Dogs shall remain dogs.
Bow down to your master.
Said no one ever.
Just freaking read the story already...
DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR BLEACH.
It was all part of the plan.
The demolished Soukyoku was fading fast. Everything was in disarray.
The container lay open in front of him, and the object of his desires lay within.
Kurosaki Ichigo could only stare on as Uzumaki Naruto extracted the Hogyoku with a face as expressionless as still water.
As the three of them were enveloped by the Negacion, he observed the foolish child as he rose above them.
"Farewell, Kurosaki Ichigo," he spoke, at long last.
"May our paths cross again."
'I had no intention of deceiving anyone. It's just that none of you could understand...My true self.'
-Aizen Sosuke
The funeral procession happened without incident.
A completely worthless ritual, this...
As Uchiha Sasuke watched on, he let a massive yawn slip. It had been almost three days since he last slept properly. His mother glared at him, her displeasure made obvious by the disapproving frown on her face. It wasn't his fault that he was tired and close to passing out. Even now, the insanely persistent voice was still calling him, urging him to come hither like some sort of extreme gay gigolo. It was hard enough to tune that thing out, and he wasn't able to pay much attention to the things around him.
Clinging to his arm was the ever-present Haruno Sakura. Maybe the disapproving stare had been for this unnecessary display of affection, and not his tardiness. She had gotten a little more clingy than usual today. She was torn between holding on to her boyfriend for support, and consoling her blonde childhood friend-turned-love rival for the loss of a very important family friend.
Today, Sasuke had no time for her crap. He had begun to see less of her ever since the Genin teams were split, but that just meant that she got progressively more possessive and controlling in the little time they got off together. It had been barely tolerable before, but her wide forehead was becoming more and more obvious by the minute, and just as aggravating.
Don't do this, he mused. Losing another girlfriend to his sudden whims and fits would not bode well for the Uchiha genius. Especially after what happened with Ino-chan. Sasuke was sure he didn't have a Sakura-esque backup in case this one failed.
The ceremonies were over. As the final goodbyes were said, Sasuke walked off, bored out of his mind. The pink-haired deadweight on his left arm didn't even feel real at this point; his entire body was numb with fatigue. Those last dozen sessions had left him stripped of enthusiasm. The world seemed monochrome, and devoid of intrigue.
For no matter how much he pushed himself, he could only achieve what Naruto had done with a calm, clear mind. Even the almost fluorescent color of his girlfriend's hair seemed rather bleak this day. The villagers attending the funeral did not mind his behaviour; he actually was the only one there who looked as if someone had died.
As he turned onto the main village boulevard, Sakura in tow, he heard a very minute, plaintive voice behind him. Turning, he saw Hyuuga Hinata looking back at him, a spectre of worry in her lavender eyes. Oh, what in God's name does she want now?
"Sasuke-kun," It seemed like her speech defects were reserved only for the blonde moron. Although the three were in the same team, they rarely hung out together as a group very often, or at all, in fact. Sasuke and Naruto couldn't be kept in the same place without a heated, one-sided argument erupting between them. It usually culminated in Naruto simply ignoring the Uchiha's rants and calmly sitting there, with that fake smile plastered onto his face, silver necklace glinting in whatever light there was available.
"If you do not mind," Hinata continued, "could we have a word in private?" The tinge of red on her cheeks gave away the topic of the upcoming private word to both the prodigy and his pink-haired lover, although their interpretations were far different from each other's.
I do NOT want to discuss that retard's problems one more time. Sorry, Hinata-san, but I'm not giving any more fucks about this.
Wait. Asking my boyfriend for a private conversation in my presence? Just how bold has this bitch gotten?
"Oh no you can't!" both of them replied simultaneously, then looked at each other, pleasantly surprised at this sudden consensus. Oh, but the heiress wasn't done trying. Sasuke knew what was coming. No one could resist her puppy-eye face when she chose to use it. And the couple was no exception. Three seconds of soulful staring later, Sakura shook her head, muttering 'It must be about Naruto...' under her breath, and let go of Sasuke's arm.
