Chapter 50: Unraveling
Sake.
If there was one thing Tsunade needed now more than ever was one good bottle of sake. Though, it would likely do little to help with the piercing headache she was feeling right about now. Not with the amount of paperwork left on her desk, and most of them related in some way or another with the Taisho clan's unusual moves. With so many other pieces roaming all over the place, getting a clear picture of the board was basically impossible.
Oh, Kakashi'sreport made the clan's interest in the Higurashi heiress more than evident...but, somehow it didn't feel like they were the kind of person who'd made such a big move for the sake of vague curiosity.
The Suna betrayal, Orochimaru's invasion, Akatsuki's sudden interest in the blond jinchuuriki...at this point, Tsunade wasn't sure this was all that was happening anymore. It was also mildly concerning to think how much of this the nomadic clan knew. Usually, the kind of accords they had with the other Hidden villages meant their shinobis had a limited amount of information. Yet, the reality was the exact opposite. All nations knew that whenever something big was about to happen, the silver-haired family would be there in some way or another. Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if they had informants not only inside the countries but the Hidden Villages themselves. So whatever the Taishos were entangled into, Tsunade would now have to move it up in the priority list.
Amber eyes moved to the paper between her fingers.
Higurashi Kagome's profile promised nothing but a massive migraine.
Because of the emergency situation inside Konoha, the Council took control over the promotions given to the Chuunin Selection Exams participants, and apparently, only one person was given said promotion.
Not that she doubted that Nara Shikamaru had earned the rank up or anything of the sort. The boy was every bit as smart as his father had been, following through with the Nara's trend. However it was they raised their children, it seemed to work like a charm every single generation. To keep his cool to realize he wouldn't win and end the fight on his own terms while retaining the upper hand wasn't a move many would've made. For a chuunin, knowing when to retreat was as important as knowing when they needed to push forward. If his dossier was accurate, then the kid would do well in charge of a team when the time came.
There was little to do about the rest of the Konoha genins. A good portion of them wasn't even able to have their match in the first place. Trying to promote them like that was out of the question. After all, it meant ignoring the rules, and it wouldn't sit well with the other nations. Those who lost their chance would have no choice but to wait for another six months for the next exam and make the travel to whatever village would host next. In a similar vein, Uchiha Sasuke's fight was interrupted early on, and while the boy showed enough skill, there hadn't been enough time to observe his strategic skills. Tsunade couldn't really say much about the report given to her, considering Kakashi confirmed it all. Hyuuga Neji was in a somewhat similar spot. His skill was well inside the chuunin parameter, though this time, a decision was made. The boy needed to learn how to keep his calm when faced with a cool-headed enemy.
Naruto's report was...unusual, to say the least. His win against the Taisho shinobi was recorded along with the words 'unconventional use of a basic jutsu,' and that was it. When asked, the Copi Ninja actually had the gall to pretend he'd suddenly remembered something of utmost importance and just vanished.
No, there wasn't any problem on any of those files...the issue was Higurashi Kagome's dossier.
A clean and decisive victory against her opponent with minimal injuries. She won using a genjutsu against a Hyuuga. That alone should've had her on the top of the list for a promotion. Clearly, the girl was more than capable of coming up with functional strategies. Talking strictly about her strength in battle, both the report in her hands and Kakashi confirmed she fit well into the chuunin category...yet the only one promoted was the Nara boy.
Impulsive and emotional behavior.
The words had been scrawled on top of her file and cited as the main reason behind the Higurashi's promotion delay; until the next exam came, minimum. As it turned out, the impulsive behavior referred to rushing out of the village along with the Uchiha heir to warn Naruto about Akatsuki's presence. It happened while the prankster had been looking for her along with Jiraiya.
It tasted sour on her tongue, the clearly forced excuse.
This was the same girl the Taisho showed an interest in.
Why was the Council trying to get her stuck as a genin?
Something else had to be going on, and the way too sober Godaime was in no mood to deal with political machinations this soon into her leadership. Before her fingers could close around the lone sake bottle she'd managed to hide from Shizune, three knocks echoed through the room. Shit, right, the Sannin had called for her.
