Her Face
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. The "older generation" is also going to be introduced more and more as the story goes on. I tried my best to estimate how old everyone was during this time period. It may not be completely accurate, but hopefully you will all enjoy the story anyway.
Chapter Notation: The Uchihas were known for having ninja cats. So while Tsuki isn't cannon, it's plausible that Mikoto could have had her own ninja cat. I am trying to keep the older generation in character, but I did get fairly creative with their backstories. So things may not always line up 100% with cannon.
Chapter 3
A few days pass and Sasuke eventually returns to the Uchiha District with Mikoto. He could only hope that he wasn't gaping like a fish. The District was so alive! Sasuke had all but forgotten what it was like before the Massacre.
"Catch!" One of the Uchiha children calls out in the middle of the street as they toss a ball at their friend.
Sasuke didn't recognize them. He could only assume that this had been some distant relative. They must have died of natural causes, on a mission, or on that horrible night that still haunted his dreams.
It was such a surreal experience. Everywhere he looked, he was looking at people who had been dead for years. Part of him couldn't help but wonder, if this was really happening or was this all just a dream?
"Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Mikoto asks in concern.
"I'm fine. I suppose that I'm still a little disoriented from all the chakra and blood transfusions. That's all." Sasuke lies seamlessly and smiles at his mother.
He hated lying to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth. Sasuke wasn't entirely certain that she would have believed him, if he did tell her. For now, he was just happy to enjoy the sight of a thriving Uchiha District with his mother.
"Oh. Let's get you to your apartment. You should probably rest." Mikoto says kindly as she leads him off towards one of the apartments.
Sasuke tilts his head. He didn't remember this, but he was getting a rather distinct impression that these apartments were designed for single people. They were smaller than most of the other buildings and closer together. That didn't really bother him though.
It only made sense that someone living on their own would have a smaller home. People with children likely wanted larger yards and gardens than those without. That and he'd certainly made do in far worse accommodations.
"You're number 17." The dark haired beauty explains.
"Alright. Is there any difference between the apartments?" Sasuke asks.
"Not really. They are all identical because they were built at the same time because it made their construction easier. Though obviously, you can add your own personal touches to it. You can do whatever you like to the inside and outside." His mother answers him as she inserts a key into the door and opens it.
Sasuke nods gratefully and darts inside. Hmm. Well it wasn't bad. There was a living room, a kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, and a laundry room. At the very least, it was several steps up from the Sound Village.
"It's perfect. Thank you." Sasuke says with a smile.
"I'm in apartment number seven. If you need anything, just knock on my door." She says as she heads off.
"Alright." Sasuke calls out, just as Mikoto was leaving.
Once she was gone, Sasuke sighs and sits on the couch. He didn't know how he was going to do this. He didn't have the Rinnegan anymore. So he couldn't go back to his own time naturally.
He could only hope that he'd be sent back to his proper timeline, when his younger self was conceived. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee that would happen. The Uchiha was truly in uncharted territory.
"I guess that I might as well get some sleep." Sasuke says after awhile and heads to his bedroom.
He quickly flops onto his bed. Sasuke didn't even bother changing out of his clothes. He just drags the blankets over him and a few minutes later, he was out like light.
Meanwhile four children were at the training grounds, late at night. One was a boy with silver hair. Another was a boy with busy eyebrows. The third was a child with chocolate brown eyes named Asuma. Finally, there was a ruby eyed girl named Kurenai who was practicing her Genjutsu.
"I never really saw the point in Genjutsu. I prefer to win a fair fight. Man to Man!" Might Guy exclaims.
He was only seven years old. So was his best friend, Kakashi. The two of them trained together every single day.
Today was special though. They had shown up at their usual training place and stumbled upon Asuma and Kurenai. Naturally, they had asked their slightly older peers to train with them. The two other children agreed and now here they were hours later, debating the merits and demerits of Genjutsu.
"Guy there are three kinds of jutsus. They all have their benefits and drawbacks." Kakashi says knowledgably.
