The Uchihas

AN:Its fluff, like all fluff, but it's necessary fluff.

guanxi-(n.) a network of social connections based on mutual trust and the balancing of debts by returning favors so that the relationship's benefits are shared by all. chinese.(guan/'shi)

Keeping his composure as best Naruto could he left the Hokage tower stepping onto the bright sunlight and dusty streets with busy bodied civilians. Naruto felt the tiny hands of Raiden curl around his neck. He gurgled nonsense and his pudgy fingers pulled on one of his blond locks.

"Ow, careful there" A fond feeling overcame him, he couldn't stay mad at his cute face. He hadn't noticed that Sakura and Sasuke were waiting for him outside. Too busy giving attention to the baby Naruto walked into someone and came face to face with a not so cute face.

The bastard instantly knew how to zap the happiness out of him. He glared at Naruto and Sakura came rushing over.

"Naruto, you have to be more careful, move your hand more like this, and be conscious of where he shifts his weight" Sakura said softly and helped move his hands.

Sasuke sighed putting his hands in his pockets, "Alright, how are we going to do this?"

Naruto blinked and stopped walking, he hadn't really thought that far. He thought of his apartment. Hmm.

"He could stay at my place"

"Ok, fine"

Sakura opened her mouth and huffed,

"Sasuke! You know better than that! You know what his apartment looks like. The poor baby would probably die"

"Wait how much space does a baby need? Not a lot right" Naruto looked to Sasuke who shrugged. Dear God, boys.

"You're not gonna like this, but you might have to live together for a bit" she braced herself

"No thanks"

"I'll pass" They both said at once.

"I can take care of him!...We could do a shared custody thing" Naruto added

"You know I agree a hundred percent with the Tsunade-sama. You guys need to get along and what better way than a baby? Sasuke I know you have space at your house. I'm not letting either of you get away with anything. And yes, a baby does need a big space." She crossed her arms and stood her ground.

The scary part was that they knew she was merciless when she wanted to be and would take it straight to the Hokage.

The thought of living with a blubbering thing that couldn't watch over itself and the baby was more than irritating. Sakura wouldn't let anything slide but she was their only source of knowledge. Why couldn't she be given leave and watch over him? The baby was animatedly watching their arm movements and their expressions,...there was no getting out of it he realized.

"What are we going to need?"

Sakura expression visibly lightened and she smiled.

"Oh, I have no clue but I'm guessing a crib? We've got to have a baby store here." An idea stuck Sasuke but it wasn't optimal, not at this point in his life, he wasn't ready. He swallowed and looked to Naruto. He started to bounce the child lightly and Sasuke noticed they had the same wide eyes.

"Okay, fine you're going to have to go to your apartment and get whatever you need. Give me the baby."

Naruto looked a little suspicious and Sasuke almost struck him.

"I need to go see what we need" he said and Naruto nodded and handed over the baby.

"Ok bastard" He couldn't help but notice the small adoring look Sakura had on her face at their interaction, she looked almost giddy. Her hormones must be going into overdrive.

"If you want I can stop by later to help you out."

Nodding to Sakura he tried to hold Raiden the same way Naruto did.

"No, slide up your arm" they both happened to say and Raiden and Sasuke appraised each other for a bit, his big violet eyes shining and a drool covered happy smile on his ruddy cheeks. He was surprisingly calm from what he had seen from other screaming infants. The body was so small in a way that made Sasuke self aware and the limbs so small. It was slightly strange to have the realization that babies were just tiny humans. Even though he knew this, the observation couldn't help but pop into his head.

He looked up to Sakura and the dobe staring at him, "What?"

"I dunno, I just never thought I'd see the day where someone met you and instantly didn't like you"

"He seems to like you a lot" Sakura giggled as his tiny hand came up and tugged with surprising strength on the tip of his bang.

"Well I have to get going" Sakura said snapping out of her daze, Naruto agreed with her and they all went their separate ways.

