Chapter LVII
Uneasy alliances will be formed,
Contracts made and pacts forged,
A word promised to clear a debt,
Collecting pieces that may be left,
Chances risked and gambles taken,
Promises held and promises forsaken.
The colossal stone steps that climbed up to the summit of Mount Olympus and its sprawling, majestic palaces had once been a mighty and impressive sight to behold, stretching endlessly onwards and curving gently around the mountain-face until they disappeared beyond the clouds themselves. But what Sasuke found when he flickered close to the base of the ancient flight of stairs was a mere shadow of the splendour of old, barely recognisable; nothing but time-ravaged, faded ruins. The glorious archways had fallen, their once-sturdy pillars having succumbed to time's flow. Some of the steps were still distinguishable, but most were crumbled and eroded. Certainly too perilous for any mortals to navigate. The pinnacle was a very long way up – and a very long fall down for anyone foolish enough to entertain any attempt to traverse it.
He exhaled quietly, overcome by a strong wave of memory as he gazed upon the sight, his presence concealed from view by the Helm of Darkness upon his head. How many times had he stood at the bottom of this very staircase in ages long past? How different things had been then. How different he had been.
Yet despite the cruel flow of time, Olympus itself still endured. The gargantuan mountain towered up to the sky higher than the naked eye could see, a looming landmark, its peak shrouded in a thick blanket of mysterious mist. It was bordered in all directions by dense forests. Once magnificently verdant, the trees were now limp and sparsely leaved. It was a harsh contrast to the flourishing Olympus Sasuke remembered.
And at its summit, was Cronus. Forbidden from ever leaving its confines by a powerful senju seal, performed by Zeus and Hera in a final act of heroic sacrifice before their souls had passed on.
The death deity's eyes lowered from the skies, to the foot of the mountain. He knew Olympus was not unguarded. If his memory served him correctly, there were four powerful guardians stationed upon its stairs. Four guardians for the four different landings that the sets of stairs were divided into.
Sasuke would have no trouble passing through, of course. He could do so unseen, and teleport to the summit with swift ease, unhindered, when it was time for him to meet with Cronus the following day. He wasn't here to plan his route.
He was here to size up the formidable guardian who was presently stationed on the remains of a toppled column, sitting cross-legged in perfectly still meditation. Several sheathed katana blades were strapped to his back. Sasuke's eyes then widened, as his attention was caught by the weapon draped across the guardian's lap.
A large sentient broad-sword, almost as tall as a fully-grown man, wrapped tightly in bandages. Samehada.
Sakura placed her hands under the running tap, taking extra time to wash them. She scrubbed at her palms almost viciously, while her mind desperately reached out, trying to connect with a certain ocean deity.
But Suigetsu did not return her efforts to talk, and hadn't said another word since their exchange the previous night. She'd tried several times throughout the course of her morning shift at the hospital. To her mounting anxiety and dismay, her attempts had been unsuccessful. The only voice in her head was her own, fraught with worry.
She had barely slept the night before, tossing and turning restlessly in her bed, troubled and apprehensive. She'd felt sick to her stomach, with no idea what Suigetsu would choose to do with the information she'd given him, not knowing if she had just made the greatest mistake of her present existence.
She'd had no choice but to reveal the truth to him. He'd already pieced together a great deal of it through eavesdropping; that she was the mortal reincarnation of a goddess who had perished back in the war and that she was carrying something of great value, a remnant of her past self, that couldn't fall into Cronus's hands at any cost. He'd told her that he was confused, because she was clearly mortal in appearance and body chemistry, and there was no way to discern her as otherwise other than being told the secret about her seal, or witnessing her rebirth, so why would Cronus seek what he couldn't use, when her powers were locked away, clearly unable to be extracted or used for anything other than their basic purpose, confined to each newly-born physical shell?
Sakura had explained why, that Cronus had kidnapped Kore in her first life, sought to use her abilities to his advantage and poisoned her original body, leaving her mother with no choice but to salvage what she could in order to maintain life on the surface. She'd explained that if Cronus realised she still held the Essence of her powers, he'd definitely try to experiment with channelling her abilities somehow to help grow his own creations, or attempt to use her as leverage as he had in the past.
She'd told him that Cronus was a monster who had led his clan to its destruction, and all the surface gods knew for a fact that if he ever acquired the power to remove his seal, he'd be hell-bent on obtaining revenge not only on the surface deities for their role in imprisoning him on Olympus, but on the whole of humanity itself. None would be spared from his wrath and carnage.
Suigetsu had listened intently, in uncharacteristic silence. He'd asked a few questions here and there, about why Sakura couldn't remember her first life or any others, about her attacks, about what eating the Food of the Dead meant for this cycle of rebirth. About who placed this seal on her and if it could ever be reversed so she could obtain full goddess-hood once more. He'd asked whether Sasuke knew all this, and had he known it from the start, or at least suspected it? Was that really the reason he'd kidnapped her after all? Did she even know whose side Sasuke was on?
Sakura had left out the parts about knowing Sasuke from the past, and the role Ino had told her he'd played in Kore's original abduction. Suigetsu, she'd reasoned, didn't need to know about that.
Finally, at the end, Sakura had entreated that the ocean's King didn't take this information straight to Cronus. That she'd trusted him with it, that it surely wasn't in his best interests to assist the Uchiha patriarch. That he would be risking her very safety and that of the entire world. She'd told him that she would help him get his seat back on Olympus; that any deal made to him by the enemy, they could better; that she would speak to her mother and the surface gods and arrive at a mutually agreeable arrangement. Any terms Suigetsu had, they'd find a way to compromise.
Suigetsu had then informed her that he doubted her mother would pull through. He'd been promised a sword called Samehada in return for helping locate her – only to be given different blades in return for his troubles. Tsunade had explained that they knew where Samehada was – but they couldn't obtain it for him, no matter how much they had tried to bargain for it, because the wielder wouldn't relinquish it. That hadn't pleased Suigetsu. The only consolation was that he'd been given three rare swords for his troubles, instead of one. But it still hadn't been the one he'd wanted. And he still didn't have his seat on the Council back.
Sakura had been dismayed. Her mother had told her they'd found the sword, and she'd assumed that meant that Suigetsu had been handed it. But evidently he hadn't. And it was clear Suigetsu was pissed off at that – but was he irritated enough to tell her secret to Cronus?
'I'm sorry,' she'd said. 'I didn't know you never received it. I'll find a way to convince my mother. Just please. Please don't tell him. We don't know what he's planning, and if he has no issues throwing his own family's lives away, how can you think about working with him?!'
