Greetings! I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter, but I have two other stories that I'm working on at the same time and I try to write a chapter of each so that they don't get neglected.
Reviews: I've replied to all signed reviews through the reply feature on the site. I've replied to anonymous reviews on my website. You can find a link to it from my bio page.
Warnings: Violence and blood, mentions of what happened in Oto.
I love hearing from you, so feel free to leave a review. Also, constructive criticism is a great form of improvement, so if you notice something that needs work, please let me know. I don't have a beta for this story, so I apologize in advance for any and all mistakes. I try to find all of them, but I don't always catch everything.
Enjoy!
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Chapter 4: Dark Recesses of the Heart
"You are a foolish little boy."
The face that stared at him held a smirk. That alone was not unusual, because Naruto had seen plenty of smirks on that face. The hatred that accompanied the smirk, however, he was not used to. Nothing, not even Itachi, had ever made Sasuke's face as twisted and evil as Orochimaru was making it now.
"You shouldn't have come," Orochimaru said as he licked the blade of the sword he'd just run through Naruto's stomach. "Your friend is dead, and even if he weren't, he wouldn't want to go back to Konoha."
Naruto's anger, which he'd barely managed to reign in since he'd entered the compound, spiked and brought forth a surge of the fox's chakra. The razor thin line that separated his consciousness from that of the demon momentarily blurred, and, for a split second, Naruto existed as a being of pure rage. Power surged through his body, and he rejoiced in knowing that nothing, not even this pesky human in front of him, could stand in his way.
As soon as he was able to think again, Naruto pushed the bloodlust back into the dark part of his mind where it belonged. The only time he'd lost control of the demon's power had almost cost Jiraiya his life, and he'd sworn then that he would never lose to the demon's darker urges ever again. He wasn't sure, however, if he would be able to control the demon a second time, so he had to end this confrontation quickly, before Orochimaru used Naruto's momentary lapse to his advantage.
"You are a liar," Naruto said, his voice rough, almost a growl. "You told Kakashi that Sasuke was still in there somewhere."
Orochimaru laughed and ran his hands through Sasuke's too long hair. The Sharingan eyes bore into Naruto, causing him to shiver in both anticipation and fear.
"Kakashi didn't die?" Orochimaru asked as he circled around Naruto. "What a pity."
Naruto turned with him, keeping Orochimaru in his sights. Naruto was fast, much faster than anyone else in Konoha, but Orochimaru was a hair faster. Sasuke's Sharingan gave him a clear advantage, which had been used against Naruto too many times already.
"Konoha is still in one piece, you bastard," Naruto said. "You didn't destroy it either."
Orochimaru stopped circling and crossed his arms, uncaring of the fact that the left arm was gushing blood from where Naruto had almost sliced it off with a Rasengan.
"Why do you love that place so much?" Orochimaru asked. "Sasuke's memories tell me that you want to be Hokage, because you want to protect those mindless bastards. Why? Why would you protect those that hate you?"
Naruto's heart was momentarily filled with the sadness that still plagued him when the villager's treatment of him was brought up. The sadness was overshadowed by the disgust he felt at hearing Orochimaru mention his dream, however. He felt betrayed, even though he knew Sasuke had probably not willingly told Orochimaru about him or his dream.
"The Hokages are all idealistic fools," Orochimaru said when Naruto didn't speak.
"For someone who thinks that being Hokage is a waste, you sure reacted strongly when Sandaime Hokage didn't choose you as his successor," Naruto finally said. "Then again, Yondaime Hokage was a much more honorable man that you could ever hope to be."
Orochimaru laughed. "Yondaime Hokage is the perfect example," he said. "The idiot died sealing that demon inside you. What did he get out of it but an early grave? The villagers didn't even follow his last request, and they claim to revere him."
"What last request?" Naruto asked despite himself. He knew nothing of the Yondaime Hokage and he couldn't help but be curious.
Orochimaru bared his teeth. "He wanted you to be seen as a hero, Naruto-kun" he replied, his voice sickly sweet. "Yondaime wanted the villagers to respect his sacrifice and his legacy."
The words hit Naruto like a slap in the face. Yondaime had wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero? Why hadn't they?
Orochimaru suddenly disappeared, and it took Naruto a half second too long to realize where the snake had gone. When Orochimaru reappeared, Naruto had been pushed against the nearest wall and had a two handed Chidori buried in his chest. Naruto gasped, and choked on the blood that rushed up his throat. He spit it out, and it landed on Sasuke's face, coating it red to match his eyes. .
