Love Conquers All
Author's Note: This idea was inspired by a guest reviewer on another of my stories, who goes by the name Shisui. The idea is pretty simple. How would Sasuke be different if Kakashi had taken him in after the massacre? All reviews are greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money off of any of my stories.
Chapter Notation: Kakashi is 21 in this chapter. Sasuke 7. This chapter will be the an intro chapter. It will explain how Kakashi took Sasuke in and the events the night of the massacre and a few following days. Chapter two will have a major time skip. So it's slow to start, but I hope you like it.
Chapter One
"Lord Hokage, I have a request." Kakashi says.
"What is it, Kakashi?" The Third Hokage asks.
"I would like to take Sasuke Uchiha into my care. I understand that I am young to be a guardian for a child. But if I am capable of performing Jonin and ANBU duties, I am more than capable to keep one child safe." The silver hair haired ninja says.
"Kakashi, that is kind of you to offer. But I do not believe you fully understand what you are getting yourself into. This isn't just any child. Sasuke is a child who has suffered from a seriously traumatic event. He is currently in the hospital. We do not know if his mind will survive this experience intact. Even if he does somehow process what happened, he'll never be the same." Sarutobi warns him.
"I can handle it. Besides, what's the alternative? Do you think it is a good idea to leave a seven year old child alone, after THAT happened to him? He'll think about nothing but the massacre. It will drive him insane or make him do something foolish, like going after Itachi. It'd be cruelty to leave him alone after the massacre." He continues to argue.
"Well, I suppose if anyone can teach him how to use the Sharingan, it would be you. I'll admit that I was…uncertain what to do with him once he was released from the hospital. But if it gets to be too much for you Kakashi, please tell me. We will make other arrangements for the boy." He relents.
"Thank you. Obito wouldn't have wanted him to be alone." Kakashi says.
"So that is what this about. Kakashi, his death wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for what happened." The Third tells him.
"Partially. But even if Obito hadn't been my teammate, I still couldn't in good conscience leave the kid alone. I was alone after my father died. I would have liked it if someone had reached out to me." He says.
"I understand. Well it will likely take a few days before he can be released form the hospital. Do you wish to take him to your apartment or to live in the Uchiha District?" He questions.
"I will ask him what he prefers. He might prefer the District because it will give him a sense of normalcy. But he might also not want to go back there after seeing his clan butchered like that." The Copy Cat Ninja replies.
"Very well. I'd prepare your apartment just in case. Is it big enough for two people to live in?" He asks.
"It is big enough. Not nearly as spacious as his family's home, but it would be more than adequate." Kakashi answers.
Meanwhile, Sasuke wakes up in the hospital. He was horrified. His entire family was gone! Itachi had betrayed them. They were all gone! How could his brother do this?! He could hear the medics talking about it. He was all alone. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare! He'd open his eyes and see his mother's smiling face, his father's proud one, or Itachi's loving one. It was a bad dream. Yes, that had to be it!
"Sasuke? There is someone here to see you." One of the doctors told him.
"Who?" He asks and tilts his head.
Kakashi walks in. Sasuke didn't recognize this man. He was strange. He wore a blue mask over most of the bottom of his face. He had silver hair, even though he was young. But that's when Sasuke saw it. The man had a Sharingan!
Someone else had survived! It was really weird that he didn't recognize this member of his family. But the Uchihas were a large clan. So it was possible that he just hadn't met this relative yet. Maybe he was away on missions a lot and that was why Itachi hadn't killed him.
"Itachi didn't get you!" The child says happily and lunges at Kakashi with his arm wide open for a hug.
"No. No. He didn't get me. Hello, Sasuke. I'm Kakashi." He says.
"How are we related? Are we cousins? I don't remember seeing you around the District before. But I'm really glad he didn't get you!" Sasuke exclaims.
Uh oh. The kid had seen his Sharingan. It was only natural that Sasuke would assume they were related by blood. He couldn't possibly expect a seven year old to think of the possibility that he had the Sharingan transplanted into him. How did one even go about explaining that to a child?
For a moment, Kakashi considered lying. He could say that he was a distant relative. It would obviously make Sasuke happy. It was certainly easier than explaining. But he couldn't do it. The kid had been lied to enough.
"We aren't related. I have one Sharingan because my friend gave it to me. It was his last wish before he died." He explains.
"You can give away your Sharingan?" Sasuke asks and seems horribly confused by this.
"Yes. He was dying. It was better than risking an enemy ninja stealing it from his body or having it go to waste." The silver haired man tries to explain.
