AN: The comments reflect a few disappointments, so I came back to Chapter one to explain a few things first. If you're a Shika fan, you might not like this story. He is OOC, and does something really stupid, because he doesn't think with his big head. Smart people do that sometimes. There is an unusual love tangle in the story – Shika/Sakura/Naruto/Hinata. Also, Sasuke/harem, Ibiki/OC, Gai/OC. There is some sex, but a lot of sexuality. There are nuances here beyond the physical act of sex. The characters are all somewhat OOC. I took them and thought, "how might they have developed differently?" Comments are always appreciated, even negative ones if they provide useful criticism. I appreciate all my commenters, even the flamers if they leave me with something I can work with.
Take This Job and Shove It
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
My woman left and took all the reasons I was working for
You better not try to stand in my way
When I'm walking out the door
Take this job and shove it
I ain't working here no more
(From Office Space – Canibus)
Naruto stormed into Tsunade's office, completely unannounced. Kakashi leaned over the Hokage's desk, pointing out mission details in a proposed strategy for the coming offensive against the Sound Villiage. Kakashi's hand went to his kunai and he was reaching for his hitai-ate before he realized it was just Naruto. He pulled his hands away from the weapons with relief and aggravation. He was too tired for this shit. Tsunade worked him almost to collapse, and he didn't need Naruto's drama right now.
"What is this?" Naruto asked loudly. He slammed a paper on top of Kakashi's carefully drawn schematics.
Tsunade stood and let a wave of killing intent sweep the office. Naruto wasn't phased; he wasn't smart enough to know when his own life was in danger some times. He leaned closer to Tsunade and snarled. The fox whiskers began to make an appearance. Kakashi moved back to lean against the wall with a deceptively relaxed appearance. He was ready to intervene if absolutely necessary, but after Tsunade's latest decisions he wasn't sure who he'd help.
Tsunade read the paper, ripped it in half, and dropped it in her waste-basket. "Naruto, you are dismissed. Don't ever come into my office like this again or you'll be doing D-level missions for a month."
Naruto glared. "You're really gonna let this happen? What kind of Hokage are you?"
"Out! Now!" she screamed, and she smashed her fist down, sending the antique oak desk crashing to the floor in splinters. Naruto turned and stomped away, slamming the door so hard a painting of the 1st Hokage fell of the wall and shattered, sending glass everywhere.
"We'll discuss strategy later, Kakashi," she said. "I need to get some air. Have Sakura marked as a missing nin."
When she'd left he picked up the paper. It read,
"Naruto, by the time you read this I'll be gone. I've been let go from the medical corps. Tsunade just said I wasn't working out. I can't stay here to live in disgrace. I won't go back to the person I was when I was younger. I'm going to find Saskue on my own.
Always your friend, Sakura."
Kakashi tossed the paper back in the basket. "This is not good."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ibiki wiped the sweat and blood off his face. He had a thankless job, and since his "patients" usually didn't survive with mental faculties intact he didn't even have the feeling he was doing anything worthwhile. He pushed Gai away from him, frowning at the man's broken body. Gai fell to the floor and lay unconscious. Gai hadn't given him the information he'd been told to seek, but that was probably because Gai didn't know anything about an upcoming coup. Ibiki was beginning to suspect there was no coup. He'd been careful not to injure Gai beyond the possibility of recovery, but he was in for a rough time, if Tsunade allowed him to live.
Tsunade had been sending Ibiki increasing amounts of civilians and ninjas suspected of traitorous activities. Gai was the latest and the least likely suspect, but Ibiki had never broken his vow to serve his viliage, and he had done as she asked. Orders were orders, and a ninja did not question his superiors. It had been beaten into his head since he was an academy student.
He stopped in the bathroom and vomited. He avoided looking in the mirror, because he didn't want to face the man Tsunade had turned him into. He'd never felt anything other than a sense of duty about this job, but Tsunade had crossed the line. How he hated her at the moment!
Ibiki went to the small on duty medic station just inside his offices. Whenever he had a "session" there was always a medic ready to assist him. He sometimes went too far and had to have emergency treatment given to his victims.
The medic couldn't have been more than 18, far too young for this duty. He was pale and looked nervous. "The suspect in cell three needs attention."
"Is his life in danger?" the medic asked.
"No, but we need him in relatively good condition, so give him as much assistance as you can." It was a lie of course, but Ibiki hated the thought of an innocent man lying wounded for some old woman's paranoia. He had always like Gai. The Green Beast was as devoted to Konoha as he was. Before he left Ibiki showered and hosed off the rain slick that was covered with Gai's blood.
His own offices were hidden behind the police offices. He stepped into the more brightly lit police building and blinked against the light. He wasn't a dark man by nature, but his work kep him hidden away in darkness and fetid torture rooms. Sure, he liked protecting the villiage, but he hadn't wanted to become a professional monster.
