Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.
Chapter Summary: In which Konoha deals with the aftermath of the invasion and an old enemy pops in to say hello
Chapter 37: Change is Inevitable. Progress is Optional
Naruto walked through the open doors of Konoha Hospital, dodging around the medics still working the triage centre out in front of the hospital. It was a couple days after the funerals and four days since the attack but they were still sorting out the wounded. He'd heard about the traffic light system they'd employed; there were mainly greens and some orange left, as the reds had been taken in immediately.
He entered the building and walked straight to the front desk, dumping the pile of folders and papers onto the table. He looked up and for a split second he expected to see Sara's tired, kind face looking at him with a sense of dread that they could share and laugh over like they always did. Instead, he saw hazel eyes that should have been blue framed by brown hair that should have been blonde.
"I'm sorry, sir, I'll be right with you," the new girl said frantically as she turned away to give something to one of the doctors at the desk. He nodded at Naruto as he walked away with the file. "Sorry, how can I help?"
Naruto smiled at her and tried to project a sense of calm he hoped she could benefit from.
"Rough day?"
"Look, sir, how can I help?" she said shortly, wincing as she heard her own tone. "Sorry, I just don't have time to talk."
"I get it," Naruto looked down. "I'm from the Mission Assignment Desk; these files need to be signed off as soon as possible. Tell them to send me a message when they've finished the jounin."
"What?" She stared at the stack in confusion. "Sorry, who are these going to?"
"The doctors in charge of their care," Naruto said slowly. "I'm pretty sure you have mail slots for each medic nin in that room behind you. Just look through the files and put it in the slot."
"Can you not do it?" She sighed as she just barely managed to stop another stack from falling over.
Naruto looked at her for a long moment. He knew they would have had to hire someone new after they lost Sara in the attack, but he would have thought they'd at least have trained personnel as a back-up. He knew there were two night-shift receptionists and at least another two who worked with Sara. Where were they? This girl didn't seem like she had a clue.
He could also appreciate that she was very busy. He knew the feeling; he'd slept maybe seven hours in the days since the attack and he knew he wouldn't sleep tonight. He'd been non-stop in the office since they finished the head counts and even when he had a chance to close his eyes, all the forms and scroll and letters danced across his eyelids. He'd only managed to see Rio and Sasuke for less than an hour a day and he probably wouldn't have eaten if Yoshino wasn't sending extra lunches in with Shikaku.
"Is there no one here to help you?" He asked instead.
"Everyone is busy," she huffed. "I don't know if you saw the triage centre on your way in."
He had to take a deep breath. He just wanted to sit in a dark corner and think of nothing for a week but he didn't get to do that. He had to be here to get those files so he could go back to the office and speak to the Registry so he could organise missions to help piece the village back together so he could do a million other things.
"What's your name?"
She looked up at his tone of voice.
"Emiko. Why?"
"Emiko, I appreciate you have a lot to do and I can see about getting you some help," he said firmly. "However, you cannot speak to anyone like that again while at work. Stress is not an excuse; everyone is working just as hard as you and while it is okay to say you need a moment, you still need to do your job. If you can't, tell someone and we'll find someone who can."
Gods he missed Sara.
"You just need to make sure they get it. Tell them that Naruto from the Desk is asking and that while I understand they have a lot to do, I just need a signature and that's it. I'll be back later to collect them."
He walked away and didn't bother to turn around and see her reaction. He didn't have the energy for that. He was walking in the direction of Kazuya's room when he ran into Tenten. She was still dressed in mostly black, her usual bright pink shirt missing and her hair was tied back in a low ponytail. He called out for her and she paused for only a moment before she launched herself into his arms. He froze for a second before he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze, resting his head on top of hers.
"Hey, kiddo."
She shook slightly in his arms and Naruto let her take as long as she needed. He kind of needed this too. Tenjirou was gone and even though he'd been at the funeral, it was still difficult to process. It didn't feel right; the man had been there for him since his first year in the academy. He was one of the biggest reasons he'd made it this far. Between his very first lesson on sharpening kunai, to his brace, to introducing him to fūinjutsu, Naruto couldn't even begin to verbalise how much he and his family owed that man. He tried to pay it back in small ways but he knew it would never be enough.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair.
