Title: Twisted Time
Series: Naruto
Rating: T
Genres: Drama, sorta-angst, adventure, romance.
Warnings: Crack, swearing, shounen-ai, shojou-ai, het, insane love triangle with the Uchiha's, my typical.
Verse: Canon Redeux.
DHC: Oh god this took me forever to find the inspiration to write, but I hope everyone likes it! Enjoy, peeps! -hearts-
The next day had the whole team packed up, preparing for a mission. They were to be sent to Suna for a month, recent bandit activity had risen along the border and with the disarray of Suna, had requested help from Konoha to put a stop to it. Several other genin and chuunin teams had been deployed to patrol along certain points of the expanse, but they were to guard the main entry-way between Suna and Konoha.
"Well," Asuma mumbled around his cigarette, hefting his pack around his shoulder. "Shall we get going?"
Sasuke lifted his head to the sky. For some reason, an ominous feeling had settled into his chest. He glanced towards Shikamaru and Hinata. The two finished securing their own bags before they nodded.
"Let's head out." Sasuke answered back to Asuma. "The sooner we get there, the happier the Hokage will be." He snorted.
Asuma gave a wry grin. "True enough. Let's go!"
They took off at a moderate pace in the direction of Suna.
It took about a day and a half, with Asuma pushing the three to train in endurance for the trek for them to reach the borders.
Two familiar faces met them there.
"Uchiha, Sasuke..." Sabaku no Temari said quietly, her brother Kankuro beside her.
Sasuke leveled his eyes with her coolly. He acknowledged her after a moment with a small nod, glancing towards Asuma.
"I hope we're not too late," Asuma said quietly, hoping to alleviate some of the tension he felt between the group.
Temari shook her head. "No, you're early, in fact. You're the first Konoha team to make it to the border."
"...First?" Hinata asked curiously.
"It takes approximately three days to reach the border usually." Shikamaru informed, scratching the back of his head. "It's only been about a day and a half for us."
"Aa," Temari replied with a nod. "You're fast."
"We traveled all night," Sasuke murmured with a shrug.
"I figured they could use some lessons in endurance." Asuma replied with a shrug of his own.
"...I see. So why you?" The girl asked.
"Because we're a new team." Sasuke answered, turning away coldly. "I refuse to be held back by that idiot and the girl."
Shikamaru frowned, moving without hesitating to place his hand on Sasuke's arm. Sasuke's shoulders unscrunched and he visibly relaxed, surprising the two siblings.
The blond girl's brow rose at the scene, but she said nothing. "Kankuro," She spoke, gaining her brother's attention.
"Hn?" He questioned, turning towards her.
"...Show them the guardpost, they should take a few hours to rest before we begin." She answered.
"And you?" He asked.
She turned on her heel, glancing over her shoulder. "To investigate further. There's a strange scent to the wind..."
Kankuro frowned deeply, but nodded. "Be careful," He warned before he turned to Asuma and his team. "Follow me," He muttered.
Nodding, the four followed after the puppet-wielder while Temari went in the opposite direction.
Merely two hours later, Kankuro sprang to his feet, looking alarmed. "That feel...Temari!" He cried.
"I don't feel anything." Hinata said quietly.
"There's something on the wind," Asuma said with a frown.
"Exactly," Kankuro said with a heavy frown. "It's my sister's warning. Something's up!"
Sasuke got to his feet from where he'd been sitting by Shikamaru, who quickly joined him along with Hinata, and the three of them looked towards Asuma for instruction.
"Lead us towards her, Kankuro. You know her best." Asuma said with a frown.
The puppet wielder nodded grimly and the five of them headed out of the cabin at a full run in the direction Temari had headed.
"Hinata, tell me, what can you see ahead of us?" Asuma asked.
Hinata activated her Byakugan as they ran, scanning the area.
"There's... There's something wrong. I can't tell what, but there's absolutely nothing, but this heavy feeling in my chest..." She almost whispered.
"I feel it, too." Sasuke murmured, his Sharingan activated as he scanned the area around them as well.
Shikamaru grunted in agreement.
