-傷-

Sasuke was aware that conversation in the salon had dropped off again. From across the room he could feel Ino's death glare. He shrugged and dismissed his Sharingan.

In a moderate tone, as if he hadn't just threatened their lives, Sasuke said, "When the treaty is signed tomorrow I will have everything I want."

At that precise moment there was a commotion at the front of the room. The attention of the room's occupants swept away from Sasuke and toward the large doors to the hallway as they opened. All except for Yoshitaro, who once again had a calculating look on his aged face.

A man in the long formal white coat of a kage appeared. Hidesaburo stood somewhat taller than average, dark red hair pulled behind wide shoulders, gray-blue eyes settled over prominent cheek bones. He clearly was used to commanding attention. With a short nod to the room he moved quickly to bow to the Fire daimyo. "Lord Daimyo, I would bring some of my emissaries here to your gathering, if you will allow it. Furthermore, I see such pleasantries here that I would like to extend your invitation to my lord, the Earth daimyo, that he might take his ease here."

Hidesaburo's eyes never strayed from the daimyo's face but Sasuke had absolutely no doubt that the man knew he was in the room and exactly where. Then the daimyo looked away and Hidesaburo glanced over the heads of several guests to connect with Sasuke. His gaze was flinty, cunning. He practically dared Sasuke to make a move.

Very clearly, Hidesaburo spoke, "That man, however, must leave."

A murmur started immediately as many heads turned toward Sasuke. Among them were a few voices uttering dismay, but most were simply surprised.

"Yeah right!" Naruto began.

But the Tsuchikage interrupted him as if it were nothing. "Seibei-sama, I hope you do recognize that as a rogue ninja, Sasuke Uchiha was branded a traitor and criminal. I cannot begin to fathom why your lordship would permit his presence here, given the calamity the Uchiha brought to the shinobi world. I would never permit even a fraction of that to befall the company you have gathered here. The Uchiha clan is all but annihilated precisely because of their treachery."

Despite himself, Sasuke could feel his jaw begin to grind and his shoulders stiffen. He was going to go there?

"Do you really fear the last Uchiha that much?" Naruto's voice was as hard as iron. "I already gave our daimyo my word that he could trust Sasuke. So if you want to hang out here with your pals and your daimyo, you're gonna have to do better than that!" Naruto stood with his hands on his hips, a stance that Sasuke had never seen him hold. It spoke of impatience but hardly any anger.

Naruto's words and pose had a remarkable effect on the room as many people began to relax at once. If Naruto said there was nothing to worry about then it must be true. In another corner in the room Sasuke took note that the elder Koharu watched Naruto and studied the Tsuchikage with interest. He couldn't begin to fathom what the old woman was thinking but she clearly found the exchange interesting.

"Oh really," countered Hidesaburo. "And does your daimyo know that the reason the Uchiha is here instead of your female teammate, Sakura Haruno, is because that harpy was taken into custody on my orders after killing two of my men? Really, Hokage-dono, your teammates are pract-"

"Tsch. That's not what happened." Sasuke declared. His Sharingan engaged almost reflexively. It irritated him to have to speak up, to willingly invite attention from everyone in the room. A cold fire burned in his chest as he spoke. "Sakura surrendered this morning in order to keep the peace. The two men she killed had been trespassing in Fire Country when they attacked her."

There were many gasps among the people gathered. Those who had started to approach the Tsuchikage to welcome him to the gathering took at least one step back.

Hidesaburo stiffened and looked toward Sasuke, but carefully kept his gaze trained on his shoulder. So he's fought against the Sharingan before, Sasuke thought.

The Tsuchikage lifted his chin to drive home how poorly he thought of Sasuke. "A rogue ninja's words are sniveling excuses and hardly worthy of this place."

For a split second Sasuke pushed himself into stillness. It took the same force as fighting a fierce opponent. Tension and intensity held his body and every nerve ending tingled, while his mind issued order after order, "stand still, do not move!"

