Infancy

by dmnq8

Sasuke and Naruto have a son. A child whose powers are unknown, but whom every nation wants. "And now for how it gets better," Shikamaru said. "Two babies! Double the danger, double the threat, double the not-fun all these nations will be throwing at us." Mature themes, thoughts on suicide, character deaths, and extreme violence. Sequel to Expectancy.

12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Naruto stood with hands on hips. Kiba and Sasuke continued to glare at him. "I said get my kids, Kiba."

"You know what?" Kiba advanced on him. "I'm sick to death of your shit. You want to threaten me, threaten me. You want to kill me? Kill me! I've lost all respect for your ass." He leaned into Naruto's face, fangs bared.

"I strongly suggest you back the fuck down." Naruto's voice was almost silent.

Kiba didn't budge, but he was quivering. "I swear to God. We are done, you hear me? Fucking through with you. As far as I'm concerned, I'm here because my mom's here, not because of any loyalty to you. You? You ain't shit. I will never believe in your ass again."

He had a ready retort waiting to spit at Kiba's face, but an odd sensation came over him. Like falling, but he was standing still. So real was this feeling, so abrupt, that he looked down to see if the floor had somehow been removed. The sensation was now accompanied by wind in his ears, as if he was actually falling through space. For a moment, he thought Sasuke was doing something to him. Looked up at him. Sasuke was still talking. He started to bring a hand to his face, but then Sasuke took a step toward him.

" -did you forget I said I'd kill you if you touched a villager?" Sasuke's voice was hollow. Faint. Far away.

He couldn't breathe. Couldn't move his head, or shout, or even grunt. Kiba's frown increased, but not at him. He, too, felt something. Kiba finally stopped looking at him to turn his head aside and sniff.

"Naruto?" Sasuke.

The feeling passed. It didn't fade…more like it was snatched back. He had a brief ache between his eyes, a moment of dizziness as sound returned to normal. He tried focusing on Sasuke's irate voice, his dark eyes. Steady eyes. Clearly Sasuke felt nothing out of the ordinary. God, I'm stressed as fuck. "You've threatened to kill me over many things, recently," he said. He forgot the feeling completely as his present issues asserted themselves once more. Namely Sasuke. "Can't keep track. Don't care. Did you hear me say the armies are on their way?"

"I – "

"Seems we've got us a lil spy, too. Caught him. Thirty-five miles, now. Kiba, get my fucking kids." He strode for the door. "Meet me downstairs, Sasuke."

-oOo-

Kiba looked at Sasuke and shook his head. "Yo."

"Do as he says. Wait for us at the village entrance."

"Fine. Hey, uh…you feel anything weird just now?"

Sasuke was still staring at the door. "What do you mean?"

Kiba studied the air immediately in front of his face. Thinking. "Nothing. Don't sense anything now." He started for the door.

"Kiba. What did you mean?"

"I don't know." He turned to frown at him. "For a second it felt like… I can't describe it. Sounds crazy."

"Try."

"Like I was in two places. Smelled my scent, like there was another me standing beside me, but also…not? Like the other me was there but not there?"

Sasuke tensed, opening his own senses. "Did you smell Sachi?"

"No."

"Which means nothing. Unfortunately, that bitch is too aware of the strengths our people boast. I understand she got past your nose when she stole Sakura's scroll."

Kiba reddened. "She can get around us again, you're saying. What I described, is that something she can do? Did she do it while you two were up here? Genjutsu, or something?"

"Not that I ever saw, but the things she can do that I never saw could fill a book." He stopped gazing at the floor to focus on Kiba, who looked worried. "Keep your eyes open, your nose sharp."

---

He caught up to Naruto just outside the house. Easy to do, since Naruto was just standing there. He adopted a study of the scene as well.

Naruto's clones were ushering people out of their homes, urging them to close up shop. More were rounding up all the children and directing them to the village square. The square was soon overrun. He saw in the distance that a clone was accompanying Kiba back from the Hellbox. It occurred to him that Naruto could have gotten his own kids with a clone, but Beast likely wouldn't have responded well. He saw his war council making a beeline for him and forestalled them with a hand. Turned to Naruto. "We need to talk."

"Walk with me."

It was Serious Naruto. Whatever he felt about seeing him kiss Kiba was now tucked away. So jarring was it to see Naruto not indulging his feelings for once, that he followed him without a word. It gave him a private, shivery feeling of excitement to see Naruto so commanding and present. Focused. It hit him that these glimpses of Serious Naruto were what had always intrigued him most about the guy. Not all the goofy, inept, retarded bullshit Naruto was capable of. This. Those times Naruto would save the day, or glare him in the eye and swear to bring him back, or bare his feelings by saying that he, Sasuke, was his friend. Important to him. He could feel it, the presence of his past. Watching Naruto take on Gaara during the Chuunin exams, feeling the grit of sand blowing against his face, hearing Naruto's hoarse yell –

He almost missed what Naruto was saying.

"You're the man with the plan."

He blinked. "Am I?"

"Don't you have a war council? Haven't you been prepping for this moment? Are they meeting us out here?" Naruto looked back at the war council, where they were waiting for Sasuke's signal.

"In a minute. Why do you need the boys? Seems like you have a plan yourself."

Naruto stuck his tongue in one cheek. "Let's just say I want them where I can see them. For now. Plan." He folded his arms.

"Kakashi identified the current Jinchuuriki. We target them, I contain them. Army isn't experienced. Without their main weapons, they shouldn't be a problem."

"Let's say they are. Contingency?"

"Amaterasu. Naruto, we've been over all this, you've sat in on a lot of those meetings."

"And how, precisely, are you containing?"

"Rinnegan." He clenched his jaw. Decided to get it out of the way, because even if Naruto could ignore it, he himself couldn't. "I'm sorry you saw me and Kiba. It wasn't anything."

"Whatever." Naruto started for the edge of the dome. "You sure you can contain them? Not like you've ever done such a thing."

Following, he tried again. "I'll figure it out. You said you don't want me."

"Sure did say it. Stressed it, even. But I misspoke. I'm not good at saying my feelings like you are."

He did a slow count of ten. "What should you have said?"

"That I don't want to want you. Fucking hate it. But there it is." They reached the edge of the dome outside the village entrance. He glared in the direction the armies would be coming from, jaw tight. "Thing about you, Sasuke, is that you can let things go. I can't. You know how to do that. I don't know that I'll ever be capable of doing that."

"The fuck are you talking about?"

Naruto faced him. "Dude, if I had a brother? I don't care what he did, I could never have killed him. You did."

"Okay, that – "

"And, like, I know this about you. How you can do shit like that. Hurt the people you love, let them go. I watched you let the team go. The village. Your brother. And then your vengeance. But for me, you letting go of shit was always something you did to other people. Other things. I mean, you did let our team go, but it was the team, not me personally. I figured, 'well okay, then. I can do this. I can love him. He's not going to leave me, because he let go his vengeance for me. He loved his brother so hard, he damn near tore the world apart in the name of avenging him. So if he loves me that hard then I'm good.' See, it didn't click. I was stuck on your obsession with me. I don't think you will ever know how much I craved your obsession."

Serious Naruto staring at him. Those magnetic eyes were unblinking. Shadowed beneath lowered brows. Intent on his face, but also looking through him. He couldn't swallow past the fist in his throat, yet even so, his excitement at Naruto's demeanor increased. Had him trembling. He had to drop his eyes and grit his teeth in a bid for control. Naruto wanting to be obsessed over by him? What are you going to do, fuck him right now with the armies looking on? He wet his lips. "My obsession?"

"Yeah, man. Figured the only thing I had to face coming between us was death: if you died, then I'd be fucked. But you were strong. Mean. An animal. Nothing taking you down. And if something ever threatened to take you from me, then it'd be going through me first, trust. So, I did it. Flat out admitted that I loved you more than life. Never occurred to me that I'd be the one to die. Or that something could take me down. Or that you could let something take me down. But it did. And you let me go. You let me go. Sachi came and sent me to the South fucking Pole. You let me go again. Now here waltzes in Kiba…and you let me go again."

"No. I chose you, I told him – "

"I don't care anymore, Sasuke. But while I don't want to want you, I can't let you go. That means every-fucking-body better keep their hands to themselves. I don't give a shit how it makes me look, if it's unfair, crazy, irrational, or what. I'm not the same person anymore. I may not be able to let people go, but I'm perfectly happy killing people who piss me off. Friend, foe, doesn't matter. I have officially been through worse. Everything else pales in comparison, so dropping Kiba? Easy. I'll drop his whole damn clan if I have to."

"Having that kind of attitude is going to make it hard for the villagers to trust you." How can you want me that much and not be with me?

"I look like I care?"

"What do you care about, then?"

"Nothing." A smirk tugged one corner of his mouth. "Except my kids."

"I love you. Does some part of you still love me?"

"You love who I used to be."

"I asked you a question - "

" -That I don't plan on answering." Naruto got up close to him. Nose to nose. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I love you. I love you. Only you."

"Given how good you've gotten at letting me go? I don't know how to trust that. Fuck, I don't even believe it anymore. If you loved me, you wouldn't be kissing guys. Girls, maybe, but guys? Yeah. No. Your words don't mean shit. We're done."

Kiba jogged up holding Icky. Beast scuttled at his heels.

"Put them in that place you just left," Naruto said to Sasuke. "Where y'all were kissing. Kiba, you stay with them." He watched them all vanish. "Does it tax you?"

"What?"

"That dimension you sent them to. Is it hard to maintain? Is it hard keeping people there? Do you need to focus on it to maintain it, or can you do other things while you have people in it?"

"Hadn't considered it. Wouldn't say I have to be focused on it, the way I'm focused on, say, a Genjutsu. But I'm aware of it."

"Could it be dispelled if you lost consciousness? Or were killed?"

"Why?" At getting no answer, he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not sure. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say no."

"Based on?"

"I don't think I created that place. I can control it, but I think it exists no matter what. Someone else, Icky for instance, could likely find that place if you or I were in it. Manipulate it."

"How sure are you of the stability of that place absent your control, though? Scale of one to ten."

"Bout a nine? Eight point five, minimum?"

"Cool. Seeing as it's you, that's good enough for me. New plan. Put everyone in the village in that place. War council, too. That's part one. Let Ibiki know what's what, then come back here for part two. I'll wait." He crossed his arms and walked off a few steps.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. This motherfucker actually grilled me on the particulars of that dimension just to make sure the villagers would be safe there while I'm fighting. "I don't like orders."

"And I don't like you. Hurry up."

He sent a clone. "Next? Why are we even doing this?"

"I still feel the villagers."

"Ibiki will confirm that everyone's in the square, whereupon my clone will do the job. I told him he has fifteen minutes. Next."

