Happy birthday

Just in case a couple people might be concerned about Sasuke's emotional state, last chapter and this one all happened within a few days. There's a reason he's in a more vulnerable emotional state.

As usual, this was made available a week ago on the 10th on my D1scord server. Join to get earlier access and a server exclusive thing or two.

This is the link, just remove the space and replace the 1 with an i: d1scord /2XN2rzuFpM

Anyway, that's all. Enjoy the chapter.

(LINE BREAK)

With the two young Shinobi in training making their entrance, a generic greeting came from Mr Nakamura behind the counter, the man that Naruko suspected was a retired Shinobi from the collection of slash scars across his right arm sounding bored, not to mention his choice in having a senbon for a hair pin to hold back his shoulder length greying hair.

But she was confused when she heard Sasuke scowl and mutter behind her about something called Daton and SinTsunade, or something like that.

Weird. Does Sasuke know this place or something?

Gai had mentioned this store by name. Supposedly, this was one of the more popular places for Shinobi customers to go when repairing their instruments or buying replacements. If Mr Nakamura was a Shinobi before, then that made sense. But why would Sasuke know and not mention it to her, if he did know? Unless he was just being weird.

After that oddity that hopefully didn't come from all those icky theory books had passed, Naruko watched Sasuke intently as he looked around the store for the first time. She could already imagine how he was taking in the details of the interior.

Wood flooring, beige painted ceiling and walls, and several vertical display cases with assorted instruments in them, organized by quality and the instruments themselves.

"Hi, Mr Nakamura!" Naruko called out politely, expecting Sasuke to parrot her with one of those responses that almost sounded pre-recorded when he wasn't feeling up to being involved in a conversation.

But he didn't even do that, he just quietly went over to a section of instruments and was looking at them without saying a word.

Honestly, it had her a little worried seeing him like that. Something must have been on his mind that he hadn't been willing to share, but she didn't want to press either in case it put him in enough of a foul mood to not be with her on her birthday.

Putting that thought aside, she walked up to the counter and smiled at the man.

"I've come to a decision on what I want to buy!" She said happily, having done what she had been recommended to do by the man the last time she was here; look at the booklet he'd given her and listen to some of the instruments played at the, well, it was a nightclub, but they did serve adult drinks to the Shinobi and civilians. She'd spent a couple nights, not telling anybody, sneaking in there to listen to the different impromptu and amateur bands playing music so she could get a better read on what instruments made what noise and what could be done with them.

"Oh?"

"I want a shamisen." She kept smiling, having liked how quick and energetic it sounded when being played by a few different people she'd listened to.

Plus, she thought it looked funny when one of the guys she saw playing, who had similar looking hair to Sasuke, had whipped his hair around by violently bobbing his head while playing notes with such intensity that she thought he was going to break the strings.

All she needed to do was convince Sasuke to do it, then she would have never ending entertainment.

"Then I'll help show you through the collection of ones I think will suit you." He said, walking around the counter and towards the section that houses the chosen type of instrument. "Also, did your shy friend mention what he was interested in?"

"Um, no?" Naruko replied quietly, having not asked Sasuke what he was personally interested in. All he had told her was that he was going to be purchasing something very specific in question here that wasn't related to him buying her whatever she wanted. It honestly was annoying how adamant he was that he was going to pay for her choice of instrument today.

'I'm getting a present, alright? You're turning 10, so quit whining. We can trade, I'll get you something for this birthday and you get me something when I turn 100.' The argument was fruitless. Sasuke refused to budge, so she relented

"Hmmm, then I shall need to offer assistance to him after you've found what fits you here." He said neutrally, casting a glance over his shoulder in hopes of spotting Sasuke's head behind one of the shelves. Evidently, he didn't see him because he turned to look forward once more and gestured for her to follow him to a collection of shamisens displayed in a glass case.

What followed was a rather surreal experience for her, as she was handed different shamisens with varying shades of colour and a few other different aesthetics, but with overall the same design.

After what it felt like an hour of testing different ones out, 'playing' a couple offkey notes to test each one out, she finally settled on the one that was orange… naturally.

"I do apologize for it taking so long," The owner of the store said with a hint of sheepishness after they had finished up, "One of my employees didn't place the proper ones in place, I hope you don't mind."

"I don't." Naruko replied, honestly meaning it. Weird things happened, so whatever.

