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Chapter 1: Family
The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to.
~Dodie Smith
"Okay, Naruto…I'm done." Kushina hurriedly swallowed her mouthful of eggs, and wiped her mouth as her eight-year-old son grabbed at her arm impatiently. "Let me just brush my teeth, and we'll–"
"But I'm gonna be late for my first day at the Academy, Mom!"
"No, you're not, Naruto."
"Am too!"
"Are not."
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
A chuckle was heard from the entrance to the dining room, and the mother and son looked up to see Minato smiling, dressed in his Hokage robes and holding the hand of a smiling six-year-old girl. Her short red hair held back with a clip, and violet-blue eyes sparkled with laughter.
"Mom and Naruto are so loud!" The girl stated simply, and Minato patted her head as Kushina blushed in embarrassment. Naruto scoffed, and danced over to stick his tongue out at his younger sister.
"Oh yeah! Sasuke told me that yesterday, you were so loud that he heard you all the way across the village!"
Kazuki glared at her brother, and put her small hands on her hips in defense.
"That was cuz you stole my teddy!"
"Enough, you two…" Minato moved in between them, and the two siblings huffed as they crossed their arms over their chest. Kushina got up from the table, and kissed Minato on the cheek as she moved to quickly brush her teeth.
Minato straightened Naruto's shirt, and ruffled his son's hair as he led him towards the door. Kazuki trotted behind them, her irritation set aside for a moment as he watched her father tie on his ninja headband, and her mouth opened in a longing sigh.
"Why can't I go to the Academy, Dad?"
Minato turned to smile at his daughter. "Well, you're not old enough, Kazuki. Just be patient for two more years…and then you'll go. Who knows…maybe you'll surpass your big brother!"
Naruto huffed at his father. "Nuh uh…that's never gonna happen! She'll always be little Kazu-chan to me!"
'And you'll always be annoying Naru-baka to me!" Kazuki and her brother leapt at each other once more, and Kushina came in just in time to scoop Kazuki up into her arms. The girl started struggling, but one fierce look from her mother had that thought scrambling for cover, and she let herself be held, glaring at her brother over their mother's shoulder.
Kushina turned to smile at her husband, and the man sighed as he stared at his wife and daughter…whose red hair and violet-blue eyes made one think that they could be twins. But Kazuki had Minato's face, as well as his disposition. Naruto had inherited Minato's hair and eyes, but everything else about the boy was strikingly similar to his loud and confident wife, Kushina.
Naruto soon had his attention once more, because the boy snatched the Hokage hat out of Minato's hand. The eight-year-old raced out the door, and stood in the middle of the street, and put the hat on his head, yelling.
"Someday, I'm gonna be–"
"Naruto, we all know that you're going to be Hokage one day…you've made it perfectly clear…" A lower voice came from behind the boy, and Naruto turned with a grin to see a familiar fourteen-year-old Uchiha with a peaceful and calm face smiling at him. A Konohagakure headband was tied securely around his forehead, and sported a dark vest. On the back of the vest, as well as the chest pocket, there was an Uchiha clan symbol.
"Itachi!" Naruto yelled excitedly. Sasuke waved shyly to Kushina and Minato from beside his brother. Kazuki marched right up to the Uchiha jounin and hugged him, her face alight with happiness when the older Uchiha wrapped his arms around her and swung her up so she was seated on his hip.
"Why hello, Kazuki. You're getting taller every day!"
Kazuki giggled, and turned to point to her older brother. "We're walking Naruto to the Academy, wanna come with us?"
Itachi glanced at Minato and Kushina, who nodded – Kushina gave him the thumbs up – and he smiled slightly at the girl on his hip.
"Sure."
Kazuki squirmed to get down, but she held onto his hand as the group made their way down the street. Minato and Kushina walked behind the group of kids, Kushina lacing her fingers through her husbands as they watched Naruto and Sasuke chat animatedly about the Academy.
"You know, I've never seen Sasuke this excited about anything before…"
Kushina laughed softly, and watched the Uchiha child smile widely at Naruto's wild gesticulations for a moment before answering.
"Being Naruto's best friend has its consequences. And it's always been a dream of his, to be a ninja. Just like his older brother…"
Minato snorted, and his cerulean eyes glanced at the movement of tree branches in the cool spring breeze. A few leaves broke away from the tree and blew in spirals across the road, making Minato stop and watch them as they disappeared.
Kushina sighed. "What are you thinking about, Minato?"
"Just…how…I wish that the Third Hokage could see how much he brought to this village by making that sacrifice."
Kushina kissed her husband on the cheek, and gave his hand a comforting squeeze. "He and Naruto would've gotten along."
Minato laughed softly. "Of course they would. The Third Hokage was like everyone's father…there was no not getting along."
"Just like with you."
"Huh?"