"Let me know when it's done. Next is we use Amaterasu right from the jump. Fry all the armies, all at once."

"What, just kill them? All of them?"

"Yeah. What's the problem?"

"The pr - " He took a breath. "Wouldn't that be wrong? Are you suggesting this because I fried the Hokage and his council? That was different."

"Different how? I'm saying it because we got limited fighting men. You and me, basically. They're not likely to have civilians or kids in their ranks. They're coming for our kids. The fuck I look like actually engaging four armies with four Jinchuuriki? That make any sense to you? Because it doesn't to me."

"Okay, but the directive to take our kids is from the higher ups. Most of the ninja coming at us are just following orders."

"They should have stayed home, then."

"You don't think they deserve the chance to surrender?"

Naruto turned to him, confusion and disbelief all over his face. "No, Sasuke, I don't. Our villagers have been through enough. They need to know they're safe, and will remain safe. That you and I, the two they've left Konoha for and put their faith in, can keep them safe. Our kids are probably going to be the most sought-after people in history for the rest of their lives. The responsible thing to do here is to send the biggest, most badass message possible: you come after these kids in any way, ever, you will be terminated. With extreme prejudice. You come at Hakumei or her interests, and you will be terminated. Period."

"How are we different from any other nation, then?"

"Because we're not trying to take over anywhere. All we want is peace. But we're not soft or weak or someone to fuck with."

It made sense. On many levels. "You're right. You're not the same person. Not sure I like you, either. The old you was never so cavalier. The fuck did I assemble a war council for?"

"You in or not."

He had to think. If they accepted surrender from anyone in the armies, it wasn't inconceivable that someone could then infiltrate Hakumei with ulterior motives. Naruto could and would screen them for killing intent, but that wasn't foolproof. If someone's intent was to wait a year then attack or steal their kids, what then? Sleeper-nin were a fact. Which meant the people they'd already let into the village would need to be continuously monitored. And hadn't Itachi done something similar to Naruto? So prized were their kids that any and every method to obtain them would be used. Even if they didn't accept the ones who surrendered but instead let them go back to their villages, that would practically invite them to try again at some point. Not to mention Sachi was still out there. She was more than enough threat. Eliminating extra threats now, while they could do so easily, seemed a wise decision. "I'm in."

"Great, now – "

"It's just…"

"What."

"We're talking about killing a lot of people. People with families, armies that other villages rely on."

"And these are our kids. Our villagers, who also have families. What's your point?"

The look on Naruto's face could only be described as stony. Inflexible. There wasn't the slightest qualm of guilt in him at killing people so ruthlessly, without even an attempt at negotiating. Given the other shit coming at them, this was probably the only chance they had to protecting their own people. The old Naruto would have negotiated. Convinced the armies to stand down. Made peace. Looking at Naruto's expression now, he could honestly say he'd never seen a more unforgiving set of features. He will never love me again. God, he's so hard now. But he's not wrong. "How do you know?"

"What? How do I know what."

"How do you always know the right thing to do? I came to the same conclusion, but I had to think about it first. Had you not presented your solution, I'd have gone with mine and fucked things up royally. Again. You knew immediately the right course of action, without thinking, and I want to know how you do that."

Naruto stared at the frown between Sasuke's eyes. "You're serious."

"Yes."

"I…" He moistened his lips. "I'm not. Always right."

"Yes, you are. We should have stayed in the village the way you wanted. Kept Hinata with us. Or, going back farther, I should have stayed in the village. Should never have joined Madara. Konoha's villagers would still be in Konoha, with a competent Kage, if not for me. I'm not stupid, but I can never seem to make the right decision. You, whom everyone calls stupid, manage to make the right decision every time. How."

"I can't tell you how fucking shocked I am right now. Thanks for not calling me stupid." He ran a hand through his hair, glancing in the direction the armies were coming from. "I don't know what to say or how to answer that. Can we - "

"Please. I need to know."

And he could see it in the way Sasuke's eyes stared without blinking. The tension in him. Head pushed forward, nostrils flared. "Fine, God." He fisted his hair a moment, thinking. "Uh…well? I guess for starters, you're right. I don't think about stuff. Not the way you and everyone else does, not if I can help it. Hate thinking. I feel stuff. I make my decisions based on how things feel. If something feels right, then it's right. If not, then…not." He shrugged.

"Feeling."

"Yeah."

"That explains a lot." He blinked. Looked down. "I feel things. I don't base decisions on that, though. Not without disastrous results. Your decisions don't end in disaster."

"Mmno, not usually."

"Then what is the difference? How do you know what's right?"

"I can't explain it! But making decisions based on negative feelings will usually result in disaster, like you said. You feel a lot of negative shit, Sasuke. Until coming up here, I hardly ever felt negative things. I was sad, sometimes. Lonely. Desperate to save you. But nothing like the hate and rage I live with now. And I have a decision that's not right for you: me saying I'd kill Kiba. I know that's not right, but I don't care."

"I don't think I can ever make decisions like that."

"I'm not surprised. You had a fucked up childhood. Most of your life has been negative. I don't think you've had any peace since your clan."

"Had peace with you. Only with you."

Despite all their long and turbulent history, he could not, for the life of him, recall a single statement from Sasuke that had ever hit him like that one did. He felt yanked out of himself. He'd once seen a dog chained outside a shop. Some kids across the street were teasing it. The dog lunged up and ran at the kids, but was brought up hard by that chain attached to its collar. The dog was jerked onto its back, whereupon it stood, shook itself, then slunk back to its corner of the storefront. Hearing Sasuke say he'd only had peace with him felt like dog being yanked back. Understanding what that meant, he experienced a powerful and stunning thought. One that had nothing to do with the statement itself or his new insight: I need to fuck this man.

There was half a second where he thought he was back in Konoha, bounding along rooftops to get to Sasuke, the imperative to fuck was that strong. Like the time he'd gotten pregnant. Maybe not quite that strong, but close. Then that odd dual sensation passed and it was just him. Him wanting Sasuke like he used to want him. Like he'd never wanted him. He wanted Sasuke naked, to lick his pale skin, and smell his sweat, and share his breath, and have those eyes murdering him with the amount of love and passion in their depths.

They stared at each other until Sasuke took a step closer to him, then another. He didn't move away. They were nose to nose. He dropped his eyes to Sasuke's mouth, and Sasuke's breath got snagged somewhere in his throat. Sasuke's lips parted.

Some of his clones sent back a flood of information. "Holy fucking shit."

Sasuke stopped with his lips an inch away. "What?"

He went still, senses all on high alert. Sage mode winked on. He spoke while barely moving his lips. "The armies just vanished. All of them. Jinchuuriki, too."

"What?"

He grabbed the front of Sasuke's tunic, eyes searching the area. "Sachi. I'd bet my life. Send the villagers away. This second."

"Done."

"Can she get to them there?"

"I don't think so."

"Should've asked before telling you to send them. Does she know about that place? Did you take her there?"

Sasuke wracked his brain, trying to recall if he'd ever mentioned it to her. "Never took her, no." He held Naruto's hand, where it was fisted around his tunic. Cherished the panicky strength in that grip. He was sure Naruto was unaware of it, but it touched him just the same. "If she's here she doesn't leave. We take her out. Now."

Naruto chewed his lip. "Something's not right." He whirled, but nothing was behind him. Spun again, head swiveling. "I feel her. Sasuke – "

"I know."

He decided to say it anyway. "Be careful."

They were back to back.

---

It was too quiet.

Naruto jumped out of his skin when Sasuke put a hand on his arm. The world flickered around them and then they were no longer by the dome. He sensed it a few miles away, and grunted in approval. No sense letting Sachi anywhere near the village if they could help it.

The landscape was featureless. Water to their right, small grassy flats where they stood. Mountains behind them. Nothing beyond that. Sun as bright as ever.

"I still feel her," Naruto said. "You ready?"

Sasuke said nothing, but from somewhere close by Sachi's voice floated to them. "One of the many reasons I disliked you, Naruto. You were never willing to give me a chance."

"What exactly do you want a chance at?" Naruto figured he could play along. Maybe I can pinpoint where her ass is. Or Sasuke can.

"I want Sasuke."

She's ahead of me. I'm sure of it. "Hey, you had him all to yourself for almost a month. Didn't seem like he was interested, if that hole in your chest was any indication." He sensed Sasuke's intent half a second before it was executed. He ducked, Sasuke did something that whizzed by the top of his head, and Sachi was standing before them, surprise written all over her face.

Two Sage Mode clones materialized from hiding to land a double Rasenshuriken hit on Sachi, right as Sasuke stepped around him to put himself between Sachi and him. His hits missed, but then Sasuke had her immobilized. Amaterasu erupted the same time he landed another strike. An instant, while he and Sasuke stood sensing through the wall of black flames surrounding them. "Fuck, she slipped through," Sasuke said.

"I can't sense her."

"Stay alert – "

He was about to comment on Sasuke stating the obvious, but another wave of sensation gripped him. Dizzy, he dropped to his knees. He heard the sound of a blade, Sasuke giving a small cry of distress…he looked up to see the forest, Sasuke laid out, nearly cut in two. Madara swirling away –

No. This

Sasuke screaming his name somewhere, desperate. But Sasuke was also down, bleeding everywhere. He was leaping after Madara even as he got away –

happened already

A doubling sensation that had his head spinning hard enough to make him nauseous. A female laughing high and shrilly. Sasuke cursing in the distance, while he watched himself drop beside Sasuke and gather him close, putting a hand on his neck where the artery gushed –

God, help me

Everything went black. All strength went out of his body, to leave him sprawled in the grass. He couldn't even turn his head out of the dirt to breathe. Something hooked into his spine and proceeded to rip it out of his body. Frantic, he reached for his chakra. Nothing. Like running into a stone wall. Pressure built in his head until he thought he must be dying. He could actually feel his eyes bulging out of their sockets as he was torn apart… then it ended. He was on the ground, vomiting hard enough to have food and blood spurting from his nose. Amaterasu crackled nearby, but that was all he heard.

He was trembling. Pouring sweat, eyes running. For several seconds all he could do was experience the sweetness of oxygen entering his body. He couldn't even see. His chakra came back at a trickle. Then a flood. He healed a few moments later. Didn't sense Sachi. He could feel Sasuke somewhere ahead, on his right. "Sasuke?" He was still shaky, but pushed to his feet. Swiped an arm beneath his nose. Coughed. Spat. "Sasuke!" He peered through smoke and lingering flames.

---

He could hear Naruto's footsteps. Slow at first. Calling him. Coughing. The footsteps came in his direction. Sped up. He felt Naruto's knees hit the ground beside him. A hand grabbed his chest. He grabbed the hand.

"Whew! Thought you were dead. What's the matter, get up. Where is she? You feel her? I don't."

"Naruto." He moved his other hand from where he'd been covering his face. Sat up.

