Love all the reviews, favorites and alerts. Uzumakisunspydr, rou hyuga 18, celious2, Forgotten Werewolf, and Amrun. I'm glad some of you liked the last battle. Seriously, I'm not good at writing that stuff, so I was just relieved that it wasn't awful.
This chapter would have been out sooner, but I've been playing Dr. Mom as well as fighting a cold myself. Plus, I didn't like the first version and did a virtual version of crumpling up my paper (delete, delete, delete) before I rewrote the beast. Now, on with the show...
And a happy belated birthday to Naruto!
All Naruto characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The story is only about what could be and if Sasuke had his way, he wouldn't be in this mess.
Chapter 11:
The wind was blowing stray leaves across the road by the main gate where Izumo and Kotetsu kept watch. The air was thick and hazy, making it hard for the two Chuunin to feel energetic about their assignment. Kotetsu looked like he was about to fall asleep while Izumo looked bored out of his mind.
"Why do we always get stuck with this duty? Why can't we do something more than watch people come and go all day long?" Kotetsu said with a yawn. "Well, I guess I might as well take advantage of it and relax."
"Can't you be a little more alert? Just be glad that we don't have to run errands for Tsunade-sama today," Izumo replied. He could see three people running toward the gate and he nudged his partner. "Hey, someone's coming."
Team 7 slowed down to a walk before reaching the gate. Naruto was carrying Midori and Sasuke was carrying Daisuke; putting him down as soon as they were within sight of the gate. Naruto put down his charge not much later. They were all tired and dirty from the journey and the three ninja had to pause not far from the watch station to catch their breaths.
"We're back, hehe. Not bad timing. It only took us two days," Naruto said, still a little out of breath. He bent over, grabbing his knees before taking a deep breath to slow down his breathing. With concern written on his face, he studied the rest of his team. "Are you alright Sakura? Midori, Daisuke you OK?" Naruto also threw a questioning glance at Sasuke who nodded his response silently.
"I'll be fine in a minute," his wife replied as she wiped some sweat from her brow.
"We are fine, Naruto-san," Midori replied. "It always amazes me how fast ninja can travel on foot, even with a passenger."
"Yeah, Ojisan. That was cool!" Daisuke exclaimed. Sasuke grunted a reply.
"In a hurry?" Kotetsu asked. 'Did that kid just call Sasuke Ojisan?'
Sasuke shot him a glare and it was enough to keep the Chunnin from answering his question aloud. He didn't know the Uchiha well, but he knew better than to cross him.
"Just a little trouble on our mission. I don't think we were followed, but stay alert just in case," Naruto said.
"Understood," Izumo replied; elbowing his partner and best friend earning a reply of "what?"
As team 7 headed toward the Hokage mansion, they could hear Izumo and Kotetsu faintly bickering as they walked down the street. At least some things never change.
"It feels so good to be home. I'm looking forward to seeing Hotaru and taking a nice long bath," Sakura said just loud enough for Naruto to hear.
Naruto nodded his head in agreement. He had his hands laced behind his head and was letting his feet guide him down the road. "We'll report into Tsunade-baachan first, that way we can get Midori and Daisuke settled," he said loud enough for their clients and Sasuke to hear.
Sasuke walked behind the rest of the group, hands shoved deep in his pockets; looking calm and relaxed now that he had regained his breath. It was just a façade covering the mixture of emotions that consumed him. He shot the occasional look at Daisuke. It still felt a little weird for the Uchiha to look at the boy and not think of his brother. Sasuke wondered if Tsunade would agree to help this woman, the mother of an Uchiha. Village policy didn't allow anyone outside the village access to the hospital, but Tsunade might make it an exception once she found out who Midori was by association.
The air felt heavy and humid, signaling the coming of rain. The small group walked through the busy streets of Konoha. This was obviously Daisuke's first time in a large village as the sights that greeted him held his fascination. He was constantly pointing and asking questions of his mother about all the different venders they passed on their way to the Hokage's office and Sasuke caught himself smiling at the boy's antics; the smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Before long, they found themselves in front of the door of Tsunade's office.
Knock, knock, knock
"Enter!" Tsunade called in her normal gruff tone.
