Displaced
Interlude – Homecoming
It's hard to comprehend that my existence here,
Is like a rain drop in the sea—endless time.
And then, sometimes, there are the days where everything goes right...
Inevitably, the week before and the week after both feel like a complete and utter wreck. But for that evanescent moment— peace.
While the fallout of my, shall we say, enthusiastic pursuit of the truth has generally improved the lives of many individuals— counted among that number, I hope, are my newfound cousins— there have been some mildly unpleasant consequences for me.
First and foremost, I have been banned from taking missions outside the village walls for the foreseeable future. According to the Senju harridan, this will last at the very least for several , out of necessity, I have been temporarily loaned out to Division Bo, and promptly 'volunteered' for guard duty. The latter is understandable; guard duty is the least popular task that section of ANBU handles.
Most of Division Bo is also a touch annoyed with me. The wild rumors running rampant through the civilian population and lower ranked ninja forces regarding the cause of Danzou's demise are truly ridiculous nonsense, if conveniently far from the truth. Considering said rumors put their loyalty or competence into question... well, there is no need for further explanation about why I will be guarding various locations and personages of import for however long my punishment lasts. And why I have the 'unlucky' tendency to be placed on night shift.
On the plus side, many of those nights are actually spent watching my own home.
Today, I am a part of the team guarding the Godaime Hokage— a rather laughable task, given the woman's considerable strength.
Cloaked in an illusion, I am positioned next to the open window, to the right of the Hokage's desk. Two other ANBU— the rabbit-masked Usagi and Hana, whose ursine mask is decorated with delicate pink lines, are perched on the strategically placed wooden beams above us. A fourth and final ANBU, the wolf-masked Nami, is in the corner closest to the single door in the room, also under genjutsu.
The Godaime Hokage is working diligently for once, as her apprentices have confiscated her alcohol. Unsurprisingly, she is in a particularly foul mood.
The door swooshes open, and a bright eyed, smiling secretary enters with a towering stack of paperwork, barely flinching at Tsunade-sama's poisonous glare. This newest pile is deposited on the desk, and the perky chuunin scurries out of the room in haste.
I may have to appropriate some high-quality alcohol to appease Hokage-sama with. Given that I am one of the causes behind the current swell in paperwork, she is as likely to aim the next convenient projectile—pen, stapler, or desk— at me as whoever actually inspires her ire.
The woman certainly knows how to hold a grudge.
There is a commotion behind the door— a familiar voice rises above the hubbub, yelling in excitement. The door slams open, and Naruto practically bounces into the room, screeching to halt in front of the desk. "HEY JI— T-Tsunade-baa-chan! What are you doing here?! Don't tell me, they made you the Hokage?"
I can't help but roll my eyes behind my ANBU mask, resisting the urge to groan at my brother's obliviousness. Naruto, there is a giant fifth face on the monument. How did you manage not to notice that? Moreover, didn't I mention this in my letters? Or when I visited? I know I did. Honestly...
The Godaime's incredulous expression says it all. She brushes off the question, "Be polite to your Hokage, gaki, or I'll have you doing babysitting D-ranks for the next week! Don't call me Baa-chan!" Tone becoming distinctly motherly, she adds, "Welcome back, Naruto-kun." And then, with less enthusiasm, to her former teammate, who quietly slid into the room shortly after Naruto's loud entrance, "Oh, and I suppose welcome back to you too, Jiraiya. Even though you're over a year late."
"Tsunade-hime! You look as ravishing as ever!" The white-haired man replies, wagging his eyebrows with a lecherous grin.
"Aha..." Reaching up, Naruto scratches at the back of his neck, "It's really great to be home."
Ignoring the casual conversation with practiced ease, I let my eyes drift over Naruto, assessing. Even though I saw him not so long ago... He's grown. I think with a smile. And hopefully matured, as well, though perhaps that's too much to ask.
"Ne, ne, Tsunade-baa-chan, can you tell me if Sasuke-nii is in the village?"
