(A/N: Hey all ya'll out there. I hope you're enjoying Snake's Legacy so far. I'm thinking of posting a oneshot soon. Leave me reviews and I will try to post the chapters faster. Anywayz, I don't own Naruto, and I'm pretty sure everyone is glad I don't. XD Thank you to all who have read so far! I'd especially like to thank 1moonwitch, xXxjustagrlxXx, wahaicu, mac2, HeartBrokenHinata, Ninja-Hidden-in-the-Paddocks, -fan, and shadowsaver for leaving reviews! On with the chapter!)
Chapter 3: The Decision
Inside the office
"Ah, Snake-sama, you're just on time. How was your mission?" The handsome blonde Hokage inquired from his seated place at the small, oak wood table. The other council members were in chairs of their own that matched. The seats were clustered around the rectangular table at which their decision would be made according to Snake's testimony, which was given as soon as she took her seat.
"Simple. He didn't try to escape or fight my authority. Nothing like that. Uchiha seems rather aloof, unwilling to put forth the effort to bring about disquiet. He wasn't very agreeable, but didn't seem to be planning any kind of attack. I think that, for now, he should be considered trustworthy. I will report back to you if he does anything suspicious, should he be permitted to stay, Hokage-sama." Her voice was empty, no amount of grandeur would bring the listener any closer to knowing how her true feelings disagreed with her statements. She did not like the man, but that was no basis for banishing him.
"Where is he now?"
"The Uchiha is with my apprentice." She slid her seat in the council away from the table. She was the head ANBU, so naturally she was held in high regard within the council, and she possessed great influence among them and their decisions.
"If he tries to escape, will she be able to handle him?" A male elder inquired worriedly. His grey hair was spiked in a fashion similar to the Hokage's, but longer. It crawled down his face to form a beard of grey hair, partially hidden by a piece of white cloth wrapped around his neck and upper body. His green-framed glasses made his dark eyes look more severe than they should have, giving the impression that he was a very stern person. His constant frown had identified him as Mitokado Homura since he was a teen.
"Hai, Mitokado-sama. He is interested in her history, actually. She told him a bit about herself this morning and he seemed extremely fascinated." The fact that she had allowed her apprentice to speak of her history to the Uchiha man spoke volumes for his credibility.
"Did she tell him that Hinata was her mother?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Then, you believe he is trustworthy."
Snake was silent for a moment. "Hai, I believe he can be trusted for the moment."
"Council, what do you think?" The orange clad Hokage posed the question to them. "I believe he should be allowed to remain, and so does our head ANBU, who has spent last night and today watching over him."
"He may stay. But he must be put under ANBU guard for the next two years." The woman spoke this time. Her grey hair was piled on top of her head in somewhat of a bun, with a decorative needle keeping it tied up. Her mouth was turned downward in a not-quite-frown, as though she were simply neutral to the subject. The style of her outfit was similar to Tsunade's, but her green jacket had a white sash over it, draped from her left shoulder to the right side of her waist. Her green and red earrings dangled as she shook her head. "Should he prove to be unfaithful or questionable, he will be eliminated, though."
"I know the perfect person to watch over him, and I believe that he will be allowed to remain." Naruto voiced his thought as he turned to Snake and tilted his head in a questioning manner. She was his top choice for the job, and he hoped that she knew it.
Receiving his silent message, she responded accordingly. "Hai, of course, Hokage-sama. I believe he is powerful and I would not allow anyone else the responsibility of this job for fear of their safety, should he prove to turn traitor once more."
"Very well. You will be his ANBU guard for the next two years." He knew she felt obligated to accept in front of the council, but he couldn't let her know that she could refuse without embarrassing her in front of them. He supposed there was nothing he could do for her other than wish her luck.
Snake nodded her head and waited just inside the door as the council left the room. "Snake-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked the moment the two council members departed.
"Of course, Hokage-sama. The Uchiha did not hurt me." The ANBU captain refuted the implied question, turning away from the blonde.
