Disclaimer - I don't own shit here.
Sasuke knew how deadly Naruto could truly be. His Rasengan made her green with envy when she was thirteen, and he only became more powerful after that.
Sasuke also knew how idiotic Naruto could truly be.
The Rasenshuriken was a technique that she never wanted to be hit by, especially after seeing the sheer amount he could create at once. She stared at the ruined forest before her blankly, such a powerful jutsu and it was in the hands of Naruto.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shot towards her with panic on his face. He left behind a crater from his overpowered jutsu, and Sasuke wondered how Shion would feel about the recent destruction to her land. Maybe she'd cry about it.
"I bet you have a good reason for using that." Sasuke stood with her hand on her hip, judging her teammate with her stare alone.
"I do!" Naruto reached her and bent over to place his hands on his knees, he was shaken up. "I was… ya know, and then I felt something touch my leg!"
Sasuke was torn between dismissing him with a scoff, or genuinely believing him. His mind could simply be playing tricks on him, and she had no doubt that Kurama messed with his head on purpose.
Sasuke activated her dōjutsu only seconds later. Naruto was lucky she loved him.
"Where were you... peeing?" Sasuke asked him sourly. Talking about bodily fluids with Naruto was not a conversation she wanted to engage in.
"I'm pretty sure that tree was destroyed completely, but it's in that area." Naruto pointed to the far end of the crater.
"And you didn't sense anything?" Her eyebrows rose at his sheepish expression. He had multiple ways to sense chakra, she knew that much.
"I was kinda distracted…" Naruto's shaky smile made her sigh deeply.
"Dumbass." With that grumble, Sasuke moved towards the edge of the destruction.
It didn't take Sasuke very long at all to discover a trail of chakra that led away from the crater and deeper into the woods. Whatever left the chakra behind moved fast along the ground.
"There was definitely something near you." Sasuke narrowed her eyes in thought. The tracks in the dirt weren't human footprints either.
"Aha! I knew it!" Naruto brightened up considerably. "Wait, so there was a ghost behind me? Did you feel its presence too?"
"I did not feel a presence." Sasuke told him with her dry tone. "There's a trail of chakra and tracks in the dirt that lead away from here. Whatever it was that touched you escaped before your Rasenshuriken destroyed the area."
"But do you think it was a ghost? Would a ghost even be able to use chakra? Can it use jutsu?" Naruto asked her rapidly. Sasuke pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head.
"Ghosts wouldn't make tracks like that, don't be stupid. Also, wasn't the Sage technically a ghost? He used chakra." The Uchiha gave a small shrug.
"Huh, I didn't even think about that. I was too busy being half dead at the time."
"Cry about it. I was stabbed with my own sword and left to die." Sasuke began to follow the chakra trail with Naruto at her side.
"Having Kurama ripped out of me was way worse."
"Do you really want to find out which was more painful? That can easily be arranged." She turned to look at him with a taunting smirk.
"No…" Naruto admitted with a nervous smile.
Sasuke rolled her eyes before leading him deep into the forest. So far she's heard none of the noises that Shion's elderly advisor spoke of. There were no signs of missing people either. Perhaps the people of Oni no Kuni were just crazy.
The mist that plagued the forest dissipated completely as they reached a large cleaning. Sasuke stopped moving and held her arm out to her teammate, her enhanced gaze scanned the entire area quickly. The chakra they followed all congregated to one single point in the clearing. It was an old shoddy log cabin, with its aged wood tainted by many years of harsh weather. The sight of a house in the forest wouldn't have usually warranted suspicion. However, the cabin Sasuke studied was unique.
'It's made of chakra…' She frowned at the sight, that wasn't normal.
"Sasuke." Naruto whispered her name and she spared him a glance. His bar shaped pupils proved that he was equally as suspicious.
"It's not a genjutsu." Sasuke confirmed and Naruto nodded, he figured that much while using Sage Mode.
"Maybe a transformation?" Naruto's childhood fear was forgotten as his body tensed for an attack.
