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Thank you for the patience. I know I haven't updated in a while. But life sucks when you have to work.
Beta-ed by Jenny-Cat-Mioaw.
Things as they are
Chapter 12
Minato was exhausted but he had to keep going. He had his village to protect, his precious people to keep close by. He refused to lose them and with Orochimaru sniffing about, there was a chance he could lose everything in one go. So he had to be prepared.
"Perhaps, Hokage-sama, it would be best if you allowed yourself some time to sleep." Inoichi stated carefully.
"You are of no use if you cannot function properly, Gaki." Jiraiya added with a frown. He'd only just arrived in the village himself, only to be picked up by ANBU to be told
of the impending invasion.
"I hate to say it, but I agree with the old man." A new, deeper and toneless voice added causing adrenaline to spike through Minato, enough to wake him instantly. The voice was cold, emotionless and it came from the shadows.
How had they gotten into his office unnoticed?! That was the first concern that blazed through the Hokage's mind. The second concern was just who exactly would be so foolish.
"Show yourself." Minato ordered gruffly as Sharingan activated next to him. Shisui and Itachi were standing ready to attack while Obito was waiting to see if he was needed. His Mangekyou ability allowed him a certain advantage in battle that was hard to come by.
Hard to defeat, if not impossible.
"I should warn you, I am merely a Kage Bunshin so your actions should not be made hastily." The unknown ninja stepped from the shadows, revealing a masked face, and a dark attire that rivalled the shadows he had appeared from. Kage Bunshin was also a surprising indication that this ninja was a Konoha Shinobi. After all, the Kage Bunshin technique was only known by a select few within the Konoha ranks, as only those few had either the chakra to perform the technique or the genius needed in order to utilise it effectively, no matter their chakra capacity.
"Who are you?" Minato demanded.
"Someone who wished to speak with the Hokage and didn't think they'd get an appointment." A shrug of indifference. The mannerisms were familiar, too familiar. He could see another in his mind, doing the same things.
"How are you connected to Uchiha Sasuke?" Shisui asked, clearly having seen the same thing Minato had. The abrupt question was meant to knock the person off guard, to try and get a more honest response from him.
"I am the boy's teacher. You neglected him and I trained him, nothing more, nothing less." Itachi shifted the barest amount at the slight lie he detected in what had mostly been truth. The claim that he was Sasuke's teacher was false but Itachi would not point that out . . . for now. He wondered if any of the others had found the lie, because it had been very artfully hidden.
"For what purpose? Who are you?" Minato was angry now. No one took what was his and Sasuke was someone whom he saw as a son. He was enraged at the fact that this person openly taunted them, telling them with no words that he thought them to be incompetent. He was infuriated that someone had managed to get away with interacting with Sasuke right under his nose. Not only did that speak poorly of his observational skills, but as the Hokage that was a disgrace in of itself.
"I am of Konoha. But I no longer serve Konoha." Another indifferent shrug. "If you don't believe me. . ." a slightly amused statement before red swirled through black in the sockets of the mask, revealing Sharingan eyes; Sharingan eyes that were fully mastered.
"There are no Uchiha that have defected." Itachi stated calmly.
"I leave when I wish, and stay when I wish." That statement hardly answered the question. "I am merely here to deliver a message to your Yondaime." Your Yondaime, not my. Itachi wondered if that was an indication of the Shinobi's allegiance. However, it didn't say much other than his loyalty was not to Konoha. So who was it given to?
"Speak then, and make it fast, before my patience runs out." Minato snapped, fully aware that this man might be able to help them, and also fully aware that this man was nothing more than a chakra construct, ready to dispel at a moment's notice.
"Your son was infected with the curse mark. Orochimaru's purpose in so doing still remains unclear to me, as the design of the mark is different from what I know it to be intended for. That, however, is not the issue. I came here to warn you. You will lose him, unless you find a way to bond him to this village, because as it stands he has nothing that ties him to Konoha, nothing to make him want to stay. He will leave and he will join Orochimaru. Sasuke expressed a desire to learn of a hidden past within the boy's life, and I came to ask you what it was. Sasuke wishes to help the boy but he cannot unless he knows what makes Naruto so desperate for power."
"What business is this of yours? What does my son and Sasuke have to do with you?!" Minato was hurt and he lashed out in his pain. Every person in that room knew why Naruto was the way he was, but they also knew that it was a topic far too painful for the Hokage to speak of. Every person in the village knew as well. But then, why did this Uchiha not know? Why didn't Sasuke? The boy had been oblivious in his Academy days but surely not that oblivious.
The unknown ninja paused before sighing and glancing away. "I used to have a team, a team that I took for granted. I didn't realise what they meant to me until I'd crossed a line I could never return from. I can see your son making the same mistake and I know what awaits him. It's not worth it but he doesn't know that and by the time he realises it, it'll be far too late."
"Who are you." An order. "If you were part of a team, then you were once a Shinobi of Konoha. If you truly mean no harm, then you will answer me." Minato was taking this far too personally and Sasuke realised that perhaps he touched a topic that was far too painful. But he needed to know.
"I cannot explain, so don't ask me to. I tried once, but you didn't listen."
"I know you?" Minato blinked in surprise.