"Whoa…Sasuke –"

"I called you. When she attacked and you did nothing, I called you - "

"Think she did something to me. She could have gutted me where I stood, but I guess she only wanted me out of the way long enough to get to you. What'd she do to your face?"

" -Then I felt Icky behind me. Right there, close enough to touch – "

"What? How?"

"I swear, I thought I heard him call me. That's nuts, but I turned, and…Sachi was there. She…" He put a hand to his face again.

"Sasuke? That fucking cunt. Sasuke!" Naruto shook him hard enough to make his teeth click. "What'd she do to your eyes?"

"Took them. She took my eyes." Oddly, the pain wasn't as great as his shocked sense of loss. Not yet.

"Wh… Oh my God. Okay. Gimme a sec."

He felt Naruto's chakra increase. Felt his thumbs settle over his eyelids. Felt the busy, bubbling, unpleasant sensation of his eyes being regrown, and the pain fade. Saw Naruto's anxious face staring into his own when he opened his eyes.

"Thank fuck. Okay. You good?" Naruto still had his hands on his face.

"My eyes are gone."

"I just healed you, your eyes are fine. Dude, you're looking at me."

"I don't have Rinnegan. I don't have Eternal Mangekyo, or Mangekyo. I don't even have Sharingan."

Naruto sat back on his heels. His hands dropped into his lap. "What are you saying?"

"I couldn't stop her. She…held me some kind of way. Now I'm nothing. Useless."

"But can't you get them back?"

"No." That knowledge hit him worse than the theft of his eyes. For the rest of his life, years, he would be…this. Maimed. Broken.

"Not even Sharingan? Are you sure? Isn't it a thing in your brain? Your…I don't know, your blood? Can't you awaken those things again?"

"No." He mirrored Naruto's position, sitting on his heels. "I'm finished."

-oOo-

Naruto watched him come undone. The way his brow creased hard, his lips compressing to a bitter line. How his whole face scrunched up before he growled from somewhere deep in his chest. Great, big, noisy screams he was sure could be heard a mile away. Sasuke rocked forward until his forehead touched the ground. There was a measure of grief to the sound, but it was mostly rage. A white-hot fury that would have annihilated Sachi had Sasuke still been in possession of his eyes. No tears, though. Just that raw wail that put the hair up on the back of his neck.

He thought furiously.

Madara already laid Sasuke low once. Nearly killed him. Now Madara's daughter was doing the same thing. Never at any point in his life had he felt such a sense of emergency. Like his life would be snuffed at any moment, and those of his family and friends. Because it's true. Sachi could show up again at any moment, and I don't know if I can stop her. Correction, I can't stop her. Not if she does whatever she did just now. Not…not cleanly. Not without dying myself, most like.

Back when he first met Icky, and Sasuke was gone on his doomed milk run, he'd had a realization. A moment wherein reality crashed through him, excised the bullshit he'd been carrying at the time, and left him with cold, clear facts. Now was such a time. The reality of his circumstances doused him like a wave, carved away his drama, and left him with the truth of the situation as it now stood. It was simple. And horrifying in its simplicity.

He looked around. Amaterasu had blasted the landscape. It still raged here and there. Other places billowed smoke. The sun filtered through this and steam from the ice to leave them surrounded by haze. Clearly, Sachi had surveilled them before striking. She could be watching them this very second. This had to be done here and now, then.

The truth: Time was up. No more bullshit.

Sasuke fought, but he grabbed him and held on. Gave him a few seconds to clutch him back while he continued howling. He spoke in Sasuke's ear, for his hearing alone. "Listen up and listen good." He squeezed for good measure, nearly cracking Sasuke's ribs, until Sasuke was reduced to shuddering and swallowing his cries. "You listening?"

Sasuke was silent at last. A nod dug into Naruto's shoulder.

"Can you put us in that dimension thing?"

Pause. "No."

"Our people still safe there? The kids?"

"I would assume so." Another shudder wracked Sasuke hard. "I can't bring them back, though. Oh f – "

"No." He shook him. "Don't think about that now. Focus on me. Are. You. Listening."

"Yes."

Naruto took a few precious seconds to order his thoughts. But there was no time. No time. He had to be as clear as he could manage. Plain language. "I'm pissed. And I'm hurt. And even though I don't want to want you, I do. I want you. Because as God is my witness, I don't love anything in life the way I love you."

Sasuke's arms tightened around him with wicked strength.

"I'm not talking about how much I love you, Sasuke. I'm talking about the way I love you. How I can want to kill you every second of every day, and still can't let you go. How I can hate you so much, I can taste it. Hate you till I wake up retching with it, hate you till I feel like I have to die all over again to escape it…but I can't let you go. I can't. And no matter how much I hate you or want you dead, or hate wanting you, I can't stop loving you." He could feel Sasuke's renewed tears on his neck. The silent sobs. Sasuke's fingers digging into his tunic, then one hand cupping the back of his head, tightening in his hair. He squeezed Sasuke harder in return. "So, we're going to have to figure this out, you and me. Right here. Right now. Because Sachi will be back. And next time, Sasuke, she will kill you. I'm sure of it. No warning, no nothing, she'll just show up and take you out, because now you can't stop her either. Which means I can't leave your side. Which means I need to figure out how to be around you. We need to put this shit between us to bed."

---

Konohamaru turned to where Ibiki, Chou, Kakashi, and pretty much all the higher ups were staring at him.

Kakashi clocked the wide eyes and flared nostrils. "How your clones consistently escape detection I would love to know, but for now, I'm happy one did. You have news of the battle. Good or bad?"

"Bad. So fucking bad that I..." His eyes darted to Ibiki. "You're third in command, right?"

Ibiki inclined his head. Moved closer. "Tell us."

"Sachi just took Sasuke's eyes right out of his fucking head. He says he can't reawaken any of the abilities. Not even Sharingan. He can't get us out of here. We…we're stuck here." He wet his lips. "And I heard Boss say that Sachi is going to show up and kill him. Kill Sasuke."

Stunned silence.

"And the battle?" Kakashi said, barely moving his lips.

"Sachi took the rest of the armies and Jinchuuriki with her."

Someone in the back cursed . Ibiki took a moment to think. Then he turned and located Tsume. "Bring the boys. Your whole team. Chou, you come with me as well. You too, Konohamaru." He studied the bespectacled young man who pushed forward. "Who are you?"

"Udon. You're going to need me, sir."

"And why is that?"

---

They were forehead to forehead. "I need to tell you something," Naruto said, keenly aware of how vulnerable they were. He had his chakra exposed, holding it as hard and as strong as he possibly could. "I had Icky take me through your memories. Of when Kyuubi was free."

Sasuke pulled back to sit on his heels once more and stare at him.

He made sure to keep one hand on Sasuke's knee, surrounding him with his chakra cloak. "I had to know exactly what your reasons were for the choices you made while I was gone. So I could work through my shit."

A blink. "You did what?"

"Spied on your personal memories and emotions. There. I said it. Can I speak?" When Sasuke only continued to stare at him, he pushed on. "I understand your reasons for doing what you did. But understanding doesn't mean I don't hurt. And I can't just stop hurting any more than I could stop breathing. I need time. And…I don't feel like I can trust your feelings for me. So, I'm scared all over again and I don't know what to do with that. I love you and want you, but I don't feel close to you and I don't want to be close. Not emotionally. I…" Just say it. "I'm afraid to let you in again. Nothing's the same. You're not the same, I'm not, we're different people now, so anything we do together won't be the same. And I want what we had. Exactly the way we had it. But it's not possible. So…I just want my heart to myself where I know I can keep it safe. For me, the quickest way to stop hurting is to not be involved with you. That way I don't have expectations."

"That also means I can't fail you again. But Naruto, ca –" Sasuke swallowed. "Can't we make something new?"

"Something new won't be as good as before. I know that's my opinion, not fact, but I'm not ready. And I don't know when I'll be ready. Of if I will ever stop feeling this way." He took a breath. "Here's what I do know. I won't leave your side. I'll stop being a dick to you. I will help you raise our boys and I'll stop shitting on our villagers. I'm with you. I will die protecting you. Okay? But I can't give you my heart again. Please stop pushing for it. I just can't."

"Naruto." Sasuke squeezed him hard. "I'm so sorry I broke it. You have every…every right to feel that way. I made you promises that I couldn't keep. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean to do this to us, I never…I tried…"

"Okay. It's okay." He held Sasuke through a series of harsh exhalations from him that sounded suspiciously like sobs. But a wave of chakra washed toward them then and they sprang apart. He snatched Sasuke's wrist at the last second, right as a shimmer and whoosh of displaced air wafted over them. Eyes squinted, he sensed a lot of people around him.

"Ewwl!"

Sasuke's voice was sharp. "That's Icky." Then, "The villagers…Naruto!"

He'd already come to the same conclusion: as long as the villagers were here, Sachi could vanish them too.

Konohamaru bounded toward him, face wild. Snuck a glance at Sasuke, then put a hand on his shoulder. "We know what happened. Chou says to get inside his dome right now."

---

Neither of them were given a chance to respond to this; they were surrounded by the boys' training unit, Ibiki, Kakashi, and most of his friends. What Konohamaru used to call the cabin crew. His boys were squished in with him and Sasuke. Everyone had their backs to them, pressing inward against them while facing outward. Protecting them, Naruto realized. They moved toward the dome in this awkward fashion. Almost running, but not quite. Every sense on the highest alert. Naruto was surprised to discover Beast clutching his arm, hanging there like an insect. Kid was staring hard at Tsume. When Naruto looked, he saw the elder Jounin had a hand stretched toward Beast, not quite touching him. Stay there. Danger, that hand said.

Once in the dome, he heard Chou's voice. "I'm not sure she can phase into this space. I'm assuming she can. Putting…I don't know what I'd call it. Safeguards? A detection element? Putting that into the dome itself may not be helpful. However, if I were to permeate the atmosphere inside the dome with my chakra…maybe."

Naruto realized the weight on his back was actually Icky. He reached around to bring him forward, so he could hold him properly. Beast was now on the ground, sniffing at Sasuke's bloody hand. All eyes were on him and Sasuke. "Can you do that?" he asked Chou.

"I don't know. From all I've heard, she can appear instantly. I'm not sure how much of a warning I'd have, if I could do it, and if I can, someone who could then do something about her presence would need to be near me at all times so I can relay that info. Then that person would have to go to her, by which time she could be gone."

Sakura separated herself from the crowd to put herself at Chou's side. "But your chakra will obey directives you give it outside your presence. Powerful as you are, can't your chakra hold her and kill her if she showed up?"

Naruto witnessed the love they shared. It was in the way her hand rested on Chou's arm, the way she bent to look into his lowered face. That was fast.

