The Greatest Gift

The Greatest Gift


By Mija


Disclaimer~ My poor attempt at the SasuNaru100 challenge #9 Sasuke’s birthday. I wanted something original but for the life of me couldn’t think of anything and everyone else’s was so great, so this will be short and to the point and a bit sad but ah well. Mija.


Sasuke had always hated his birthday, with a passion. But this year..this year on his 19th birthday he hated it even more and he was sure that nothing in the world could ever make him forget THIS birthday. Nothing. He was in the hospital, sitting on one of those hard chairs the hospitals provided for visitors and family. Next to him was Iruka and Kakashi sensei. Both looked somber and grim, but only Iruka looked about ready to collapse. Standing on the opposite wall leaning against it was Neji. Oh how Sasuke wanted to kill the bastard. Why couldn’t it be him, him inside that operating room, him instead of Naruto? ‘You should of protected him better!’ Sasuke wanted to scream. Why did you let this happen to him. What was so all damn important that Naruto had sent Neji ahead when he should of stayed behind to help is teammate?

As he stated, it was his birthday and because of it, he had been given the day off by Tsunade to hide out from his fan girls. He had not known till it was too late that Naruto had been sent on a very important mission and had taken Neji with him as back up. Usually Sasuke would of went with him, but Tsunade had said Naruto didn’t want to bother him on his special day. IDOIT. Like hearing your best friend in the world was in the hospital, with a minimum chance of survival would make it any BETTER? Sasuke was pissed. He had asked Tsunade what in the hell had been so important, that Naruto needed to be sent on a mission to retrieve some mysterious package? A package that almost got him killed. No package was worth that. Not to Sasuke. Nothing was worth the life of his only friend. Yes he had many acquaintances but he only had one true friend, only one person in the world who actually understood him. And if that dumbass died, especially today of all days, Sasuke would never forgive him for it.

It seemed like forever that they had all been waiting there, wishing for some word, some piece of hope that everything would be ok. I mean come on, this was Naruto they were talking about. He had the great Kyuubi no Kitsun to help heal his wounds. Naruto was too alive, to vibrant and bright to die. He couldn’t leave them. He couldn’t leave HIM. Sasuke didn’t know what he would do if Naruto left him. Had Naruto felt like this when he had taken off to be with Orochimaru? God he hoped not, cause the pain was suffocating. Soon the doors to the operating room opened and out came Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura. All he had to do was look as Sakura and the look she had on her face for him to jump to his feet.

“No fucking WAY!” he shouted with anger. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. Naruto wasn’t dead, he wasn’t. No matter what Saskura looked like, no matter what hollow sad filled eyes the Godaime held on her tired looking face, none of that proved anything. NARUTO WAS NOT DEAD.
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Sasuke sat at the bedside of his team mate. He looked so peaceful and angelic with his eyes closed, his face relaxed in a serene expression. Just looking at him, made you believe he was just sleeping. And as much as Sasuke wanted to believe it so, he knew better. Naruto wasn’t asleep. He was gone. Dead. Never would he hear the dobe’s loud laughter fill the air, his big goofy grin adorning his face for all the world to see, or hear his idiotic proclamation of being the next Hokage.

When Sasuke had questioned the Godaime about the mission, she wouldn’t give him any real answers. But when he started to yell at her, and in his grief over loosing his friend, Tsunade had let his disrespect pass by. Sasuke had asked her if what ever package she had wanted so damn badly had been worth Naruto’s death. That it had better be something DAMN important to take his dobe away from him. Tsunade had smiled sadly and looked at him with eyes far older than what her face looked like.

“I didn’t send him on this mission for me Sasuke.” she had told him, and Sasuke had been confussed.

“What do you mean?”

“Naruto requested this mission. I didn’t even know about it. Till last night when he came to me and asked if he could go on a special mission to pick up a package that was important to him. I was going to refuse you know, but you know Naruto, he would of done it on his own if need be. So I made him promise to take you with him so that he would have back up, but he didn’t want to ruin your day off or your birthday so he choose to take Neji, when I told him he took someone with him or he wasn’t going at all.” Tsunade replied sadly.

