I do not own Naruto. I own only the plot and any original characters.
(Chiasa grows at an exponential rate and both the clan and the village struggle to match her pace. It doesn't mean they don't try, though.)
five
.
home is where your heart is
.
Uchiha Chiasa is six, and has been sleeping in the same room as her father ever since the kidnapping, all those months ago.
No one in the clan dares to say anything about it, because they all see the purple eye bags that have no place on such a young face. They see how the clan head doesn't let her out of his sight for weeks, how both father and daughter are much more relaxed when close to each other.
Madara begins to train her on the Uchiha clan techniques a month after the incident. He teaches her how to mold chakra and she masters the Fire Ball jutsu in three days. He tells her how to use her sharingan, how to fight against opponents who might have techniques against it. He shows her how to fight using her tanto, how to use her small and quick body to her advantage.
The clan head takes her along on inspections and meetings. Chiasa sits quietly and mostly observes, only speaking when addressed. She watches, searches, and learns like a sponge would absorb water.
Elder Kaito talks about clan economy and she suggests selling hand-embroidered handkerchiefs made by Uchiha women.
"Many people in Fire Country have taken notice of our clothing, right? Everything's high quality and the embroidery made by our clanswomen is appreciated even by the daimyo. We could sell some handkerchiefs at a reasonably high price, but we keep clothing embroidery to our clan only because it is our skill, after all."
The clan discusses the issue for over two weeks before the majority agrees on selling handkerchiefs on commission. Even at a high price they sell like water, and the clan's economy grows over 8% in two months.
Chiasa suggests Hashirama do the same for his clan - and others in the village.
"Every clan has a trade they're quite known for, right? Uchiha women know how to do embroidery, the Nara are experts in herbs, the Akimichi make food like no other, and the Yamanaka know how to use flowers to their full potential. The Senju know how to do pottery, right?"
Hashirama nods, a grin on his face as he listens to the child in front of him speak. Tobirama gets a pensive look on his face as he writes down the suggestions.
"We do, yes. However, how do you expect the clans to simply make available something that's been exclusive for generations?"
"Like we did in our clan. Uchiha women who are civilians all learn to do embroidery. Even the daimyo's wife complimented our kimonos. Of course we won't sell something like that, but small things like handkerchiefs are enough to sate the public's curiosity while still keeping most of the skill inside the clan."
"The Senju clan makes its own furniture and kitchen utensils, but I'm skeptical as to whether the clan will allow to sell any of those."
Chiasa shakes her head at Tobirama's statement, a response quick at her lips.
"Those are things you definitely want to keep inside the clan, Uncle. You can perhaps sell sculptures to nobles who commission them, and teacups to the general public. The Senju clan handpaints everything, right? How about making every teacup a different design so you'll never buy two of the same?"
Tobirama implements the idea the following week, and gives a special tea set for Chiasa as thanks after the Senju clan struggles to keep up with the high demand.
Hashirama calls for a meeting of clan heads and invites the Uchiha princess to sit next to him. She suggests the Nara choose one or two of their tea blends to sell, the Akimichi to open up a restaurant, and the Yamanaka a flower shop as well as ikebana art made by commission.
During the next couple of months, the Aburame clan starts to sell beeswax and honey, the Inuzuka clan open up a veterinary clinic, the Hyuuga clan sell paintings on commission as well as chakra-infused ink, and the Uzumaki clan sell simple storage scrolls.
By the time six months have gone by, the village's economy has grown by roughly 30%, and Hashirama is left struggling with the sudden amount of people that want to live in their village as well as the political repercussions of such quick growth. He pulls all-nighters and delegates things to Tobirama and Madara, and although he never imagined he'd be working so much, he can't help but feel as if the village is growing up nicely.
(Chiasa and her dad sometimes stop by the hokage's office with tea for the overworked leader. Hashirama doesn't think he and Madara will ever be as close as they once were, but they're at least back to talking, and it's already a start.)
