New chapter! It took a while...sorry. Busy with school again (when am I not lol), but I'm about to graduate :D But yeah still no profile or anything on my page but I'll get there someday
So I do have ideas for other stories, like I freaking love the time travel ones or modern AU ones (and there's so many of each of them) but as this is my first and it is taking longer/turning out to be longer than I anticipated, we'll get there when we get there I guess! I feel like I'd get overwhelmed trying to write two in depth stories at once...I don't really consider my other story to be as involved as this one so it doesn't count, it's literally written to be all fluff lol. But...also new stories are exciting so... hmm.
Thank you all for reading/reviewing! If I could put the little emoji with the blushing smile on here I would haha!
12th Year of Danzo's Rule
Ino stood with Chouji and Shikamaru in the middle of an alley. After learning that Choza-ji was on a mission, the three friends decided it would be best to inform Mikoto-san or Itachi-san immediately of Sasuke being caught by a Root shinobi, but they were halted by their new sensei.
Asuma-sensei stared at them patiently, arms crossed and cigarette smoke curling around his face. "I really would like to know what has my three students rushing about Konoha in such a suspicious way during a village lockdown."
Ino shuffled her feet as Shikamaru sighed and Chouji looked at the ground.
"You know, teammates are supposed to trust each other."
Surprisingly, it was Chouji who bit out, "You're not our teammate."
Shikamaru stepped forward slightly as Asuma-sensei's gaze sharpened on their friend, but Asuma then relaxed and let his shoulders roll in. Ino catalogued his obvious effort to make himself appear less imposing.
"Well, I hope in the field you three will have my back just as I will have yours. But I guess you don't know me enough to consider us friends."
Without taking his eyes off of Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru reached back to Ino, nudging her closer to Chouji and bitterly issuing her orders. "Let her know about the situation. We'll worry about the consequences later, but our friend needs assistance immediately, Ino."
Swallowing, to try and soothe her suddenly dry throat, Ino nodded. She glanced at Chouji, seeing that he was ready to catch her and guard her while she visited Sakura's mind. She quickly formed a hand seal and lashed her chakra out before their sensei could stop her. Ino briefly saw his eyes widen before everything went black for a moment.
When she felt Sakura's familiar consciousness wrap around her, she flooded her friend with feelings and instincts stressing the importance of finding Mikoto-san or Itachi-san and then nudged brief images of Sasuke's last known whereabouts with the Root shinobi into Sakura's mind. An uncomfortable wave of Sakura's chakra rushed over Ino's senses as she performed a henge, giving the pink-haired girl the appearance of an Uchiha.
Sakura's senses overwhelmed Ino, and she found herself immersed in the sights and sounds and feeling of running through the Uchiha compound to the clan head's house. She bit her hand to painfully ground herself, and remind her not to get too lost in Sakura's consciousness. As Sakura made her way, Ino flashed her the idea of using her as a conduit to show Mikoto or Itachi the message, it would be faster, and as Ino had never used her mind jutsu on either of the two Uchihas before, she was hesitant to do so. The first couple of times sharing senses and ideas with someone was always too painful and disorienting.
She felt the rough wood as Sakura impatiently rapped her knuckles on the door, and was just as startled when it was ripped open and Sakura was lead to the study. Itachi's hand on her arm was firm, but gentle.
"What's happened, Sakura-chan? You know it's too dangerous to leave Izumi's house, especially with the village on lockdown."
Sakura gave a slight nod of her head. "I know, Itachi-san. Yamanaka Ino has a message for you about Sasuke-kun." Ino felt Sakura's muscles stretch as she reached her left hand toward Itachi. With a worried look, Itachi sat in his chair and allowed Sakura to place her hand on the crown of his head.
Ino surged forward, sending feelings of fear and concern as she flashed the images she had seen from Sasuke as he was caught with the message hidden in the can of tea. She felt Itachi twitch and stiffen under Sakura's hand, and through them both, felt the Uchiha's overwhelming worry and love and great fear for Sasuke. Barely waiting until Ino was finished, Itachi ripped away, leaving her with white noise buzzing across her senses. Ino pulled herself together in time to hear his words as he grabbed his weapons pouch and tanto before leaping out of the window.
"Stay hidden here, Sakura-chan, until my mother returns from her mission this evening. Ino-chan, I thank you and your teammates for being such caring peers to my otouto. When you return, don't fear your sensei."
