Heion will be the name for the baby! Thanks so much for the suggestions!

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Chapter II: Uncle Sasuke

The Great Naruto Bridge was a perfect place for training, especially in the early morning hours. The sea was slopping peacefully against the bridge's foundations, providing a sort of languid and soothing rhythmic sound. The breeze blowing inland was cold, like icy fingers reaching out from the sea to caress every thing that stood in their path. Sea birds squawked and soared around in circles overhead, a definite contrast against the sea's peaceful sighing.

There were currently two men standing in the middle of the Great Naruto Bridge. One could surmise they could just have appeared there from the air. Well, ninjas were known for disappearing and appearing at will anyway. The shorter one was blonde, wearing a black suit mixed with glaring orange, a Leaf head protector perched on his forehead. The young blonde stood in firm concentration, legs apart, eyes closed and hands trembling as he kept up a hand seal for whatever jutsu he was trying to master. In spite of the early morning coldness, drops of sweat bedewed the blonde's whiskered face.

His companion, a certain pale man with sleek black hair was leaning on the railing and one of the bridge's many supporting pillars. The pale man was wearing the traditional Jounin garb, with his hair tied up into a neat ponytail at the back of his head. Strangely, though, his head protector was not that of his own village, but of the Hidden Leaf. Currently the man was dozing, his chin drooping onto his chest and his bandaged arms folded one above the other. It was as if he'd been awake and watching his student practice, but he got bored of waiting for any results and thus found himself in a doze. He was even snoring lightly.

Naruto ground his teeth in frustration. He was never good in genjutsu. But as his sensei pointed out, Kokuangyou no Jutsu would be of immense use for him if he could master it. It blinded one's opponents effectively and gives the user the ninety percent of the battle. That and the fact that this jutsu was created by the Nidaime Hokage. A drop of sweat fell off Naruto's chin, and that was the last straw.

"AAAAARGGHHHH! THIS IS ANNOYING ME!"

His sudden shout shocked the sleep out of his mentor, who, suddenly lost his balance and started to teeter dangerously over the bridge's edge. Orochimaru gave a strangled yell and flailed his arms wildly, but a breeze blew, and this completely knocked off his precarious balance. There was a small splash as he fell into the chilling salty waters below.

"You're blind." Sasuke suddenly blurted out as he squirmed uncomfortably under the kunai pointed to his vein.

Itachi's expression softened, but he did not lower the kunai. "Yes I am."

Sasuke was suddenly at a loss for words. He flicked his wrist and a new kunai slid into his hands. His head was screaming at him to go kill his brother now. It was all so easy. By admitting he was now blind, Itachi had lost his weapon. He had no Mangekyo Sharingan up his sleeve any longer. Sasuke could have the advantage. It would be so easy. The younger Uchiha's grip tightened around his kunai. Kill him now, Sasuke! KILL HIM NOW!

He made a sudden move, but Itachi surprisingly lowered the kunai. What he did next made Sasuke's lips go dry. Itachi lifted the baby and tried putting it to sleep.

"Rock a bye baby, on the treetop...

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock..."

Sasuke paled. He can SING? He watched, dumbfounded, as Itachi made comforting sounds and pecked the baby's rosy cheeks with light kisses. The baby's crying did lessen, and soon it was crooning in Itachi's arms and waving its small hands. Sasuke felt that someone should bang his head with a frying pan.

"Sasuke, I told you to get me some milk." Itachi said in his usual empty voice.

The younger Uchiha blinked. "I...I don't have any milk." Or rather, Sasuke hated the taste of milk.

Itachi rolled his eyes. He was getting frustrated, and that was not good. "Then go buy one, fool." Tch, his brother made him talk so much it was grating on his nerves!

Unnerved, Sasuke soon found himself on his feet and fumbling for his purse. He took out a couple of bills and went outside to the nearest variety store he could find. Why am I obeying Itachi? His thoughts shouted as he asked for some milk from the vendor, who was eyeing him curiously. I should have killed him! What is wrong with me? Maybe some of his thoughts showed up in his face because the store owner fumbled for a baseball bat and kept a precautionary grip on it as he gave Sasuke a carton of milk and his change.

The younger Uchiha turned on his heels before remembering that they did not have any feeding bottle whatsoever. Swallowing an awfully hard lump in his throat, he turned back to the store owner, who still did not let go of his baseball bat. "Uh...excuse me, but...do you have an 8-onze feeding bottle? I'd like to buy one, please."

The store owner's calculating look gave way to that of a curious one. "You're the Uchiha boy, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Why are you buying a feeding bottle?"

Sasuke blinked, completely thrown off-guard. "Excuse me?"

The store owner gave a wry smile. "That's what I say to my daughter. She's not careful with boys, no she isn't. Aren't you the responsible guy then?"

Sasuke's face turned very red as he understood the point of the conversation. He angrily snatched the feeding bottle and stomped back to his house, steam gushing out of his ears. The nerve! Did that man think I'm – I'm THAT kind of person? How DARE he! The baby was crying again, and Itachi was...uhh...trying to hush it?

