Her Face
Author's Note: This a time travel story with Mikoto and Fugaku as the main pairing. Sasuke will go back into the past to try prevent the Massacre. In the past, Mikoto will be 20 and Fugaku is 25. Sasuke will be 17. If any of that bothers you, you might want to turn back now. For those of you still here, I hope you enjoy the story and reviews are always appreciated.
Chapter Notation: I got creative with the Uchiha Stone Tablets. While they will be partially cannon, eventually their usage will diverge radically from cannon.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no profit off of any of my stories.
Chapter 1
Sasuke knew that it was crazy, but that wasn't going to stop him. After the war, he had tried to move on with his life. He just couldn't though. The guilt of Itachi's death and everything that he had done to avenge his family weighed too heavily on his soul.
He knew that he should be grateful that Naruto and Itachi had gotten him pardoned and he was. Sasuke just didn't know what he was supposed to do now. Naruto seemed to think that everything would pick up, right where things left off with Team Seven. The blonde had an almost endless capacity for forgiveness, but most people didn't.
"Most people aren't Naruto." He mutters to himself as he glances at the ancient tablets.
Itachi would certainly call him foolish and he definitely was, but he had to try. Sasuke had to try to change the past. It was extremely risky, but the last Uchiha thought that he might have found a way to do it.
The Tablets had been left by Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Most people couldn't read them. One had to possess at the Sharingan to even begin to decode them. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough. The Mangekyo could read more, but couldn't decipher everything. Now that he had a Rinnegan though, he could fully understand them.
"It's no wonder that he didn't want anyone to fully read them." Sasuke murmurs to himself.
There were secrets about his Clan, Kaguya and her sons, their bloodline, and even time travel listed. The last one was what caught his attention most. Sadly, it was borderline suicidal to even make the attempt. He was going to try anyway though.
"If this works, my note won't be necessary. If it doesn't, at least Naruto will know what happened." Sasuke whispers as he places his note by his bed and he reads the tablets once more.
One had to have four essential ingredients to use this Jutsu successfully. The Rinnegan, a massive amount of chakra, concentration, and blood. It was mostly the chakra and blood requirements that troubled him.
He had a lot of chakra, but he wasn't Naruto. He didn't have the Nine Tails to fall back on, if things went wrong. There was also the blood. As powerful as he was, he had the same amount of blood as anyone else. That meant this was a very risky Jutsu to attempt.
"The blood and chakra pills should help with that. Now, let's get started." He says as he takes his sword and cuts himself.
He chose a vein, not an artery. It would bleed a lot, but not as quickly. Sasuke was a quick healer. He might actually survive this, he thought as he pops the pills into his mouth.
He began to fill a little lightheaded from blood and chakra loss as he performs the necessary signs to activate the Jutsus. Ironically, he suddenly realizes that concentration might be the most difficult ingredient to acquire for this Jutsu.
"I can't let my focus slip. That will end in disaster." He mutters as he tries desperately to focus on his parents.
That's when he was enveloped in a bright light. That was the last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness.
When Sasuke finally reawakened, he hears voices. The Uchiha decides that the smartest thing to do was to feign sleep. Assessing his environment was a critical key to his success.
"Do we have any idea what happened to him?" He hears a feminine voice ask someone.
A feminine voice that he remembered very well. It was his mother! She sounded younger than he remembered her, but he wasn't going to quibble about that now. He had done it!
"I'm not sure what happened to him exactly. He's lost a lot of blood and chakra. My best guess is that he was in one Hell of a battle and managed to escape. Smart boy though. There were traces of chakra and blood pills in his system. He must have taken them after the battle." Someone else says.
Sasuke didn't recognizer her voice. He didn't really care who the second person was. He assumes that she was a medic, but she wasn't his priority! His mother was ALIVE!
"It's the strangest thing. He's clearly an Uchiha, but I've never seen him before." Mikoto muses.
"I would have done a blood sample to confirm it, but I didn't want to risk it. The blood replenishing pills might have saved his life, but he isn't out of the woods yet. I expect he'll make a full recovery with the proper care though. You really don't recognize him? I thought that your Clan was rather close knit?" The medic asks.
"He looks so familiar to me, but I haven't seen him before." The other woman replies.