Ino stood with Sakura in the study for moment before nudging her friend her thanks. She felt the soft fabric of Sakura's shirt as the girl nervously rubbed her thumb along the edge. Sakura spoke out loud. "I really hope he's okay, Ino-chan. We…we were always supposed to be teammates and I know you and the other's will always be there for me, but he's my teammate."
Ino rushed through Sakura's consciousness with waves of love and sensations of large fluffy blankets and hot tea warming one's hands and instincts of we're all teammates. She felt her friend's emotional quivering calm somewhat, and sent the other girl another mental hug before ending her jutsu.
Though she had a massive headache, Ino tried to concentrate on her surroundings and gather her bearings before opening her eyes. It was mostly silent, only the sound of the wind rushing around the corners of buildings and through the tall trees making noise. She felt Chouji's large, warm hand on her forehead and brow, and the dry, gritty dirt of the alley beneath her calves and elbows as she was lying down.
When she finally felt steady enough to open her eyes and sit up, she found Shikamaru still standing in front of her and Chouji, his shoulders tense, and their sensei sitting against the wall of the opposite building, three cigarette butts crushed in a pile to his left. He winked at her as she stared. She craned her neck to look back at Chouji, who shrugged.
"Asuma-sensei said to wait until you came back before continuing our discussion."
Ino turned back to Asuma. "May we go train, Sensei? I'm sure there is something you can teach us about building trust between teammates."
Asuma laughed and rolled languidly to his feet, motioning them to follow him. Shikamaru gave her an irritated glare and scowl, but Chouji seemed pleased and simply helped her to her feet. They had to walk fast to keep up with Asuma's long stride, and despite Ino's best efforts, she was quickly lost as the man lead them through the village.
Soon, however, they were in an old and secluded section of shinobi residential lands. The trees were taller, the shadows darker, and the air teemed with soft loneliness. She gaped as Asuma-sensei lead them through ornate wooden gates with two weathered, carved wooden monkeys atop the gate posts. Beyond, were about seven grand houses, all dark and empty, but still well cared for. Ino startled as she felt Asuma's heavy hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see a wry smile on his face as he pointed to a small house growing out of one of the tallest trees in the grove.
"The Shodai Hokage called that tree house from that tree for my father when he was a child. He told him that as long as his heart was strong, his home was strong, and that the more heart he put into his work, the stronger his home would grow. Later, long after the Shodai had died and my father had been the Sandaime for quite a few years, I was leaving Konoha to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja that served the Land of Fire's daimyo. As an angry and rebellious teen with no respect for my father's position, I was impatient to leave for the capital. But the Sandaime stopped me and said, 'If you listen to nothing else I say, at least listen to this…' and I did.
"So, my wary students. If you listen to nothing else I say, at least listen to this: As long as your heart is strong, your home is strong."
Ino felt her eyes water at the words. Don't fear your sensei, Itachi had said.
Sasuke lay with his face in the grass for a moment, trying to process that he wasn't dead. Someone had shoved the Root nin off of him, and he could hear the sounds of them fighting. Trembling, he rolled onto his back and sat up. His savior was just a kid, probably around his own age. He was scrawny and pale, with bare feet, and his shaved head with small blonde hairs poking up from the skin only added to his bedraggled appearance. Though he didn't look like much, he had a shaking and almost fearful fury in his movements against the Root shinobi. Sasuke stared wide-eyed as the boy managed to swipe and doge clumsily at the Root nin. He was fast, and his movements were sharp and accurate, but the hesitance before each motion gave away his inexperience.
Collecting himself, Sasuke scrambled painfully to his feet and dashed toward the two as the other boy gained a not insignificant cut along his right forearm. He leaped onto the Root nin's back and held on tightly as the man jostled and bucked. The scrawny boy kept up his own attacks from the front, stabbing his kunai at the man's legs and stomach and dodging his flailing arms. The blond boy was brutally kicked away, and Sasuke's stomach dropped has he felt the man tipping himself backwards, slamming and squashing Sasuke beneath him.
Blindly, he stabbed at the man's neck. Warm blood washed down his hand and arm, and he would've gagged had the adrenaline not still been pumping through him and urging him to stab again. There was suction on the kunai as he slid it out, but it slid back into the flesh easier this time. A large hand gripped his right ankle and twisted, pulling a cry from Sasuke's lips as hot pain shot up his shin. He was frozen in shock and agony, dropping his kunai and allowing the Root shinobi to roll up.