Suigetsu had silently looked at her for a long moment. Then he'd said casually, 'Cool. Thanks for the interesting info. I kinda figured there had to be more to you than meets the eye. Why else would Sasuke take a human from the surface? It just didn't add up – I always thought maybe he was doing it to get back at Naruto. But anyway. This was fun. And guess what. I decide what my best interests are. You sleep tight.' Flashing an incomprehensible grin, he'd then vanished from sight, the telepathic connection abruptly severed.
And Sakura had been fretting ever since. What if he'd decided to go to Cronus? How would she know what he'd decided to do? Why wasn't he answering? If she ignored his warning and confided to her mother and the others, could they somehow intervene, could they somehow help to persuade Suigetsu not to share what he had already half-known prior to her filling him in? Or was it already too late for even that?
"-kura?"
"Huh?" Sakura blinked, startled out of her thoughts by a hand gripping her left shoulder. She looked up, to find that Kenji had joined her in the hospital's staff kitchen. He was frowning, looking concerned.
"Hey. Are you okay? I've called your name a few times now, but you were just spaced out."
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Sakura apologised, flushing deeply, embarrassed to be caught so off-guard. "I just- I've got a lot on my mind and…"
Kenji's eyes moved to her hands that were still under the running water. "Uh. You finished washing your hands? I'd say they're probably clean enough."
Sakura looked down, to find her skin had turned an angry red from being scrubbed so hard. Feeling stupid, she switched the tap off, dried off her hands, and shook her head sheepishly. "Ken, I'm really sorry," she started again. "I just had trouble sleeping last night and I guess my mind wandered."
"Hey, it's no problem," he answered kindly. "I won't pry, alright? I just want to know you're okay. And whatever it is, if you need to talk to me, I'm here."
He was absolutely the last person Sakura could talk to about this, and she knew it. If Kenji knew the truth about who – and what – she and all her friends really were… he'd freak out.
And you're thinking of maybe dating him? Her inner voice censured. Don't you think he'd deserve to know eventually, if you were planning on going steady?
Sakura pushed the thought out of her head. Kenji was a mortal, an innocent. She wouldn't involve him in this unnecessarily. It wasn't that she didn't trust him. She just didn't want to put him in any danger. If the enemy was watching them, and they noticed how much time she spent with him, who knew what could happen?
Meeting his worried gaze, she offered a small, appreciative smile. "It's nothing. Please don't worry. But thanks, Ken."
He didn't look entirely convinced but nodded all the same, and didn't pursue the matter again.
There were three things Suigetsu was known to be fond of; the first, making mischief wherever he went, the second, his peculiar penchant for killing and severing limbs from bodies when irked. The third, was his love of hunting down and collecting rare swords.
He was mulling over his newfound knowledge and contemplating his next actions whilst appreciatively sharpening his newly acquired weapons, when an unexpected voice called out to him, causing him to immediately tense.
"New additions?"
Blinking in surprise, the King of the Oceans looked up from where he was seated on his mighty, golden throne, scanning the impressive expanse of the room to find that an unanticipated visitor had materialised, breathing as easily underwater as all immortals could. All manner of mythical sea creatures were free to roam within the sea king's impressively constructed palace, with its white-marble halls comprising of towering arches and open windows - but none ever dared to intrude upon him in his throne room unsummoned.
Sneering in response, Suigetsu jeered, "Unless you're here to beg my forgiveness for the shitty way you treated me, I've got nothing to say to you, asshole."
Sasuke looked thoroughly unrepentant. This only served to piss Suigetsu off even more.
"What the fuck are you doing down here?" he rested an elbow on the broad hilt of his hefty signature blade, making no move to alter the casual position in which he was seated, with one long leg draped languidly upon the armrest of his seat. Sasuke was in his world, now. And strolling in so brazenly and without warning, was a remarkably reckless move by the Underworld's moody ruler. In fact, Suigetsu thought, it was downright stupid.
"We need to talk," Sasuke stated.
"Hah!" Suigetsu barked. "You came all the way down here in person to talk? You could've easily done it telepathically. You know I could throw you out my oceans in a blink, don't you? I don't need to listen to a damn thing you say."
The death deity regarded him steadily from where he stood, at the base of the stairs that climbed up to where Suigetsu's throne was set on a huge shell-shaped dais.
His eyes glittered like dark coals. Undeterred, he simply replied, "You could."
"Even better. I could trap you here for a couple months, see how you like it cooped up in a fucking cell. In other words, coming here was a big, BIG mistake, Sasuke."
In a flash, the water deity blurred out of sight, reappearing behind the God of Death. On his home terrain, Suigetsu had the advantage. And they both knew it.
Sasuke didn't flinch when he felt two fingers press to the side of his head, in a gesture that mimicked a loaded pistol.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice your pretty little head off its shoulders," Suigetsu sang.
"I didn't come here to fight," Sasuke sounded disinterested. Almost bored. Thoroughly unintimidated.
Suigetsu glared at the back of his head. "Yeah? That's too bad for you, because I'm gonna kick your ass!"
With that, he hoisted his blade and aimed a cleaving strike straight at the death deity's skull. Sasuke released an exasperated sigh before flickering out the way, immediately drawing Kusanagi to parry Suigetsu's blows. But as the ocean god continued to angrily hack and slash at his uninvited guest, it grew apparent to him that Sasuke wasn't actively engaging – merely defending with the aim to diffuse the situation as quickly as possible.
This only served to irk him even more.
"Fight me, you son-of-a-bitch!" Suigetsu snarled. "Or you too chicken-shit to show off, now?"
"Stop this," Sasuke snapped back, as he side-stepped to avoid another swipe, before Suigetsu forced him on the defensive again. Deflecting a frenzied flurry of blows, he added, "You're wasting my time."
"What the hell did you expect?" Suigetsu taunted. "A welcome party? After the shit you pulled, we're not exactly on friendly terms and I'm not stupid, either. You'd only come down here if you needed something. There's no way I'd help you with anything, other than throwing you out of here. You've wasted your own fucking time, dumbass."
From the corner of his vision, Sasuke saw bubbles materialising around him. Thinking quickly, he flash-stepped behind Suigetsu and aimed for his wrist, seeking to disable him of his weapon. But the water deity lifted a palm and a moment later, Sasuke was trapped in a bubble, around which spun a savagely whirling water vortex, which shoved him back, restoring distance between the two.
Dispersing the vortex as quickly as it had materialised, Suigetsu pointed his hefty Kubikiribōchō sword at the death deity. ""Still so cocky, even on my terrain. There's no way you can beat me here, and I'm in no mood to listen to whatever you have to say. Now I just need to decide whether to toss you out, feed you to the real Kraken, or lock you up."