"I'll see you later then, Sasuke-kun..." she said, before ambling haughtily away. The two Genins watched her leave, expressions of relief clear on their faces. Sasuke turned back to the Hyuuga, the obvious question visible in his stare.
"It's about the murder," Hinata said slowly, looking around for eavesdroppers. She didn't have to worry. The road was empty. Sasuke's ears pricked right up. This was interesting. Finally, she wasn't whining about her failed love life.
"I went there to Shikamaru-kun's place a few hours after the incident," Hinata's face was earnest, a mixture of excitement and worry. "I searched for chakra residue in the garden with my Byakugan. I managed to see a faint trace of a foreign chakra which-"
"Whoa lady! Give me a second."
Sasuke could not deny now that the heiress had his full-fledged attention. "So...you...you went to the Nara compound, at night, sneaked around past the security to check out traces of chakra, all in order to investigate a murder."
Hinata nodded, not catching onto his surprise.
Fuck me in the ass, what is the world coming to?
Sasuke was intrigued. "Did you recognize the traits of the chakra? Anyone we know?" He contained himself. The poor girl wasn't very forthcoming to begin with, and his interruptions weren't helping.
"I could not place it, but I had seen this chakra somewhere before..." Hinata hesitated. "It was a few days back, I think, when I was following..." she blushed and stopped talking.
Following whom? Spill it, lady! Sasuke was nearing the end of his tether. It was already pretty frayed, and if this Hyuuga woman toyed with it any more, his head was going to explode. "Whom were you following?"
Please let it be who I think it is...
"N-n-n-Naruto-kun..." she stuttered.
Sasuke's eyes shone with a renewed vigour.
"It is strange that no one else in the village seems to know about this," Hinata continued, but the Uchiha had already stopped paying attention. The evidence was circumstantial at best, and there was no way to confirm that it was, in fact, Naruto's chakra. Hinata noticed the malicious glint in Sasuke's eyes.
"It wasn't Naruto-kun's chakra!" she said, enunciating his name clearly this time. All of a sudden, Sasuke was drawn back from his land of magical revenge fantasies, back to reality. He looked the heiress directly in the eye. She didn't look like she was lying. Also, Hinata would not have approached Sasuke if the killer had been the blonde. She would have confronted Naruto herself, like a useless dope-retarded moron, and gotten herself brutally murdered as well.
"So you say," Sasuke wasn't completely convinced, but he chose to believe her, for the moment. "Do you want to investigate this further?" he added. Hinata nodded her agreement. Somehow, the thought of partnering with this hesitant, yet resolute girl didn't seem repulsive any more. He almost relished the opportunity to be away from Sakura for a little while.
"Well, let's discuss this when my girlfriend isn't glaring daggers at me from behind that corner over there..." Sasuke finished this little encounter, turning away and walking towards Sakura's hiding spot with slow, measured steps. Just you wait, you faggot. I will get you screwed over so badly in this, you shall rue the day you dared to blow that kiss at me.
He glanced back at the Hyuuga, who seemed disoriented again now that her purpose had been fulfilled. I have sincerely no idea how this chick will head the Hyuuga clan during her time... Anyways, this little recon mission with her might not even be boring.
Not that I even like this damaged broad as a girl anyway... He consoled his ego, She's like a lost cat, desperate to be looked after.
I smell it. Ah...I can feel it, Uzumaki! I'll take you down, and your own little girlfriend will help me do it.
The leaves rustled loudly.
A strong wind had begun to blow, a wind that had signalled great beginnings and endings in the past.
This was no ordinary squall. It was an omen, a foretelling of great renown. For this wind had no source; it began as abruptly as it ended.
It was almost like it had a will of its own, choosing to appear only before those it deemed worthy.
The two people enjoying it had done absolutely nothing to deserve a heralding as grand as this; they hadn't even lived long enough yet. And still, the majestic breeze blew across their faces, caressing their hair, playing with their clothing.
