AN: So, another chapter.
I want to thank those who reviewed, I was glad everyone enjoyed that chapter. In this chapter we see a little more Sasuke/Naru. The next chapter will probably be them leaving Wave Country and heading towards a safe house of sorts. Then possibly to Suna.
As for timeline, in case anyone is confused.
I've made it so when they became genin Sasuke and Sakura were already thirteen, and Naruto would be turning thirteen in a few months, two since I have them graduating in August.
By the Chunin Exams Sasuke and Sakura were fourteen and Sasuke defects in October a week or so before Naruto turned fourteen.
Currently they are all fifteen. Sakura will turn sixteen in March, Sasuke in July, and Naruto in October.
This means Shippuden will be pretty AU, because they're about a year and half older, give or take.
Anyways, enjoy this chapter!
A Quiet Thunder Arc.
Eternal Spiral.
Chapter 9: The End Is Never The End.
"Kabuto, has Sasuke returned yet?"
Orochimaru of the sannin was... well no one was sure there was a word for his brand of evil. Monster? Devil in disguise? Insane? Immoral?
All good words to describe him, but none that truly fit into the enigma he portrayed. But that didn't matter, not many people actually liked the snake sannin.
Even his teammates were past the point of bringing him back and were more than content to ignore his existence or find a way to destroy him.
Tsunade couldn't do much. Not because she was less powerful, no in retrospect the slug sannin was probably the most powerful of the three sannin.
The reason being she was Hokage, she had duties that unfortunately kept her behind a desk at most hours of everyday.
Jiraiya, well he was as perverted as ever and it wasn't easy to pull him away from his research.
Add to the fact he had his spy network which was no secret though no one had ever been able to pinpoint any of his contacts.
Orochimaru had also heard he had a new apprentice, his students daughter and legacy, Uzumaki Naruto.
Orochimaru remembered that girl from the exams, she'd been a teammate of Sasuke.
She had showed potential, and he'd thought of leaving her with the same gift as Sasuke but after realizing her connection to Namikaze Minato and the Kyuubi he'd thought better of it.
He had no idea what his cursed mark would do in correspondence to the Kyuubi.
Worse case scenario it would kill her, second case... Kyuubi was able to bend it to act as his own cursed mark, and he lost any control of it and the girl.
Both were interesting and he'd wanted to see if his speculations were correct but he'd never gotten the chance. Not enough time after marking Sasuke. Shame.
The blonde had reminded him strongly of Uzumaki Kushina and Tsunade herself. No surprise there since the former was the Yondaime's legacies mother and the Tsunade was related to her through Uzumaki Mito.
Alas, she was out of his reach now.
"No, he hasn't," Kabuto said, it was clear in his tone he was suspicious. "It makes me wonder what he is doing on these outings of his. This is the longest he's been gone since he's arrived."
Orochimaru laughed, his eyes gleaming in a way that would make even Kabuto shiver if he were not used to it.
"You don't doubt Sasuke will return, do you Kabuto?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.
Kabuto shook his head.
"Not exactly, I just find it curious that he leaves at least once a month at times, and yet he's been gone for two weeks this time."
Orochimaru frowned but nodded.
"I can see your concern, but Sasuke-kun needs me to achieve his goal, he'll return. I'll give him another week, and then send out some of our shinobi to check on his whereabouts."
After spending some times at Haku and Zabuza's grave, Naruto and Sasuke headed back towards the village and Tazuna's – where she'd told Sasuke she'd been saying since November.
Naruto now had Nariko on in her arms, held to her chest securely. The dark haired baby girl didn't seem to mind at all, though both babies seemed to have an instant interest in Sasuke.
It wasn't all that surprising, he was their father, and maybe, just maybe they knew the man was even if they'd never seen him before today.
As for Kiyoshi, Sasuke held him. Something he did rather naturally after he'd gotten over the fact she'd handed him a baby to hold that was practically his mirror image. She'd never seen the Uchiha so shocked, not even when they'd been kids.
It was undeniably cute though. Kiyoshi had stared at him with wide onyx eyes that were identical to his own, and began touching anything in his reach. Instantly though his hands had found Sasuke's hair.
Naruto wasn't sure if it was the color, strange style it naturally laid in, or just the twins fascination with hair, but they were both drawn to a persons hair. Especially hers, Jiraiya's and now Sasuke's.
She's never seen Kiyoshi so keen on playing with anyone's hair though, not even her own sunny locks which both children liked.
She couldn't blame them though, she herself always liked Sasuke's hair and took any chance she'd get to play with it. It was such a unique style after all, and was softer than it looked.
But enough on hair.
"They always sleep this much?" Sasuke asked, drawing her out of her strange thoughts.
True, both had fallen asleep in their parents arms, Nariko leaning on her chest and Kiyoshi on Sasuke's.
She chuckled.
"Only during the day," she said, smiling. "They have some lungs on them. They're not as fussy as they were when the first two weeks though."