He went to the bar. He could keep his mouth shut when he was drunk, so he didn't have to worry about blabbing to some random person about his feelings. He really needed to be drunk right now. Vodka was the only friend he wanted.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Shikamaru sat on a hill overlooking downtown. He could see the Hokage tower from there, as well as the main market and part of the residential section. Sometimes he just liked to sit here and think. The wind stirred his hair a bit, but he wasn't able to enjoy the nice weather. Something had been bothering him for awhile. Since Tsundae had awakened from her coma she had been a different person. She was harsh and unforgiving, and he'd noticed an alarming number of people disappearing. Propaganda was beginning to circulate that had a fascist feel to it, and censorship was rearing its ugly head. After Jiryiah's books became politically suspect the old Sanin had openly left the viliage in discust. He wasn't marked as a missing ninja, however. No one was sent after him; he was simply too powerful. What would Asuma do? Shikamaru wondered. He knew that no matter what, his sensei would have followed the way of justice, he just wasn't sure what that meant right now.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kakashi was in a sour mood. He sat in the Tulip Lounge, a crappy, badly lit bar. He was acting moderately drunk, but he'd been nursing the same beer for an hour now. In one of Tsunade's new and bizarre ideas, he was one of the ninjas patrolling the bars at night, looking for "subversives". He'd been trying to find a way to talk to her about the changes she'd been making. A sense of fear pervaded the viliage now. Everyone was afraid to say anything that might remotely offend her. Banners supporting her flew from the fronts of most businesses and many homes. It made him sick. This wasn't Konoha, not his Konoha anyway.
He was jealous of Jiraiya. The old man had shook off his sense of duty enough to escape this rotting viliage. Kakashi wanted to follow him, but he owed the people here. Besides, it would mean leaving Naruto and Gai. The others he liked, but those two really kept him here.
Sakura was gone. That was still hard to believe. He suspected it was because Tsunade's age-defying jutsu was slipping and Sakura made the simple mistake of being young. He hoped they didn't catch her.
He was surprised to see Ibiki enter the bar. He sat in one of the darkest booths. Kakashi slid in the seat across from him. "Hey, Ibiki. I never see you here. What's up?" He took a swig of beer and belched, keeping in character.
Ibiki's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Shove off, Kakashi. I want to be alone tonight."
"Fine," Kakashi said. "give me a call sometime when you're in a better mood. We should catch up." He sniffed. "Any reason you smell like blood?"
"Damn your nose, Kakashi. I had a long day at work, alright? Some things just don't wash off."
"Tsunade's doing a good job lately," Kakashi said out of habit. It was safest to add something positive about her to every conversation. Even the oldest friends weren't necessarily safe anymore.
Ibiki looked down at the table. "Yeah, we're a lot safer now than we used to be. I can't imagine what we'd do without her."
Kakashi moved back to his own seat and spent the time until closing observing Ibiki. He'd never known the man to drink much, but he was pounding whiskies back like a two fisted drinker. Kakashi lost track of how many Ibiki put away when he pulled the bandanna off his head, exposing the scars he'd received during his younger years when he'd endured torture himself. He'd suffered for his viliage more than anyone Kakashi knew.
Ibiki wiped his sweating face with the bandanna and passed it across tearful eyes. Kakashi was uncomfortable. Ninjas didn't cry, especially Ibiki. This was probably why Ibiki didn't drink much. Kakashi hated weepy drunks.
"Last call!" the bartender announced. Kakashi was relieved. Aside from the uncomfortable scene unfolding in front of him, he was exhausted. He was on missions every day now, and he was expected to patrol every night looking for subversives. He hadn't had a day off in months.
As he passed Ibiki's table, Ibiki's arm shot out and grabbed him by the elbow. "Find me tomorrow when I sober up," Ibiki drawled. "I need to show you something."
"You going to make it home ok?" Kakashi asked.
"We shouldn't be seen together too much," Ibiki said. "It's not safe."
"Sure, I'll find you later then," he said. Just what he needed, a paranoid drunk. He walked home, finding himself walking slower as he approached his empty apartment. Sometimes he just really didn't want to sleep there. He turned toward the bad side of town instead. Naruto would probably still be awake after what had happened today, and he should probably talk to him before his did something even more rash. It wasn't safe to be seen with Naruto right now, but he didn't care.
He could have hidden himself from the civilians in Naruto's slum, but he didn't bother. He actually hoped someone would bother him. He could work off a bit of aggression that way.
There was a group of men standing around Naruto's apartment complex, getting drunk, shooting up, and making threats toward each other. They watched Kakashi approach with open hostility. "Out of your part of town aren't you, pretty boy?" one of them asked.
They closed in around him, making a circle. Kakashi smiled and rehearsed the rules for civilian fights to himself. No weapons, and no fatal injuries. Fists and feet only. "Come on then," he said. "Who's first?"
One of the largest men moved toward him, and Kakashi saw a knife flick open. Good, he thought. Just what I wanted. I knew I'd get some action over here.
He was about to step toward the man when a figure in the crowd stepped forward and punched the knife handler solidly in the chin. The guy went down, and then scrabbled away. "Sorry man. I didn't know he was with you!"
The newcomer faced Kakashi looking at the ground, but with his black hoodie covering his head, Kakashi couldn't make out his face. He threw back the hood, and Kakashi was surprised to find an angry Naruto facing him. "Why are you starting shit in my neighborhood?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi shrugged. "Bored I guess." He noticed the others fading into the darkness. The street was empty. He wondered how many of them had been Tsundae's spies. He'd hear about this tomorrow, if he was lucky enough to be yelled at instead of killed.