Naruto was numb. He felt the effects of the Chidori and had no doubt that it was still active. Sasuke's familiar face was inches from his own, and even though the eyes were the same and the face was the same, the persona behind them was much more sinister.
Suddenly, the eyes blinked. The Sharingan deactivated, leaving Naruto staring at confused, onyx eyes.
"Naruto?"
The voice was Sasuke's, not Orochimaru's. The face had softened a bit, even though anger still shone through. Naruto wasn't going to be fooled, however. Kakashi had told him that Orochimaru had spoken to him with Sasuke's voice to throw him off guard, and he couldn't afford to lose any more ground.
"I'm not going to fall for it, you bastard," Naruto choked out as he forced the demon's chakra to travel to his arms and give them the mobility he desperately needed.
Orochimaru was finally close enough to touch. If Naruto was going to perform the releasing seal, he had to do it now, before Orochimaru moved away.
"What's happening?" Orochimaru, using Sasuke's voice, asked.
Naruto stared at the face of his best friend and for a moment wondered if the confusion and concern in those black eyes was real. Orochimaru's eyes traveled to his hands, which were still buried in Naruto's chest. His eyes widened and the Chidori deactivated. Orochimaru started to pull his arms out, but Naruto forced himself to grab on to Orochimaru's shirt, and then performed the seals that Sakura had spent the last year drilling into him. He channeled a good portion of the chakra he had left into those seals and when he was finished, placed his hands on the closets surface, Orochimaru's chest.
"Release!"
Orochimaru's black eyes widened and he screamed, first in Sasuke's voice and then in his own voice. The hands buried in Naruto's chest were roughly pulled out as Orochimaru began to spasm, and Naruto dropped to his knees, choking on his own blood. His vision became blurry and he had to force himself to stay on his knees.
Naruto coughed blood into his hand and rubbed it against the other hand so that both palms were equally soaked in blood. He looked at Orochimaru, who had fallen to the floor beside Naruto. His eyes were closed, but his body continued to spasm. Suddenly, the body became still and black energy lifted off of Sasuke's body. It looked as if Sasuke had shed a very dark, very malignant skin.
The energy hissed and transformed into the shape of a snake. It moved towards Naruto, who used the last of his strength to form a second set of seals, more complicated than the first. He was fueling the technique with his own blood and the demon's chakra. As the energy hit him, Naruto lifted his hands and formed the last seal: the tiger.
"Disperse!"
There was an ear splitting shriek, before the energy dispersed like confetti. The pieces burned brightly as they floated up to the ceiling, before disappearing entirely. Naruto dropped to all fours, breathing heavily from the chakra drain and blood loss.
"Hurry up and heal me, you stupid fox," he muttered to the demon that was already healing the most severe damage.
It was going to take a while, though, and he wasn't going to be able to replace the blood he'd lost very quickly. Once his vision wasn't so blurry, he slowly made his way towards Sasuke. The young man looked so still, so dead. Tentatively, Naruto reached out with a bloody hand to touch the place where his hands had burned through the shirt, and Naruto could see the seal that he'd placed on Sasuke's skin. He was relieved to see Sasuke's chest slowly rising and falling as he breathed.
"Hang in there, Sasuke, I'll take you home."
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The banging of his front door against the wall startled Naruto out of his nightmare and he jerked upright on the couch he'd fallen asleep on. His chakra flared at the perceived danger, and in the blink of an eye was on his feet and on top of the intruder. He'd shoved the man against a wall and brought the tip of a shuriken to his neck before Naruto realized who he was staring at.
"What are you doing, Iruka," Naruto yelled, all formality for his former teacher forgotten in his surprise. He stepped away from the elder man and put the shuriken away.
"I'm sorry, but I felt your chakra spike and heard you yell," Iruka explained as he holstered the three kunai he was holding. "My only concern was to make sure you were okay."
Naruto had to smile at his friend's concern. It was no surprise to Naruto that Iruka cared that much about him, but it still felt good every time he experienced Iruka's protectiveness.
"I was asleep," Naruto said. "I think I was having a nightmare."
Naruto closed his door and motioned for Iruka to take a seat on the couch. He then went to the kitchen and put some water on the stove to boil for tea.
"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" Iruka asked.
Naruto sighed. The only bad part about Iruka's concern was that he would not be content with Naruto's assurance that everything was fine. The nightmare, more of a memory, really, still clung to Naruto like a second skin and he needed a minute to pull himself out of it. He felt phantom pains where the Chidori had pierced skin, bones, and organs, and had to resist the urge to rub at his chest. In the end, the foolish plan he'd undertaken had worked out, but it all could have gone so horribly wrong.