"Come now, don't cry anymore, Uncle Sasuke will be here soon with your milk... sssh, come on baby, don't give me a hard time!" There was a definite edge to Itachi's voice as he said that. He must be toeing the very limits of his patience now. "Oi, oi, come on...stop crying, for Christ's sakes!"

Sasuke was halted in his tracks, his jaw dropping open. UNCLE SASUKE? UNCLE SASUKE!

"SASUKE, WHERE ARE YOU!" Itachi finally screamed.

Shocked, Sasuke jolted out of his reverie and dashed to the kitchen to fix the baby's milk. Now his heart was pounding with fear. Fear he hadn't felt since he'd been Genin. His brother actually screamed. No, no that was wrong – everything was horribly wrong! Itachi does NOT scream! He was NOT Uncle Sasuke! He wasn't...Itachi doesn't...

Hands trembling, Sasuke filled the bottle with warm water up to the 8-onze mark. He gingerly opened the packet of milk and started spooning the powder into the bottle. Meanwhile, Itachi screamed again.

"SASUKE, WHERE ARE YOU!"

Even Sasuke's ear drums were pounding now. His fingers got screwed up as the spoon slid from his hands and onto the floor, tsking irritably he made to pick it up, but another scream from his blind brother made him think otherwise. He rammed the feeding bottle's cap and nipple back on and shook it vigorously as he walked back to the room where Itachi and the baby were.

Itachi looked...bad. Sasuke had never seen his brother's haggard face twisted into an agonized glower. In their entire lives, Itachi never frowned if he could help it. This day was just so wrong!

"Here!" Sasuke said shakily as he held out the milk-filled bottle.

Itachi snatched the bottle from his trembling hands and thrust the nipple rather harshly into the baby's mouth. But then, as if the feeding bottle was magic, the baby changed from a little monster to a complete angel. It made adorable sucking noises as it fed, and Sasuke gaped at the speed the milk was disappearing. Itachi's face was cold steel as he stared blankly into space. His jaw was set so firmly that Sasuke had half a mind to go run for his life again.

"No good, this is no good, fix some more!" Itachi cried as he threw the emptied bottle to Sasuke, who fumbled with it. "HURRY AND PUT YOUR LAZY ASS TO IT, I SAID!" Itachi roared as the baby started howling in his arms again.

For the next fifteen minutes Sasuke ran to the kitchen and back to the room and vice versa until the baby was satisfied. As he washed the feeding bottle, Sasuke threw a worried look at the carton of milk he'd bought. It was empty now. Good heavens, how were they supposed to take care of a baby with that horrendous appetite? His head exploded in pain. No, no, everything is so wrong! What on earth did Itachi do to his child to make it hungry like that? More importantly, who was the mother? The mere thought of his older brother as a father sent chills running down Sasuke's spine. Good lord, Itachi actually knows how to make babies!

"Calm down, Sasuke!" the Jounin hissed to himself. "Calm down and try see the logic of things!"

He carefully put the feeding bottle upside down on a plate to dry. Burying his face in his hands, Sasuke tried to put one and one together to make two. Did Itachi perchance have a fight with his wife? That could explain why he looked so haggard and...no, no, a plain quarrel between husband and wife won't end up to Itachi staggering back here, bleeding. Or...or maybe the wife and the child got attacked...and...and Itachi tried to save them? Only, the mother died? Impossible, Itachi was not the type who cared about families. All of this thinking only made Sasuke's head ache some more so he gave it up. He rose from the chair and walked back to the room.

The baby was crawling on the tatami floor, naked. Sasuke knew then that it was his niece. But something else caught his eyes. There was a weird, twirling mark on the baby's creamy belly. Sasuke's thoughts immediately went to how sick his brother was, having his daughter tattooed at such an early age. Remembering his brother, Sasuke looked wildly around for Itachi. There was no way Itachi would leave him with his daughter!

A crash from the bathroom told Sasuke where his brother was. Probably patching himself up...

Blinking, Sasuke realized that the baby had now crawled to his feet and was looking up at him with startlingly purple eyes. Hesitating, Sasuke bent and picked the baby off the floor. The baby made sucking sounds and clapped its little hands.

"Ga...ga...coo..."

Sasuke wondered what sort of ninja clan had purple eyes. He racked his brains for anything but came up with nothing. He looked at his niece. "Will you also bear the Sharingan?" he asked the child softly.

The baby laughed and turned its attentions to Sasuke's head protector. Little pink fingers tried tracing the mark of the Leaf etched on metal. "Coo...coo..."

Sasuke nodded. "T-that's right...Konoha."

Itachi re-entered the room. He was wearing nothing except the bandages around his torso and his pants. He looked pained. Sasuke clutched his niece tightly.

"You're sick, Itachi." He spat.

The older Uchiha turned to the opposite direction, frowning in confusion.

"The girl's so young you already had her tattooed..." Sasuke went on. "What kind of psychotic maniac are you!"

But Itachi did not bother answering. He clutched his belly and winced. A spot of red bloomed on his side.

"Who is this girl's mother, Itachi?" Sasuke demanded just as the baby managed to pry off his head protector.

Itachi took a while answering. "I don't know."

This time, Sasuke did feel like somebody hit his head with a frying pan.

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