(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)
DOS chapters 107-108

"WE got down to the business of working out when we could, actually, get down to business" Dos chapter 109

(Arts)Hard Topics; Part One
(Arts) Getting Settled 1
(Arts) Hard Topics; Parts Two and Three

"So between all the things demanding my time, I was almost surprised when New Year's snuck up on me. Konoha had a massive New Year's Eve Festival every year and it pretty much lasted from the afternoon games to the ringing of the bells at midnight to the taiko drums at dawn. Given that I was working the evening shift, I figured I would miss most of it. It was disappointing, but not overtly heartbreaking." Dos Chapter 109
(Arts) Happy New Years
(Arts) Back in Action
(Arts) Here There be Monsters
(Arts) Aftermath
Donahermurphy's snippet


With the Jashinist subdued and unconscious, there wasn't much left to do besides further secure their prisoner and begin combing the dead for their missing Genin Corps ninja.

"What should we do about-?" Shikako asked as Aoba passed them a couple pictures of the two ninja, gesturing vaguely about the bodies lying everywhere.

"Nothing." Aoba answered shortly. "Not our problem. We'll need to catalogue specific cause of death for all of them, which we can't do if they're six feet under or burned. Unless we get assigned back to this, it's another team's issue. A report will be written and the Daimyo will be alerted. But other than writing a mission report and transferring the prisoner to T&I, the three of us can wash our hands of this."

Shikako nodded, faintly disturbed by the answer.

"The genin are another story. Seal them up. We have to take them back home. Konoha has a 'no one left behind' policy, and their families are going to want to know what happened." Aoba added turning to comb the north side of the town.

Sasuke turned to face Shikako. "I'll take east and south. I still have enough chakra for a shadow clone and to still be combat capable."

For a moment it looked as though she was going to disagree, but she just nodded and spread her hands. "I'll take west then."

Sasuke made his shadow clone and turned to search their parts of the village.

"Wait, both of you." Shikako added. "Don't use your sharingan."

The Sasuke clone looked at him to confirm.

"Yeah." the original Sasuke agreed. "No sharingan." "I don't want any more of this in my head."

They all left to search their separate sections and Sasuke was left with the unenviable task of wrenching dead bodies firmly in the grasp of rigor mortis to compare their bloated, pale faces to the pictures Aoba gave him. "I don't think not using sharingan is going to stop me from remembering all this." He thought sickly as he knelt in the squishy ropes of a girl's intestines to check her face, which matched perfectly. "That's one down." He shook himself as he wiped the blood off his knees. "I should have worn long pants." He grabbed the genin's ankles and drug her corpse off to the side so he could seal it.

"Uchiha, Aoba said your team required backup. Report."

Sasuke turned to look at the cat-masked figure in black. "Yugao-taicho."

"We thought we did. We arrived at 1300 and found the entire town dead. Assuming a larger number of shinobi, Aoba sent a crow for immediate back up and we proceeded with caution." Sasuke began. "We found the one shinobi responsible, or at least a civilian with capabilities for using chakra higher than usual, because he was capable of seal-less replacement and a summoning jutsu. We fought him and left him restrained with a knockout tag in the middle of the village." Sasuke held up the scroll. "We're looking for our genin now. I've found one. I think Aoba said that the other was in a town even closer to our Hot Springs coast border." Sasuke paused. "That one's probably slaughtered too, taicho."

Yugao hopped down from the roof. "My team is searching the village. We'll find the other genin after we're done here as well."

Sasuke nodded. "Aoba is on the north side. Shikako is on the west. I have a shadow clone in the south."

"Tell them to collect the prisoner and go back to Konoha immediately. Ibiki's going to want him ASAP." Yugao ordered.

Later, after their reports were handed in, their dead genin turned over, and the culprit placed in one of T&I's cells. Shikako, Aoba, and Sasuke found themselves back in front of Tsunade giving a verbal report.

"Why is it that you can't have one, just one mission go according to plan?" Tsunade ranted to herself. "And why can't I ever see anything to suggest that it was actually your fault?" Tsunade fumed. "Just please get out of my office. It is too late in the day for this shit. I will call you back if we need anything else."

"That went so much better than I thought it would." Sasuke breathed in relief as they left the Hokage tower and Aoba made his leave.

"How did you think it would go?" Shikako asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, but worse than that." He responded.

Shikako looked as though she was going to say something about that , but then she shook her head and abandoned it. "You're coming over later right?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Sasuke confirmed. "For now, I need a shower." He grimaced, thinking of the gunk on his legs and arms from the bodies.

