Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto or any of its characters, just the plot. and the OC's.
Title: Bearing an Hourglass
Language:English
Form:Multi-Chaptered
Genre:Romance/Adventue
Rating:T
Pairing: Sakura Haruno/Sasuke Uchiha, Kushina Uzumaki/Minato Namikaze
Summary: What would you do if you found out you are one of the only two people exclusively chosen to trade your existing time line for another one to fix past mistakes, so that the entire fate of the ninja word effectvely lies on your shoulders in just a single minute? That's what Sakura and Sasuke have to figure out.
Note: I would really recommend you guys to read the last chapter before reading this one as it has been quite some time since I updated. And this chapters a long one, by the way. I felt guilty and words overflowed. As always, Follow, Favourite and Review!
Bearing an Hourglass
by fourthfireshadow
Act II
Chapter 9-The Next Step
"We need to talk."
At that ominous declaration, Sakura simply stared at Sasuke blankly, but one could see she was startled. Her eyes widened slightly as her concentration slipped a little but managed to retain it somehow.
We need to talk?
What did they need to talk about that he had to interrupt her training session without any care in the world? Also, Sakura simply couldn't help but think how if the Sasuke of her time had said these exact words, she would literally be shaking of nerves. But, somehow, this Sasuke—with his childish look of annoyance and high pitched voice and the unintentional small pout and the chubby cheeks—just made her want to smile. Or more truthfully, made her want to snort a little. He was like a cute kid trying to be an adult.
Or rather, a cute Sasuke trying to be that menacing Sasuke. Should she break it to him that that Sasuke's going to take a few more years tops, or should she just enjoy this?
The answer was as clear as day, really.
At the slightly impatient look now crossing his eyes however, she snapped out of her stupor.
"Y-yeah, alright." She stammered, slowly walking across the lake without bothering to look at Hitoshi's annoyed look or even Minato's inquisitive one. Though, that one seemed to be aimed more at the Uchiha than at her. At Hitoshi's look however, a brief expulsion of chakra and water hitting his face promptly took care of that—after all, he was too busy sputtering to be looking at anyone in annoyance.
"You can go talk to your boyfriend all you want, pinkie, but remember, you have training to get back to. You're water walking ain't perfect yet by anybody's standards." Jiraiya called out from where he was sitting with a strict tone, but the lecherous grin he was sporting while looking between her and Sasuke was anything but.
"He's not—ugh!" Sakura bit out, frustrated as her cheeks positively burned.
Without looking at Sasuke, she simply stomped away from the clearing, each step creating an unpleasant squelch noise. She hoped he followed her or else this exit might've just looked mighty stupid.
Once they reached an empty clearing a few feet away from where her team was currently training, she turned to look at the Uchiha, that unpleasant burning sensation still present on her cheeks. Why did she have such traitorous blood? Couldn't it just stay where it was supposed to?
"…W-what's going on, Sasuke?"
Sakura was thankful her voice at least came out stronger than she felt at the moment, other than the stutter, of course. However, she could feel the burn receding at the solemn look he had in his eyes as he looked at a point above her shoulder, never at her face.
"…I saw those looks pass between the members of my family today...Those looks that I'd been to foolish and oblivious to not notice clearly before."
Her eyes widened at that. Looks? And he had emphasized on before, which meant he was talking about their timeline. And family meant Uchiha…Panic rose in her like a spark catching on fire, that anxiety beginning to ripple in her blood at his words; the rebellion? Already?
Upon seeing the panic building on her face, Sasuke shook his head imperceptibly.
"I've thought about it a lot, and it can't be about the coup already. As far as I know from whatever's been told to me, the ill-feelings between the village and the clan started to brew only after the attack of the Kyuubi. The village started to ostracize the Uchiha, fearing them to be the controller of the Kyuubi, mainly after that night."
"—Which means we have a decade or so for that to happen." She finished his thought, but couldn't really say anything else. She could only look at him, at his indiscernibly trembling fingers. The panic that had been building from the moment he started to speak immediately settled into something rough and heavy in the pit of her stomach, making her feel like she weighed a lot more than she did.
Sakura could hear the bitter undertone in his voice as he explained his theory to her as clear as day. When he spoke of the ill-will between the village and the clan, no matter if she had previously thought that this chibi-Sasuke would take some time to reach his previous intimidating persona, Sakura could clearly see that Sasuke—the one carrying all the burdens of the entire world, the one ripped to shreds by the psychological torture, the one that was so intent on destroying her very home with no remorse or mercy of any kind that his thirst for blood glinted in his eyes—juxtaposed with this Sasuke—the one that has a new family and a little sibling, the one that squabbles with Kushina like a little child, the one that was growing to be so, so similar to her Sasuke; the image of the one with chakra like a bitter, dark, cold shit storm shimmering over this child, really.
It wasn't a pleasant sight to behold at all.
