Mari Makinami
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Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews, they were truly inspiring! This chapter should clear up any confusion or misunderstanding you might have had from the prologue.
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"Mother...?"
Unable to look away from her face, Sasuke didn't even notice the terrible pain as he attempted to raise his head up to take a closer look at the woman. His body was also numb and his limbs didn't quite obey his commands so he barely could move at all. But, he didn't care right now. His entire being was focused on this person in front of him, and everything else lost its meaning for the young shinobi instantly and completely.
It had to be a dream. It couldn't be her, could it? Uchiha Mikoto was dead, he knew it better that anyone else. Hell, he'd been having those maddening nightmares about the night of his parents' death for years, over and over and over again! The image of their lifeless empty eyes had been imprinted into his mind forever. Yet still the woman was right there, in flesh, with these deep onyx black eyes full of love and compassion staring at him with a mixture of feelings he had long forgotten by now.
Yes, It was undoubtedly her. Alive and relatively well from what it looked, for some reason appearing to be completely freaked out but also incredibly happy at the same time. Tears of both sorrow and delight were rolling down the woman's face, her hands were terribly shaking, and her long raven hair was unusually messy. If anything, Mikoto looked as though she'd spent a lot of time being unable, or rather not bothering to fix it, hardly caring about her appearance at all. Her face was also so pale that it looked unhealthy, and the dark bags under her eyes said a lot about her condition too, but...
But all these things were unimportant at the moment. It was his mother, and somehow, she was alive. She was gripping his hand tightly in her own warm palms, her entire body trembling like an aspen leaf as she was sobbing and looking at him with such deep love and the unparalleled happiness one could never fake.
In other words, she seemed to be equally as shocked and happy to see her son alive as Sasuke himself was amazed to see her. If anything, she probably looked far more surprised by this encounter than him… But why?
He fought the urge to shake his head to make the mirage go away. None of it made any sense whatsoever. This absolutely couldn't be happening, everything around him was frankly and literally impossible. It had to be someone's trick, perhaps even his own. Yes... Was this a genjutsu? A hallucination, merely a product of his dying brain's agony? A desperate attempt to prolong his existence in such a pitiful manner? By locking himself in an illusionary world?
No… something there wasn't right. All of it seemed way too real to be just a dream or something else of the kind. His feelings, the way air was filling his lungs, the way the light was too uncomfortably bright for him to be able to fully open his eyes and, most importantly, the pain... There would be no reason for this damned pain to be there at all, let alone so intense, if all this were just some bizarre vision.
Was this what they called the afterlife, then? No, it couldn't be, he decided almost the same second. His mother'd said he was alive, there was no mistake. There would be no reason for her to say so if both of them were dead. Then what…? The last thing he could remember of what'd happened before the everlasting darkness'd absorbed him was his final conversation with the Sage. Hagoromo'd promised him a second chance… A new beginning. Was that it, then? Was this a new life? Had he reincarnated? But then again, if this was the case… why was he still himself? And if it was actually working as intended by the Sage, then why was his mother alive and present in the new life? And she'd also mentioned Itachi… No, actually, she'd called for him!
His wild stream of consciousness got interrupted as the door to the room opened with a loud knock, and the tall young man with long black hair wrapped in a ponytail behind his back broke into the ward, coming close to Mikoto and staring at his younger brother blankly for a few seconds before carefully uttering:
"Sasuke… how are you feeling?"
Despite being unable to believe his ears for hearing their voices once again? Probably awful, but that little detail made everything else pale in comparison. Whatever was the nature and the meaning of this place, Sasuke decided that he was more than happy to end up here, to be able to talk to them again… even if this would only last for a short time. Even if this was not real… Although it definitely felt real, he'd got reassured the moment he'd seen his sibling.
"Fine… I guess," he muttered, wincing as he made another futile attempt to get up. "Where am I?"
"The hospital of Konoha," said Itachi, looking at him impassively, "Do you recognize me?"
Sasuke blinked, frowning. What kind of question was that anyway?
"Of course I do, unless you are some prick who used Henge no Jutsu to turn into Itachi."
The face of the other Uchiha softened a bit and he let out an unusually loud sigh of relief, his posture visibly relaxing.
"Very good. The medics said that even should you ever wake up, your brain had suffered serious damage so there could be various complications including full or partial amnesia."
"Shush! Stop moving, sweetheart, it is dangerous in your state!" Mikoto pushed Sasuke lightly on the chest, making him flinch as she forced him to settle down reluctantly.
"What happened to me anyway? Why am I here?" carefully asked her son pretending irritated but, in fact, trying to be careful not to say something that could raise up any additional concerns about himself. Of course, the loss of memories would be a perfect excuse for him no matter what he would say or do. Still, whether all this was real or not, it would be too unlike him to play recklessly and not to think on his moves beforehand in such a delicate situation. Especially considering that he felt blindfolded in this new reality as he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"You don't remember?" Itachi frowned, "This isn't surprising. Like I said, amnesia is a predictable and expected consequence. But… since you have obviously recognized me and mother, I take it you haven't lost your memories completely. What exactly do you remember? About the most recent mission, for instance."
Mikoto gave her older son a slightly condemning glance, grumbling:
"Is is really necessary to interrogate him right now? Son, he needs rest, he—"
"We need to know for sure how serious was the damage his mind received and if my genjutsu worked as intended, mother. I'm sorry, but it is necessary."
His genjutsu…?
Mikoto shook her head disapprovingly and sighed before getting up from her knees and sitting down on Sasuke's couch, bowing down and hugging the boy tightly but not saying a word.
"Well," muttered Sasuke, suddenly feeling very confused and lost, unsure what to do. His mother's gesture of affection wasn't something completely foreign to him, of course, but the ninja had long forgotten by now how it felt to be hugged by her, or by any person for that matter. He had grown to dislike anybody touching him, but this… it felt so nice yet, for some reason, it was embarrassing at the same time.
Forcing himself to toss this storm of feelings and reflections aside, he met Itachi's concerned gaze and said:
"I don't remember a damn thing. That's why I asked you what happened."
His brother nodded as though having expected such response.
"What do you remember about yourself, then? About your life."
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I was born and raised in Konohagakure, Land of Fire."
Itachi nodded again, this time more enthusiastically.
"Correct. What was the number of your genin team?"
"Seven," he replied automatically but, apparently, this was the correct answer too seeing as Itachi smiled.
"Right. What was the last mission you remember receiving?"
Sasuke paused, carefully thinking on the answer. He wasn't sure if he remembered what was the last mission he'd executed for Konoha back in his previous life. And here… His body felt more less like the one he was used to, so he presumed that his age was still approximately the same, which in turn made him conclude on a side note that he probably hadn't exactly traveled in time. Therefore, the only logical reply would be…
"I don't remember," he said truthfully but, evidently, his reply wasn't quite satisfying as Itachi's face darkened a little but, he decided not to push.
"I see. How old are you?"
This was far easier to answer. Although he couldn't estimate his exact height, weight or even his shape considering that his entire body was currently bandaged and that he experienced tremendous pain whenever he tried to move, his voice still sounded the same in his head so he was probably…
"Seventeen."
Their reaction was surprising. There was a short pause before Mikoto raised her head up from his chest to meet Itachi's troubled gaze as his expression became even more sullen — he was definitely confused and anxious now.
"No, Sasuke. You are fifteen," said his mother softly, making the young Uchiha frown and grit his teeth, troubled and baffled by her words.
Fifteen... that wasn't far away from his guess, but the difference was actually very weird. He didn't see any logic there at all. Why was he now exactly two years younger? Had this been a jump through time, even to a parallel universe or something like that, wouldn't it be perfectly logical for him to remain… well, himself? And then again...
...you'll have to repeat your way from the beginning, living a different life this time...
