"May I see your travel papers?"
Sasuke's stomach felt like it was full of acid-covered rocks. Sifu handed over the specific papers, and the gate guard (Izumo?) documented their entry.
"Standing orders for you, Iroh, are to report to the Hokage upon entry. Would you like to have someone escort you, or are you comfortable going by yourself?"
Sifu bowed and smiled disarmingly. "I think I and my nephew will be able to find our way there unassisted, but thank you."
Sasuke turned on his heel and entered a village he hadn't seen in years. He kept close to his shishou, though he felt distinctly like he did as a child hiding behind the safety of his mother's skirts.
Konoha looked… pretty much the same. He didn't recognize many of the people, if any, but that wasn't surprising. Sasuke had entirely stopped being social after his family died, and tended to outright avoid people.
That was both a curse and a blessing now.
He was very glad no one knew him well enough to pick him out in the crowd, clinging to the frame of an elderly man, after having made such a dramatic exit from the village three years prior.
On the other hand, it… hurt.
Konoha didn't feel like a home to him. The concept of it suited him more than the actual village. It was just a place he'd spent most of his life, it gave him no feelings whatsoever.
He had always thought that coming back would have been more of an event, like a turning point in his life. And though Sifu insisted it was, it certainly wasn't the triumphant return his revenge-obsessed younger self had dreamed about.
Had all his goals amounted to was killing a man and reviving a clan? That was both a tall and mundane order for a twelve-year-old. Couldn't he have wanted to become heavyweight champion of the world, or a professional bijuu trainer? It would certainly take a bad-ass of epic proportion to make the Kyuubi operate a unicycle on command.
"Haru, kindly cease making that face. It is most disturbing."
Sasuke coaxed his facial muscles into something less menacing, only pausing slightly as they passed into the Hokage Tower. He fought the urge to dry swallow, and remedied his posture. He couldn't let the Hokage see him as a cowering child. He was an adult shinobi (though for a shinobi, he was probably incredibly out of shape, without that kind of constant training), and a clan head. Of a clan of one, but the title was what was important.
They stopped outside the Hokage's office, and Sasuke started to panic again. He could feel the heat rising on his face, and his heartbeat rose until it felt like rolling thunder in his chest.
A hand fell on his shoulder, and he met Sifu's comforting gaze. Sasuke's traitorous heart slowed enough that he was able to nod back, and took a deep breath.
Tsunade stared blankly at the dark-eyed teenager before her for a long moment, before levelling her gaze at the man who had brought him here.
"So, Iroh-san, I see you have brought Sasuke Uchiha back to us."
The man in question gave a semi-shallow bow, and stepped fully into the room. The boy Tsunade wasn't convinced was Sasuke followed him somewhat hesitantly, but with some confidence and grace that did identify him as having extensive shinobi training. His shoulders were squared and his steps were even and sure, in a manner that had to have been ingrained since birth. Perhaps this could be Sasuke, then. He certainly had the look and mannerisms, but he could have been raised by any number of clans (or even high-ranking civilian families) that may have also had sticks rammed up their rears.
"Iroh-san, if you would leave us alone for a moment. I have a few things to discuss with Sasuke-kun, here."
She didn't miss the way that Sasuke seized up (if only for the smallest of moments) before regaining a veneer of calm.
She gestured to the seat in front of her desk with one hand. "Please, Sasuke-kun, take a seat. This may take some time."
Sasuke sat down somewhat rigidly, with his spine ramrod straight, chin up, and hands calmly folded in his lap.
Exactly like a thrice-damned clan heir would, to be entirely honest. Though he hadn't actually been the clan heir at the time of the massacre, those uptight Uchiha would have never risked having a Main House Member ascend to power without the knowledge to behave accordingly. The fact that he reverted immediately once inside her office was telling, too. He didn't even seem to know that anyone else might behave differently.
"So, if it's not too much of a personal question, where in the hell have you been for three years?"
He didn't react in the slightest, not that she expected him to.