"Now, if you hand me the shamisen I will bring the case for it to the counter," Mr Nakamura said as she handed him what was soon to be her first musical instrument, "You can pay for it when your friend is helped."

"Okay." Naruko nodded, watching the man turn and leave to go to the back of his store.

Now that she had been taken care of, Naruko walked to the center of the store to look for Sasuke, before spotting him a few seconds later near where she assumed was the erhus. She walked briskly over to him, looking at him curiously as he didn't respond to her presence.

The few seconds of silence unnerved her enough, so she broke it. "Sasuke." She said, tapping his elbow.

The faint twitch the contact elicited was enough to let her know that he was responsive, but he still looked a little out of it as he stared at the two-string instruments.

"I hate replacing it, but it's… gone." He mumbled, swallowing almost audibly.

Naruko didn't exactly know what to say because she didn't know what Sasuke was talking about, so she kept quiet while Sasuke's eyes trailed over each and every one, before his eyes stopped suddenly.

Something in the atmosphere seemed to change, Naruko could feel it. Sasuke's eyes widened impossibly large, his breath catching and sounding like he was choking.

"Sasuke?" Naruko said his name, frightened by the abrupt reaction. "Sasuke, you okay?"

"It's… I…" Barely anything made sense as the already pale complexion of her friend paled further, his dark eyes shimmering until they turned the crimson of his clan's dojutsu.

Without elaborating on what he said or being granted permission, Sasuke opened the vertical glass case's door and looked closer at the erhus, a mask of cold emptiness appearing on his face.

It wasn't until Sasuke shakily grabbed at one with a faint silver trim around the base of it that she realized why he reacted that way.

The red and white fan shape that she saw Sasuke wear on his clothes was stamped into the side of it.

It's… whose erhu did that belong to?

Sasuke lifted it out of the case with a tenderness that she had never seen him practice before, and his face was obscured from sight as he was shaking from head to toe.

"Sas-" She started to say, but she gasped and backed away a step when her friend's head jerked up to look at her.

He was openly crying and he had the erhu clutched to his chest, tears beginning to run down his face as the single tomoe in each of his eyes were spinning so quickly that it looked like a ring of black had developed in the center of the red.

Uzumaki Naruko had known Sasuke for about four years now, two of those as a friend, but she had never seen him like this in all of that time. He looked fragile, afraid even. He was clutching a hold of the erhu like it was going to disappear any second.

The sound of footsteps behind her alerted her that the carry case or whatever it was called for her shamisen was found.

"Ms Uzumaki, I have the ca-" Whatever else was going to be said died on the man's lips as his eyes widened as he looked at what Sasuke was holding. "No, that isn't for sale. Put it back!" The man started to reach for it, and Naruko watched as what looked like a shadow passed over Sasuke's face.

"No!" He snarled, jerking away and taking a step back. His face was twisted into a frightening expression and his eyes blazed with a fire that made her shiver involuntarily, but he was still shaking like he was terrified and holding the erhu tightly.

She'd never seen that look in his eyes. It just looked wrong in every way, like it wasn't even her friend at all.

"That isn't yours, boy. It was supposed to be picked up by…" Mr Nakamura paused as he peered at Sasuke, specifically his eyes; the older man's own widened in realization of something. "You're... the Uchiha boy."

Sasuke didn't respond to the statement. He was still clutching what Naruko now knew for certain belonged to a relative of his defensively, looking ready to run from the store with the erhu in tow.

But Sasuke's silence didn't change the obviousness of who he was. Only one person in all of Konoha had Sharingan eyes, and that was her friend.

"Where… did you…" Sasuke was struggling to speak, wiping at his eyes furiously. "Why is this here?" He eventually managed to say weakly, his face the most expressive Naruko had ever seen.

With noted gentleness, the old store owner replied to the question immediately. "Your mother brought it in to have some minor repairs and for the strings to be assessed. She said she was gifting it to someone, but she," A faint sigh left the man, but he carried on, "She didn't come back to retrieve it, so it was left in the back. Evidently, one of my employees didn't realize what it was and put it out with the rest."

It's been here for two years?! Naruko thought frantically, not even knowing what to do as she watched her friend look completely vulnerable. She wanted to let Sasuke know that she was here for him, but she didn't think he would appreciate being hugged or anything like that when around a stranger.

"Did s-she," Sasuke cleared his throat with a cough and wiped his eyes again, his eyes flickering back to their normal colour as he started to calm down slightly, "Have a case for it?"