Perhaps it was due to the other entities present there that had caused it to happen; perhaps not.
Hatake Kakashi adjusted his mask, drawing it over the bridge of his nose. His face was impassive, despite the smile on his companion's face. The wind was tousling Uzumaki Naruto's hair quite a lot more than Kakashi's gray mop. The Jinchuuriki had on his standard smile, insincerity dripping from every pore. Their gazes were locked on, as subtext flew in a continuous stream between the two.
"It's a pleasure, like always..." the blonde broke the silence, choosing an arbitrary exit to the silent staring and mental conversation. There was no need, really, or such an unnecessary sentence, but speaking first meant that Naruto had subtly challenged Kakashi to reply. They both knew why they were here, without a doubt.
Naruto had gone silent again, and the stalemate continued. Something had to change, else what was the point of this carefully planned, cliché encounter? The breeze still rushed past their faces with an unparalleled enthusiasm; it was like it hadn't finished what it had been created to do.
Again, the blonde acted first. It wasn't very noticeable, but he changed his smile, just a fraction. The overall effect it had on his expression was tremendous. It now looked innocent as a baby, so pure and warm.
He could probably rattle off any of the cheesy, perverted pick-up lines from Icha Icha, and totally get away with it. That face is just too darn OP.
'Yoru-icchi-saaan?' Kisuke chimed in. Hearing that infernal tone of voice, the Jonin groaned internally. Something extremely lame was going to be said, and he was simply not in the mood to receive it well right now.
'Did you know? Like my zanpakuto, I too, release twice...'
And with that, the wind disappeared, to probably never return again. The dramatic tension of the scene was broken, like a balloon being popped.
Exiting his prolonged facepalm, Kakashi resumed his pointless staring match with the blonde. To Naruto's credit, his smile hadn't wavered one bit. It still stretched the entire width of his face, almost splitting his face in two.
Slowly, reluctantly, the intensity returned, like a cat approaching a saucer of hot milk it had just gotten burned on.
"I believe we appear to have reached an impasse," Kakashi scratched his forehead. Just because something had to be said did not make it any less awkward to say. This relentless cliché-dropping was beginning to bore the three others in the conversation. They were definitely alone in the forest, and for some reason, they weren't.
"I suppose so, Kakashi-san," the blonde replied in an emotionless voice. "What now remains is to discuss what can be done here to resolve this rather unfortunate difference in opinion that we seem to have..." the last part was clearly aimed at the two figures slowly materializing behind the Jonin.
The woman who'd just taken shape was stunningly beautiful. Kakashi himself did a complete double take upon seeing her, not having witnessed her human form until this very day. Clad scantily, it almost seemed like someone was playing a cruel transformation trick on his eyes, a cruel one indeed. Although the sudden...enthusiasm had died once he saw the sight next to her.
It was a very famous saying that Kami-sama made all people beautiful. It definitely wasn't true in Urahara's case. The actual cruelty of a deity, if such a thing existed, was seen manifested in its full glory in the ugliness of the green-clad retard standing next to Yoruichi. Wearing an obviously out-of-style green hat, he seemed to exude this air of clumsiness and uncertainty that even Maito Guy couldn't top.
No surprises there, Kakashi mused. I guess personalities do match appearances after all.
"Kakashi-san?" Naruto's smooth, gentle voice prodded him. The Jonin whipped his head back, returning to their confrontation. It seemed as though the two behind him were visible him only, and the blonde didn't perceive their existence. Chuckling a little to hide his embarrassment, he made a gesture with his hand, pointing in the approximate direction of the village behind him.
"I really do not care what your motives are. Seriously." He glanced right into Naruto's eyes, searching for some emotion, any emotion at all. "The population of the village is your playground, so amuse yourself as you see fit."
