"Mom, who took care of Dad when he was a child?"
One innocent question created a butterfly that brought chaos to the minds of Konoha's citizens.
Hinata never expected she would ever regret such a day. That day that opened secrets that her h...
Konoha's people were garbed in black. Those who weren't, weren't even fit to change out of their clothes on their own.
The embers had just been put out drowning in the tears and wailings of the living and blown away by the screams of the near- deads. The dead were of course, forever silent.
The funeral shops were celebrating their new influx of customers. The staff had gotten used to such sombre topics already so they still had a little bit of life to them despite their dull eyes. There was the occasional joke dripping with dark humour always spoken in hushed whisperings. One member mentioned to the owner to give them a bonus since white cloth had a slight increase in price and sales.
White lies were given out just as freely by doctors and guards that busied about tending to the people. Some nurses had already collapsed out of exhaustion. There weren't enough rooms or beds to accommodate everyone so the hospital's corridors were also filled with bodies either dead or critical.
Contrary to the chaos near the emergency rooms, the neo-natal intensive care unit or NICU was pretty quiet. A large screen of glass showed what was within the wards.
A woman in black looked through the glass in grief. Her eyes were trained on one case that had a tuft of golden swaddled in blue. She carried her newly born child in her arm and grasped her older child's hand in another.
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She was Mikoto Uchiha.
Her sad eyes couldn't tear themselves away from that tiny cot.
"Kushina..." she whispered.
Her eldest stared up at her face at that. He knew 'Kushina' very well. She was one of his teachers and a good friend of his mother's.
He stared back at the child in the cot. Its fingers were curled up around its sleeve and it had an oversized head. Its skin was still wrinkly and reddish afterall. It was only three days old at most.
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Kushina had many friends.
Yet Mikoto was the only one left who could visit her orphaned son. All the rest didn't have the same authority she did as the wife of the esteemed Uchiha clan head. Those that did were busy dealing with the aftermath of the Kyuubi's madness.
"Lady Uchiha," came a voice. It was a nurse with an ANBU agent beside her.
"Let me meet him. Just a few minutes would do," Mikoto pleaded, her voice quivering into a hoarse whisper.
"I'm afraid that's not possible." The ANBU was curt. "Please come this way," he motioned to leave.
Mikoto's dried up eyes couldn't shed anymore tears. Her begging landed on deaf ears and she could only take one last glance before she had to leave.
That child in the cot was asleep throughout the time she was there. His skinny fingers were clenched tightly. In between those tiny fingers, unnoticed by anyone, was wound a single strand of red hair.
The night came and Mikoto's husband still hadn't returned home. Itachi and Sasuke were put to bed.
Mikoto waited and waited on the chair in front of the dinner that had long gone cold. She had cried too much and her red-rimmed eyes looked reminiscent of their clan's Sharingan.
It was nearing dawn when Fugaku returned. He sat heavily and began to eat. Mikoto got up to reheat some of the dishes. It was a hurried, tasteless meal, cold and chilly, which the flame from the stove could not warm.
"The child-" began Mikoto.
"I have no say in the matter, Mikoto," Fugaku cut her off.
"But there's no one to take care of him!"
"I did what I could."
"He Kushina's and Minato's child. We could adopt-"
"We can't! That damned council has got the Uchiha in check! We already are being suspected of causing the attack. They would never let us have Naruto!"
Fugaku could no longer keep an even tone. He had lost all resemblance of the stoic and composed family head he always was. His dishevelled appearance made him almost look like he was about to kill someone in anger.
Their voices were raised and the argument escalated.
Crash!
Mikoto had shattered a plate.
They breathed heavily, fury and grief intermingling within their chests. Fugaku took a few furious steps towards Mikoto.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
A cry shattered the fragile atmosphere. Sauske had woken up and Itachi could no longer keep him quiet.
Mikoto calmed her thundering heart and went to pacify Sasuke after composing herself.
Fugaku stood there for a while heaving in silence with his jaw clenched. He turned off the stove and began picking up the broken ceramic pieces.
It was dawn when Fugaku woke up from his short nap on the couch. Mikoto was sitting opposite him. Neither of them had enough sleep for the past four days.
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Fugaku and she sat in silence until the sun rose halfway. Then he got ready to leave again to deal with Konoha as the head of the Uchiha Police Force.
Mikoto stayed there frigid and silent. She had prepared breakfast but it was left forgotten on the table.