"Temari's chakra signature is written all over this area," Kankuro muttered. "But there's no signs of a struggle...something's off."
"A trap?" Hinata asked.
"No," Asuma replied. "A lure, perhaps, but this is no trap...yet."
"Yet?" Sasuke asked.
"They were trying to set us up, but something went wrong. I don't think they were counting on Temari leaving such a heavy chakra signature. They were forced to abandon this place." Shikamaru deduced as he looked around.
"Correct." Asuma replied, nodding. "Kankuro, can you feel which way your sister's signature was headed?"
"...No." Kankuro shook his head.
"He may not, but I can." Sasuke said, squinting his eyes. "Hinata, your eyes can track chakra trails better than mine, can you see any faint trails heading in the three o'clock direction?" Sasuke asked the girl.
Hinata's eyes twitched as she looked in that direction. "...Yes! There's a trail, it would be faint to your eyes, but mine see it like it's been painted there... Good job, Sasuke!" She praised.
Sasuke nodded grimly, turning towards their sensei. "Should we follow it?"
Asuma nodded. "Yes. Even if it may be a trap, if we know it is, we can at least know what to expect. We can't leave Temari behind. Hinata, Sasuke, take the lead."
Kankuro looked a bit grateful towards them, but said nothing and simply followed after them when they took off in that direction, Sasuke and Hinata at the front, using their doujutsu to follow the trail of chakra that was left behind.
"I-I see something ahead!" Hinata said quietly to Sasuke as the two of them paused on a tree limb. She held her hand up to still the others as well.
"What is it, Hinata?" Sasuke asked.
"I can make out Temari from here, they're..." She flinched, looking away.
Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her and she nodded. "How many can you see?"
"Four." She said again, eyes squinting. "All of them bare sinister chakra... It... It looks similar to the kind you give off when the mark acts up."
Sasuke grimaced. "Orochimaru." He hissed.
Asuma and Shikamaru winced visibly and Kankuro's eyes widened. "Why would they take Temari?" He demanded
"I-I don't know," Hinata answered. "Maybe they knew we were coming..."
Sasuke's fists clenched. "We have to save her, but we need a plan. We can rush in, especially if these are Orochimaru's people. Who knows what tricks they have up their sleeve. They definitely have the advantage, but..."
Asuma nodded grimly. "I think they're counting on that fact, so why don't we give them exactly what they want?"
Shikamaru blinked, before catching on. "So you want us to go in acting like we don't know it's a trap and then launch our own?"
"Exactly so, Shika." Asuma replied.
Sasuke nodded. "I think I have an idea, then..."
The group five minutes later made contact with the group that was affiliated with Orochimaru.
"No...no! Go, get away!" Temari yelled at them. "It's a trap!"
"Shut up, you stupid bitch." A redheaded girl snapped, backhanding the blond.
"Get your hands off my sister!" Kankuro roared, Crow unwrapped and hovering above the ground thanks to the chakra strings now attached to it as the male got into a stance.
"Tch! You don't look like much." The redhead commented, before another walked up.
"Where is the one called Uchiha, Sasuke?" They demanded, they had six arms and black hair.
"Right here!" Sasuke yelled as he vaulted up over Kankuro, the puppet wielder letting the boy push off of his shoulder with his foot to fly straight at the two, his hands a blur of seals. "Katon: Housenka no jutsu!"
Shikamaru dashed to the left, releasing a handful of kunai while Hinata took the right, releasing shuriken from her hands.
Asuma took the moment to appear beside Temari and grabbed her, kawarimi-ing with her to a safer distance as he untied her.
"They won't last long," Temari warned weakly. "They have...they have sinister powers."
"Just relax," Asuma reassured her. "Sasuke knows what he's doing."
The two standing there were not expecting the head-on attack and the most they could do was brace to take the impact before another appeared, the projectiles just bouncing off and the flames impacted upon earth as the large male shielded the other two with a large boulder of earth.
"Jiroubo!" The redheaded girl cried.
"I told you, you two idiots were weak." The other snarled before he hurled the large sphere of earth straight at Sasuke.