How much darkness are you really hiding inside, Sasuke?
Do you even know the extent of it?
"Which means it's something else."
His voice broke her out of her train of thought, snapping her back to reality.
"And I want to get to the bottom of it. I do not want to be caught unaware about anything in my clan ever again."
His gaze was strong as he said this, voice clear and steady with just an underlying current of determination shining through. Following his gaze, she saw he was looking at the Hokage Mountain with something akin to defiance in his dark eyes. Her lips pursed slightly as she looked back at him; was that look supposed to mean something?
She hated that she still couldn't get a proper read on him.
"…What you're proposing to do in actuality is technically treason."
His reply was simply one eyebrow raised.
As if that had ever stopped me before.
"…Right."
She exhaled a shaky breath, now her turn to avert her gaze to the foliage behind him with narrowed eyes. Was this conversation going to be the catalyst of everything they were supposed to do in this timeline? Her pulse quickened as he realized she was finally being confronted on what could turn into a major change. It wasn't a change that was being forced onto them due to unsightly circumstances this time; no, this time, these words meant they were taking things into their own hands, they would be taking the initiative this time.
She didn't think anything had scared her more than that realization.
"You know why."
"Yes, I do, but Sasuke—"
"You know why."
Sakura fell quiet at the hard edge in his words, the only outward sign of her growing anxiety evident in her palms opening and closing periodically.
"What? Don't have an opinion now? Nothing to say?" Sasuke asked pointedly with eyes dead set on her, derisiveness dripping as he said it.
At her silence, he continued, not giving any mind to her mounting panic as he felt his rage grow more and more with each passing silent second.
"Nothing at all? You know were sent back to this godforsaken time for a reason, Sakura. A reason we've just been ignoring happily enough to prance around doing nothing. We were brought back to change things, not to let thing just be. No matter how you look at it, our mere presence in this timeline is a thing of paranormal freak occurrences. You're not really an Uzumaki, and I still don't really have my family back. And now that I'm finally bringing up the one thing we had to talk about right from the beginning, finally bringing up the secrets that plague this village in its crevices that nobody ever wants to talk about, you decide to take the high moral ground to make you feel better about yoursel-"
"I've always had to take the high moral ground, Sasuke! How could I not, when the person who was sent back with me for this completely forsakes it?" Sakura shouts over his growing volume, effectively cutting him off from his spiel. "And you don't have to point out everything we've not been doing because, trust me, I have been thinking about that exact same thing for more than you'd care about and the reason I've never taken any initiative is not to feel better about myself, so don't you ever dare to accuse me of something preposterous like that again Sasuke, because I have lost the will to even go about that ever since God knows when!"
Sasuke glared at her darkly, the spite bubbling inside his eyes, jaw shifting in retrained anger.
"Haven't you ever considered the fact that maybe I just never knew what to do? God, why do you never just consider some things before just straight up going to the offensive? I have been your emotional punching bag for one lifetime already, Sasuke. I don't…I don't want to be that ever again."
He exhaled harshly after a moment, closing his eyes and opening them with a pointed look. His eyebrows were still furrowed and his mouth was still set in a fierce scowl, but the glare had somewhat receded from his gaze.
"I'll ask you something then," He said firmly.
"…Fine." She crossed her arms at that.
"…What do you even plan to do then? …Do you think you'll know what you want to do sometime soon?"
At that, her shoulders sagged as she let her hair curtain her face from his probing scrutiny. Her eyebrows furrowed as that familiar feeling of panic started to bubble at the pit of her stomach. What did she want to do? Did she even have a plan? Because, no matter how harsh the boy opposite her had been, she already recognized the glimmers of truth reflected in his outburst. And that was what made it all the more hurtful—the fact that there even was truth in that. She shouldn't be surprised really, since even when Sasuke was reckless, he was never not logical. He was man of facts. She knew that. She resented that.
The more Sakura thought about it, the more that bubbling panic morphed into anger and frustration. The selfish part of her, the part she kept hidden from sight, kept screaming internally about how it wasn't really wrong for her to enjoy life a little and take some time to forget the shitstorm that was inevitably waiting for her at the end of that short tunnel. But then her rational part would simply make her feel fully ashamed of these dark and self-centered thoughts because wasn't she chosen for a reason? For a purpose much greater than her? And wasn't one of those very reasons standing right before her?
It all just came back to Sasuke, didn't it? Did he even know how much mental trauma he caused her on a daily basis?
However, as she peeked at him through the strands of her hair, at all the signs in his body language she had completely missed before—the indiscernibly fidgeting leg, the pronounced green of his veins on the back of his hands as he clenched them tightly, the tightness at the corner of his lips—she realized that this was affecting him a lot more than he let on.
Everything isn't so black and white, Sakura.
Sasuke never did anything without a reason. His pride would never let him. This meant that this wasn't just a random meet where he was sharing his thoughts.