He swallowed nervously. It would seem that this was the way the Sage'd chosen to let him start everything from the start as he had claimed… But, in this case, shouldn't he have been an infant now, or at least a child? After all, that was the age when his life had taken the dramatic turn to darkness…
"I see," murmured Sasuke. "It seems like I've forgotten some things, after all. Besides… I feel a bit confused, I can't remember anything clearly, and when I try to focus… It hurts," he winced. This wasn't far from the truth so he almost hadn't lied, "Anyway, you haven't answered my question. Why am I here?" He looked directly into Itachi's eyes, trying to seem as cool and impassive as possible as tried to change the topic in order to stop the interrogation.
"Something happened to you during our last mission," said the man softly, "We were facing an S-class rogue ninja in the Land of Earth. You got caught in a strong explosion caused by his jutsu when we were trying to escape. Although you bought us the vital time by doing so, it was a suicide move on your part, little brother. A very brave, but a foolish move nonetheless. We tried to stop you, but you never listened."
Sasuke snorted, looking away. Now that sounded quite dubious. He found it hard to imagine himself deciding to sacrifice his life to protect his teammate. Why would he…?
He then almost gasped as an image from the distant past appeared in front of his eyes, making him remember something he'd long forgotten. Years ago, he'd jumped in front of Haku's senbon needles to protect Naruto… and almost died by doing so.
"I see," he said again in a quiet voice, not looking at either of them as Mikoto stroked his hair gently, studying his face with her worried piercing gaze. "How come I am here, then? Sounds like running away was the only option for you if I had to get myself killed to buy you guys some time. What went wrong?"
Now both his mother and Itachi seemed to be genuinely surprised by his response for the reason he didn't know. Was this about his words, or rather his tone? It was at this point obvious that whatever this place actually was, Uchiha Sasuke had existed here until this day. They'd made it absolutely clear that they knew someone with this name. Someone with his looks and with an identity very similar to his own. Therefore it was probably some different version of him considering that Sasuke had no memories of his past here in this world.
But, unlike himself, they did have their memories including those about him. They didn't know who he was, but they had known some different Uchiha Sasuke. The question was what kind of person were they expecting to see in him?
"I managed to retrieve your body while the enemy was busy chasing Naruto-kun. You were in a critical condition, and we weren't sure if you'd survive until we'd return to Konoha. We didn't have a medic nin in our team, after all. When we brought you here, they said it's a hopeless case. You remained in coma for a few days while they healed most of the physical damage, but then… you died."
"Oh."
He blinked but, contrary to what they might think at the moment, his reaction had nothing to do with the dramatic announcement of his unfulfilled demise.
What had drawn his attention was the mentioning of Naruto… so he existed here, too. And he was still alive here unlike back in their world. And on top of that he, Sasuke, had died trying to save him. How ****ing sweet... Fate definitely didn't lack the sense of irony. Well, at least now he was beginning to see the entire picture more less clearly. Uchiha Sasuke had virtually died here, and he'd also died back in the world he remembered as his home, so whatever'd brought him here to this reality probably had to do with near death experience.
"For how long did I remain dead?"
Mikoto's hand twitched and stopped. She suddenly whimpered at his abrupt question, shaking her head and biting her lip only not to start crying again. Sasuke almost cursed himself then, suddenly feeling guilty to his own surprise. She was probably not used to his cynical and indifferent attitude, and the way he was casually discussing what had happened to him was probably a bit too much for the poor woman to handle. As far as he remembered, his mother had always been quite soft and sensitive, and she'd definitely suffered enough of horror and stress in the last few days. Obviously, his behavior didn't help her at all.
"For almost ten minutes. Basically, more than enough for your brain to pass the point of no return, which makes it especially miraculous that you are actually back," mused Itachi, just like Sasuke sounding so casual that it almost seemed as though he was more entertained by said miracle itself rather than amused by the fact that his brother was back.
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too," groaned the boy in pretentious annoyance, to which his sibling smiled warmly for the first time throughout their conversation and then sat down on the couch on the side opposite to Mikoto's, tapping his forehead lightly.
"Sorry, Sasuke. You really scared us all. But, at the same time, if not for you, we'd probably all have died there. Good job, little brother."
Sasuke smirked, suddenly feeling a bit sentimental. This all was definitely too good to be true, but he still couldn't help it. Strangely, although he had no idea what exactly was this reality and if it even existed outside some kind of a delirious vision made up by his own fractured mind... It still gave him something wonderful and long forgotten, something he hadn't experienced in years.
He felt home.
"Don't mention it," he muttered then, suppressing the treacherous tears that came to his eyes against his will and then asking, "Where is Naruto anyway? Is he alright?" He truly wanted to see his friend and it also felt a bit weird… no, actually, it was totally unusual for the Uchiha. But he couldn't help it either — the image of the dead blond lying next to him at the Valley of the End made his heart clench in guilt and sorrow whenever he thought about him.
Itachi nodded, looking at the door.
"Yeah… Actually, he was here when you... died. All of us were. But after you'd passed away, Hinata ran out of the room and he followed her. I haven't seen them since then, not sure if they're aware of your return yet."
Hinata…? Who the hell was that? Sasuke didn't remember this name at all, not even from the academy years. But, considering that Itachi had been a part of this mission without being a member of Team Seven, she was probably just another ninja who had been assigned for this task.
"I see. And Hinata…?" he asked carefully, not wanting to reveal the fact that he had no idea who that was.
His brother smiled gently, and something in this smile felt a bit bothersome to Sasuke.
"She is fine, too. Although she's been unusually quiet ever since the moment we escaped. She was probably feeling too stressed which is no wonder. One doesn't lose their old teammate every day. Hopefully, you won't experience it anytime soon."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at his words. Old teammate, huh…? Apparently, things were much different in this reality to say the least. But was this any surprising considering that even his family was alive here? Anyhow, both his intuition and common sense told the boy that he couldn't allow himself to act too suspiciously. He wasn't sure of his capabilities here, so he also didn't know if he'd be able to defend himself should they suddenly decide to lock him up in a jail or something like that. If he was to stay here for some continuous amount of time which, he was now pretty sure, was exactly what Hagoromo had implied, he needed to be very careful while he would be learning everything about the past of his alternative self, which was now his highest priority.
"Well, who cares? She's alive, it's all that should matter," he shrugged neutrally, feeling genuinely indifferent regarding this girl's feelings but also becoming slightly cautious as he noticed Itachi and Mikoto exchanging weird understanding smirks. "What is it?" he asked, frowning.
"Nothing at all, son. However, just for your information, Hinata-chan and Naruto-kun spent countless hours every day and night near your ward since the moment your team'd returned. I'm not even sure if they slept at all through these few days at all, because both of them looked absolutely horrible when I saw them earlier this morning."
For some reason that he couldn't explain, Sasuke found her words a bit disturbing. Clearly, he had formed some bonds with his teammates in this reality, and they seemed to care for him quite a lot according to her words. Considering that Mikoto was alive and Itachi was still in Konoha, it was also clear that the massacre either hadn't happened at all or at least had gone in some completely different way which most likely hadn't affected this version of himself all that much. Therefore, this Sasuke had probably been more than willing to form bonds with others, too…
Just like I should've done it back in his world, he thought with sadness.
"Where is father?" he suddenly asked, looking curiously at Mikoto whose face brightened at his question as she jumped up and put her hand on her chest.
"Oh! How could I have forgotten? Itachi, could you please go after Fugaku? He still doesn't know that Sasuke is back!"
"Uh… of course," the older brother nodded, hesitating for a moment before getting up and disappearing with a Shunshin, leaving the two of them alone in the annoyingly silent room.
"So… he wasn't here?" mused Sasuke, feeling the long forgotten cold bite of something similar to jealousy and hurt. He scolded himself for it mutely the same moment, for this was truly ridiculous on his part to feel this way right now. And very embarrassing, too... he wasn't a child anymore.
But Mikoto merely smiled at him indulgently, shaking her head.
