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Father’s heart
Fugaku observed the child in his arms with mistrust. According to her mother she was crying whole day and her mother looked exhausted. What's surprising however is that she calmed down instantly when he picked her up. She watched him too with a bubbly smile on her face. Fugaku would never call her adorable because Uchiha's weren't adorable but this little demon was close to it with her puffy cheeks and big dark eyes. Maybe Mikoto was over exaggerating her behavior after all she looked like little angel after all.
"I don't understand" Mikoto said "she was so upset whole day and she only calmed when you picked her up"
"Fugukk" both parents turned their heads with the speed of lighting and their child looked like it was expecting their reaction because it giggled with pleasure and then it repeated again
"Fugauu" "Fugau... like Fugaku? "Mikoto said. "Is your name her first word?"
And indeed it was. Her first word.
Fugaku was feeling proud. His daughter haven't finished one year and already started speaking. And his name was her first word.
She chose wisely.
But aren't children suppose to say "dad" or "mom" first? That was a little weird.
But still. She chose his name. He was after all the head of a clan and needed to be acknowledged first it was only polite thing to do that both of his sons failed to do and yet he was letting it go since they spend indeed whole their younger years with Mikoto.
But Sayuki was raised the same as boys with no attention from him at the earliest stages of her development and she has still chose to say his name as her first word. His daughter was a true Uchiha indeed. Since his firstborn was powerful and Fugaku could see already that he would achieve great things and his second son, Sasuke, was to be following Itachi's footsteps.
This is why he saw no point in raising his daughter the same way he raised her older brothers. The strong hand indeed was to be applied to both of them since they were potential clan leaders and their power was necessary to uphold Uchiha's name but Sayuki was his third and she was a girl so he decided that he will be not raising her for a life of shinobi.
She will be a daughter he will be a father and it will be just about that.
Because she chose to say his name first.
Nightmares of war
Sayuki showed up to Itachi's room. He was having another nightmare. It was about what he saw durning the war.
Sayuki climbed into his bed and started softly shaking his shoulder so he would woke up. As always she found herself hurled into the back with kunai near her neck
"Tachi it's me" Sayuki said warmly and her brother blinked few times until he saw his sister. He dropped his kunai and she hugged him.
"It's alright I'm here" she said. Itachi was silent and stiff. "I'm sorry he's gone, It wasn't your fault"
"What?" He said hoarsely.
"You were saying "I'm sorry" in your sleep Kira-San was your friend, right?"
"How do you..."
"His mom came to talk with our okasan she was crying. I know that he died
durning the battle. It wasn't your fault"
"Sayuki..."
Sayuki started storking his head with her little hands
"Tachi-nisan can do almost anything so he must feel frustrated when things don't go his way. But tachi-nisan is a person like everyone else and when he's sad he should ask his imouto for a hugs. His imouto is not good at everything but she gives the best hugs in this family" Sayuki said
"Thank you" Itachi said touched by his little sister words. He was also suprised. She wasn't speaking a lot for a four years old at least she never seen her speak more than two words but now she was talking and she seemed very articulate. Curious thing indeed. They looked each other in the eyes for a moment and her eyes seemed to look at him with understanding that is impossible in 4 year old child.
Nevertheless he let her to hug himself and this time he returned the hug.
This one I will protect no matter what. She will never die on my watch like Kira-kun did. Nor will Sasuke. Itachi decided firmly. He would become a strong enough to ensure that.
Don’t just disappear
It was time for a new game called "Catch Shisui!" It was the most entertaining game Sayuki ever figured out. She was following Shishou around like a lap dog every time he showed up in the compound.
For sure Sayuki was a particular being, she seemed to be finding a victims of her undivided attention and attack them every time they showed up. Two of said victims were her father Fugaku who transformed into a different person every time she showed. Sayuki was his favorite child.
Shisui who was stalked by the little monster unlike her father didn't believe that Sayuki is sent to Uchiha clan from heaven.
Sayuki was now sitting on the branch of a three and watching Shisui training from the shadows it took her hours to find him and it find him a second to realize foreign presence on his training ground.
Of course Shisui knew all along that she's trying to find him.
He threw a kunai on the leaves to see a small body flaying out of the branch
"Sayuki-Chan" he said and he shushined towards her to catch her before hitting the ground.