"You can't tell me that everything is okay, Naruto," Iruka said when Naruto didn't reply. "You were terrified. As soon as I got close enough to feel your chakra, I felt your terror."
Naruto shivered slightly as a piece of the memory surfaced and he forcibly shoved it to the back of his mind. As much as he respected and cared for Iruka, Naruto didn't think that he could put that memory into words. He had been terrified. Never before had he felt such overwhelming terror and helplessness, and it was through sheer force of will, and luck, that he was still standing. It was a terror, however, that he would keep to himself. No one else needed to bear the burden with him, and he was glad that Sasuke didn't remember the confrontation.
"Naruto," Iruka began again, but was interrupted when the tea pot whistled.
Naruto took the distraction gratefully. He left his friend for a moment to go make tea, and used the time to fully prepare himself for what was to come. A talk with Iruka was unavoidable at this point, but Naruto had to make sure that all of his emotions were well hidden away before he even opened his mouth. He muted his chakra to a level that he could maintain constant, to prevent Iruka from reading it to determine his state of mind. After all, he didn't want to give Iruka more reason to worry.
When the tea was finished, Naruto took it back to the living room. He handed Iruka a cup and then sat beside Iruka, his legs crossed under him. The heat of the tea bled into his hands and Naruto took what comfort he could from it.
"What happened when you went to Oto? How did you manage to bring Sasuke back?" Iruka asked.
Naruto almost sighed in relief at the change in topic, but wisely refrained from doing so. He took a small sip of tea and winced as the liquid burned down his throat, momentarily reminding him of what it had been like to feel his blood rushing to his mouth.
"Most of it is a blur," Naruto finally said. "I remember thinking on the way there that this was the one chance I had, that if I failed this time, I was going to lose my life and more than likely push Orochimaru towards attacking Konoha once again."
He paused for a moment and regarded his former teacher. If there was anyone in his life that he could truly be honest with, Iruka was that man. Their relationship had become rather distant when Naruto decided to devote his time to training, but Iruka had never held that against him. The elder ninja had always been available with a friendly ear when Naruto had stopped by, which had meant a great deal to the young man. Naruto would honor the man's loyalty now by trusting him with a small piece of the ordeal.
"When I got there, I lost it, Iruka-sensei," Naruto finally continued. "I couldn't tell you how many ninjas I encountered or who they were. I don't even remember how I knew where to go once I got inside the compound. All I remember feeling is a need to get to where Sasuke was."
Naruto paused to gather his spinning thoughts into some semblance of order. Iruka watched him carefully, his face guarded.
"I felt like I was being pulled," Naruto finally continued. "The fox was very close to the surface, urging me to kill or be killed."
Iruka's eyes widened at the admission, but the man remained quiet.
"I could tell that even that felt wrong," Naruto added.
"How was it wrong?" Iruka asked.
Naruto shook his head, momentarily unable to put into words what he'd felt at the time. He wrung his hands together nervously, even now feeling the prickle of energy that had washed over him as soon as he'd entered Orochimaru's compound.
"The demon has always been violent," Naruto admitted, "but after all of these years, we've come to an understanding. There was something pulling at the demon as well, making him more violent then usual."
"Do you think it was something Orochimaru was doing?" Iruka asked.
"It could have been. He wasn't surprised when I finally found him, so he had to have known I was close from the moment I breached his defenses."
Iruka remained quiet, lost in his own thoughts, for a long moment. Naruto looked down at his hands, suddenly unable to meet his friend's eyes.
"The fight with Orochimaru couldn't have been easy," Iruka finally said.
"No," Naruto replied, still not meeting Iruka's eyes.
He said nothing more and silence reigned once again, until Iruka sighed.
"I'll respect your wish for silence, Naruto, but I want you to know that if at some point, you do want to share that with me, you're more than welcome to."
Naruto finally looked up to see a small smile on Iruka's face.
"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Naurto said, thanking the man for more than just his offer.
Naruto could clearly see the indecision in his friend's eyes and wondered how long it would take for Iruka to make up his mind on whether or not to say what was on his mind. Naruto didn't have to wait very long.
"Why didn't you tell anyone of your plans?" Iruka finally asked. "It was dangerous for you and Sakura to do this alone."
"Who would we have told?" Naruto countered. "We didn't want to take the risk of Tsunade finding out and stopping us."
"Did Kakashi know?" Iruka asked.
Naruto shook his head. "He wouldn't have let us go through with it if he knew."
Iruka nodded in agreement. "How did you get back? I can't imagine the fight with Orochimaru leaving either of you in good shape."
"Jiraiya pulled the truth out of Sakura and he got to us in time."
