Author's Note: Lol, you'll see! And I'm so sorry, Mijus! I realized allot of people had stopped reading because it went overboard with the sadness. I was upset at the time when coming back to write this. I shouldn't have taken it out on the story though. I read the comments and saw the same.
I really didn't mean to cause so much depression, so I rushed things to get to the happy parts! I've even started to test things first to see how people receive it before I finalize it or cancel it.
Allot of everyones questions will hopefully be answered in this chapter. As for Miyako, even I still call him that in my head and sometimes type it by accident.
But his parents are just…very clingy, and yes, him and Sasuke bond very easily. And you're right about the Naruto thing. I just assumed he wouldn't have to tell Sasuke the whole thing so he didn't have to bring up old pains. But, I can work that in there come the next chapter!
The conversation won't end badly so no worries guys and gals. It wont be a surprise which is why I'm telling you.
Come the first ray of sunlight the white foxes set out to take care of what was left of the Tsuyoi pack. The wolves were caught off guard by the sudden invasion, but that doesn't mean that they didn't put up a fight. Down below in the chasm like den area, teeth clashed with fur, crimson soaked the earth and many on both sides were slain. The fox's side had more casualties due to the simple fact that they weren't expecting such a fight, not just from the adults but the young as well.
Even though they cleared out the den it was still sort of a loss. Some of the wolves had escaped with their pups. On the plus side the ones that fled had nowhere to go, or so they thought anyway. They were just finishing up stacking the bodies on the burner as they called it. Which was basically a pile of sticks. It was a quick way to dispose of things and could also be considered a sort of victory meal on the lesser side.
Orochimaru circled the den, liking its partly closed sky view overheard. His grown offsprings were already fighting over their spots where they wanted to stay. He snickered at his mischievous wonders before approaching a ledge where Sarutobi was positioned on.
"Isn't this cozier than the cave?" The elder rumbled in bliss, lowering down to rest. He liked being up high indeed, and this ledge would make a perfect podium.
"It's better, not perfect. There's no green near the den at all. We have to go down just to get a drink of water. Speaking of which, I'm going to get started now. I saw a few plants on the way over that might shorten my time needed."
"Well when we take over the Uchiha den, you'll have a perfect spot for your think they can see the smoke from here?" He looked up at the thick mist of gray drifting out of the den.
"I'm planning on it." The Seeker smiled grimly, leaving on that positive note. For once, things were looking up now for them.
~oOOo~
Saboru was up early thanks to his other upbringing. He couldn't remember how'd he'd gotten where he was now or when he'd ever had such a warm nights sleep. What he knew was that he had a nice first meal with his family before things got too wild. He then sought refuge next to his father since none of the other children seemed to bother him like they do his dad. And he was right beside said wolf again, nuzzled in between his laid out front legs close to his chest. He stretched and blinked away the tire, opening his eyes to the light coming in the den.
He noticed the shadow on the ground was odd so he looked up to see his father awake as well, but he was clearly up for a while.
The Alpha glanced down, smiling to his early bird child. He wasn't expecting company so soon. Usually everyones asleep when he's up watching the sunrise and afterwards.
"Did I wake you?"
"Nah…" The boy looked away, still having trouble holding eye contact with the pack leader.
"Good, then you won't mind walking with me then." Sasuke said, getting up and surprising his son. He didn't have to wait for an answer. He just walked over the child, hearing the boy's little paw steps against the earth behind him.
"What about the others?" Saboru asked, catching up with his fathers long stride.
"They need their sleep."
"Oh…"
The pack leader nodded, understanding things must be very different over here for his youngest. "I take it that everyone's awake on the other side."
"Heh, yeah...They actually use to-" He paused mid sentence, picking up a strange smell he couldn't describe.
"Is something wrong…" Sasuke dawned off, homing in on that familiar scent as well. With ears alert and head up like a meerkat, he peered around for a destination. While his child sniffed the air, he took off to his ledge over the area to get a better viewing. He was later joined by the boy. They stared off in befuddlement at the cloud of gray from afar.
"What's that?" Saboru quirked his head at the strange mass. Whatever it was, it was offly close to where his old home would have been from what he could tell. His father knew full well what it was. He was suddenly picked up by his scruff and carried off in a hurry to the den.
