Hey everyone I'm sorry for the long wait, it was a crazy end of the semester and start up again. But here's chapter 2 and thanks to everyone who reviewed and liked my first one! I promise I'll try to update a little more often. For those who wanted to see more Sasuke in the story, he's all over this chapter xD
I hope everyone had a great holiday season and are having a good new year so far!
Disclaimer: Kishi owns Naruto, I do not.
Looking out the window, there was a lone tall, dark figure watching the young woman taking her rage and crippling pains out on the open starry sky.
He watched the way her shoulders heaved up and down, the ragged breaths she took that he knew from experience were not from the exertion of her earlier training, and the pure and utter rage that spun in her bloody eyes- eyes that she'd been both blessed and cursed with from his blood.
Sasuke Uchiha stood there in the window of his home, his long bangs almost covering his eyes as his own sharingan watched Sarada intently, reading her every movement and etching her pained expression to permanent memory. His breath caught in his throat momentarily as her eyes opened into the Mangekyō Sharingan. He still found it hard to believe his precious daughter had activated the ultimate form of sharingan. Under normal circumstances, he would've been proud, for Sarada has always been a prodigy sharingan weilder. Talented at the art, just as her father and uncle before her.
Now, however, he wished she hadn't. Not considering the trauma she was forced to endure in order to fully awaken it.
His large hand balled into a fist and crumpled a piece of paper that was in it as tears stung the older Uchiha's eyes for the first time in many years. He hadn't felt this type of crippling pain since he learned the truth of the Uchiha Massacre in the wake of Itachi's death.
He looked with a pained expression to his first born child as she stared at the sky with a face he knew all too well. The way her jaw was set determinedly and the way her bloody eyes narrowed, as if making a silent promise of vengeance.
It reminded him of himself twenty years ago, when his only goal was to avenge his clan and beloved brother.
She's far too much like me for her own good, he told himself silently as his sharingan and rinnegan deactivated and his eyes returned to their usual midnight hue.
His breath hitched as he moved away from the window. Sasuke was aching with every fiber of his being to run out there, embrace his little girl and soothe away her worries and fears as he had done when she was a child. Back when he was her hero and she would go to him for anything.
But that was then. Ever since Itachi was born, Sarada had slowly begun to pull away from her father. She would always go to her mother for everything, and began resenting her father the more he was away or trained Itachi to live up to his uncle's name and legacy.
And now that Sakura had- The Uchiha's breath hitched and crumpled the paper even more as he stood next to the roaring fire place-died, Sarada resented him all the more. He could feel the blame radiating from her in the wake of Sakura's untimely death.
And she was right. For many people blamed him for his wife's death- Ino, Sai, Tenten, Bolt, Shikadai, Temari, hell even the calm Kakashi. His own daughter resented him the most for it.
Only Naruto and Shikamaru seemed to try and be neutral on the subject and not immediately condemn him. Shikamaru tried to keep his cool facade and apply logic to the situation, stating that Sasuke couldn't of known of the attack anyway. And Naruto tried comforting his best friend as best he could. However, he couldn't ignore the pure agony and tint of blame in the Hokage's eyes when he returned and was informed of the events that had transpired. For Naruto too had lost one of his most precious people when Sakura died.
Sasuke sat down on the soft couch and leaned on his knees, sighing. No matter how many years passed or how much he attempted to atone for his sins, his past would always return to punish him. For those enemies were enemies he'd made during his own dark days as a rogue ninja.
He'd failed. He'd failed Sarada as a father. He'd failed to stay with his family due to his need to travel and keep repenting for his crimes. And worst of all, he'd failed to protect his family. He'd left Sakura to protect their children all on her own. Naruto and Kakashi had to step in to aid her in keeping Sarada and Itachi safe. That was his duty as their father.
Sasuke felt self hatred and shame wash over him like a tidal wave.
He hadn't been there. And now the rogues had escaped. Escaped before the ANBU forces, led by Sai, could track them down. Even Kiba, head of the Inuzuka clan and the best tracker in the Hidden Leaf, was unable to find a direct trace to the enemy.
The Uchiha patriarch had not gone after them in vengeance for only two reasons. One, he had to look after his children. He had not been there to protect their mother; the least he could do was be here for them. And second, Sakura herself.
A sly smirk momentarily passed the Uchiha's lips. Sakura always knew Sasuke better than he knew himself. Even in death, she tried to do what was best for him.
