Possible pointless chapter ahead. XD

The Link

Chapter VII: The Peace of Fox and Weasel

Naruto had been busy cleaning his apartment room when a minor earthquake (or was it?) shook Konoha. Startled, the fox-boy looked up from sweeping the floor, blue eyes widened in confusion. Abandoning the said cleaning tools, Naruto went to his window, slid it open and poked his head out, frowning. Below the street and to the other apartments across his own, confused heads popped up, frowning or gaping openly at the thick and tall pillar of black smoke that rose somewhere from the western region of Konoha city.

"What in the name of Yondaime...?" Naruto wondered aloud as he stared openmouthed at the gigantic pillar of smoke. Some of the ninjas four floors below on the street were starting to run toward the pillar of smoke. Out of the corner of his eye Naruto saw Asuma go to the nearest phone booth and dial Konoha Rescue. Shaking his head, Naruto withdrew back into his apartment and went back to his cleaning.

He'd been gone for a month and a half; it was the second week of August now. It was good that his landlord did not forget to take out his sealed up garbage bags, though. Some of his instant ramen cups made such a stink if left alone in the trash bin for too long. Naruto flattened himself on his tatami floor and reached out with the broomstick in his right hand to clean the area under his squeaky bed.

Unconsciously, Naruto's thoughts strayed back to the mysterious purple-eyed medic that had just suddenly burst in one them that particular day at dinner. It wasn't just the medic's beauty that made Naruto think about her often, but her lame reason of being with them that night. It was his sensei Orochimaru who provided a very absurd explanation, though, and Naruto would not believe a word of it no matter what. He knew his third sensei enough from Jiraiya – Orochimaru did not have eyes for any other woman except Tsunade (this fact was enough to make the fox boy shudder). So why did the Serpent suddenly said he'd picked up the woman? What was her name again...Koyuki? Kirishima Koyuki. Yes, that was her name. Or at least the name she gave.

Who was she, really? Naruto thought hard. He remembered vividly the details of that dinner. The medic was eyeing Orochimaru like a hawk as they ate their way through Jiraiya's excellent hot pot. Why was she looking at him like that? And the strange color of her eyes...was it perchance a third eye jutsu bloodline? If so, what was it called?

So many questions with so many missing answers – and all this thinking made Naruto's stomach give a distant rumble. Reluctantly, Naruto rose, one hand clutching his protesting belly. He went to his kitchen and finding nothing to eat, shrugged and decided to head out to Ichiraku's.

The walk toward the especially favored ramen house was quite a short one. Naruto was just about to round the corner and find the welcoming Ichiraku banner when Iruka bumped into him.

"Ouch! Iruka-sensei, what are you doing?"

"Naruto! I'm sorry! The Uchiha compound is on fire!"

"The what?"

"The Uchiha compound! Sasuke's house is burning to ashes as we speak! Excuse me -!"

Naruto gaped after Iruka as the older Jounin brushed past him. Sasuke's house was burning? He would have loved to go help, but his stomach was much more important than that arrogant bastard's piece of land. Shrugging, Naruto proceeded to his favorite food house.

"Irashai!" came Ayame-neechan's familiar greeting as Naruto entered.

Naruto flashed Ayame his usual smirk before sitting down on his favorite spot. "Miso ramen, please!"

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

As Ayame went to prepare his order, Naruto kept himself amused by looking at the row of old sepia photographs that were displayed silently on the topmost shelf over the counter. The fox frowned slightly. He'd been a regular customer of the Ichiraku even before he became a Genin, but this was the first time he'd actually looked at those coffee-colored papers. He squinted up at them, and one photo caught his eye at once.

It was probably the oldest of all the photographs there. The paper was brown-colored like the rest, but it was so old that it looked like some of the details were already fading (if that was possible). Naruto frowned up at the photo. The background was certainly not the Ichiraku's he had grown used to – the background of the picture was way bigger, and there were ninjas wearing the old vest in the tables, eating. But the main focus of the photo was the one that came as a surprise. It was a girl (or was it?) of about fourteen or fifteen, wearing a slightly frilly apron above a netted shirt and knee-length shorts. She was bearing a tray of ramen and she was wearing wooden skates. Her long black hair was held in a neat ponytail while a Leaf head protector rested atop her forehead. Her eyebrows were drawn up, her eyes slightly wide and her mouth partly open as she stared directly at whoever was her photographer. It was a stolen shot.

