Take Care of My Boy
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Curse
Author's Note: Hello everyone! I have not written fanfiction in years, but I recently had my love for Naruto rekindled and I just really wanted to write this story even if it might be the last story I'll ever write. The pairing is already decided to be KakashiXOC. Inserting an OC into a story line is pretty hard, but I'll do my best to make minimal changes as this story is basically my love letter to the Naruto series. I hope you all like my story!
What's in a name? In the case of the name "Uchiha", you might say power, nobility, pride, hatred, cursed, or a bloodied history. And if you were to ask Uchiha Hinode, she would say, blindness. For a clan whose most prized possession is their eyes, she thought, they really can't see how blinded they are by power, pride, and hatred.
Of course, as a five year old child, Uchiha Hinode could not have had this kind of insight about her own clan. Her mother, Uchiha Byakue, often said this to her on nights when her father, Uchiha Hidenobu went alone to clansmen meetings. Hinode loved and adored her mother, unlike many of the Uchiha clansmen. Byakue was married into the Uchiha Clan, so she was somewhat considered an outsider. If Byakue had not been a skilled medical shinobi, the clan never would have approved her marriage to a Uchiha, and Hinode never would have been born. Their marriage was even more scandalous to the other clansmen because Hidenobu was such a highly-regarded man amongst the clan, second only to Uchiha Fugaku. Why a kind, loving woman would marry a cold and prideful man like her father was more than Hinode's young mind could understand.
"Though they are blind, the Uchihas are not bad people. They just need love," Uchiha Byakue always said with a kind smile.
'Love is also blind,' Hinode came to that conclusion at a young age.
For the most part, Hinode resented being a Uchiha. Not only because the other people of Konoha tend to avoid them, but also because they were extremely strict with their children at a young age. The adult clansmen started training their children before they even enrolled in Ninja Academy. Children of the same age group often compared against each other based on combat skills and intelligence. Naturally, the weak ones were not favored. Hinode would not be labeled as a prodigy or even as gifted. Her basic hand-to-hand combat and weaponry skills were passable, but she was lacking in control of chakra. And as a clan, the Uchihas were quite proud of their naturally powerful chakra and their masterful use of it. Hinode has heard whispers about her incompetence in comparison to her father, and some even said that she's incompetent because she's only half of a Uchiha. Sometimes she wondered if that was why her father was so cold to her; because she was an embarrassment to him.
On this sunny day in late spring, Hinode was sparring with her cousin, Uchiha Obito, in a training ground inside of the Uchiha compound. Hinode considered her cousin's skills to be about the same as hers, which is why the two of them got along. His parents died when he was still a toddler, so he never had any guidance from his parents, but he worked really hard on his own to become stronger. And while the other clansmen had nothing great to say about Obito, his grandmother was very proud of him. And Hinode was as well, even though she would never say that to his face, or any living being for that matter.
The two of them practiced combat with short wooden swords. Obito was not the best at wielding weapons; however, he had quick reflexes, so he easily dodged many of Hinode's attacks.
"Damn it, Obito! Will you quit dodging? We're supposed to practice using the sword!" Hinode pressed towards the boy with continuous swings and jabs. She had quite some brute force as a girl, and even Obito was worried of being hit by the sword. It wouldn't kill him but it would definitely hurt for several days.
"What about you? You're not even using proper sword techniques!" Obito protested in frustration as he dodged Hinode's attacks. "You're just trying really hard to hit me!"
"If you're fighting a real ninja, you wouldn't care about techniques in a time!"
"That's why Uncle Hidenobu said you have to practice the techniques until they're second nature to you!"
Irritation surged inside of Hinode as she heard her fathers name, and she swung even harder at Obito. Obito, knowing Hinode's relationship with her father, ran away while repeatedly yelling 'sorry.'
Eventually, the two children were exhausted by the wild-goose chase. The two of them collapsed on the training grounds, gasping for air. After a few minutes, they decided to call it a tie and continue another day.
"Don't be so upset, Hinode," Obito patted Hinode on the shoulder. "It's not like you lost. It's a tie!"
Though Hinode has always appreciated Obito's optimism, it could not have cheered her up after the mentioning of her father.
"That's not what my father would say," Hinode wiped the wooden sword clean and put it back to the training tools bin. "...I can already hear father voice saying 'there are no ties in the battlefield! There is only victory or death!'"
Obito laughed dryly at Hinode's impression of her father. Despite her clear distaste towards her father, any who knew Hinode's family would agree that she was more like Hidenobu than Byakue. It's rare to see a smile on Hinode's face and the things she says are harsher than they are kind.
"You'll get better. Aunt Byakue said your heart's just not in the right place."
Indeed, her mother often said that.
Hinode shrugged. "Do you think any of our parents would have given us the choice to not become a ninja?"
Obito gave her a confused look, blinking his black eyes. "Not become a ninja? What would you do then?"
It was somewhat predestined. If you were a Uchiha, you were a ninja. And a really good one, too.
