Mitsuki's Family

"Where are we going, Karin?"

Karin and Mitsuki wore a traveling cloak around them as they travelled through the woods, towards the lively village only a couple of meters left from where they were.

"To visit my friend, and also for you to make some." Karin said, holding onto the child's hand as they approached the village's gate.

"Oiiii! Karin!!" There was a vague call from the gates as Karin could make out a pink haired woman waving enthusiastically at her. Beside her, there was a child of Mitsuki's age, wearing glasses and looking daunting with her arms crossed at her chest. Karin smiled. That was the child she had helped to receive at birth.

"That's my friend, Sakura. And that's her daughter. Be nice, okay?" Karin said, waving back to Sakura.

"Karin, is that the little one you said you will be bringing over?" Sakura asked as she looked over Mitsuki. The boy kept a polite smile on his face as he greeted Sakura.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Mitsuki." Mitsuki bowed a few inches and offered a hand to Sakura.

"My, what a polite child. Nice to meet you too, Mitsuki. My name is Sakura. This is Sarada, my daughter. Come on, Sarada. Say hello." Sakura shook Mitsuki's tiny hand and nudged her daughter.

"Hello." Sarada nodded in greeting and Mitsuki smiled back politely.

"I'm sorry, Sarada takes after her father." Sakura frowned and apologized.

"No worries. I understand. Sarada-chan just needs time to warm up, right?" Karin directed a warm smile at the young Uchiha.

"Yes!" Sarada returned the smile and nodded.

As Sakura led Karin and Mitsuki into Konohagakure, Mitsuki couldn't help but be curious at everything he sees around him. Flower shops, food stalls, and even the toys that he uses to play with Suigetsu.

"Hey, where are you from?" Sarada nudged the boy as they walked behind the adults. The adults weren't afraid of losing them, when Karin was one of the best sensors around.

"Me? I'm from my home." Mitsuki answered.

"Home? Where's your home?" Sarada tilted her head in confusion. That wasn't an answer someone would give.

"It's... Home is where home is supposed to be." Mitsuki said unsurely. Now that he thought about it, there isn't a name to his home.

"Huh?? You're weird." Sarada gave him a weird look before chuckling.

"Where's yours?" Mitsuki asked, blinking.

"Mine? Here, in Konohagakure." Sarada announced, gesturing to every corner and direction of the village.

"This is your home? It's big." Mitsuki gasped lightly, taking in the village slowly with his golden orbs, amazed at how huge Sarada's home is.

"Yeah! And Nanadaime's protecting it!" Sarada pointed to the left, where the stone wall of the Hokage faces were carved at.

"Nanadaime?" Mitsuki blinked again, taking in all the information Sarada was saying.

"Yep! Nanadaime is the most powerful person on earth! And he protects our home! Does anyone protect your home, Mitsuki?" Sarada asks and Mitsuki stills.

"Protect...?" 

………

After a 5 minute walk, Mitsuki and Karin finally arrived at the Uchiha's household.

"Sarada, bring Mitsuki up to play. I'll prepare dinner." Sakura ordered as she nudged her daughter.

"I'll help you Sakura. The children can play on their own." Karin offered and Sakura nodded, leading the woman into their kitchen, leaving Sarada and Mitsuki alone in the living room.

"Come on, I'll show you my room." Sarada gestured towards the stairs and climbed with little effort. She was an Uchiha after all.

Mitsuki followed closely behind Sarada as he looked at the humble house of the only Uchihas left. There were the Uchiwa fan symbol littered around the house as well as the family pictures. In all of the pictures, Mitsuki found the man inside familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had seen him before.

"What games do you like to play, Mitsuki? I don't really have boy games like what that dumb Boruto has." Sarada muttered under her breath, but was loud enough for Mitsuki to hear.

"Me? I like playing kunai." Mitsuki answered truthfully.

"Kunai? Like the toy ones they sell on the streets? Pff." Sarada almost scoffed at the mental image of Mitsuki fiddling with a plastic imitation of the steel hard weapon.

"I brought it with me. Maybe we can play together." Mitsuki suggested, reaching into his kimono sleeves and pulled out expectedly, a real kunai.

