Chapter 3
"I mean he's three and a half months, he should have a name."
"Good. Great. Name him."
"But I don't want to do it myself. You've been participating. You know, with him. As his other father." Sasuke paced up and down, bouncing the baby in one arm. "Which I appreciate."
A sigh. "And?"
"So help, what."
Naruto turned another page. "I am. Said name him."
"Got any suggestions?"
"Whatever."
"Like, a good name."
"Minato."
"Something that really embodies him and how special he-"
"Itachi."
"-that really sticks with a person after they hear it, like-"
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"…What?" He stopped pacing. "What."
Naruto closed the baby book. He was sprawled on his stomach, but now turned over and dropped a forearm over his eyes. "Throwing out suggestions. You like your name, right?"
"Don't be an ass. A real name."
"What about-"
"Something strong, like Ikioi or Ryouichi."
"Fine. That."
"Which?"
"First one."
"Ikioi?"
"Yup."
"You like it?"
"Matters?"
"Yeah. It does."
"Fine. It's cool. I can call him Icky."
"That's not-"
"Uchiha Ikioi."
Sasuke stopped beside him and gazed down. "He's Uzumaki."
Naruto slowly moved his hand so that he could stare up at Sasuke's face. It was serious. "No, he's not."
"I said I'm not rebuilding my clan."
"I said I'm not worthy of him."
"He's yours."
"No-"
"And he's Uzumaki. Period. End of discussion. Here." He set the baby on Naruto's stomach and ignored his squawk of indignation. "I'm going to get his bottles."
Naruto held the kid up at arm's length a second, then just gave up and brought him down. Sat up. Glared at the doorway. Looked at the kid. "He thinks I don't notice him pushing you at me more and more. I say I'm going to give fatherhood a shot, he goes and runs with it. Now you're Uzumaki on top of it." He crossed his eyes, making the baby squeal. "Well. Not like I mind. Much. I mean I do, but fuck him." He stared at the small, inquisitive face looking up at him.
The best he could do to describe things between him and Sasuke since the talk was awkward. They were both trying, both striving to be as normal and unconcerned as possible when they each had a wealth of resentment they were carrying around. But it was that or let boredom and isolation drive them insane. The worst, in his opinion, was whenever he and Sasuke had to sit around with nothing to talk about. He could all but feel Sasuke trying to come up with a topic of conversation, just as he was wishing equally hard that none would be found. He hated talking to Sasuke; just made him that much more aware of the fact that he'd lost him.
Except, if Sasuke's behavior was anything to go by, he hadn't lost him. That was something else that caused him anxiety. The fact that Sasuke wanted to fuck.
He'd given it a modicum of thought. Possibly more than that. Okay, he'd spent hours on the subject, arguing with himself. Why, he didn't know. He felt no desire whatsoever around Sasuke. He just felt like he should. It was a habit. Muscle memory. He was used to touching Sasuke, used to kissing him, smelling him. Screwing his brains out. Used to Sasuke pouncing on him every chance he got. Sasuke wasn't pouncing, but there were definitely some looks. Especially during the uncomfortable silences. He'd glance over, see a look, and just wish he were dead for real. As if things couldn't get any worse.
Last week he did address it, pushed to a point near violence. "The fuck you looking at."
"You."
"Obviously. Why."
"Nothing else to look at."
"Oh. Thought you wanted something."
"I do want something. I want you."
"Huh."
"And let me be clear on that. By you, I mean all of you. You might think I'm scarred from being Kyuubi's bitch, and I am, but I've processed that already. I'm ready to fuck. And I'd like to be fucking you. All day. All night. In every position, on every surface, as creatively and inventively as possible. That. That's what I want." He paused. "But it's not just about fucking. I miss you. I love you and miss you and need you. The nightmare's over, Naruto. Finally over. There's a shitload of bad coming our way, but us, you and me…we're okay now. You're not sick, I'm not distracted. I want us back. We both need to heal and I think we're the only ones who can heal each other. I want to hold you, Naruto. Just bury my dick to the hilt in your body and hold you forever. I want to kiss you until you can't breathe and you beg me to stop the way you do. I want you. You said the differences would take some figuring out. Figured them out yet?"
As if he could possibly be capable of speech after that. His heart was pounding fit to burst, but he managed to continue staring at the wall as if he couldn't care less. "You want those things. I want to be the only one in your heart."
"You are."
"Hinata."
"Is irrelevant. I won't lie, I feel something, or felt something, but it doesn't touch what you mean to me. Don't you think if it did that I would have been fucking her the entire time you were gone? It could have been my kid in her, but it's not."
"What's that supposed to mean? And I have no way of knowing whether or not you did fuck her."
"Naruto-"
"Leave me alone."
"All I said was-"
"Sasuke. Look. You might as well know that this is as good as it's likely to get between us. Period. We aren't having a fight, or temporarily on bad terms. We've broken up. I'm not yours anymore, you're not mine. We have a kid. But that's all we have." And then he'd escaped upstairs.
Needless to say, Sasuke pitched one of his silent treatments for a good three days. His relief from the communication attempts was enormous, but then he'd gotten bored again.
-oOo-
Sasuke came back with the bottles. He passed them over just as he himself was handing Sasuke the kid. "Feed him. You always feed him."
"You should feed him tonight." Sasuke tucked the bottles into Naruto's armpit. "And we should alternate from now on."
"You're really dragging it."
"Hey, you're the one who wants to spend the rest of his life making up to him for how you-"
"All right. God." He plunked his ass back on the floor and gave the kid a bottle. Held the second one in his good hand. "Yo."
"What." Sasuke snagged the book and leafed through it. He'd read it several times already.
"Kid's got-"
"Ikioi."
"Kid's-"
"Ikioi."
Naruto grit his teeth. "Icky's got some crazy healing powers."
Sasuke glanced up from the book. "True. Your point?"
"Well, I'm thinking how crazy? I know he brought me back from the dead and healed your frostbite, but can he heal himself?"
Sasuke closed the book, frowning.
"Because he had this rash, but he didn't heal it. Went away over the next few days, while I was looking for you. And for those two days you were gone-"
"I was gone four days when I felt my clone disperse."
"…What?"
"I told the clone I'd be gone five days. Tops. Fourth day I felt it vanish, knew about the bear, but I couldn't get here. What made you think two days?"
"Kid–Icky– was crying. For well over a day. I thought you were here, that you were letting him cry to prove some point to me. When I went downstairs I saw the bear and shit. Realized you weren't here. That you had to have been gone at least as long as the kid –Icky–was hollering."
"You let him cry for two days?"
"My point is that he went all that time without food or rest. But when I went to him he seemed totally fine. Happy to see me."
"He was?"
"Yeah. Really happy. Anyways, you think that was his healing?"
Sasuke watched Ikioi drain the second bottle. "I don't know. Sounds like he just has a strong constitution. Like you did. When you had Kyuubi."
"That's another thing. He needs to start learning how to use that."
"Use what. Kyuubi?"
"Yes! I know he has the lightning and stuff, but-"
"What lightning? How? When?"
Naruto related the story of his toads. "So I think he's scared of animals. But if that's all he's got going for him-"
Sasuke Summoned a hawk slightly smaller than himself. Ikioi, in the process of falling asleep, shrieked at once. A moment later, a bar of lightning had Sasuke diving to one side.
