Doctor Love
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 13
A few days later, Izuna frowns. He had recently enjoyed dinner with most of his family. The fact that Madara hadn't been invited and Sasuke wasn't there, set off alarm bells in his head. Sasuke was up to something and Madara was meddling.
Whatever was going on, he was going to nip it in the bud. Sasuke was still young. He had an excuse. His older brother should know better than to carry on like a teenager.
"Well I had better call his half crazy ass." Izuna mutters as he does exactly that.
"Hello?" Madara's voice replies a few seconds later.
"Madara, I know you are getting into mischief with Sasuke. Honestly, what the Hell going on? You have the entire family worried sick." Izuna states.
Madara sighs. Damn it. Of course Mikoto would go running to her father. Izuna was very protective of his child and wouldn't allow himself to be kept in the dark. Maybe he could make him see reason though.
"You're right. I am, but this time it's for a very good reason. It's a long story though. I'm heading back to our place to pick up a few things. I'll explain there." Madara says.
"Alright. Get your ass back here. I'll just have to reschedule my date with Tsunade." He says.
"You got a date with Tsunade? Damn. The one with the giant melons?" Madara asks.
Izuna lets out an annoyed growl. He loved his brother. God help him, he did. But Madara could be rather crude sometimes. Some women found it amusing. Women like Tsunade, would smack him around like a piñata though.
"Yes, I did. If you did not refer to her large bosom was melons, she might have said yes to you. It's fine though. Family comes first. Tsunade understands that." Izuna replies.
"Just saying, she's a real looker. Nice job, brother. Still she's not exactly my type. She used to raise Holy Hell in her younger days, but now she's pretty straight laced. Well unless you get a few drinks in her anyway." The elder Uchiha brother says merrily.
Izuna sighs. He had no idea what he was going to do with Madara. Seriously, he still acted like he was 18. Oh well. It was probably nothing he could fix with a few smacks.
"I'll see you soon. You had better tell me everything." He informs him as he hangs up on Madara.
Sasuke shakes his head. Looks like grandpa Izuna was going to be joining them soon. His crazy great uncle could talk him into almost anything. Izuna was the far more normal of the two of them, but Madara was clearly the ringleader. They were a package deal really.
"I guess you can tell grandpa, but please make sure he doesn't tell mother and father." The raven haired Uchiha pleads.
"Of course, I will. I'm not stupid. Your parents would ruin all our fun. What kind of adventure will we have if they call the cops? Besides, the cops aren't going to be able to do anything to help us." The veteran reasons.
Hinata giggles and kisses Sasuke's cheek. By this point, she was growing accustomed to his relative's antics. Only Madara Uchiha would think facing off against a Crime Family was fun and an adventure.
"Has he always been like this?" She whispers.
"I don't know about always, but he's been like this as long as I can remember. I honestly think that the War really messed with his head. Maybe he was normal beforehand." Sasuke whispers back.
"I heard that!" Madara growls.
Sasuke at least has the decency to look embarrassed. Madara just shakes his head. Well he supposed it was a good sign that the two of them trusted each other enough to conspire with each other. That meant it was a strong bond.
"Anyway, I better get going. Izuna isn't the sort who takes being kept waiting very well. I shall return shortly. Don't worry. My brother may like to pretend to be a respectable person, but deep down he loves a good adventure as much as me." Madara says as he heads off.
"This won't end well." Neji says simply.
The youngest Uchiha frowns and couldn't help but agree. Madara had a knack for getting in trouble. He always landed on his feet though.
Hanabi was petting Shadow. That was on thing that Hinata was grateful for. Her sister didn't scare easily. Anyone else her age would have been falling to pieces by now. Not Hanabi though.
Meanwhile with the Kaguya Clan, Kimimaro was reading through every scrap of public record that he had been able to find on Sasuke and Hinata. Surely, he'd be able to find something that would help him find out where they were hiding.
"Well he isn't foolish enough to choose a place that either of them own. I doubt he's stupid enough to have them stay at a place either of their families own. Hinata disowned herself and I would be able to track them down too easily, if they chose a place that the Uchihas owned. So we have to expand our search to properties owned by their friends." Kimimaro reasons.
Jugo sighs. He really wished that Kimimaro would just let this go. There were plenty of women that would be happy to marry him and men. He didn't need to marry the Hyuga Princess or go on a murderous rampage.
"I doubt that Sasuke is going to go around bragging about shooting you. He's not that suicidal. Aren't you taking this a little too far?" Jugo inquires.
"He most likely wouldn't, but I don't like loose ends. That's how people like us get killed." The silver haired man tells him.
The gentle giant sighs. Sasuke's demise was rather imminent it seemed. The most he could do is ensure that it was over swiftly. Preferably, it would be over in such a way that Hinata wouldn't know that Kimimaro was responsible.
