Chapter 22
Mikoto definitely took their disappearance personally. She had made it her life’s mission to keep them as busy as possible to “Keep them out of trouble for a while.” To make matters worse, it started the next morning. His mom said it was their own fault for being out so late so she woke Sasuke up and sent him to school. Even though he was able to see Naruto in the next two weeks, the two of them were too exhausted to talk much, even in passing.
In the last two weeks, Sasuke had been working at the baker, the blacksmith, the lumberyard, and the glass shop. By the time he finished up with one job, somebody else had something for him to do. They didn’t get mission credits for all the extra work either. It was horrible!
“I’m never disappearing again without telling someone.” Naruto complained as he plopped on the ground during their evening training.
“Hnn,” Sasuke couldn’t help but agree. His entire body was angry at him. At least the punishment would be over tomorrow.
Never one to stop talking, Naruto continued “Although working at the bakery was kinda fun, ya know?” They were working the same places even if they were put on different shifts.
Sasuke thought for a moment “I liked glass making.” It posed a challenge like nothing else for the Uchiha. He had great control of his fire but the work to mold the glass was so delicate that even the smallest mistake could break something. Kurata was nice enough to teach him how to channel chakra to mold the hot glass with his hands. He got a few blisters but they were well earned.
“Maybe if we ask nicely, they could let us help more,” Naruto trails off and when Sasuke turns to him–his friend doesn’t look away but the slight fidget of his legs is telling enough and the other continues on before he can figure out what to say. “I think I want to keep doing it. After we’re out of trouble, obviously.”
“Sure,” Sasuke agreed easily. After the unexpectedly charged moment. It was easier to understand why Naruto was so hesitant to ask for what he wanted. Even if he was so loud otherwise.
“Come on boys,”Shisui. “Break time’s over and you two need to finish up your prison sentence.” He was having way too much fun with this. Briefly, Sasuke wondered about the chances of Shisui leaving him alone if he went to sleep on the ground, he didn’t like those odds.
Naruto must have been reading his mind again because he turned to Sasuke. “Better get up or they’ll use us for target practice.”
“Itachi wouldn’t!” Sasuke insisted but still forced himself to his feet. He didn’t remember the rest of their training session. Naruto was silent too as he trudged after Shisui.
“I’m never getting caught again. How did Naruto handle being in so much trouble in Konoha?” Sasuke complained to his big brother.
“I don’t think he had much of a choice in the matter.” Itachi spoke quietly. “You two need to try and stay out of trouble before you start giving me gray hairs.” His tone said he was joking but Sasuke could tell he was still really worried about it. Itachi was a bit of a worrywort at times.
He wrapped his arms around his brother as they walked. “I’m blaming Naruto’s glowing seal thing for what happened but I’ll try to be more careful.” He didn’t want to promise he would stay out of trouble because being friends with Naruto would probably make that a lie and he would never lie to his big brother about something so important.
Itachi must have sensed his sincerity because he let out a soft laugh. Sasuke loved it when he managed to make him laugh so he giggled as well. He didn’t know what was so funny until Itachi started talking. “I don’t think you’ll be able to blame the whole thing on poor Naruto. From what I understand, you were the one who brought the scroll.” Sasuke looked away in a pout.
He remembered something Naruto advised him on not too long ago. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied and looked away. Itachi started laughing louder at the comment. “You need to learn to lie better. Your tells are too easy to read, little brother.”
“Tells?” Sasuke questioned and the rest of their walk home was a lesson on the best ways to lie or tell if someone is lying to you. Sasuke thought he was a pretty good liar but when Itachi started listing out his tells, he thought maybe people were just too nice to tell him when he was caught.
When they got home, he skipped dinner and passed out in bed immediately. He slept like the dead until his mother woke him up at an unfortunately normal time the next morning. After two weeks of early rising, he felt well rested and ready to start the day.
“Good morning,” Sasuke greeted the rest of his family. Fugaku and Itachi were here for breakfast this morning so all four of them sat at the eating table. “Someone’s happy today,” Fugaku commented and Itachi snickered. “Probably because it’s his first day of freedom.”