"Fugaku'd gone to the Hokage's office not long before you stopped breathing, dear. He's been here since early morning, but Minato-sama requested your father's presence for some important negotiations," she paused, patting his cheek which made Sasuke snort. "He put a lot of effort into saving you, you know? He even found a way to convince Tsunade-sama to come back to the village to heal you, can you believe it? He's such a good man! And Kushina-chan supported us as always too, of course. As a matter of fact, she—"
He looked away, not listening to his mother's cheerful jabbering and thinking on the essence of what he'd just heard.
The Fourth was still alive and in power here, it seemed. At the same time, the Fifth had obviously never become Hokage in this world. Presumably, Naruto's father was also on good terms with the Uchiha clan, seeing how highly his mother spoke of him and how his own father seemed to willingly cooperate with the man. Could it be the reason why the massacre hadn't happened? Was this the cause that'd made everything take a different turn in this... reality? Timeline? He wasn't sure how to call it yet. But, in this case…!
"Mother," he suddenly interrupted her, making Mikoto close her mouth and give Sasuke an anxious and perplexed look, "What do you know about the Third and Shimura Danzō?"
She blinked, clearly taken by surprise with his question.
"Uh… Sarutobi-sama died during the attack of the Kyūbi fifteen years ago. He was the one who sealed the beast back into Kushina-chan, don't you remember? Ah, you probably don't… Sorry. Well, in short, he resealed a part of it into her. Another half of the beast was put inside Naruto-kun."
"I see…," he frowned, finally managing to lift himself up a little bit and to half sit on the couch. At least the Naruto related part was sort of familiar... "And Danzō?"
She shrugged, looking unsure now.
"I don't know, to be honest. I haven't heard anything about him in years. Why are you interested in that man all of sudden?"
He narrowed his eyes angrily and clenched his fists. So Danzō was probably still alive… But then again, so was his clan. What was this man up to in this version of Konoha…?
"Never mind. I just remembered their names but had forgotten who they were, so I wanted to ask."
Mikoto smiled, patting his hand lightly.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm pretty sure that your memories will return in no time. After everything you've suffered, this should be easy to overcome. Besides, you are a strong boy no matter what they say, son. I know for sure."
Flinching at her last sentence, he gave her an indignant glare, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"What…?"
"Uh?" she smiled, blinking.
"What did you just say?" he deadpanned.
"Um," she seemed a little baffled by his reaction, "Well… Look, I know that you aren't known for being a great ninja like Itachi or your father, but I still think that you're a splendid boy, son. And I'm sure that you have yet to blossom into an incredibly strong person. Even if they don't, I believe in you," she said softly as his eyes widened in anger and shame.
Now this was truly embarrassing. He honestly didn't know how to react to her words, because they were just as ridiculous as they were frightening. Was he some sort of a dead last here? She made it sound like that was the case, and it was… nasty. He totally wasn't used to be treated like some weakling. Moreover, getting stronger had been his obsession for years. He couldn't imagine himself being weak and being fine with it! Power was the only thing he'd truly valued until recently…
"I guess," he tried his best to swallow his pride and to sound as indifferent as possible, deciding to change to subject as soon as possible before it would make him completely enraged. "When can I go home? I hate hospitals. And I'm also hungry." Aside from that, he suddenly found himself feeling sleepy and very tired, so he decided to lean backwards again and closed his eyes for a moment.
The woman chuckled at her son, shaking her head.
"And here I was beginning to think that you were acting weird. Now I can see that my boy is really back! Don't worry, I think we'll be able to arrange your transfer as soon as Fugaku comes here. I'm not sure if I can cook your favorite meatballs with tomato sauce tonight, though, because you'll probably have to stick to some strict diet for a while. So bear with it, ha-ha!" she giggled, ruffling his hair which made the boy smile, melting into the blanket that was suddenly so soft and comfortable.
Meatballs with tomato sauce, she said… His mother's crown dish. Well, at least his tastes were still the same. And it also made him feel nostalgic, although pretty much everything here in this world did. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to get accustomed to the new life, after all...
"Good," he said quietly, slowly beginning to sink into darkness. His body still felt quite hurt and exhausted, and now that the initial shock was gone after he had come to some kind of understanding of the situation, he could finally relax. In spite of all his attempts to collect his thoughts which were stubbornly slipping away no matter how much he focused on anything, Sasuke was quickly falling asleep.
"Thank you…," he whispered to no one in particular before drifting back into oblivion.
"So… Is he going to be alright?" asked the head of the Uchiha clan, leaning on the wall of his son's spacious yet cozy room and glaring at the legendary medic ninja who was studying the unconscious boy's face carefully.
She hemmed, touching a few points on the skin of his neck and then infusing his tenketsu with her green chakra a few times. The woman then narrowed her eyes at his blanched face and drawled:
"Who knows…," she opened Sasuke's eyelids carefully with her fingertips. After studying his eyes for a while, she nodded contentedly before finally straightening her back and turning to face Fugaku with a very serious expression.
"This is the first time in my practice when someone who had died came back to life by himself. When you deal with miracles, Uchiha, you can expect pretty much anything to happen. I'd done everything in my power to heal him, but he still died. However...," she looked at the boy again, scratching her chin thoughtfully and narrowing her light brown eyes at his tranquil face, "If everything Mikoto and your brat said was true... I'd bet that the probability of him restoring his memories in time as well as completely recovering from this incident is pretty high."
"But?" came another male voice.
Tsunade smirked, meeting Itachi's detached gaze directed at her.
"But, there is no guarantee that he won't suddenly go nuts at some point or something like that, especially if he ever awakens-"
"I see," Fugaku interrupted her roughly, frowning at the kunoichi to which she only smirked mockingly, knowing that she'd hit his nerve. "Any additional recommendations?"
She shrugged uncertainly, glancing at Sasuke again.
"Well, he's almost completely healed at this point. Physically, anyway. His body will keep hurting for a few days and there may be a couple unpleasant side effects to my medicine. Nothing significant, but at least I've made sure that the pain goes away soon. Other than that, the only remaining problem is his mind. You," she looked at Itachi who was still peering at her neutrally, "did a great job by putting him under your genjutsu. I venture to say that this is the only reason why he even remembers something at all. Well done, brat. Anyhow, I'm finished here."
She grabbed her bag from the wooden floor before stepping towards the exit, but then the woman stopped, turning her head to Mikoto and frowning.
"Almost forgot. Make sure that he doesn't go on any missions in the next two weeks at the very least. Should something completely unusual and unexpected happen to him, report to my apprentice as soon as possible. She's more than capable of handling your boy at this point. Also, make sure that he eats only healthy food in the nearest future. Fruits, especially oranges are good and contain a lot of vitamins which he really needs right now. Celery, cabbage, eggplants, and other vegetables and green are a must. Fish, too. Some green tea three times a day would help his nervous system as well. Basically, he is still weakened by the injuries he suffered, so… all the usual stuff. You know the drill, girl."
The Uchiha matriarch smiled jovially in response, bowing her head in respect and gratitude.
"Of course. Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama!"
The blonde waved it off.
"Yeah, no worries. It's all thanks to Jiraiya anyway. I owed him a favor, that's why I agreed to come here... Don't think that looking after your family is becoming my hobby," she gave Itachi a meaningful glare to which he didn't visibly react, but apparently she had expected that as she then barked:
"So long," she waved her hand at them before walking out of the room, followed by Fugaku's grim look and by Mikoto who smiled at the others in the room apologetically.
"I'll make sure that Tsunade-sama finds her way out of our territory," she said before quickly leaving the room as well.
"You two," her husband looked at the two youngest ninjas remaining in the room. They were standing near Sasuke's bed, having been completely silent until now but, without a doubt, paying a lot of attention to everything they heard. Well, at least the girl did for sure. Ever since Tsunade started talking, she'd been focused on writing something down quickly in her notepad while Minato's son was holding his hands in his pockets, distantly looking at the framed picture on the bookshelf and apparently deep in his thought.