"Let's just hope I make it out of this alive" he murmured, walking with apprehension to the Uchiha district, Raiden was busy blissfully unaware watching the village go about its business.

~OoOoO~

The Uchiha District, as booming as ever was lively and Sasuke was lucky no one he talked to crossed his path. Raiden would shift this way and that, trying to look at all the new stuff, and Sasuke eventually came face to face with his childhood home. He braced himself for the devil,

"Alright, you ready?" Sasuke murmured then scoffed at himself, he was talking to a baby that didn't understand him.

He opened the door to his house and was greeted to the aroma of someone busy in the kitchen.

"Itachi, is that you honey, I forgot to-" at the kitchen doorway with an apron and wooden spoon in hand, Sasuke's beautiful mother, Mikoto stood. She looked surprised and happy to see her son until her eyes landed on Raiden and her eyes went impossibly wide.

"Sasuke-kun, you're home,...and you brought a baby?" she went white,

"Don't tell me this is your child? Is this my grandchild? Who is the mother?! YOU GOT MARRIED AND YOU DIDN'T TELL OR INVITE YOUR OWN MOTHER?!"

"No! NO! Mom, calm down! I'm neither married nor did I have any children"

She looked confused and then she came up to Sasuke and looked at the child, grabbing his arm and cooing at Raiden.

"Then who's child is this, honey?"

"Do you have a moment? It'll take a while."

She nodded at him before she disappeared into the kitchen then lead him into the living room.

Sasuke handed Raiden over to Mikoto, who was all too happy to have him. He proceed to tell the story of how he had come across Raiden and the Hokage's orders.

"Wow, that's quite a story. And you don't know how long? And with your teammate? Oh that's adorable! Wait till Itachi and your father hear." He visibly deflated at that.

"I actually came over here because I wanted to know what I would need and if you had any left over furniture or stuff I could use for the time being"

"Of course I do, I'm going to have to go check but I saved little bits and pieces of baby things from you and Itachi for this exact moment!" she beamed and Sasuke followed her. He loved his mother dearly but sometimes she was too much.

Sasuke followed her into the attic with Raiden in her arms. She shoved a blue baby bag with rubber ducks all over it to him and proceeded to hand him random things.

"Take this, and this- and definitely take this. This will come super handy, and take this. As for furniture, we don't have a crib but we do have some other things, I can have Itachi bring by some things later."

"No!...that's fine, I can come for them myself later today." He really didn't want Itachi showing up on his doorstep, the situation was embarrassing enough.

She nodded and after quickly giving him a list of what they would need Sasuke committed it to memory. For a while after they talk and enjoyed each other's presence, it had been awhile since he saw his mother with his full schedule and his father and Itachi always working at the police station. He only left when he realized he had spent too much time there and Raiden was hungry. With an offer for an anytime babysitter he left his family house and went further in the district towards his own home.

Sasuke greatly appreciated his parents even though his father was strict and Itachi was barely around half of the time, but he needed his own space. He needed to build his own life.

He rounded the corner of his street and he spotted Naruto's obnoxious orange from a mile away. The dark, serious colors of his clan made Naruto look foreign. As he neared he noticed people giving them looks, Naruto looked nowhere similar to anybody else.

"You bastard! I would be laughing at you and how hilarious you look with that bag if I wasn't pissed! I've knocking on your door for like half an hour! What the hell took you so long!"

"You idiot stop shouting! Here, he's hungry. I managed to get some baby stuff from my mother."

"You mean Mrs. Uchiha held on to your baby stuff?" Sasuke could feel heat breaking out on the skin of his neck as he opened his door.

"Did she have your artwork saved and baby pictures? Man I would kill to see those things. I can't imagine you being anything else but an icy bastard since birth."

"Dobe, shut up you're attracting attention again. Nobody knows you're here and I'd like to keep it that way"

"Okay, okay"

"We still have to get a crib and stuff."

