This is my tribute to Sasuke.
Things to remember:
A) I began writing this in '06, and it is awkward. I have a beta, but I asked them not to change much because I wanted this story to remain as young as possible, so my readers could watch me grow as a writer.
B) I call this my 'Narutoland' universe. This will be helpful if you read my other stories.
C) This baby will seemingly go on forever. I will update it once a week, and I'm not sure how many chapters it will span.
D) My OC's will appear down the line, please respect them as such.
E) If you consider yourself a talented artist, and wish to visualize some scenes in here, please feel free to do so(but contact me so I can appreciate your amazing artwork).
F) I will insert quotes that are relevant to the Uchiha family inbetween scene changes, so don't ask. You'll find out later.
Notes from your Captin: Yay, I survived another week of hell…AKA, typing this story. It's amazing, and I love it. Just not the way it's written(seriously, my lovely readers, be grateful you are reading te edited version). So many fun things this chapter, but there are still more to come. BTW, next chapter are the funerals of both Sakura and Ino's parents. Maybe depressing, haven't decided yet. Meh, guess we'll have to wait and see my lovely muse does. See you next Sunday!
PS: this is choppy, but that's due to the quality of my writing back then. just ignore it and go with the flow. if you get confused, contact me and i'll help clarify.
Thanks for reading, and please enjoy.
Sasuke Uchiha, youngest surviving member of the Uchiha clan, watched his old sensei's shocked expression with a quiet humor. It was a surprise that Kakashi's mask did not drop off, seeing as his jaw had nearly fallen off.
"Sasuke Uchiha…" Rin Hatake breathed in awe, looking at the ex-con with wide, brown eyes. A disgruntled sigh broke the silence.
"Alright, Uchiha. How did you leave Orochimaru without dying?" Tsunade asked, a seemingly permanent frown on her youthful face. Sakura smiled, gently squeezing Sasuke's hand. Sighing, he began to tell them his tale.
"…and to conclude, as to why I am alive, it's because Sakura has taken such great care of me." Sasuke finished his tale, gripping her hand tightly. Kakashi nodded, expression softening.
"I see. Well, that's what teammates do. Take care of each other." He said, wrapping an arm around his wife. Rin giggled, leaning into him.
"Do you actually plan to stay this time?" Tsunade asked. Sasuke nods.
"Are you absolutely, positively sure?" The room turned to see Jiraiya standing beside the door. Sasuke nodded again. Rin pulled away from Kakashi, and walks over to Sasuke's side.
"Don't think we don't trust your word, Sasuke-san. My name is Rin. Tsunade-mama and I have been training Sakura in our medic nin ways." She explains.
"Ever since you've left, Sakura has been depressed and not as into anything as a normal teenager should be. We just don't want you to throw her off balance again." Tsunade adds. Rin smiled at Sakura, reaching out to take her hand.
"We don't mean to sound untrusting, Sakura-imouto." Rin says, smiling to show her that her words are true. Sakura had been frowning, and was about interrupt them.
"It's been so long since we've seen you smile, baby girl." Jiraiya adds, walking over to Tsunade's side. Sakura smiles.
"I understand. So can Sasuke-kun and I leave now?" Sakura asked, standing. Tsunade nods.
"Yes." She says. As soon as the two are gone, Rin walks over to Tsunade.
"So…what do you think?" Rin asked, perching herself onto Tsunade's desk. The blond frowned.
"I don't trust him." Tsunade frowned. Rin and Jiraiya chuckled.
"Hon, do you trust anyone?" He asked. When she glared, he laughed and walked over to her other side.
"Shizune!" Tsunade called out, looking around for her assistant.
"Hai, Tsunade-sama?" She asked warily. Last week, Tsunade had made her run everywhere and pay all of her debts. She sincerely hoped that she wouldn't have to do it again.
"I need you to go and see if Orochimaru is truly dead." The Hokage ordered. Shizune nodded.
"Hai, milady." She promised, quickly leaving the room. Tsunade closed her eyes tiredly. Rin quickly ran over to rub at Tsunade's shoulders.
"Tsu-mama…" She murmured sympathetically.
"I wonder if he really is gone." Jiraiya wondered aloud, sitting on the edge of her desk. Kakashi sat down his Ichi Ichi Paradise, his visible eyes looking at his hands as he too wondered at the possibilities. Rin rolled her brown eyes.
"Geesh, why are we suddenly so somber? So many lovely things are going on right now." She said. When the other three looked at her, she smiled. "A few days ago, someone we know got engaged, and someone is having a baby. And on the darker side of things, we are having two funerals very soon." She said, giving Tsunade's shoulders one more squeeze before turning to the windows.
"I know about the baby. Who's getting married?" Tsunade asked, slightly baffled.
