A/N: Your patience was, and continues to be, greatly appreciated. Thank you for waiting.
Chapter 7
Sasuke watched them walk away. Refused to beg. Would. Not. Beg.
There'd been a moment in the forest, when Naruto'd told him sex had sucked, that he'd felt something like this. And later, when Naruto sent his brother back, the feeling had been stronger. It had been stronger still the day he'd learned of his brother's sacrifice.
Naruto and Icky were now out of sight.
The closest he could ever recall feeling this way precisely, though, was the day his brother left the village. The night his clan was murdered. That night he'd felt like this. But this was a hundred… no, a thousand times worse.
"Gynng…"
The pain shredding his heart went straight to his brain. He fell to the ground, clutching his head. Tried to keep in his scream. Realized he was screaming anyway, twitching and jerking on the ground.
He could still see the look on Naruto's face when he'd taken Icky. The hate. The contempt. Naruto, who'd loved him like no other. Loved him so much, so hard, for so long, that he'd single-handedly diverted the course of his vengeance. Tamed him. Loved him so much that he'd gotten pregnant. A man. Who'd gotten pregnant through love of him. And given him the impossible. A child. A family. In his mind's eye he saw Naruto walking away over and over again. Until the pain in his head now radiated from his eyes, and he thought the agony almost as bad as the pain in his heart. Until he thought he'd go mad. Until the world vanished in a swirl of blue sky and red fire and he was gone, his own scream echoing in his ears.
Chou watched Naruto enter the house and sympathized with the tears he saw. Followed him upstairs, where he put Icky down for his nap. Followed him down the hall to an exceedingly flowery bedroom. Naruto went to a window here and stood looking out.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
Naruto didn't immediately answer. After a minute, Chou saw his shoulders begin to shake. A series of soundless sobs followed. He was shocked to see Naruto sink to his knees.
"Aw." Chou went to him. "There…uh, there. Mhm. It's okay. She's at peace. You-"
"Sasuke." Naruto had his hands on the windowsill, his forehead pressed to his knuckles. His voice was an unrecognizable croak. "Sasuke. Fuck. I really…it's really over."
"What happened?"
The crying increased. A sound that put the hairs up on the back of Chou's neck rose out of Naruto. Chou's shoulders hunched in commiseration. He tried to put a hand out to him, but Naruto whispered, "Leave me alone. Please, Chou. Just leave me alone for a while."
Chou left.
-oOo-
He would never be able to compare anything to the guilt he had over Hinata. But this… What he and Sasuke had would always transcend anything else in his life. And he'd just left him. Really left him. He honestly hadn't known there was this much pain in the world. And it seemed like he always had that thought. This recurring shock at how much life sucked. Between Sasuke, Hinata, and now that beast…
No one told you to leave him. You did that all on your own, so now you can just suck it the fuck up. Or go back to him and work this out-
No. He wanted nothing to do with Uchiha Sasuke ever again. Even if he had to live with this pain for the rest of his days, he was not taking him back. Hell, he was getting used to being miserable. Maybe that's what life really was, just one misery after the next. The happiness he'd had before…that was abnormal. Whatever.
An hour. He'd give himself an hour to wallow, then he'd put it away, never to be touched again. But God. Sasuke.
When he walked down to the nursery later, he was in tight control of himself. At the door, he stopped. Consciously focused on breathing in slow, even breaths. He needed a moment to clench jaw and fist, to close his eyes as he turned his back on Sasuke for good. Tried to. He couldn't get the look on Sasuke's face when he'd taken Icky out of his mind. That pain. But fuck it, he was hurting too, so Sasuke could drop dead.
He nearly punched the door open. Icky was standing in his crib, looking at the bubble. Naruto, after regaining control of himself, turned his attention to it as well.
The bubble was powered by natural chakra. As such, it was self-sustaining. Yuudai could try to absorb it until hell froze over; there wasn't a being alive who could contain all the chakra in nature. He released the bubble just as he heard Chou enter behind him with a few bottles for Icky. Yuudai sat on his hands and knees, looking at them.
"It's been four days since he was born," Naruto said. "Hasn't eaten. Hasn't shat. Icky at least shits, even when he's not eating." He watched Chou tiptoe around Yuudai to put three bottles in Icky's crib. Icky sat down and began to drink. When Chou scurried back to his side, Naruto continued. "How different is he from Icky? And how different are they both from normal babies? Physically."
"Oooh," Chou moaned. "I'd need to delve them to find out for sure. Icky, fine, I've already delved him, but please don't make me touch Yuudai. Please?" He was close to tears.
Naruto stared at Yuudai and realized the boy was not, in fact, meeting his eyes. More like looking in his direction. He wasn't looking directly at any of them. And now that he thought about it, he never had. "He's not going to hurt you," he said. "Are you, Beast? You know better. About that, anyway. Chou, go ahead. I'm right here. Remember, I promised you'd be safe. I keep my promises. But I need to know more about my kids."
Chou shuddered, but inched toward Yuudai, who watched him peripherally from his crouch. Chou folded himself down to a cross-legged position about five feet from the boy. "I'd feel better if you held onto him while I worked."
Naruto blinked. The idea of touching Yuudai momentarily put Hinata and the rape in the forefront of his mind, but he forced them down. Cleared his throat. Walked forward. Yuudai's eyes skittered in his direction. The boy didn't move until Naruto sat down and reached for him. He growled low down in his throat and slid out of reach.
Naruto grabbed him anyway and was promptly surprised by the strength of the kid's resistance. Chakra strength was one thing. He wasn't expecting this level of physical strength on top of it. Then a memory of Yuudai shattering Hinata's ribs with a kick surfaced and he thought he understood, but shit. He was only able to hold him still by using his own chakra. Throughout it all, Yuudai made not a sound.
"I think this is as good as it's going to get," Naruto grunted. "Do your thing, man."
Chou scooted closer and coated his hands with chakra. "Make sure you neutralize any attempt by him to access his own chakra, huh? I don't want to be disturbed. Quicker it's done, the better I'll feel."
Naruto gave a nod, already beginning to sweat. Yuudai continued to squirm.
Chou swallowed audibly when he placed both huge hands on Yuudai, but relaxed once the kid went totally still in response. The boy growled, but Chou's eyes looked inward, an expression of intense concentration on his face.
Naruto, free to do so, now took the time to study Chou in turn. He had Sasuke's comment on the strength of Chou's chakra and the memory of how Chou'd protected himself and Sasuke both from Yuudai to guide him, but even so he almost lost his grip on Yuudai at getting a good look at the chakra himself. Insane didn't come close to describing it. More like impossible. Operating on a hunch, he released Yuudai. Yuudai made a move to escape at once, but Chou held him easily, lightly, eyes still closed in concentration. Naruto backed away.
