A Second Take
Summary: Boruto and Sarada are in for a few surprises, neither of them knowing the identity of their mothers, they decide to take a peek into the past,only to send their precious Nanadaime back into a time where he almost lost someone he truly cared for. Will things change with Naruto meeting the Sasuke of the past before he ran off to Orochimaru?
A/N: This chapter will start at about the same time as the last one did, the half regarding Naruto in the past, that is.
While Naruto was waiting for Sasuke to wake up in Konohagakure, the Otokage was fuming in his hidden village...
To say that Orochimaru was pissed would be an understatement. His prided and both famous and infamous Sound Four had returned three hours ago to tell him that they had failed their mission. They had returned, empty handed, when he needed his new vessel now. As he had had no choice, he had listened to Kabuto's urgent demands that he forget about the Uchiha until the next time he can switch bodies and the Snake Sannin had not been happy with that, but had complied. After all, if he were dead, he wouldn't be able to get one of those delicious Uchiha bodies.
So here he was, sitting wrapped in bandages on his ''throne'' as he contemplated what to do with his useless shinobi that had failed hims so spectacularly. At any other time, he would have just had them wiped and then left them like that without allowing Kabuto, or anyone else, to help them until they healed naturally. Or he would torture them through the Cursed Seals, but this situation deserved a far more severe punishment.
However, there was also the situation with Sasuke-kun still not being in his grasp. He may be set, or rather trapped, in this body for the next three years, but he must cultivate his new body into the best possible vessel and he can't do that if the Uchiha is not within his domain of influence. He had thought he was set with the boy's hatred towards his own brother to fuel the Cursed Seal of Heaven that would both feed his anger and then feast upon it. He had thought Sasuke's desire for revenge would be enough to bring the boy right into his hands.
And then his men returned with the news that a strange blond man had trailed after Sasuke-kun and had managed to convince him not to give himself away to someone like Orochimaru. They told him how he had easily persuaded Sasuke-kun's young mind ... by telling him the truth. Orochimaru still fumed at the thought that he had not sensed someone during that confrontation with the elder Uchiha brother. Not only had Itachi made a fool of him, but someone had been witness to it as well. He briefly wondered if the Uchiha had known and had not fished the other out just because he saw that that man, whoever he was, might one day meet Sasuke and redirect him away from Orochimaru.
But that would be ridiculous, as not even the great Uchiha Itachi can look into the future.
And then there was the fact that Orochimaru had never heard about this supposed rival of Itachi's before. Sure, he and the Uchiha weren't exactly buddy-buddy, but he had been around the man long enough to know that he was practically obsessed with his little brother and cared very little for other things. Why would someone like that have a rival he would talk to off the battlefield as if he were a friend? Yet, he had to be close to him to know about the reason he killed the Uchiha Clan...
The deathly pale man (by nature) resisted the urge to scowl or rub his forehead, as his new face needed at least a day to settle. Kabuto will bitch at him if he somehow manages to damage the skin in this early stage and the silver haired man was areal pain in the neck most of the time as it was. He really didn't need him complaining about every little thing.
This new man was also incredibly strong, if the Sound Four were to be believed. Now, Sakon and Ukon, Jirobo, Kidomaru and Tayuya weren't the Snake Sannin's for nothing. They were extremely strong, with only two other Sound ninja being stronger and more talented than them. One was Kabuto, the other was the fifth, former member of Sound Five before he fell ill. This blond man had defeated them within a handful of minutes, somehow managing to scare the life out of Tayuya, who doesn't scare easy. She insisted that he was a monster and so it had occurred to Orochimaru that it might have been Naruto-kun, but there was no way. Even with his description resembling the boy so much, this man was over twice his age. He was apparently far more matured, as well. Not to mention that Naruto-kun couldn't know anything about the massacre. Not even that old pervert, Jiraiya, could tell him those details, because the white-haired porn writer hadn't been in the village that night and had never found out more than the clan being murdered by one of their own.
And now, not only do they have a new opponent, Sasuke-kun knows the truth and probably no longer hates his brother. Soon enough, he'll be able to rely less and less on the Cursed Seal and Kakashi's damned Evil Sealing Method will work almost perfectly. And if Sasuke doesn't hate Itachi and instead tries to bring him back to Konoha, Orochimaru will have an enemy he will never be able to defeat placed as a road block in his path of fulfilling his revenge on the damned village.
And all because of this new blond!
And as if all of that wasn't enough, just as he was sending off the whole Sound Five back for his new container, he had felt it: the Cursed Seal of Heaven he had placed on Uchiha Sasuke was removed. Sasuke was free. Orochimaru had no doubts that it had been the doing of this new blond man.
