chapter 6
Naruto was surprisingly shy around the other children, especially the teenagers. Sasuke thought that was silly and kept dragging him out from behind them to meet as many of them as possible. “Their your family too.” When Sasuke said it, it sounded final. The other kids didn’t even question it and were quick to include Naruto in their game at the river. They ended up staying longer than expected and came back to camp damper than expected too. The adults didn’t seem to mind though and several of them laughed at the sight of the drying kids.
Sasuke wasn’t able to get back to his mother before the food was served to the kids but he was able to sit right next to Naruto as they ate. His mom told him to look after everyone so he made sure everyone had plenty to eat and drink. He even made sure everyone had a water bottle for when they started again. He could hear the adults on the other side of the fire making their own plans as well so he figured they had it covered.
It seemed like no time had passed before the adults started burying the insides and bones of the deer they cleaned and were putting out the fire. They weren’t too concerned with other people finding this campsite because it was a common one to use on this road. The horses looked good and everything was almost completely packed up before Sasuke got another idea.
“Why don’t you ride with me and my mom?” He asked Naruto. The cart Naruto was riding in didn’t even have a driver. It was hooked to another cart in front of it. “That way we can talk to each other to pass the time.” Naruto seemed to hesitate at the idea but it seemed like he couldn’t find a good reason not to. Sasuke filed that away to ask about later but drug the boy to his mom.
“Mom,” he called and when she turned and saw the two of them, she froze solid. Sasuke didn’t notice it at first but Naruto did and hid behind Sasuke as they approached his mother. “Is it alright if Naruto rides with us for a while?” Sasuke saw many emotions pass by his mothers face as she stared at Naruto. She came back to herself with a smile.
“Of course Naruto can ride with us! No child needs to be alone if we can help it.” Sasuke felt like his mom was doing that double speak thing she does with his dad sometimes but her smile seemed to draw Naruto back out. She motioned him forward and was so gentle when she touched his cheek that Sasuke knew he was missing something. “You look just like your father.” She commented. Before Naruto or Sasuke could comment on that, she picked Naruto up and set him inside the cart.
Before she could do the same to him, Sasuke climbed into the front and waved Naruto up to join. Whatever was wrong with his mother passed quickly as she smiled and got in the driver's seat. With the sun coming up, Naruto seemed to open up with it and soon. The two boys were chatting up a storm. Mikoto smiled as she watched the two boys. Sasuke didn’t know it yet, but he had already decided to protect and teach Naruto and Mikoto could see it.
It became clear how much Konoha had wronged the boy around lunch time. Mikoto had started tuning them out and spreading her senses to check for enemies. They were at the safest and most dangerous part of their journey. The others that stayed in the village should still have them covered but if anyone figured out who they were, they could plot an ambush on the entire clan. She only tuned back in when she heard Sasuke start working himself up.
Sasuke was pissed when Naruto told him he could barely read. He was getting more pissed off about the fact that Naruto played it off like he couldn’t be taught. “Has anyone ever sat down with you to help you learn?” He asked. At least Naruto wasn’t tucking into himself as he answered.
“No but I’ve never seen anyone else get special treatment.” He responded and Sasuke wanted to hit his head against something hard. A look from his mother told him he needed to settle down. His mother explained once that the Uchiha feel much stronger about certain things and he figured this might be one of them. He took a deep breath and looked to his mother.
“Can we get a little chalkboard or something when we stop next?” Mikoto didn’t know why her son was asking for that of all things but she could humor him.
“At the rate we're going, we can stop by a village tomorrow for supplies. If I see one, I’ll see what I can do.” Satisfied, Sasuke went back to talking to Naruto. They had a scheduled supply stop tomorrow but Mikoto was beginning to worry. Her husband, son, and the others left behind were supposed to catch up before they made it to the first stop.
She knew the plan was to buy as much time as possible and with a group of mostly trained shinobi traveling. They were going faster than they anticipated. It was still hard to not worry when part of her immediate family was in danger. They could run or fight this far from the village but Itachi and Fugaku would have a hard time fighting inside the enemy walls. Added to the mix was now one very well sought after jinchūriki.