"Thanks, Naru-nii," she said back just as quietly.
"How's your mother?"
"She's doing better," she sniffed, finally pulling away a bit. "We closed the shop but we were lucky enough to escape most of the damage so Kaa-san hopes to have it back up and running by next week."
"Well, you know where to find us if you need any help with that," he smiled softly.
Tenjirou might be gone but Naruto could still honour his memory by helping his wife and daughter. It was the least he could do.
"Hey, we're all going to get through this," he squeezed her arms, prompting her to look up at him. "Konoha had taken a hit but we've rebuilt before. It's going to be hard without him but I know how proud of you he was. He told me every time I entered his shop."
Tenten chuckled, wiping errant tears across her cheeks.
"I remember the last time we were attacked like this," he continued sombrely. "You would have been way too young to remember but I remember sitting in the hospital, being told that I would never see my parents again. Konoha was burning around us and I had no idea what I was going to do."
She stared at him with wide eyes. Her shock made sense; he rarely spoke about that night. He'd told Rio and Kazuya but that had been more for context about their parents. Sasuke was still the only one to know that he felt their deaths, although he supposed Inoichi could now guess.
"What I'm trying to say is I get it," he took a step back, letting her go. "It sucks and it feels like it's never going to get better; but you are one of the strongest people I've ever had the fortune of knowing. You can do this. One day you're going to think about him and there will only be happy memories."
She swallowed hard but nodded, a small smile emerging.
"Thanks, Naru-nii."
"Are you meeting with your team yet?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to get out of the house," she shrugged. "I had to come here to get my clearance for duty but I'm going to head there now."
"Anything you need, Tenten, let me know."
She nodded and waved as she walked down the corridor, her head slightly higher than it had been when he'd first spotted her in the corridor. Naruto continued on his own way and barged into the room, startling Kazuya in his bed.
"Aka-chan!"
"Hey, Kaz, I'm here for your daily dose of 'what's happening in the real world'."
"You have to tell me everything about the new receptionist because Katsumi has threatened murder three times today and we both know how hard it is to get that out of her."
Kazuya looked so much better even though he still wasn't moving much yet. He was still pale and tired but he could sit himself up and use his arms now, even if walking was still a few weeks away. He'd been furious to find out about the attack and one of the medics had caught him on the floor, dragging himself towards the wheelchair in the corner so he could help out at the triage centre. It had taken shoving Team Seven into the room for the night to distract him.
Naruto pulled up a chair next to his bed and sank back, allowing himself to truly relax. He wasn't afforded too much free time right now but he would always take time in his day to visit his friend. It was as much for himself as it was for Kazuya. He grinned at his friend and began to tell him all about his interaction with Emiko.
Jiraiya stood in front of the council of elders, relaxed in his stance. The small, circular room was quiet and intimate and it was just the four of them.
"I can't be the Fifth Hokage," he said, keeping his tone respectful. "Tsunade would be a much better fit and she was Sensei's student too. I have my communications network to maintain so I cannot fully commit to being in Konoha and her skills as a medic would be much more valuable for the village."
There was a low level of chatter as they discussed his words. He knew they would go for it. He wasn't a good fit for Hokage; he was irresponsible and he had his Icha Icha books and his spy networks and he was Sensei's worst student. Tsunade was the granddaughter of the First and she was unrivalled in the field of medicine. It just made sense.
"We do not know the whereabouts of Senju Tsunade," said Homura, one of Sensei's genin teammates.
"I can find her," he said quickly. "I can find her and bring her back."
"That is acceptable," Koharu nodded, his wizened features highlighting every year of his age.
"I just want permission to take the Uzumaki brothers."
"You can take Rio but Naruto will remain within the village," Danzō said firmly. "He has too many responsibilities and it would be an unnecessary security risk. He has already been captured once."
Jiraiya nodded. He knew Naruto would be a long shot but at least he will be able to get to know one of Minato's sons. He left the room and only made it a short way down the corridor when a voice spoke to him.
"So they offer you the hat?"
He turned to see Naruto leaning against one of the doorways. He was dressed in a long-sleeve black shirt and loose, black shinobi trousers, with his olive jounin vest fitting snugly around his torso. He looked so much like Kushina like this, especially with his hair tied up into a high ponytail like that.