A merchant district is set up. There are two shops owned by the Uchiha; one sells embroidered handkerchiefs, and the other sells kunai and shuriken made by Uchiha blacksmiths. The Akimichi's restaurant is easily the most frequented, and the Senju and the Nara have teamed up to sell sets of teacups with a mystery tea blend inside.
Many civilian families start to call Konoha home and wonder where their children will learn.
"Hey, dad?"
"Hn."
"Do you remember Haruno Sachie-chan?"
"The one from the merchant clan."
"Yeah. She told me she wanted to be a ninja, but there's no one to teach her. Does this happen often? Civilian children wanting to be ninja?"
"It's become more common as more ninja villages are established and civilians and ninja interact more with one another. It's rarely happened with people older than you."
"...is it possible to open a ninja school for the general public? A place where both civilian and clan children alike can learn the same stuff? Learn to protect and love their home."
Madara is silent as he watches stars dance in his daughter's eyes. Chiasa's ideas might be a tad unrealistic to his liking and he fears the world will trample on them harshly, but then he remembers a boy he used to be friends with, a boy who shared his dreams, someone who spoke of a place where there were no wars.
Konoha has become more like a home for him ever since they found each other, but it will never be a place for him to come back to. His home is Chiasa, and if she decides Konoha is her own home, he'll let it be.
The clan head tells her to talk to Hashirama about it the next day. For now, they have training, and he's going to cherish the time they have together.
.
.
Uchiha Chiasa is seven and still sleeps in the same room as her father when the Landlady comes to Konoha to bring her back.
The clan heir doesn't actually know the name of the middle-aged woman, because everyone had called her Landlady, but Uncle Tobirama whispers that her name is Harumi and that she's trouble.
"Kurumizawa Harumi is a cunning woman. She's a civilian, but has more than enough money to pay for bodyguards and mercenaries."
Chiasa hears the hint in the white haired man's voice. Although no ninja clan or mercenary group is stupid enough to pick a fight with Konoha, it could still spell trouble and shatter the delicate peace they've been trying so hard to maintain. They have to tread carefully and be as diplomatic as possible.
"Although there was no official document stating Chiasa-hime's birth, there were still enough witnesses that saw her everyday and can vouch in Kurumizawa's favour."
Chiasa sits next to her father in the hokage's round meeting table, where the Senju brothers continue to discuss the situation. Madara has said nothing ever since the Landlady came like a hurricane and started to demand they give her back, but even civilians with no chakra training can sense the Uchiha clan head's sour mood and know to give him a wide berth. Chiasa crawls up to sit in her father's lap and he at least stops grinding his teeth together.
"Has she made any other demands?"
"Other than Chiasa-hime and compensation money, she's stated she'll leave Konoha alone if we give her a positive answer by the end of the week."
The room is silent for a few tense moments, and although she can feel all three men struggling to keep their killing intent in check, Chiasa feels reassured. As if the three of them will back her up without batting an eyelash. She actually did suggest she go back with the Landlady and return when she could pay back her apparent debt, but had gotten a look so meaningful from the Senju brothers and her father that she'd kept quiet ever since.
The clan heir might be young, but she's not stupid. She remembers the Landlady winning verbal fights like no other, abusing of her quick wit and cold logic to bring even the most stubborn client down. She remembers actually feeling safe with the woman, because although she overworked the girls, she never let anything or anyone hurt them. The girls might have not liked their lives there, but many stayed because it was a lot better than other places.
Chiasa's mother had been beautiful, or so they had told her. She'd been one of the Landlady's most popular girl, and had said she'd work for both herself and Chiasa so that the child wouldn't have to become one of the girls.
She tells what little she remembers from the district to her father and uncles, and goes home when Momoka-san comes to pick her up.
Madara comes back home late that day. He'd gotten out from the meeting with the Senju brothers and had immediately called for a clan meeting. Momoka-san had gone home for the day, but a kunoichi had kept her company while she waited for her dad. It was the same kunoichi who'd been part of the search team when Chiasa'd been kidnapped, and the child quite likes her.