"Come on up," Naruto said, but it didn't sound so much like an invitation as an angry command.
They entered Naruto's apartment, and Kakashi noticed that Naruto moved so that he had to enter first. That hurt. Naruto didn't trust him anymore.
"Did Tsunade send you?" Naruto asked. "You're her lapdog, right? Am I going to disappear now? I won't go quietly."
"She doesn't know I'm here," Kakashi said. "I wanted to talk to you myself."
Naruto had some serious shortcomings as a ninja. One was that whatever he was feeling passed right across his face for everyone to see. Kakashi saw hope there. "Isn't that dangerous after today?" Naruto asked.
"Extremely dangerous. But I don't care. Look, you need to go to her tomorrow, apologize, and tell her how right she is about whatever she's obsessed with at the moment. You might just live to see another day if you do."
"I don't think I can," Naruto said.
"You'd better learn," Kakashi said. "This place is going to hell, and if we're not careful we'll head there soon ourselves. She'd old, Naruto. She's too powerful to fight right now, but if we can wait her out we can rebuild after she dies."
"What if we can't? What if we change so much we can't go back?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi had no answer for him. He decided to change the subject. "What are you doing hanging out with that crowd out there? You hang out with druggies and thugs you're going to end up one."
"Since my friends don't talk to me anymore, I figured I'd better make some new ones. As long as I buy the booze they don't give me any problems. I had to knock a few heads together, but they don't start anything with me anymore."
"We had to stop talking to each other, Naruto. If you paid more attention, you'd notice that Tsunade seems to think any powerful people spending much time together are conspiring against her."
"I wish things could be like they used to be. What happened?"
"I think she was so shook up by the Akatsuki attack that she just doesn't know what to do anymore. The coma seems to have messed her up in the head, too. Other than that, I don't know. It doesn't do any good to try to put much sense to crazy."
Kakashi wasn't happy with the visit. He had the feeling that Naruto wouldn't be smart about this. He still loved Sakura on some level, and he would probably get himself killed defending her. Kakashi spent the rest of the night lying in bed trying to think of a way to help his misguided but treasured friend.
He showed up at Tsundae's office the next morning to go over the plans for the offensive again. It was pointless. With Orochimaru dead, there was no reason to attack the sound viliage. It was a waste of life, but Tsundae had quit listening to him long ago.
He passed a tedious day arranging paperwork and running Tsundae's errands. He noticed she was keeping him in the viliage more than usual, and he suspected she didn't even trust him anymore.
After work he went to the police building. He made his way through the busy offices to the almost deserted space behind the main building.
"He's working right now. Please have a seat and he'll be with you." Kakashi didn't like the new secretary. She had a condescending manner. He noticed there was a medic on duty, which meant Ibiki was interrogating someone. He sat down and grabbed a magazine.
The walls weren't soundproof. He heard screaming for at least 30 minutes before the door opened and Ibiki came out, covered in blood and gore.
He sent the medic in to see to the prisoner and turned to Kakashi. "I'm glad you came by. Let me get cleaned up." He told the secretary to leave early and Kakashi was left alone with only the sounds of a prisoner sobbing in one of the cells.
Ibiki came out cleaner and looking more human, but to Kakashi's sensitive nose he still smelled like blood. "Has the medic left yet?" he asked.
"No, why?"
"We'll talk then." Ibiki raised his voice. "So with the new security precautions, I thought we could go over some plans to look for subversives more effectively."
He took some papers out of his desk. "These are names the Hokage gave me to check out. They've been doing suspicious activities." Kakashi was looking at a grocery list.
"Noni?" he asked quietly.
"Just play along," Ibiki whispered. "I don't trust the medic."
Kakashi raised his voice as well. "Of course. Nothing's too much to keep Tsunade-sama safe, right?"
They went on in this manner until the medic left the cell and checked out for the day. Ibiki locked the main door between his office and the police station. He pulled out a flask and offered Kakashi a drink, which he took. "Brace yourself Kakashi; this is bad."
He led Kakashi to cell three and let him in. It took his eye a moment to adjust to the dark. Ibiki entered behind him and closed the door. It clanked loudly, and Kakashi saw the prisoner on the cot shuffle and cough. The blanket was pulled up over his head.
"Who is it?" Kakashi asked.
"Go see," Ibiki said. "You'll only believe if you see this yourself, and I don't think he wants me near him right now."
Kakashi was curious. He moved toward the cot with a sense of dread and pulled the blanket back. The scent of blood and infection hit him heavily. "G – gai?" he asked.
Gai opened the one eye that still worked. "They got you too, my old rival? I guess we'll never find out who wins, huh?" He tried to laugh, but it turned into a cough.
Kakashi turned to Ibiki. "Why? He's never done anything against Konoha. Why would you do this?"
"Consider it the last order I'm following from that old bitch. I'm leaving tonight," Ibiki said, "and I'm taking Gai with me. I could use you, and I'm going to need help getting away. If anyone knew any devious routes out of the villiage it would be you."
"I'm flattered. How do you know I won't turn you in?"
"Just a hunch."