"It's time for you to leave. Sasuke needs rest, and I must discuss some important family business with my son," said the elder ninja adamantly.
"Understood, Fugaku-san," immediately replied Naruto. "Shall I tell my father everything about Sasuke's condition? And perhaps there is something else I can help you with?" asked the blond politely to which the older ninja replied:
"Yes, make sure you do. And no, that's enough."
"Roger that. See you later then," said Naruto before turning to the door and leaving the room. Fugaku's features softened a little as his eyes followed the boy's back — no matter what he might truly think about the Fourth Hokage and his son, he did admire the fact that the jinchūriki clearly didn't feel like he was obliged to blindly report to his father everything he saw or heard, ready to keep some things in secret if he felt like it. Basically, for being his own man despite the young age.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Fugaku-san. Goodbye," added the girl politely a few seconds later. She then hid the notepad and the small pencil in the back pocket of her denim shorts, shook her head slightly to fix her long, silky dark hair that was unusually wild today, and walked out as well.
"Shisui, follow these two just in case," said Fugaku quietly, to which the short haired man who was quietly standing near the window responded right away:
"It will be done, Fugaku-sama," having said this, he disappeared with a Shunshin, leaving only two people aside from Sasuke inside the room.
Normally, Itachi was used to keep his face emotionless no matter the circumstances, and this moment was no exception. However, he didn't quite approve the fact that Fugaku still treated everyone who wasn't an Uchiha and came to their territory with such high degree of suspicion. Although to be fair, it was understandable in this particular case, given who were the parents of these two… And the surname of Tsunade was self explanatory, of course. No Senju would probably ever be welcome within these walls.
The clan's head waited for a good minute in complete silence ruined only by Sasuke's quiet breathing, wanting to make sure that nobody would eavesdrop before finally turning to Itachi and clearing his throat.
"This is unacceptable. The situation has gone too far and went out of our control."
The young man lowered his head shamefully without looking at him.
"I understand, father. This is all my fault. I—"
"No, son. I'm afraid you do not," he walked slowly towards the window, locking his hands behind his back and looking at the well lit yard outside. "In fact, I'm the one to blame for this."
Itachi frowned, looking at him curiously for a while without saying anything as the man continued after a short pause:
"Until now, I was pretty sure that his own natural talent alongside your mastery and patronage would be enough to keep Sasuke safe. However, this is definitely not the case."
"Well, perhaps you should finally start training him then. Teach him something worthy instead of letting him waste his life by killing boredom," replied the younger ninja bitterly, regretting his rather abrupt tone the next second but, to his surprise, his father either didn't notice it or didn't care at the moment.
"You are correct," said Fugaku quietly, not looking at him. "Considering that you are the heir to our clan… Until now, I was naive enough to think that we could let him live the life he wanted. No... I wanted to grant him this life as an excuse for not paying enough attention to him."
"And how do you know what he wants?" asked Itachi, "What if it's exactly your attention that he seems the most?"
Fugaku thought for a while, turning his head towards Sasuke before saying:
"Are you implying that I don't know him well enough?"
"Precisely."
"And do you?"
"So I believe."
He frowned, looking into his older son's eyes shrewdly.
"Do you think there is still a chance for him to become a powerful shinobi?"
Itachi shrugged, looking away. No matter how much he loved Sasuke, he didn't want to lie on the matter. In his opinion, being delusional never helped anyone with anything aside from protecting people's feelings and pride, but that wasn't necessary right now.
"I don't think so. He has wasted too much time. Too many years without proper training… He is decent, but he is nowhere his teammates' level. And I honestly don't know what could help him get there. Besides... He totally lacks motivation. I'm afraid that contrary to them, he doesn't consider his life is any relevant. They have their own purposes… ultimate goals. He doesn't. And he has no idea what he lives for."
Fugaku closed his eyes, remaining quiet for a while as he carefully thought on his son's words.
"There are a few ways… But I'd rather try something else if there is still a chance. So… can I count on you in this?"
"What exactly have you planned?" asked his older son, sounding both curious and slightly suspicious at the same time.
"As his older brother and his sensei, I want you to convince him to start taking his training seriously. You are a smart boy, you should be able to find a way to persuade him. After all, he's just a careless child… And he respects you, so he should listen to your advise, I believe. Because he definitely won't listen to me anyway. We are not on the best terms as you well know." He shook his head regretfully, sighing tiredly.
But, seeing this rare genuine expression of his father's true feelings, Itachi suddenly found himself genuinely smiling which seldom happened in Fugaku's presence.
"We are both equally guilty, father. I was always meant to become your heir, and neither of us wanted him to walk the same path as I did. We allowed him to have a cloudless childhood by sparing him from all those hardships we had and still have to bear… And we were too naive to believe that he wouldn't have to pay for it eventually."
Fugaku nodded a few times, closing his eyes.
"Yes… you are right, son, as always. But it's time for this to stop. His childhood is over. No matter how you look at it, we cannot afford losing him. And this situation was the last warning of fate, I believe… He may not consider himself important to the clan and to Konoha, but he is important to me, to you and to your mother… And if we cannot grant him the necessary protection anymore, he has to learn to protect himself." Once again, he turned to face his older son whose face became as emotionless as always the same second. "You watched him die, didn't you?"
Itachi almost flinched, taken by surprise with the unexpected question.
"Yes."
"What did you feel when you saw it?"
"I…," he felt baffled and wary, unsure where this was leading to. "Do I really need to explain? I'm pretty sure that you felt the same way when you received the message about his death, so you should be able to relate."
"No, you misunderstand," Fugaku shook his head quickly, suddenly looking so excited that he almost seemed irritated by Itachi's apparent confusion. "Did you feel something unusual physically? In your eyes, specifically?"
The younger Uchiha frowned and looked away, reflecting on his memories for a while before returning his gaze to his father, nodding slowly.
"Yes… I did."
The strange grin appeared on the man's face, his features becoming a bit frightening.
"Something with your Sharingan?"
"Yes, father. And in my head, too. Was that... it?" he finally realized what was this all about, scolding himself silently for not having figured it out beforehand.
"Most likely. Try activating it now."
Itachi channeled his chakra into the eyes, and a second later Fugaku's expression changed to an awed one as he saw the abnormal pattern that resembled a three-pointed shuriken in his son's irises.
"Indeed…," Fugaku crossed his hands on his chest, leaning on the window sill. "Through the pain caused by losing someone they love, an extraordinary Uchiha has a chance to awaken Mangekyō Sharingan. As I told you once before, this is an incredibly rare power of our clan, especially nowadays when there are no ongoing major wars. Including you, only five members of the clan currently have the access to it. Be proud, but also beware, son," his grin disappeared, replaced with the expression that Itachi found overly serious even for a man like him. "These eyes can grant you a lot but, in the end, they will take everything from you. Think twice before using this power. Always. Don't ever recourse to it if there is another option."
Itachi nodded slowly once again. He didn't know much about Mangekyō Sharingan aside from the rumors and legends, but he knew for a fact that it was always wise to listen to Fugaku whenever their kekkei genkai was concerned.
"I understand."
"Good," said the man a bit nervously, putting his hands in the pockets of his dark gray jacket. "Good. I'm counting on your conscientiousness and intelligence. Besides," he gave Sasuke a quick glance again, "This new circumstance should make things with you brother much easier after I teach you a few secrets about your eyes. Tell me… can I entrust you with a very touchy task?"
Itachi gave him a slightly baffled look but nodded nonetheless. It was very rare for his father to be so hesitant about an assignment for him. Normally, Itachi was supposed to do everything for his clan and to execute any order without questions, so... What on earth was he up to now?
"Of course. What is it?"
Fugaku came closer and put his hand on his son's shoulder, nodding at Sasuke before saying quietly:
"You said he lacks a purpose… An ultimate goal. Well, we shall give him one."