"I don't know that either." Chou passed a hand over his face. "And letting Icky use some of my chakra to get us here has drained me. The dome is self-sustaining, but I imagine the kage will want it strengthened. I don't even know how to do that. The dome just…is. A constant. As for my chakra being a detection device…I don't know that such a thing wouldn't be invasive to the villagers. Or to me." He dropped to a crouch and cradled his head.

"Chou!" Sakura knelt in front of him.

"It's nothing. A headache." But he sniffed, swiped at his nose, and revealed blood on his fingertips.

While a flurry of commotion erupted around Chou, Naruto stepped back. Ibiki was with him, as well as Kakashi and the assistants. They bent their heads toward him, expecting him to say something. For a wonder, he did. "Okay. This is how it goes. I stay near Sasuke at all times. Kids go to the hellbox and stay with my clone. One clone to patrol the village. Only one. I don't want to split my chakra too many ways right now. Second Sachi shows up, she's dead."

"Four Bijuu in her, Naruto." Kakashi was grim. "And now Rinnegan. What is your plan against her?"

"Actual strategy? Like, jutsu? I don't know. I probably won't know until I'm fighting her." He swallowed. "I didn't do so hot this time around."

"She'll attempt to control your Bijuu."

"I know." At the somber looks directed towards him, he said, "What do you suggest?"

"Against Sachi?" Kakashi's eyes slid to Sasuke, then dropped. "The boys aren't ready. Nowhere near. Beast has only just learned a measure of obedience, and that only to Tsume. He's yet to understand or execute a directive. Icky…he was able to locate this dimension, but with difficulty. And he needed Chou's brute strength. Icky's strong, but he's not a warrior. And the ways in which he's strong don't lend themselves to fighting the likes of Sachi." His mask moved in a way that told all he was chewing one cheek. "Naruto, I don't know how we can beat her. Or if we even can."

"And she has the other Jinchuuriki," Ibiki said. "The armies."

Kakashi nodded. "There is that."

Konohamaru cursed.

Have my people followed me here only to die? Naruto thought. Then he remembered something. "Oh. Yeah. Caught someone. If we can't come up with a way to beat her, I say we at least find out what she's planning."

The elder Jounin exchanged puzzled glances.

---

Sasuke held Icky. Naruto led the way and everyone else followed. Beast only came because Tsume told him to follow Kiba, so Kiba was now with them as well.

It was a tiny, single-storey house at the very edge of the village. Almost apart from the village entirely. In the pantry off the kitchen was a cellar door. Naruto opened this and proceeded down the earthy steps, his chakra lighting the way. In a corner of the cellar sat a creature swallowed by the chakra arms a clone put out. Dark. Glowing white eyes.

"The fuck is that," Konohamaru said.

"I've learned that this is Zetsu," Naruto said. "Not big on talking. But I'm thinking I don't need him to talk. Icky?" He took Icky and bounced him a bit. "Think you can help us out?"

Udon watched. He could almost feel the communication between father and son. A vibration in the air. He marveled at how easy it seemed for Naruto. The way he zoned out a bit as he stared into Icky's eyes, and his breathing deepened, but otherwise seemed untaxed. Meanwhile, each of his own sessions with Icky left him with a raging headache. Sometimes a nosebleed. A moment later, Zetsu began screaming. Full-throated, blood-curdling sounds that ended in a shriek so high it was soundless. And then his head exploded, spraying them with gore and bits of skull.

They waited. For quite a while.

At last, Naruto cleared his throat. "Well. Zetsu didn't want to give it up, but here's what Icky got: Sachi has an army of Uchiha thousands strong. Something like seven, eight thousand. All have Sharingan. Many have Mangekyo. Quite a few have Eternal Mangekyo. Some uh…breeding, inbreeding type shit that Madara did with his DNA. For decades. This army is waiting with Sachi. For her to give the signal to annihilate us and establish her dominion over the world. Sasuke was supposed to be at her side." He paused there, chewing his lip. "And now she's got the Procurement armies and four Jinchuuki besides the four Bijuu already up her ass. Coming for us. That's it."

Kakashi put a hand over his eyes. A moment later, he straightened and looked at Naruto. As they were all doing. Ibiki said, "An army of Uchiha with Doujutsu. What will you do, Hirukage?"

"I don't know. I know that's all i say, but I have never been one to know what I'm doing before I do it."

Ibiki turned to Sasuke, who looked as if his life no longer held any meaning. "Yorukage? Do you have any insight for us?"

Sasuke shook his head.

Kakashi asked Naruto if he knew when this army was coming. Naruto said no. For himself, Sasuke was very occupied with the realization that when it was all said and done, he was worse than useless. The way everyone tried not to look at him, only underlined that fact.

---

Naruto was standing across the street, staring at Sasuke's house. He could see him through an upstairs window. Frowning at something. Konohamaru jogged up, apparently on his way to the house in question. "Yo. Where you off to?"

"Me? On my way to ask Moegi if she wants to have sex with me."

"What?"

"What."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He scratched his chin. "I don't know, man. Moegi doesn't seem like the type to respond to that kind of request favorably?"

"Yeah, well, she recently told me she wants someone to kiss her so hard they bruise her face. I can do that."

He stared at him. Kid's growing up. Konohamaru was his height. "Still. What if she says no?"

A shrug. "Then she says no. Aren't you supposed to be with Sasuke in person?"

He ignored that. "And you can take that kind of rejection?"

"Uh, yeah dude." Konohamaru laughed. "I'm a whole ninja, I think I'll live."

"How's that funny?"

"Lighten up! God. You're always so serious now. Nothing like the Boss from the village."

"I care about you. I can't say that about a lot of people anymore. Don't want to see you hurt."

"Okay, thank you?" He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his tunic. Studied Naruto's continued stare. "All right, look. Her saying no would sting…but so? If there's anything this past year has taught me, it's that no matter how bad shit gets, the world keeps turning. Life goes on."

"Konohamaru…"

"You weren't in the village when the whole uprising happened, but that shit was crazy. I remember thinking to myself, 'No way is this happening right now. Villagers fighting each other? Granny will never be kicked out. Never.' But we did. And she was. We left Konoha, man. Felt like the end of the world. Like my life was over. Like my grandfather died all over again. But the world kept right on spinning. And we were fine. Know what was worse than leaving the village? Hearing you were dead." There was no trace of laughter now. "That moment right there had to be one of the worst of my life. You were everything to me. Still are. But the world kept turning. The rest of us were still in it. Life kept happening and I was still okay. Few weeks later, I was fine even. Met this girl. Know what was even worse than hearing you were dead? Finding out I was responsible for leading the armies to your kid. That was the worst moment of my life. Never thought I'd get over that. Never thought I'd breathe again without feeling the worst shame this side of hell. But I did. Even got to redeem myself."

"I'm sorry. That I wasn't there with you for all that."

Konohamaru nodded. He was staring at Sasuke's house now, but at a lower window. One of Moegi's pigtails was visible. "World is always going to keep turning," he said without looking away. "But I won't always be in it, you know? And let's face it, being ninja and all, I probably won't even live very long. Every day's a gift." Now he looked at Naruto. A ghost of his former smile tugged one corner of his mouth. "I don't want to have regrets when I go. I got this one life, Boss. I'ma live it as hard as I can. As well as I can. That means getting while the getting is good. While I'm young and healthy and here. Moegi might kick my balls into my brain for approaching her, but you know what?" He clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Plenty of other fish. Think about that. You going to waste the one life you got moonin' over some guy you don't want?"

"Think I'm on my third life…"

"Ha! You right! Forgot about that. It's really been three?"

Naruto ticked them off on one hand. "Akatsuki killed me, pregnancy killed me…yeah, this is my third go round." He shuddered.

"So weird." Konohamaru cackled.

Naruto was surprised into a chuckle himself. "For sure. What are the odds?"

"I know, right? You might live forever."

"That'd be some shit. God. But nah."

"Could be!"

"No way."

"You never know."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

He studied Konohamaru's shining eyes. Interesting idea. "Huh. Guess it's possible. Enough other crazy shit's gone down. I'll believe anything at this point."

"That's my Boss." He gave a little fist pump. "Immortal badass."

"Living forever."

"And ever and ever."

"That's – "

"Sasuke won't."

"…Huh?"

"What do you mean, huh. Stop looking at me like I grew two heads. Said Sasuke won't live forever."

He blinked, trying to understand.

Konohamaru shook his head. "Don't get me wrong. He's powerful, okay? Wickedly so. Or, he was. But everyone who's ever had Rinnegan is dead. Probs a good thing he ain't got it now, but Sachi's coming for him. That's not an opinion, that's fact, like you said. Plus, he's Uchiha. They don't live too long in this world anyway, you feel me? We'll get Sachi somehow. I truly believe that. You might live forever, but for damn sure he won't. Sachi or no."

Naruto's face went slack.

"No big, though, right? You don't want him. Between you and me, I say it's about time. Never understood what you saw in the guy. He's so stupid."

"What? Sasuke's a genius!"

Konohamaru actually looked around. "Dude, where?" He held up a finger. "Leaving the village? Dumb." Another finger. "Joining Orochimaru? Dumb. Agreeing to give that shit his body? Dumb as fuck. Failing to come back once he knew the truth about his brother? Fucking dumb as shit. Isolating you from everyone who could help you while you were pregs? So fucking dumb I can't even. You died because of him. Hinata's dead because of him. But wait…there's more. Failing to kill Sachi when he had the chance? Fucking around with her instead going to find you at the South Pole? My God, yo. You can't get any dumber."

"Sachi would have followed…and how do you know any of this?"

"You taught me well. Alls I'm saying is you could do better. Not a crime, either. If he ain't the one anymore, then he ain't the one. You're entitled to move on. Like I said, plenty of other fish." He looked at Moegi again. Faced Naruto and gave him an impish smirk, wiggling his eyebrows. "Speaking of…" He moved toward the house.

"Konohamaru."

He stopped before the stairs to look back.

"What if there are no other fish?"

That laugh again. Ringing out across the distance, the essence of life. "Then you better make sure you get that one fish you want! Especially since it doesn't look like you're the only one fishing for him, feel me? Dude might decide to get caught."

Konohamaru was through the door, striding up to Moegi. She looked up at him.

He's not afraid to lose… Neither am I. I'm afraid of rejection. Grew up being rejected. Sasuke always rejected me. Sakura. Whole village. It was some of the worst pain of his life. Even when he grew up and began earning recognition, he'd carried that fear with him. That secret fear of being rejected again at some point, or losing someone. Sasuke hadn't rejected him when he'd been Kyuubi…he'd just kept on living. Because the world kept turning, and Sasuke was still in it.

Okay, yeah I'm pissed at that, which I already told him. But I've been through worse. Fucking died. Twice. The fuck is my problem? What the actual fuck do I want?