"You know exactly what I meant. Are you sure you are okay? This is the first time you've allowed your apprentice to speak about the past."
"I am fine." Snake said with an iron undertone in her voice. "I will go call the Uchiha and Snake-chan to hear the decision." She walked out the door to find her charges.
During the meeting
The apprenticed Snake made her way through the hallways to the benches outside of the Hokage's office, with Sasuke following close behind her. "Uchiha-san, sit down." She ordered politely, gesturing toward the benches.
"My name is Sasuke." He drawled as he sat upon the wooden waiting bench.
"What?" The young girl turned back to him abruptly with a curious tilt of her head.
"I prefer being called Sasuke. Uchiha-san makes me feel old." It was odd to be respectful of a child, but necessary either way, he supposed.
"You're only twenty-nine." His questioning look prompted her to elaborate on her knowledge. "Before she left, Kaa-san said you were her age. You left sixteen years ago. That makes you twenty-nine."
"How old are you?" This girl could only be nine, maybe ten at the most, but she was an ANBU apprentice. She had to be powerful.
"I'm twelve."
"So she was-" Sasuke let his eyes widen. She wasn't as young as he thought. Hinata had been the young one.
"Hai. She was young. I know. She's dead now, so it doesn't matter." The apprentice turned her face away so that Sasuke couldn't see her lips lose color as they pressed together, effectively ending the discussion.
"At least Snake-sama was willing to take you in." He, surprisingly enough, wanted to the conversation to keep going, but wasn't sure how to prevent it from being awkward.
The apprentice took pity on him. "I guess so. But what I want to know is why. Why was she willing to take me in? Okaa-san didn't ask her to." She gave him another subject to which he could move.
"Maybe Hinata cared so much about you that Snake-sama wanted to take you in so she wouldn't have to die worried."
"Aa."
"I wonder if I'll be allowed to stay here. Your mentor didn't seem to like me much," Sasuke mused, wondering why he said his thoughts aloud. Constant eyes on him could have been getting to him.
"She's going to try to convince them to let you stay. I know she will." The apprentice's certainty was slightly unnerving. How could she possibly know that Snake would vouch for him?
"Why?"
"Didn't you see the way she showed emotion in front of you like you weren't even there? She wouldn't do that in front of everyone, you know. Other than myself, you're the first person who's seen her emotions in a very long time."
"Hn."
"You should expect to be staying here. She's the head ANBU, the council will take what she has to say into account. Especially if Naruto-kun backs her up." They sat and talked quietly for a short while longer.
Then, the young apprentice watched as her shishou exited the Hokage's meeting room. "Snake-chan, Uchiha! Come here. You have to go see Hokage-sama for the results of the meeting." The older woman called from the doorway of Naruto's office. She watched as their conversation ended immediately.
"Chotto matte! We'll be right there. Come on U-ano, Sasuke-san."
Sasuke got up and headed into Naruto's office, followed by the apprentice he had been talking with.
"Sasuke." Naruto nodded his head in greeting. "You've been permitted to stay." Sasuke glanced at Snake to see if she would give him a hint of whether she had pulled in his favor or against him, but she gave no visible sign. He looked over at the apprenticed ANBU and saw her smiling. He took it that Snake had helped convince the council to let him stay. After all, the child knew her mentor better than he.
"Arigatou." He grunted, disliking having to say the words, but meaning them all the same. He was being given a second chance, one he knew he didn't deserve. He figured he should at least be slightly polite.
"You can thank Snake-sama for your allowance. The council refused to listen to me until she said she believed you wouldn't betray Konoha again. It's amazing what one person can do, ne, Snake-sama?"
She simply nodded her head faintly.
The Hokage sighed, as though the blonde wanted her to show some sort of emotion. "What's my punishment, then?"
"You will have an ANBU guard near you at all times for the next two years, and will be allowed no solo missions until a lengthy amount of time after that." The man behind the desk seemed to resign himself to hear a mountain of protests.