It took all Sasuke's self-control not to jump out of the bed and try to embrace his mother. He held back because she wasn't his mother. Well at least not yet. She didn't recognize him. That and he still felt incredibly weak from the Jutsu. Damn it.
"Well I think that you would have recognized him, if you've met him before. Such a handsome boy. Anyway, I doubt he's going to be awake for a few hours. Have you notified the Third and Fugaku?" She inquires.
"I notified the Third. I thought that it would be best to speak with him first. Fugaku can be rather aggressive when it comes to interrogation. The patient clearly isn't up to his methods. I'm hopeful that the Third will be able to reason with him." His mother says.
"That was probably a wise move. He's an excellent officer, but this isn't a prisoner. This is a patient." The medic states.
Upon hearing that, Sasuke struggles not to give away the fact that he was awake. His mother was alive and his father was likely on the way here. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest with happiness.
Sure enough, Sasuke heard the footsteps of someone walking into the room. Most likely, he decides that it was probably Sarutobi. His mother was alive, that meant that this was at least 10 years ago. The Third would still be elderly, but likely more spry than the last time that Sasuke saw him.
"I heard that we have a rather interesting patient?" He asks in amusement.
"That's putting it mildly. Mikoto found this boy in the Uchiha District. He was completely collapsed. Poor thing was nearly drained of blood and chakra. He must have escaped a Hell of a fight. He clearly had taken some chakra and blood pills though. He looks like an Uchiha, but I don't want to take blood to confirm that. Maybe if I should take a hair or saliva sample?" She inquires.
"I'm reluctant to take genetic samples from someone without their consent, especially when they've committed no crime. Well at least none that we are aware of. This is a special case though. If he's an Uchiha, that is something that we have to know. Take the sample." He instructs her.
Sarutobi watches as the medic nods and pulls a few strands of hair from the "sleeping" man's head. Good. That should be sufficient.
Sasuke mentally panics at this. He couldn't protest though. If he did, they would want to know why. That and it was just a general check to see if he was an Uchiha. It wasn't a paternity test. A paternity test would have ended in disaster.
A few minutes later, Sasuke hears a knock on the door. His mother tells whoever it was that the door was open. Not long after that, Sasuke heard footsteps. He recognized them as belonging to his father.
"Ah Fugaku. I'm glad that you could join us. Mikoto found this boy in your District. He was half dead. She claims she doesn't recognize him, but he certainly looks like an Uchiha to me. What do you think?" Sarutobi asks kindly.
Fugaku raises an eyebrow at that explanation and glances at the man in the bed. That's when he blinks. He had HER FACE!
The boy looked almost identical to Mikoto, save for gender. His first instinct was to say that he was likely the woman's younger brother, but Mikoto didn't have any brothers.
"You're right. He certainly looks like an Uchiha. I've never seen him before in my life though. Strange. If this is someone's attempt at infiltrating our village and district, it's quite creative. Though I don't see what they thought they could gain from it. Any genetic testing will confirm if he's really an Uchiha or an imposter." He reasons.
"We'll have the boy tested. What would you like to do about the situation, until we get the results? This is potentially a Clan Matter. I don't want to become involved, unless it becomes strictly necessary." The Hokage says.
Fugaku frowns as he considers that answer and notices that Mikoto was standing at the stranger's bedside. It was almost like she was guarding him. Immediately, the image of a lioness protecting her cub came to mind. He supposed that he should have seen that coming. Mikoto had always been protective of children.
Admittedly, calling the man in the bed a child was certainly a stretch. Fugaku estimates that he had to be in his late teens. Certainly by that age, many people had already been a ninja for a few years.
That likely wouldn't matter to the dark beauty though. He was weak and defenseless at the moment and younger than her. Fugaku would be shocked if such a combination didn't arouse her maternal instincts.
"Leave him here for now. Whatever his intentions are, he's far too weak to actually carry them out." The Uchiha Patriarch says.
"Very well." Sarutobi agrees.
"If that's everything, I have to get back to the Department." The Uchiha states.
Mikoto shakes her head in amusement. That man was going to give himself a heart attack before thirty at this rate. He worked far too hard.
"Is there something that amuses you, Mikoto?" He asks.
"Yes, something perplexes me about you. I know that you are an intelligent man. Your vocabulary is more than adequate and yet you don't know the meaning of one simple word." She says.