The small group entered and stood before her desk. Tsunade turned away from the window where she had been standing and came forward to greet their guests. "I'm Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage. You must be Shima Midori and this must be Daisuke," she said as she ruffled Daisuke's raven-black hair. He looked offended at the stranger touching his head, but remained quiet. "I had hoped that your journey would be an uneventful one, but from the looks of you there was some trouble in getting here."
"Hai, Tsunade-baachan. We ran into Akatsuki," Naruto said before Midori could answer the question.
"Akatsuki?!" she said in surprise.
"My apologies Hokage-sama. I did not have the funds for an A ranked mission, but I needed an escort and I was told this was the best team for the job." Midori bowed before handing the Hokage a well-worn letter that had a broken seal on it. "This should answer some of the questions you may have for me. I am requesting your help as my health is in need of your special talents."
Tsunade opened the letter and briefly scanned its contents before calling for Shizune. "Shizune, could you take Daisuke to meet Tonton and see if you can find him something to eat."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama," her assistant said as she walked toward the little boy.
"It's alright. Go ahead, I'll be with you shortly," Midori said giving Daisuke a reassuring nod. Daisuke reluctantly took Shizune's hand and walked out of the office; Shizune closed the door behind them.
Once the boy was out of the room, Tsunade felt more at ease to discuss the letter's contents. "This is a letter from Uchiha Itachi. It goes into detail about his life and the reasons behind his actions. He's also asking me, or the current Hokage, to grant you asylum from Akatsuki, but it doesn't say anything about your health or when this was written."
Naruto and Sakura looked at Sasuke in apprehension, than back to Tsunade. Sasuke remained quiet, waiting for Midori to reply. He secretly longed to read what was in that letter, but Tsunade didn't look like she was ready to hand it to him.
"Itachi wrote that letter when he realized that he was dying, shortly after our son was born. I believe I have been poisoned in a similar manner as the boy's father and I have come to ask for your assistance and to bring my son to the home of his ancestors," Midori said giving the Hokage a low bow.
"Sasuke, did you know anything about this?" the Hokage said with a fiery look in her hazel eyes.
"Not until two days ago."
"How much of this does the boy know?" Tsunade turned and asked Midori.
"He knows that his father was a ninja. He also knows enough about ninja life to know that an order is absolute and that his father followed many orders that he wasn't proud of, but he knows nothing as far as details or people involved. He also knew nothing of Sasuke until we started our journey," Midori glanced at Sasuke with tears in her eyes. "Hokage-sama, please grant his father's last request, for the sake of his son."
"Very well. For the sake of the boy, I will do what I can. Midori, I'll have Sakura show you to our hospital and get you checked in."
"Thank you so much, Hokage-sama," Midori replied, bowing low to show her appreciation.
Tsunade turned to address her team captain. "Naruto, I want your report as soon as possible and I want the three of you to report back here as soon as you've had a chance to get cleaned up and refreshed. Dismissed!"
"Hai!" the three said in unison before exiting the room.
Once they were out of the Hokage's office, Naruto whispered in Sakura's ear, "I'll be waiting at your parent's house," before turning to leave, Sasuke trailing not far behind.
Sakura and Midori made their way to find Shizune and Daisuke before heading off to the hospital. They found Daisuke in the lounge trying to get the timid little pig to take a snack from his hand. "Daisuke," Midori called out to him. He quickly dropped the treat, much to Tonton's delight, and ran to his mother, hugging her before they turned to leave. Sakura mouthed 'thank you' to Shizune as they walked out the door.
It didn't take long to get Midori situated in one of the hospital rooms. Daisuke refused to leave his mother's side for one instant. Sakura secretly hoped that Sasuke would offer a room at his house so that the boy wouldn't have to sleep on a spare hospital bed. Of course, Sakura was also fully aware at the Uchiha's need for solitude and had a feeling that he would not willingly offer up his home. She promised Midori she would come back to check on her once she had had a chance to freshen up.
Sakura hurried to her parent's house as fast as her tired and aching muscles would allow. Her boys were waiting for her and she didn't want to waste any more time than necessary at the hospital. Naruto, who was holding a very squirmy toddler, greeted her at the door. Hotaru practically dove into his mother's arms and she hugged him as if she would never let go again. They spent a few moments talking to her parents before gathering their son's things in order to return to their own apartment. Sakura thanked them for watching little Hotaru before they left. She and Naruto could both use a long bath, but there was still much to do before the day was over.