"Yes, but I hardly know you." The clone nodded. "To me, you're just the man that became the Yondaime." And died to protect his village.
"But what are you to me?" Minato asked in confusion.
"That is something I do not know the answer to. As for Sasuke, he will be able to defeat Gaara but his focus does not lie in the Suna Jinchuriki. He aims higher, wishes to take out Orochimaru. Don't try to stop him because he won't listen." Sasuke tilted his head and added just for good measure. "I've already tried."
"When did you start training him, why didn't anyone notice?" Itachi asked with a deep frown, having believed himself to be rather informed about his younger brother; but now he wasn't so sure.
"Trivial matters that don't mean much. Right now, the Hokage needs to focus on his son. I will focus on the invasion. There is a group of Oto and Suna nin that will approach the village from the outside, and summon snakes to attack the village. They will cause the most damage. Gaara, he is damaged in mind but Sasuke wishes to change that, to help him and he wondered if the Yondaime will be able to fix the Suna Jinchuriki's defective seal." Here the clone paused in order to regard the Yondaime with a questioning look.
"I will have to see it before I can decide. And I will have to speak with Suna as well. It'll become a political matter. And currently, their planned invasion does not bode well." Minato sighed.
The masked Shinobi nodded before continuing. "Then there will be enemy hidden in the stands of the stadium. Kabuto will give the signal for the invasion to start. Find him and kill him if you can but be warned, he is far more skilled then what he has led you all to believe. My time grows short. I am on your side, but I will not submit to your questioning, so don't look for me. You won't find me." Then the clone dispelled, having exhausted its reserve of chakra.
.0.0.0.
Sasuke jerked awake when he sensed the presence in his room. He groaned and tried to roll over, only he couldn't. Sleep vanished from his thoughts as adrenaline took over. Blinking his eyes open he could only do what he had been doing his whole life since Itachi had killed his clan.
In the face of the unknown, he regarded the Hokage coolly, without much expression on his features. After last night's adventure, he was surprised he'd been left to sleep at all.
"What time is it?" Sasuke asked calmly as he gazed at the equally blank expression in front of him.
Seriously, that man needed sleep.
"Eight. In the morning." Minato replied. How generous.
Ignoring the seals that kept him where he was, Sasuke moved his gaze over to Itachi. "There's a notebook behind you, on the dresser. Since I'm otherwise occupied, could you please write down the exact time on the third page?"
Sasuke figured he'd been polite enough and the request had been reasonable. Itachi turned and picked up the notebook, and the little pen next to it, so that he could oblige the boy. Interrogation tactics 101, make the victim feel comfortable.
"What is the list for?" Itachi asked, mildly curious.
"I'm keeping track. So far I've woken up later and later every morning." Sasuke paused to frown, "It's worrying. However this morning might have been compromised due to the setup."
"And why would it be worrying?" Itachi pressed. While this wasn't what they'd come here for, he knew that anything the boy said could be crucial information that they needed.
"My sensei created a cover personality, while he trained me. The Sasuke of the Academy . . . he's me, but he's not. The personalities were meant to remain separate. But I think they're melding together." Sasuke's frown deepened. He figured he might as well swing this mysterious Uchiha sensei. After all, it had to be believable. "While my skills and memories remain unaffected, somewhat, I'm missing a few things, it does affect my habits and mannerisms."
He wasn't lying. He was just talking about something in a way that they would understand. There were two different Sasuke's and they were supposed to be separate, as far as Sasuke was concerned. He couldn't tell them the whole truth though. For now, this would have to suffice. The only thing he'd truly lied about was the part where he was missing a few things. He wasn't missing a few things, he was missing an entire lifetime. The other Sasuke, he had no memories of that lifetime. He could only make guesses at this point.
"So, any particular reason why I'm only learning about this sensei of yours now?" While Minato's tone was polite, the dangerous gleam in his eyes was far from friendly.
Sasuke felt like shrugging but he couldn't even do that much. "I did say there was that merchant, that wasn't really a merchant."
"But you didn't mention he was an Uchiha either." Minato narrowed his eyes at that one.
"Not a very good one. He got about as much training as I did." Sasuke protested, inwardly amused by the game he was playing. Would the truth eventually come out? It was hard to imagine that it would because his tale was such an unbelievable one. Hell he was still struggling with it and he was living it.
A part of him thought that maybe, just maybe, Orochimaru had decided to play some sick game on him and had locked his mind away in a world close to reality, but not quite the same because he would never allow Sasuke that small measure of peace, even in a world that didn't truly exist. Did that mean the Snake was using his body now? Was this world even real? Was this what happened to those who got taken over by the Sannin?
He would never know for certain. Not unless something happened to show him what was really going on. Did this world exist? How did he get here? Questions he was alone in asking. Would always be alone in asking because honestly, who would really believe his story?
"So what does he look like?" Minato titled his head, considering, yet his gaze was like a warning. This was his way of telling Sasuke he was playing nice with the genin.
"Actually, kind of like me." Again, Sasuke would have shrugged. "I'd even say we're related. First cousins kind of related."
"How old is he?" Itachi interrupted quietly.
