsibility for the damage he’d caused. No one should ever have to go through what he went through. It would never happen again, not in his village, his country. He would see to that personally. And yes, the Fire Country was his country, and Konoha was his village. He wasn't exactly welcome here these days, but this was his home.

Reform was his goal now. Yet to achieve anything, he would need both his teammates' help and the villagers' trust. He knew he had hurt the ones who loved him. But even worse, he’d hurt him. Sometimes it was regret that kept him awake at night. Other times it was loneliness, and still other times it was both.

But the darkness that has consumed him brought light to a rather fortunate strength of his. If he had a goal, he would see it to completion. It didn't matter what anyone had to say about it or what was standing in the way. There was one other man he knew whose determination matched his own. Perhaps this was another reason they understood each other so well. As long as they were breathing, they would never stop pursuing whatever mattered to them.

If it meant achieving this goal, Sasuke would bear the villagers' disdain. It felt so foreign to see all the same faces that once illuminated in his presence glower and hide behind shut doors when he approached.

Sasuke had always been annoyed by the way people used to fawn over him. He was a prodigy, he was handsome, he was a sole survivor, he was "cool," he was strong and talented, he was… A caricature. An object to blindly obsess over rather than an actual person. As they worshipped him, they dehumanized him. He was everything and nothing to them all at once. He was misunderstood. This was still the case, but this time their myopic vision birthed pestilence rather than vacant idealization.

Suddenly, putrid garbage plummeted from a third story window, the considerable height giving Sasuke plenty of time to sidestep.

"Sorry, I thought I saw the trash coming, but it was just you!" some prepubescent boy yelled from the window. Sasuke didn't bother to look up for the culprit, rolling his eyes at the horrible punch line. Whom exactly did this brat think he was dealing with here, trying to clobber one of Konoha's strongest shinobi with such ludicrous aim and timing? Pathetic.

"Littering is a punishable offense," Sasuke called out nonchalantly.

"You're a punishable offense!" the other countered lamely.

Sasuke told himself he didn't care what anyone thought. He had taken the good indifferently, and so he would repeat the same approach with the bad. Both were built on a foundation of ignorance. Yet the same harassment repeated dozens, if not hundreds of times by so many different people was wearing him down.

No matter. He was strong and proud. He would have to be patient, yes. But even if it took years, decades, he would change the world and this rotten system. They would respect him, just like they used to. They would acknowledge him. Accept him.

"My dream is to surpass the hokage, and then have the people of this village acknowledge me!"

Sasuke felt that he now understood why Naruto had been so obnoxiously persistent. When Naruto said this, he had been a child. These past six weeks… Was this really what Naruto's entire childhood was like? It seemed unfathomable. Sasuke was an adult now with quite the sizable ego, and he was facing the consequences of his actions. Honestly, he couldn't blame people for being slow to trust him.

But what must it have been like to endure this hatred from birth, not even knowing why? To have even a morsel of self-esteem after maturing in this environment, Naruto must have been very strong. How could a child, with no guardian and such little guidance, grow up this way?

Even after his return to Konoha, Sasuke still couldn't say he truly understood the weight of Naruto's burden. The day that Naruto's thoughts had been transmitted to the entire shinobi alliance, Sasuke discovered that Naruto deeply regretted not reaching out to Sasuke when they were younger, sharing the same loneliness. Sasuke was experiencing the same regret currently. However, at the time, just like everyone else his age, he'd been clueless.

- - - -

It was Sasuke's first day at academy. He played with several rubber kunai out in the grass during break, only to have some blond kid, about his age, take two of them that he wasn't currently using and run away. Sasuke chased after him, shouting, "Hey, those are mine!"

"Well, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be the next hokage!" the thief called back as he ran off. "I need these to train to become hokage, cuz I'm broke." Naruto panted, continuing to run. "But I'll give them back when I'm done!"

Sasuke stopped, figuring it wasn't worth the effort to get back the measly instruments. What a strange and obnoxious child Naruto was. Some hokage he'd make… Sasuke already decided that he didn't like him. That's when an older student approached him, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you shouldn't talk to that kid."

He was accompanied by a female and one other male student. They appeared to be at most two years above him.

"Why not?"

"Because he's a monster," the leader of the group told him knowingly.

"A monster?"

Sasuke tilted his head, his already wide eyes growing even larger as he quizzically regarded his fellow classmates. Naruto was annoying, yes. But a monster?

"The worst," the girl confirmed, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"What did he do?"

The other three students glanced at each other for a while, mumbling quietly. The previously silent male spoke.

"We don't know, but whatever it was, it was really bad. Rika, tell him," he said, looking back at the female student.

"My parents told me not to talk to him. I asked my parents why once, and my mom started to cry! Then my dad said, 'It's too bad to even talk about. You're better off not knowing.'"

"That's right. Too bad to even talk about!" the leader told him. "And he's a loser anyway. I'd steer clear if I were you!"

Sasuke remembered this throughout the day. When he got home, his mother immediately started cutting up an orange for him as an afternoon snack. He waited patiently and silently, the only sound in the kitchen being the chopping of his mother's knife on the wooden cutting board. He stood just several feet from his mother's skirt, throwing up his dinosaur plushy and catching it again from time to time. Finally, Sasuke spoke.

"Mom, have you ever heard of a kid named Uzumaki Naruto?"

The knife was stilled.

"Yes. Why?"

"Did he ever do something…terrible?"

"Who told you that?" his mother said, turning around and watching him closely. Her tone changed so abruptly. Was it true that Naruto had done something so horrible?

"Some kids at the academy. They said I shouldn't talk to him because he's a monster."