Sasuke felt a wave a guilt creep into his chest as he realized what he had missed. Not only had he missed being there for Naruto while she was pregnant, but his children's birth. She must have had a hard time, with only Jiraiya to help her.
Though he supposed she had Tazuna's family the last two months. It still didn't help the guilt, especially since he knew he would have to leave again.
Looking at her with the raven haired baby girl in her arms, the baby dressed in a dark pink, that was not far off from a red, with a Uchiha fan on the back, he wished he could stay.
He also felt warmth, knowing Naruto would actually give them his name. Since they weren't born in Konoha she was not under any law to given them his clan name.
Considering she was the last of two clans as important and old as his own she could have easily given them the Uzumaki or Namikaze name.
But she'd chosen to give them his name, and even gone so far as to get his symbol sown into their clothes. Not everyone would have done that.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here," he muttered before his pride could kick in and stop the words he wanted to say.
Naruto grinned at him, her blue eyes nearly twinkling.
"I know, and I don't blame you. A part of me was actually relieved you weren't," she frowned, looking down almost ashamed. "I was so confused for a while, and I was afraid those nights didn't really mean much for you as they did me. I was afraid you'd reject us."
Sasuke clinched his jaw, unsure of what to say. He felt worse than before but at the same time he understood her fear. Naruto had always had some insecurities, because of growing up hated by the Village. He wasn't mad at her though.
"I wouldn't have. Those nights, they meant just as much to me, otherwise I wouldn't have come," he said, and smiled lightly at her.
A smile he'd only ever allowed Naruto to glimpse since Itachi had gone crazy and slaughtered everyone but him.
"I'm glad," she said, her voice full of happiness and relief. "Ero-sennin did say I was worrying too much. Kakashi seemed to think so to."
Sasuke blinked.
"Kakashi?" he asked. "He knows as well?"
She sighed.
"Not by choice, exactly. It was about a month before I had them. He was on a mission and decided to visit Tazuna and his family. He saw me and it was pretty obvious I was pregnant, so I had to tell him. He promised to keep it to himself until I returned to Konoha and was ready to let everyone know."
Sasuke nodded.
"Good, the less to know the better," he said and Naruto nodded in agreement.
It was then they had come to the house and Naruto bit her lip.
"Uh, Sasuke... Jiraiya... might not be too welcoming."
Sasuke smirked.
"I was aware that might be the case," he said as they stopped at the front door. "Don't worry, I am prepared for that."
Naruto nodded and opened the door, and entered.
"I'm home, and I brought someone with me!" she called out as she slipped her shoes off and put on some slippers.
Sasuke did the same out of respect for Tazuna's family and old habit.
"Oh good, I'll have dinner done before long if you want to come help me after putting the twins down!" he heard Tsunami called from inside the what he suspected to be the kitchen.
"Oi, brat you're back."
Sasuke looked entered the living room behind Naruto and waited for the white haired sannin to look up from the scroll he was looking at.
"Tazuna has finished a plan for the bridge connecting Uzu no Kuni too..."
Jiraiya stopped his words short when he looked up only to see Naruto holding one twin, while a taller boy stood at her side holding the other. It only took him a second to realize who it was.
Uchiha Sasuke.
"You," he nearly snarled.
Sasuke couldn't help but smirk slightly.
"Me," he replied dryly.
Standing the sannin glared at him and frowned seeing he was holding one of the twins.
He wasn't sure if it was because he was holding Kiyoshi, or because it meant the toad sannin couldn't attack him. By the way he looked at him, Sasuke was going to go with the latter of the two.
"If you hurt Naruto in any way again, I'll make you wish your brother had finished you before he left Konoha," Jiraiya said, not even caring that his words might bring up bad memories for the raven. "If you weren't holding Kiyoshi, I'd beat the traitor right out of you."
Sasuke smirked widely, and nodded.
"I understand, and I give you my word as the Uchiha heir that I won't hurt her or Kiyoshi and Nariko."
Jiraiya seemed to search him for something before nodding.
"Alright then, but this doesn't mean I want you here. I just know Naruto does, and she'll be upset if I ran you out of town," he said and sat back down. "Sit down or something brats. Naru, we need to speak about the bridge and construction on Uzushio and surrounding areas as well."
Sasuke looked at Naruto and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
Naruto laughed softly and nodded.
"Alright, sensei," she said, before turning to Sasuke.
"I'll explain later," she told him and he nodded, following his blonde to the bassinets he figured were for the twins.
Later Naruto did explain to him what Jiraiya meant about construction and her mothers homelands.
He wasn't too surprised how long they had stayed in Uzu no Kuni and in Uzushio before coming to Nami no Kuni and he could understand her feelings concerning Whirlpool.
If he were in her place he'd want to restore his ancestral lands as well, even if they'd been gone since before he was born.
She'd explained that she was hiring Tazuna to build a bridge connecting one side of Uzu no Kuni to Nami no Kuni.