Sasuke twisted his body, rolling in mid-air to avoid it, leaving Kankuro to dive out of the way as it would have hit him next. The redheaded girl looked angry as she pulled something metal from her waist. It was a silver flute and she brought it up to her lips, beginning to play a melody.
At once, the ground shook and three spirit monsters emerged.
The other began making various seals with all six of his arms and when all three sets finished, various effects happened.
One, a large spider was summoned by one set, secondly, a large bow materialized from the spit the male created and hardened before he created three arrows from his spit, fit them to the string and drew them back with one of his free hand, twisting to take aim at Hinata who was recovering from avoiding an attack from one of the redhead's monsters.
"Hinata!" Asuma yelled in warning.
The girl didn't flinch and instead pushed herself to start spinning, large whitened streaks of chakra forming at her palms as she rotated around. "Protection of the Sixty-four palms!"
The arrows shattered upon impact with the dome of light she created.
Shikamaru was quick to follow with another volley of kunai straight at the large spider, ducking under a large swing from one of the girl's spirit things and dove to the side and rolled.
As if the situation were not heavy enough, the fourth and final figure stepped into the fray.
"Sakon! Ukon!" The spider-like guy called.
With a devious grin, the figure split into two, and they began to form their own swift set of seals.
Sasuke dashed for the two, hands a blur of speed. "Katon: Housenka no jutsu!" He blew the flames straight for them, but was a mere seconds too late as the two re-sealed together and swung at him, inky black lines stretching across their skin.
"Augh!" Sasuke cried as he was sent flying back from the impact of the hit he took.
Then, the rest of them all morphed as well, taking on demonic lines from the sinister chakra Orochimaru sealed them with.
"This isn't good," Shikamaru mumbled to Hinata as the two regrouped together, trying to make their way over to Sasuke.
Kankuro formed a quick set of seals, unsealing another puppet and sent Crow forward in a volley of projectiles, the second one acted like a shield, blocking every attack coming at him and he managed to maneouver around behind the girl. "Gotcha!" He yelled as the two puppets closed in on either side. Crow and Ant split apart, becoming a cage to grab the girl and the various disconnected parts reshaped into weapons. "Secret Black Technique: Iron Maiden!"
There was a ear-piercing shriek, followed by a sickening squelch as the weapons embedded in upon the open slots before blood began running out.
"Tayuya!" Cried the six-armed one before he snarled and directed his summoned spider's attack after the puppeteer.
Kankuro, due to the harsh toll of chakra it took to perform the move, was not in the shape to move or dodge. Temari leaped infront of his way, her fan in hand and slammed her palm, which she'd already cut and screamed: "Kuchiyose no jutsu! Summoning dance!"
A white weasel with an eye-patch appeared with a sickle-scythe and a hail-storm of wind and weapons impacted like a whirlwind with the force of a typhoon upon the Spider, slicing it to pieces in seconds.
"T-Temari..." Kankuro began.
"You idiot," She replied, looking back at him with the smallest of smiles.
"Heads up!" Asuma called as he brought his knuckle-blades up and with a large arc of chakra imbued into them, cut sheer through the large webbing that the spider-like male sent their way, appearing infront of them before jumping off to re-engage Sakon and Ukon
"Thanks," Temari replied, before she looked to her brother. "Let's show these punks not to mess with sand-nins!"
A devil's smirk was her only response from her brother before the two leaped back into the fray against Kidomaru, who was trying to get cheap hits in with Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Hinata in their fight against Jiroubo.
Sasuke had lost control of his temper when Jiroubo had slapped Shikamaru headfirst into a tree and sent Hinata crashing to the ground when she tried to hit his blind-spot.
His cursed-mark flared to life and his Sharingan swirled madly, a third tomoe splice appearing in it as he dashed with newfound speed straight for the guy. Copying Lee's techniques once again, he opened the first gate, grimacing with pain at the toll it took, but he slammed his fist into the large male's gut, sending him rocketing upwards into the sky before he leaped up after him, in his blind-spot, he slammed his elbow into the guy's spleen from behind before twirling his body around, slamming his ankle into their stomach and flipped around one more time to drive both of his feet into their gut at they came impacting upon the ground. "Lion's barrage!"
