Author's notes: So, a day early update, just because I have work for most of the day tomorrow so I might forget. This chapter is probably one of my favourites that I have written so far. I'm quite a few chapter's ahead, so I'm happy with my progress. I have a cover that's being created that may be updating the cover in a few days, depending on when's she's finished with it. This is definitely where some of the plot changes occur, and things are going to be different going forward. While the plotpoints from Fast Forward/Pause are going to be similar to some capacity, I've changed things due to the very big reason that you'll see further on. I do hope you enjoy.
Next chapter should be out on 1st September. I do hope you enjoy this chapter for what it is. As always, I'm shit at editing so if there are any grammatical errors, I apologise wholeheartedly.
Paradox
03. Inheritance
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Sasuke had found himself in the Uchiha estate, back at his own house. Naruto was by his side, having told him that they should stick together with everything that is going on. In a way, Sasuke was glad to have the orange-clad shinobi with him; it would be a distraction from the thoughts that stirred in his head. He had not yet had the time to sit down and think of what he was going to do. He could end his own life, but Itachi was still a menace and he knew that Sakura herself would be disappointed as she would lose her daughter (but does that even matter now?). Sasuke had a lot to answer for, that he knew. Kakashi was hellbent on killing him, and it was only due to Sakura that Kakashi had stopped.
Sarada…
Sasuke had seen the girl for only a few moments and she was… well. Amazing, really. He was sure that she was stronger than him, and he was certain they were around the same age. And she already had her sharingan! Interesting, for sure. Sasuke had not been able to ask about the girl, but he made a mental note to ask Sakura or… Kakashi.
Kakashi and Sakura had an odd relationship. Like, parental, almost. Kakashi held a lot of respect for Sakura, and that surprised Sasuke to an extent. Kakashi, while he had never badmouthed Sakura, had made it clear that he thought she was the weak link in the team, even before Naruto. It did annoy Sasuke to a point, but it had not been his business. Sakura needed to improve and she – well, did. She had gotten stronger with his and Naruto's absence. She was probably one of the most powerful shinobi now, he gathered.
Sasuke opened the main door the manor, and took in the sight that the place had been defiled. Graffiti of crude words insulting the Uchiha and himself smeared the walls, with the once expensive furniture either having been looted or destroyed. The locks should have held, but he supposed that with enough force, people could force their way in. That, and the smashed windows. Naruto had been silent for a while, which was nice for Sasuke, but it made him think that Naruto was actually thinking for once.
The boys wandered into what was the lounge room, again, everything destroyed. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. They could not really stay here. He was also sure that Kakashi would not hand them any funds in order to fix some things. But what about the Uchiha inheritance? Surely, he still had access to that. Sasuke would have to speak to Kakashi about that. He had always had access to it when he was younger – if he had not been so liked upon the female population, he was sure that he would have gotten shit for being the 'rich kid'.
"Ne, Sasuke," Naruto started, looking around, "No offense, but I don't think we can stay here…"
Sasuke nodded.
Maybe they could clean up a bit, and make a spot in the lounge for some futons for a bit. Yeah, that was an idea.
"We can clean up, come on."
Naruto groaned at the mention of 'cleaning up'. Sasuke knew that Naruto was lazy, but it would be worth it in the sense that they would be able to relax and talk amongst themselves without as much surveillance on them. That would be a good thing to have. He was sure that they were being watched by ANBU, but… It was better than nothing.
Sasuke nodded his head, beckoning for Naruto to follow him.
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They finally found a room with no smashed windows – the sun room. It had a lot of windows, and Sasuke was surprised that the vandals had not destroyed it. There was still crude words on the windows, but they weren't smashed, and there was a lock on the door if needed. Naruto was humming as he swept up the remnants of dust and dirt, and scooped it into a black trash bag.
The two heard a knock at the door, and Naruto ran out to see who was here. After a moment of soft murmurs, Kakashi appeared in the room with Naruto. Sasuke stilled, stepping back slightly, watching the man curiously to see what he would do without Sakura here. He was holding two paper bags, and set them down on the newly cleaned counter. Kakashi looked around, nodding to himself before his eyes focused on Naruto. 'Ah.' There would be no talking between Sasuke and Kakashi. Sasuke couldn't blame him. The anger that he had seen earlier that day was fair, and Sasuke could not blame him for the anger that was still barrelling out Kakashi's body in slight chakra spikes.