"Yea, yea." Sasuke noticed how many suitcases he brought with him. "How much crap did you bring?"

"I wasn't sure what to bring so I just brought all of it" he said with a shrug.

"You could've just gone back to your apartment you know that"

"Oh yea, I hadn't thought of that"

Sasuke tried to keep his shoulders from sagging. It was a little past noon and he was already wiped out in a way physical training couldn't tire him out.

"At least help me with my bags, I'm holding him"

Sasuke grunted and carried in the bags Naruto had brought. He placed his bags in the guest bedroom down the hall.

When he came back Naruto was bouncing the baby and rummaging through the bassinet for the bottle only for it to come up more than half empty.

"Great. He's out of food"

"Well we're gonna have to go get him more."

"We?"

"Yes we, I'm not going baby shopping by myself"

"But why? We can't carry him around all day"

Sasuke stared at Naruto,

"I'm not going to a baby store by myself"

~OoOoO~

If Naruto was any less of a man he would've been blushing fifty different shades of pink. It was hard to ignore the burning stares of people all around. People instinctively thought they were a couple which was appalling since he was and would forever be a disgruntled bastard. The lady at the front had blushed so hard at them it was any wonder she had left over blood to help them. She then proceeded to smile at them in the adoring way Sakura had stared at them and she blatantly ignored them when they hinted they were not and would never date. So she then gave them a 'Beginners Guide to the Rewarding Journey of Parenthood.' Not refusing the pamphlet had sealed her opinion on them apparently.

For all its stupidity it was helpful, Naruto was pushing the cart trying to avoid prying eyes, distracting himself with whatever was on the shelves and Sasuke was reading the pamphlet. How he had remained oblivious to everyone else was a mystery. At a couple of times when the Bastard had gone off to get something and Naruto had been standing there a few couples had instantly started chatting him up. When they started expressing their support for 'couples like them', Naruto had wanted to die.

Once they finished the nice blushing lady sealed everything up in a scroll and they left.

"Let's never go back there, we can send someone else if we need anything"

"Agreed. We never talk about this again"

Agile as only Sasuke could be he quickly reached for a kunai and stabbed Naruto in the stomach. His stomach screwed up in surprise before he exploded into a cloud of smoke. He was going to get him back for sending a clone in his place.

~OoOoO~

It was strange that Sasuke came to a silent house. It was getting late, he was greeted to the sunset streaking across his kitchen floors and gently swaying curtains. A squeal came from his living room and upon entrance he found Raiden laying on the floor, laughing with Ino and Sakura perched above him. What are they doing here?

"Where's the dobe?"

They looked up at him with shining eyes.

"Sasuke!" Ino greeted and sat back on her haunches.

"He's in the shower" Sakura provided and tickled Raiden's tummy making him kick his legs and spittle.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I got out early from the hospital and wanted to make sure you guys had dinner and the baby or one of you hadn't been killed...yet."

"He's beautiful Sasuke" Ino cooed. He raised his eyebrow at her and he was surprised how well Sakura had gotten in reading him over the years.

"I couldn't not tell her Sasuke. She didn't believe me, at first"

"It's not that I didn't believe her. I was just skeptical. I mean a baby? Something like this would totally happen to you two but a baby was a far stretch." She grinned playfully at him and he grunted unimpressed, placing the scroll on the floor and undoing the seal.

"You really went all out" Naruto said from the doorway. He appeared in a towel and Sasuke was surprised he hadn't noticed him.

"It's what the pamphlet said to get"

"Pamphlet?" He tossed it to him and Naruto got a curious look on his face.

"Did someone give this to you?"

"No, it came with the baby"

"Don't be an ass, I was just asking. Did anyone recognize you?"

"I'm not sure, why do you ask?"

"What if someone saw Sasuke Uchiha shopping for baby furniture? The fangirls would either have a field day or all come hunt you" Naruto started laughing and the look on Sasuke's face made him laugh harder, his face went blank and his eyes wide.