"No shinobi would be that foolish." Hiding in plain sight had its advantages but transforming into a log cabin in the middle of nowhere was idiotic.
"Mokuton?"
"Hmph, I doubt it."
'Don't you sense it? The house is practically alive.' The Kyuubi lounged in the seal, completely unconcerned about a potential trap.
"There's also someone in there." Naruto spoke to both Sasuke and Kurama at the same time. He could easily tell there was a person inside, but he couldn't figure out what the house actually was.
"The spooky ghost." Sasuke chuckled when Naruto almost tripped over his own feet.
"Why do you hate me?" He groaned out. Sasuke smiled and patted him on the chest affectionately before she moved ahead to the cabin.
'Once we are done here… goodbye forever, Shion.' Sasuke's somewhat sweet smile turned twisted.
"What are you doing?" Naruto kept his voice low. He was very surprised at his teammates plan. It was something he'd do, not Sasuke.
"Knocking on the door." She told him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"If we are walking into a trap, shouldn't we be… ya know, sneaky?"
"That has to be a joke." Sasuke stated incredulously. "When have you ever been sneaky? That time at Orochimaru's hideout both you and Sakura charged through the place like fools."
"People can change."
"You've hardly changed." She fired back at him immediately.
"Is that such a bad thing?" Naruto stood next to her as they reached the battered wooden door.
"Not necessarily. It's only one of the many things I admire about you."
"Oh, I… uh…" Naruto felt his stomach flip when hearing her offhanded compliment. He received many compliments from people, now more than ever, but they all paled in comparison to Sasuke's.
Sasuke looked away from his embarrassed face as she knocked on the door. When her hand came into contact with the door she felt something shift ever so slightly under her knuckles. The flow of the cabins chakra became disturbed, no matter how absurd that seemed. After a moment, the door creaked open on its own.
"Alright, I'm scared again." Naruto whispered and pushed himself close to Sasuke.
'Cute.' Sasuke didn't mind having him close to her. She strolled into the cabin with Naruto stuck to her body.
The interior was filled with sparse furniture and the air was polluted by dust. It wasn't the most disgusting thing Sasuke's smelled in her life. The cabin couldn't hold a candle to the smell of death in her childhood home. She closed her eyes briefly, now wasn't the time for thinking about the past. Naruto's presence helped her immensely with shoving that to the back of her mind.
"Sasuke, there's a person in that room over there." Naruto pointed at a closed brown door. "Should we go in?"
"I think..." Sasuke stopped talking when seeing that door creak open as well. Naruto basically wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
"It appears I have guests." Soft footsteps pattered on the aged floor. A hunched form stepped through the door, and Naruto's heart thumped wildly in his ears. Then he saw the owner of the voice and relief flooded his body.
'Phew. It's just an old lady, not a ghost...' She wore a simple red dress over her weak frame, it complimented her long gray hair nicely. The old woman's slanted brown eyes and smile gave her a gentle, grandmotherly appearance. The liver spots and wrinkles that decorated her face briefly reminded Naruto of the old Sandaime Hokage.
Sasuke studied the battered silver necklace in the shape of a triangle that could barely be seen around the neck of the old lady. It looked familiar, but she couldn't recall where she's seen it before. Orochimaru definitely showed her that peculiar design during her training.
"It's been terribly long since I've had guests." Her voice was raspy and unsettling. "Were you two lost in the forest?" After her question was asked, they all stood in a tense silence.
"Yes, we strayed from the dirt path and ended up here." Sasuke lied easily. Lying was one of her specialties after all.
"How awful." The old woman crept closer to them, her expression brightened at Naruto's appearance for a moment. "Hehehe, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"
"Huh?" Naruto was startled by the look that appeared on her face.
"You're a shinobi. That forehead protector... it brings back memories." Her large smile remained even as her eyes closed. "Ah, but that's in the past now. Would you two like to stay and have some tea? Keep an old lady company for a while, will you?"