"I don't know. Ichiraku Teuchi's daughter Ayame seems to have a pretty good life."
"The girl who's always crying at the ramen shop?"
"She's only crying because she's helping her father chop onions!"
Obito quickly discarded what Hinode said. The girl often talked about not being a ninja, but he always perceived it as one of her weird jokes. It was an absurd idea. "Oh, that reminds me! Grandma wanted me to get onions for dinner tonight. Wanna come with me?"
"No, thanks."
"Grandma said I can use the change to get sakura mochi."
"Count me in!" Hinode's eyes lit up at the mention of dessert. The young girl was a fiend for sweets. "Wait for me at the front gate! I'm going to change out of these dirty clothes."
Obito chuckled and shook his head at the same time at his cousin. His Aunt Byakue was right; Hinode's heart was not in the right place. While sparring with her, Obito noticed that she didn't try her best to improve her skills. He couldn't tell if it was frustration or boredom, or something totally different that's holding her back. For a boy whose ambition was to become Hokage, he definitely couldn't fathom why Hinode didn't want to become stronger.
When Obito and Hinode got to the grocery store, Hinode realized that the sun was beginning to set. The dessert shop was going to close in an hour.
"How many onions did Grandma Mio need?" Hinode went straight to the vegetables section so that they could quickly buy the onions then go to the dessert shop. The sakura mochi's will be discontinued once spring is over; Hinode wanted to get as many as she can get.
"She said just on- AH! YOU!"
Obito dropped the onion as soon as he picked it up; his hand now pointing towards the fruits section. Hinode caught the onion with quick hands. If the onion fell, then they'd have to pay extra for damaging the store's goods and would not have enough change to buy the sakura mochi. Hinode followed Obito's pointed finger to see what he was so worked up about. Next to the apples stood a boy with gray hair. The bottom half of his face covered by a black mask. Hinode instantly recognized the boy, Hatake Kakashi.
All three of them were enrolled in the Ninja Academy just a couple of months ago. In a short time, Kakashi already became the most popular kid in their class. To begin with, Kakashi was already well-trained in physical combat, and he already has a pretty good grasp of chakra control, while other kids in the same class barely even know what chakra is. Their teacher had a few of the students practice against each other last Friday, and Obito was defeated by Kakashi within one minute. Ever since then, Obito has been babbling about paying back the entire weekend. Hinode did not have anything against Kakashi, but she didn't definitely did not like him for turning her cousin into a whiny five-year-old.
Kakashi looked over toward their direction upon hearing Obito's shout. It was hard to see his emotion besides a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Oh, it's you, loser."
Obito fumed and wanted to run over and punch Kakashi, but Hinode grabbed onto the back of Obito's collar.
"Don't stop me from kicking his butt, Hinode!"
"I'm stopping you from getting your butt kicked."
Right when Obito was about to break loose from Hinode's grasp, a man appeared behind Kakashi with a basket.
"Oh? Are these your friends from school, Kakashi?"
Needless to say, the man with gray hair was Kakashi's father. Anyone could tell by the resemblance. Hinode wondered how old the man was since he probably had gray hair his whole life, judging by Kakashi's hair color.
"Hmph, not friends. Classmates," said Kakashi. While popular, Kakashi didn't have many close friends besides a boy named Might Guy, and all those two did was fight all the time. Hinode thought he was a little bit snobbish because of that.
The man smiled and approached Obito and Hinode. He knelt down in front of them and asked, "My name is Hatake Sakumo. What are your names?"
Both Obito and Hinode were taken aback by the man. He was smiling so kindly compared to his son's snobbishness.
"Uchiha Obito."
"Uchiha Hinode."
"Uchiha Hinode?" The put his gaze on Hinode when he heard her name. Hinode, who was still holding onto Obito's collar, felt Obito's body twitch.
"You're Uchiha Hidenobu's daughter, aren't you? We've partnered on a few missions before. He talked about you a lot!"
Hinode raised an eyebrow. "By talk, do you mean complain?"
"...Ahem, haha…" Hatake Sakumo laughed dryly at Hinode's cold words, though they were true. "Your father is a great shinobi, Hinode-chan. I can tell you will be too by the way you tried to protect your friend."
Hinode Shrugged. "I just thought it was stupid to fight someone who already beat you not too long ago."
"Yes, and protection is not always physical," Sakumo grinned widely at Hinode and stood upright. "My boy could learn some of that from you."
Kakashi and Hinode both shuddered at that thought. Clearly over this conversation, Kakashi walked up to his father and tugged on his sleeve. "Dad, it's almost time for your favorite soap opera. Do you still want to chitchat?"
"Oh yes, I almost forgot! You kids do well in school!" Sakumo waved goodbye to Obito and Hinode and left with Kakashi.