"Come on in."
"Good morning, Tsunade-sama." The source of her migraine bowed politely; behind her, the Uchiha simply nodded.
"ah, Kagome-san, Sasuke-san." Tsunade fought the tick on her brow. She was pretty sure she'd asked only for the Higurashi heiress. "I know it's quite early, but there were some questions I wanted to ask."
"I'll be sure to answer to the best of my ability." Deferential words and a gentle smile were offered by the girl.
Hmph, so she was aware that the only one supposed to be here was her, but still blatantly decided to bring the boy along. It looked like Naruto's comment about the two being literally always together wasn't an exaggeration after all. Shaking her head, the Sannin tried to ignore her frustration. This was not why she asked the Higurashi girl to come.
"What do you know about extracting debris from a closed wound?" she asked.
"Extractions..." Azure eyes closed for a second. "I know that depending on the size, form, and placement of the object to extract, the risk of the surgery can change dramatically. In some cases attempting to take it out could be more harmful than leaving it inside. In others, it can simply be impossible...is this about Lee-san's injury?"
Sharp girl, just like Kakashi said.
"Fragments of the bone have been lodged in his spinal cord. There is a surgery that can potentially take them out...but the survival rate doesn't go up from 50-50." Tsunade could see understanding dawning on the heiress. "I'll be blunt; can reiki get rid of them?"
"I..." For once, there was hesitation in her voice. "I can't be sure. When I heal myself, it's a reflective action. Most of the time, I don't even have to think about it as long as my wounds aren't serious. We've been lucky enough that none of us has gotten more than a few broken bones, so I've never done anything other than rejoin skin or a couple blood vessels..." This was the first time Tsunade heard an explanation like this, the medic in her couldn't help but become interested. "Whenever I deal with poisons, I can use reiki to eliminate the foreign substance in the blood, but...if it's his own bone...I'm unsure I can accurately separate the fragments from the bone itself with the techniques I know."
"I see..."
"Has he agreed to go on with the operation?"
"He has." Which was why she'd wanted to see if the girl's inherited talents could offer a safer option. "Don't worry, this was purely to satisfy my own curiosity. As a medic, I'd be lying if I said I never wondered about your family's healing miracles.
"I'm sure they must have developed quite the number of jutsus based on our kekkei genkai, though it looks like I'm going to have to rediscover them by myself at some point or another." Kagome's smile was a bit wry at her words.
"Was that all?" the Uchiha butted in.
"Well...yes." Tsunade bit her lip not to laugh when the girl elbowed her companion. "That was all."
"It was our honor," the girl bowed again. "Also...thank you, Tsunade-sama, helping Kakashi-sensei and now Lee-san...I know he probably won't say it himself, but I'm sure Naruto-kun is really grateful for it all."
With a wave of her hand, Tsunade's gaze fell back on the girl's dossier. It never left her hand. Yes, this had the stench of the Council all over it. And the Godaime Hokage planned on getting to the bottom of it.
Idly, Sasuke wondered if the lack of missions (including the reconstruction ones) was supposed to be some sort of punishment for acting out when they decided to go warn Naruto before he scoffed. Onyx eyes flickered towards the prankster snoring in his living room.
For the past few days, Kagome had been determined to spend as much time with their childhood friend as humanly possible. Of course, that meant they were roped into following the moron to do whatever it was he decided to do. At least the extreme practical jokes were left out of their daily activities due to tension still running high throughout the village. The lack of inane missions honestly felt like a blessing.
Taking a deep breath, the Uchiha shoved those thoughts away as he passed the living room and exited his home.
Earlier that day, Kagome had come to him with a whispered warning, the eyes that had been on them ever since Sandaime's death had changed. Four people instead of the usual pair. And none of them belonged to someone the girl could place. The message couldn't be clearer; Orochimaru finally decided to make his move. Going out to their training grounds would be their answer. With the Higurashi heiress following after him, they'd made sure the illusion of Sasuke being completely alone remained unshattered. They may have agreed to take on the Sannin's offer, but it didn't mean they were stupid enough to blindly trust whatever was placed in front of them.