"How do you play with a plastic kunai though?" Sarada was still backfacing the boy as she led the way to her room, pushing open the door with more effort and stumbling, saving her ass from having a real kunai planted into her brain.

"Like this." Mitsuki had flung the kunai directly at Sarada, expecting her to dodge like how Suigetsu does.

"......" Sarada heard the dull thud and realised a real kunai was just thrown at her head. If it was not for her stumble, the kunai would have killed her instead of lodging itself onto her wooden door. At the image of having a kunai stuck into her skull, Sarada did what a 5 year old would.

"Sarada?! What happened?!" Sakura rushed up the stairs as soon as she heard Sarada wailing in fear.

"Mitsuki! What did you do?" Karin followed close after, kneeling down to Mitsuki's level.

"Nothing. I just offered to play Kunai with her." Mitsuki answered innocently, confused as to why Sarada was crying.

"......" Karin was speechless. Her eyes followed Mitsuki's finger and saw the kunai lodged onto the wooden door.

"What do you mean play Kunai?" Sakura hugged her daughter in her arms and questioned.

"Sorry, Sakura. I forgot Mitsuki has a different concept for playing. It's not very appropriate for his age, I know." Karin apologized as she sighed at Mitsuki's answer. She knew it wasn't his fault. That's the environment he grew up in, Orochimaru teaching him all the wrong concepts of being a child.

"Why is she crying, Karin? Does she not like to play Kunai? We can play with Shiro. I brought her along." Mitsuki furrowed his brows as Sarada couldn't stop crying.

"You brought Shiro along?! Wait, that's not the point. You don't get Shiro to play with anyone else, get it?" Karin raised her finger and warned.

"But Shiro is distressed. She can sense someone's discomfort. She's out." Karin flinched at the last sentence.

"Karin, there's a white snake here." Sakura had sensed the snake approach and grabbed it before it could reach Sarada.

"My apologies. Shiro, come back." Karin ordered before the snake came slithering back into Mitsuki's sleeve.

"Sarada-chan, Sarada-chan." Karin called out from beside Mitsuki.

"Yes, Karin-san?" Sarada's wails has withered into sobs as she raised her head to look at the red head.

"Mitsuki means no harm. He just wants to share his joy with you. Although his form of joy comes from quite a different source." Karin explained.

"Mitsuki, apologize." Karin nudged the boy.

"Sorry, Sarada, if I had hurt you in any way. It is not my intention." Mitsuki bowed sincerely even though he was clueless.

"It's okay, Mitsuki. I was just shocked, that's all." Sarada shook her head and got out of Sakura's arms.

"That's good. Now play in peace okay? Mitsuki, follow Sarada and please do not suggest any of the games you have in mind." Karin placed a hand on the child's head and ruffled his hair indulgently.

"Okay." Mitsuki nodded obediently and followed Sarada into her room.

"Karin, who actually is Mitsuki? You sound like you adore him." Sakura asked as she left her daughter alone again. Karin went to pluck out the kunai and kept it in her backpocket. The red head giggled at Sakura's question.

"He's just a cinnamon roll in our hideout."

………

After dinner, Karin and Mitsuki had to leave.

"Thank you for the dinner, Sakura. It was delicious." Karin thanked the pink head along with Mitsuki bowing at the side.

"No problem. Mitsuki is a great child. You can bring him over to play with Sarada any time." Sakura stepped forward to ruffle Mitsuki's hair. It was soft and fluffy.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Mitsuki smiled politely.

"Sarada-chan, the next time I see you, I want to see you grow taller!" Karin grinned at the raven.

"Yes! Karin-san!" Sarada nodded with zest.

With a few waves, Karin and Mitsuki were on the way back to the hideout.

"Karin, this is Konohagakure?" Mitsuki pulled at Karin's sleeve.

"Yeah." Karin nodded.

"This is Sarada's home." Mitsuki repeated what Sarada had told him in the afternoon.

"Yes, it is." Karin nodded again and blinked, not knowing where this was leading.

"Where's mine?" Mitsuki's question made Karin paused in her step. They were half way through the outskirts of Konoha.

"The hide-" Karin was about to say the hideout but stopped herself at the last second.

"Mitsuki." Karin squat down to Mitsuki's eye level with a hand tangled in the boy's hair.

"The home's where the heart is."