Countless Stars: My Existence in Life
Disclaimer: Naruto solely belongs to Kishimoto, Masashi-san. The only things I own are the concepts and ideas of this fanfiction story. I also do not own "Snowy Day" by Ezra Keats
Warning: Chapters (and even in the chapters) will be going back between 3rd person's point of view and Naruto's point of view (or other characters, as I see fit). Forgive me, for when Naruto's talking, it doesn't seem like he's a little kid, but I, for the life of me, can't write what I want to in kindergarten language. So at times, it'll seem childish and other times seem mature. I'm trying to find an equal balance, but hopefully it'll be okay until they mature enough for me to constantly write in a non-childish way. And this chapter is un-betaed (still in search of one who is forgiving of my erratic writing schedule).
Note: No actual trees were harmed in the making of this chapter :D P.S. Please help Japan through this natural disaster by donating! Links to donations (charity organizations) are in my profile!
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Chapter o2 ~ A Parent's Love
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"Sas'ke!" The said boy turned to see Naruto wave at him, running towards him from a distance before smiling and waving back. It was another nice, warm day in Konohagakure and the kindergarten program at the academy was done for the week.
"Naruto, you're late." There was no edge in his voice despite his words and a smile was his lips. The blond smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he approached his friend.
"Sorry, Sas'ke. Granny needed me to get some new stuff 'cause we got new kids at the orphanage today." Naruto said, looking at his friend carefully. "Are you mad?"
At this Sasuke crossed his arms and looked away in an "humph" to mock Naruto and pretend that he was. He peeked out of the corner of his eye to see his friend look at him morosely and he pulled his arms down before reaching out to grab the blond's hand, smiling.
"Of course 'm not mad, Naruto. C'mon, let's go before all the food gets cold! Mama made your favorites for lunch today!" Sasuke said, nearly dragging Naruto behind him as he caught the other by surprise. Naruto regained his balance, before running at an even pace behind Sasuke, looking at their entwined hands and thinking how nice and warm Sasuke's hand was.
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The feeling of uneasiness began to bubble at the pit of his stomach and Naruto unconsciously put a hand on his lower abdomen to will away the unpleasant feeling. Just like yesterday, he was nervous at the concept of meeting Sasuke's parents and waiting a day didn't quite quell his fear of rejection. He must have had a troubled look on his face because he felt Sasuke gently squeeze his hand in a comforting way and looked up at his friend.
"Don't worry, Naruto. Like I said, mama's gonna love you." Sasuke said without looking back. They continued towards the Uchiha compound hand-in-hand in comfortable silence and Naruto smiled.
Sasuke always knew the right things to say to make him feel better.
~0~
Cute was the first thought that entered Uchiha, Mikoto's mind as her son stepped into the home with his friend. She had given into her female urges and quickly gave the blond a hug, not noticing his blush as she did. She grew excited in the past couple of days when Sasuke came home with a smile brighter than usual one day. He had made his first friend and gushed to her about the blond, describing him in appearance and personality, as well as his living situation. The poor boy must have been so lonely and in that brief intimate moment of her embrace, Mikoto made up her mind to treat Naruto like one of her own. She was going to show this boy how it felt like to have a mother and encase him in a warm mother's love.
"Mama, this is Naruto! Naruto, this is my mom. Say hello!" Her son said enthusiastically as they parted, pleased that his mother had taken a [great] liking to his friend, not that he was surprised. Naruto's cheeks were still flushed pink and bowed when he finally had a chance to, muttering a "Pardon the intrusion" before her. She watched as he lowered his head to just above the waistline and nodded in approval. Despite being raised with no parents, Naruto had a great concept of etiquette and respect.
She smiled and ushered the children back out of the home before they got chance to take off their shoes.
"All right you two, play outside while I get lunch ready." She said, shooing the children outside. As they ran back out the door, Naruto bumped into Itachi and bowed, mumbling his apology before chasing after Sasuke.
"Sas'ke, wait! Don't leave me behind!" Itachi smiled before taking off his shoes in the genkan and stepping out of the entryway into the house. He raised his head as he caught the scent of frying oil filling the house and he made his way into the kitchen to see his mother at work.
"Mother, is there anything I can help you with?" He asked. She turned around smiling gently and ushered him over, handing him a large bowl of vegetables doused in salt water.
