AN: Timeline so far:
(Arts) Payback
(Arts) Return, parts 1 and 2
(Arts) Dealing with it 1
DOS chapter 99, and in the evening (Arts) Dealing with it 2
Sasuke leaves the DOS picture to do Kakashi's training
(Arts) Pack and Hive
DOS chapters 100-106
(Arts) Long time no see (this chapter)
Sasuke comes back into the DOS picture from Kakashi's training (so essentially if Sasuke isn't in the DOS chapters being released, those chapters are happening in the above mentioned gap)
(Arts) Getting Settled 1
(Arts) Back in Action
(Arts) Here There be Monsters
Donahermurphy's snippet
"I am such a fucking idiot." Sasuke cursed himself as he left the training field. "I just had to activate sharingan and escalate it. I could have ended it right there if I had stepped back and tried to calm her down instead. It wasn't supposed to end that way."
What he had had in mind was to finally start paying Shikako back in similar fashion for her games during the mission to Wave and before their first Exams. He hadn't intended for his attempt at mischief to turn into a deathmatch. "I need to get control of myself. I really could have killed each her." That was the ultimate problem, Shikako threw the first blow and Sasuke did exactly what was normally expected, he fell back on his training and activated his Sharingan, leading Shikako to redouble her efforts, thinking that he was Itachi. Then they nearly killed each other.
Sasuke checked the sun's progress across the sky as he made his way across the village by way of the rooftops, chakra suppressed as far down as he could make it so that he was functioning without it's benefits, and decided that he still needed to hurry to get done what he needed to get done so he could be back on time.
Kiba wasn't at Team Kurenai's chosen field, so he tracked down Kiba at the Inuzuka compound, watching a little girl in a yellow coat play with a collection of dogs. "I never thought you were into babysitting."
"I am when it's Shino's sister." Kiba returned with a grin. "What's up, copycat? I didn't know you were back."
"I'm not." Sasuke answered. "Have you finished with the scroll I left you?"
Kiba gave him a long look and nodded, calmly getting up and making a 'come with me' gesture. "Yeah, come with me and I'll get them. I can tell you're in a hurry and my room has a window." He turned to the girl. "Chiyako!" He called. "I'm going to get some stuff for Sasuke. Don't push them too hard, Daikuro's still having problems with his ribs. Kiba lead him into the house, a low ceilinged building with wood paneling on the inside that gave the vague impression of a dog's den, Akamaru was passed out on the couch. "So what's biting you? Don't lie, it's all over your face."
Sasuke paused. "Me and Shikako nearly killed each other today." He said slowly and carefully.
Kiba gave him a particularly careful look. "I'm going to assume training accident."
Sasuke tilted his hand back and forth, and grimaced. "Kinda not really." He clarifed, explaining the situation more thoroughly as they walked through the halls.
"At least it ended well and it seems you both know where you went wrong." The Inuzuka said afterwards, a slow grin spreading on his face as he opened the door to his room and began sorting through the contents of the desk along the wall as he searched for the fire jutsu scroll.
"I really don't see what's so funny about it." Sasuke commented defensively at the grin on Kiba's face.
"Well look at it this way, copycat." Kiba explained, locating the scroll and tossing it from one hand to the other. "At least you've learned how to have some fun. I'm sure that that's a drastic improvement in your mental stability. Anything else you need? I'm sure you didn't come all this way just for that." Kiba continued, grinning widely and completely unperturbed by the genuinely unimpressed half-glare being leveled his way.
Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, I don't think I'm going to be gone for too much longer before I really do come back, and I need you to get everyone ready for a status report, just the twelve of us, about that issue of us being targeted once I get back."
That got his attention. "You have new information?"
Sasuke nodded. "The situation is much worse than we originally thought. I don't have the time to explain fully right now, but the best advice is to get ready for war in three years."
"Against Kumo? Iwa?" Kiba snapped out.
"Not that I know of, but apparently he and Kisame have friends."
Kiba relaxed and tossed him his scroll. "I'll tell them to double time it. Mom found a manned Iwa bunker inside our borders a week or two ago, that should serve as a suitable excuse."
"What?" Sasuke hissed. "You're joking."
"Nope, but I do know a damn good one about an Uchiha that copied the art of the hairball from a cat and regretted it the rest of his life." Kiba paused. "Congratulations by the way."
"What do you mean?"
Now it was Kiba's turn to level an unimpressed look. "Don't lie to me, Sasuke. I'm not Shikamaru, but I'm not an idiot. You can't fool my nose. I know where you've been. Congratulations."
"Thanks. Don't tell anyone though."
"Wouldn't dream of it. Does Shikako know?" Kiba asked.
"No, she doesn't."
"That's between you two then."
Sasuke opened the window. "I'll see you later, dog's breath."
"One last thing," Kiba stated. Sasuke paused on the window sill. "Mom has apparently decided that it's perfectly okay to try to hit on Shikako for me without asking me first." Kiba elaborated. "You know dropping hints how me and Shikako would be a good couple and how our kids might actually inherit some brains. I'm not interested in her, but I just thought you would want to know. You know, as her teammate." He said, holding his hands up.
Sasuke dropped out the window without another word. And Kiba suppressed his laughter all the way back to Chiyako at the expression on his face. The Uchiha looked like he was going to be sick.
Sasuke felt like he was going to be sick as he left and raced across town to exchange the scroll with a new set of techniques he could learn. He didn't like that idea or the flash of sheer panic that gripped his stomach that accompanied it at all. Not that he knew why that idea made him feel sick to his stomach, nor, he thought, was he particularly eager to think about it.
AN: Alright, here's my opinion about the fight in this latest chapter, which I've kinda stated in the first paragraph.
Here's the real issue. Shikako and Sasuke need better control over themselves. It's not about Shikako not being able to detect someone sneaking up on her. That's a separate issue that does need fixing, but it's not why this situation went bad. On the surface, I can't find anything wrong with the way either reacted, if they were on a mission.
Shikako is startled, so she reacts with violence.
Sasuke is attacked, he reacts by activating Sharingan.
Shikako sees Sharingan outside of a sanctioned spar, she reacts with the intent to kill or severely disable.
Sasuke is attacked with the intent to kill, and responds in kind.
They stopped thinking and fell back on their training. They did exactly what they were supposed to do on a mission. What they need to do is gain more control over that.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!