"Taijutsu is still the best though." He says and Asuma just shakes his head in amusement.
He really hoped that Kurenai wasn't too annoyed by it. Guy was nice, but he was very set in his ways. For whatever reason, the other boy loved Taijutsu best and that was that.
"Don't worry. I'm not mad. I'm sure that Guy is about to challenge Kakashi to another contest and they'll forget all about the debate anyway." Kurenai says with a giggle.
Asuma nods in agreement. Those two were always competing over something. Nothing was too important or too minor for them to make a contest over. It was both amazing and a little disturbing, really.
"I bet that Kakashi wins this one." The young girl says.
"No way. Guy's totally got this one. What are we betting this time?" He asks.
Kurenai pauses as she considers this. Hmm. That was a good question. What would be a good agreement for their bet?
"Loser has to do the other's chores for a week." She says with a smile.
"You're on!" Asuma agrees as he watches their friends bicker.
True to form, it didn't take them long to start arguing. It looked like Guy and Kakashi were about to challenge each other to something, when they were interrupted by a team of Ninjas.
"Hey, kids. Stop fighting." Inoichi says.
Inoichi was a nineteen year old Leaf Ninja. His teammates were Shikaku and Choza. Their Clans had worked together for generations and it wasn't unusual for them to be assigned to the same squad, if they happened to attend the Academy together. Thus their team was composed of a Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clan Member.
Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma immediately stop what they were doing. They had been caught by not one, but three experienced ninjas bickering like the children they were. That was embarrassing.
"What a drag. They're just playing around. We should get going." Shikaku says.
"Probably a good idea. It'd be bad manners to keep the Third waiting." Choza says.
"You kids have fun. We're on important official ninja business." Inoichi says with a wink as the three of them head off.
The four children look at each other, once the squad was gone. Suddenly, they all smirk and nod their heads. Important official ninja business sounded exciting. Far more exciting than the arm wrestling contest that Guy was likely about to challenge Kakashi to.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Asuma says with a grin.
"I think that we should follow them and see what they are up to." Kurenai replies with a smile.
"Yes! That's the power of youth!" Guy exclaims excitedly.
Kakashi shakes his head in amusement as he smacks his forehead. Guy was his best friend. There was no one more loyal and brave than him, but he could be strange sometimes. For the life of him, he couldn't understand the other boy's obsession with youth.
"Alright. We'll have to be careful though. They obviously aren't taking the mission too seriously, if they're joking around about it. They wouldn't have told us that they were on a mission, if it was dangerous. Most likely, that means they are going to fetch someone for the Hokage." The silver haired boy reasons.
Kurenai pauses as she considers this. After a moment or two, she nods in agreement. Kakashi was probably right.
"That's probably true. We need to be careful though. Even if their guard is lower than usual, they are still Jonin. Legendary ninjas. They might sense us." She points out.
"Don't worry about any, Kurenai. I'm sure that we can handle it." Guy says as he flashes her blindingly bright smile.
Asuma immediately shuts his eyes. He had no idea how the other boy could get his teeth to be that bright. It was almost like a Blinding Jutsu or something!
"Let's go. They can't have gone too far." He whispers and the other children nod as they take off after the ninja squad.
Back in the Uchiha District, Mikoto says as she heads into her apartment and sits in front of her vanity. The Uchiha woman was currently brushing her long hair. It was a mindless and soothing task. One that was easily completed as she pondered the latest events.
"Daisuke is back." She whispers to herself.
She hadn't seen her cousin in years. The raven haired woman was still shocked that such a young ninja had been given that long of a mission. That and he looked so much like her. Had their family resemblance always been that strong and she just hadn't noticed?
"Well it has been a few years. That's probably why." She muses.
Fugaku was certainly suspicious of him though. Mikoto couldn't really see why. The boy hadn't done anything. His only "crime" was not being immediately recognizable and coming back with injuries. He seemed friendly enough.