-oOo-

Upstairs, in the room with Sasuke, Naruto took his clone's place while he digested what Konohamaru had had to say. Just because he'd died didn't mean he wasn't entitled to being hurt and wanting to protect his heart. I still want to be left alone. That's what I want.

He looked at Sasuke. Frowning and muttering over paperwork. Forcing himself to be useful when it was obvious, to him anyway, that he was just waiting to die. Sasuke barely ate, spoke almost not at all, unless it was to him…how did it come to this?

He sighed.

---

Sasuke put down the list he was reading at hearing that sigh. He thought for a minute, but decided to speak after all. Got up, went around his desk, and leaned on it facing Naruto. Naruto was slouched back on the couch, wrists stacked on his forehead. He looks so tired. Defeated already, but still fighting. How I ever thought I loved anyone but him I will never know. The pain of hurting Naruto as badly as he had didn't fade. It never got easier to bear.

"It makes me uncomfortable when you stare at me like that," Naruto said.

"I was just thinking, is all."

"About how to beat Sachi?"

"No. About us. I feel like we've come full circle."

"Not sure I follow." And his expression said he didn't particularly care to hear.

"For me, the chapter of my life when I was with you as your partner began in the forest. You saving my life with your chakra." He gestured at the Sage Mode filling the room, encompassing them both. "And here we are, you saving my life the same way. There's a certain symmetry to all this. We didn't begin on the best of terms. Now we're ending the same way."

Naruto sat up straight. "But this isn't the end of us. We're not ending, so what do you mean that's how we began? How do you mean a full circle? What –" He took a breath. Used half the volume he'd been speaking with. "Sasuke, please, man. We'll get through this, okay? I know not having your eyes sucks. She robbed you. Probably makes you feel like I did when I didn't have Kyuubi. Like you aren't shit. I can see how…down you've been. Going through the motions. I have been there. But we're going to make it. You'll see. Okay?" He gave a bracing nod.

He catalogued the thinner face. The dark circles under Naruto's eyes. The perpetually clenched jaw. The faint lines forming around his eyes and mouth, between his brows. "Back when my clan was alive," he said, coming to sit by Naruto, "Sharingan was a thing held by few. Maybe a quarter or a fifth of our number. Our entire clan numbered a fraction of Sachi's army, and yet the small portion with Doujutsu would have been enough to overthrow Konoha. Or so Madara and the council thought. Seven thousand Uchiha all in possession of Sharingan? Many with Mangekyo and some with Eternal Mangekyo? Led by an Uchiha who is Jinchuuriki to four Bijuu and owns Rinnegan? No, Naruto. We're not going to make it. There is no force I know of that could stand against that. This is the end."

Horror covered Naruto's face. "You giving up?"

"I've accepted the truth. We can't run. And we can't win."

Naruto stared a moment. "You look and sound so calm when you say that. Like we're all already dead. Who are you? Look, maybe… If we surrender when she shows up, we can – "

"She doesn't want our surrender. She certainly doesn't want me anymore. There's nothing we can use to bargain with. Except our kids. Would that be acceptable to you? Trading our children for the villagers' lives?"

"How you're able to even think some things, let alone say them - "

"Right. It's not acceptable to me either. There's no winning. All she wants is to hurt us."

"You're saying don't fight? What, just sit here and wait to be snuffed? Is that what you're doing? Because I've actually been thinking of ways to beat her - "

"I'm saying I'm grateful for the time I've had with you. Good and bad." He went back to his paperwork.

---

A month later, and nothing happened. In all that time, Sachi made no appearance. Operating on a leash frayed by anxiety, Naruto called a meeting in what was designated as the Kage building. A simple two-story house of stone that boasted glass windows. He and the individuals he named were in one of the upstairs bedrooms, which was used as his office.

Ibiki, Sasuke, Konohamaru, and Kakashi stood around him in a loose circle and waited for him to speak. Sasuke, as usual, was close enough for him to touch, sharing his chakra cloak.

Naruto cleared his throat. "I need a sit-rep. This bitch is a no-show. I can't keep the village on red-alert. Don't get me wrong, every day we're alive is a gift, but this will kill me before she does. And I don't know how much longer I can remain at capacity like this." He looked around at them. "I need your opinions. You first, Konohamaru. You've spent time observing her, I know. What do you think she's doing?"

Konohamaru gave it his full attention. "I don't have to think about it. I know. She's watching us. Listening, if she can listen. Making us wait because it cranks up the tension. Too much tension will compromise your reaction when she does show up. She's keeping you off balance." He swallowed. "And it's working. I can see how it's affecting you. You've got this tremor. You're always spaced out, trying as hard as you can to feel her. Flinching at every loud noise or sudden movement. The way you've stopped the babies' training to keep them in the hellbox near your clone at all times. And…that." He pointed to the way Naruto was cracking his knuckles. "You do that all day, every day.

"But she's also planning who she's going to kill. I know because I feel her watching me. Not constantly, but often enough. I'm one of the ones she wants to kill because it'll hurt you. She really, and I mean really, hates you, Boss. Not gonna lie, I've thought about killing myself this past month. A lot. So she can't use me against you. Especially since the more effective strategy wouldn't be to kill me, but capture and torture me. That'd drive you up the wall. I don't do it because the end result would be the same. I'd be dead, and you'd be hurt. Having lived through it once, I know something for a fact: there is no world for me where I go on living and you're dead. Not now that I'm your assistant. But you're also my brother. My Boss. My place is at your side, preserving your life. She'll be stepping over my dead body to get to you."

Naruto stared at him. He could feel his eyes flooding, his face getting red, but inside he knew a stillness. A calm that, for a few precious moments, tamed the anxiety he was living with. "Sasuke," he croaked.

"What."

"I'd like to put forth my pick for Second Hirukage. Sarutobi Konohamaru."

Sasuke weighed the statement while also looking at Konohamaru. The kid was wide-eyed now, both hands over his mouth. He tried to see how much nepotism might be involved. At face value, he didn't think it was such a great choice…until he considered Naruto's pick objectively. Current reaction aside, Konohamaru was indisputably clever. Resourceful. Beyond loyal. Savage when called for. Ruthless. Stealthy beyond even Naruto. Excellent, actually. All Konohamaru needed was some leadership skills, which he could learn. "I concur." He had to admit it: "A smart choice."

Konohamaru squeaked, "Fuck!" But then he lowered his hands so they were clutching his throat. He strove for composure, nostrils flared. Chewed his lips. "Who, uh…I mean, is it real? Am I the Second? That's it? Who decides these things?"

"The current Kage," Ibiki said. "That's how it was done in Konoha."

"So I'm it, then. I'm Second." He wiped a hand down his mouth. "Shit. God. Okay, uh…I'd like to name Third. Third Hirukage. Chou."

Naruto's brows climbed toward his hairline. Then he tilted his head in thought. Nodded. "He won't like it, but it's a sound decision. Sasuke?"

"Chou is Third Hirukage. Provided he accepts." Sasuke gave a nod in response.

"Any thoughts on a second Yorukage?" Naruto said.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, mentally canvasing Hakumei's citizens. "Sakura. She can choose Third."

A small silence greeted this. The knowledge that each individual might shortly be called upon to defend the village was heavy. Naruto recalled himself to his original reason for this meeting. "And your thoughts, Sasuke? On what Sachi might be doing right now? You have personal insight into how she thinks."

"Don't remind me." Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Given Konohamaru's assertion that she's watching him and, I would assume, anyone else she feels would have an effect on you, I have to say that the fact you haven't felt her corroborates this theory. She doesn't want to be within sensing range of you. How she's able to monitor Konohamaru without you sensing her is a mystery. However, I also think she's learning her new abilities with Rinnegan. Perfecting her approach. Planning. To be honest, I'm not sure what's keeping her from attacking beyond what Konohamaru said and that. If there's another reason, I don't know it."

Naruto nodded while squeezing the back of his neck. Something else he always did, trying to relieve the tightness there. "Thoughts?"

"She'll use me against you, too. I've also thought about removing that possibility."

Naruto went still. His brows joined in a V as he turned to face Sasuke directly. "You mean kill yourself."

"It's the wisest course of action. I'm useless to you, to this village. As the strongest one here, you should be conserving your energy, not wasting it shielding a sack of meat."

Naruto's anxiety almost spiked out of his control. He fisted his mouth as hard as he could, nails drawing blood, as he strove to maintain himself. "You're saying you have no value to anyone, anywhere, outside your Doujutsu?"

"Yes."

He couldn't even look at Sasuke. Instead, he stared at the floor. As he'd learned to do when Sasuke's eyes were stolen, he spoke the naked truth. "I can't tell you how terrified that makes me feel. Because you're serious. You'd do it."

"Naruto. It's what needs to happen. I'm a distraction. I challenge anyone here to say different." He met each troubled pair of eyes. Ibiki and Kakashi met his stare without flinching. Konohamaru lowered his gaze after a second.

Naruto tried to breathe. "Well, I'm saying different. You – "

"Look at me and tell me, without bias or emotion, what my value is here. Name me something I can do that at least three other people in this village can't do. Find me one thing that would change for the worse if I wasn't here. And don't quote me someone's feelings on my death. Give me objective facts."

"You know I don't think that way."

"In the interest of saving my life, try."

When he couldn't, Naruto covered his eyes with both hands and cried. The next second he violently scrubbed them down his face and made a visible attempt to reason with him. "I can't let that happen." He shook his head. "No way. You have lost your fucking mind if you think I could ever just let you die. No. I'm sorry, but no."

Sasuke gazed at him long and lovingly, to the spectators' embarrassment. "Naruto? Please listen to me. Okay? Will you listen?"

"Sasuke, I swear to God, I'm not – "

"You saved me," Sasuke said. Naruto was silent. Tears made alternate tracks down his face. The rest of the room was hushed with him, aware that something grave was taking place. "You saved me," Sasuke said again, "and it would be like you never did if you let all our villagers, our sons, die to keep me safe. You can't let me go out like that. You can't let my life be worth all theirs, can't hang me in the balance of the entire village."

Chest heaving, face a study in pleading agony, Naruto said, "And I can't watch you die."

"Then don't."

Naruto broke. He bent forward with a hand trying to muffle his sobs, and the other braced on his knee to hold himself up.

Sasuke went to him. Pulled him up. Held him. Buried a nose in his hair. Inhaled. Unbeknownst to Naruto, smelling his hair used to be something he did for several minutes every morning. Before Naruto woke up. He stroked that hair now while Naruto hung onto him. "You can't win this. Eight bijuu. Five armies, one of them Uchiha. With Doujutsu. I won't let her weaken or fragment your focus by capturing me. Or by making you continue to shield me like this. Here's something else, Naruto: I did watch you die. And though it makes everything in me hurt to say it…I lived. So will you. But you can't save both me and this village. You're not all-powerful. Sometimes…sometimes the only way you can win is to make a choice and live with it."