"Hmmm, he's never said but I think he's young, teenager still." Sasuke mused. He didn't actually know if he was still fifteen mentally, or sixteen. Orochimaru's hideouts didn't really have calendars and stuff like that. He could guess an age but he couldn't know for certain until faced with a date. He knew that they were trying to figure out who the mystery Uchiha was by possibly trying to find when he'd disappeared.
Good luck to them.
But that also meant the 'Uchiha-sensei' didn't really have any credibility since in this world he didn't actually exist considering there was absolutely no trail to indicate as much, no records, which Sasuke found fitting because he didn't actually exist at all. It would mean that there would be more pressure placed on him, more ANBU watchmen, more everything until the mystery was solved.
It never would be.
Sasuke was just going to have to live with it. For Naruto, he could.
Now he just had to find a way to make the blond genin stay in Konoha. He still wasn't sure how he could do that. He had an idea, but it wasn't an easy one.
To let go.
Let go of his anger, his hatred. All his hard won burning killing frenzy to end his beloved older brother's existence.
To become the positive that would attract the negative.
Essentially, he would become the Naruto of his own world, the Sasuke this world was meant to have until he came along and ruined it.
But could he do that? He just wasn't sure.
It was probably too late for that anyway. He'd thrown the village for a loop with his one-eighty personality shift. Suddenly going back wouldn't help matters.
Itachi frowned at Sasuke's answer on the mystery Uchiha's age but he didn't comment. Sasuke's answers, his entire manner of speaking was odd. Like the boy was choosing his words carefully, like he was silently amused as well. Itachi knew that Sasuke was keeping something back but he couldn't press the boy now. The Hokage had enough to worry about and Itachi didn't want to add to it.
"Do you know his name?" Minato asked carefully, but there was something in his tone that told Sasuke he wasn't really expecting an answer.
"Uchiha-san, or Sensei." Sasuke replied. "It's all he ever told me to call him."
"Why was he training you?" Itachi asked, a small hint of disapproval in his tone. Sasuke wasn't sure where that was coming from.
"He said I reminded him of someone he used to know." Sasuke averted his gaze as his thoughts went to Naruto, the one from his reality. "A teammate he used to have. But that same teammate, the qualities in me that reminded him of his teammate, were the same ones to cause his downfall, so he wanted to change that in me . . . so I didn't meet the same fate."
A fate where he was doomed to follow Naruto around like Naruto followed him, driven to the edge of death again and again by the very teammate he so desperately sought to bring back to Konoha.
Could Sasuke do that?
Could he follow this Naruto so blindly?
Itachi wondered why this mystery Uchiha's pain was written so clearly upon his little brother's face. He didn't allow the frown that wanted to creep onto his features to get much further than a small downward tilt. Sasuke was so absorbed within his own thoughts he didn't even notice this small change.
Itachi remembered earlier conversations that involved his younger brother, someone had expressed a theory that Sasuke had witnessed or experienced the loss of someone very close to him. The sensei was still alive, so who was it?
"Can I ask a question of my own?" Sasuke looked back to the Hokage, but his gaze was hesitant, wider than before, more like the gazes he would send the Yondaime before he graduated, before he began to change.
"You may ask, but I'm not saying I'll answer it." Minato replied softly. He had an idea as to where this was going.
"Why is Naruto so desperate to surpass you?"
Minato sighed deeply and looked away. Sasuke really did hate it when the man frowned, and his heart sank even more when he realised that he was the reason the blond wasn't smiling at the moment. It made him want to take the words back, to rewind time to before he'd even woken up.
He didn't like that he was the cause for some much trouble in the blonde's life. Minato should have been focusing on Orochimaru and Naruto right now. Not Sasuke.
But Minato would not, perhaps even could not, give up on Sasuke. There was a bond between them, something that not even Sasuke could ignore. He was compelled to trust the man, to want to tell him everything. Mostly, he wanted to make sure the man just kept smiling.
There was a part of him that felt like Minato hadn't always smiled, not really and that it was only recently that he was truly smiling again.
. . . But Sasuke was ruining that.
Minato sighed quietly, a small action that held so much pain that Sasuke almost wanted to tell the Hokage that it was alright. That he didn't really need the answer. "Naruto-kun . . . was taking his training too far. He was just a boy, yet he refused to be satisfied with the level of progress he was making. He didn't understand that he was already way beyond his years." Minato began, not looking at Sasuke as his eyes grew dazed. "He grew hot tempered, impatient, cruel even . . . As my son, he has always had access to whichever teacher he desired. But I stopped all that when I saw what he was becoming. It angered him, hurt him I think. He believed that I was trying to get in his way. I think he even began to irrationally believe that I was afraid he'd take the Hokage's hat from me. In a moment of anger, a moment where I had lost patience with him . . . a moment I still regret, I told him that so long as I was the Hokage of Konoha he would never be trained by another aside from his jonin sensei and that I would make sure it was the person he hated most."
Sasuke wished to know what had happened before this. There was something more to this story. But he didn't want to interrupt the Yondaime. Besides, he'd asked the blond why Naruto wanted to surpass his father, not why Naruto was so desperate for power.
"While he doesn't hate Kakashi-kun, he knows that Kakashi is one of the ones that won't give in and give him what he wants." Minato turned back to Sasuke. "He wants to surpass me because I told him that if he ever tried to achieve that which he trained for, I would personally beat him into the ground and so long as he was weaker than me he would never get to where he wants to be."