"I'll do this, but we need to stay together until night." Kakashi wasn't taking any chances.
"So you can make sure I don't report to Tsunade?"
"You can't blame me for being careful. It's been done before."
"You know we won't be able to take anything with us. I bet she has all of us watching each other to the point that if we went to our homes and left with baggage we'd be caught immediately."
"I have one stop to make, but it's not the apartment," Kakashi said.
He turned to Gai. "How badly is he hurt?"
"I went as easy as I could, but I had to make a good show of it in case someone checked up on my work. He's bad off, but he'll live. The medic looked him over yesterday. We'll probably have to carry him. I'd give him a couple months before he's useful in a fight, at least."
"That lowers our chance of success, but we can't leave him."
"No," Ibiki said. "This isn't a mission. I won't leave a man behind on this."
Gai sat up, and the blanket slipped from his shoulders. Kakashi winced at his friend's condition. He was covered in purple bruises and barely healed cuts and burns. The left side of his face was swollen. The truly frightening idea here was that Ibiki had considered this going easy on Gai.
"I don't want you to risk your lives on my account," Gai said. "Get out of here. Find Jiraiya and come back. Mabey you can do something together."
"First, we've been through too much for me to abandon you here," Kakashi said. "Second, we can't do anything. If we fight here, countless civilians would be killed. There might not even be a viliage left."
"Where are we going?" Gai asked. "Missing nins don't have much chance out there."
"I don't know," Kakashi said. "We'll have to figure that out later. Getting away is going to be difficult enough as it is."
Gai hadn't said anything about youth during the whole visit, and his manner was so different Kakashi barely believed it was him. He dozed off and on, and he was developing a fever.
"If we can shake off our pursuers, we need to find Sakura first," Kakashi said.
"Do you have any idea where to find her? I got the missing nin notice, but I don't know where Saskue might have gone. The paper sent out said she'd left to find him."
"That's probably a ruse," Kakashi said. "I think I know where she went. I'll give you more details later."
"Still don't trust me?" Ibiki asked.
"Of course not. I'm willing to risk my own life, and Gai's going to die if we don't do something, but I'm not willing to take a chance with Sakura. She escaped, and I want her to make another life somewhere else. I'll trust you when we've left the viliage."
"So who are we stopping for then? Whoever you're bringing is at risk too."
"I never said I was bringing anyone else," Kakashi said.
"You said you had one stop to make. You'd only do that for something more important than your own life."
"I can't tell you yet. You understand, I'm sure."
"I do. I just hope you made a good choice."
"He won't turn on us. I'm sure of that much," Kakashi said.
Ibiki and Kakashi left the cell, locking Gai back in. They were taking no chances on being discovered. Ibiki unlocked the filing cabinet and pulled out two duffels. "I brought what supplies I could fit in here this morning. No one should be suspicious of me bringing bags to work."
He pulled out an extra shirt. "It's a good thing this happened in spring. If it'd been winter we'd have more problems." He took the shirt to Gai. They had to help him dress, and he was obviously in pain from the movement.
"Gai, I'm sorry," Ibiki said.
"It's orders," Gai said. "I understand."
Ibiki gave him some pain pills. Gai settled into a drugged sleep, and Kakashi saw his face relax for the first time.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Kakashi asked. "He can't defend himself at all this way."
"I know what I did to him; he needs those pills. He's incapacitated anyway. I gave him a strong dose. He'll be out for at least 30 hours. If we can last that long we can probably escape. If not, he might as well die unaware of us killing him. I won't let him be captured, if it comes down to that."
Kakashi looked at his sleeping friend. He realized Ibiki's determination was partly due to his own experiences with being held captive. He knew he might have to kill his friend to prevent him being tortured. "No I won't let him be captured. We'll at least be able to spare him that. You don't give us much of a chance, do you?"
"Not really. Missing nins usually have at least a decent chance because they have the element of surprise on their side, but after Sakura and Jiryiah left, I'm sure Tsunade has ANBU on high alert. I have intelligence that suggests she's turned ROOT to her uses. She is running Konoha like they wanted, after all. It's better to die trying to be free than die here, though."
"What about the rest of Anbu, though?" Kakashi asked. "I can't see Tensou helping with this, at least."
"Dead, unfortunately. All the old Anbu are dead. I had to interrogate them myself. Orders came down direct from Tsunade that none of them were to be allowed to live."
"They were tortured to death then?" Kakashi asked. He would miss Tenzo.
"Unfortunately. If it makes you feel any better, I made a "mistake" with Tenzo and he died just after the interrogation began."
"That's something at least, but why now then? If you did all that, why did you suddenly decide to leave and betray the viliage?"
Ibiki gestured toward Gai. "I could see where ABNU might turn against Tsunade, and even though I don't like her actions she is the Hokage. It was my duty to serve, and I served. ANBU might have used their power against her. They were loyal to the Namikaze first, and she was going directly against his wishes. There's no way Gai would ever betray the viliage though. He's absolutely childish in his loyalties."