Like you did when Kyuubi was free. Naruto pulled out of his grasp. Swiped an arm under his nose. "But you saved me too, Sasuke. When Akatsuki had me? You saved me, you didn't let me die. You kept me out of their clutches while you were sick. You had me. You can't expect me not to - "

"And then I came up here and didn't have you the way I should have."

"No."

"Naruto – "

"You said I'm always right. Remember? That I always make the right decision? This feels wrong. It's wrong, I promise you it's wrong. Please! Listen to me, okay? We can figure this out, but…this is wrong. Trust me."

"Not this time, Naruto. This time, I'm right. Everyone in this room knows I'm right. And if the question were put to the villagers, they'd say I'm right, too."

"To die. To just up and fucking die for no damn reason. Because you're depressed over your eyes." Naruto winced, knowing he'd gone too far. He put a fist to his mouth and tried, very hard, to put his feelings into words. "Okay. You don't think like me, so I'm going to try and break this down for you in a way you'll understand. Bear with me." He glanced at Konohamaru. "Okay, there. What Konohamaru said. That the reason he doesn't off himself is because the end result would be the same: he'd be dead, I'd still be fucked over it. Same thing applies to you. Whether you kill yourself or Sachi does, you'd still be dead, I'd still be upset. Second. She's coming to kill everybody. Killing yourself won't spare anyone. But you do have direct and personal knowledge about her. That's valuable. It can be used against her."

"I don't see how."

Naruto held both hands toward him. Begging. "And I might not have anything to spend money in my pocket on at the moment, but I know it will likely be of use to me somewhere down the line. Dude. You're the only one who's actually lived with her. That shouldn't be taken lightly. You have a fucking brain. One that's smarter than mine, and that's worth something. We need every resource we can get, Sasuke, not for you to fuck off into oblivion in the name of sparing Sachi leverage over me. She's already got all the fucking leverage in the world. Dude, she could take our fucking kids and hold them over our heads, you going to kill them too? Didn't she already do that to you with Icky? You can't do this. And I won't let you."

Sasuke pointed at him. "That. That right there is precisely what I'm talking about, Naruto. You spending your energy saving me from myself instead of saving the villagers."

"I can do both – "

"No, you can't!" Sasuke closed his eyes. Struggled to calm himself. "You already know I think this fight is unwinnable, but if there's a chance, any chance at all, it's you. Only you. And you'll be lucky to save them. I don't trust you, Naruto. Where I'm concerned, I don't trust you not to trade them for me. Sachi would do it. Ask you to choose. Just to destroy you. And I know how you'd choose. I'm not doing that to our villagers."

"You know me, Sasuke, I will save us all. It's what I do."

Sasuke smiled. But he was also crying. He closed the distance between them again. Gently grabbed that whiskered face. Thumbed away Naruto's own tears that only ran afresh immediately afterward. "Have we learned nothing? Life is a harsh teacher, but have we truly learned nothing? We can't always win the way we want to. There are things stronger than us. You're stronger than I am. The strongest weapon Hakumei has against what's coming. You must be focused. No distractions. Our villagers, our sons, you…you all deserve the best chance at survival, at winning, and this…is…it. I'm doing this to keep you safe. And I'm doing this now." He drew him in and held him. Squeezed, when Naruto's silent sobs threatened to have his own grief spilling. "If you can't, I'll understand. Really. But I would very much like it if your face was the last thing I saw."

"What the actual FUCK, Sasuke! No…no –"

---

Konohamaru left Sasuke trying to hug Boss through his rising hysterics, and went to inform Sakura and Chou of their new status. Once he got to their house, he stood considering the door for a moment. He didn't think knocking would make a difference, since they were at it every spare moment they got, but he was a kage now. Probably best if he observed the formality anyway. He knocked. Waited. Opened the door and went in.

He could hear them well enough. Seemed they were enjoying it. His night with Moegi came back to him, warming his cheeks. Hadn't been at all what he'd expected, and now all she did was stare at him with wounded eyes. He spotted a hand-bound tome on an end table in the main room and leafed through it as the noise upstairs increased. Medical bullshit. Bored, he shoved his hands into the front pocket on his tunic. Listened some more. "Fuck this."

He was up the stairs, hand raised to knock on their bedroom door, when his clone sent him the info that Boss and Sasuke were now alone.

Kakashi thought he made clones and hid them. The truth was this one clone was a secret accident. Seemed Boss and Sasuke were going to see the babies so Sasuke could say his goodbyes. Morbid.

He knocked. Heard Sakura curse. "It's important," he called. "I'll wait for you guys downstairs."

-oOo-

Sakura stomped down fifteen minutes later, wrapping a voluminous robe around herself. Chou was right behind, shoving an arm into the sleeve of his hoodie. "What," Sakura bit out.

He squared his shoulders. "Boss named me Second Hirukage to Hakumeigakure."

That had their frowns falling off their faces, mouths open.

"I picked Chou as Third, and Sasuke picked you, Haruno Sakura, as Second Yorukage." He stopped there to give them a minute.

Sakura sat down hard on a chair he hadn't noticed beside her. Chou put a hand on her shoulder, then came at him. Hesitated. By the look on his face, he'd ceased to understand what words meant. "Is..." Chou wiped his mouth. "Is this real? Are you serious? If you're joking…"

"It's real." He stared at them. Sakura was hyperventilating. "I'm here for something else, though." They looked at him in dread. Which almost made him laugh, but the sitch was far from funny. "I think, as kage, we need to have our own little meeting. Oh, Sasuke said for you to pick Third Yorukage, Sakura."

They both watched as she trembled through the effort to pull herself together. "Right," she said once she'd cleared her throat. "Give me a few minutes." She disappeared upstairs.

Chou took the seat she vacated and dropped his head into his hands. "Konohamaru?"

"'Sup."

"Do you think I can refuse?"

"Aside from how it'd look to cast aside such an honor, Boss and Sasuke already approved it. I don't think you're supposed to refuse."

Chou groaned. "I didn't sign up for this. I was supposed to be a villager. Then Naruto made me chief of medical staff. Then I was in charge of resettling the villagers. Now I'm on Sachi watch, and now I'm also the Third Hirukage to Hakumeigakure?" He raised a face ravaged with fear and grief. "I'm not even ninja! Why'd you choose me?"

Konohamaru folded his arms. "Who are you?"

"I…what?"

"I've been trying to find out since I met you. Sometimes I hear you and Sakura talking, you know, after fucking. All you ever say about your past is vague shit. I know that at some point Old Lady Tsunade studied from your parents, just like I know they weren't your actual parents. Heard the way Sakura talks about your skills, too. Not common shit. Some of it you learned from your parents, most of it you devised on your own."

The grief and anguish were gone from Chou's face. Replaced with an inscrutability that put the hairs up on the back of his neck.

"Here's what I think. I think you were given to your parents. I think you were sent to the South Pole for a reason. And I think that reason has to do with your strength. Your chakra." He pointed upward. "That dome? Back in Konoha it would have taken an entire barrier team to erect and maintain something like that. So, I repeat. Who are you?"

Chou's face was forbidding. But Sakura came back down then, bathed and dressed and ready for business. She took a moment to stare back and forth between their locked gazes, before focusing on Konohamaru. "You wanted to speak on something?"

He redirected his thoughts with difficulty. "Yeah. But Chou asked me a question you both should hear the answer to. Why'd I choose him? Simple. He's the strongest thing here. He has good organizational skills, unmatched medic skills, and he's loyal.

"That strength and loyalty are going to be needed," he continued in a lower voice. "Sasuke is at this moment convinced that he has to kill himself to spare Boss from the grief of Sachi killing him – "

Chou shot to his feet, eyes bulging.

"Boss is wrecked already. Sasuke ain't thinking straight. Like, at all. I been watching him this past month and I don't think he's in his right head. For instance, is it me or is it obvious that Sachi could hold any one of us hostage and Boss would lose his shit? He'd lose it a bit harder over Sasuke, but Sasuke killing himself doesn't eliminate the threat. I think he just wants to die. Fuck, I think a big part of him died when his eyes were taken. And given how I just saw Boss react…given how checked out Boss was over Hinata, I don't think he's in his right head either. I don't think it's even occurred to him that he still has Kyuubi, still has all his power, and can lock Sasuke down so he doesn't kill himself. He's just crying and howling like he can't stop Sasuke at all. Fuck, you could stop him, Chou – "

"And believe me, I will if he doesn't come to his senses."

Konohamaru pinched the bridge of his nose. "What I'm trying to say is, they're our leaders and they're coming apart at the seams. Hakumei ain't gonna make it, never mind Sachi. Even if you keep Sasuke alive, he and Boss are still going crazy. We, us kage, we need to help them."

Sakura brought a hand to her chin in thought, digesting all this. "It's still up to me to choose Third Yorukage?" At Konohamaru's nod, she gave a nod of her own. "I've been thinking about it. It would make sense to choose someone like Hyuuga Hiashi, or Ino's dad. Even Kakashi. But Hakumei needs to be built from the ground up. That kind of support and acquisition of resources doesn't necessarily require the strongest fighter. Hakumei has that in Naruto, Sasuke, me, and Chou. No, what we need is someone with a great ability to survive out here…and someone connected to the other most powerful people in this village: the babies. Chou, you're connected, but the other choice should be Kiba."

"Are you sure?" Chou wanted to know.

"I know everyone thinks I'm the reason the villagers all made it this far north, but I couldn't have done it without Kiba or his clan. He's not the obvious choice, but he's well-suited to life up here, trust me."

"So that's settled," Konohamaru said. "Now, do either of you have suggestions on how we can help our current kage?"

"I don't doubt that Sasuke and Naruto are both living with PTSD, not to mention some ungodly trauma," Chou said. "For Sasuke, I don't think it was an issue until the theft of his eyes, but for Naruto, I think it started upon learning he was pregnant. Then again, the period of time when Kyuubi ran wild might also have started it for Sasuke. Sachi is a stressor on top of what they're already dealing with. What I'm trying to say is that the only meaningful help either of them would respond to at this point is prolonged and intensive counseling. Which is impossible right now."

"They've sort of made up with each other, though, right?" Sakura glanced back and forth between them. "That has to count for something."

Konohamaru shook his head. "They've made peace, but they're not together together. All I want to know is how we can keep Sasuke from killing himself. Because he said he's doing it now. You can hold him down, Chou, but that doesn't change his mind."

Chou sighed. "If Naruto can't convince him, I don't think anyone can."

"I'm not so sure about that," Sakura said with a frown. "Are they still with the boys?"