"Well, if you both are wanting to wander around the village, you'll need to conceal your identities," he opened the bag and showed various clothing articles, tags on them to show that they had been bought recently.
One of the clothing items was all orange, and Sasuke groaned. That was for Naruto, for sure. Two black masks, no doubt from Kakashi's collection as they were the only things without tags. Also, no Uchiha fan on the back of any of it. Sasuke was glad, he did not want to be recognised at all. And he was assuming, neither did the current Hokage. Naruto grinned with glee and picked up the orange jacket, that came with a set of black pants with orange stripes along the lining. Sasuke's own outfit for their hiding was one that was black with white trimmings at the edges and dark blue pants. There was a slightly higher collar than what he was used to, but he would deal.
Kakashi's eyes flickered on Sasuke, "Because of your hair, you'll have to cover it. There's a beanie in this pile as well."
Sasuke nodded thankfully.
The Uchiha's thoughts flickered onto their bedding arrangement – the couch that was once in here had been pissed on, and stunk quite bad so the boys had dragged it out. The rest of the beds were either torn into, or also had piss and other bodily fluids on them. Sasuke did not want to think further about it. 'Gross.'
"Is there any chance I can have access to my inheritance?"
Naruto blinked, his eyes flickering onto Kakashi who stilled slightly. The grey-haired man sighed before leaning against the graffiti marked walls. "Long answer is… no. You'll have to speak to Sakura about it, she has it now."
Of… course. That made sense. Sarada was the closest to an Uchiha in this village. She would have gotten the funds. That also explains the lovely house that Sakura has. Sasuke frowned slightly; this had been what had supported Sakura. So in a way, his dead family did help her. Sasuke was sure that whoever was Hokage at the time had to jump through a lot of hoops in order to award it to Sakura, as Sarada would not have been declared the official heir. He was also sure that Sarada did not carry his name either, but her sharingan was enough proof of her birth right. He was happy that Sakura had the money, but he felt guilty about having to ask her about some funds in order to buy food and some basic bedding.
Sasuke groaned. He already did not want to speak to Sakura for the moment, as he just – well, did not know what to say to her. Would she be offended? The only cash he had on hand was probably enough for he and Naruto to buy dinner for the night. Yes, he was going to shout Naruto food – and no, he did not want to talk about it.
Kakashi folded his arms, "What exactly do you need it for? Even if it wasn't with her, I wouldn't give it to you."
True.
"I wanted to buy some bedding for Naruto and myself, and some other things for around here. Not too much, but yeah…"
Naruto grinned at the thought of getting new bedding. He had not had any new bedding in a long time, the payout from missions was enough to get by, but not enough to buy fancy new beds. Naruto almost snickered at the thought of sleeping on a lavish new bed. Although… with it being Sakura's money now, Naruto was sure that Sasuke would want to spend as little of it as he could. Still, he was surprised by Sasuke reaction – more like, lack of reaction of the funds being with Sakura now.
The Hokage sighed, "I'll talk to her, and I'll let you know."
As he said that, the man disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Sasuke released his breath. He wouldn't have to speak to Sakura for the moment. Part of him wanted to apologise – who was he kidding, he would. He had hurt her. Big time. If he could stop his future self from doing what he did, he would. But he had no affect on that Sasuke, so there was not much he could do. Would an apology even much from him? Still… Sasuke knew he owed her that much, even if he did never really apologise to anyone.
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Kakashi knocked on the door to Sakura's home, with Sarada opening the door. The girl grinned and quickly hugged the grey-haired Hokage. Kakashi wholeheartedly hugged the girl back. He and Sarada had a close relationship; he had been her mentor, as well as being there as a father figure for the little girl. She would often come to him with problems that she could not voice to Sakura, in case she would get into trouble. He could not blame the young girl, as Sakura could be overbearing at times – she was very worried about her young daughter.
"Is your mama home?" Kakashi asked, letting go of the girl.
Sarada nodded, glancing down the hall, into the kitchen, "Yeah, she's just cooking some supper. Are you here for that as well?" her smile reappeared, no doubt wanting to have some time with Kakashi.
"Not today, kiddo," Kakashi said, stepping past her to get to the kitchen.
Sarada followed along.
"Sakura?"
