I don't own anything. Naruto belongs to the owner. Enjoy reading, guys.
Chapter 5: Uchiha and Family
"Sakura-chan, are you alright?"
The people inside the room can hear the pink haired lady rough breath. The way her small body heaves up and down probably because she runs from somewhere far just to get to the tower in a hurry. They can see sweats trickling down her face before she wipes it clean with her right hand. Naruto's question still leaves unanswered.
"Naruto, huff... Sasuke-kun... Did something happened... huff... To him?" Instead of answering him, she asks him a question.
Her question makes both Naruto and Shikamaru confuse. Earlier before Shikamaru went inside, he had sent a messenger to inform his ex-teammate to come over his office. Seeing that the woman in front, short of breath, she probably thought something bad happened towards her husband. The group who had nothing to do either than standing took the chance to analyze the pink haired lady who bears the Uchiha insignia. Mikoto and Itachi can be seen watching the woman with interested eyes while Shisui tries to figure out who the lady is. Fugaku is calming his curiosity nerves as seeing the Uchiha fan on her back.
Shikamaru, as seeing Naruto stays quiet, probably still in thought, take this chance to question his friend. "Sakura, can you explain."
The lady, whose name is Sakura, stands up straight as she is facing Shikamaru. Still, haven't noticed the extras in the room, her face scrunched into confusion. "What do you mean by explain?! I came here in a rush after hearing one of your messenger-" Points her finger at Naruto. "-saying that something happened to Sasuke-kun."
As she's done with her words, she steps forward, aura radiates from her body.
"Now, where is he?"
Naruto still confuses, said. "Sakura-chan, I don't know where you heard about this but Sasuke hasn't back yet."
This makes Sakura shocked. "Huh? Is it true?"
"It's troublesome to say but yeah. He's still out there." Shikamaru said with a hint of troublesome in his stance as he scratched his head.
Sakura buckles her fist as she lashes out. "Then, WHY AM I HERE?" Her voice comes out strong and fierce making Naruto cowers, afraid of her wrath.
"Relax. Calm down a little Sakura-chan." Naruto tried to calm her down. Noted -tried-
"Calm down?" She said before turns furious. "There are tons of patients in the hospital and I just ditch my schedule just to hear a piece of fake news about my husband?!" She slams her hand, hard onto the table, making it cracks a little by her brute force. Naruto and Shikamaru visibly flinch. "Tell me, how can you expect me to calm down?"
"Husband?"
Mikoto takes this chance to break the one-sided war between the lady with, which she assumes, her friends. Hearing an unfamiliar voice of Mikoto makes Sakura turns around to look at the woman behind her. But she isn't seeing the raven-haired lady alone as she's faced with other figures beside her. Sakura's eyes widen at the strangers.
Shisui, who doesn't seem bothered by Sakura's shocked face, is having a little monologue with himself which he thought no one will be paying attention towards him. "Your little brother who always stuck like a glue to you is married?"
"Seems like it," Itachi said, eyes still looking at Sakura.
"Then she is-"
"His wife."
"Eh~" A moment of silence for the duo. "I didn't know Sasuke is that kind of guy."
"Hn?"
Sakura, on the other hand, focuses her attention onto Itachi's figure. Her mind racking inside as she's trying to figure out the man in the brown cloak. Those pair of onyx eyes that she had seen before. Those sets of lines on each side of his face. And on top of that, that low ponytail. She could have sworn she had seen him, somewhere in the past before the war happened.
"Uchiha… Itachi?"
Her eyes widened upon realizing the man in front. This man, isn't he one of the Akatsuki, the one who had died by Sasuke-kun's hand. She remembered the eight-man squad was formed to hunt down the man, in hoped that finding him will mean they'd find Sasuke as he'd be targeting him. But, the mission was ended with failure as the man died and they didn't get to her husband in time. Uchiha Itachi, the name resound in her mind a few times.
"Sasuke-kun's wife..." The woman who had spoken earlier makes her way to Sakura. Her eyes glisten with mirth, her lips quivered a small smile towards her.
Did she know her? Sakura asks herself.
"Mikoto?" Fugaku tries to warn her to not get close to the lady as they didn't know her much (well, instead of Itachi who apparently knows her).
Mikoto feet stop in front of Sakura, leaving behind a few small steps between them. Sakura's cherry blossom hair and her green eyes look beautiful in Mikoto's eye. She can't calm her heart anymore as she hugs the girl in a tight embrace. "She's so beautiful!" Mikoto shouts gleefully, making Sakura shouts a little. Ah, she can never imagine the day that she will see Sasuke's wife. On top of that, his wife is gorgeous makes her woman heart praise her son upon finding a pretty woman to be his partner. "Fugaku, look. Isn't she beautiful?"
