Chapter Text
The hard wood of the bench had already begun to dig uncomfortably into his behind. Naruto huffed and shifted in his seat, his gaze falling into his orange sneakers on the stone ground. His right leg bouncing in place was the only movement he could do for the past half hour. Then a hand gently rested on his right thigh, bringing his shaking leg to a stop. Naruto looked down at the large palm on his black pants and looked up at the forearm, the bicep hidden underneath a navy jacket, shoulders, and his father's face. His dad's expression was carefully neutral. The man seemed calm as he looked at the altar in the front of the church. The hand on his thigh being the only sign of his dad’s distaste for Naruto’s constant jittering. Naruto sighed and looked to his left where his mom was sitting, just as right and straight as his dad was.
“How much time is left?” He whispered to his mother. The woman didn’t immediately say anything back to him and Naruto opened his mouth to ask again when his mom lifted the sleeve of her dress and looked down at her watch.
“10 more minutes.” She whispered back and Naruto let out a more relaxed breath as he was told how much longer he’d have to sit here.
Naruto looked away from his mother and past the people sitting in front of him. His eyes landed on the mighty golden altar in front and a black-haired boy sitting next to it on a chair. There were six boys in total. Three on each side of the altar but Naruto’s attention was on only one of them. The boy sat upright, like a true alter boy should. Sitting with his back straight, his palms on his thighs, and looking at the priest with a serious expression on his face. It couldn’t have been comfortable to sit like that, no doubt such strict behavior had been learned through many excruciating hours spent at the church. Sitting as if God was looking right at him as if his every tiny movement and expression would be seen. And partly it was truly seen, only not by God but by Naruto.
The moment the priest finally finished his speech and walked out, with the alter boys following closely behind him Naruto felt like he could breathe lighter. The moment the other people started to slowly get up from the wooden benches Naruto was first to jump to his feet and inform his parents that he was going to find his friends before quickly scurrying off into the crowd of people.
Naruto forced himself to the front, pushed past the people leaving and he was finally outside. He noticed a familiar face standing near the doors and with a smile on his face he walked up to the boy and his sister.
“Hey,” he said to the boy. “Let’s go?” It sounded more like an encouragement rather than a question as Naruto was already taking a step back from them.
“Kiba.” The older girl spoke up, her voice full of annoyance. “Don’t forget that mom told you not to run off anywhere far.”
“We won’t be far!” Kiba answered with a groan, trying to convince his sister. “We’ll be right around the corner.” He said and before the older girl could say anything back the two twelve-year-olds ran around the building where the trees were thicker.
Naruto and Kiba walked into the forest until the only sign that there were people nearby was the sounds of their chatter. Naruto let out a little noise as he jumped up and grabbed onto a lower branch. The boy pulled himself up and sat down, grinning victoriously as he looked down at Kiba.
“Where’s Akamaru?” Naruto asked just as Kiba jumped up and grabbed onto the same branch that Naruto was sitting on, forcing the boys to lean lower to the ground, the tree letting out dangerous squeaks.
“At home.” Kiba answered as he swung his legs trying to pull himself up. “Mom didn’t let me bring ‘im.” Naruto hummed in answer and the sound of approaching footsteps got his attention. He looked up and from in between the trees Shikamaru and Choji came out. The two boys walked closer to them and Kiba let go of the branch to stand and face them.
“Hey,” Naruto greeted the two boys who also had just been allowed to have some free time while the parents greeted one another and talked. The two boys answered Naruto and Shikamaru stuck his hand into his pocket. The brown haired boy grinned as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket.
“Look what I swiped from my dad.” Naruto’s eyes widened and he jumped down from the branch.
“No way.” His eyes practically shined as he looked closer. Naruto could hear Kiba mutter an astonished ‘woah.’ The four boys huddled together around the little white stick, practically holding their breaths from the excitement.
“Did you take a lighter?” Naruto asked as he looked up at Shikamaru.
“No. My dad used matches.” Shikamaru explained as he took out the little box from his pocket. “So I took a box from the kitchen.”
“We’ll go on! Light it!” Kiba explained, not quite being able to keep his voice in a whisper from the adrenaline running through his veins. “We probably only have a few minutes until we’re called back.” Shikamaru didn’t argue as he handed the cigarette to Choji while he lit the match. He brought the flame to the end of the cigarette and pulled back when it started to smoke. Shikamaru shook the match in the air until the flame went out and all of the four boys looked down at the cigarette with hungry anticipation.