There was a reason.
He was being open to her. He willingly came to her. He wasn't being reckless.
A small, bitter smile tugged at her lips, the timidity of it surprising even herself.
And she only just realized it.
Sakura's entire body deflated as she raised her head, a look of determination and cautiousness flitting across her face. She exhaled a breath large enough to make her chest ache.
"…I don't want you to be caught unaware either."
At that, Sasuke's slightly widened gaze snapped to hers, meeting her eyes dead on. There was something glinting in his eyes as he stared at her inquisitively—gratitude, suspicion and something akin to relief and a myriad of other emotions flashed in his steady eyes before he closed himself off again. However, she made sure to keep her eyes on him as well, letting all her sincerity shine through them, hoping he would believe her words.
After all, they were partners in this, whether they wanted to be or not.
"After all. Aren't we partners?"
"Tch. Whatever."
This time, only that twelve year old bratty, spoilt and brooding genin shimmered over him. Her Sasuke, with his mocking eye roll and all.
The heaviness lifted amongst everything else clouding their existence here.
.
.
.
One and a half years later
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"Okay, its blondie's and the brat's turn now. Hyuuga, you can go take a break, since you need it and all." Jiraiya called out, his voice disrupting the harsh breathing filling the air as a grin expanded on his face.
Hitoshi sent a glare his way as he slowly tried to rub the ache away from the blooming bruise on his jaw, wincing slightly at the static dull throb radiating throughout the lower part of his face. Giving up, he simply placed his palm over it, sure to be laughed at by Hizashi with his face looking as discolored and mottled as it is now.
He sighed, pale eyes narrowing slightly at the blond who was smiling so peacefully, with only small signs giving away the fact that he had just been in a battle and did not just walk back from a prance in the meadow. For such a flower boy, he sure packs a mean uppercut. Hitoshi's gaze then cut to the idiotic person he had the misfortune to call his sensei—who was still looking at him with some sort of smug grin, the blatant favoritism so apparent.
Given, the pervert probably only favors Minato because he worships him, for some unfathomable reason. But still. He wished his glare would have some sort of effect on the old-but-not-wise-looking sensei, but he knew this may only serve to amuse him more, so with a scoff, he turned away. No need to look at him more than necessary, anyway. He definitely wasn't a pretty picture.
Instead, he decided to send a look at his pink-haired teammate. A look that roughly translated to let's-see-you-try-pinkie, but of course, roughly was the key word here. Fortunately, or unfortunately enough, Sakura got the gist of the look as she looked at the oblivious blond and the Hyuuga with the ever-growing bruise with more than slight trepidation. Back and forth, back and forth. The trepidation just kept on growing until she caught on to Hitoshi's smirk. Her face tightened at the mocking but relaxed in amusement at seeing him flinch right after doing it. Bastard deserved it after all.
"Anytime now, brat." Jiraiya hollered, grinning at her in a manner he must've thought was reassuring.
It really wasn't.
"Sakura? You ready?" Minato called next, settling loosely into a stance.
"…ready." She reluctantly answered, willing her feet to move. She hoped to Kami with everything she had that this match would last long enough to prove a challenge to Minato as she settled into a basic stance as well.
The only sign she had was a flash of his blue eyes before he was gone. Sakura cursed internally, turning around instantly to catch the foot that was about to bash her head in with a death grip. No one could ever say Minato didn't start his descent into being the Yellow Flash way, way early on. She was living the particular timeline, after all. However, he wasn't the only one that improved with time. Gritting her teeth, she pushed back with a spurt of chakra, the force enough to propel Minato into the foliage with ease. All she saw before he was pushed away were those narrowed blue eyes.
Crap. He was calculating.
One of the better sides of having a tailed beast sealed in you was the sensitivity they had to chakra all around. Sakura had found out recently that whenever chakra was omnipotent in the air, she was always way more affected by it than her comrades. Using that same logic, she realized that small itch under her skin was her awareness to the various chakra signatures all around her. The massive amount of chakra burning away under her fingertips was very finicky to different types of chakra. It was similar to having a sixth sense in a way—she was nowhere near good as a natural-born sensor could be, of course, but at the moment, it was to her advantage. She always wondered if Naruto also used it to his advantage at times.
Glancing to the side where a brief emission of chakra was felt, she quickly rolled over to avoid his kunai but couldn't dodge his punch to her ribs as he shunshin-ed over. He followed that up with a quick succession of blows, making her incapable of defending well, until he made eye-contact with her in a flash. That was all she needed to wrap him in a genjutsu of her own making. Minato abruptly stopped with his blows, blinking rapidly. Sakura was to slow to get up, wiping the blood off her lip with some bitterness, as she stared at Minato with some smugness. The genjutsu she had cast on him wasn't any ordinary one—meaning it wasn't a good one. She had no doubt Minato knew it was a genjutsu; after all, with the abundance of problems she now has with chakra control, weaving an intricate, flawless illusion was out of the question. What she could do, however, was use this flaw to her advantage.
