Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: You will find out more about Izuna and Madara. I made up a Jinchuuriki Calendar and hint at some of Jinchuuirki religious beliefs. This is not story is not meant to make any sort of statement about religious belief systems or the lack of them. I selected the numbers for the calendar, mostly at random to show that this is a very old and advanced civilization.
Chapter Warning: I found myself tearing up while writing parts of this chapter. If anyone else is the same way, please remember that I only write happy endings.
Chapter 14
A few hours later, Sasuke was in Naruto's room. Well room was a bit of an understatement. Sasuke was pretty sure an entire city block could have fit inside it. Though he supposed that made sense. Naruto was a prince after all.
"Yeah, so here is a history book. It's got lots of stuff about your ancestors in it. You're famous!" The blonde says as if he thought this was just the coolest thing ever.
"Thanks. I really hope that he was famous for good things and that your people don't think that I'm some sort of homicidal manic that has found the Fountain of Youth or something." He murmurs as he opens the book and begins reading.
Madara and Izuna Uchiha were two of the Uchiha Clan's most famous members. The Uchiha Clan was a noble family that was well known for producing Nine Tail warriors. The brothers came of age during the Great Awakening.
The Great Awakening is generally considered to have begun in the 10000th year of Kyuubi and ended during the 12000th year of the 53rd Kyuubi Era. During this time, Jinchuurikis made enormous advances in space travel and were able to explore space at a far faster rate than ever before. Tens of thousands of new galaxies were discovered and so were many intelligent life forms.
The brothers were viewed as the strongest warriors on Konoha. They were generally sent as ambassadors to other planets when intelligent life forms were discovered.
Madara, the elder brother, often dealt with more aggressive species. His displays of strength and ruthlessness often impressed them into viewing Konoha either was a worthy ally or at least a planet that they didn't wish to make an enemy of.
Izuna, the younger brother, was the widely viewed as the more "mellow" of the two. He is credited with founding the Royal Library which has become a center for intergalactic scholarship over the centuries and the Allied Forces.
Izuna believed that it was imperative to forge not only monetary and cultural ties with "friendly" planets, but also military alliances. He thought this would deter other planets from attacking Konoha later on.
While Izuna was forming the Allied Forces, Madara continued to lead the efforts to improve our space exploration technology and strengthen our weapons and defensive systems. Madara was the first person to design a shield that could cover an entire planet in event of an attack and responsible for the creation of the Rinnegan Cannon. This cannon is now on every warship in the Konoha Fleet.
Unfortunately, tragedy would later strike the brothers. Madara's mate was a Senju named Hashirama. The Senji was a race of beings that are deeply connected to nature and often have either psychic or healing powers.
Despite being passionately in love, the Mating was not successful. Hashirama was the leader of his planet and couldn't leave it to be with Madara. Madara was too dedicated to Konoha to leave his own planet. Thus their bond was broken and the Mates went their separate ways.
The broken bond drove Madara to madness. It was only thanks to Izuna that Madara didn't destroy the Leaf in a rage. No one knows what the final fate of the brothers ended up being.
We do know one thing though. Izuna managed to defeat his brother in battle and escort him onto a warship. (Madara was already weak from a self-imposed starvation and thus Izuna had the advantage in this final battle). But neither was heard from ever again.
It is assumed that both are dead, but no bodies have been recovered. To this day, the Legend of the Two Brothers is still widely known and many Jinchuuriki do hope that one day, they might return.
Hashirama continued his reign for centuries, eventually taking a wife and producing a single heir. Thus his bloodline still continues on. Most assume it was strategic marriage and not a love match, despite the Queen's beauty. The two of them turned their planet into one that is renowned across the universe as a symbol of peace and scientific advancement.
"That is so tragic." Sasuke mutters as he finishes reading about his ancestors' lives.
"Yeah. It's really sad. A broken bond is rare. If Hashirama hadn't been the leader of his planet or Madara had been willing to leave Konoha, the bond wouldn't have been broken. I guess that's why so many people want to believe that their out there somewhere and still alive. Everyone wants a happy ending." Naruto says and Sasuke nods.
Sasuke nods. He couldn't imagine what Naruto would do if their bond was broken. He felt bad for Madara and his brother. He tried to picture him and Itachi in such a situation and he couldn't do it.
