Author's note: Okay, this is the first fan fiction that I have written in what feels like eternity. The story takes place after Sasuke's killed Itachi and has returned to Konoha. It will be longer than one chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own my fantasies of them.
A Family
It was a chilly night when Sasuke Uchiha was walking home alone. The cold air bit at his nose and his breaths came out in visible huffs. He had a dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck that he had received for his birthday some months ago. The weather had been changing from warm to colder as winter approached fast. Sasuke rubbed his hands together as he walked to keep his hands warm.
The Uchiha District was a lonely place at night and Sasuke hated it. Of course he lived in it, but every day he still missed the liveliness that had once existed in the empty houses before Itachi had killed everyone. Sasuke thought back to Itachi. He used to be a good brother, but had betrayed the family. Now he was finally dead. It pleased Sasuke to know that he had been the one to take his brother's life, but at the same time it haunted his heart. He shrugged off the melancholy feeling that had crept up on him and directed his thoughts to his other goal.
Sasuke acknowledged the area he was in. It was only a small distance from his home now. Sasuke kept walking as his eyes came to rest on a house that's door was wide open. He felt a pang of annoyance and anger while imagining what someone would be doing in one of the deserted houses. Sasuke turned off the path and entered the house. In the dust there were small footprints. He followed them silently into a bedroom of the old house. By the door was a stick with a cloth holding something tied to it. In the middle of the bedroom, someone lay curled in the sheets, shivering. Sasuke crept closer and pulled the sheets away slightly to look at the sleeping figure.
With the pillow clutched tightly in his small fists, a boy lay sleeping. He had dark hair that was caked in dirt and very unkempt. The child appeared and smelled as if he hadn't bathed in days. Dirt and scratches was all over him and his clothes were ripped. Sasuke exhaled and murmured a curse under his breath as he contemplated what to do.
"…Daddy…" The boy mumbled quietly and clutched the pillow closer to him. Sasuke cursed again and felt the boy's forehead. It was burning with fever.
"Just my luck," Sasuke gritted his teeth as he lifted the boy with the sheet and the pillow. Upon exiting the room, he gathered the kid's things. Sasuke took him to his house. He laid the sleeping boy in an empty bed. Sasuke already had the heat on to keep his house warm for his return.
Sasuke put a damp cloth and the boy's forehead and piled two blankets on him. Next he checked the clock. The time read eight. He picked up his phone and dialed the only free medical service he could get: Sakura.
"Hello?" The other line answered.
"Sakura, its Sasuke." Sasuke waited for her response. As expected, it was enthusiastic and excited.
"Oh! Hey! What do you need?" Sakura responded to him.
"Could you get over here? I need you-" Sasuke started to say, and Sakura cut him off.
"I'll be there soon, Sasuke-kun!" And with a click, the phone went off. Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh and put the phone down. Not long later, two quick knocks sounded from his front door. He opened it and the pink-haired kunoichi stood in front of him, with a bright smile on her face.
"Come in, Sakura. There's something I need you to look at upstairs." He turned and led her into the boy's room. "I found him recently."
A small noise escaped her throat as she looked the sick kid over. "Well, he's sick." She finally announced. Sasuke stared at the back of Sakura's head trying to decide if she thought he was an idiot. "If you let him sleep for a while, and feed him when he wakes up," Sakura turned around to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Then, he should get well." Sakura's eyes went a little downcast with a small giggle and then her eyes met his again with smile. "Well, its getting a little late, so…I'll go home now." Sasuke walked her back to the front of the house. "Give him an aspirin when he wakes up and a bowl of soup. By the way, a bath and a change of clothes could only help the kid." She opened the door and stepped out. "Bye!" With that, she was gone.
Sasuke shut his eyes and let out a sigh. 'She's so loud…' He thought to himself as he walked into his kitchen to check his cabinets for soup. Sasuke searched in vain. Sasuke contemplated whether or not to make a homemade soup, but decided against it. The kid could eat cereal or oatmeal.