Hidesaburo scoffed. "I have it on good authority that the Haruno woman stayed with you for two nights in between the time she slaughtered my men and when she was taken prisoner. Is that how long it takes for a Konoha slut to change a rogue ninja's mind? Did that whore convince you to come in her stead in order to preserve the corrupted justice for which Konoha is so famous?"

Sasuke did not care one bit that he was surrounded by civilians. He did not remember the commitment that he had made to non-violence. No thought crossed his mind for border treaties and avoiding war.

He had gathered the chakra necessary to make the chidori visible in his hand and had raced most of the way to Hidesaburo, needing only another two steps and an arm thrust to pierce the Tsuchikage's heart, when he realized he had stopped moving.

The room seemed frozen, although Sasuke was dimly aware of women crying out in fear and men stumbling to get away. His mind cleared a bit and he understood the situation better.

Hidesaburo stared down at him, knees bent and ready to engage in a fight, but his eyes went wide when Naruto, who was immediately behind him, spoke.

"No one likes to hear their teammates talked about like that." Naruto's voice was strained. Sasuke was faintly surprised he wasn't making more of a fuss. Only a few years ago Naruto would have lost his mind, screaming and yelling regardless of the circumstances. At some point he had learned to show his feelings with his actions.

Sasuke raised his voice, not sure where the shadow user was. "It's okay, Shikamaru. You can let go." To show he meant it he dismissed his Sharingan and let the chidori wink out. In another moment he felt the shadow possession leave him and he was able to move again.

Ignoring absolutely everyone else, Sasuke turned to the Fire daimyo and nodded a tiny bow. He did the same for Naruto. "I'm sorry." was all he said. Then he turned on a heel and exited to a balcony off to the side of the room.

Glancing back inside he observed the woman on the daimyo's arm lean in and whisper to him. They seemed to be in agreement and the daimyo nodded to Hidesaburo. Naruto stood stalk still until Ino came up and put a hand on his arm.

Sasuke dearly wished they were on a battlefield, or even a training room. If it weren't for these civilians in the way... But now he was thinking again like he had when he was a teenager. He fought the urge to frown. Even if he did fight and defeat the Tsuchikage here, Sakura would still be in Iwa hands. And Fire and Earth countries would definitely go to war. No, he swore he would only help her.

He had retreated into the shadows on the balcony but he could see into the room very well. From time to time individuals looked toward the balcony doors. There was a buzz indicating conversations had resumed and diplomats felt free to greet the Tsuchikage and his retinue.

Sasuke drew in a much needed deep breath. Not only was this business ridiculously complicated, it was infuriating. He had let the doors swing shut behind him and was glad for a bit of isolation. The stars shone cold and bright overhead. It was getting quite deep into the night. Far off to the north, almost a full day's run, Sakura lay unconscious in a cage. He let the breath out softly and slowly.

His isolation didn't last very long. All too soon the doors to the balcony opened and Yoshitaro stepped through. Sasuke was not eager to resume their discussion and he made a show of putting his hands in his pockets and staring at the roads leading to the palace, lit by lanterns.

"So it's for a woman," began Yoshitaro with no other preamble. "I wonder why no one thought of that."

"Hn."

"I see you would prefer not to speak. Very well then I'll tell you a few things and then leave you be, Uchiha-san. I'm well aware of how dangerous the Sharingan can be. I do not wish to acquire it, or its wielder for my region. Practically the opposite, you might say. I would prefer you never step foot in my home. The simple fact is Takaichi is in a precarious position with more debt than is healthy, and a trading deficit with too many other regions. Like many diplomats here I have had to think very carefully about the possible advantages of war."

Sasuke gave him a sharp glance before looking back to the roads.

"Yes, I've considered that there are gains to be had during wartime. And I know you are thinking of Seicho-dono. But the difference is he is a preening idiot with no concept of the drawbacks. I've been through war more than once and if I never see it again it will be too soon. Until this very moment I had my doubts that your Hokage could get the treaty signed quickly. The longer it takes and the more changes are made that favor Earth Country, the more a war moves up in the number of advantages it holds for my region.