-oOo-
It went on for some time. Long enough for Naruto to change Icky's diaper and sit with him in the chair. Nice, cushy affair, that chair. He was almost falling asleep when Chou gave a cry of surprise at finding himself holding Yuudai. He thrust the boy in Naruto's direction. "Here!"
Shaking his head at how quickly Chou switched from all business to terrified man, Naruto set Icky down and reached for Yuudai.
The boy twisted away.
Naruto held him and tucked him under one arm, chakra in play again. "Well?"
Chou studied Yuudai's struggles a moment. "Right. Uh. Physically. Yuudai is many times stronger than Ikioi. I'd say he has the strength of a couple of high-ranking ninja. Icky's physical strength is proportionate to a child his age. Yuudai regulates his metabolism, but does so unconsciously, the way he no doubt did in the womb. I'm not sure he realizes that he's supposed to eat. He's experiencing hunger pains, but isn't responding to them the way a normal child would. If Icky regulated his metabolism in the womb—and from everything you've told me about him it sounds as if he did—then he's stopped doing it. Icky responds to hunger pains by eating, but he can go without food by reestablishing his control over his metabolism. The difference between him and Yuudai in that regard is that Icky has human instincts. Yuudai doesn't. And by that, I mean, Icky eats when hungry, unless there are extenuating circumstances, and cries when unhappy or afraid. What sets Icky apart from a normal child is that his comprehension is so high. That of a child several years old, at least, if I understand you correctly, but in every other regard he is a baby.
"Yuudai…I can only say he's a baby because I saw him born and can visibly see his immaturity. When I say he doesn't have human instincts, I mean the ones we're born with. To eat. Cry. Bond. He's not doing these things. He doesn't know to do these things, as if something's missing. I sensed that on some level, a very deep level, he is aware of the connection he has with you. But it doesn't mean anything to him. Icky bonded with you and Sasuke before he was born, and that bond only strengthened after his birth, correct?"
"Yes."
"He shows emotion. Yuudai doesn't. Not anger or frustration, anyway, which is what I'd expect considering his destruction and the way he attacks. On the other hand, this lack of empathy or comprehension is, in a way, in keeping with how babies react to things. But only to a point."
"Explain."
Chou twisted his lips as he thought. When he wasn't busy being afraid, he really was formidable in his own right. Now, speaking so knowledgeably, his confidence was visible. Naruto made note of it all.
"It's like this," Chou said. "A baby will bond with his parents or family members, but outside of that nucleus, he's liable to be a selfish, self-involved entity. All babies are. It's a time in their lives when they believe the world exists to serve them. Even with the people they bond with there are tantrums and displays of aggression when they don't get their way. They throw things. Break things. Test their strength. It's how they learn about themselves and the world. They don't have empathy. They don't love, as the word is understood, by having conscious and deliberate feelings of affection. The bonds they form with parents and family are recognition of where food comes from. Where they're safe. Who keeps them safe. Who they belong with. Later, as comprehension develops, love as a conscious thought forms. About the time a child first separates from the home. School. Icky is far beyond that level. Far. Yuudai is smack dab in the middle of it. Except he doesn't have a bond with anyone. We're born with the instinct that we belong with our parents. We stay near our food source. You see it in animals too. I don't know if Yuudai lacks this instinct because of how he was born or what, but he has no concept of…" Chou searched for a word, frowning up at the ceiling. "The only thing that comes to mind is family. He has no concept of family, and no instinct to guide him until he does learn."
"So you wouldn't say he's evil?"
'This isn't evil and choice, like Madara.'
"No. That would involve a far greater understanding of the world than he possesses. Malicious intent. He has no intents. No wants either, as far as I can tell."
Another memory surfaced. "He has a connection with Icky. Stopped Hinata from getting too far away from him. So he wanted to stay close enough to him to sense him. And he understood enough to help Hinata avoid detection. He can control minds. He knows how to use his powers at will, unlike Icky, and he knows what his powers do. He knew Hinata loved him-"
"But probably couldn't connect it to anything he understood. It sounds like his only instinct is for survival. That actually is something we're born with. Ours just manifests as eating and crying."
"What about wanting to stay close to Icky?"
"That," Chou said, looking at Yuudai, "is definitely the question of the day. If that's true, then something I've been noticing now makes sense."
"What?"
"He doesn't make eye contact."
"So?"
"Any child as developed as he is would. Icky does. And has been doing so since birth, right?"
"I think so. I was sort of absent."
"Say Yuudai is about the level of a toddler. A child that age who doesn't make eye contact is usually suspected of having autism."
'Nor is it pain and anger, like Sasuke used to be.'
"What's that?"
"Autism? The most concise definition is that it's a mental condition, a disorder that manifests as difficulty or the inability to form relationships, communicate, or use language. There's some other stuff, and the term itself encompasses a much broader spectrum than what I just described, but that's the gist. He's not exhibiting all the behavior, but it's a hunch."
" 'He's just wrong. And very powerful,'" Naruto said.
"Wellll…it's not considered correct to call autistic people wrong, but that's about it. Putting a mental disorder with so much power will give you exactly the kind of child you're holding."
He remembered what else Kyuubi'd said. "But he can be helped."
Chou shrugged. "That would depend on the result you want. If all you want is for him to stop attacking, then I suppose you could try. If you want him to form relationships, I suppose there might be a hope for that too. My diagnosis isn't concrete and it's very early. "
"How does this tie in with Icky?"
"Right. I think, and this is only a guess, that that particular connection is genetic. I said his behavior now makes sense as a result of it because before I was thinking he simply had no humanity. But if he does in fact feel, then a mental disorder would explain pretty much everything."
Naruto attempted to summarize. "He can feel. He can learn. It's just going to be really really difficult for him to do either."
"That's my preliminary finding, yes."
And that made all the difference, Naruto decided. His son really did need his help. He was still holding him. He hugged him now, but Yuudai growled and pushed him away. "How are they different from normal babies?"
In answer, Chou questioned him extensively about Icky, and Hinata's memories and impressions of Yuudai. After, he bent his head in thought.