"Suigetsu," Sasuke, out of patience and in no mood to listen to threats they both knew Suigetsu wasn't really about to carry out - because unlike the oceans, the Underworld could not be ruled remotely - finally cut straight to the chase. "You've spoken to Madara."
The King of the Oceans frowned. "Are you fucking kidding me? You came here to talk about Madara?"
"Madara knows Sakura was in the Underworld." Sasuke pressed. "How?"
Suigetsu blinked – then lowered his blade, and laughed loudly. "Oh, I knew it," he shook his head. "I knew this wasn't just some friendly social call. You've come to talk about her. Funny. Pinky really is breaking news everywhere at the moment, isn't she?"
"Suigetsu-" Sasuke began in warning.
"How the fuck should I know?" Suigetsu glowered at him. "Maybe you're not as good at covering your tracks as you think? Bastard."
Sasuke stared hard at him, in silent suspicion. Suigetsu rolled his eyes.
"Don't believe me? Seriously? I didn't rat on her. Not yet, anyway. You think I'd be crazy enough to go up there and visit him without serious leverage? The less dealings I have with you crazy Uchiha fuckers, the better. He wanted me dead the last time we met. Heard he even planned to poison the oceans to get back at me for not lending him the Kraken during his messed up war. Although… what I now know about Sakura, could maybe change that…"
Sasuke pounced. "And that is?"
Suigetsu's lips drew back to form a wide, toothy grin. "Well would you look at that. The great Uchiha Sasuke doesn't know everything after all. If you think I'm just gonna spill what I know, after the stunt you pulled and when it doesn't benefit me at all-"
"You meddled," Sasuke interrupted flatly, as if that simple fact excused all his past behaviour. "I told you not to interfere."
"Ever fucking occur to you that you could've just explained yourself? With the right kind of bargain, I might've kept my mouth shut! It's not like I particularly like Tsunade." He stuck out his lower lip distastefully. "She just happened to offer me a sweet deal. Well. I thought it was. Until they bailed on me. But no, you have to take the emotionally constipated route."
The only reason, Sasuke told himself, why he hadn't yet stabbed Kusanagi straight through the irritating deity's throat to stop him from saying anything else idiotic, was because they were on his playing fields. And as hard as it was to stay passive, he hadn't visited Suigetsu to squabble. Keeping calm, he said, "I'll make it worth your while."
"Oh, I really doubt you could," Suigetsu snorted. "It'd have to be something huge to smooth things over after you locked me up for months. I don't give a shit about riches and that's really all you could probably offer."
"What about a blade?" the death deity coolly intoned.
"I'm not gonna fall for that crap again," Suigetsu lowered his sword, stabbing it into the marble flooring, causing it to clang loudly. "Tsunade offered me one, and in the end it wasn't the one I was given, or the one I wanted, so fuck off, Sasuke."
"Samehada," Sasuke uttered. "I know where it is."
"Bullshit. That's exactly what Tsunade told me and then she-" he broke off, inhaling sharply, when Sasuke flash-stepped to him with incredible speed, grabbing hold of the chainmail of the blue tunic he wore. Just as Suigetsu commanded the waters to toss Sasuke out his abode, he found himself falling roughly onto dry land. A hand hauled him up, and then he was being shoved roughly behind a tree, with Sasuke's – cloak? - suddenly enveloping him – except it was moving, like a live shadow around him.
"Gross! What the hell is this?" Suigetsu swatted at the shadows, trying to remove them from hovering around him. "What the actual fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed. "You're a fucking maniac, do you know that?"
'Shut up and hold still,' Sasuke telepathically snapped. 'The cloak is an extension of the Helm of Darkness – we need to stay unseen.'
'What the hell? Why? Where have you brought us, you psycho?'
'Look,' Sasuke said harshly, and a glaring Suigetsu reluctantly followed the line of his pointing finger, the shadows parting enough for him to be able to see where they were. He then sucked in a deep breath, recognition washing over his features.
'Oh. Oh shit! This is-!'
'Olympus,' Sasuke answered. 'And that,' he pointed at the muscularly built warrior who was penning his thoughts on a piece of paper at the foot of Olympus's steps, 'is the wielder of Samehada.'
'Holy shit…' Suigetsu gawked.
'You want his sword?' Sasuke gestured. 'You'll need to defeat him. You can't defeat him alone.'
Suigetsu's eyes were wide as he glimpsed the legendary blade, wrapped in bandages, resting on the guardian's lap. He'd never been so close to it. So close that he could just walk up there and-
'Wait, what?' Paying attention again, he caught up to Sasuke's words. 'Why not? I've taken down larger opponents than that. Don't underestimate me, bastard.'
'Because,' Sasuke supplied, 'He's a Jinchuuriki.' Pausing, he added pointedly, 'The Eight-tailed Jinchuuriki.'
Suigetsu turned his head, gaping at the Lord of the Dead. Somehow, he knew Sasuke was telling the truth. And suddenly it made perfect sense why Tsunade couldn't get hold of the blade.
Sulkily, he said, 'Ok. Fine. Now you've got my attention. I'm not agreeing to anything until I hear what you're up to. What do you want?'
He blinked and they were back in his throne room under the sea. Sasuke released him, and he took a graceful step back.
"You'll tell me what you know. All of it. And I'll help you defeat the Jinchuuriki."
"I need it in writing. A signed contract."
Sasuke wordlessly pulled out a scroll from the leather satchel at his waist, and handed it to him.
Suigetsu opened it slightly – to see the bottom had already been signed by the Underworld's King. There was a space for a second name. That was where Suigetsu supposed he needed to sign – but only after he'd make sure he read through the whole contract carefully.
"That's it?" the sea deity narrowed his eyes dubiously. "The Eight-Tails is no joke. You'd go through all that trouble and effort, just so I can tell you what I know?"
"No,"Sasuke replied. "One other thing."
"What's that?"Suigetsu regarded him cagily. He absolutely detested Sasuke for what he had done – but his desire to possess Samehada overruled that. After all, he was a mercurial being; his moods shifted as the tides of the ocean. And this was simply far too good an opportunity to pass up.
He'd play along until he got what he wanted – and then he could seriously hurt Sasuke with the very blade he'd helped Suigetsu acquire.
If that wasn't poetic justice, then Suigetsu didn't know what was. His internal triumph faltered slightly, though, when the death deity met his cautious gaze, and have him a dark, twisted half-smirk.
And if experience had taught Suigetsu one thing, it was this: that it was never, ever a good sign when the King of the Underworld grinned so wickedly.
Sakura had only had one lecture that afternoon, and upon returning home early, was surprised to find Kakashi waiting by her front door. He'd had his nose in a book – which he promptly lowered and packed into the pocket of his sleeveless green gilet jacket upon noticing her arrival.