If she knew that he killed her lover, then she would never forgive him. That would be anything but a happy marriage. He did want his best friend to be happy.
"I'll take care of it. I don't think that Sasuke is idiotic enough to choose a close friend. Try a friend of a friend. He'd a connection that isn't obvious at first or second glance." Jugo states.
Kimimaro nods in approval. In addition to being strong and loyal, Jugo was also rather perceptive. Those were the main reasons his family kept him around. He had never let them down yet.
"That's true." The other man agrees.
Jugo looks through a list of Sasuke's friends. It looked like Naruto was his closest friend. So he had to find someone who was close to Naruto.
He frowns as he tries to figure out how it had come to this. How had such a gentle spirit like Kimimaro turned into a cold blooded killer? If it wasn't for the silver haired man, Jugo would have already been dead by now. He knew that his friend was a good person deep down. It was just that his family had brainwashed him.
He had been an orphan. Jugo was barely a teenager and starving. He had done something foolish and stolen some food from a house.
The young man had no idea that the house had belonged to a Kaguya. Soon enough, the owner came out and he head some friends. Gang members.
"I just wanted some food. I didn't take anything else, I swear!" He pleaded.
Jugo had always been large for his age. He was also pretty good in a fight. Unfortunately, he was outnumbered. A brutal beating started ensuing.
"No one steals from a Kaguya! Any least words, you dog?" One of the men demanded.
"No! Stop it! Is our family reduced to killing starving street kids?" A young man, about this age inquired as he walked out.
There was something positively regal about him. Jugo had never seen hair that color or eyes so bright. He moved far too gracefully for a boy that age.
"He stole from us. We have to take him out. We'll be the laughingstock of the criminal world if we allow stray dogs to steal from us." He countered.
"We'll be bigger laughingstocks if they find out that we are reduced to beating up starving teenagers in a five to one fight." Kimimaro snapped.
Jugo couldn't believe it. The other man had saved him! He might actually get out of this alive.
"I'm Kimimaro by the way. What's your name?" He asked.
"Jugo. Thanks for saving me." The orange haired boy replied.
Every since that day, he had done his best to protect his friend. That hadn't been an easy feat. Kimimaro belonged to one of the largest Crime Families in the world. He was always getting into dangerous situations!
"Naruto is close to a man called Gaara. The red head does seem to own several properties. Maybe Sasuke and Hinata are hiding in one of them." The silver haired criminal muses.
"It's more likely than not." Jugo agrees.
Elsewhere Sasuke takes Hinata outside. He places a gun in her hands. The bluentte looks at him and blinks.
"Why did you give me a gun?" She asks in confusion.
"Kimimaro is strong and fast. He's not faster than a bullet though. I know that much. So I got us some guns. I'm going to teach you how to shoot. Oh and Neji and Hanabi as well. They need to be able to protect themselves as too. I doubt Kimimaro will stop at just targeting me." Sasuke reasons.
The Hyuga woman couldn't argue with his logic. Still she frowns. She had never thought that she would use a gun before.
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea. I've never fired one before. I might hurt someone on accident." She mumbles.
"Hinata, you are a nurse. You are very good at being precise. That skill can transfer over to other areas. I'd feel better, if I knew that you had an easier way to protect yourself." Sasuke says as he kisses her forehead.
She bites her lower lip nervously. After a moment, she nods her head. Granted, she didn't really want to use a lethal weapon. But in this situation, she had to.
"Alright. I guess it couldn't hurt to at least try." She says.
"Good. Now this is the trigger. There are a lot of places you can shoot someone without killing them. It doesn't have to be a kill shot. Shooting him in the leg, would do just fine in most cases." Doctor Love says.
It was ironic, she muses. Doctor Love was teaching her how to shoot a gun. It was such a bizarre twist of fate. In a strange way, it was funny. She starts laughing.
"Hinata, are you alright?" Neji asks in concern when he notices his cousin was now laughing at nothing.
"Oh. Yes, I'm alright. It's just that Sasuke's nickname is Doctor Love and he's teaching me how to shoot a gun. I found that odd is all." She confesses.
Neji raises an eyebrow at that title. There was definitely a story behind it. He was going to force Sasuke to tell him it later on. For now, the Uchiha had a point. All of them needed to be ready for what was about to happen next.
"That is kinda funny." Hanabi agrees.
"…" Sasuke is speechless.
Hyugas could be rather a rather strange lot sometimes. He shakes his head in amusement. Sasuke places his hand on Hinata's and shows her how to fire it.
"Aim at the target and keep practicing. I got us plenty of ammunition, so don't worry about running out of bullets." He assures her.
Hinata nods and fires it off. Sasuke blinks. Well she was definitely a natural. He makes a quick mental note never to get on Hinata's bad side.
Neji and Hanabi also practice. The foursome spends several hours practicing. Shadow watches curiously. It was strange. All the loud noises were scary, but his humans didn't seem scared.