“C’mon, do it.” Naruto whispered. Choji looked up at the three of them, then back at the cigarette and swallowed. He brought the filter to his lips and sucked. Choji lowered the cigarette looked at it and passed it to Shikamaru. The other boy didn’t hesitate to take it and put it to his lips. Shikamaru sucked in a breath and coughed. He pulled the cigarette away from himself and without his other hand on his chest.
“Fuck…” he muttered as he handed Naruto the cigarette. Naruto took it with a bit more caution, but inside he thought that he was going to do a better job than Shamar did. He put the cigarette to his lips and sucked. The smoke went straight to his lungs, burning his bronchi and Naruto pulled the cigarette away and coughed, tears welling in his eyes. Kiba took the cigarette from Naruto without any complaints and repeated the motion only he was able to hold in his cough better.
The boys passed the cigarette around, getting high on adrenaline from the fear of getting caught and the nicotine from the cigarette when loud footsteps startled them. Naruto was just about to take the cigarette from Shikamaru, but when he heard the noise, he pushed the secret back to the boy who hid it behind his back, getting ready to throw it away. It appeared from in between the trees they all sighed a relieved breath.
“Jesus, alter boy, don’t scare us like that.” Naruto muttered and took the cigarette from Shikamaru. Sasuke walked up to them with a confused look on his face but when his eyes landed on the cigarette his brows furrowed and he stood a step away from their little circle.
“Where were you?” Choji asked while Kiba took the cigarette from Naruto while the blonde boy coughed.
“Had some business with the priest…” Sasuke answered without looking at the bigger boy, his worried eyes locked on Kiba and Naruto. “And I couldn’t find you guys in the front yard… what are you doing?” He asked, his voice full of distaste.
“What do you think?” Kiba answered with a smug grin. “Shikamaru stole it from his dad.” Sasuke frowned as he looked at the brown haired boy, who sucked on the almost finished cigarette. Shikamaru breathed out a puff of smoke and turned to look at Sasuke, holding the cigarette out for him.
“Want to try?”
“No.” Sasuke took a step back as if he was physically repulsed by the cigarette.
“C’mon.” Naruto urged. “It’s fun. Try it!”
“I don’t want to.” Sasuke lowered his voice as if someone could hear them. “My dad would literally kill me if he found out that I smoked.” Naruto rolled his eyes.
“So would our parents. C’mon, Sasuke, don’t be a scaredy cat. We gotta try out everything in life.” Naruto grinned and Sasuke looked up at his friends and their expecting faces, then at the cigarette. He sighed and reluctantly took the thing in between his fingers.
Sasuke brought it to his lips and sucked in a breath, the first second merely holding a bit in his mouth before sucking in more and letting it go down to his lungs. Sasuke coughed and pushed the cigarette towards the other boys as he brought his other hand to his mouth. When Sasuke was finally able to stand up straighter, his eyes were teary as he looked at Naruto take the last puff of the cigarette.
“Well, what’d you think?” Kiba asked as he watched Naruto throw the butt on the ground and stomp on it.
“It was horrible.” Sasuke muttered under his breath as he wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand.
“Kiba!” The shout from behind the trees startled the boys, making Sasuke jump with how hard he flinched.
“Shit,” Kiba cursed under his breath and ran past Sasuke, quickly disappearing behind the trees to not keep his mother waiting any longer. The rest of the boys followed closely behind.
There weren’t as many people out in the front yard of the church as only their parents had stayed behind, no doubt waiting and looking for them. Naruto saw his mom and dad next to Sasuke’s parents, their mothers most likely being the ones to come together to talk. Naruto said a quick goodbye to his friends as each one went in different directions towards the waiting adults and just as he came closer, saying a breathless ‘hello’ to Mikoto and Fugaku. The woman smiled at him before answering and turned to say goodbye to his mom, Fugako following suit with his dad and then the two families split, going in different directions towards their cars.