Mikoto set her knife down and turned to Sasuke. She knelt down, placing one hand on each of Sasuke's shoulders and looking directly into Sasuke's eyes. Her hands were still moist from the fruit that she'd been cutting. Sasuke resisted the urge to gasp, alarmed by his mother's sudden change in demeanor.

"He never did anything like that. Don't pay any attention to what the kids at the academy say. Do you understand me?"

Sasuke bit his lip and looked down before looking back up at his mother again.

"But why…"

"Listen to me, Sasuke… Sometimes people hate what they don't understand. There's nothing wrong with Naruto. You have to trust me. Okay?"

"Hmm…" Sasuke stared towards the ground, appearing to mull the matter over in his mind as he pouted. What was his mother talking about? What about Naruto was there not to understand? And why would people call him a monster? He seemed like just an ordinary kid to him.

"Okay!" he finally answered with a bright smile.

- - - -

He was glad he trusted his mother. He understood now. Yet he had always thought that Naruto had been the one who didn't understand what he'd endured. He remembered the day so clearly when he made that fateful decision to leave his home, to choose revenge over camaraderie.

He knew that nothing Naruto could have said would have made him come back home, but he wished with everything in him that he would have seen how horrible of a mistake he was making. He shouted at Naruto, "You had nothing in the first place! What the hell do you understand about me? Huh?! We suffer because of our bonds. You don't know how it feels to lose them!"

Naruto hadn't lost a family, hadn't been forced to watch them be murdered by the person he loved the most. He hadn't returned to a district full of the bloody corpses of his family and clan members at the fragile age of eight. But Sasuke was young and self-absorbed back then, as the past six weeks had demonstrated yet again. He hadn't understood Naruto either.

And whether Sasuke liked it or not, the treatment Sasuke was receiving currently was not unfounded. It was foolish to compare pasts and pick which one was worse; they were just different. Sasuke didn't believe he could ever understand what Naruto had lived through, just as Naruto couldn't understand what he'd suffered. Yet Sasuke couldn't fathom how Naruto could bring himself to love a village that had treated him so unjustly from the very start.

If Naruto could see past it, then so could he. He'd bear all their hatred until they trusted him, so he could do enough good to repair the damage he'd caused. It was a lofty ambition, but this is what he was fighting for. Righting the wrongs of his past and protecting his home, these same villagers who despised him, from the horrors he'd weathered meant everything to Sasuke. And he would never surrender.

Now Sasuke was walking past a barbecue restaurant, with a large outdoor seating area. The place went by the name of Misako's. The benches were long and wooden, with a roof overhanging them. From the shingled roof hung red and orange lanterns, which had just recently been turned on as the sky began to darken. The denizens were eating boisterously, and it was only then that he noticed a long table that was occupied by a group of his colleagues. Sakura, Sai, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Rock Lee, Kiba, and of course…

"Hey! Hey, Sasuke!"

Naruto was at the closest edge of the bench, leaning back and wildly gesturing Sasuke to join them. He looked like a fool, but Sasuke couldn't deny that it was a pleasant change for someone to actually be glad to see him. Naruto was positively beaming.

Sasuke sauntered up to the table slowly. Sakura waved with a smile as the others continued to peruse their menus. It looked like they'd just arrived, though they'd already started with a few beers.

"Hey, why dontcha eat with us?" Naruto asked. "There's room for one more."

Sasuke had tolerated enough public exposure for the night. He just wanted to go home, dim the lights to soothe his head, cook himself a simple meal, and go to bed. Besides, he hadn't had the best luck at restaurants lately, so he'd resorted to eating all of his meals at home. Just last week, he made the foolish mistake of eating at a hamburger joint. While waiting for his food, he went to the restroom to wash his hands. He was feeling light-headed from a day of intense training and was looking forward to the sustenance.

When he returned to his table, he discovered that someone had spilled his water onto his uneaten burger and the newspaper he'd been reading. He heard several unrelated parties snicker and stifle laughter as he beheld the soggy mess that was once his meal. He didn't bother to ask who was responsible. Why would anyone tell him? And even if he discovered the perpetrator, what could he do about it? The entire restaurant would have sided against him. He paid for his meal and left hungry. He would not allow himself to show his humiliation to the staff and diners. If something like that were to happen in front of all of his colleagues… His pride couldn't allow it.

"I'm already covered," Sasuke answered, gesturing to his bag of groceries.

Not to be dissuaded, Naruto got up from his seat, grabbing Sasuke's bag and examining the contents.

"Excuse you," Sasuke said dryly.

"All you got is vegetables! You call that a dinner?! C'mon, eat with us!"

"Yeah," Kiba added, "Besides, I think we need another sane party to bear witness to the way these females have been flirting with Naruto. It makes you want to vomit."

"Well, Naruto deserves it!" Lee chipped in.

"Oh, Naruto, can I have your autograph?" Kiba mimed, twiddling his finger through an imaginary lock of breast-length hair. "I'm such a big fan!"

"Well, of course," Naruto answered, a full-fledged cheesy grin on his face. "I'm the hero!"

It was a strange role reversal, Sasuke thought. Naruto was Konoha's heartthrob these days, and Sasuke took Naruto's place as the reject. While Naruto was still just as obnoxious as he'd ever been, Sasuke was at least glad that Naruto had finally found the respect he'd so relentlessly fought for his entire life. Sasuke couldn't help but smile inconspicuously, despite his envy. Rock Lee was correct when he said that Naruto deserved it. Sasuke understood this well now.

"Pride comes before downfall, Naruto," Shikamaru noted with a sigh.

"Yeah, little do they know that the first time you beat me in battle, you could only pull it off by farting in my face," Kiba rebutted.

Other than Sasuke, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sai, who was sitting there with that same eerie smile on his face, they all laughed, perhaps a little louder due to the slight buzz of alcohol.