"Ah. Sakura," he greeted. "Your mother had to pop outside but will be back shortly. She told me you'd be home early."
"Kakashi-sensei," she smiled, genuinely happy to see him. Unlocking the front door, she invited him in. "I hope you've not been waiting too long. It's pretty cold, isn't it?"
"Not too long," her old teacher assured her, following her inside. "How are your studies going?"
"Stressful," Sakura stifled a yawn, as she hung her bag, scarf and jacket onto the coat rack. "I have exams coming up."
"Well, you've always been bright," Kakashi complimented. "I'm sure you'll do well."
"I hope so," Sakura gestured to the living room. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"
"I'm good," he waved a hand dismissively. "Actually, I stopped by because your mother told me you'd started genjutsu training with her and Kurenai. She asked me to help you practice. If you're not up to it-"
"No, no! Now would be great," Sakura enthused. Decided to worry about Suigetsu again later, she added, "And actually, I've been wanting to talk to you for a while about things." She took a seat on one of the couches, and Kakashi plopped down beside her.
Sakura began, "I don't mean to pry. And it's fine if you don't want to talk about it. But Naruto told me the reason you keep your eye covered is because you have the Sharingan. Is that true?"
Kakashi's lone eye drooped slightly. There was a long pause. "Aaah," he finally affirmed.
"But… from what I understand, it's only passed on in the Uchiha bloodline?"
"That's right," Kakashi agreed. "But it can be transplanted to non-Uchiha. I was…" he sighed tiredly, as if what he was about to say next weighted heavily on his chest. "It's not something I like to talk much about."
Sakura bit her lower lip. "I understand, Kakashi-sensei. I'm sorry, just forget that I-"
"But…" he went on, his gaze lowered. "Your mother told us to be open with you. It may help you to know some more about the past, and how the Sharingan works. Especially since Madara possesses one." He folded his arms almost defensively, and lifted his masked face to the ceiling. Sakura waited patiently, letting him begin in his own time.
"A long time ago," he started, "I was good friends with someone from that clan. His name was Obito. Obito Uchiha. He was in the battle strategy and warfare ranks in his clan. We'd spar together. Forge new weapons together. It was the three of us… him and I, and a human girl called Rin, who we met at a village market. She wasn't like most girls," his voice sounded pained and almost wistful. "She had an interest in crafting weapons, too. It wasn't long before Obito began to take an interest in her."
"What happened?" Sakura laced her fingers together, listening intently.
"Obito used to visit Olympus often. Zeus was fond of him, and he didn't agree with Cronus's plans for inciting war at first; he worried about what that would mean for Rin and her well-being. But Cronus got to him and used Obito's ocular abilities to assist in seizing control of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, Kyubi, after it was forcibly drawn out of its host at the time."
"Kyubi…" Sakura frowned lightly. The word sounded familiar.
"The Tailed Beasts were created by the son of the celestial Goddess Kaguya, or Gaia as she was known by mortals," Kakashi elaborated. "Long before Zeus or any of us came to be, she descended from the cosmos and chose our barren world as her home. She's known as the original founder of the earth and breathed fresh life into it, forming fresh landscapes and mountains. Along with Prometheus who created humans from clay and gifted them with fire, she helped introduce civilisation to humanity. But she was as greedy and power hungry as she was wise. Humans quickly grew to fear her most. Even as other deities were born with new roles to assist in the efficient running of the new world, it was Kaguya who had to remain the most powerful."
"She sounds charming," Sakura cringed. "What happened to her?"
"Well, in her desperation to remain at the top, she became consumed by her hunt for power. Not even her own sons could recognise her anymore. There was a tree, back at the start of creation, named the Divine Tree. It was what initially drew Kaguya to this world. Before Kaguya arrived, it was what sustained the land. Its roots would draw chakra from the earth, and in return would bestow pure air and clean waters. Every one thousand years it would bear a fruit, known as the chakra fruit. This fruit contained immense concentrated chakra power, and humans were forbidden to consume it."
"Why?" Sakura leaned forward, fascinated by the story of the world's creation.
"One bite, and it would imbue immortality and eternal youth to whomever ate from it. When her sons were born, Kaguya was furious that they had inherited her chakra, and wished to reclaim it. Her desire for power was so deep, she didn't want even her own bloodline to share her gifts, in the fear they would someday overthrow her. And, they eventually did. After she ate from the fruit, her form changed into a ten-tailed demonic monster that was a threat to all life on the planet. Her sons recognised this, and after a great battle, sealed her away.
Then they split her chakra into nine tailed beasts, and distributed them around the world in Jinchuuriki – human or deity vessels who would contain the creatures' volatile chakras and prevent them from being manipulated to harm humanity. Not anyone can be a Jinchuuriki. They're specially selected and vigorously trained for the job, and the sealing ceremony is a complex one. When a vessel is close to death, another successor is chosen. The more tails a beast has, the more powerful it is."
"And Cronus tried to control the most powerful?"
"Aaah, he managed it," Kakashi's eye drooped again. "Obito came to me after, shortly before the war started, and told me what he had done. He wouldn't tell me why he'd agreed to do it, when he'd always been against the idea before. When I told Zeus, and when word travelled around, everyone called Obito a traitor. But it was to be expected. He was an Uchiha, and loyal to his clan."
"What happened then?" Sakura asked, not realising that she'd been holding her breath.
"The night he told me, we were interrupted in our quarrel by Rin. She'd… followed us. Obito had given her a bracelet, to help her track him, and him her, so that he could find her if she was ever in trouble." His voice seemed to hoarsen with pain, and Sakura silently realised that this Rin girl had clearly meant a lot to Kakashi, too. "She wanted to stop us, and got in the way of our fight. She would have been killed – but Obito sacrificed himself to save her at the last moment. His body was completely crushed by rocks from the fallout of our attacks. I tried to save him, but it was like the pain had snapped him awake, and he was himself again. He wouldn't let me…" his voice trailed. There was another heavy silence.
"I'm so sorry," Sakura shook her head, saddened by the tale.
Looking down at his tightly fisted knuckles, Kakashi finished, "Before he passed, he told me that he regretted our quarrel. He regretted the role he had played in freeing the Nine-Tails. He told me to take his Sharingan; that he didn't want Cronus to use his eyes to hurt Rin or anyone else again in the war. He told me to use it to look after Rin. And so, Rin transplanted the eye after he'd passed."
Sakura exhaled. It was a tragic story. "But you said Rin was human?"
"Yes… I failed in that too. I tried to turn her immortal, as Obito had wished. But not every mortal can take the transformation. She agreed to the risks – but her body couldn't withstand it, and she died in sleep."