"Icky first. I was wrong. Adult-level comprehension of feelings and emotions. Language on par with a child between preschool and middle childhood, even if only mentally. Motor skills slightly advanced for an infant. If I'm talking ninja comparisons, then he is certainly Chuunin level in terms of jutsu execution and strength, Genin level as far as control of chakra. A normal infant six months of age should be sitting up. He is. Rolling over, lunging, and beginning to crawl. He's behind on rolling and crawling, but ahead of schedule as far as pulling himself up to stand. Normal child initiates and tolerates attention from others. He does. I'm not sure if he exhibits stranger anxiety. He showed none with me, but due to his advanced comprehension, this may be because I came into his life with you. Infants this age also begin learning what behaviors please and displease and will do anything to win your smiles and approval. That leads to expansion of the ways in which he gets your attention. For normal children, anyway. Up till now, a child that wants attention will cry. From now and over the next few months he would start vocalizing, wriggling, making sounds. Icky has been doing that, responding to direct language even, since his birth so he's well ahead of schedule. I don't see him talking anytime soon, though, despite his comprehension. Infants learn sign language much easier than spoken language, so expect him to start pointing, waving, that sort of thing. Especially if you use it often with him."
"I don't. I just talk to him regular. I'll start, though."
"Also start turn-taking games. They like that and learn from it. Stories. They listen and learn language. He doesn't have toys, so get him some. Now's when his curiosity about texture and other things kicks in. He'll put stuff in his mouth, drop things over and over. Just because he's advanced doesn't mean you shouldn't provide him with as much normalcy as possible. That's about it, I think."
"Got it. And Yuudai?"
"Yuudai. Physically, he's about the level of a one-year-old, as I said. As far as movement and motor skills, anyway. I haven't tested his motor skills, though, to know how he grasps and manipulates things. His strength is phenomenal, which isn't just about muscle development. He would have to possess dense bone structure as well. Density in comparison to a child years older. He's a newborn. Literally only days old. A newborn does nothing, Naruto, except eat, sleep, and soil his diaper. Nothing. A newborn can lift his head and turn it if he's lying on his stomach, or see things maybe a foot away. Sounds are more easily and readily recognizable. As for motor skills, a newborn can bring his hand to his mouth. But that's about it. Movement is jerky and involuntary. Not so Yuudai. Nothing about him is remotely in keeping with a normal newborn, so I'm going to compare him to a ninja. I believe even Hyuuga are unable to use Byakugan at birth. I would have to ask a Hyuuga to be sure. I haven't seen Yuudai use his, but it's my belief that he could. If provoked. The way Icky uses lightning when pushed. Going by his comparison to a one-year-old, he doesn't walk, which is fine. Few toddlers that age can. He doesn't initiate attention from others, but rather responds to what he perceives are attacks. Though he doesn't seek attention, he does engage the world around him. He's on schedule for exploring, but the problem is his power. How he explores. He's dangerous, Naruto. He'll most likely kill without knowing or understanding that he's taking a life. He doesn't know what life is. The same way a child his age will throw something, he will kill. It's what happened to Hinata. A tantrum. He didn't knowingly kill her or understand that he was hurting her. He did understand his housing, her body, and that this needed to remain intact for him to continue to survive. As for what happened the night she died and why he didn't heal her…that's confusing to me. I don't know why he objected to her bringing him here. I think he only understood that her bringing him here was her way to stop him, and stopping him, in any way, from anything, is seen by him as a threat. He confuses genuine attacks and discipline, or guidance. Doesn't know the difference. I don't detect conscious thought at all. And very little instinct."
"But what's left after thought and instinct?"
"What's known as the id. A region of the mind associated with, among other things, antisocial behavior, desires, and aggression. In older people, it's also where sexual urges reside. This is, in fact, in keeping with all newborn children, as I mentioned. Icky never had this stage, so Yuudai seems monstrous in comparison. Icky is actually progressing from ego to superego, long before normal children do." He explained what those were. "And that's it for my analysis. Now for deductions."
"Okay?"
"I cannot stress to you enough how important it is that you don't slack off on helping Yuudai. Children with autism require constant attention. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Patience. Understanding. And above all, resolve. Most especially since it isn't just possible autism, but also the fact that his personality might never go beyond the stage of id. Ever. He's small, still. Unfamiliar with the world, and thus ignorant of his place in it. Which means he has no idea that he's at the pinnacle of human development. Top of the food chain. He doesn't know that in a few short months he can't be stopped. He can still be intimidated, as shown when you roared at him. Because he doesn't know himself. He only knows power. That he was more powerful than Hinata. And for a while, though I'm unclear as to the extent of your upgrade here, I think you are more powerful than him. For now. But that's why now is the only time you will be able to make an impression on him. While he's still weak enough to be taught and managed. Once he gets too powerful, you won't have a hope of controlling him. The only thing that will control him, or check him, is a relationship. An understanding of family. Right and wrong. I'm not too hopeful on that last, the id doesn't recognize these things, but if you can teach him that, then there's a chance. That's how you help him."
Naruto nodded. "Means I got my work cut out for me. Thanks, Chou." He turned toward Icky.
Somewhat taken aback by Naruto's brusque attitude, Chou frowned. "Any time. Where's Sasuke? I know you said you had a fight-"
"Gone. He comes nowhere near this house. Understood?"
Chou's brows rose. "Okay, one, I'm not his guard or anything. Two, he's a lot stronger than I am. Three, unless I'm dumb, Icky's his kid too. Four-"
"You're right. Our problems aren't your problems. But he's not here. Sensed him leaving awhile back." Which puzzled him, now that he thought about it. He'd only ever felt Sachi and Madara vanish that way.
"Well, I was going to say he should be in on the parenting and stuff, but if he's not here…" Chou shrugged and turned for the door. "Mind if I start dinner?"
"Go ahead." He was looking at Icky. When the nursery door shut behind him, he carefully put Yuudai on the floor. He didn't move. Only stared around the room. Naruto went to the crib, where Icky was standing, and picked him up.
Icky stared at Yuudai.
"Icky?" The boy looked at him. "Can you talk to Yuudai?" Mindful of Chou's words, he said, "Yes?" with a nod. "Or no?" and shook his head.
Icky stared at Daddy Naruto and wondered how to answer. He knew how to do his head for yes and no, though he'd never done it. Never been asked to. But what to do for when he didn't know? He'd been trying. But getting into Yuudai's inside was impossible. Like there was no inside. Which was also impossible. Everymind had an inside. Everyperson had feels. He couldn't see Yuudai's feels. So Yuudai couldn't see his feels. He'd tried that too.
But he knew feels and insides had to be there. He really did, so that meant it was way down deep. Deeper than he knew how to go. So he thought maybe he could speak to Yuudai, but he had to learn how first. And he didn't know how to learn. He stared at Daddy Naruto.
"It's okay if you can't. Now that I think about it, most people don't communicate with their babies the way I'm asking, so it's fine. I'll just have to do this the hard way. Which is always the best way, in my book. The hard way usually means you're doing things the right way. And I can't mess this up. But let's start with the easy stuff, okay?" He sat cross-legged on the floor with Icky in his lap. Yuudai scuttled sideways. Looked at them without looking at them.