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Chapter 1. Welcome Home
"Mother...?"
Unable to look away from her face, Sasuke didn't even notice the terrible pain as he attempted to raise his head up to take a closer look at the woman. His body was also numb and his limbs didn't quite obey his commands so he barely could move at all. But, he didn't care right now. His entire being was focused on this person in front of him, and everything else lost its meaning for the young shinobi instantly and completely.
It had to be a dream. It couldn't be her, could it? Uchiha Mikoto was dead, he knew it better that anyone else. Hell, he'd been having those maddening nightmares about the night of his parents' death for years, over and over and over again! The image of their lifeless empty eyes had been imprinted into his mind forever. Yet still the woman was right there, in flesh, with these deep onyx black eyes full of love and compassion staring at him with a mixture of feelings he had long forgotten by now.
Yes, It was undoubtedly her. Alive and relatively well from what it looked, for some reason appearing to be completely freaked out but also incredibly happy at the same time. Tears of both sorrow and delight were rolling down the woman's face, her hands were terribly shaking, and her long raven hair was unusually messy. If anything, Mikoto looked as though she'd spent a lot of time being unable, or rather not bothering to fix it, hardly caring about her appearance at all. Her face was also so pale that it looked unhealthy, and the dark bags under her eyes said a lot about her condition too, but...
But all these things were unimportant at the moment. It was his mother, and somehow, she was alive. She was gripping his hand tightly in her own warm palms, her entire body trembling like an aspen leaf as she was sobbing and looking at him with such deep love and the unparalleled happiness one could never fake.
In other words, she seemed to be equally as shocked and happy to see her son alive as Sasuke himself was amazed to see her. If anything, she probably looked far more surprised by this encounter than him… But why?
He fought the urge to shake his head to make the mirage go away. None of it made any sense whatsoever. This absolutely couldn't be happening, everything around him was frankly and literally impossible. It had to be someone's trick, perhaps even his own. Yes... Was this a genjutsu? A hallucination, merely a product of his dying brain's agony? A desperate attempt to prolong his existence in such a pitiful manner? By locking himself in an illusionary world?
No… something there wasn't right. All of it seemed way too real to be just a dream or something else of the kind. His feelings, the way air was filling his lungs, the way the light was too uncomfortably bright for him to be able to fully open his eyes and, most importantly, the pain... There would be no reason for this damned pain to be there at all, let alone so intense, if all this were just some bizarre vision.
Was this what they called the afterlife, then? No, it couldn't be, he decided almost the same second. His mother'd said he was alive, there was no mistake. There would be no reason for her to say so if both of them were dead. Then what…? The last thing he could remember of what'd happened before the everlasting darkness'd absorbed him was his final conversation with the Sage. Hagoromo'd promised him a second chance… A new beginning. Was that it, then? Was this a new life? Had he reincarnated? But then again, if this was the case… why was he still himself? And if it was actually working as intended by the Sage, then why was his mother alive and present in the new life? And she'd also mentioned Itachi… No, actually, she'd called for him!
His wild stream of consciousness got interrupted as the door to the room opened with a loud knock, and the tall young man with long black hair wrapped in a ponytail behind his back broke into the ward, coming close to Mikoto and staring at his younger brother blankly for a few seconds before carefully uttering:
"Sasuke… how are you feeling?"
Despite being unable to believe his ears for hearing their voices once again? Probably awful, but that little detail made everything else pale in comparison. Whatever was the nature and the meaning of this place, Sasuke decided that he was more than happy to end up here, to be able to talk to them again… even if this would only last for a short time. Even if this was not real… Although it definitely felt real, he'd got reassured the moment he'd seen his sibling.
"Fine… I guess," he muttered, wincing as he made another futile attempt to get up. "Where am I?"
"The hospital of Konoha," said Itachi, looking at him impassively, "Do you recognize me?"
Sasuke blinked, frowning. What kind of question was that anyway?
"Of course I do, unless you are some prick who used Henge no Jutsu to turn into Itachi."
The face of the other Uchiha softened a bit and he let out an unusually loud sigh of relief, his posture visibly relaxing.
"Very good. The medics said that even should you ever wake up, your brain had suffered serious damage so there could be various complications including full or partial amnesia."
"Shush! Stop moving, sweetheart, it is dangerous in your state!" Mikoto pushed Sasuke lightly on the chest, making him flinch as she forced him to settle down reluctantly.
"What happened to me anyway? Why am I here?" carefully asked her son pretending irritated but, in fact, trying to be careful not to say something that could raise up any additional concerns about himself. Of course, the loss of memories would be a perfect excuse for him no matter what he would say or do. Still, whether all this was real or not, it would be too unlike him to play recklessly and not to think on his moves beforehand in such a delicate situation. Especially considering that he felt blindfolded in this new reality as he had absolutely no idea what was going on.
"You don't remember?" Itachi frowned, "This isn't surprising. Like I said, amnesia is a predictable and expected consequence. But… since you have obviously recognized me and mother, I take it you haven't lost your memories completely. What exactly do you remember? About the most recent mission, for instance."
Mikoto gave her older son a slightly condemning glance, grumbling:
"Is is really necessary to interrogate him right now? Son, he needs rest, he—"
"We need to know for sure how serious was the damage his mind received and if my genjutsu worked as intended, mother. I'm sorry, but it is necessary."
His genjutsu…?
Mikoto shook her head disapprovingly and sighed before getting up from her knees and sitting down on Sasuke's couch, bowing down and hugging the boy tightly but not saying a word.
"Well," muttered Sasuke, suddenly feeling very confused and lost, unsure what to do. His mother's gesture of affection wasn't something completely foreign to him, of course, but the ninja had long forgotten by now how it felt to be hugged by her, or by any person for that matter. He had grown to dislike anybody touching him, but this… it felt so nice yet, for some reason, it was embarrassing at the same time.
Forcing himself to toss this storm of feelings and reflections aside, he met Itachi's concerned gaze and said:
"I don't remember a damn thing. That's why I asked you what happened."
His brother nodded as though having expected such response.
"What do you remember about yourself, then? About your life."
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I was born and raised in Konohagakure, Land of Fire."
Itachi nodded again, this time more enthusiastically.
"Correct. What was the number of your genin team?"
"Seven," he replied automatically but, apparently, this was the correct answer too seeing as Itachi smiled.
"Right. What was the last mission you remember receiving?"
Sasuke paused, carefully thinking on the answer. He wasn't sure if he remembered what was the last mission he'd executed for Konoha back in his previous life. And here… His body felt more less like the one he was used to, so he presumed that his age was still approximately the same, which in turn made him conclude on a side note that he probably hadn't exactly traveled in time. Therefore, the only logical reply would be…
"I don't remember," he said truthfully but, evidently, his reply wasn't quite satisfying as Itachi's face darkened a little but, he decided not to push.
"I see. How old are you?"
This was far easier to answer. Although he couldn't estimate his exact height, weight or even his shape considering that his entire body was currently bandaged and that he experienced tremendous pain whenever he tried to move, his voice still sounded the same in his head so he was probably…
"Seventeen."
Their reaction was surprising. There was a short pause before Mikoto raised her head up from his chest to meet Itachi's troubled gaze as his expression became even more sullen — he was definitely confused and anxious now.
"No, Sasuke. You are fifteen," said his mother softly, making the young Uchiha frown and grit his teeth, troubled and baffled by her words.
Fifteen... that wasn't far away from his guess, but the difference was actually very weird. He didn't see any logic there at all. Why was he now exactly two years younger? Had this been a jump through time, even to a parallel universe or something like that, wouldn't it be perfectly logical for him to remain… well, himself? And then again...
...you'll have to repeat your way from the beginning, living a different life this time...