"Itachi-kun, can you dry these vegetables for me? I'm going to make some takanuzuke for Naruto-chan. According to Sasuke, that boy just loves pickled vegetables. Is there anything you want me to make while you're helping me?" Itachi shook his head in a negative, stating that he had a mission to go soon. "All right then, but you know I'm glad I was finally able to meet the infamous Naruto-chan; Sasuke-kun just wouldn't stop talking about him. He just lights up the room with that bright smile of his, that boy."
Itachi emptied the vegetable bowl of the unneeded water before shaking the vegetables to get rid of the excess moisture. He expertly chopped the vegetables into thin shreds and placed them into an empty bowl before reaching for the soy sauce and vinegar. "You're right mother." He said and Mikoto turned to him questioningly.
"Naruto is a precious child."
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Hindered by the numerous road blocks he seemed to be getting, Uchiha, Fugaku gave a deep sigh and sat down at his desk. He had been on a long and tiring case tracking down the corruption that dwelled the village's council and government and honestly felt that he was on a wild goose chase. Every time the department believed that they would get a lead, it just led them to a dead end with too many people as possible for what was clearly a crime organized by a tight circle of small elites. Many more of his men were getting hurt on this case and were backing down after the threats they have been receiving, but because they were unwilling to talk, he couldn't pinpoint exactly who was behind the threats. Money laundering, blackmail, selling illegal weaponry, and treason were just a few of the long list of things that needed to be stopped.
He dropped the file he had been reading and pinched the bridge of his nose, attempting to will away the headache that was starting to develop. He got up from behind the desk, deciding that it was time for a break, and paced around his study to stretch out his joints and cool off his head.
"Sas'ke, that's not fair! You're too good at this!" A voice came from outside, startling the man out of his thoughts. He walked to the window and looked outside to see his son and a blond child in the yard at their makeshift shuriken field, each with a couple of shuriken packs attached to the side of their legs.
"It's because you're letting go too early, Naruto! I keep telling you to let go later, but you won't listen to me." The man raised a brow. 'Naruto?' As if on cue, the blond child turned around and all of Fugaku's thoughts on capturing the councilmen disappeared as he got a good look at his son's playmate.
'Minato-san's son...' And immediately many memories began to rush through his mind and he sat down, trying to bring order to his mind once again. As he regained himself, he looked out the window to see Sasuke mentor the child in shuriken throwing before letting the blond try again, extremely satisfied when much improvement was made this time around.
"See, I told you that you can do it, Naruto." The blond merely smiled in response before releasing a second and then a third shuriken, each throw better than the last.
Fugaku mustered a smile on his face before turning back to his desk, picking up the file he had dropped on his desk, energy restored. He needed to solve this case as soon as possible, for the sake of his family and for Naruto. He briefly stopped for a moment to look at a picture with his wife, himself, and another couple smiling at the camera.
"Minato, you should be proud. Your son looks exactly like you and will probably achieve the greatness you wished upon him."
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Itwould be an understatement to say that Mikoto overdid herself; she did that and more and Naruto was gulping the excess saliva that started to pool in his mouth. Sasuke, Naruto, and Mikoto were gathered at the dining table before an amazing lunch, with Itachi gone on a team mission and Fugaku in his study, working away as always. The blond continued ogling the food before suddenly remembering to say his thanks.
"Wow, Uchiha bachan this is amazing! All my favorite foods are here!" Mikoto smiled before nudging Sasuke gently.
"The tamago and octodogs were made by Sasuke; he just wouldn't stop saying how I needed to make all your favorite foods and he helped me a lot in the kitchen, telling me exactly how you like your food. He added just a little bit of sugar to the eggs, because he told me you don't like the tamago that sweet."
"Mama, I told you not to tell him!" Sasuke claimed, flustered at the fact that his secret had been revealed. Since he had been able to walk, he had tried his best to help around the house. He had especially taken an interest in cooking and became even more enthusiastic in the kitchen once his mother started making bentos for both him and Naruto.
Mikoto gave her son a sly look. "Sasuke-kun, there's nothing wrong with letting your friend know that you cooked some of the food."
Before Sasuke was able to retort, a quiet voice interrupted the two Uchiha.
"Sas'ke, you made this...?" The said boy colored even more and looked at his bowl of rice, finding it suddenly interesting.
"Y-yeah." He looked up to see Naruto brighten up with a grin, before it turned mischievous.
"Is that why you always ask about how it tastes?" He got his answer when Sasuke spluttered and looked back down at his bowl of rice, feeling as if he would die of embarrassment. This is not how he thought lunch with Naruto would go at all.