If they weren't scared, everything had to be okay. Right? Surely, they'd be scared if something bad was going on.
"Come on. That's enough practice for the day. Let's go inside and get some dinner." Sasuke says as he heads into the Log Cabin.
The Hyugas quickly follow. Hanabi quickly prepares something. Sasuke was surprised by this, but decides not to argue.
"She's seen a couple cooking shows. Now she fancies herself the next big thing in the culinary arts." Neji notes with amusement.
"Ah I see. Oh well. It's probably best to humor her." Sasuke says and the other two Hyugas nod in agreement.
After dinner, Sasuke and Hinata head to their room. The bluenette sits in the bed and was taking off her shoes, when Sasuke snuck up behind her. He places something on her neck.
Hinata blinks and looks down. It was a beautiful silver chained necklace with a ruby in the shape of a heart on it. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but that hadn't been it.
"After this is all over, I want you to move in with me for real. I like Hanabi and Neji, but I would prefer it if we could have some privacy." Sasuke tells her and kisses her cheek.
"Sasuke, it's beautiful. Are you sure? This is really expensive looking and you already got me Shadow. I'd like that too though. I love them, but you're right. Showers would be a lot easier without living in the same house as them." The Hyuga woman whispers as her cheeks turn a dark shade of red.
Sasuke nods. He'd never been more sure about anything in his life really. Thank God, she said yes. It was starting to get more than a little frustrating, knowing that she had a very protective cousin who was watching their every move.
"I'm sure. Oh and just accept the necklace. Let me pamper you are little bit. It's the least I can do after shooting your intended and bringing the wrath of a Crime Family down on us." He notes in amusement.
"Well maybe a little pampering is okay." She says with a smile and kisses him.
"Good." Sasuke says after he returns the kiss.
Meanwhile Madara arrives back at his home. Izuna was waiting for him. He winces. Oh yeah. His brother was rather angry with him. That much was obvious.
"You had better tell me exactly what is going on." Izuna demands.
"Alright. Well it seems Sasuke went and found himself a sexy nurse." Madara begins.
Izuna raises an eyebrow. Good for his grandson. He didn't see why that necessitated all this cloak and dagger stuff though. There had to be more to the story than that.
"Somehow, I doubt that is all there is to it. Good for him though. I'm glad that my grandson found someone. Now tell me the rest of the story." His younger brother orders him.
"Has anyone ever told you that you are extremely bossy? It can be rather annoying at times. I hope Tsunade doesn't mind. Otherwise she's not going to give you a second date." Madara inquires.
The younger Uchiha twitches. Sometimes he wondered if his brother liked being beaten up. It would certainly explain his behavior rather well in these types of situations.
"That's assuming that I can even have a first date with her. Stop stalling. You know that I hate it when you beat around the bush." Izuna insists.
"Right. Well it seems the Hyugas got themselves involved with the Kaguyas. They are a Crime Family. So are the Hyugas, but they specialize in White Collar stuff. Anyway, Hiashi got it into his head that the best way to formalize an alliance was through a marriage. Unfortunately for him, Hinata disowned herself before he told her that." The wild haired man continues.
Izuna blinks. What was Madara saying? Sasuke had somehow involved himself in the middle of two Crime Family's dramas?!
"Oh dear God. His life could be in danger if that's the case. Let me guess, the Kaguya that was supposed to be Hinata's husband, isn't letting her go that easily and a confrontation ensued. That was why he showed up at hospital with broken ribs!" Izuna exclaims.
Madara nods. His brother was still as clever as ever. He knew that if he told him a bit of the story, Izuna would be able to fill in the gaps.
"That's right. Hinata, Sasuke, and a couple of her family members are hiding out in a Log Cabin owned by a friend of a friend. For now that's all that they can do. I am helping Sasuke prepare though. The Kaguyas aren't the type of people who are going to take this sort of thing laying down." The older Uchiha says.
This was insanity. He knew that Madara liked to involve himself in "adventures." The old coot was desperate for some excitement in his twilight years, but this was borderline suicidal.
"I suppose I have no choice but to help you all. If I leave you to your own devices, it's likely you will get yourself killed. Alright, what do we know?" He says with a heavy sigh.
Madara smiles. He knew that he could count on his brother. When push came to shove, Izuna would always back him up. No matter what. That's what brothers were there for, after all.
"I knew that you'd see reason. Well first, you might want to pack up a few things. We are going to be staying at their Cabin for awhile. So you'll need some clothes and other stuff." Madara says as he heads off to begin packing.
Izuna shakes his head. He couldn't help but wonder what on Earth he had gotten himself into. This was playing with fire and they both knew it.
"My poor grandson has gotten himself into a fine mess." He mutters in annoyance.