"Yes." Nakamura nodded, "I'll bring it to the counter, meet me at the front."

With that, the man turned and walked back to the counter, turned left to squeeze through the small cutout in the counter to get to the other end, and disappeared from sight.

Naruko, once she realized Sasuke wasn't going to move unless prompted, gently hooked her arm around his, like he himself had done when helping her back home after she had been attacked so many months ago, and slowly walked with him up to the counter.

Once they reached their destination, the blonde looked at the case for her shamisen and smiled slightly, before looking at her quiet friend.

"Sasuke…"

"I don't want to talk right now." He said hoarsely, his grip on the erhu having not changed at all. "I thought I'd never see this again, and now I have it again. I just, I don't know. I need a minute to think."

The uncertainty in his tone, and overall nervousness that she could see from his expression, was a far cry from the seemingly unflappable boy. He was almost always leveled and completely in control, but right now was the furthest from either of those.

A faint clunk and the sound of footsteps preceded the arrival of the man they were purchasing from, who was carrying a worn leather case with the symbol of the Uchiha clan stamped into it. The leather was brown, with a few scuffs in it, but otherwise looked nice.

"The bow is inside, already in good condition." The veteran Shinobi said, flipping the clasps open and lifting the lid of the case. "Go ahead and set it in there while I ring up the shamisen."

"I'll be paying for the shamisen." Sasuke said quietly, setting his mother's erhu in the case gingerly, before closing it himself. "It's her birthday, so I'm getting her it as a present."

"Oh," He looked pleasantly surprised, a faint smile on his face, "Well I wish you a happy birthday then, young lady."

Naruko blushed a bit at the attention, but still smiled politely and thanked him.

"I can remove the sales tax, especially since it's a present." He offered.

"That… would be appreciated." Sasuke said slowly, nodding in thanks. He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded stack of ryo, more than a few being large bills. He counted out the number that was rung up on the register and then handed it to the man.

Sasuke looked like he was about to say something as he grabbed his case, which Naruko mirrored and grabbed her own, but he made no noise as he appeared to be struggling with coming up with something, anything, to say.

"I know," The scarred man said, holding up a calloused hand like he was sparing him, "It belongs to you, so you don't need to thank me for returning it to you, even if it was under coincidental circumstances."

The youngest Uchiha looked like he'd just avoided something frightening, and he visibly relaxed. Without saying anything else, Sasuke turned and, the now 10 year old girl hurrying along to catch up.

/(SCENE BREAK)/

'Your grandmother was adamant that I learn the samisen, but I wanted to play the erhu like my great aunty did. She gave me this when she was ready to pass.' My mother's voice was echoing in my head as I walked down the main street that ran through the center of Konoha; the road was jam-packed with people, and I was filled with an unhealthy paranoia that some entity in black was going to take the priceless object in my arms away from me.

The soft and melodic tones of the erhu matched with my mother's voice as she sang an old song that she had told me originated over 100 years ago from an ancestor of mine, and my father had told her the lyrics so she could pass it down to Itachi and me.

My fingers almost subconsciously gripped the leather case tighter, my throat growing tighter as my vision started to get misty once more.

I didn't believe in the god that the memories rattling in my head did, not that I had been particularly faithful to any religion here in the elemental nations either. Many Shinobi clans, the Uchiha especially, believed that our ancestors lived on through us in some fashion, and we would eventually join that cadre when our descendants replaced us, as ever present guides from the wisdom we obtained through suffering and triumphs…

The Edo Tensei being created by a Senju ended up causing more than a few issues throughout all of society. It proved the existence and persistence of the soul after death, yes, even though most Shinobi already believed it from the techniques we were capable of, and was immediately considered universally sacrilegious to the point that the times Senju Tobirama had used it could be counted on one hand from how much of a backlash there was to it.

But none of that mattered in the grand scheme of things. Faith or no faith in an entity watching out for me, the manner in which I got this back frightened me because I couldn't figure the odds. I had almost not wanted to go out because of the amount of people milling around, instead letting Naruko go buy herself a present with some money I would have given her.

But the memory of her sobbing in an alleyway, with all of her money gone, was permanently burnt into my mind like a stain left by a patch of indelible ink. I would not let that happen again.

So I did as any good little boy would do, and ended up with a priceless heirloom that was now mine as it should be.

I decided to pull myself from my thoughts, after what had likely been several minutes, so I could assess my current situation, particularly in regards to Naruko.