Sasuke pouted as the rest of the table grinned. Mikoto put on her own exaggerated pout, even Sasuke could tell it was fake. “It’s too bad, I think Hiko was appreciating the extra help. Sasuke couldn’t help but shudder. He had nothing against Hiko but he absolutely hated cutting down trees.
“No thanks!” he blurted out before catching himself. “I mean, I don’t really….. Uhh….”
Fugaku came to his rescue. “The lumber yard isn’t for everyone, is it?” He gave Sasuke a knowing look. His father was the only reason the punishment didn’t last a month instead of only two weeks so he looked towards him gratefully. He argued Sasuke had never really gotten into trouble before and it wasn’t really the boy's fault the seal activated. It didn’t get Sasuke completely out of trouble but it did lessen his sentence.
“I guess not,” Mikoto dropped the act. “Did you find anything you enjoyed?”
Sasuke didn’t know if he was supposed to admit to having fun while he was actively not supposed to be but it was too late now. “I really like the glass blowing,” he gushed. “I made a charm and it was so tiny that everytime I tried to touch it, it would crack. I also really liked the blacksmith. Did you know that he knows the basic forms for all the weapons he makes? He showed me a few.”
“Ohh,” Mikoto looked at him in interest and went back to Fugaku. “I think both of them are looking for apprentices right now. Do you want to keep working with them?”
Sasuke paused at that and re-evaluated the entire conversation in his head three times before deciding he wasn’t being fooled into something. “I think it would be fun to learn more about it. I still want to be a shinobi though.” He didn’t want to quit that, even if the other stuff was kind of fun.
Itachi chimed in, reading his mind in the way only him and Naruto could. “Don’t worry, a lot of well respected ninjas pick up other talents during their training. Kobo, the blacksmith, was considered a jounin rank shinobi back in Konoha. Even without the official rank.”
Sasuke thought it over “Why didn’t he have an official rank?”
Fugaku was the one to answer. Angry, though not at Sasuke. “They were scared to let too many Uchiha out of the police force, even though he was talented. His blood kept him out of the ranks of Jounin.” His father practically spat the last remark.
He dropped the anger quickly though, “There’s no point in dwelling on it now. Anger is a poison that will stop Uzushio from reaching its full potential. We will eventually seek justice for the wrong committed against us and your friend but it will not be through vengeance.”
“Is there a difference?” Sasuke asked and this time Itachi answered.
“A big difference. Justice is when someone takes something from you, you make them give it back and make sure it can’t happen again. Vengeance is if someone takes something from you and you attack them. It might feel good but it won’t stop them from doing it to someone else. See the difference?”
“I think so. You should totally teach at the academy, you're really good at teaching stuff.” Itachi looked gobsmacked and the two adults looked thoughtful.
“That is an option. Although, you might be a bit young right now.” Mikoto mused.
“Kids teaching kids, eh” Fugaku jokes. “Maybe not quite yet, but soon.” He shot Itachi a look Sasuke couldn’t decipher but his brother could. He looked away like he was embarrassed.
Sasuke continued talking like he hadn’t seen the reaction. His brother did say that he shouldn’t always say some of the things he sees out loud. They chatted for a while longer before Sasuke ran to Naruto’s house so they could go to school.
“Freedom!” Naruto looked to be as good as Sasuke felt when he burst out of his front door. He ran so fast to Sasuke that he almost didn’t hear Shisui remind them that they had normal training after dinner today. The four of them, Itachi, Shisui, Naruto, and Sasuke had been trying to train together at least three times a week. It was everyday during punishment but today was a regularly scheduled day so it wouldn’t be as grueling.
Naruto grabbed Sasuke and the two of them went to the baker on their way to school. Not that he got anything since he ate breakfast already but Naruto was handed his normal sweet roll before he could tell Aunt Haruka what he wanted. “Thanks auntie!” Sasuke didn’t know how she could understand him through the mouthful but she smiled at the blond.