The young woman was standing over the stove, mixing together some sweet concoction in a bowl, she turned around with the bowl still being mixed and flashed Kakashi a strained smile. Sakura had been through a lot today. She had seen the father of her child who had defiled her, before he had even gotten to that point. Kakashi had been irritated when Sasuke had asked about his inheritance –
(The man watched wearily as Kakashi handed him papers, this would be to confirm that Sakura now has access to the funds of the Uchiha. His dark eyes flickered over to the candle, and Kakashi knew that the man was willing to do this. However… many things had changed since the last time they had seen each other on the battlefield.
"You will still have access, don't worry," Kakashi said softly, his respect for this man, having known his secrets came through in his voice.
He grunted, "I don't care for the money, I just fear what will happen when this gets out…"
The silver-haired Hokage nodded, "I understand… but this is better for the two of them. I'm sure you agree. It will be hard for her to raise a child on her own, particularly an Uchiha…"
The hooded man agreed, nodding.
He leaned forward and quickly signed the parchment; he was head of the Uchiha, he could do what he wanted with the funds that had been stored away for a long time. They deserved to go to this woman. She was one of them now, as was her daughter – even if their last names were not the same.)
Kakashi had understood though, that Sasuke needed some access so that he could buy what they need in order to wait comfortably for them to be sent back to their own time period. Still, Kakashi had to speak to both of the boys about what happened, and have Shikamaru by his side in order to work out the kinks. Still… Kakashi had yet to decide if he will allow them to return with their memories in tact, or to wipe them and just allow things to happen as they are now. It was a hard decision, as Sasuke could always turn, and end up killing Naruto once more.
(He was too late. Naruto's body was floating in the water of the Valley of the End. His chakra long gone, and burns grazed his body – Chidori. The very attack that Kakashi had shown his once-pupil. Sasuke had destroyed everything of Team Seven; first Sakura, and now Naruto. Sasuke needed to be put down like the sick dog he was, but Kakashi did not have the strength.
Naruto had been the strongest, and he had destroyed Naruto, clearly. Looking around, it had been a short fight. It was almost like Sasuke took amusement out of destroying his opponent. Kakashi wished it didn't come to this, but it did.
He grabbed the boy's body – only freshly eighteen – and laid him down on the soft soil, bowing his head. He would have been Hokage soon, there were already whispers of it. Kakashi would go on for another few years, and then train Naruto on what to do with this prestigious title. Instead, he was now going to be burying the boy.
He sighed.
Everything really went to shit. He wiped his eyes, and felt the rain drop around him with thunder in the distance. He could at least cry in peace before bringing him home for a proper burial.)
"How are you, with everything?" Kakashi asked, not wanting to jump right into Sasuke's request.
Sarada was in the room as well, he was sure that the girl knew what was going on to an extent. She was sitting on one of the barstools, no doubt wanting whatever it was that Sakura was making for their supper.
"I'm… as well as you could probably imagine," Sakura said softly, blinking away.
She was in pain. He could not blame her.
Kakashi nodded, "I… understand. It's fine, you're allowed to be unhappy with everything that's going on. What do you think, with Sasuke?"
Sarada glared at the mention of her estranged father. She has not an idea about her conception, but she does know that Sasuke had abandoned the both of them, and that he was the one plaguing the world with his atrocities. She was a smart kid, it was best to not lie about who her father was. That, and her sharingan was proof enough of who her father was. Sakura huffed, not wanting to talk about this directly in front of Sarada. There were a lot of things on her mind that were weighing her down, and this? This was not something that her daughter should be hearing about.
Sarada had always been weary of her parentage – she knew exactly who her father was, and was often mocked by the general populace who did not understand how she came to be. Still, even if that knowledge was open, Sakura was sure that the teasing would continue. Sakura barely got any of it, as she could backhand someone all the way down the street, and people were not dumb enough to do anything. Sarada had to be more careful, as most genin were not as powerful as she was – so, she could get into serious trouble if she decided to react. Sakura wished that this agreed upon 'right' was passed onto her daughter, although Sakura has said numerous times that if it gets to be too much, to feel free to react negatively (without violence, of course) or even flash the sharingan if need be. Sakura didn't care if her daughter got into trouble for defending herself against being teased.
The girl hopped off of her seat and made her way closer to Kakashi and Sakura, "Can we not talk about him here? I don't want to hear about that bastard."
Sakura nodded.
Kakashi sighed, "Well, I have one more thing to say about that bastard," he mumbled, "He's asking if he can have some access to the inheritance in order to buy what's needed for him and Naruto."
In response, Sakura pursed her lips before sighing, "It is his money."
Sarada looked on, flabbergasted, "Wait, why aren't you lending them money?"