"He was," Kakashi said. "His blind faith means he's been more betrayed than any of us. I don't know if he'll ever trust anyone again."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They were lucky. The moon would rise late that night, and storms were predicted for the next morning. It could help them hide their tracks. When it was time, Ibiki helped Kakashi load Gai onto his back. Kakashi shifted Gai's limp weight. They had decided on him carrying Gai because Ibiki was better at hand-to-hand fighting, and they couldn't use chakra techniques without raising an alarm.
"There's something I need to do," Ibiki said. "This won't take long."
Kakashi decided to follow just in case Ibiki was going to try to contact Tsunade's spies. He wanted to trust Ibiki, but he didn't dare until they were out of the viliage. Ibiki went cell to cell, snapping the prisoners' necks. "That's all I can do for them," he said. Kakashi understood. It was a mercy to keep them from Tsunade's wrath.
Ibiki opened a secret trap door underneath his desk. "There's a tunnel to my house from here. We'll use an exit under the old park."
They came up under the old park, just like Ibiki said. "So where to now?" Ibiki asked. "You needed to stop somewhere before we left?"
"This way," Kakashi said. They were close to where Naruto lived, fortunately, and they used all their stealth to get there undetected. The back of the apartment building had been built almost flush with a high cliff, and Kakashi was able to use this to his advantage. He had no choice but leave Gai with Ibiki so that he could get Naruto. Naruto had the window open, so Kakashi pushed the screen in and stepped inside. He could hear Naruto washing dishes. He stepped into the living room/kitchen area. "If I were an enemy, you'd be dead."
"I knew you were there," Naruto said. "I just decided I'd rather be dead than fight my friends."
"I have other plans. Come on, we're leaving."
Naruto gave Kakashi a long look. "You're really going to abandon the villiage? I don't believe you."
"We either leave or die here. We don't have time to discuss this. Are you coming or not?"
"Let me grab a few things."
"No time," Kakashi said. "We have to go now."
Naruto stopped long enough to grab the picture of Team 7, and they were gone. Kakashi noticed Naruto didn't look back, and he was glad the boy wasn't attached to his apartment. That might make things easier.
"Gai-sensei?" Naruto asked. "What happened?"
"No time for questions kid," Ibiki said.
Kakashi lifted Gai onto his back again, and he lead them to a part of the slums where a trash pile pushed up against the wall enough that they were able to climb over a pile of old appliances and escape. They couldn't relax yet, but the hardest part was over. As they were heading into the forest, a familiar figure stepped out of the trees. "Wait," Shikamaru said. "I want to go with you."
"How did you know we'd be here, or that we'd even be leaving?" He sat Gai down, ready to fight.
"I didn't know who would leave specifically, but by my calculations this was the most logical way to sneak out of Konoha. It just made sense that people would try to flee. I've been out here every night for a week. My chances are better with others than alone."
"Glad to have you along then," Kakashi said. "We can't stand around talking though."
Ibiki handed Kakashi a vial. "Drink this first," he said.
"What is it?" Kakashi swirled the amber fluid suspiciously.
"It's an antidote to the slow poison I slipped you in that drink earlier, just in case you turned on me. It would have taken effect tomorrow."
Kakashi swallowed the antidote. "You're a right bastard sometimes, you know that Ibiki?"
"So I've been told."
They raced at their maximum pace for hours, and the storm hit with the dawn. They ran into the rain for about an hour when Kakashi noticed Gai shivering on his back. He knew this country well, and he stopped at a natural shelter where a large oak had fallen and gathered enough ivy and debris to hold the rain off.
"We can't stop," Ibiki said. "The secretary will get to the office at 8:00 A.M. They'll be after us soon."
Kakashi pulled Gai's shirt off and chafed his arms to bring some heat back. It was decently warm, but the rain had given him a chill. "He already had a fever. This rain could kill him."
"We can spare an hour," Shikamaru said. "I arranged for a diversion before we left. There's going to be a landslide near the Hokage Monument. That should get some attention." He hung Gai's shirt, pants, and socks over a dead branch to dry, and the others followed suit, trying to get their clothes as dry as possible before they had to leave.
"Where are we going?" Shikamaru asked. "Is there a plan?
"I think Sakura left a message for Naruto in the note she left. She said, "I can't stay here to live in disgrace. I won't go back to the person I was when I was younger." It's chancy, but I think she means for us to go back to the place where we had our earliest fights as Team 7. She always felt ashamed of her performance there."
"Where would that be?" Ibiki asked.
"I doubt she means that place on the road, so she'll probably be at the Great Naruto Bridge. We need to get Gai to her. He's been hurt badly, and he might be sick now."
"Sakura left the viliage? Shikamaru asked.
"Yeah, she had a missing nin notice put out for her."
Ibiki carried Gai when they decided to move on. They left without feeling any more rested, and the storm was worse if anything. It let up after about an hour, but steady rain continued into the night. Gai woke up confused and groggy. The night was chilly, and they stopped to shelter in a cave. They couldn't light a fire, and by the morning Kakashi had joined Gai with a low fever and cough. He couldn't hide the cough, but he didn't say anything about the fever. With the extra work he been doing over the last few months, he had exhausted himself to the point where his immune system was out of whack.
They ran silently for the better part of the day, stopping once to eat and allow Gai to rest. Kakashi hid his worsening condition. They didn't need one more thing to slow them down. That night though, a cough took hold of him he couldn't shake. He had to lean on a tree for support, and he couldn't stop until he coughed up a large glob of green pleghm. His legs shook and he gasped for breath.