"It says during the 10000th and 12000th year of Kyubbi. How do your people keep track of years?" Sasuke asks.
"I guess it's sorta similar to your Chinese Years. We go in cycles. Konoha has Nine Gods and Goddesses. We have eras. Eras last 12,000 years. After Kyubbi, the Golden Era starts which also lasts 12,000 years." Naruto says.
"Uh huh. So what is the Golden Era exactly?" Sasuke asks.
"Well generally the Golden Era is considered to have the best aspects from all the previous cycle's eras and to be considered a time of good fortune. Most of our kind only live a thousand years or so. So despite having been through these cycles before, your odds of being alive during a golden era are slim. We happen to be at the beginning of a Golden Era now. Which must be why I found you." Naruto explains with a grin.
Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Naruto could be very romantic when he wanted to be. He highly doubted his arrival was somehow cosmically designed to coincide with the Golden Era. But he didn't have an issue with letting Nauto believe that, if it made him happy.
"That's sweet in a very sappy way." Sasuke says and kisses Naruto's cheek.
"It's the truth." Naruto says and wraps his wings around Sasuke.
"Shit! Um is it possible to get in touch with Earth from here? Itachi and I really should probably try to talk to Tsunade." He mutters.
Naruto's eyes flash gold. Sasuke gulps slightly. Yeah, Naruto was still angry with Tsunade. Damn. The younger Uchiha suddenly notes with some alarm, that Naruto can really carry a grudge.
"Yeah. It's possible. I wouldn't bother though. We aren't going to attack Earth over her bad behavior." He mutters.
"Naruto, she wasn't behaving badly. She was just concerned for my well-being. Besides, we know that you won't attack Earth. But she doesn't. I don't want people panicking down there. I mean we left a message, but still." He says.
The blonde sighs. He hands Sasuke the circular device. The prince quickly explains that he left one in Tsunade's pocket. He had slipped it in there, while she wasn't looking in case something like this happened.
"Thank you." Sasuke says with a smile.
"I'd do anything for you. That even includes allowing your Queen to hear your voice, even though she does not deserve that privilege after what she pulled." He mutters in annoyance and Sasuke places the call.
Meanwhile Itachi was walking with Gaara around the palace. The red head was giving him a tour. A medical scan had shown that the red head's blood head been filtered out of his system by now, but he still felt different.
It was hard to articulate exactly. He felt more alive somehow. Hyper almost. He supposed this was what a cat felt like before it would lunge at a mouse. Was this this the normal state of being for Gaara's people?
"So basically, the other Jinchuuriki are going to think my brother is either Izuna or more than likely they will believe Sasuke is his ghost?" He asks softly.
"That's correct. We might actually have to make a public announcement that he isn't. I'm sure the rumors are already spreading. This would be the human equivalent of King Arthur strolling down the streets of England on Earth. It's going to cause a reaction. I just hope it doesn't cause a panic." The Kazekage replies.
Itachi nods. The elder Uchiha brother idly wonders how Gaara knew about King Arthur, but he quickly dismisses that thought. It was possible he had just read it in one of the many history books that Itachi had lent the red head.
The engineer then frowns and bites his lower lip. He had seen the picture of Izuna. The engineer could certainly understand why people might think that about Sasuke. An announcement might be the wisest course of action to take.
"I would hate to put him through that sort of spectacle before he is comfortable being on this planet. But it might be necessary." The Kage continues.
"I understand completely. I'm sure that Sasuke does as well. Don't worry about it." Itachi says.
"Come. I am curious about something. Let's see what class is most dominant in you." Gaara says with a smile and takes Itachi's hand.
Itachi raises an eyebrow. He had heard about the different classes. Naruto was a warrior. Gaara was a member of the ruling class. He didn't think that humans could get tasted for classes.
"Does that work on humans and how is this test conducted? Is it painful?" He inquires cautiously.
"The class test can be performed on any species. The most accurate reading is a blood test. But as long as you give a genetic sample, you still get a very accurate reading. A hair, skin, or saliva sample also works. I would never have you do something that was painful, merely to sate my curiosity." Gaara assures him.
Itachi nods. Well he supposed he was a little curious. After all, apparently a tiny part of him was Jinchuuriki. Arguably, it was a microscopic part. Still the results could prove interesting.