The Hokage shrugged his shoulders, "There isn't much money left here. A lot of our money is for the war, and… well, I just can't afford to give rations out to someone who is well off."
Sakura nodded in understanding, "I agree. Sure, just give me the paperwork and I'll sign it. Or did you need him to sign it again?"
Kakashi shook his head, "No, he's… busy. I think. He was due back a couple of days ago, but I'm sure he'll show up soon."
("You're the only one that has immunity to him," Kakashi said in realisation, closing his ecchi book, "So that's why you're…"
"I'm no longer ill, I am at full strength once more as well," the man said softly, "We both know that I cannot be in this village without questions being asked, particularly by people who knew me back then. Even with hiding. Besides, I'd feel better that I am doing something for Konoha, instead of sitting around, waiting for Sasuke to strike."
The Hokage leaned back in his chair, resting his hand against his mask, leaning against the heavy desk. This man would be a great asset to them, particularly since Sasuke would not dare strike him. He had shown that in the past, but Kakashi wondered if that was the main reason that Sasuke had yet to attack. He had all the power in the world, and Kakashi knew that they would be decimated, even if Sasuke's group was not the largest. Sasuke and Obito were both dangerous, and Kakashi knew that the time would come for them to come here, and he hoped that sending his ally away to investigate would not stir the pot.
But… Kakashi had no clue what Sasuke was up to, as of now. It was too dangerous to not have someone go out and see what was going on.
"Fine, just make sure that you come here every two months so we can see what's going on. Don't get yourself caught or killed, Sasuke might not want you dead, but Obito will – he knows how powerful you are," Kakashi said softly.
The thought of his old friend being one of the main villains in the world no longer stung. That wound had long since healed, and Kakashi knew that Obito was no longer the boy that he had viewed as his closest friend. Kakashi knew that Obito would never change, neither would Sasuke. He had accepted that a long time. The Uchiha were truly cursed.
Other… than the one beacon of hope standing in front of him.
"Stay well, Itachi.")
Sakura nodded. Itachi had helped her as well as he could with Sarada. He was the only other person who knew what had taken place between herself and Sasuke, as he had figured it out all on his own. The older Uchiha brother was gentle, much more gentle than Sakura had expected. She had been horrified when he had first shown up – she had known what he had done with his clan, and she was worried he was there to finish off Sarada. But… that wasn't it. Apparently, when Kabuto had revived all of the Akatsuki, Itachi was able to come out of his trance and was later revived by Orochimaru using a forbidden technique that had apparently been upgraded dramatically. While Orochimaru was no friend, he also knew the gravity of the situation and would help from time to time. Another thing that probably edged him over to 'their side' was that Sasuke was no doubt hunting him down as well, he probably was looking for any way to slither away.
Since then, Itachi has been shadowing Sasuke and his group, and sending back what he knew of their plans. Itachi was sure that Sasuke had yet to catch on to his reappearance in life. Sakura knew what had happened with the massacre, and felt horrible for Itachi who wanted nothing more than to protect the village. He had been spying on the Akatsuki back then, too. He was a good man who got wrapped into evil by actions that were not even of his own want, but he understood what he needed to do. The Uchiha were going to turn on the village, and Itachi knew that he had to choose either the village or his clan.
Itachi was too good for his own good sometimes, Sakura gathered. The man was selfless, and powerful all wrapped in an Uchiha form. Itachi was probably the only person that could stop Sasuke now, but Kakashi was not willing to sacrifice his ace to stop Sasuke at this point, as if Itachi died, they would all die. There were whisperings that Sasuke knows that Itachi lives, but… he doesn't know that he is being shadowed by his older brother.
"Okay, well, if you have the paperwork ready, I'll sign it."
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Sasuke found himself resting outside, the sun had long set, and he had yet to provide any bedding for himself or Naruto. He hoped some of the stores would still be open, but if worst came to worst, they could sleep on the ground for the time being. Stores with food, however, would still be open. Sasuke heard a popping noise to the left, and saw that Kakashi had reappeared. He had taken his time. He tossed a bag to Sasuke, filled with money.
"That should do, shouldn't it?" Kakashi asked, although it was rhetorical.
The Uchiha nodded, "Yeah."
No thank-yous as always. Kakashi rolled his eyes.
The Uchiha headed back inside to let Naruto know that they have access to food now, the jinchuuriki had been complaining for a while now. Even Sasuke was starting to feel the sting of hunger.
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Words: 3700 approx.