Iruka smiled. "I'm glad to know that the old pervert is good for something."
Naruto laughed. "He's a good guy, when he's on your side."
They shared the companionable silence for a good while, until Iruka broke it.
"What's going to happen now? Sasuke's return is not going to be handled well by any of the villagers, not to mention the other ninja. Resentments tend to run very deep in this village."
"I know," Naruto replied. "We'll just have to deal with it as it comes."
"What about you?" Iruka continued. "How are you?"
Naruto smiled. "I'm fine, Iruka-sensei," he automatically replied.
Iruka raised a stern eyebrow, like he used to do at the academy when he'd caught Naruto in a lie. Naruto cringed under the scrutiny, feeling like a ten-year-old all over again. Iruka would never lose that power over him, no matter how old Naruto got.
"I'll be fine," he corrected. "What's done is done."
There was a note of finality to that statement that seemed to touch something in Iruka, because the man's face suddenly became sad. He stared at Naruto with eyes that made Naruto wish, not for the first time, that he could read what was going on behind them.
"There's something else, isn't there, Naruto?"
Now it was Naruto's turn to be caught off guard. During the past six years, Naruto had perfected the act of keeping his feelings hidden, so it still surprised him when Iruka was able to read him anyway. Naruto contemplated lying to his friend, but that lasted only for a second or two. Iruka would more than likely read the lie anyway, and he'd be in deeper trouble for it. He took a deep breath to calm himself and released it slowly.
"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do now," Naruto finally admitted.
Iruka regarded him silently, waiting for Naruto to continue at his own pace.
"I'm not foolish enough to expect things to go back to the way they were when I was twelve. Everything's changed now, Iruka-sensei. I'm not who I was then and Sasuke has been through something that I can't possibly imagine."
Naruto paused to fight the guilt that threatened to claw its way to the surface and the sting of tears in his eyes.
"Sasuke told Sakura and me that we'd made a mistake in bringing him back, that we'd brought back only a shell of what used to be our friend," Naruto added, his voice barely above a whisper. "What if he's right? What if we can't help him get back to some semblance of normal? What do we do then?"
Iruka set his cup on the table in front of them, the sound of the porcelain hitting the wood sounding as loud as a gun going off.
"Do you regret the last six years?" Iruka finally asked. "Do you regret the sacrifices you made in searching for Sasuke? Do you regret defying everything you knew on a reckless risk that could have put all of us in danger?"
Naruto was speechless for a moment in the wake of Iruka's heartfelt questions. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound issued forth. He had to try a few times before his voice returned to him.
"Of course I don't regret any of it, Iruka-sensei," Naruto finally replied. "I wouldn't take any of it back."
"There is your answer, Naruto," Iruka replied. "Look forward and know that you'll be strong enough to deal with the consequences of your actions."
Naruto stared at his teacher, wondering when the man had become so damn wise, before he gave Iruka a small, genuine smile. Iruka patted Naruto's cheek, before ruffling his hair.
"Stop that, Iruka-sensei," Naruto yelled as he moved away from the offending hand. "I'm not a kid anymore!"
"Naruto, you're always going to be a kid in my eyes," Iruka said. "How about we go out for an early dinner, my treat?"
Naruto's smile transformed into a full grin as he jumped off the couch.
"Ichiraku here we come," Naruto said and practically pulled his former teacher off the couch and out the door.
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Sasuke found his newfound freedom strange.
For the last three years, he'd lived in a corner of his mind, watching as someone else lived the life that was supposed to be his. He'd lived for those small moments when he could regain control of his body and participate in the world around him. Sasuke was always punished for the indiscretion, but all of the pain Orochimaru inflicted on him had been worth it, if only to momentarily feel that he was still alive.
Now that he was the only resident in his mind, Sasuke found himself still expecting to feel Orochimaru's presence. Twice since he'd left Naruto and his friends, Sasuke thought that he'd felt a trace of Orochimaru still in his mind. In those instances, Sasuke had stood absolutely still and had retreated to his own place in his mind, waiting for the snake to come forth and rage at him for defying him. Nothing had happened and Sasuke had slowly come out of his hiding place and resumed control of his body.
The last incident, which had happened as he'd walked by the pier he used to spend so much time sitting on, had left him edgy and confused. What was wrong with him? He was free and back where he was supposed to be. Why couldn't he simply accept that?
"It shouldn't be this hard," Sasuke whispered to himself as he trudged down the street.