Sarutobi chuckles. He wasn't entirely certain where Mikoto was going with this, but he was sure the results were bound to be entertaining. She seemed to be the only person in the Uchiha Clan (and one of only a handful of individuals in the Leaf Village) who wasn't intimidated by Fugaku.
"And what word is that?" Fugaku inquires.
One never really knew what was going to come out of Mikoto's mouth. She was sweet and kind, but the woman could also be rather sassy. She had a way of getting in subtle jabs that one wouldn't realize was a jab, until long after the encounter was over.
"Vacation. You need one. You're only twenty-five. If you keep this up, you'll end up in the hospital. We'll have to get you a bed next to the stranger. You'll collapse of exhaustion." The raven haired woman informs him.
"Your concern is touching, but unnecessary. I assure you that I'm fine." He tells her.
Mikoto shakes her head. She knew that he overcompensating. Fugaku was very young for a Clan Head and to lead the Military Police Department. He wanted everyone to know that he had earned both positions and thus, she didn't think that there was a ninja who worked harder.
Really, she did admire his dedication. The man was going to work himself to death at this rate though. Someone had to step in and set him straight.
"At least take a week off. I'm certain that Kenji can manage that long. You need it." She insists.
"You are quite possibly the most stubborn woman that I have ever met. Unfortunately for you, I still have work to do. Good day to you, Lord Hokage, and of course, Kitasha." Fugaku says as he slips off, leaving behind one very miffed Mikoto Uchiha.
"He's completely impossible!" She grumbles as she places her hands on her hips.
"Indeed he is. Well it was a good try, Mikoto. Kitasha, please do keep me abreast of any changes in our newest patient's status." The Hokage says.
Kitasha nods. She was one of the Leaf's medics. She was in her early thirties and had long blonde hair with amber eyes. The woman had a willowy figure and had taken to wearing her ninja headband like a belt.
"Of course, Lord Hokage." Kitasha says as the man heads off.
"When Fugaku ends up in the hospital because he is too stubborn to listen, I'm going to tell him that I told him so." Mikoto mutters.
"Yes, I can't blame you there. Are you staying or will you be heading off as well?" Kitasha asks.
Mikoto sighs as she glances at the slumbering teenager on the bed. There was just something about him that called to her. He looked so fragile. That and he was likely family. It was hard to leave him.
"I should probably be going. I told Kushina that I would have lunch with her, when she returned for her mission." The raven haired woman says.
"Of course. As I told the Third, I'll inform all of you of any changes." The blonde promises.
"Thank you." Mikoto says as she bounds off.
A short while later, Fugaku was back in the police department. He sighs as he rubs his temples. He could feel a stress headache coming on.
There had been a few scuffles between some Uchihas and other Leaf Villagers. Some of them were provoked and some unprovoked. This was getting to be rather irritating. That and now he had to figure out the mystery behind the strange who had her face.
"Sorry about that. I tried to break up the fight, but you know how it is. Everyone has to join in." Minato says as he strides over to Fugaku.
"It's fine. It's not your fault. Thank you for notifying me of the matter though." Fugaku says.
Minato was only sixteen, but already the signs of greatness where there. In some ways, Fugaku envied the younger man's more carefree personality. He wondered how long that would last now that he was a Jonin though.
Jonins went on extremely dangerous missions for the most part. He would be exposed to the full depravity that humanity could sometimes be capable of. Sadly, the Uchiha Patriarch wasn't entirely certain how long that sunny grin would last.
"Any time. Are you alright? You look a little stressed and I doubt it is because of a street brawl." The blue eyed ninja asks.
"Well I have to admit that is rather annoying, but it's nothing that I can't handle. No, there's something else on my mind. Something really strange has happened." Fugaku whispers.
Minato tilts his head to the side. He wasn't sure what had happened, but it had certainly spooked Fugaku. That wasn't something that happened often. Fugaku was an experienced ninja. Very little rattled him.
"What's going on?" Minato asks suddenly serious.
"There was a man who was discovered in our District. He was unconscious from blood and chakra loss. Mikoto brought him to the hospital. He looks like an Uchiha, but neither of us have ever seen him before." Fugaku beings cautiously.