"That's ancient history!" Naruto yelled, accompanied by some rather dramatic arm gestures. "Stop bringing that up, unless you want me to start calling you dog breath again."

"That was so foul that I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. And neither will you!"

"They also don't know about your microscopic penis," Sai stated, his smile never leaving his face.

It seemed that Naruto could count on his friends to keep his ego in check.

"Hey now, Sai… You've all seen me at the baths. Who do you think you're fooling?"

Kiba and Ino began to laugh, Shikamaru simply shaking his head.

"I'm surprised at both of you!" Lee remarked. "Well, maybe not Sai so much, but Naruto, we are in the presence of two lovely ladies!"

Lee gestured to Sakura and Ino, and if Sasuke didn't know any better, he thought he saw Sakura blush. Or maybe it was just the beer.

"Seriously, Sasuke. I wanted to talk to you about some new medical jutsu I've been looking into. It's really fascinating. I thought you'd be interested. I'm sure you have an hour or so to spare," Sakura added brightly.

Sasuke sighed. He knew what this was. They thought he was lonely, and honestly, they were right. Why else would they be so persistent? They knew what talk was spreading around the village. It was no secret that his return was, in general, poorly received.

He’d cut off everyone he’d ever known and love for years. He didn't need anyone's help. But he was at least grateful that the lot of them cared enough to offer it.

"Yeah! You have to eat with us! It's so much more fun when you have a lot of people!" Lee pursued.

He didn't need their sympathy. He could make do on his own, just like always. Still… They all seemed so happy and genuinely pleased to see him. He'd seen Naruto and Sakura quite a few times since returning, but never in a situation like this. He also hadn't gotten the chance to interact much with his colleagues outside of Team 7. Maybe the change in pace would improve his morale.

"Fine," Sasuke sighed, taking a seat at the very edge of the table, on Naruto's left side. He neatly set his groceries under his seat. Kiba was sitting on Naruto's right side, and Sakura was directly across from Sasuke now, also at the edge of the bench, with Sai by her left side. Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino were on the opposite end of the bench. Naruto wrapped his arm around Sasuke's shoulder and pat his back roughly.

"There ya go. See, was that so hard? I knew you had it in you."

Even that casual touch made him want to smile considering the hostility of his surroundings, but he subdued it.

"Don't make me regret it, knucklehead."

Naruto guffawed, perhaps a little past buzzed but certainly not drunk.

"You haven't changed a bit, ya know that?"

Nothing could be farther from the truth, actually, but he was still glad to hear Naruto say it.

"That's my line," he responded.

"Here's the menu," said Ino, who was looking particularly done up tonight. Her lips were glossed with a light pink, a slight curl to her hair. Sakura, Naruto, and Lee, however, looked just slightly unkempt and were dressed for training. Considering that this was a casual restaurant, they didn't stand out.

Ino handed the menu to Sasuke, who started flipping through the pages. He'd get something simple. Miso soup and a salad, perhaps. And just maybe, if the night went well enough, he'd order sake a little bit later on. He'd wait to gauge the situation more carefully before committing himself, as he felt the need to be on guard at all times.

They didn't take much longer to decide on their orders, since most had already partially decided by the time Sasuke sat down. A slender young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, with dark almond-shaped eyes, soft skin, and a white outfit walked over to take their order. She looked around at the table, taking a quick head count, and… She stopped cold at Sasuke.

"I'm sorry," she said curtly. "But I can't serve your friend."

"What?" Naruto asked, tilting his head in disbelief.

The rest of the table hushed. Of course. He'd been stupid to hope for anything else. He'd been dumb to hope for just a nice dinner with some old friends, bickering, and the familiar small talk. Something had to go wrong. The sooner he could get out of here, the better.

"I'd be glad to take all of your orders once he leaves," she stated, venom in her tone. "I want him out of this restaurant."

This had the potential to get ugly quickly, so Sasuke stood, reaching for his groceries.

"That works out for both of us, then," Sasuke told her snidely. "I wasn't hungry anyway."

Sasuke turned to step away, embarrassed but hiding it expertly.

"Later, guys," he said, leaving his friends as he flicked them half wave.

But Naruto's hand clutched onto his arm, jerking him back. No, not this. This was possibly his last chance to leave with his dignity intact. He prayed that Naruto wouldn't fire off and draw everyone's attention to the matter with one of his patented soliloquies.

"No," Naruto said, his voice severe and almost guttural. "This is wrong. You can't treat Sasuke like this. I won't allow it!"

No such luck, Sasuke assessed. Dammit, he didn't need Naruto to stick up for him. He tugged away from Naruto, who merely tightened his grip. Please, not another one of his speeches…

"Naruto, it's fine. Like I said, I'm not even hungry."

"It's not fine! Why won't you serve him?" Naruto asked, ignoring Sasuke's protests.

"People like him are not welcome at Misako's," she maintained.

"People like him?! You think you know him? You could never understand Sasuke!" Naruto was shouting now, enraged, causing the other diners and even numerous people walking down the street to stare.

"You're causing a scene, dumbass!" Sasuke hissed, only loudly enough for Naruto and perhaps Sakura and Kiba to hear. Despite himself, he was mortified, and he'd rather be just about anywhere but here. "Drop it already."

Naruto once again ignored him, as Sasuke had honestly expected him to do.

"You know nothing about him, and yet you choose to hate him?!"

Naruto's voice cracked as he spoke, and Sasuke understood now. Naruto was speaking so passionately because he knew exactly how Sasuke felt. The words could have just as easily been spoken of Naruto throughout his childhood. Perhaps, back then, he'd hoped someone would have stood up for him and said the same thing. He was avenging the wrong he'd received throughout his own lifetime by defending his friend from the same.