"Lie down, now," Ibiki said, and Kakashi could hear the anger in his voice. He was glad for the chance to lie down though. He didn't think he could go much further anyway.
"Naruto, hand me the duffels," Ibiki growled. He dug around until he found the medicine stash he'd brought with him.
"You should have told us you were sick," he told Kakashi.
"It wouldn't have done any good, and it would have just slowed everyone down."
Ibiki handed him a pill and his flask. "Don't pull this shit again, Kakashi. We need to work as a team or we won't make it."
Kakashi took the medicine and lay back, every muscle aching. He began to shake and his teeth chattered. Shikamaru took off his flak jacket and wrapped it around Kakashi's chest. The others did the same, wrapping his legs to try to stave off the chill.
Gai had gotten over his own cold, but he was still weak from his wounds. Ibiki helped him over to where Kakashi lay, and he pulled a blanket from one of his bags. He placed it over them, but it was too small. Shikamaru lay down next to Kakashi to share his body heat, and Ibiki lay next to Gai. Naruto took first watch.
He didn't wake up until Naruto was loading him onto his back. They had to stop several times to let him work the infected phlegm out, and the third time he couldn't even manage to stay on his hands and knees. He sank to the forest floor, choking. Naruto pounded him on the back, which did more harm than good. Shikamaru lifted him to a sitting position, and leaned him over so that he was facing the ground. Kakashi got some of the blockage out, but he still couldn't breathe well. Shikamaru turned him on his back and breathed into him to try to force some air back into his lungs. He saw Shikamaru's panicked look as he pushed mouthful after mouthful of air into him. He got some of the ability to breathe back, but he groaned as they lifted him onto Naruto's back.
"We're almost there," Naruto said. "Hold on."
It seemed like an eternity before they stopped outside the small fishing villiage. Shikamaru and Naruto went into the viliage, leaving Gai, Kakashi, and Ibiki hidden in the woods nearby. He lay there about 30 minutes and then he felt his breath leave him again. Ibiki tried to breathe for him as Shikamaru had done earlier, but it wasn't working this time. He began to see the world through a tunnel, and he knew he was dying. He saw a girl leap through the bushes and push Ibiki aside. She had a dark tan and long black hair tied back. The girl knelt by him, and when she placed her hands on his chest he felt familiar healing chakra flow through him. His tired lungs worked again, and even though his chest felt like it was on fire, he could finally breathe. He recognized the chakra. They had found Sakura.
Sakura managed to sneak them all into the tiny room she was renting, and they settled Gai and Kakashi onto the bed. She caught them up as she worked on Gai.
"The economy is so much better after they built the bridge. I left the clue in my note and decided to wait here for a year or so, and if you didn't come after me I'd go somewhere else. I don't really have anything planned beyond that."
"We should let them heal and then get as far away from Konoha as we can," Shikamaru said.
Gai healed faster than Kakashi, and was up and moving around freely a week later. With the faster economy they were all able to get jobs as fishermen. A few days later Kakashi woke up from a troubled sleep to the soft sound of Sakura crying in the corner.
"Sakura?" he asked, his voice still gravely from sleep.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she said.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
She crawled onto the bed beside him. She put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I miss the old days. There's got to be something we can do to help our friends."
"We can wait Tsunade out. When she dies we can return, hopefully. I was thinking we could find Jiraiya. Mabey he has a better idea." She was asleep and didn't hear him. He looked at the unfamiliar dark hair and fake tan and sighed. He fell asleep with her lying on his shoulder. When he woke, she was gone.
When he was strong enough they decided to move on. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to stay in one place too long. They had all died their hair and skin to match the locals, but they would eventually be found out.
"Where should we start?" Naruto asked. "Does anyone have idea where Jiraiya would be?"
"Probably a whore house," Sakura said.
They were trying to form a decent plan when there was a knock on the door. Naruto, Gai, and Shikamaru crept out of the window, and Kakashi and Ibiki hid in the sparse room. There wasn't much to hide behind, but they were ninjas, so they made due.
"Come in?" Sakura said.
Saskue stepped into the room in black robes sporting the Uchia symbol. "You were too easy to find, Sakura. We need a medic. If you wanted to follow me get your things and let's go."
Kakashi and Ibiki stepped out of hiding, and the others climbed back in the window.
"What are you doing here Teme?" Naruto asked.
"I might ask you the same thing," Saskue said. "Whatever happened to the loyalty to the viliage speeches?"
"It's not like that," Naruto said. "We had to leave."
"Like I had to leave? Mabey you understand a bit more now."
Naruto stepped closer to Saskue, fists clenched. Ibiki laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, take a walk," he said.
Naruto left the room, making sure he bumped shoulders with Saskue as he left. Saskue ignored him. "What's this about?" Saskue asked. "Is this another attempt to take me back to Konoha again?"
"You haven't heard ? Kakashi asked. "We left. We're missing nins."
Saskue laughed. "That's rich. Did you really think I'd believe that? I have people in key areas of Konoha, and you haven't been put on the missing nin list. I'd know. Sakura's the only one on the lists."