Her name is Yuki and she tells Chiasa of a little brother who'd been lost to war, and how she wishes no more children have to fight or die in a war that they have no place in. They talk about the school that's being built and how people are skeptical but curious about it. They giggle over the marriage requests Chiasa has never even seen, burnt by her father as soon as he realizes what they are.
When the clan head slides the door to his house open, he sees his daughter struggling to keep her eyes open as moonlight shines in her face. The kunoichi, Yuki, is lightly supporting her with her arm, and nods respectfully to the man.
"Madara-sama."
"Dad."
Madara lasts about two seconds then relents and picks up his daughter, who is slightly small for her age. The child burrows into his embrace and falls asleep almost instantly, a serene look in her young face.
"Thank you, Yuki. You're dismissed."
"May I inquire about what was decided at the meeting, Madara-sama?"
"Everyone will hear about it tomorrow."
The Uchiha clan head is an unshakeable force, confident and determined as he stands like a looming wall between his daughter and the world. Even though he looks tired, Yuki can see the situation is under control, knows he'd do anything to keep Chiasa safe and sound within the clan. The kunoichi understands what he's not actually telling with words.
'They won't take her.'
"It was a pleasure to protect the princess, Madara-sama. I would gladly do it again."
Yuki bows and takes her leave, and Madara also understands what she did not say with words.
'No. They will not take her.'
Kurumizawa Harumi leaves the village two days later, looking like an odd mix of pleased but shaken. Nothing is said about her departure and everyone gets back to their ordinary lives.
Chiasa, however, is having none of it.
"Uncle Hashirama, what happened to her? What did you tell her?"
The hokage grins and caresses ebony locks of hair, sun shining brightly behind him.
"She realized she was no match for us and left."
The Uchiha clan heir turns to Tobirama, a man who is usually on her side.
"Uncle Tobirama, he's lying." The youngest Senju smirks but says nothing, and the child starts to get frustrated.
Back in the clan compound, of course her dad won't tell her anything either.
"She was a fool who was put back in her place. There's no need for us to concern ourselves with her any longer."
Chiasa spends the day observing and plotting. If her dad won't say anything, it's highly likely he instructed the rest of the clan to do the same. She won't get anything from the Senju brothers either, and the secrecy bothers her greatly.
It's early morning of the following day when she corners Elder Kaito, the one who's most likely to tell her just what is going on. She glares at him just like she's seen her father do, fierce and effective just like his. The elderly man resists bravely, but falters when the child threatens to delegate the clan's accounting to him only.
"Oh, fine. Have it your way. I won't be held responsible if your father catches wind of this, however."
The Uchiha princess spends the entire morning and a part of the afternoon visiting and thanking the family members of each and every house inside the compound with a tear streaked face, her father a silent shadow behind.
"Everyone contributed, you know. That one Senju apparently tore that woman down after he calculated how much you'd be worth if you worked for her until you paid your mother's debt."
The child then spends the rest of the afternoon in Tobirama's arms, occasionally sitting next to Hashirama when the white-haired man needs to leave the office.
"Why? My child, don't be silly. Of course we'd all pinch in. Besides, what we gave that woman was just a bit of what you've given to us."
It's nearly dinner time when Tobirama takes her back to the compound, hugging her back after she throws her arms around him for the last time that day.
"Stand tall and proud for you are an Uchiha, our clan heir and princess. You are worthy of it, and you belong here with us."
Chiasa falls asleep on her father's chest with a smile on her face. She lives in Konoha, inside the Uchiha clan compound, and shares a house with her dad.
She's home.
.
.
Uchiha Chiasa is eight and mostly sleeps in her own room when Tobirama takes three students under his wing.