Once the Uzumaki family was clean and a little more refreshed, they took Hotaru and casually walked to the Hokage's office. They could see storm clouds rolling in and they hoped that the meeting would be over before the rain began to fall. Hotaru had decided that he wanted to be passed back and forth between his parents and had made quite a game out of it with reaching up his chubby little arms with a declaration of "'gain!" to the parent who's turn it was to pick him up. He finally tired of his little game by the time they reached the Hokage tower and sat comfortably in his mother's arms. Sakura was glad to have her son in her arms and didn't seem to notice the ache that came from holding the growing boy after a stressful mission.
They found a more refreshed Sasuke in the hallway before the Hokage's door, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed; head down. He had been very quiet on their journey home and they both knew that he had a lot on his mind. A lot of it he had buried deep down for years and really didn't seem like he wanted to have it forcefully brought back into the forefront of his thoughts.
"Sakura, I think he's fallen asleep," Naruto said sarcastically hoping to break his friend's meditation without having to address him directly.
Hotaru caught sight of his parent's friend and squirmed to be let down. He had found another playmate. Toddling over to Sasuke, Hotaru reached up his arms toward to the brooding Uchiha saying, "Sa'ke,'gain!"
Sasuke's mouth twitched at the toddler's word. "Naruto, when are you going to teach your kid how to say my name?" he mumbled without opening his eyes.
"Why? It's either that or teme, pick one," Naruto joked. "Besides, it gives Tsunade another reason to like you."
"Baka," Sasuke grumbled.
Naruto ignored his remark and picked up his son before he knocked on the door to Tsunade's office to announce their return. He could feel two sets of eyes upon him. Ignoring the obvious glare from Sasuke, he turned to look at his wife. "What?" Naruto asked innocently when he noticed her glaring at him.
"I hope you aren't planning on teaching our son any of your bad habits," she replied only loud enough for him to hear.
"Hai, hai," the blonde replied as she shot him another look.
"Enter!" the Sannin called, signaling them to step into her office.
"We're back, Tsunade-baachan. I'm assuming you want us to give you more details of our mission?" Naruto said as the four of them entered the room. He placed his completed report on her desk.
Hotaru immediately spotted the pig sitting on the floor in front of the Hokage's desk and squirmed down in order to play with the little creature. Tonton did not want to play, again, but was slightly relieved that this persistent playmate was much smaller than the one she had been forced to entertain earlier.
Tsunade quickly scanned the mission report before she asked, "I assume the three of you would also like to know what was in Itachi's letter?"
"Only if Sasuke wants us to know," replied Sakura.
Sasuke remained quiet, not sure what he really wanted.
"Sasuke, I will give you a copy of the letter once we make sure that this letter is authentic. He mentions many details concerning the Uchiha massacre, dealing with who was involved and I think you would agree with me that there are enough versions of the story already out there that we don't need more false information. I am not duty bound to share this information with anyone outside of this room and most of this is old news. If this is indeed a letter from your brother, I will let you decide what the next step will be concerning the information it contains." Sasuke nodded his response before the Hokage continued. "The real issue here may be how to handle the boy's future and the continuing threat from Uchiha Madara."
"Tsunade-baachan, it seems like he is trying to reorganize Akatsuki and renew his efforts of revenge on Konoha. The woman we ran into was the sister of one of the original members from Iwa, Deidara. She didn't give a name, but Sasuke did some damage to her before we came here as fast as possible. Her attacks were similar to his, but she also combines it with weapons making it a little tricky to defend," related Naruto.
"She can also do genjutsu, but since we've both fought Deidara before, it took away any advantage she thought she had before the battle. It seems that Madara hadn't counted on us being the group to bring them back to Konoha," added Sasuke. "He'll be sure not to make the same mistake twice. I don't think he'll come for the boy so soon after this setback in his plans, but he knows everything about Konoha and it wouldn't take much for him to exploit our weaknesses."
The Hokage paused to ponder the implications of Sasuke's remark. Madara was and always will be a thorn in Konoha's side, but she also needed to keep the village running. She stood up from her desk and thought long and hard about the next steps they all needed to take before continuing.