He'd spent the last two hours wondering around the village, visiting places he'd known well but that now felt alien and unwelcome. After the tension and constant vigilance that he'd had to endure while he'd been in Oto, before Orochimaru had taken over his body, Konoha's relaxed atmosphere made Sasuke want to scream. Why weren't these people more concerned about their welfare? Didn't they understand that someone could come over the walls and kill them at any moment?
Sasuke had made the mistake of walking by the academy and had been rewarded with a barrage of memories that he'd thought he'd buried long ago. The one that came to the forefront had, interestingly enough, nothing to do with him. Instead, Sasuke had found himself by the empty playground, picturing a much younger Naruto sitting on one of the swings, watching as parents led their children away to their homes. Naruto had never known, but Sasuke had sometimes watched Naruto just sit there with a look of sadness and longing on his face. He'd watched the blonde boy because he'd wondered if that was what his own face had looked like when he walked into his empty house.
The moment had been shattered when a little girl had come running by him and promptly tripped over some loose stones, scraping her knees. She's started to cry, and Sasuke had reached out to pick her up before he'd realized he'd moved. Before he'd reached her, however, her father had pushed him aside and picked up the child himself. After warning Sasuke not to touch his daughter and telling him a few more choice words, the man had left. Sasuke had decided then that he'd had enough of the village and had headed home.
He had not paid attention to what route he'd chosen on his way out of the main part of the village and suddenly found himself in the middle of the shopping district. The street was very crowded and he bumped into a couple of people. As soon as they realized who had bumped into them, their faces had gone white with terror and they'd quickly moved away from him. The reaction stung more than Sasuke wanted to admit, but he kept his eyes forward and his face impassive.
He'd almost made it out of the shopping district when a comment caught his attention and made him stop in the middle of the busy street.
"Is that who I think it is?"
Sasuke turned to find a young woman staring at him from in front of a dress shop. Her eyes were wide and she had her hands clasped in front of her chest. Another woman stood beside her, and when she noticed that Sasuke was watching them, she spit in his direction.
"Yeah, that's the traitor," the second woman said loudly to her companion. "He's the one that almost destroyed the village last year."
A man exited the small shop next to the one the two women were standing in front of and stopped in his tracks when he noticed Sasuke.
"What do you want?" the man said. "Are you here to finish what you started last year? Leave!"
The fear in the man's eyes, and the contempt in the women's, plucked at a string Sasuke had thought he'd buried when he'd left for Oto. He'd never cared what people thought of him before, but he found that the man's words cut deep and left a gaping wound. Sasuke grit his teeth and turned away from them. A small crowd had formed all around him, and they now pointed at him and whispered amongst themselves.
"How could the Hokage have let him come back here?" a man said. "That's just asking for trouble."
"Why isn't he being punished for what he's done?" a woman asked.
"He shouldn't be allowed to roam the streets like us," another man said.
There were no more than twenty people gathered, but Sasuke could see that more were coming to see what the commotion was all about. Deciding that it was time to end this, Sasuke did what he was sure would send them all running. He reached up and unbound the leather tie that held his hair. It cascaded down his back and around his face, and a few people actually gasped. Sasuke, in turn, glared into the crowd. The few people he locked eyes with immediately looked away.
"You are entitled to think what you want," Sasuke finally said.
Without another word, he resumed his walk back to his neighborhood. He didn't quicken his pace, even though he wanted to get away from the stares he could still feel on him as soon as possible. He felt something warm on his right hand and looked to see that his fingernails had drawn blood when he'd clenched it. He wiped the palm on his black pants and forced his shoulders to relax and put the encounter out of his mind.
He had almost made it out of the village's residential area when he felt them. There were four ninja behind him, moving slowly, but definitely after him. They weren't the ANBU that had followed him all day, because Sasuke felt their chakra somewhere ahead of him. The ninja were carefully masking their chakra so all Sasuke felt from them was purpose. They were experienced, if it had taken Sasuke this long to notice them.
Sasuke quickened his pace a bit. If there was going to be a confrontation, he wanted it to be out of the residential area and closer to his deserted neighborhood. He had almost made it to the gates of the Uchiha neighborhood when he felt a shuriken arcing towards his head. He turned and easily caught it.
"You should know better than to give me a weapon," Sasuke said and twirled the shuriken around his finger.
Two ninja appeared in front of him; both dressed in jounin uniforms and black masks. He felt the other two take up positions behind him, and he didn't have to turn around to realize that they, too, were jounin and had more than likely also concealed their identities.
"So what are you going to do with that, impale one of us with it?" one of the jounin in front of him said.
Sasuke shrugged. "That would be a waste of my time."