This, however, didn't change anything in his new plan. He had come up with the perfect strategy to draw Sasuke into his clutches, by using the Uchiha blood running through his veins against him. Orochimaru had no doubts that the village would have already noticed the Uchiha's absence and will send out troops to search for him. Uzumaki Naruto, Sasuke-kun's teammate and friend, no matter how much the both of them denied t, would surely follow after his missing friend. As soon as they picked up his shinobi's trail, they will signal him and he will mask himself as Sasuke and take the Uchiha's place as it would have been in the first operation of extracting Sasuke from the village. They would separate the little bond from the rest of the search party and have him fight ''Sasuke'', where he will die.
By the time Sasuke-kun learns of Naruto going after ''him'', even with the help of this new blond man, he will arrive too late and Orochimaru will disguise himself as some Konoha shinobi that hated Naruto for being the container for the Kyuubi. The rest would be up to the Uchiha's infamous Curse of Hatred. Sasuke will hate the village so much that he might actually manage to level Konoha to the ground all on his own. It wouldn't really surprise Orochimaru, as he has read what Tobirama and his older brother, Hashirama, had wrote about Uchiha Madara and Izuna. Uchihas, in their rage and Curse of Hatred caused by the pain of losing someone precious, were scary.
Once Sasuke was once again filled with hate, he will be Orochimaru's for the taking. He now only had to capture Naruto-kun and kill him. And that worked well with his other plans regarding Uchiha Itachi and the group he travels with, the Akatsuki, as they are after the nine biju, mostly desiring the amazing powers of the Kyuubi no Yoko. It will be a shame to destroy such power, as he had wanted it for himself as well, but it is better than to let it fall into the hands of his enemies.
Yes, Orochimaru will do and sacrifice everything to get Uchiha Sasuke's body.
00000
It was evening by the time the promised soaking could happen, as Sasuke had taken two hours to master walking on water and then demanded that he be thought a new technique or two. Deciding that it wouldn't be such a bad idea, Naruto decided to teach him some other techniques he would be familiar with at that age and decided that Zabuza and Haku were the best examples, so he had taught Sasuke to make a Mizu Bunshin, the Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu and the Suiton: Suiryƫdan no Jutsu. As Sasuke, who was an Uchiha and had a greater affinity towards fire and, surprisingly to the younger male, lightning, the Suiton techniques were a bit harder for him to grasp, even with the Sharningan. He took about two to three hours of practice to get them right, but the new increase in chakra levels paid off and he had been able to learn those techniques before almost collapsing from fatigue.
In the meantime, Naruto had gotten them something to eat and had started thinking of ways to get back to his own time. He will have to return to the kids, if no one else, He knows that Konohamaru would make a fine Hachidaime, if he were never to return, and Konoha would still prosper under hi lead. However, he had to look after his kids. There were so many things he had to tell them. So many things he still wanted to do with them. He still longed to tell Sarada more about her dad and explain to her why her mom was never really a thing to talk about. And he wondered what Boruto must be thinking now that he knows he is capable of using the Sharingan...
Kami, he had messed up. He had wanted to just be there for them all but Sakura-chan had suggested that it be better if he didn't introduce himself to Sarada as what he actually was to her since she might eventually blame him for Sasuke's absence in her life. Kakashi had told him that she will most likely start asking about her parents at one point and Itachi had been a heaven-sent when they had revived him. And Boruto will be pissed when he learns that his own Otou-san is not only a coward but a freak as well. They will never trust him again and who knows what they'll do!? He knows he deserves it, but it still hurts.
However, that doesn't change the fact that he will have to return sooner rather than later. Sasuke was returning within days and he will skip out on the meeting with Boruto, Mitsuki and Himawari if he can. He had never come near them, although Naruto couldn't really understand why. Sure, he had once thought that Sasuke was bitter because of Himawari being a child Naruto had with another person but why would he be cold towards Boruto? It had only later occurred to him that Sasuke had no idea as to who Boruto was and Naruto was too big of a chicken to tell him. After all, if he knew, Sasuke would feel obliged to stay in Konoha and give up his travels, something he clearly liked, if not loved.
Naruto could never be the one to take that freedom away, so he never told him.
A move that, even to this day, the Rookie 9 still called him an idiot over. Even Hinata-chan. Now that's saying something.
He was brought out of his musings as a few more men entered the public baths and he looked over to Sasuke, who looked ... relaxed, for maybe the third or fourth time Naruto had ever seen him be in their long lives (as in, his and the older Sasuke's). He had always been tense and angry, ready to take off and get stronger or get his revenge as soon as he gets a good enough chance. Or any sort of chance, rally. He had not cared about chance back then, only fulfilling his promise of killing the murderer of his family. Now that he no longer needs to run after Itachi seeking vengeance, Naruto realized that Sasuke was allowing himself to act as a normal human being for the first time in the past four years.
Mmm, he himself had forgotten that feeling, if he was honest with himself. The blond relaxed in the soothing water, thanking whoever had invented hot springs in his mind and praising their genius. He opens his eyes when he feels a ninja coming in. A blond eyebrow shoots up when he sees Ebisu walk in with some jonin he didn't know. He feels ripples of water from his right side and looks over to see Sasuke had slid down a bit,,as though trying to hide. Naruto didn't say anything until Ebisu and the other man walked over to the far side of the men's baths to the wall separating them from the women's part and they settled down. The blond shook his head; he had been right. Ebisu was a closet pervert.