"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Sasuke squirms, obviously being justifiably grossed out at imagining someone's eye being cut out.
"Yes. But one of your family members was on my team. He was my best friend. I would like to take care of you. If you will let me." He says.
"Why did he only give you one eye though? That doesn't make much sense." The inquisitive child demanded to know.
"He was being crushed to death by a boulder. His other eye was already gone. It was not an easy death." Kakashi winces as he relives that painful memory.
"Ohh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad!" He says with an aura of innocence.
"It's not your fault, Sasuke. I just miss him. What do you say?" He asks.
"I'll go with you." He states in a surprisingly somber voice that no child should possess.
He had the Sharingan. Well at least one Sharingan. He had been on the same team as one of his family members. Kakashi, mini Sasuke realized, was the closest thing to family that he had left.
"Good. They are going to want to look you over for a few days. But while they are doing that, I need to know where you want to live. Do you want to live in your clan's District or in my home?" Kakashi asks.
"Please don't make me go back." Sasuke says and hugs Kakashi's leg.
The poor kid. Damn. The world could be cruel sometimes. Well at least Kakashi had his answer.
Sasuke preferred his apartment. He couldn't blame the kid. If he had been in Sasuke's position, he wouldn't have wanted to go back either.
"Alright. I'll get your stuff while the medics look you over and get my place ready for you. Try to be a good boy for the medics, okay?" He asks.
Sasuke nods his head and heads off. Kakashi leaves the hospital and stops by Guy's place. Guy was his best friend and rival. He could be trusted in this strange situation.
"So let me get this straight? You are taking in a seven year old kid who just found out his entire family was murdered by his brother?" Guy asks.
"Yes, that's right." Kakashi replies.
"Are you insane? Kakashi that poor kid needs professional help. He needs medics and therapists. You are just a 21 year old bachelor. What do you know about raising a kid, especially a kid with his…circumstances?" His friend questions him.
"I know it's better than leaving him alone. He needs someone now. Obito would have wanted someone to step in. Do we really want to ignore him and let Itachi scar his mind forever, while he suffers alone?" The Copy Cat Ninja demands.
"You got a point there. Have you talked to the kid yet?" The spandex lover inquires.
"A little. He's agreed to go with me. He'd rather live in my apartment than go back there. I can't say I blame him." His friend replies.
"Resilient little thing, isn't he? He's actually coherent and willing to have conversations?" Guy asks.
"Yes, very resilient. He was perfectly coherent. I think it's a good sign. I think the kid may make it out of this with his sanity intact. So I came to you because I need some help getting my apartment ready for someone his age to live in." He continues.
"You want to baby proof the place?" The bushy eyebrowed man questions.
"More or less. But more like Sasuke Proof. He's seven. So it's not like we need to go all out. But yeah, there are a few things I'd have concerns about. I don't want him to get into my kunai collection and poke his eye out." He states.
"Yeah. Good point. Let's do it!" He says and heads off with Kakashi.
The two spend the rest of the day, preparing Kakashi's place. Guy retrieved "Sasuke's stuff" from the Uchiha District. Kakashi focused on making the guestroom fit for human habitation. By the end of the day, they both collapsed, exhausted.
A few days later, Kakashi takes Sasuke to his apartment. He let the kid look around. It reminded Kakashi of how a kitten or puppy might sniff around the various rooms when they were first brought home. But Sasuke wasn't a puppy or a kitten. He was a human being. A very hurt human being, who needed Kakashi's help.
"I brought all your stuff for you." Kakashi tells him.
Sasuke walks over to the box of clothes, toys, and other necessities. He promptly finds a stuffed dinosaur that he hugs to his chest. The youngest Uchiha was walking around the apartment, clutching onto it for dear life.
It was if that stuffed animal now symbolized something very critical in his young mind. Kakashi wasn't sure what it was. But he decided not to comment on it. Let him have his "security blanket" of sorts.
Sometime later, Kakashi hears giggling. Oh boy. What had Sasuke gotten into? He follows Sasuke's voice to the kitchen. Sasuke had opened the fridge and found the sake. You've got to be kidding.
"Sasuke, did you drink out of this bottle?" Kakashi says and holds up the partially empty bottle.
"Yes! It makes me feel funny." Sasuke says and hiccups.
"Sasuke, you aren't supposed to drink sake until you are much older." Kakashi tells him.
"Awe! But I like it." Sasuke hiccups again.
Kakashi didn't know whether to mentally awe at the adorable picture that a tipsy Sasuke presented, be angry, or worried. He sighs and puts the sake on top of the fridge. Now at least Sasuke wouldn't be able to reach It.
