:I'm really REALLY sorry I'm taking forever to update. School, writer's block, Warcraft and SimCity, periodical exams, and all that stuff are also preventing me from updating.

:After 412 (and still going) manga chapters, do you still think I'll ever own the fruit of creative genius that is Naruto? Man, you are dense.

:Wooh! I'm finally fourteen today. I told myself I'd update at least one of my fanfics for my birthday, and here it is…

Chapter 13: Graves and Beds

Fugaku was tossing and turning on his bed, he was so excited about his training for tomorrow. He would finally be able to learn some more about his clan's history. Though he did wonder where the clan actually was, since all the Uchiha he knew were only his parents. Whenever he asked his mother, she would always change the subject, and his father would just tell him that he'll find out when he's older. There were a lot of things he didn't understand, and it was like everyone else knew more about his own clan than he, who was actually part of it, did. Yes, he is a very, very, curious and mature-thinking five year old. He's the spawn of THE Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno… He's very much a prodigy as much as his father, his uncle, and his father's sensei. What else would you expect?

Fugaku gave up on sleep, and he took off the covers. He crept quietly to the other side of his room, and stuck his ear to the wall, checking if his parent's were asleep.

Apparently, they weren't…

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said as Sasuke lay next to her.

"Hm?" He said, almost sleepily.

"When we were younger, was I really your first choice to help rebuild your clan?" she mused.

"Rebuild the clan?" Fugaku muttered to himself on the other side of the wall. Does that mean the clan was broken? Or everyone died? How?

"What kind of question is that?" he replied.

I want to know that too. The little boy thought.

"Just answer it. I'm only curious."

"No. You weren't my first choice. But then again, I didn't really list Kunoichi down or anything. Itachi was still alive back then, wasn't he?"

So what if uncle Itachi was alive? What did that have to do with anything? He was getting more and more annoyed at realizing how very little he knew.

"So who were your other choices?" she asked with a thoughtful expression.

"Hmm… maybe a strong and smart Kunoichi like Tenten, or maybe someone like Temari, or maybe even Ino, because of her mind justu skills, then again why not Hinata? I've always wondered what would happen if you combine Konoha's two advanced kekkei genkai. What happens with a sharingan and a byakugan? Now there's a thought." He said with a thoughtful look of his own.

Hmm… I want to know that too!

"Wow. So I was dead last?" she said, kind of depressed.

"But I chose you in the end didn't I?" he said with a smirk.

"Why did you choose me then?" she asked.

"Because you were the most logical choice. Everyone else hated me after I went missing and left the village, but you didn't. It saves me a lot of time." He replied with a stoic look.

Left the village? Went missing? But, missing-nin are traitors, aren't they? Otoosan can't be a traitor!

"That's it?!" she said, sitting up. "I was a damn timesaver?!"

"Just joking! You can be so easy to fool sometimes." He said with a smile.

"It's already been four years, but I still can't tell weather you're serious or joking. You never joked." She said. "Seriously, answer the question."

"Fine, fine. I knew it was going to be you ever since you were able to make Orochimaru's curse seal recede." He said, as if looking at a flashback. "…that day in the forest of death. Maybe it was the first time I actually felt like someone actually cared, or something. Even I don't know how you did it. It's all a blur, but crystal-clear at the same time. You were the first girl I actually risked my life to save. Get it?"

What's a cursed seal? Who's this Orochimaru person? Fukaru wondered behind the wall.

"…" Sakura was speechless. "Goodnight Sasuke-kun. Thanks."

"It's you I should thank." He said, as she gave him a kiss.

Fugaku could almost barf at the mushy-ness of his parents. Why did they have to be so… ugh. Well, it wasn't completely useless. He was able to add a few more questions to his already long, long, long, long, and here it is –long list. Man, Sasuke better prepare for a long talk when Fugaku turns thirteen.

The five-year-old then backed away from the wall, and made his way out the window for another one of his explorations of the Uchiha compound.

"He's gone." Sasuke said as he sensed Fugaku moving away. "He's really curious isn't he? I hope he didn't hear too much."

"Don't worry." Sakura replied. Besides, he's not the only one who's wondering.