He threw the shuriken at the man who had spoken, purposely aiming it to go close, but not touch, the ninja. He smirked when the man jumped out of the way. He had strict orders from the Hokage not to engage in any spars, fights, or handle any weapons. He was also forbidden from using ninjutsu, genjutsu, the Sharingan, and he was especially forbidden to use his summons. In effect, the Hokage had tied Sasuke's hands behind his back. These ninja were more than likely aware of that, which was why they felt they could approach him out in the open.
"Since you see fit to walk among the villagers like you've done nothing wrong, we thought we'd show you what we think of traitors around here."
Sasuke didn't turn around to see which of the men behind him had spoken. He didn't really care. If these idiots came close to him, he would just leave. They couldn't cross the Uchiha gates, because if they did, Sasuke had a right to defend himself and his property, which he was sure the ninja were well aware of as well. Granted, the property wasn't exactly his, but these idiots probably didn't know that.
Suddenly, a fifth chakra signature registered in Sasuke's mind. He'd barely moved to dodge the attack, when a hand came up out of the ground, grabbed his legs and forced him to his knees. His hands immediately went to perform a seal, but then thought better of it. The other ninja used the opportunity and grabbed his hair, forcing his head back. The ninja put a kunai to Sasuke's throat hard enough to draw blood. Sasuke stood deathly still both to avoid getting cut deeper and to avoid further aggravating the men.
"We could kill you right now if we wanted," the man whose kunai was at Sasuke's throat said.
"Then why don't you," Sasuke hissed, the movement causing the kunai to further slice into his throat. "Do us all a favor."
Sasuke's arms were at his sides and it would take very little to pull the kunai away from the man. However, there were four others, including the one that had his hands wrapped around Sasuke's legs. If he extracted himself from the two that were holding him, what would the others do? Would they turn even deadlier when fear got the better of them?
"Does attacking a man that you know can't defend himself make you feel more like a ninja?"
The voice startled the man holding him and Sasuke could feel the man's body move as he looked for the person that had spoken. Sasuke inwardly groaned at his predicament. Of all the people that could have found them, why did it have to be that old man?
"Are you on his side?" the ninja holding Sasuke said. "You would protect a traitor?"
"I'm not protecting anyone," the older man said. "I'm sure Sasuke could take the five of you out without breaking a sweat, if the Hokage had not given him reasons to do otherwise. I simply find it disgusting that you would resort to something like this."
The man's kunai suddenly withdrew from Sasuke's throat and he was shoved forward. He caught himself with his hands, and by the time he'd gotten to his feet, the five ninja were gone.
"I could have taken care of that, Jiraiya," Sasuke said as he dusted his hands on his pants.
"I'm sure you would have," Jiraiya replied as he jumped down from the roof he'd been perched on to stand beside Sasuke. "Like I said, I find it disgusting that they would take advantage of the Hokage's orders like that."
Sasuke shrugged and continued his walk. He pushed his hair out of his face and fished in his pocket for the leather tie.
"The hair alone freaks them out," Jiraiya commented as he fell into step beside Sasuke.
"I know," Sasuke replied as he finished the ponytail. "Why do you think I haven't had it cut?"
The two men walked in silence until the Uchiha gates came into view.
"Where are you going?" Sasuke asked as he realized that the hermit had no intention of stopping.
"What do you mean where am I going?" the man asked. "You have been officially made my responsibility and I am going to make sure that you're not going to be living in a slum."
"What?" Sasuke asked. "What do you mean 'your responsibility'"?
Both men stood outside of the Uchiha neighborhood and glared at each other. Sasuke found his temper raising a notch every minute Jiraiya spent glaring at him in silence.
"Answer me!"
Jiraiya sighed. "Tsunade has decided that, since I brought you back, you are my responsibility," the man finally said. "I'm to make sure that you adhere to the rules she has set forth and to see that you have what you need."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the man's words, but he fought down the anger that was quickly replacing the annoyance he'd felt when Jiraiya had first appeared. He shouldn't be surprised. It was in the Hokage's best interest to keep a close eye on Sasuke, and who better to do it than her old teammate?
"Kakashi knows me better," Sasuke said. "He's better suited to watch me."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Kakashi didn't drag your, and Naruto's, sorry ass back here and then drag Tsunade and Shizune out of bed so that they could heal you. In Tsunade's eyes, that makes you my responsibility."
"What about Naruto? Isn't he already your responsibility?" Sasuke asked, looking for any excuse to get this man away from him as soon as possible. Orochimaru's memories of this man were warring with his own, limited ones, and Sasuke was afraid that if Jiraiya didn't leave soon, he was going to let something slip.
"Naruto has come a long way from when you knew him," Jiraiya said, unmistakable pride in his voice, "he doesn't need me to watch him. You, however, do."
