Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this innocuous interlude. Oodles of respect for Masashi Kishimoto, the creative force behind Naruto. Please do have patience with me and with the ninja who is far from home.

TWO: HELD UP

Terranean was a southern port, one of the biggest in Tide Country. Iruka explored the city, which was definitely popular with tourists. Signboards and fliers promoted eateries and inns. Entertainment ran the full gamut, from boat tours to brothels, and Iruka spied several restaurants he and Sukea could try.

Tomorrow. Or the next day. Thanks to a combination of eagerness and good travel conditions, Iruka was early.

This time around, his mission didn't involved infiltration or information gathering. So he could sit back, remain anonymous, mingle with the crowds, and spend time with Sukea. And Itachi and Kisame, once they arrived. But … Iruka was already searching for Sukea's smiling face in the crowds.

He breathed deeply of salt-tanged air and smiled. Autumn was currently treating Konoha to spats of cold rain, but Terranean was radiant. A real resort city. And it was easy to see why Kisame and Sukea had chosen it.

Mud baths.

Sun-heated tidal pools.

Mineral scrubs.

Seaweed packs.

At every turn, Terranean touted the amazing regenerative and rejuvenative properties of the ocean. Gifts of the sea. Healthy and heartening. Perfect for two men who'd met while convalescing.

Iruka was looking forward to lazing in luxury. With a rueful smile, he admitted to himself that he missed the little routines they'd established back in the mountain village. Would the line between friend and enemy blur further during their days here?

He was leaning on the blue-painted railings of a breakwater, consulting a map, when a hand dropped onto his shoulder and a familiar drawl startled him.

"Naa, Sensei. You're a long way from home."

Iruka turned his head slowly and had to look up. His heart seemed to still, then rattle about as recognition sank in. "Sasuke?"

Black eyes glittered with that special brand of self-confidence only a teen could pull off. His head tilted, his lips quirked. "Why are you in Tide Country?"

He squared his shoulders and kept it simple. "Mission."

"They give you missions?"

"Once in a while." Iruka had been braced for Kisame, but this was—potentially—exponentially worse. "I'm pretty sure Tsunade-sama gives me boring ones to force me to take vacations."

"Hnn." Sasuke's gaze wandered off, as if he'd already lost interest.

Iruka asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Not much. I have some time to kill."

There was a challenge in his gaze. Like he was daring Iruka to take him on. Or try to run. And for a handful of heavy heartbeats, Iruka marveled at the surprising similarities between this boy and the older brother he hated.

"I don't suppose they have ramen shops here." Iruka glanced around. "And I don't know much about the local specialties."

"Probably fish. Since …." Sasuke angled his head toward the sea.

"We could get tea, at least." Iruka quietly added, "If you wanted."

Sasuke reached over and patted his cheek. It was ridiculously condescending, yet oddly gentle. "Don't look so sad, Sensei. I'll let you buy me tea." Then the smirk was back. "I won't tell if you don't."

"Because we're enemies now?"

"Might be. I certainly make you nervous."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "You noticed that, did you?"

Sasuke simply tucked his hand inside his loose yukata and fell in step beside Iruka, who aimed for a street with several likely looking shops.

"You're taller," he remarked, needing something to say.

"I'm not twelve anymore, Sensei."

"The change still feels sudden," he countered. At Sasuke's age, kids grew by leaps and bounds.

Iruka indicated one of the restaurants that had caught his eye earlier, and Sasuke shrugged and followed him inside. Once they'd placed an order, Iruka decided to make things easier for his brooding companion.

"Is there anything you want to know?"

"I left," Sasuke said stiffly. "I don't dwell in the past."

Iruka chose not to point out that this young man was completely stuck in the past. Instead, he asked, "You don't mind if I ramble a bit, though? Just … any old thing that comes to mind?"

Sasuke snorted. "Do whatever you want."

So Iruka told him about the new ramen flavor Teuchi had been perfecting at Ichiraku. About the latest trends in D-rank missions. And about a handful of other harmless details about day-to-day life in Konoha.

And Sasuke was definitely listening. And probably waiting.

Iruka cautiously said, "Sakura has been training as a healer."

"Hnn?" He sounded bored, but his grip shifted on his teacup.

"I haven't seen Naruto in a while," he casually added. A while could be interpreted in many ways. Iruka chose not to mention that the boy had completely taken over his spare room. But he wasn't going to say anything to Sasuke about that little detail.

"He's not safe," remarked Sasuke.

"I don't think so, either, but that's never stopped him from charging ahead."

Sasuke's eyeroll kind of made him look more … twelve. And ever-so-slightly more approachable. Without really putting much thought into the possible consequences of his remark, Iruka said, "You matter to him."

"Idiot."

Fairly sure the exasperated insult was pointed in Naruto's direction, Iruka gently added, "You matter to me, too."

Those black eyes narrowed. "This is the first I've heard of it."

"I suppose it is." He rolled his teacup between his palms. "I thought saying it outright might have made you … uncomfortable."

"But you'll say it now?"

Iruka nodded. "I'm at a disadvantage now."

"Are you trying to soften any blow I might deal?"

"Not at all. And if we came to blows, I do know more than pre-genin training exercises."

Sasuke oozed skepticism.

It was impossible not to laugh. "All I'm saying is that I had a jonin sensei, a team, and missions to complete, same as anyone. I wasn't shuffled off to the school because I wasn't capable."

"Why then?"

"Because the Third was good at redirecting misplaced enthusiasm."

Sasuke's brows knit. "You didn't want to be a teacher?"

"No. Not at first." Iruka wondered why so many of his students assumed teaching was his grand destiny. "Like most kids who lost pretty much everything during the Kyuubi's attack, I wanted to avenge my parents."

"You … lost your parents?"

"A lot of people died that night. I wasn't the only one orphaned." Iruka supposed Sasuke had no way of knowing. "Suddenly, I was a kid with no parents to go home to. And while plenty of people felt sorry for me, I needed more than sympathy. I wanted someone to ask me how my day went, someone to listen, someone to care."

Sasuke looked away, and his jaw clenched.

"The Third took me on, like a mentor. He let me be an idiot, then pointed out that all those things I wanted were things I could give. So … teaching."

"Naa, Sensei," Sasuke said softly.

"Yes?"

"Are you done rambling yet?" His gaze wasn't so much averted as it was … directed. At something out in the street. "If so, you should probably go. Now."

Iruka fumbled for money to pay their tab. "Is there a problem?"

"You could say that." His face went unreadable. "Someone took me on, too. Like a mentor."

He could only mean one person.

Orochimaru.

Sasuke slouched in his seat, looking wholly unconcerned. But he flicked a finger toward the back of the shop and whispered, "Go."


End Note: originally posted on September 22, 2021. 1,222 words.