Sasuke flared his chakra signal as he knocked on the door. This was the first time he'd been back to the Nara's since the New Year's festival, and he was still confused about their acceptance of him into their celebrations.

"Welcome back," Shikaku greeted warmly. He opened the door wider and stepped to the side to let Sasuke in. "Shikako is out back with Shikamaru."

"Thank you." Sasuke replied.

"So, first mission out since the Exams." Shikaku continued. "How was it?" He asked way too casually.

"Yeah, because there's no fucking way the Jounin Commander doesn't know that his daughter's first real mission out of the village with her teammate in three months ended with the uncovery of two civilian villages and two Genin slaughtered by a single man." Sasuke thought wryly. He nearly said it too, before he recognized it for what it was and felt a wave of appreciation crash over him. While he didn't particularly relish his promised conversation with Shikako about walking into another massacre, and he didn't feel great about discussing it with her father, he got the idea that maybe Shikaku was asking him so he could ask Shikako. That, Sasuke felt he could deal with, and if that wasn't the case, he could at least treat it as though it was. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak and then thought better of it as he pondered where to begin. "The smell was the worst part." He finally started. "Other than kneeling in guts." He conceded with disgust.

Shikaku leaned back against the wall. "It generally is." He agreed calmly, a clear invitation to go on.

Sasuke felt his mouth go dry. "The sight of it all wasn't as bad, I only had my Sharingan on for the fight, and I was only looking at our opponent, whoever he was. I-" Sasuke let a breath out his nose. "I don't know how it was for Shikako. She handled it better than I thought she would." He snapped his head up. "Not that I thought she wouldn't be able to." He added. "I just thought she'd be more disturbed, considering… Considering she's never seen that before." He pushed out.

Shikaku tilted his head back and seemed to consider his next words. "His name is Kiyoshi Himura, he's a member of a religious cult out of the Land of Hot Springs that worship their god by spreading mass murder." He explained. "Kiyoshi was very willing to explain his motivations. None of which are classified." He assured.

"That's… How many are there?" Sasuke asked.

"No idea. It's only been four hours." Shikaku pointed out before making his way off toward the kitchen.

Sasuke found Shikako on the back portion of the deck with a shogi board and her brother in front of her. "Hey." He greeted, taking a seat beside her.

"Hey, yourself." She returned with a smile, clicking a tile onto the board in a cautious advance. "You know anything else?" She asked casually.

Sasuke nodded and studied the board, "Your dad filled me in on a little of it. It's not classified apparently."

Shikamaru huffed in irritation "I'm not even going to ask." He said, rolling his eyes and getting up to stretch.

"Not going to finish?" Shikako asked with a frown.

Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm going out. I'll be back in an hour." He excused, walking away.

Shikako frowned and looked at him before raising an eyebrow. "You want to finish?" She asked with a look that could have given one of the Inuzuka's puppies a run for its money.

He snorted and rolled his eyes before moving himself to the opposite side of the board. "You're ridiculous."

She stuck her tongue out at him in response. "So what'd dad have to say about it?"

Sasuke repeated what he was told and moved a tile carefully before adding "He didn't have to leave."

Shikako shook her head and sighed. "He's just going to find Tenten, most likely." Shikako tilted her head. "That's an interesting move." She commented as she swiped his piece.

"Clearly, I'm just prolonging the inevitable." Sasuke answered not-so-jokingly. The corner of her mouth turned up in response and she reached for her drink. "You know," Sasuke said as he reinforced his king defense, "Kiba told me about what Tsume said."

She expelled the drink in a fine mist and a series of hacking coughs. "Thanks jerk, I had almost forgotten that." She said, clearly displeased.

Sasuke smiled back disarmingly. "He's not interested, in case you were wondering. Nor did he seem pleased at what she did." He informed, a little happy jump in his stomach at her displeased reaction towards the reminder.

"Oh good." She said, shoulders slumping in relief. "I don't have the time for that bullshit right now." She narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. "Something funny?"

Sasuke moved a piece and nodded. "So I guess we're even for the teasing about what's in my mom's letters?" he asked innocently.

Shikako's eyes widened and she looked down at the board with a faint grin on her face as she remembered the incident. "Oh that was... Wow. I was not expecting that. Yeah, I uh, guess we are."

Sasuke gestured to the board. "Next move?" He offered cautiously, trying to get his message across.

Shikako met his look with one of suprise, and then one of pure mischief. "Oh don't worry," She said, finally clicking a tile into place. "I've got a plan."


AN: Well, now that arc is finally over. Finally. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!