"You all right?" said the Ichiraku owner's voice.

Naruto blinked in surprise and reluctantly tore his gaze away from the old photo. "Uhh, yes. I was just..." he gestured toward the picture. "When...?" he asked lamely.

The owner's face crinkled into a reminiscent smile. "Ahh, this?" he reached for the photo Naruto had been staring at. "This was the first Ichiraku, Naruto, and this shot was taken some forty-one years ago. This was my house – I lived in the southern side of the city before the wars raged. My house and the first Ichiraku had been burned in the fires, and since then we've been in this place." He gave a fond gesture to his surroundings.

"Who is she?" Naruto asked, nodding toward the raven-haired subject of the photo.

The Ichiraku owner chuckled and pushed the framed photograph toward Naruto. "Why, I would have thought you knew him best."

"Him?" Naruto repeated as he took the photo, surprised. "This one's a guy?"

The older man nodded. "Oh yes, very much so. Though I must say you aren't the first to mistake him for a woman. Look at him very hard. Doesn't he look familiar?"

Naruto stared. Familiar? How was this...then his blue eyes widened as he saw the unmistakable shading of what appeared as tattoos around the boy's eyes.

"EHH!" Naruto gasped. "This is...Orochimaru-sensei?"

The owner laughed. "Oh yes. That was the fourteen-year-old Jounin Orochimaru when he had been busy working for me one summer afternoon, just a week after the Jounin exams. You see his skates? Your mentor was creative, I must say. The first Ichiraku house was quite big, and to save himself much valued time as he served food to the customers, he introduced those wooden skates. He was quite popular, I might add. Too many of the older men often grabbed him from behind."

A disbelieving chortle escaped Naruto's lips as he stared back at his fourteen-year-old mentor. "No way! He was a waiter, then?"

There was an approving nod from the Ichiraku owner. "Oh yes. He was a very dependable young lad. When he wasn't serving orders you could find him washing dishes inside the main kitchen, you know. Sometimes when we had our hands full he even substituted as a fry cook." And then a sad smile appeared on the old man's face. "I was really sad when he resigned. As I told you before – the older men were way too fond of him with that apron."

Naruto shook his head in amazement. And then Ayame arrived with his order, and there was a cheerful "Itadakimasu!" as he dug in.

Heion was cooing in Itachi's arms as they walked carefully down the southern alleys of Konoha. The Uchiha had his 'daughter' securely in his arms while he kept his head tilted down at a specific angle so that the brim of his wide straw hat covered most of his face discreetly. The pair arrived on one of Konoha's playgrounds, and it was here Itachi silently walked over to the sand box and deposited a giggling Heion into it. A couple of mothers who had arrived there before hand looked at him curiously.

"How many months old is she?" asked one of the mothers, one with red curls framing her rosy face.

Itachi gave a start and lifted his gaze only slightly. "Six months."

"She has nice eyes," the woman continued, and her companion nodded. "From her mother, I suppose?"

Itachi was at a loss for a few seconds. "Yes." He answered finally.

Another voice spoke. "What's her name?"

"...Heion."

"How cute! It suits her!"

"..."

There was a shriek from the girl, and Itachi instinctively fumbled for her, grabbing her from behind. She gave a wail of protest.

"Ahh, it's best if you let her play." One of the women said. "I bet it's your first child?" she laughed and her companion did as Itachi went red. "Don't worry, we'll watch over her for you too. We're always happy to teach less experienced parents, aren't we, Sumiko?" her companion answered yes, and Itachi reddened some more.

Unsure of what to do, Itachi let go of Heion's dress, and the baby crawled away to gambol in the sand along with the other two, a boy and a girl. For the nth time Itachi cursed his blindness. He had grown worry-warty since going back to Konoha with the baby, and every shriek Heion uttered made him start in fright. And the little giggles from the watching mothers only made him a more uncomfortable. He was Uchiha Itachi, the best of the Uchiha clan, master of the Sharingan – yet here he was, twitching every time a baby girl made a sound.

That was when a minor boom reached Itachi's ears, and he automatically turned to the direction of the explosion. He heard the loud rustle of movement around him, coupled with babies' cries, and he himself quickly picked up Heion from the sand.

"What happened?" he asked, unable to keep the worry from his voice as Heion picked on his arm again. The feel of her toothless, warm and smooth gums against his skin was quite a welcome sensation, though. "What is it?"