It wasn't until the next afternoon that the boy woke up. Constantly through the night, Sasuke had been awoken by the child's cries for his daddy or some candy. He was incredibly irritable from lack of sleep. During the morning, Sasuke had stopped by a grocery store to pick up some cans of Chicken Noodle.
Sasuke had been sitting in his living room, partaking in his favorite pastime, brooding, when he heard movements coming from the room the that the boy had slept in. Sasuke stood up and headed in there. The boy was half sitting up and lying on his bed, wide awake. He looked nauseas and confused. Then, the boy's eyes came to rest on Sasuke. He opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it.
"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked and took a seat in a chair in the room.
"Not very good. My head hurts and I feel like I'm gonna throw up." The boy pouted a little as he talked.
"Can you eat?" Sasuke said, remembering Sakura's words. The boy gave an unsure nod and Sasuke left to bring the boy soup. When he returned, the boy hadn't moved.
"How did I get here?" The little boy asked when the bowl was placed in front of him.
"I found you. Eat." Sasuke put a spoon into the little boy's grip. He sat back and watched the child eat slowly. After three bites, he looked as if he might vomit, so Sasuke took the bowl from him. "You don't have to eat it all."
"But, I don't want to waste it!" The boy exclaimed. "Won't I get in trouble?"
Sasuke let out a small chuckle and answered, "No. There's more where this came from. Besides, if you want anymore, it'll be in the fridge." The boy gulped and nodded. Sasuke put the remains in the fridge. When he got back in the room, the boy was fast asleep. While the boy slept, Sasuke busied himself around the house, doing different menial tasks. When he heard noises coming from the room again, Sasuke went back in there.
"Hey, kid. What's your name?" Sasuke asked upon entering the room.
"Jinpachiro. Who're you?" The boy yawned while answering, showing his baby teeth.
"Sasuke." The boy nodded and scooted further underneath the sheets and blankets on the bed. "Are you cold?" Sasuke asked. Jinpachiro nodded and pulled the blankets closer. Sasuke turned to fix Jinpachiro's cold problem, when Jinpachiro asked something.
"Why'd you take me in?" His small weak voice was directed at Sasuke. Sasuke turned around and looked at the child. He stood there and thought about why the child asked that for a moment. Was it because he sensed the rarity of Sasuke's action?
"Hn. You would've died." Sasuke turned back around and walked out to change the thermostat. When he got back in the room, Jinpachiro was waiting with another question.
"I thought ninjas were mean." He asked not long after Sasuke had entered through the door. Sasuke stared at the innocent child's face.
"No. Some aren't." Sasuke answered, thinking of certain ninjas that had never let him down through the years. Then, another thought crossed Sasuke's mind and he asked, "Kid, where's your parents?"
Jinpachiro drew in a breath and scooted further underneath his blankets. "Dead." He answered in a small voice. Sasuke nodded and took a seat in the chair. "My uncle killed them."
"Ah."
"He was from this village, so I came here." Jinpachiro added.
"How old are you?" Sasuke asked finally.
"I'm four." Jinpachiro answered proudly. "I turned four in…" He stopped and thought, then finished. "March!"
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from a town not that far from here. I, uh, can't remember the name." Jinpachiro admitted.
"So you came to Konoha all by yourself." Sasuke drew to that conclusion from the state the child was in. Jinpachiro nodded, still proud. "Hn." Jinpachiro yawned and turned onto his side.
"I still don't feel very good." He mumbled.
"You should sleep." Sasuke stood up to leave, but stopped.
"Um, Mister Sasuke?" Sasuke looked at Jinpachiro. "Can you tell me a ninja story?" He was staring at Sasuke with his black eyes. For a moment, Sasuke could have sworn he had seen those eyes somewhere before, but shook it off.
"Yeah." He answered sitting back down. "What do you want to hear?" Jinpachiro and a smirk rested on his face as he decided what story he should tell. Sasuke might not have enjoyed conversing with people, but loved talking about himself.
"Well…" Sasuke started to tell about his chuunin exam experiences in the Forest of Death, but it wasn't long before Jinpachiro was asleep with a smile on his face.
