Sasuke's last day in Konoha

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The civilian neighborhood where Sakura's parents lived was cheery. The houses were painted bright colors - sunny yellow, sky blue, lilac, white. By contrast, the Uchiha distract had always been functional. Dark wood had been the predominant building material and if a house was painted — it was dark green or navy blue. The landscape was different too- flower bushes and flowering trees lined the side walks. His part of town had shade trees, but the gardens had been utilitarian vegetable gardens — nothing frivolous. Several song birds perched in the trees singing back and forth. There weren't hawks and crows like he would see in his part of town — the reason Itachi and he had an affinity for those particular birds.

He found Sarada outside with his father-in-law. She was on a swing attached to the giant oak tree in their front yard. His family's cats Midnight and Starlight stretched out lazily on the front porch. Sarada was giggling as she pumped her little legs to go higher on the swing. Her dark eyes grew wide at the sight of her father and she jumped off the swing. Sasuke raced forward and caught her easily.

"I'm going to take this one out for frozen yogurt," Sasuke said, looking Kizashi.

"Okay. She already had a nap today, so she should have plenty of energy," Kizashi assured him. "Mebuki and I will make dinner. Try to be back by five thirty, please. We'll expect to hear everything about the journey."

"Yes, sir," Sasuke agreed. Still holding his daughter as she chatted away at him about birds and their cats, he started towards Naruto's house.

"Daddy? Arm?" Sarada asked, touching Sasuke's prosthetic left arm. "Two?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yes, Sarada. Daddy has two arms now." His eyes swept left and right. Did she ask on her own accord or did Itachi prod her to ask? He began to run, not wanting to waste precious time walking to Naruto's house. Sarada giggled the whole time, clutching onto her father's shirt front. Sasuke did admit to himself this was a precious memory in the making. He found the Uzumaki family on their front porch. Hinata wore the amethyst earrings, sparkling in the mid-day sunlight.

"Sasuke? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, he was obviously flustered having already forgotten about the babysitting break Sasuke told him about on the trip over.

"I wanted to take Boruto with us to get frozen yogurt," Sasuke answered, his tone neutral, no longer annoyed with his best friend's short attention span.

"That's great!" Hinata exclaimed, clasping her hands together and smiling brightly. "Himawari just went to sleep and Naruto still has to apologize properly."

Naruto's cheeks flushed. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Maybe an hour and a half," Sasuke estimated. "Sakura advised that I savor my time with our daughter today."

"That long for frozen yogurt?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke resisted rolling his eyes. It wouldn't take that long to have a snack, but he was trying to give the Uzumaki a little more time together without their toddler being the center of their attention. "I was thinking of visiting my family's cemetery too. The kids usually like running around the area."

"Oh! Okay, sounds great!" Naruto scooped up Boruto and shoved him at Sasuke. "Take your time!"

Sasuke stood there with two toddlers squirming in his arms while Naruto and Hinata rushed inside and shut the door practically in his face. With a sigh, he looked down at the adoring children. "Let's go." He set them on the ground and held their hands, letting them walk part of the way. There was no need to hurry.

Though, if he had hurried, he wouldn't have been waylaid en route by Rock Lee and his little clone—er son.

"Sasuke! Are you by yourself with the little ones? Where is Sakura? Where is Naruto?" Lee asked. His son was sitting on his upper back, chubby legs on either side of his neck.

"Sakura is on a mission. Naruto is taking a little time with his wife and newborn," Sasuke explained. "I'm taking these two out for a treat."

"Oh? What kind? My son, Metal, and I are on our way to have some frozen yogurt!" Lee was very energetic and it was frankly exhausting holding a conversation with him.

"Frozen yogurt," Sasuke answered. "Perhaps we should all go together?" It hurt to ask, but he knew that Sakura considered Lee a close friend, so he would try to be nice.

"Fantastic! Let us share this delightful snack together!" Lee agreed. As they fell into step, Lee looked over at Sasuke with a large grin. "You know, you're so lucky to have Sakura be in love with you. I really did try to gain her attention, but she only ever had eyes for you. I was so grateful to be her friend. We did quite a few missions together — she's a very capable kunoichi."

"Yes, she is," Sasuke agreed.

"There was this one time where Neji was team leader and me, Sakura, and Naruto escorted a priestess to seal a demon while Kakashi led the rest of the shinobi against a terracotta army! It was pretty awesome! I guess you were probably somewhere with Orochimaru at that time. Anyway, we were pretty good friends because she'd asked to train Taijutsu with me while she was training under The Fifth Hokage." His dark eyes sparkled with happiness. "It was one of the happiest days of my life when Sakura Haruno asked me to train her!"