Naruto studied how he moved. So fast. Total control of his arms and legs. "Yuudai."
No response.
"Hyuuga Yuudai."
Still nothing.
"Beast."
A head tilt, but still no eye contact.
"Fuck me." He narrowed his eyes. "Yuudai." Nothing. "Beast." A blink. He tried to think why this should be. Thought back to the first time he'd said Yuudai's name to him.
Once, a lifetime ago, he'd asked Kiba how he'd trained Akamaru to be so smart and respond to stuff. Kiba'd said that to train any dog you had to say commands while demonstrating an action. Then reward obedience with a treat. Ninja hounds weren't that different. Naruto hadn't done anything when he'd told Yuudai what his name was, but he had just hit the kid when he'd called him a beast. He'd thought Yuudai was unconscious, but if he'd been awake enough to hear his mutter, that would explain his response to it.
Using this theory, he touched Icky. "Ikioi. Icky."
Yuudai looked at the floor in front of Icky.
He touched his chest. "Naruto. Daddy."
He looked at Naruto's hand.
"Icky," Naruto said. Yuudai looked at Icky's foot. "Daddy." A glance at Naruto's chest.
He can learn. It's a start.
Sasuke lay choking on a wet, rocky surface. His head was still splitting open, but he took note of two moons in the sky. Two. And the sky itself red. It hurt to move his eyes, but he brought his gaze down and saw mountains and fissures of black rock. The moisture oozed up from below the ground. Steam hung in the air, and he was indeed hot. So hot. There was no oxygen. The steam was toxic. When he turned over he saw a sun, also red, that filled the horizon. So terrified was he that he vanished again-
-and this time came out in a desert. Blinked-
and he was in a forest. Yelled-
-this time it was a cave.
A road.
A valley.
The shack in the forest.
One of Orochimaru's hideouts.
Akatsuki's base.
Konoha.
He saw Shikamaru and Ino at the same moment he realized that he was getting control of this thing. The same moment he realized that they were in a house, poring over a scroll with him outside the window, and that there was an assassin sneaking up on them from another room. Didn't they hear him? Sense him? He could see him, why couldn't they? Then he saw the Genjutsu around them. How it had been tailored to bypass Ino's mind specifically. Saw the raised kunai, raised his hand to warn them, but suddenly the house was no longer there. He, Ino, and Shikamaru were drowning in water, surfacing, spluttering, going under, moving, rolling, tumbling toward the edge of a massive waterfall.
Ino saw him. "Ssss….hey!" She waved frantically, but was swept under by the rapids.
Why didn't they just use chakra? He thought. He stood on the roiling surface, but then a tree limb knocked him off his feet.
They went over. He was free falling, hearing their screams, but unable to see them-
-and then he was in what was left of the original Hakumeigakure. Familiar landmarks. He dropped to his knees. Felt his heart racing. Noted that whatever he'd been doing, teleporting in that manner, had put a hideous strain on his body. He was weak as a kitten.
There was a pool of water beneath his hand. He stared at his reflection. At seeing his eyes, he said a soft and confused "Fuck" right before he passed out.
After identifying himself and Icky, Naruto presented Beast, as he now called him, with a bottle. Beast only stared at it. Naruto gave the bottle to Icky, who understood what was going on and obediently put the nipple in his mouth. He sucked on it a few times, then shakily passed the bottle to Beast.
Beast scuttled forward. Sniffed the nipple. Smashed the bottle to pieces with a blow of his hand. Continued to bash the broken glass and splash milk.
Naruto caught the little hand and examined it. Not a single cut. To be sure, he picked up a shard of glass and drew it across Beast's palm. Beast, Icky, and Naruto all watched. The glass left no mark. He tried again, pressing harder. The skin dimpled, but didn't break. He turned the shard point first to the palm he held and pressed down. Pressed harder, until at last he was rewarded with blood, but the shard broke.
All three of them saw the point reverse itself out of Beast's skin. The blood that welled up now fwipped back inside, and the small gash closed up with a tiny glow of chakra. Beast made no sound.
Picking up another shard, Naruto cut his own palm and showed this to Beast. The boy looked, then went back to splashing in the milk. Naruto poked Icky with the shard on his leg. Icky gave a hum of surprise. A cry of distress.
Beast went nuts.
So he's aware of Icky even if he's not showing interest in him, he thought as he braced himself.
Beast launched himself at Naruto's head, chakra positively filling the room. Naruto resisted with the chakra cloak he got up in the nick of time, and sent the boy crashing against the far wall. Beast rebounded, but checked himself. He crouched low, eyes glowing and narrowed at Naruto, but went to Icky instead, who was crying in earnest now. He bent and sniffed the blood. Put his nose directly on it. A moment later the puncture was gone, though the blood remained. Icky grew silent. Looked at where Beast now rocked to a sitting position in front of him. Icky lunged forward and touched his face. On the mouth, where blood was smeared.
Naruto was primed and ready to intervene should Beast try to attack Icky, but all he did was close his eyes at the touch. He made the first sound Naruto could remember hearing that wasn't animalistic. Some kind of lip smacking. Beast opened his eyes and touched Icky's mouth. Then his face. Then he scooted forward and threw himself on Icky. Rolling and pushing him, squeezing his flesh with his strong little hands. Icky cried in pain.
Naruto snatched Beast off of him. "Okay, no. No." Beast strained toward Icky, who was still crying. Naruto worked at not dropping him. "Stop!" He threw him down hard in frustration. Smacked him down even harder when the boy jumped back up at him. He held him down with one foot.
Beast rolled away, looked at him, then went straight for Icky.
And that went on for the rest of the day.
Sasuke rolled to his back and blinked at the sky. That made his eyes water so he closed them. He didn't think he'd been out too long. His skin wasn't burnt. He wasn't precisely comfortable, but neither was he uncomfortable. He lay thinking.
He was at a fork. Interesting.
Only one other time in his life had he been presented with a choice between two paths. Well twice, but the business in the forest with Naruto and going back to he village didn't count. One time only. When Itachi laid the path of vengeance before him he'd walked it with utter conviction. Nothing could have dissuaded him from that path. But something had. Naruto. So compelling was Naruto that he'd counterbalanced the weight of revenge he'd carried in his heart. It had gotten so that the choice was either stay or leave the village. A choice, in hindsight, that had been easy. No matter how compelling, no one person came before his clan. Or his brother. But now…
Choice one: Stand with Naruto.
Choice two: Kill Naruto.