And do that she did.
By trapping an enemy into an absolutely flawed illusion with her disturbed chakra, it creates a certain distorted noise that absolutely confuses a person's brain as well as make them helpless in a way. The brain is accustomed to seeing images and interpreting information a certain way. Change the whole algorithm of the expected and you have a new way to incapacitate an enemy. A genjutsu so flawed that, in a way, it's absolutely flawless.
In irritating an opponent, that is.
However, she didn't have the chakra control needed to sustain it for long, so it could only last for about five seconds at the moment, but that window of opportunity was all she needed. Rushing to the blinking Minato, she delivered a punch to his torso, smirking at the sound of flesh met flesh. She was quick with her next move—an uppercut to the jaw; she knew if she let up for even a quarter of a second, Minato would use it to escape. Sakura wasn't going to let that happen.
Unfortunately, he caught the leg that was raised for a kick and used it as leverage to flip over the other leg coming around with a roundhouse kick. Grunting, Sakura planted her palms on the ground before pushing away with force, effectively breaking away from the hold Minato had on her. Now it was his turn to be completely on the offensive as they focused completely on taijutsu, raining a torrent of kicks and punches on her that was forcing her back, defense being her only strategy at the moment. Blocking what looked to be devastating punch; she simply let herself fall down and slid from between his legs, hooking a leg around his harshly to break his momentum. Using the moment he took to right himself, she shunshin-ed away to the trees, leaning against a bark, breathing harshly.
Her gaze fell upon the bruises littering her arms and how the deadened blood and ruptured capillaries were slowly but slowly getting healed, the purplish hue gradually getting replaced by fresh blood, effectively returning the wounded skin back to its original color. This was another one of the benefits of being a jinchuriki, Sakura had realized way back, and she knew she would never take such a thing for granted ever. After all, there was so little at the moment that could make her look at her state of being a jinchuriki positively other than these small miracles.
However, all this effectively made her a little too late to pick up on the release of chakra from the clearing below.
"Fuuton: Goukuuhou!"
This was all the warning she had to shoot off the branch she was sitting on with all the speed she could muster, turning around in mid-air to see that same branch shattered beyond recognition. Frowning at the force he had put into the jutsu, she landed with a flip on a tree quite a bit away from the last one. Ever since Minato started to dabble in on the elemental jutsu, it had been like he wanted to kill everyone he sparred with, Sakura thought with no small amount of annoyance. Well, that and the need to show off, of course. Whoever kept on saying Minato Namikaze was the most humble person in the world in the future clearly had never sparred with him. It was almost like a death-match. And the worst part was, after all this, he would go back to being that sweet, kind Minato—the Minato that warranted that previous title, that killing glint all but gone from his eyes.
Naruto's parents sure had no limitations on the crazy. That was for sure.
He really, really had no chance, the poor kid.
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Sasuke looked up with squinted eyes at the Konoha Military Police Force building, the Uchiha crest standing out brilliantly against the navy blue of the symbol. The building looked like it had recently gone through a renovation of sorts, the white paint glossy and stain-free, and with no cracks in visible sight. All in all, the building looked to be made just to inspire civilians and shinobi alike with its dependency.
He couldn't help feeling like the eight year old he used to be as he gazed at the emblem with nostalgia. Sasuke could remember glimmers of his thoughts from the past as he used to walk past this same building—how his steps would falter each time he passed it to stare through the doors to get even the smallest glimpse of his father, how watching the officers in their standard flak jackets always made his eyes go wide, how Itachi's voice would flow in a gentle lilt as he explained the procedures to him in brotherly patience, how they would talk about their dreams to become a police officer one day and make their family proud. This was his ultimate dream when he had been a child, free from all the hate and the blood and the trauma. Back before he had dreams and not goals. Back when life was something to look forward to.
Well, he had his second chance now, he thought to himself grimly, lowering his gaze from the Uchiha crest to the glass doors of the entrance. However, for some reason, he simply couldn't take that next step to get closer. Thoughts just kept rushing into his head in a torrent, each one never staying long enough for him to process it completely; all those memories seemed to be fragmented now, the shards of them passing by in flashes. Compared to the whirlwind in his mind, his eyes could never focus completely on the stagnant picture of the Police Force in front of him. Now that he thought about it, what happened to the building after he had left Konoha? Was it still there, preserved but shut down indefinitely with the yellow caution tapes still plastered all around? Or was it completely destroyed due to the war, no rubble even recognizable? A small, bitter thought of how that was exactly what Konoha wanted passed by his mind before he eradicated that thought completely; it would be of no use to go down that path at this moment of time, he knew.