"Catch Shisui challenge completed" his cousin yelled in his ear and hugged him. Sayuki was special child indeed.
"Um Sayuki-chan what are you doing here?" He asked unhappy with her presence. Fugaku forbidden the boys to teach Sayuki anything about ninja life. She shouldn't be here on the training grounds.
"Playing game called catch Shisui" she said in all seriousness "in this game you are somewhere and I need to find your location. Every time you will get lost I will find you. I can't bear the idea that disappears"
What a strange child she was.
Don’t let jealousy eat your heart
Whoever watched Fugaku and his 6 year old daughter interact was in for a treat. Mikoto observed how her husband gaze soften when she walks in for a weekly report. Sasuke and Itachi durning that time were reporting their training progress but Sayuki usually was turning this into nice one-on-one evening tea with her father and Fugaku allowed that.
"Tousan I have a request"
"What is it Yuki-chan?" he asked in uncharacteristically warm tone
"I would like to enter ninja academy next year"
"Absolutely not"
"But Tousan please" outsider would say that the child was whining but Uchiha does not whine especially not Fugaku's precious princess. But he would never just allow her to go the academy earlier
"Sayuki."
"Tousan, I promise I will make you proud just let me attend with Sasuke"
Sayuki made her pleading face and Fugaku had no choice to reconsider.
But she wasn't suppose to be a ninja.
Well, attending the academy didn't mean someone will become a ninja. If she goes year early unprepared she will do a bad job and quit.
"Fine princess, you can go to academy"
"Thank you tousan!" She said with enthusiasm and hugged her father tightly.
Fugaku was extremely proud but also bitter about Sayuki decision. He ate his dinner in a grim mood, his wife made his favorite meal but he couldn't properly enjoy it.
The evening before the academy started he bearly listened Sasuke speaking "I have learned to throw long distance shuriken with 100% precision and worked on calligraphy with okasan" Sasuke said to his father who nodded but did not say anything.
Sasuke arms slackened as he desperately wanted to be praised but his father. Unfortunately praise was not something to be heard often. When Sasuke was about to leave Fugaku stopped him
"Sasuke, you will join academy with your sister. She's a year younger than you and yet she will be a grade higher. I still expect you to take a proper care for her" Sasuke could hear underlying threat in his father's voice and shivered.
"hai tousan" he said politely jealous of how much care his tousan displayed toward Sayuki. He was also angry. How dare she take his first day of academy from him? It was suppose to be his special day.
Again whole the attention was on her.
Why was she the only one who tousan loved? He hated it. He hated her. And why would she even be his father favorite? She never cared about training remotely in the same manner as Sasuke did. He was always asking tousan or onisan to teach him something she always was training alone without and it's not like they didn't asked her if she needs help. They always asked her and she always was saying no. It wasn't like that with Sasuke no one asked him. Father was informing him when he's taking him on training and he wouldn't dare to ask because you just don't take tousan time needlessly unless you're Sayuki. And he always had to beg Itachi to train him! It was plain stupid and he didn't understad why everyone care so much for her but not for him.
_________________
Next day Itachi came home. He was out on his ANBU mission for a week and Sasuke was extremely pleased to see him. Sayumi gave him warm hug but quickly let go to let Sasuke greet his brother properly
"Sayuki-chan would you like to learn how to throw shurikens?" Itachi kneeled to be on the level of his little sister face and asked her.
Sasuke instead of asking this time he was waiting for Itachi to give him the same proposition. In never came.
Sasuke had enough.
"Spar with me" Sasuke said. He followed his sister to the place of her training. She was choosing the training ground farthest from their house probably so no one could bother her.
"Sasuke you have Itachi at home, go bother him" Sayuki signed already tired. She saw her brother eyes narrowing in displeasure.
"I am your older brother refer to me with respect" Sasuke was fuming. Why she insisted on calling him by his name instead of saying Onisan? He wouldn't allow that anymore. He wanted to be respected by his younger sister. He mostly wanted acknowledgment of his father but how could he get it it even she doesn't respected him.