"Ugh!" The guy cried as Sasuke flipped away.
Shikamaru shook the dizziness away and Hinata pulled herself to her feet, shaking the pain away from her body and once again got into a ready stance.
Sasuke landed beside her. "Hinata, together, chidori." He breathed heavily.
The girl's Byakugan eyes met his Sharingan ones and they both nodded. As one, they began to make the necessary seals as Jiroubo got up and was rushing straight for them. Before he could get within fifteen yards, he stopped dead. Shikamaru was holding him down, cringing with effort, his hands were shaking from how hard it was to keep them still.
Lightning in their palms, the Uchiha and Hyuuga dashed straight for the large male. "Chidori!" They cried. The sick sound of flesh tearing was heared and Shikamaru released the now-dead male's body as Hinata and Sasuke pulled their blooded hands back from the corpse, letting it fall at their feet.
"We-we did it.." Hinata breathed.
Sasuke nodded, "It's not over yet, though. Come on, we still have to help Asuma-sensei and the other two."
Temari was wearing down fast against Kidomaru. She swung her fan, generating a huge gust of wind and sent it barreling for him, but the male disappeared at the last second. Temari tried to turn to look around. "Where're you lookin'?" The voice called from behind her. Before she could even turn, her eyes widened as she felt one of the male's arrows pierce through her side. "Guh!" She cried, feeling her body falling and unable to even respond to stop it. She hit the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood as she gasped, her hand covering over the large wound.
"Temari!" Kankuro cried, appearing by his sister's side.
"F-finish him!" She hissed.
"But, you're hurt!" He growled back.
"Do it, you asshole!"
Hesitating, the puppet-wielder finally nodded and turned towards Kidomaru who was grinning frim ear-to-ear. Determined to wipe that expression off their face, he gathered all his remaining energy and sprung for the male, his puppets following him. He used Ant to deflect the three arrows aimed at him and fired a smokebomb directly at the others feet when it went off, he took the moment to maneouver himself behind them. When it cleared and the other was looking for him, he launched Crow forward, all weapons extended and once again had it partially transform into a cage. He caught the male and began clenching his fingers in, pulling the chakra strings hard against the struggling Sound nin. There was sickening crunching noises as he slowly crushed the male's limbs and ribs one by one and the weapons that were in Crow itself were stabbing and slicing into him the more he impacted them inwards.
The male was screaming curses and obscenities and with one final hard yank, the yelling ceased and the male's lifeless eyes were gazing out into nothing. Kankuro let his body fall to the ground and leaped down from the tree back to where his sister was lying, now with Sasuke and Hinata at her side, with Shikamaru off helping Asuma against Sakon and Ukon, who were proving to be the the most formidable.
"Temari!" He cried as he watched her try to sit up.
"Shut it, gaki." She replied with some breathlessness to her voice as she grit her teeth. "It's just a scratch."
Hinata shook her head. "Please, don't move so much, you'll make it worse." She insisted. "Sasuke, please hold her arms and brace her. This will hurt..."
Sasuke nodded mutely and slid down to his knees behind the girl and grasped her by the wrists, bringing them up criss-cross over her chest. "Do it, Hinata."
The blond Sand kunoichi grimaced, sucking in a deep breath and Kankuro was forced to close his eyes and grit his own teeth as Hinata placed her hands over the wound and began to heal it.
Temari grit her teeth, but the pain soon became too much and she let out a scream, her nails digging sharply into her own shoulders as she thrashed in Sasuke's hold. Hinata was sitting on her legs, so she couldn't even react physically to it.
"Forgive me," Hinata whispered as she finished sealing the wound over, leaving nothing but a scar behind as she did so. Temari's scream died off, letting out the faintest of whimpers as she fell into unconsciousness against Sasuke.
Sasuke let out a tense breath. "Is she stable?" He asked.
Hinata ran her lightly-glowing hand over Temari, checking her vitals before she gave a nod. "Y-yes. She's just physically exhausted." She looked to Kankuro who had opened his eyes again. "Take her back to Suna and get her treated some more, what I did only healed the majority." Kankuro looked a bit hesitant, but nodded, taking his sister's limp form from Sasuke. "Thanks... I owe you."