Fugaku didn't say anything instead of nodding his head.
While Mikoto happily talking about her daughter in law, Naruto is still in deep confusion. He can't keep quiet anymore so he asks Shikamaru who still thinks that what a troublesome situation he is under today. "What the heck is going on here-ttebayo?"
"As you can see, a happy mother is praising about her daughter in law," he replies plainly.
"But why she's so happy. It's just Sakura," he asks again, still didn't get it.
And Naruto question makes Shikamaru startled. It's just Sakura. You shouldn't say that openly. "Oi, Naruto." He's gonna be dead if Sakura heard this, his mind said.
Unfortunately, Sakura heard him and looks at Naruto dangerously. Slowly her head turns towards the blond, her green orbs shine and her aura changes. Forgetting about Mikoto at hand, her fist clenches, tight, as she smiles. "Huh? What did you just say?"
Naruto can particularly feel his shirt drenched in sweats. He nervously laughs. "Yeah! Haha... Nothing?"
His answer comes out as a question, he silently cursed. He silently prays that his friend didn't spotted that.
His pray was listened as Mikoto interject the interaction between both of them. She chuckles quietly making Sakura stops her fury. The occupants in the room look at Mikoto, weird that she suddenly laugh at Naruto demise.
"I think I might know why Hokage-same looks at us weirdly," she said. By this point, Naruto already loses it. Seriously, what the heck is happening here?
Instead of answering Naruto's silent question, she places her right hand on her chest. "Hokage-sama, do you know who I am?" A smile graced her lips.
Naruto blinks. "I'm sorry but I don't know any single one of you except for Itachi here."
"It seems that idiocy still runs in this family," Fugaku said, his eyes close. He still can't believe it. Although the blonde had his friend looks, still the idiot blood runs deeply in the family. He can only smile at the situation. "We forgot to introduce ourselves. That is rude of us."
Naruto, although wants to retort over the rude comment earlier, he just let it pass. What the man said is true after all. "Don't worry. It's not like I'm mad about it or anything."
"Very well then," Fugaku said as he stands beside Mikoto. "I am Uchiha Fugaku, former Uchiha Clan Head. And this is my wife, Uchiha Mikoto."
Politely, Mikoto bows a little. Although the clan was one of the village founders and had contributed the village a lot in the past, showing respect towards the people is a courtesy in the clan. "I am Uchiha Mikoto. Nice to meet you."
Shisui takes a step forward. "Well, everyone seems to introduce themselves so no way I'm gonna be lagging behind," he grins. "I am Uchiha Shisui, this guy best friend," he said as his hand points towards Itachi.
Itachi only nods. "You already know who I am."
"Uhuh. I got it that you came from the same clan as Sasuke, but are you somehow related to him?"
Mikoto chuckles more. Fugaku had that 'are-you-serious' face. Shisui suppress a sigh. Itachi takes the liberty to step forward.
"Naruto, this is my oka-san and otou-san."
Realization struck Naruto. Piecing everything together, that Itachi is Sasuke's brother meant when he said that the couple is his parents meaning he is facing the bastard parents. Shikamaru said troublesome with a resigned face, finally, the idiot friend of his realize. Sakura lets out a sigh, already too familiar with her ex-teammate.
"You guys are Sasuke's parents!?"
"Of course," Mikoto chuckles even more. Fugaku only nods.
Then, his eyes form a thin line, comparing Mikoto with the current Sasuke. He looks at Mikoto and then Fugaku and then thought about Sasuke, wherever the bastard is. "Hrm... Now I know where the bastard got his looks but I can't see his personality coming from you."
This earns him a chuckles from Mikoto and a stern look from Fugaku. Sakura only shakes her head, already too familiar with her blonde friend.
"The way you speak as if Sasuke is your best friend," Shisui asks the Naruto, his eyes sharpened. Is the man only care for Itachi's brother only because he is the last Uchiha or they really are best friend?
Shisui's question makes Naruto looks him in the eye. He can see that the curly haired man cared deeply for his clan safety and on top of that knowing the relationship between him and Sasuke isn't calming their heart. With the state that Sasuke's actually in, being the last heir of the fallen clan, he probably has a lot of enemies that he have to deal with. On top of that, his previous record as an S-rank missing-nin really makes the situation worse. But that is all in the past.
Naruto offers Shisui his widest grin, an honest one on top of that. "Of course. He is my best friend. Heck, I even consider him as my brother."
Mikoto's eyes softened a little. The images of her best friend playing in her eyes as she takes in the grins on Naruto's lips. "Sasuke-kun really is lucky to have a best friend like you." She said. "Ah! As I thought so, you look really a lot like Kushina."
Hearing his mother name from Sasuke's mother makes his ears twitch. He looks at her with eyes shines ever so slightly. "You know kaa-chan?"