---

Naruto watched Sasuke nuzzling Icky. How he spoke to him about growing up strong and honest, and being a good boy. Beast crouched on all fours, oddly silent, and staring at Icky's back. Almost like he was frozen. Kid didn't blink, just stared at Icky.

And Icky, Naruto decided, had been weird ever since the Zetsu thing. Silent. Unresponsive. Sasuke was holding him and talking to him, but Icky wasn't smiling and attentive like he usually was. He looked at Sasuke's chest, like he was waiting for it to be over.

Better enjoy it while you can, buddy, Naruto thought as he closed his eyes on a fresh wave of tears. This'll be the last time he holds you.

He couldn't breath. Felt like his heart was turning to stone, it hurt so much. When he opened his eyes, Icky was looking at him. But Sasuke put him down then and considered Beast. "You sure Sachi can't get in here?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm not sure about anything anymore. I do know Icky can vanish from here and get back in."

"How?"

"I don't know. He doesn't do it anymore, anyway."

"How'd you make this place? It's like its own dimension, but it can be unlocked and entered by normal means."

Naruto stared at him. "You want to talk about this now? I don't know how I made it, Sasuke. Was barely thinking straight at the time. Why?"

Sasuke looked around at the walls, the ceiling. Shook his head. "You're doing more and more things through will. Conceiving Icky. Hinata's memories. I think this thing keeps Sachi out because that's what you wanted it to do when you built it. Assuming she's tried to get in here at all. The way you use Fuinjutsu is remarkable." He dropped his eyes to Naruto. Looked away. "Didn't hit me, what I'm about to do, till I came here and held Icky. That I'm leaving him. To grow up without a parent. It crossed my mind that I could hide from Sachi in here. Cowardly thought." He shrugged. Tried to smile. "My mind's made up."

"You're leaving me, too."

Sasuke headed for the door. He started to follow on a snort of disgust, but something brushed the back of his head. He turned, hand going to his hair. Icky and Beast stared at him. That was new. Beast had never before made eye-contact. He stared back, waiting to see if the kid would look away. Beast didn't.

The memory of the touch came back to him, and he glanced around. He couldn't feel Sachi. A sense-check of the hellbox itself revealed no weaknesses that he could detect. He dropped his eyes back to Beast, who was still watching him. Hinata's eyes. "Looks like you're making progress, kiddo. Right when all this shit is going down. Good boy." He hesitated. Approached Beast slowly. Mindful of all Tsume told him of alphas. He crouched down. Held Beast's gaze. "You're a good boy," he said again. "You're my boy. No matter what happens next, or if we come through this, you need to know that. Whether you understand me or not, it's time I said it. You're my son, Hyuuga Yuudai." He cautiously put his hand out. Just as slowly, Beast came forward and sniffed it. Resumed his crouch and stared at him. Naruto finally looked at Icky…and frowned. Icky wasn't looking at him now. He was staring hard at something only he could see. "Icky?" No response. He reached to pick him up, but heard Konohamaru's voice outside.

Right. Sasuke was about to kill himself.

---

Konohamaru's clone was speaking. "Sakura chooses Kiba," the clone said. "I told them your plans, Yorukage. Might not have been my place, but I felt strongly about it. I know you want Boss there. We, me and the other kage, we decided we want to be with you, too. To see you off."

Naruto bit his tongue till it bled.

Sasuke gave a snort. Then a small, uncharacteristic chuckle. "Fan-fucking-tastic." He took a deep breath and spent some moments gazing around at the village. The sky. The buildings and people and activity around them. "I'll be at the northern promontory."

The one I usually sit on to observe the village, Naruto realized. "I'll tell Kiba Sakura's choice," he said to Konohamaru. The clone vanished.

---

Kiba was on duty when Naruto's clone ghosted up to his side. He didn't take his gaze from the horizon, since he wasn't scanning with his eyes. But he did alter his chakra to block Naruto's scent and thus keep a watch on the surroundings. He was at the southern section of the dome, just inside it. He said nothing, very aware of his last words to Naruto.

For a time, the clone only stood beside him. Ostensibly viewing the horizon with him, but really focusing on him. It put its hands into the front pocket of its tunic; Kiba didn't flinch but his entire body tightened in preparation for an attack.

The clone gave a soft cough. "I'm not here to kill you, Kiba." It ran through the recent kage appointments. "Sakura's chosen you as Third Yorukage. Should've been her telling you, but I wanted to do it myself."

Long before the clone finished, Kiba turned to stare at it with his mouth open. Clone turned to face him. Kiba frowned at it, eyes bulging, until he finally closed his mouth. Swallowed. Looked the clone up and down, then turned to face away from the village again. Tried to think. His mom would shit. He had one hand grooming Akamaru's head in an agitated movement. The other hovered in front of his face, flitting between cupping his mouth and running through his hair.

He was shaking.

"You did nothing wrong," the clone said quietly.

He glanced over in confusion.

"With Sasuke," it continued. "We were done. I don't own the guy. I definitely had feelings on the sitch, but I should have kept that between me and Sasuke. You never went after him when he and I were together, and I…couldn't remember that. I can't think at all when it comes to him. But I shouldn't have threatened you. You didn't deserve that. You've had my back like very few have. For years. Makes me sick, the things I said to you. Because I was sick. I stopped caring about a lot of things. And you're like a brother. So going after Sasuke? That hurt me. Bad. But you didn't do anything wrong. Didn't take anything from me. He was already gone. So…I'm sorry."

Kiba's face went red. Hot with shame. He had to clench his jaw to keep the tears from falling. A fight he won, for the most part.

"Sakura chose well," the clone said. "You might not agree, or maybe you do. You're not the strongest. Don't have the most jutsu. But you do know how to provide and protect. You're loyal. You don't back down from a fight. You know how to keep the pack safe. Well, the village is now your pack. I'd trust you with their lives. I trust you with my life."

One tear fell. Then another.

The clone punctuated this with a nod and turned to leave. It formed the hand seal to disperse but Kiba dropped a hand on its shoulder from behind. Squeezed hard.

Clone stopped.

"I knew better," Kiba said. It was a croak. He cleared his throat, then said in a stronger voice, "I knew better. You don't fuck with another male's territory. Not an alpha's. Whether he's present or not, you stay away. I…got curious. Behaved like a pup on his first time out the den instead of like someone with basic common sense. It was stupid of me. I know you. Know what you're like, what's between you two. Worse than stupid. Curiosity was no excuse." He dropped his hand. "I take accountability for that."

Clone turned and gave him a lidded look of assessment.

"Not saying we can be friends again, or that there isn't still some bad blood between us, but I do respect you. I do. I respect your leadership. And I appreciate your apology."

The stare they shared now was a stony challenge. The correct thing to do at this point would be for one of them to bow, either in concession or acknowledgement. Neither wanted to go first. Alphas didn't bend. Acknowledgement and apologies aside, neither wanted to forego pride and ego to that extent.

"I don't want there to be bad blood between us," the clone said. "I'm your kage. I need to lead by example. Besides. I just need you. I need all my people." Relaxing its face and body, the clone gave a shallow but prolonged bow to Kiba.

Kiba drew himself up to his full height, then bowed from the waist. When he straightened, he said, "Whatever you need, I'm your man."

"Meet us at the northern promontory, please. The other kage will be gathered there."

Kiba nodded. The clone dispersed, and he was left to sink to the balls of his feet as his knees went weak.

---

It was an odd scene. They formed a V behind Sasuke as he stood at the edge of the promontory. Hakumei was spread out before them. Fires spiraled up from chimneys. The dome hummed overhead. Sasuke stared at the horizon. His lips moved in prayer.

Naruto was directly behind Sasuke as the point of the V, but he was also the farthest away. Konohamaru and Chou formed one arm. Sakura formed the abbreviated second arm. Kiba arrived a few minutes later. Sakura indicated the place beside her, where he should stand.

Kiba took his place, then studied everyone. Naruto's head was bowed, so he couldn't see his face, but he could certainly smell him. Sakura looked grim. She had unshed tears in her eyes. Konohamaru was glaring daggers at Chou, who had his large hands clasped in front of him, eyes glued to the back of Sasuke's head. Kiba was loath to break the inexplicably formal silence, but he had to know. "What are we doing?"

Sasuke chose that moment to turn and face them. "My friend. I'm glad you're here. We are attending my…" He pursed his lips.

Konohamaru did the honors. "He's killing himself."

Kiba started to smile. Stopped. "You're joking." His immediate reaction was to see how Naruto was receiving this news, but the wetness and redness in his eyes said this wasn't news. Which explained why Naruto smelled like desperation and hopelessness and raw, unmitigating pain. It wasn't news to anyone, another glance around confirmed. "…What?"

"Sasuke feels Sachi will use him as leverage against Naruto, and that Naruto is wasting precious strength guarding him night and day. So he's decided to remove himself from the equation." Sakura said all this with a pointed stare at him.

He knew that look. More importantly, he knew that smell. Everyone but Sasuke and Naruto shared that smell; no one here agreed with Sasuke's decision. Well, that answers my question on whether or not we're letting this happen. He let her know he was on board via a tiny nod.

-oOo-

Sasuke held Naruto's watery eyes. That didn't mean he was unaware of the opposition surrounding him. Sakura and Chou might very well be able to heal him from the jaws of death, but he had an ace up his sleeve. Something Itachi taught him out there in the forest, in one of the rare moments Naruto had given them alone. 'To prevent enemy capture,' Itachi said. 'There's no coming back from it, Sasuke, and no stopping it once it matures to full execution. So make sure the use of this jutsu is worth it.'

Naruto was looking at him. Silently pleading with him to reconsider. Even miserable as that expression was, Naruto's face quelled the last of his regret at doing this. Some peace came to him. Calmed him. Enough for him to feel pride that Naruto, at least, wasn't trying to stop him. Meant deep inside, Naruto knew this was the right thing to do. He smiled into Naruto's eyes, those beautiful eyes, and the world fell away. It was just him and Naruto and now. He went to him and brought their foreheads together. Held him. Breathed in his scent. Scrubbed away the tears with his thumbs. Kissed him. "Naruto."

"Sasuke, please don't d – "

"Of all the things I've done in my life, good and bad, earning your love was the greatest." He pulled back after a final lingering kiss. Committed this last look of Naruto's face to memory. "You and your love were everything to me. You were my conscience, my home, my salvation. You loved me at my worst." He stepped back. "Thank you."

He could see the stricken looks on all their faces. The way Konohamaru glared at Chou, the way Chou took a step toward him, but the jutsu was already in play. He could feel the burn beginning deep in his brain. 'It's quicker with Sharingan, instantaneous with Mangekyo, but should your eyes ever be stolen, it can still be done. It will take some minutes.'

"Goodbye, Naruto."