Elsewhere Itachi was speaking with his mother. If anyone could get to the bottom of this, it was Mikoto Uchiha. Their family dinner had gone well and Izuna had promised to try to find out what was going on with Sasuke.
"Do you think he can really do it? Sasuke has become so secretive as of late. I don't know where he went off to. It's almost as if he fell off the face of the Earth. That tells me that he doesn't want to be found." The Hospital Administrator observes.
"Sasuke has always been very close to your grandfather. I'm certain that Izuna will be able to find him. They are so much alike. It's almost eerie sometimes. Well they are mostly alike. Izuna is more of a flirt than Sasuke is. Actually, I think Shisui gets his flirtatious nature from your grandfather." She muses with a smile.
"Hey!" Shisui protests when he peeks his head into the lunchroom.
"Oh you can feign your protests all you want. We all know that it's true. I never said it was a bad thing. Your antics are rather amusing. By the way, how are things going with Neji and Tenten?" She inquires.
Shisui sighs. Well things had been going pretty well with the lab technician and paramedic, until Neji had disappeared. He had sent Tenten a text stating that he was going on a family vacation and she hadn't heard from him since.
"No idea. He went missing the same time Hinata and Sasuke did. My best guess is that they all took off. I don't know why though. But I suspect it has something to do with his broken ribs. I don't think that it was a random mugger." He admits.
Itachi nods. He had been having very similar thoughts to his cousin recently. Sasuke got broken ribs and not long after, he disappeared with Hinata (and apparently two members of her family).
It couldn't be a coincidence. He wasn't born yesterday. Something was going on.
"Tenten must be worried to death." Fugaku says as he strides into the room.
"Yeah. She's pretty shaken up. Tenten is smart. I think she kinda senses something is going on. I wish that I could tell her that it was all going to be okay. I want to believe that it's just a family vacation, but I don't." Shisui admits.
"Perhaps I should give Izuna a call." Mikoto says.
"That would probably be best." Her husband agrees and the dark beauty takes out her cell phone.
She quickly dials the number. The mother of two was extremely grateful when Izuna picked up almost immediately. Her father was very good at answering his phone quickly.
"Father, have you spoken to Sasuke yet?" She asks.
"Not yet, but I'm going to speak with him soon. It seems that he just wanted to go on a romantic getaway with his pretty nurse. They took Hanabi and Neji as well. I guess that Neji just wants to chaperone and Hanabi couldn't pass up the chance to see Hawaii." He says smoothly.
Izuna hated to lie to his own daughter. Still the last thing that any of them needed was for Mikoto Uchiha to start panicking. That wouldn't end well. So a few white lies were necessary.
"Oh thank God. We've all been worried sick. It's just a romantic getaway to Hawaii? I didn't realize that Hinata and Sasuke were so serious. Hmm maybe that means that he's going to propose soon! That means that I might be a grandmother in the near future." She says happily.
"Well I think that is putting the cart before the horse. Still they do seem rather fond of each other. Sasuke would do almost anything of the girl, I think. I have to go now. I finally convinced Madara to give the Rinnegan Senior Center a try. If we don't hurry, finding parking will be rather difficult." Her father says.
Mikoto giggles. She couldn't believe that Izuna had finally talked Madara into going there. The man just refused to accept that he was old. Izuna had gone into his twilight years with a sense of grace and dignity. Madara still acted like a teenager though.
"Alright. Have fun. Tell him that I love him." She says.
"I will. Goodbye, my dear." Izuna says as he hangs up on his daughter and he gives Madara an annoyed look.
Madara sighs. He knew what that look was for. Izuna wasn't happy about having to lie to Mikoto. Still it had to be done. They couldn't have them calling the police. That would certainly only make things worse.
"You know that it had to be done." The elder Uchiha says.
"I know. That doesn't make it any easier though. She's such a good girl. Anyway, let's finish packing. Sasuke needs our help. The sooner we get there, the better for him." Izuna says.
He couldn't believe that somehow his grandson had gotten involved with not one, but two Crime Families. This was like something out of an old detective novel or something. Thank goodness, that Madara had realized what was going on. Maybe they could find a way to resolve this.
"Oh don't look so forlorn. Think of it as a grand adventure. This could be fun. Let's go rough up some gang members. It'll be just like the old days. You know back in the army and that other division tried to mess with us. We gave them what for, didn't we?" Madara asks smugly.
Izuna smirks. He remembered that incident well. Unfortunately, that was then. This was now. They had families to think of. They couldn't just brazenly risk their lives like that.
"Yes, we certainly did. I doubt that it will be so easy this time though." He whispers.
"Oh stop being such an old fuddy duddy. We can do this. Well it looks like we are all packed. Let's head to the Log Cabin and prepare for battle." Madara says cheerfully.
Izuna smacks his forehead. His brother was completely insane. He was acting like this was some kind of video game. It wasn't. This was real life.