"I know enough. I know that he's a traitor."

Sasuke kept his head up, not averting his eyes from the waitress. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing him fluster, and he wouldn't let his friends see it either.

"You have no idea what Konoha put Sasuke through! I know he made some mistakes, but what's that got to do with him eating here? You can't just treat people like this!" Naruto's eyes were watering, his voice almost choking off as he continued to yell. Everyone was staring at Naruto now, some in shock. But their table… By the look on their faces, Sasuke could tell that Naruto's friends understood exactly why this upset Naruto so much. "It's wrong!"

Sasuke knew there was no stopping Naruto now. There was no telling him to "calm down." He stopped resisting. This was for Sasuke, yes. But it was also for Naruto. They called Sasuke a traitor just like they'd called Naruto a monster.

"I don't care what happened or what anyone has to say! Sasuke was my best friend before, and he's my best friend now!"

Naruto grasped his hand tightly, and Sasuke became so acutely aware of his own heartbeat and breathing. Time after time, Naruto shocked him by just how far he would go for him. It didn't matter if Sasuke laughed in his face, took advantage of him, or tried to kill the ones he loved most, including the pink-haired kunoichi sitting directly across from him.

According to Naruto, he was never anything but a friend. Sasuke always used to tell himself that, in general, he had been a very unlucky person. But he felt so fortunate to have someone like Naruto as a friend.

Naruto stood, his hand still clasped with Sasuke's.

"So if you won't serve him tonight, I'm never eating at your restaurant again!

Now it wasn't only their table that hushed. Several adjacent tables had silenced as well to watch the spectacle. Some people walking down the street had even stopped to stare. Even Sasuke was baffled at this point, the villain standing up hand in hand with the so-called "hero of Konoha."

He realized the dilemma this woman was in. If Naruto, such a well-respected and admired member of the community, boycotted the restaurant, it would be horrible for business. She stared vacantly, trying to plot her next move when Sasuke heard a menu slam against the tabletop.

"The same goes for me."

It was Sakura now, standing abruptly, her voice strong and confident.

"I have no interest in a restaurant that discriminates amongst its patrons."

Rock Lee was quick to follow.

"Not all of the barbecue ribs in the world are worth seeing a friend getting treated like this. Sasuke, you said that you want to change the system, just like Naruto, right? I believe in you!"

Four were standing. Sasuke couldn't believe it. Even coming from Naruto, he was shocked. But Sakura, and even Lee? Lee was always quick to assume the best of people, but still… Sasuke couldn't hide his shock when Lee said that he believed in him.

Ino was next.

"This is a no brainer. This place is so bad for my diet."

"This place is out of my way," Shikamaru added with a sigh as he leisurely stood. "It'd be a bother to come back anyway."

Ino and Shikamaru too? How could they stand up for him like this, after what he'd done to them? After all the trouble he'd caused?

"Well shit…" Kiba sighed. The waitress looked paralyzed, unable to speak. "Sasuke, you dick, you got practically all my friends to swear off this restaurant. I have no reason to come here anymore either."

"I don't like barbecue," Sai said with a voice far too chipper for the situation, standing with the rest.

Everyone at the entire table was standing now, save for one person: Chouji.

Chouji stared at his lap, his brows knit tightly, fiddling with his clothing. He appeared to be in deep thought. Sasuke recalled that Misako's served Chouji's favorite barbecue pork ribs. He said that no other place could compete. His father ate here. His mother ate here. His grandparents ate here. His entire clan! And when they ate at Misako's, they ate a lot. He probably wished that he could become invisible, but his size made him an especially poor candidate for this. Yet finally, he did stand.

"To deny a man food is the ultimate sin! I cannot tolerate it! I, too, will never eat at this restaurant again if you refuse to serve Uchiha Sasuke tonight. And I won't stop there! I will tell my mother. I'll tell my father. I will tell the entire Akimichi clan that Misako's is an establishment that discriminates wantonly when…"

If Naruto's defection was bad for business, what of the entire Akimichi clan? That could potentially put them out of business. Every last occupant of their table was now standing. An older man, wearing the same white garb as the waitress, quickly ran over to the table. Chouji's defiance seemed to be what caught his attention.

"Excuse me, I'm the manager. What's the problem here?"

"This woman here said Sasuke has to leave the restaurant!" Naruto answered, angrily pointing at the waitress.

The manager paused for a moment, glancing at every member of the table and then at his offending employee.

"On behalf of everyone at Misako's, I thoroughly apologize for this very unfortunate experience."

"But!" the waitress interrupted.

"Megumi, if you would like to continue your employment at Misako's, I strongly suggest that you hold your tongue," the manager replied sternly.

That appeared to be enough to get the waitress to relinquish her quest, storming off in a huff. Sasuke was uncertain where the manager's real feelings truly lay. Naruto's boycott would influence his many, many supporters to do the same, and the Akimicihi clan indubitably accounted for a large chunk of their business. The possibility of this place going belly up was becoming quite real. The manager's reaction was just good business sense. But Naruto always told Sasuke that he was far too cynical. Maybe the man really did just find the situation unfair. Sasuke was often given poor service, but rarely was he refused service at all.

"Again, I am so, so sorry for this experience. All of your meals are complimentary, and I personally will see that every dish served at this table is not tampered with in any way."

Naruto let out a barely satisfied "hmf", plopping back down into his seat. The others returned to their seats as well, though more gracefully. Sasuke's heart was hammering as he finally rested down on the bench, his palm sweaty. He could hardly believe what just happened. These weren't just his colleagues. These were his friends. Naruto wasn't the only one who would stick by him. Sasuke was determined not to let them down.

"So, what would you all like to order?" the manager asked with a smile.