"You did a good job," Sasuke murmured. He couldn't help the knot of anger that formed in his gut. These were precious memories Lee shared with his wife. It should have been Sasuke that trained Sakura in Taijutsu. If he hadn't left the village, it would have been him. How many other bonds would his wife strengthen in the village while he wandered alone searching for obscure clues?

"You okay, Sasuke?" Lee asked.

"What? Yes," Sasuke answered.

"Okay, you just looked like you were a million miles away. Anyway, everyone really appreciates the sacrifices you're making to help keep the village safe. Obviously, I don't know all the details, but Tenten said you're about to leave Konoha again — big top secret mission," Lee explained.

"How top secret is it if everyone is talking about it?" Sasuke asked. They had reached the frozen yogurt shop and they entered. "What flavor do you want?"

"Chocolate!" Sarada answered.

"Strawberry!" Boruto chimed.

"How about you?" Lee asked. "I thought you didn't like sweets."

How the hell did Lee know whether or not he liked sweets? "I prefer sour," Sasuke answered. He'd choose the mango, it was tangy enough to not be too disgustingly sugary.

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Thirty minutes later, Sasuke escaped the frozen yogurt shop, relieved to get out of Lee's presence. It was still too early to head back to Naruto's house, so he carried the two drowsy toddlers back to the Uchiha district. The family cemetery was a little overgrown, so he'd take care of that while they visited. The little kids both perked up when they saw the field of wildflowers that surrounded the memorial. Sarada seemed to remember it and grabbed hold of Boruto's hand and pulled him along to explore the dandelions. Sasuke trailed after them and showed them how to blow on the white wispy flowers to send the seeds flying on the breeze.

He smiled watching the kids squeal in delight. For a few minutes, there were no thoughts circulating in Sasuke Uchiha's busy mind. He was simply a dad watching his daughter and her best friend frolicking in a field of flowers.

Once they lost interest, the kids followed him towards his parents' graves — Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha. There was also one for Itachi. It had taken work, but he'd managed to have his remains transported back to Konoha. It was one of Orochimaru's concessions to be put on probation with the village. He and his master had both been granted leniency for their part in ending the Fourth War. Sasuke felt he was truly reformed, but he doubted Orochimaru was sincere. The cagey old bastard was biding his time until his next nefarious missive.

"So, these are my parents and my brother," Sasuke explained. The two kids seemed to look off to Sasuke's side as if listening to instructions. Then they turned together and laid down on top of his mother's grave and fell asleep. Just like that — they started napping. "Nicely done, Itachi. Since Mom won't ever get to hold her granddaughter, this might be the closest thing to that."

He started to brush away the grass that started crawling over the stone markers. In the vase faded flowers drooped. Sakura must have left them before they left. "I'm sorry, Mom. I should have brought fresh flowers." Once he cleaned up the best he could he sat next to the children. "Hey, Mom, hey, Dad." He looked around the graves, but saw no indication of his brother's spirit. "Hey, Itachi." He reached for his daughter and brushed his hand over her tiny shoulder blades. "If it's not too much trouble, please keep an eye on my family. Sakura is going to be in Sand longer than I'd like and I can't stay with her. I have to make a meeting on the Winter Solstice, which happens to be a few days after my sons' due date. I sure wish you could have met them. Mom, you liked Sakura when I was a kid. Dad, you would have hated her parents at first, but I think after you ate some of Kizashi's barbecue you'd have come around."

He traced the letter's of his mother's name. "I learned you had wanted to adopt Naruto. I think that would have been nice. I consider him my brother. It worked out in the end." He would be leaving in a few hours and he still hadn't figured out an unique gift for the Otsutsuki he'd be meeting in a few weeks. If it wasn't a worthy gift would he be refused an audience for the insult or would it be a brawl against an immortal enemy?

Without even realizing it, Sasuke started humming the song his mother used to sing to him as a child. Every night before bed, she'd sing him a sweet song about Spring. Little did she know, one day he would marry a girl who's surname meant Spring.

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Sasuke dropped off Boruto a little before five thirty and made it to the Haruno's punctually for dinner. He enjoyed tucking Sarada into bed and sang for her his mother's song about Spring. Maybe he'd fashion a flute as a gift and perform the song on it? It was an idea. The cats followed him around, twining around his legs while he was there. They'd meowed pathetically as he walked away. He clenched his teeth. It was even hard to say goodbye to the damn cats.