Letting the cold of the night calm his own nerves, the Uchiha jumped to one of the nearby tree branches. If Kagome's intuition was right, this would be it, the moment they finally left this rotten place.
As if unwilling to waste any more time, four figures landed in the branches around him. A collection of freaks if he'd ever seen one, from the one with a couple extra sets of arms to the one that seemed to have a...was that a second head? So far, only the woman and the fat one seemed any sort of normal; though considering they worked with Orochimaru, they were probably hiding something.
"Who the hell are you?" He didn't recognize any of them.
"The Four Sounds, east gate's Kidoumaru." Four arms spoke first.
"South's gate's, Jiroubo."
"West gate's, Sakon."
"North gate's Tayuya." The woman was the one to finish.
They moved as one, more than likely trying to prove a point, they launched at him.
Shit.
Dull pain throbbed from the spots he'd used to try and block the coordinated attacks. Not the worst he'd felt, but far from the start of an easy confrontation. The crash of the bodies he'd managed to send flying against a tree almost made him wince. They weren't that close to the main house, but they weren't that far away either. Naruto slept like a rock, but even the moron was bound to wake up if the fight continued like this; it was just too noisy.
Irritation burned through him when smoke covered the area only to reveal four logs used for a Kawarimi. Those four were not useless, that much Sasuke would acknowledge. Behind him, the Oto four stood, smirks on all their faces. They were clearly enjoying themselves.
"Stop making noise, or an idiot will barge and interrupt," he bit out before any of them could speak.
"Was that supposed to be a threat?" the one with the second head, Sakon, snorted.
"No." Kagome's voice reached them before a senbon pierced the wood near the Oto shinobi, a thin crimson line now adorning Sakon's face. "Nothing but a bit of advice; our friend is quite loud when he gets confused, after all."
"Oh, so the princess was here, after all."
"Not like that will make that much of a difference." Kidoumaru stepped towards the direction the girl's voice had come from.
"You came here with an offer, didn't you?" Sasuke cut in; they really couldn't afford to have Naruto wake up.
"Already considering it?"
"We haven't gotten closer to what we're pursuing; staying here doesn't make much sense." Kagome landed on the other side of the Oto shinobis with a graceful jump.
"In order to receive something, then you must sacrifice something in return," the redhead said, glancing first at the Higurashi before setting his gaze on him. "In exchange for power, we've become Orochimaru's servants; we have already lost our freedom."
Barely, Sasuke repressed a snort. Was this supposed to be the way they'd intended to tempt him into taking Kagome and leaving the village? By basically admitting they'd been weak enough to happily bind themselves to the freak that was Orochimaru without even g for themselves anymore?
"What is your purpose?" the woman continued; this really sounded rehearsed. "We can tell you about Itachi."
Ah, here it was. The actual lure of this whole pitch. As expected, Kagome's predictions were as spot-on as usual. An aggressive start to hit home who weak the two heirs followed by a sales pitch that contained the real bait. He supposed this was the part of the psychological attack where he was meant to be shaken at how well they'd been read...or some shit like that. Biting his tongue, the boy swallowed back his laughter. Oh, they would agree, alright, but it would be on their own terms. If the maniac thought he could bend them to his will that easily, then he would be in for a rude awakening later on.
"This village is just a hindrance for you both. Cut ties with your useless acquaintances," Sakon picked up, following the scripted message. "This is the only way you'll become stronger...don't forget your purpose."
With that, the four vanished, leaving only tense silence between them.
"Just as you said..."
"Honestly, more than just a bit predictable." With a sigh, Kagome made her way to him. "That said...I've still got a bad feeling...we should try to gain some time."
"They don't look like the patient type."
"No..." Azure eyes wandered towards the Uchiha main house. "But I think I have an idea...first of all, we should get back, make sure we have everything we need."
Nodding, his fingers tightened around the girl's.