"Tsunade turned out to be the better fit," he said casually. "I just need to find her to tell her she's got the job."
"Good luck with that," Naruto pushed off the doorframe. "We've only had four reports in the last decade that mentioned seeing her and even that was from a distance. She doesn't want to be found and she certainly doesn't want to come back to Konoha."
"She wants to come home," Jiraiya argued, although it was weak. "There's a lot of hurt here for her to look past."
"You say that as if she's only the one."
Naruto pulled out a scroll from his pocket and handed it over, crossing his arms once Jiraiya took it. He rolled it open and scanned the document, slamming it shut.
"You can't do this," he said, trying to keep the growl out of his voice.
"The Council of Elders are not the only ones with a say in the workings of the village," Naruto remained calm, raising an eyebrow. "I agree that Tsunade as Hokage makes the most sense but I also have no illusions about her loyalties. So when we had the meeting yesterday about who should become the new Hokage, when the Council decided to ask you, I brought up a very relevant point."
"Tsunade has given too much to this village for you to do this," Jiraiya tried again but the Uzumaki was unmoved.
"Tsunade has been given more leeway than any other shinobi except you. It is all well and good for her to remain outside the bounds of this village but if she cannot be there we truly need her and her skills then there is no point in having her in our registry."
"You don't have the power to do this." The pit in Jiraiya's stomach was growing deeper by the minute. "You can't."
"If you read the scroll, you'll know this wasn't my decision," Naruto shrugged, as if Jiraiya's world wasn't fracturing. "The majority of the Clan Heads, the Council and the Heads of Departments have all agreed to this. I personally don't care if she becomes Hokage or not, that role will be filled no matter what; this decision hasn't been made on the basis of her becoming Hokage."
Jiraiya clenched the scroll in his fist, the paper crinkling in his grip.
"What if she defects to another village? That would be even worse for Konoha."
Naruto looked back at him with a dull expression.
"Where would she go? Kumo and Iwa have too many bad memories from the war and they wouldn't trust her. Suna would refuse on account of strengthening ties after they bungled the invasion. Kiri would take her but they wouldn't use her against us if I asked. The other minor villages might take her, other than Ame and Kusa, but the only real concern would be Oto. They murdered her sensei and if she got past that insult, then she would have to be dealt with just like Orochimaru."
Jiraiya's eyes had widened involuntarily, scrunching up the red lines that ran down his face. What happened in the last ten years to make him like this? If it wasn't targeted towards Tsunade he would even be impressed. That was an amazing analysis of a woman he'd never even met that required knowledge of the inner workings of all the villages mentioned. He wondered if they'd considered Naruto for the hat.
"Either Senju Tsunade returns to Konoha to help with the wounded, after which she will be allowed to leave Konoha again under the agreement she returns to help with any further extreme events or she will no longer be considered a Konoha nin," Naruto stated, paraphrasing what was written in the scroll.
"Are you doing this to get back at me?" Jiraiya almost yelled, his anger returning and his voice echoing through the empty hall. "Because I'm sorry I wasn't there for you but you can't take it out on her."
Naruto uncrossed his arms as he looked back at Jiraiya with an intense look in his blue eyes. Minato's eyes. Minato had the same look when he was making decisions on the battlefield and as the Hokage, but it was hard to reconcile with the man in front of him. Minato would never have done this to Tsunade.
"Three people have died so far today," Naruto said flatly. "Three people that could have been saved by Tsunade. We don't know how many that could have been saved in the attack but we do know that Tsunade is the best medic nin in the history of Konoha. You need to take your head out of your ass and realise this has nothing to do with you. We need Tsunade and if she isn't willing to help the village then she doesn't belong here. She didn't come back to help during the Kyūbi Attack and it was overlooked. Not anymore."
Naruto shook his head.
"The only reason I'm the one telling you is because I could find you the quickest after we finalised the scroll," he added. "Shikaku or the ANBU commander or any one of the Clan Heads would be telling you the same thing. Doing something like this just to upset you wouldn't make sense; that requires more care and hoop-jumping than I'm willing to give you."
"Sarutobi-sensei would never have allowed this," Jiraiya tried one last time. "Your father wouldn't have done this."