Sasuke scowled. He couldn't expect anything less, after all, he had betrayed Konoha; actually, he should have been expecting something much worse. Still, he scowled until he looked at Snake, who was glaring at him. He couldn't see her eyes, but he felt, rather than saw, the glare. He felt it pierce his skin as though it were a needle. It was freaky. "…Hai, Hokage-sama." He growled.
"Sasuke, what's with all the formalities?" Naruto said. "Naruto will suffice."
"You've gotten smarter, dobe." Knowing that the blonde man wanted to restore their former friendship, he felt free to return to former names.
The Hokage ignored the name. "It comes with having Snake-sama as the head ANBU. She's almost as smart as Shikamaru, though I'd have to say, far from lazy. You have to be intelligent to understand her."
"Wanted to impress her, didn't you?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed in victory as he thought he gained the upper hand.
"Iie. I'm married. Didn't Snake-sama tell you?"
"I gave him no information that could be used against us, just in case he was not allowed to stay."
"Don't be so uptight! You can relax-"
"I'm on a mission. I cannot relax. That is deadly. Surely you know that, Hokage-sama?" Her voice cut through his own; it was sharp as a sword, deflating his obnoxious demeanor immediately.
"This mission isn't life threatening. And how many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to be so formal with me. I hate formalities. Call me Naruto." His eyes seemed to plead silently with the stoic woman. The others in the room were under the impression that this had happened many times before.
"Ah, that reminds me. My apprentice has something to ask you, Hokage-sama." She stated, pointedly disregarding his last statement completely and directing his attention to her apprentice.
"H-Hai. Ano, Hokage-sama, do you, ano, mind if I call you Naruto-kun?" The apprentice asked hesitantly. Her voice shrank to a squeak at the end.
Naruto sat back in his seat. His own wife didn't even call him that. She used 'koi.' Only Hinata had ever called him 'kun.' But, then again, this was her daughter.
He looked to the Snake ANBU. She showed no reaction. She was stiff; then again, she was always that way. "I guess you can. If you want to." He said slowly, still looking for a reaction from Snake. She was the one in charge of the child, so he wanted to take her lead. He got no such thing, so he went with his own judgement. "Hai, you can call me Naruto-kun." He said, nodding decisively.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun!" The apprentice's smile brightened the room.
"We will be going home now, if that is okay with you, Hokage-sama?" Snake's question broke Naruto's gaze from examining the svelte girl.
"Of course, Snake-chan, ano…I mean, Snake-sama." Naruto corrected his slip up instantaneously with slightly pink cheeks.
Her charges looked slightly incredulous, directing a look to the woman on the receiving end of their Hokage's slip up. Nothing in her demeanor changed even as the room dropped at least ten degrees in temperature and filled with faint killing intent.
She spun on her heel and removed herself from the room, calling harshly for the other two to follow her.
The two snake ANBU and the last Uchiha left the Hokage Tower and headed down the street. "Why did he call you 'chan,' Snake-sama?" Her apprentice asked, taking the words almost directly from Sasuke's mind. He would never have said them, but he was curious.
"He and I used to date. But I don't know him well enough for that anymore. I don't use terms that make me seem close to people when I am not. That's called deceiving. He knows more about me than most, but still, that's not much information."
"You and Naruto-kun used to go out?! Wow!" Her apprentice exclaimed.
"Heh. Better yet, you used to actually care enough to have a boyfriend?" Sasuke spoke tauntingly, derisively.
"Hai. I did. I don't anymore."
"Why, Snake-sama?" Her apprentice was confused, and she knew that unless she asked, her mentor would not elaborate.
"Because I don't need emotions anymore. Emotions only bring pain."