There was no denying just how tense and nervous the whole thing was making her, but there was no doubt in the determination shining inside the azure oceans of her eyes. This would be the same as walking a tightrope over a bottomless pit without a safety net. One false step could easily end up costing them their lives, but...but they couldn't remain the same weak children Itachi had been forced to protect and keep ignorant. If they wanted revenge, the proper one, then some risks were inevitable. Besides, as long as they listened to the Higurashi heiress' instinct, then they would be able to avoid going blindly into a situation.
"All of the regular scrolls are already packed." And all packed into bags waiting for them in their room. "Is there anything else you need from the archives?"
"No..." Kagome trailed off. "We have everything we need from this place."
Her seals were...perfect.
Kagome could feel the chakra slowly weaving around the sleeping blond would become their guarantee. Her jutsu was flawless, and even if it hadn't been, Naruto had never been one to notice the delicate currents of chakra that came from the more subtle techniques.
Slender fingers lightly rested on top of an ancient vase the Uchiha had once valued greatly. Meeting with Orochimaru in his own terms was a recipe for disaster, one the girl had no plans on seeing through, but that meant some venues had been entirely cut off. Thanks to the prankster's information about the state, the snake-obsessed Sannin had been when they'd been looking for Tsunade-sama, it was clear the man had been heavily injured. If she had to bet, that heavily influenced the timing of the entrance of his minions into the village. It was too close to the now-Godaime's rejection. Either the man had simply lost all patience due to his pain and simply wanted them in his hands...or whatever he planned to do to heal his arms was on a time limit. Whether that was because the injury was actively getting worse or some other reason, the Higurashi heiress wasn't sure, but she was pretty confident that this whole thing wasn't just due to Orochimaru being unable to handle the pain.
If they managed to delay their arrival to his base, then they would probably be fine, for a while at least.
Pretending to doubt or doing something as insane as walking slowly would not make the cut; looking indecisive could also backfire. Which left the two heirs with only one real option to delay to escort team sent the two heirs...to be pursued by a retrieval team from Konoha itself. A team motivated enough to go after them and skilled enough to engage the four Oto nins...but not actually stop Kagome and Sasuke themselves.
Of course, for that to happen, the timing was essential. If the retrieval team caught up to the two heirs too fast, their chance would be lost. Dragged back to the village and probably put on to far stricter vigilance. Maybe the Council would get bold enough to try and separate them. If the team arrived too late, however, they'd be dancing to Orochimaru's rhythm. No matter what they did.
In the end, the answer had been somewhat simple. Have someone spot the two teens as they left the village, or more like, have someone believe they spot them as they left Konoha.
The scene was crystal clear in her mind; the sound of the breaking vase would have Naruto waking up to an illusion of the two clan heirs leaving. More specifically, the blond would see Sasuke pulling on a slightly hesitant Kagome that would wander around the streets for a good couple of hours until it vanished and left the prankster right in front of the Hokage tower. Even if, for some reason, Naruto was too flustered to think about going in, he was sure to be loud enough to attract attention until someone dragged him in front of Tsunade-sama. And from there, the woman would, in all likelihood, sent him alongside a team to retrieve them.
There would still be some risks. Someone could spot the blond and call on Naruto. Canceling the illusion. Tsunade-sama could always prioritize them and send someone skilled enough to catch up to them. Honestly, there were so many little details that could go wrong...but the girl trusted her intuition.
With one final glance at her sleeping childhood friend, she pushed the vase.
The ever-present silence of the Uchiha compound splintered, the pieces of ceramic shattering in a high-pitched cacophony that intermingled with NAruto's wakening gasp. Cerulean eyes blinked rapidly before sitting on an empty space that painted confusion on the blond's face. For an instant, silence reigned once more. And then, he was up, loud questions spilling forth to the fake images Kagome herself implanted in his mind before the boy himself left, chasing an illusion.
"I'm sorry, Naruto..."
"He'll be fine..." Sasuke whispered behind her. An empty reassurance meant only to give her something to lean on. "You said it yourself. That woman is fond of him, for whatever reason. She'll make sure he's protected."
"I know..."