Hinata shook her head. "Go."
The Sand shinobi nodded seriously and took off.
Sasuke looked at Hinata who was shaking all over. "You alright?"
"H-Her life was in my hands, Sasuke..." She whispered, sounding almost frightened. "I-I could have messed up..."
"But you didn't," Sasuke assured. "You didn't mess up, and she will live because of it. It's all because of you, Hinata. It was you who saved her. Don't tarnish that accomplishment by what could've happened. Rest, I'm going to go help Asuma and Shikamaru."
The girl nodded mutely, giving the boy the faintest of smiles that he returned before rushing off to find the other two.
"Not good," Shikamaru mumbled to Asuma as they were backed into a corner with Sakon and Ukon advancing on them. Both of them were low on chakra, Shikamaru moreso than Asuma, and they'd run out of projectiles and Sakon and Ukon had already managed to disarm the Jounin of his knuckle-blades.
"Looks like it, eh?" He joked back, but his expression was still serious.
"Give it up," Drawled Sakon.
"You're nothing but trash." Ukon added on.
As the two finished closing in on the two, bringing their hands up to begin their final jutsu to finish them off, suddenly Sakon's eyed widened and he let out a gurgled noise and blood suddenly began pouring from his mouth.
Ukon looked over and behind him was Sasuke, his katana thrust straight through his brother and the male violently twisted the sword, making the other cry out sharply before Sasuke forcefully extracted the blade, watching as they collapsed to their knees.
"You bastard!" Ukon screamed with rage.
Sasuke turned his Sharingan gaze upon them, the curse mark on his shoulder reacting violently and with a lurch, his body turned completely ashen gray and large wings burst from his back, his hair lengthening and spiking out further and he took on a completely demonic shape.
"S-Sasuke?" Shikamaru gasped, taking a step forward.
Asuma stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't interfere, we don't know if the seal has taken him over or not yet."
Shikamaru looked on, biting his lip.
Sasuke let out an inhuman snarl and charged another Chidori to his hand. It sputtered mid-way, but with a grit of his teeth, it reignited and with a burst of newfound energy, the lightning turned black and he dashed straight for the other.
"Die!" He screamed, slamming his hand clear through the others chest up to his elbow, watching as their eyes widened dramatically, gurgling on a gasp before their eyes went dim and he extracted his arm and turned to the now dying figure of Sakon.
"Where is Orochimaru?" He demanded. The other looked up at him with widened eyes.
"Hideout..." He mumbled.
"Where?"
"In a base...near Rice..."
"What does he want with me?"
"He wants...your body...for the Sharingan..." Sakon coughed, spitting out blood.
"Why?"
"So he can be...cough...immortal and learn...every jutsu...in the world."
A disgusted expression came upon Sasuke's features before he vehemently shoved Sakon back and grabbed his katana.
Sakon's eyes closed, having nothing more to say and knowing his end was soon, whether it was at Sasuke's hand or if they left him. Besides, he had nothing left to live for, now that his brother was dead.
Sasuke plunged the sword through the male's heart wordlessly, finishing everything.
He was shaking and breathing hard, rage was just coursing through him and he wanted nothing more then and there to be able to rip Orochimaru apart with his own bare hands.
Arms came around him and warmth encased him and he was suddenly re-aware of everything, and everyone around him. He wearily closed his eyes and let himself collapse back agaist Shikamaru, the ghostly-colouring to him leaving and the cursed mark receeding and he returned to normal. When his eyes opened, they were pure black again instead of the Sharingan.
Asuma looked at the two and nodded. "I'll go get Hinata."
Shikamaru nodded at their sensei and the man left to find the heiress.
Sasuke was still trembling. "He wants... Simply to become..." He sounded hollow.
"Shh," Shikamaru soothed, pulling the other tighter into his embrace.
Sasuke looked back at him with empty eyes and Shikamaru felt his heartbreaking for him. "It's over now, Sasuke, and I swear, I won't let that snake have you. Now that we know the whereabouts of where his base is, we can inform Tsunade. She won't let this go."