"What does he really want?" Sasuke whispered, completely unprepared for the pain that crossed the Yondaime's features. In a moment of pure instinct, Sasuke flared the Kyuubi's chakra so that it broke the seal that had been keeping him in place and launched himself at the blonde.
He couldn't understand this sudden urge to take away that pain, to comfort the Yondaime and sooth the hurt he had unintentionally caused. He was just as surprised as the Yondaime when he wrapped his arms around the other man's waist and held as tightly as he could. A familiar feeling, something the Sasuke of this world had done many times before.
"I'm sorry Minato-oyaji. I didn't meant to make you upset." Sasuke whispered, surprised once again at how quickly his voice was beginning to crack, straining with emotion.
"It's alright . . . That however, Sasuke-kun, is a story for another day." Minato returned the embrace, and Sasuke didn't want to decipher if it was out of habit or because he genuinely wanted to. "I must go. Thank you for being honest with me Sasuke-kun. And thank you for showing me that your Will of Fire shines as brightly as ever. Hayate is going to be fine."
Then the Yondaime was stepping back, giving Sasuke a warm smile.
"We'll have to get those personalities of yours looked at at some point though. We'll need to be sure there isn't any lasting damage. After the Chunin exams we'll talk more about this sensei of yours. For now, I must tend to other matters." He added as an afterthought before he waved and disappeared in a flare of chakra and a flash of yellow.
"Shall we begin your training today, Sasuke-kun?" Itachi asked with a small smile.
Sasuke looked to the older Uchiha, a pang of agony slicing at his heart. This was the same person that had taken everything from him in a single night. This was the same person that had told him to kill his best friend. This was the same person that had brushed aside his every attempt to bond as brothers should.
But . . . at the same time . . . it wasn't.
And here Itachi was, willing and happy to teach him everything he'd ever asked the older Uchiha to teach him in another world.
"I need to get dressed." Sasuke stated, seeing that Itachi was waiting for a reply. He supposed he was grateful that the Hokage had decided to interrogate him while still in his own room. Better than in a cell with Ibiki in his face and Yamanaka Inoichi in his head. Who knew what would come out then.
Itachi inclined his head before walking to the door, closing it softly behind him.
Sasuke stared after him for a moment, once again wondering if this world really existed or not.
Either way, if he expected to start changing things, he needed to change himself.
And forgiving this Itachi, the one that hadn't murdered the clan, well that seemed like a good place to start.
They were different. He'd just have to remember that. This world, while close to reality, was not his own. He would have to remember that too.
He might have decided to start changing but that didn't mean he didn't make Itachi wait till he'd finished all the hot water before he got out the shower, again.
.0.0.0.
Several hours later found Sasuke repeating the same set of katas over and over again. An Uchiha kata that he had never learnt, in this reality or the previous one.
While his body was repeating the movements, working on ingraining it into his muscle memory without the aid of the Sharingan, his mind was focused on Naruto.
How was he going to fix that?
Could it be fixed?
No! That was the wrong way of thinking. He had to believe that he could because the Naruto from his true world had gotten to him so there had to be a way. These worlds while different, did parallel each other so it was safe to assume some aspects about it, make some sort of theory as to what the outcome would be.
Which brought him to another issue that he had to deal with.
Orochimaru. What was his game plan? Surely he wouldn't dare to attack Minato. Sasuke hadn't seen the Sandaime and hadn't even heard mention of the older Hokage so he had to assume the worst and say the old man was dead.
So then he had to assume again that Orochimaru, should he attack, would attack the Yondaime . . . but would he have the balls to do it?
That shield barrier of his, would that negate the Yondaime's jutsu? Would he be trapped just as the Sandaime was? Would he die?
So many questions, more and more that crowded his thoughts with every passing moment.
It wasn't helping his training.
With a huff he flopped onto the floor and straightened his back, forcing his thoughts to calm so that he could do the one thing he was familiar with.
Grow strong enough to achieve his goals.
Obito and Shisui watched the younger Uchiha thoughtfully. They'd seen the way he'd moved faster and faster the more his thoughts had raged. He'd slipped for the briefest of moments into a style they hoped they were wrong about before falling into meditation.
Sasuke was loyal to the Leaf. He'd proved that, hadn't he?
So then why did he use the Dance of the Snake taijutsu?
.0.0.0.
In the month before the final round of the chunin exams, Sasuke worked on bringing his body up to the level he was used to and then higher still. He worked on expanding his knowledge of all things related to the Uchiha clan, having three of the clans' best working with him. An opportunity he refused to miss out on even though he knew that they were watching his every move like hawks.
Fire style, lightning style, taijutsu, genjutsu . . . all of it was touched on and Sasuke realised that the last time he'd been training for the third round in the chunin exams he'd learnt only two things: the Chidori and the speed needed to effectively use it.
But still, Naruto played on his thoughts.
With a week till the exams he decided that enough was enough and did something he'd never done before. He went to Ichiraku Ramen and bought four boxes of ramen to-go.