"Oh my, look...a fire..." one of the voices said.

"A fire?" Itachi repeated.

"Oh yes. Do you know where that is, Sumiko?"

The other woman took a while to answer. "It's coming from the Uchihas, I think...oh dear, I wonder what happened..."

A rattling gasp escaped Itachi's throat, and he felt like he had been doused with ice-cold water. Heion cooed innocently in his arms, and he felt her small hand touch his cheek. Itachi stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a confused goldfish.

"Young man, are you all right? You look pale..."

But Itachi already turned on his heels and jumped off from the ground to the nearest roof he could reach. Heion gave an excited shout in his arms as he leapt from one building to another, following his nose toward the increasing stench of smolder and smoke. The smell got stronger, and his ears caught the shouts of people. Three streets away he stopped jumping and hid himself behind a billboard showing Tsunade giving a thumbs-up while the words 'Let's work together, Konoha!' was written above her head. Itachi strained his ears while Heion picked on his arm again.

"Good god, the main house's beyond rescue..."

"Was the Uchiha boy in such a hurry he forgot to double check things?"

"Hey! What happened here?"

"Did someone die?"

"The Uchiha boy's an examiner, isn't he?"

"What happened?"

"The fire was caused by an aerosol placed near a stove."

"What! That strong an explosion from an aerosol?"

Itachi felt his knees give way, and he sat with his back to the billboard, taking deep breaths. Heion started to cry in his arms – she was hungry again. And he'd left all of her baby things in the house, and now they were all reduced to ashes. For what seemed like hours Itachi sat there, Heion crying her heart out in his arms. And then the older Uchiha snapped back to reality. No use crying over spilled milk. He had destroyed the house, and there was nothing he could do about it now. He would have to endure Sasuke's explosion much later, but for now first priority was to find somewhere to stay...and food for his 'daughter'.

"Shh, Daddy will find you some milk, I promise." Itachi murmured as he kissed Heion's fragrant head and fumbled to wipe her tears away. He clutched her close as he prepared to jump again. "Shh, we will find you some milk. I promise." He took a great leap and landed on the Akimichi rooftop briefly. And Itachi had the perfect house in mind.

The Mizukage looked up at Kirigakure's best medic with a kind of worry etched on his face. "How long will you be gone?" he asked.

Lady Koyuki of the famed Murasaki clan bowed her head briefly. "As long as it takes to find my niece, I am afraid, Master Mizukage."

The aging Mizukage sighed. He had already been informed of what had happened to the Murasaki clan. And a powerful clan they had been, too! They had a strange bloodline limit – their eyes were purple, and these eyes worked by combining the principles of the Byakugan and Sharingan. The members of the Murasaki clan had a full 360 degrees vision with no blind spot, and their eyes could predict the attack of an opponent. It was a wonder that Orochimaru hadn't started kidnapping members of this elite but very small clan as of now. That brought to mind a very disturbing rumor from the Hidden Leaf. Uzumaki Naruto, the boy with the Kyuubi and probable Rokudaime Hokage, had been purportedly fraternizing with Orochimaru. There was no solid proof of this, but if ever one surfaced, the Mizukage would waste no time hastening to Konoha and clarifying things with their Hokage. Kirigakure had had enough of Orochimaru. And if the Hidden Leaf was forming an alliance with the Hidden Sound... the Mizukage clucked his tongue. What was the Sannin Tsunade thinking?

"The Akatsuki was responsible for the murder of your brother, Murasaki Shinobu?" the Mizukage asked gently, eyeing his best medic.

Something glinted in Koyuki's eyes. "Yes, sir. And I believe they have taken my niece because my brother's wife – Kurumi – Sealed the Houou into their only daughter. This was the reason for her death."

The Mizukage shut his eyes. He would have to take more aspirin later. "My goodness, why ever did Kurumi do it?"

"I do not know, sir." Koyuki's voice was firm and blank.

The old man sighed. "It seems there is no stopping you, Lady Koyuki. I wish you the best of luck, but also please heed my warning. The Akatsuki is not THE Akatsuki for nothing."

"I know that sir, thank you for your kindness and understanding."

The medic bowed and turned on her heels to leave.

"Koyuki...where do you plan to look first?"

"The Hidden Sand, sir."

Orochimaru leaned heavily against the pine tree, his eyes shut as he tried to breathe calmly. Beads of sweat slicked the Serpent's forehead, causing some strands of his raven hair to cling to his face. The Serpent reached with one bandaged hand and touched his chest. He re-opened his golden eyes and resumed walking, unaware that he was staggering.