"Very simply put, Uchiha-san, if your people cannot get the treaty signed tomorrow I will have no choice but to move in favor of war."

A silence hung between them for a long moment. Finally Sasuke said the only thing that seemed to matter. "The treaty will be signed tomorrow."

Yoshitaro nodded. "I won't ask you for an oath. When an Uchiha says a thing will be so nothing short of death stops them. And even then I sometimes wonder." With another nod Yoshitaro turned away and stepped back into the room.

Still Sasuke couldn't relax. "Why don't you come out," he said to the shadow behind a potted tree.

Calmly, Shikamaru took a step so Sasuke could see him better, but avoided the light spilling out from the salon where the gathering carried on without them. "I gotta say, that was really close with the Tsuchikage. But, still, the night isn't done yet. You know what has to happen."

"Aa." The plan had sounded a lot more simple in the hallway, before he had been pushed past the breaking point. "It's a good thing you reacted quickly."

"Hey, I use shadows and they move at the speed of light, that's the only reason I could catch the two of you."

"Hn." A half smile played at the corner of his mouth as he thought of Naruto feeling paralyzed by Shikamaru's jutsu.

"Gotta say, holding the two of you at the same time is about my breaking point. If I had to hold you guys for longer than a minute both of you would have gotten free." Shikamaru tsked. "The Tsuchikage is just itching to take a hit from one of you. He's betting his diamond kekkei genkai can take on your best shot - and after that he can claim you started it."

Sasuke grunted. He already knew this. It helped nothing to think that he had to return to the room and face more abuse which he must allow to go unanswered. Only a few years ago he would have rained punishment on those who spoke ill of the Uchiha... It was getting hard to remember why he made his promise.

"I get it, you know. And so does Naruto. Hell, Naruto's always the one who's saying he wished these people were ninja so he could just call them out to fight. Even for a guy like me, who's not that great at confrontation, I wish I could just take it out to a field and settle things once and for all. Dancing around with words and quid pro quo and binding agreements and stuff...it's a total pain in the ass."

"Hn." Sasuke glanced into the room and slid his hands into his pockets. He missed the feel of his sword on his back.

Shikamaru mused. "Mmhh. If you don't mind me saying, you move like you haven't carried a weapon in a long time. But you still remember what it feels like to be ready to jump into a fight at any second."

Sasuke watched him silently.

"Well it's none of my business why you're not armed. My guess is it has to do with your late wife." Shikamaru's mouth twitched and he let his head roll back as he studied the stars. "It's like you've had enough of fighting but you can't think of a better option when people go around causing the kind of trouble that Hidesaburo is making."

"He won't reach me again." Sasuke made sure his tone was final.

"Hm. I hope so. But right now you can't just avoid him. To get Sakura back you need to get him hot under the collar again. Just stick to the plan."

Both men were silent for a time.

"That man..." Sasuke muttered.

"What's up?"

"If he wants a war so bad why doesn't he start one? He was trying to provoke me just now. Why? Why doesn't he simply try to fight me?"

"Huh. Those are good questions." Shikamaru looked at him. "I hate to answer with another question, but think about this: Do you think Iwa could win if they just declared war, or would they be better off with a sneak attack? How long could Earth Country sustain a war that was uncertain?"

"I don't..." Sasuke began to say that he didn't really care. If he did care he would know. But a thought came to him about Earth Country. "I traveled through Earth Country two years ago. It isn't very stable. Currently, two regions are ready to rebel against their daimyo. The daimyo can crush insurrection right now, but not if Iwa is weak from fighting a war. The regions will rebel and if Iwa loses the war it won't be able to regain those areas."

"That sounds about right. The daimyo wants more wealth for his country, but not at the cost of losing territory his predecessors gained. Also, I don't know if you realize it, but Konoha and Suna are pretty tight these days. If Hidesaburo goes about getting a war in the wrong way they might end up fighting on two fronts. That's why they don't dare just issue a declaration of war; it would call on our alliance with Suna." Shikamaru snorted. "Temari is already mad at me for how long this is taking. She wants another kid and war would force us to wait even longer."

