Chapter 2: The Park

Naruto and Sasuke sat on the couch, neither one really wanting to be there. Minato stood there, arms crossed as he looked at both of them, "You two are going to talk and sort out whatever differences you have. I'm sick of the snide comments from you two. Tomorrow you will start working together, so at least try to become civil." He walked out of the room, though they both knew that he was within hearing distance.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, "Well, are you going to say something?" He crossed his arms, sitting back on the couch. If he were going to have to talk to the other man, he might as well be comfortable. It was obvious he didn't want to be there. He was already dressed, ready to go hang out with his friends. The last thing he wanted to do was be friends with the moody man. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, his shoes already on and half way out the door when his father stopped him.

"Why do I have to start the conversation?" Sasuke scoffed. He was the opposite of Naruto. He was still in sweats and a plain white sleep shirt. His hair was a mess, clearly not planning on doing anything that day. He sat forward with his elbows on his knees as he clenched his hands.

Naruto sighed when he saw his father peeking in the room, as if to warn him to behave. "Fine, what's your favorite class?"

"Can't really have one when school hasn't even started yet," Sasuke told him, his voice remaining monotone.

Naruto groaned, Sasuke was making it very difficult for him, "Fine, what's your major?" The two would be going to the same university. Despite the Uchiha reputation, Sasuke was able to get need based grants, something he never thought he'd need growing up. The university was nowhere near the level of what he thought he'd be going to prior to the mess that happened with his parents, but at least it was a college education.

"Undecided," Sasuke told him, not even attempting to make conversation.

"Not business or economics or something like that?" Naruto was surprised. He thought those were the only majors an Uchiha was even allowed to consider.

"So I can get rejected by every job solely because of my parents?" Sasuke scoffed. "Look, can we just stop whatever this is? If you agree to play nice, I will agree," he told him. "That should be enough."

Naruto doubted that was true considering his father wanted them to be friends. Before the blond could respond, his father interrupted. "How about you bring Sasuke to meet your friends instead?" he asked, though it was more of a command.

"Are you out of your mind?" Naruto asked, knowing his friends would be furious if he brought Sasuke with him. It didn't matter that they didn't know him, no one liked him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I' not a masochist, I'll pass on that." He had enough people judge him, he didn't need to voluntarily go be judged by all of Naruto's friends. It'd be bad enough going to his classes. For most people, when you went to college, if you just kept you head down, went to your classes, lived off campus and didn't try to do any extracurricular activities like a fraternity or get into a super competitive field, drama tended to fade away. This was especially true for schools that weren't considered a power school in some form, like sports or big names that were hard to get into. Of course there was always drama within friend groups or in a work environment, but the outside sources tended to be almost nonexistent. Then there were people like him who would always be a social outcast. People would always have snide comments and not want to work or be seen with him.

"Naruto will make sure everyone is civil, right?" Minato looked at his son as if challenging him to say no.

"Right," Naruto mumbled. He was a grown adult, but living under his father's roof for free meant doing what he said. If he wanted complete freedom, he could have it, but it'd come at a price. The price being paying for his own rent, groceries and general living expenses. It was quite a high price when all he had to do was live with his father and agree to his terms in order to avoid paying that and being able to put all of his earnings into his savings for his future. Naruto's father wasn't necessarily rich, but they were well enough off that he could support his son and afford to put money away to pay for his college tuition. Most people weren't so lucky and had to depend on student loans and grants or scholarships to be able to go to college. "Go get dressed."

"You can't be serious," Sasuke argued. When Minato gave him a look, he knew he couldn't really argue. The man was already doing him a huge favor by giving him a place to stay and a job, he really wasn't in a position to go against him, "Fine." Sasuke got up and got ready, though he put minimal effort into his looks. They were all going to hate him anyway, what was the point of trying to impress? Minato had taken him shopping not long after he'd given him a place to stay, saying he needed more than just one set of clothes and he couldn't keep borrowing Naruto's. He'd just picked out things that were simple and wouldn't make him stand out, trying to hide in the shadows as much as he could.

When he walked out, Naruto rolled his eyes, "Of course, black on black. Super inviting to make friends."