"I left Konoha to train with Orochimaru, as you may recall. After some time, he died, and I was no longer with him or his associates."
"And?" Tsunade prodded lightly, beckoning Shizune to enter her office with a tray of tea and snacks. Snacks were effective on teenagers, she knew. They were always so hungry in this stage, and offering food made people in general pliant. She was hoping to get this meeting over with as soon as possible, she just needed to know whether she had an Uchiha or a random boy on her hands.
The boy shrugged stiffly, which was almost comical when she considered his otherwise overly formal posture. "I wandered."
"You didn't want to come back to Konoha?" Tsunade locked eyes with him across the room, hoping he would just get irritated enough to flash his fancy doujutsu so she could get out of her office in time for an early lunch.
Sasuke returned her gaze with a steely one of his own. "I was under the impression that you might understand why one may be somewhat averse to returning to their home village. Perhaps I should have waited for another seventeen years and taken up various vices to be admitted entry without invasive questioning."
And damn, if that wasn't Uchiha-style bitch-fu. And it stung, too. He certainly had a point.
"Why have you returned, then?" Tsunade tried to sound as sympathetic as possible. He certainly had as much reason (or more) to avoid Konoha like it was a puss-covered sore than she had.
He looked down somewhat sadly into his hands, as if they offered some sort of answer that he had yet to decipher. Tsunade felt a brief pang of pity for him, even though she knew he wouldn't want it. After a brief moment of silence he cleared his throat quietly, and met her eyes again.
"While I do not wish to take up residence here for the time being, I would like to still be considered a citizen of Konoha."
Ah, he was afraid of becoming a missing-nin. The Council had been holding some sort of torch for the boy, hoping that he would come back and miraculously develop a voracious need to reproduce and fill all those empty, depressing clan buildings with squalling infants.
Tsunade had always had a thought tickling in the back of her mind that whispered that was the only reason she'd avoided that fate as well. The Council loved having its genetic abnormality-laden clans. They wanted to collect them like limited edition trading cards.
At least his return was somewhat promising. He hadn't taken a page out of her book and sent a letter accusing anyone trying to convince her to return, let alone pop out babies for "the good of Konoha", of being 'mindless, geriatric sycophants, incapable of even passable levels of competency or compassion'.
Not that she entirely disagreed with the sentiment now, either.
"So what would you like to do, Sasuke-san?"
He'd proven himself somewhat intelligent and thoughtful, perhaps he'd respond well to being treated as an adult.
Sasuke seemed to consider this for a moment, but Tsunade wasn't fooled in the slightest. He wouldn't have come here without knowing what he wanted out of her.
"In my travels, I encountered many interesting people and found that I have some skill for deception and information-gathering. This is how I was able to avoid discovery for such a prolonged period of time. Your representative that brought me here has also demonstrated considerable skills in diplomacy. As a future Clan Head, I would like to spend some time cultivating these skills for the betterment of myself and my village."
That was an interesting idea, actually. Kami only knew that the Uchiha clan had always been far too reclusive and haughty for actual diplomacy. Even as a genin, she'd often caught Sarutobi grumbling about them after council meetings or most social gatherings. Her own grandfather, in his infinite kind-heartedness, had occasionally had some choice words regarding the Uchiha.
So maybe sending Sasuke off to make some international friends could have some benefits. Of course, he'd need adequate supervision. It seemed that Iroh would likely be the best choice, as he was one of the only people she knew with diplomatic talent that she'd trust to not slide a knife through her ribs.
Jiraiya was too blunt, for one, and already had an apprentice. Not to mention how badly someone raised by the Uchiha would likely handle Jiraiya's… areas of interest.
Tsunade was already busy with a demanding job and an apprentice of her own. Shizune was working a ludicrous amount of hours between being her assistant and working in ANBU.
Kakashi was right out, whipping out porn was what he considered as an acceptable negotiation tactic. It worked well for field interrogations, but Tsunade doubted she'd ever send him to treat with heads of state unless everyone else in Konoha was simultaneously afflicted with severe cases of projectile vomiting and a contagious rash. And possibly necrosis, or spontaneous combustion, or some combination thereof.