"Your family," Sasuke muttered.

"Hey, we've all got our reasons for needing this to be over fast. Getting Sakura away from those bastards is probably the biggest right now." Shikamaru frowned.

Sasuke looked at Shikamaru from the corner of his eye. In the half light the scar that slid over Shikamaru's right eye cast a gruesome shadow. He gave a soft grunt and made a guess. "You owe her? Your eye."

"Hm?" Shikamaru ran a finger over his scar. "Yeah. My eye, my life. A few years ago, before she made jonin, she went through some shit just to make sure the rest of us got out okay. She tell you about it?"

"Hn. Some."

"Yeah. She did what she had to do. I know she still feels bad. I think the nightmares finally stopped, though. I still can't believe what a disaster that was. I'm just grateful she's on our si- Aw, crap. Looks like we have to get back in there."

Sasuke snapped his attention back to the salon. No one was looking out toward the balcony and he realized it was because the Earth daimyo had arrived. The grizzled, red-faced man was facing off with Naruto and Naruto was shouting back.

Quietly, effortlessly, Sasuke slipped in through the doors again. He guessed Shikamaru would do the same from the shadows. He didn't need to wonder what the argument was about.

"I already told you, he's not leaving. You didn't have to come here, believe it!" Naruto was so upset he had slipped back to his old catchphrase.

"I only came here to inform your daimyo that the rogue ninja's presence is a direct threat to the negotiations." The Earth daimyo bellowed in his big, deep voice.

On his dais the Fire daimyo tried to hide behind his fan, and Shikibu, his female adviser, tried to join him.

Shikamaru's plan had a lynchpin that relied on riling up the Tsuchikage and perhaps the Earth daiymo in a very specific way. Everything was up to Sasuke and there was only one step left before Hidesaburo was sure to blunder into their trap. If only that last step weren't so noxious to Sasuke...

From a few feet away Sasuke spoke. "Don't speak to the Hokage that way. Don't be rude to him just because you fear me." Sasuke wanted to choke on the words but everything depended convincing the room that he supported Naruto wholeheartedly.

"You!" the Earth daimyo spluttered.

Hidesaburo was instantly blocking Sasuke's view of the red-faced man, two fingers held in ready concentration.

"Aa." Sasuke said. "You knew I would be here or Hidesaburo isn't doing his job."

Predictably, the Tsuchikage narrowed his eyes. "Back up from the daimyo, Sasuke Uchiha. Or better yet, leave this place."

Sasuke ground out, "My Hokage invited me here. And you are no one to make me forsake his invitation." It took a great deal of effort for Sasuke to say it, and as he did so he put up a hand to adjust his hitaiate. It reinforced the impression that he was a Konoha shinobi, but also let Sasuke remind himself of its presence. It still rested snugly about his head.

The Earth daimyo loudly harumphed at Sasuke's declaration. "Hokage-dono, you would permit a rogue ninja speak in a company such as this? Shouldn't he be tried as a criminal? At least washed first? He looks like bits of road are still caked under his fingernails and in his hair."

Naruto hissed and looked like he could spit nails. "You are talking about my friend!"

Around them the feeling of the room was approaching panic. The doors to the hallway were open and a steady trickle of people were leaving. Clumps of individuals remained - those who dared to see what might come from such a powerful face off. Foolish people, thought Sasuke, there has never been anything good that happens to civilians when shinobi decide to fight.

"Naruto," Sasuke called as calmly as he could. "You told me yourself they just want a fight. You're about to give it to them."

Naruto swallowed a growl and took a step back, lowering his shoulders. "Right, it's not like it would be much of a fight anyway."

As one, Hidesaburo and the Earth daimyo turned their heads to the Hokage, anger and distaste evident in their glares. "Damn you...!" began the Tsuchikage.

