It's alive! Expect slow updates, but rest assured that this story is not abandoned.

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Chasing the Wind

Chapter 3
Playing Favourites

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Sakura blocked the incoming kick with her arms, the force of impact sending her skidding backwards. Opposite her, Sasuke jumped back and fell into a defensive stance. She narrowed her eyes at the invitation before pushing chakra to her feet and launching forward.

"Come on, Sakura-chan! Put his face in the dirt!" Naruto yelled from the sidelines, body tense in excitement as his eyes followed his teammates' quick movements. Kakashi sat cross-legged on a tree branch, eye glancing away from his Icha Icha novel once in a while to analyse the spar below.

Swiftly moving back to avoid the flurry of punches and kicks that Sasuke advanced with, Sakura left an opening that was unprotected for a second too long. A well-placed kick to her side had her wincing and resigned to the bruise that would undoubtedly appear on her skin.

"I can't believe you returned with zero dango sticks when we paid for six!" Sakura complained, still huffy at having missed out on the much anticipated afternoon treat.

"The one with sesame was my favourite too," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke glared right back at his pink-haired teammate. "I told you that I got ambushed by aniki and he stole them!" he hissed.

"You should've protected them— "

"Have you tried getting in between Itachi and dango?"

" —or stolen them back!"

Sasuke scoffed and folded his arms. "I'm not suicidal."

Naruto jumped to his feet and pointed angrily at him. "Ha! By the time I'm done with you, you bet your ass—"

It was at that point that Kakashi snapped his book shut, pocketed it, and interjected. "Alright team, great job today. Sakura, work on your speed and the earth technique I gave you. Sasuke, how far along are you with the advanced chakra control exercises? Be sure to get them down before our next meeting. And Naruto…"

The blond blinked before realisation hit him. "Hey! I didn't get to spar today, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi hummed before allowing his eye to crinkle shut into a smile. "How about next time I teach you a new technique and introduce you all to my ninken. How's that sound?"

"That's a promise, right? You can't break it," Naruto warned. His only reply was a cheery wave before the man poofed away in a cloud of smoke. Blinking at the sudden quietness, he turned around to see his teammates sizing each other up. "So."

Sasuke sighed and dropped the stare off. "So," he repeated.

Naruto flicked his eyes between onyx and bright green for a minute before breaking into a grin. "Who's up for some ramen tonight?"

"Actually," Sasuke said, piquing the interest of his teammates, "kaa-san is inviting you both over for dinner."

Sakura perked up. "She makes great rice balls."

Sasuke grunted in agreement. "Kakashi was meant to come as well."

"Don't worry about him," Naruto said, flapping a hand dismissively, "he's probably gone to rescue some more cats out of trees."

"I doubt kaa-san will be impressed. She's been going on about wanting to meet the entire team," Sasuke sighed. "Anyway, make sure to come by in half an hour."

Naruto squawked. "Half an hour? That's not enough time!" He muttered something about needing to water Mr. Ukki and his dear friends.

"Should we bring something?" Sakura asked, worrying at her lip.

"No, it won't be necessary. Listen, go home, shower, and come over in thirty minutes. Tou-san and Itachi will be eating with us."

"Great! I'm going to teach that little dango thief a lesson," Naruto growled, clenching his hands into fists.

Sasuke looked slightly pained.

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Sakura smoothed down her yukata for what had to be the twentieth time already, each step forward accompanied by rising trepidation. It would be the first time that she set foot inside the Uchiha Compound, and the first time meeting the entirety of Sasuke's immediate family.

From what she had learnt in the academy, the Uchiha were one of Konoha's founding clans and the primary manpower of the Konoha Military Police Force — and remained so today. Their large compound was located at the west end of the village, shadowed by the outskirts of the forest. A bend of the Naka River ran nearby.

She had only spoken with Sasuke's mother twice, and even then those encounters had occurred in settings that were inappropriate for anything other than passing polite conversation. For all the whispers that painted the woman as cold and distant, there was an inviting warmth in her tone and smile creases.

Itachi, however, remained a mystery. Her one and only conversation — if one could even call it that — with him had been of introductions at a restaurant with Sasuke, Naruto and Shisui also present. She really didn't have enough to go by.