"We'd love to." Sasuke answered for the pair and Naruto had to hold back his grimace. He was uncomfortable in the cabin that felt both dead and alive.
"Wonderful, simply wonderful. You can call me Kagome." The elderly woman introduced herself with a small bow of her head and walked towards what could only be a kitchen. "Please take a seat, I'll be with you soon."
Sasuke's eyes landed on the dust filled table in the corner of the room. There were four chairs around it, each appeared equally as worn by the years. She grabbed Naruto by the hand and pulled him to the table. His mouth opened to protest her actions but she silenced him with a shake of her head.
"Sasuke, these chairs are..."
"I know."
Chakra, there was chakra circulating through all of the furniture in the house. She's never seen anything like it.
"You want me to sit on it?!" Naruto asked with a harsh whisper.
"Yes, now play along with me." Sasuke sat daintily on the chair that threatened to break under her light weight.
"You just had to come to Oni no Kuni." Naruto's remark earned him a glare from his teammate.
"I'm glad I did. It allowed me to discover that you were planning to impregnate a random woman."
"It wasn't exactly my plan and you know it."
Sasuke paid little attention to her teammates pout to focus on the interior of the home some more. There was not a single picture or special item in the room that could tell them about the old lady. The only item she had on her was the triangular shaped necklace.
'This Kagome is far too trusting to allow two "lost" shinobi to drink with her. Could she be the one behind the disappearances?' Sasuke gently tapped her fingers against the dirty table.
Nothing outwardly happened.
'How strange.'
"Pardon me for taking so long, it's been months since I've had any visitors. How slow time passes when you're all on your own..." Kagome entered the room with a long winded sigh. She carried a dented metal tray that held three cups in the center, each containing murky liquid. Steam rose from the top of the chipped rims, giving an impression of genuine hot tea.
"It's no problem. Besides, we are really thirsty after being lost in the forest for hours. Thanks a lot, granny!" Naruto's act told Sasuke that he needed to work more on his ability to lie. She could tell by his tone that it was forced. He was too stiff. Her foot prodded his shin under the table, trying to signal him to relax.
"No need to thank me, I'm just being hospitable." Kagome reached the table and placed the tray down. Her skeletal-like fingers wrapped around the cups as she handed them off to her guests.
"Mmm! It smells amazing!" Naruto made an obnoxiously loud sound when he received the cup. Sasuke felt a brief spike of annoyance and her foot lashed out, harsher than before. Naruto had to resist jumping out of his seat at her kick. He clearly got the message to stop exaggerating.
"It's a special blend, I do hope you enjoy it." Kagome seated herself at the table, letting her own tea rest on the wood. Her slanted eyes bore into Sasuke's for a moment.
Sasuke showed no reaction, but she acknowledged that they went into the cabin unprepared. It wasn't her best plan. 'I have been influenced by Naruto's stupidity... and I don't hate it. What's wrong with me?'
"What beautiful eyes you have." Kagome's tone was sweet, not unlike a grandmother who cared for her grandchildren.
"Thank you." Sasuke accepted the compliment with a small incline of her head. Kagome made her skin crawl.
"Don't be shy dear, drink up." Kagome leaned forward with her soft smile. "Shiromari and I have had years to work on the taste."
"Shiromari?" Sasuke muttered while Naruto looked on in confusion.
"Hehehe, my apologies. I seem to be reminiscing quite a bit today." Kagome waved them off and took a delicate sip of her tea.
Sasuke rose the cup to her face and sniffed at the tea. It smelled similar to the forest they were surrounded by, very floral. The sweet scent tried hard to mask what was dangerously mixed in with the liquid. It would work on unsuspecting travelers, there was no doubt.
Unfortunately for Kagome, Sasuke wasn't an unsuspecting traveler. She was a former student of Orochimaru.