He'd just lost his teacher; he couldn't lose Tsunade too.
"They're not here."
With those harsh words, Naruto started to walk down the corridor.
"For what it's worth, I hope she comes back," he called out behind him. "I've never met my godmother and Kazuya would be thrilled to meet her."
His godson disappeared around the corner, leaving Jiraiya clutching the scroll in a silent corridor. How was he meant to face Tsunade and tell her this? That unless she came back, she would be struck off the record? That she wouldn't be welcome in her grandfather's village?
He steeled his resolve. He would just have to stop it getting to that point; he wouldn't tell her unless it was the absolute last resort. She didn't have to know. She would come back and become the Hokage. She had to. Tsunade couldn't leave Konoha too.
Sasuke stood at attention before the Council, Shikamaru slumped beside him. They hadn't told him what was going on or introduced themselves; he'd just been taken from a cleaning mission which he honestly wasn't about to complain about. Rio had been sour about him missing out on the work but he'd be over that by the time Sasuke got back to them.
"Uchiha Sasuke and Nara Shikamaru," the old woman began. "Based on your results in the Chunin Exams and your actions during the attack on Konoha, you have both been promoted to chunin."
Sasuke stiffened. That was the last thing he had been expecting.
"This is currently on a probationary basis until a new Hokage is appointed and they can finalise the decision. For now, please act with the dignity and discretion that your new rank bestows upon you."
He reached out to take the olive green chunin vest from one of the old men, the one with the eye patch and cane watching him closely. It felt slightly coarse in his hands and he could feel the protection woven into the fabric. It was also a bit heavier than he thought it would be. Shikamaru was much slower and reluctant but he eventually took his vest.
"But I lost my match," the Nara spoke up, frowning.
"The tactical sense and critical thinking you displayed in that match more than qualified you for this promotion," the old woman said. "Your forfeit was also acceptable; you assessed your options and chose the more fortunate outcome."
Sasuke had a feeling that hadn't exactly been Shikamaru's thought process when he'd surrendered but he wasn't about to speak up. The Nara was the smartest person he'd ever met despite the fact that the other boy made no attempt to use his intelligence to further himself.
"You will stay with your teams during the recovery efforts but you will take the place of your jounin-sensei for now, until such a time that we can resume normal operations. Report to the Mission Assignment Desk immediately to find out more about your new roles."
They were dismissed and as the door shut behind them, Shikamaru finally let loose a long groan.
"This is so damn troublesome."
Sasuke ignored him as he shrugged on the vest, rotating his arms and neck to check the fit. The vest was very comfortable and the material didn't pull or bunch with the movements. He started to walk down the corridor, Shikamaru's soft footsteps following him after a moment. He finally made it to the double doors and he opened them, voices carrying over to him.
"I said no, Jiraiya is not taking Rio anywhere!"
"Sir, the order came down from the Council…"
"I don't care who the order came from! The last thing I'm about to do while the village is vulnerable is allow my kid to wander the countryside with Jiraiya. He would ditch him to peek at bathhouses in a heartbeat and then who would be there to protect Rio?"
"Uzumaki-sama, he's a genin and legally an adult. There's nothing you can do if he'd been specifically requested."
"I know that! Fuck, I'm going to kill him! I told him to stay away from my kids and what the fuck does he do? He steals one of them behind my back!"
"…please don't kill Jiraiya-sama…"
Sasuke felt kind of bad for the poor brunette who appeared to be the one who drew the short straw, judging by the small group hiding in the corner watching the spectacle unfold. He watched Hijiri walk over and place a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"He's not mad at you, Haru, he just doesn't like Jiraiya-sama," he said calmly, allowing the girl to escape Naruto's wrath.
Naruto had brought Hijiri home a couple of times to finish some extra paperwork. Sasuke didn't really feel one way or the other about him. He liked that the man left him alone. Naruto maintained his anger for a few seconds before he sagged.
"Sorry, Haruka."
"It's okay, sir."
Naruto finally turned to them.
"Sorry, Sasuke, I promise I wasn't trying to ignore you…" He trailed off as his eyes landed on Sasuke.
