A Laugh Goes Well With A Drink

Heyo!

Sorry about yesterday, I was a bit busy so I wasn't able to write a chapter.

Hope you enjoy the conclusion to Masahiro's arc :)

[2677 words]

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Chapter 13

A Laugh Goes Well With A Drink

{3rd POV}

Hearing his words, Arata supported the limping Masahiro to the Garden. Each step they took was slow and steady, as Arata carefully held the dying man in his arms. As soon as they reached their destination, Arata carefully placed his grandfather against a tree and sat beside him, taking the full view of their garden.

The lake in front of them rippled quietly, as fallen leaves gently fell on it. The spring wind provided a fresh breeze for the two as they took in their environment. Masahiro had a faint serene smile as he digested the surroundings. The rustling of the trees accompanied by the singing of birds created a hymn for the man, while the fresh breeze rustled his clothes, caressing his ever so cold body. The sun's gentle shade shined softly, warming his weakened body, while the tree stood tall above them, providing a protective shade against the harmful rays. The azure sky, fresh of any clouds, gave a beautiful view for the man on death's edge to enjoy.

''A beautiful day, isn't it Arata? ''He said quietly, his voice raspy.

''Yes, yes it is''Arata whispered.

''It's...almost too beautiful for someone like me...''He said sadly, his eyes full of guilt.

The two continued to stare silently at the sky, no words were needed for the two, the company they provided for each other was enough. Masahiro seeing it as the opportune time, he slowly brought a storage scroll from within his yukata, he then injected some of his chakra to it, bringing out multiple objects from within it: a sake set, a sword and a container filled with a strange liquid. Seeing his grandfather's actions, Arata had a puzzled expression on his face, but upon seeing the sake set some understanding appeared in his eyes.

''Before we begin, I must ask a question for you, Arata…'' Masahiro softly said.

''Yes, what is it?'' he answered, his confusion apparent.

The old man placed a gentle gaze on his grandson, no doubt was in his eyes, all that could be seen was his strong love for him. Something Arata noticed, causing him to relax noticeably, however, his next words sent forth a tsunami of emotions within him.

''Do you have memories of a past life?'' His words were straight to the point, there was no deception nor ill will within his tone, only his curiosity. However, that was something Arata failed to notice, as a multitude of emotions ran across his face, it started with surprise, fear of being abandoned, guilt and then resignation. He just slowly nodded to his grandfather's words, his fear of being hated and guilt of lying overpowering his emotions. Seeing his grandchild go through so many negative emotions due to his question sent a pang of regret to his heart, however, wanting to reassure his grandchild he just tenderly patted his head.

His hand was full of care and kindness, it was devoid of hate or doubt. It was just a hand that carried a grandfather's love for his child, a hand that continued to send waves upon waves of guilt through Arata. Knowing his betrayal and his father-figure's acceptance of him, the guilt kept piling and piling on him until he couldn't keep quiet any longer.

''If you knew...If you knew, why did you accept me?'' He said, his face scrunched up in remorse, something that made Masahiro smile sadly seeing his kind grandchild feel so much remorse from something he, most likely, could not control.

''If you knew I took the place of your grandchild, why did you accept me?'' He said, his questioning picking up pace.

''If you knew I had killed your daughter, why did you accept me?'' He questioned once again, his weak hold over his emotions breaking once again, as tears trickled down his eyes.

Seeing as words would have no effect, the weak grandfather gently wrapped his arms around Arata, bringing him close to his cold body, yet somehow his cold body seemed to bring forth a wave of warmth for the sobbing boy. Masahiro lightly rubbed his grandchild's back in circles, calming his rampant emotions and bringing forth a wave of reassurance to the child.

No words were needed for Arata anymore, his grandfather's actions conveyed much more than any words could. Masahiro had long noticed his special case and he had long accepted him, he had only considered him as his grandchild not anyone else, he accepted him alone. His action caused Arata to remember every moment with Masahiro, his father in all but words. The lingering doubt and guilt ever present in his mind that he had forced to the back of his mind, the doubt that would always whisper to him that 'he was not his grandchild', 'he had stolen his actual grandchild's place', 'he had killed his daughter', 'he deceived him'. His affectionate words weren't for him, he was only an imposter, a liar he was all but his grandchild. That seed of doubt slowly broke and shattered into nothingness, and Arata was finally able to relish those memories that had haunted his dreams. He was finally able to accept that those words were always targeted at him, no one else but him.