He uncrunched the crinkled letter that was in his right hand and tenderly unfolded it with both his hands; his right hand, and the prothestetic left arm from the First's cells he'd gotten just before his wedding to Sakura.
This was a letter Sakura had written to her husband many years ago, in case she was ever killed in battle or simply died. Ino had given it to him the day of Sakura's burial, telling him that the Uchiha matriarch wanted Ino to give it to him in case anything ever happened to her. It contained her deepest feelings and last wishes she wanted him to carry out.
His mind that was corrupted with grief, loss and hatred was far too distraught and he was ready to track down the bastards who has dared touch his family and killed his greatest love.
Only Naruto's well earned punch to the jaw snapped him out of it and got him to think about his children. And read Sakura's final words to him.
The thought of his kids pained him. The pained screams of Sarada when he arrived at the scene only an hour after the battle. The way she wept painfully over her mother's cold lifeless body that had a gaping hole in her chest. The way little Itachi came running to him sobbing when he saw his mother's unmoving form. However when the older Uchiha began to lose his cool over seeing the person he loved most brutally killed, he remembers Kakashi pulling Itachi away from him and allowing the boy to sob and yell into his uncle figure's chest.
He remembers trying to embrace his daughter, but her pulling away from him, pure agony and resentment and hate in her eyes. And then he noticed the transformation of her Sharingan.
He also remembers his son's sad and angry emerald eyes- his mother's eyes. And Kakashi informed him that Itachi has activated his Sharingan for the first time when he saw his mother dead, although he did not witness her last moments as Sarada had.
The sharingan's new power had taken its toll on the boy's fragile emotional state and Kakashi had to teach Itachi how to carefully deactivate it. Although the ex-Hokage lost his Sharingan from Obito years ago, he still remembered a few things about the bloodline limit.
Kakashi had helped his son with his newly awakened occular powers and soothed the boy until he fell asleep from exhaustion. And only Ino was able to pry Sarada away from Sakurs's corpse and calm her rage down until only sadness was left, allowing her cry into her aunt's loving embrace as she too wept for her best friend.
Sasuke's heart sank at the memories of only a week ago. Once again, others were forced to step in for his children because he was either absent or too lost in his own emotions. And now that their mother was gone, it was up to him to help them through this.
Itachi has been a bit more understanding and the boy was still young, no matter how deemed he was to be a young prodigy. He adored his father and thought he could do no wrong, just as Sarada had been when she was young. Sarada however, barely looked at him except with eyes full of pain and blame. They had yet to utter more than a few word to each other. And she still had not told him what truly happened. He'd only heard Naruto's account of the events, not Sarada's. All he knew was that the rogue nin attacked their compound, wrecked the village for days and were about to kill Sarada when Sakura intervened, taking the blow for their daughter, but not before sending a precise kunai tipped with poison into her murderer's throat, effectively killing him.
Pushing these thought aside for now, he prepared to reread the letter from his wife until the phone began to ring.
Arching an eye brow at this, the Uchiha patriarch rose and in a few strides reached the phone, answering it in his usual gruff fashion.
"What?"
"Sasuke," came the Seventh's serious tone- a tone that was a strange contrast to his usual cheerful one. "Sorry to bother you. But I need you to come down to the office tonight. Usually I'd send an ANBU to get you, but this is a really delicate matter."
The letter lay forgotten on the table as the Uchiha's fist tightened. "What is it?"
"Kiba found a lead on the rogue nins that attacked us and killed Sakura-chan." He heard a sniffle and tremor in the Hokage's voice. Like him, Naruto was still mourning her loss. "He found a slight scent and trail deep in the forest to where they could be. We also found something else. Come down at midnight. This is a delicate matter so only the most trusted of Shinobi are coming. We're already organizing a special team to track them down. We will bring them to justice. For Sakura-chan."
"You found a lead? Good. I'm going to rip them apart. I'll be there at midnight." Sasuke hung up and narrowed his eyes. He would find these sons of bitches. For her.
As he turned to go prepare to depart for the Hokage tower in a few hours, the Uchiha was so engrossed in his thoughts that he'd failed to notice the feminine figure standing in the very window he'd been observing from not even thirty minutes ago.
Unbeknownst to him, Sarada had heard the phone ring with her keen hearing and approached the window, masking her chakra like a true master, just as Sasuke had taught her.
With her newly developed Mangekyō, her eyes were sharper than ever and she'd read her father's lips for the exact words she'd been wanting to hear; "You found a lead?"
She gave her first small smile for the first time in over a week. Here's my chance.