Sakura raised a hand to her mouth in dismay. "I'm so sorry, Kakashi-sensei…"
He blinked, silent for another long moment - and then smiled. His lone eye crinkling in what Sakura saw was pain and regret – masked by an illusion of cheerfulness.
"Well, it can't be helped. It was a very long time ago, and that's the story behind it. But when the Sharingan is transplanted into a body without Uchiha blood, it takes an incredible toll on the user's chakra. I've learned to harness its powers as best I can. It has lasted this long because I've used it sparingly."
"I understand," Sakura nodded. "Thank you for telling me, Kakashi-sensei," she added earnestly. Then a thought occurred to her.
"What happened to the Nine-Tails that Cronus controlled?"
"Ah," Kakashi scratched the back of his head. "It was sealed away by Zeus and Hera. It's nothing to worry about anymore, so enough of that," he changed the topic. "How much have you learned about genjutsu so far?"
"I know it's broken by disturbing chakra flow," Sakura explained. "And that it needs a great deal of focus and mental discipline to recognise an illusion."
"Aaah," Kakashi nodded. "The stronger the Sharingan, the more difficult it becomes to discern reality from illusion."
A memory flashed across Sakura's mind. Sasuke's lips crashing into hers angrily – right before he had flung her back into the plummeting, fiery pits of Tartarus. Or so she had believed. She now wondered how much of that had been real - whether he had even kissed her at all - or whether she'd imagined that too.
Kakashi, noticing the odd look on her face, prompted, "Ah, Sakura…?"
"I… it's nothing," she rubbed at her arms. "I just know it feels so real. I think maybe Sasuke put me under genjutsu to knock me out before he gave me back."
"Yeah," Kakashi mused. "It's likely he did that to make sure you slept deeply. But Sharingan users aren't the only ones who can cast illusions. Take Kurenai for example. Some people have a natural affinity for it. The Sharingan merely makes it easier to cast stronger illusions – and also allows its user to recognise an illusion more easily. However, it doesn't necessarily make the user immune to being caught up in one themselves."
"It doesn't?" Sakura's eyebrows rose.
"No. It also depends on who has the stronger Sharingan. You see, a genjutsu is made up of layers. The more layers to the illusion – the more chakra you need to unpick it, and the more difficult it is to break out of. Sasuke would have the highest level of Sharingan at this point. It may even equal Madara's – because he's had the time and freedom to evolve and hone its skills to a very high level."
"Can the Sharingan control people, too? Like mind control?" Sakura wondered. "As in, change how someone thinks and what they believe in?"
"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "If the user has mastered genjutsu. They can project their will onto their target, or implant a thought, and they'd be none the wiser about it."
"Kakashi-sensei… Cronus was the strongest of the Uchiha – right? There wasn't anyone else more powerful than him back then in casting illusions?" Sakura looked at her former teacher.
"There were two. I think Cronus kept them so close, because he recognised that. Maybe he was even wary of it."
"Who?" Sakura's eyes widened.
"Itachi and Shisui Uchiha," Kakashi supplied. "Sasuke's older brother and first cousin respectively. They were known to be highly intelligent – and highly gifted in both battle strategy and in casting genjutsu. It came with their roles: Death and Sleep."
Sakura hesitated. "What… happened to them?"
"They passed," Kakashi sighed. "Like all the others."
Sakura considered this a moment. Then she said, "Kakashi-sensei? Do you think that maybe… maybe Cronus forced his family to follow him into war?"
"I think it's likely," Kakashi pondered, folding his arms. "Given his Sharingan was superior to most of his Clan's at the time. We never had any quarrels with the Uchiha before. I believe he must have influenced Obito, too. They weren't a violent lot, generally speaking. But Cronus never got over the fact he was not picked to rule Olympus. His hatred toward Zeus is what fuelled the war, I'm sure of it."
"What about…" Sakura's teeth sunk into her lower lip, as she thought once again of Sasuke and his inability to recall anything about Kore. "What about memories? Can a Sharingan erase them? Or change them somehow? I mean permanently?"
The silver-haired masked deity thought for a long moment. "I suppose it's possible. But it would have to be a very high level of genjutsu, to achieve complete, irreversible memory loss. No. Not a mere genjutsu. More like a complete alteration of ones sense of reality, set on a repeating time-loop, to make it on a permanent basis. But keeping such an ability up would require huge amounts of chakra, and so while possible, isn't really feasible long term."
"The Sharingan can do that?" Sakura exhaled. What terrifying powers it had.
"If the user has enough knowledge of such things, a lot is possible," Kakashi stated. "I believe Kaguya first enslaved humans to worship her by using a similar technique – but she had the Rinne-Sharingan. An ordinary Sharingan can achieve memory loss in the short term only."
"What's a Rinne-sharingan?" asked Sakura, nonplussed.
"An eye that was a combination of the Rinnegan, the most superior ocular power that we haven't seen anyone activate in a very long time – and the Sharingan. Kaguya was the mother of all three eye blood-limits – the Byakugan, Rinnegan and Sharingan. Each has its strength, but the Rinnegan is strongest, and can cast eternal illusions without exhausting chakra."
Sakura's mind soaked up all this fresh knowledge, thoroughly captivated by it. Then she said, "Naruto thinks that something happened to Sasuke to make him forget some things."
Kakashi was silent for a minute. Then he sighed deeply once more. "I'm afraid Naruto holds onto foolish hope. I don't think Sasuke completely forgot. I believe he just got swallowed up by hatred. He believes he would've never lost his family if not for us – and of course, Cronus. Once he lost his clan, he became tied to the Underworld, chained to a role I don't think he was ready to inherit at the time. And that made him bitter, and he blamed Naruto for it most."
Sakura fidgeted with her hands nervously. She couldn't shake the feeling, that there had to be more to it than that. But Kakashi was going on, directing the focus of the topic back to training.
"Alright. That's the history lesson over," peering at Sakura, he checked, "are you ok to continue? I realise that was a lot to take in at once."
"I'm fine," Sakura nodded. She was grateful to have learned more.
"Alright," Kakashi straightened. "Let's try a simple, single layered genjutsu, then. I'm going to cast one on you, and I want you to break out of it."
"Okay!" Sakura faced him.
"If it takes you too long, I'll break it for you," he waggled a finger in warning at her. Taking her hand, he called upon and infused a small amount of chakra into her system. "That should be enough chakra to help you break out of it once you recognise it."
Sakura met his gaze, her eyes fierce with determination. "I'm ready."
"Alright!" Kakashi released her hand and lifted the eye-patch from his left eye. Sakura held her breath. There was a deep scar that started above his eyebrow and seemed to run all the way down the left side of his face, disappearing beneath his mask. He then opened his eye, revealing a spinning, red Sharingan. Sakura looked into it, bracing herself, waiting for the illusion to hit. She expected a searing pain. Or a feeling of dizzy light-headedness, as she had experienced whenever Sasuke had inflicted genjutsu on her in the past.