Then he went and knocked on Sakura's door, ignoring the surprise that turned to annoyance when she realised it was him and promptly told her that she was coming with him to find Naruto and Kakashi-sensei.
"Why?" Sakura asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion, but there was less hesitance and more excitement at the idea of seeing Naruto once again.
"Because we're going to have a picnic." Sasuke replied seriously uncaring of what Sakura thought of such actions and moving to the village gates, already trekking the path to Kakashi and Naruto's possible location as he went. He would have a better idea than most as to where the two could be, since essentially he'd done the same thing with his own Kakashi.
While his own Kakashi might have been lazier and the less skilled one of the two, they were the same and there were moments where Sasuke could connect the two as exactly the same person, mostly though, when the lazier Kakashi was taking it upon himself to be serious.
Sakura followed him without further questions and Sasuke didn't prompt further conversation as he led them through the vast training grounds near the Hokage Monument. The rocky area was so different from the usual trees of the Leaf that most ninja got a near thorough work out just making their way through it.
The roughness of the stone, the unstableness of the rocky sculptures. It was all a type of training in itself just to climb them and walk through them. Chakra control especially was put to the test when it came to the trickier areas to travel.
Sakura was having some difficulty keeping up but Sasuke kept a constant pace. If he didn't push the girl, then she'd never grow any stronger. Hadn't it been Tsunade of the Sannin that had trained the pinkette in his original reality? And hadn't it been Naruto that had brought the older kunoichi back to Konoha?
Did that task now fall to Sasuke or had he ruined that too?
But if it was Sakura's training on the line, then Sasuke would just have to make a plan. That was all there was to it. She was also a part of Team 7 and it was high time Sasuke started treating her like it.
"Hey, Sasuke?" Sakura asked a little breathlessly as she followed him.
"Hai?"
"How much further do you think we'll have to go?"
Sasuke looked behind him and noted just how tired Sakura was. He'd forgotten just how useless she'd been in the beginning. He really needed to keep in mind that the girl behind him was not yet the woman that had faced him at Orochimaru's hideout. But she could be and that was what mattered.
That being said . . .
"You tell me Sakura-chan." Sasuke replied with a tiny smirk. "Use all that knowledge you crammed into your head at the Academy."
"Eh? How would I know?" Sakura looked ready to murder Sasuke and he was forced to suppress a chuckle.
"Oh well. We'll work on that but for now, they're not too much further ahead." Sasuke replied instead of laughing at her like he wanted to.
Being happy?
Was this what it felt like?
It had been so long since Itachi had murdered everyone.
Hatred and fear had been the only things he'd known for the longest time.
Sakura seemed relieved with his answer and redoubled her efforts, which had been slacking up till that point. Perhaps she was beginning her fangirlism for Naruto once again. Sasuke didn't much care. As long as it wasn't him. He'd been there, done that. He didn't envy Naruto there.
As Sasuke pulled himself up the last cliff edge, he found what he was looking for in the form of two clashing figures. Caught them in a spar.
Naruto's speed had improved greatly since Sasuke had last seen him fight, but then again, he'd never seen Naruto fight while at one hundred percent. With a week until the third round of the chunin exams and three weeks of training under their belts, Sasuke could only assume that Naruto's speed had increased.
"Wow." Sakura whispered as she moved to stand next to Sasuke. "Naruto-kun is going to win his match for sure. Just look at how well he's doing against Kakashi-sensei."
"Don't be so sure, Kakashi is holding a lot back. Here, let me show you." Sasuke stated with a small frown before lowing the ramen he'd opted to carry to the floor and springing into the spar. Naruto was shocked into stepping back while Sasuke headed straight for the silver haired jonin who reacted purely on instinct.
Kakashi was forced to react exactly as he would have in a real life situation and the level of his combinations soared greatly.
Naruto was left gapping in shock at the short spar that followed, a spar that was faster and more brutal than the one he'd just been having with Kakashi-sensei. It didn't seem possible but Sasuke had grown far stronger in the three weeks of training they'd had so far.
How was he doing it?
Naruto looked away, not wanting Sasuke or Kakashi-sensei to see the sneer of disgust on his features. Only they wouldn't know that the sneer was directed at himself.
Naruto didn't see Sakura standing behind him, and didn't realise that his features were in her direct line of vision. He didn't realise that Sakura saw everything that flickered across his face, saw every weakness he was displaying.
Sakura knew better than to say anything to Naruto. Instead she moved to stand next to the blond and stated very quietly. "It seems sort of surreal doesn't it? How did he manage to hide that much of himself during the Academy?"
"Simple. It's not the same Sasuke." Naruto growled. "Either that's an imposter, or my name isn't Namikaze Naruto. And I intend to prove this. One way or another. I don't know why anyone would want that dobe from the Academy but someone did, and they left this Sasuke in his place." The blonde's eyes hardened. "I don't know what his intentions are, but I will stop him, even if it means falling to more drastic measures. As it stands, he's too powerful for me to take out."
"Naruto-kun!? He's our teammate." Sakura protested.
"Tell me you aren't thinking the same thing." Naruto turned a hard glare to the pinkette. "Tell me that there isn't at least some truth to my words. That Sasuke over there IS NOT the Sasuke from the Academy."
