Chapter Text
Uchiha Itachi's wedding was the ideal Uchiha wedding. It was so ideal that even the stony Uchiha patriarch shed some tears. Who would have imagined Itachi here, standing with Izumi before the statue of Amaterasu under the very sunlight the goddess blessed them with? This was certainly a union blessed by the Uchiha's goddess— Fugaku would have never thought otherwise.
The wedding was incredibly auspicious in all the ways the Uchiha elders hoped. The council of elders attended in their most elaborate garments, their hearts full of pride and their smiles graced with sentimental approval.
Beyond the walls of the Uchiha district that day, the village of Konoha enjoyed a spectacular view of evening fireworks celebrating the official union of the precious Uchiha heir and his beloved Izumi.
So why was Uchiha Fugaku sitting in the village’s hospital covered in second-degree burns two years later?
“Fugaku-sama,” the doctor gently said. Fair hands cloaked in green chakra swept over fresh blistering red arms.
How dare Itachi attack him with the great fireball technique he personally taught?
“Breathe,” the doctor instructed. Wherever her glowing hands went, the redness faded and the blistering skin slowly returned to normal. “Exhale with me.”
What was wrong with Itachi? Why did he go rogue all of a sudden?
“Fugaku-sama,” the doctor said once more, although with a firm tone.
That caught the Uchiha patriarch’s attention. One quick blink back to the present and then he was staring down the Slug Princess’s disciple.
“Haruno-san,” he acknowledged.
To Sakura, that statement was more like a disgruntled acknowledgement but nonetheless the patient seemed more lucid now. She held up four fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up, Fugaku-sama?”
“Four,” he acknowledged, more like grumbled. Sakura smiled approvingly.
“Good,” she said. Her hand carefully moved to his torso. Her focused stare was clinical, monitoring the wounds on his chest. All burns from fire, no injuries inflicted from weapons. Sakura could spot Sasuke subtly shifting in his spot from the corner of her eyes. She was curious about what happened to Fugaku but patience was a virtue, and she certainly wasn’t going to pry into Uchiha business.
“Where’s Itachi?” Fugaku asked.
Sakura looked at him, quickly understanding who was addressed, and glanced at Sasuke standing across the room. Sasuke’s fingers curled into his palm. “He... he's with Izumi, father."
Sakura remained quiet and continued with her work. She was here to heal Fugaku’s injuries, nothing else. Sasuke could handle himself. She trusted him to make his own decisions.
Fugaku scoffed. His disapproval was strong even in silence. Sakura held fast to her conviction to just do her damn job, but curiosity was totally tempting her. She was just a fly on the wall, a potted plant in this room, nothing more.
“Has he finally returned to his senses?” Fugaku said.
Sasuke blinked, uncertain, and carefully spoke. “…He returned home to get his paperwork ready upon your return.”
Paperwork? Sakura wondered to herself. What kind of paperwork warrants violence? What did Itachi need from his father?
Fugaku went very still. Sakura sensed his chakra flare in quick volatility. She sensed danger. Before she could spiral into evaluating questions, Sasuke made a brief strangled sound. Sakura's head snapped up to see him frozen in a trance, caught in his father's blood red sharingan. She almost brought a tightly clenched fist down onto Fugaku’s chest, threatening to break his ribs. Instead she quickly reached for Fugaku’s pressure point, aiming to render him unconscious, but he reacted as she expected a seasoned shinobi should. Her wrist was caught in a painfully hard grip. Sakura bit through the pain and reassuringly smiled at the emotionally unstable man.
“I understand you’re upset, Fugaku-sama,” she stated. “However, there’s no threat present in this room, so kindly turn off your sharingan and release Sasuke-kun from the genjutsu.”
Fugaku released her wrist. “Is it proper protocol for doctors to make their patients unconscious against their will?”
Sakura offered an apologetic smile. “Only when the patients are a threat to themselves or their surroundings. In this case, you did inflict injury upon another person in this room.”
Another scoff from him. “Useless child.”
Sakura frowned. “You used your sharingan on your own son, Fugaku-sama.”
His silence infuriated Sakura. His refusal to acknowledge his actions made her blood boil.
"Don't force my hand, Fugaku-sama. I could leave you littered in burns and send you back to your clan healer." She arched a brow when he narrowed his eyes. "Release the genjutsu and turn off the Sharingan. The only threat here is you."
"You dare abandon your duties? Tsunade-sama would surely discipline you for such negligence."
Sakura laughed. “She sure as hell would discipline me for abandoning a patient - I am the head of trauma medicine, after all. But when she hears about you unnecessarily using your sharingan on a visitor in my hospital? You'll be getting a visit from her next.”
Sasuke suddenly gasped and collapsed onto his knees. Sakura motioned for Fugaku to lay back down on the bed and then hurried to her friend. She positioned herself between Fugaku and Sasuke, offering herself as a human shield, while attending to Sasuke.
“I’m fine,” Sasuke muttered, keeping his stare glued to the tiled hospital floor.
Sakura’s sad frown told him otherwise. He quickly wiped away tears.
She pressed a handkerchief into his hands and gave him space. His body was coiled with tension. He shut his eyes in an attempt to ground himself, releasing a shuddery breath.
Sakura gave him a moment to recover. Then quietly asked, “Do you need to leave this room?”
Sasuke kept his gaze down and nodded. Sakura helped him up and guided him out of the room. He signaled in their team code that he was heading home. Sakura gave him a small nod.
With a heart deeply entrenched in worry, she watched him walk down the hallway and disappear around the corner. Sasuke clearly did not feel safe enough to speak around his father.
Sakura slowly closed the door and turned around to face Fugaku. What a shame she had to resume healing that son of a bitch. He probably deserved those burns.