"What' the point? They aren't going to like me," Sasuke pointed out. "Let's get this over with." Minato just said bye with a victorious grin as they left. It was annoying, but Sasuke bit his tongue so he didn't say anything he'd regret.

"You wait here," Naruto directed when they got close to his group of friends. He needed to talk to them before he introduced Sasuke to the group. "I'll come get you in a second."

"You're going to abandon me here," Sasuke chuckled.

Naruto frowned, he could understand why Sasuke would think that. He had given him no reason to believe otherwise. "And face my father's wrath when you tell him? No thanks. I'll be right back," he promised before walking over to his friends.

Kiba was already staring at Sasuke from a distance, upset by his presence. "Naruto, what the fuck?" he growled when the blond walked up to the group. "Are are you doing with him?" he sounded scandalized at the mere thought of anyone wanting to be anywhere near Sasuke.

Naruto felt a little bad for Sasuke after seeing his best friend's reaction. It wasn't necessarily surprising, but the fact that all of his friends seemed to agree with the brunet told him everything he needed to know about how Sasuke must be treated by the public. "I know you don't like him, but my father seems to have taken him under his wing. Don't ask me why, I don't know. He wants us to be friends, or at least friendly, so he made me bring him with. Can you at least pretend to be nice?" Naruto explained.

"No," Kiba shook his head. "I won't be nice to someone like him. You can bring him around, but don't expect much from me," he warned. Kiba blamed the Uchiha family for a lot, even things that he had no proof they were guilty of.

"How about you just don't interact at all," Naruto suggested.

"No promises," Kiba shrugged.

The blond sighed and looked at the rest of them, "Please."

They all looked at each other, not sure what to think. "I'll be nice," Hinata promised.

"I figured I could count on you," Naruto smiled. She had always been the most understanding of the group. "If you guys could just be civil, that'd be great." No one else argued so he went back and grabbed a surprised Sasuke. "This is Sasuke," he introduced as the dark haired man stood there awkwardly.

"I'm Hinata," she introduced herself, waving a little, encouraging the rest to introduce themselves. One by one they said their name, trying to be nice, until it got to Kiba. "This is Kiba," she said, not giving him an opportunity to introduce himself. "Don't mind him, he's a little grumpy today."

"I was fine until about ten minutes ago," Kiba rolled his eyes, making Sakura elbow him in the side. "Ow," he huffed as she gave him a pointed look.

"If you have a problem with me, just say it," Sasuke said, already annoyed with the situation. It was obvious that none of them wanted him here and were just being decent for Naruto's sake. He couldn't understand why they were being nice, he had never had friends that would do that for him unless they were scared of him or needed him as a connection.

Kiba stepped forward, "I have a huge problem with you. Your little mafia family ruined a ton of lives."

"What, did your parents own one of the businesses that shut down when he was arrested? Someone get shot by the guns he sold? Owe him money?" he asked, some of the common things they were blamed for.

"Try drugs," Kiba scoffed.

"From my understanding, my father never dabbled in the drug trade," Sasuke said, keeping his tone calm. He wasn't going to let the man get under his skin.

"So you did know about the family business," Kiba glared, not believing him.

"I know what came out at trial," Sasuke told him. "I wasn't introduced to the family business yet," he added, though he knew none of them would believe him and he didn't particularly care. No one has ever really believed him, so it was nothing new. "I think if he were part of the drug trade, that would have been pretty big news to take down some drug lord." The trial had been closed to the public as it had exposed many big names. People had testified against him just to get out of being charged with things that would ruin them. They acted like they were a victim to the media when they were seen going into the courthouse, but most of them were benefiting from his father's crimes.

"That's enough," Naruto interrupted. Both men looked at him, but didn't say anything further. "Let's just go get lunch like we planned," he said. It had been a long time since all of his friends had hung out so they reserved a table at a casual restaurant. It was one last get together before they all went off to college, some moving away to do so.

"You guys go," Sasuke told Naruto quietly. He felt uncomfortable enough, he didn't want to have to sit through lunch with the large group of people that he didn't know and most of which didn't like him. "Don't worry, I won't tell your dad that I didn't go with you. We'll come up with a story on our way back and I'll just hang out in the park in the meantime." He shifted awkwardly, hoping Naruto would just agree and leave.

