The family he always wanted (Part 2)

23.

He finally went toward a path of forgiveness. Forgiving the village, his brother, and himself.

Sasuke realized that those were the steps he had to take to be a better husband and father. He even began loving himself again.

He even went to therapy.

The nice woman helped him to dive deep into his past and address the things that made him act a certain way. Though it wasn't easy.

Sasuke had to open himself up and be vulnerable. He had to allow himself to feel again. After having his heart closed off for so long, he had to find little things that he once enjoyed as a child, to guide him with that.

He read & study the topics of books on communication, relationships, and parenthood, eager to gain the knowledge and skills needed to rebuild the bonds he had broken with his son and wife.

With each passing year, Sasuke learned to love himself wholly, embracing his strengths as well as his flaws.

Now, finally, after 4 long years of growth and introspection, Sasuke returned to his family a changed man.
***
PRESENT DAY

The little girl narrowed her mixed orbs and continued speaking to the stranger. "Hey Mister, I can't see your whole face."

She kept inspecting the long piece of hair over his left eye. Then she gasped surprisingly before tugging on the bottom of his long black cloak. "What's this thing right here?" She beamed, looking up at him once more. "Are you a magician?" She cutely squealed.

Hiroko figured that he ended up on the wrong path, trying her best to give the unknown man her solutions. "Did you get lost, Mister? Wanna come in and make a phone call?"

Sasuke didn't move an inch, how could he?

Finally, after about 10 minutes Yusuke stopped playing the game. He & Boruto called this their break time before jumping right back on.

Yusuke heard his baby sister speaking to someone as he was coming down the stairs. "You know better than to answer the door." He scolded her. "There's a man here, Big Brother." Once Yusuke went to the front door he couldn't believe his damn eyes.

His orbs widened in disbelief!

All those nights he waited on the steps and porch, wishing and hoping that he would come back & every single night, it would never happen.

Once he turned 11 he just accepted that his father would never show up again.

Sasuke snapped his head at his son, not believing how much bigger he's gotten since his absence. There was an undeniable striking resemblance between himself & his son when he was that age.

If it weren't for the difference in their eyes, he'd believe that he was currently looking at himself.

Yusuke's look instantly turned hateful and he slammed the door then he turned to his younger sister, taking grasp of both her tiny arms in his hands. "Don't you ever speak to that man again!" He stated firmly. "He's a bad man!" He told her, with a serious gaze.

"Who is he, Big Brother?" The little girl was unaware of who the strange man was.

There was a knock at the door again & Yusuke swung the door open, seeing Sasuke open his mouth but he slammed the door again.

Only for there to be yet another knock at the door. Resulting in him flinging the door open again & Sasuke almost saying his whole name before Yusuke slammed the door shut once more. Sasuke took a sharp breath before knocking again, & the angered preteen opened the front door again. "Yusuke."