When Jinpachiro awoke he was feeling a lot better. He sat up and climbed out of the bed. "I gotta find the bathroom." He said, walking out of the room. He still felt incredibly dizzy and nauseous, but not to the point of vomiting. He opened a couple of doors, until he found his destination.
Sasuke heard what was happening in that part of the house and walked toward where Jinpachiro was at. He nodded upon seeing the bathroom door shut and he was thankful the child was well behaved. When Jinpachiro walked out, he looked up at Sasuke.
"Good Morning." He walked back into his room and Sasuke followed. "Can you finish your story? I don't remember the end of it." Sasuke smirked and sat down.
"Yeah, that's because you were asleep before I could tell you the part where I rescued everyone from the giant snake and legendary sannin." Jinpachiro's eyes went wide at the mention at Sasuke's story.
"Well, tell me! I'm awake now! I wanna hear it!" He bounced with excitement on his bed. Sasuke and chuckled and recounted his tale, coloring up bits and parts of it. When he finished, Jinpachiro was still awake and extremely enthused.
"I wanna be a ninja!" He exclaimed. "Hey, did you finally kill snakeman? What about your friend? What happened afterwards? Tell me more!" He rushed all of his words together. Jinpachiro was brimming with excitement.
"Calm down. You'll probably hear it before you leave." Sasuke chuckled, proud to get such a response. It was a good feeling.
"Oh." Jinpachiro's mood suddenly changed. "Yeah, I should probably be leaving now." He was a little more sullen.
"Not until your fever is gone and you get a bath. You reek." Sasuke announced. Jinpachiro's eyes went wide at the word bath. Then, he pouted.
"I don't like baths. I don't need one, and I don't wanna waste your water." Jinpachiro mumbled.
"Hn. Well, I can't help that. In fact, I think now would be a good time for that bath." Sasuke stood and Jinpachiro retreated underneath his blankets. When Sasuke tried to pull the blankets off of him, Jinpachiro yelled, "No!" and continued fighting Sasuke's attempts. Sasuke finally lifted the entire bundle: blankets and all. Jinpachiro squealed and continued struggling, but he was now losing. Sasuke entered the bathroom and shook the bundle until Jinpachiro fell to the floor. Quickly, the boy tried to stand and dart out, but Sasuke was quicker. He dropped the bundle of blankets and snatched Jinpachiro off his feet. Jinpachiro's laughter echoed off the walls as Sasuke took off Jinpachiro's shirt and pants. Sasuke finally got the child undressed and sitting in the tub.
"Sit still." Sasuke ordered. The two's small struggle had left Sasuke victorious and a small smile was on his face. Sasuke turned the knob for hot water. When the water was hot, he added some cold to keep it warm. Slowly the tub filled with the water, and already the water was a brown, murky color from the dirt on the boy's body. Jinpachiro stared at the water coming out of the spout and then looked at Sasuke.
"Its warm." He said. Sasuke nodded and Jinpachiro continued. "Whenever I got a bath, it was always after Mom. The water was always cold." Sasuke let out a "Hn" and continued scrubbing Jinpachiro. He scrubbed a long time before most of the dirt finally came off. He also washed Jinpachiro's hair. When Jinpachiro was finally clean, Sasuke got him some clean Uchiha clothes from the attic.
"You can wear these while I'm washing your clothes. Don't leave with those on." Sasuke told him while handing Jinpachiro the folded outfit. Jinpachiro nodded. Sasuke stepped back and looked at the child when he was dressed. Jinpachiro had long black hair that fell to the his shoulder blades and bangs similar to Sasuke, but it was a mess. He had hair that suck up in the back, too. Jinpachiro's skin was pale. Underneath all the dirt, it had been impossible to tell. Sasuke grabbed a comb and motioned Jinpachiro to stand in front of him, while Sasuke handled Jinpachiro's hair. When he was finished combing out all the tangles, he tied it back into a low ponytail. Jinpachiro turned around and Sasuke looked him over.