The explanation only worked to incense Sasuke further.
"I'm not a child in need of constant attention," Sasuke countered. "When I was, no one was around to give it."
Sasuke shut his mouth with a click as soon as that last phrase had left it. What the hell was wrong with him? The man standing in front of him could care less about his sorry past, and Sasuke had thought that he'd long ago buried the childish feelings surrounding his clan's massacre.
Jiraiya examined him for a moment, leaving Sasuke feeling exposed and making him feel very small.
"Well, kid, you have that attention now," Jiraiya said and entered the Uchiha neighborhood ahead of Sasuke, who had no choice but to follow him.
&&&&
The sound of glass shattering echoed off the walls of the kitchen, making Sakura jump.
"Damn it!" she yelled as she took a step back to avoid the soup that she'd just spilled all over her floor.
She took her apron off and threw it over the mess to contain it while she got her cleaning supplies out of the closet. As she rummaged for the mop, she heard someone knocking on the front door.
"Come it, it's open!" she yelled, hoping that whoever it was heard her.
When she had what she needed, she turned around and shrieked when she almost ran into someone.
"Geez, you're jumpy this evening," Ino said.
"You scared me, Ino."
Ino put her hands on her hips and stared at Sakura. "You told me to come in."
Sakura sighed and went about picking up the mess she'd made on the floor.
"The soup had ended up really good, too," Sakura said, bemoaning the loss of the dish she'd spent hours making.
"Are you expecting company, Sakura? It looks like you're cooking for an army."
Sakura shrugged sheepishly. "You're the only one I'm expecting, Ino, but I was going to stop by Naruto's later and take him and Sasuke some food."
Sakura returned to the remaining dishes, pointedly ignoring the look Ino gave her. The two women remained quiet for a moment, until Ino broke the silence.
"How long were you planning on keeping it a secret?" Ino asked and Sakura winced at the betrayal she heard in her friend's voice.
Sakura sighed. She had expected Ino to be the first to stop by, and her long time friend hadn't disappointed her. If anything, Sakura was surprised that Ino hadn't grilled her while they'd been at Ichiraku earlier.
"We couldn't tell anyone, Ino, it was too risky."
It was Ino's turn to sigh. The young woman pulled out a stool and sat down at the small table where Sakura was chopping vegetables. Sakura felt the woman's eyes on her and it unnerved her that Ino just wouldn't say what was on her mind.
"I wouldn't have told anyone," Ino finally said.
Sakura put the knife down on the chopping board harder than she'd intended, which made Ino wince. She took a few breaths to calm herself. Why did talking to Ino always have to feel like an inquisition?
"It wasn't a matter of you saying anything or not, Ino," Sakura said. "We couldn't tell anyone, not until we either accomplished what we wanted or failed miserably."
Silence reigned once again, but it was Sakura who broke it this time.
"Naruto would have paid the price if we'd failed, since he went alone."
Guilt washed over her, as it always did when she thought about the fact that she'd agreed to the plan regardless of the consequences. Naruto had succeeded, but if he'd failed… Sakura didn't even want to think about that.
"Why, Sakura?" Ino asked. "After all of this time, why still go after him?"
Sakura fought the anger the questions brought, because they weren't new and she knew that anger would have no effect on Ino anyway. The woman was stubborn and had known Sakura long enough to know how to deal with her. Besides, this wasn't a conversation that either of them hadn't had before, except that this time, bringing Sasuke back was a reality, not a hopeless dream.
"If Shikamaru or Choji were in trouble, you'd go after them, right?" Sakura asked.
"Not if they turned traitor," Ino quickly responded.
Sakura's smile was bitter when she regarded her friend. "You say that now, Ino, but if it ever actually happened, you'd be hard pressed to stick to your words, even if a childish crush was not involved."
Ino returned the stare for a moment, but broke it off a moment later. She placed her hands on top of the table, and Sakura could see that they were shaking slightly.
"Sasuke was our teammate," Sakura said, answering Ino's earlier question. "He was our responsibility and we just couldn't let him go."
"So what happens now? You saw yourself how the villager's reacted to him. You and Naruto have brought him back to a village where he'll be feared and scorned, and you two will be hated and scorned because of it."
The knife that had been in Sakura's hands suddenly wasn't, and Ino turned to see that it had been embedded in the nearest wall.
"What would you have had us do, leave him with Orochimaru to be used, and move on like he was never a part of our lives?"
Ino opened her mouth to reply, but Sakura cut her off.
"I know that he made a choice to leave, Ino! Why does everyone keep telling us that? Are Naruto and I the only ones that still believe in loyalty to a teammate, a friend?"