She mentioned how the Hokage said she shouldn't go out during the celebration of another year that Konoha survived and lived on after the Kyuubi had ransacked the village, with this being a special one because it was the tenth.

Undoubtedly, we were being tailed by half a dozen ANBU that were monitoring anybody that thought they could do something to my friend.

"Their glaring is getting tiresome." I eventually said, my voice no longer shaking with emotion. My eyes were still aching and I knew they were bloodshot, but I had managed to pull myself into a semi functional emotional state. So long as I didn't get sideswiped by anything else as taxing, I should be able to make it through Naruko's tiny birthday party I'd planned out for this evening.

Sure, it was the same as last year's, with me leaving a clone to bake a cake for her, but that had been enough to have her hugging me with all her might and thanking me profusely. I need a bit of consistency right now.

Naruko gave me a side eye glance, still focusing on the multitude of civilians walking around us with a wide berth and some glaring at her. But at least the majority weren't giving hate filled looks, like what Naruko had described them as before I had started interacting with her.

"I don't care about them, I got my friend with me and I've got my samisen right here." She patted her case affectionately, practically radiating joy now that I didn't look like I was going to start crying again.

It was a little embarrassing for me, but it had caught me so heavily off guard that I was actually impressed with myself that I hadn't fallen to my knees and bawled.

"And that is why you're my friend." I said, feeling that cold coil of caginess that had been building ever since I had raged at Itachi for the most recent time start to unravel in real time.

A smug smile was all Naruko replied with, the trip to her apartment being a silent one from then on.

/(SCENE BREAK)/

"Sandaime-sama." I said confusedly, hoping the reaction was realistic enough since it was supposed to be a bit of a surprise that he was going to show up.

After Naruko and I had gotten to her apartment, we had dropped off the instruments, with me leaving a clone behind to protect my erhu, and had then walked around the village outskirts, just enjoying the still somewhat warm and breezy October weather.

That had basically been what we had done for a couple of hours, with periodic ventures into the festival on my part to grab something to snack on and bring back to Naruko.

All in all, it was a fantastic day that was going to be topped off by the homemade cake being eaten and her testing out her new present.

But the Sandaime showing up put a wrinkle in my otherwise positive day. The erhu had left me still sensitive to memories of my family, and Sarutobi Hiruzen was only eclipsed by Danzo, Obito, and my own brother in being the object of my personal hatred, not an abstract kind like my hatred for nameless, faceless monsters that did things like rape and heinous acts of such sorts. Either complicit in killing my family, or too incompetent to keep his subordinates in line, I didn't care; Sarutobi deserved my hatred.

All I needed to do was pretend his presence wasn't bothersome.

"Sasuke." Sarutobi looked down at me, giving me a polite nod. "I see you are spending time with Naruko on her birthday."

"Hi, Jiji!" Naruko called out from the living room, still trying to figure out how to get the bachi to pluck the strings properly on the shamisen in her hands.

It was simultaneously a positive and negative thing that Naruko had basically patched things up with Hokage over the last few months. It made me feel less bad about me nearly severing a near familial connection, but it also meant the Hokage still held sway over her, and by extension me…

"She's my friend." I said casually, almost like I was commenting about the weather. "And I'll ask you something, in her own words." I cleared my throat and looked up at the old man with an expression I hoped looked like a petulant kid. "You bring any presents, old man?!"

Naruko squawked at what I practically shouted, her bachi missing a beat and making a comically weird noise that had me almost snickering.

Sarutobi outright chuckled, looking almost relieved about something.

"You can bring the message back to Her Excellency that I do indeed have a gift for her, something that I had discovered when going through a few things from my mentors."

"I can hear you." Naruko deadpanned, having hopped off the couch and was now standing right behind me. "But thanks for saying I'm a princess."

With a snap decision, I decided to do something that normally would have been ill-advised to do, especially when the target was a nearly 70 year old veteran of several wars and was arguably one of the most dangerous killers in history, but I really was itching to do it.

"There's no King in Konoha, Naruko, only a Kage." I said, adopting a more dry tone like Iruka did sometimes and glancing at Sarutobi. "You'd have to be the daughter of a Hokage to be a 'princess'."

There it is. A faint twitch of the old man's face was all I needed.

Naruko huffed in exasperation at what I said, folding her arms together.

"With your pretty hair, you're the princess."