"You can change to be whatever your village needs. If they need a friend, you're there. If they need a father, you're there. If they need a protector…you'll be there. That's what a Hokage does."
Minato smiled, and kissed the top of her head with a smirk. "What if they need a husband?"
Kushina pursed her lips, and he laughed at the furious blush that coated her cheeks and neck. "Well…they'll just have to go without."
"I suppose they will."
"What's with that disappointed tone, mister?"
"I don't know what you're talking about…"
Itachi glanced back at the Hokage and his wife, and a small smile crossed his lips as he watched Kushina's face heat up as Minato whispered something into her ear. Kazuki peered around to see what he was looking at, and Itachi quickly turned so that she wouldn't know that he had been staring at her parents.
Sasuke was listening to Naruto as he chattered excitedly about some neighbors that his mother had told him were also attending the Academy, such as Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara, and Sakura Haruno. The names were unfamiliar to Sasuke, but Naruto had played with some of them on the playground, so he described them to Sasuke as they walked.
Naruto was blatantly in awe when describing the pink haired Sakura ("She's cute…and her hair is awesome. I wonder if she put dye in it.") and Itachi rolled his eyes at Sasuke confused look. Of course the two boys would be clueless about how to act around girls. It was to be expected…
Sasuke scowled and crossed his arms over his chest at the sight of Itachi's smirk.
"What do you know about girls, Itachi?"
"More than you do at the moment, Little Brother."
Naruto's eyebrows shot up suggestively, and a shifty grin crossed his lips as he leaned in closer.
"Does that mean that you've…" Itachi closed his eyes in preparation for the worst. Jiraiya was the godfather after all…God knows what that man's been teaching Naruto…
"…held a girl's hand before?" Sasuke and Naruto both leaned in close to hear Itachi's answer, and Itachi found himself blushing slightly at the sudden question. Naruto started cackling at the sight of Itachi's embarrassment, and Sasuke grinned.
Itachi cleared his throat, trying to scrap together his dignity as he replied. "Yes, I have."
Better to leave out that the extent of holding his female teammate's hand had stretched only to the necessary contact as teammates…and nothing romantic had even crossed their minds at the time.
Naruto's mouth dropped in shock – Sasuke's eyes bulged in surprise that his older brother was anything less than innocent and untainted – and without another word the blonde turned and yelled to his mother.
"Hey Mom, guess what?"
Kushina looked over at her son, and called back. "What?"
"Itachi's held the hand of a girl!"
"That's…uh…very nice, Naruto."
Naruto turned around, grinning from ear to ear. Itachi snorted, and Kazuki tugged Itachi's hand so that the older boy leaned down. The red haired girl reached up to whisper in the boy's ear.
"You still love me best though, right? Even if that other girl is prettier?"
Itachi laughed, and patted the younger girl's forehead. "Of course, Kazuki."
Kazuki beamed at him, and the two ran to catch up with their brothers before they disappeared around the corner. The Academy was across the street from the Hokage tower, and Itachi stopped when he reached the outer gates. The yard was filled with children, and Naruto yelled to his parents, running back to tell them what was on his mind. Sasuke suddenly stiffened, and his hand automatically reached out to grab his brother's shirt. Sasuke stared at his brother, who stared back at him silently. After a few seconds, Sasuke spoke.
"What if I'm not as good as everyone else, Big Brother?"
Itachi laughed softly, and Kazuki seemed to sense that this was a private moment, because she slowly darted after her older brother, poking Naruto playfully in the side. Naruto glanced back at the Academy, muttering something under his breath to his father, his eyes were nervous for the first time. Itachi saw Minato kneel down in front of him, and the Hokage stared lovingly at his son for a moment before pulling him into a tight and tender hug. Kushina joined in, and Kazuki hugged all of them as well as she could with her thin arms.
Itachi turned back to Sasuke, and reached out as if to poke his brother in the forehead. Sasuke closed his eyes as if expecting it, but at the last second Itachi let his hand slowly drift down to wrap around Sasuke's shoulders.
"I don't care whether you're first or last in your class…because you're always going to be my only little brother. I don't care what Father says, because in truth…I wish that I hadn't been the best at everything. It was lonely being as skilled as I am, Sasuke…that's why I refused the offer to become part of the ANBU. If Father had had his way, I would be Captain of the ANBU by now. But I didn't want that."
Sasuke's eyes were wide in shock at hearing that his brother had defied his father so blatantly, and he bit his lip as he asked.
"But Itachi...why didn't you want it? You're so powerful…you could do so much!"