So when nothing happened, and she felt no different, she scowled lightly. She was still looking at Kakashi-sensei. They were still seated together under a tree. In a meadow. Looking up, she saw that the sky was blue. The sun shone brightly. Birds flittered in the sky and-
Wait a minute! Her mind suddenly caught on. You weren't here a minute ago – this is the genjustu!
A single layer, Kakashi had informed her. She focused her mind, as her mother and Kurenai had instructed her. A genjutsu was made up of layers. If she focused her chakra and imagined the corners of the image she was seeing as the edges of paper, she could peel it back and-
Closing her eyes, she lifted her hands and formed the release seal Kurenai had taught her. "Kai!" she exclaimed.
It worked. The genjustu melted away – and she was back in her living room.
Kakashi lowered his eye patch again briefly. "That was fast," he sounded impressed. "Nicely done, Sakura."
Sakura met his gaze, and beamed back proudly. "Can we try two layers?"
Her teacher nodded obligingly, and lifted his eye patch again.
Karin had just finished herding off another bunch of souls, when she heard the sound of feet sinking into gravel behind her. Huffing, she shook her head. Had she somehow missed someone?
Straightening her glasses, she turned, scowling – only for her eyes to almost pop out their sockets in disbelief as she came face to face with someone she never thought she'd ever see in the Underworld again.
Suigetsu smirked at her. "Surprise, you double-crossing bitch!"
Her jaw dropped almost comically. "Suigetsu?" she half-choked. "What the hell-?"
"So pleased to see me," he grinned. "When you gonna just admit it? You may be hot for Sasuke, but you're wet for me."
"What?!" This time Karin did not hold back her shriek of fury. What was he doing here? When he'd betrayed Sasuke before? What was happening? Her mind spun with riotous confusion.
Juugo noticed the commotion, and came lumbering along. "You…" he began, staring hard at the ocean deity as if he were trying to figure something out.
"Oh, hey Juugo. How's it going, my man?" Suigetsu greeted blithely, as if nothing antagonistic had ever happened between them the last time they'd met. "You good?"
"You… I remember…" Juugo began slowly, blinking. "The last time you-"
"Oh, that. It's all sorted now. Don't you wor- what the fuck Karin?" he snarled, as the scarlet-haired nymph aimed a punch straight at his face. Liquidising out of harm's way at the last second, he glared at her. "Try that again, bitch. I dare you."
"I know you," Juugo said more insistently, advancing on him. "Last time you took Lady Sakura," his hands clenched into tight fists, a sign that he was getting riled up.
"Whoa, hey, now you need to calm down-" Suigetsu attempted to pacify.
"Break it up," a smooth voice ordered, with just the right amount of warning laced in the words to cause all three to stop in their tracks.
"Sa-Sasuke!" Karin blushed fiercely, all at once flustered. "What's Suigetsu doing here? I mean- not to question you but-"
"But you are questioning him. Holy shit! Off with her head!" Suigetsu rolled his eyes. Pondering his words, he added, "Actually, that'd be an improvement for you, losing that whore-mouth of yours."
"Suigetsu," Sasuke shot him a withering look.
"Ugh. Fine. Fine. I won't piss her off if she keeps her ugly out my space. Man," he looked disgusted. "You guys are seriously no fun."
"Lord," Juugo greeted reverently bowing his head. Suigetsu snorted at this, muttering 'mindless puppet' under his breath.
"I have a task for you," Sasuke instructed, making a point of ignoring the ocean deity's antics. Noticing the confused way both Karin and Juugo were glancing at Suigetsu, he clarified, "Suigetsu's in, too."
The dismayed noise Karin made in her throat translated to: you can't be serious.
Suigetsu smirked mockingly at her. Already breaking his code. She bristled, resisting the urge to lunge at him again. Sasuke was watching. She couldn't lose her cool, damn it!
"Of course, Master," Juugo nodded. "I am happy to assist in any way I can."
Sasuke's dark eyes slid to Karin. She bit her tongue. He was so beautiful. How could she deny that face? Even when it was clear she really had no choice in the matter. Sasuke wasn't asking her to agree, not really. He was expecting it. He was wordlessly commanding it.
"Uh… of course," she stuttered, too shocked by the suddenness of it all to say anything else.
"Would you look at that," the ocean king crooned. "One big happy team."
"Shut up," Sasuke ordered, "and listen carefully."
Madara stood with his hands joined behind his back, staring contemplatively up at the motionless faces within the crystals before him.
It always filled him with renewed purpose, to look at his hated enemies, remembering what they had cost him, how they had schemed to outwit him. It had been difficult, being trapped for so long, being so weakened at first from the effects of his confinement and so consumed by rage that he hadn't been able to think coherently.
But over time, and with great painstaking patience, he had amassed allies, those who despised the world-order as he did, and had bided his time, watching the surface folk through his spies' eyes, learning, calculating, waiting. He'd allowed time to pass, knowing he couldn't approach Sasuke initially, not with the shock and trauma of running the Underworld on his own falling entirely on his young descendant's shoulders. And now, at last, he had the boy right where he wanted him. He would serve as the key to Madara's freedom from the chains that had been enforced upon him.
"Well?" he questioned, his eyes slipping down to where Orochimaru was bent over, carefully extracting DNA from the solid crystal cases with an alarmingly long needle.
"The extraction iss almosst complete," Orochimaru assured him.
"Excellent. I told Sasuke I would require time, but I see you have delivered, as always, in your efficiency." Pausing, he added, "Make it as potent as you can. I need his Rinnegan activated quickly."
"Thiss will be more than sufficient," Orochimaru rasped. "Young Sasuke's blood iss untainted. Thiss will significantly accelerate the process of cell fusion."
Madara nodded. "Then with this prepared, tomorrow, the phial will return to us. You will of course be here when the trade takes place. But I have given him my word you will make no move against him. He agreed to bring me Naruto, who he claims knows the whereabouts of the Nine-Tailed Fox, if I renounce the Curse Seal of Heaven from our arrangement."
Orochimaru glanced up. "He doess not wish to be traced…"
"Yes. I know this, and I do not trust him. Nevertheless, we will honour the agreement. You will make no move against him."
"I see…" the serpent replied. "And Kabuto?"
"Kabuto will attend. And so will he."
A knowing smirk played on Orochimaru's lips. The King of the Dead had no idea what he was walking into. The thought of being so close to Sasuke in person caused a delicious shudder to run down the daemon's spine. He could almost imagine how the death deity's chaotic chakra tasted.