He took a moment to process before he crossed the room in the blink of an eye. Sasuke huffed as Naruto swung him round in a tight hug, laughing as he twirled. Sasuke couldn't help but take a moment to absorb the warmth from the embrace. As Naruto put him down, Sasuke tried to hide his smile but he knew he wasn't totally successful as Naruto's smile widened even further.
"Congratulations, Sasuke!" He beamed. "I knew you could do it and you deserve it so much and oh my gods, you're a chunin already, you're getting too old…"
He paused for a breath but his vibrant blue eyes had already moved over to Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru! Well done, your dad is going to be thrilled! Yoshino is going to be even happier!"
"Thanks," Shikamaru muttered.
He still seemed disappointmented but there was no escaping Naruto's energy.
"We need to celebrate tonight! Anything you want and Shikamaru, you are more than welcome to join but I know your clan may want to do something."
Sasuke nodded and remained quiet as Naruto went off on a tangent of potential places to go. He would never admit it out loud but it was nice to see him smile again. He hadn't done anything but frown since the attack and even before then, Sasuke knew most of his smiles were fake. He couldn't blame him; it had been a long month waiting for Kazuya to wake up. Then it was the Chunin Exams before that and Naruto had been away on a mission before that. It had been too long since they were all together.
He could never repay Naruto for what he'd done for him. He knew Rio didn't always see it but Sasuke knew he was just doing the best he could. He treated Sasuke like a kid but not in a patronising or frustrating way. He always included Sasuke in decisions about him and if Sasuke asked for something, Naruto respected it. He'd alleviated a lot of the burdens that came with losing his clans and knew even now that Naruto was still working to make his life easier. He knew if he turned around tomorrow and told Naruto he wanted nothing to do with him, the jounin would respect that and that was enough for Sasuke.
He still had his mother's book on a shelf in his room, Naruto and Kazuya's scrawls covering it in so many different colours. He'd taken photos and ornaments from his old home but his flat hadn't really felt like a home until Naruto had accidently knocked that wall down. Now he could hear Naruto and Kazuya arguing about poisons or seals or see Momo when she came to visit him. There was a little less silence and a little more light.
"Thanks, Naruto."
Naruto stopped his tangent and smiled warmly down at him.
"Anytime, Sasuke. I'm so, so proud of you and I know Mikoto would feel the same. They all would."
From anyone else, Sasuke wouldn't have believed them. He still didn't like to talk about his clan and if anyone tried to tell him something like that, he'd call bullshit. They didn't know anything; about his family or him.
From Naruto though, those words brought a small but sincere smile to his face. He'd like to think his clan would be happy for him if they were here. No one would ever replace them but it was nice to have someone who cared.
"Naruto, we need to talk about this."
"We really don't."
"You can't escape this forever. It's mandatory for every shinobi who gets kidnapped and Inoichi will drag you in himself if he has to."
"I don't need a psychological evaluation, Shikaku! I'm busy!"
"You can make time for this."
Naruto glared at the man from across his desk. The Nara for once wasn't slouched across his couch and was instead sitting upright and leaning forward intently. He very slowly pulled a pile of papers so Shikaku was hidden but the man just moved so he was back in sight, raising an eyebrow at Naruto's pettiness.
"Naruto, you have to do it," he sighed. "You have ordered plenty of them for other shinobi. You know why we do it."
"Yeah, for assessment of their ability to go back into the field and to determine if their long-term mental health is stable enough for them to remain on the roster," Naruto threw himself back into his chair. "I won't be in the field for a while after this whole fiasco and long-term doesn't really apply to me."
He looked anywhere but the Clan Head. His office was pretty generic and he hadn't changed much about it when he'd been assigned it about a year ago. The back wall behind him was covered in shelves he'd filled with books, seals, scrolls and records that had accumulated over the course of his work with a small window in the centre of it all. His oak desk was covered with paper and although Naruto had a perfect system, many people had told him he did not. He could find everything and that's what mattered. He had a couple of wooden chairs off to the right wall and the beige couch that was supposed to be pushed against the left wall had been pulled to face him.
He had placed a few pictures of his family and friends on the right wall and a bright orange rug lay on the floor in the middle of the room beneath the couch and part of his desk. Hijiri had gotten him a tall, potted fern which lived in the corner. They were small touches but Naruto did feel more comfortable with them there.