Choice one was too painful to think about, but choice two had possibilities. Many pros. Such as the fact that if Naruto was dead he'd never again be able to take his son away. He wouldn't have to look at Naruto and see Hinata between them. And Naruto couldn't see him as contemptuous if he was dead.
Most of all, most importantly, he wanted Naruto dead because he hated him.
There. It was out. The thing choking him for months now. Since Kyuubi. He hated Naruto. The relief of admitting it had tears flooding his eyes and a sob escaping him. Now that he was looking it in the face, he could appreciate that it had taken watching Naruto walk away with their son for him to admit it. He didn't just hate Naruto, but everything that had happened. The pregnancy. Kyuubi. The rape. Hinata. Yuudai. He hated all of it and he was done, he decided. Done. He wanted Naruto dead, Yuudai dead, the world dead.
But he remembered what it'd felt like when Naruto was dead. He hadn't been able to go on himself.
Hn.
No. That was different. Yet on the heels of that thought came the memory of killing his brother. He'd felt…good. Accomplished. Vindicated. Until he'd learned the truth. He hated Naruto now, but that was a thin layer covering the depth of his love for him. More than love. There was no word for Naruto. He couldn't liken him to the blood and bones in his body anymore. Or to the air that sustained him, or the food and drink he needed to live, or the soul that animated him. These were paltry comparisons. There was no language, no concept in mortal existence that he could equate with the meaning of Naruto. He was simply Naruto. He was everything. All. Absolute. Could he really kill him?
Then why did you sleep with Hinata?
For all the reasons Naruto said. But also because, at seeing what Naruto'd done to her, to the sanctity of their own union, he'd never hated Naruto so much. The hate had been growing with Kyuubi, but the rape had set it free.
Oh yes. He wanted Naruto dead. He spent a long time reveling in bloody images of this happening. The thoughts soothed the deep hurt left by Naruto. For months now, a year, all the man had done was take things from him. His dignity. His confidence. Their relationship. Now Naruto's love for him was gone. And finally his son. His family was gone. He'd lost everything. Again. He'd wanted to kill the first time it happened, and he had. He would find it in him to kill this time too.
It was only much later that he set that choice aside—carefully, as of something precious—in favor of contemplating the first choice. As soon as he did, he felt his eyes sting again.
It just wasn't Naruto anymore. Not the person he knew, who was everything to him. Maybe he'd thought so for a minute at the funeral, but that was before the man had taken his son. So what was he still so in love with? A memory? Was there really no hope for them as a unit anymore?
It was all moot, anyway. Whether or not he could let Naruto go was meaningless since Naruto was already gone. The one and only reason he would go back would be for Icky. He wasn't leaving his son. He just wanted to be sure of whether or not he'd be killing Naruto when he went back for him. But as he thought about it, about all the years ahead of him, he knew he would not be able to suffer Naruto to live. The wounds were too deep. Vengeance called to him once again, and the call was sweet. It soothed his hurt. A reckoning needed to be made. Wrongs made right. Justice. There was no choice. He saw that now. He was going to kill Naruto. When the time was right.
Chou looked out the kitchen window a week later and shook his head at the tall, steel structure that now stood in the village square. Sunlight glinted off of it hard enough to make him squint. He dropped the curtain and carried the plate of ham and eggs he was holding to where Naruto lay snoring and drooling at the head of the table.
He was worried. When Naruto wasn't closeted in that structure or off training the boys miles away, he was upstairs in his room. He hadn't spoken much during the past week. This was the first time he'd come down for breakfast, and that was only because he'd spent an hour outside Naruto's door, begging him to. He knew whatever Naruto was doing with the boys was killing him. But beyond that he didn't think Naruto was doing too well. He was surly. Preferred to be alone. Never smiled anymore. Sat brooding on the rare times he'd been seen outside his room.
Chou sighed. Nothing he could do except be here for him when or if Naruto chose to talk. He set the plate by his head.
The smell of food woke him. Without opening his yes, Naruto said, "Chou. I love you. Marry me and raise my demons."
"I like girls. So they're both demons now? Haven't seen either of them since that thing appeared." He sat at the other end of the table.
Naruto scrubbed his hands down his face and stared at the food. "That thing is the only way I'm maintaining my sanity. You saw what they did to their room."
"Chill. I'm not objecting to you imprisoning them in that steel box. How goes it, anyway?"
Naruto snorted. "Icky's really opening up with Beast around. Like, all that stuff you told me? Sign language, responding to shit…he's doing it with Beast. After that first time he doesn't let Beast hurt him, either. I don't think he understood that Beast could hurt him, but now that he does, he simply vanishes if Beast gets too rough. He's got that down pat now. What scares me is he'll stay gone. Beast will scream and howl until my ears are bleeding. Icky comes back, and Beast is all good, ready to play nice. He learns, that little shit. But he learns on his terms. And that turn-taking shit? Wish you'd never told me about that."
"Why?"
"I made a clone. Beast made a clone. Then Icky, seeing Beast, makes fifty clones. Beast did a hundred. They kept one-upping each other until I made five thousand fucking Sage Mode clones who then put the fear of God into them. They were angels for twenty minutes. I tried again. This time I did something small. Probably shouldn't have done this particular thing, but I honestly don't know Genin level crap. And it's my kids we're talking about."
Chou sipped his coffee. This was the first report he was hearing. He was riveted. "What'd you do?"
"I Summoned a toad. Tiny little thing, hardly bigger than a tadpole. Knew my name and everything. Greeted me in this squeaky little voice, said he was 'Kichi's youngest. Know what Beast did?"
Chou thought back to the apocalyptic sounds that reached the village two days ago. "No. What?"
A few tears actually slipped free as Naruto remembered the incident. They weren't happy tears, but a real expression of Naruto reaching his limit. "Asshole pinches his hand, bleeds, and puts his hand on the floor. Fucking Gamabunta himself and all his fattest kids, 'Kichi included, appeared. And get this! While 'Bunta is reaming me about my kid, he tells me the whole of Myoubokuzou mountain nearly cracked in two at the force of the chakra that Summoned them. Said he and his won't answer my call ever again if my brat calls them. But Icky!" Naruto scrunched his face, but the tears came harder. "After all that, just when I thought shit had calmed down, Icky goes and Summons every fucking thing Pain's Animal Path ever Summoned, huh? EVERY FUCKING THING." Naruto was now crying for real, wiping his face. He dropped his head into the same hand in a fit of exhaustion.
Chou was at once fascinated and sympathetic. Having seen tears on more than one occasion from Naruto now, he had an idea that the man nevertheless didn't cry easily. It took a lot to bring him to this point.