Naruto's right eyebrow rose quizzically. "Whatever do you mean by that, Kakashi-san?" the smile suddenly gained a dangerous edge to it, a sense of something being held back, bridled by the fake composure on the Jinchuuriki's face. Kakashi stifled a gulp. This was going to get very messy if he didn't handle the next few minutes with extreme care.
"I mean, your antics with Sasuke-kun have become the talk of the village lately," he hastily corrected the direction of the conversation. "I mean, for you two to become lovers in such a small timeframe is nothing short of fateful..." he finished, quite awkwardly. His words had slipped out of his mouth without thought, and Kakashi regretted his lack of self-control in such occasions. The same thing had happened the other day with Kurenai-san, where an offhand comment about her pregnancy and something related to being chubby had set off an explosion.
She's quite the feisty one. I can see why Asuma would want to hit that.
Returning to the present, Kakashi noticed that the murderous glint had again left the thirteen-year-old's eyes. "I see." he began, voice still collected and neutral. "Could you remind me as to what the purpose of this meeting is?" With a single line, he had brought it back to the uncomfortable zone again. Kakashi himself had begun to wonder as to why he had come here in the first place, why he had sought out a confrontation such as this so early in the game.
We're simply testing the waters, remember? Yoruichi chimed in. To see what the circumstances actually are.
Anyway, you'd better find a way to retreat, and fast. Kisuke sounded urgent. The longer it takes after this, the worse it gets for us.
"I wanted to congratulate you," Kakashi was very good at thinking quickly. "For becoming a Genin, and for receiving your first mission."
The questioning stare was back. "I fail to see why you are the bearer of such news, and not my Genin team leader or my teammates," Naruto voiced the flaws in that shamble of an excuse, demolishing it in the span of seconds.
"Itachi is busy with work, I'm afraid," the Jonin was trained to feel nothing as he lied through his teeth. "And therefore, the responsibility fell upon me to tell everyone in the team, including Sasuke-kun and Hinata-san."
This is probably the most see-through bluff I've ever made. And that includes that time when I told Hokage-sama I got lost on the road of life when I was late for a meeting...
Somehow, the blonde seemed to believe him. He saw it in the imperceptible change in his expression, like a sudden softening of the lines of his face.
"I thank you for you congratulations and your kind consideration towards Itachi-sensei. Perhaps we can have dinner together sometime? You could treat me to a little ramen, maybe?" Kakashi nodded hesitantly, accepting the offer.
"Very well then. We shall bid adieu here and now." turning, the blonde Jinchuuriki made his exit.
The Jonin held his position for a minute and a half, before taking a quiet breath. So, that was more than a little unsettling...
Ya' think? Yoruichi was all up in his ass. It's waay too early to come out guns ablaze like you did. Sheesh. You men and your retarded minds.
Kakashi didn't even listen to that last part. Icha Icha Paradaisu had mentioned such women in it's gospel text as well.
"Beware of the so-called 'bitch'. For these women shall cause your eventual downfall..." Some side character had ranted thus at the hero once, if he wasn't mistaken.
You surely aren't, Kakashi-saaan... Urahara's drawl was back too.
Kakashi felt like taking a kunai in the forehead right now.
At least then it'll be my doing...
Undoing, rather.
The rest of the forest seemed desolate as well. It was like the wildlife had sensed the imminent danger and chosen to save themselves. Ambling along without a care in the world, Uzumaki Naruto stepped on the buttress root of the largest banyan he'd ever seen. He marvelled at the intricate yet extensive system the tree had used in order to ensure the continuation of it's existence.
Everything has fallen into this spiral precisely because of these bindings.
These roots shall remain no more. Everything shall topple and fall, succumbing to the eventual chaos it was meant to descend into eventually.
It couldn't hurt to reach that tipping point an instant earlier than usual, couldn't it?
The handsome man had materialized again. Dressed in a simple kimono and haori arrangement that gave him the regal grace of an emperor, Aizen Sousuke lay down comfortably against the trunk of the large banyan, arms folded behind his head.
"Quite the intriguing conversation you had there, Naruto-kun," the messy brown hair fluttered in the wind.