“What was the important package Hokage same?” Sasuke asked. He needed to know, he wanted to know what the hell was so important to the dobe that he would risk his life for it.

“I will tell you in a little while, right now you should go see Naruto..say your goodbyes Sasuke, he would of wanted that.” Tsunade had said as she walked down the hall motioning Neji and both sensei’s with her. Sasuke hadn’t know what else to do but do as he was told.

So there he sat, looking at the face of his only true friend. The only person in the world he gave a damn about, the only reason he had agreed to come back to Konoha for. Without Naruto in his life there was nothing to live for. He had avenged his clan by killing Itachi, he had defeated Orochimaru, well Naruto had anyway, thus saving him from being the snake freaks next body. He thought coming back to Konoha would be a bad mistake, but Naruto had convinced him otherwise. He wouldn’t of come back at all if not for Naruto. Now what was he supposed to do?

“You weren’t supposed to leave me Dobe! What am I supposed to do with out you now?! Who’s going to be there for me when I need someone to chase the darkness away with one of your sunny smiles. Who’s going to keep me in check when I feel like doing something stupid like I did when I left with Orochimaru? Who’s going to be my anchor in the world when all I want to do is give up and die? Who am I going to protect when something happens like when Haku tied to hurt you? What is going to keep me here not that your not here to make me stay?” Sasuke asked with anger and by the time he got to the last words his voice was raw and cracked a bit as he fought back the tears and sobs that wanted to rack his brains.

“Naruto knew he wasn’t going to make it back to Konoha alive.” came a quiet but steady voice that made Sasuke jump in his seat. He whirled around to find Neji just inside of the door. Sasuke wanted to punch his lights out, tear his arms off and shove them down his throat.

“YOU LEFT HIM TO DIE!” Sasuke half growled and half hissed angerly. Neji looked hurt for a second before putting on the emotionless mask he and Sasuke both were famous for.

“I did not want to leave him Uchiha, do you think me that cowardly that I would leave a team mate..a friend…alone?” Neji asked with a bitterness. Sasuke didn’t reply, but turned to look back at Naruto’s angelic face.

“I wanted to stay, but he begged me Uchiha, Naruto begged me to take the package and get it to Konoha as soon as possible and as saftly as possible…while he held off the nin chasing us. Do you think I didn’t object? I TRIED damn it! But Naruto had this strange power over people. When he looks at you with those big blue eyes and that pleading face? Its hard to say no to him. Plus I understood the need to get the package back to Konoha and to safety as soon as possible, so for him I did as he asked.” Neji explained with just pissed off Sasuke more. Sasuke jumped from his seat and whirled around to face Neji with hands fisted at his sides.

“What the fuck was so important about that PACKAGE that it meant more than Naruto’s LIFE?!” Sasuke yelled, tired of hearing about this package. In his mind nothing was with Naruto’s being gone. NOTHING!

“This is the package Sasuke Uchiha.” came the voice of the Godaime as she had walked in, and was now in front of Sasuke handing him a bundle wrapped in bright orange. The same Orange color Naruto loved. Sasuke looked at it as if it would bite, but held his hands out and took it. He almost dropped it when it moved. He looked up and gave the Godaime a wtf? Look, and opened the wrappings to reveal what was inside. To his shock he stared into the biggest most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen in his life, save Naruto’s.

“Whaa…Whaa..Who?” Sasuke asked in total brain freeze. In his hands was the most beautiful blue eyed, blond haired little girl he had ever seen. She must of only been a few months old.

“THAT..is Naruto’s daughter Rina.” Tsunade stated. And Sasuke gaped.

“But how? When?” Sasuke sputtered, finding it hard to comprehend Naruto having been with a woman let alone leaving her behind with his child. Naruto was not like that. But even he could see Naruto in the child. She even had faint whisker like marking upon her rosy cheeks. She was the spitting image of the dobe.