The hawk was gone. There was a smoking crater in the wall behind where it'd stood.
"Next time do that outside," Naruto said. He tried to calm a whimpering Icky.
Sasuke studied the crater. "That's not all he has going for him. He's got those eyes."
"What eyes?"
Sasuke told the story of Naruto's resurrection.
Naruto gawped. "I'll kill her. I swear to God I will kill that bitch the next time I see her. She told me none of that. Seriously? All three?"
"Saw it with my own eyes."
"Fuck me." Naruto looked down. Icky was falling asleep again. "Has there ever been a ninja with all three?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"How does that even work?" He was whispering.
Sasuke got up, took the baby, and tucked him into his crib. He made a clone. "Let's talk in my room."
Once in there, they settled themselves cross-legged from each other. "I honestly don't know," Sasuke said. "I've been over it and over it. Eternal Mangekyo alone nearly fried my brain, and that's just an upgrade from Mangekyo. To have all three Doujutsu at once… Naruto, the strength of mind that would require…the amount of sheer brain power…it's ridiculous. Like, I literally cannot wrap my head around it. And you should have seen him. Switching them out like he was under no strain. I mean, it was obviously new and difficult for him, but he knows what the eyes do, I think. He knew what he needed wasn't any of those three, but Kyuubi. And that was just to carry him to you, I think. The only one of those three I know for sure that has power over life and death is Rinnegan. Was probably what he used when all that chakra blasted out of him. I didn't get to see, exactly, so I can't even be sure about that."
Naruto tugged on his lip. "So he can use the demon."
"I think so? I saw him use that chakra cloak. The one you used to shield me on our run to Konoha? And again after Madara cut me? He made those arms."
"Are you fucking kidding me right now."
"No. There's more. He can do Madara's space/time jutsu. Used it to put himself at your side. You were up here, we were downstairs. I looked over and he was just…gone."
"Unbelievable. How have we not been talking about this for the past two weeks?"
"There's more-"
"Shit!"
"But I don't know if you're okay to talk about it."
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's about Hinata. And that kid in her."
Naruto had been leaning forward, intently focused on Sasuke's words. Now he rubbed his hands down his face and leaned back. "No. Give it to me straight."
"Right, well Tsunade tried to kill Ikioi after you'd…passed. She-"
"Hinata mentioned this, but she didn't give me details. I want the blow-by-blow. Leave nothing out."
"Hn. Where do you want me to start?"
Naruto thought. "The Kitchen. I remember going down the stairs, bleeding, hurting. I got to the kitchen, and saw Hinata. Just like that, the rape came back to me. I…did what I did with the kid, then I was down. You were there. Remembered what I did to you too, then I blacked out. Start right there."
Those were painful memories, but Sasuke brought them up and complied.
Naruto was leaning forward again. Frowning in concentration. Focused completely on Granny's actions with him, the surgery, how she tried to save him, and then admitting that she'd failed. Here he blinked, hearing Sasuke's account of his death for the first time.
"It was just…death was impossible in my mind," Sasuke whispered. "The Uzumaki Naruto I knew just couldn't die. Never mind that I'd seen you dead once before. You're eternal. Unbreakable. Least, I thought you were." He looked aside. Wiped his face. "It was horrible. The worst thing I've ever experienced. Ever. I just knew you'd wake up. Knew it like I know my name, know your smile. All I had to do was wait. Your body would bounce back, you'd wake up, and everything would finally be okay. But you didn't. You didn't wake up. You were really gone. Thought I'd die right along with you. Really did."
He watched Sasuke inhale a shaky breath and marveled that a year ago this same man wouldn't have been capable of showing this much vulnerability. Or any vulnerability. He gave him a few moments, wherein he was able to ignore the way his own eyes burned. "And then?"
"Then Tsunade. But Hinata did what I asked beautifully. You should have seen it."
And he almost could. Sasuke gave such a detailed account of the fight that followed that he was able to close his eyes and envision the whole thing. Something caught his attention, though. "Stop. Right there. When did her chakra manifest?"
"About midway through the fight."
"And it was the same as when she healed Icky?"
"Yes and no. It was the same, but externalized."
"And then?"
"Tsunade rushed her and the chakra…flared. She punched right through Tsunade's chest. Ripped her arm clean off. Tore it off with such force that she almost tore the woman herself in half. Would have, if the arm hadn't come free."
That right there had him looking at Sasuke again. "Were you close enough to see details? Like her eyes? Hands?"
"No. Why?"
A suspicion. "Go on."
"Think Tsunade disappeared. She was gone, at any rate. You think all of that was from the kid in Hinata?"
He was several minutes answering, putting bits and pieces together. It was painful to hear about how Hinata healed Icky, but he filed away the details of that too. "It's Kyuubi."
"What?"
"I raped Hinata. Left. Came back, and the second I did the kid started acting weird. Moving and shit. Looking back on it, I couldn't have been gone for more than a day or two after the rape. Right?"
"More or less."
"So that baby grew in her immediately. Icky sensed it immediately. Kicked and twirled every time Hinata was near me. Icky feels that kid. And I think it's because of Kyuubi. Zoom over to that other kid now. I think he does the same thing Icky did when he was in me; protects himself. Sounds like he's protecting Hinata in order to do it. That's not what scares me, though. It's how he's protecting himself. Icky never displayed that much power in me, not even when I was months along. Worst he did was undo the seal. Foxed Out me wasn't as strong as you're saying Hinata is."
"You threw a house."
"Yeah…okay. Maybe I was. Still, there was no chakra involved. And I was much farther along by the time I did that. Hinata's barely started. By the time she's months gone-"
"You absorbed chakra."
"No. Hearing it now, I'm going to say that was the Rinnegan. Same eyes Pain had, same abilities. Healing? That's Kyuubi. Icky healed me, healed you…and that kid was healing Hinata in that fight. It healed Icky. That's all Kyuubi, and that other kid sounds like he has about ten times more Kyuubi than Icky does."
"How? Icky–Ikioi– has the demon itself."
"I don't know how. I just know it does. It's obvious to me. Which, when you think about it, makes your statement of that power Hinata displayed being the kid pretty much true. It's Kyuubi, but Kyuubi's in that kid. So it is the kid." He shuddered. "God, can you imagine what he'll be like once he's born?"
"Don't want to."
"Neither do I. But we might have to. Look, I know you don't want to think about it, or maybe you do…but I think she needs to come back here."
"Thought you didn't care?"
"Sasuke, I never thought I would see a day when I'd be happy to never see her again, but I am. It's here. I never want to see her again, okay? Trust me. But this is bigger than me, you, or her."
"You mean Konoha. The other nations."
"I mean Konoha in civil war over Icky, whose powers they never even saw. I mean that other kid probably being more powerful than Icky, and Hinata out in the wind. Waiting to be discovered. If she is, and they come at her, that kid will do God only knows what. And then the whole world will be after her and the kid both."
Sasuke's frown smoothed out as his face went slack. "Fuck…"
"Even if she stays hidden, Granny knows about her and her kid's powers. Knows where we are. And thanks to your story, I now believe that woman will stop at nothing to end Icky and that kid. She'll come with an army, Sasuke. Hinata won't be here, but we will."