"Hokage-sama wouldn't allow anyone to just disappear. He wouldn't allow a spy on the same team as his son." Sakura's eyes were wide as she shook her head, her tone conveying that she was trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Naruto.
"Che!" Naruto scoffed and looked back at Sasuke and Kakashi, watching as Kakashi delivered a kick to Sasuke's head only for the Uchiha to effectively block it. "I haven't been his son for years. That privilege fell into his hands. And he doesn't even realise it." Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke, watch as the Uchiha seemed to have genuine fun during the spar even if Kakashi-sensei still had the clear advantage.
Namikaze Minato had begun to see Uchiha Sasuke as a son, and the only one that had realised that it had happened was the blond, blue eyed boy that had desperately needed his father to be there for him . . . only, he'd gotten a Hokage instead. Naruto had watched from a distance as his father had grown more and more despondent, falling into his work and staying there for days, even weeks at a time. He never smiled, he never laughed. Minato, the man that had been his father, well he no longer existed.
Naruto changed with his father, he became the genin that he was today because when he wasn't the one that had been able to break through the walls his father had constructed, when he wasn't the one that had been able to make his father smile once again, it broke the young Namikaze, into pieces so small he wasn't sure how to put them back together again.
This Sasuke, he wasn't the one that had made his father laugh again.
This Sasuke was an imposter. There was no other explanation.
The Sasuke in the Academy had complained endlessly that Naruto didn't respect him, hardly aware that Naruto was already in his debt, that Naruto cried himself to sleep at night, that Naruto only did so well in the Academy because he was trying to achieve that which Sasuke already had.
He wanted to be the reason his father lit up the room. He wanted to be the one his father talked about, the one his father was proud of, yet it was always Sasuke.
Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!
He already respected the dobe that Sasuke had been because he owed the Uchiha so much. Only this wasn't the dobe from the Academy anymore. This was something else. And Naruto intended to find out what. He just needed more power.
He still wanted to surpass his father, that was still his goal. But if he couldn't even get rid of this imposter, then what hope did he have against his father.
He knew that his father saw him as ridiculous. But he didn't care. He had to surpass his father. He had to get more power. He had to.
His father refused to do anything about that incident, so Naruto was going to have to do it himself.
This 'Sasuke' was standing in his way. He had to be eliminated.
Sakura didn't reply to Naruto statement, sensing the topic as a very touchy one. There was something deeper going on here and she couldn't help but feel caught in the middle, yet at the same time watching helplessly from the side lines.
Kakashi and Sasuke's spar ended abruptly when Kakashi caught the Uchiha's punch and twisted his hold until he had the boy in a punishing choke hold.
Sasuke was forced to concede and Kakashi smirked before letting the Uchiha go. "I'll admit that your earlier arrogance has some basis of fact, Sasuke. Yet you still have a long way to go if you're going to continue to be this cocky."
Sasuke shrugged before pointing back towards Sakura and Naruto, "I brought lunch."
"What are you doing here?" Naruto droned. "We're training."
"Ration bars for three weeks straight are torture to even the most hardened of Shinobi." Sasuke grinned, "So I thought I'd come rescue your taste buds."
"Oh? And what did you bring?" Kakashi asked, mildly curious and wanting to stop Naruto's reply.
"Ramen, of course." Sasuke snorted. Naruto from his world had liked ramen so this one had to. There was no proof of this statement but Sasuke was going to give it a try. "One pork ramen for Sakura, one miso ramen for Kakashi-sensei, one beef ramen for Naruto and I got the tomato ramen for myself. I managed to convince Ayme-chan to branch out in flavours and this was the first one she tried."
"Tomato flavour?" Sakura stated slowly before shaking her head and deciding against it.
Naruto remained silent but he didn't reject the box that Sasuke held out to him. Sasuke wanted to frown but forced himself not to. Naruto was giving off a different vibe. Something more distant than before, yet at the same time it was as though Naruto was watching him more closely than ever.
"So, Sasuke-kun, how has your training been going?" Sakura asked when the silence went on for just a little too long.
Both Naruto and Kakashi were eating their ramen, not bugged by the conversation at all and hardly bothered to continue it either.
"It's different. Shisui-sensei is amazingly fast and he's helped my speed increase vastly. However, it's still not a natural speed such as Lee-san's. I need more physical training for that. Obito-sensei helps me with that. He's been helping me to condition my body, so that I'm not so reliant on chakra and therefore not as helpless without it." Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking to himself. It was odd really. The three Uchiha had trained him and nothing more. They didn't try to baby him as cousins and older brothers usually did. They treated him as a genin student, but they didn't treat him like family. While Sasuke had been satisfied with that at first . . . he couldn't help but feel a deep ache in his chest the closer it got to the chunin exams. After all, after the exams they wouldn't be training him anymore.
"And Itachi-san?" Kakashi questioned, showing mild interest in the conversation.
"Ani– Itachi-sensei teaches me ninjutsu, Uchiha taijutsu, and genjutsu. Obito-sensei and Shisui-sensei also help me in those areas but Itachi-sensei is unmatched in those areas." Sasuke replied quietly, using his chopsticks to poke at his ramen.
"I see. You have covered a lot of ground in the past three weeks. I hope it helps you against the Suna Jinchuriki." Kakashi stated, his tone neutral.