Itachi was silent for a few moments, but a small smile stretched across his face as he looked back down at his brother. "I wanted to have friends, Sasuke. I was so happy when the Hokage put me on a three-man team when I graduated the academy. He knew that I didn't want to be singled out and pushed to do things I didn't want. I'm technically a jounin, but the Hokage was kind enough to allow me to continue to work with my chuunin teammates instead of taking on the customary duties of a jounin. And if I had accepted those offers…I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with my family. Remember, Sasuke, the most important thing in your life shouldn't be what grade you got on your test, or how many jutsus you learn. The most important thing in your life should be protecting and caring for the people that make you happy. Your family…and your friends."
Itachi squeezed his brother's shoulders affectionately, and Sasuke smiled toothily before suddenly hugging the older boy tightly. Itachi's eyes softened as he stared down at the peaceful face of his younger brother, and gently hugged Sasuke back.
Naruto's loud voice interrupted them, and the two brothers looked up to see Naruto waiting at the Academy entrance, a huge grin on his face that lit up his bright cerulean eyes.
"You coming, Sasuke?"
Minato and Kushina were standing nearby, and they waved and smiled to their son and Kushina called out to Sasuke.
"Go get 'em, Sasuke! Go easy on Naruto, won't you?"
Naruto's voice blared out in indignation. "Hey!"
Sasuke laughed at his friend's scowl, and pulled away from Itachi to join Naruto at the gate.
"I will, Mrs. Namikaze."
And with a last wave, Naruto started to run, laughing in excitement, turning slightly to slap high fives with Sasuke, who ran alongside his friend as they both followed the group of kids into the large building.
Itachi stood by the gates, one hand reaching out as if to steady himself on the railing, his fingers feeling every dent and every place where miss-thrown kunai and shuriken had pierced it and chipped the paint away.
His brother didn't look back as the two disappeared behind those large oak doors, and he heard Kushina and Minato approach him from behind. Kazuki sat on her father's shoulders, and Kushina smiled warmly at him.
"It's hard to let go…"
Itachi nodded, scuffing his sandals against the cobblestone beneath his feet. Minato reached up to steady the energetic girl perched on his shoulders, and he met Itachi's eye.
"I have a mission ready for your team…can you tell them to meet me in my office in an hour or so? I have a promise to keep with this little rascal first…"
Kazuki nodded importantly. "He's gonna push me on the swings, so high that I could jump on the clouds if I wanted!"
Kushina laughed, and reached up to wipe a smudge of dirt from her daughter's cheek. "Let's hope you don't go that high, Kazuki."
"Awww, but any lower is no fun!"
"Whatever you say, honey." Kushina winked at Itachi over her shoulder as they walked away, laughing at the small pout that crossed Kazuki's face. The Uchiha waited until the Namikaze family had disappeared from sight, and then made his way down the street. He turned the corner to enter the bustling main street, navigating his way through the crowd of shoppers.
The air was cool and crisp as Itachi turned his face up to bask in the warm sun that shined down on the village, and he walked leisurely, heading towards his team's regular meeting place.
Itachi exited the street, and headed towards a small circle of stones that rested next to the edge of the large lake, and he saw that his squad was already there and waiting for him.
Natsumi – a short, free-spirited girl with long brown braids – turned at the sound of his approach, and her chocolate-brown eyes seemed almost hazel in the sunlight. Her outfit was the traditional green vest of a chuunin, and black pants that cut off just below her knees and a sleeveless gray shirt underneath the vest. The traditional headband of black cloth was tied around her neck, and the metal glinted in the light.
Sora – a tall, solemn boy with black hair and bright green eyes – was standing, and he grinned at Itachi when he turned to see whom the girl was waving at. His outfit was made up of white shorts, and a black short-sleeved shirt with an interesting symbol of his own design stitched on the back. His headband was made of dark green cloth, and it was tied around his forehead.
Setsuna – their rather brisk and no-nonsense sensei – was a muscular jounin in his early thirties, with longish brown hair that was tied back with a black bandana that had the metal Konohagakure plate stitched on the section of cloth that covered his forehead. Thee saluted to Itachi from his position on the rock beside the water. His outfit was mainly black, and instead of a vest he had a gray jacket with pockets similar to the chuunin vest.
Itachi smiled at them as he reached the circle of rocks, and the four of them didn't speak, but their relationship was a quiet one, as it had been from day one. All of them were indisputably different, but similar in one aspect: their respect and acceptance of silence and the enjoyment of the peace that silence often brought. There was no one in their squad who liked to be loud and obnoxious, but neither were they all emotionless mutes.
There was balance within the group, and they cherished that balance that allowed them to work together so well.
Itachi smiled as he stared at his team, and they smiled back at him, not asking or wondering what he was smiling about.
This was what Itachi enjoyed most about being in a squad. These three people – excepting Sasuke and the Namikaze children – knew him better than anyone, and didn't wonder or try to figure out why Itachi was smiling at that moment. In his family, he had to always be the genius…the perfect and obedient son. He knew that his mother and father loved him dearly, but he also knew that they had a predestined image of him, an image that had been formed ever since he had started showing exponential skill in the ways of the ninja, as well as his mastery of the Sharingan at such a young age.