"That man is far too suspicious, even for a ninja. Daisuke is an Uchiha. He can be trusted." She says as she leans down and smiles as she pets her ninja cat.
Tsuki was a ninja cat. Her name meant Moon and with her beautiful moonlight colored fur, she lived up to it. She was a proud ninja cat and far too intelligent to be considered a pet, but she lived with Mikoto.
Most people would have considered the feline, Mikoto's housecat. That couldn't be further from the truth. That didn't matter though. Tsuki's claws would quickly correct that misconception anyway.
"I keep telling you that it's nothing some catnip, milk, fish, and a nice belly rub can't fix." Tsuki insists.
Mikoto chuckles as she scoops up the ninja cat and pets her. She really wished it was that simple. If only one could get Fugaku Uchiha to relax by giving him some catnip.
"Mmm it's not that easy. Believe me, I have tried all of the above. Well except for the catnip. That doesn't have the same effect on humans. That and I don't think he wants any belly rubs." She notes in amusement.
"Every male wants a belly rub." Tsuki says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Mikoto just smiles. She really wished that people were as easily pleased as cats. Honestly, she could only imagine the older ninja's reaction if she tried out Tsuki's advice.
"I suppose that's true. It's just he's not exactly the most approachable sort." She reasons as she remembered how she met him for the first time.
"Come on Uchiha Princess, let's see those Demon Eyes of yours!" A Chunin yelled at Mikoto.
He wasn't alone. The fifteen year old was with his team. Mikoto was only twelve. She was straight out of the Academy. She was also alone.
The Genin had been on her way back to the Uchiha District when the group ambushed her. Walking home alone, had probably been a mistake. Her only excuse was that she didn't think anyone would try to start something with her for just walking home and this close to the Uchiha District.
"I'm no princess and I'm not activating my Sharingan for your amusement. Goodnight." She said as she tried to walk by him.
"What? Can't you do it? Maybe you are a late bloomer! A baby demon!" A second Chunin said.
Mikoto clenched her fists. These idiots probably thought that every Uchiha was born with their Sharingan activated. It varied from Uchiha to Uchiha. She was most certainly NOT a late bloomer either. She could activate her Sharingan, she just wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of seeing her eyes turn red.
None of that mattered though. She wasn't going to take the bait. Things between her Clan and the rest of the village were bad enough. She didn't need to make them worse by giving these children what they deserved.
In her mind, it didn't matter that they were older. The fact that they were Chunin didn't worry her either. She was barely a Genin, but sheprobably could have taken them.
It wouldn't have been easy, but Mikoto was reasonably confident that she could have done it. She knew better though. That would be giving them exactly what they wanted. They wanted an excuse to run to the Hokage and tell him all about how violent Uchihas were. She wasn't going to give them one.
"You aren't worthy of seeing my Demon Eyes." She retorted.
The young girl tried once more to dart by them. That didn't work. It was three against one. Suddenly, they were on her in a flash.
Mikoto grunts in pain when someone's fist connected with her cheek and another punched her, just underneath her ribs. She fought back though. The Uchiha girl couldn't even activate a Jutsu. She was too busy trying to block the numerous attacks coming at her.
"FIREBALL JUTSU: PHONEIX FLOWER STYLE!" She heard a masculine voice call out.
An intense blaze of fire came at them. The Chunin immediately jumped off of her. They didn't want to be burned to a crisp. It was understandable really.
"Damn it. It's another one." A Chunin said.
"Mera, we had better go. This one is a Jonin." His friend said.
"Pft. He might be a Jonin, but it's still three against one. Well three against the two. The baby demon isn't going to do anything though. She ain't even got the freaky eyes yet." Mera replied.
Mikoto got up and looked at the Jonin who had intervened. He was definitely an Uchiha. She had seen him around in the District, but hadn't spoken to him before.
That wasn't unusual. There were hundreds of Uchihas in the District. It would be almost impossible to know every one of them well. That and he was likely five years her senior. It was only logical that they wouldn't spend much time with each other.