The smile drops from Tsunade's face, and the mood in the room instantly sours. "He's around," she replies vaguely, the corner of her left eye twitching. "And didn't I just say it?! Stop calling me Baa-chan!"
Naruto ignored the second half of her response entirely, "Yatta! I can't wait to eat his cooking again. Maybe he'll make ramen for my welcome-home meal!"
Not a bad idea; I suppose I can indulge Naruto's obsession this once. I can pick up the supplies after my shift.
"Hey, can I go, then?"
Tsunade gives a negligent wave, "Fine, brat. I know you're eager to see your friends again. Jiraiya can handle the verbal report himself."
As soon as the door slams behind Naruto, Jiraiya guffaws. "If I didn't know better..."
"Don't say it." Tsunade snorts softly, "The world is better off not knowing what your rotten brain is trying to think up... shameless pervert."
"Aww, so you did miss me, Hime!"
She glares in reply, the pen gripped in her hand creaking in an unsettling manner, and then, apparently deciding to let the comment slide, calls out— "Mugen."
I loosen my grip on the genjutsu hiding me from view, revealing my presence next to the window. "Yes, Hokage-sama?" I answer in a cool monotone.
Breath leaving her in an exasperated sigh, she gestures towards the door, "You may as well go too." Ha! Because Naruto is going to overturn the rest of the village looking for me and give you a migraine?
Tone warming marginally, I bow politely, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
An aggravated sigh. "Don't mention it, you menace."
I salute, and melt from view, cloaking myself in another genjutsu, before rapidly exiting out the open window, not a trace left behind.
Jiraiya blinks at the ANBU's exit, expression calculating, "Don't tell me that was..?" Uchiha Sasuke.
"Yes," comes his teammate's terse reply, as she angrily scrawls her signature and stamps another sheet of paper before pushing it hastily into a different pile.
He guffaws, "He was recruited into ANBU, they named him Mugen of all things, and you have him doing guard duty? That's just—"
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade interjects sharply, "He's lucky to be here instead of guarding the front gates." Or in a traitor's grave. "That insufferable brat has given me so much paperwork."
Jiraiya's laughter peters off, and he smiles grimly, changing the topic. "Right, right... I heard about that little brouhaha. Still, he did you a favor too, you know." Repatriating Root shinobi will boost our forces at the very least back to what they were before the Oto-Suna invasion. "Anyway, as fun as it is to catch up on village gossip, I have more serious things to discuss. Akatsuki are beginning to move. We're going to need to make some preparations."
I swap out of my ANBU attire rapidly, and search out Naruto's chakra presence, even managing to catch him before he makes it home. Mostly because he insists on stopping by Teuchi-san and Ayame-san's ramen stall.
I should have known. Smiling fondly as I approach and call out, "Welcome back, Naruto-kun."
Naruto turns away from the stall rapidly, swiveling in his seat after slurping up one last noodle. His answer is a smile as bright as the sun, "Sasuke-nii, I'm home!" He waves enthusiastically, chopsticks in hand, a half-finished steaming bowl of ramen on the counter behind him.
"I noticed... I'm glad I caught you in time. Spoiling your appetite for dinner already?"
Naruto devours the ramen noodles noisily— on his fifth bowl already. "Huh? What do you mean? I'll be hungry by the time you make dinner anyway!" Pouting, he stares at the small stack of empty bowls with obvious yearning. "'Sides. I wasn't even sure if you were home or away on a mission."
Rapidly finishing his delicious noodle-rich meal, Naruto slaps the requisite funds on the counter and practically bounces towards me, slinging arms around my torso in an enthusiastic hug. I'm secretly relieved to notice he's still a few inches shorter than me. "Missed you," the muffled words are mumbled into my shoulder. I squeeze back, pointedly ignoring the stares from the occasional passersby. "Aa..." An embarrassed pause, as I can feel myself flushing slightly at Naruto's wholehearted imitation of a limpet, "I missed you too, otouto." A few moments later, he eases up, looking equally embarrassed, but grinning nevertheless.