Sasuke stood up. "We'll start strengthening defenses in the morning."
"How?"
"However we can."
"I really don't see how. I think we should focus on ourselves. Getting stronger."
"That too. You want to train?"
"What, with you?"
"I don't see anyone else."
"I guess." Something occurred to him. "Should we train the kid?"
"He's a baby."
"Not an ordinary one. That book is practically useless to us."
"I don't know. Let's do us first. In fact, we can start now. You said the only thing you've done is Sage Mode, right?"
"Actually…I kind of remember making Rasengan when you were gone. Woke up and it was in my hand."
"Make one now."
"Dude? You're not my teacher. I can train myself."
Sasuke put his head back and closed his eyes a moment. "You know what? Fuck you. Was only trying to help, but you're right. Do you, and I'll do me."
"Where you going? This is your room."
"Then get out."
Naruto stood to do this, then just frowned at the floor. "Look at us. Hell, when is this going to stop? When are we just going to stop?"
Sasuke folded is arms. Leaned against the doorway and shook his head. "Sometimes I blame you for all of this. You got pregnant. And then all that shit with Kyuubi. I feel like all you had to do was just have the baby. That's it. Everything would have been fine, we would have dealt with Tsunade, the council…all you had to do was have him, but no. You had to go and lose your mind. Other times I think it's all my fault. If I'd just been there more, done something different. Maybe none of the shit that happened up here would have happened. But this right here, us hating each other, is the precise thing I was afraid of. Us not coming out of this intact. God, it's like…I could see it happening. Saw it coming, saw us unraveling, and I couldn't do a single thing to stop it." A snort left him. "I can't even go into a storm to get milk for my son. I can't do shit."
Naruto blinked at him. He was hard-pressed to find an argument to the contrary.
"I wish you'd left me out there."
Naruto considered that statement. "I might hate you right now, but I'm glad I didn't."
The next morning, Sasuke came down with a fed and dressed Ikioi and found Naruto staring out the living room window. Naruto heard Sasuke come up behind him and spoke without turning around. "Snow's still here. You realize the sun is out for more than fourteen hours a day now? But this snow is eternal. Granted, it is a lot warmer than before, but I got a thermometer this morning, look." He pointed to the far wall, where a large thermometer hung. "Thing's hovering at two degrees. And look here." He turned and went to a low round table that hadn't been there last night. It was covered with a large sheet of paper, books, charts, and a drawing compass. Sasuke drifted closer as Naruto hefted one of the books. "I pinpointed our location precisely on that map you brought, but I also got a few texts on the arctic circle. According to this, the highest temperature we can expect will be around fifty degrees and that's in July. There's a whole bunch of other junk about the short growing season depending on where in the circle you are, but what interests me most is the circle itself. It's uninhabited." He shoved everything off the table to leave the sheet of paper and the compass. Sasuke could now see drawings on the paper. A large circle and landmasses. He knelt next to Naruto and looked where he was pointing. "I can verify for a fact that there isn't a soul within this circle but us," Naruto went on. "The maps in those books are accurate, but I needed something bigger to look at. And I wanted to test a theory."
"What theory?" He was fascinated. Ikioi was dozing off in his arms as he stared at Naruto.
"The theory that I remember everything from when I Foxed Out. Look at this." He pointed to a landmass west of their island. "I know that precisely three miles inland from this bay right here there's a waterfall of fresh water, and a hundred yards from that there's a tree that's been split by lightning. Or down here at this piece of land the water never really freezes. Stays warm. The land smokes too, so I think there's volcanic activity of some kind. My point is, under normal conditions if I'm shown, say, a route on how to get somewhere I might remember eighty, eighty-five percent of that route once I've traveled it. But I remember a hundred percent of everything I saw, ate, or did while I was Foxed Out. Every single detail. Every rock, every mountain. So I drew this map. It's not finished, but here it is. This is it." He looked up and met Sasuke's eyes with a frown. "Why do you think I remember all that stuff so well? I can't even remember what I ate last week."
Sasuke tipped his head. Studied the map. "Well…I think the mind is a muscle," he said slowly. "And like all your other muscles, it probably got a boost when you were in Kyuubi's grip. All your other senses became heightened. Makes sense your brain did too. I think the difference between your heightened mind and your normal mind is what caused the forgetfulness when you returned to yourself. Your mind needed awhile to sync everything up. Once it did you had access to all the memories Kyuubi stored. But that doesn't mean your mind is undergoing the same process now, so your powers of retention are back down to average."
"Oh." Naruto looked at the map.
Sasuke looked too. He could see a name scrawled across the top. "What's that?"
"The name of our land. Yeah, since we've claimed this place I think we should name it. Can't just be the arctic circle. I considered really calling it Hell, but that's lame. Besides, it's too cold. I didn't want to call it the Land of Winter either, even though the winters here can last nine months, according to the books. Or the Land of Snow. I figured, since the books also say that eventually we'll have sun round the clock same as we had that twenty-four hour darkness, that we could name the land based on that. What do you think?"
Sasuke read the name. Yoru to hiru no kuni. "The Land of Night and Day?"
"Yup. I'm Kage."
"Figures."
"So are you. We can be the first country to have a joint Kage office. Naturally, you're the Yorukage. I'm the Hirukage."
"What-"
"And this, our village, is the Hidden Village of Twilight."
"You're really living the fantasy, aren't you."
"It's not a fantasy. I'm serious."
Sasuke studied him. "You do realize that land borders can only be enforced when you have people, citizens, to enforce them? If we claim a land we have to be able to defend that land. There needs to be a government, economy, currency. Where are we getting supplies?"
"That's why there are two Kage. That stuff's all your job."
Sasuke found himself laughing. It was silent, but it was hard enough to have him rock sideways and hit the floor with a soft bump. Ikioi woke with a coo. "You're impossible."
Naruto gazed down at him.
"Whew. Okay. I needed that. Can't remember the last time I laughed." He looked at the baby, who was now staring up at Naruto. "We'll talk more about all that later. I actually came down here to discuss something else."
"Oh?" Ikioi smiled and reached for Naruto. Naruto, Sasuke was pleased to note, smiled back and took him.
"I want to continue the discussion we were having yesterday," Sasuke said.
The baby made slapping motions on Naruto's eyes, screaming happily. "Huh?"
"About training? That thing you said about training Ikioi hasn't left my mind. I think—FUCK, NARUTO!" Sasuke shot to his feet.
Naruto had thrown the baby high enough to have him grazing the ceiling. He caught him just as easily and swooped him around in a circle. "What," Naruto said. Icky was laughing so hard his face was red.
Sasuke snatched his son to safety. He was torn between commenting on Naruto's unprecedented playfulness with Ikioi and the terror he was still choking on. "Don't you ever do that again," he wheezed. He cradled Ikioi to his chest.
Naruto's grin dwindled, but he poked a finger at Icky, and the boy grabbed it. Brought it to his mouth. Still smiling, Naruto said, "What about training him?"
Sasuke was still catching his breath. He used the action of smoothing Ikioi's hair to calm himself. "The baby. I think we are going to have to train him after all. I don't think you understand what it means for him to have those eyes. And I didn't really consider it until you'd mentioned it. Last night, thinking about it, it occurs to me that we might have bigger problems on our hands than a few armies coming our way."