"Sasuke do you know how to bathe yourself?" Kakashi asks.
He sincerely hoped he did. Otherwise that was going to be very, very awkward. Please Gods and Goddesses let the kid know how to take a bath on his own.
"Yeah. Is it bath time?" Sasuke says and makes a face.
"Yes, yes it is." Kakashi says and shows him to the bathroom.
Sasuke pouts but heads inside. Kakashi chuckles. He was a cute kid. He had to give him that. He was going to be a real heartbreaker in about a decade.
Morning came. Kakashi had tried to cook breakfast for them. He wanted to give Sasuke a sense of normalcy.
Unfortunately, he was a bachelor who was more used to eating ninja rations than at home. When he was home, he generally got takeout or things that didn't need cooked. Operation Breakfast ended up in disaster. Smoke soon flooded the apartment.
Sasuke smelled the smoke. Naturally he went to see what was going on. He laughs when he sees Kakashi in the kitchen. Kakashi couldn't cook it seemed.
"It's okay. Father couldn't cook either. But mother showed me how." The kid ambles into the kitchen and proceeds to start making scrambled eggs.
"Well…it's the thought that counts." Kakashi chuckles.
"Yeah." Sasuke agrees and pours himself some orange juice.
"Sasuke, I understand if you don't want to go back to school today. But do you?" He asks.
"Yes. Need to get stronger. So I can beat Itachi." He says somberly.
"…Oh boy. Alright, Sasuke. Let's get you to the Academy. Please don't do anything like trying to run off to find him." Kakashi pleads.
"I won't. I have to get strong enough to beat him first. THEN I'll find him." Sasuke says as if it was obvious.
Kakashi sighs. He wondered what on earth he had gotten himself into? Oh well. There was no time to dwell on it now. He helps the child get to school.
"Sasuke, you are back already? Are you sure you are up to this?" Iruka asks kindly, when he sees the survivor.
Sasuke gives a determined nod of his little head. Iruka looks at Kakashi uncertainly. His eyes asking, Do you really think he's ready for this? Kakashi just gives a nod of his head. If Sasuke wanted to go back to school, it was only right that he at least let the kid try.
"Alright, Sasuke. Go join your classmates. They are playing Hide and Go Seek." Iruka says.
Hide and Go Seek was a common game at ninja academies for the younger students. It was important that ninjas work on their stealth skills. Why not make it a game?
"Thanks, Iruka Sensei!" Sasuke says and races off to join his classmates.
"How is he really?" Iruka asks Kakashi.
"It's difficult to tell. On the surface at least, he appears to be doing much better than anyone could have reasonably expected. But he wants to get stronger to defeat Itachi. He's very determined about this. I worry that he'll do something stupid like go after him." Kakashi sighs.
"It's only natural that he'd want revenge. So where is he staying? Did anyone take him in?" Iruka questions.
"He's staying with me, at my apartment. He didn't want to go back to the District." He answers.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Kakashi you are a bachelor. It's not a lifestyle that is really fit for a child." He muses.
"Iruka, I'm not going to have orgies in my apartment with the kid there. I can handle it. I'm not completely clueless." The silver haired ninja protests.
"Alright. Well if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. It's terrible, what happened." He mutters.
"Yes, it is." Kakashi agrees.
Sasuke quickly finds a hiding spot. It looked like a group of slightly older kids had found someone. She had blue hair and lavender eyes. Sasuke had never seen eyes like those before. They were picking on her!
He saw that a loud blonde in his year, was heading over. It looked like said loudmouth was going to try to help her. But he was outnumbered. Well Sasuke couldn't protect his family, but he could help to protect the girl with the pretty eyes!
"My name is Naruto Uzumkai and I'm going to be Hokage! I'm not going to let you pick on her!" The blonde decrees.
Sasuke even at seven raises an eyebrow. Did this loser actually think his scrawny butt was going to be Hokage? Nevermind. What mattered was helping said idiot save the girl, who was currently on the ground and crying. It looked like they might have actually hit her.
"You and what army?" The older kids says.
"He doesn't need an army. The two of us are more than enough to beat you up!" Sasuke says and walks over, standing at Naruto's side.
"Uh oh! Stand back guys. It's the Uchiha. He's probably cursed. He might sick their ghosts on us." The oldest kid says.
That pissed Sasuke off. How dare he talk about his family like that?! He wasn't cursed.
"I don't know any ghosts to sick on you. But I know something better! FIREBALL JUTSU!" He says and blows a small fireball at them.