"Naruto! Go put on some clothes" Sakura chided

"Alright, yes Mom"

Sakura picked up Raiden and followed Ino into the kitchen, where she started rummaging through his fridge.

It was then that the doorbell rung.

Curious Sakura went over, "I'll get it!"

Upon opening the door she was surprised by Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. He had a quiet danger to him, maybe it was his eyes or his aloof expression; but he stood there looking slightly surprised and horribly attractive. They had only interacted a handful of times and each time Sakura became flustered and tripped over her words, her tongue swelling and rendering her a fool. The Uchiha brothers were attractive in a way few people could be but while Sasuke was handsome, Itachi was beautiful. It gave her cotton mouth and she hadn't realized he was talking to her.

"-I'm sorry-what?"

He smiled slightly and Sakura almost turned into goo. Be graceful. Be graceful and seductive.

"I said you must be the teammate that my brother is watching over the...child with."

"Huh? I mean-no...no it's not me. I'm just here to help out. Sasu-"

"What are you doing here" Sasuke had snuck up behind her out of nowhere and her heart jumped onto her throat. Itachi actually smiled at him, warm and amused. It's time to go.

"Okay, here you go" she handed Raiden to him and she ignored the glare he gave him, slightly frazzeled. She had to get out of there it was entirely too hot all of a sudden. Ino poked her head out of the kitchen and secretly fanned herself and gave Sakura a look to which she just nodded feverishly to.

"Sasuke. Mother sent me over with a stroller and baby toys, I bet you could imagine my surprise when she told me that you sudden had an infant."

"He's not mine" Sasuke ground out."Is that all?"

"It seems you are having a little get together"

"I invited none of these people inside, they just come in-like termites"

"I was invited in, you dick! I don't wanna be here anymore than you want me to!" A buffoon bellowed came from the kitchen. A slap.

"I didn't invite you, Dobe. Keep that in mind"

"Naruto get your hands out of the food! And go put some clothes on"

He could practically see the lightbulb light over his brothers head.

"So...that's the 'teammate'?"

Sasuke heard the stomps approaching them, "unfortunately."

Naruto stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother still half naked and wet.

Sasuke could see the blush fighting at his neck.

"Dobe! Go put on some damn clothes!"

"Yea! I was just on my way!"Naruto snapped at him then turned and swallowed, talking to Itachi.

"Hello"

"Naruto, right?"

He nodded his head dumbly and Sasuke rolled his eyes hard.

"I wish you the best of luck when dealing with Sasuke, he can be a brat sometimes."

Sasuke internally groaned and Naruto smirked, face no longer looking constipated.

"You're telling me!"

"And this must be?"

"His name is Raiden"

Itachi smirked as his pudgy hands reached for his hair.

"Well maybe I'll stop by tomorrow, Sasuke. He seems to be a handful. I guess it's true when they say it takes a village to raise a child."

Naruto laughed and rubbed at the skin on his neck.

"Ah!...And don't worry Father doesn't know. But Mother will see to it. Goodbye Sasuke." He ruffled hair and Sasuke batted his hands away.

"Goodbye Itachi!" The girls called from the kitchen and he just smiled at them.

"I'll see you tomorrow" he said to Raiden, letting him grip his finger before he winked at Naruto and left.

Naruto was still pink by the time they went back into the kitchen. Sasuke almost struck the fool.

"Guys! Dinner's ready!" Ino said. Sasuke merely passed him off to her and finally after telling him for the third time, the moron finally left to put on some clothes.

It wasn't even a minute later, that after Naruto had shouted asking about the whereabouts of his pyjamas that he came out wearing a pair of Sasuke's.

"Heh-heh, I seemed to have forgotten mine" he smiled innocently and Sasuke scowled, feeling an oncoming headache.

So,...he struck the fool.