When Naruto got home he walked past their German shepherd mix, Kurama, and went straight to his room. Naruto took off his jacket and pants, putting on more comfortable and home appropriate trainers. Naruto threw his church clothes on his desk chair and took his Nintendo Switch from the desk. Naruto jumped onto his bed and got comfortable, planning on spending his Sunday playing games and relaxing.
“Naruto, don’t forget to do your homework!” He heard his mother shout from somewhere in the house and answer with a dismissive
“Yeah, yeah,”
The trip back home for Sasuke wasn’t as relaxing. Everyone was quiet in the car, only the radio playing a barely audible song that no one was truly paying attention to. The boy sat still and quiet, following his brother’s lead, Sasuke stared out the window, without really looking at anything passing by.
“What did pastor Danzo say after the ceremony?” Sasuke looked up at the rearview mirror where he met his father’s eyes when he heard the man’s low tone of voice.
“He said that I’ll have to come Monday and Tuesday evening. Help teach the little kids for their first communion.” Sasuke lowered his eyes to his hands on his lap when he spoke. Even though he didn’t see it, he knew that his father looked back at the road, the heaviness of the man’s gaze disappearing. Sasuke was aware that his dad knew what Danzo told him, after all, he always went to the back after the ceremony, to have a word with the man. But that never stopped Fugaku from asking, to make sure that Sasuke remembered and wasn’t lying about anything.
It’s not even like Sasuke had ever lied about going to church and then went somewhere else. That was simply what kind of man Fugaku was. When they pulled into the driveway Sasuke waited a few seconds so that his father would get out of the car first and it wouldn't look like Sasuke was rushing or running out of the car. The frown lines on his father’s brow seemed even more furrowed and Sasuke lowered his eyes to the ground when he saw that his dad was frowning, clearly dissatisfied with something. His father stopped his mom by the car to ask her something while Sasuke stood behind Itachi, waiting for the older boy to unlock the front door. Sasuke remembered the cigarette when he stepped inside and his mouth went dry.
He put his shoes neatly next to his brother and hurried past the older boy, earning himself a low grumble from Itachi but he didn't care as he rushed to the bathroom. Sasuke turned on the water and washed his hands, practically scrubbing them with the soap. He hadn't even taken more than one breath and he wasn't even around the other boys long enough for their smoke to rub onto him. So his father couldn't be upset because of that. He couldn't have noticed. Sasuke dried his hands on a towel and stepped out of the bathroom. At the end of the hall, he saw his father talking with Itachi. Sasuke lowered his eyes to the ground and turned towards his bedroom but before he could take more than three steps, his father’s voice stopped him.
“Sasuke, come here.” His father’s voice hadn't raised in volume, yet the angry tone of voice made it sound booming. Sasuke found himself unable to swallow as his throat felt dry. He felt as if his heart and legs were shaking, either one of them getting ready to give out.
Sasuke clenched his fists together, feeling the dampness there as he walked towards his brother and Itachi. Sasuke stayed two steps away from them, keeping a safe distance from them both but that was clearly the wrong thing to do.
“Come here, boy.” Sasuke gulped the thick mass at the back of his throat but it refused to go down. With reluctant but quick steps Sasuke got closer, keeping his eyes on the ground, he felt lightheaded but he tried to stand still and not sway from side to side. Sasuke flinched when his father leaned down and got closer to his face, taking a few sniffs. His dad stood up straight again and didn’t even look at his older son when he said,
“You can go now, Itachi.” His brother didn’t waste a second and did as he was told. Itachi shut his bedroom door at the end of the hall and Sasuke felt trapped. He knew. His dad knew. He noticed. That officer's sense of smell be damned. Damn Naruto and his other friends for offering Sasuke that cigarette. And most importantly damn him for giving in to his urges to rebel and accepting. His father let out a deep breath that sounded like a sigh and Sasuke wasn’t sure if it was because his father was so angry that he was at a loss for words or because he had so many things to yell that Fugaku didn’t know where to start.
“Smoking.” His father said in an accusatory tone but he wasn't yelling just yet and Sasuke felt like he wanted to curl in on himself. “What on God’s green earth possessed you to try that.” Sasuke kept his eyes on the ground and didn’t answer, feeling too choked up to say anything but his dad seemed to take it as further disrespect. “Answer me, boy!” Sasuke flinched when his dad raised his voice.
“I don’t know.” His father sighed.