His eyes snapped to the chuunin guard standing outside that was unabashedly staring at him in curiosity. Heaving a deep breath, Sasuke decided to simply get this over and done with. With a small nod to the guard, he paid no more mind at the stare and pushed open the glass doors, the chilled air inside hitting him forcefully but pleasantly. As he let his eyes roam over the interiors, he let himself believe the goosebumps that had puckered on his skin was merely because of the cold air and nothing else.
"Can I help you, boy?"
Sasuke snapped his attention the lady sitting behind the inquiries desk, her dark eyes peering down at him with the same curiosity the guard outside had. He had an inkling of why they were so curious of his presence of course; Renjirou Uchiha, while known as a capable ninja, had retired earlier than the average shinobi due to a fatal injury he had suffered in the previous war that rendered him incapable of performing his duties anymore and hence, had to quit the Konoha Police Force quite early. It may be for this reason they never expected his son to visit the force.
"Yes, you can."
Sasuke could see her eyes narrowing at his tone and he couldn't help but feel slightly amused at that. She must have expected him to talk respectfully; well, he didn't even talk respectfully to his sensei. What hope did she have exactly to receive that?
"I want to sign up for the training to join the Police Force." He said, firm and unyielding as he stared at the women, poker-faced.
He saw how the woman's face changed into the something more impassive than her previous expression and how her mouth pursed in what he correctly assumed to be clear judgement. One may think she was simply contemplating something, but he was well-known to the Uchiha ways, and this lady's pursed lips and the tic in her left brow gave her away quite easily.
Sasuke was already aware of why that judgement was present; him being the son from a branch household and not from any prominent families in the clan clearly worked against him. While the divide between the main house and the branch houses was nowhere near extreme as in the case of the Hyuuga clan, the divide however slight, was still apparent. The only difference was, it was a bit more inflicted in this timeline than in his original one. However, even that was more speculation and less fact, he knew; he was loathed to admit it, even to himself, but the raven-haired boy clearly never realized how much he had taken for granted as the second heir of the main household in his original time. Then, his name was a clear pass in the Uchiha clan, being easily recognized as an heir. Now, while he still had his last name, he was essentially a nobody in his own clan, being judged by his class instead of his skill. While it was the truth then as well, at least it worked in his favor instead of against it. Sometimes, he would quietly admit to himself that he secretly missed the privileges that had come with his title.
Back then, he had pressure on his bony shoulders because things were expected of him; great things preceding that of an Uchiha heir. Now, there was no pressure on his shoulders because ultimately, nothing was expected of him.
Other than his own expectations, of course, but that was a topic for another time.
"And what exactly makes you think you're qualified for such a thing?" she questioned, one brow raised.
Either this lady was stupid, or…no, it must be just that, Sasuke thought irritably. Wasn't the answer obvious? He may be from a lower household, but that didn't mean he was unrecognizable. Already, his team was becoming a bit known due to them being under the tutelage of the White Fang—even if the Uchiha really didn't want the credentials of that psychopath associated with him in any way.
Lately, after the recent birth of his newborn son, he had become even more psychotic, being all sadistic and inflicting pain one moment and then worrying about baby clothes and mushy baby food out loud the next. Sasuke was sure Kakashi's own psychotic vibes were affecting his father, and indirectly but not at all surprisingly—because it is Kakashi, that too in baby form, he thought with an invisible shudder—affecting him as well. This must be his revenge toward his former rogue student, really.
Sasuke sighed quietly. His situation was so Meta it wasn't even remotely funny.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm well aware that only my last name is enough to be considered." He kept his face impassive as well, but he resisted the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance at her tone. When something flashed in her eyes and she finally leaned back, presumably to take out some form or the other to be filled, Sasuke knew he had won this round. Collecting the form bearing the clan insignia from the now scowling lady, he made his way to the waiting area and began to meticulously fill it out.
Being an Uchiha made it very easy for him to be considered for the force, mainly because the force only accepted Uchiha's into their ranks, always on the lookout for new recruits or members with talent within the clan. It was for this reason, Sasuke knew, that the force always took some time out to offer specialized training to possible trainees interested to join within the clan, no matter the age. This way, the members of the Police Force can hone the skills they need as well as keep an eye on their progress; progress that could very well boost up the morale and pride of the noble Uchiha clan. While there would always be special priority for recruits from the main branch, that doesn't mean it was limited to them only, which worked out perfectly for him.
He was aware of the Konoha Military Police Force being a token of peace and gratitude gifted by the Nidaime Hokage to the Uchiha clan after the Second Shinobi War. Not to mention, Sasuke had talked to that uptight, Uchiha-hating, prejudiced pathetic excuse of a Hokage and had heard it from the man himself about how he felt it was validated. In a twisted way, he was glad the man was already dead because he was sure he wouldn't be so forgiving if the Second was alive right now.