"Alright. I am a little skittish about giving a blood sample. I think a hair sample might be best." He says and Gaara leads him off to be tested.
"My Mate would like to be Class Tested. He wishes to provide a hair sample." Gaara explains.
The other Jinchuuriki nods. He smiles and takes the hair that Itachi provided. The doctor, well at least Itachi thought he was a doctor, places it inside a machine. Soon enough a card is ejected from the machine.
"That will list your classes. Well that or class. Extremely rare to be 100% though." The doctor explains.
"What's it say?" Gaara asks curiously as he tries to peek over his Mate's shoulder to get a look.
"40% scholar, 30% warrior, 20% nurturer, and 10% ruler class." He says.
Gaara blinks. Most people tended to have two or three classes. It was fairly rare to get four, especially when it was relatively evenly distributed.
"What is nurturer?" Itachi asks after a few moments.
"Oh they are the class of people that are generally responsible for looking after hatchlings, when the parents are unable to. They are our teachers and caregivers. There is sometimes a slight overlap with the healer class. In that case, those nurturers specialize in the medical care of hatchlings." Gaara explains.
"Well that makes sense. Hmm we should have Sasuke take this." Itachi muses.
It could be worth more than a chuckle to see what results his brother got. Yes, Itachi was definitely going to have Sasuke take the test. This would be fun.
"What were your results?" The engineer asks the Kazekage curiously.
"70% ruling class and 30% warrior." Gaara answers him.
"Is that considered normal to have it tilted so heavily?" Itachi asks curiously.
Gaara considers the question. Hmm well yes and no. How could he possibly explain this?
"Most people's dominant class is expressed much higher than their secondary classes. For any one class to hit 70% or above, is fairly rare and considered a very strong preference." He explains.
"Ah I see. Did you ever test Kisame?" He asks with a mischievous smirk.
Gaara shakes his head. No way. If Kisame got a higher warrior percentage, he'd never let him live it down. It was bad enough being called Sandy. The red head wasn't going to allow the other alien to call him a dove.
"No. I don't think that's a good idea. He's naturally competitive." Gaara informs Itachi.
Itachi chuckles. That could prove most amusing. He nods his head sympathetically at his Mate's assessment. God only knows what the Akatsuki had done to merit it.
He bites his lower lip and stops chuckling. He'd thought of Gaara as his Mate. The engineer knew he no longer had the excuse of the Kazekage's blood influencing him anymore. Was this how Sasuke felt about Naruto? It felt so utterly foreign and at the same time so natural to think of the other man this way.
Meanwhile on planet Chidori, Izuna frowns as he watches the video feed. It couldn't be. He knew that his union with his Mate had borne him a hatchling. But as was so often the case in those days on Earth, she died in childbirth.
He simply didn't have the technology required to help her give birth in the manner of his people. It would have meant going back to Konoha. Izuna couldn't risk it at the time.
The warrior was almost positive if he and Madara went back, his brother would have been put down like a rabid animal. Besides, his Mate was human. Surely, she could give birth the human way. That was the biggest regret in his life. If only he had gone back, she might still be alive and with him.
"Madara, it seems we are not the last, after all." Izuna informs his brother.
He didn't receive much of a response. Izuna hadn't expected any response at all actually. So the fact that Madara glanced at him was encouraging.
The once proud Jinchuuriki had been driven mad from the self-imposed separation of his Mate. It had simply been too painful for them to go back and forth. To be with each other and then not.
They had ended things. Then something inside his brother snapped. It was all that Izuna could do to knock his brother out and drag him to a warship before he could hurt someone in his blind rage.
"The resemblance is a bit eerie really. If I didn't know better, I'd say that I was looking at myself a thousand years ago." He muses.
Madara shocks Izuna by walking over to him and looking at the tape. He blinks. He looks at Sasuke and then back at Izuna.
"He could be your twin." He states simply, but the words brought great joy to Izuna.
It was a rare day that Madara was lucid and felt like talking. Most days, he said nothing and had a far away look in his eyes. Izuna knew that he was thinking of his beloved Mate. It pained him greatly to see his brother retreat so far into himself. Despite his best efforts, he almost could never reach him.
"I know. It's a good thing that I still have my AFC." Izuna says with a sly smile.