"That "baby demon" as you called her, is fully capable of activating her Sharingan. She's just too kind to give you the beating that you deserve. Unfortunately for you, I'm not her." Fugaku said as he activated his Sharingan.
Mikoto watches as the older Uchiha proceeded to deliver a swift kick to each of them in the stomach. The Chunin all went flying back several feet. One landed against a tree. Another into a wall and the third fell.
CRACK! CRUNCH! BAM! She was far from a medic, but the young girl recognized the sounds of bones being broken. By her estimates, the Chunin would all have at least one broken bone by the end of the encounter.
"I could have killed all of you with ease. You're no more significant than insects. Perhaps you should remember when you pick a fight with a "baby demon," you're challenging all of us. Not all of us are as merciful as her. Now go!" He thundered at them and the ninjas took off running, clutching their injuries.
"Thank you." Mikoto whispered as she cautiously approached her clansman.
"You were fully capable of dealing with them. Allowing them to taunt you, won't make things better. Are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine. A few bruises, but nothing that won't be better in a day or two. I just didn't want to make things worse." She mumbled.
Fugaku sighed and touched her badly bruised cheek. Mikoto tried not to flinch, but she knew that she probably did. She saw that irritated look in his eye. She half wondered, if he was going to hunt them down later.
"It'd be difficult for things to get much worse. Come on. Let's have one of our Clan Medics have a look at you. Taking you to the regular hospital would cause too many questions. I imagine you would prefer it, if that incident didn't become public knowledge." He said.
"Yes, I would prefer that." She whispered and Fugaku nodded as he took her back to the District for some treatment.
She supposed Daisuke was right. Fugaku was more of a lion than anything. He could come off as rather intimidating to put it mildly, but he was just trying to protect his pride in the best way he knew how.
Meanwhile the three Jonin quickly made their way to the Uchiha District. Mikoto had registered Daisuke's new apartment, as was customary. So the Third had known where the young Uchiha was staying and shared that information with the team.
"Looks like we're here." Inoichi says as he knocks on the door of the apartment.
"What a drag. Hopefully, he won't make a big fuss. I mean we are asking him to go see the Hokage in the middle of the night." Shikaku points out.
"I guess we'll see what happens." Choza observes.
Almost immediately, Sasuke flings himself out of bed and quickly goes to open the door. He blinks when he saw three men standing there. He vaguely recognized them as Ino's, Shikamaru's, and Choji's fathers. What were they doing in the Uchiha District though? They certainly weren't Uchihas.
"Ah good. You're awake. Sorry about this, but the Hokage wants to see you immediately." Inoichi says.
Sasuke blinks. That couldn't be good. Was it possible that the Third suspected something was up. That's when he started mentally kicking himself for his stupidity.
Of course, the Hokage was going to want to speak with him. He had told Mikoto that the Hokage assigned him a top secret mission. Sarutobi would certainly know that was a lie.
"Alright." Sasuke says after hesitating for a moment, before going off with the three of them.
He didn't have a choice. If he didn't go, Sasuke would look even more suspicious. Maybe he could come up with a reasonable excuse. Maybe he could reason for him. Maybe he would just have to run. Sasuke didn't know what he was going to do, but resisting them would have been stupid.
The Uchiha knew that he easily could have taken them, but that would have only stalled for time. Sooner or later, someone would come looking for them. In the long run, that would have just made matters worse.
"This shouldn't take long." Choza says as they make their way back to the Hokage's Office.
Once they were there, the Third Hokage thanks them and instructs the team to leave. Thankfully, they did so quietly. Sasuke was grateful. He really didn't want to have an audience for his "discussion" with this God of Ninjas.
"Please have a seat. You and I have much to discuss." Sarutobi says and Sasuke sits down.
"You wished to see me?" Sasuke asks, feigning ignorance.