"Of course I know her. She was my best friend. Not to mention, Fugaku here is somewhat a rival towards Minato-kun. Isn't that right, Fugaku?" Her lips forms a smile as she looks at her husband.
Mikoto's statement makes people look at Fugaku. Naruto can't believe this. His father was a rival with Sasuke's father? How cool can that be? "Aa. I don't want to admit it but that guy was a genius. And I hate it that I acknowledge him."
Mikoto ends up teasing Fugaku over it by re-opening the past events between their rivalries. Shisui ends up laughing over the embarrassing events while Itachi can only smile by his parents' behaviour. He really misses this. How peaceful the atmosphere is before the clan downfall. Naruto smiles at the family. He still can't believe that Sasuke's family kinda have a close relation towards his parents.
Shikamaru clears his throat a little, reminding them that they are still in the middle of clearing things up. "And so, may I know the reason why you called me here?" Sakura asks Naruto. She almost forgot the real motives Naruto summons her here.
"Ah, right. Sorry to keep you waiting, Sakura-chan. Ehem" He clears his throat a little before continuing. "Actually, they don't have any place to stay and I don't want any people to know about this matter. So can you please-"
"Provide shelter for them for the time being?" Sakura cuts him off.
"Yes. Well, I don't know if you have any room to spare since you just move in from your previous house with, you know that," he said, silently pointing out the reason behind the history of her moving out from her previous house.
Sakura can only sigh at this. She didn't need Naruto to remind her of the things that happened. "Naruto, they are welcome into my house, you know." Sakura looks behind her, at the group. "Since they are Sasuke-kun's family, it is my responsibility to take care of them as I am also a part of Uchiha now," her voice comes out soft as the image of her husband flashing on her mind. She wonders if he is fine and in good health.
With the discussion comes to an end, Naruto eyes soften, thanking his friend. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."
"Of course. But you owe me one for this. I mean, how will you explain this to Sasuke-kun when he gets back from his journey?" She asks him, slightly curious if the blonde already prepares a speech over the matter.
Sakura's question caught Naruto's off guard as he's struggling to reply. " Well... um... About that... uh..."
"You don't mean..."
"Yup. He didn't prepare any speech for Sasuke's return," Shikamaru said, lighter in hand. Slowly he brought it towards his mouth lighting the cigarette on his lips.
Sakura can only stare at Naruto. "Naruto, you should probably start making your will. I can't guarantee Sasuke-kun will not kill you after hearing the news."
"Sa-Sakura-chan. Please don't tease me," the blonde said with a desperate look.
"I am serious."
"Sakura-chan!" Then he looks at Shikamaru. "Shikamaru..."
"I'm out of this mess," he said as he walks out off the office, remembers to close the door behind him.
Laughter rings inside the room. Shisui laughs the hardest as he can't contain the humour anymore. Tears forms on the side of his eyes as he wipes it with his finger. Mikoto chuckles quietly, Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage or not looks a lot like Minato when he's in trouble. Fugaku can only smile. Idiotic blonde can really lift his spirits a little when seeing them in trouble. Reminds him of Minato and Kushina (with her frying pan for some odd reason).
Itachi, on the other hand, is in deep thought. His brother now has a family in the future. Honestly, he was afraid if Sasuke doing anything rash when he's gone but seeing that Sakura is his wife and Naruto welcoming his brother in a warm hand makes him feels that he really can entrust his brother to them. Sakura words keep on resounding in his mind.
A part of Uchiha, huh.
He looks up, looking at Sakura who's laughing at Naruto's panic face. Seeing her as carefree as she is, that she seems not to care about Sasuke's whereabouts, gives him a thought that his brother is fine out there. Sakura probably put a lot of trust in his brother to not turn into the man he was in the past. If she can trust his brother then he also shouldn't have any doubts for him. Because he has the feeling, wherever he is, he's doing his best to protect the future of the next generation.
With the last thought, he looks at the window beside him where he can see almost the whole village in his view. Taking the scenery in, he looks at the sky above. "I wonder where he is right now," he said quietly. "Sasuke."
...
At the same time, a man in black cloak looks behind him. His onyx right eye that is visible to the public scans the surroundings around him. The forest that is full of hidden lives, leaves swaying by the winds and sounds of insects calling each other out. His eye didn't see anything that he deems suspicious but still, he lets his gaze lingers a bit around the forest. A gust of wind from the west gently brushes the left bangs that cover his left eye. Huh, he could have sworn that someone called his name.
He then looks up towards the cloudless sky above him. Images of his wife and daughter waiting for him at home manage to make a smile on his lips. Home, when was the last time he had been there? Anyway, the word sounds nice on his lips as he continues making his way deeper into the forest.
He still has something to do before going home.