Of course, anyone actually on the Council was not even up for consideration. Homura and Koharu would just try to set up a breeding farm, and Danzo would do pretty much the same thing, only with a kind invitation into his subversive private army. Both of those would likely only end in Sasuke leaving Konoha for good, leaving massive fireballs in his wake in his desperate bid for freedom.
She didn't know Iroh that well, though she trusted him enough to do what she asked. He was certainly clever enough to entirely weasel out of anything he liked, and hadn't done so. Tsunade did suspect that he had not brought Sasuke home immediately after locating him, but after a review of Sasuke's previous psych reports she'd thought that was for the best. Whatever had happened had mellowed and matured him into something she could work with. And if Sasuke had been drug back to Konoha kicking and screaming, it would have turned out badly.
Genin Sasuke of Team 7 had been a volatile loner with a revenge obsession.
Frankly, she wasn't sure that she would have let him graduate the Academy with those psych results. It was bad enough to have a potential psychopath in your village, but it was significantly worse after you'd given them extensive training in how to kill people (and avoid exactly the kind of people that you'd use to police said loons).
Another thing to add to the list of things she could never ask her sensei, she supposed.
But this Sasuke was the one she had to deal with, and he seemed much more stable. If she just had Kakashi and Jiraiya check in on him for (somewhat) reliable reports, this could really work to her advantage. She'd not only potentially bring back the last of the Uchiha clan, but if and when he returned to Konoha, he might provide some much-needed support through his inherited Council position.
And having another person that was well-equipped to treat for Konoha in her absence would certainly be beneficial. She didn't want this job forever, after all, and Tsunade had absolutely no intention of visiting hell-holes like Iwa or Suna unless it was unavoidable.
She grinned ferally, and was gratified to see Sasuke's head move slightly back, baring a little of his neck in a submissive gesture.
Yes, this could work.
Sasuke tried to move as quickly out of the Hokage's office as possible without looking like he was running. He had seriously considered jabbing his own leg with a sharp pen to get out the meeting for medical treatment, but had then remembered that the resident Hokage was an acclaimed medic-nin. He had been forced to abandon that plan for a new one, and had been terrified to realize that all of the windows in the office were reinforced with seals.
In hindsight, it was obvious that the Hokage's office would be well secured, but no less despair-inducing when he had been occupying the belly of the beast.
At least he had evidently conducted himself well, by the end of the meeting she had been consistently addressing him as "Sasuke-san", though it would have been entirely reasonable for a woman of her position and age to call him "Sasuke-kun". He could only hope that she hadn't been toying with him, but he did feel rather proud of himself for managing to rein in his nerves enough to get through a slightly hostile meeting with a Kage with his sanity intact.
In the end, she'd not only reinstated his unrestricted citizenship, she had also given him permission to travel with Sifu. Sasuke beamed a smile out at the busy street and attempted to locate his shishou. Unfortunately, Sifu didn't seem to be anywhere in the immediate vicinity, so Sasuke turned towards the market area. If Sifu wasn't here, he was probably shopping.
"Sasuke!"
He stopped in his tracks, which was exactly the wrong reaction, and cursed himself soundly for it. A hand grabbed at his arm and whipped him around, and he found himself staring Sakura Haruno in the face.
Her face lit up, and she grabbed him around his middle and squeezed. He vaguely heard some muffled squealing being directed into his shirt, but decided to not engage his excitable former teammate. She'd have to come up for air sometime and talk to him like a reasonable human being.
A few minutes later, he was growing vaguely worried about her oxygen levels, and hurriedly pried her cloying fingers and arms off of him. She looked up at him again, and was somewhat disturbed to note that her eyes were brimming with tears.
"You ok?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, placing his hands awkwardly on the tops of her shoulders. If she started actually crying, he wasn't sure what he would do. Was he supposed to hug her again? Hide her behind a dumpster so no one would see her losing her composure?