Sakura slumped into the nearest stool and rested her head on her hands. Tears threatened to spill, but she fought them off. She'd cried enough already and she would not give Ino the satisfaction of seeing her cry now.
The tense silence was broken by Ino's chuckle. "You're as stubborn as ever, Haruno," the young woman said, "and you have my support. I just hope that you're ready for the heartache that is going to come from this."
Sakura raised her head and found her friend smiling fondly at her.
"Naruto and I wouldn't have done it if we weren't willing to pay the price."
The conversation was interrupted by a rather urgent knock on the door.
"I'll get it," Ino said and left Sakura alone in the kitchen to gather her thoughts and pull herself together. She pulled the knife she'd thrown out of the wall, washed it, and resumed chopping vegetables.
Voices from the living room caught her attention. She wasn't expecting anyone and most people that stopped by called her first. Who would be coming now?
"Slow down you idiot," Ino shouted from the living room, "You're going to break something."
Sakura frowned, but before she could ask who Ino was talking to, she found herself face to face with Rock Lee, Choji, Shikamaru, Yamaguchi Akira, and Takahashi Kumiko.
"What the hell are you all doing here?" Sakura asked, rather annoyed at the unexpected company. "Don't you people know to call ahead?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and strolled over to the other end of the kitchen and sat himself on the small window seat. Choji had made his way to the stove to smell what she was cooking, while Lee had come to stand directly in front of her. It was Lee who finally spoke.
"Is it true? Is Uchiha Sasuke really back?" Lee asked.
"We just got back from our mission and heard the news," Kumiko, Lee's teammate and fellow medic ninja said.
"That's just weird," Akira, Lee's other teammate, added. "I've never met the guy, but the whole damn town is talking about it."
Sakura sighed. "Why didn't you go bug Naruto instead?" she asked.
Lee's eyes widened. "Why would we, when we know you so much better?" he asked and winked at her.
"Naruto wasn't at his apartment," Shikamaru said. "We went there first."
Resigned, Sakura threw the vegetables she'd chopped into the frying pan. "Choji, make the rice so I can feed all of these people."
Choji did as asked and in no time, the two of them had dinner prepared. So much for the food she was going to take Naruto and Sasuke.
"Let's eat," Sakura said as she shoved everyone into the dining room. "You can ask all the questions you want then."
Shikamaru, who was the last one to leave the kitchen, stopped beside her.
"I tried to discourage them from coming, but they were curious," he said.
"Its okay, Shikamaru, they're here; they might as well hear the truth before they start believing the rumors."
Sakura took a deep breath and prepared herself the long evening ahead.
&&&&
"Are we certain that it was a ninja from Konoha?"
Yukio, the leader of Kirigakure's ANBU, was quick with is reply. "It wasn't just any ninja from Konoha, my lord; it was Kakashi the Copy Ninja."
The Mizukage was immediately on alert.
"Why would Konoha send Kakashi unless they're planning an attack?" the man asked.
"They might have been warned of our recent movements and have sent the copy ninja to confirm what they'd heard," Hisato, the Mizukage's closest advisor replied. "If that is the case, they will soon be on alert."
The Mizukage stood and paced the length of his office. "According to our information, Konoha has still not recovered from the attack from Oto last year," he said. "They are defenseless while all they have for protection is snot nosed Genin. If we are to take advantage of the situation, we should do so right now."
"They have the vessel of the nine-tailed fox," Yukio pointed out. "He's a formidable ninja, if the reports are to be believed."
"He can be taken out first," Hisato stated. "From what I've seen in the reports, the boy lives on the outskirts of the village, in a sparsely populated area. If we can get over the wall at a point closest to him, we should have little difficulty in getting rid of him."
The Mizukage nodded his agreement. "Yukio, put together a small, but highly specialized squad. While you are away we will prepare our forces and head for Konoha. We will meet there."
Yukio grinned as he bowed to his leader. "I will do as you ask with pleasure, my lord. I will have my squad ready for inspection first thing in the morning."
The Mizukage nodded and dismissed the two men. When they were gone, he headed for the windows that lined his office and he studied the water that surrounded them. His village had been in the shadows for far too long and he finally had the resources to do something about it. Konoha was weak, and if he succeeded in conquering it, it would send word to the other hidden villages that they were not to be opposed. If he were fortunate enough, he might even be able to negotiate a treaty with Otogakure.
The Mizukage smiled. Patience was a virtue that many men lacked, but one that would bring him glory very soon.
&&&&
See, there is a plot after all. It just took me a bit to get to it.