I scowled at Naruko, but I caught something from the brief glance I got of the old man's face when I heard him cough slightly. It was far more noticeable than when I made the princess comment, something Naruko said actually affected him.

"Children, as sweet as it is to see the two of you interacting as your mothers did," Sarutobi said clearly, "Do you not think now would be a good time to receive your present?"

Naruko's eyes widened to the point that they almost looked like saucers, the blue being even more pronounced.

" Yes!" She replied quickly, looking up at him expectantly.

Suspecting that something had bothered him and he was diverting the subject to a different one, I rolled with it to spare him any more minor inconveniences.

"The cake just finished, if you're wanting a slice, sir." I offered with as much cordiality as I could, and made it more than a little stilted like I was uncomfortable.

I wasn't pretending to be uncomfortable, just the uncertainty part.

"That would be much welcome, Sasuke." He nodded, walking past me in the hallway to head towards the living room.

Naruko followed Sarutobi while I veered over to the kitchen and went about slicing apart the cake and getting three plates to put the same amount of portions on them.

With that done, I grabbed proper silverware and made my way back to the living room. The first thing I saw and heard was Naruko excitedly explaining to the Sandaime what her instrument was and how she was going to be the best samesin player in all of Konoha.

I didn't say anything as I handed Sarutobi one of the plates, before I sat down in one of the folding chairs I left out when I figured the old man would come over.

Naruko stopped talking once I sat down, and she walked over to me with an expectant look.

"Cake." She said simply, eying the plate in my right hand hungrily.

I just smiled slightly and extended out my arm with the plate in hand. She quickly snatched it from my grasp and started tearing into the cake almost ravenously, somehow not making a mess while doing it.

Sarutobi, as befitting of his age and station, took a small and measured bite of the cake. Aside from a minute softening of his features, he showed no other outward reaction.

"Hmmm." The man furrowed his brow as his eyes flicked over towards the couch where I had placed the leather case with my mom's erhu in it. "Did you happen to purchase an instrument for yourself, Sasuke?"

Naruko instantly stopped eating, her eyes darting towards mine nervously.

Giving her a reassuring look to let her know that there wasn't an issue from what was brought up, I calmly turned to the Hokage and addressed his query.

"That is my mother's, it was in storage at a store." I said robotically, watching as Sarutobi paled slightly. "I thought it had been stolen by…" I trailed off as I remembered just how vicious of a mood I'd been in after thinking Itachi took it. It honestly was, not quite distressing, but bad enough that it didn't bode well for me if someone could press my buttons properly.

Something had to be done about it.

I had no idea what expression was on my face as I thought of that, but the Sandaime Hokage noticed it, though what I said undoubtedly took greater precedence in his mind because he looked deeply unsettled by what I said. A young boy thought something priceless was taken from him, only to have it back again.

I genuinely hope that I reminded him of what he took from me.

"Um, Jiji," Naruko said awkwardly, breaking the slowly developing awkward silence, "Did you say you had a present for me?"

"Oh, yes." Sarutobi straightened up, looking more than a little relieved as he reached into the left pocket of his robes to pull out a storage scroll. With a twitch of his fingers, he pulsed some chakra into the paper and pulled out…

A Hitai-ate.

"This was a Hitai-ate that belonged to someone very dear to your mother." He said, leaning forward and handing the headband to her. Naruko took the offered item, peering at it closely.

All it took was her tilting it slightly for me to see the familiar symbol etched into the metal.

A whirlpool swirl, exactly the same kind as shown on the flak jackets of Konohagakure.

Very dear to her mother. Uzu… Uzumaki Mito.

"That is a headband for Uzushiogakure, the village your mother was from." Sarutobi explained, "It belonged to Uzumaki Mito. She was the Shodai's wife, and was your mother's great aunt."

My mind hyper focused on what was just said. The headband was being given to Naruko, not Tsunade. Either Tsunade hadn't cared for it, or simply didn't know about it and Sarutobi deduced that it would mean more to Naruko that she had it over that drunkard.

Naruko stilled as she stared at it, her eyes blinking rapidly.

Without warning, the blonde jumped up from where she was seated and rushed towards the old man, practically leaping into his arms as she hugged him with all her might.

"Thank you, Jiji." She mumbled into his chest, still clinging to him and not letting go.

… Hiruzen smiled tenderly, returning the embrace. After a few moments of what was by all accounts a touching scene, the sagely leader of the village let go and placed an aged hand on her shoulder, smiling sadly now.