While Sasuke had been indefinitely proud of the force that was purely pushed forward by the Uchiha, he was also more aware of the mistakes the Second had overlooked while gifting the Police Force to the clan. Ultimately, was it even the Uchiha's fault for not accepting any other clans into the force when the Second had explicitly given the force to them to do whatever they so wished with it? What did he even think would happen? Wasn't it pretty obvious that if even a single strike was implemented against the clan by the village, then they would only unify for revenge? Wasn't it obviously a result of being ostracized? If he wanted to ostracize the Uchiha from Konoha, wasn't it predictable that they would only grow stronger as a clan and would be easily persuadable to go to the other side? It was simple human nature, really.
And so, it was mainly because of all these reasons that Sasuke went forward to joining the Konoha Military Police Force. If he successfully passed training—which he was pretty sure he would because it was him—then he would have an in. Regrettably, being from a branch household, and from one of the lower branch houses at that, meant little to no information about the inner workings of the clan being heard by Renjirou in those clan meetings each head of households were mandatorily told to attend. No, all the important underground details regarding the clan would be information only privy to the Uchiha council, the members of the main households and maybe one or two of the higher branch houses depending on how trustworthy they are. If they were to ever come to a general consensus, that information would only reach the rest of the clan weeks, maybe months after that certain idea had been first sparked.
But the Konoha Military Police Force was a safety hub for the Uchiha's, and it was here Sasuke would get the information he'd need. Filtered maybe, and not entirely the truth, but any kind of talk would be enough to set any plan into action. It may take him months or even years to build trust between the other members of the force, but the end result would be worth it. He would take matters into his own hands if fate worked against him.
Sasuke had never liked being kept out of any loop, after all. His previous life was a full testimony exactly proving that fact.
Reading over all the information written once more, he passed it along to the woman.
"…The details for your first training session will be sent to your house, probably by tonight. Just await the messenger hawk."
Nodding at the instruction, Sasuke pivoted and walked away, not looking back once as the glass doors swung closed. While he knew the first step of the plan Sakura and he had come up with had been taken, he couldn't help the mixed feelings bubbling up inside him. He recognized the two prominently warring emotions inside him easily enough—anticipation and dread; he had felt them to last a lifetime, after all. He knew why he was anticipating this—the road to achieving one of his true childhood dreams finally began with his signature on that application form. He was really doing it this time; he was going to be Konoha Police Officer. He was getting the chance to, this time.
However, Sasuke couldn't help but think he had no idea what he was in for.
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At a tell-tale whistling sound, Sakura's eyes widened again as she substituted at just the right time, the log that appeared in her place immediately getting splintered with a kunai enforced with his wind chakra. Kami, he really was going mental with all that wind; it must've all gone to his head.
Damn, he really wasn't going to let her just stay in a spot and think, was he? , She thought as she grabbed two kunai from her weapons pouch and threw it at the direction Minato was in. One of them nicked him slightly, but it was only a superficial wound, while the other one went completely off-tangent. At the slight furrow in his brows at the direction of her other weapon, Sakura knew she had to act quickly. Quickly standing from her position, she created six shadow clones and sent them to the clearing to keep Minato occupied. It wasn't going to buy her much time, she knew, but she didn't need much time anyway.
She just needed to tire him out enough for her plan to work.
Being an Uzumaki, she quickly found out, meant she was insanely good at that.
It was already down to just one shadow clone now, and grabbing her opportunity, she quickly released a barrage of kunais. Swiftly killing the last clone with a brutal swipe of the blade, Minato parried two and jumped high to avoid all the others. However, this was exactly what she wanted and she knew Minato realized that as soon as he saw her smirk. That tell-tale glint was all he needed to know what was going on—all those kunais were thrown to miss, not to hit. With the flex of her fingers and an almost steady stream of chakra, the wires connected to the blades rippled and glinted ominously and almost too fast, they circled the still air-borne blond. As the blonde twisted slightly and did the substitution seal, her smugness grew even more. That wasn't going to work, Sakura knew, since the kunai that had nicked him before was coated with a chakra paralyzing agent that lasted about two minutes, and she knew she was still in that window of time. By the look of his widened eyes, she figured he must've realized it.
With a pained grunt, the razor thin wires connected to the kunai completely restrained the slightly twitching blond, whose fall was broken only by twigs and brunches until a dull thud echoed the training ground. She was sure he must've broken some bones with that fall.
A smirk that was on her face, however, melted off completely when she felt the cool, uncomfortable slide of metal on the back of her neck, the feel of it raising the small hairs there.
"Always be aware of your surroundings, right? I think I win, Sakura."
Her eye twitched. When did he even have the time to make a shadow clone during all this?
Turning around partly with her twitching eye, her eyes fell on his sweetly-smiling face.
The twitching grew.
…The smug bastard.