Naruto was listening. Serious expression, motionless posture. "Such as?"
In that moment, seeing Serious Naruto give his undivided attention to the topic of their son, Sasuke knew he'd never loved him more. "Such as the nature and abilities of the eyes themselves. A set of eyes that possesses all three Doujutsu is probably the greatest treasure this world has ever seen. I don't think there's a soul powerful enough to wield them, so it's doubtful the eyes themselves will be stolen. It's more likely-"
"Hang on. Is this going to be a long discussion?"
"Yes."
"Then I need food. Talk to me while I eat."
-oOo-
The round table was cleared and set with a plate of boiled eggs, sausage, and about ten packages of instant ramen. "Was tired of seal and reindeer," Naruto said sheepishly.
Sasuke filched an egg. "Let's start with Sharingan. Ikioi has all three tomoes, so-"
"I'm well aware of Sharingan's capabilities. Less familiar with Byakugan and Rinnegan, though I've fought against both. How much info do you have on those?" He wiped sausage juice from his chin.
The baby reached for Naruto's plate. Sasuke pushed his hands away…then helped himself to one of the fat sausages. It was delicious. "A lot."
"Be concise without leaving anything out." The ramen was now ready. He dug into the first pack and closed his eyes. "Fuck me till I die, yes."
Sasuke refrained from commenting on that. "Byakugan. Pretty common knowledge how it can see nearly three-hundred and sixty degrees and through most objects, but mainly it can see chakra. Better than I can. I've fought Neji. Beyond Juuken and seeing Tenketsu, he can detect Genjutsu. Hinata can see up to fifteen miles away now with hers, and I have to believe that she can improve further. That someone stronger than her could probably see a lot farther. However, if she uses it nonstop it puts a strain on her. The distance she can see becomes impaired."
Naruto was on his third cup of ramen.
"Rinnegan. This is the one that really worries me. I've studied what texts I could find on this, and there aren't many. Most of what I know is from Madara and Zetsu. According to them, only a handful of shinobi have ever had it. I'm talking the fingers of one hand. There's lore attached to it: The one who wields it is either a god of creation or a destroyer. And that the eyes show up in times of conflict. As for the abilities…aside from seeing chakra as well as Byakugan or better, it can master any jutsu. Any nature manipulation, Rikudou no jutsu…"
Naruto listened as Sasuke ran down the list. He drained the last cup of ramen, belched, then turned and plucked Icky from Sasuke's lap as Sasuke was winding down. Held the baby up so they were eye-to-eye. "And you really think he can do all those things?"
"I think he has the potential. The capability. He did those things I told you about."
"So basically I'm holding the most powerful human being that's ever lived."
"You're holding a baby. Who could become the most powerful human being to ever live."
Naruto studied the black eyes staring at him. "How in hell did he get Byakugan? Neji didn't fuck me while I was at his place, did he?"
"I wouldn't know. I doubt it, though." Ludicrous as the thought was, and certain as he was that Naruto meant the comment as a joke, the idea nevertheless took root. He forced himself to focus on Naruto's next question.
"Think he could pull the eyes out now if we asked?"
"I don't know. I do know that those powers are intense. Using just Sharingan might be too much for him. I'm leery of trying. We might hurt him."
Naruto, still studying Icky, now held him in the crook of one arm. "No. I think he knows his limits. He won't go beyond what he can do. He'll let us know if he can or can't do something." He looked up at Sasuke. "And I think you had the right idea, we should train each other."
"Really?" That was a surprise. "What changed your mind?"
Naruto shrugged one shoulder. Looked at his map, where it was sitting on the floor. "It's like I said before. Stuff's happening that's bigger than our drama. Just because I'm not your boyfriend anymore is no excuse to give up an excellent training partner. You're smart. I'm not. I think you'll help me go far now that I don't have Kyuubi."
Sasuke was touched. He had to swallow and look away. Ended up staring at the map as well. Right then it hurt unbearably that Naruto wasn't his boyfriend. "You can bet that I will. And by the way? I like the names. Thanks for making me Kage."
Naruto snorted. Then threw Icky to him, which had Sasuke bellowing again.
Three months ago…
Ino released the hawk she'd been using to settle back in her own mind. The rest of the group was waiting for her report. She met their eyes, but avoided the unasked questions by turning in a circle to look at the landscape herself. "It's no use. I got the merest suggestion of a locale from Tsunade's mind. This is as close as I can figure, but I'm not sure. They could be anywhere north of the latitude you told me, Sakura. Anywhere." She blew on her gloved hands. The material did nothing to warm her frozen fingers.
"No," Sakura said. "You've done great. I only gave you an estimate based on what you told me of Tsunade's memories. You did exactly what I needed you to do, which was to put us in the ballpark. You're sure you can't contact our friend?"
"No. Whenever I try, it's like something's blocking me. I can't get a location either."
Sakura turned to the rest of the group, who stood close by, listening. "Shino, can the Bikouchou find them in this weather?"
"I dare not release him. He would freeze in seconds."
Sakura nodded. Looked at Kiba. "Then it's down to you. I said it might come to this. Looks like I was right. You up for it?"
Kiba took a folded map from inside his coat. "No doubt. Made this map of the surrounding area with the help of Sai. If I scout in a different direction each day, slowly moving outward-"
"Oh!" Sakura jumped up and down, suddenly squealing. "I just remembered something!"
They waited while she fished something from her bag.
"Nnn- Our friend's scroll!" She held it up like a trophy. "He said to use it in case of an emergency. This definitely qualifies. He's not around, but maybe it will get to our other friend and Hinata, and they can send a message back with their location. Yes!" She pumped the fist holding the scroll.
Sachi, who'd been hidden behind Chouji's bulk, stepped forward now. "May I see the scroll?"
Sakura's face and body language changed at once. She held the scroll at her side.
Sachi showing up in their camp mere hours after they'd arrived had been an unpleasant surprise. She hadn't said anything then; she didn't know much about Sachi other than that she was Sasuke's relative and that some of the villagers thought she'd be marrying him. At first she'd thought it would be good to have more support for Sasuke coming with them, but now she wasn't so sure. She'd had time to observe Sachi firsthand now, and she didn't like the quiet stares, the refusal to pitch in, or the way Sachi always managed to insert her presence into group discussions. So now, at hearing her ask for the scroll, Sakura tightened her hand on it.
"That reminds me," Sakura said. "In Konohamaru's scroll to our friend, he said you'd been sent along with the team meant to subdue Ssss...our other friend. You finding us on your own, inserting yourself into our group…I didn't say anything. Not then." She took a few steps that put her nose to nose with the shorter girl. "But now I am. What were you doing with that extraction team? And why are you here?"
The smile Sachi let ooze across her face was full of confidence. "I've been with your group three days. If you thought I was a threat, why did you wait so long to confront me?"
Evasion. Sakura matched the smile with an unblinking stare. "Because we had other more pressing matters to address. Food . Shelter. You haven't answered me."
"I don't need to."
Before she could reply, Sakura felt Shino and Lee step up behind her. Ino came to stand on her left, while Tenten flanked her on her right. She could feel the others taking up similar positions behind her. "I think you're confused," Sakura said. "This isn't Konoha. These are friends of the ones we're going to meet. Whom I lead. Of whom you are not a member. So. Tell me what it is you're doing here."