This time, it was her who went to intertwine her fingers with his, taking a moment to just feel his warmth. A solid reminder of why she was doing this in the first place. It wasn't going to be an easy thing to do, but she would do it anyway. The girl would make sure they remained safe. As long as Sasuke's wellbeing relied on her own instincts, then failure was not an option. For the sake of their goal, they would go on. No matter how hard or painful the road became, they would get through it.
"I know...and once we're back...we'll explain it all." And they'll make sure to get retribution.
If there was ever anything that could showcase just how useless Konoha was, then it would be the ease with which two genins had managed to evade the patrols and literally jump over the walls of the village without breaking a sweat. Truthfully, Sasuke was quite sure even without the Higurashi heiress' intuition, sneaking around the guards would be pathetically easy. It would seem the people had learned nothing from the whole invasion if security was still this unbelievably lax. Hell, they weren't even that far away, but he could already see the four Oto nin's silhouettes.
"We've been waiting, Sasuke-sama, Kagome-sama." Sakon's voice was a complete opposite of their first encounter.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"Ever since we left the village, we've decided for you two to lead us," the man continued. "Please, forgive our earlier actions."
"Hmph, it's fine either way." Sasuke snorted. "Let's go."
None of the four seemed to have any trouble following in their path; it would seem Orochimaru had taught them every detail of the terrain. Between that and the village's uselessness, it didn't surprise him they'd managed to pull off something like the invasion. Honestly, it was shocking they hadn't been attacked earlier. A hand gesture had them all land on the grassy ground.
"Sasuke-sama...I think this will be a good place." The two-headed Oto nin landed on a small clearing. "We've gone far enough from Konoha."
"What is it?"
"Well, we've got an important order from Orochimaru-sama, the last and final one." The guy truly liked to keep vague.
"I'm asking what the hell that is?" The Uchiha's patience was running out.
"You...must die once."
"I think a longer explanation might be in order." The ice in Kagome's voice wasn't even hidden.
"Seishingan." The man took out a bottle of pills. "I'll need Sasuke-sama to drink this."
"A longer explanation," Sasuke hissed again.
"Your current cursed seal is level 1. That pill will forcefully increase the curse's level to level 2." This time, it was Tayuya who offered the answer.
"However, the level 2 seal will dramatically increase its contamination speed; if we don't do anything, you will die." The two-headed man offered the bottle to him. "In other words, in order to control the level 2 power, your body needs some time to get adjusted to the level 2 curse. Once that's done, you will probably possess the same level of strength as us. And when the seal is awakened to level 2, there will only be a few minutes...until you die."
He could feel Kagome tense at his side. Not that he blamed her. In fact, if it was the girl who had this told the Uchiha wasn't sure he could keep quiet and stand by the side...but the girl wasn't calling this off just yet. To a certain degree, at the very least, she believed what was being told to be true.
"...what will happen after I die?"
"Don't worry, that's what we're here for." The grin on the Oto nin's face widened as Sasuke took the bottle. "Our barrier jutsu will reduce the side effects of the curse. It'll soften the effect of death to a temporary coma."
Slender fingers grabbed on the hand that was still clenched around his own, painfully digging into Sakon's flesh.
"I hope you understand." The young heiress smiled at the man, polite words hiding blades. "That if this goes wrong in any way, then even if I die in the process...I'll make sure to tear each one of you up into pieces."
It was the same as the smile she'd shown back after she killed the Kiri shinobi on their way to Wave. The same kind of cruelty hidden under her courteous tone as when she nonchalantly reminded them that Gatou had to die anyway. And for all that the four of them were probably stronger, he could see she'd managed to take them off-guard. Without a reputation to maintain anymore, Sasuke supposed this side of her would begin to show more ofter
"He-hey, Kagome-sama, no need to worry." Two sets of arms made calming motions as Kidoumaru tried to defuse the situation. "We four are usually the elite guards of Orochimaru-sama, see? So, our strongest skills are creating seals and barriers."
"We'll be counting on it."
Giving Kagome one last look as she moved away to give the Oto nins enough space to maneuver, Sasuke swallowed the pill.
And then, his lungs were burning. Flames flowed through his veins, incinerating his muscles as he fell to his knees. He couldn't...he couldn't stand, couldn't breathe...couldn't still be alive.