"My dad will see through any story we come up with," Naruto argued. He looked at his friends that were waiting on him, "You guys go in, we'll catch up. I just need to talk to him real quick." The group didn't argue, making their way towards the restaurant across the street.

Sasuke sighed, "Look, none of them want me there and I don't particularly care to put myself in that situation."

Naruto felt as if there was more to the story. He wanted to argue, but at the same time he wanted to have fun with his friends. Sasuke being there would make things more awkward and they were supposed to be celebrating. "You better come up with a good story," Naruto told him hesitantly.

"I will," Sasuke promised, not wanting to anger Naruto's father either. The blond just nodded before leaving Sasuke alone to catch up with his friends.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh before walking in the opposite direction, deciding to clear his head with a walk in the park. He couldn't help but wonder why Naruto's father was so accommodating. It made no sense to him. Unless he was trying to find out if Sasuke knew something. He didn't seem like someone that would have gotten mixed up with his father, but maybe he was good at hiding his true self or he had been desperate. He wouldn't ask, not wanting him to kick him out if it did turn out he was only keeping him around for information.

He sat on a nearby bench, leaning back to look up at the sky. He thought about the letter he'd found in his room just before his father's arrest. He was going to read it, but his mother had called him for dinner before he had the chance so he had just stuffed it in his pocket and went downstairs to eat. It was one of the few things left in his possession. He hadn't told anyone about it and was too scared of what it might say to open it. He knew that Itachi was the reason he'd been shielded from the true nature of family business for so long. Looking back, it all added up. The things he'd over heard and his father said to him all made sense after learning the truth.

In his heart he knew that his brother was the one to work with the police. He was the mole. But he also knew that things were missing along with his brother. Sitting through the trial he thought back on other things he'd heard, people who testified, and knew that Itachi had hidden things from the police. The letter might explain why. Or maybe it was just full of excuses. One day he might be able to read it, but for now it would be hidden away with his minimal belongings.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. The phone was a gift from Minato. He frowned as he saw it was Minato in a group chat with Naruto.

Minato: Did you boys forget I have your locations from your phone? I can see you aren't together.

Sasuke's eyes widened, having forgotten the man had access to his location. He wasn't sure how to respond and hoped that Naruto would first. He ran through a list of excuses he could make, but was a little afraid as to what might happen if he lied. When it was clear that Naruto probably wasn't paying attention to his phone, he decided to respond.

Sasuke: I didn't want to join them for lunch

Minato: You should be making friends

Sasuke: I can't force people to like me

Naruto: Sorry dad! We're almost done with lunch me and Sasuke will hang out after

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He didn't want to hang out with the blond. He just wanted to keep his head down and figure out what to do with his life. He wished he had somewhere else to go.

Sasuke: I'm fine on my own

He pocketed his phone, not wanting to see any of the replies. He hated to feel as if they pitied him. He didn't want anyone's pity. He just wanted to live his life without the dark cloud of his family name hanging over him. He was once proud to have been born an Uchiha, now he just wished he was anything else.

"You're that Uchiha kid," he heard someone say. He looked up to see three strangers, two men and one woman. The woman stood back while the two men walked towards him. "What are you doing here, shouldn't you be in jail?" the man sneered. He was on the larger side, tattoos covering his arms, dressed in raggedy jeans and dirty shirt. He was trying too hard to look like some bad boy. It was quite the contrast to the other two people he was with. They screamed money, dressed in stereotypical preppy clothes, the man was wearing a Rolex while the woman carried a Louis Vuitton purse.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked, his voice monotone. He assume the two that came from money were probably children of someone that got screwed over by his father's conviction. All of them tried to play the victim. Some certainly were victims, other knew what they were getting into when they made a deal with the devil.

"For someone that has fallen so far, you have some nerve speaking to us that way," the richer man said, his tone that of the classic upper-class snob. "Where's your brother?" he demanded. "He has something I want."

"How the fuck would I know where he is?" Sasuke snapped, wondering what his brother was up to now. He thought they had an issue with his father, but now they were asking for his brother. He guessed that since they couldn't get to his father, his brother was the next best target. Itachi was seen as his right hand man.