"I'll probably be home in the evenings for the foreseeable future." Considering I'm technically on something drastically similar to house arrest... Village arrest? Confined to the village. Whatever.
"Eh? Why?"
"Part of it is— the village has gone through some changes." Some of it personally affected me. You know: killing Danzou, sort-of-adopting the six Uchiha that Konoha managed to retrieve from his shadow organization of treacherous doom... "Not just the Godaime Hokage taking up her seat. Didn't Jiraiya tell you anything?"
Nose wrinkled in confusion, Naruto shakes his head, "Nope. He didn't even tell me about Tsunade-baa-chan taking Jiji's hat! You going to keep being all mysterious?"
"It's easier to show you. If nothing else, your reaction should be amusing." I think my little Uchiha will like you, though. Definitely Naoko-chan. Kyo-kun and Kyo-chan, too, once they warm up to you. They're still shy around strangers.
The academy won't be let out for a few hours. Still, Kyouya and Kyoko will be home. I may as well relieve the unfortunate genin that have been hired to be their sitters for the day. Sai should be out on a mission for the next two days, but the others will be home in the early afternoon. They prefer practicing on our private training grounds as opposed to the ones set aside for Academy students.
"Mean! But I guess I can wait a few more minutes." Laughing, he falls into step beside me, and starts recounting one of his more recent escapades, gesticulating wildly in emphasis.
We make it back to the much-diminished Uchiha compound in short order.
"I'm home!" I call out upon opening the front door.
I am greeted by high-pitched giggles, and an exhausted-looking genin team, their kunoichi member struggling to hold on to a pair of wriggling bundles— Kyouya and Kyoko. "Uchiha-san," she questions, "You're back early today?"
I nod, "Team Four. Thank you for your hard work." Scribbling a signature on the mission scroll one of the disgruntled-looking genin offers me, making sure to add a few positive comments regarding their capabilities— the twins act as if they've been fed and adequately entertained, after all. "Alright. Shoo, go pick up your pay."
The kunoichi releases her burdens with a relieved sigh, and I immediately find myself with two eager toddlers clinging to my legs. The genin team retreats out the closest window. Understandable, as a completely gobsmacked Naruto remains frozen in front of the door.
"...Sasuke, when did you have kids?!" Naruto shrieks at the top of his voice. "Who's the mom? No! Wait. Oh, Kami— can Uchiha procreate like plants?!"
A burst of deep belly-laughter. Nobody can make me laugh like Naruto.
"No. Just... No." Reaching down, I scoop the twins into my arms, balancing a child on each hip. They remain too quiet for their age, rarely speaking. It is not a matter of capability— they speak in complete sentences, given the right encouragement. At least they're beginning to behave more like normal toddlers—mischief and laughter. "But Naruto-kun, your expression? Priceless!"
Pausing to deposit both children into the playpen set up in the living room— taking the place of the coffee table, which has been pushed up against the wall. Kyo-chan and Kyo-kun gaze up at me, eyes wide with betrayal, begging to be let back out. Ruffling their hair playfully, I murmur, "Remember, if you want something, you have to speak up." Their puppyish pouts intensify, but I hold on to my resolve, turning away to answer Naruto's implied question.
Smiling at my brother's confused expression, I elaborate, "Strictly speaking, I guess the best way to describe our relationship would be cousins."
"Eeh?! Cousins? But— No, you know what, I probably don't want to know."
You really don't, trust me. When did you become this sensible?
Expression impish, Naruto adds, "You can tell me later. We'll spar."
"Alright." Nodding, I retreat into the kitchen, calling over my shoulder, "I have five wards— underage clan members. Most are distant cousins, as far as we can tell. You've met the twins: Kyouya-kun and Kyoko-chan; they're three. Yoshi-kun, Naoko-chan, and Ryuuji-kun are a little older. They'll be back once the academy lets out for the day." Yoshi will be graduating with the next class— he's ready. Really, all three of them are ready for graduation, but I have mixed feelings on the matter; they're just so young. And considering war with Oto is on the horizon...