Hinode watched Obito as he quietly watched Kakashi leave. Hinode knew that something triggered Obito just now, and she could guess what it was. Obito has always struggled with acceptance. Growing up with no parents and subpar skills in the Uchiha clan meant that no one would acknowledge him. And even in school, he does not have the skills to compete with Kakashi, and was considered "one of the kids who lost to Kakashi." From the interaction earlier, Obito was probably bothered by the fact that Hatake Sakumo recognized Hinode's name and not Obito's. Hinode let go of his collar and grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the cashier to pay, then to the sweets shop.
The two of them walked together in sunset back to the Uchiha's compound, Obito holding the onions and Hinode eating a plate of sakura mochi. Obito was quiet the whole time. Hinode felt uncomfortable in the silence, since Obito was always the chatty one. She decided to break the silence.
"You know, he only knew my name because of my father," said Hinode.
Obito looked at Hinode, sadness clearly showing in his eyes. "I wish I had your father."
"That's disrespectful of your dead parents!" Hinode smacked Obito on the head. Obito yelped and glared at Hinode with teary eyes; Hinode had a heavy hand. Hinode sighed at the boy. "You know, having famous parents doesn't mean anything. I would have much more respect for someone who worked hard and earned recognition on their own."
Obito's eyes showed a bit of hope. "You think I can beat Kakashi next time?"
Hinode looked away from Obito's hopeful eyes. "Maybe when you get your Sharingan."
"Hey! Have a little faith in me!"
"I do," said Hinode. "You're the best Uchiha that I know."
"...Hinode…" Obito was a little flustered by his cousin's suddenly encouraging words. "When I become Hokage, I will make sure you live a carefree life like Ichiraku Ayame!"
Hinode finally looked back at Obito with a frown. "You want to beat Kakashi AND become Hokage? I won't keep my hopes up…"
"Uchiha Hinode!"
Grandma Mio insisted that Hinode stay for dinner at her and Obito's house. Grandma Mio was always fond of Hinode, as she was born only 2 months after Obito and they grew up together. Grandma Mio, at 97 years old had watched many great Uchiha ninjas grow up, but none of them delighted her as much as the two children sitting at her dining table, eating her stew. They were pure-hearted. Grandma Mio prayed every night that the Uchiha curse would never taint them.
"Hinode-chan, don't you want a second serving of stew?" Grandma Mio asked from the kitchen, ladling stew into a container. "You won't grow stronger unless you eat."
"No, thanks, Grandma Mio," said Hinode. "I'm ready for dessert, though."
"You already had half a dozen sakura mochi on the way back!" Obito protested. The girl eats a terrifying amount of sugar. "You didn't share a single piece with me and it was my money!"
"But Grandma Mio said she made banana cake," Hinode said as her eyes lit up again. "Even mother loves Grandma Mio's banana cake!"
"In that case, take some of this stew and some banana cake to your mother," Grandma Mio came into the dining room with a container of soup and the famed banana cake, as if she was already planning to give them away. "Your mother is eating for two now. She needs to eat so the baby will come out healthy!"
Hinode's mother was eight months pregnant at the time. Hidenobu and Hinode were very excited about the new baby, but neither were the type to show it.
"I'm just glad that father will have someone else to scold now than me," said Hinode as she began to cut the banana cake on her own.
"Who knows? Maybe the baby will turn out to be a genius and you will continue to be your father's embarrassment," joked Obito. Hinode glared at Obito for a moment, but shrugged it off and ate the banana cake. She saw that Obito was in a better mood now than before, so she decided to let it slide.
"Hinode-chan is not an embarrassment," said Grandma Mio softly. "She's just a late bloomer like you."
"How can you say that about your own grandson, grandma!"
The dinner ended in laughter. A rare sight to behold within the boundaries of the Uchiha compound. Hinode thanked Grandma Mio for dinner and offered to help wash the dishes while Obito cleaned up the dining room. Grandma Mio watched Hinode as she stood on a stool to wash the dishes, suddenly feeling sentimental.
"Hinode-chan, thank you for being such a good friend to Obito," said Grandma Mio. "He always hangs around old people like me, so I was afraid he wouldn't know how to act around kids his age once he started Ninja Academy. But he seems to really enjoy going to school."
Hinode was a little surprised to hear that from Grandma Mio. The old woman usually energetic but this time she sounded a bit sad.
"You don't have to thank me, Grandma Mio," Hinode wiped her hands dry with a towel and turned around to face Grandma Mio. "Considering everything, Obito is more positive of a kid than any other kid would have turned out. He even talks about becoming Hokage, that's the level of his optimism."
"And I think you have something to do with that," Grandma Mio eyes twinkled with that statement. "Hokage, huh… I'm afraid I'm too old to be able to see that happen."
"Don't say that, Grandma Mio."
"It's true, I'm 97 years old for goodness sakes. For a retired shinobi, that's more years than I could ask for already!" Grandma Mio got closer to Hinode and took the young girl's hands in hers. "But I have just one thing to ask for, Hinode, from you…"
"What… one thing?… I don't like the way you're..." said Hinode, not liking the way the conversation was going. Her small hands started to sweat.
"Please take care of Obito when I'm not around."
Two weeks later, Grandma Mio passed away.
To be continued.