He returned to his empty house. It didn't feel like home with his family absent. Using ninja scrolls he packed various outfits, a pair of boots and a cloak for winter weather, weapons, food and cooking supplies. He added the family photo of them, took it out of the frame so he could keep it on himself and look at it whenever he needed to. He may have been able to draw up memories with his Sharingan, but he knew there would be nights when he was too tired to waste chakra and would want the option of gazing at his wife and child. He found a box of memorabilia that included a team photo of him and Hawk, one of Sakura outside the hospital when she'd finished her residency. And a baby photo of Sarada. Using his empty frame and using both hands, he fashioned a divider between the photos so that it looked like he and Sakura were in the same picture. He placed Sarada's baby photo to the left upper corner and left the lower one blank— room for the boys photo perhaps? Satisfied by his art project, Sasuke set it on the bedside table on his side of the bed. Hopefully, Sakura would appreciate it. He pulled out a sheet of paper and got to work on his first letter to his family.

"Dear Sakura, I have never been good with words. Thank you. I love you. That hardly seems to encompass what I want you to know. I am sad that I will miss out on spending time with you and Sarada and the boys when they arrive. After we lost the other two pregnancies, I honestly did not care if we had any more children, but I admit, I hope it all goes well. I would love to share a big family with you. Reviving the Uchiha clan is not something I honestly thought was possible and you're the only person I would want to try with. I'm grateful that you've had a chance to get to know my brother. I hope he's an asset to you and the kids and can offer comfort when I cannot. I will protect my family and Konoha from the external threats. I will find a way to come home to you. I will be required to attend any summit meetings of the five great nations, please be there too. I hope you like the picture frame on the bedside table, there's a spot for the boys' photo.

If you want to sell off some of the real estate in the district, I am okay with that. Ask Itachi and Kakashi for guidance, but the areas farther from our homestead we do not need. It might be good to have neighbors one day. I want our children to be part of Konoha, not on the outskirts like the clan had been for generations. Tobirama really did a number on the Uchihas, setting up distrust between us and the rest of Konoha.

When I come home next, I'll hug you with two arms. I'm hoping to find a realm to visit that is magical to bring you with me. Though, just being home with you is all the magic I need.

Forever yours, Sasuke."

He read over the letter once more and cringed at how sappy it sounded, but at least Sakura would like it. There was just one more thing he wanted to arrange before he left. He took to the streets and knocked on the door of the Yamanaka Flower shop. A worker was there, about to close shop, but they greeted Sasuke none the less. He put in his order, scheduling several deliveries for the next five years. He would have done more, but five years was the limit. There would be flowers delivered for birthdays and anniversaries. And a couple of random deliveries just to remind Sakura she was loved. And he arranged for flowers to be delivered weekly to his mother's grave.

Feeling good about himself, Sasuke went home to spend one last night in his bed before he embarked on his mission.

No sooner than his head hit the pillow did he fall asleep. And that night, his dreams had a visitor.

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The concept of time was hard for Itachi to grasp in his spiritual state. However, it felt like forever as he waited for his younger brother to finally fall asleep. He'd manipulated the dreamscape, choosing the lake from their childhood. It was easy to visualize, it was only a short walk from Sasuke's property.

Sasuke wandered around the lake's edge, casually tossing in a handful of pebbles he'd collected. They would skip across the water's surface before sinking on the far side close to the opposite shore.

"So you can talk to Sakura now," Sasuke said, without preamble. "How close was I to losing her?" He looked over at Itachi now, his dark eyes troubled.

"She wasn't going to go without a fight," Itachi said. "I'm glad you found someone like her. She's good for you."

"Hm," Sasuke replied. "I'm trying the prosthetic again. Are you sure there's not a rejection between Uchiha blood and Senju blood?"

"Considering the Uchiha and Senju are the bloodlines of the Sage of the Six Paths two sons — no. I think you had a mental block," Itachi reasoned. "You liked the constant reminder of your foolishness." He fell into step alongside Sasuke and slung his arm around his brother's shoulders. Sasuke was now two inches taller than Itachi. "The Uchiha are gluttons for self punishment."

"I do need to rest tonight. I start my mission in the morning," Sasuke warned. "So I'll need you to be direct."

"Okay," Itachi agreed. "Congratulations on your promotion to Jonin."

Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah, it was a long time coming. My wife's been a Jonin since we were eighteen. Weren't you a Jonin at twelve?"

"Kakashi was a Jonin at twelve, I was never technically a Jonin. I was Anbu captain at twelve, but it is an equivalent rank," Itachi explained. "Most people that achieve Jonin are between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. Please, give your self credit every once in a while."

"If I do that, my ego will crush me," Sasuke deadpanned. "I don't know how long it will take, but I'll figure out how to teleport back home for a few hours so I can at least see my family every once in a while. I'll need to remember who I'm protecting in Konoha."