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"Hey Mikoto-chan! I haven't seen you in so long!" Kushina said, her lips stretching into a grin as she saw her Uchiha friend—the nice one, not that stupid grumpy one that always looked like he just swallowed his own rotten personality—bend under the cloth flaps of the Ichiraku ramen bar and sit on a stool beside her.
"Hey, Kushina," Mikoto replied to the enthusiastic greeting with her signature kind one. "I know we haven't. That's why I decided to look for you; it was just my luck, and your predictability really, that you were there in the first place I thought to look at."
The red-head decided to let that quip about her predictability slide with slight difficulty—because this was the nice Uchiha, so she'd give her friend the benefit of the doubt—and instead made do with just observing the raven-haired girl, taking a break from slurping the noodles ravenously. The girl had a healthy flush to her cheeks that was even more pronounced due to her pale skin, her foot kept on tapping the wooden floor in a rare case of fidgety energy from the usually composed girl, and she had a barely restrained grin on her face as she ordered a miso ramen. That gave Kushina a pause; Mikoto liked ramen, sure, but she was never this excited for a taste of heaven before.
"Hey, what's up already? You're bouncing like a-a-uh, like…how an Uchiha never bounces…" She finally confronted the obviously excited girl, not caring about her slip-up. Mikoto should be used to it by now, she reasoned with herself. She didn't care really; she just really wanted to know the reason now because she could feel the grin growing on her own face at the other girl's infectious enthusiasm.
Mikoto grinned even more at the red-head's impatience. "I'm glad you asked because it was the reason I wanted to find you as well." She placed the piece of paper she had been clutching in her other hand in front of the now confused Kushina.
"…What's this?"
"Well, read it for Kami's sake! That's why I put it in front of you, after all." Mikoto said, rolling her eyes at the other girl's obliviousness. It was sometimes painful how oblivious she was.
Kushina scowled a little, but did as she asked, her turquoise eyes widening with each passing word.
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Application Form for Chuunin Examinations
The possession of this application form qualifies you as a potential candidate to compete in the upcoming chuunin examinations due to be held in a month's time. Please fill in the required information and submit this form to the respected authority to be officially enrolled in the examinations.
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"What!? The Chuunin exams! Wha—? How—You—!" Kushina stumbled verbally, clearly surprised at the form in front of her. She turned to Mikoto in shock, the noodles and broth all but forgotten, which was a very, very rare occurrence. The raven-head only giggled in response, that same grin appearing on her face again.
"I was surprised too when sensei gave us these forms. But apparently he has faith in our skills and in our ability to pass the exams with flying colors. However, I hope that faith is warranted."
Kushina knew Mikoto was still talking, but she couldn't really concentrate on her words. Of course, she was really, really happy for her close friend—all Mikoto wanted in life was to become a jounin, after all, and this was clearly a huge step for her—but the main thought running through her head was why Sakumo-sensei had not given these forms to her own team. Did he not have enough trust in their abilities? Did he doubt their budding teamwork? Did he think they would fail no matter what in these exams?
Sure, they may not be the strongest team out there, but they were quickly growing to be. They may not have the best teamwork in the world—though she was sure that that was mostly that stupid grump's fault; he was such an anti-social freak, but they definitely weren't uncoordinated. How could he think they had no chance at all, really? Did he have no pride in himself as a sensei?
With each thought, she could feel her anger mounting at the injustice of it all, until an unbidden thought came to her mind.
Did Sakura get this form as well?
That made her snap.
Finishing the bowl in front of her in a rush and throwing some coins at the counter, Kushina stood up from her stool abruptly, startling Mikoto enough to make her stop talking and look at her with surprise clearly reflected in her onyx orbs.
"Wha—?"
"I'm sorry, Mikoto-chan, but I just remembered I have somewhere to be. Congratulations on that, though. Really! You're gonna do great in the exams, ttebane!" Kushina yelled in farewell before slipping under the flaps and disappearing, leaving a baffled Mikoto behind.
The Uzumaki made quick headway to the Hatake residence by taking to the rooftops, determination ablaze in her eyes. As she saw the pretty two-story house, she wasted no time in banging the front door quite loudly.
"Sakumo-sensei! Come out already! I know you're in there, ttebane! Ever since you had your baby you've become such a housewife, really." Kushina yelled, the banging continuing throughout her tirade. That abruptly stopped, however, when the door was wrenched open by frowning Sakumo himself, with the baby in his hands.
"Would you please stop making a ruckus, you brat? You're lucky Kakashi here is not a crier, because if he had cried due of your incessant screaming…"
Kushina gulped, because she could easily guess how that sentence would go.
"…And I would prefer the term house-husband. Even if it isn't true." Sakumo said after a contemplative pause.
The red-head simply looked at how one of the most feared shinobi in the world was absently moving from one foot to another, rocking the slumbering baby in his arms with a raised red eyebrow. Then she scoffed.