The school she and Hashirama envision is not quite there yet, but a civilian one has been built. The education of ninja who are affiliated with clans or not is a concern, however, and Tobirama had wanted to try building teams of three young ninjas with a more experienced one leading them. Both Hashirama and Madara, now officially the Shodaime's advisor, thought it was a good start.
In total there were only two new teams, but the idea was to have three more teams by the end of the year if it turned out to be a good decision. Tobirama's team consists of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu. Chiasa doesn't know a lot about the other two, but she knows Hiruzen is the son of the renowned leader of the Sarutobi clan, Sasuke, and something tells her to watch him closely.
The other team is led by Nara Tomoe and is made of Akimichi Torifu, Shimura Danzo, and a distant cousin of hers, Uchiha Kagami. Although she's never met him, Madara tells her he's a loyal ninja of their clan and a couple of years older than her. He doesn't say anything else, and she doesn't pry.
The Uchiha princess is apprenticed to Hashirama himself, and although no official statements are made, everyone in the village knows what it means: Chiasa is favoured by the Shodaime and is a strong candidate for the hokage's seat, along with Tobirama. As she's already done many times, Chiasa doesn't struggle against the current; she sits back and lets it take her, although it doesn't mean she'll let herself be hit by the rocks in the riverside.
They all undergo some training on the first day, but it's mostly to test out the waters. The children are all introduced to one another and it escapes no one's eyes how Hashirama dotes on the Uchiha clan heir. He has a big, warm hand on her shoulder and a proud smile on his face. It's reassuring, but nerve wracking at the same time.
"Hi, I'm Uchiha Chiasa. Let's get along well and protect our home together." She bows her head just the right amount, enough when you're meeting new people who are on the same standing as yourself.
The six children of varying ages bow their heads just a tad lower than she had, a sign of her status as not only the Uchiha clan heir, but also as the hokage's apprentice. It's a little uncomfortable, because the clan children don't bow like this to her, but she sees more and more people do that as she becomes easily recognizable as a prominent person of their village - and isn't that crazy, she's eight.
Tobirama had indeed told his students to treat her with respect, but he knows they would never truly respect her if they didn't want to. He watches as Hiruzen's gaze appraises her, sees Homura and Koharu judging her silently. A glance towards his right shows Tomoe's students being much the same, if a bit more open. The Akimichi child and Chiasa apparently know each other and their casual conversation breaks the formal atmosphere. Kagami bounces right up to greet his cousin, and although the Nara kunoichi does give Danzo a nudge, he doesn't budge from his place.
"Hi, hime! It's nice to finally meet you in person."
There's a glint in the Uchiha boy's eyes that immediately sets Tobirama on edge, but he sees Tomoe shake her head at him, and he refrains from taking Chiasa back to his side.
(He ignores Hashirama struggling to keep his laughter in check. Yes, she's his favorite, so what, everyone and their mother knows that.)
"You know, I wasn't there when you went to everyone's houses crying and thanking them. Mom said she'd never seen you like that."
A pretty red colors the princess' cheeks immediately as she pouts up at her cousin. Tobirama himself had seen her blush only a couple of times, and he had to admit it was endearing.
"I couldn't not thank them."
"Eh? You did that, Chiasa-hime? Somehow I can't imagine that…" Torifu innocently fans the fire, and the girl makes a pained face.
"It was a while ago, it's not a big deal."
"I find it hard to believe as well. Chiasa-hime is always composed when I see her, after all."
Koharu joins in on the teasing, and a spell is broken. Tobirama watches fondly as Chiasa clings to the Akimichi's side, who pats her on the back. His three students plus Danzo all swarm around her, invited by Kagami's promises of embarrassing stories of the clan heir.
The clearing is filled with excited chatting and children laughter. In that peaceful moment, Hashirama comes up to his side and puts a hand on his shoulder.
"See, I told you she'd be fine."
The Nara kunoichi next to them lets out a giggle and Tobirama's face feels hot. He brushes his brother's hand aside and grumbles when the Shodaime finally lets out the laugh he was holding in.