'Poison. While it's not entirely odorless, it plays off the smell of freshly made tea. She must be certain it would either knock us out or kill us on the spot. It's hard to tell what effect it'll have.' Sasuke's thoughts caused her to rub her foot against Naruto's leg under the table, effectively stopping him from taking a sip. She knew poison wouldn't kill him, not with Kurama's assistance, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
The former avenger was glad that Naruto got the message, even if his cheeks were oddly red from her actions. He placed his cup down on the table and Kagome was quick to notice the lack of tea drinking.
"Oh my, is something wrong with your tea? I can assure you that it's quite delicious." Her face reflected mock pain, she seemed to be offended at Naruto's action.
"It's too hot." Naruto told her bashfully and Kagome giggled at his response.
"Toughen up dear. It'll go down easily, even if it's a little too hot." Her hand slowly reached forward and pushed Naruto's cup closer to him. "Go on then..."
Sasuke watched how Kagome tried pressuring Naruto and felt a devious smirk pull at her lips. The worn cup rose to her mouth and she made a show of smelling the liquid. Kagome's attention was drawn to her and the elderly woman smiled brightly.
"It reminds me of my mother's tea." That was a complete lie. Nothing produced by some decrepit forest dweller could contend with her families tea.
"I'm glad you feel that way." The old woman was more than pleased now.
"One question though..." Sasuke's voice held a hint of amusement. "Is it a slow acting poison, or are we supposed to pass out in a minute or two?"
"Poison?" Naruto lent back in his chair as the tension in the room increased.
"... Oh no. You two are going to make me do this the hard way, aren't you?" Kagome's damned smile refused to leave her face. Her right foot slammed down on dusty floor and the log cabin's interior changed in an instant.
'Okay, I'd rather deal with a real ghost than whatever this is.' Naruto fell on his ass when the chair disappeared from under him.
'Really?'
'Honestly, yeah.' Naruto wasn't a big fan of the flesh colored walls or the smell of rotting corpses.
'Heh, we are inside of a creature.' Kurama only laughed at the predicament.
Naruto only hoped it wasn't a snake.
Kagome was a simple woman who lived a simple life.
She knitted, she experienced new cuisine, she prayed, and she made sacrifices here or there. It was a life fit for the little old lady. Oni no Kuni just happened to be her current residence for the past two years. It was peaceful compared to the other nations. War wasn't a business she wanted to be involved in, she cared little for the fights between shinobi.
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"Focus, idiot!"
Kagome listened in on the dialogue shared between the two shinobi who fought against the never ending flesh that shot off the walls. Shiromari was certainly doing his best, and he'd be rewarded with a shinobi flavored meal after she fulfilled her sacrifice ritual. It was a shame about the tea though, she couldn't remember the last time she had to put effort into making a sacrifice. Was it twenty years? No... thirty? She struggled to recall.
"It's slimy, why the hell is it slimy?!"
Sasuke grunted at Naruto's shout as she continued to slice away the tendrils of flesh that shot towards them. It was truly an ugly thing to fight.
"Behind you!" Naruto's voice rang in her ears as he cut everything that tried to sneak up on her.
"Tch..." Sasuke did her best to glare at the elderly woman who sat on a throne made of flesh.
"What's with that look, my dear shinobi? You willingly walked into the belly of the beast." Kagome informed her calmly.
"I'm going to assume you're the one responsible for the disappearances." Sasuke accused her coldly. She didn't need to be a genius to figure that out.
"It was nothing personal. They were a necessary sacrifice for my lord and savior." Kagome's hand shot up to rub gently at her chipped necklace.
"So there were no ghosts the entire time..." Naruto came to that satisfying conclusion while evading more flesh that was keen on touching him.
"Stupid boy, there are no ghosts around here." Kagome chuckled and patted the wriggling throne she sat upon. "It's only my precious Shiromari."
"Who is this Shiromari anyway? Your husband?" Naruto questioned and Kagome furrowed her brow at the sight of him. They weren't succumbing to the never ending flesh of her summon... in fact they weren't even sweating. The boy was bouncing all over the place, while the girl swung her blade expertly with no worry on her face.