"Sai, a sixth cousin, is of age, but still theoretically under my purview— he's out of the village on a mission." He's also the single most socially awkward person I know. Watching Ino trying to socialize him is hilarious. Sad, too. But mostly hilarious.
Pulling a container of cherry tomatoes from the pantry, I pour several handfuls into a bowl-shaped sieve, and rinse them off in the sink. Popping one into my mouth on the sly, I slide the rest into a bright orange bowl and carry it out to Kyo-kun and Kyo-chan. I hold the bowl hostage until one of the two speaks: a quiet, childish voice whispering, "Please can we have a snack? And t'ank you, Sasuke-nii."
"You're welcome, chibi." I murmur with a smile. "What would you like to do this afternoon?"
"...Book?" Kyoko pipes up, expression hesitant.
"Are you sure?" We're in chapter four of 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi', but I usually read to them in the evenings.
"Mmmhm. Book." Kyouya nods decisively.
"Huh." Naruto watches the toddlers, expression thoughtful, "I wonder if I have any relatives I don't know about, somewhere out there?"
A teasing smirk, "Don't worry; I'll share. You can read to them this evening." Annoying little brother. Even though these children are tied to me though blood— all that means is that our family has become larger. "More seriously— are there other Uzumaki out there? Maybe. We don't really have a way of knowing. If they exist, you and I will find them eventually, right? That is, if you want to look for them."
That sassy red-head from the chuunin exam. Ka-something... Kara? No, that's not it. Karin. She's an Uzumaki, right? I wonder if she's still alive.
"Ha!" Naruto flashes a winning smile, pensive mood evaporating, "Yeah, you're right. I mean, you're almost always right, except when you're being a jerk on purpose. So, I'll just have to look for them, dattebayo! I don't really know much about my family, though."
"Hn." I am no more often right than any other person, but— thanks? "Get settled back in your room; I'll entertain Kyoko-chan and Kyouya-kun in the meantime." And then I'll start on dinner. 'Welcome back' ramen, right?
The ramen is delicious. Almost as good as Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-nee's cooking. Idly, he wonders if Sasuke managed to copy their abilities with his sharingan somehow.
Sasuke-nii wouldn't, though. He's too proud of his cooking skills.
If he's being honest with himself— and since meeting and befriending Sasuke-nii all those years ago, Naruto has tried to be— it's a little disconcerting. For nearly as far back as he can remember, Sasuke has been his. His rival, his best friend, his older brother.
Sasuke is the person that taught him when no one else seemed willing to even look in his direction; someone that believed in him, supported his dream, and challenged him to always strive to be better. The person that gave him a shoulder to cry on when he was weak. The one who knows his darkest secrets. The person that Naruto can always, always, always trust to have his back.
Sure, Sasuke has Shino as a best friend, too. But Shino has a family. He and Sasuke are—were— all the other had for family in Konoha. Without Sasuke— he knows he wouldn't be who he was today. And without Naruto, maybe this Sasuke wouldn't exist either.
Now that Sasuke-nii has other Uchiha here, other little brothers and sisters... Will he even need me anymore?
Suddenly, the ramen Sasuke-nii had made as a special welcome home dinner doesn't taste fantastic anymore. In fact, he can't taste much of anything.
"Something wrong?" Sasuke turns away from his attempts to help the twins eat their first bowls of ramen— at the rate it's going, all three Uchiha are going to need baths in the immediate future. Blasphemy! Wasting precious Ramen-chan! He swirls the noodles in his own extra-large, extra-orange bowl moodily.
"Not really. Just not feeling all that hungry."
The trio of younger children at the table gaze back and forth from Naruto to Sasuke and back, slurping their ramen in imitation of the stranger who had been introduced as 'Uzumaki Naruto, Future Hokage, and your other older brother.'