Naruto continued speaking. "Had the Rinnegan eyes on to do it, Icky did. My first time seeing them on him in person. When I mentioned it to him, he blinked and they were gone. Couldn't bring them out again. Can you kill me please? I won't come back this time, I promise."
Somehow he didn't think Naruto was joking about his request. That disturbed him. "I guess it's good you took them outside the village to do those things, huh?"
Naruto now turned to his food. "They keep playing the game. Beast saw the Rinnegan and came out with those eyes he was born with. You're right. He has Byakugan. He did it, then Icky did. Beast flattened a forest a few hundred miles away, Icky does the same thing. Icky shot lightning into the air, Beast only stared. Then made that lightning storm I thought would kill us. Took a thousand clones to rebuild those buildings. I'm not going to last a month."
"Makes you wish you had another strong person around. To co-parent. Like maybe-"
"Hey, I proposed, you turned me down."
"-Sasuke. As if I'm anywhere near as strong as you are."
"Right. You're about ten times stronger. And that's with me in chakra mode."
Chou rolled his eyes. "You always joke about my strength."
Naruto finished the last of his egg and reached for the jug of water sitting between them. Held it as he frowned at Chou. "Why do you always make light of it?"
"Because it's nothing special?"
"Nothing special." Naruto pushed the water aside. "Your chakra is comparable to a tailed beast, do you know that? And your strength? Let's arm wrestle one of these days."
"Whatever. Is Yu…Beast eating yet?"
"He tried a bottle. Swallowed the nipple. Next time he tried, he bit the bottle to pieces. No teeth, mind you. So I held his nose and poured the shit down his throat."
"My God, Naruto-"
"Kept it down for all of five minutes, then threw it up. He kept some water down."
"Hm. I'll see if I can mix him a weaker batch of milk. He might be intolerant to the stuff. Which reminds me. I meant to tell you in my report that Icky needs to be introduced to solid foods sometime soon. Beast might too, given his physical development. I'll handle that. What's next?"
"For them?" Naruto got up to put his plate in the sink. Leaned his hands on the edge. "Feel like I'm losing my mind. Tried putting a diaper on Beast, he ripped the thing off. Same thing for clothes. Either he tears them off his body or his chakra does. Still not shitting. Doesn't sleep. At all. Icky stays up with him most of the time. And Icky's talking now. Verbalizing like you said. Baby gibberish, but still. Talks at Beast non-stop, but Beast stays silent. Still no eye contact. Which reminds me. I told you how he went apeshit when I cut Icky? Doesn't that mean he has a relationship with him? Cares about him, at least?"
"Sounds like he's aware of the genetic connection. On some level he knows or feels that Icky is kin."
"I'm kin. I'm not getting such consideration."
"Kin as in sharing Kyuubi's chakra, I think."
"I have Kyuubi himself! And Icky doesn't have his chakra anymore."
Chou shrugged.
"God. I wish-" He stopped himself. Angrily washed his plate.
Chou fiddled with his mug. "You could always go look for him," he said quietly.
Naruto left the house.
-oOo-
The steel containment unit, which he fondly thought of as the hellbox, had one entry point. He'd sealed it with his chakra, but it really didn't do much for some of their higher abilities. Like vanishing. Should probably just be grateful that they elected to stay in the ting when he wasn't with them. He entered now, waited until the door whooshed shut behind him, then opened the second door inside and surveyed the interior.
It was basically seven levels of play. Toys, elements, practice dummies. Everything he could think of. The bottom-most level, where he stood, was dedicated to sleep. Here was where he left the boys each night, with ten Sage Mode Kyuubi clones. Each morning saw Icky happy to greet him, and Beast destroying yet another apparatus.
This morning was different.
Icky was crouched on all fours. He'd begun crawling two days ago, but that wasn't what was different. He was waiting for Naruto, and hailed him with a grin. Beast was crouched next to him. Waiting. Not smiling, but with a look Naruto could only describe as one of accomplishment. Icky pointed. Naruto looked where indicated and saw a steaming coil of shit. Icky sat down and clapped. Pointed to Beast, who grunted in acknowledgement, and clapped.
As if that wasn't enough, Beast jumped at him and had him dropping the bottles he'd brought. Beast grabbed one, broke it, roared in frustration, then tried for another. It cracked in his grip. The milk leaked out. Naruto watched as Beast tried to lick this and failed. The bottle was soon thrown against the wall. Naruto stooped and rescued one of the ones still intact. He had to wrinkle his nose at the shit smeared all over Beast's butt and legs, but he held the bottle to his mouth and waited for him to latch on. Beast did so carefully this time. He sucked just as carefully, and Naruto watched the milk disappear in three long pulls. Beast looked at the empty bottle, at Naruto, at the bottle.
He was able to shield himself from the tantrum that followed and sent one of the clones to Chou for more milk. The day was pretty much a blur from that point on.
It took another day for Chou to come up with a solution, "Baby bottles don't contain enough for him to eat, nor are they strong enough to withstand him. He needs a calf nursing bottle."
"A what?"
"Something they feed baby cows with. Nipples are stronger, and you can get some that hold three quarts."
A toad filled the order. Naruto watched Chou pour warm milk into five huge bottles. "I can't even drink that much. We'll need more powdered milk at this rate."
"My guess is his body is going through something like you said yours did when you were pregnant. Burning off a ton of energy. You said since he's been eliminating he's getting weaker?"
"Yeah."
"He's showing signs of fatigue, then. Becoming less able to regulate his metabolism. It's taken him awhile, but it was bound to happen sooner or later. Right, so he might not drink all five, but I'm betting he'll down more than one. Best to be safe."
Naruto presented Beast, who was now more listless than he'd ever seen him, with the first of the bottles. And he only did this after putting a diaper on him. The boy took to the sturdier nipple with obvious gratitude; he whimpered in greed as he downed the milk in minutes. Burped. Naruto shoved another bottle into his mouth. Beast caught on and held it himself, tipping his head back. His eyes were half closed in bliss. Milk dribbled from the corner of his mouth. Icky watched while drinking his own bottle.
Three and a half calf bottles later, Beast filled his diaper till it overflowed, causing Naruto to curse. That went on for a few minutes. When the episode was over, Naruto cleaned the mess, bathed Beast on an upper level, and put clothes on him. To his shock, Beast yawned and crawled down to Icky's sleeping area. He was out like a light the second his head touched the mattress. Icky curled up next to him and was soon snoring.
It was the best day since before the little brat had shown up. Especially since Beast slept a solid twenty-four hours. Icky slept with him.
Naruto left the clones with them and enjoyed the quiet. The freedom. He slept himself. Woke up, and they were still sleeping. He settled into one of the armchairs that seemed to be present in every room, including his own, and let his mind wander.