Minato frowns. The Uchiha Clan was a large one. It had to be or else the Sharingan would have died out by now. It was possible that one of them might not have recognized their Clansman, but unlikely that neither of them would.
"That's highly unusual. Tell me more about this stranger." He says.
"There's not really much to tell. He's still unconscious. There is something that disturbs me about him though. He has Mikoto's face. If I didn't know better, I would say that he was her brother. Mikoto's never seen him before though." The elder ninja says.
"Well they say everyone has a twin. That and you Uchihas do tend to look a lot alike. You aren't nearly identical like the Hyugas, but still the family resemblance is powerful." He reasons.
Fugaku shrugs. That was true and logical, but his gut told him that wasn't the only reason. Despite this, he didn't want Minato to think that he was slowly going crazy.
"Maybe you're right." The Uchiha offers.
"Yeah. Well let me know if you need anything. I have to leave for a mission later today. So I should probably get packing." Minato replies.
"Of course. Good luck on your mission." He says as the blonde flits off.
The Uchiha Patriarch sighs once he was alone. He knew that something strange was going on and he was going to figure out what. That much was for damn sure.
Maybe Mikoto was right. Perhaps a vacation would actually be beneficial. If nothing else, he needed to watch this stranger. That and those beautiful doe eyes of hers were lethal. Like a kitten's or a doe's, really. It was impossible to say no to the woman without feeling like a complete barbarian.
"I just hope that she never realizes that fact." He mutters to himself.
Meanwhile Mikoto had caught up with Kushina. The woman was four years her junior, but still her best friend. The two of them were currently at the ramen shop.
"I have never seen someone who eats as much ramen as you before." Mikoto notes with a quiet laugh as she orders a chicken salad.
"It's great! You should really give it a try!" She exclaims.
"I've had it before. It's not bad. I'm sorry that I was a bit late, but we had an incident in the District. I found a collapsed man in my yard." She explains.
Kushina blinks. Mikoto was almost never later. So she had been curious about her friend's late arrival, but she had figured the other woman would tell her the reason eventually. She just hadn't been expecting this.
"Was he alright?" The red head inquires.
"He's lost a lot of blood and chakra. The man is about your age, I think. The strangest thing is that we think he's an Uchiha, but I certainly didn't recognize him. Neither did Fugaku and he knows everyone in our Clan. He kinda has to because he's the Clan Head." Mikoto points out.
The younger ninja nods in agreement. That was rather bizarre. She didn't know Fugaku that well. She just knew that he was on good terms with Minato and was the head of the Uchiha Clan.
From what Mikoto told her though, he was a very traditional patriarch type. Strong, proud, and very stern. Fugaku was very much a law and order ninja. The rules were the rules and that was that.
"Well I'm sure that you guys will figure it out." She says and Mikoto nods in agreement.
A few hours later, Sasuke hears the clock strike. That meant another hour had passed. He was going to have to reveal the fact that he was awake soon.
He didn't want them to know that he had been awake for awhile. It was probably best to let them underestimate him. He wanted to be considered strong, but not strong enough that it would raise eyebrows. He'd just hide some of his more flashy moves for now.
"Ah you're awake! How are you feeling?" Kitasha asks him.
"Weak." Sasuke tells her honestly.
His head was still fuzzy from blood and chakra loss, but he notices that his chakra reserves had replenished somewhat and that a blood transfusion was going. Realistically, he knew that he could have been a lot worse off.
"That's to be expected. What happened?" She asks.
"I was attacked. Someone recognized me as an Uchiha. They ambushed me and used a Paralyzing Jutsu. My attacker wanted my blood and my eyes. He drained me of most of my blood before I was able to free myself. We fought, but I managed to run away. I ended up back in my Clan's District. I took some blood and chakra pills and then passed out. Someone must have found me and brought me here." He explains.
Sasuke knew that he was pushing his luck by being that specific. Unfortunately, he knew that they would want specifics and that was the best he could do on short notice. It would have to work for now.
"I see. Well I'm glad that you are alright. We'll send people to look for your attacker, but they are probably long gone by now." Kitasha says sadly.
"That's alright. I'm just glad to be alive. Who brought me here?" Sasuke asks.
"A woman named Mikoto Uchiha. I assume that she's a relative of yours. Right now, I don't want you to worry about anything. I want you to focus on getting better." She says with a sweet smile.