"Liar." Sasuke replies distractedly, but turns back to Naruto to ask, "Can it wait until after dinner?"
"...Yeah." A wan smile, "Yeah, it's fine."
Dinner becomes quiet and awkward for everyone involved, except for Kyouya and Kyoko who are mostly oblivious to the atmosphere.
After dinner, Sasuke wipes Kyouya and Kyoko's faces clean, and deposits them back into their playpen, leaving a Kage Bunshin to watch them. He herds the older children outside into the training area that is their backyard, to ensure they release the inevitable pent-up energy before they must finish their homework.
He cajoles Naruto into helping clean the kitchen, bribing him with the leftovers.
"So... My ramen not as good as you're used to, after all?"
"Ehehe, well, it's only almost as good as Ichiraku Ramen." Naruto forces a wide smile, lugging a container of leftover ramen over to the refrigerator before retaking his seat.
Sasuke watches his younger brother intently, absently sorting the dirty bowls and utensils, placing them into the sink. "I won't force you to tell me, but—you're a terrible liar. And it's not like you to leave leftover anything, let alone ramen."
"Sorry. It's just— the house is crowded. I'm not used to it." Idly, he picks at a loose thread on his left sleeve, pretending it's the most important thing in the world. Well, it has been bothering me.
"You're right. It is pretty crowded now. Noisy, too. It was really quiet while you were away on your training trip." A pause, as Sasuke scrubs a particularly stubborn stain on the kitchen table, "I think I like it better this way. Although, that reminds me, I really need to buy a larger table for the kitchen."
"I guess... I can move out if you guys need the room?" Shoulders hunched, Naruto mumbles while staring at the table surface of the table.
Eyes narrowing slightly, Sasuke frowns, "I won't stop you from moving out if you want to, but—"
"I don't want to move out! I-I just..." He trails off, shrugging awkwardly. I just wasn't sure you wanted me here anymore. I mean, you have a real family now.
Sasuke reaches over, prodding Naruto's forehead lightly with his middle and index fingers. "Naruto-kun. You're family. Don't forget that, hm?"
A rush of warmth, soul-deep. Naruto can hear the words Sasuke-nii means, even if the older boy doesn't always say them out will always have a place here. No matter what, you will always be family.
A heartfelt smile. "Thanks, Nii-san." Thanks for understanding.
"Hmm... But you know, being an older brother is a lot of responsibility." His heart sinks at the sight of Sasuke's sneaky expression, impish smile and all, "Helping them with homework will be a good way for you to brush up on your basic ninja skills."
"Sasuke-niiiiii!" Naruto whines melodramatically, gripping his head as if he has a headache at the very thought of homework, "You're evil!"
Sasuke chuckles at his comically miserable expression, the baritone range his voice has lowered to as he matured making it sound particularly malevolent.
It's a few days before I can spend any time with Naruto without the other Uchiha being underfoot. The the curious little brats seem to find Naruto utterly irresistible, peppering him with questions about his travels. Fair enough. I doubt any of them have ever been outside of Hi no Kuni. Naruto, of course, flourishes under their attention. It takes cunning, trickery, and bribery— the true ninja arts— to distract my cute little cousins properly.
I setmy plans into motion on Saturday morning. Sai, back from his last mission, though several days late due to a complication, is joining us for breakfast. Once introduced, Naruto drags him into a conversation about jutsu.
I take advantage of a natural pause in their conversation, interjecting, "That reminds me. Sai-kun, do you know Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu?"
"No. I do not know many elemental jutsu." A pause, as the younger Uchiha gathers his thoughts, "Why do you ask, Sasuke-san?"
A casual shrug. I swirl the coffee in my mug, taking a sip to hide my smile. "Just a family tradition. In order to be considered an adult in the Clan and be able to wear the crest," here, I pause to tap the acorn-sized, red and white Uchiwa-shaped pin on my collar, "you have to master the basics of that Katon jutsu. It's a rite of passage dating back to before the formation of Konoha." Uchiha have always been fire... loving and lethal in equal measure.