He wrote all orders down in perfect detail, paling a little bit at Chouji's broad selection of menu items. Even for Chouji, it was a rather large order, but after all, it was free. Perhaps the manager was feeling a regretful of his decision to supply the entire table with free food. At last, he left to fill their orders.

"Nice going, Uchiha," Kiba said, his sharp canines showing as he smiled. "You scored us free eats! We should invite you more often!"

Sasuke smirked, the table quiet once again. He bowed his head slightly, speaking just loudly enough so that everyone at the table could hear.

"Thank you, everyone."

And with that rather awkward start began a night Sasuke would remember for years. There was enough sake, beer, and barbecue to feed Chouji's entire family. They laughed, reminisced, and bantered. Sasuke left with a stomach full of food and a smile on his face.

Instigating reform and acclimating to his old village would be difficult, yes.

But this was his home, and he knew quite well now that he was not alone.

#sns week #sns #sasunaru #konoha #sasuke

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shinaina · 8 years

Text

Counting Steps

Summary | She was an angel in her element, her elegant movements while she danced enough to put anyone who watched in a trance; and he was far too eager to be hypnotized.

Next Chapter | N/A

Couple | NaruHina

Rating | T

He was there often, not that she cared or even noticed, a lot of people came to see rehearsal or simply to observe the dancers lost in a trance. He got lost in the crowd as easily as a spec of dust did. No matter how focused his gaze was as it just always seemed to linger on her, begging her to take note of him, the girl never noticed. Too lost in her own trance during her performance to pay him any mind. It seemed the cliche idea that a man looked at a woman with utter and unadulterated awe and love in his eyes was always when she was looking away.

Hinata Hyuga was the lead of dancing for her profession, ballet; though that didn’t mean she wasn’t skilled in other forms. Her style of dance was simply much more graceful and feminine; a style in which allowed her to easily take the spotlight when it came to ballet. Yet the petite girl was considered a prodigy when it came to dancing, able to learn any performance within a day’s time; no matter the style seemingly. Whenever the time came that one specific group within the dancing unit needed a replacement or an extra they usually went to her. The young woman, having turned 19 only two weeks ago, was attending one of the most prestigious mixed media arts school within her country which coincidentally was only an hour drive from her hometown. She stayed in a loft in which her family provided for her upon her arrival though she often left during the weekends to visit if she was not busy. A kind and reserved girl, she held a calm strength to her that one may have missed due to her gentleness and soft-spoken nature. A small and slim body but seemed to be voluminous in the parts that mattered; namely her chest, hips, hair and lips. Not many knew much about the school-proclaimed goddess, nothing more than the fact that they wanted to know more about her. Perhaps it was the way she held herself with beauty and grace, her long silky dark hair that seemed to glow in a navy blue shade in the sunlight and her capturing almost transparent, pale lavender eyes or the porcelain skin that practically made her doll-like which everyone imagined was soft to the touch. Hinata was simply so beautiful, so compassionate and empathetic, it was hard not to want to get to know her. Yet she only seemed to appear for her classes, rehearsal and then vanish, like some mythical creature whose appearance was considered a blessing.

The only other student in the school who even seemed to know Hinata and actually have a close relationship with her was a student of the same nature only in a much more aloof manner. A student who was just as mysterious as her and a sight of immense beauty to anyone who was attracted to the male gender. Sasuke Uchiha. A 20 year old young man who was studying the arts of choir, piano and traditional guitar. A sure to be hit when he began his career as a singer, he was already a practical celebrity in their school. His music held a sort of melancholy tone to it and yet his voice angelic. Sasuke seemed to be the literal and walking embodiment of the phrase tall, dark, and handsome. A pale fellow, not unhealthily or upsettingly so though, with ink black hair along with ebony colored eyes, a muscular and toned body and a face of constant indifference.

It was no surprise the two students who came from the most prestigious families were constant companions in their daily life. Their families were tight business partners which resulted easily in the two having been playmates since the moment they were able to crawl. Seen walking together in a quiet conversation while Sasuke walked in front of Hinata almost protectively carrying her bags with a face that almost looked gentle. Hinata trailing after in a thoughtful expression as she recounted her day and seemed more open with the man than she ever could be. It was as if the two most beautiful people in the world had come together and jealousy was thick in the air from any gender as they watched their eye candy walk around with the other.

“I heard their parents had their marriage arranged since they were toddlers.”

“Imagine how beautiful their children will be! They’re practically gods which means their children will be literal angels!”

“Hmph! I bet they don’t even know how to love because they simply knew all along they’d marry each other.”

“Of course people as arrogant and stuck up as that would end up together.”

“We don’t even know anything about them, only that they know each other…”

Hinata’s eyes slowly drifted from left to right as the whispers continued, some amusing her while others simply made her self-conscious. As they approached Sasuke’s pure jet black Corvette the ebony eyed man opened the door for her and closed it as she entered before putting their bags in the trunk. She fiddled with her fingers, a nervous habit she had had for as long as she could remember, as she waited for companion. Sasuke entered with a scowl on his face. “Don’t listen to them.” Stated the Uchiha calmly, a mantra he had taught her that she repeated to herself often. “All people like that know to do is assume.” He added in an indifferent tone as he put the key in the ignition and turned it. His playlist instantly came on along with the car, his own preference in music was a similar melancholy indie style to his own. Hinata learned quickly that Sasuke enjoyed music with low and slow instrumentals with drops here and there along with poetic lyrics; she didn’t mind at all.