Sasuke relaxed when he wasn't noticed. It had never occurred to him that the search party ought to have been sent by now until that very moment. After all, there was no way Sakura hadn't told anyone. He looked over to his new sensei and wondered if he had contacted the Hokage to tell her that Sasuke was still in the village and had no plans of going to Orochimaru. He decided not to dwell on that. After all, they were here to relax.
"Kurama-sensei?"
"Mmm?"
"You said a friend you haven't seen for a while will be coming to your house. Why didn't you see him? Why did he leave?"
Blue eyes opened as Naruto looked up to stare at the first stars that were slowly appearing. He was suddenly reminded of his stay in the Hidden Village of Hoshi and how beautiful the sky was there. He wondered if Sasuke had ever been there? The older Sasuke, that is. After all, with all of his travels, he ought to have at least passed it once.
"My friend once did something really bad and he was forced to go on a reconcilement journey. Not that he minded. He loves traveling. After the time was up and he could come home, however, he was assigned a mission that would always keep him on the go. He rarely visited and I missed him very much. Now, he is coming back for a little rest and relaxation and I can't wait to see him!"
"What is he like?" The raven haired genin asked again and Kurama found it funny to point out to Naruto that he was asking about his older self. Naruto shushed the demon before answering.
"Arrogant bastard that he is, he is my best friend. He can be cold and antisocial but he is just looking for someone who would offer him companionship without pity. He's really strong and stubborn. He's a genius. He's an idiot." Sasuke looked torn between laughter and being dumbfounded at the snort that escaped Naruto when he said that. "He's ... he's lonely, more often than should be healthy. He can be really really caring and overprotective, but that's just the way he is. He's brave and sometimes reckless, he's headstrong and does as he wants but he is also very loyal and dedicated. He is strong, like, really really strong. He could take the world on in a fight and win. He is a hardworking person and once he sets his mind onto something, there's really no changing it. He can be annoying at times and has quite a temper ... when he explodes, that is. Usually he just acts all cool and impassive. We always argued and fought each other. We were rivals and friends and enemies all rolled into one. He is very strange."
"I can see that but I kind of can't see how you've become friends if you were at any point enemies." The pale male said as he, too, looked up at the stars. He couldn't remember the last time he was this relaxed. Must have been years, really.
"He is my most important person," Kurama-sensei's reply didn't surprise the teen. After all, he had heard the gentle fondness in the man's voice as he talked. It sealed what Sasuke had already known to be fate: Kurama would leave him either way, but because someone so important is coming, the blond will probably leave sometime tomorrow. After all, he just admitted that he couldn't wait to see this friend. And for some reason, Sasuke wasn't even bitter about Kurama-sensei leaving. For some absurd reason, it filled him with warmth of happiness. He was really weird today. He decided to try and steer the conversation away from Kurama's inevitable departure when his eyes landed on the only garment of cloth still on the older man. The white bandage on his right arm was still present.
"Are you injured?" Naruto looked at him strangely so the boy explained his meaning. "You're always wearing that bandage."
"Oh, this," he said as he presented his bandaged arm, looking at the palm of his hand as if it held the answers to all of life's many mysteries. Knowing what was under that bandage, Naruto wouldn't be surprised if it did. "No. I've got a seal there that I don't like others seeing. It was placed on me when I almost died and it kinda brought me back to life. My friend has a similar seal and we both hide it because our other friends found it amusing to call these seals our marriage rings. Those idiots."
"Can I see it?"
"Excuse me," a familiar voice interrupted them and Naruto sighed in both annoyance and thanks as he would really rather not reveal the Sun Seal. They looked up to see Ebisu staring down at them and Sasuke shifted uneasily, cursing under his breath for forgetting all about the two jonin in the bath house. "But may I know who you are, stranger-san." Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the treatment Naruto was getting but the blond man simply smiled up at the jonin. He hadn't feared Ebisu when he had just graduated the Academy. He still had the perfect weapon against him.
"Sasuke, close your eyes and cover your ears. There's about to be a lot of blood involved."
The Uchiha looked at him in horror and the blue eyed male winked at him. Sasuke did as he was told, wondering what his sensei would do but trusting the man that it won't be anything that will label them as criminals. As soon as Sasuke did as he was told, Naruto stood up and drew himself to his full hight. The two jonin tensed, ready for a fight and Naruto allowed a distinctly Sasuke-smirk to appear on his lips. He brought up one of his hands, smirk still in place as twenty Kage Bunshin appeared, surrounding the pool. The other men in the bath house stopped whatever they were doing to watch the confrontation going on. Ebisu felt a deja vu like sense of dread as this situation seemed all too similar to the one he had half a year ago with another blond.
And then the words that were the downfall of many left Naruto's lips. All twenty one Narutos' lips.
"HENGE!"