.
.
Uchiha Chiasa is nine when she makes her first kill.
It happens during the seventh celebration of Konoha's founding, when there are envoys from other ninja villages but no one bats an eyelash at them because nothing's happened since Kumo's attempted kidnapping four years ago. Not a single taunt, battle, skirmish, or threat.
They had let their guard down, and it'd cost them greatly.
One second there are people laughing and enjoying themselves, eating good food and chatting happily. The next, stalls and buildings are set on fire and there's smoke everywhere.
Yuki grabs her and flees towards the center of the festival, where she knows Madara and the Senju brothers are. An earth jutsu hits the two out of the blue and they fall, although the kunoichi manages to protect the Uchiha princess from the brunt of it. Two men of the Iwa envoy sneer at them, already making signs for another jutsu. The woman activates her sharingan and syncs in on the two, and tells Chiasa to run.
She does. It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth but she knows Yuki is strong; one of the strongest in their clan, in fact, and there's no way she'd lose to them. Still, Chiasa dashes in the direction of her father, flaring her chakra like Tobirama had taught her to. It's only because of all her taijutsu training that she manages to avoid chakra-infused rocks being thrown at her and blades aiming for her neck, sprinting forward without looking back.
The Uchiha clan heir halts as she sees civilians stuck under a pile of burning wood. She doesn't think twice before activating her sharingan and quickly mapping out the place. She's quick and swift in the way she throws the destroyed stall to the side, and ignores the flames licking at her skin.
She's an Uchiha, and Uchiha make fire bend to their will.
"Oh thank you, thank you hime-"
"Run. Stay away from the fighting. Don't attempt to grab possessions and don't look back."
The young couple hastily say their thanks and rush to safety, and as something in her mind tells her to turn around, she does so with a stolen kunai in her hand-
A dull thud in the middle of the chaos, and Yuki lies sprawled out in front of her. There are needles all over her body, and a sweet scent invades the girl's nose. She sees the kunoichi's chakra system going haywire, struggling to mold under her hands as something black corrodes it.
'Poison.' Her mind whispers, and for a second everything is eerily quiet.
Chiasa dashes to the woman's side, and a pained groan catches her attention. There's a man sliding down a burnt wall, half-dead from Yuki's blade stuck on his chest.
"Yuki!"
Things burst into action once again. There's less screaming and the fires are dying out. There are no civilians left in the streets, all safely evacuated. There's the distinct sound of someone calling out for her, but all she can see is the kunoichi in front of her, blood sluggishly seeping out of the numerous senbon wounds. She's covered in bruises and gashes, but as she holds the princess' hands with a pained grimace, there's love and kindness in her sharingan eyes.
'The color of an Uchiha's love is red.'
"Hime, it was a pleasure to be by your side."
"No. No. No. Yuki, no-"
"Shh, it's okay. It's okay."
"You'll be fine, I can get Uncle to heal you, he'll be here in a moment-"
"Chiasa."
The girl stills and her vision blurs. Tears roll down her dirt streaked cheeks and she wonders just where things went so wrong, so fast.
"You're our princess, our pride and joy. Please, let me die knowing I did what my heart told me to."
A sob breaks out of her chest even as the hand gripping the kunai is surprisingly steady. The poison is slowly killing her, and at this rate it'll be hours before Yuki dies. Chiasa cries harder, and in stark contrast she grabs the kunai with firm hands.
"Thank you for everything, Chiasa."
Uchiha Yuki dies with a clean stab wound to the heart, and her eyes slip closed. It's a quick and painless death, but it does not calm Chiasa down.
Blood runs down her cheeks as her eyes catch everything in vivid detail, more so than before. It's like she sees everything in slow motion, the colors bright and lines sharp.
"Little Uchiha bitch… we'll come back for those eyes."
She gets up slowly, and although her steps are shaky, she does not falter once. When she locks eyes with the Iwa shinobi, he sees hell.