As he drove they remained in a comfortable silence as Hinata thought about their lifelong companionship. No they were not betrothed and they honestly never planned their make a romantic relationship between them a reality. Their friendship was purely platonic, a friendship put together by their fathers in order to assure a comfortability between families and to promise another generation of union between them. While Sasuke’s brother had taken up the mantle of the Uchiha family, not that Sasuke minded, and Hinata’s younger sister was the heir to the mantle of her’s due to her lack of passion for business, their families were practically that; family. They were practically siblings and a silent promise of always being there for each other remained a constant reminder in the air they breathed around each other. “It’s funny isn’t it? That even to this day people can’t wrap their heads around the idea of a platonic relationship between a male and female who aren’t related. It’s almost offensive.” Hinata murmured quietly in which triggered a “Hn.” response from Sasuke. She knew he didn’t care about what was said of him, he was confident and sure of himself, the Hyuga wished she could be more like him.

As they came up to the building in which Hinata’s loft was located, Sasuke parked and got out to open the door for her; something bred out of constant scolding from his mother about being a “gentleman” and force of habit. She exited and waited for him as he got her bags and began to walk in front of her in a defensive manner as usual. Bringing a hand to her mouth she chuckled. “Sometimes I feel like you’re my servant.” Sasuke casted her a glance that only made her giggle more. “Would you rather carry them? Also if I wasn’t around I wouldn’t doubt it if you ran into a door multiple times due to being so used to me opening them for you.” Now that shut the younger one of the two up as she pouted at her friend, a smirk appeared on his face though he didn’t even have to look at her to know she was offended by the comment. As they entered the building Hinata couldn’t help but smile, it was modern with elegant furniture everywhere; an aesthetic she secretly enjoyed. Sasuke entered the elevator and waited for her until pressing the button to the highest floor.

The loft itself had white carpet with black leather couches and a glass coffee table in the living area, the flat screen TV was planted on the wall with a small and simple wall shelf a foot or so beneath it to hold a few books. The kitchen to the right was a modern one with a grey marbled island with a black and steel exterior design for the kitchen. Immediately the two took off their shoes, Sasuke moving to put her navy duffle bag and ivory backpack beside the couch, they stood out only slightly. The glass pull aside doors led out to a balcony with glass borders and an ivory bench. It was extravagant but simple and she enjoyed it, it didn’t tell too much about her if she ever had a visitor which she appreciated. Sasuke moved to the island in the kitchen to the white bowl filled with fruits sitting on it, he inspected it quietly before grabbing a few tomatoes. Hinata learned not to question that odd and practically obsession he had with tomatoes quickly as well. He offered her a nod before he left. “I’ll pick you up at nine like usual.” He said before approaching the door, he hesitated for a moment before saying. “There’s a new student arriving tomorrow too.” Tilting her head to the side she wondered why Sasuke felt the need to bring such a thing up, he wasn’t one for gossiping. “In the middle of the year?” Was the only question she asked. “Apparently he’s been attending our school since the beginning of the year, sending in progress of a project he’s working on in order to maintain grades. He’s arriving late due to the fact he barely finished a 4 month role in a festival short film.” Hinata immediately stiffened. No, it couldn’t be…

“How do you know this?”

“Because the dobe texted me last night.”

She was immediately trembling, Sasuke knew better than to turn around at his last statement, Hinata didn’t enjoy anyone around her while she was in a vulnerable state. “Thank you for telling me.” Murmured the pale eyed girl before Sasuke nodded with his back still turned to her and then left.

She couldn’t see him, no no no no, this couldn’t be happening. A vivid picture of the blond haired and sun kissed tan skin male was already making it’s way into her head. His bright blue eyes that held her definition of the sky within them along with his signature whisker marks which were with him since his first breath of life as birthmarks. Though having a birthmark on one’s face was an unappealing thought to most at times, he made them work somehow. The perfect beach body and perfect physique who was literally a god of beauty to her was going to come to her school tomorrow.

#naruhina #fanfic #AU #brotp sasuhina

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britishassistant · 4 years

Text

But I Like One Piece (13)

There’s a lot of adults outside the compound.

There’s Ino’s dad, who’s fussing over her a lot, and Chouji’s dad, who waves at her, and a guy with spiky hair and a white chevron on his nose who leaps down from the roofs with Kiba, Akamaru and Sakura under his arms, placing them down before leaping away again.

Bigger Shikamaru then makes a face and pulls the hand on her back away to reveal spots of blood. “What happened here?”

“A trap got set off.” She says. “It was gonna hurt Chouji, so me and Ino got in the way.”

Bigger Shikamaru glances at her suspiciously. “Right. And how did this trap get set off?”

She decides discretion is the better part of valor and shrugs, wincing at the movement. “Lots of tripwires. Hard to tell.”

Bigger Shikamaru gives a slow nod, like he doesn’t quite believe her. “Uh huh. And why were there so many tripwires?”

“Because Uchiha’s scared.” She says, looking the man dead in the eye. “He’s really, really scared of that man coming back to finish the job. And he has no one to look after him, so he’s trying to protect himself. And us. By fighting us to make us stronger, or something. He didn’t explain it well.”

Bigger Shikamaru appears inscrutable during her tirade, but he looks away when she keeps staring pointedly at him, with another muttered “Troublesome.”

The click of a camera shutter has her looking over to see Lee taking pictures of the spiky haired guy and another guy with floppy hair, who are posing dramatically for photos. Kiba’s attempting to photobomb them with little success as Shikamaru watches.

“Right.” Bigger Shikamaru hitches her higher on his hip, raising his voice. “Chouza, can you get the rest of them home? Inoichi and I need to get these two to the hospital.”

Lee insists on coming along with them.

Once they realize what’s going on, Sakura and Chouji beg to come along too. It sort of snowballs from there, so they end up with a gaggle of children and Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji’s dads causing a bit of a stir when they all enter the hospital’s reception area.

She sees the same nice doctor from when she bit her lip last time, with the blond hair and pink eyes.