Admittedly, the person she was the most nervous to meet tonight was Sasuke's father. She had never seen him in person, which made sense because Sasuke's complaints indicated that the man was always either locked away in a meeting or overseeing projects conducted by the Konoha Military Police Force. Such sole focus and dedication towards work conjured a mental image of a serious face with critical eyes and a mouth that pulled downwards.

Sakura's lips pressed into a grim line. Things weren't looking good. Perhaps she should have brought along a nice plant. Or maybe some artisan sweets. Then again, maybe they would have thought she was trying to bribe them into liking her, and that wouldn't do at all. Appeased by this train of thought, she was noticeably more relaxed when she arrived at the entrance of the compound.

Naruto and Sasuke were already there, both dressed in yukata and trading insults halfheartedly as they waited for her.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her with a wide smile when she came to a stop in front of them.

Sasuke straightened from his previous position against the wall and beckoned them to follow him. "Come on, tou-san should be home soon," his said, voice hinting at his tension.

As soon as his back was turned, Sakura shot Naruto a questioning look, to which the blond shrugged in response. She sighed but brushed it off, figuring they would look into it later on if whatever it was continued to bug her teammate.

True to the Uchiha name, red and white fans decorated the sides of buildings and the casual clothing of civilian and shinobi clan members. Soft chatter and the faint clanging of steel drifted to her ears. She smelled sweetness in the air that reminded her of freshly baked pastries, and more than once had to sidestep children as they darted around carelessly.

She wasn't so sure she had seen any Uchiha so carefree beyond the compound barrier.

Sakura smiled politely as she passed a woman whose eyes she met. It was no surprise that she and Naruto attracted a fair amount of glances. Having brightly coloured hair tended to make individuals more conspicuous, especially when in a sea of dark colours.

They stopped in front of a large house, where Uchiha Mikoto waited for them on the porch.

"Kaa-san," Sasuke said, "these are my teammates, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura bowed and offered a smile to the woman. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mikoto-san."

"Nice to meet you, Sasuke's kaa-chan!" Naruto greeted exuberantly. Sasuke twitched.

Mikoto laughed, soft and bell-like even in her surprise. "Believe me, the pleasure is mine. I'm sure Sasuke has told you how much I've nagged him about wanting to meet the both of you, so thank you for coming over."

Despite the open posture and disarming lightness in her voice, the woman's eyes were sharp as they took in her son's companions. The slight linger on Naruto's eyes accompanied by a flash of something indiscernible across her face was interrupted by a smile curving her lips.

"Please, come in. Dinner is ready and I'm sure Itachi will be pleased to see you all again."

As they followed Mikoto inside, Naruto leant over and whispered, "No wonder Sasuke is such a pretty boy."

To Sakura's surprise, the spacious and tidy interior was devoid of opulence and cold sterility. Instead, family portraits and scattered greenery created a comfortable and intimate atmosphere that slowly unwound any remaining tension from her shoulders.

Her eyes locked on to Itachi's tall figure as soon as they passed into the dining room, watching as his long, graceful limbs placed steaming cups of tea on the wooden table. He looked up at their arrival.

"Naruto-san, Sakura-san," he greeted, lips pulling up into a faint smile, "it's nice to see you again."

An older man stepped into the room, his eyes taking them in carefully despite the fatigue that clung to his stern features. Sasuke immediately straightened.

"Tou-san, these are my teammates, Sakura and Naruto."

Sakura dipped into another bow, pondering on the different manner in which Sasuke stood and spoke in the company of his father.

"I'm glad to finally meet my son's team. He's spoken much about you," the man said, "let's sit and speak comfortably."

"Thank you, Uchiha-sama," she said as they knelt on the cushions in front of the low dining table.

"Fugaku is fine," he said. "I've heard that you've recently returned from an A-rank mission. Unfortunately, I've been kept busy these past few days and haven't had the chance to ask Sasuke about it. Regardless, I'm surprised the Hokage approved this."

"It wasn't an A-rank mission at first," Naruto said almost sheepishly. At Fugaku's raised brow he elaborated, "The client actually disguised it as a C-rank because he couldn't afford to pay more."

"I see. And did you run into much trouble?"

"Well, someone called Momochi Zabuza was after the person we were supposed to protect. But it turns out he wasn't really the bad guy after all…" Naruto's eyes had slowly lowered until he was staring unseeingly at the wood grain table. Mikoto looked like she had a question on the tip of her tongue, but seemed unwilling to steal him from his memories.