Konoha made sure to keep the Uchiha clan as far away from Naruto as possible but it was hard not to see the condition he was in and blame herself. She didn’t even think of him when they were preparing to run. She felt sick at the thought of leaving her friend's child in such a place but didn’t think they would be able to get to him and get away. She thanked every god she could think of that Shisui found him that night. He was a blessing she would have never dared ask for.
Sasuke also seemed to get along with him well but that was to be expected. Her first son came off as cold and distant sometimes but there was none of that instinct in her second son. Mikoto wasn’t sure if she should stifle this growth or encourage it. On one hand, he trusted so easily and that could hurt him as a shinobi. On the other hand, he could make friends anywhere and was a natural born leader. Even the other kids never hesitated to follow his lead.
The day turned out to be just as beautiful as the one before it. There was a sense of content and freedom in the air even as the adults scanned the horizon. The carts were lined up on one side of the road so other traffic could come through the other. It was only polite. It didn’t take long after breakfast for the kids to make up a game where they were hopping along the carts to the front and back. There didn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason behind it but it kept them entertained. Mikoto would be more upset if most of the children hadn’t already begun their training as shinobi before they left. Because Konoha put Uchiha in the field young. They began training as soon as they could walk.
She saw one of the clan elders begin explaining the idea of sticking to the carts with chakra so they wouldn’t fall off. Some of the younger kids looked confused but it didn’t take long for the ones that didn’t know how to do it to start trying. Not long after that, Sasuke almost launched himself into a tree and Mikoto had to put a stop to that training. It would do no good to get caught because of chakra spikes.
Lunch was a quick affair. They cooked the leftover deer from the day before on the fire and ate while the horses were fed and watered. That was the main reason shinobi didn’t use them. They had to be maintained more often than the rider but right now, they were a group of civilians traveling. Not a legendary clan escaping. Sometime after lunch Sasuke was able to unseal his practice bow and a couple of arrows.
Mikoto was so proud that she didn’t tell him to put it up. He tied a piece of rope to part of the arrow and began instructing Naruto on how to shoot. He was even able to catch a couple of startled rabbits. The animals were pulled in with the rope as Naruto applauded and was passed to the last cart to be skinned. They didn’t have time to skin the deer properly the day before so they had to leave the fur with the entrails but they did have a tanner that could properly take care of the rabbits.
The day passed away in this manner. Naruto was even able to shoot his own rabbit by the time the day was done. This time they stopped when the sun began to go down instead of well into the night. The horses and the people could keep up with the pace of the first few days but with good results. They were many miles away from the village. They were still in the same county but they passed the Konoha border earlier in the day so they wouldn’t have to worry about running into a patrol.
When they found a good spot to camp. The adults began setting up camp. Without being told, Sasuke led the others to the river and took care of them. After they returned with full bottles and empty bladders, they ate together. The ground wasn’t the best place to teach but after they ate, Sasuke began writing the alphabet down in the softer dirt. It was a little messier than he would have liked but it was legible and that’s what he wanted. Some of the younger children came up to him as well as Naruto and Sasuke began teaching them what he knew about reading and writing.
It didn’t take long for the kids and Naruto to start practicing what Sasuke showed them. While they were, Sasuke came up to his mother and told him what Naruto told him. It made Mikoto’s blood boil to hear how Konoha failed Naruto and now she understood why Sasuke wanted a chalkboard. A child could not survive only knowing how to kill. It was a startling realization and the fact that Sasuke saw fit to correct it before she knew there was a problem was telling to Mikoto.
After the children settled down for the night and before assigning guard shifts, Mikoto sat down with the clan elders and parents of the children. They didn’t decide anything yet but spoke in length about what they wanted their children to know. Clans always chose to educate their children using a hybrid system. There was always so much to teach that the village would be responsible for some of it and the clans would do the specialized education. Now that that wasn’t an option anymore. The children had the freedom to learn different trades from the others like blacksmithing or tanning.
Just by teaching some of the others a couple of letters, Sasuke showed the adults that they don’t have to focus on teaching their kids how to survive being a shinobi. They could grow to become whatever they wanted.