“Guess what?” Sasuke almost answered before he realized he was talking to Haruka.
“Yes dear,” She was only about 30 but she felt older when she was talking to Naruto. Not in a grouchy old person way but in a patient and wise way. Sasuke started looking at the different breads on display to give them some privacy. He could still hear them but figured it was the thought that counted. It was amazing to see all the different types of bread that Haruka and Naruto had been baking.
“Shisui said I could keep helping after school.” Naruto said it like he was presenting a prize and he must have been because the other woman lit up at the news.
“Are you sure you want to spend your time helping me instead of playing with your friends?” She gestured to Sasuke and he took it as an invitation to join the conversation.
“I can alway hang out with him later. He loves working with you so much I’m more surprised he asked Shisui for permission.” Her eyes welled up and Sasuke didn’t know why.
“If you're sure, I would love for you to come help. After school, of course. You have big dreams to fulfill so you need your education.”
“Yep,” Naruto hugged the woman and got flour on his check for his trouble.
“Speaking of school,” She turned to look at the clock.
“Oh, no,” Naruto gulped down the last of his treat and the two boys had to sprint to school to prevent themselves from being late.
They learned about different chakra types but were told they wouldn’t find theirs out until later. When they were released, Sasuke went home to do his homework and some private training while Naruto went to the bakery. His mom told him starting the next day, he could start going to Kobo’s after school to help if he wanted. He was ecstatic. The next two months flew by with a regular routine.
Sasuke would wake up, go to school, work for the blacksmith, eat with his family with or without Naruto and Shisui, and train in the afternoon. He would also summon Kaja at bedtime to tell him stories about her world and herself. She didn’t seem to mind it as she filled his head with glorious battles and techniques long forgotten.
As he got better at blacksmithing, Naruto was learning not only how to make bread but how to cook and eat in the surrounding forest. Haruka, while not a ninja, was a great survivalist.
Another big change was that people started trickling to the village to commission farming tools and buy things in the market. Sasuke thought someone had broken in the first time he saw a stranger walking down the road.
Thankfully, he was with Itachi. His brother stopped him from hurting anyone but he would not let him live it down. They traded just as often as accepted money for tools they made. Many people wanted Sasuke to do it because he was cheaper, due to inexperience. Naruto and he were registered as apprentices so they could sell their own work. Sasuke was living at home so he didn’t need money but Kobo insisted he take his commission for working.
Under his brother's guidance, Sasuke learned the value of everything in the village and what the labor was worth. Time flew by so fast that before he knew it, it was getting warmer. Everyone was let out of classes early and his evening training was canceled to help work the land. It was so much faster with earth style jutsu but Sasuke couldn’t help much.
Earth was a difficult type for him. He felt bad about not being much help but he made up for it in other ways. With his speed from his ninja training, he was valuable at delivering messages and supplies to the groups on the outskirts of their home. Naruto was invaluable with his brute strength. They weren’t sure if it was because of the Kyuubi or because of his heritage but he had massive amounts of chakra to burn.
Even if he was horrible at the basics on jutsu, he could tear the ground up for planting. He would joke around and play with everyone while he worked so Sasuke wasn’t worried about him being lonely anymore. He also knew that Shisui often took him out for one on one time. Sasuke was getting more time with his own family as well.
“You're still best friends,” Itachi explained when Sasuke told him his concerns. “It’s like a team. You're both different and that’s great. That means that when you work together, you’ll both be that much better but you have to learn the skills that you're passionate about.”
He thinks that Itachi might have mentioned something to Shisui because after that talk. The four of them started training again. Sasuke was almost embarrassed about how grateful he was to see Naruto at least once a week for training. They saw each other throughout the day but this was special.
It wasn’t long after that, Fugaku made an announcement that they would be doing a big meeting in the village center. It had been a while since they had a mandatory meeting. The entire village tried to meet once a month for a general meeting but there wasn’t anything really interesting happening yet. Sasuke was excited to find out what was in store for the future.