Izuna may have become a recluse in his old age, but that didn't mean he took no interest in the affairs of the Allied Forces. On the contrary, it was his "Hatchling" in a way. He had known something was wrong on Sage, when a ship was attacked.
He still had his Allied Forces Communicator. The device was commonly referred to as an AFC. This allowed him to peek in on any planet that was a member of the organization. So he knew something was wrong with the giant toads.
The fact they had attacked an allied ship, stunned him. He had never heard of a member of the Allied Forces, attacking another member. It disturbed him greatly enough to travel there to see what was going on.
As curious as Izuna was, he had departed before he could be caught. He had seen what he needed to see. Someone was influencing the BufoBufoians and it likely wasn't for benevolent reasons.
Before darting off he had slapped a tracker on the ship. He wanted to know what was going on at the palace. His AFC wouldn't allow him to see that. It's rage was too narrow for such a thing. This is how he later discovered that he still had two living descendents.
"Do you regret it? Do you regret leaving your Hatchling behind on Earth?" Madara asks.
Izuna blinks. This was the most coherent he had seen Madara behave in years. He supposed he should enjoy it while it last. Who knows how long it would be before the next bout of lucidity might come along?
"Some days. I know that I did the right thing though. I wouldn't have been able to care for her properly when I was so stricken with grief. Giving her to a human family was the kinder option. If she had any children, they would only be a quarter Jinchuuriki. They would have blended in with humans almost seamlessly. Well that was my hope anyway. It seems my gamble did pay off because I have two mostly human descendants now." He mutters.
His daughter had been half Jinchuuriki. Fortunately, she had only inherited talons and eye markings. Truthfully, she had been the most beautiful Hatchling that he had ever seen. Then again, that might have just been a father's love speaking.
Izuna wondered if with all human-Jinchuuriki hybrids would only display eye markings and talons. Perhaps the alien traits they displayed would vary from hybrid. He supposed it didn't matter in the end. He and Madara were the only members of their kind that knew about Earth at the time. So there likely weren't going to be other hybrids, for a very long time. (If ever.)
"I wish that Hashirama and I had had a Hatchling. Then I would still have a piece of him with me. You did the right thing, Izuna. You shouldn't feel guilty over it, but I suppose it's only natural to do so." Madara says.
He had cloaked her alien traits. It was a special cloak. One that was designed to last for two hundred years. He knew that most humans in that era were very lucky to see forty years. Still he figured it was better to have it last longer than needed, than not enough.
Once towards the end of her life, he had visited his daughter. She had fallen ill. The woman had always had more of a resistance to human illnesses than most people. She had become a healer. One disease that she had been exposed to was too much for her elderly body though.
"I did visit her once. She lived a long life for a human. I believe she was happy. She thought I was an angel. Probably because of my wings. I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. I held her as she passed on. She told me that she had children and grandchildren. But that was so long ago. I assumed the line would have died out by now." Izuna mutters.
"You should have known better. Our blood is strong. It will find a way to survive, no matter the situation. Take us for example, both of us should have been dead centuries ago. Yet, here we are." Madara mutters in a bitter tone.
Izuna sighs and embraces his brother. He loved him dearly. If it wasn't for him, the warrior knew he would have welcome death's sweet embrace long ago. Caring for Madara provided him with a reason to go on. Maybe that was why Madara had survived as well. Even lost in the depths of madness, he still wanted to protect his little brother.
"You seem more yourself today than you've been in a very long time. I have missed you." Izuna admits.
"Don't hug me like some nurturer. I am not a Hatchling that needs coddled. I suppose seeing the Hatchling that looks so much like you used to, probably helped. I can not promise that I will stay this way though." Madara warns him.
Izuna nods. His brother had retreated into himself for centuries. Once in a great while, he might seem perfectly functional. But those times were few and far between. Still he treasured those rare moments.
"Of course not, brother." He says with a smile.
"Izuna, let's go home. I may or may not stay like this, but I'm old now. If I were to lose myself again, I could be stopped. You deserve a chance to see your hatchlings. It wouldn't be fair of me to keep you here even longer than I have." Madara states.
"They might put you down. If you lose yourself again. They might have you killed for everyone's safety. I couldn't bare to lose you too!" Izuna says.
Madara sighs. He rests his hand on his brother's shoulder. He had sacrificed everything to care for him. Now it was time that he returned the favor.