-oOo-

Naruto watched Sasuke close his eyes. Contrary to what Sasuke probably thought, whatever he was doing wasn't completely undetectable. He didn't know what it was, but he could see and feel it building. Something that would annihilate the user where they stood. He could stop Sasuke. Except Sasuke would find another way. And he was tired of hurting. But he watched Sasuke close his eyes, saw the faint moisture beneath his lashes, felt whatever jutsu Sasuke was using start to grow, and said, "Loving you at your worst was the only way I could love you."

Sasuke looked at him. Frowned.

Talk to him. Tell him. Keep him here. "It was the only way I could admit to loving you. The…safest thing for my heart."

Sasuke tilted his head. "Safest?"

He nodded. "When you were at your worst, you cared about nothing at all in the world. Nothing. Except me. I was all you wanted. All you needed." His own tears were never gone for long. They came again now, and he struggled to get it all out. To finally say everything once and for all. "You told me, remember? In the forest? When I wanted to go back to Konoha. You couldn't understand why. I gave you a bunch of reasons, stupid shit I wanted. You still couldn't understand because all you needed was me. That's what you said. That you only needed me, and since you had me, you could stay out there." He wiped an ineffectual hand across his face, spreading snot. "I don't think I ever told you, but that moment right there was when I started understanding how deep and serious our shit was. Deeper than me being drawn to you since day one. That was my business, though. To know that was how you saw me…that was all I'd ever wanted from life. That kind of all-or-nothing certainty that someone would stick by me. You were so angry. Vengeful. Evil. I saw the way you obsessed over people. First your brother, then Danzo. I thought, 'if I'm the next thing he obsesses over, I'm good. I can love him. Those other people died, but I'm not going anywhere, so he'll never leave me.' You weren't evil to me. Not anymore. This new person you are, who thinks about other people outside himself, I don't know him. And I'm not important to him. He would rather die than be with me during the worst fight of my life. Evil Sasuke would have cut Sachi down the second she showed up. So yeah. That's why loving you at your worst was the safest thing for me."

The jutsu, whatever it was, stopped growing. It was still there, but Sasuke was completely focused on him.

"You hated Hinata. Hated her." Everyone shifted uncomfortably. Sasuke didn't. "That, too, let me feel safe. I snapped at you for bullying her, but inside I was still safe. Because you didn't want her up here with us." He measured the attention Sasuke was giving him. Judged that, for the moment, the jutsu might have been forgotten. "I don't know exactly when I checked out and Kyuubi took over, but when I went, that's how things stood. You didn't like Hinata."

He took a breath. Dropped his eyes to gather himself for this next part.

"You said I was gone a month. But to me, it felt like I just stepped out the house for a few hours. Maybe a day. It was this instant thing. You didn't like Hinata, I blinked, and you'd slept with her. No…I turned my back for a second and you fell in love with her. That's what it felt like. That…" He clenched his jaw. "That realization…the knowledge that I lost you so completely, so quickly…that knocked me down. Hard. There was no rationalizing it. No way for me to get over it. No escaping the fact that it wasn't a fluke. It was your choice. You lied to me for her. Sachi showed up and you let her stay. Your choice. She sent me away and you fucked her. Your choice again. That last, at least, was a choice I understood. Still hurt. But Hinata?" He shook his head. "Knocked me down. The rape, my death, Beast, Hinata's death, and now Sachi…all that shit kept me down. There was nothing in this world that could make me love someone besides you. I was safe knowing you felt the same. But you went to someone else the second I wasn't here."

Sasuke swallowed. Looked at his feet.

"Took me ages, but I was starting to get back up. This last year has taught me that I can take a lot. And I can lose a lot. The one thing I can't lose, Sasuke, is you. The one thing. Known it for years. Knew it in that farmhouse. But here you are, leaving me. I'm losing you. And I can't get up from this. I don't have it in me. I'm barely here as it is. I got nothing left. I can't imagine what condition you think I'll be in to fight or defend anyone once you're gone. But you get something into your head, and that's it. Tunnel vision. So…let me spell this out plain for you." He made sure Sasuke's eyes were locked on him. "I'm not going to live through your death. That's my choice. I'll be right behind you. We're going out together. There. That's some symmetry for your ass."

The jutsu wavered, flickered, dimmed. From the corner of his eye, he saw Chou relax, but he only had eyes for the way Sasuke's face stretched wide in shock at hearing they would die together. Then it firmed once more. The jutsu came roaring back. Sasuke held out a hand. "Then come with me," he said.

-oOo-

This fatalistic motherfucker. Kiba stared in disbelief as Naruto actually began walking to Sasuke. Sakura clamped a hand like steel on his arm. Chou lunged forward to stand between Naruto and Sasuke. The shield Chou put up to hold Naruto in place kept him still. It also severed the chakra cloak Naruto had around Sasuke. Chou turned toward Sasuke now and stretched a hand to him.

"Don't," Sasuke warned. "The slightest interference will only ensure the jutsu spreads to you too."

Chou froze. "Whatever you're doing, stop. I'm begging you."

Sasuke bowed to him. Naruto surged against the shield, his chakra bright as the sun, but Chou did something where he twisted his hand. The shield swirled and Naruto fell down unconscious. Konohamaru ran to him.

A glow developed around Sasuke. Ozone and heat crackled in the air. He looked at Naruto a second, then met each of their eyes in farewell.

When Sasuke got to him, he held his gaze and said, "So, what happened?"

Ignoring the question, Sasuke turned around to look at the horizon once more.

"Didn't you say you were going to be his friend? Spend your life trying to be there for him?"

A pause. Sasuke glanced over one shoulder at him. "This is me being his friend."

"No. This is you making more selfish decisions."

"I don't expect you to under- "

"What you're doing isn't ninja." Naruto could be heard groaning out a curse. Konohamaru, Chou, and Sakura were bent over him. Sasuke turned further to look at this, but Kiba moved so his body blocked them from view. "Eyes on me, buddy. This isn't ninja. Ninja don't check out of seemingly unwinnable situations, so this isn't about that. Isn't about Naruto, either. I'm late to the party so how about you tell me real quick why you are doing this."

"Sakura already –"

"That's not the reason."

"I don't have time for this."

"Nah, you don't. Talk fast." He waited. Sasuke faced forward, ready to ignore him again. Kiba figured he had two, maybe three minutes tops. "Allow me to lay it out then. You're scared. Not of Sachi using you. Of yourself. You don't know how to live as you are. Like I said back at that hut or dimension or wherever the fuck we were, you don't know how to endure shit. Willingly. Just tough something out until it passes."

Sasuke whirled, eyes blazing. "You think this will pass? That I'll reawaken my Doujutsu, that any of this will go away? Thousands of Uchiha with the powers I don't have!"

"So? Who gives a shit?"

"What?"

He stepped closer and enunciated. "What's that got to do with friendship?"

And there it was, that blank confusion he'd see on Sasuke's face whenever things went past his sphere of experience. His frightfully small sphere.

"You think a bunch of Genin thought they had a chance of going up against four Jounin-level ninja to rescue your ass? No. We went anyway. Pein destroyed the entire village. Hinata went up against him alone anyway. Naruto is in shreds. He's using his life force to protect you anyway. Friends don't abandon each other. Not because they're strong enough, or because they can win everything. It's so we don't face this big, bad, dangerous world alone. Life sucks most of the time. It's hard. There's too much out there waiting to tear us down. You know that. We don't make it easier for life to beat us by tearing each other down; we support each other."

Sasuke was fully facing him. Kiba stepped aside now so that Naruto was visible where he was being restrained by Chou, Konohamaru, and Sakura.

"Do you see him? You have no concept of smell, and scent is too complicated a topic to explain to someone who can't understand it. You either experience it or you don't. I can smell him, though, so trust me when I say that you dying won't spare him from anything worse than what he's feeling right now. I know you see this as some grand gesture of love, that you'll be eliminating a distraction for Naruto, but it's not. It's cowardice, Sasuke. Plain and simple. You're delusional if you don't see that. Because even if you're nothing…even if you're the weakest shit on the planet, how can you leave him to face this alone? So your body's not strong enough to win. Does that mean your heart isn't strong enough to stand by his side? That your mind isn't strong enough to fucking think this through with him? Help doesn't just mean fighting. And fighting isn't just combat. You can help him in a lot of different ways, fight in many ways. But, no. You just yeet yourself out of the equation, abandon your kids, your man, and all of us who fucking bowed to you when you asked for our help. That is the most dishonorable shit I've ever seen. How dare you. The fuck is wrong with you? Look at him. Does he look like your death will give him the strength to fight Sachi? When are you going to wake up?"

The jutsu was gone. Sasuke stood rooted in place, face a study in consternation. He was trembling.

Absolute silence reined on the promontory.

When Sasuke raised swimming eyes to Naruto, Naruto broke free and threw himself into Sasuke's arms. They sank to the ground. Naruto sobbing, Sasuke strangling him in a hug. "I'm sorry," Sasuke said harshly. "Forgive me. I'm so sorry." Naruto's reply was a muffled growl against his neck.

-oOo-

A massive hand dropped onto his shoulder, staggering him. He looked up to see Chou smiling in relief. "Sakura's faith in you was well-placed," he said.

"For sure." Konohamaru assessed him with new respect.

Sakura was crying behind her hands. Chou went to her and folded her into a hug.

He was shaking himself in the aftermath. Wiped sweat from his lip. Ran a hand over his hair. There was movement behind him. He turned to see Sasuke pulling Naruto up, still holding him. Murmuring urgently. A closer look showed Naruto wasn't doing well at all. He clutched at Sasuke's tunic, crying worse than ever. His face was turned into Sasuke's shoulder. Now everyone could hear what Sasuke was saying:

"He's right, I can help you in other ways. Support you, take care of you. I will take care of you. I'm here, Naruto. I don't…I don't know how I can ever make up to you for this, for putting you through this, but I will. I promise, you have me. All of me. I'm not going anywhere, okay? I swear it. I'm here. In whatever capacity you…ah."

Sasuke uttered this sound with a frown down at his chest. At the same moment, Naruto jerked back with a hand to his cheek, as if something had cut him. Something had, it seemed: blood leaked between his fingers. It wasn't until he pulled his hand away, looked at his red palm, then up at Sasuke in confusion, that any of them became aware of the blade protruding from Sasuke's chest.

It was white. He smelled ozone. A lightning blade.

Naruto screamed Sasuke's name as his chakra sprang up hard and heavy. They were all thrown by an invisible force, but Naruto resisted this to some degree. He was pressed back several feet, on his knees, but he maintained the cloak around Sasuke with his hands outstretched.

"Have to say," Sachi said. "Payback is a bitch, and that bitch is me. I was hoping to get this done a while ago, but that brat of yours is quite the powerhouse. Well? Here I am. Better late than never." She leaned around Sasuke's shoulder to smile at Naruto…before blasting Sasuke apart.