He swallowed nervously. It would seem that this was the way the Sage'd chosen to let him start everything from the start as he had claimed… But, in this case, shouldn't he have been an infant now, or at least a child? After all, that was the age when his life had taken the dramatic turn to darkness…
"I see," murmured Sasuke. "It seems like I've forgotten some things, after all. Besides… I feel a bit confused, I can't remember anything clearly, and when I try to focus… It hurts," he winced. This wasn't far from the truth so he almost hadn't lied, "Anyway, you haven't answered my question. Why am I here?" He looked directly into Itachi's eyes, trying to seem as cool and impassive as possible as tried to change the topic in order to stop the interrogation.
"Something happened to you during our last mission," said the man softly, "We were facing an S-class rogue ninja in the Land of Earth. You got caught in a strong explosion caused by his jutsu when we were trying to escape. Although you bought us the vital time by doing so, it was a suicide move on your part, little brother. A very brave, but a foolish move nonetheless. We tried to stop you, but you never listened."
Sasuke snorted, looking away. Now that sounded quite dubious. He found it hard to imagine himself deciding to sacrifice his life to protect his teammate. Why would he…?
He then almost gasped as an image from the distant past appeared in front of his eyes, making him remember something he'd long forgotten. Years ago, he'd jumped in front of Haku's senbon needles to protect Naruto… and almost died by doing so.
"I see," he said again in a quiet voice, not looking at either of them as Mikoto stroked his hair gently, studying his face with her worried piercing gaze. "How come I am here, then? Sounds like running away was the only option for you if I had to get myself killed to buy you guys some time. What went wrong?"
Now both his mother and Itachi seemed to be genuinely surprised by his response for the reason he didn't know. Was this about his words, or rather his tone? It was at this point obvious that whatever this place actually was, Uchiha Sasuke had existed here until this day. They'd made it absolutely clear that they knew someone with this name. Someone with his looks and with an identity very similar to his own. Therefore it was probably some different version of him considering that Sasuke had no memories of his past here in this world.
But, unlike himself, they did have their memories including those about him. They didn't know who he was, but they had known some different Uchiha Sasuke. The question was what kind of person were they expecting to see in him?
"I managed to retrieve your body while the enemy was busy chasing Naruto-kun. You were in a critical condition, and we weren't sure if you'd survive until we'd return to Konoha. We didn't have a medic nin in our team, after all. When we brought you here, they said it's a hopeless case. You remained in coma for a few days while they healed most of the physical damage, but then… you died."
"Oh."
He blinked but, contrary to what they might think at the moment, his reaction had nothing to do with the dramatic announcement of his unfulfilled demise.
What had drawn his attention was the mentioning of Naruto… so he existed here, too. And he was still alive here unlike back in their world. And on top of that he, Sasuke, had died trying to save him. How ****ing sweet... Fate definitely didn't lack the sense of irony. Well, at least now he was beginning to see the entire picture more less clearly. Uchiha Sasuke had virtually died here, and he'd also died back in the world he remembered as his home, so whatever'd brought him here to this reality probably had to do with near death experience.
"For how long did I remain dead?"
Mikoto's hand twitched and stopped. She suddenly whimpered at his abrupt question, shaking her head and biting her lip only not to start crying again. Sasuke almost cursed himself then, suddenly feeling guilty to his own surprise. She was probably not used to his cynical and indifferent attitude, and the way he was casually discussing what had happened to him was probably a bit too much for the poor woman to handle. As far as he remembered, his mother had always been quite soft and sensitive, and she'd definitely suffered enough of horror and stress in the last few days. Obviously, his behavior didn't help her at all.
"For almost ten minutes. Basically, more than enough for your brain to pass the point of no return, which makes it especially miraculous that you are actually back," mused Itachi, just like Sasuke sounding so casual that it almost seemed as though he was more entertained by said miracle itself rather than amused by the fact that his brother was back.
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you too," groaned the boy in pretentious annoyance, to which his sibling smiled warmly for the first time throughout their conversation and then sat down on the couch on the side opposite to Mikoto's, tapping his forehead lightly.
"Sorry, Sasuke. You really scared us all. But, at the same time, if not for you, we'd probably all have died there. Good job, little brother."
Sasuke smirked, suddenly feeling a bit sentimental. This all was definitely too good to be true, but he still couldn't help it. Strangely, although he had no idea what exactly was this reality and if it even existed outside some kind of a delirious vision made up by his own fractured mind... It still gave him something wonderful and long forgotten, something he hadn't experienced in years.
He felt home.
"Don't mention it," he muttered then, suppressing the treacherous tears that came to his eyes against his will and then asking, "Where is Naruto anyway? Is he alright?" He truly wanted to see his friend and it also felt a bit weird… no, actually, it was totally unusual for the Uchiha. But he couldn't help it either — the image of the dead blond lying next to him at the Valley of the End made his heart clench in guilt and sorrow whenever he thought about him.
Itachi nodded, looking at the door.
"Yeah… Actually, he was here when you... died. All of us were. But after you'd passed away, Hinata ran out of the room and he followed her. I haven't seen them since then, not sure if they're aware of your return yet."
Hinata…? Who the hell was that? Sasuke didn't remember this name at all, not even from the academy years. But, considering that Itachi had been a part of this mission without being a member of Team Seven, she was probably just another ninja who had been assigned for this task.
"I see. And Hinata…?" he asked carefully, not wanting to reveal the fact that he had no idea who that was.
His brother smiled gently, and something in this smile felt a bit bothersome to Sasuke.
"She is fine, too. Although she's been unusually quiet ever since the moment we escaped. She was probably feeling too stressed which is no wonder. One doesn't lose their old teammate every day. Hopefully, you won't experience it anytime soon."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at his words. Old teammate, huh…? Apparently, things were much different in this reality to say the least. But was this any surprising considering that even his family was alive here? Anyhow, both his intuition and common sense told the boy that he couldn't allow himself to act too suspiciously. He wasn't sure of his capabilities here, so he also didn't know if he'd be able to defend himself should they suddenly decide to lock him up in a jail or something like that. If he was to stay here for some continuous amount of time which, he was now pretty sure, was exactly what Hagoromo had implied, he needed to be very careful while he would be learning everything about the past of his alternative self, which was now his highest priority.
"Well, who cares? She's alive, it's all that should matter," he shrugged neutrally, feeling genuinely indifferent regarding this girl's feelings but also becoming slightly cautious as he noticed Itachi and Mikoto exchanging weird understanding smirks. "What is it?" he asked, frowning.
"Nothing at all, son. However, just for your information, Hinata-chan and Naruto-kun spent countless hours every day and night near your ward since the moment your team'd returned. I'm not even sure if they slept at all through these few days at all, because both of them looked absolutely horrible when I saw them earlier this morning."
For some reason that he couldn't explain, Sasuke found her words a bit disturbing. Clearly, he had formed some bonds with his teammates in this reality, and they seemed to care for him quite a lot according to her words. Considering that Mikoto was alive and Itachi was still in Konoha, it was also clear that the massacre either hadn't happened at all or at least had gone in some completely different way which most likely hadn't affected this version of himself all that much. Therefore, this Sasuke had probably been more than willing to form bonds with others, too…
Just like I should've done it back in his world, he thought with sadness.
"Where is father?" he suddenly asked, looking curiously at Mikoto whose face brightened at his question as she jumped up and put her hand on her chest.
"Oh! How could I have forgotten? Itachi, could you please go after Fugaku? He still doesn't know that Sasuke is back!"
"Uh… of course," the older brother nodded, hesitating for a moment before getting up and disappearing with a Shunshin, leaving the two of them alone in the annoyingly silent room.
"So… he wasn't here?" mused Sasuke, feeling the long forgotten cold bite of something similar to jealousy and hurt. He scolded himself for it mutely the same moment, for this was truly ridiculous on his part to feel this way right now. And very embarrassing, too... he wasn't a child anymore.
But Mikoto merely smiled at him indulgently, shaking her head.