"Hey, hurry up, you idiots. Or Sasuke-sama is gonna die."
The words echoed in his head while his consciousness faded.
Crimson drops fell to the ground as the girl attempted to focus on the pain, nothing but a weak way to stop herself from running and interrupting the sealing ritual. After all, if there was one thing that had become evident since the moment they met with the snake Sannin, it was that the man wanted them both alive. The real danger would come if she were to try to stop them midway. Truthfully, Kagome supposed, this tension could also be a byproduct of the final step they'd just taken.
Because this was it, there was no turning back.
Around this time, her genjutsu should fade away, leaving Naruto worried and confused and yelling for attention. No way to cover this if something were to go wrong. A simple mistake could spell their end. Being unable to do anything but watch as the Oto four set the Uchiha inside the heavily sealed coffin wasn't helping her at all. Still, the girl pushed it all back.
It was precisely because it was this important that she couldn't fail.
Silently walking in the middle of the single line that had been formed after they resumed their journey, Kagome made sure to periodically send a light wave of chakra to keep track of their surroundings. If her calculations were correct, soon enough, the retrieval team would be on their heels. The group of four shinobis at the edge of her senses, however, was very much not something she'd been expecting...although it could work in their favor.
Not saying a word in warning, the heiress kept walking. Only after two of the Konoha shinobi group separated and came close did the ninjas around her noticed.
"Dammit...this means trouble."
"One...no, two of them." Tayuya's eyes were closed, so she was the sensor.
"Stay in the middle, princess. We'll deal with them," Sakon muttered as they moved to circle her.
"They're coming!"
They approached from both sides, an attempt at an ambush. And the girl vaguely recognized both of them. Jounin, good enough to qualify as proctors but not part of that selectively small pool of known former ANBUs.
"Higurashi?" Genma's confusion was painted on his face. "I see, coming from Konoha, and what would be inside that barrel, pal?"
"Two jounins are a bit of a heavy load, huh?" Dark stains began to appear on all the Sound Four's skin.
Two steps back and an uncertain look. Kagome had no idea if these people would even be alive by the time this confrontation was over, but she couldn't be too careless. So instead, she backed away, making sure to show some of her very real anxiety to the two jounins that were watching her.
"Whatever is going on, Higurashi, we can help. Just come over here." The former proctor looked straight at her, a plead on his voice.
"This time won't be like the previous surprise attack!"
With a blatant look at the coffin, the Higurashi heiress gave another step back, making sure not to make a sound. This would also serve as a good chance for her to observe the effects of the cursed seal while being properly used.
"Shut up, bitch!" the woman snapped. "Just die!"
"Orochimaru's toys, huh?" The words were dripping with bitterness. "Don't take Konoha too lightly."
The sound of the blades hitting one another was a familiar one. Even before she was old enough to hold her own blade, she'd been taken to observe the members of the Uchiha family train. The echoes of screams and the metallic smell of blood that was overpowering the scent of the forest, on the other hand, was not something she'd had an overabundance of experience dealing with. ..although, the heiress figured, she'd had to get used to it, and the sooner, the better. The joy in the Oto's nins expressions made it clear how Orochimaru dealt with his problems.
Perhaps it should've bothered her more.
Azure eyes glanced at the two mostly beaten-down jounins. It had been a decent performance, but they'd never had any chance, outnumbered against enemies using the cursed seal. They were still breathing. Letting this go on probably wouldn't delay them enough to be caught. Honestly, even if Kagome were to stop them, there was no guarantee those two would actually survive long enough for a medic to heal them, but...if they did...then that would lend some more credibility to their story. Nothing would be lost. Making sure to keep her face down, the young heiress spoke.
"C-can we...leave now?"
Odd looks were sent her way at her purposeful stutter. It couldn't be helped to make sure they would get treated seriously; Kagome had discarded the polite and sweet mask she tended to wear. The change from the girl who'd just threatened them all without any regard to her own safety and the hesitant child in front of them right now must've been jarring.