"Or?"
Akamaru growled.
Sachi's eyes moved left and right along the group, before looking Sakura up and down. She lowered her lashes. "I'm sorry. I'm still not used to this. I've been waiting so long to be reunited with family members, I just…" She took a delicate breath that had two tears falling from her sooty lashes. "I just feel like I can't let anything stop me. Like I have to get to Sasuke no matter what. And sometimes I forget that I'm not amongst enemies anymore. Forgive me. Please." Her shoulders shook in a series of gentle shudders that conveyed a wealth of grief.
The males moved closer, ready to offer comfort, but Konohamaru said, "Bitch, please. Nobody gives a fuck for your fake tears."
The rest of the group was silent.
Sachi left her chin on her chest a moment longer, but looked up with wet eyes to see Sakura, Ino, and Tenten unmoved.
"You need to leave," Sakura said quietly. "Now. Before sundown."
Sachi gave a small bow. "Yes. I think that's best. Clearly I'm not wanted here."
They all watched as she made her way to the cluster of tents, where she'd presumably left her bag. A moment later she shouldered it, paused to glance at them, then began making her way out of camp.
Sakura signaled Kiba. "Follow her. Make sure she's gone, then report back here."
Tsunade received the news that her followers were reduced by two thirds with an impassive expression. Shizune waited after delivering her report. Unsure if the silence meant shock or incomprehension, she ventured to repeat herself. "Tsunade-sama-"
"I heard you. The sentries posted around camp either left with the deserters or agreed with them, but the end result is the same. Hundreds of villagers gone in the night without so much as a blade of grass stirred, or a pebble disturbed to mark which direction they've gone in. Who remains?"
None of the elite, she found out. Nor any of the core families. Barely anyone save tradesmen, and those precious few.
"Also…" Shizune lowered her eyes to her clipboard. Closed them.
Tsunade observed the tears with a sneer of disgust. "Out with it," she barked.
"All envoys and delegates from other countries have left, Tsunade-sama. Except one. Suna's ambassador. They're requesting an immediate audience."
This loss cut deep. Deeper than the loss of her villagers. The loss of face before her peers was beyond recovering. They no longer believed her capable or worthy of regaining office. She was not Hokage. Nor, apparently, worthy of respect. She was nothing.
Her hands, she was surprised to see, were remarkably steady. The loss of so much should cripple me. "Pack our things, Shizune." Her voice was raw. "Unless you mean to leave me too."
"Never."
"Bring only what we need."
"What of the villagers that remain?"
"If they consider themselves Leaf, let them return to where they belong. I'm no longer their leader."
Shizune bore down on her grief. Kept it together. "And the ambassador?"
"It's Temari, correct? Send her in."
While Shizune left to do this, she stood from her bed and let the blanket she'd huddled in fall. A splash of cold water to her face served as preparation enough; when Temari ducked into her tent with her guards, she was straight-backed and composed.
"Tsunade-sama." No bow. Only a direct gaze.
"Temari. Are you sure your message, whatever it is, would not be best served to the Hokage?"
"It's addressed to you personally, from Sabaku no Gaara," Temari said. "May I proceed?"
"By all means."
"It states: 'Word has reached me of Naruto's death. The circumstances of his disappearance and now his demise do not sit well with Sunagakure. Hokage or not, you are now an enemy of Sunagakure. Sunagakure recognizes neither Konoha nor the current Hokage. All ties between Sunagakure and Konohagakure are hereby severed. All Leaf shinobi currently residing in Sunagakure will be sent back to Konohagakure. Should anyone of Konohagakure, or even the Land of Fire, set foot in the Land of Wind for any reason not expressly reviewed and permitted by myself, they will be terminated with extreme prejudice and without trial. The only exceptions to these mandates are Uchiha Sasuke and his child, and Hyuuga Hinata.' "
Temari dipped her head once, turned, and saw herself out of the tent. The guards followed her. Tsunade heard the low command to move out, before she felt their chakra engage and their presence recede to the distance.
"I believe a similar message was, in fact, sent to the Hokage," Shizune said.
"And that, it seems, is that. We are to be gone within the hour, Shizune."
"Hai. Where?"
"Wherever I can forget. Someplace where I can forget who I am."
Kiba came back at dusk. "She's gone."
Sakura handed him some of the cured meat they were eating as the rest gathered around for his report. "Which direction?" she asked.
"No, you don't get it. She's gone. A couple miles outside of camp I lost her scent completely. Spent hours trying to pick it up again. The only place I got a whiff of it was right here. Right where I'm standing. Her smell's in camp, and on those two miles, but nowhere else."
Frowns all around.
Sakura squinted her eyes as she slowly got to her feet. "Neji."
He was already scanning. "No sign of her anywhere in the vicinity."
"Shino?"
"The kikai report nothing."
Unable to swallow the knot in her throat, Sakura looked around at their camp. There was a large fire going, around which they were all huddled, but the outer edges of the camp were dark. The light further blinded them.
The edge of camp was where they had most of their supplies, all in a huddle. Legs now stiff with dread, Sakura went to her bag. She paused to note that she stood in complete darkness though the fire was only fifty feet away. She brought the bag to the fire, opened it, and reached in.
"The scroll's gone."
Konohamaru shrieked. "How the fuck-"
"There's no way she could have come back to camp without us sensing it," Lee said. "Even those of us who are weaker than others would have seen her." There were murmurs of agreement.
Konohamaru, dangerously calm now, shook his head. "Nah, man. Boss taught me well. And so, apparently, has someone else taught that bitch. It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done. If you were sneaky enough. Quiet beyond quiet. A shadow. Uncommon stealth. It could be done. I could do it. Fuck, I have done it, when I was getting info on the council for Boss."
Shikamaru frowned at that.
Sakura stood staring at her bag. Rage, black and obliterating, rose up in her. "Do you, any of you, know how strong our friend is?" Her voice was an unsteady whisper. It silenced all the growing anger at once. "Not the one who's gone. The other one. The one we're going to see. The one Sachi, that bitch, is obsessed with. Do you? Any of you?"
They could be seen considering it. Shikamaru said, "Why?"
And now Sakura looked up. Her face was pale with fury and her eyes glittered in the firelight with unshed tears. "Because she was on that extraction team to subdue him. I'm certain she wasn't just a member, either, but the point man. She's Uchiha. And right now, I will bet my life that she has powers no one knows about. Powers the council does know about. Something that could take down our friend, because outside of our friend who's gone no one in Konoha could take down our friend who's alive. She's going to hurt him. Maybe the buh…ba…maybe both of them. And Hinata-"
"Oh fuck."
Everyone turned in surprise to Ino, who had a look of horror on her face.
"I forgot Hinata," Ino stammered. "Forgot to report that. What I got from Tsunade-sama's mind." Her eyes were wild.
And by the time she was done talking, so were everyone else's. Neji barged to the front of the group. "She's pregnant?"
"By which one?"
"I want to hear more about the arm-"
"I want to hear the whole fight-"
Shikamaru got everyone's attention. "It's our dead friend's baby in her." They swung to him. "What. Didn't you hear what Ino said? Hinata pretty much went Kyuubi on Tsunade. Personally, I find it of passing interest that we somehow keep making decisions that entail such cataclysmic danger to our lives."