Minutes later, after passing through a small garden with cherry blossoms in it, Fugaku finds the grave he knew his father always visited. He looked at the black obelisk, the stone that held the names of the people buried there.

"I've seen this before…" he muttered while tracing his hand on the stone.

FLASHBACK: About two years ago…

A little three year old Uchiha was quietly exploring his clan's compound, when he found an interesting stone in the middle of a pretty garden, from what he knew, these were the kind of stones where dead people's names were written. He could read a few names from it.

"I-ta-chi Uchiha." He whispered. He looked at the next name. "Mi-ko-to Uchiha." He read. And he saw the next name… "Fu-…ga-…ku… Uchiha."

He stared at it for a moment…

"Fu-ga-ku Uchiha." He re-read it again. "T-that's me."

"I'm dead." He muttered, still staring at the name. "I can't be dead."

"I'm not dead!" he said. Reassuring himself.

"Am I?" tears were beginning to roll down his cheeks and his thoughts were all jumbled up in his already very confused mind. There were many things still unknown to the little boy. He ran home, and hugged his mother.

"What's wrong Fugaku-kun?" she asked with a kind smile.

"A-am I dead?" he said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Of course not! What would give you that idea?" she said with a look of amusement.

"The m-memorial stone… h-had my name on it!" he explained.

"You're not dead." Sasuke said with a stoic expression as he entered the room. "You were named after my father."

"Ojii-san? I-I was named after ojii san?" he said.

"Yes." His father answered.

Flashback End.

"Oh yeah… the day I found out I was named after ojiisan…" he muttered to himself. He then came to a startling conclusion… he finally figured out where the rest of the Uchiha Clan really was… it was as clear as the many black rocks that stood hidden behind the cherry blossom tree he never got the chance to 

see two years ago… the Uchiha clan was dead. Him, his mother and his father… they were all that was left.

How did they die?

Now that was another question for his list.

Right now though, he was very sleepy, and after rubbing his eyes, made his way stealthily back to his room.

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It was a fine and sunny morning… what else would you expect from the desert of Sunagakure?

"Eh?" A blonde said as she woke up from her sleep. She couldn't move. Oh yeah. Kiba.

"Hey, mutt." She said, trying to get her hands free from his grasp.

"Wake up dog-boy." She said, hitting his head with her now-free hand.

Kiba just moved a little and yawned. "Just a little longer…"

"Ugh, I swear if you keep this up, you're going to sleep on the floor!" she said, getting annoyed.

"Ino…" he said, tightening his grip. "Don't leave me." He was smiling that fanged grin of his again.

Blood rushed into Ino's cheeks and turned them a bright shade of pink. Are you really awake? "I'm not going to get anywhere with that vice-grip of yours." She said. "Come on Kiba, get up!" she smacked him on the head again.

"Huh?" he said when he felt something hit his head, as he opened his eyes and saw bright blue eyes, blonde hair, fair skin… Ino.

"You finally decided to wake up!" she said. "Now… let go of me."

"What if I don't want to?" he replied with a smirk.

"What do you mean you don't want to?" she said.

"I mean… I'm not letting go, and you're not going anywhere." He said, a smile playing on his lips as he tightened his grip again.

"You know I have a jutsu that can scramble your brain even without using hand signs, right?" she said with a smirk of her own.

"Okay, okay. Man, you're scary since you came back from all that training." He said as he let go and Ino sat up.

"You better believe it dog-boy." She said, standing up and winking.

"Aww… and you were so cute when you needed protection." He said.

"Does that mean I'm not cute anymore?" she said with a pout.

"No…" he said, standing up from the bed and going behind Ino. He whispered in her ear: "You're much, much cuter."

Ino blushed.

:Well, there it is. You didn't think Ino and Kiba would beat each other to a bloody pulp did you?

:I've always wanted to try writing a more innocent Fugaku. Hehe. I'm not sure if I achieved it though.

:I actually got to upload on my birthday! What an achievement! I'll try my best to go update faster.

:THANKS FOR READING, PLEASE REVIEW! (come on, it's my birthday, hehe)