“You don't know.” The man repeated. “You don’t know how a cigarette got into your mouth?” Sasuke swallowed and licked his lips, wetting the dry skin.
“No.” His heart was racing as he looked up at his father. “I don't remember.” A moment of silence settled between them and Sasuke waited for his father to lash out, to yell at him, to grab him, or cause any other type of harm but in that mere moment of silence a part of Sasuke hoped that he won. That this will be enough. That his father would give up and let Sasuke walk off scotch-free from this. But of course, that little glimmer of hope was completely put out when his father spoke again.
“You don’t remember, huh?” Sasuke wanted to lower his gaze to the ground, suddenly looking his father in the eyes felt too much like a burden. “Well, maybe this will help you remember.”
The hand on his forearm was rough and the walk to his parents’ bedroom felt like it lasted an eternity and a mere moment at the same time. He wanted to dig his heels into the ground, he wanted to scream and demand his father to let him go, he wanted to fight back, but the previous times had already proven that all these things would be futile. It doesn't matter if he resists or if he goes quietly the result will be the same. The door was shut behind him and Sasuke was trapped in the bedroom together with his father. This felt worse than the hallway as this felt like he was truly facing his executioner.
“You know how this goes.” Fugaku spoke as he walked to his wardrobe and opened the doors. Sasuke lowered his gaze and hesitated, barely being able to convince his trembling limbs to move, but he managed to bring his shaking arms up to the button of his pants. It was difficult to get his fingers to move and unbutton his pants and by the time he did it and pulled his zipper down, his father was already standing in front of him a belt in his hands.
Sasuke felt a shiver run down his spine when he saw the leather. He pulled his pants down together with his underwear and turned around to face the wall. Sasuke put his palms against the gray wall and took in a breath to steady himself but before he could even fully breathe in he felt the hot pain of leather kissing his skin. Sasuke hissed, biting his lip. His fingers twitched against the wall but he stayed still and silent as stripes of red painted his pale behind. Tears welled in his eyes but Sasuke forced himself to swallow him down. He was doing well until his father must've hit him on the same spot twice and Sasuke winced taking a step closer to the wall, his body trying to move him further away from pain.
But that didn't stop his father and the hits continued until his skin felt raw. The sound of leather striking skin and the feeling of hot needles prickling him from underneath his skin were the only things that he could focus on as Sasuke had long lost count of the times he’d been hit. And his father hadn’t told him to count out loud which meant they would be going at this until his father felt satisfied and that could mean a long and painful punishment for Sasuke.
“Remember now?” Sasuke swallowed, trying not to wince at the painful sting in his throat.
“No.” He answered, his voice hoarse. Sasuke heard his father sigh and that was the only warning he got before the punishment continued.
He was holding his tears back better than he had expected and he hadn’t made any big flinches for a good amount of time but he was practically pushing himself from the wall, the cold cement digging into the palms of his hands, to stay still. Then a hit didn't come. A second passed, then another and he wasn't hit. Subconsciously Sasuke relaxed his muscles and let out a little breath. He knew that he was trembling and that his lip was bitten raw. By the feel of his skin, his lip was probably not the only thing that looked raw.
Sasuke stayed still, forcing himself not to move. Then he heard his father fold the belt and Sasuke braced himself for the sound of leather snapping against his skin but instead, he heard his father’s voice.
“Remember?” Sasuke let out a trembling breath and slowly shook his head.
“No.”
“Turn around.” Sasuke pushed himself off the wall and turned around. His palms felt damp, his lip and his bottom hurt and his pants were still around his ankles but Sasuke didn’t move to fix them, instead, he followed his father’s orders and turned around to look at the man. “Show me your hands.” Sasuke clenched his jaw and lifted his hands, his palms facing downwards and he mentally braced himself for the pain. He couldn't control his flinch when the belt landed on his fingers but he forced his hands to stay up.
This time Sasuke didn’t even try to control or conceal his flinches and little jumps as the belt kept coming down on his hands until the skin there had turned red everywhere around his fingers and knuckles. Once again he had lost count around the sixt hit but his father must've done ten before finally deciding that Sasuke had enough and he lowered the belt, a long and tired sigh escaping him as he looked down at his son.