"You are inside of him. Do not worry, you will only be digested after my ritual is complete." Kagome stood from her throne and gazed down at the duo. She only needed a little blood and they were finished.
"It's a summon. I'm willing to bet it's the same one that touched you in the forest, but way bigger." Sasuke deduced with a flat voice.
"Kurama spoiled that already."
"Great..."
"Should I get us out of here, or do you want to?"
Kagome felt that something was off about how they spoke to each other. They were eaten by her summon, Shiromari the great chameleon, yet there was no panic. Where were the screams of pain? The pleas for mercy? The attempts to convert to her religion?!
"I don't want my Susanoo to be covered in blood."
'Oh, so now the Uchiha assumes I want to be covered by the blood and guts of some disgusting summon. Naruto end her now. Push her into the revolting flesh. We can call it an accident. Who would know the truth besides us?'
"Kurama said we'll do it." Naruto winced at the loud growl in his head.
The conversation flew by Kagome, she couldn't make any sense of it. The two shinobi trapped within her domain were faring better than anything she's seen before and she hated it.
"Oi, old hag!" Naruto called to her with a huge smile. "Do you have any idea who we are?" Sasuke jumped to him as soon as he asked, her back pressed against his.
"All I know is that you are two annoying shinobi from Konohagakure, but beyond that, no. I care little for the names of my sacrifices." Kagome admitted to him. She's been alive for a very long time, the names of most shinobi were forgettable to her. She only recognized his headband from a few of her kills in the past.
"Perfect. So that means we are technically being sneaky." Naruto clapped his hands together, the noise echoed through the insides of her summon. "Sasu-chan, we have the element of surprise!"
"Element of… are you serious? How did you even graduate from the academy?" Sasuke blew out a sigh in exasperation. She didn't comment on the stupid nickname he used again.
"With my amazing skills, and by beating up our former teacher."
"What?!" Kagome screamed in shock when she witnessed the ridiculous amount of golden chakra pour out of Naruto. It covered him like a cloak and she felt Shiromari begin to panic.
"Kurama buddy, you ready?"
'I am reluctant.'
Kagome's vision went black as a titanic fox appeared in the flesh filled area and her summon literally popped like a balloon.
"I've killed many things in my life, but that doesn't mean I enjoy being covered in shit."
"You're such a big baby."
"Yeah, Kyuubi. You're a big baby."
"Uchiha, I will crush you like the garbage you are."
"Go ahead and try it."
Kagome woke up with a gasp. The old woman's body was bent at an unnatural angle as she laid on the ground. Voices from behind her startled her into moving and the sight of a golden colored fox shaking its head while covered in deep red blood made a pit form in the elders stomach.
"No... Shiromari!" Her hands blurred together and she slapped her palm onto the ground.
There was no smoke, there was no summon. She poured more chakra into the technique.
Shiromari was gone.
"What was that thing anyway? I couldn't see anything before it popped."
"It wasn't a ghost, that's all I care about."
The conversation between Naruto and the fox brought her attention back to them.
"You! You killed my Shiromari!" Kagome jumped up without care for her injured body. She'd heal, her god would ensure it. The shinobi sacrifices would gift her a speedy recovery.
"You tried to poison us and trapped us in a summon. I'd say we had a right to defend ourselves." Sasuke fell from the inside of the fox gracefully. She landed in front of Kagome, her sword pointed ahead. "You're next."
"Sasuke, killing old grannies is not a part of atonement." Sasuke grit her teeth together at Naruto's chiding tone.
"She thinks she looks cool while intimidating a worthless hag. Feh, the Uchiha are truly subhuman." Sasuke turned her head to scowl at the fox. She hated them.
In the small amount of time that she looked away, Kagome jumped forward and impaled herself on the blade. Sasuke was completely stunned at the sudden weight on her sword. She didn't intend to stab the old woman… yet.
"You will be the first sacrifice." Kagome's blood spilled from her mouth as the sword went cleanly through her stomach. "Those pretty eyes will be offered to Jashin-sama!"