"Haha, don't worry-ttebayo! It was delicious!" Mikoto was startled at Naruto's catchphrase, her eyes misting over as she suddenly recalled a memory.
"Kushina-chan..." she whispered unconsciously.
"Mama?" "Uchiha bachan?" The young boys questioned, drawing the mother out of her thoughts. She quickly wiped away the tears that gathered in her eyes in the brief moment of nostalgia and gathered a smile on her face.
"I'm all right, I was just happy to see Sasuke have fun with a friend in the house." She lied and saw the boys drop it, although her youngest continued to gaze her questioningly and she inwardly cursed the Uchiha genes. Her two sons were getting too smart for their own good.
"Enough with the talking and let's eat before the food gets cold! I'll go and give your father his meal in the study, so eat up!" she hastily said, changing the topic.
"Itadakimasu!" Came the unanimous reply.
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Being energetic after their lunch, the boys had energy to burn and decided to explore the expansive Uchiha library, more because of Mikoto's urgings to read and 'get their brain's working' before going to play outside again. They had been shooed away as she told them to read together in the library. Naruto was excited as he approached the doors to the library and held his breath as Sasuke pushed the doors open before he was once again filled with awe.
"Sas'ke, it's so cool! Just like the library in the middle of the village!" Sasuke blushed, saying it was nothing, but inside he was proud to impress his friend like this. He grabbed the blond's arm and dragged him to the children's section, which was relatively small compared to the rest of the library, but it was enough for the two. He quickly sat Naruto down in a plush chair by the window and searched for a book that he had wanted to read for a long time, but only with Naruto. He spotted the orange and white book from a shelf that was too high for him to reach and stared at it for a few moments, thinking about what he should do.
"Sas'ke?" Came a questioning voice. He turned around and motioned Naruto to come before pointing to the book that was out of his reach.
"I want to read that book, but it's too high. Do you think I should climb to get it?" He asked. Naruto shook his head vigorously, his eyes pleading.
"No Sas'ke, you'll get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt." He grasped the Uchiha's hands and begged with his eyes. It would hurt his heart if his best friend were to get hurt over a book. "Sas'ke, let's just get another book. We can read that one when Itachi comes back." At this Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"We don't need big brother to read it, we can read it now. Don't worry, I won't get hurt." He scowled, suddenly feeling irate. He wanted to spend as much time with Naruto as possible without Itachi being there. He didn't like it yesterday when his friend started depending on Itachi so much during the calligraphy lessons; it made him feel unwanted. He began to climb up the bookshelf much to the blond's protests and began to reach for the book that was still out of arm's length before he was suddenly picked up by his arm pits and put back down on the floor.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?" Uchiha, Fugaku demanded of his son, hiding the panic attack he was having inside. He had come into the library to get some reading documents to further his knowledge on the investigation he was working on when he saw his youngest son climbing the bookshelves that were swinging with the extra weight and instinctually ran to prevent any harm from happening.
Sasuke looked at his feet, unable to meet his father in the eye; Pride meant everything to an Uchiha. How could he embarrass his father like that and in front of Naruto no less? He felt a warm hand encase his own and heard Naruto speak before he could look at the blond.
"Sorry, it was my fault. Sas'ke wanted to read the book to me even though I told him not to do it 'cause he'd get hurt. Don't be mad, I'll leave if you want." Sasuke startled at this, firmly gripping Naruto's hands and making eye contact with his father, who merely raised a brow.
"Father, forgive me. It was my fault, not Naruto's. Don't make him leave for what I did." Sasuke winced as Fugaku brought his hand down on his head, only to be surprised as his father mussed his locks.
"It's all right, but don't do it again. Just ask for some help; like Naruto here, I don't want you to get hurt." He then turned to Naruto who bowed to him in greeting and rustled his hair as well.
"You're a great friend, Uzumaki-kun. Just do your best and you'll do great things; treasure your bond with Sasuke." He turned back to his son. "You too, treasure your bond with Naruto. Bonds are very important in a shinobi's life." And with those last words, he turned out of the library, reading material in hand and shut the door off to his study.
Naruto's hands were on his head, feeling a slight, warm tingling sensation where the contact was made and his eyes wandered to the door Fugaku just left through, pondering if a father's hand always felt warm before tugging on Sasuke's shirt, motioning him back to the window seat.
"C'mon, let's get to reading before we get scolded by your mama too." Sasuke hastily nodded and followed his friend, plopping down next to him and opening the book in hand. "Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats."
"Sas'ke?"