"It was more like catching up on lost time." Sasuke muttered, his tone bordering on bitterness. In his original reality, he'd lost the time because Itachi had killed the clan. In this reality he was Naruto. The one everyone feared and hated. No one would have wanted to train him. Not to mention he was also a dobe.
Sasuke sighed quietly before giving up entirely on his ramen. And today was supposed to have been a good day, a day where he made the first step in fixing what he'd broken. But from Naruto's demeanour, Sasuke had to conclude that he wasn't doing a very good job.
With only a week until the chunin exams, and Naruto needing all the training he could get when it came to his opponent, Sasuke knew that it was more than likely that he was losing this battle.
He wasn't the positive that attracted the negative. At least not today he wasn't. Perhaps he should not have had the spar with Kakashi. But would that had really helped? It was hard to be sure. After all, this Naruto was like Sasuke, looking for any excuse to be anti-social, to stay away from becoming a team. Sasuke knew that Naruto fought it just as much as he had. In the end, Sasuke had left because he realised that Naruto had become the person that Itachi had told him to kill and he hadn't wanted to do that.
He'd gone to Orochimaru because in the end, Kakashi's speech about teammates really had gotten to him, and he hadn't wanted to use Naruto to gain the power Orochimaru so freely offered.
"Sasuke-kun?"
Said Uchiha jumped when a hand fell on his shoulder and he turned a wide eyed gaze towards Sakura. "What?" He asked weakly, waiting for his heart to stop pounding. He didn't even bother berating himself for displaying such weaknesses. He had come to the conclusion that while his skill and memories remained the same, he was becoming more and more like the Sasuke he was supposed to be and there was just no stopping it.
"Sorry, just thinking about the chunin exams." Sasuke muttered, a poor excuse that he couldn't be bothered to make sound any more plausible. A side effect of being trained by Obito.
"Perhaps you two should head back." Kakashi stated and Sasuke looked around to see that their little picnic had dissolved around him. He hadn't even noticed that Naruto had left already and had stated moving through katas. "It'll be dark sooner than you think." Kakashi added, by way of explaining why they had to leave. "I'm sure Naruto appreciated the visit."
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke began slowly, not sure how to approach his next topic.
The jonin said nothing, merely raising a brow at the genin.
Sasuke took a deep breath before voicing his thoughts, "Why does Naruto want power? Minato-Oyaji got very sad when I asked him."
At the question even Kakashi visibly stiffened, visible eye growing distant and pained.
"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped yet somehow hissed at the same time. She seemed completely outraged and shocked that Sasuke had asked such a thing, like it was a crime to do so.
"Do you really not know, Sasuke?" Kakashi eventually asked quietly.
"Hai." Sasuke looked away, away from the distant expression he was receiving from the man he'd come to know as either deceptively lazy or far too serious. He wasn't used to this . . . helplessness that he was sensing from the silver haired jonin.
Kakashi was about to open his mouth again but they were interrupted by a soft thud coming from behind them.
"You're late for training, Sasuke-kun." Itachi announced quietly.
Kakashi's visible features shut down, as though he was now falling into the Shinobi tactics he so fondly preached about to his genin. Sasuke inwardly sighed, knowing that he might have gotten his answer had Itachi not arrived. Yet . . . there were things he could ask of the older Uchiha as well.
For example, what had happened at the Uchiha compound? Although, would asking bring more suspicion? Sasuke doubted it since Itachi was already aware of his memory problems.
"We shall escort Haruno-san back to her residence before we continue our training. Even Obito-san is impatient." Itachi continued, not giving Sasuke a chance to say or decide anything.
"Itachi-san." Kakashi greeted tonelessly with a slight nod of acknowledgement.
"Hatake-san." A slight nod in return. "I trust that Namikaze-san's training goes well."
"As well as can be expected." Kakashi replied before simply turning his back and walking away.
Sasuke watched him go for a few seconds before his own features hardened and he too turned away, walking towards Itachi, and further away from Naruto.
.0.0.0.
Minato faced the three Uchiha in his office, features as blank as the masks they wore. Obito, while not openly acknowledged as such, was in fact one of Minato's most valuable and trusted ANBU along with Shisui, Itachi, and Kakashi.
"Report." Minato stated dully, not sure he really wanted to hear the answer.
"Uchiha Sasuke's training shows that his talents were above the average genin but not above jonin level. It is estimated that before the Chunin exams Uchiha Sasuke's mental capabilities were far more advanced than his physical capabilities." Shisui stated quietly.
"Further attempts to learn of Uchiha Sasuke's unknown Uchiha sensei have proven fruitless." Itachi continued. "However, further observation of Uchiha Sasuke has shown a troubling amount of past trauma that cannot be accounted to his status as the Kyuubi Jinchuriki."
"Sasuke-kun also shows signs of having knowledge he should not have, or shows signs of having expectations of that which is not there." Obito paused, tilting his head, "Such as his taijutsu stances and his extreme fixation to get Hatake Kakashi to read Icha Icha books. He shows habits and mannerisms that are far more suited to a Shinobi in a hostile area as well as one who expects things that simply are not true or there. He shows surprise to things that he should not, and dismissing things he had previously treasured such as Umino Iruka and Ichiraku ramen."