"It's confidential."
"I'm sure it is but you and Kazuya are the only two people alive who know about the current state of my 'condition' and I am not about to change that."
Shikaku ran his hands over his face in exasperation. The Nara had been nagging him since his outburst after the attack and even Naruto's jokes about how he was becoming Yoshino hadn't deterred the man.
"Look," he leaned forward, capturing Shikaku's attention. "I promise I will go but after we get a new Hokage. Deal?"
Shikaku eyed him doubtfully before sagging and draping himself over the back of the couch.
"Deal."
Naruto smiled at him. That bought him some time.
"You can be so troublesome."
"It's part of my charm."
"Yeah, yeah," Shikaku waved him off. "Look, while I'm here can you find Raidō and Genma? I have a mission for them."
"I'm not a personal find-a-shinobi service," Naruto rolled his eyes even as he began to expand his range beyond the administration buildings. "We have the birds for a reason."
He closed his eyes as his range reached the walls of the villages and he catalogued the signatures, ignoring the majority and quickly focusing on the very familiar signature of his former jounin-sensei. He was about to pull back when he felt a signature that should not be there; one that he would never forget.
"Shit!" he yelled as he sprung to his feet, knocking a pile of papers to the ground. "Itachi is in the village; west quadrant, on the walkway next to the river."
He could feel Asuma and Kurenai's chakra too and one other that he didn't recognise. It was massive and seemed to be housed in two sources and it felt like Zabuza but almost hungrier and much heavier. He felt Kakashi's appear next to them and he made his decision.
"I'm going to go help, get the ANBU!"
He didn't hear Shikaku's protest as he vanished in a shunshin and appeared just inside the village walls. He cursed and ran as fast as his body could take him to the group of signatures and he finally burst through the tree line and landed on the wide concrete walkway, taking in the scene in front of him.
Kakashi was standing in front of Asuma and Kurenai, both of whom had sustained some sort of damage. The three of them were soaked and standing on the surface of the river. Itachi and the Kiri nin were standing opposite them, dressed in black cloaks decorated with red clouds. He didn't like the way Kakashi was panting for breath. The group looked over at him and he was careful not to meet Itachi's eyes, closing them instead; he could keep track of them without his eyesight. He took a few running steps and vaulted himself over the railing, landing lightly on the water's surface.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Itachi said in a low, deep voice void of inflection.
"That A-rank kid with the sensing?" An unfamiliar voice asked and Naruto cocked his head. That must be the unknown Kiri nin. "He doesn't look like his picture; he's all grown up."
"Naruto, you need to get out of here," Kakashi spoke up, his voice calm but Naruto knew better.
He just had to stall until Shikaku had time to get the ANBU.
"Uchiha Itachi, are you back to traumatise some more eight year olds? Is your partner going to join us?"
The Kiri nin said something but he ignored it, focusing on the shift in Itachi's chakra.
"You had no right to interfere," Itachi said lowly. "That was between Sasuke and I and you cannot stop him from seeking his revenge. He will fulfil his destiny."
"And like I said to you four years ago, that will be his decision not yours, and he'd going to do it fully informed."
He grinned viciously as Itachi's chakra flared slightly, even though he was sure there was no external reaction. The Uchiha knew exactly what he was talking about and Naruto also knew that for whatever dumb reason he didn't want Sasuke knowing there was more to the Massacre. Tough shit.
In the darkness, he felt Kakashi shifting uncomfortably and he mentally apologised for the stress he was probably causing the man. He had gotten much stronger than the last time he'd faced Itachi but he knew he still couldn't beat the Uchiha. He had the natural advantage over the man's Sharingan but it was a lot more than that that made Itachi a prodigy.
"I like this brat!" The Kiri nin laughed. "We should fight!"
"Kiri must be missing you," he tilted his head. Did his sword have its own chakra? He took an educated guess. "I'm sure they would love to regain as much of the Seven Swordsmen as possible and the new Mizukage would welcome you, I'm sure."
"The fuck did you say?"
"Uzumaki Naruto has the ability to stick his nose into business the rest of the world would much rather be left alone."
Naruto grinned at Itachi's words.
"You didn't just come back to compliment me," he said, his tone deceptively light. "Why are you here?"