"Madara obviously wants Itachi's son for himself. We will need to keep a close eye on him until the time comes when either Madara is gone, or the boy can defend himself from his threat. Sasuke, I think it would be best for you to keep watch over Midori and her son until further notice. As far as day-to-day duties, I would like you to return to the Academy as an instructor until the end of the school year. What do you think?" Tsunade asked.
"That sounds reasonable," Sasuke answered without any sign of emotion in his voice.
She carefully pondered her next question, as it was a little more personal in nature. "Sasuke, any thoughts about what to do with your nephew while we figure out his mother's health?" asked the Hokage.
Sasuke paused a moment before he answered, "The boy is old enough to attend the Academy if he wants. With your permission, I would like to enroll him until we have a better idea of what his future holds. It will give him something to do while his mother is in the hospital and I can watch over him easier while I'm teaching jutsu."
Tsunade nodded in approval. "I will also keep you informed of his mother's health. I don't think he's ready to leave her side just yet, but would you be willing to let him live with you in the future," asked the Hokage.
"It's up to him and his mother where they want to live," he said not giving a straightforward answer.
"That is as much as we can do for them for the moment. I would say your mission was a success. As well as the three of you worked together I have a feeling it will be a while before your team will go out on another mission," the Hokage said as she turned to look toward Sakura, who already knew full well that it was no use in arguing about going on any more missions while pregnant. "While you were gone I had already given it some thought... Naruto, I would like you to assist in the upcoming Chuunin exam."
"Fine with me, Baachan. About how long do we have before the exam?" Naruto asked his Hokage.
"It should take you about three months from planning to the end depending on how many applications we actually receive. Shikamaru's team is participating this year, so you'll be working with Genma and Temari this year. After that, I'll put you back on regular mission duty until further notice," the Sannin said.
"Hai, Baachan," Naruto replied with a half smile. He had learned much since he had to answer the tenth question and he planned on taking on this new assignment with the same determination that had helped him make it through his own Chuunin exam.
"Sakura, any thoughts about how long you will want to work at the hospital during this pregnancy?"
"I'm perfectly fine keeping the same schedule I had up until the mission if that is OK with you. Considering how my last pregnancy went, I think it would be best to take it day to day depending on how I'm feeling," the pink haired Uzumaki answered.
Hotaru let out a squeal of delight when he tried to catch the little pig as she raced under the desk to avoid the toddler.
"Very well. I will examine Midori and let you know if I need any help with her treatment. For now, I want all of you to go home and get some rest. Dismissed. And Naruto, please take care of your son."
Naruto picked up the toddler as he tried to follow Tonton under the desk, giving the Hokage an apology as he did so. They left her office and Sakura mentioned that she had promised to check in on Midori before they could go home. Naruto handed Sakura their toddler and made excuses saying he had some things to take care of, but Sasuke decided to tag along. He needed to talk to Daisuke and his mother about enrolling him into the Academy.
"Domo," Sakura said as she knocked at the door of Midori's room.
"Enter," Midori called. She sounded much more relaxed now that they were in a safer place. Daisuke was sitting on his mother's bed looking rather bored, but still too worried about his mother to leave her side. "Sakura-san, Sasuke-san, It's good to see you. Is this your son?" Midori's eyes lit up as she saw the red headed toddler in Sakura's arms.
"Yes, this is Hotaru. Hotaru, say 'hi'," Sakura said and turned so that Midori could see him better. He was starting to get a little sleepy and had laid his head on her shoulder on the way over to the hospital.
The little cherub simply said "hi" as he sat up and rubbed an eye sleepily.
"He is so cute. You and Naruto-san must be so proud of him," Midori complimented.
"We are, but if the red hair says anything he can have a bit of a temper," Sakura said giving the redhead a tickle to his ribs that caused him to squirm and giggle. Hotaru had been known to throw temper tantrums when he didn't get his way, like any toddler. However, since he was already capable of building a limited amount of chakra, he had a tendency to throw the first object he could find as hard has he could at whoever had been the focus of his ire. Both Naruto and Sakura were getting very good at dodging or catching toys thrown hard enough to leave welts if they hit their mark. "How are you feeling?" Sakura asked.
"They gave me something for the dizziness, so I'm feeling a little better."
Sakura picked up the chart with her free hand and examined it. They were defiantly going to have to do some research on this poison. She'd seen similar symptoms in her studies, but couldn't quite remember exactly were. Her brows knit together as she mentally ran through the possibilities in her mind, until Hotaru tried to pull the paper from the clipboard.