Sasuke was relieved that his father had taught him their family's trademark jutsu before his death. If he hadn't…would Sasuke have ever learned it? Anyway, it scared the Hell out of the older kids long enough for Naruto to start swinging. Sasuke hated to admit it, but the loser could throw a good punch for a six or seven year old.
"Not bad, for a loser." Sasuke says and he fights back to back with the other boy.
"Jerk!" Naruto calls out, but nevertheless fights side by side with Sasuke.
Eventually, they beat the older kids. Naruto goes over and asks the girl if she was okay. She thanked them. That's when Sasuke saw Iruka Sensei coming. Uh oh.
"Sasuke, I knew it was too early for you to be back in school. You are already getting into fights. Naruto, again? Can't you ever stay out of trouble?" He says with a sigh.
"Th-ey saved me." The bluenette stammers out.
"What was that Hinata?" Iruka asks.
"The other boys…they hit me. Naruto and S-asuke made them stop." She manages to get out.
"Oh. It seems I owe you boys and apology. Hinata, let's get you to the nurse." He offers kindly and takes her hand.
"Okay!" She says and gets led off, but casts a backward glance at the boys.
"How'd you do that? Breathing fire with your mouth?" Naruto asks.
"My father taught me." Sasuke says.
"Oh. I wish I had a father that would teach me how to do cool stuff like that." He replies.
"Me too. My father is dead now." Sasuke says and looks at his feet sadly.
"What about your mother?" The blonde asks.
"She's dead too. They are all dead. Except my brother. He killed them all." Sasuke mutters and clutches his tiny fists in anger.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Naruto mutters, not sure what to say.
"Thanks. You don't have a dad either?" He asks.
"Nope. No mother either. But they died when I was a baby. I never knew them." He says.
"I'm sorry." Sasuke says.
"We can be each other's own family!" He chimes merrily.
"I thought I was a jerk?" Sasuke asks.
"You are. But you can do really cool stuff and this way we don't have to be alone!" He says.
"And you're still a loser. But okay." Sasuke says and does a fist bump with him.
"Great!" Naruto says with a big smile, which Sasuke returns with a smaller one.
Iruka comes back a few minutes later and finds Kakashi. He shakes his head. Honestly, there was never a dull moment at the Academy.
"Well Kakashi, it looks like you got a buy one, get one free special." He states in amusement.
"What are you talking about?" The silver haired ninja asks confused.
"Sasuke and Naruto decided that they consider each other a jerk and a loser, but they are family now. They don't want to be alone." Iruka says and points to the boys doing a fist bump.
"…I'm not going to end up adopting the entire village am I?" Kakashi asks.
"I don't think so. It appears to just be them. They saved Hinata. She's another student. The older kids were harassing her. It's good to see that chivalry isn't dead, at least on the playground." He muses.
"Hinata? As in Hiashi's daughter?" Kakashi asks.
"Yes, that's right." Iruka confirms.
"Oh boy. Now I'll probably have to deal with his Royal Stickness." Kakashi muses.
"His Royal Stickness?" Iruka asks.
"He's got a stick lodged permanently shoved up his ass." Kakashi explains.
"KAKASHI! There are children around!" He says scandalized.
"You asked. So I answered." Kakashi replies with a shrug.
Hinata meanwhile had just gotten patched up by the nurse. She heads back to the playground. She smiles when she sees Naruto and Sasuke together. They had saved her. They were so brave!
She hoped one day she could be like them. She was always so shy. Maybe they could be friends? She cautiously approaches them. But she was cut off by a rush of girls heading over to see them.
"Sasuke! I'm so sorry about what happened to your family." Ino says.
"Me too!" Sakura says.
"Thanks." Sasuke says and takes a couple steps back.
He was feeling a little overwhelmed. He and Naruto had been swarmed by about ten girls their age. It was enough to make any young boy skittish. There was so much pink!
"We all got you something!" They chime and show him various sweets.
"Um thank you." Sasuke says and is suddenly holding a rather large pile of sweets.
Sasuke hated sweets. But they were trying to be nice. Maybe Naruto or some of the other guys would like them?
"Loser, you want any?" Sasuke asks.
Naruto grabbed a box of chocolates. He started wolfing them down greedily. Sasuke didn't think it was a lack of table manners.
Naruto was scrawny. No wait, he was underweight. Sasuke couldn't possibly know it at that moment, but Naruot had mostly dined off of ramen because that was all he could afford. So he had grown to love it out of necessity.
"You are going to get sick if you keep eating them like that." Sasuke warns.
Sure enough, a few minutes later Sasuke could hear the sounds of someone throwing up. He sighs. Well he had tried to warn the idiot.