Everyone fell silent and no one spoke a word until they reached the Snakes' home. "Snake-chan, you can stay here, but I will need to move into the Uchiha Mansion for the next two years. I suppose if Uchiha says you may, you can stay there with us, but only if you wish. Will you please bring my things, and yours should you choose to stay, when you go home next? Until then, ja ne, and take care of yourself." Her speech ended with the order to bring their things because she knew her apprentice would decide to stay at the Mansion with them. Despite the fact that she told her apprentice that she could only stay with them if she got permission from Sasuke, the apprentice would be staying with Snake no matter what.
"Ja ne! And I will stay with you and bring our stuff over. If that's alright with Sasuke-san, I mean."
"Meh. I don't care." Sasuke grunted, "Two snakes will be just as bad as one."
"Hey!" The apprentice said indignantly.
"Don't forget you have to go back to the house and get our clothes and supplies to bring to the Uchiha Mansion." Her shishou reminded her of her work.
"Hai, Snake-sama. I'll see you in a few minutes."
"We're going to Ichiraku's to get lunch, Snake-chan, so join us there when you're done."
"Hai, Snake-sama." Snake's apprentice ran into their house, leaving the other snake and the Uchiha alone.
"I can actually go to Ichiraku's now?" Sasuke asked, sarcasm dripping off his every word.
"Of course. You're a villager now. You're allowed to move about the village." She answered his question anyway. The two made their way to Ichiraku's.
Once there, Sasuke ordered a bowl of ramen. "Itadakimasu," he murmured. Sasuke broke apart his chopsticks and dug in. After a few swift bites, he looked around the shop and recognized one of the people there. "Konbanwa, Sakura-san." He knew it was slightly out of character for him, but he wanted to know how his former friends had managed in the years since he had left.
Said person turned around to stare at him and Snake incredulously. "Are you two on a date?" Sakura asked, not recognizing her former crush until he was directly introduced.
Snake turned to glare at her, and though she couldn't see the glare, Sakura felt the cold intent. She knew the Snake did not anger easily, so she knew she must have said something atrocious to the other woman. The ANBU answered coolly. "Of course not. Do you not recognize the former 'heart-throb' of Konoha? The Uchiha has returned and been permitted to stay."
Sakura gasped, realizing what her assumption meant. "I'm sorry, Snake-sama. I didn't recognize him. Is that really Sasuke?" Sakura asked as though the man wasn't even there.
"Hai. I've been assigned to be his ANBU guard for the next two years."
"That explains why you're with him, but where is Snake-chan going to stay while you're with him?" Sakura didn't want to begin an awkward conversation with her once-crush, so she was doing everything she could to keep conversing with the mysterious Snake.
"She is staying at the Mansion with us." Snake fell silent, knowing what the pink haired medic was trying to accomplish.
"Sakura. How are you?" Sasuke asked, only slightly nervous as to how she would take his return.
"I'm fine." She answered stiffly. And let the discomfort begin. She continued to herself.
"It's been a while."
"Hai, it has."
"You've changed."
"So've you."
"Uchiha, she's married. She's not going to fall head over heels for you just because you've come back." Snake interjected into their conversation.
"To whom?" Her statement piqued his curiosity
"Naruto." Sakura answered automatically before her eyes dropped to her left hand, then the ground and her cheeks flushed a light pink.
"So you're the one who married the dobe."
"Hai. I know everyone in the village, help him with important papers, and know everything about him." Sakura narrowed her eyes as though she were challenging Sasuke.
"I've already gained the trust of both the Hokage and the head ANBU and I've only been here for one day."
"Stop your bragging match. Uchiha, you haven't gained my trust. I said we should give you a chance to gain it. Uzumaki-sama, everyone has secrets, and you should know better than to brag. I thought you learned that with Naruto."
Sakura bowed her head, thouroghly ashamed of her immature behavior. "Gomen, Snake-sama."
"Sasuke?" Ino asked from the entrance of Ichiraku's as she entered the shop with Shikamaru.
"Hai." Sasuke answered with reluctance.
"Shika-kun! Sasuke's back!" She screamed, though Shikamaru was right beside her.