A throat cleared. An older servant of the court in a dress somewhat more impressive than the ordinary waiters stood at the foot of the now-empty dais. "Gentlemen, this evening is adjourned. My Lord Daimyo wishes you all good night." The majordomo bowed low and turned to a side door. The Fire daimyo and his advisers were already exiting through the door.

Sasuke hid his smirk. The trap was sprung and had snapped shut perfectly.

"So did you get it, Ino?" Naruto called.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Ino appeared only a few feet behind Naruto and stood as tranquil as a tree on a windless day. "The young men who organize the schedule around the palace on a daily basis secured one of the gardens for a breakfast meeting. And the daimyo's own secretary agreed we will finalize the details there and finish the meeting with the signing ceremony."

"What?" Roared the Earth daimyo. "How can you make such arrangements without including the Earth delegation?"

Ino's voice remained smooth, like a stream flowing over soft, round pebbles. "The Earth delegation left today's negotiations with the stipulation that once your lordship, Ushitora-sama, met again with Seibei-sama, one final meeting would be all that was needed to finalize the treaty. Since Ushitora-sama and Seibei-sama were just now in the same room, your hosts wish to honor your delegates' wish and conclude the negotiations quickly."

"How dare you interfere! I haven't even gotten to speak with that foo- Seibei-dono yet!"

"But my lord, Ushitora-sama, I have heard it said that men at such a level of cunning and intellect can understand each other with just a meeting of the eyes. Is that not so?" Ino's tone remained mild and the smile on her face could just as easily have come from discussing her favorite flowers.

The Earth daimyo spluttered and the Tsuchikage spoke in his stead. "You knew we would come here and took the opportunity to lay your machinations well. This stinks of your general, Shikamaru Nara." Hidesaburo scowled. "I don't see him, but I bet he's in the shadows somewhere like a damned spider."

"Hn." General? It crossed Sasuke's mind that Sakura had mentioned several of their classmates had risen in the ranks. It made sense that Shikamaru was a jonin, but a general?

"I'm right here." Shikamaru's drawl attracted Hidesaburo's eye toward the wall leading to the balcony. He looked subdued, with arms crossed casually. Sasuke imagined he was prepared to send out his shadows to hold or attack, however Naruto wished.

Ino stepped forward with a smile, hands lightly folded before her. "Look around you, Tsuchikage-sama. There are four of us. Naruto-sama or Sasuke-kun alone would be trouble for you, but you cannot hope to destroy us all, protect your daimyo and still claim to be the victim." Her voice was sweet and somehow never once roamed into territory that could be snide or sarcastic.

For a moment the Earth daimyo's red face grew a bit sickly and ashen. "You dare..."

Ino turned to the Earth daimyo but her face remained demure. "Ushitora-sama, that wasn't a threat but a statement of fact. Your Tsuchikage is acting most recklessly."

Now it was Hidesaburo's turn to splutter. "I...! I am not! You lot need to back up from my Lord Daimyo! It's you four who are acting aggressively."

Naruto scoffed. "Is that why you're gathering all your chakra? The bastard hasn't even got his Sharingan up but your jumping like a scared cat."

The Earth daimyo bellowed, "Control yourself, Hidesaburo! You're embarrassing Iwa."

Hidesaburo hissed and forcibly lowered the two fingers he had raised in concentration.

Sasuke took a moment to take stock of the room. The tension had been so thick it was almost hard to breathe, but now the whole salon felt slightly more calm. There remained only a handful of people still in the room. Close to the door, as if he couldn't make up his mind to stay or go, crouched Seicho. Yoshitaro stood by the screen, face implacable.

There were a few other stragglers who were determined to see the scene through to the end. At another corner of the room Koharu squinted at them, her perpetual frown deep in her face. The ancient man Shikamaru had been speaking with stood near her, leaning on two canes, a wrinkly grin on his face. The young lady who accompanied him tugged fruitlessly on his arm.

Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He slipped his hands into his pockets and let his body relax.

Sounding impossibly bored, Shikamaru spoke. "Was there something else you wanted to tell us before the final negotiations in the morning?"