"Who's having a baby?" The men asked. Rin giggled, a grin spreading over her face.
"Well, Neji and Tenten are getting married." She drawled, walking over to her spouse and sitting on his knee. Kakashi smiled, wrapping his arms around her.
"That's good. That girl is good for him." Jiraiya said. Tsunade nodded, hiding her own smile as Rin gently removed Kakashi's mask.
"As for the baby, it's ours." She said, gently placing his hand on her stomach. His black eyes widened.
"Really?" He asked, pulling her closer. When she nodded, he leaned up to kiss her.
"Our baby girl…" Jiraiya murmured softly to Tsunade. She nodded. No, Rin was not their daughter. After Minato died, and Rin was taken under Tsunade's wing, Jiraiya and Tsunade became something akin to foster parents for the girl. They considered one another family.
"Wow…I hope he gets my hair." Kakashi said, rubbing at Rin's abdomen. She rolled her eyes, taking away his book.
"This is going to have to stay out of my sight for the next decade or so." She added. When Kakashi pouted, the other broke into laughter.
When Tenten, a female kunoichi, awoke in the hospital, she instantly frowned. He frown deepened when she spotted her fiancé sitting beside her, eyes full of worry.
"Hey. How are you feeling?" He asked, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.
"What happened? Why am I here?" She asked, pressing her hand against her forehead. He rubbed her back, shaking his head.
"You collapsed in Tsunade-sama's office. Rin says that you could have fainted from anything. Has this been happening often?" He asked. She shook her head.
"No. I'm scared, Neji-kun." Tenten said, hugging him. He returned her embrace.
"It's going to be okay, Ten. It's going to be okay. Tsunade-sama and Rin are trying to diagnose you now." He promised. She nodded, curling into his embrace.
In the basement, Tsunade and Jiraiya were looking through Tenten's personal history as Sakura and Rin went through her medical.
"Babe, it looks like Yura was not pregnant at all." Jiraiya commented as he looked through some family photos. Tsunade nodded, unsurprised.
"I know. She was pregnant with Ten's cousin Yumi. That was her only child." The Hokage explained. Before he could reply, Rin and Sakura entered the room.
"We couldn't find anything in her medical records." Sakura said, disappointed. Rin wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Sak. We'll figure it out." Rin assured her. Tsunade sighed.
"Actually, no you won't. She has to figure it out herself." She said.
"Huh?" The two asked together as Jiraiya frowned. All four jumped as Shizune appeared.
"I have returned, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said. "Orochimaru is indeed dead." Tsunade nodded, already having figured so.
"Very well. Everyone, let's go home." She said, standing up. Jiraiya sighed.
"So who are her real parents?" He asked. Rin covered Sakura's mouth before she could exclaim "Ten's adopted!"
"It's not my place to say. We must drop this." She said sternly. They nodded, exiting the record room.
"Ten, I just had an idea." Neji said, sitting up. She yawned, nodding.
"Okay?" She asked, adjusting her hospital pillow.
"Sometimes, a Kekkei Genkai will have it's future user exhibit odd symptoms. What if your family had a special bloodline?" He asked. Her brown eyes widened.
"What?" She exclaimed. Neji nodded, then paled.
"Oh god…Haku had a Kekkei Genkai." He whispered. She blanched.
"I need to see my mother first thing tomorrow." She said. He pulled his into his arms, nodding.
"What do you think this is, Sasuke-kun? She's not pregnant, and is perfectly healthy." Sakura finished explaining what had happened today. He frowned, sitting down his fork. The two were having dinner.
"I think I remember one of the Sound Four saying that sometimes a suppressed Kekkei Genkai will attempt to weaken it's owner's defenses so it can break free." He suggested. She gasped.
"You think Ten has a Kekkei Genkai?" She asked. He nodded.
"Yes. It will make itself known eventually. Now all we have to do is wait." Sasuke said. She sighed, taking his hand.
"Poor Ten…just before she gets married, her family is unintentionally causing problems." She murmured. He chuckled, reaching over to cup her face.
"So you said that you found out something good today. What is it?" He asked, taking their plates to the sink. She beamed.
"Kaka-sensei and Rin-nee are having a baby!" She giggled. Sasuke's eyes widened.
"Does Naruto know yet?" He asked slowly, imagining the dobe's over reaction. She shrugged, walking over to help his wash the dishes.
"Doubt it, seeing as he's not tried to break down the door." Sasuke sighed, already feeling the strain of keeping that idiot's excitement in check. Sakura chuckled, as if reading his thoughts.
"After this, we need to go to bed, Sasuke-kun. We have a funeral tomorrow." She said somberly. He frowned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Okay. We'll get through this." He promised softly, kissing her forehead. She nodded, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"I know…" She murmured, eyes darkening with grief.
Little did they know that two funerals were the least of their worries.