"Fugaku'd gone to the Hokage's office not long before you stopped breathing, dear. He's been here since early morning, but Minato-sama requested your father's presence for some important negotiations," she paused, patting his cheek which made Sasuke snort. "He put a lot of effort into saving you, you know? He even found a way to convince Tsunade-sama to come back to the village to heal you, can you believe it? He's such a good man! And Kushina-chan supported us as always too, of course. As a matter of fact, she—"
He looked away, not listening to his mother's cheerful jabbering and thinking on the essence of what he'd just heard.
The Fourth was still alive and in power here, it seemed. At the same time, the Fifth had obviously never become Hokage in this world. Presumably, Naruto's father was also on good terms with the Uchiha clan, seeing how highly his mother spoke of him and how his own father seemed to willingly cooperate with the man. Could it be the reason why the massacre hadn't happened? Was this the cause that'd made everything take a different turn in this... reality? Timeline? He wasn't sure how to call it yet. But, in this case…!
"Mother," he suddenly interrupted her, making Mikoto close her mouth and give Sasuke an anxious and perplexed look, "What do you know about the Third and Shimura Danzō?"
She blinked, clearly taken by surprise with his question.
"Uh… Sarutobi-sama died during the attack of the Kyūbi fifteen years ago. He was the one who sealed the beast back into Kushina-chan, don't you remember? Ah, you probably don't… Sorry. Well, in short, he resealed a part of it into her. Another half of the beast was put inside Naruto-kun."
"I see…," he frowned, finally managing to lift himself up a little bit and to half sit on the couch. At least the Naruto related part was sort of familiar... "And Danzō?"
She shrugged, looking unsure now.
"I don't know, to be honest. I haven't heard anything about him in years. Why are you interested in that man all of sudden?"
He narrowed his eyes angrily and clenched his fists. So Danzō was probably still alive… But then again, so was his clan. What was this man up to in this version of Konoha…?
"Never mind. I just remembered their names but had forgotten who they were, so I wanted to ask."
Mikoto smiled, patting his hand lightly.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm pretty sure that your memories will return in no time. After everything you've suffered, this should be easy to overcome. Besides, you are a strong boy no matter what they say, son. I know for sure."
Flinching at her last sentence, he gave her an indignant glare, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"What…?"
"Uh?" she smiled, blinking.
"What did you just say?" he deadpanned.
"Um," she seemed a little baffled by his reaction, "Well… Look, I know that you aren't known for being a great ninja like Itachi or your father, but I still think that you're a splendid boy, son. And I'm sure that you have yet to blossom into an incredibly strong person. Even if they don't, I believe in you," she said softly as his eyes widened in anger and shame.
Now this was truly embarrassing. He honestly didn't know how to react to her words, because they were just as ridiculous as they were frightening. Was he some sort of a dead last here? She made it sound like that was the case, and it was… nasty. He totally wasn't used to be treated like some weakling. Moreover, getting stronger had been his obsession for years. He couldn't imagine himself being weak and being fine with it! Power was the only thing he'd truly valued until recently…
"I guess," he tried his best to swallow his pride and to sound as indifferent as possible, deciding to change to subject as soon as possible before it would make him completely enraged. "When can I go home? I hate hospitals. And I'm also hungry." Aside from that, he suddenly found himself feeling sleepy and very tired, so he decided to lean backwards again and closed his eyes for a moment.
The woman chuckled at her son, shaking her head.
"And here I was beginning to think that you were acting weird. Now I can see that my boy is really back! Don't worry, I think we'll be able to arrange your transfer as soon as Fugaku comes here. I'm not sure if I can cook your favorite meatballs with tomato sauce tonight, though, because you'll probably have to stick to some strict diet for a while. So bear with it, ha-ha!" she giggled, ruffling his hair which made the boy smile, melting into the blanket that was suddenly so soft and comfortable.
Meatballs with tomato sauce, she said… His mother's crown dish. Well, at least his tastes were still the same. And it also made him feel nostalgic, although pretty much everything here in this world did. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to get accustomed to the new life, after all...
"Good," he said quietly, slowly beginning to sink into darkness. His body still felt quite hurt and exhausted, and now that the initial shock was gone after he had come to some kind of understanding of the situation, he could finally relax. In spite of all his attempts to collect his thoughts which were stubbornly slipping away no matter how much he focused on anything, Sasuke was quickly falling asleep.
"Thank you…," he whispered to no one in particular before drifting back into oblivion.
-~X~-
"So… Is he going to be alright?" asked the head of the Uchiha clan, leaning on the wall of his son's spacious yet cozy room and glaring at the legendary medic ninja who was studying the unconscious boy's face carefully.
She hemmed, touching a few points on the skin of his neck and then infusing his tenketsu with her green chakra a few times. The woman then narrowed her eyes at his blanched face and drawled:
"Who knows…," she opened Sasuke's eyelids carefully with her fingertips. After studying his eyes for a while, she nodded contentedly before finally straightening her back and turning to face Fugaku with a very serious expression.
"This is the first time in my practice when someone who had died came back to life by himself. When you deal with miracles, Uchiha, you can expect pretty much anything to happen. I'd done everything in my power to heal him, but he still died. However...," she looked at the boy again, scratching her chin thoughtfully and narrowing her light brown eyes at his tranquil face, "If everything Mikoto and your brat said was true... I'd bet that the probability of him restoring his memories in time as well as completely recovering from this incident is pretty high."
"But?" came another male voice.
Tsunade smirked, meeting Itachi's detached gaze directed at her.
"But, there is no guarantee that he won't suddenly go nuts at some point or something like that, especially if he ever awakens-"
"I see," Fugaku interrupted her roughly, frowning at the kunoichi to which she only smirked mockingly, knowing that she'd hit his nerve. "Any additional recommendations?"
She shrugged uncertainly, glancing at Sasuke again.
"Well, he's almost completely healed at this point. Physically, anyway. His body will keep hurting for a few days and there may be a couple unpleasant side effects to my medicine. Nothing significant, but at least I've made sure that the pain goes away soon. Other than that, the only remaining problem is his mind. You," she looked at Itachi who was still peering at her neutrally, "did a great job by putting him under your genjutsu. I venture to say that this is the only reason why he even remembers something at all. Well done, brat. Anyhow, I'm finished here."
She grabbed her bag from the wooden floor before stepping towards the exit, but then the woman stopped, turning her head to Mikoto and frowning.
"Almost forgot. Make sure that he doesn't go on any missions in the next two weeks at the very least. Should something completely unusual and unexpected happen to him, report to my apprentice as soon as possible. She's more than capable of handling your boy at this point. Also, make sure that he eats only healthy food in the nearest future. Fruits, especially oranges are good and contain a lot of vitamins which he really needs right now. Celery, cabbage, eggplants, and other vegetables and green are a must. Fish, too. Some green tea three times a day would help his nervous system as well. Basically, he is still weakened by the injuries he suffered, so… all the usual stuff. You know the drill, girl."
The Uchiha matriarch smiled jovially in response, bowing her head in respect and gratitude.
"Of course. Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama!"
The blonde waved it off.
"Yeah, no worries. It's all thanks to Jiraiya anyway. I owed him a favor, that's why I agreed to come here... Don't think that looking after your family is becoming my hobby," she gave Itachi a meaningful glare to which he didn't visibly react, but apparently she had expected that as she then barked:
"So long," she waved her hand at them before walking out of the room, followed by Fugaku's grim look and by Mikoto who smiled at the others in the room apologetically.
"I'll make sure that Tsunade-sama finds her way out of our territory," she said before quickly leaving the room as well.
"You two," her husband looked at the two youngest ninjas remaining in the room. They were standing near Sasuke's bed, having been completely silent until now but, without a doubt, paying a lot of attention to everything they heard. Well, at least the girl did for sure. Ever since Tsunade started talking, she'd been focused on writing something down quickly in her notepad while Minato's son was holding his hands in his pockets, distantly looking at the framed picture on the bookshelf and apparently deep in his thought.