Arata was filled with so much relief that he could just silently cry in his grandfather's arms, arms that he always had wanted for himself, arms that would be aimed truly at him. To see the doubt that he had unknowingly agonized over to be not true, had caused the heavy weight on his mind to be lifted.

Masahiro, seeing the guilt that was always present in his grandson's eyes disappear, made him smile happily and he slowly began to recount his feelings for the boy once again, to truly show how much he meant for him.

''Arata, you have brought me so much joy at the end of my life, joy I thought I had lost after Izumi, you have given me so much for how little I have given. I am forever grateful for giving the best end I could have thought of. Understand whenever I'm speaking to you, I am speaking to you alone not anyone else, only you. You are my treasure, my pride and, first and foremost, you are the child that I call my grandchild'' he said, every word filled with sincerity brought from his soul, nothing could doubt the love he held for the boy.

''But…but I kil-'' Before Arata could continue his words, he was cut off by Masahiro.

''Arata, do not doubt yourself, the only grandchild that I have is you, no one else and you did not kill Izumi, do not insult her like that. She gave her life to give birth to you, whether you have a few extra memories in your head does not matter, you will always be my child…''

''You did not deceive anyone Arata, I always knew. I had from the moment you activated the sharingan, I may have doubted your motives at first, however, the look in your eyes, the emotions you held, the state your soul was in, all it wanted was someone to help, it just wanted someone to act as a guide. Seeing you in so much turmoil, I decided to act as that guide and take up the mantle as your grandparent. That was one of the best decisions I have made in my life, you always brought me joy and your eyes never told lies, they always were pure and devoid of any ill will. Your honest eyes always told me everything, all the emotions you held and the things you didn't notice yourself, like guilt you've always held, the fear you always held towards rejection…''

''So understand Arata, you have never wronged me in any way, you have never deceived me, you have always told me the truth from the very beginning, even if words could not convey it, you always told me when I looked at you…''

''I'm sorry for letting you always hold that guilt, I'm sorry for my carelessness, I'm sorry for hurting you so much my child…'' His words were imprinted into the mind of Arata, as a smile bloomed onto his face, a smile that was filled with so much happiness, happiness of being accepted, happiness of his fears being not true, happiness that his grandfather was looking at him the whole time.

''Thank you...thank you...Jii-san'' he said boundless joy was evident from truly being able to truly say those words.

''I should be the one to say that, but…'' he paused and looked deeply at Arata.

''Your welcome, Arata'' the words caused a smile to bloom on both of their faces and they just silently sunk into the feeling of each other's company.

''Arata, before I leave, there are things I would like you to inherit from me'' He said as he slowly picked up the sword on the ground. It was a beautiful sword. You could recognize it from one glance, it was one of a kind, the crafter had obviously poured his soul into this craft and the result spoke levels itself. Only one word could describe it, elegant . It conveyed the very meaning of elegance, from the hilt to its guard to its curved blade to its sheath. Everything was calculated in line to create this graceful image, and at the hilt, there were numerous charms, most dried and withered, with their colour lost, displaying their age.

''Arata, what you see before you is the blade named Mikazuki, a blade passed down by our family from the beginning of the creation of the Uchiha clan, an indestructible blade that never rusts. Each inheritor has held this blade in battle and before each war, as tradition we must hang the charms we receive from our family on the hilt to remind us that we have a home to return to…''

''You are the new inheritor of this blade, Arata, wield it well, for the eyes of all our ancestors will fall upon you once you hold it'' He said, passing the Katana to Arata. He slowly takes the blade away, and the emotional weight it holds overwhelms him. You could see him scan each charm seriously, going through them one by one, trying to understand the weight and emotions each one holds. Finally his eyes landed on the last two, charms that were directed to his grandfather with the names of his Grandmother and mother on them.

He slowly takes in Mikazuki once again, and he notices a detail he failed to notice before, the length of the blade abnormal. Its length was much longer than what a normal katana should be, it displayed the difficulty one had to rise to wield such a blade, a trial one had to go through to be deemed worthy of the katana.