"Aa. And he seems to be with Snake-sama, whom I'm sure doesn't appreciate all the noise."
"Ah! Gomen nasai, Snake-sama!"
"I don't mind. Nara-san does though."
"Mendokuse."
"Shika-kun!"
"What brings you here, Nara-san?" Snake-sama asked, smoothly avoiding the one-sided argument that she knew was about to begin.
Sasuke expected Shikamaru to answer, but Ino did. "We heard Sasuke returned. I wanted to see if it was true and Shika-kun wanted to come with me." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sent Snake a pleading look.
Snake looked towards Ino. "Why don't you catch up with the Uchiha? Hokage-sama wanted me to tell Nara-sama something confidential."
"Hai, Snake-sama." Ino moved to sit beside Sasuke while Snake scooted a few seats away from them beside Shikamaru.
"Ino, what are you doing here with Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked, confused.
"Snake-sama didn't tell you?! Shika-kun and I are married!"
Sasuke was shocked to say the least when she told him. "Really? Ano…congratulations?" It came out as more of a question than a sentence, but Ino missed the tone of it.
"Arigatou!
During Ino and Sasuke's conversation
"Arigato, Snake-sama. I love her, but sometimes she gets on my nerves. Especially when I just want to relax." Shikamaru said exasperatedly.
"Douitashimashite."
"I heard that you and Naruto used to date. Is that true?"
"How did you find out?" Snake asked, not really caring about the answer.
"Hearing gossip comes of having Ino as a wife." The man sighed good-naturedly, but was still alert to keep from making the woman uncomfortable or angry. When he married Ino, he became more adept at observing emotions. This trait was extremely helpful when the one he was observing was an emotionless ice queen.
"Aa. It's true."
"Did he break up with you?"
"Iie. I was the one who ended it."
"Why?"
"Personal issues."
"How has your job been going? Is it easy guarding Sasuke?" Quickly changing the subject, rather than pressing, just like she knew he would.
"Hai." Snake said, distractedly turning to look outside.
"Something worrying you?"
"Iie."
"You and I both know that's a lie." Shikamaru was one person who could accurately read her moods, despite her mask.
Snake turned to look at him. "Sometimes you're too smart for your own good. You of all people should know that an ANBU's business is an ANBU's business. When you ask and they say no, you don't continue pressing."
"But this isn't related to your ANBU job, is it? That's why you're not mad."
"Iie. I don't have need to be mad over such trivial things. It wouldn't do any good. What's said is said, what's done is done, there's nothing that getting mad can do to change it."
"You're avoiding the subject."
"One day, your curiosity is going to get you killed."
"At least I can say I wanted to learn new things." He retorted.
Snake narrowed her eyes before admitting to Shikamaru what was wrong. "Snake-chan was supposed to get our stuff and drop it off at the Uchiha Mansion. We've been here twenty minutes waiting for her. It should only have taken ten. She said she was going to be here as soon as she could. She should be here by now." Snake glanced at her lap.
"Maybe something happened. You never know, someone could have snuck past our defenses at worst case scenario."
Snake glanced up sharply. "Nara-san, how probable is that?"
"Not at all."
"That's an even worse lie than mine. Sayonara, Nara-san."
"Ja ne."
Snake walked by Sasuke, ordering him to get up and follow her. Then she ran out the door at a rapid pace. Snake used her chakra to speed up her running. "Why did you just get up and leave so suddenly?" Sasuke asked.
"Snake-chan may be in trouble."
(A/N: Please tell me what you think so far. Hehehe! Evil Cliffie! Gomen, but if I had to end it somewhere, didn't I? I accept all constructive criticism, but will ignore any and all flames. If you don't like it, onegai, don't read it, or tell me what's wrong and I'll try to fix it. But no flames? I'll try to update next Monday, but school is starting next Monday and things are going to get hectic. I hate school. My bestest friend ever moved to a new state, too. -cries something about loneliness and hides in a corner- Ja ne!)