"Sasuke!" Naruto's cry fell on deaf ears when Kagome lurched forward and dug her fingernails into the flesh of Sasuke's hand.
The Uchiha hissed at the sensation and cursed herself for not reacting quick enough. The shock of an elderly woman stabbing herself made her hesitate. Sasuke's leg kicked out at Kagome and pushed her off the steel forcefully. The chakra enhanced kick sent the elder far away from her.
Sasuke glared down at the thin cut on the back of her hand, bright red liquid spilled out of the small wound. It was hardly a problem, but Kagome had to have a reason for going after her hand and not her eyes.
"Hehehe... hehehe!" Kagome rose from the ground like a zombie. The old woman was a mess, but her smile was concerning.
"How the hell are you still moving?" Sasuke received heavy Orochimaru flashbacks.
"My god is generous. My god gives me strength. He gives me everything." Kagome explained with pure devotion. Her bony finger reached her mouth, the single digit was colored by Sasuke's blood. "Now, I will give him something in return!"
With practiced ease, Kagome used her feet to create a large symbol underneath her. She used the blood that fell from her wound which disgusted the two shinobi in front of her. Simultaneously, she sucked on her index finger.
"I can blow her away, just saying."
"The entire forest would be destroyed. Think of the ecosystem."
"I'm surprised you know what is, but true."
Sasuke focused on Kagome's skin changing color's instead of the banter between Naruto and his tailed friend. Kagome's body practically transformed into a black and white skeleton after she licked her blood.
Kagome continued to laugh madly as she grasped her necklace. She had it! She had the blood! These shinobi were strong, there was no denying that. However, once she had their blood, it was all over. She was about to taunt them one final time before Sasuke spoke.
"Do you think I'll just stand here and allow you to do whatever that is?" Sasuke stabbed her sword into the dirt. "Naruto, switch." She called him softly and he understood her plan.
Naruto dropped down from Kurama's head and readied a palm sized Rasengan.
"It's too late for you." Kagome shook her head ruefully. She was prepared to rip out her own eyes to spite the girl. "I have your blood, my ritual is almost-!"
Kagome's body moved, but not by her own will. Instead of staring at Sasuke, she was face to face with a disappointed Naruto.
"Sorry about this..."
Kagome screamed as the jutsu ripped through her already mangled body.
Only an hour later, Shion blinked slowly at the two shinobi in front of her. They returned from their venture into the forest, but they brought back a strange addition.
"There were no apparitions. It was an old lady who was killing your people and feeding them to her summon." Sasuke explained it to her nonchalantly. An elderly woman groaned in pain from her position on the ground by their feet. Shion could not figure out how she was alive.
"I think I went a little overboard." Naruto tried not to look at the pitiful sight. He didn't want to be known as a person who beat up old women.
"I-I see." Shion felt a bit queasy, but she signaled for her guards to enter.
"Shion, we think she's immortal or something. I think I should go with your guards to make sure she doesn't escape until you decide what to do with her." Naruto's offer made Shion nod her head absentmindedly. It was all a bit shocking.
"I'd appreciate that." She meant it. Shion was not thrilled with how the woman's blood soaked her floor.
Naruto helped the guard unit carry the lady away, which was easier said than done. She tried biting at any of the hands that touched her. It took ten minutes to successfully move her out of the room.
"Well, that was interesting…?" Shion spoke to the lone occupant of the room. Dark eyes watched the priestess intently.
"Will you be providing the payment for the mission?" Sasuke asked icily.
"You'll receive your payment, don't worry." Shion returned to her set of pillows to sit herself on them comfortably.
"Good. Then we'll be leaving soon." Sasuke turned to catch up with Naruto. Her business with Shion was finished.
"You could have left whenever you wanted to, Uchiha. I hear you're quite good at that." Sasuke paused mid step at the remark. Shion smiled into her sleeve, sensing the anger coming from Sasuke.