"Jiraiya's not on the list either, but he's gone," Sakura said. Kakashi gave her a warning glance. He didn't want to give Saskue too much information about Konoha.
"I know about Jiraiya. Mabey Tsunade didn't want to put you on the list for the same reason he's not on there. It would waste an enourmous amount of human resourses to come after you. She probably just put you on there for personal reasons. You two were close. She probably views your defection as the worst. If you stay under the radar you might be able to live an unmolested life as fishermen." He laughed. "What are you planning to do, live here in this backwater town until you rot?"
"We're trying to figure that out now," Ibiki said.
"I'll check out your story. If it's true, you're welcome to live in my viliage, if you can keep Naruto under control. I'm the Kage there, and I don't have time for games with him. If you want to do this, meet me at the place Naruto and I fought the first time. I'm sure you remember where it is."
After he left, they talked over his offer. Naruto came back, still fuming. When he heard Saskue's offer he was furious. "What do you mean you're thinking about it?" He asked. "Saskue betrayed the viliage."
"So did we," Sakura said. "And it turned out he was right, even if it was for different reasons."
"Do you all want to do this?" Naruto asked.
"It's the best idea we've had yet. Saskue didn't say anything about having to stay there, although in order to get any missions I'm sure we'd have to commit to the viliage."
"Missions? Are you serious? We'd have to go against Konoha sooner or later."
"We might," Kakashi said. "I'm sure Saskue's smart enough not to try our loyalties though. We can request missions after all."
Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "I don't like this, but if you're all going it's better than living alone. That dobe better not cross me though. I'll pound him."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "He's the Kage there, Naruto. You have to obey him. You might as well get used to the idea."
"I guess," he said.
"That will have to be good enough," Ibiki said.
"Gai, any thoughts?" Skikamaru asked.
"Whatever you want. It doesn't really matter, does it?" Shikamaru didn't like Gai's attitude lately. Since they had left Konoha he hadn't cared about anything, and Shikamaru wondered if he'd ever feel connected to anyone or anything ever again. He was so apathetic they actually had to make sure he ate.
They set out the next day. Ibiki and Kakashi talked in low tones whenever they stopped.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Naruto asked.
"I imagine they are considering what our new lives are going to be like," Shikamaru said.
"They could include us," Sakura said.
Gai didn't say anything, as usual.
"They probably still think of themselves as Jounin and therefore leaders. They can take the lead if they want to, as far as I'm concerned. It's troublesome."
Naruto wasn't the type to let things go. He approached Kakashi at their next stop. "Why are you and Ibiki talking behind our backs. What are you two plotting?"
"Nothing. We were just discussing some things we've been thinking about. Sometimes it's just nice to talk to someone your own age. You'll understand when you're older."
Sakura began to talk less as they approached the battle ground. She became weepy but didn't talk about what she was feeling. The site had healed after all these years, and the massive pit caused by their battle had been filled by creeks to form a picturesque pond.
"I wonder why he chose here," Naruto said.
"To remind us he's stronger, most likely," Shikamaru said.
Saskue arrived several hours later. "I'm glad you decided to come. If you'll follow me we've arranged for housing already. We have a number of houses built and ready for new members."
"Just so you know, I didn't want to do this. I'm just here because I didn't want to be cut off from my friends," Naruto said.
"We'll talk later," Saskue said. "I have something special in mind for you. I think you'll like it."
"I doubt it," Naruto said.
"Look, don't you think it's time we moved past this? We're adults now. We can't be acting like kids all our lives."
Naruto scowled at him, but he didn't respond. As they were heading toward the villiage, Kakashi asked Saskue, "what happened? You used to growl at him every time you came near him."
"Being married and having 14 children in several years makes a man learn to hold his temper."
"14? Seriously? Why?"
"If I want to rebuild the Uchia clan I have to start somewhere. Children are generally required to build a clan."
"I also have a good advisor. You'll meet him in a few weeks when he returns from traveling. He's not around the viliage much, really."
"Well, it's good to see you've grown up."
Saskue nodded in response, and they entered a mountain pass. "We're being watched right now, aren't we?" Kakashi asked.
"Of course," Saskue said.
He took them into the viliage, which was still small. There were a number of houses, one store, training grounds, a hospital, school , and Saskue's house. Saskue's house was grander and set slightly away from the rest of them. The viliagers stopped to watch them, and a small girl who was obviously an Uchia ran up to Sakura.
"This is for the new kinoichi," she said, and handed Sakura a flower.
Saskue ruffled her hair and smiled at the girl, and she giggled and ran away. "I told them you might be coming. Everyone's excited. Most of us are missing nins here. I've made it my business to find out why a person left their viliage. The ones who left for reasons I can agree with have been tracked down and invited to join us. We have people from all the major viliages except the Sound. I don't bother with them. They're eaten up with anger to be of much use to me." The girl hid behind a building, watching them.
Saskue's house was made of local stone like the others, and he had a large foyer to greet them. They could see it was actually a group of houses, a compound without a fence. A blonde woman with high cheekbones met them at the door. "Welcome," she said. "I am Uchia Tenara. We're glad to have you here."