"I agree. Kakashi-san had some fine points to make..." the blonde Jinchuuriki raised his hand to his face. Slowly extending his tongue out of his mouth, he licked the silver ring he wore on his middle finger tentatively, and smiled.
"You may exit your hiding spot now, Itachi-sensei..." surely enough, the Uchiha legend stepped out of the underbrush.
Cerulean eyes met jet black.
"Terminate?" the word was said in an undertone, almost a whisper.
The blonde boy shook his head. "Let him be for now. He too, shall prove to be useful in his own little way..."
Gazing at the silently chuckling man lazing on the mossy forest floor, he sighed audibly.
"For now, let's just focus on doing what we're supposed to. Our Genin team hasn't had any missions yet, correct?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun," Itachi replied, face as empty of emotion as ever.
"So I suggest we perform some of them..." Naruto wasn't even looking at anything in particular. No, his gaze ha already begun spanning into the near future, devising these new, interesting variables into his grand scheme of things.
"Two at the entrance, two at the back gate, three on either side. The compound is square, Sasuke-kun."
"That's a bitch. Too bad security wasn't this tight before the Nara kicked the bucket."
"Sasuke-kun!"
The Hyuuga looked at him reproachfully at his highly disrespectful referral to the victim, Nara Shikaku. "What? So you suddenly care about people after they're dead? You can't talk shit about them after they're gone? What about before? Didn't hear you saying Nara-sama this, and Nara-sama that..."
Hinata chose to remain quiet. The logic was terribly flawed, but there was a bitter truth behind it. The only time they ended up truly caring about people was after they were dead, sometimes not even then.
Night had fallen. The stifled sounds of the two Genin were masked well by the ambient sounds around the Nara compound. There was a palpable tension in the air. Getting caught, after all, would mean a whole lot of unwarranted trouble, especially so for the young Uchiha and heiress of the Hyuuga clan.
"You used the Byakugan just now, right?" Sasuke wanted to ease the tension. They had to wait a while. Security was progressively getting lax. There was a window where the shift of the current guards would end, and a new set would replace them. This window ensured easy entry into the compound.
"Yes."
She was looking away, towards the moon. Sasuke stole a glance at her. She's thinking about him. He could tell. Are you? Could you be the one? He wanted it to be. It was a perverse desire, but he wanted to see Uzumaki Naruto blamed, punished. A fleeting feeling of guilt. I'm using this girl...
Yet she seemed to know, why he had joined her that night. And interestingly, she seemed to want to find out too.
"Three minutes."
Sasuke looked at her again, contemplating just how different Hyuuga Hinata was now, as compared to her stuttering, blushing self in front of Naruto. You've ruined her.
"Now."
They both moved simultaneously, a rare sureness in their steps. Sure enough, the guards who had finished their shift had walked away, and the next shift was nowhere to be seen. "This way," he heard the girl whisper, as he followed. The moon was behind the clouds, ideal for the sneaking the two Genin were doing.
"Stop, Sasuke-kun. Here, this is where..."
"You felt the chakra?" Sasuke dropped his guard, and let his eyes wander. They were at the entrance of the room. He didn't want to enter, and he was sure Hinata didn't want to either. He turned when he heard her whisper. Even under the weak lighting, he could make out that her Byakugan was in use. She didn't move, her body relaxed yet unnaturally still. The Byakugan of Clan Hyuuga. Not much can boast of staying hidden under it's gaze...
"It's there...it's still there, a faint trace of it, much lesser than last time."
He didn't say anything. Instead, he closed his eyes.
Just ambient sound. Trees, wind...
He opened them, Sharingan blazing this time. It was always a powerful sensation, the rush, and when it died down, he could feel the Hyuuga's hair move, he could feel her hand twitch, even though it was just minimal, he could feel-
"There. Something, there!"
He pointed. Hinata moved in the direction, confused. Her Byakugan did not seem to have given her any feedback on this. She reached downward, her hands scrabbling across the wooden floor, until they touched something...something cold, metallic-
"There's nothing here, Sasuke-kun. Are you sure?"