"Now you look healthy." Sasuke announced. Sasuke was thinking something different though. The small boy held a resemblance to Itachi. While wearing the Uchiha clothes, it was impossible to tell the boy wasn't an Uchiha. The main difference though, was the innocence the boy seemed to radiate off of him.
"Okay, so do these clothes make me look like a ninja?" Jinpachiro asked and Sasuke nodded. This made Jinpachiro beam with happiness. He bounced around Sasuke a bit, and Sasuke started wondering if the boy was completely better. When Jinpachiro went in a fit of coughing, Sasuke decided that the boy should probably stay another night.
"Can you teach me how to throw a kunai?" Jinpachiro asked, his eyes pleading. Sasuke nodded and pointed outside. "Okay!" Jinpachiro ran outside and Sasuke followed. Sasuke reached into his pack and pulled out a kunai for the boy to throw. Jinpachiro shook his head and pulled one out of his pocket. "This one's mine. I wanna learn how to throw this one. It was my father's."
"Did you find your things then?" Sasuke asked and Jinpachiro nodded. Jinpachiro's lessons began. The boy was a great listener and he learned quickly. Sasuke enjoyed teaching him. Whenever Jinpachiro had put many holes in the tree and he got tired, they took a break.
"So tell me, Jinpachiro. Was your father a ninja?" Sasuke asked fixing some sweet tea for the two to drink. Both of them were sweaty from the change in temperature from the night before into the afternoon. Jinpachiro nodded and helped himself to some tomatoes that had been waiting to be eaten.
"Yup! He was a great ninja! Nobody could beat him!" Jinpachiro bragged while spitting red tomato juice on the table. "Nobody but my uncle." He swallowed.
"Why did your uncle kill him?" Sasuke asked pouring the tea into two separate cups. He then dropped two ice cubes in each. "If its not sweet enough add sugar."
"I dunno why he killed my father. I was hoping to find out here." Jinpachiro explained while taking the cold glass from Sasuke's hand. He took a big refreshing gulp of tea and sighed afterwards. "This stuff is good." Sasuke nodded and sat down at the table across from him. He started to question Jinpachiro further, but Jinpachiro started talking before Sasuke could.
"Could you tell me more ninja stories?" He asked eagerly. "I really wanna hear them. Are you a really good ninja?" Jinpachiro spread his arms wide as if to emphasize "really good".
Sasuke chuckled and answered, "Hell yeah, I'm a really good ninja. Have I told you about the time I killed Orochimaru?" Jinpachiro shook his head real fast and Sasuke continued. "Well…"
The two sat at the table for two hours, one listening patiently and the other bragging. Jinpachiro had many questions for Sasuke, but Sasuke made Jinpachiro hold them. "Do you want to go back out and learn some more?" Jinpachiro nodded and ran back outside, even more eager then before, because he had a bit more of an idea of what a great ninja that was personally training him. They trained until nightfall. Sasuke finally made the two quit and ushered Jinpachiro inside for a bath and some supper. The two ate donburi, which Sasuke had fixed, and talked more about Sasuke's missions. Whenever the meal was finished Sasuke took Jinpachiro and gave him a bath. Afterwards, Sasuke sent him to bed.
"Wait! Can I have another ninja story? To help me sleep?" Jinpachiro asked. Sasuke nodded.
"Might as well. You're leaving tomorrow." Sasuke sat down in the chair and thought about what to tell. "Have I told you about how I avenged my family?" Jinpachiro shook his head and Sasuke began. "Well, have you noticed how lonely this part of town is?" Sasuke asked and Jinpachiro nodded. "It wasn't always like that. In fact, only nine years ago, it was full of the Uchiha family. It-" Sasuke started and Jinpachiro cut him off.
"All of the houses? That's a big family! What happened to them? Why aren't they here?" Jinpachiro asked eagerly.
Sasuke held up a finger and quieted him. "Let me continue. One night, I came home and found them all dead. My older brother had killed them…" And Sasuke relayed the story of his family's death and how he became an avenger.
