Family
Uchiha Sasuke opened his black eyes to find himself staring at the memorial stone. "Sakura…" he whispered. A bundle of daffodils lay near the stone, flowers that were Sakura's favorite once. His wife would be thirty-four years old is she had lived. It had been four years since Uchiha Sakura, the wife of the Uchiha clan head had died on a mission. It was an S-ranked mission, something Sakura had done many times since the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Instead of coming into Sasuke's warm arms, she had come in a body bag, cold and long dead. Sasuke had been frozen in shock as the sole survivor of the mission had explained. Sakura and her jōnin team were heading toward Kumogakure on a diplomatic mission; Sasuke had been pardoned for all the crimes he committed as a missing-ninja after the Fourth Shinobi World War for releasing Edo Tensei. As the years passed he had been given the right to become an active shinobi again, had taken students, and at age twenty-nine had been given the position as the Rukodaime Hokage's personal bodyguard. The Yondaime Raikage, who still distrusted and detested the Uchiha for his involvement in the infamous organization Akatsuki, had denied entering any genin from Komugakure for the Chūnin Exams that year.
The Rukodaime Hokage had instructed Sakura and her team to reach a diplomatic solution with the unforgiving Raikage. It had appeared that an understanding and a compromise had undergone in that meeting. Uchiha Sasuke was not allowed in Kumogakure, and during the yearly summits the Rukodaime Hokage would have to be protected by a different body guard. However, when Sakura and her team had crossed the Kumogakure border, they were attacked by the ninja's jōnin. The sole survivor stated that he heard with his very own ears that the Kumogakure shinobi had shouted "blood for blood" as they attacked them. In the chaos of the attack, Sakura had been stabbed through the heart by a Chidori, and had died instantly. It was revealed that the Komugakure jōnin had been under orders to attack and to kill Uchiha Sakura and "anyone who got in the way," by the Yondaime Raikage. He had wanted to inflict pain on the shinobi who had been a former international criminal and missing-ninja. Another war had almost broken out. If it wasn't for the Rokudaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto, their sons Hikaru and Mamoru would have blood on their hands. Since four years ago, Konohagakure's relationship with Kumogakure had been strained. During Sakura's funeral, it was Naruto and Mamoru who had shed Sasuke's tears. He couldn't explain why his eyes had remained dry for the death of a wife he had come to adore and respect. Hatake Kakashi, his sensei, held his hand on Sasuke's shoulder the entire duration of the funeral. His three students stood beside him. It was only when he had gotten Sakura's favorite flowers and placed them on her grave did he cry. Then the tears wouldn't stop.
Sasuke stood and looked out into the distance. March had come, and with it, flowers newly in bloom and new heights reached. It had been a warm spring day when Sakura's body had been delivered to the Uchiha clan leader's home. Mamoru, their eldest son had been eight. Takahiro had been five, and Mikoto, the only daughter, had been the tender age of three. Now four long years later Takahiro and Mikoto were in the Academy with top marks, and Mamoru had graduated today. Even though he was only twelve years old, Mamoru had inherited Sasuke's genius in ninjustu and Sakura's intelligence. He had informed his father that he had visited his mother's grave before his final exam. Mamoru's usual solemn face had broken into a smile when his father and younger siblings had greeted and congratulated him after successfully completing the final exam to become a shinobi. "Your mother would be proud of you," Sasuke had whispered. He had witnessed his son's smile and felt his own pride develop within him. Sasuke remembered his own graduation from the Academy; how he had quickly ran away from the building towards the cemetery; how he had crouched down toward his parent's graves and whispered, "I will avenge you." That was before Sasuke had killed Itachi, and of how his world had shattered like glass upon the truth. Unlike him, Mamoru would not spend his graduation alone, and for the first time since his mother's death, Mamoru looked completely content. The Konohagakure forehead protector was laced proudly on his forehead.
A sudden smile appeared on his face when he heard a familiar deafening cry. Sasuke and his children looked around to see Uzumaki Naruto, the Rokudaime Hokage, ruffle his son's hair even as his son was embarrassed by his father's public display of affection. Uzumaki Hikaru had inherited his father blonde hair and tan skin, but beyond those traits he looked like his mother, Hinata. His smooth blonde hair was chin length beneath his lavender and pupiless eyes. However, from Mamoru's information, Hikaru could be as loud and annoying as his father. Yasuko, the youngest Uzumaki, was clutching her mother's hand and looked at the grounds of the Academy with big eyes. She hadn't entered the Academy yet. Sasuke observed his own children as they greeted the Rokudaime Hokage and his family. All of Sasuke's children looked more like him than Sakura. The three all had his light skin and dark gray eyes. Sometimes when he looked at them, he could hear Sakura through Takahiro's laugh; Mamoru's rare smile that he inherited from her; and Mikoto, who had no idea that she reminded her father of his wife with every word she said. Sometimes Sasuke was reminded too of his parents and brother when he looked at the future of the Uchiha clan. When Mamoru would become stern if his younger siblings had misspoken, Sasuke was reminded of his father. As Takahiro focused on demonstrating a new jutsu to his father, the focus in his gaze would remind Sasuke of his beloved older brother Itachi. Mikoto reminded Sasuke of his mother by how kind and compassionate she was at such an early age. But Mamoru, Takahiro, and Mikoto reminded Sasuke of his new family as well.
Since the Uchiha Clan Massacre twenty-six years ago, Sasuke had formerly thought that his new family would be his children, the heirs of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke had refused to see his classmates and teammates as family. Nothing could replace his mother, father, and older brother. He remembered of how Kakashi had told him that he gave him the power of the Chidori to protect the ones he loved. At that time, Sasuke had thought of Naruto and Sakura. As his desire for vengeance grew and his memories of Konohagakure faded, Sasuke had not seen Naruto and Sakura as family – he didn't even consider them his friends. It wasn't until he was near death in the final battle with Naruto did he realize that he considered Naruto as a brother. Sakura was like a sister…and maybe something more. Kakashi, he realized later after his sensei never left his bedside while in a make-shift hospital, was like the father and mentor that he never had with Uchiha Fugaku.
It had taken others a while to trust him again, but Sasuke slowly saw Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chōji, Yamanaka Ino, and Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, Hyūga Hinata, and even Gaara as family. He mourned the deaths of Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Tenten, and Kankurō as well. Likewise, they mourned the deaths of Jūgo and Karin, and the disappearance of Suigetsu. His family accepted him as he was, and who he had been. They had accepted him as Taka never would. Now eighteen years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke knew by their eyes when they looked at him that they thought of him as family as well. Sasuke broke out of his thoughts and surveyed the surroundings around him. His eldest son, Mamoru, was talking quietly with Hikaru, and Takahiro was congratulating Hyūga Kiyoshi and Kanaye, the identical twin sons of Neji, on their graduation. The child of Amegakure, who had been found by Neji himself seventeen years ago at the age of two, was standing beside the boys. Her long red hair blew in the wind as she gazed proudly at the sons of the shinobi who she considered to be her father. Sasuke had heard Naruto say many times that he suspected that the foreign kunoichi, Shinta, was the daughter of Nagato, the leader of the Akatsuki. He had not told her who her father was, and Sasuke agreed with him. Hadn't they had pasts which they wanted to forget? Mikoto was telling Yasuko a story by the tree towards the Academy. He felt Naruto's eyes on him, and heard him approach beside him. "What's wrong, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at his brother and gave him a small smile. He saw Naruto stare at him with fondness in his eyes. "Iie, nanimo. Nanimo wa chigaimasen."
No, nothing. Nothing is wrong.