He felt Kakashi move and he frowned. What was he doing?
"I didn't expect that you who are not a member of the Uchiha clan would have mastered the Sharingan to this extent," Itachi spoke. "But your body isn't the Uchiha clan body that goes with the eye."
Naruto didn't know quite what was happening but he felt Itachi's chakra start to build.
"Don't look at his eyes!" Kakashi shouted out.
It was only a second later, barely the blink of an eye, but Naruto felt Kakashi's chakra dim significantly and he involuntarily opened his eyes, watching the man collapse onto the ground.
"Kakashi!"
He darted over and stopped his body from sinking into the river, shaking him slightly when he didn't open his eyes. Despite Kakashi's eyes being closed as if asleep, Naruto could see the pain in his face and the tenseness in his shoulders. He tapped Asuma's shin and made sure he had a good grip on Kakashi before he let go and stood. He closed his eyes once again, facing Itachi straight on.
"That won't work on me," he hissed. "Asuma, Kurenai, keep your eyes closed, okay? I got this."
Although so much had changed, Naruto couldn't help but remember the night of the Uchiha Massacre; the last time he'd stood his ground against Itachi to protect someone. He hated that he couldn't do anything. He would fight and stall but he knew in his heart that he was still nowhere near Itachi's level and it just made him so angry. So angry that he couldn't protect his precious people against a man who had hurt them so much.
He knew there was more to the story of Itachi's betrayal of Konoha and he was still determined to find out the truth, but it was moments like this that made him think that there was no going back for the Uchiha.
"The ANBU are on their way," he continued, furious. "You can fight me and deal with them or you can leave. Your choice."
The threat had no effect on the Uchiha and Naruto mentally cursed.
"Is your only option in a battle to wait for others to save you?"
"I have people to support me in a fight; I don't have to fight alone."
He decided to test a theory.
"Jiraiya is almost here as we speak," he added confidently, lying out of his ass. "I know Itachi could hold his own but judging by your chakra stores, you wouldn't fare as well, Kiri-san."
There was a moment of silence but Naruto did not dare open his eyes.
"Kisame, pull the plug. We are not here to start a war. We're leaving."
Their signatures vanished a second later and Naruto made sure that he could not feel them before he dared to open his eyes. With the missing nin absent, he turned and dropped to his knees, shaking Kakashi gently.
"Kakashi? Kakashi, come on, wake up!"
The jounin did not stir and Naruto looked up at the others.
"They're gone; you can open your eyes. Did you find out what they wanted?"
Asuma shifted his gaze away and Kurenai hesitated.
"Just tell me, we need to know why they were here."
"They wanted Rio," Kurenai said quickly and Naruto felt his stomach drop even further.
He felt the ANBU arrive around them as he looked back at Kakashi's masked face. This was turning into a bigger mess than he'd ever expected.
Sasuke ran through the far too familiar walls of the hospital; he'd been in this building far too much over the past couple of months. He finally came to the right door and he slammed it open, taking in the sight of his unconscious sensei resting in the bed. Naruto was sitting in the chair next to him and conflicted eyes met Sasuke's own.
"Hey, Sasuke."
Sasuke moved further into the room and the beep of the heart monitor echoed through his head. He sat in the chair on the other side of the bed and remained quiet for a long moment. Naruto picked up on his silent question.
"I'm going to tell you what happened but you have to promise me you will sit and listen and not run off anywhere, okay?"
Sasuke frowned in confusion. What was he talking about?
"Itachi was here, in the village with another missing nin from Kiri."
His heart began to thud painfully in his chest. Itachi was here? He was so close and Sasuke had no idea. Why was he here? What did he want? The memory of coming home years ago to find his brother standing over his dead parents was still as fresh as the day it happened. He wasn't sure when he'd started to grip the chair handles so hard it hurt but he was startled when he felt hands on his own. When had Naruto moved to kneel beside him? Naruto gently pried one of Sasuke's hands off of the wood and held it flat against his chest.
"Sasuke, I want you to follow my breathing, okay? Can you do that for me?"
Sasuke quickly nodded but he was finding it harder to do that than it should have been. This was ridiculous; Itachi shouldn't have this much sway over him. How was he supposed to get revenge when he was this weak?