"Burn."
Madara finds his daughter moments later, quickly followed by the Senju brothers. There's a man being engulfed by black flames that don't die out until his body has turned to ash. The three men watch in horror and anger as Chiasa's eyes spin, arms holding Yuki's lifeless body to her chest.
The Uchiha clan heir is nine years old when she kills her best friend and awakens her mangekyo sharingan.
Recovery is a slow process, and some days are better than others.
Some nights she sits in the veranda with her dad. Madara holds her close as he tells stories of her uncle, Izuna, and the curse of hate that runs in their clan.
"The color of our love is red. Sometimes, we love so much it turns black."
He tells her stories of times of war, so different yet not at the same time. He tells her fond memories, pranks and children play. The fine line between their red love and their black hatred.
"Your uncle Izuna succumbed to the curse of hatred after watching our youngest brother get killed. Mourn and pray for her as you wish, but Yuki did not die for your love to blacken."
She cries herself to sleep in her father's arms as she feels her heart break over and over again.
"Grow and continue to love, Chiasa. Yuki would have wanted that, as well."
Kagami often seeks her out during lunch time. Sometimes he'll fill the silence with tales of his training and adventures with his team, but sometimes he sits quietly next to her and just lets his presence do the comforting.
"Is this what being clan heir means? That people will die for you?"
She asks him one day, and it's only because Tomoe-sensei startles them so often that he doesn't even twitch. He puts his chopsticks down and notices she hasn't eaten much of her lunch.
"Yes and no."
The Uchiha princess finally turns to look at him and Kagami feels like crying. In her eyes he sees red love covered by a thick mist of pain, something that darkens the bright color and fades away. He ignores the lump in his throat and continues.
"You're going to be clan head one day and that means you're important, yeah, but I think the main thing here is that people would die with you rather than for you."
Kagami is eleven and hasn't had his first kill yet, nevermind seen the death of a close friend. He remembers Chiasa's spinning eyes and wishes it'd been him who'd been forced to kill Yuki. Their clan heir had seemed so self-assured before, a constant and sturdy presence amidst harsh clan training and her apprenticeship with the hokage. The boy doesn't know why he ever thought she was unbreakable; he watches her break everyday as they sit down for lunch, and it's killing him.
It's a newborn baby who finally makes Chiasa get it.
She's sitting next to Hashirama inside his office, organizing the paperwork when a messenger hurriedly enters the room.
"I'm very sorry for entering like this, but Mito-sama is going into labor, Hokage-sama."
The Shodaime freezes and drops the scroll he'd been reading, a shocked look on his face. The Uchiha princess has to tug him by the hand to make him snap out of it, and when he does, he shunshins the two of them to his clan's compound.
There are around six people inside his house when he arrives with Chiasa, and no one glances twice at the Uchiha girl in the clan head's arms. Later on, both of them will marvel at this, but someone quickly ushers them to Mito's side and pained groans get louder as they approach the bedroom.
Two middle-aged women with red hair are helping the Uzumaki princess with the labor, wiping her forehead and giving instructions to push and rest in even intervals. It turns out to be a rather quick process, although Chiasa does end up holding Hashirama's free hand as he gives his left one for his wife to hold.
Half an hour later, the Shodaime holds the newborn in his arms, crying without an ounce of shame. The Uchiha clan heir sits next to Mito, whose face is exhausted but utterly content.
"Do you have a name for him already, Mito-sama?"
The child whispers, and the woman fondly brushes her dark hair with pale fingers.
"Not yet. Would you like to help pick one?"
Chiasa is thoroughly surprised and lets it show on her face, but the Uzumaki matriarch merely smiles gently at her. Hashirama grins through his tears and agrees.
"That's actually a great idea. Here, would you like to hold him?"
The man kneels slowly next to the young girl on the bed, instructing her on how to hold the baby close to her chest and support his head with her elbow. It's a bit of an awkward fit since her arms aren't very long, but the baby doesn't even stir.