It was hard for Sasuke to keep his face blank as she mentioned his mother's name. He knew that it was critical not to react to it. If he did, the medic was likely going to tell someone and he didn't want his cover blown.
"Alright and that was kind of her." Sasuke says with a smile.
"It certainly was kind of her. That much I must agree with." Fugaku says as he walks into the hospital room.
"Fugaku, he's still recovering. So don't do anything crazy!" Kitasha warns him.
The older Uchiha simply rolls his eyes good-naturedly at the woman's scolding. Honestly, he wasn't a monster. He wouldn't attack someone who clearly couldn't fight back, but he still wanted his answers.
"I'm not going to do anything crazy. Besides, there are cameras in this room. You'd know the minute that I did. I would like to have some privacy to speak with my Clansman." He says and Kitasha sighs before heading off, giving Sasuke an apologetic look as she goes.
"I understand that you may not be up to a full conversation just yet, but I'm going to try anyway." Fugaku says.
Sasuke nods. He couldn't believe that his father was alive and speaking to him. He had to resist the urge to embrace him, just as he had done with Mikoto.
"I understand. I already told Kitasha what happened." He says.
"Good. I shall ask her then. There's not much use in making you repeat yourself. I suspect that you are an Uchiha. Is that accurate?" He demands.
You have no idea, Sasuke thinks to himself. His father had no idea how accurate that statement was. Not only was Sasuke an Uchiha, he was also Fugaku's son.
"That's accurate." Sasuke says simply.
"That fact confuses me as I am the leader of our Clan, yet I do not recognize you. I make it my business to know everyone in our Clan personally."
He explains.
"I've been traveling for a long time. The last time that you saw me, I was scarcely more than a Chunin. It's been years. So that isn't unexpected." Sasuke offers.
Sasuke hated that he had to lie to Fugaku. He knew that there was no way around it though. He couldn't exactly tell the man the truth. At best, he'd think Sasuke was crazy and at worst, he'd probably think it was a trick.
"What is your name and what was the nature of this long mission? You're awful young to have received an assignment that lasted for years." He says suspiciously.
"My name is Daisuke. I'm sorry that I can't tell you that. My orders were top secret. The Hokage himself would deny that I even went on the mission." Sasuke tells him.
Fugaku's eyes narrow. Sasuke knew that his father was debating whether or not he should believe him. Sasuke could only hope that he would.
Daisuke had been a cousin of his mother's. The man had left for a mission when he was a Chunin and never came back. It was plausible. Hopefully, he looked enough like his deceased relative to make such a claim believable.
"I'm not certain if I believe your story, but it is possible that may be the case. In any event, I do believe that you are an Uchiha by blood. That means you are entitled to the privileges. You will be offered the chance to live in our District with a home of your own. You'll be treated like any other Clan member. That is until or unless you prove yourself to be untrustworthy. Can you activate your Sharingan?" He asks.
Sasuke nods. He knew why his father was offering him a place to stay. He didn't want to have an Uchiha out wandering around who could be kidnapped, especially if that Uchiha had already activated their Sharingan.
"I can." Sasuke says and he activates his basic Sharingan.
His Rinnegan no longer existed in this time, but that didn't concern him at the moment. He hadn't received the power transfer yet. His DNA was still intact though. That meant that he could activate the Sharingan. Unfortunately, he wasn't entirely certain if he still had the Mangekyo or not. He would have to find that out later.
"Good. I shall make the announcement that Daisuke Uchiha has returned. When you are well, I'll take you back to the District." Fugaku says.
"Alright." Sasuke agrees.
"Get some rest. You're going to need it. The women are likely going to motherhen you half to death." The elder Uchiha warns him.
Sasuke smiles. That was fine with him. He was just happy to have his family back.
"It's been so long, that I can't say that I'll mind that." He answers honestly.
"You'll come to regret those words. I know these women. Mother hens, the lot of them. Goodnight." Fugaku says as he heads off and turns off the light.
Sasuke sighs once he was alone. His father was suspicious of him, but he hadn't called him out on his lies. That was something. Now he just had to figure out how to prevent the Massacre. That was easier said than done, but he was determined to find a way.
"I won't let it happen again." He whispers to himself as he falls asleep.