"The final...?" roared the Earth daimyo. "You can't hold negotiations if we aren't there!" He turned to Ino. "Young lady, you may think you're very clever but-"

Ino inclined her head as if humbly accepting a compliment. "If your Lordship wishes we implement the fast track approval for the treaty that you requested, we of the Land of Fire will be happy to honor it." Both daimyo and Tsuchikage were taken aback as Ino continued, "Your Lordship surely recalls setting the clause that when both sides agree to meet again, both sides will be obligated to appear. Failing to do so sets in motion certain actions that cause the treaty to be adopted in its current form."

"Right!" laughed Naruto. "If you're not there tomorrow it's because you don't want the treaty to change!"

"Perhaps Ushitora-sama set this provision to be certain the Fire Country diplomats did not take meetings lightly. My Lord the Earth Daimyo would certainly never waste time agreeing to a meeting he wasn't certain he would attend."

"But even so..." The Earth daimyo choked out.

Ino made a great show of looking up at the daimyo, great blue eyes open and heartfelt. The older man seemed rather stuck. "Ushitora-sama, of course we realize the only alternative to fast track approval is simply to tear up the treaty, and should one party fail to appear at the morning meeting one of those options will surely go into effect. Therefore both sides have quite an incentive for attending."

"Ushitora-sama." Hidesaburo said. He looked hard at Naruto but his hands stayed at his side. Thoughts of fighting were clearly gone from his mind. The Earth daimyo tore his gaze from Ino to look at Hidesaburo. "In the morning we can call for additional articles to the treaty." The Tsuchikage glared openly at Ino. "We will get the alterations we've been considering negotiating for over the next few days."

Naruto groaned, "More changes?"

Sasuke swallowed a snarl. They still wanted to stall for time? "You can't afford that. The longer you spend on these negotiations the more time you give Higashitonami and Taira time to amass their forces against you."

At the mention of rebellious factions the Earth daimyo stiffened but still refused to look at Sasuke. Hidesaburo, however could not to afford to let the comment go. He whirled around fast enough that his long red hair rippled out like a banner. "Just what are you trying to say, Uchiha?"

"These territories want independence from Earth Country rule. Their leaders know your eye is turned away from them right now."

Hidesaburo stared hard at him. Sasuke imagined the Tsuchikage was wondering how he knew about an internal Earth Country matter. But he wasn't done.

"Also, as long as your time is spent here in the Land of Fire, your trade with Hot Springs Country suffers and the roads grow unsafe. The peasants there are convinced their daimyo does not care about their well-being."

Now the daimyo turned to look at Sasuke, dark eyes narrowing. He tried to growl but his voice was too shocked, "And how do you know that?"

Sasuke chose his words very carefully. "I've spent a great deal of time among commoners around the Five Great Countries and several of the smaller ones. I have heard of their fellow merchants and traders, farmers and craftsmen and many of them feel their countries' leaders are only self-interested. A potter from a small border village there once told me Iwa shinobi took over his shed for several days, preventing him from working at his trade. As a result he lost his business."

The Tsuchikage's voice was low. "You traveled inside of the Land of Earth?"

"I traveled everywhere. I did not meet this potter in the Land of Earth. However, I have found that the more the daimyo of a particular country is distracted by ambition, the less likely it is he will notice a rogue ninja traveling on his country's roads."

"How dare you." Hidesaburo seethed.

"Are you mad at Sasuke for being able to slip into your country the way you slipped squads of shinobi wearing the Iwa hitaiate into ours? Or are you mad because he's paid more attention to your villagers than you have?" Shikamaru spoke with his usual drawl like he was already bored with the subject.

Sasuke realized, whatever the impact this conversation had on the Earth daimyo and Tsuchikage, the remaining civilians in the room were definitely being swayed. Yoshitaro watched with an open frown, each hand slipped into the opposite sleeve of his kimono. Peeking from the hallway, Seicho wore a confused look on his face.