"He killed your entire family? Just like my uncle killed mine! We're alike! We're alike!" He sat up and started bouncing a bit. Sasuke calmed him down and continued. Next, he briefly shared the stakes Sasuke went to in order to obtain power. Then, he told Jinpachiro about the final battle.
"It was unexpected. At the time, I had been heading toward a town on the border of the Land of Fire, when our paths had crossed. I overheard people talking about him, and I listened. I learned that his whereabouts weren't far, so I headed there instead. I found him. The man who killed my family. Itachi Uchiha." Jinpachiro gasped and Sasuke continued. "I reminded him of my hatred. I told him of how far I had come, just to see his death by my hands." Sasuke shut his eyes from the memory.
"He called me foolish. Then, our fight started. It was the hardest thing in my life, Jinpachiro. At first, he had the upper hand. For most of the battle, heck, he had the upper hand. I had gone second curse form early on. I was too angry. It blinded my fighting. It wasn't until he started to use the magenkyou sharingan that I finally started to do any good. I didn't let him use it on me, of course." Sasuke took a long breath, still being able to remember the fight as if it was yesterday.
"The fight lasted a long while. He threw several kunai, and I blocked them with my sword and continued toward him. He avoided my attack and attempted to put me under a genjutsu. Jinpachiro, let me tell you, from all my training, it is impossible to successfully put me under a genjutsu. I had Itachi fooled. He was close, ready for the attack and I finally had him right where I wanted him. I used Chidori and stuck it right through his heart. Before though, he crammed a sword through my abdomen. The fight ended. He was finally dead, and I was convinced I was too. I collapsed next to his corpse and just laid there, smiling. Honestly, I think I was crying too. All of those thoughts running through my mind, I remembered vowing I would kill him, and back before it all happened. I thought back to Konoha. I thought back to my squad from Konoha. Back to Squad 7. I imagined the dobe's face, and I saw it front of my face. I thought I was hallucinating. Then, I saw Sakura's. She was crying and had green chakra coming from her hands. Then, I passed out. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed in Konoha. They came got me. Now, here I am, Jinpachiro." Sasuke finished and looked Jinpachiro in the face. The boy had tears streaming down his round cheeks. Sasuke realized he might have gone a little far with his story.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I thought you could handle it." Sasuke reached to a near end table with tissues on it that he had placed there recently for the sick boy. He grabbed a few and handed them to Jinpachiro. Jinpachiro took them from his hands gratefully and blew his nose. The boy kept sobbing though.
"Hey, its alright. You don't need to cry." Sasuke let his forehead rest in the palm of his hand. "Why would you cry?"
"Because, because, cause," Jinpachiro sobbed and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Itachi Uchiha? Are you sure that was his name?" Jinpachiro asked, meeting Sasuke's black eyes with his own black, puffy, tear filled eyes. He wiped his nose again and put the tissue into Sasuke's hand. Sasuke dropped the offending item onto the floor with hidden disgust and answered Jinpachiro.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure his name was Itachi. He was my brother after all." Sasuke handed Jinpachiro some more tissues.
"And you're Sasuke Uchiha?" Jinpachiro continued and Sasuke nodded. This broke Jinpachiro into more tears. He hiccupped several times as Sasuke sat next to the bed awkwardly, not knowing what to do with a crying child.
"I had no idea!" Jinpachiro mumbled and looked away from Sasuke, still with little crystalline tears streaming down his face. His bottom lip shook and he hiccupped a couple of more times.
"Why? What's wrong?" Sasuke couldn't imagine why that would make the boy cry.
Jinpachiro sniffed before answering. "Well, you see, my father… Oh you're gonna hate me!" And Jinpachiro started wailing again. Sasuke was a little taken back by the boy's outburst and calmed him down.
"Continue." Sasuke ordered with a calm voice. Jinpachiro nodded, appearing ashamed of himself.
"My father was Itachi Uchiha." Jinpachiro shut his eyes and waited for what Sasuke would do. Sasuke stared at Jinpachiro for what Jinpachiro thought was eternity. Sasuke finally shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he spoke to Jinpachiro.