"Hey! What's going on?!" He wriggled as he was put down with his brothers that were near the fox. His presence caused for them to mewl and crawl all over him. "No, off me!"
"Naruto, get up!" The Alpha pawed at his mates nose, failing miserably as the canine just hid away by curling up. He changed to other tactics and bit down on the vixens ear. That got his attention.
Naruto snapped awake, fangs bared at the wolf knowing he had rough night getting his two oldest to sleep after the dinner. "What?!"
"Outside, now!" Sasuke ordered, unwavering at the anger radiating off the other.
"Hey, wait!" Saboru shouted, struggling to get loose. He was ignored again of course since his parents left the den without a word. He growled in frustration and started to nip at his brothers. Unfortunately it didn't do anything. His teeth were nowhere near their dads level. So he was stuck there with two overweight balls of kin close to crushing the wind out of him.
~oOOo~
"Sasuke, this is romantic and all but I'm too damn tired to put up with …" Naruto's words came to drawl at the sight over the trees and yonder. "Is that...smoke?"
"It is, and it's coming from the Tsuyoi territory." He sat there on his haunches with his mate, bizarrely concerned for the other pack.
"Do you think it's them?" The fox inquired, pretty sure it could be no other because the wolfs hadn't exactly mastered fire control. He waited for the ravens reply, wanting desperately to get back his young immediately.
"I don't want to take any chances so no one is allowed out today without my presence, understood?"
Naruto nodded, following with, " Whatever you say, wolfy. I'm going back to check on the boys."
"Okay." He watched the fox dash back home with haste. He'd join them later, but for now he had to make sure there wasn't an imminent threat. He leaped off the edge, sprinting to get his second in command after a pit stop at the med wolfs den. Some part of him believed he should at least tell the other Alpha of the fire. When he poked in through the vines, he wasn't expecting to see Ibuki beside the peculiarly still, larger wolf.
She just looked up to her uncle, ebony clear of any emotion and a large leaf of odd plants stuffed over it.
Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of the scene, seeing her up so early was new though. "Ibuki, what are you doing?" He knew how she felt about housing her nightmare, so he made sure to tread lightly in case something was going on.
"I didn't kill him if thats what you're asking." The apprentice med wolf yawned and stretched with her back arched and front out. Deep down she had considered it many times, but she'd never go against her uncle's wishes.
"So why isn't he breathing?" The Alpha relaxed a bit, still tense from earlier.
"He's trying to impress me."
Senbei coughed unexpectedly, drawing back in a cringe from the pain. "I wasn't trying to impress you, evil she-wolf. I'm refusing to take that disgusting medicine you keep shoving down my throat."
She snarled at the canine whom flinched. That was the second most unbelievable thing Sasuke had ever seen. His niece just sat there like it was natural to her. She had developed Itachi's iron skin over the seasons, and with Kakashi's and Tsunade's training, she was practically invisible.
"Are you afraid of my niece?!" The pack leader chuckled to the other, earning a growl from the gray wolf.
"I'm not afraid of a littl-"
Ibuki snarled in the wolf's ear this time, silencing him for the fifth time in her days with him. It was really no big deal to her. She'd put bigger babies in their place. "Watch it, Senbei. We talked about this earlier. I handle your medicine now, remember?"
"Yeah, and it's terrible! Where's the other med-wolf?"
"What, you don't like me anymore? Guess we'll try the purple plants today." She mused sarcastically, bringing the leaf like plate closer.
"No, you wretch! Uchiha, do something!"
"Now that's not nice." Ibuki smirked sinisterly, tail swishing behind her.
Sasuke smiled wholeheartedly, shaking his head in hopes the two hadn't zinged because they were arguing like they were mates. That would be to awkward in itself though. And he wasn't sure if he'd ever allow it.
"I didn't come here to save you, Senbei. I have some... news about your pack."
The light atmosphere in the room now darkened with the older ravens message. All three canines in the den dropped whatever feeling they were having before to address the matter appropriately. The older raven relaxed on his haunches and told the other Alpha about the fire going on at said wolf's den.
Senbei took in the report in a collective manner. He inhaled and exhaled for a minute to control himself from saying anything to rash. "Have you seen anyone lately?"