Against the opposite side of the room the young lady assisting the old man was finally succeeding in getting him to move toward the door. But even as he walked he watched the scene with naked interest. Homura had joined the group, and Koharu's gaze swept to Sasuke and back to the old man several times. For a moment Sasuke could have sworn he saw her smile before dismissing it as a physical impossibility.

"Isn't it enough?" Naruto's question held a tone of thoughtfulness. "You are already gaining some territory even if it's not the river or the marshes. Your trade will improve and no one will die for it." Hidesaburo glared at him but the daimyo regarded Naruto with a shade more patience. "Isn't that better than using up lives for trade routes?"

For a moment the room was quiet. The Tsuchikage sucked in a long breath and let it out slowly without ever dropping his eye from Naruto's face. Finally he spoke calmly, "My Lord, this night is done. Let us rest before the morning negotiations."

The Earth daimyo closed his eyes pressed his lips together for a moment. "Yes, Hidesaburo. You are right." Without another word he turned toward the doors to the hallway.

Behind the door Seicho suddenly stood up like a child caught spying on an adult conversation. He bowed to the Earth daimyo as he passed, but the daimyo paid him no mind.

Hidesaburo nodded toward Sasuke, "However this person-"

"Sasuke-kun is not an adviser to the Fire daimyo nor a recognized diplomat to attend the negotiations," Ino interrupted.

"He's just here because I asked him to come." Naruto said.

"Hm." The Tsuchikage grunted. "Then I expect not to see him tomorrow."

Naruto shrugged. "The bastard decides when he'll be around and when he won't. But I don't think diplomacy is his thing, you know?"

"Hn." Naruto wasn't one to talk.

Hidesaburo's eye's darkened for a moment but he decided to say nothing more than "good night" and left the room.

Naruto expelled a breath in a rush. "Wheeww! That was intense!" He laughed.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered. He turned to look at Yoshitaro who gazed back with half a smile.

The older man bobbed his head and moved toward the exit. At the door Seicho still stood with his jaw hanging loose. "That was..."

"That was what you should expect from an Uchiha, Seicho-dono, keen insight, through and through." Yoshitaro chuckled as he walked through the door. "I fought side by side with one of them during the Third Great War. Come with me and I'll tell you about it over some sake."

Seicho seemed at a loss and silently accepted Yoshitaro's invitation.

Other stragglers were making their way to the doors. A few drifted by Naruto to wish him good night and murmur a few good wishes for the morning. Several of the men made a point to bow to Ino as well, which she accepted with a gracious smile. No one seemed to even glance toward Sasuke.

Soon the room was empty save for two servants who were making quick work of cleaning the room and the four Konoha shinobi.

"Right on!" Naruto announced. "Now we just gotta make sure the morning goes according to plan and we'll be getting Sakura-chan free in no time!"

"Let's not get too far ahead," cautioned Shikamaru. "I'm sure the Tsuchikage and the Earth daimyo are going to spend the night plotting something."

"Yeah, let's get back and wake up Choji and the others." Naruto strode toward the exit.

Now that the tension was gone Sasuke felt a wave of exhaustion sweep over him. It had been an extremely long day. He shook it off, thinking of Sakura, and followed Naruto.

"You look tired, Sasuke-kun. I bet ever since Sakura found you your life has been turned upside down."

"Hn." Sasuke didn't want to look at Ino, lest she saw exactly how little sleep he'd gotten over the last three days.

The woman kept at his side. "Well then? No one told me the details of your time together. Did she tell you about how the village has been? Did you two talk about the years you were apart? Sasuke-kun?"

"She yelled at me." Then he shut his mouth firmly. One thing Sasuke definitely did not miss was how nosy some people from Konoha could be.

Ino hounded him through a few turns down hallways and redoubled her efforts at the point when Naruto looked over his shoulder at them and snickered openly. But Sasuke pointedly kept his eyes trained down the halls and jaw clamped shut. Finally, with an explosive "UGH!" Ino gave up.