The only reason he had become a ninja in the first place was to be able to protect his family if the time ever came…not because he had a dream to be strong or any of that nonsense.
Itachi was allowed to be himself around his squad and those few people outside of that group, like his brother and the children of the Hokage. They knew his softer side and his hatred of any form of violence.
Here, in this circle of people…Itachi knew that he could smile without fear. For in this circle that included the most precious people of Itachi's life…there was a family that was in ways more intimate than any blood relative.
And in this family of his, Itachi could smile just to smile, and that made him happier than anyone could ever know.
Sasuke smiled slightly at the short-haired girl – her pale eyes made it apparent that she was of the Hyuuga clan – next to him, and quickly glanced at his best friend who had been seated in the very front row. The reason for this was obvious, as Naruto had already gotten into a shouting match with the teacher, Iruka. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he leaned his chin against the palm of his hand.
The introduction had been simple, just the basic rules of the classroom as well as a general summary of how the school year would go. Now that the introduction was done – and after Iruka had shouted at Naruto for trying to throw a water balloon at him – he was making sure that the students had remembered his speech, and was quizzing them.
"Miss…Hinata, is it?" The girl beside Sasuke nodded, twiddling her thumbs. "What is the first and most important rule of this classroom?"
"Um…t-to try y-your hardest…and b-b-be respectful to everyone a-around you."
"Yes, that's right. Good. Now…"
Sasuke heard someone next to him, and glanced over, only to flinch in shock as he saw a familiar flash of red hair and violet-blue eyes. Iruka was asking a boy in the front a question, so he didn't see Sasuke lean over.
"Kazuki-chan…what are you doing here?"
Kazuki grinned impishly, and put a finger to her lips. Sasuke blinked, and slowly sat back, his eyes glancing at her from time to time as the boy in front struggled to remember what day the first test was on. The minutes passed, and Sasuke was just allowing himself to believe that Kazuki would actually manage to pull this off when the door was suddenly slammed off of its hinges, flying off of the wall and missing Iruka's head by an inch.
The entire class went deathly still as a fuming red-haired woman stalked into the room, her eyes flames of anger as a certain girl shrunk into her seat in fear.
"You. Are. In. So. Much. Trouble." Kushina Namikaze hissed, her eyes flashing as Kazuki slumped in her seat, and in a flash, the girl was under Kushina's arm and the woman was fuming.
"How could you just run off like that? Do you know how worried I was, young lady? I know you want to be in the Academy, but that doesn't excuse your blatant disrespect for–"
"Um…Mrs. Namikaze?" Iruka asked delicately, his voice light as if tiptoeing around her, trying to avoid angering her.
Kushina seemed to realize that the entire room was looking at her, and Sasuke snickered at the way Naruto's head slumped onto his desk in humiliation.
"Oh…sorry…" Kushina said with a weak laugh, slowly backing out of the room, trying in vain to fit the door back into the hinges, but after a moment let it go and disappeared. They could all hear Kushina scolding and threatening her daughter as the two walked down the hall, and it was only when they were out of earshot when Iruka relaxed, and sighed.
Iruka cleared his throat nervously, and tried to regain his composure as he asked.
"Okay class…what is the next most important rule in the classroom?"
Sasuke smiled widely, and raised his hand. Iruka called on him, and he said quietly. "Don't mess with Mrs. Namikaze."
Naruto whipped around to grin at him, and Iruka smiled slightly, turning to write on the board.
"That's correct."
At Iruka's response, the entire class burst out into a chorus of giggles, and Sasuke relaxed in his seat, smiling more widely at the kids around him. The boy in front of him – a boy with two triangle stripes adorning his cheeks – turned to raise his hand for a high five, grinning wolfishly. Sasuke stared at the hand, and then slowly raised his own hand in response. The boy slapped his hand with a grin, and the dog in his lap nuzzled the boy's arm as Sasuke smiled.
The Uchiha boy relaxed into his seat, and his eyes were happy as they stared around at the group of students in his class.
Sasuke was finally on his way to becoming a ninja, like his father wanted.
I don't care what Father says, because in truth…I wish that I hadn't been the best at everything. It was lonely being as skilled as I am, Sasuke…
But it wasn't only about proving to his parents that he was strong, it was more than just being the best.
Remember, Sasuke, the most important thing in your life shouldn't be what grade you got on your test, or how many jutsus you learn. The most important thing in your life should be protecting and caring for the people that make you happy.
It was to prove to himself that when the time came to protect those precious people…Sasuke would be ready. There would be no hesitation and no fear, because the people that made up his family were his foundation, and without them the sky would no longer be as blue…the sun wouldn't shine as brightly…and the warmth of a smile wouldn't carry the same weight.
Sasuke's family was his world.