He has dark brown hair like his dad, thin strands covering his head. She doesn't have any idea how big a newborn baby is supposed to be, but she thinks he's a big one. Small hands curl around her bigger ones, and the baby rips out the last of the roots of the black hatred in her heart. He pours a little more love into her chest, just like Madara, Kagami, Tobirama, and her family and friends, did. It quickly fills up the empty space left by the black roots until there's no trace of it left.
The baby yawns and opens his eyes, a beautiful dark green that reminds her of lush forests during springtime.
The clan heir thinks she'd die protecting this baby if she had to, and-
-oh.
Maybe she gets it. Maybe this is what Yuki told her about, what Kagami and her dad told her about.
It's not about dying for someone. It's about trying your hardest to love and protect them because they're precious to you. Because they're a little bit of home, a little bit of hope for a bright future.
An Uchiha's love is red like blazing flames, and this is her Will of Fire.
"How about… Haruichi?"
"'Spring' and 'first', huh…"
"I quite like it."
The couple look at each other and smile. Their house feels warm and safe, almost like her own house back in the clan compound. It's a comfy blanket that wraps around her and the baby, and she thinks this is a little bit of home too.
.
.
Uchiha Chiasa is ten and celebrates Madara's 30th birthday in various but quiet ways.
Her dad doesn't like parties or big celebrations because he thinks they're a waste of time, and Chiasa's inherited his way of thinking, much to Hashirama's regret. She's never had a birthday party but quite honestly doesn't mind. The Uchiha princess does get invited to other kids' parties and attends them, sometimes even enjoying herself, but she can't say she'd like one for herself.
Hashirama and Mito had offered to host a party for her and had even gotten Tobirama to try to convince her, "because it's a full decade! You're ten years old!" but Chiasa would really rather not spend an entire day dressed in uncomfortable clothing making small talk with people she doesn't know.
Madara's birthday falls on the end of December, when it's just chilly enough to snow, although it never does in Konoha. The child wakes up extra early on that day, excited for all the little things she has planned for him. Her dad likes neither parties nor gifts, but Chiasa is a smart one and knows how to work around things.
The first thing she hands to him over breakfast is a special set of kunai she ordered from the best Uchiha blacksmith. There are five kunai neatly arranged in a box, and each one is wrapped in a sturdy red cloth. It's the same one he wrapped her tanto with, and to her, it's a symbol of both their red love for each other and their clan's flames.
Her reward is a small smile, barely a quirk of the lips, but it's definitely there.
"Thank you, Chiasa."
"You're welcome, dad. Now we finally match."
She grins up at him and his smile widens just the tiniest bit.
Her second gift is a framed picture of the two together. It's nothing like the formal and serious one they'd taken when she was four; this one was taken during one of Konoha's festivals during summer, in which she'd somehow managed to convince her dad to wear matching yukatas with her. The two are smiling at each other, Chiasa's significantly bigger in contrast to Madara's subtle one in a colourful and bright scene.
"Thank you, Chiasa."
"You're welcome, dad. Fyi, I have a copy in my room as well."
The Uchiha clan head keeps the framed photo right next to the first one they'd taken together, both sitting snugly on his dresser. Everyday before he gets ready he takes a good look at both pictures and allows a smile to bloom on his lips, a soft look on his face.
Her third and last gift comes during dinner time. It's an assortment of all his favorite side dishes, something she'd practiced doing with Momoka-san for weeks. Madara eats every last piece of food on the table and Chiasa smiles brightly, because she knows her dad always tells her when she needs to improve on something.
"Thank you, Chiasa."
"You're welcome, dad. Happy birthday."
'I love you.'
'I love you too.'
.
.
A few notes:
I'm not sure about Kagami's age here and I mostly winged his personality but you'll have to bear with me on that one.
The relationships portrayed in this work of fiction might not be entirely healthy. Codependency is real, kids. Take care of yourselves.