Damn, he didn't expect it to be this bad. He was sure he did not forget a single glitch when he'd been perfecting his Fuushin Tensei. Releasing the said jutsu would allow age to touch him again, and apart from that he'd grow slower too, but this...could he have forgotten one important point somewhere? No, that was impossible. He prided on his memory.

"Stupid...jutsu..." Orochimaru said hoarsely as he hammered his chest. "Tsk..."

Jiraiya had noticed something, and like Naruto, tried to ask. Orochimaru told Jiraiya the truth of what he'd done, though, and the perverted hermit was utterly surprised. He could remember their conversation clearly...

"You WHAT, Orochi-kun?"

"I did it. I released Fuushin Tensei, Jiraiya. The body I am using is my real body."

The taller Sannin shook his head in disbelief. "Naruto?"

Orochimaru smiled. "Yes."

"That boy's changed you beyond my wildest dreams, Orochi-kun."

"I know."

"So what happens to you now?"

"...I will grow old."

"And die?"

"Yes, and die. But I don't plan to die early. That boy has a promise to keep." He smiled again.

Jiraiya blinked. "What promise?"

"He promised me that I will be able to walk through Konoha again as a free nin."

This statement was followed by rising of bushy eyebrows.

"Why didn't you tell Naruto this? You are aware that the kid is worrying his ass out for you."

Orochimaru waved a hand. "He will understand once my hair grows white."

Jiraiya laughed. "Orochi-kun, I can't imagine you with white hair and using a walking stick."

...but the pain didn't seem to want to go away. Orochimaru fished in his pockets and drew out a flask of sake. He took a deep draught of the wine. Somehow the pain lessened a bit. Should he have listened to that annoying medic? Now he regretted having thrown away her drugs. They could have worked better than the rubbish Kabuto had been giving him. But what was done was done.

"Blasted jutsu," Orochimaru hissed as he rounded another pine and walked toward an obscure tea house.

Itachi sniffed the air tentatively. Yes, it seemed this was the right place. He reached out blindly and was surprised that the window was wide open. You would have thought the brat knew better than this what with the knowledge that the Akatsuki had not yet given him up. Heion was sobbing quietly in Itachi's arms as they entered silently into the well-lit bedroom.

Itachi titled his head sideward to listen for any movement. There were none. It seemed that the fox-boy was out. Much better.

Gently, he laid Heion down on Naruto's vacant bed. "Ssh, wait a minute. I'll go find something."

The Uchiha went to the refrigerator and rummaged there for some time. Fortunately Naruto kept some milk. Taking the half-empty carton out of the fridge, Itachi made his way to the fox's cramped kitchen and took out a small pan from the cupboard where he could heat the milk. Meanwhile, Heion had started her racket again.

"I'm coming!" Itachi called. "Just a moment now -!"

Two minutes later and he'd had the milk in the only feeding bottle he managed to save from the Uchiha mansion. Heion finished all 8 ounces with no trouble, but after that Itachi managed to lull her to sleep without further problems. Besides, Itachi was tired himself, and within five minutes he was also dozing off, Heion's head pillowed lovingly on his left arm.

Exactly five seconds after Itachi sank into deep sleep, the door opened to admit Naruto inside his house. At the sight of the notorious Uchiha and his daughter on the fox's bed, Naruto gave an ear-splitting yell.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH! WHAT IN THE NAME OF YONDAIME ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?"

Sasuke waited in the same spot Anko had stood years ago. Although the Uchiha appeared to be at his ease, his senses were alert and his Sharingan ready to be used. Sooner or later the first team would reach him. He hoped they'd arrive quicker – he was growing hungry. At the sound of a movement, Sasuke opened his red eyes and looked expectantly. Was it his team?

His shoulders fell a little when he realized it was Kakashi. But the look on Kakashi's face made him stand up straighter.

"Kakashi-sensei! What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost." Sasuke said.

Kakashi looked unable to speak. He grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and shook the Uchiha.

"Kakashi-sensei, stop it!" Sasuke said. "You're scaring me! What is it? What is the matter?"

"Sasuke! Your house...it...it..."

Red eyes widened. "What happened to my house?"

"Sasuke, this morning...it exploded in flames...we couldn't save anything..."

Sasuke promptly fainted.

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