''The next item is this…'' Masahiro said as he weakly took off his haori (the same one on the cover) and gently placed it on Arata.

''A haori that your grandmother gave me as a wedding gift when we married, through this I will always be with you, watching the adventures that await you'' He said slowly with a slight smile on his face.

''I see...thank you, but the weight of each item keeps getting heavier, doesn't it?'' Arata playfully smiled.

''Such weight is only for those who can handle it...''He wisely said.

''The last item is…my eyes, when I die Arata, take them and store them in this container and when the time comes when you reach the mangekyo, put my eyes into your head, you will then achieve the final form of the sharingan, the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan'' He said seriously as his eyes evolved into his own mangekyo sharingan, fully confident in Arata's ability to awaken his own Mangekyo.

''You will find much more information of the mangekyo within the clan head's documents, but, for now just make sure to remove my eyes as fast as possible before anyone comes here'' He instructed, making Arata solemnly nod at the information. Seeing his nod, Masahiro's mouth curves into a grin as he picks up the sake bottle.

''Arata, since we've gone through all the gloomy stuff, let's drink and drink until I die of alcohol overdose'' He said as his usual silly grin appeared on his face once again.

''You do know I am only five, right?'' Arata questioned.

''My father started feeding me alcohol when I was a toddler, granted it did earn him a beating of a lifetime from my mother, anyways forget about the details and just drink to your heart's content and…''

''Laugh till we annoy all the stuck-up Uchiha's in the compound'' he said as he gave his grandchild a cup of sake.

''Now drink!''

And so they drank with jovial laughter ringing out of them, although Arata's contained a slight sad tone to his laugh.

''''''Buahahahaha!'''''' That day truly annoyed all the Uchiha's with complaints piling up on Ryuuji. Even at death's door Masahiro refused to leave Ryuuji without trouble.

The two drank and drank, from sunrise to high noon they chugged an endless amount of sake, yet, both of them never got drunk. They both stayed sober, hiding their sorrow at losing each other, and finally the time came to finally say goodbye.

''Arata, the weather is getting quite cold isn't?'' he questioned, despite the rising temperature.

''It looks like it is'' Arata said as the realization dawned upon him.

''This old man is getting quite weak, isn't he?'' Masahiro laughed, ignoring his condition. They then continued to drink for a few more minutes before Masahiro asked another question.

''Arata, it's getting quite dark, isn't it'' He said, despite the blazing sun above him.

''It...It looks like it is'' Arata responded through quiet sobs. They then continued to drink for a few more minutes before he asked another question.

''Arata, are you still there?'' He said uncertain.

''I'm...I'm right beside you, Jii-chan'' This time his sobs were hard to suppress as each question caused the sharingan he unnoticeably opened to increasingly rotate around his eyes.

''To think this old man would be scared of the dark, quite the surprise isn't it?'' He said his tone was still boisterous but noticeably weaker. They then continued to drink for a few more rounds, but Masahiro's drinking was noticeably clumsier, until Masahiro questioned for the last time.

''Arata...Arata, are you...are you still with me?''

''I'm right beside you, Jii-chan'' He said, as silent tears ran down his face, his sharingan splitting into three tomoes.

''I see...I'm glad...I really am glad''he said in relief.

''Jii-chan...get some rest...you've worked hard enough'' Arata suggested through his tears as he wrapped his arm around Masahiro's cold body.

''Maybe...maybe I should...this life really...really has been hard, hasn't it, Akane, Izumi?'' He said no longer looking at Arata, but, looking at the empty space in a daze, his arms outstretched trying to grasp something within the empty air.

''Jii-chan, go rest with them for now, you...you deserve it'' He said as he smiled wistfully.

''That sounds…nice...I'll be waiting...for you...to join us...Arata...then you can...tell us stories...about your…memories instead of me'' He said slowly as he weakly raised his hand and patted the tear stained boy one last time.

''But...for...now...live...your..life...proudly...my...child''

And with those words, his hand patting the boy's head fell limp along with the rest of his body, slowly falling to Arata's body. The man feared by shinobi as the Reitei, had finally passed away with a peaceful smile adorned on his face in his grandchild's embrace, he had achieved a death most shinobi could only dream of.