Fortunately for Sasuke, the other boy again rushed the man, managing to stab his kunai into the back of the shinobi's knee. The man went down, but not before retaliating with a vicious punch to the blonde's head. Sasuke gripped at the grass, struggling to roll and crawl toward the man. He caught the blonde's eye. Keep him occupied, he tried to convey. With a yell, the scrawny boy jumped at the Root shinobi again, feinting low before aiming for the man's shoulder. Sasuke wiped his bloodied hand on his shorts before tightening his hold on his kunai and silently creeping forward again. He internally swore as the other boy was caught by the Root shinobi. The blond was flipped on the ground, arms shaking as he desperately tried to deflect the man's kunai away from his chest.
Sasuke hobbled quickly behind the man and thrust his kunai into the base of the back of his head. His kunai was met with strong resistance as he met bone, but Sasuke intended to puncture the man's skull. He grunted, feeling the small, sharp hand guard on the kunai bite into the soft skin of his thumb and pointer finger as his hand slipped forward with the effort. More warm blood dripped down his forearm and off of his elbow, splattering the ground.
The scrawny boy's arms collapsed, and Sasuke felt himself and the Root shinobi tipping forward. He lay on top of the shinobi for a minute, breathing heavily. The other boy had his legs caught under the man, but was just as greedily gasping for air. They stared at each other, adrenaline fading, before something caught Sasuke's eye, causing irritation to rack up his spine.
"What the hell is this?" He hissed, grabbing the boy's weapon. "A practice kunai?! You could've gotten us killed, you dobe!"
The blond made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. "It was all I had, teme!"
Sasuke refrained from pulling at his hair, remembering the boy's wild movements and bare feet. He slid off the dead man and onto his bum, before pulling at the shinobi to try and release the blonde's legs. Once free, the other boy stumbled to Sasuke, pulling him up and helping him hobble to the old house ahead.
"Wait." Sasuke stopped him. He leaned back toward the body, allowing the blond to grasp his shoulder as he tediously performed a set of hand signs before placing his first two fingers to his lips. Hot chakra gathered at the tips, and he pressed them first to the white-masked forehead, dragged them down the man's covered face, neck, and stopped on the sternum, all the way releasing the searing chakra.
With a surprised grunt, the other boy caught Sasuke's elbow to steady him after the energy drain, and they both watched silently as the body glowed an angry red. The skin split and burned black at the edges as the organs dissolved to ash and collapsed. Once there was just black ash, the material turned grey, then white, and then seemed to turn to softer and finer and translucent particles before sinking into the earth with no trace of there ever being a man. Sasuke heard the boy suck in a breath and grip his arm tighter.
"Why didn't you just do that in the first place?"
"They have to be dead first."
Slowly, they made their way up the creaking, wooden front steps, and Sasuke barely had a second thought as they entered into the dark entry way.
Inside, the house was creepy. The light was dull, the furniture was covered in sweeping sheets, and what could be seen of the ornate architecture was covered in dirt and dust. Sasuke turned his head, observing the small footprints on the dusty stairs and pattering over the floor. The other boy sat him on a stool in the kitchen, and had gone into the bathroom down a hall to his right to retrieve towels, a pail of water, and a medical kit.
After watching the boy scrub harshly at the deep cut in his arm before clumsily wrapping it in bandages, Sasuke gave a glare before turning and allowing him to try and clean up Sasuke's scraped shoulder. "You live here?"
"Uh, temporarily, yeah. It's great isn't it?"
Sasuke just gave another cursory look around. There were around thirty ration bar wrappers shoved into the trashcan to the side of the counter. "Hn. What's your name?"
The boy, who had been digging in the medical kit looked up, his bright eyes squinted as he smiled, showing off pointed canines and crinkling the six scars on his cheeks. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
Sasuke almost wrinkled his nose at the loud pitch of Naruto's voice. "I'm Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."
He narrowed his eyes as blue eyes turned to him, startled. But at Sasuke's suspicious and questioning glance, Naruto just shrugged and quickly looked at the floor. "Just recognize the name Uchiha, that's all."
Sasuke nodded. His clan was pretty large and infamous. They didn't speak much more when they finished dressing their injuries, though Naruto did point Sasuke in the direction of what must have formerly been a guest bedroom in the old house.
Kakashi thought he was dreaming again, at first. He was in a bed in a safe house not too far from Amegakure, and though it was dark, he was still able to make out the wavering face above him. The unmasked man's eye bored into Kakashi's, and if Kakashi listened, he could make out the mumbling stream flowing from a scarred mouth. Obito was always a talkative one.