"As a shinobi, you're an adult in the eyes of the village already, of course. And it's a bit of an old-fashioned tradition... but it's something I thought you might be interested in." I suppose it's something we did— do to honor our past, our ancestors.
Sai blinks, once, twice, and bows his head respectfully. "I am honored at the offer, Sasuke-sama. Thank you. I am interested in learning, if you have the time."
At least he only regresses to that level of formality when uncomfortable?
Still,Sai's agreement isn't surprising; he's been developing an interest in history. Konoha's history, old scrolls describing the Uchiha as they once were— I can't help but feel it's my fault. I told him that the easiest way to learn about how people think was to study how they had acted in the past.
I give him an encouraging smile as I tidy my place at the table, after swigging back the last dredges of my coffee. "How about I teach you the basics this afternoon, then? You've time off for a few days." And I don't have guard duty until late tonight.
"Ne, when did you learn Goukakyuu no Jutsu, Sasuke-nii?" Naoko-chan interrupts, wide-eyed with excitement. Naoko is, unsurprisingly, nearly as jutsu-mad as Naruto at that age. So are Ryuuji and Yoshi, though they hide it better.
"Oh, before I graduated from the Academy," comes my glib reply. Hook. "I think I was six or seven?"
"Eh, really?!" Comes the high-pitched exclamation from my most excitable cousin.
"Who taught you?" Ryuuji sidles up to me, having finished his breakfast and dropped his plate off in the sink.
A wan smile. "My father was supposed to." But instead, it was Itachi and Shisui that taught me the basics, and Kakashi-sensei who prodded and hinted until I truly mastered the technique.
"Ne, Naruto-san, did Nii-san really learn a fire jutsu before becoming a genin?" This little gem is voiced by Yoshi.
Seems I've hooked them all, now to reel them in.
"Geez, still so formal?" Naruto pouts a few seconds before bouncing back. "But yeah, he definitely did. I remember him wearing the Uchiha crest on his shirts when we were in the academy together."
"Sasuke-nii is so cool!" Naoko-chan grins widely, stars in her eyes.
"Oi, what about me?" Naruto puffs up like a popinjay, though his smile betrays his good humor.
Eyes curling into crescents reminiscent of Kakashi-sensei's eye-smiles, "Aren't I always more impressive than you?"
Dark eyes, intense in their focus— Ryuuji and Yoshi turn to glare at me as one. "Could I learn as well?" They ask in chorus.
"You've mastered the basic three jutsu, right? I suppose I could teach you as well, then. So long as you don't practice without supervision. Naoko-chan, too." Yeah, I have them. Hook, line, and sinker. "Naruto, why don't you help out as well?" He might never have called in that childhood favor, but I had taught him a Katon jutsu or two when we'd been starting out as genin, that techniqueincluded.
With the kids finally distracted, and with Sai and a handful of Kage Bunshin in place to supervise, Naruto and I sneak away to a nearby training ground and spend some time getting caught up— that is, beating the tar out of each other and showing off new techniques. And if a small pin finds its way into Naruto's pocket at some point during the afternoon? Well, as acting Clan Head, it's nobody's business but mine who I welcome into the Uchiha Clan.
Yatta! Naruto is back! And havoc inevitably follows. Two days late so I could fine-tune a scene or two.
...Also, I just noticed: did everyone in this 'verse develop a brother complex? Seriously. (Unintentional, but hilarious in retrospect.)
And yes, to those that noticed: Naruto and Sasuke are older than at the start of Shippuden—being sixteen and not fifteen. (Admittedly, I screwed up my math last chapter and made Sasuke seventeen, before you all called me out on it. Whoops! Easily fixed.) Jiraiya and Naruto were late coming back.
* Lyrics from "One With You" by Cenacle.