AN: Sorry that the update is a few days late. I was on a trip with my Mom!
Baron Haruno was uncharacteristically silent until the three Uchiha royals led him into Madara's personal office and presented him with an urn filled with ashes. His face turned red. It was as though all the manners left his body because he barked, peering into the urn, "How can you be sure this is my son when this is all you have?"
Itachi responded promptly, an air of professionalism intact, "I assure you that the palace mages were very thorough during the identification process. This is Hihara Haruno."
Sasuke accidentally shared a look with his uncle, whose eyes burnt with anger. It wasn't easy to determine the cause of his ire. It was, however, simple to make the deduction that he didn't wish to be on the receiving end of it. The second prince had never witnessed Madara's ruthless personality firsthand, but the stories of him during the war when he and his father were in their early twenties were the thing of legend. It was said that the current king killed nearly a thousand people in a single day, all without using magic. The amount of energy, ability, and anger needed to commit such a feat would be immense.
"Was it not the same crackpot mages who've also spent months unsuccessfully searching for the boy?" Baron Haruno bit.
Madara's glare hardened, his aura darkening, "Don't misinterpret this formality as an act of forgiveness for the terrors with which your son plagued Konoha's only princess. As far as the royal family is concerned, this world is a far better place with that poor excuse for a human dead."
Sasuke couldn't help but add, poison coating his words as he leered at his father-in-law, "Be grateful you're receiving this much. If it'd been me to discover him alive, nothing would remain but memories."
It was as though the prince's lack of faux-kindness reminded the Haruno man of their last meeting and he became awkward while still visibly irritated. He said nothing more about the remains.
Clearly, the Uchiha men believed their business to be finished, but Kizashi hesitated before sighing defeatedly, "I must admit I haven't traveled here just to collect my son's remains." He avoided Sasuke's gaze. Instead, he tried to hold Itachi's, likely since he was the sole member of the royal family who hadn't shown his distaste openly. "Will you please have your mages inspect my youngest daughter?"
Everyone stared at him in disbelief. The Baron quickly continued, sensing his plight was unlikely to be thoroughly investigated, "Since shortly after Sakura's departure, she's become unrecognizable. She's always been a kind-hearted girl, but she suddenly became cold and intelligent beyond her years. I'm concerned something is very wrong."
'It's likely the one humane being in her life disappearing made her realize what a terrible family to which she's been born,' Sasuke thought and badly wanted to say.
Instead, the king bit, "Who are you to ask a favor of us?"
"Your Highness, please-" "I'll allow your family to spend the night since it's already afternoon, but that is the extent of my hospitality. You're to leave the palace after breakfast tomorrow." Even Sasuke was intimidated by Madara's firm tone.
With no room to argue, the unwelcome guest excused himself from the office. Itachi shared a look with his younger brother, a clear warning not to press the subject, but the prince couldn't help it. He knew how much the youngest Haruno daughter meant to his wife. Even if the rest of her family was despicable, the girl had personally done nothing wrong. So, he cautiously said, "Uncle, we should at least have the girl inspected by the palace physicians."
The king's gaze remained cold as he stared down his nephew. He took a moment to ponder before shaking his head, "I forbid it. The Haruno family has received more than enough lenience from us. If I treat someone who has disrespected the crown so kindly, our kingdom's enemies and supporters alike will view the Uchiha name as spineless."
Itachi's teeth gritted. He obviously wanted to say something but didn't. Sasuke should've taken his lead, but he also didn't. "The princess holds the girl very dear. Please reconsider."
"I've made my decision, Nephew. I suggest you accept it," The king's voice raised.
The prince opened his mouth to argue, only for Itachi to interrupt, "Brother, I need to speak with Uncle alone. Can you excuse us?"
Sasuke begrudgingly left, knowing full well that his brother just didn't want him to butt heads with the king. When he turns the corner down the hall, headed toward the garden where his wife was likely entertaining her sisters, Kizashi Haruno is waiting. His eyes lit up when they landed on the prince, and he fell into step at his side when Sasuke walked right past with the intent to ignore him.
"Surely you'll help me, Son-In-Law! Think of how upset Sakura will be if something happens to her beloved sister!"
Sasuke froze, the man following suit, before facing him with murderous intent boiling his blood. "How casually you speak to me after I explicitly said I'd kill you if you stood in my presence again."
Baron Haruno barely looked affected, standing tall and proud while dropping the doting father-in-law act. "Does Sakura know her husband is someone who'd kill a father simply trying to find help for his daughter?"
The prince couldn't hold back anymore. He hit the man with all his might. Kizashi stumbled, lifting a hand to his bleeding lip and glaring at the prince, who bent forward slightly to hiss, "Sakura is also your daughter! Where was this protective nature when she was being neglected and mistreated within the walls of your own estate?" In the end, that was the biggest issue Sasuke had with the man: that he'd been a bystander and likely even directly responsible for his wife's tragic upbringing and lack of self-value.
"That filth is no child of mine!" As soon as the disgusted words left his mouth, the baron closed his lips with an expression that said he was trying to hide the fact that he hadn't meant to say that.