"…I don't know how you became so annoying. The serious Bakashi was so much easier to deal with, irritating, but predictable. Now, you're just infuriating. I was on a mission with Deidara-baka and one of Kisame's disgusting fish summons slapped me in the face with a message that you'd put yourself in a coma."
Kakashi closed his eyes, fighting nausea. "Somehow I don't think putting Kisame and Deidara in the same team is a good idea."
Obito gave an ugly snort. Kakashi stared at his humorless face, lean and grave, and nothing of the young boy who was once his teammate shining through. He imagined the large and dark eyes peaking out from under orange goggles and tried to reconcile that innocence with this man's cynicism.
"Hmm. It was an elite Root squad. Fugaku was one of the brainwashed members." He watched as Obito's fist curled. "They thought I had information of the whereabouts of an escaped prisoner."
"And did you?"
"Don't be daft. I haven't heard from anyone in Konoha in ten years."
Obito grunted. "So how did they find and apprehend the great Copy Ninja Kakashi of the Sharingan? "
"Well…it was a long mission. I didn't expect the Takigakure terrain to be so rugged and harsh. Kisame and I had been traveling for four days without rest, anxious to return. He went west to collect some food from a small town we were passing, and I continued for Amegakure with the client's scroll. There were seven Root ninja that intercepted me."
Kakashi remembered seeing the white masks glowing in the fading light of dusk through the leaves of trees. He remembered choosing not to outpace them immediately, they were not attacking, just following. He recognized the chakra signature of the man to his left as that of Uchiha Fugaku. The man had had no compassion for Obito as a delinquent and failure of a genin, but after Obito's death, he had tried to have the sharingan gifted to Kakashi returned to the clan. Despite this, after the Kyuubi attack and deaths of the Sandaime and Yondaime, the serious man had stood by Kakashi and protected him from the machinations of Danzo to the best of his ability. When Kakashi fled the village, he didn't get a chance to thank the Uchiha patriarch, and still wondered what had changed the man's mind about him.
Now, though, it seemed he had fallen subject to Danzo's malicious regime. Wondering if Uchiha Fugaku had truly been indoctrinated, Kakashi had decided to engage the elite Root squad. They had fought, not brutally, but he was essentially interrogated by the squad leader. Fugaku had held back and stayed silent throughout the entire exchange.
Kakashi had no idea what the Root nin wanted. He didn't know of any recently escaped Konoha prisoners, or shinobi defects, and he hadn't heard from Jiraiya in three years. But the squad leader, distinguishable by his large size and his missing pinkie and ring fingers on his left hand, was obviously anxious and pressured to find the escapees. He motioned to Uchiha Fugaku, and Kakashi, curious and foolish, had looked straight into the Uchiha's Mangekyou sharingan.
He watched, over and over, the torture of a boy with blond hair and scarred cheeks. In an underground cell. Alone. Whether Fugaku sincerely meant to give Kakashi a message, or whether the vision was simply meant to put Kakashi through such wretched torment, he didn't know. But the inkling of the idea of the jinchuuriki being held by the Hokage gave Kakashi the seed of truth.
He wanted to tell Obito. He needed to tell Obito. But Obito was Akatsuki. Kakashi was Akatsuki. And the Akatsuki hunted jinchuuriki.
Obito's voice sounded in his ears. "You're crying, Kakashi."
He sounded unhappy and irritated. Kakashi reached a slightly tremoring hand to his damp cheeks. "Ah. Just remembering the Tsukuyomi vision. Thank you, for ending it."
His teammate crossed his arms and abruptly stood. "We are not friends, Kakashi, just to be clear. I have not forgiven you."
Kakashi flinched. A lightning-bright image flashed in his mind's eye. At least Obito was just as stubborn and idiotic as always. "Hmm. You haven't forgiven yourself either."
Dark killing intent seeped through the air. Obito was still just as dramatic too, it seemed. "You're a true saint, forgiving us both."
Kakashi felt a snarl ripping up his throat as Obito began to swirl to someplace else. "There's a difference between forgive and forget, you imbecile."
Obito's last words before he was gone dripped with condescension. "Learn to use the Mangekyou, you imbecile. If you get caught by the Tsukuyomi again, I'm not helping you out of it."
Kakashi dug his nails into his palm and leaned against the small bed's headboard, trying to calm the stinging anger and fiery sense of loneliness that came as a reaction to Obito's callousness. Those who abandon their friends, Obito, are worse than trash. Didn't you teach me that?