Sarada deactivated her kekkei genkai and stealthily made her way to the back door of the compound. She approached her room and took a shower. She then spent the next few hours sharpening her weapons and packing a few essentials for her journey, as well as changing into her kunoichi uniform.
Once eleven at night rolled around, she heard her father walking towards her bedroom, no doubt to check in on her before heading to the Hokage tower.
The young woman quickly pulled the futon over her, effectively hiding her uniform and feigned sleep, making sure her breathing was deep and even and manipulating her chakra to appear flowed and relaxed. She thanked Kami for inheriting her mother's perfect chakra control.
Sasuke entered the dark room, clothed in his black cloak and gloves to protect him from the chill of the night and to keep him hidden in the shadows as he'd cross the village.
The avenger looked down at his orecious daughter, tracing every feature of her face with his eyes. She was so beautiful. His little girl had always been beautiful. But as she grew older, she becomes a stunning young woman. Her round and sharp lovely features reminded him so much of her mother at that age.
He momentarily allowed himself to softly sit beside his sleeping daughter and brush her dark hair, so much like his own, out of her face, and claps his eyes, remembering a time when she was little and their family was happy and whole and she loved him more than anything.
After a few minutes, Sasuke brought himself back into reality. He loved seeing his little girl like this, relaxed and at peace. Not haunted and angry as she's been all these days, especially in his presence. His heart clenched at the thought but he shoved those feeling aside. He had to do this. For Sakura. For Sarada and Itachi.
Sasuke bent down and softly kissed her forehead as he stroked her hair.
"I know you're angry with me, Sara-chan," he whispered. Sarada nearly bolted up at the mention of her childhood nickname. That Sasuke hasn't used for her since she was eleven. "But I love you, and I love your brother. And I loved your mother with all my heart. I'm sorry I wasn't here. You have every right to hate me. I hate myself. I should've been here to protect her. To protect all of you. But I promise you, I will make this right."
His warm hand caressed her cheek before she felt his weight lift from the bed and he silently left the room, closing the door behind him. She felt his foot steps walk down the hall, no doubt going to check on Itachi.
Sarada's eyes opened, silent tears escaping her eyes at the sound of end father's painful yet sincere words.
She muffled a sob into her pillow, allowing herself this moment of weakness.
Entering his own childhood room, Sasuke stood at the foot of Itachi's bed. The ten year old was fast asleep, his messy black bangs, so like his father's, were tossed and sticking up. The man approached his son, frowning when he noticed dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Itachi had cried himself to sleep. And this time he hadn't gone to Sasuke for comfort.
More self loathing wormed into the man's heart as he sat gently on his son's bed and allowed his hands to comb through the thick strands. Looking at the boy's face, Sasuke saw much of himself. However, he knew under those exhausted eye lids were those beautiful and captivating emerald eyes from Sakura. Eyes that now haunted his every dream, but he drew comfort from seeing them on Itachi's face.
He ran his fingers comfortingly through the boy's hair, in the manner that his own mother did to him as a boy to whisk away his nightmares. Once he felt Itachi relax completely and settle down due to his ministrations in his hair, Sasuke kissed his son's temple softly and murmured a few words as he had done with his daughter.
"Rest easy, Son. I'm going to punish those men that took your mother from us. I promise. I love you and your sister more than anything, just as I loved your mother. I'll be here and I'll never leave you again." He stroked the hair a final time and quietly exited the compound, using the roof tops as a suitable method of travel. He sped through the night, the bellowing night breeze caressing his bangs. He narrowed his eyes, Sharingan and rinnegsm activating in his rage.
I will find them. But this time I will do things differently, Sakura. I promise you.
Sarada rose from her bed several minutes later and made a perfect shadow clone to take her place in bed. She swiftly grabbed her things and kissed her little brother's forehead before heading out into the night, being careful to avoid the many genjutsu traps her father had left set for intruders, and pulled a black cloak over her face as she masked her chakra and trailed after her father on the rooftops.
This was her chance to fulfill her promise to her mother.
How was that? :) not much action I know. This chapter was to forward the plot and explain the situation of the family as well as how Sakura died. Don't worry there's action coming in future chapters!
And I hope Sasuke didn't seem too out of character, but we don't really know much about older Sasuke's personality based on one panel and I figured he would mellow out a little with age and having a family.
please review! I'll be updating in the next week or so :) I'll also be updating all my other pending stories this week to those who read my other works.
Thanks for your patience everyone.
~Foreveralways
