HEART'S FRAGILITY

(sequel to Heart's barrier)

On Heart's barrier it was voted by reviewers that they would REALLY like to see a sequel. If you have never read Heart's barrier, you can still read this without having to read the first one anyway. However, I cannot sumarise Heart's barrier as it would spoil the plot for those who wanted to read Heart's barrier before this one. I hope you do have the time to read Heart's barrier, but if not then enjoy the sequel. (If anything becomes confusing or if you would like to know what happens the last chapter of Heart's barrier is enough to tell you what I am following on from.) ENJOY!!!!!!!!

(note: haku is uncle in japanese so I don't mean the character haku) (NOTE AGAIN, LOL: to those who have not read heart's barrier, the rookie nine are now 23 years old, they were 18 in Heart's barrier) I do not own Naruto, full credit goes to Masashi Kishimoto.

--------------------------------------------

Chapter 1

A dark mist began to crawl its way across a deserted plain. Only shadows moved within the haunted walls.

"It will be activated soon, yes?" A glimmer of green loomed from the darkness.

One blue eye looked up from their handywork. "Time is on our side..."

--------

"Haku-san! Haku-san!" A 3 year old blonde boy with silver eyes came running across the grounds, a piece of paper clutched in his tiny hand.

"Hn? What is it Harino?"

"Look at da dwawing haku-san!" The little boy skidded across the ground and showed his drawing. A picture of two figures fighting.

"Hm...it is very good but you have got one thing slightly wrong..." He asked for the little boy's pencil and he hesitantly handed it over to him. The man made some adjustments to the drawing. "There."

"Eh? Haku-san, you made daddy's head explode!" Harino exclaimed.

"That's because I am stronger than he is and my special electric jutsu can make your daddy's head explode." The man gave a wink before standing up. It had been 5 years since Naruto had been made hokage and since then, he married Hinata and had a child. Harino, of course, with his father's blond messy hair but his mother's byuukugan.

"Pfft...Soukai always says he is stwonger than I am!" Harino protested, folding his arms and pouting.

Sasuke lowered his eyes to the little boy with a grin. "Ne? Well...Soukai is like that."

"Can't woo tell him to stop, you're his daddy after all!" Harino shouted, stomping his foot.

Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Kids...how about you complain to your father? Where is he anyway?"

Harino grinned. "Not telling."

"Well someone has to look after you-and it's not going to be me. I have jobs to do." Even so, Sasuke picked up Harino and gave him a piggyback ride through Konoha. Sasuke Uchiha had earned a noble status once again in the village. Dressed in a dark blue robe which cut off down the middle to show black pants and sandals-he was the true figure of the Uchiha's legacy. The emblem was sown on his collar, as it always had been.

Harino happily tugged on Sasuke's spiked hair, using it as if it were reigns for a horse. "Dis is fun, ne haku-san?"

Sasuke frowned. "Whatever..."

"Giddy up-giddy up Saskeeee horsey!" Harino pulled his hair even tighter. "Faster!"

"Oh! Sasuke!" A woman with long dark purple hair and silver eyes came rushing out of the ninja academy. "You found him!"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks as Hinata rushed to them. "What do you mean...found?"

Harino sweatdropped. "Heheh..."

"You ran from the academy?" Sasuke exclaimed glaring up at the hokage's son.

"Sowwy haku-san...I wanted woo to see my dwawing!" Harino proudly waved the drawing in his hand.

"You know, techinically, I'm not your uncle," Sasuke snapped as Hinata dragged her son off of Sasuke's shoulders.

"Thank you Sasuke. It won't happen again." Hinata bowed her head before dragging her son back into the academy.

Sasuke blew a strand away from his face in frustration. "Kids..." Checking the time he realised Soukai's class would finish anytime now. Sighing heavily he walked towards the doors of the ninja academy and waited patiently for his son to come out. Before he could have a chance to relax against the wall, the bell rung and a pile of children came bustling out.

"Aa...finally..." Sasuke said in relief as he swam his way through children.

"DADDY!"

And Sasuke was thrown to the ground, banging his head on a stone. "Soukai...you're killing your father."

Soukai released his strangling strength and gave his father a kiss on the nose. "What are you doing on the floor anyways?"

"You have your mother's strength for sure..." Sasuke stood and brushed himself off. "Ready to go?"

"Hai!" Soukai, not inheriting his father's calm and collected attitude mostly resembled the typical Uchiha appearence. However, his eyes were as green as his mother's, if not identical and his black bangs were not his father's, but his mothers however the tall spikes resembled Sasuke exactly, including the pale skin and facial expressions.

"What did you do today?" Sasuke asked, grabbing ahold of his 4 year old's hand.

"Iruka made copycats of himself!" Soukai exclaimed.

"Shadow clone jutsu," Sasuke corrected him with a smirk. "Did you like it?"

"No-who needs more Irukas? He's a pain in the ass!"

Sasuke flicked Soukai on the head. "Don't say that."

"Why not? Mommy says you're a pain all the time!" Soukai protested.

"Not pain-the 'a' word."

"Oh. Mommy says that too."

"So...she says I'm a pain, eh?" Sasuke said, raising a brow.

Soukai shook his head. "Only because you keep stealing the tomoatoes when I'm supposed to have them for lunch."

Sasuke reddened. He was guilty of that. "Is she at home?"

"Probably," Soukai shrugged. They approached the Uchiha village in silence, as they often did. Soukai did not know about what happened, all he knew was that there used to be many Uchihas. He did not like to question his father about it because the answer would always be the same. "You'll understand when you're older."

Entering his old house, he removed his shoes and walked into the living room, collapsing onto the floor. "I'm beat...you beat?"

Soukai collapsed beside him. "Yeah...I'm beat..."

"Move your lazy asses off the floor or I'll mistake you for a rug and accidentally walk on you..." Sakura raised her foot over Soukai's head.

"Gah! Mommy!" Soukai sat up and giggled. "Told you she said as-"

"Aa! Don't," Sasuke interrupted, standing up. "You were quiet..."

Sakura wrapped her arms around him. "No...you're just deaf."

"Get a room!" Soukai said in disgust before running off to his room.

Over the 5 years Sakura's hair had grown to mid-waist, except her bangs were shorter. She had taken the liberty of dressing in a similar robe to her husband's, except it was in the style of a kimono and a crimson colour. She also wore the Uchiha emblem on her collar.

"How was your day?" Sasuke asked in the typical husband way.

"Hm...eventful," Sakura answered, giving him a kiss before sitting down.

"Eventful, how?" He asked, his tone concerned.

"Naruto is paranoid," Sakura replied. "Trouble with Otogakure."

Sasuke felt his chest tighten. The sound village. "Trouble...how?"

"Rebels, Sasuke. You know-they have no leader so now they are rebelling and taking it all out on everybody else. Typical sound ninjas. Pointing the finger at everyone but themselves," Sakura told him.

"They're fingers are pointing at me..." Sasuke said quietly.

Sakura stared at him sympathetically. "No...it was not your burden to bare. Leading Otogakure and all..."

"I wouldn't do it," Sasuke said.

"I know. Don't worry yourself about it. They have completely forgotten about your existence. They're just rebelling on whatever they can."

-----

The riot had lasted long throughout the night. Only one watched with interest, a smirk plasted to their face. The people were shouting, fighting and blood filled the air. Something had to be done...

----------

Aaaaand that's the end of chapter 1! Yaaaay! Please review!