"Then I will die and be reunited with my Mate. In that case, you should be happy for me. Besides, at our age…you would likely follow me not that long after. Come, we've been gone too long. I do hope that I retain coherency long enough to see the look on all of their faces when we arrive." He says with a smirk.
"I hope that as well." Izuna says with a smile and leads Madara to a ship.
Meanwhile back on Earth, Tsunade paces. She still didn't know if there was going to be a war or not. It had been a few days. That didn't mean anything though. Maybe they were just gathering their army and preparing for an alien invasion!
That's when she felt a buzz in her pocket. She blinks and pulls something out. It was a circular device. She opens it and screams in fright when she saw Sasuke in the device as if it was a mini computer or something.
"Please calm down, Madam President. We didn't mean to frighten you. I'm sorry that we left so abruptly." Sasuke says.
Tsunade blinks. Didn't mean to frighten her?! They had just up and left. The only courtesy they showed her was leaving one vague message.
"Didn't mean to frighten me?! We have all been worried sick that an alien invasion was about to happen and all you have to say is that you didn't mean to frighten me?!" She demands.
Sasuke rubs the back of his head sheepishly. Well they had left a message, but in hindsight they had handled the situation poorly. He just really didn't want to argue with Naruto when he was clearly in such a bad mood.
"Yeah. Um sorry. But there isn't going to be any invasion. So you can all relax now. It's alright." Sasuke reassures her.
"Put loverboy on the phone! I want to talk with him right now!" Tsunade growls at Sasuke.
"I don't think that's a good idea. You should probably calm down first. You don't want to start that sort of conversation while you are already hot under the collar." Sasuke warns her.
Tsunade twitches. She promptly tells Sasuke off. The busty blonde clearly wasn't going to be reasoned with. Sasuke sighs and hands Naruto the phone.
"You really need to stop yelling at Sasuke for things that aren't his fault. Gaara and I took them to see our home planet. No, we aren't planning on attacking Earth. There's no need. Sorry, for worrying you." Naruto says.
Sasuke watches anxiously. It was the battle of the blondes and not in a good way. Damn it. He really needed to find a way to fix this.
"When will they be arriving back on Earth?" Tsunade demands.
"…" Naruto is speechless.
Sasuke blinks. He takes the phone back. The biologist knew that he had to come up with a suitable answer that would satisfy both parties.
"We are probably going to be here awhile. I don't know when we are coming back to Earth. I don't know how Itachi feels, but I might end up moving here and just visit Earth occasionally. I have everything I want here. I have Naruto, my brother, and this is every scientist's dream. I'm surrounded by intelligent alien life. This is a very advanced civilization. You should see it. It's beautiful here." Sasuke says in a rush.
"Very well. Well I'm glad there isn't a war going on. I do worry for your safety. Though I must admit that you are doing a great service to humanity as a whole. This is quite the risk you and Itachi are taking to learn more about them." She observes.
"I'm happy to do it. I love Naruto and Itachi is over the Moon to be on this planet. There is so much we are learning here. It'd take all day to explain it. Well I should probably go. Good night, Tsunade. I will call you again later." He says and hangs up.
Naruto hmpfs. He really disliked the busty blonde implying that it wasn't safe for Sasuke to be here. He would always protect his Mate. How dare she suggest otherwise?!
"Naruto, don't give me that look. You just have to understand from a human perspective, it all looks very risky. They don't have your instincts." Sasuke says.
"They?" Naruto asks and tilts his head.
Sasuke said they. It was as if he didn't consider himself part of them anymore. Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, but perhaps his finding out he had an alien ancestor had impacted him more than Naruto thought.
"Yes, humans. We don't have the same instincts. This is all very new to us. Please just give her some time. She's not a bad person. Tsunade just doesn't understand yet." Sasuke says.
"Alright. I'll try to give her some time. You should get some rest. Does your arm still hurt you?" Naruto asks.
"Not when I'm with you. I barely think about it." Sasuke says reassuringly and Naruto smiles.
He kisses his Mate's forehead. The blonde then pulls Sasuke into his chest and wraps his wings around him tighter. His Mate could be very romantic when he wanted to be. Naruto was hopeful that Sasuke would allow him to claim him soon. After all, he was letting him fluff and taste him now. That was progress!