"In other words it's like he's an entirely different person."
Minato turned to the window, unsurprised to see his son standing on the windowsill, arms folded across his chest and eyes shrouded in shadows as his hair hung over them.
"And what are your thoughts, Naruto?" Minato asked carefully.
"That it's not Sasuke at all. That whoever that is knows where the real Sasuke is and he's nothing but a spy." Naruto dropped into the room lightly, eyes falling on Itachi.
"And what would this spy's purpose be?" Minato asked, watching the smaller blond sadly.
"What is any spy's purpose?" Naruto scoffed.
"Why are you here, Naruto-san?" Itachi interrupted.
"With the chunin exams only two days away, I have considered the possibility that 'Sasuke' might be one of Orochimaru's spies. He knows too much with little to no explanation for knowing those things at all." Naruto faced Itachi with a glare, "And this 'Sasuke' has managed to get you all where he wants you. Three of the Uchiha's best training him, the Hokage's attention focused on him rather than the impending danger that Orochimaru poses, and all with the simple explanation of a mysterious Uchiha teacher that no one knows anything about or can find any information on. If you ask me, you're all idiots."
What Naruto didn't add, was that his own focus was shattered, completely fixated on this 'Sasuke' person.
"But, I'm sorry to say, Naruto-kun, this Sasuke is Uchiha Sasuke. The first thing we all did was test his DNA. He also has the Sharingan. You can't fake that. And, he reacts to his mother like he's always reacted. That is perhaps the one thing that has not changed." Obito stated softly, almost pityingly.
"It's no big feat for a ninja to do the impossible." Naruto narrowed his gaze, every person in the room unable to face the rage the sparked to life within the crystal blue irises. "And for four of Konoha's supposed best, you sure as hell have a hard time remembering that."
Naruto didn't wait for a reply before he shunshined away, leaving the four adults behind.
"That one is in serious need of some reconditioning. Can we give him to Danzou sensei?" Obito pleaded, looking to the older blond with wide eyes. "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"I hate to say it, but I think I agree with Obito, Hokage-sama." Shisui sighed.
Only Itachi remained silent as the poor Yondaime Hokage looked to his student's ridiculous facial expression, Shisui's perfectly serious one, and began to chuckle, even if that chuckle was a very small one.
.0.0.0.
Sasuke watched his older brother from the corner of his eye. This person that had taken everything from him, yet at the same time, had done nothing at all. It was a very frustrating place to be. The older Uchiha was standing in the kitchen, silently chopping up fresh vegetables before adding them to a large pot of water.
The scene was so mundane, so surreal that Sasuke couldn't help but stare. Over the course of his training, he'd come to understand that Itachi was so much more, so much stronger than what he could ever hope to be and he'd been a fool to think he'd ever be able to kill the other.
"You will shine brightly today Sasuke-kun, and bring honour to the Uchiha crest you wear on your back." Itachi commented suddenly. "The very picture of Uchiha perfection." Strangely, Sasuke didn't think that Itachi sounded very happy about that.
Sasuke's gaze turned downwards, to the clothes he now wore. Itachi and Obito and taken it upon themselves to get Sasuke new clothes. Ironically, the attire was the exact clothing he'd worn upon graduating from the academy in his first reality. The only slight difference was the stripe of orange down and around all the seams.
Obito's personal touch and a reminder of the Sasuke from this reality.
Shisui had taken up the responsibility of getting Sasuke new weapons, kunai, shuriken, paper bombs and smoke bombs. They hadn't wanted to get Sasuke anything more complicated, under the impression that Sasuke knew nothing about kenjutsu and unaware of Sasuke's true skill in this regard.
Sasuke himself had taken to doing what he'd done while with Orochimaru and had hidden weapons in seals in various places on his body such as under his wrist bands.
Today was the chunin exam and Sasuke wasn't sure how he felt. He hardly knew what Orochimaru was planning, could only guess more than others. He had also told the Yondaime that he'd take care of the snake summons, the Oto and Suna invaders, Gaara, AND Orochimaru. Could he do all of it?
Sasuke clenched his fists.
He had no choice. He had to.
This time, he'd be late to the exams and it wouldn't be because he and Kakashi still had to finish up his Chidori training. No, this would be because he had to kill some ninja.
A Shadow Clone could help?
It would hinder him in that he'd be fighting at half strength with the danger of being expelled at a moment's notice. Would Minato hold up the exams for him as the Sandaime had done during the first chunin exam? Did he take the chance?
Sasuke's fingers relaxed. A silly exam meant nothing in the face of his home's destruction. If he had to, he'd get disqualified. He didn't have to become a chunin. That had never really appealed to him anyway.
Besides . . . a small smile crept onto Sasuke's features at his next thought . . . he had something in this world that he didn't have before. This time, he was the one with the Kyuubi, and not Naruto.
And he was also an Uchiha, something he doubted was much of an over sight when it came to this reality. He knew the secret of the Uchiha's Sharingan, and if he had to, he intended to use it.
Still . . . one thing was playing heavily on Sasuke's thoughts. What did he do about Naruto and how could he save the blond Namikaze from Orochimaru and not to mention himself?
.0.0.0.