Fugaku stilled. "A fight against one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen… and yet you all came back in one piece."

"Barely," Sasuke admitted. "He was accompanied by another ninja who was working with him."

"Momochi wouldn't team up with someone who couldn't pull their own weight. I imagine it was a struggle for you all, even if Hatake is a highly competent individual."

Sakura blinked at the blatant praise the man gave Kakashi. While it was true that her instructor's reputation tended to attract a degree of respect and hero worship, hearing the Uchiha clan head plainly state his approval was still a surprise. After all, Kakashi had to be the only possessor of the Sharingan who was not an Uchiha.

"I…" Sasuke hesitated. His eyes flicked to Itachi, searching for something, before he steeled himself. "During the mission I was able to use my Sharingan for the first time."

Surprise coloured Fugaku's features before it was washed away by a small smile and approving eyes. "That's very good news. Itachi, did you know about this?"

Itachi, who had been quietly listening and observing until now, nodded. "Sasuke and I have been training together to improve his control over it. He's progressing at a steady pace."

"Good. Sasuke, you'll do well to listen to Itachi. He'd already had his Sharingan for a couple years by your age."

The slight deflating of Sasuke's shoulders made Sakura frown. Mikoto seemed to notice too if her clipped tone of voice was anything to go by.

"I'm sure Sasuke is doing his best. As long as he knows where he wants to be and how to get there, that's all I can ask for. Don't you agree, Fugaku?"

"Of course."

Sakura realised that this complicated relationship between father and son was probably a significant factor that motivated Sasuke to improve. It was also probably the cause of much of his self-doubt that he thought was carefully hidden away from his teammates.

Mikoto hummed thoughtfully as she watched Naruto take careful bites of various dishes. "I do hope you're enjoying the food. I wasn't sure what you both liked aside from what I was able to learn from Sasuke."

"It's delicious, Mikoto-san," Sakura hurriedly assured her, "thank you again for inviting us over."

"Speaking of delicious food," Itachi said, "I had some delightful dango today. The sesame was particularly nice."

Naruto choked on a mouthful of rice. Sakura wordlessly slid him a napkin while turning a strained smile to Itachi.

"Six sticks, wasn't it?"

"Six?" Mikoto echoed in surprise. She looked at her son dubiously. "I didn't know you had such a big appetite."

Humour flared in Itachi's eyes. "Of course I couldn't finish them. But I didn't want to waste Naruto-san and Sakura-san's kind gift, so I shared with Shisui."

A strangled noise erupted from Naruto's throat as he made to lunge across the table. Fortunately, Sasuke was quick enough to grab hold of the blond before he got too far.

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"Thank you for the wonderful evening, Sasuke-san," Sakura teased.

"You're welcome. Please don't ever come again."

Naruto guffawed. "Such a rude host."

They stood at the entrance of the Uchiha compound, watching the trails of gold in the horizon fade away. A cool breeze swirled around them, scattering leaves that chattered in the quiet of the evening.

"You know," Sakura said, glancing at Sasuke from the corner of her eye, "your kaa-san is right."

Sasuke frowned. "About what?"

"Going at your own pace. There's no need to keep comparing yourself to your brother every step of the way."

A stilted silence blanketed them, and for a moment she thought he wouldn't respond. Then, quietly, he spoke.

"That's not what tou-san thinks. I need to spend more time training to get stronger like Itachi. Did you know that when he was my age he was already taking ANBU missions—"

"Shut up," Naruto growled. He ignored the way Sasuke froze and looked at him wide eyed. "God you're sounding just like him. It's fine if you want to get stronger, but you can do that without trying to be Itachi. You're Sasuke. You're one of us. We'll get stronger together and find another way to make your tou-san acknowledge you. Besides, I refuse to be rivals with a guy who's just an imitation of someone else, you hear me?"

Sasuke blinked once, then twice. A small but genuine smile emerged. "Loud and clear."

Naruto's glare softened. "Well, good."

"…Thanks," Sasuke said, voice almost too soft to hear. "Now go away, you're both too noisy." With that, he turned and began walking up the winding path home.

Grinning, Sakura swung an arm around Naruto's shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, Sasuke!"

"Bring us some rice balls!"

Sasuke twitched and muttered under his breath, "Of course they'd ask for Itachi's favourite. I swear they do it on purpose."