Madara went on, "He also clarified that the girl was taken to lure Naruto to him, and Naruto took the bait, to protect her. Is this the same as what you discovered?"
"It may be," Orochimaru answered. "I did learn from our source that she wass unharmed in the Underworld. That Suigetssu assisted in her escape… implying she wass not a willing captive."
Madara's eyes narrowed. "Interesting," he remarked. "Perhaps it would benefit us to speak with him, then."
"Suigetssu does nothing without reward," the serpent reminded him. "And if you recall, you were not on such good termss with him in the past."
"Hmph," Madara scoffed. "He is changing in demeanour, and as volatile as the sea itself."
"Yess. But this Sakura… it seemsss remarkable that Naruto would go to such lengths to protect a mere mortal."
"Sasuke made a point that the foolish boy has always sought to protect whatever bonds he forges. Perhaps this girl reminds him of his past failure to save her original form. Sasuke did confirm the girl is mortal."
"As did my ssource," Orochimaru agreed.
"Though perhaps, we need to witness how far he would go for ourselves. If there is a chance we can exploit this apparent weakness he has, by targeting the useless mortal child, then we can attempt to acquire him faster than perhaps even Sasuke can deliver. Once the DNA has been injected in Sasuke, we must begin to move."
Finally finished with the extraction, Orochimary straightened, securing the phial that contained senju DNA firmly shut. Meeting Madara's eyes, the serpent smiled a sickly, sinister smile. "Then we are in luck. I have learned there iss to be a human festival of sortss next week. What better time to strike, when they leasst expect it, and when they are forced to protect other humans…?"
Madara blinked, then threw back his head in amusement and laughed deeply.
Sai stood respectfully before the High Council, at Tsunade's bidding. As the Messenger god, it was his duty to frequently relay news between deities.
But tonight was not a routine visit. He had been specifically summoned by the Elder Council members, and called upon to attend alone.
They were seated before him: Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado and the third, who was often absent from meetings, lost in his own scriptures and study, Danzo Shimura. Heralded as unparalleled in their wisdom, they had occupied their posts for countless centuries, even advising Zeus himself back during the war.
"Welcome, Sai," Koharu greeted, clearing her throat. "Thank you for meeting us at short notice. Some things have come to our attention that we wish to clarify with you."
Sai nodded, his expression remaining perfectly neutral.
Danzo spoke up. He was a tall, dark-haired, stern man, who was ruled by logic. Possessing a great knowledge of military strategy, he dismissed all emotions, claiming them to be weaknesses that led to one's inevitable destruction. The right half of his face was concealed beneath bandages. Why that was, remained a mystery. Danzo was known to have eyes everywhere, revealed very little of himself, being notoriously private and preferring his own company. But in the past, whenever he deemed the surface gods had slipped up, he'd been the first to be highly critical, often looking down at what he deemed were their sentimental flaws.
"We know that Tsunade's child has been returned safely to the surface for some time now. We were told that she was taken by Sasuke Uchiha, in a move that wished to antagonise Naruto. It is claimed that their dispute was solved, but it does not pardon the fact that he stole a human away to the Underworld. Tsunade and Jiraiya were vague in their reasons as to why they will not make a case to call Sasuke to trial. It is a grievous offense. I hoped you would be able to shed light on this."
"Perhaps there is an agreement, of sorts, that we have not been made aware of?" Homura peered at Sai carefully. "You are free to be open and frank with us."
"Anything you say here will remain in strict confidence," Koharu insisted.
Sai was quiet for a moment. Then he apologised politely, "I am sorry, Honourable Council. I only know what you were told."
Danzo gave him a hard stare. "So you do not know the real reason she was taken?"
"I believe that was the reason – a conflict with Naruto. He meant to hurt him. As you know, they have had their share of quarrels in the past."
"So everyone keeps telling us. Yet we have no details on this supposed conflict," Homura remarked.
"If Sasuke is somehow aware of the girl's true nature, then he must be called to trial," Danzo stated. "Yet it seems once again, Naruto and his allies are fuelled by foolish emotions. I will no longer allow it! We must adapt to a new age, and leave behind all sentimentalities. Sasuke has always been a threat to us, regardless of Naruto's beliefs. He must be brought to answer before us and it will be so. You will relay this to your friends. You will tell them that they will make a formal case and testify against him, so that justice can be served. And if they do not do so, we have it in our powers to call him before us regardless."
Sai's mind raced, processing the words. But he bowed his head, signalling that it would be done.
"Very good," Homura nodded, and pushed his glasses up as he looked down at a piece of parchment on the table in front of him. "As to your inquiries relating to the nature of Madara's seal, we have spent some time since the question was presented to us, researching into this."
"Before the war, it was agreed amongst the High Council that the seal Minato and Kushina would place on Madara Uchiha would be a duel-functioning seal. Meaning it has two effects. The first, to bind him to Olympus. He cannot physically leave it. The second, his powers are also tied to Olympus. He cannot use them to any effect outside his confinement. And his abilities are severely hindered by the seal as it strongly restricts chakra flow," Koharu explained.
"This bind, if the same as the one we recommended, cannot be undone by regular hand seals or scrolls," Homura clarified. "Nor can it be removed by Madara himself. It is a senju seal that was enforced using a huge amount of chakra energy. It is logical to then assume that it can only be removed by a similar influx of huge senju chakra. That is our belief. But of course, we cannot be fully certain. We do not know if the seal utilised by Minato and his Queen, was the same as the one we advised them to use. Certainly we did not factor in the simultaneous sealing of the Nine-Tails. Some adjustments and improvisation would have had to have been made, as they would have needed to act quickly to neutralise both threats."
"I see," Sai responded softly.
"A seal similar to the one Minato cast on Madara had already been pre-set to activate on you all once the binding was complete," Koharu added. "We took this precaution and made the agreement in Council that once Madara was sealed away, your own powers would be compromised so that we would never again risk a repeat of the previous war. So that no god or goddess could attempt world dominion and the enslaving of mortals ever again."
"Minato was always exceptionally clever," Danzo remarked. "Too clever, perhaps, for his own good."
Sai blinked, surprised by the abruptness of the statement. Was that… bitterness in his tone? A wave of confusion washed over him. Danzo had never referred to their fallen King in such a way before.
Homura gave his long-time friend a look. "Yes. Well, highly gifted he was." Turning back to regard the Messenger, he continued, "Despite this, the nature of your seals are not precisely the same. As you know, you are free to tap into chakra flow as required – to a certain extent. But using your powers beyond what is necessary, goes against the pact we formed with Madara. We needed him to sign his agreement that he would not attempt to use his powers to harm humans again. And he only agreed to uphold that, if the surface gods did not use their powers in turn, beyond what is required to fulfil their roles; for no other reason, and no other personal gain or advantage, are you permitted to call upon them, except in the immediate defence of humans."