The past two weeks had been chock full of baby not-fun, but now that he had a moment to think, the first thing to pop into his mind was Sasuke. That twice-damned motherfucker had actually left the area. You did tell him to. Didn't mean he thought he'd actually do it. Ohhh, fuck Sasuke. He crossed his ankles in irritation.
He'd been doing good. Better than good. Not a thought about the guy. Too focused on the kids. Didn't mean he hadn't missed him. That pain was constant. But he ignored it. And he ignored it now. Fuck Uchiha Sasuke. Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him. He glared at the ceiling. I'm not thinking about him. I'm not. Then he crawled in bed and went back to sleep.
Beast woke up after a solid day of sleep raring to go. Icky sat eating the pureed rice and bananas a clone fed him, but Naruto stood with hands on hips and watched as Beast ran up one side of the hellbox, and down another. Jumped higher and higher, until he could smack the ceiling before coming down. He did crazy leaps from floor to walls and back that left dents in the five-foot-thick steel. On and on that went, faster and faster.
Naruto shot from the ground and snagged him mid-air. Landed with the kid kicking and struggling. He slammed him down. Had to repeat the process several times. A few of those times, Beast would jump at him and he'd punch the kid back, fully loaded with chakra. Simply asking Beast to do anything was out of the question. Naruto finally yanked him by the hair and swung him to the floor. Knelt on him and growled for good measure.
And this happened every day, often many times during the day.
When Beast decided he was ready to behave, Naruto hauled him up to be changed and bathed, then landed with him down on the ground floor, where a clone held out a huge bowl of rice and bananas and the five calf bottles. Icky was on his bottle by now.
This wasn't Beast's first time encountering solid food. Naruto fed him himself. The clones never lasted long against the kid. Beast took the first spoonful and bit the spoon out of shape. Knocked the bowl away, where it banged Naruto in the face. Typical. He ignored the nosebleed and wearily sent a clone for more food. Beast reached for the bottles, but Naruto kept them out of reach. Closed his eyes at the scream that erupted. Kept them closed until he could tolerate it no more and slapped Beast repeatedly until he was silent.
New batch of food arrived. But this time Chou brought it.
Naruto punched Beast at being bitten. Chou, standing by the door, came forward. "Your clone told me what was going on."
"You never come in here." Naruto swiped a thumb at his nose and looked at the blood. "Thought you said it wasn't safe?"
Chou studied Naruto's dead eyes. There was a lot he wanted to say, but he didn't think it would be heard. "I-"
Beast leapt for the bottles again. Naruto, patience gone, went after him with Rasengan. Chou put a hand out and grabbed Naruto's shoulder. Naruto swung towards him.
"I think you need a break," Chou said. "Let me sit with the boys today. You don't seem to be having any luck feeding Beast."
"Thought you weren't strong enough?" Naruto clenched his fist and Rasengan vanished. He put a sneer on his face that he could tell hurt Chou's feelings, but he didn't care. Before Chou could answer, he stormed out of the hellbox.
-oOo-
Chou noted the three remaining clones, but turned to find Beast on his second bottle. He waited until it was finished, then plucked him from the floor before he could get his hands on a third. Sat him in his lap. He felt a probe at his mind, but his chakra sufficed to keep him insulated from any Genjutsu. Beast did indeed try to get away, but Chou held him a certain way, non-aggressively, so that the boy was immobile. Beast became still.
There was a way to feed reluctant eaters when they were this young. Chou got the first spoonful of pureed rice into Beast's mouth and slipped the spoon free before the boy could react. Beast wrinkled his face, exploring this new texture with tongue and lips. Swallowed. The frown smoothed out. He tried to grab the spoon, but Chou had his hands pinned. Beast grunted at the bowl. Chou gave him bananas this time.
It took a few times, but Beast soon learned to eat from the spoon. His appetite was tremendous. Chou was soon scraping the bowl clean. He fetched the third bottle for Beast, who latched onto it.
"There now," Chou crooned once both boys were fed and diapered. "That's much better, isn't it? I don't think your daddy grasps the concept of more flies with honey. Think I'll speak to him about letting me do feeding time from now on." As well as a few other things. The way Naruto went about helping Beast was cause for concern.
It was days before his strength returned. When it did, he spent time gathering rocks of sufficient size that he then shaped into blocks with lightning. These he used to build a windowless one-room structure. A couple of leftover blocks served as a chair and modified table. Done, he placed his hand on the wall and released fire, melding the blocks together in a seamless unit.
The following day saw him hunt down a polar bear and some kind of bird that must only come around in summer. Ate for the first time in days. Skinned the bear. Prepped the hide, then set it on the roof to dry. That took another couple of days, during which he gathered more food. Plenty of rabbit and fowl for him to eat now, seeing as it was summer. When the hide was done, he snatched it down, rolled himself in it, and went into his house. He didn't come out again.
Sakura wiped sweat from her brow, but didn't slow down. Chakra use was only allowed every four hours. She was running on her own steam now, and nearing her body's limits. Weeks of the same grueling pace had her muscles quivering almost nonstop. And she was a seasoned ninja. She felt for those in her party who weren't.
She couldn't stop. The procurement was right at her heels. She glanced aside at Kiba, who was keeping pace with her. "Take Akamaru. Go on ahead. Find him. Warn him. Tell him we're coming."
Kiba didn't waste energy on a reply, just urged Akamaru on faster. She watched them pull ahead until they were out of sight.
-oOo-
He could smell him long before he arrived at the coordinates. More, he could smell Naruto. Fresh, too. And another individual that he couldn't decide was male or female. He smelled something else, something young, but extremely powerful. Maybe that was the kid?
Akamaru slowed to a walk.
When he arrived, it was to find a single mean structure sitting in the center of destruction. His nose told him that Sasuke was in that house-thing. He stopped a hundred yards from it. "Hello?" Nothing. He cupped a hand to his mouth and tried again. "Yo! It's Kiba!"
No answer.
Senses thrown wide, he dismounted and told Akamaru to stay put. Moved forward on his own. Cautiously. Sniffing hard the whole time. Still smelled like Sasuke. He smelled awake. Aware. If some force was preventing Sasuke from answering or coming out, he would be ready…but he didn't sense anything apart from Sasuke himself.
He stopped just short of the doorway. The sun blazed overhead which made the interior pitch black. The area between his shoulders was tight; he was being watched by someone putting out a ton of adrenaline. There was anger past that doorway. Rage. If Sasuke was in there, he wasn't feeling remotely friendly. He stared inside. Stared until he could make out two hooded eyes gleaming at him in the dark. The suggestion of Sasuke's pale face. "Sakura sent me on ahead. The procurement…the armies, I mean, they're right behind her. But the village is on your side. We came. All of us. So they're not getting your k…your, uh, your puppy if we can help it, okay? Dude, say something. Where is your pup?"