"…You just want to seem more manlier than you are."
Sakumo's eyebrow tic started all over as he stared at the pain in his ass with narrowed eyes. "You know, I can't wait to sic Kakashi on you one of these days. It could be a D-rank babysitting mission." He said with a small twinkle in his eyes.
That just made Kushina all the more suspicious. She stared at the baby in his arms intently—at his reddened chubby cheeks, at the small sausage-y fingers gripping the jounins jacket, at the wisps of silver on his scalp—and her eyes slowly widened in pure terror. This was the White Fangs son, the psychopath's offspring; of course he must have those crazy genes running in his blood. And worse, she couldn't hurt a baby; she'd totally be at its mercy.
Oh Kami, this Kakashi character was gonna be a major problem in the future.
"What are you doing here anyway, brat?"
Shaking her head to erase those disturbing thoughts—Two Sakumo's would be a disaster!—Kushina instead pointed an accusing finger to the man's face.
"Oh yeah! I wanted to talk to you about the Chuunin exams!" she waved her finger to get the point across, "exactly when were you going to tell us about them?"
Sakumo's eyes widened at the accusation, however he wasn't really surprised she had found out. If anything, he was surprised only because it was her and not Sasuke. This worked out for the best though; now he didn't really have to go find his students and explain anything to them since he could just dump all that on Kushina. Apparently, she wasn't done with her rant though.
"Do you not have faith in us or something, huh? Do you not trust our skills? We'll kick everyone's butt, ttebane! Even that grump! Tell me you've at least considered qualifying us! I mean—hey! Where're ya going! I'm talking here!" She stomped her foot and pouted angrily as the man walked away calmly with the baby in tow, as if she wasn't having a mental breakdown right on his porch. Kushina could feel her pout melting away to be replaced by a frown. Was whatever she accused him of really the reason?
She was literally slapped out of her thoughts as she felt a roll of sheets whack her on the head. She looked up to glare darkly at the perpetrator, only for the glare to vanish and instead be replaced by bewilderment as she stared at the three sheets in front of her face.
"I was planning to give you these forms on our next scheduled training meet, but you beat me to it, you bull-headed girl. And by the way, I can't believe you would think I wouldn't recommend my own students. Forget your reputation, that'd just be a huge blow to mine and that just isn't acceptable." Sakumo explained rationally, but Kushina only rolled her eyes exasperatedly at his logic. However, that mega-watt grin couldn't be contained as she clutched at the sheets.
She could feel a squeal building up inside of her, but instead she just hugged her sensei's legs quickly before he could Katon her ass, and proceeded to run away quickly, her wide grin starting to hurt her cheeks.
"Don't forget to give the forms to your teammates as well, brat!"
Kushina knew she should be annoyed at being saddled with messenger work that technically was his job in the first place, but she really couldn't be bothered to at the moment. Mikoto wasn't the only one attending the exams now.
Chuunin Exams, here I come!
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It was well past midnight when the messenger hawk came bearing the news of his training initiation in the Police Force. The medium sized bird from the Konoha Aviary swooped in through the window in Sasuke's room and quietly landed on his desk study.
Slightly surprised at the bird's presence, he quickly got up from the bed and went over, untying the scroll from the bird's claw. Once the scroll was removed, the hawk swiftly took off with no further delay. Not paying any mind to that, Sasuke lit a candle and untied the knot holding the scroll closed under the soft yellow glow. He could feel a sliver of that same anticipation he felt earlier as he unfurled the scroll. However, his eyes grew wide instantly at the words before narrowing in shock. His mouth went dry and his sudden inhale and exhale of breath extinguished the flame he had only just lit, but Sasuke didn't even register it as he re-read it again and again.
Sasuke Uchiha
Your training begins in a week at nine in the morning at training ground 25. This session will be an assessing session to see the extent of your skills. Bring any weapon of your choice. A late appearance will automatically mark you as barred from the training.
Your Mentor Fugaku Uchiha (Wicked Eye Fugaku)
His first immediate thought after reading the name of the sender was that he was going to meet his father.
His second immediate thought after thinking that was that his father sure was pretentious.
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Author's note—so act II finally starts! Yay! Time to get the ball rolling. Just a warning; there will be more frequent time skips now that everything is moving forward.
I don't have any excuse as to why I didn't write for one and a half years really. I can say college, but truthfully, I just lost the will to write the story. Only recently did I get back to that Naruto zone and I suddenly got inspiration to write. I'm totally in that zone now, watching amv's and reading fanfictions left and right. I think I won't take this much time again since I have a more clear idea on what I want the next few chapters to be. Of course, the main thing will be the Chuunin exams! I am also excited to write about the Konoha police force of course!
Anyway, thank you for everyone that supported this story thus far and will hopefully continue to support this story still. I hope I still have the readers I had before.
Forgive me?
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