"You're not dead!" She yipped, and Sasuke stepped back and held his hands up in a defensive posture, ready to guard against another of her perilously strong hugs.
"Well, no. I'm not dead. Unless Sifu has been neglecting to tell me something…"
"Sifu?" Sakura's head tilted oddly, and then she blinked slowly in comprehension. "Do you mean Iroh?"
"His name is Sifu." Sasuke corrected crossly.
Sakura started giggling, which quickly turned into a full laugh as she had to bend over at the waist and shove the bag in her hands at Sasuke so she could fan her face.
Sakura's rapid emotional changes were still enough to give him whiplash. He was baffled. "Just what is so funny about that?"
She looked up at him, and choked down another laugh.
"His name… isn't Sifu. Sifu is the word for 'teacher' in his language. Oh, Kami, Sasuke… "
Sasuke stood still in utter horror. 'Oh, Kami' was right. This whole time he'd been calling his shishou 'Teacher Teacher'. He was never going to live this down.
He grasped frantically for a change of conversation. "So, what did you shove at me?"
Sakura seemed to regain her sense of decorum almost immediately and snatched it out of his hands.
"It's lunch for Tsunade-shishou. Shizune had me go grab it, so that she doesn't have an excuse to leave the building and escape again. Last time we let her leave for lunch, we couldn't find her for a day and a half and we had to do all her paperwork by ourselves."
Sakura scowled, and grabbed his left hand so hard he thought he heard the bones snapping.
"Come on, you can come with me to drop this off, then you and I can get lunch."
It didn't look like he had much of a choice if he wanted to go through life with both arms, so he didn't resist as Sakura viciously drug him back into the building he had just worked so hard to escape.
"You're dating Temari of the Sand."
Sasuke wasn't sure if the emotion Sakura was trying to convey was extreme skepticism or total disinterest.
"Yes?" he replied uncertainly. "That's what she keeps telling me, anyway."
The sides of Sakura's mouth tilted up into a small smile.
They'd long since finished their food and were leisurely relaxing in a booth in a barbeque restaurant Sakura had recommended. The food was good, but Sasuke had to admit that the company was infinitely better. Sakura had really changed in the three years he'd been gone.
She was much more focused and confident. He could finally see what all the Academy teachers had been going on about when they said she had massive potential and intelligence.
Why couldn't she have been like this then?
Intellectually, he knew that she'd been hampered by an unhealthy obsession with him, but that seemed so strange. He'd been an awful kid, and an even worse teammate.
At least she didn't seem to have that same problem now. There was no giggling when it wasn't warrented, and she hadn't asked him out on a date at all (unless this was a date, in which case he was going to have to plead total ignorance). This was just… two former teammates and classmates, catching up. It was indescribably pleasant.
She was one of the few people who would have bothered to care when he left. He had yet to see Kakashi or Naruto, but Sasuke was pretty sure that she was going to be the easiest to deal with. Naruto was obnoxious at the best of times, and Sasuke owed Kakashi some major thanks and an apology.
Not that he didn't have things to apologize to Sakura for.
"Hey, Sakura-san?"
She glared at him a little, and he corrected himself. "Sakura-chan, I'm sorry. You're right."
She looked inordinately pleased with herself, and took a long sip from her drink.
"I wanted to apologize. The day I left… I shouldn't have hit you. I shouldn't have left. And I certainly shouldn't have been so awful to you when we were on a team together."
Her shoulders heaved a bit, but Sasuke couldn't see part of her face behind the glass. A guttural sound came out from across the booth, and he reached out to move the glass down to make sure she wasn't actually choking.
She was giggling at him. Again.
"As always, your eloquence is inspiring." Sasuke said drily, flopping back into his seat.
This woman was always going to be weird.
"Why do I even try?" he mumbled, mostly to himself, as he looked up to the rafters of the restaurant and prayed for strength.
I apologize if there are any page breaks or anything missing in the chapter, when I uploaded it I kept having to add them in. FF keeps deleting them for some reason..
As always, I appreciate your reviews and support!