"This seal and pact of course did not extend to deities whose roles govern beneath the surface, such as the Underworld and the oceans. Neither did it affect daemons, nymphs or other creatures who have long since phased out or gone into hiding in order to survive," Koharu finished. "But it is our job to watch them, and to ensure the balance of life is maintained. We hope that in clarifying the nature of both seals, you will all ensure the pact and peace are both upheld."
"I will pass this message on," Sai nodded. "Thank you for clarifying this."
Homura and Koharu nodded, satisfied.
"So you really know nothing else," Danzo's lone visible eye narrowed at Sai. "No other reason as to why they might refuse to call him to trial? You do not know what arrangement was made between them?"
Sai shook his head. Besides having no intention of betraying his friends, Sasuke's silencing seal was still upon him.
"Very well," Danzo concluded gruffly. "Then I will take matters into my own hands to ensure the threat of Sasuke is dealt with in accordance to our laws. You are dismissed."
The Messenger deity was silent at that, noting the use of I, as opposed to we. But he kept his thoughts silently to himself, bowed his head low, and swiftly took his leave.
After their group had been assembled and strict instructions had been imparted, Sasuke took Karin, Juugo and Suigetsu back to his armoury. Pulling the door open, he nodded for them to enter, inviting them to take whatever they felt comfortable wielding.
"Oh, sweet!" Suigetsu grinned, as he walked in and marvelled appreciatively at the huge weapons arsenal that was available to them. "Whoa! Talk about spoiled for choice. You could supply a whole army with this shit!"
"Hn," Sasuke snorted. What did the idiotic god expect? He owned the Underworld and all metals beneath the earth, and could forge anything he desired. Not to mention, he had inherited his entire clan's weapons' store.
"Wow," Karin breathed, still shaking her head in disbelief at the unexpected development. Sasuke – Sasuke – had banded them together to form a unit that would traverse up to Olympus itself the next day and take part in an exchange with none other than Madara Uchiha himself.
The thought of crossing paths with the Elder Uchiha admittedly made Karin somewhat nervous. But she was sure Sasuke had it all under control. He always did.
They had firm orders to follow. Karin was less than thrilled that Suigetsu was on board with their mission too, but decided that slight irritation paled in comparison to the fact that she would be travelling with Sasuke, walking beside Sasuke, spending precious time in his company.
And she was touched. Perhaps this meant he trusted her after all, and thought more of her than he ever let on, to take her on such an important mission.
Sasuke-kun, so shy, she internally fawned, picking up an impressive collection of shuriken and daggers. Curiously, she walked over to Juugo, to see what he was looking at. But the poor soul appeared confused, as if he wasn't sure what to pick up.
Rolling her eyes in a rare moment of compassion, she sighed.
"Ok big guy. Let's find you a weapon," she said.
Suigetsu, who had selected his own set of shuriken, stepped out of the weapons room to where Sasuke was leaning against the wall of the armoury outside, waiting.
Ensuring they were safely beyond hearing distance of the other two, he began casually, "So. I'm all clear with the details of this plan. But when are you gonna tell those two about our Eight-Tails battle?"
Sasuke's eyes flicked briefly right to meet his. "After," he stated curtly.
Suigetsu leaned back against the wall in turn, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his baggy, dark-blue trousers. He'd already told Sasuke everything he knew about Sakura on their journey back to the Underworld. He'd told him he'd heard it from Sakura herself, that she wasn't just holding some fragment of a goddess, she was the reincarnated Goddess of Spring, stuck in a cycle of rebirth due to some seal that prevented her powers from being visible to anyone who tried to find her. He'd told him that Cronus had poisoned her in the war, and that's how she'd originally died, and that if he found her again, he'd probably try to do the same.
Sasuke had listened to him in silence, his expression giving nothing away. But Suigetsu was unconvinced. He wondered why Sasuke was making a trade – what was he getting out of it? And what did Sakura have to do with it? Why would he ask about her at all, really, when he'd let her go in the end himself?
He didn't feel like the death deity was being fully transparent about his plans with them. And that unsettled Suigetsu.
Still he supposed that Sasuke didn't need to be, if he only required their assistance with the meeting the next day. They'd uphold their ends of the agreement, and he would uphold his and grant them each the boon they had requested. Suigetsu had no idea what the other two had requested. Each had spoken to Sasuke privately.
But still he wondered.
"So, I don't mean to pry, but why are you doing this? What're you trading? What's Cronus up to? It's dangerous to mess with that psycho. Even for you."
"Never mind," Sasuke's tone was indifferent. "That's my business. Just stick to the plan."
"You don't trust me, I get it," Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "I don't trust your scheming little ass either. But believe me when I say, after what I found out about Sakura, I really don't think it's in anyone's interests to let that fucker get his hands on her. Not because I care about her. But I do care about my end of the woods. His shitty war-mongering almost killed the ocean's denizens last time around. And you know what? I think you agree with me. Something tells me, you don't want that to happen, either. So why don't you just tell me what the fuck is going on with you two?"
He glanced at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. The death deity stared coolly ahead, giving no response to having even acknowledged his words.
"You know," Suigetsu tried again, a sly smile playing on his lips, "I know about the seeds she ate, and I know she'll have to come back down here eventually. So how's that gonna work out? She's studying medicine now, right? You just gonna interrupt that? She has a life up there. Heck, she even has a cute human boyfriend."
He waited, watching Sasuke with eagle eyes.
To his disappointment, the God of Death remained perfectly aloof, didn't so much as even blink.
What the fuck, Suigetsu thought to himself, his amusement turning quickly to intense irritation. Did anything phase the stuck up bastard at all? How was he just so- so perfectly composed and unruffled like all the time?
"…" Finally, Sasuke's dark gaze slid back to him, his face unreadable. "Are you done?" he intoned, clearly bored with the topic and in no mood to discuss it any further.
"Tch," Suigetsu scoffed. "Yeah, sure," after a pause, he added. "I think you're full of shit, and whatever you don't tell me, you know I'm not gonna stop digging until I find out. If we're going to go make a trade with Cronus, you should at least be telling us why, so we're actually prepared and know what to expect. What if he tries something? What if it goes wrong? Are we picking out weapons because you expect it to? You got a plan?"
Sasuke held his eyes a moment – then pushed away from the wall, signalling, to Suigetsu's frustration, that the conversation was completely over.
Author's note
Next chapter will be very fast-paced, with a lot of twists and turns. Hope you're buckled in and ready for the ride!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Please leave your comments on this and the next one will hopefully be up soon!