Blank stares.
"And once again I'm the only one with a functioning brain. Allow me to explain. May I?" He studied his nails.
"Please." Neji bit out. "You have the floor."
"Thank you, Neji. I'll be as succinct as possible. So, then. Our blond friend is dead, but leaves behind his bbbb…you know what, whom, if Ino's deductions from Tsunade's mind are correctly interpreted, shows unnatural power already."
"I didn't say unnatural power," Ino interjected. "I said she thought it was unnatural because of how long the you-know-what went without crying or moving."
"Right. Whatever. My point is, she tried to kill it. No idle decision, that. Hinata steps in, and Tsunade actively tries to kill her. Our former Hokage would not stoop to murdering innocents unless such an act served a greater purpose. It must be assumed that whatever threat she saw in the you-know-what was big enough to justify not only such treachery, but the betrayal of our dead friend, whose body wasn't even cold when this mess went down. How big must such a threat be, do you think? I mean, we already know other nations will be after the you-know-what now."
Silence.
"And now for how it gets better. Two you-know-whats! Double the danger, double the threat, double the not-fun all these nations will be throwing at us…the people walking right into it. There."
Sakura snorted. "Go back to Konoha, then. I'm going to our friend. And the you-know-whats, and Hinata…all of it. I will face all of it for them and more. Just go, Shikamaru. I'm sick of you."
They watched and waited as Shikamaru folded his arms. "I'm not crazy about any of this, you got that right. But I'm not quitting on our dead friend either. I just think my talents can best be utilized away from an impending apocalypse."
Chouji said, "Like where?"
"Back in Konoha, for one. Sakura's right about that. And Konohamaru there has given me an idea. You need an inside man. Someone known to be lazy, and who would thus fly under the radar of any suspicious individuals."
"And…what would you be doing that would require such secrecy?" Sakura wanted to know.
"Spying. It's a safe bet that Sachi is going to our friend and his you-know-what. She's too much of an unknown. Our friend, and all of us for that matter, needs more information. I'll be obtaining data on the council's movements and intentions. And through them, the intentions and movements of the other nations. Feeding all this info back to you and our friend, once you meet up with him. Look. You have your strength, Neji has his eyes…my brain is my main weapon. Where I'm strongest. This is how I can be of the most use to you. This is how I'll fight. Time I started doing what I'm good at."
Sakura threw her arms around him, and the rest joined in for the squeeze. When they pulled back, Ino stepped forward. "If you're going to be remaining in contact with us, it'll most likely have to be through Shindenshin…which means I'm going to have to come with you."
"Absolutely not," Shikamaru spluttered.
Ino put a hand on one hip. Her eyes turned frosty, and her smile was anything but amused. "You're not about to tell me it's too dangerous, are you? Or that girls can't be spies? Hm? How you can't let me walk into that kind of danger? Because that would be an insult to all the years we've spent as teammates. All the years our parents have known each other. You'd also be showing yourself to be pretty stupid because the second we get back to Konoha the council will rape your mind until you're a drooling basket case. Tsunade's not there to save us this time. The only way we'll make it through interrogation, and I do mean the only way, Nara Shikamaru, is with my help. Seriously, if you don't see that then I'm going to be forced to remind you of what kind of ninja I am. Besides. Interrogation is the best-case scenario. We're enemies of Konoha. We might very well be executed on the spot. It's better to have someone watching your back. Now. What were you about to say?"
Shikamaru swallowed. "That I'm glad you're coming along."
"That's what I thought."
-oOo-
The following morning, Sakura got right to business. "Before Ino and Shikamaru leave, let's decide on a definite plan of action here. Kiba. Find us a way to our friend and find it fast. The rest of us-"
"Hang on," Ino said. Her voice and face were both far away. "My father's contacting me. He's…coming," she said many minutes later. "With everyone."
That got a few glances exchanged. "Everyone like who?" Neji said.
"Your uncle. All the Hyuuga. All the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka…like everyone, everyone. They're all coming to support us and our friend! All of them!"
"The whole village?" Konohamaru breathed.
Ino blinked and she was with them again. Staring at them. All she could do was nod.
"Kiba, move," Sakura snapped. "I want that location before they reach us. When we show up for our friend he'll have an army of his own to help him fight if I have anything to say about it. Why are you still here!"
She watched Kiba and Akamaru pelting away, arms crossed.
"It'll take the villagers months to reach us," Lee said. "And it might take Kiba weeks to pick up a scent."
Sakura's frown deepened. "I know. He needs help. Ino, tell your dad the situation. And that we'll be remaining here for a while. He needs to send half the Inuzuka with him ahead to our location. Preferably Kakashi-sensei as well. We need his ninken. And warn them about that bitch."
Ino already had her eyes closed.
Present Day…
"Sasuke."
"Hn."
"Someone's coming."
Sasuke had three clones and Mangekyo going before he was even standing. He handed Ikioi to a clone, took up his sword, and only then turned to face Naruto. "Who."
"Nobody I recognize. Female. Alone."
"Lost traveler?"
"Making a beeline right for us, if a slow one. She knows we're here."
"How far?"
"A day, at that speed. Little less."
"A day? You can sense that far away?"
Naruto, who was crossed-legged on the floor, opened his eyes but retained Sage Mode. "In the month we've been training I've gotten to maybe three days. Hard to tell. But going by the distance I can travel in a day, yeah. 'Bout that." He got to his feet and met Sasuke's eyes. "What do you want to do?"
"Someone we don't know is heading straight for us. It's not even a question. What's their chakra like?"
Naruto looked aside, sensing. "Strong. Very."
"She's dead, then. When she gets here-"
Naruto turned for the door. "If you think I'm letting this person anywhere near our son you need your head checked. I'll do it now." He began putting on the furs they kept hanging by the door.
"Just like that? You're going to kill them without finding out who they are or who they're aligned with?"
"I don't know this person. I'm not waiting around to ask questions. Fuck, I'm not trusting people I do know anymore. If Granny could do what she did, then so can anyone else. So, fuck it. You're the only one I trust around the kid. Be right back."
Sasuke stared at the closed door. One, Naruto just called their son their son. Two, he was the only one Naruto trusted. Right out of his mouth. He turned to look at the clones. Ikioi stared back at him. "Scared?"
Silence from the boy. Silent and staring.
"Take him upstairs. You know what to do should anything get past us."
The clones nodded. Sasuke waited right where he was, senses on high alert. Just then he remembered that Naruto was without Kyuubi. And that he hadn't mentioned sensing this person for three days. Only just now.
He had one of the toads drop him off about a mile from the person and continued on foot. A few hundred yards from contact, the person stopped and turned around. A single leap landed him in front of her, but not close enough to receive an attack without him being able to see it coming. Maybe Sasuke was right and a question or two was in order. "How'd you get here," he said.
The surrounding land was calm. No wind to speak of at the moment. Weather was a nice fourteen degrees, but it was snowing. Made seeing details difficult. He looked long and hard anyway, and knew he was being scrutinized with as much intensity.
The face was mostly hidden by a hood. Long, dark, silky hair fluttered in the breeze. He couldn't be sure, but she seemed short. "Answer me."