Unfortunately there was no way that Sayuki would grace Sasuke with the level of worship he was giving to his father and older brother she just wasn't build that. Their father lax behavior towards her make him doubt that his imouto will be able to follow any authority. To say father treated them unfairly would be an understatement he only once dared to use a tone the same as Sayuki when she's upset in the presence of his father and bone freezing glare that was send his way made him sure that he will not want to repeat that mistake ever again.
"I will when you stop looking like you're about to kill me" Sayuki said carefully watching Sasuke with mistrust
"Like father would ever let me to harm his precious Sayuki" Sasuke said with voice dripping in sarcasm and misguided anger
"That's exactly what you're trying to do so stop. Sas-" but she couldn't finish because Sasuke sprung in her direction with a kunai at hand. Sayuki jumped out of his fighting range because she really wanted to avoid confrontation.
Unfortunately she couldn't ran forever and at some point her kunai clashed with her brother's kunai. Durning the fight she was never trying to attack only defend hoping it will be enough but she wanted to cry all the time she was doing it. Her own brother. However the worst thing weren't his hits, at the certain moment she unfortunately dared to look in his eyes and what she saw terrified her. It was pure hatred. She dropped her kunai and he would cut her stomach out if there wasn't a hand of Itachi holding his hand strongly.
"Sayuki go back home"
"B-but"
Itachi glanced at her once and it was enough for Sayuki to listen. Itachi wasn't a kind of person that commands could be ignored and although he loved his sister deeply he didn't agree with letting all of her disrespect go.
"Sasuke you could've killed her" Itachi said to his trembling little brother. He hadn't stopped firmly holding his hand.
"I just... why does it always have to be her... she took all tousan's love for herself?!" Sasuke said and he was angry, ashamed and terrified of thinking like that.
"She has no say in her our father treats her. Don't be angry at her for something she cannot control. She never lets me train her because she wants me to spend time with you" at the last statement Sasuke looked shocked at Itachi.
"What?"
Itachi was silent for awhile and he finally said "I was hoping you will realize it on your own foolish little brother" he said and then he poked his head with two fingers.
"Ouch" Sasuke had fallen on the ground over the impact. That will leave a bruise. That must've been Itachi's way of punishing him for what he did.
"Sayuki is different than us. She has something not seen for a long time in this clan" Itachi paused for a moment. Apparently he had no intention in
telling Sasuke what it is because he said next "Hurry, okasan is waiting with dinner already" with that he disappeared.
An old-soul
Sayuki since she was born had suspected herself of being mad. Since she was born she felt like she's more conscious than other children. And when she first heard her parents name she felt similarly. Like she already knew these people. She also had a certain convictions that some things are going to happened and she was deeply hoping that those are just her delusions about she couldn't talk until she learned how to speak.
She felt like suffering from a specific type of memory loss that she recalled as "source amnesia" where the person can remember certain informations but not how or where the got it.
It was constant with her and she was weirded out by it. She didn't know why she knew things but she decided to act like it was all true because before she learned to speak she had too much time with her own thoughts and it was scary.
She knew that her clan was to start a coup as a little child she couldn't do much but she made sure that the leader of the coup, her father had someone he had to open heart to. So she cried like crazy until he decided to take her from his wife, poor mother was constantly beating herself up for not being competent enough for taking care of her despite raising two sons.
She made sure to let Itachi know that he's not alone and she understood him.
She didn't know what it seemed to be important thing to do but with both Fugaku and Itachi she used her charm as a child to influence them in certain manner. The only person that was adamant to her attempts to become friends was Sasuke. He hated her guts.
Sayuki decided to sit on the bench next to black haired guy who looked sleepy. She wanted to sit as far from her brother as possible. She was scared of him.
_______________
"Tousan what do I have to do for you to recommend me for skipping a class?"
Sayumi asked taking a sip of tea. Her mother's matcha was delicious as always. Sayumi was glad that she was born into rich clan, the main branch at that. They got both amazing food as well as a quality tea.
"Perhaps you would prefer me to already make you a jounin or better a Hokage?" Fugaku asked sarcastically mimicking his daughter stoical sipping of tea
"Very funny, cmon tousan just tell me what do I do? Challenge me!""And tell me daughter what is an inspiration for your sudden desire to excel academically when you purposefully botched your tests for six year straight"
"How do you..."