"Oh yes, I did very much. Fugaku claims that you said that I gave you a top secret mission. I never assigned you such a mission. I know it has been years, but I didn't believe you were actually Daisuke. You're clearly an Uchiha, but you aren't him. So I had some more detailed genetic testing done." He says and Sasuke pales considerably.
Damn it! He knew! He knew! How was he going to explain this?! His father wouldn't even have been ten when he was "born" in this timeline. Neither of his parents was old enough to have a teenage son!
"Imagine my surprise when the results for your parentage came back. Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. Neither of them is old enough to have sired a child your age, but DNA doesn't lie. I'm certain that you can understand my confusion." He continues on.
"Did you tell them?" Sasuke whispers.
"No. I wanted an explanation before I took action. You're only perhaps three years younger than Mikoto. There is no conceivable natural way that she could be your mother. Even Fugaku would have been eight, when you were born. He's also far too young. So I would like to know what is going on. I have my theories. I would like to give you a chance to explain though." The elderly man explains.
Sarutobi had been old by the time of his death, but he wasn't young in this timeline either. He was certainly Sasuke's elder and Fugaku's elder by a considerable number of years. The Third Hokage was still young enough to fight well in combat though. He would be a formidable opponent.
Of course, Sasuke was confident that he would emerge victorious. He had helped to defeat Madara Uchiha and while Sarutobi was powerful, he wasn't on Madara's level. Despite that, he knew that it would be unwise to kill the Hokage. Such an action couldn't be kept a secret and it would completely blow his cover.
"It's a very long story." He says with a sigh.
"I have all the time in the world." Sarutobi says kindly as he pours them each a glass of sake.
Sasuke snorts in amusement. Did the Third Hokage think that sake would loosen his tongue? He had done a lot of horrible things, but he had never really fallen for the Three Vices, as Kabuto called them.
Alcohol, gambling, and women. Those were the three things that had brought down many a powerful ninja. No matter how strong a man was, he was generally vulnerable to at least one of the three.
"I am their son. I just haven't been born yet." Sasuke whispers as he takes the sake.
He rarely drink. Sasuke never bothered with gambling. He had been too focused on avenging his Clan and redemption to bother with women as of yet. The few that had gotten to know relatively well were of no interest to him. At least when it came to those vices, Sasuke was "clean." He had committed many sins, but those were not amongst them.
"Forgive me. How is that possible? You seem to be sitting right in front of me. Clearly, you have been born." The Hokage points out.
"You have the test results. I can't deny that they are my parents. I guess there is no point in lying to you. If you promise not to tell them who I am, I'll tell you the truth." He says.
He didn't really have any other viable alternatives. Killing the Third Hokage would disrupt the timeline in ways that he couldn't fully imagine. It might actually speed up the timeline of the Massacre, for all he knew. He couldn't allow that to happen.
Sasuke could try running, but eventually they'd find him. He didn't want to have to go on a killing spree and that was no way to prevent the tragedy either. The Uchiha had no other realistic options, save for honesty.
"Well what I decide to do, depends on what you tell me." The Hokage replies.
"Fair enough. Time travel. I'll spare you the complicated details. Essentially, I went back in time. I only had enough chakra to do this once. I can't return to my time of my own free will anymore." He admits.
Sarutobi blinks. Whatever explanation that he had been expecting, that certainly wasn't it. Time Travel? Everyone had thought about the subject at least once in their lives, but no one had ever pulled it off before. (Well at least not to his knowledge.)
"You must have come here for an important purpose. Why else would you be willing to take such a risk?" Sarutobi inquires.
"You're right. It's an important purpose. I don't want to tell you why. It'd disrupt the timeline in unpredictable ways, but I can promise you that I have no intention of attacking this village. I just want to protect my family." Sasuke tells him.
Sarutobi frowns and sighs. There were too many variables. Despite that, there was a certain sincerity and desperation in the young man's voice that he couldn't ignore.
"For now, I will not divulge your secret to them. Do not give me a reason to regret this decision." He states.
"I won't. I promise." Sasuke says with a smile as he sips his sake.