"Right," Sakon muttered, still glancing her way. "Let's get a move on."
If her memory was right, then the woman that had been assisting the Godaime, Shizune, was one of the shinobis who remained behind. With a bit of luck, those two would survive this.
Although the big difference in the way their escorts were moving now compared to the beginning of their travel was an interesting one. Exhaustion seemed to weigh heavy on all of them, their movements now noisier than they'd been before the attack despite the fact that none of them were heavily injured. Just as heavy a price as using the sharingan was for Kakashi-sensei, it would seem. More of a last resource than something to exploit at any possible chance. No apparent harmful side effects for a quick use, though. Idly, the Higurashi cataloged as much as she could see until the two-headed nin called for them to jump down, the rest immediately sitting in a small circle. Chakra exhaustion then, not simply physical. And it had to be considerable enough for them to prioritize the rest over their mission.
"So, that was some performance," Kidoumaru smirked from his place on the ground. "Having second thoughts?"
"Those two were weaker than Kakashi-sensei." All hint of hesitation was gone from her voice, replaced once more with cold indifference. "And he was beaten by Itachi without breaking a sweat. What we're looking for is power. I simply wished for a bit of a demonstration."
"Please, rest assured, Kagome-sama; both, you and Sasuke-sama, were chosen because you both hold much more potential than us." Sakon sent a glare to his teammate. Upsetting her, it seemed, was not something that was supposed to happen.
Ignoring the last comment, the girl allowed her gaze to wander towards the clear sky. It was clear Orochimaru had given them instructions on what to say during their first encounter. Pretending to use their hatred towards Itachi as a way to gain control of their actions. The strategy itself hadn't been bad. A part of her couldn't help but wonder if it would've worked had Sasuke's hatred for Itachi changed its target. Maybe her polite and gentle act wouldn't be needed anymore, but some masks would still be essential if they wanted to keep themselves from falling into Orochimaru's psychological games.
"And I said this can't wait!"
Jumping back in her seat, it was a bit of a miracle that Tsunade managed to avoid the embarrassment of actually falling from her seat as the increasingly familiar sound of Uzumaki Naruto's yells woke her up from her...light rest. Whatever commotion was going on outside her door was definitely upsetting the prankster.
"Come in and explain what the hell is going on?!"
Somehow not that surprisingly, Izumo and Kotetsu entered her office, hands loaded by the paperwork she'd asked them to get...but also by a pajama-clad Naruto who struggled to slip through his shirt so he could escape the chuunins. The kid was giving it his all.
"Well?" she snapped when no one said a thing.
"Godaime-sama...could it be...you were asleep?" Izumo's brows were twitching. "There's ink in your cheek."
"That doesn't matter! Let me go; there's no time!"
"Explain, now!" The slam she gave her desk seemed to make the trick and got the blond to look at her.
"Kagome-chan and Sasuke are gone!"
"Gone?"
"I...I think they're being tricked into going to Orochimaru. I tried to catch up to them, but..." Naruto struggled to get his words out. "Anyway, I don't have time. I need to go!"
Well...fuck...this was not what she thought she'd wake up to. And if both bloodlines fell into her traitorous former teammate's hands...no, this was not something that could be ignored. Her mind rushed through the names of the shinobis available inside the village and almost cursed out loud. They really were stretched too thin.
"Naruto, stop moving!" Thankfully, her 'medic voice' had enough authority to shut him up. "What you need to do is go back to your apartment."
"What?!"
"I said go back to your apartment and change. Then come back straight away; you'll need a team to go with you."
And they would need to depart soon.
A/N: A bit of a shorter story this time, but it felt right to end it there, otherwise it would end up being too long. Also, Sasuke and Kagome are finally getting out. After the dust settles the impact the small changes have had all this time will begin to show a bit more and more. After all, the main main catalyst for the changes (Kagome, since she's the one that wasn't there in the original story and has had the most interactions with the Naruto cast, though the Taishos are also catalysts here) has had a fair amount of contact with others at this point, and her leaving along with Sasuke will start to trigger things here and there. And well, we all know how the butterfly effect works.
As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.