The nurse is nowhere to be seen.

She tells the nice doctor she didn’t bite her lip at all, even when it really hurt, while he’s doing something with the green glow to her shoulders that makes them stop hurting.

He pats her head and gives her a lollipop, and then gives extra ones to Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Sakura with a wink and vague compliments to the mysterious medical experts for their good work.

Kiba doesn’t stop grinning for the rest of the afternoon, Shino’s insects buzz gently which she thinks means he’s happy, and even Hinata seems quietly pleased.

Chouji’s dad walks her, Lee and Sakura home after they get the confirmation that Ino’s going to be fine, while Shikamaru’s dad takes Hinata, Kiba, Shino, and Uchiha.

Sakura’s quiet and subdued the whole way home, lollipop in her cheek, rubbing her fingers together every so often. She gives a weak little “bye” when they drop her off at her house.

Okaa-san looks particularly harried when she opens the door and takes note of the newly-healed marks on her back and the state of her blood-stained and dusty dress.

Her mother sends her upstairs to have a wash and get changed while Chouji’s dad has a talk with her and Otou-san.

By the time she comes back down, Chouji’s dad has gone home and her parents are sitting around the dinner table as Lee shows them his photos.

“Mayu-chan.” Otou-san says, holding up a picture of her and Ino crouched over Chouji with silver streaks soaring past them like deadly shooting stars. “Not that we aren’t proud of you for looking after your friends, but could you work a little harder to avoid getting hurt too please?”

“I’ll try, Otou-san.” She choruses guiltily.

It seems like what happened has become the talk of the village by dinner time.

Though she could be biased because that happens to be the time Gai-sensei bursts in, babbling on about explosions and grievous wounds and youth and her being sick on Anko’s shoes.

This earns her another week-long cooking ban, on the grounds that it might be a bug and not evil chakra that made her throw up.

Even Iruka-sensei brings it up at Ichiraku’s the following night.

“I heard you had an eventful day yesterday.” He says politely while they’re waiting for their noodles. He seems a bit more at ease now Naruto and Lee aren’t there.

“Yeah.” She sighs, tracing the woodgrain with her finger. “It’s just—ugh.”

Iruka-sensei is nice, so he doesn’t chuckle at her little exclamation of disgust and waits for her to explain herself.

“It’s just—” She throws her hands up at not knowing what it “just” is and decides to start over from what she does know. “Uchiha is not a bad person. He’s dumb and awkward and— whatever, but he’s not bad. He’s just scared. And alone. And everyone thinks he knows what he’s doing because the teacher keeps saying he’s a prodigy and that he’s the best at everything—but he has no shi–blooming clue.”

Iruka-sensei nods seriously, brows furrowing, so she continues. “But he doesn’t know that he doesn’t—or he thinks that since everyone’s calling him a prodigy that he’s supposed to. So when he got scared about the man who murdered his clan coming back because of the thieves, he tried to protect himself with the wires and traps, because there’s no adults who’ll defend him. And then he tried to have everyone over to defend us too, because he’s not a bad person, he’s just kinda dumb and paranoid, y’know?”

“I...think I do know, yes.” Iruka-sensei says slowly, like he’s realizing something.

“Yeah—and before me and Naruto went over and cleaned his kitchen, his kitchen was a tip, because he had no idea what to do with all this food people were giving him!” She turns to Teuchi-sama. “I mean, he was just eating white rice and uncooked tomatoes everyday! It was like when I met Naruto, except he had all this food when Naruto had nothing, but he didn’t know what to do with it, so it was all rotting and going to waste!”

Teuchi-sama winces.

“That must’ve stunk something awful!” Ayame-sama chirps.

“Sanji as my witness it did.” She groans, covering her face while Otou-san carefully pats her back.

“Nobody was feeding Naruto?” Iruka-sensei interrupts, brows drawn down.

“Not from what we could see.” Okaa-san replies, daintily sipping at her water. “He’d be chased out of the market. I think Ichiraku’s was the only place he could get a square meal, until Mayu-chan started feeding him.”

Teuchi-sama nods. “He was our favorite customer. Still is, in fact.”

“Mayu with her little lunchboxes.” Otou-sama smiles nostalgically. “Up at the crack of dawn, carrying around those sheets of paper with what he liked and didn’t like on them.”

She squirms, cheeks heating up. “I didn’t know him then.” She complains. “But he was hungry. I couldn’t leave him hungry.”

Teuchi-sama nods approvingly as he slides a bowl of miso ramen in front of her.

Iruka-sensei is quiet while he eats.

“What did you tell him.” Uchiha growls at lunch on Monday.

She blinks in confusion, about to bite into her onigiri. “What did I tell who?”

Uchiha looks pained, his grilled sandwich leaking tomato juice and pesto in his grip.

“The Hokage,” He grits out. “Has determined that I am not suited to living on my own because of something one of you said. So I now have this chunin living in my house and leaving his stupid porn everywhere.”

She winces. “But I haven’t seen the Hokage all weekend. He was with Naruto, and Naruto wasn’t with us.”

“We did hear the explosion.” Naruto pipes up unhelpfully. “It really freaked his mask guys out—we thought the village was under attack or something when we heard it, believe it!”

Sasuke glares at them all, taking a mutinous bite of his sandwich.

“Mayu.” Shikamaru says. “Do you know what my dad does?”

She frowns as she swallows and takes another bite. “Tactician?”

Shikamaru’s smile is slow and spiteful. “He’s the Jounin Squad Leader of Konoha. Second only to the Hokage himself.”

She stops chewing.

Oh. Oh.

Whoops.

Uchiha looks between the two of them, growing redder and redder with each passing second.

