Night was falling as he crouched in a tall Ash tree. He needed to find someone, someone important, on whom to use his mangekyo sharingan. It had been 8 years since he had killed Itachi. Now that he was for the first time back inside Konoha, memories began to flood through his mind unbidden, triggered by the smell of the ash and the sound of the wind.

When he was four, standing in front of this very tree with Itachi.

"Here little brother, this is a kunai knife"

"kunai?"

"Yes, and look, see how I hold it?"

Sasuke looked carefully at his brother's hand

"Yes,"

"here you try, be careful, the blade is sharp"

"okay big brother"

He handled the kunai, too big in his palm

"That's it!"

Sasuke smiled, Itachi smiled back

"Now you throw it, like this, see, you take your arm back and then-"

the kunai thudded into the Ash tree's trunk

"Be careful"

Sasuke frowned concentrating

"Take my arm back and-"

The kunai flew in an arc and then fell on the ground. Sasuke's face screwed up, trying to hold back tears

"That was much better than the first time I did it Sasuke"

"It was?" his tears forgotten

"Yes, it took me a very long time to learn how to throw a kunai properly. Here, try again, and copy me, now take your arm back, make sure you keep holding it the way I taught you, and-"

the kunai thudded into the tree again, this time, Sasuke's kunai hit the tree, but then it fell out

"Look at that! You're already improving!"

Sasuke grinned up at Itachi

"Itachi! Sasuke! Come in now! Dinner's being served!"

"Itachi! Mikoto! Come here now! Dinner's being served!"

Sasuke frowned, that sounded so real. He could almost imagine-

"ITACHI! MIKOTO! NOW! Or I will feed the whole lot to Chika!"

Sasuke looked up, he definitely hadn't imagined that. Carefully, he crept down the tree and across the garden to the window sill.

"Muuuummm, can you show me how to control my chakra tomorrow? Pleeeeasse?" whined a little boy with black hair who had his back turned. Suddenly, a little girl came into the room, Sasuke ducked quickly, he heard a clatter of chopsticks as she set them on the table.

"Itachi, we'll see if I have time."

"Muuuummm I know that means you won't. You always have to work."

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I promise I'll teach you chakra control when I have time alright? But tonight, can you just behave? I'm very tired,"

Sasuke heard footsteps and chairs screaking as the three occupants of the house sat down.

Sasuke was seething, how dare someone name their child Itachi! How dare they name their child Mikot! How dare someone live in this house! How dare they! Seething he began to summon chakra for a chidori, then he thought better of it, no, that wouldn't do. Then everyone would know he'd been here. Best just to wait, lie low, make their deaths look like accidents while they sleep.

The girl was talking now "Mother, Hinata sensei said that the parent teacher interviews will be on next Thursday and also can you check my homework please?"

"Mikoto, have you checked yours against your brother's"

"Yes, and we agree on everything except for a question about how genjutsu works,"

"Alright, hurry up and eat your omusubi then, you two need to have showers tonight,"

"Awww, muuummm!"

"No buts, you're both filthy after that survival test"

There were mutterings of relunctant consent, and soon more clattering heralded the end of dinner.

Sasuke squatted under the sill and thought, the children were obviously still in the academy and the wife probably worked as a shopkeeper or something. He wondered where the husband was, probably at work, then again she could be a war widow. So many were. No matter, he would still kill them all for their insult to his family. Gripping his kunai knife he flung himself over the sill. No one was in the darkened room, he carefully looked around, it looked exactly the same as it looked when he was a child. It even smelt the same.

"Mum, why did Dad have such funny eyes tonight?"

"Those eyes are called 'Sharingan' Sasuke. They're very special, they help your father to see everything his opponent does"

"Itachi has them too, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does, all the Uchiha have them. You will too one day,"

"Really?"

"Yes,"

"Do you have them?"

"No, I'm not an Uchiha by blood. I'm from the Nara clan."

"Oh."

"That's why you're cousins with Shikamaru,"

"Oh! You were part of Shikamaru's family, and then you married Dad?"

"Yes,"

"Will I be as strong as Itachi one day?"

"Of course you will sweetheart,"

Sasuke pushed the memories aside, and carefully climbed the stairs,

"Who are you and what do you want!" said a low voice, he felt the tip of a kunai on his neck. Quickly he twisted, and just as quickly she leapt away, her pink hair streaming out behind her.

"Sakura!"

"Sasuke!" The looks on both of their faces was pure surprise and shock, then Sakura tensed, her kunai in hand

"What are you doing here?"

"This is the house of the Uchiha! I have every right to be here! What are you doing here?"

"Mummy?" The boy rubbed his eyes sleepily, "What's going on?" For the first time Sasuke saw the boy's face,

"Itachi?" he asked involuntarily

"Who are you?" the boy looked up at him with wide eyes

"Go back to sleep sweetheart, I'll handle this," said Sakura, her voice edged with steel

"I want to help!"

"NO! Go back to bed NOW!"

The boy began to cry,

Sasuke gritted his teeth, he hated this boy that reminded him of his brother. His brother who he had failed so miserably. Far too quickly for any human eye, Sasuke dodged Sakura and grabbed the boy.

"Don't you DARE!" screamed Sakura, and with a cry like a bull, she brought her hand down to the floor which abruptly splintered. Sasuke automatically lifted his arms to protect himself as he fell through the floor. Sakura snatched the boy away.

Forcing his chakra into his feet, Sasuke soared upward, landing on the other side of the blasted floor from Sakura and the boy. Sasuke looked up, and froze.

Sakura's arms were sheathed in blue light, her eyes and hair crackled with anger. But that wasn't what caused Sasuke to stop dead. The boy who was holding tightly to his mother's skirts had red eyes. Sharingan eyes.

"Don't you dare harm my son!" said Sakura, her voice far more forceful than he had ever heard it before.

"Why would I harm my own son?" Sakura looked stunned

"How did you-?"

"He has my eyes."

Sakura looked down, sure enough, Itachi's eyes were as red as heart's blood.

Sasuke didn't move. The words had flown out of his mouth, wanting to shock her with his indifference. But he wasn't indifferent. Perhaps it was this house, or the memories that kept trying to keelhaul him, or maybe he had wanted it all his life, his subconscious drving force. He wanted a family again, a clan. Itachi's dream of a restored Uchiha clan had not been desirable to him at the time, but now, now that he was looking straight at the seed of such a scheme, a seed that was looking straight back, he wondered. It was tiring, being an avenger, in 8 years he and Madara had come no closer to taking Konohagakure than they had to defeating the Shinobi alliance. He was tired, tired of constantly watching his back, knowing the moment he ceased to be useful to Madara, the moment Madara would turn on him and leave him for dead. Tired of running, with Danzo and Itachi dead, his life had lost most of its drive. Now, all he was really living for, was to fight Naruto, and that seemed a long way off, and even if he did. Naruto was right, they would both die.

"You never told me," he said

Sakura raised her eyebrown incredulously

"How on earth was I supposed to do that?"

Sasuke nodded

"I-" he shook his head. This was a dream. It had to be. He took one last long look at his son, before leaping out through the window and in three bounds was out of sight.

"Who was that Mum?"

"That? He's a man I used to know."