Saskue kissed her on the cheek and she blushed and retreated into the house. He directed the ninjas toward chairs arranged in a semi circle. He took a chair in front of them.
"Our viliage is made up of powerful outcasts. We have several houses set aside for you, if you decide to stay. Wives will be provided for you, if you want. We have several girls who have volunteered already. I do ask that you have at least one child. We need children for the viliage to grow."
"And what about me?" Sakura asked. "I don't want a husband picked out for me."
"It's your choice of course. You have a reputation as an extremely strong ninja. Every man that's still single in the viliage has offered, but if you don't want any of them it's your own business. I won't force you to choose. It seems wrong somehow. Eventually, you'll have to find someone, but I'll leave that to you."
"That's the first thing you've said that I like," Naruto said.
"I'm coming to you," Saskue said. "I would like you to be a Sanin of the viliage. It means that unlike the ninjas you're free to come and go as you please. You can take whatever missions you want, and you will always be captain on missions unless you decide to pass that to a ninja. Is that acceptable?"
"Why would you do that? This isn't like you," Naruto said.
"Leading a viliage and managing 10 wives and 14 children has taught me a great deal. I don't have time or energy to fight with my own people. This gives you almost as much power as I have. In fact, the only other person on your level will be my advisor and Sakura, who I will also consider a Sanin, due to her power. I realize what you were trying to do for me when I was younger. I don't need a brother, but I do need Sanins. You're powerful enough, and dependable. The two of you will be expected to lead the younger ninjas as they grow and to support the viliage as needed. You will, of course be my advisors."
"I'd like to know who this mysterious advisor is," Kakashi said.
"In time," Saskue said. "I'd tell you now, but I know he'd like to surprise you, and this amuses me."
They discussed the details of their new life, and Ibiki asked, "what if we decide this isn't for us?"
"That's acceptable. I'll use the sharingan to erase your memories, have you transported back to the fishing viliage, and you can live out your lives trying to get fish guts out of your clothes."
He smiled graciously. "Let's hope that's not necessary. I'll show you to your homes now."
As they walked through the viliage, he pulled Sakura aside. "I know I treated you badly when I was younger. We all make mistakes. I hope you'll forgive me."
"I forgave you long ago," she said. "Do you really have 10 wives?"
"I need to raise as many Uchia children as possible. It's a common practice, and it's not just for men. We have a kinoichi who has two husbands. We're very lax about such things here."
"Wow," Sakura said. "I can't imagine that."
"It's very nice sometimes, and aggravating as hell occasionally. Sometimes they gang up on me, but they all love me. I can usually talk myself out of trouble."
"You've changed a lot."
"Being a father made me look at the world differently. A lot of people depend on me now."
As they came to the houses set aside for them, Saskue said. "By the way, if you'd ever like to join the Uchia household, you're more than welcome. Some of the children have already been asking if they're going to have a new second mother. That's what they call my other wives."
Sakura blushed and stammered an unintelligible reply. She noticed Kakashi and Naruto watching them with scowls.
"We should probably join the others before your overprotective brother and Sensei attack me in my own viliage."
The houses had two rooms each. Kakashi and Gai decided to room together, and Naruto decided to take Shikamaru for a roommate. With a completely straight face Ibiki told Saskue, "I think I'll take you up on that marriage offer, if any of the young women will have me. Most of the women were scared of me in Konoha. I'd like the chance to have a family."
"Really? Of course," Saskue said. "We have several women who are interested. Everyone here wants a strong ninja for a spouse. Some of them had to leave their entire families behind and want to start new ones here."
"Do they know about the scars?" Ibiki asked.
"They do, actually. I'll introduce you to Morei Kai. She finds scars particularly attractive – thinks they make a man look rugged."
Ibiki smiled. He thought he might like this place.
He took Sakura to a house with pink shutters and wind chimes in front of the door. "This is Morei Kai's house. You'll be staying with her. I think you two will get along. She's the quiet type – reminds me of Hinata actually. How is Hinata doing?"
"She doesn't come out of the Hyuga compound unless she has to. Naruto's disappearance will be a huge blow for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she tries to follow him."
"If she does, we'll find her and bring her here. I don't go after ninjas unless they leave their viliage. I need to see that level of strength. I hope she does leave though. The Byakugan would be a valuable asset."
"Is that how you think about everything? Are we all just assets?"
"This isn't Konoha, Sakura. We do things differently here. We are connected by family ties or just a need to have a place to live and work, but we're much stronger in our relationships. We're at least more practical about how the world works."
"I'm sorry to hear you feel like that," she said.
He stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. "I don't feel like that about everyone, Sakura. I've heard how much you tried to do for me. Thank you." He let her hands go. "Enjoy your new home. Kai will be home in a couple days from her mission. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Saskue called them together that night. They gathered in his home. "My advisor came home early. I'd like you to meet him."
They were all shocked when Jiraiya leapt into the room in his special Kabuke-no-jutsu. "Ta-da!" he said. "Are you surprised?"
"Jiraiya!" Sakura squeeled, and ran to hug him. The rest of them just stood and stared.
"Naruto, pick your jaw up boy," Jiryiah said.
Naruto's mouth closed with a snap. They all caught up with each other for hours.