“TRAITORS!!!” He howls finally, and flings himself across the table at Shikamaru.

They all get detention again.

She’s really not sure how long the teacher expects to keep justifying things with “you’re friends and supposed to control each other” when he’s the authority figure here.

Though maybe her telling him this wasn’t the best idea.

“Well, you weren’t wrong.” Chouji says loyally.

“Thank you Chouji.” She replies.

“Still a dumb thing to say.” Naruto adds.

She places her hand over his mouth. “Sssh.”

He licks it again.

While they’re wrestling, she hears Sakura ask Uchiha, “Are you gonna be okay, Sasuke-kun?”

Uchiha snorts. “I’ll be fine. I just have to convince the Hokage that I’m strong enough to live on my own. And to do that, I need to get rid of the trespasser in my home.”

“...How are you gonna do that?” Ino asks, sounding a lot more wary than she has in previous Uchiha conversations.

He grunts in a way that conveys indecision, or maybe constipation.

“What if you pranked him?” Naruto suggests from where she’s almost managed to force her spit-contaminated arm to touch his cheek. “I know some pretty good ones that the jerks in the market never saw coming!”

Uchiha pauses.

His lips curl into a slow, cruel smirk.

She’s not privy to all the details, because Naruto is sworn to solemn secrecy by the prankster’s code.

What she does know is that the chunin who leaves his porn everywhere is subjected to potent itching powder in every fabric item he attempts to use, and somehow becomes convinced that the ghosts of the Uchiha clan would curse his family with pimply skin for every generation thereafter if he did not vacate the premises immediately.

Sasuke’s victorious mood is dampened when the Hokage apparently sends a new chunin to live with him the very next day.

This chunin apparently has a bad habit of talking down to children, no matter whether they’re the last remnants of their clan or not, and abusing his new position to bring home “friends”.

Uchiha takes this as a declaration of war.

He ends up mobbed by every cat from here to Kusagakure thanks to a potent mixture of valerian, catnip, and a secret ingredient that Uchiha refuses to divulge which was mixed into his shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in small enough increments to be unnoticeable until it was too late.

The Hokage sends a jounin.

Kiba ends up recruited to the cause.

The jounin somehow ends up ingesting enough laxatives to put a small monkey out of commission, and then has his all-black ensemble and glasses forcibly dyed many colors thanks to the liberal application of industrial-strength paint.

The Hokage sends Anko.

The ensuing carnage results in the statue of the Niidaime losing its nose and has Uchiha lying low for three weeks, alternating between hiding in her and Sakura’s houses and Naruto’s apartment.

A few days before their finals, Uchiha comes in looking oddly...defeated.

“The Hokage and the Council say that unless I accept the next caretaker they provide for me, I’m going to go into the Orphanage and the Uchiha lands will be forfeit.”

Hinata covers her mouth with her hands. Ino and Kiba sit there, silent and slack-jawed. Chouji pushes away his food and Shikamaru actually sits up. Shino’s insects stop buzzing altogether.

“They can’t do that, can they?” Naruto says, looking around for confirmation. “I mean, that’s your home, right? It’s yours.”

“But Sasuke-kun’s technically a ward of state and has to do what they say.” Sakura says slowly. “Until he becomes a genin or comes of age as a civilian.”

“And that’s eighteen or something, right?” She adds with a heavy heart.

Uchiha puts his head down on the table.

“Hey, that’s rough man.” Kiba says, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Akamaru strides down the table and settles himself next to Uchiha’s head, gently licking his cheek until the boy turns and buries his hand in the puppy’s soft fur.

“Did they say who it’ll be?” She asks gently, pushing her BLT over to him.

He shakes his head slowly, lifting the sandwich and taking a bite. “The Hokage only said they’ll be there to greet me after school.”

“Well, whoever they are, they can’t be worse than Anko, right?” Ino says, trying to be upbeat.

Everybody at the table shudders.

They stand with him in solidarity at the end of the Academy day.

The other parents and children look at them strangely, a group of clan kids and a few civilians bunched together around the last Uchiha like a protective barrier, but no one comes forward to try and take him.

It isn’t until the last of them are leaving that someone arrives.

Iruka-sensei comes out of the Academy building, carrying a suitcase.

“Ah, Ketsugi-chan, Lee-kun, Uzumaki-kun!” He says, smiling brightly. “How are you doing?”

“We are well, thank you Iruka-sensei!” Lee says. “We are waiting with Uchiha-kun for his new guardian!”

Iruka-sensei’s eyes soften and he kneels down. “So you’re Sasuke-kun, huh? My name is Umino Iruka. It’s nice to meet you.”

Uchiha averts his eyes and stares stubbornly at the floor.

“I don’t want you in my house.” He says. “But the Hokage says if I don’t I have to go to the Orphanage.”

Iruka-sensei winces. “I heard about that. Do you want me to stay in one of the branch houses then? I just cancelled my apartment contract with my landlord, but I’m sure if I begged hard enough, she’d let me stay there for longer until we sort out what you’re comfortable with.”

Uchiha peers at him suspiciously. “...Okay. Do that.”

Suddenly Iruka-sensei’s stomach gurgles.

He blushes. “Ah, do you mind if we get some food first? There’s a pretty good ramen place I know.”

“Ichiraku’s?” Naruto bursts in eagerly.

“We’re not feeding you.” Uchiha says dismissively, ignoring Naruto’s cry of betrayal.

He begins to stride off down the path, only to turn when the teacher doesn’t follow. “Well? It’s annoying if you’re hungry.”

Iruka-sensei’s mouth quirks into a smile.

Somehow, she thinks as the teacher and boy disappear down the path, discussing one of the pranks that befell his hapless predecessor, this might turn out alright.

It’ll certainly be better than Anko.

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