"Sasuke, just follow my breathing, okay? Inhale, exhale and again."
Sasuke didn't know how long it took, time ceased to mean anything, but eventually he matched his breathing to Naruto's.
"He used his Sharingan to do something to Kakashi; Asuma and Kurenai got away with minor injuries. He wasn't here to fight and he's long gone now."
Sasuke stood up abruptly.
"I have to go after him."
"No."
He turned furious eyes onto the man.
"What?"
"Sasuke, I want you to honestly answer me, okay? If you say yes, without a single doubt in your mind, I will even sign off on a mission for you to go but you have to be honest with yourself."
Sasuke itched to ignore him and run to the door but he trusted Naruto. He'd been there for him every day since he lost his family and had always respected his boundaries. He knew that if he did say yes to whatever question Naruto asked, Naruto would let him go.
"Can you beat Itachi right now?"
He opened his mouth to answer but stopped. He'd just made chunin and he knew he was the strongest of his peers from the academy. He was probably even a good bit stronger than some of the other chunin. He had a good grasp on both raiton and katon and even had a couple of doton under his belt. His Sharingan was getting better every day. He knew he could have won the Exams.
Itachi, though, was an entirely different league. Was he ready? He knew he would face Itachi eventually but was he ready for that to be now? He knew he would only get one chance; Itachi wouldn't let him have another one. He remembered every detail of the evidence board Naruto had shared with him; he had so many questions only Itachi could answer.
It physically pained him to mutter a quiet 'no'. He found himself quickly swept in a warm hug and against his better judgement he returned it, Naruto's jounin vest bunching up in his fists.
"Sasuke, I'm not going to stop you from confronting Itachi," Naruto murmured in his hair. "I just want you in the best possible position when you do and I am going to do everything in my power to help you, even if that means letting you go."
Sasuke nodded and squeezed tighter, relishing the moment. He didn't let himself falter or succumb to impulses very often, he had the reputation of the Uchiha to uphold, but he felt a little safer in these moments. As much as he would deny it aloud, it was nice to know he didn't have to do this alone.
Naruto left Sasuke in Kakashi's hospital room with an order to rest and report to the desk the next morning. He kept his range far and wide, paranoid that someone else would waltz into the village beneath his notice. He finally found his prey and he stomped up to the man, prompting him to turn. Jiraiya's wide brown eyes stared down at him; good, he should be scared of Naruto.
"I don't appreciate that you went behind my back to steal Rio away, especially after I explicitly told you to stay far away from him," he began hotly, not allowing Jiraiya a moment to interject. "The thought of my kid outside the village with you makes me want to stab something but I know my hands are tied so we are going to lay down some ground rules."
The Sannin immediately nodded and Naruto couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of vindication at the power he held over the man.
"Itachi was here and he's after Rio," he said firmly. "You will not leave Rio alone for Itachi nor his partner to get to him, do you understand? No peeping, no bathhouses, no random women and if I find out you did any of that around him, I will make you wish you'd never met us. You will return my brother in an even better condition than when he left, are you following?"
"Yes," Jiraiya replied weakly.
He took a short breath before forging on.
"I will authorise this as an A-rank mission. Itachi is wary of you and I doubt he will attack when you're there so you need to make sure you stay with him. You will teach and guide him which I know you are perfectly capable of since you managed to help my father reach Hokage. You also need to make sure Tsunade comes back to Konoha; I don't care what you have to do."
"I thought you did care if she came back."
"I don't care if she becomes the Hokage," Naruto corrected shortly. "We need her medical knowledge."
His thoughts went back to Kakashi, lying deathly still in his hospital bed. Kazuya also flashed by, still unable to walk despite his progress.
"Once you return, you are going to tell me and the Intelligence department everything you have gathered on the men with the red clouds on their cloaks."
He stared up at the man unflinchingly. Jiraiya was a large man, towering over Naruto and his bulk filled any space that he occupied. His long, spiky white hair made him instantly recognizable even from a distance and his sleeveless red haori only contributed to this.
"Despite the way you act, I know you're a good shinobi. You want to start making up for abandoning us? Get my kid home safe."
He didn't let the man reply as he spun on his heel and stomped away. He had a lot to sort out before they left tomorrow.
Thanks for reading!
