Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
A/N: I like this story. :D
Chapter Three
That night, Sasuke dreamed.
For the first time in ages, he dreamt of his childhood, before the Uchiha Massacre. He dreamed of his father's stern gazes and his mother's small smiles and Itachi, before Sasuke learned to hate him. But his dreams were not those of comfort, for he twisted and turned in his sleep, stretched and struggled touch that image that seemed to always float away . . .
He woke up and found himself in cold sweat, panting heavily. Reality came to him like a hard punch in his face. This mother and father were dead. Itachi was dead. And then he would curse himself for showing such weakness. This was Konoha. This was enemy territory. He shouldn't be letting down his guard like this.
In fury, his fisted fingers swung blindly to the side. Something shattered behind his knuckles, and an unidentifiable liquid flowed into his palm. Sasuke didn't even check whether that liquid was water or blood before wiping it on his bedroll, and then standing up to dress.
He flew out his tent a mere minute after, too impatient for some long-awaited action to smother the suffocating anger inside his stomach. He didn't need the idiot Naruto ordering him about like some second-rated Chuunin. Sasuke was all too eager for his vengeance against one Madara Uchiha.
He dashed through the village gates, in a speed too quick for even the most trained eyes of shinobi. He didn't look back, didn't wait to ponder that he just left a place he'd called "home", for the second time.
Outside Sasuke Uchiha's tent, Sakura watched him go with little expression on her face. When he finally flitted out of sight, she went in to retrieve shards of the water jug she'd been ordered to deliver.
"Naruto-kun, what is our next step?"
The Mizukage watched him with questioning eyes. Even though Naruto was the head of the Allied Shinobi Forces, the woman still liked to call him by the "-kun" suffix, simply because he "sounded more adorable that way".
Or perhaps she was trying to cheer him up, knowing about what happened to Tsunade and Kakashi. Which surprised Naruto, since the Mizukage barely knew him, except from his Jinchuuriki days.
"We're gonna chain those wimps up by the soles of their feet, and hit them with a stick while they're list'nin' to my beat!" Bee rapped vigorously, crossing his arms. However, his rap also showed his inner anxiety. Bee, being the Eight-Tail's host and the Raikage's temporary substitute (wonder who got that idea), could do little but sit in the little commander's desk and . . . well. Rap.
"Seems like an unusually harsh punishment," Sai muttered beside Naruto.
"You dare insult my rap? I'll beat you into crap!"
Naruto could only sweat-drop along with the other three Kages in the room as Bee and Sai got into yet another fight. "Stop. We need to talk about other things."
Bee glared at the Rokudaime's bodyguard. "Yeah, 'course, Naruto, bro."
Sai smiled. "Of course."
"Does this 'other things' include the nuke-nin, Uchiha Sasuke?" Gaara's raspy voice sounded across the room.
Naruto met Gaara's probing gaze without flinching.
"If you're truly prepared to take up the mantle of a Kage, then as Sasuke's friend, you know what you have to do."
The Kazekage did not approve of Naruto's solution of his feud with Sasuke, mainly because he was convinced that the Uchiha was still a threat to the shinobi world. Sasuke definitely did not swear an oath of loyalty to the Shinobi, and his willingness to cooperate in either side of the war was up to his mad mood swings. Naruto knew this. Yet he still let Sasuke into Konoha, without punishment, without restraining the man with manacles or even the simplest of locks. What was Naruto planning?
Naruto could almost read Gaara's mind with a single look, and the boy's question only confirmed his suspicions. Gaara no longer trusted his judgment as much as before. He was trying to test Naruto, to see what he was up to. The young Hokage almost felt saddened. He knew this decision would cause problems, yet . . .
Now that we stand on equal footing, can you not understand that my decision was not based on my personal desire, but on the good for our nations?
"Yes." Naruto could feel all the room's attention focused on him with that single word. "The missing ninja known as Uchiha Sasuke is now under the Hidden Leaf Village."
No one spoke. All except for Gaara and Sai were staring at him with an expression varying from surprise to horror. Naruto ventured a glance in Bee's direction, but the last Jinchuuriki's face was unreadable.
"What do you plan to do, Naruto?" Gaara inquired quietly.
"Surely you understand what this infers!" exclaimed the Tsuchikage. "I had let you brat onto that seat you're sitting right there because I believed that you won't go and pull a stunt like this! Apparently, I've thought wrong!"
"Naruto-kun, what is the meaning of this? You do know that you're letting in a man who has murdered your former Hokage (as contemptuous as Danzo was) . . ."
"Murdered Danzo?" The Cloud-nin guarding Bee cried. "That is hardly all Uchiha did! He almost captured Bee-sama!"
"Uchiha is a known Akatsuki member! He is a dangerous S-rank criminal and a danger to every village, including Iwagakure—"
"Your village isn't the only one in danger of the Uchiha. Mist has always been the most shunned village! Uchiha—"
"This is not—"
"SHUT UP!"
The room was once again plunged in utter silence.
"Why do you think," Naruto gritted out, "that we are here, in the Land of Iron, rather than out there in the battlefield fighting alongside with our shinobi?" His fingers curled into fists. "Why do you think it is Bee here today, rather than his brother the Raikage? Why do you think that, every single goddamn-fuckin'-day, there are deaths out there, happening, faster than we can blink?"
No one answered.
Naruto took in a deep breath.
"The Allied Shinobi Nations are fighting a losing war. We all know this. Us being here in the third Kage Summit? We carry the hopes of our fellow ninjas—the people of the Shinobi, not Suna, Kumo, Iri, Iwa, or Konoha. We are supposed to cooperate, work together, figure out a plan. You go around saying to each other that the 'Uchiha' is the one you need to be watching out for, that the 'Uchiha' is our enemy. But, whenever you say that, you forget that it's not 'Uchiha' you need to destroy, 'Uchiha' you need to put a stop to, but 'Madara'.
"Uchiha Sasuke is not Madara. Neither is blameless, but this war and the loss of our family and friends—" he paused for a second, swallowing "—the loss of our family and friends were not caused by Sasuke. He is a puppet controlled by Madara, blind and angry. Right now his anger and strength can be used against our enemy, and maybe later he can prove himself to be loyal. If Uchiha Sasuke can face off five of the Kages and last long enough for escape, then I believe that he is valuable to the army. We need every single person we can get to make sure Madara doesn't takeover. And this is what I've come up with.
"But, for now, he is treated as a special-case missing-nin, a temporary reinstated ninja. No one harms him. And, if the time comes when he decides to side with Madara again . . . I will be the one to face him. No one else."
His fist uncurled.
"That is all I have to say."
Extras:
There's an event called SasuSaku Month going on right now in LiveJournal. It's basically a month (July) of prompt-based fanworks (like fanfics, fanarts, AMVs and all that). I'm joining too (it's really exciting!). So . . . for all of you who wish to join or is considering . . . see you there? :)