"I wish I had found it sooner, Naruko. It was just collecting dust when it could have been with who it rightfully belongs to."

"Better late than never!" Naruko didn't seem to care at all, untying the cloth band and pushing her bangs back out of her face and setting the Hitai-ate on her forehead, ending the act with her rushing to the bathroom to probably look in the mirror.

Once Naruko disappeared for a moment to admire herself, Sarutobi turned to look at me appraisingly.

"I gather that you have a present of your own for her." He said, not saying it as a question, but as a statement.

I nodded my affirmative. "I'd be a terrible friend if I didn't, sir. It also happens to be something related to what you just gave her."

Sarutobi raised a brow in question, but didn't ask me for any more clarification as Naruko came racing back out of the bathroom and into the living room again.

Honestly, Naruko looked absolutely adorable with the headband on and a positively radiant smile on her face. The cloth band was meant for an adult's head, and it ended up dangling past her shoulder blades, and the metal portion was just a little too large on her forehead.

It almost reminded me of when I tried to wear my dad's Jonin flak jacket, much to my mom and… Itachi's amusement.

"Make way for Konoha's most fearsome kunoichi." I snickered under my breath.

Naruko rolled her eyes and pushed her head up high. "You're just jealous."

"Sure, let's go with that." I said amusedly, just feeling relieved that I was undoubtedly going to get a far more positive reaction from her with my choice in a gift that wasn't just an instrument. "But I've got one last gift for you." I added, standing up from my chair and reaching into my pocket.

Naruko's eyes traced along my face, then down towards my hand when I pulled a protective case not much longer or wider than my hand from my fingertips to my wrist out of my pocket.

"I sifted through a few things in my closet and found something," I said, walking up to her and shifting so I was shoulder to shoulder with her, and I slowly opened up the case, "Say hello to Uzumaki Kushina, Naruko."

The picture was one of 5 I found that would be a good option as a present for Naruko. There were more since my mom was very close with her, judging by the dozen or so additional pictures with them together, but far less with just Kushina.

It was during that time that I realized just how much Naruko looked like her mom. Cover up the marks on her face and dye her hair red, and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.

The one I had decided on gifting her was one where she looked at least 16 or so and was busy tearing into an extra large bowl of ramen, and she was smiling embarrassedly with her mouth full when my mom probably snapped a quick picture.

Not a sound was made for several seconds, and what broke the silence was a shaky inhale and exhale of breath from the girl I had just given something that could not be quantified in value to.

"I…" Naruko started shaking, her eyes already starting to shine with unshed tears.

Without warning, she turned to face me and hugged me with all her might, her frame wracked by silent sobs.

"Thank you," She mumbled wetly, sniffling quietly, "Thank you."

I just silently stood there and let her hug me. A rare and almost vulnerable expression was on Sarutobi's face as he watched us, his eyes blinking rather quickly.

"Y-you didn't have to give me one of your pictures." She eventually said after remaining silent while having her arms wrapped around my chest just under my arms.

As if I had any claim to a picture of her mother that clearly showed that she loves ramen just as much as her daughter.

Naruko slowly pulled her arms back after letting me go, still holding the picture with an unmatched gentleness.

It was only then that I realized I forgot something. "Do you have a picture frame?" I asked suddenly, drawing her attention away from the photograph.

"I, uh, no." She said after thinking for a moment. "Could you, um…" Gone was the silent joy, now replaced by some embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'll get one for you tomorrow."

"Thanks." The blonde said, her attention returning back to the picture.

The rest of the small celebration of her birthday went without much fanfare after that. The leftover cake was put in Naruko's refrigerator, and Sarutobi had told Naruko a few stories about her mom and mine getting up to the same shenanigans typical of young genin at that age.

Anything to do with Minato was left out for blatantly obvious reasons.

It was around 9:00 when I decided to leave, and when I did, I didn't quite force myself, but I took a step out of my usual reservations and told Naruko goodbye and wrapped my arms around her.

I can tell it both surprised her and made her happy, but that didn't really matter all that much. Maybe I had been manipulating her for almost 2 years, but that hadn't been on my mind as the primary motivation for my actions in a long time.

Simply put, she was my friend now and I cared about her.

A clearing of Sarutobi's throat drew me from the brief tranquil state I was relaxing in and I turned to look at him.

"It would be best that I leave as well, for it is late now. Would you mind having company on the way back to your home, Sasuke? You never know what's out at night, and I wish to speak with you."