"Don't act innocent," the man scoffed. "We know you know something," he grumbled as the bigger man moved closer to Sasuke. The young Uchiha's phone went off, making him look down. The other man took the opportunity to punch him. It wasn't a very good punch, but the ring on his finger was enough to split his lip.

Sasuke's eyes hardened as he looked up at the man's smug face. The man seemed ready to throw another punch, but before he could do anything Sasuke had kicked his feet out from under him. the man fell to the ground, face first. Sasuke swiftly got up, pressing his knee into him k as he held one arm behind the man's back. Sasuke may not be the biggest guy, but he had years of training in several martial arts. He didn't need to be big to have the upper hand in a fight. "If I am what you say I am, then what made you think that was a good idea?" he asked, making the man scream out as he pulled his arm further. Sasuke just shook his head as he let him go, not wanting to escalate the situation any further. "Just leave me alone, I don't know where he is," he told the other two as he wiped the blood from his lip, wondering if Minato would believe that he didn't start the fight.

The two rich kids didn't say anything. They stood there with their eyes wide in shock, clearly thinking they had the upper hand. "You'll pay for that," the bigger man said as he got up. He was fuming, but didn't make any move to fight.

Sauke ignored him as he looked at the other two, "If you're going to confront my brother you may want to bring something better than a wannabe thug. He won't fight with his fists." He had no doubt that Itachi wouldn't be afraid to use a gun if necessary. He may not know where he was, but he knew his brother well enough to know that he hadn't been put into witness protection. He was probably building his own empire. He saw the look on the cops' face when his brother had disappeared, it was genuine fear that they couldn't find him. He walked away, looking at his phone to see it was Naruto saying he was ready to meet. He headed back to where they agreed to meet up once Naruto was done with lunch.

"What happened?" Naruto immediately asked upon seeing Sasuke. He felt an odd sense of anger that he didn't quite understand. He told himself the anger was solely because it showed that Sasuke was what everyone thought. He was only worried because his father would be upset something happened.

"I didn't start it," Sasuke told him with a shrug. "They were looking for my brother," was the only explanation he gave. He didn't feel the need to justify himself, knowing they wouldn't believe it anyway.

Naruto looked at him, trying to figure out if he were telling the truth, "You finished it." It wasn't a question.

"They're all fine if that's what you're worried about," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Didn't kill anyone."

"I didn't say that you did," Naruto frowned. He felt a little bad that Sasuke's first thought would be that Naruto assumed he killed someone over a busted lip. "I just said that it doesn't look like you lost the fight," he bit his lip, knowing he should listen to his father and try not to judge the young Uchiha. He had no proof that Sasuke knew anything, he'd been raised better than to assume the worst of people.

"You didn't have to say it, I know what people think of me," Sasuke responded. "Let's go," he didn't say anything else the entire way home.

When they walked into the house, Minato immediately looked at Sasuke, "What happened to your lip."

Sasuke just shook his head, "I'm fine, just some people starting something they couldn't finish." He didn't want to talk about it, feeling both of the other men's eyes on him. "Unless you plan to kick me out over a fight I didn't start, I'm going to my room."

"I'm not kicking you out, I'm sure there's more to the story," Minato assured him, knowing Sasuke probably wouldn't tell him what had happened. Sasuke just nodded, not saying anything else as he walked away. Minato turned to his son, "This is why I didn't want you to leave him. He's been through a lot."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I guess it was something about his brother," he explained. "That's all he'd tell me."

Minato sighed as he looked in the direction of Sasuke's room, "Poor kid. He has to suffer for his family's mistakes."

"Why do you care so much?" Naruto asked. He was confused at his father's actions. There had been plenty of kids homeless on the streets, he had never taken one in before. He wondered what was special about Sasuke.

"He's been through a lot, everyone deserves a second chance," was his only explanation.

Naruto frowned as his father walked out of the entry room towards the kitchen. He could feel that there was something more, but he didn't know what it was. He didn't want to think the worst because he knew his father was a good man. The blond decided not to dwell on it, perhaps not really wanting to know the truth. He went to his room, having promised to play an online video game with Kiba after he returned home. It was the perfect distraction after the day he'd had.