"Continue." He ordered in that same voice that he had used just moments before. "Who was your mother?"
"Her name was Candy. My father and her met one night five years ago. Mom hadn't had business in a while, and she was in debt. She had been standing on her corner when she saw him. He looked incredibly stressed, in her opinion. Just like she always did with "potential" customers, she approached him and started to talk to him sweetly. He welcomed it and they had business. He kept coming back every month and soon she was out of debt." Jinpachiro recited to Sasuke, as if he had heard the story many times. Sasuke's eyes went wide whenever it had occurred to him what occupation Jinpachiro's mother had been. Sasuke's jaw even dropped. It was hard for him to believe any Uchiha, no matter how much they betrayed the family, or how evil could ever stoop as low as that. Then a thought crossed Sasuke's mind.
"So, its possible he might not be your father." Sasuke stated. Jinpachiro looked at Sasuke's face.
"He's my father! He was the only business Mom had! She said that he was too! One day, when he came by, he left a kunai for me! Well," Jinpachiro had been loud, but then his voice dropped. "Mom said he forgot it. You see, he never talked to me, but I'm pretty sure he left it for me." Jinpachiro hiccupped whenever he finished. It wasn't hard to believe that this boy was Itachi's son from the resemblance in the two. Although it was currently hard to compare the two, because Itachi never cried and here the small boy sat with tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes.
Sasuke leaned back in his chair and brought up his left hand and rested it on his eyes. He thought about the situation. 'If this boy is Itachi's son, then that means I'm not the only Uchiha left. If he is and Uchiha, then that means it would be better if he stayed in Konoha and learned the ninja ways. Uh, this is giving me a headache.' Sasuke leaned forward again and looked at Jinpachiro. The boy's crying had finally quieted down to small sniffles and hiccups.
"Jinpachiro, how would you like to stay in Konoha with me?" He asked Jinpachiro.
"I can't do that! I came here to kill you!" Jinpachiro announced. "I was gonna do it with my father's kunai! Oh, I'm sorry!" With that, Jinpachiro started up his sobbing again.
Sasuke smirked and responded, "Jinpachiro, you wouldn't have been able to kill me. Besides, I forgive you. Everything's okay now." Sasuke knew in his mind that he wouldn't mind so much if the boy lived with him.
"But…but I…I'm sorry." Jinpachiro muttered apologetically. The child wouldn't look at Sasuke's face. Sasuke could tell the boy was ashamed of himself.
"Its fine. Now, would you stay with me? You can be a ninja. I'll help train you and you can be a great ninja in due time." Sasuke put a hand on Jinpachiro's shoulder. "Besides, I don't have a family Jinpachiro and neither do you. You're an Uchiha. You come from the best blood line in this village. This is where the Uchiha belong. Will you stay here?" Sasuke stared Jinpachiro straight in the eyes.
"Do you really want me?" Jinpachiro sniffed. Sasuke nodded and Jinpachiro smiled through his tears. Then, he leaned forward and gave his uncle a hug. Sasuke patted the boy's back and stood up.
"Now, get to sleep." Sasuke turned off the light and walked out of the room. He walked down the hallway into his own bedroom. He prepared his self for bed and lay in bed for long time before he could sleep. Sasuke kept recounting the past two day's events. Sasuke took in Itachi's son. He finally had somewhat of a family after nine years. It was going to be a long day tomorrow, but Sasuke was happy.
Author's Note: Okay, give it time. Like I said above, the story will be longer and the other characters will show up. Plus, the story will take place in other areas other than Jinpachiro's room. O.o; There will be romance, drama, more four year old angst, and Uchiha humor. At least, what I can call humor.
I tried to keep Sasuke in character. I'm sorry if he seemed a little off to you. This is after he's matured somewhat and in the future. He's learned a couple of lessons in life.
Please review. I can handle flames, but please have some kind of constructive criticism in your review. We all know I need it.
Next Time on "A Family.": Jinpachiro has nightmares at night from Sasuke's story of Itachi and he desperately misses his best friend. What will they do?