“To make a long story short, when Naruto was off with Jiraiya training he met a girl in Lighting country, they hit it off, but nothing really came of it, Naruto knew that he would not be around long, then later when we got wind of where you and Orochimaru were, Naruto and the others stopped off in Lightening to rest up before the confrontation they had with you, that night, for reasons I don’t know Naruto and the girl shared an intimate moment, leaving her with child, a child Naruto knew nothing aobut till just two days ago, when a messenger bought word to him that she could no longer protect their child from the villagers. They found out she had given birth to a child of the demon vessel of the nine tailed fox demon and became afraid she would inherit the fox, so they tried to kill the child, she asked for Naruto to come and get them. The mother was killed protecting the child just before Naruto and Neji got there, but they were in time to save the child, so they got the child and ran. The village sent their nin after them and that is how Naruto got hurt, he gave Neji the child and told him to bring her to Konoha while he fought the nin, he felt it was his duty to make sure no harm came to Akari or Neji because of him. That’s why Neji left Naruto behind, promising to protect her with his life till she was safe and sound in Konoha.”

Sasuke was speechless.

“Naruto knew he was dying when he got here, and no matter how hard we tried his injuries were just to severe to stop..so he asked me to give you a message Sasuke.”

“Wha..what message?”

“He said he was sorry his missed your birthday and didn’t get you anything…but most importantly, he wanted to make sure I told you that of all the people he knew he trusted you with the well being of Akari.”

“WHAT?!”

“He told me to tell you that he wants YOU Uchiha to be Rina’s father, he said that he knew you would take care of her with your life and that your were strong enough to protect her if she needed it, he also said that he knew how much you wanted a family of your own someday and he had hoped that his kids and yours would be friends when that day came…but seeing as he wasn’t going to be around…well he wanted you to take care of his precious person, because YOU were also his precious person and he said who better to take care of each other but both his precious people? He said he knew you would give her a good life, that you would make sure she didn’t grow up like he did, or sad like you did, he said he had faith that you would make sure Rina grew up to be the happiest girl in Konoha, as well as one of the strongest. He said he only wish was for you to take care of Rina and hopefully she could take care of you, but if for some reason you didn’t want her then I am to make sure to get her a good home with a good family who will love her and not hate her because she is the daughter of the demon fox child.” Tsunade explained and held her hands out, fully expecting the Uchiha heir to relinquish any claim to the child. But to her surprise, Sasuke held Rina to his chest in a protective mannor.

“NO!” he all but shouted.

“Naruto gave her to ME!…shes my responsibility…she’s MY daughter now, and no ones going to take her from me, and I swear she will have the life Naruto always dreamed of.” Sasuke vowed, adding in his head, the life we both always dreamed of.

With that Tsunade left Sasuke alone in Naruto’s room with Rina. Sasuke alone againg with Naruto and now Naruto’s daughter Rina, he sat down by Naruto’s bed and shook his head.

“You moron..only Konoha’s most loud mouthed, most surprising Ninja would give ME a baby for my birthday…she’s beautiful Naruto..and I promise to take good care of her, I swear she will not want for anything, including love, she will be the happiest child ever born, and I swear that she will know everything about her TRUE father, how much he was cared for by those who knew him the best….thank you dobe…only you could give me a reason to go one even after you left me..and I will go on…Rina and I will make sure no one ever forgets Naruto Uzumaki.” Sasuke smiled sadly as he looked at his long time team mate, friend and rival. Sasuke would never forget him. And he would make sure Rina knew all about him. Sasuke kissed Naruto’s cheek in farewell as he held a squirming baby girl in his arms.

He looked down at the big blue eyes of his new daughter and smiled. Oh how the village is going to LOVE you. He thought with a smirk as he walked out taking his birthday gift with him, images of a mini female version of Naruto reeking havoc upon Konoha, with the brains and skills of an Uchiha. Konoha would never know what hit them and all thanks to Naruto’s Greatest Gift.

The End, yes its sappy and really crappy but this is what came out, sorry, Mija.