The remains of the night passed quickly. In rapid succession he saw Choji, who was not only much more rotund than he remembered, but taller than Shikamaru, as well as Sai and Tenten. They were older, leaner versions of themselves and stared silently back at Sasuke with open suspicion.

Naruto and Shikamaru quickly laid out the plan for the next morning and sent out Tenten and Choji to be guards for the daimyo and his delegates. Sai stayed to write out several messages that Naruto wanted sent to Kakashi's team as well as back to Konoha.

"Man, I am beat." Shikmaru declared. He yawned and stretched his arms high over his head. "Let's meet again at first light and go over everything before we get to the negotiations meeting."

Sasuke grunted. Even though he was tired he hated the idea that everything had to be put on hold until the morning. Another delay until Sakura was free.

Shikamaru and Ino excused themselves and then he was alone with Naruto once again.

"I so wish we could force everyone to stay up and just get this done," Naruto griped. "Sakura-chan always says that I forget normal people have to sleep."

"Hn. The treaty must be signed tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know. I wanna get Sakura-chan free too."

"It's not just that." Sasuke found where the futons were stored and made up a bed for himself. It was a lot more padding than he was used to. "War will become more difficult to prevent after tomorrow."

"Did you hear something about that tonight?"

"Aa. War apparently brings business even in Fire Country."

"Yeah, I've heard that too. I wish it weren't true."

"Hn."

As Sasuke accommodated himself Naruto rolled out his own bedding. "During the last war I never thought much about how we stayed supplied and how the regular people lived when all the main roads were battlegrounds. But I kinda get it now. We blow up a bridge so the enemy can't send more weapons to their troops and that means villagers can't use that bridge to get away from the battle. If we burn a field to push the enemy out of it, we destroy all their crops. I really don't get why people want to make war over and over. It's such a horrible thing."

"Hn." Sasuke laid down and stared up at the ceiling. For the first time in a very long time he thought back to someone who understood war so well it destroyed a clan. Itachi had worked every single day of his life, indeed he had thrown his own life away, in the hope that Sasuke would not know war. Shinobi history was shot through with strife, hatred and vendettas, greed, bloodlust and madness.

When he spoke again Sasuke had to wonder if it was the exhaustion forcing the words out of him or if he could simply no longer contain them, "Shinobi don't seem to know what else to do. We fight because can never think of something better."

"Huh?" Naruto sat on his bedding and stared at Sasuke. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke drew in a breath and held it for a moment. "You're about to have a child. He will learn how to fight from you. He'll grow up in Konoha and learn how to win wars. How will he learn anything else? Who will he learn it from?" Sasuke pressed his lips together. He felt idiotic speaking like this, talking about things that still perplexed him. How many nights had he spent asking himself these questions about his own child?

Naruto laughed, but there was little humor in it. "Wow, I've never heard you wonder about things like that. I guess it's the kind of thing adults wonder all the time. Real adults, you know, when you're married and stuff." Naruto scratched his head. "Me and Hinata talk about it sometimes but we're not sure either. But we have a lot of hope, 'cause you know, our teachers and our families trusted that we would figure out a few things that they couldn't. It's a lot to live up to, but we gotta try, you know?"

"Hn." Leave it to Naruto to find an interesting challenge in a violent, uncertain existence.

Naruto turned out all the lights save a dim bulb on the far wall and crawled into his bed. "What do you figure you're gonna do, Sasuke? You're the one who said you would restore your clan. Will the next Uchiha do better in this messed up world?"

Sasuke was silent for a time. "Don't know." But I want to find out, he added silently.

Even in the darkness Naruto's voice was like a bright presence to Sasuke's right. "Hey, by the way, Sakura and Hinata both think it's a girl. But just between you and me, I really hope it's a boy!" Naruto laughed.

A soft smile overtook Sasuke. "Idiot."

Yes, I like ShikaTem. It's not close to central to this story, just a little detail that motivates Shikamaru. Oh well.

Thanks for your reviews. It's the only thing I really get out of writing, and it's very encouraging!

We'll check back in with Sakura next time. Stay tuned!