"With Naruto."
The voice was a lifeless murmur that sent a shiver down Kiba's spine. Before he could ask whether or not that meant the kid was dead too, there was movement inside. Kiba braced himself. Sasuke stepped to the doorway and into the light. Kiba saw his eyes and opened his mouth to yell…but the world went away. The last thing he was aware of was Akamaru barking furiously.
Chou took several deep breaths before knocking on the door. "Naruto?"
"What."
"I'd like to talk to you, if that's all right?"
"No. Maybe later."
"Okay." He paused. Considered going home. "It's just that this is kind of important."
"Kids fine?"
"What? Yes. I spent the day with them. Went over simple commands. I think Yuu…Beast is beginning to understand the word no. But this isn't what I want to talk about. I-"
"Yeah, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, Chou. Thanks."
Chou briefly put his head against Naruto's door, but turned and went downstairs. Sometimes he went to the house next door, his new home. Sometimes he stayed here. Tonight he went home.
He liked his place. Only two stories, as opposed to Naruto's three, but the rooms were spacious. High ceilings. Few structures had the ability to make him feel comfortable. Most left him feeling cramped. Like he was too big. The second day here, Naruto had been kind enough to have one of the toads get him a specially crafted bed. Extra long, extra wide. Steel frame. Wonderfully firm mattress, complete with custom sheets and bedding. He crawled in now and sighed.
He wished he knew how to help Naruto. Tried thinking of ways to get through to him, but those kids really were exhausting. He went to sleep.
Akamaru met them when they were less than an hour from the coordinates, running flat out and barking madly. Tsume heard and pushed to the fore. Listened to Akamaru. When she turned to Sakura's tense face it was with murder in her eye. "Sasuke's taken my son. Akamaru says he can detect their scent nowhere. They cannot be followed or tracked. What is the meaning of this?"
Sakura clenched her hands, causing her gloves to stretch and creak over her knuckles. She longed to punch something. "I have no idea. But I intend to find out." She was sick and tired of shit going wrong. She could all but feel the procurement gaining on them. "Let's get to the coordinates ourselves first. Might be something there we can interpret." That Akamaru couldn't.
-oOo-
The coordinates afforded them little info beyond what Akamaru reported, though. Both Tsume and Kakashi said they smelled Naruto, a third individual, and an enemy of some sort. The destruction was noted and examined, and concluded as being the result of chakra. The rest of the elite landed around Sakura as she stood thinking. Konoha's former villagers were still an hour away.
"Thoughts?" Sakura said.
"No trail," Kakashi said. "They didn't walk or run from this location. I can smell Kiba and Sasuke both, at that house. Especially Sasuke. If they left this area it was in a manner I can't describe. Almost like…" He studied his shoes. "Like Madara. His scent would vanish just like this. Cut off abruptly."
"That makes no sense," Sakura frowned.
"Actually," Inoichi said as he stepped forward. "It does shed some light on a report I got from my daughter a few hours ago. She says she saw Sasuke. That she, Shikamaru, and Sasuke were somehow suddenly in a river, went over a waterfall. She later reported that she was no longer in Konoha. Preliminary assessment has them deep in Earth Country. Uninhabited area. And she says she saw Sasuke vanish as they were going over the fall."
Sakura stared at him. "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. How did they leave Konoha? Why? How did they meet up with our friend? They were supposed to be gathering intel, we've yet to receive anything of significance from them."
Inoichi nodded. "I understand your confusion, but Ino is confused herself. I've looked at her memories directly, though. She and Shikamaru were looking at reports. I believe, though it's hard for me to tell, that they may have been in a Genjutsu. Tricky to detect second hand. There was a sensation I cannot describe, and then they were in the river. That's the best I can do, all I can lift from her mind. It could be, though, that the sensation I sensed was the act of them traveling from Konoha to the river in Earth Country. That would mean Sasuke was in Konoha. And moved them."
She was getting a headache. Rubbing her forehead, she thought longingly of her own house in Konoha. Her room. Her bed. Nothing more strenuous than showing up for work with Shisou and puzzling out the antidote for some new poison. Ugh.
"All right. I can't even think about Ino right now. I know it's relevant to what we have here but I just can't." She picked her head up and looked at each of them in turn. "For whatever reason, my friend is unreachable. No, Tsume, I'm sorry, but that's it. Kiba is lost to us right now. Akamaru says there was no…you-know-what. I have no idea what's going on, but I refuse to believe we came all this way, left our village, for nothing. No." She paused there to think. God, she was so fucking tired. "I need a fresh pair of eyes."
They watched her. Tsume's face was a thundercloud.
"Konohamaru!" Sakura barked.
He was no longer a part of the inner circle. Nevertheless, he appeared from where he'd been hanging back and knelt in front of her at once. "Yes."
She glared down at him. "Now's your chance to redeem yourself. Find me something. Anything that will help us. Time is of the essence."
He raised eyes to hers that promised he would die before failing…right before a thousand clones sprung into being. "Yes, sir." The clones scattered.
"Impressive," Kakashi muttered. "He's grown." He watched as the original Konohamaru jumped onto the little house and closed his eyes in concentration. Then he looked at Sakura. "Why him, though? He doesn't really need to redeem himself. He didn't actually do anything wrong. He was used, and killed the girl."
Sakura crossed her arms, also watching Konohamaru. "I know. But nothing anyone says to him will alleviate his guilt. He needs to feel like he's fixed the mess he thinks he made. Besides. He doesn't think like us. He's more like his precious Boss than anyone I know. I need that kind of resourcefulness right now. I can feel this whole situation going to hell in a hand basket."
-oOo-
Ninety minutes later, Konohamaru screamed and jumped off the house. He ran up to her with his lids drooping in fatigue, but a nevertheless wild expression of happiness on his face. Sakura silenced the Jounin talking amongst themselves to hear his report.
"Village two hundred miles away." He recited the exact coordinates. "Saw a huge-ass guy coming out of this steel building. Before he came out, one of the clones saw Boss through a house window. He's alive! Didn't see a kid, but Boss is alive!"
The news punched through her just as she was sure it was registering with everyone else. The villagers had caught up. They all heard. Gasps and exclamations made a dull roar in her ears as adrenaline flooded her senses. "You're sure?"
Konohamaru nodded. And now she could see the tears on his face.
She raised her voice in an unsteady shout, tears clouding her own eyes. "Move out! Chakra at full strength!" Naruto. I'm coming.