"I would like to make a suggestion," Itachi said. "You may not like it though. I suspect your kids will grow up fairly happy with Sakura as their mother. And I'll teach them what I can — assuming they can see me and if they can't then I'll teach Sakura so she can teach them our clan's techniques." He squeezed Sasuke in a hug and then released him. He enjoyed that he could feel Sasuke as tangible in the dreamscape. It was a relief after being intangible in the real world. "However, the Sharingan is awakened in moments of emotional distress. If the threat is a godlike species, they will all need that power."

"Are you saying that's why Dad was always such as ass to me?" Sasuke asked.

"Partly," Itachi agreed. "Dad was the reason Kakashi was able to keep Obito's Sharingan. The rest of the clan demanded it be given back for the clan's use exclusively, regardless of Obito's wish or that Kakashi had done so much for Konoha. He was the sole survivor of clan Hatake. Why did the clan not extend a welcome to this orphaned boy? Dad had wanted to, but he was in the minority. He did pull rank when it came to Kakashi keeping the Sharingan."

"Without the Copy Ninja, Konoha would have been screwed — often." Sasuke skipped another rock across the lake. "He's represented the ultimate shinobi for so many young ninjas."

"And now you do too," Itachi said.

"Shinobi work in the shadows to keep the people safe," Sasuke answered. "They don't work for recognition."

"I know you need to sleep, but my idea is this — when you visit your kids, consider doing Genjutsu so they don't remember."

Sasuke started to laugh. "I'd rather be a stranger than to have them hate me." He shook his head. "I'm the patriarch for the Neo-Uchiha clan. If they are happy, well-adjusted kids, maybe they don't need the Sharingan. I'm hoping that by sacrificing my happiness that they have that chance."

"Really?" Itachi asked. "Or do you just worry they'll have Sakura's immunity to Genjutsu and it won't work."

"That's certainly a possibility," Sasuke agreed. "Though, I'd like to point out, Sakura is not immune. I've caught her at least twice in a Genjutsu. However, it will be hard enough for them. If I'm successful at mastering the Rinnegan, I hope I can return home for a few days out of the year — that will cause enough emotional angst. I was a broody kid. I'd like if my children were well adjusted."

"It does them no good to be well adjusted if they're dead," Itachi reasoned. "And you weren't a broody kid. You became sullen after I murdered our entire clan."

"Let's recap — you're the prodigy and which of us is alive?" Sasuke pointed out. "The real goal is to keep war from happening. If we can manage that our science and technology can continue to advance."

Itachi smiled. "The only time I ever defied orders are when it came to you. I'm glad. Whatever pain I experienced was worth it — knowing that you'll be leading the Neo-Uchiha clan into the future."

"I am a little worried about losing track of time while on my mission," Sasuke admitted.

Itachi chuckled. "I won't be much help in that aspect. I don't really sense time anymore. What exactly is your concern?"

"That I'll be searching for clues in an alternate dimension for a few hours and that when I return to this world, weeks or months or years will have passed." Sasuke grimaced. "The time space manipulation jutsus are confusing."

"Hm. There is a Tortoise sage," Itachi suggested. "If that happens, you can use it to go back to the correct time."

"And if I go back too far, what if I mess up the present or the future?"

"Then I really hope you don't lose a lot of time traveling between dimensions. I admit, I'm not knowledgeable on that. Madara, or I suppose that was Obito, was the expert on that," Itachi said.

"He once pulled Naruto and Sakura into a different dimension, similar to our world. Sakura's father had been the Hokage in that place and Naruto got to experience a few days having a version of his parents. Sakura said that Naruto always used to ask her out and that she told him that experience was their date. He never asked her out again."

"Interesting," Itachi murmured. "I didn't remember much of Lord Fourth, but Minato was a great man from what I could tell."

"Sakura met a version of you there — Akatsuki was a mercenary band working for Konoha. You saved her life." Sasuke skipped the last pebble in his hand. "She said it was the only time the two of you ever really interacted, even if it was an alternate you."

"I guess she'll have to let me know how different I am from that version," Itachi said. He cast a sidelong look at his brother. "What was the alternate version of you like?"

Sasuke shuddered. "Apparently, he was a a womanizer—real free about giving proclamations of love and devotion." He brushed the palms of his hands over his thighs, wiping offing off the debris from the pebbles. "Take care of my family."

"I'll look over our family," Itachi agreed.

Sasuke disappeared from the dreamscape, falling into a deeper sleep.

"Good bye, little brother," Itachi said knowing Sasuke wouldn't hear him.

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