"No, I haven-"
"Sasuke!" Kakashi fumbled into the den, sharing a brief nod of greeting with his daughter before turning to his pack leader.
"I was just about to go get you. What is it?" He looked over his brother-in-law that was very agitated about something.
"We have company…"
The silver wolf's words were backed up when murmurs could be heard from outside. They all looked towards the exit as the voices got louder in more of a riot sense.
"I'll be right back. You might want to have a talk with your daughter." Sasuke said with a sideways glance to his former enemy and niece. He then left his second in command to ponder on what he meant by that. As soon as he walked outside, a she wolf he'd never seen before just strutted by like a tourist. Then more foreigners started to surface. The more he saw, the more he could tell who they were. These were the remaining Tsuyoi clan members, and there were allot for his eyes. It was beginning to become more of clutter when he saw a group of younglings run by his paws carelessly and unsupervised.
The Alpha let the chaos sink in, using it as a fuel source as he zig-zagged his way through the crowd and up to his rocky perch where he sat on his haunches. He watched them mingling with his pack for a brief moment before he let out a growl that could have been heard from two mountains over. The traffic below ceased all movement, and he soon had all eyes on him. An orange/black swirled wolf he'd never seen before emerged from amongst the crowd to the bottom of his stand.
"Hey, Sasuke! Tobi here. Sorry to be popping in like this, but we, heh-he, lost our home." Tobi chortled sheepishly, eyes down as the others behind him all nodded to his statement.
Sasuke eyed the weird canine, getting that he must be the less sane one of the bunch. What he didn't get was why they came here of all places to go. He was already providing shelter for their pack leader. Wasn't that enough?
"It was the white foxes!" Someone shouted from the Tsuyoi pack, rousing everyone up in worry.
"They destroyed everything!"
"It was his kind!" Another member accused the raven's mate that had come up with their kids. This caused a diverted rally amongst the canines below. It was his pack vs the guests, for they had grown to love the fox and wouldn't tolerate any kind of blasphemy towards their sort of Alpha Female.
Sasuke had to growl again to calm the rivaling gangs down. When Naruto did make it to his side, he gave the canine a piqued and incredulous look to why he was up here in the first place.
"What? The boys wanted to see their father in action!" The vixen whispered, their kids right behind him with their heads held high in a single line.
"Miyako!" All the children from the other pack, screamed and swarmed the Alpha's personal ledge, circling their friend and his brothers.
"We thought you were dead!"
"Are these your brothers?"
"Why are they so fat?"
"We are not fat!" Ichiro groaned, finding it difficult already to get along with them all up in their face like they had no personal boundaries. Now he knew how Saboru felt. His second brother was having the time of his life. He'd been hoping for more kids to play with other than his cousins that were all female. With this bunch there were a variety of colors and genders.
"We're fat because we eat like every time we fake cry like this!"
"Jirou!"
Jirou ignored his older brother and continued to amuse his new friends by rolling on his back and wailing like a dying cat, earning a glower from his dad. The littlest of the three was having a nostalgic moment upon seeing all the faces he used to train, laugh and cry with.
"It's great to see you guys." He smiled big, welcoming them all.
"We missed you!"
"Hey, where's all the dirt, Miyako?"
"Why's are they blue? Hey mister, why are they blue and Miyako is red?!" The child with the biggest amber eyes pawed at the aggravated Alpha.
When Sasuke twitched, Naruto could tell right then that it was time to go. "Hey kids, follow me! I know a great mud puddle you guy's can roll around in." He led the bustling children away, joined by his own packs young that wanted to experience this 'mud rolling' as the fox put it.
Silence was finally his again when his mate was a good distance away with the loud tykes. It was a hard act to follow given the looks he was receiving from the remaining adults and teens below. He had to say something though and set this right. He couldn't kick them out and he didn't want to them to stay either unless they abided by his rules.
With a heavy sigh he said, "As you can see, Naruto is not with them anymore. If you have a problem with him still, you may leave now. The rest of you can stay as long as you follow my guidelines. That means that I need to speak with your Alpha on a temporarily joint clan till he finds you all new dwellings. Any questions?"