“Fix yourself up and come to the kitchen.” Sasuke sniffled and didn't hesitate even for a second. He pulled up his pants and underwear, the material dragging painfully against his skin. Sasuke left his parent's bedroom and quickly entered his room.
When the door shut, the fight to keep his tears from falling became harder. Sasuke took in a deep breath and swallowed, his face pinching in pain, not only from the physical pain but from the emotional torment he was left in. He was upset, he was in pain and most importantly he was angry. Angry at God for giving him that opportunity and even angrier at himself for giving in.
Sasuke opened his wardrobe and pulled out a dark navy t-shirt and white shorts. The shorts were big and looked baggy on him, but that gave him at least a bit of relief. As the loose material didn’t touch his aching skin. Sasuke raised his hand to rub at his teary eyes with the back of his palm and he winced when he touched the red skin on his knuckles. Sasuke lowered his hands down and looked at them. He was still trembling and sniffling.
He had barely managed to keep himself together and Sasuke was angry at himself for it. He was upset that he was stupid enough to land in this situation and even more irritated that he couldn’t properly follow his father's commands. Sasuke sniffled, took in one last steadying breath, and left his bedroom. Sasuke walked down the hall to the kitchen, where his father and brother were already sitting. He sat down in his place and winced when the hard material of the chair pressed against his sore bottom. His mother was by the counter putting their lunch on their plates. Mikoto served Fugaku first, then Itachi but when she moved to get Sasuke’s plate, his father stopped her.
“Thieves don’t get to eat with the family.” Sasuke’s eyes widened and he looked up at his father, unable to believe that what he heard was correct. But Fugaku’s face was serious and the man had meant what he said. Sasuke’s brows furrowed in worry as he looked up at Mikoto.
“Mother?” He asked, his voice hesitant and full of unease but the woman didn’t answer and didn’t take his plate. Mikoto filled her plate and sat down. The disappointment in her eyes was evident, even if she didn’t voice it. Sasuke swallowed, his throat stinging once again, and looked down at his plate.
Fugaku put his hands in front of him and said grace, like he did before every meal, the words of the prayer being etched into Sasuke’s mind, only this time, by the end of it Fugaku added.
“And help lead the troubled youth to the path of redemption. Amen.” Fugaku lowered his hands and took his elbows off the table. Everyone took their utensil, except for Sasuke, and began eating, while the youngest boy looked at his empty plate. But instead of hunger swirling in his mind, it was the image of his mother’s sad eyes that he couldn’t get out of his head.
“I didn’t steal it.” Sasuke said, his voice so quiet it could’ve been mistaken for muttering.
“What?” His father answered, clearly unhappy that their meal was being interrupted with talk.
“I didn’t steal it.” Sasuke repeated, louder this time, and looked up at his father's frowning face.
“Then where did you find it?” Sasuke lowered his gaze down, reluctant to speak but then, from somewhere he didn’t even know where he managed to find the courage to look his father in the eye when he said:
“I found it. On the ground, behind the church.” Everyone was silent until his father sighed.
“Acting like a vagrant now too.” Sasuke fought the urge to wince at his father’s words while the man shook his head and looked down at his food before raising his eyes to look at his son again. “What did we do wrong to raise such a hoodlum.” Sasuke lowered his gaze, shame painting his cheeks pink. Fugaku sighed and got back to his food. But the silence lasted merely for a few seconds as the man looked up at his wife and spoke to her. “I spoke with Priest Danzo before we left.” Sasuke raised his eyes, curiosity evident on his face.
“He told me about an organization that a friend of his owns.” Itachi raised his eyes while silently chewing on his food. “It’s a boarding school that focuses on nature therapy instead of the traditional teaching methods.”
“Nature therapy?” Mikoto asked, her voice gentle as her question urged her husband to continue. Fugaku hummed as he swallowed a bite of food.
“Hikes, camping, and working on a farm while simultaneously getting the same lessons as in school, only they’re taught outside.”
“Sounds more like a summer camp than a boarding school.” Itachi commented, earning an agreement from Fugako.
“I thought so too, but Danzo assured me that this school has the highest percentage of effectively putting delinquents back on their feet as outstanding participants of the community.” Mikoto hummed while Sasuke sat quietly, not liking where this conversation was going to lead them. With the latest incidents, it couldn’t mean anything good.