'Does he mean he doesn't consider her part of his family? That much is obvious, so why would he feel the need to say it? Unless…..' Sasuke's glare darkened, "If you're not her father, then who is?"
Finally, Kizashi's face showed unease, fear even. He straightened his spine and gave a poor attempt at covering up his mishap, "I am her father, biologically. I simply meant that, since my late-wife didn't birth her, she's not recognized as an official part of my family."
How easily it was to determine his words as false was surprising, considering how cunning and collected he'd always been. Sasuke was suspicious of his swift demeanor adjustment and shoved the older man against the wall, "Tell the truth, or I'll make good on my promise to end your life here and now."
Just as quickly as Baron Haruno had become scared did he seem smug once more. His lips curled into a grin, "Any affection you have for her will cease when you find out. Are you certain you wish to know?" The prince was understandably confused but didn't back down. If it was about Sakura, he had to know. It could be something life-threatening or maybe it could explain some of the unknowns about her, like the strange healing power she possessed.
"While it's true her mother was a performer, the man who sired that thing is the same one who gave you the mark on your shoulder, My Lord." He said the title with disrespect clearly in his tone.
It was as though the world came to a standstill. Sasuke's heart seemed to stop before starting again at double the pace to make up for lost time. He stepped back, away from the baron, "...The wizard Orochimaru?"
"Her mother, unbeknownst to me, was already with child upon coming into my possession. It wasn't until she gave birth that I realized I wasn't the father," Kizashi explained, appearing both unhappy with the facts and gleeful that the prince was so obviously disturbed by the news. "To answer the question you're bound to ask, why I bothered raising a bastard child, her mother claimed to curse my entire family if I didn't." Then, his satisfaction faltered, his eyes falling into a glare, "It was shortly after my youngest's birth that I tested the witch's promise. I attempted to drown Sakura, which led to my wife's death."
Sasuke could barely wrap his head around all the new information. 'Does that mean both of her parents had magical abilities? Depending on when Hana was born, Orochimaru could've been nearby, or he could've been captured by my family already.' He wasn't sure of the youngest Haruno daughter's age, just that she was younger than sixteen since she'd yet to have a debut into society.
"So, no, I care not for whether that devil-woman lives or dies. I do care for my actual children, so I'm begging for your help despite my pride."
The prince couldn't figure out what to say or how to speak even if he did somehow manage to form a coherent thought. Instead, he turned and left the pathetic man in the hallway. His pace was quicker than before as he searched for his wife.
He spotted her sitting on a bench in the garden next to her youngest sister. Her body was angled toward the girl, so he couldn't see her face. As he approached, his steps faltered when a familiar burning met the scar on his shoulder. His hand clapped over the area as he froze. 'It hasn't done this since I gained control over The Curse. Is he trying to take over with sheer force?' Clearly, the demon wanted to arise, but Sasuke gritted his teeth and refused. To be honest, since obtaining control over his body, he wasn't sure how much easier or difficult it might be to regain it if he should let Akuma feel the sun.
"Hello, Prince Sasuke," a dull voice broke his train of thought and he looked up to see the two women looking his way. Hana had been the one to speak, but he could only look at his wife's face.
It was evident something was wrong by her pale skin and panicked expression. The thought of somehow bringing up the topic of her biological parents fell away as he approached her side. Instinctually, he held out a hand for her to hold, and she did, albeit softly and while lowering her gaze.
'Whatever it is, she doesn't want to acknowledge it now.'
His eyes looked over her to confirm she had no new injuries before noticing someone was missing, "Where is the other girl?" The one that tried to weasel her way between them.
"Haruka is across the garden. She and Sakura do not get along, so she angrily stepped away." Hana answered, her tone just as emotionless as before. Sakura nodded slightly, squeezing his hand.
Taking the hint, Sasuke knelt, "If you'll excuse us, I believe the princess has become exhausted." This time, the pink-haired woman didn't protest when he picked her up and carried her back into the castle and upstairs toward the room they'd shared last night. That alone was enough to convince him her mood was low.
As soon as the door was closed behind them, he opened his mouth to tell her what he'd learned of her lineage, only for her to cut him off. Her hand held a fist of his shirt as she tearfully said, "That's not my sister down there! I don't know who or what it is, but it's not her!"
It took a moment for the man to comprehend her words. He sat her down on the edge of the bed. She must've taken his silence as doubt because she shook her head, "I know I sound crazy, but I'm telling the truth, Sasuke."
"I believe you," he quickly responded. And he did. "Baron Haruno offered concerns regarding her, as well. He asked my uncle to have the mages look over her."
Relief met Sakura's face, "Oh, thank goodness. Surely they'll be able to figure out what's happening."
The man nodded but didn't know why he didn't tell her the truth, that the king had forbidden investigation of the matter. He also couldn't bring himself to tell her that everything she knew about herself was a lie.
As he wordlessly smoothed out her hair and kissed the top of her head so she couldn't see the unease upon his face, his eyes closed. Until he'd solved all the mysteries surrounding the Haruno family and her birth, he'd let her focus on healing and the child growing in her stomach.