"No, no sweetie. This is Mommy's paper," she said as she freed the chart from his pudgy fingers.
"Midori," Sasuke began, interrupting Sakura from her thoughts. "I wanted to ask your permission to enroll Daisuke in our ninja Academy while he's here."
Midori seemed a little taken aback by the request. She hadn't really thought about what kind of education was offered in Konoha when she had made her request to come here. She wanted her son to become part of the community, but the thought of him becoming a ninja hadn't really occurred to her.
"Can I really become a ninja?" Daisuke jumped up in excitement at the thought of doing something so 'cool' as becoming like the father he never knew and the uncle he hardly knew.
"Being a ninja isn't for everyone," Sasuke explained, "and not everyone who graduates will become a ninja, but you will be taught some very important skills that will help you no matter what you decide to do with your life." Sasuke couldn't help but think of the dangers that awaited this boy for just being the heir of the Uchiha clan.
"Mom, can I?!" Daisuke asked excitedly.
Midori thought for a moment before answering. He truly seemed excited at the idea and this may be the only thing available to him as far as education. "OK," she answered, "But, I want you to take this seriously. This isn't something to do just for fun."
"Oh I will Kasan! Thanks, Ojisan," he said running over and giving Sasuke a hug. Sasuke didn't know how to react and just patted the boy on the back awkwardly.
Sakura and Midori talked a while longer before Sakura realized that Sasuke was looking for an escape and Hotaru was ready for a nap. They bid the pair good bye and walked out the door.
"Sasuke, I'm proud of you," said Sakura without looking up at her teammate as they walked through the halls of the hospital.
"How so?"
"You're just handling this whole 'Uncle' thing really well."
"Oh. Thank You," Sasuke mumbled a reply as he shoved his hands even deeper into his pockets. The Uchiha knew Sakura meant it as a compliment, but he was tired and needed some time to himself. He had some things at home that he needed to take care of. Things that he had physically buried from his past that he knew he would have to make some decisions about soon, but it would have to wait until he got at least a few hours of sleep.
Once they left the hospital's double doors, they parted ways. The rainclouds were closing in now and it would start raining soon. Better to get home as soon as possible. Sakura held on tight to her son and hopped onto the rooftops taking the quick way home. The rain started to fall just as they reached their apartment. They found Naruto inside, working on a stack of team reports that Tsunade had given him to look over.
Sasuke was sitting on the green tile roof of the new Uchiha residence. The winter rainy season was here and the latest storm was rolling in; the clouds were dark and angry. The lightning danced between the various layers within the clouds as they crept ever closer to Konoha. The storm made a constant low rumbling as it rolled ever closer. Sasuke remembered just such a storm; one he had caused what seemed like ages ago. He knew how to channel the lightning, so he wasn't worried about being hit by a stray lightning bolt, but maybe being hit was what he secretly wanted.
The rain began to fall and Sasuke finally allowed himself to feel all the emotions that he had been fighting over the past week. He let the rain do his crying for him for his tears had dried up long ago. The storm seemed to echo the feelings in his soul. He thought of what he knew of Itachi. It had been several days since their return to the village and the Hokage had finally let him read the letter. It showed another side that he knew his brother had a long time ago, before he had entered the Academy. Itachi had cared a lot for Midori and his feelings for her were woven throughout his words. He had shown himself as a man, plain and simple. Not at all the monster Sasuke always remembered him as.
Itachi had loved that little boy long before he was born. It seemed like this kid was his way of trying to right the wrongs he felt he had done in his life. The letter also talked a little about how he wanted Sasuke to raise the child if anything should happen to Midori. Well, it looked like he might be the next in line for that job since the Hokage was having a hard time isolating the poison enough to extract it from Midori's heart. She and Sakura were still working on a solution, but it looked like they were getting nowhere.
Sasuke pulled out a scroll that he had kept hidden since his returned to Konoha, being careful not to let the rain touch it. He had stolen it from Madara. It was the sealing scroll that contained Itachi's body. Maybe it was time to turn it over to the Hokage. He ran his hand over the scroll as if trying to connect with what was hidden inside. The lightning crashed around him and he disappeared. Off to the Hokage's tower in the blink of an eye before he could change his mind.