"Hm?"
"What's snow?"
"Just wait Naruto. You'll see when I start reading."
"Oh, okay."
And the night quickly arrived as Sasuke read continuously to his friend, both content with each other's company.
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"It doesn't snow in Konoha?" Naruto questioned, raising his arms as Mikoto pulled his pajama shirt over his head. She giggled, tapping Naruto on the nose before giving Naruto a pair of pajama pants to change into.
"Not in Konoha but in the northern regions of the Fire Country there are whole villages covered in snow." Naruto finished changing and laid down in his futon before the mother tucked him in and gave him a kiss on the forehead, beckoning the young boy good night. Sasuke was changing besides her and was instantly chided to wash up, as he still had yet to do so.
"Sas'ke, can we go see the snow fall when we become shinobi?" Naruto asked sleepily, his words slightly muffled by the futon he was in. Sasuke stopped at the door and Mikoto left the room with a smile to let the boys talk amongst themselves.
"Of course we can; let's go traveling everywhere and have adventures just like in the books." Naruto smiled, satisfied with the answer and waved Sasuke goodnight before turning in his futon, facing Sasuke's empty one as the Uchiha left to head to the bathroom to wash.
Sasuke turned off the lights of the bathroom and headed back to his room where Naruto was probably dead asleep only to see light filtering from his father's study.
"Itachi, there has been a lot of corruption and criminal activity amongst the councilmen in the Konoha circle." Fugaku's voice sounded from behind the slightly opened door. "I have been investigating with several elites from the police corporation but we cannot find the solid evidence we need to stop the corruption and take down those in charge of the black market. You are currently preparing for your ANBU exams, are you not?"
"Yes, father." Itachi's solemn voice came through. Sasuke pressed himself closer to the wall to hear the conversation; it wouldn't hurt to hear about a mission. Maybe he and Naruto could help too! But he didn't know what co-correction…corruption? He didn't know what that word meant. He'd probably have to look up that word later in the dictionary.
"While you are preparing, I would like you to keep your ears open about any suspicious activity going on, all right? Konoha cannot deal with any more corruption in the government, especially since our economy seems to be going downhill."
"I will keep that in mind, father." As Itachi bowed and turned to head out, he heard his father clear his throat and face his father once again.
"Itachi, no matter what happens, protect this family and Naruto at all costs. Especially Sasuke and Naruto; they are precious children and the future of this village." An emotion flickered in Itachi's eyes too fast for Fugaku to catch before he bowed, bidding his father good night and headed out the door. Fugaku rubbed his temples and gave another sigh. It seemed like another all nighter tonight.
Outside, Sasuke heard Itachi's footsteps and quickly ran to the bedroom, settling in next to the lightly-snoring Naruto and closed his eyes.
The next morning, he remembered nothing that happened the night before.
-Chapter o2 ~ A Parent's Love -End-
25.02.11
Chibi Chidori's Nonsense:
So instead of trying to depict Uchiha, Fugaku as a man who just puts Itachi up on this pedestal, I tried to depict him as this caring, stern man…Which he seemed like for most times when he was teaching Sasuke some techniques when he was young. Mikoto is just the motherly type – she preferred Sasuke in the manga anyway. And Itachi (in the manga) was a kind boy before the council ordered him to do kill everyone.
Snowy Day by Ezra Keats is a great children's picture book. It's about a boy who has adventures with the first snowfall and it's so fun to read.
This chapter is relatively short and slow, but the next chapter should be a start to get a little more fast-paced.
Please help Japan through their ordeal by donating whatever you can (even a dollar is fine!). All the links are posted on my profile page and on the websites there are countless of organizations, charities, and information to explain what you can do to help the nation that creates our sources of fanfiction. Thank you!
Japanese Dictionary
Genkan – Entryway. A place where it is the same ground level as outside and where people take off their shoes before entering the main home, which is slightly elevated.
Takanuzuke – pickled & seasoned vegetables
Tamago – Rolled eggs (Usually sweet, but can be a neutral taste. I like mine a bit salty)
Bachan – Means "Aunt" in Japanese while Baachan (double A) means "Grandma". You usually say this to a mother or middle-age woman.
Itadakimasu – Thank you for the meal; Said before eating every meal.
-ttebayo – In the show, it was Naruto's catch phrase. (You can sorta compare it to USA teen slang where they add 'yo' to the end of their sentences. What's up, yo?) More common in the Asian countries.
Thank you for reading and thank you for all those who review!