"You don't want to know who I am…Naruto? I see the report of your death was greatly exaggerated."
He was staring at an empty landscape. No sign of the girl or woman or whatever she was. And since he'd never released Sage Mode, he sensed the precise moment she reached her destination. "Fuck!"
Sasuke was staring at the house door, then into the eyes of some girl. He swung his sword , simultaneously surrounding her in fire…and felt her appear behind him. It was then he realized what she'd done, by which time he had Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in place.
She halted him with a few words. "I'm Sachi, Sasuke. I've been waiting to meet you."
The door crashed in with a boom; Naruto went directly to her. Sasuke watched carefully but she didn't block or evade. She simply turned where she stood, and reappeared near the fireplace. "Naruto, stop," he said.
"Sasuke-"
"Please. I'm giving her three minutes. You can kill her then, but I need a few answers."
"Who is she?"
"Sachi. Uchiha Sachi, if I'm not mistaken."
Naruto turned disbelieving eyes on him. "What? This bitch, the cause of all of this…you're going to let her speak?" But he looked at her with new interest himself. So this was Sachi.
She was pulling back her hood, removing the fur cloak she'd worn.
They saw a diminutive girl-woman of unthinkable beauty. The hair fell loose and glossy to well past her shoulders. The eyes were large, dark, and generously lashed. A tiny dimple graced the corner of a mouth perfectly and enticingly shaped. "I'm afraid I don't understand." Her voice matched her face. Low. Smooth. "What have I done?"
Naruto noticed the way her eyes only became soft when looking at Sasuke. And that wasn't much. She glanced around the room several times, as if searching for something, before looking upward. He saw the subtle relaxing of her body and grit his teeth.
"What do you want with me?" Sasuke said. "How did you find us?"
"What do I want? To be with my kin. As for how I found you, through this." She held up the scroll, then tossed it when Sasuke held out his hand.
"That's the one I gave Sakura," Naruto said, looking at it. "How'd you get it?"
"How do you think? I took it. Followed the impression you left on it. It's taken me months to get here." She blinked. "Why are you looking at me like that? I did nothing wrong. But I've heard of Sasuke all my life. My father…" She lowered her head. Shook it slightly. "I'm meant to be here. With you, Sasuke."
Naruto looked back and forth between them. Sachi still had her head down, but was peeking at Sasuke. And Sasuke was staring back. Naruto took a minute to note a few things. One, he was getting no sense of violence from Sachi. Two, Sasuke was going to let her stay. Three, even though they weren't together he didn't like the idea of Sasuke and Sachi in the same house. He experienced a complex thought: Sachi might replace Hinata in Sasuke's heart, which was good. But she might replace him too, and that was bad.
What he called up in his hand defied description. He had no idea what it was, only that it was mostly wind. He threw it toward Sachi.
She did that twisting thing and put herself at his back. The jutsu itself left deep slice marks in the walls and floor where she'd been. Naruto slowly turned to face her with his chakra glowing around him. Close to, she was even more breathtaking. Cheeks reddened by the wind. Lips soft and pink. "The last person I saw do that was Madara."
She was studying the chakra, so spoke absently. "Can I meet the baby?"
Sasuke walked up to her. She allowed this. "I'm not sure how intelligent you are," he said, "but I'll go with the level you've demonstrated so far and assume you're damaged in some way. Pay attention now, because I'm only going to say this once. Are you ready?"
She smiled at him.
"All right. Here it is. You're an unknown. We're on the run. Unknown people showing up at the homes of people on the run tend to get themselves killed. So unless you give me a solid reason as to why I should let you live within the next sixty seconds you're going to be taking us both on. Am I clear?"
"Yes."
"Begin."
"My father's been telling me about you since I was small. I just want to be near you."
Naruto snorted. "Your chances of walking away from here just dropped to zero."
She continued to speak to Sasuke. "The thing I've carried with me all this time was the knowledge that there was an Uchiha out there who was my age. Someone hopefully like me. Powerful like me. Someone I could…bond with. A friend. I've never had friends. I've been thinking about you for years. Dreaming up adventures and fights and long conversations. But we had to stay hidden, my family and I. Do you know what that's like? To live your entire life hidden? No, I'm not the most socially normalized person but that's because I've never been allowed to socialize. I'm blunt. I'm direct. I say what I think and feel because subtlety and tact are things you learn when you grow up sparing the feelings of others. I've never interacted with anyone outside my family, not until Konoha. My only escape was thoughts of you. I would spend hours and hours having imaginary play dates and…I don't know. It's silly. But sometimes I dreamed of you rescuing me from my life. Or me rescuing you. I knew the only way we'd meet would be if Madara was dead. And then we got the word that he was. You killed him. I couldn't wait to meet you and tell you that you weren't the last Uchiha after all. Yes, I've put that above everything, down to taking that scroll, but I couldn't let anything stop me. I am obsessed with you, Sasuke, but there really wasn't much else for me to think about growing up. I'm not going to apologize for how I am. I didn't make me. I'm just me. Are you going to send me away? Or-" she glanced at Naruto. "Or kill me?"
He didn't know about Sasuke, but Naruto privately thought that he himself was caught. Mostly caught. He believed her. Worse, he understood her. His childhood had been bad enough, growing up isolated from the villagers. And that was with him smack dab in the middle of the village. How much worse would it have been if he'd truly been isolated? Kept apart from humanity? He thought of the forest, and of living up here in the ice. Tried to imagine growing up that way his entire life. Running his entire life. It made him grimace.
But it didn't make him like her. And she wasn't getting anywhere near his kid.
Sasuke kept his eyes on her as he sheathed his sword. Eyes that still held Mangekyo. He noted her non-reaction to both his chakra and his eyes and said, "How'd your father know about me?"
"He knew your mother. I believe they were childhood friends. He said he'd last seen you as a baby. With your brother."
"And how did he know I'd been spared from the massacre? How, pray tell, did he know that Madara was the one who'd engineered that massacre? It wasn't common knowledge. In fact, everyone in the known world thought my brother acted alone, including me, so forgive me if I don't believe a word out of your mouth."
Naruto felt something—something he could never name afterward but which felt like his old life trying to return—kick through him fast and hard. Hearing the doubts Sasuke had about this girl felt so good that he had to turn his head aside for a minute and blink his eyes clear. This was his man; and he didn't take shit. Naruto turned back in time to catch the first look of uncertainty he'd seen cross Sachi's face.
She didn't immediately answer, staring deep into Sasuke's eyes. "I don't know how he knew. I only know that's what he told me. What he's always told me."
"Didn't it occur to you to ask where he'd gotten his information?" Sasuke said.
"Honestly? No. Why would it? He was just my father in my eyes, not some two-faced criminal. He was never a fighter-"
"Oh, Sachi, you're tripping yourself up." Sasuke shook his head in mock regret, but Naruto felt his chakra condense. "You said you're powerful. That would indicate training. Who trained you if not your father?"
"I had a teacher-"
"But you were isolated. Are you now saying that you weren't? Isolation was set aside to facilitate training? You see how implausible that is, right? Teachers carry tales. If you're as powerful as I think, that teacher would have been proud. Might have bragged, if he was around to do so. Now, either he is around and he did tell, which would make your sad story of isolation a lie, or he was killed to keep your secrets, which would make your 'I'm just misunderstood, I'm really innocent' act a lie. Which is it?"