Sasuke turned in the others embrace and latched onto him in a tight grip. Hinata and Asuma returned, looking solemn at the scene of Sasuke's vulnerability. Shikamaru looked at the two wearily. "We should head back to the cabin..." He suggested. Wordlessly, he picked Sasuke up bridal style, not even hearing the other protest, far too distraught to care. The three took off back to the cabin.
They recovered over the course of two more days and Temari and Kankuro returned, with Gaara in tow.
The redhead looked at Hinata with a piercing gaze that had her almost coming apart in anxiety.
"...You saved my sister?" He finally asked.
"I-I... Um... I-I didn't do anything big...I just cinched the wound closed until she could get more help..." She stuttered.
The redhead was silent for a few moments longer. "...Thank you."
Her head shot up and her eyes widened with shock. "H-huh?"
"Gaara..." Temari said softly, looking at her youngest brother with small surprise.
Gaara stepped forward and held a white desert flower out to the girl. Her eyes widened further but with trembling hands, reached out and accepted it. "Th-thank you... R-really, I didn't do much..."
"You saved my sister," Gaara replied insistently. "I...don't know where I would be without her. Or Kankuro." He added on, glancing back towards his siblings who both looked at a loss for words at his actions.
"You'd be fine without us," Kankuro mumbled, glad his facepaint hit the majority of his embarassed flush.
Temari looked to be as if she were fighting back her emotions to remain in control of herself.
"Y-you're welcome." Hinata replied, giving the shyest of smiled to the three.
"Anything else happen while we were gone?" Kankuro finally asked.
Asuma shook his head. "No, everything seems quiet now."
"That's good... Still, why would Orochimaru and the sound bother to cause a disturbance here rather than just bring it straight to Konoha?" Temari asked.
"Presuming that he can still possibly seize control of Suna, perhaps?" Shikamaru offered.
Sasuke was still silent, merely picking at his rice and moved the Shougi piece he was fingering across the board. "Check."
Shikamaru looked back with a risen brow, looking down at the board before grinning faintly. He made a move of his own. "Checkmate."
Sasuke frowned, but nodded.
Gaara watched the scene curiously for a second before turning away. "The activity here has calmed down, we were sent to inform you that all genin teams may return to Konoha to rest."
Asuma nodded. "Thanks. We'll probably depart in a few hours, then."
The three nodded.
Temari stepped around Gaara and also offered a small wrapped box to Hinata. "Here, as my own thanks." Then, she turned and tossed the other three some new satchels of weapons. "As my thanks, and to make up for everything."
Hinata was blushing heavily as she opened the box and took out a beautiful hair-comb that was wraught with golden leaves with a beautiful ivory flower in the center. "T-thank you!" She gasped.
Temari gave the slightest of smiles. "It sets off your eyes."
The Hyuuga heiress blushed even brighter and ducked her head.
"We need to get back," Gaara said quietly and his siblings nodded.
"Farewell." Asuma said.
Gaara nodded to them and the three took off back to Suna.
Three hours found Team Asuma packed up and heading back towards Konoha. Hinata had specially brushed her hair up into a fanciful twisted bun, pinning it back with the gift Temari had given her, all with the desert flower Gaara had given her tucked safely away so no wear-and-tear would come upon it.
Sasuke was quiet the whole way, but Shikamaru remained close, but far enough to give him his space, but to assure him he was there if he needed.
Upon their return two days later and reporting to Tsunade, the woman nodded gravely and promised the Uchiha that Orochimaru's actions would not go unchecked and that she would send an ANBU scouting team ahead to locate Orochimaru's hideout.
Heading home to the Uchiha district, Sasuke wearily collapsed onto the bed.
"Are you alright, Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked slowly as he entered the room a few moments later.
Heaving a loud sigh, Sasuke opened his eyes, their look, smouldering. "I need you."
The smallest of smirks rose to the shadow-wielder's expression. "Always." He responded.
He descended towards Sasuke and their lips met heatedly, no more words being said for the remainder of the day.
TBC
DHC: Um, um, yeah... I don't really have much to say on this except that I took major creative license with this. xD