28 28. The day of birth (1)

Aiko was walking towards the Uchiha compound because there will be no one present in the hokage's mansion today.

Today was october 10th and as estimated the Namikaze couple will be welcoming their baby into the world today. Due to the weakening of the seal, the delivery was going to take place at a secure location on the outskirts of Konoha where Kushina will be protected by the ANBU and Minato during the delivery to prevent any mishaps.

Early in the morning, Minato teleported with Kushina to the location and it was arranged for Aiko to stay in the Uchiha household for the day.

Aiko was a bit worried when he heard that the seal might break and the uneasy feeling he had felt from earlier peaked, but was reassured by Minato and Kushina that it would not be a big problem., but Aiko also marked Minato with his mapping skill and kept an eye on both of them through it, he was able to identify their location as the cave Minato had taken him to when he had first used chakra assimilation skill.

The sky was clear today with almost no clouds but the temperature wasn't that high, it was still sunny though, he walked as he gazed at the people who were going around, some just opening their shops, some already doing business, some shinobis checking their supplies heading towards the gates mostly for their missions, filling the place with vitality.

......

Aiko reached the Uchiha compound, and it was also lively with teenagers going towards training fields and many adults heading out in their police force uniforms for patrol.

"Oh, Aiko-kun welcome, I got the message from Kushina," said Mikoto, smiling as she looked at the red haired boy infront of her door.

"Thank you for letting me stay today, Aunt Mikoto." said the boy bowing slightly to the kind woman.

"You don't have to be so polite, come in." she said pinching his cheeks lightly, as she pulled him inside by the hand.

Aiko frowned a little rubbing his cheeks, he did not understand why people did this to him all the time, Mikoto smiled looking at his reaction, It was not the first time the little guy had visited their house, he would come once or twice a week to meet with Sasuke and play with Ichiro, though she knew they did not play but trained together.

"How is Kushina? Was she nervous?, I wish I could be with her" said Mikoto, sighing lightly. Kushina was Mikoto's closest friend, but she too knew it was for her safety that the news was kept a secret from outsiders.

"Kushina-san is fine, Minato-san seemed more nervous," said Aiko, Minato's aura was fluctuating a lot today.

"Oh, hehe, Kushina-chan is brave after all, so Aiko-kun are you excited to meet the baby?" asked the black-haired woman, smiling a little.

"Well, there is also a surprise waiting for you" she said mysteriously when the red-haired boy nodded his head.

'What surprise?' thought the boy, when she refused to say further, a bit puzzled.

"Sasuke just woke up, you can play with him. Ichiro is getting ready, she was excited when she heard that you will be coming today" said Mikoto. Her daughter and the boy had similar personalities, both were stoic, hardworking and behaved way mature for their age.

'Maybe that's why they became friends quickly' she thought, she knew about her daughter's personality, she was bit of a introvert and liked to observe others before interacting with them, this habit of hers made Mikoto worried, because in the shinobi world along with strength it was also important to find friends and comrades you can trust to have your back during battle and missions.

So, watching both of them interact she knew her daughter was opening up to him and hopefully coming out of that habit, because while being intelligent was a gift, but if you are too intelligent you would usually end up alone.

The red-haired boy even though talented and lived in the hokage's mansion was very kind and respectful making people have a favourable impression of him easily and that cute face and mature way of acting like a 'Sir' made him even more lovable, even Fugaku who was usually stingy with praises had praised the boy saying that he will be a good rival for Ichiro in the future, to her(Mikoto) when they were alone after looking at their training.

Aiko, not knowing about her thoughts, nodded his head, entering the hall and walked towards the cradle which was placed a bit away from the window and saw little Sasuke moving his hands and feet lying on his back.

A small smile automatically formed on his face when he looked at the baby wearing cute clothes with the Uchiha clan's symbol etched on it. Aiko always felt relaxed around him, maybe because he was a baby, the aura and his emotions were very transparent and genuine without any complex feelings or deceit he usually felt from the adults.

Chibi Sasuke was an energetic baby, he was lying on his back in the empty crib lined with soft cloths sucking his thumb and shaking his legs looking around with bright obsidian eyes.

"Uwah, boo" he made some noises when Aiko gently poked his chubby cheeks with his fingers and as if dissatisfied and held his finger with the other hand.

Aiko's smile got wider and he used his other hand to take a toy which was tied to the cradle and made some noise attracting the baby's attention.

The baby moves his head slowly looking around as if trying to find out the source of the noise.

"Do you want it little sasuke?" asked Aiko gently as he brought the toy close to the baby and shook it slowly reducing the noise.

"Uuu wah wahh booo" said little Sasuke a bit loudly as if trying to match the sound and reached out with his hands wanting to hold it.

Mikoto looked at the two of them with a gentle smile on her face before she headed towards the kitchen to do her daily chores.

......…..

"Good morning, Aiko-kun" he heard a sweet voice greet him, when he was playing with Sasuke, turning around he saw a black-haired girl, her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a dark blue skirt entering the hall.

"Good morning, Ichiro-chan" he greeted back towards his friend, nodding his head.

"When did you arrive?" she asked, coming near him and looking at Sasuke with a smile.

"Just a few minutes ago" he said, focusing his attention back on Sasuke who was now looking between the two of them.

Both of them stood side by side teasing Sasuke with a smile on their faces silently, but the atmosphere was not awkward but instead it looked serene.

"I learnt a new jutsu recently, I will show it to you today," said Ichiro with a small smile after a few moments of silence.

Aiko nodded his head, it was something common between them that they taught each other things when they trained together, Ichiro had helped him train his shuriken throwing skills while he taught her the Kage Bunshijn no jutsu.

"Aiko-kun, Ichiro-chan come to have breakfast" called out Mikoto from the dining room.