"I didn't know that being a priestess allowed you to run your mouth carelessly. Better people have been killed for less." Sasuke reminded herself that she was not a child, she shouldn't take the bait that Shion dangled over her.
"From the moment you stepped into my temple, I could tell that you disliked me for whatever reason. I've heard that the people of the Uchiha clan-"
"You've heard nothing. If you dare talk about my clan, you'll regret it." Sasuke didn't threaten her, she promised her. A vicious Sharingan zeroed in on Shion. One more word about her family and she'll gladly turn her to ash.
"You may be his teammate, but you are still a criminal. The news of the Five Kage Summit reached my ears quickly. It's only because of him that I even allowed you to step foot on these holy grounds." Shion tried not to waver as Sasuke stepped closer to her. Sasuke's presence was filled with darkness, anybody could see that. It was suffocating.
"What I did in the past shouldn't concern you." Sasuke was too close to her now. "You should be concerned with your own future instead, Shion."
"Is… is that a threat on my life? Surely you wouldn't be that foolish." Shion clutched at the pillow beneath her, the priestess was becoming scared.
"No, but I should be thanking you." Shion's heart beat faster when Sasuke crouched down and faced her directly. "Because of you, I realized that I can't afford to wait around anymore. It's not like we are getting younger, right?"
"W-What do you mean by that…?"
"I hope you get that heir you wanted. It'd be a shame if those powers of yours died out so soon. Your clock is ticking, Shion." Sasuke's smile was painfully fake as she stood up and turned again. The sounds of her footsteps filled the ears of the confused priestess. "We will be gone by tomorrow, so have that payment ready."
Shion had no opportunity to respond before Sasuke exited the temple for the last time.
The sun beat down on Sasuke harshly, there wasn't a cloud in the sky which made things worse. She finally realized that wearing a cloak at all times wasn't the best idea.
Her Rinnegan eye watched as a bird pecked at the bread she tossed its way while she sat on a large rock outside of the temple grounds. True to her word, they were leaving Oni no Kuni the next day. Naruto went to receive their payment from Shion instead of Sasuke. She had nothing else to say to Shion, but Naruto did. He had to talk to her about the silly promise he made.
'Of course he had to go explain himself.' Sasuke laid down on the rock and closed her eyes, thinking about her teammate.
Karin once mentioned that Naruto's chakra felt bright and warm. She wasn't wrong, but it went deeper for the Uchiha. Naruto's entire presence was what gave Sasuke warmth. Having him at her side was what she missed, and she'd always regret what she did to him. She steeled her heart to kill the only person who could make her happy.
She could still see his kneeling form as she readied her final attack to cut him out of her life. His blue eyes refused to waver, he was so sure of himself in that moment. He wasn't afraid to die, he continued to reach out to her.
He was naive, clueless at times, and a big fool. Yet, she'd give up her remaining arm and legs to keep him in her life. Was that too extreme? Sasuke wasn't sure if she cared.
'Naruto, you're my one and only…'
"Yo!"
The bird she fed squawked when a presence appeared on the rock and scared it away. Sasuke opened her eyes to see the familiar whisker marked visage.
"Hey."
It was a simple greeting, but Naruto grinned at her like it was worth more than gold. She'd never tire of seeing the way his face lit up when he looked at her. Naruto jumped off the rock once Sasuke sat up. He held a hand out to her and revealed an ornate scroll.
"Our pay for the mission is in the scroll. There's a lot of zeroes in the amount. Think of the high quality ramen we can buy!" Naruto handed her Shion's scroll.
"We deserve it after putting up with that hag." Sasuke told him and Naruto had to agree.
"They have her locked up tight until her trial. I don't think it'll go well for her even though she is kind of immortal." Naruto usually wasn't one for executions, but Kagome did a lot of bad in her life with no pursuit for redemption.
"It's not our problem anymore. How'd your conversation with the priestess go?" Sasuke knew she had to ask.