Naruto looked at Sasuke and felt the first stirrings of desire he'd felt in ages.
Sachi swallowed. This wasn't going at all the way she'd imagined her first meeting with Sasuke would go. He was supposed to be enamored of her, taken with her. Her discovery that there was someone else in his life hadn't bothered her so much as the knowledge that it was a boy. Another girl, she could handle. Unnatural appetites, not so much. And now, having met Naruto, she further despised him. The connection between him and Sasuke was palpable. How they stood, as if physically attuned to each other. The way Naruto looked at Sasuke, the undercurrents she could feel traveling between them, that she could almost touch, they were so strong. She lowered her eyes to the floor. Adjustments. She could be flexible. Nothing was insurmountable. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak.
"Ah, ah, ah," Sasuke said. He held up an admonishing finger. "Anything but the truth and I won't hold back. The truth, Sachi."
The truth it will have to be. She saw that now. "Madara visited us," she whispered. "Once. When I was seven."
The smell of ozone swelled around them. Sasuke's chakra wasn't visible yet, but it was keenly felt. "What did he want?"
"I don't know. He spoke to my parents, not to me. I just remember my father calling me into the room near the end of the visit. Madara looked at me. For…for a long time he looked at me. And then he left. But my father never said anything about the visit afterward, I swear to you."
"Hn." Sasuke blinked. The first time Naruto could remember him doing so since Sachi's arrival. "You have to see how it is, Sachi. You lied. You can't expect me to believe anything you say now, or to trust you."
She nodded. "I'm telling you the truth."
"Oh? Who was your teacher? Where is he?"
"He's dead. Like you said."
"Name?"
A hesitation. "I only called him sensei. That's what he told me to call him."
"And now for the main question. The only one I'm really interested in. Where did you learn that space/time jutsu? That way of traveling?"
She looked back and forth between them. "My teacher."
"Where'd he come from?"
"I don't know."
"Did he come before or after Madara's visit?"
"After."
"So, given the obvious connection your dad had to Madara, it's a possibility that Madara arranged for that teacher's presence in your life. Correct?"
"I suppose anything is possible."
"But this is more of a probability, wouldn't you say?"
"I-"
"If that's the case, if Madara arranged for your teacher, that would mean Madara had a special interest in you. Agreed?"
"Well-"
"And if that's the case, why in God's name should I let you stay here? You have to see how stupid I'd be to believe you or to let you stay."
He's got her! Naruto covered his grin with a hand.
"Because I haven't done anything." Sachi's eyes were starting to shine. "I've done nothing to you, and I would never hurt you. I'm not responsible for what my father may or may not have done and I certainly had no control over Madara. What do you want me to say?" Her eyes were definitely glassy now. "I'm so used to hiding everything, or only saying certain things…it's hard for me to be this up front. 'Never, ever, leave yourself exposed,' that's what my father told me day in and day out. 'Protect yourself. Protect us.' " One tear slipped free.
Sasuke studied her as dispassionately as if he were a statue. Naruto stared back and forth between them, very aware of Sachi's nervous tension and Sasuke's vigilance.
"Naruto," Sasuke said.
"Huh?"
"You have Sage Mode still. Make sure she gets as far from this house-"
"No," Sachi begged. "Please!"
"Or you and I will-"
"I know what the council's plans are! They told me! And I know about the other countries…I can tell you anything you want to know, just please don't send me away." She reached for Sasuke's hand.
Naruto placed himself in front of Sasuke. Sachi's hand returned to her chest, where it joined with her other one in a knot of appeal.
"Please," she said again, all self-assurance gone. "Please. I'll do anything you say."
Sasuke kept his eyes on her, but spoke to Naruto. "Okay. Make sure she gets a mile from the house. When she's far enough away, you and I will discuss what's to be done. And just so you know, Sachi, Sage Mode can track you three days out. Don't think about sneaking up on us. No matter how powerful you are, you can't take us both. Understood?"
She nodded. The tears were coming freely now, if silently.
"Good. Go."
Naruto watched carefully, but all she did was turn. And then she was gone. "If ever you were going to make a serious play to get back in my pants, that would have done the trick. Fucking God, that was hot."
Sasuke looked surprised. "Seriously? Because I'm ready. I-"
"I don't trust her. I believe her, but I don't trust her."
Deflating, Sasuke released his chakra, but kept his eyes. "Neither do I. She's got an answer for everything, and she seems sincere…"
"But?" Naruto folded his arms.
"But it feels off. She feels off. There's shit about her that's not adding up. I can't put my finger on it."
"Me either. You didn't ask if she has Sharingan."
Sasuke grunted. "I will bet my own eyes that she does. Trusting her is out of the question, but what I really want to know is if you think she deserves the benefit of the doubt."
Naruto met his gaze while he thought. "You already know how I feel about her. The idea alone of this bitch made me fuck up my own body. We got the kid as a result. She's said from her own mouth that she's obsessed with you. She's not scared of us, or of us teaming up on her ass…the only thing that put the fear of God in her was the idea of being sent away from your precious self. That's insane. And if Madara had her trained, and she's been fed on the idea of you since birth, then she's been aimed at you. But at the same time, things could actually be as she said. Even if everything we suspect is true, she really might not have any knowledge of it. She could be as much of a pawn in all this as you were in all that shit that went down with your brother. You were a beast. An evil one. But you were also pushed in that direction. It could be the same with her."
"I had a choice in my actions."
"Choices based on wrong info."
"So you're saying she does deserve a chance."
"I'm saying I don't like her or trust her. Neither did Konohamaru. She's your kin, though. You decide. Just know that no matter what you decide I'm not letting her near my kid. Ever. She was looking for him the second she got into this house. Actually had the balls to ask if she could see him. What the actual fuck. What does she want with him? If she'd done one of those disappearing numbers and just appeared at his side we'd be burying her right now."
Sasuke gave a half smile. "Your kid, huh?"
"You disagree?"
"Not one bit. About letting him near her or your protectiveness. So where does that leave us? If I'm honest there really is no reason to let her stay here. None. Except what she might know about the council's plans for us."
"I don't know. I've no doubt she's powerful. If she's a liar then letting her within sight of this house is both insane and irresponsible. If she's not, she'd be a powerful ally against what's coming. Especially if she's as obsessed with you as she says she is." He looked down. Pursed his lips. "Now that you've met her, can you see yourself married to her? Or, you know. Having kids with her?"
"No."
"Hinata?" He looked up at him. "Could you see yourself with her?"
"If I did, it was a product of the madness surrounding your pregnancy. Now, in my right mind? No, Naruto. You're the only one I see myself with. I've said that. Can we get back to Sachi?"
But you still love her."I said you decide. I'll back your play."
"Fine. We'll give her a chance. But she is never to be left alone with Ikioi. Not even if a clone is present. One of us physically stays with him at all times. He sleeps with one of us. Matter of fact, she can stay in one of the other houses. I don't want her in here. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"All right. Go call her back. And Naruto…"
"What."
"Don't relax your guard around her. Distrust is one thing, but don't drop your guard. Not until we know for sure if she's to be trusted. Maybe not even then."
"You know it."