"It's time for you to leave. Sasuke needs rest, and I must discuss some important family business with my son," said the elder ninja adamantly.
"Understood, Fugaku-san," immediately replied Naruto. "Shall I tell my father everything about Sasuke's condition? And perhaps there is something else I can help you with?" asked the blond politely to which the older ninja replied:
"Yes, make sure you do. And no, that's enough."
"Roger that. See you later then," said Naruto before turning to the door and leaving the room. Fugaku's features softened a little as his eyes followed the boy's back — no matter what he might truly think about the Fourth Hokage and his son, he did admire the fact that the jinchūriki clearly didn't feel like he was obliged to blindly report to his father everything he saw or heard, ready to keep some things in secret if he felt like it. Basically, for being his own man despite the young age.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Fugaku-san. Goodbye," added the girl politely a few seconds later. She then hid the notepad and the small pencil in the back pocket of her denim shorts, shook her head slightly to fix her long, silky dark hair that was unusually wild today, and walked out as well.
"Shisui, follow these two just in case," said Fugaku quietly, to which the short haired man who was quietly standing near the window responded right away:
"It will be done, Fugaku-sama," having said this, he disappeared with a Shunshin, leaving only two people aside from Sasuke inside the room.
Normally, Itachi was used to keep his face emotionless no matter the circumstances, and this moment was no exception. However, he didn't quite approve the fact that Fugaku still treated everyone who wasn't an Uchiha and came to their territory with such high degree of suspicion. Although to be fair, it was understandable in this particular case, given who were the parents of these two… And the surname of Tsunade was self explanatory, of course. No Senju would probably ever be welcome within these walls.
The clan's head waited for a good minute in complete silence ruined only by Sasuke's quiet breathing, wanting to make sure that nobody would eavesdrop before finally turning to Itachi and clearing his throat.
"This is unacceptable. The situation has gone too far and went out of our control."
The young man lowered his head shamefully without looking at him.
"I understand, father. This is all my fault. I—"
"No, son. I'm afraid you do not," he walked slowly towards the window, locking his hands behind his back and looking at the well lit yard outside. "In fact, I'm the one to blame for this."
Itachi frowned, looking at him curiously for a while without saying anything as the man continued after a short pause:
"Until now, I was pretty sure that his own natural talent alongside your mastery and patronage would be enough to keep Sasuke safe. However, this is definitely not the case."
"Well, perhaps you should finally start training him then. Teach him something worthy instead of letting him waste his life by killing boredom," replied the younger ninja bitterly, regretting his rather abrupt tone the next second but, to his surprise, his father either didn't notice it or didn't care at the moment.
"You are correct," said Fugaku quietly, not looking at him. "Considering that you are the heir to our clan… Until now, I was naive enough to think that we could let him live the life he wanted. No... I wanted to grant him this life as an excuse for not paying enough attention to him."
"And how do you know what he wants?" asked Itachi, "What if it's exactly your attention that he seems the most?"
Fugaku thought for a while, turning his head towards Sasuke before saying:
"Are you implying that I don't know him well enough?"
"Precisely."
"And do you?"
"So I believe."
He frowned, looking into his older son's eyes shrewdly.
"Do you think there is still a chance for him to become a powerful shinobi?"
Itachi shrugged, looking away. No matter how much he loved Sasuke, he didn't want to lie on the matter. In his opinion, being delusional never helped anyone with anything aside from protecting people's feelings and pride, but that wasn't necessary right now.
"I don't think so. He has wasted too much time. Too many years without proper training… He is decent, but he is nowhere his teammates' level. And I honestly don't know what could help him get there. Besides... He totally lacks motivation. I'm afraid that contrary to them, he doesn't consider his life is any relevant. They have their own purposes… ultimate goals. He doesn't. And he has no idea what he lives for."
Fugaku closed his eyes, remaining quiet for a while as he carefully thought on his son's words.
"There are a few ways… But I'd rather try something else if there is still a chance. So… can I count on you in this?"
"What exactly have you planned?" asked his older son, sounding both curious and slightly suspicious at the same time.
"As his older brother and his sensei, I want you to convince him to start taking his training seriously. You are a smart boy, you should be able to find a way to persuade him. After all, he's just a careless child… And he respects you, so he should listen to your advise, I believe. Because he definitely won't listen to me anyway. We are not on the best terms as you well know." He shook his head regretfully, sighing tiredly.
But, seeing this rare genuine expression of his father's true feelings, Itachi suddenly found himself genuinely smiling which seldom happened in Fugaku's presence.
"We are both equally guilty, father. I was always meant to become your heir, and neither of us wanted him to walk the same path as I did. We allowed him to have a cloudless childhood by sparing him from all those hardships we had and still have to bear… And we were too naive to believe that he wouldn't have to pay for it eventually."
Fugaku nodded a few times, closing his eyes.
"Yes… you are right, son, as always. But it's time for this to stop. His childhood is over. No matter how you look at it, we cannot afford losing him. And this situation was the last warning of fate, I believe… He may not consider himself important to the clan and to Konoha, but he is important to me, to you and to your mother… And if we cannot grant him the necessary protection anymore, he has to learn to protect himself." Once again, he turned to face his older son whose face became as emotionless as always the same second. "You watched him die, didn't you?"
Itachi almost flinched, taken by surprise with the unexpected question.
"Yes."
"What did you feel when you saw it?"
"I…," he felt baffled and wary, unsure where this was leading to. "Do I really need to explain? I'm pretty sure that you felt the same way when you received the message about his death, so you should be able to relate."
"No, you misunderstand," Fugaku shook his head quickly, suddenly looking so excited that he almost seemed irritated by Itachi's apparent confusion. "Did you feel something unusual physically? In your eyes, specifically?"
The younger Uchiha frowned and looked away, reflecting on his memories for a while before returning his gaze to his father, nodding slowly.
"Yes… I did."
The strange grin appeared on the man's face, his features becoming a bit frightening.
"Something with your Sharingan?"
"Yes, father. And in my head, too. Was that... it?" he finally realized what was this all about, scolding himself silently for not having figured it out beforehand.
"Most likely. Try activating it now."
Itachi channeled his chakra into the eyes, and a second later Fugaku's expression changed to an awed one as he saw the abnormal pattern that resembled a three-pointed shuriken in his son's irises.
"Indeed…," Fugaku crossed his hands on his chest, leaning on the window sill. "Through the pain caused by losing someone they love, an extraordinary Uchiha has a chance to awaken Mangekyō Sharingan. As I told you once before, this is an incredibly rare power of our clan, especially nowadays when there are no ongoing major wars. Including you, only five members of the clan currently have the access to it. Be proud, but also beware, son," his grin disappeared, replaced with the expression that Itachi found overly serious even for a man like him. "These eyes can grant you a lot but, in the end, they will take everything from you. Think twice before using this power. Always. Don't ever recourse to it if there is another option."
Itachi nodded slowly once again. He didn't know much about Mangekyō Sharingan aside from the rumors and legends, but he knew for a fact that it was always wise to listen to Fugaku whenever their kekkei genkai was concerned.
"I understand."
"Good," said the man a bit nervously, putting his hands in the pockets of his dark gray jacket. "Good. I'm counting on your conscientiousness and intelligence. Besides," he gave Sasuke a quick glance again, "This new circumstance should make things with you brother much easier after I teach you a few secrets about your eyes. Tell me… can I entrust you with a very touchy task?"
Itachi gave him a slightly baffled look but nodded nonetheless. It was very rare for his father to be so hesitant about an assignment for him. Normally, Itachi was supposed to do everything for his clan and to execute any order without questions, so... What on earth was he up to now?
"Of course. What is it?"
Fugaku came closer and put his hand on his son's shoulder, nodding at Sasuke before saying quietly:
"You said he lacks a purpose… An ultimate goal. Well, we shall give him one."
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