Squad Number Four: Hiruko's Story
By ElwynWanderer
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Summary: Sasori and Hiruko didn't know much about each other when they were placed on the same genin squad. But even rivalries can give way to friendship, and theirs would stand the test of time and unite them forever.
Disclaimer: Why isn't this canon? It should be canon! But sadly, I don't own Naruto, so it isn't.
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A/N: In the anime Hiruko is supposedly a Human Puppet (although in the manga it's just a regular puppet), and I found myself wondering who Hiruko was before Sasori killed him. So I wrote this fanfic in an attempt to explain some of Sasori's past. Unfortunately, I'm not an expert on Naruto, so if you catch any mistakes or inaccuracies, please let me know.
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Part One: Forever Waiting
Hiruko of Sunagakure never really wanted to be a shinobi. As a little boy he thought the weapons were cool - all boys do - but the honor, duty, and prestige that went with the title also went over his head. Even so, he didn't object when his parents enrolled him in the academy. Besides, blessings often come in disguise, as proven by a red-haired classmate named Sasori.
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"What's wrong with your hair?"
Hiruko looked up into the languid bronze gaze of the boy teachers were calling a technical genius. This was, in Hiruko's opinion, completely uncalled for, because having a puppet mistress for a grandmother did not make you a technical genius.
"It's in honor of my big brothers," he defiantly told the boy called Sasori.
"Why would you wear your hair like that for your brothers?"
Hiruko ran his fingers through the sand at his feet, instead of continuing to meet the stare of the boy standing over him. The playground outside the academy was teeming with students, but no one was nearby. Sasori would be the only one to hear his answer.
"My brothers wore their hair like this when they died in the war. I'm showing my respect for their sacrifice."
After a pause Sasori sat down next to him. "My parents fought in the war, too. They're still out there, on a secret mission I think. My grandma didn't explain that part very well."
"A secret mission, huh? That's cool. How long is it going to take?"
Sasori looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I guess it must be a long-term operation, like an infiltration mission. They might be…what's the word for it? Some kind of agents."
"Like, sleeper agents?"
"Yeah."
Silence fell between the two boys while the laughter of their classmates danced about them like so many grains of sand in a storm. Then Sasori spoke: "I'm still waiting for them. I've been waiting a long time."
"Don't worry," Hiruko said as he stood up. He bent down to offer a hand to Sasori. "You'll see them again. I'm sure of it."