"Know? Your mistake is assuming that everyone around you don't understand you Sayuki. The first training you had with Itachi he told me you're holding back. I asked Shisui to observe your alone little training and I'm aware of what you're capable of. Of course I completely condemn your attempts to hide your trainings from me.
I have been nothing but patient with you admittedly I have for you plans different than being a ninja. You won't see as much of a field anyway so whatever plan you created in your head I'm afraid you will have to change it. If you must know I will allow you to be in genin team with your brother, it has been already arranged but you won't be taking chunnin exam" Fugaku didn't hear any response from his daughter but he could see the pain and tears in her eyes before she ran. He ignored ache in his heart. It was for her own safety after all
Sayuki saw Sasuke standing outside of the fathers office, he heard anything and he had that annoying cocky smile on his lips.
Choice of life and death in front of you
Sandaime watched Uchiha child entering his office. Why she was here he didn't know. But when he watched this child's eyes there was something very old in them. Would there be another genius of Uchiha's? Three in one generation? That was unheard of. He would never find out unfortunately
"And who are you, child?"
"Sayuki Uchiha Hokage-sama"
"How can I help you Sayuki-chan?" Sarutobi had always soft spot for children and he was watching with soft eyes the child who will soon be dead if her family won't stop planning the coup attempt.
"Shisui is alive. Unfortunately he lost his eye. He wanted to commit suicide but wouldn't it be better if he just got his eye back from the person who stole it? By that I mean Danzo-sama" Sayuki explained with suprising calmness.
The old man was shocked. How did that little girl got involved in all this?
"Hokage-Sama I am telling you this in hope that you will reconsider the genocide of my clan"
Sarurobi eyes narrowed.
"And how the child like you came to posses a knowledge about this plans?"
The ANBU guard shifted in the shadows. He was ready to kill her any minute now.
"I will soon by dead by the hand of my brother so the time for the explanations has passed. If you won't accept the offer I give you, you will never know where my knowledge comes from"
"And that offer is?"
"Dissolve Uchiha police. Redirect cases to ANBU's and ninjas as you planned after my clan was gone. It's Uchiha police that holds the clan back. It alienates it from the rest of the village. Uchiha should get the same rights as other ninja clans have the fact that we had more inspires jealousy and hatred"
"It is too late child. Uchiha already are planning the coup to assert rule over the village you won't stop them by taking the power they hold right now away"
"You're wrong. It will stop them if you will offer something in return. The power they wanted all along. Hokage place. You will give it to Itachi when the time comes"
Bitter laugh left Sarutobi mouth "And you think you can decide that?"
"I can't do anything Hokage-sama all I have are my words. But if you make this arrangement no one will die. Itachi is ready to murder his family for the village he deserves to become a Hokage because it shows how he's willing to sacrifice anything for the village safety. No one better will show up from a thin air. You need to check your own prejudice towards Uchiha. We had been hated and we feel anger but if you show a good will to usthe real peace will start"
"Child you just proposed me willful shift of power that is not going to happen"
"No one really wants this fight let go of your stupid feud and fears. You know Itachi will be a good Hokage and he will fairly appoint most capable person to take his place"
Sarutobi watched her carefully and she watched him too. She did not lower her gaze she didn't care anymore. The determination was there. Sarutobi finally smiled.
"You have the guts I have to tell you. Bring your clan leader if he's willing to come. It might still be too late child"
It was the time when Sayuki realized something. Sarutobi really didn't want to do this. But the village was weakened and it was Uchiha's who were trying to use this situation to its advantage.
Sayuki was worried. Even though she managed to make her father feel the love for her she wasn't capable of making him respect her. He didn't mind hugs but he disregarded her words.
Her relation with father was a direct opposition of his relation with Itachi.
It's going to be difficult to convince him.
---
Sayuki entered the meeting. Fugaku was giving the speech.
"Our clan elders have has chosen to no longer be a subject of Lord Hokage. We will be the one in power as we are stronger than Senju"
"Exactly we should regain our superior position as soon as possible to take care of internal and external issues of the village"
"It's not true"
"Sayuki what are you doing here?"
"Hokage wants to see you otosan. He has a deal for you, should you reject there will be a fight. The fight I know you don't want"