Sasuke walked out of the hospital, ignoring the people who were obviously whispering about him. He walked to the boarded up Uchiha district. He hadn't been here since he was a kid. Sasuke ducked under the wooden boards and worn caution tape. The old faded bloodstains brought on a torrent of memories.
Sasuke walked stiffly to his old home. His gaze lingered at the cracked crest. The kunai had long fallen. Sasuke picked up the kunai Itachi had thrown. He went inside his house. It still smelled the same. He walked to Itachi's room. How many nights had he crept in here just to see Itachi's face? How many nights had he come in here during a storm just to curl up with Itachi? He felt something wet slide down his face. Tears. Sasuke walked to Itachi's dresser and took out a dark blue shirt and pants and put them on, disposing the hospital gown.
He looked around. Itachi's room was bare except for a picture of Sasuke and him together on his nightstand. Sasuke stared at the picture. His hands were wrapped around Itachi's neck, both of them smiling. Sasuke was standing behind Itachi as Itachi sat on the walkway outside, his feet hanging down the side. They were both smiling brightly, happily. Sasuke remembered his smile, the same smile he wore as he died in front of Sasuke.
"Nii-san… I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered. The full impact of how much he looked up to Itachi finally hit him. He doubled over, clutching his head as a wave of pain hit him mentally. Madara. He screamed, knowing no one would hear him.
Surprisingly, someone did. A little boy came in hesitantly. A wave of anger flushed Sasuke's face as he realized this little boy was in the Uchiha's district. He didn't belong here! Sasuke was about to talk when he noticed the little boy's pale gray eyes. Hyuga.
"Are you okay?" the little boy asked.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sasuke asked.
"Ah—" the boy grinned, "I'm Uzumaki Namikaze!" Sasuke's widened.
"Uzu… maki?" He asked. iWith a byakugan? /i Namikaze nodded.
"Hai!" Namikaze saluted.
"You're… the hokage's son?" Sasuke asked in disbelief. Namikaze frowned, but nodded. Sasuke remembered his anger. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
Namikaze startled at his tone. "Ah—hm, Tu-san once told me his best friend and rival lived here, but then he left the village and no matter what Tu-san tried, he wouldn't come back. So, I—uh I like to come here a lot. There's a place in the back where there are woods and it's a good place to shuriken train. There're targets set and everything. Even one behind a big rock. There's also a big lake where I train too because it's peaceful here and no one bothers me."
Namikaze was speaking so quickly, Sasuke barely managed to understand. Sasuke looked out the window at the bloodstained buildings. He has never thought of this place as peaceful ever since the clan was murdered. Murdered…
"Who are you?" Namikaze asked, disturbing Sasuke's thoughts. Sasuke looked at him. Namikaze translated this into a glare.
"I—I mean, what's your name?" he asked.
Sasuke scratched his head thoughtfully. "Uchiha… Uchiha Sasuke." Namikaze's eyes widened.
"You're—" Namikaze exclaimed. Namikaze studied him.
"So cool," Namikaze finished just as Sasuke said, "A traitor?"
Sasuke startled at Namikaze's answer.
"Namikaze-kun… does your father talk about me a lot?" Sasuke asked. Namikaze nodded.
"He tells me stories about team 7 before I go to sleep. You guys have been on a lot of missions," he said, "My favorite was when you guys were in the land of waves and you and Tu-san were tree climbing and competing against each other and then you fought that ice guy, Haku, and you were both stuck in his jutsu and you used your sharingan to see him and protected Tu-san from his senbon. Oh! And before that when you and Tu-san and Kakashi-san were fighting that demon Zabuza and Kakashi-san was stuck in his water prison jutsu and you and Tu-san teamworked and saved Kakashi-san and you defeated him."
Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "That was your favorite, huh?"
Namikaze nodded energetically. Sasuke remembered something. "Namikaze, who is your mother?"
"She's Hyuga Hinata," Namikaze said innocently. Sasuke nodded. That explained the byakugan.
"Hinata, huh? She was always in love with Naruto…" Sasuke said, forgetting that Namikaze was there.
"Ehh?" Namikaze exclaimed, "I don't want to know all that lovey dovey stuff! Eww!"
Sasuke chuckled. He resembled his father so much. Sasuke ruffled his blond hair. "Kid, don't tell your father about our meeting, you hear?" Sasuke stated.
"Why not?"
"Because… because you'll get in a lot of trouble if he learns you're skipping school"
"Y—yeah, you're right," Namikaze agreed.