"Ah..." Naruto scratched at the back of his head sheepishly. "Shion wasn't that happy about it. I don't think I'll be coming back here anytime soon."
"Too bad." Sasuke shrugged and kicked off the rock to stand at his side. "Did you really want to have a child with her?"
"Stop making me repeat myself, you already know I had no idea what I was agreeing to. There's no way I can have a child with her."
"Why not?" Sasuke didn't understand that part at all. They were definitely able to physically conceive a child.
"I don't love her." Naruto told her with a wave of his hand.
"Naruto, people have children all the time without love being involved." She explained it to him slowly like he was an ignorant child.
"I know, but I can't do that." Naruto's tone shifted to a more serious one. "My mom said that I was the product of the love she had with my dad… and that they were proud to be my parents. I can't have a baby with someone I don't even love, it wouldn't feel right. I'd also want to be around my kid constantly, and there's no way I'm moving out here with crazy immortal people hanging around."
Sasuke's face softened at his explanation. She saw how his father looked at him with pride during the war, and despite never meeting her, she had no doubt that Naruto's mother would watch him the same way.
"What about breaking your promise? Doesn't that go against the nonsense you used to scream about?" Sasuke nudged him with a small smile, earning one in return.
"I guess I'm a fraud now." Naruto's arms snaked around Sasuke and pulled her in for a hug. "You liked the fact that I didn't change much, so does this upset you?" Sasuke didn't put up a fight, she accepted the hug and laid her head against him. Moments like these with Naruto are what made her happy to be alive.
"I'm not upset at all, loser. Being a fraud is fine by me." Her lone arm reached around his body to pull him as close as possible. She wanted to say a lot more, but she'd rather enjoy the close contact instead.
"How's about I make you a promise instead? I sacrificed a promise with Shion to give you a promise." Naruto gave her his irritating goofy grin and she huffed playfully.
"What could you possibly promise me?" Sasuke had some ideas that she'd never voice.
He hummed and paused dramatically to purposefully aggravate her. "I promise I'll be by your side forever, tiny Uchiha. Is that good enough? I mean, I am awesome and everything."
That was more than good enough. She couldn't think of anything better. Did Naruto think before he spoke? Probably not. He wore his heart on his sleeve after all. He'd be a terrible Hokage… and she'd be there every step of the way for him.
"Whatever…" Her voice cracked with emotion and Naruto tried to look down and check if she was alright. Her head laid against his chest, refusing to move even if the world collapsed around them.
"Sasuke?"
"Just shut up for a minute, okay?"
Naruto chuckled under his breath and nodded.
"Okay…"
A/N - Yo! This update should have been out sooner, but its finally arrived nonetheless.
Kagome is an OC Jashin worshipper, I just needed someone to use as the small opponent for the chapter. Shiromari on the other hand is a real summon that appears in the OG fillers.
Naruto and Sasuke are in a league above everything in the shinobi world, whenever they get into fights it will not last long. That's just how it is.
Also, I changed my mind and will not be retelling Naruto The Last from a different perspective in this story. That had to do with Naruto and Hinata, and despite my issues with the movie, I enjoyed it. Let Me Atone in Peace is Naruto and Female Sasuke's story, and I really don't want to retell the same events. Their journey will continue to bring them closer if that's even possible. They will return to Konoha eventually and I have a lot planned for that.
Naruto knows what love is in this story. His "confusion" in The Last is not a thing here. They just haven't come out and said anything to each other besides the time when they were drunk. Don't forget, it takes a lot for canon Sasuke to talk about how he feels and that's no different here. Sasuke is really a troubled person emotionally and mentally. Shion gave a push in the "right" direction, which is why the priestess got off easy… and I don't feel it would be right to have Sasuke genuinely harm her. That would be a bit too much, even though the comment about the Uchiha clan angered her.
Hope you all enjoyed reading though! This story is now my most popular one which is amazing. It's crazy how many of you enjoy it despite Naruto and Sasuke not being officially together yet, it's coming people. Thanks for sticking around, reviewing, everything. :)