I just stared at him blankly, not showing any particular emotion. Without breaking eye contact, I let my arms fall to my side and I stepped away from Naruko.

"About?"

"Oh, just a few minor curiosities, nothing too important."

I couldn't just tell him no, even if that's what I wanted to do. It would sound far too suspicious and paint me in a less than inconspicuous light.

"Yeah, that's fine." I eventually settled on saying. With that, I walked over to where the leather case for what was my erhu now and braced it against my shoulder. With a quiet goodbye to Naruko, I turned and walked out of the apartment, Sarutobi following after he gave his own goodbye to the girl that meant a great deal to both of us, just in different ways.

/(SCENE BREAK)

I was currently in my living room, trying to figure out what parts of the string made particular notes. But to be honest, I was just half-assing after getting back home after a surprisingly good conversation with Sarutobi.

Basically, he had just been curious about how I was doing and what my thoughts were about my progress.

I could tell he was fishing for information, but only because I had been on guard about it in a way that I otherwise wouldn't have been had I not had some other worldly added context. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, save for that alone.

So I kept it simple; happy about my progress in Iryo-ninjutsu, on amicable terms with Yugao, Kakashi, and Hayate, and was happily interacting with Naruko and the other students.

The very last part might have been a partial lie, but only just so.

He'd also asked rather bluntly whether I had been experimenting with strength enhancement. I have been honest and said yes, but I had stressed just how careful I was being so as to not fracture any of my bones, rupture ligaments or tendons, or cause nerve damage.

He seemed to be pleased at my response.

Another loud, hair raising noise came from the erhu as I tried my best to get the bow to slide along the string, but failed horribly.

I fought the urge to swear, opting to just scowl instead.

"It took me over a year to be able to play my favorite song, Sasuke." I muttered to myself, repeating exactly what my mom had told me. "Learning it is like watering a plant; you must be patient and wait for it to bloom."

One small problem, Mom… I'm more impatient than I ever was, because there was now a song that I knew existed, just not in this world, that I wanted to desperately hear.

The fact that 'I' had heard it multiple times didn't matter, it was that I had only heard it played on an erhu by one person, and was enthralled by it.

And now I had my own way to play it.

Another off note sound came from the string and I growled under my breath in frustration, glancing at the books neatly stacked on my coffee table. Each and every one of those was stacked to the brim with the proper hand seals for dozens of different Ninjutsu techniques, advice on the best forms of Genjutsu to hit prepared or unprepared targets with, and a host of other things for a prospective Uchiha with a drive to be the greatest his clan ever produced.

I could belt right through it in a couple hours though, no more than six if I reread it a second time with my Sharingan to have it burnt into my mind with my Dojutsu on two separate readings.

And it all felt pointless. I'd done that for the last several months non-stop and knew over 150 assorted Jutsu and a dozen ideas for Genjutsu.

As if I needed to say that all that did nothing to close the gap with Kakashi, let alone my own brother or the threats on the horizon.

But I couldn't keep this up. I did nothing but sleep, eat, and train for the past two years now, and I still wasn't able to find peace with that. Most dangerous prepubescent kid in all of Konoha, but I was still frightened of everything.

I wasn't truly alive, I was just living at this point.

Right now, this piece of wood and string was the only thing other than spending time with Naruko that actually made me feel like I was doing something other than being a purely reactionary force to Itachi…

And that made me reflect some more, now that my temper had stilled somewhat. I wasn't really enjoying that many things when I was manipulating Naruko for selfish reasons early on, but now I actually did enjoy being around her.

Training was monotonous when I did nothing but that, and my mind always felt a pathological urge to fill in a boring lull to my thoughts with anything and everything, including memories that left me in a caustic mood.

So if I knew copying and memorizing the books, which I could do tomorrow before I do my typical physical training with the bunshin at the academy, did nothing for me to relax, I'll play this to hopefully give me an outlet other than beating a tree to death.

Srryyykkk!

Once I figured out how to make it sound like something other than a cat being skinned alive, that is.

/(END CHAPTER)

Like I put in the above A/N, all the stuff that has Sasuke currently reacting and acting in a very negative fashion happened within a few days. It was bound to come to a head until something gave, and it was his restraint. But he's more visibly aware of it, and starting to take steps.

Other than that, yay for Naruko getting a picture of her mom and something else to have of her.

And that's about it, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Raging.