"Huh?"
He refocused himself, and mysteriously, it was gone. It had in the first place been just a faint, faint trace, he couldn't even tell if it was chakra, but something...something...
"Right. Sorry there. Just...just a little jumpy."
"That's fine, Sasuke-ku-"
They had both let their guards down. Hinata had dispelled her Byakugan, and Sasuke was about to drop his respective Kekkei Genkai too, when it happened. A single step, and then, he landed at the entrance.
"What's going on here? Who're you?"
Fuckin' shit-sandwich, guards.
They acted with hitherto unseen efficiency, the Hyuuga moved out of the way, and his eyes met the guard's. Just for a fraction of a second, the guard's lips widened in surprise, but all he could see was the Sharingan. He hadn't seen anything else, he hadn't seen the intruder's form, shape...nothing...and then, all was black.
All was black...all was...black...all was blaaaaa-
"You dare step into the Nara's household, common guard?"
The guard couldn't see anything, but he knew he had to get the hell out of there real quick.
"It is I, Nara Shikaku!"
Now terror coated the guard's veins, he flailed, doing anything to get away from the source of the sound. "I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, sir, I promise I'll never set foot in this house again, I'll never, I'll nev-"
"You have displeeeaseed mee!"
"AAAH, HEELPP!"
The man stood, not caring what was happening, bumped twice into the wall, found the entrance on the third try, and was out of earshot within five seconds, off to tell everyone about Nara Shikaku's ghost.
Meanwhile, a certain Hyuuga and Uchiha were running, from what they couldn't say, but they were simply running, for they had almost...almost gotten into a metric fuck-ton of trouble. It was a long time before they stopped, panting, a good distance away from the Nara compound.
"What...What- What"
"Genjutsu...Hinata, I used Genjutsu on-"
"Sasuke-kun!"
"I know! What was I to do. We would've gotten caught-"
"You...he thought there was a...a ghost?"
Sasuke nodded, finally recovering. "Yeah. Thought it was appropriate, you know. He was in the Nara household, and he could get haunted by the dead..."
He looked at her, certain of that she was going to throw his way for doing something that risky. A Genjutsu, on the guard who was protecting the household, after all. What Sasuke did not expect, however, was for the Hyuuga to start laughing.
She giggled, before bursting out into full-blown laughter, which ended up making him laugh too. They both sank to the ground, still laughing at what they had just done, the fact that they'd escaped certain harsh punishment by fooling a guard into thinking he was seeing a Nara ghost.
When Sasuke finally recovered, massaging his sides, he seemed to look at her clearly for the first time that night. "Hey, Hyuuga!"
"What, Sasuke-kun?"
"You're alright, you know, when you're not fawning over your N-N-Naruto-k-k"-
She got up too, aiming a punch at him playfully. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun. Um...You too..."
"Well, see you tomorrow then...and,"
He looked towards her, a defeated expression on his face, "There's one thing. It couldn't...it couldn't have been him. Being there, at the place, convinced me of that. He couldn't...he couldn't have killed Nara Shikaku."
"Thank you."
Sasuke took a step towards the left, in the general direction of the Uchiha enclosure.
"Sure. Tomorrow, then."
You always wanted control, Aizen-san...and you got it. You never killed without necessity.
And yet, here I am, holding the anthill in my hand, but unable to track the movements of the ants.
"Thank you, Sasuke-kun. Um...You too..."
"-It couldn't...it couldn't have been him...-"
He smiled from his vantage point as he watched the Hyuuga and Uchiha part ways. Sasuke Uchiha was a genius, but at times, he seemed to prove remiss. For example, Uzumaki Naruto was the only one that night to catch a glimpse of the glint that his necklace produced against the moonlight as it hung around Hyuuga Hinata's neck.
Although, I cannot say I am displeased with this course of events.
Cannot say that at all.
End.