The location would be secret from anyone outside Nami no Kuni and she'd already gotten permission from the Wave Daimyo who was interested in being allied with Whirlpool once more.
To find out that once she was older Naruto was basically be the daimyo of her own country had surprised him, but she'd simply laughed it off.
Said she was still living in Konoha, and had no desire to move to Uzu no Kuni, but that taking her place as daimyo was simply a political move on her part.
Fact was if she wanted to rebuild her mothers lands to their former glory she had to take her inheritance, her full inheritance as the last Uzumaki heir.
To stop something like an invasion from happening again she and Jiraiya were looking into seals more than ever.
Naruto had a natural ability with them and though she wasn't a seal master by any means, yet, someday she would be if Jiraiya's words were any indicator.
The first seals would be on the area around the bridge to keep those with harmful intentions out. A few trap seals if they got past the ones that would detect them.
If they got past those and made it past a certain point on the bridge a seal alarm would go off and warn her of a possible hostile party.
The bridge would be towards the back of Uzu no Kuni in the only place that a bridge could be safely built because of the whirlpools around the island.
Considering she would mostly be using the island as a vacation and training grounds there would most likely never be a reason for anyone to invade.
Maybe in a years to come she'd open Uzu no Kuni to once again house people, though she doubted she'd ever have need to reestablish Uzushio as more than a personal vacation spot for her and her family.
A private village of sorts.
Sasuke thought it was all a good idea.
He also pointed out that being a Daimyo of her own country gave her a bit more free reign as a ninja of Konoha.
She wouldn't have to worry as much about becoming a missing-nin if she left all of the sudden. In other words she would eventually have rights similar to a sannin.
After that Sasuke had made arrangements for her, a safe house on the border of Hi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni.
It was owned by the Uchiha, but had been recently built within the last fifty years so only he would know about it.
There was the chance Itachi knew of it but he also knew his brother wouldn't go there.
His worry about if he did was put to rest by Naruto who had said she had some seals that would make it so anyone passing by would not see the small house.
If they did happen to see passed the seal induced barriers there were other seals she could place that would warn her.
She would key him into the seals though, making it so they would not effect him, but it would require his blood.
That was easy enough to give before he had to leave again, with seals many things were possible. Storage seals could preserve things, like food and papers from decay. Even blood.
They could be gone before an enemy got the chance, and she would have Jiraiya with her.
"How long will you be able to stay, Sasuke-kun?" she asked as they sat together on the roof and gazed at the stars.
"Not nearly long enough. A day or two, maybe three. It'll take me at least three days to get back to Sound and I've already been gone nearly a month. If I know Orochimaru as well as I think I do, he'll have given me another week, a week and a half at the most."
Naruto sighed and leaned her head on his shoulder slowly.
"I thought so," she said. "It's okay, though. We'll see you again."
Sasuke nodded.
"I'll try to continue coming to you once a month, but I have to train as much as I can. I don't have the power to kill him yet, neither of them. I have to protect you, you, Kiyoshi and Nariko."
Naruto smiled, liking the fact he desired to protect anyone, considering a year or two ago she doubted the word protect was in his vocabulary with the way he commonly acted.
It made that much more special to her that he wished to protect her and the twins.
But she was no damsel, and she knew he knew that so she made no move to say anything about it.
"Let's go to bed," she muttered. "It's getting pretty late, now."
Sasuke blinked and nodded.
"I'll stay on the couch..."
Naruto snorted, hitting him over the head moderately hard.
"Stupid Teme," she said, shaking her head. "You'll be sleeping in my room with me."
"But.." he began only to be quieted by her slight glare and roll of her eyes.
"It's not like we haven't done more than sleep before, Sasuke," she said, and jumped off the roof, and landed slightly crouched on the ground.
Sasuke smiled slightly and shrugged, she was right.
With that thought in mind he jumped from the roof and landed next to her and the two entered the house.
Three days later Naruto had to blinked rapidly to hold back a tear or two from falling as she watched Sasuke's back as he left once again.
The pain she'd felt the first time she'd woken to know he was gone, after their fight at the Valley of the End was worse than what she felt now, but she felt twinges of pain to see him go.
She knew he would stay if she begged, pleaded and cried... but she knew he had to do this.
In a strange way, he had a job to complete. He had vowed just before he left, and when they'd met at Haku and Zabuza's grave, to kill Orochimaru and Itachi, then return and help her deal with the last threat to them.
Akatsuki.
She trusted him more than anyone, despite some of the mistakes in their past, and she had her own job to do.
She had to protect and care for their children and train. She had to train just as he did, to grow stronger so she wouldn't be helpless.
As she'd told him before, she was no damsel in distress, she could and would save herself when given the chance.
She also wasn't stupid, she knew sometimes she needed to be saved, because she was not invincible. But neither was he, she reminded herself.
"You know, this reminds me of when Kushina and Minato met up with Mikoto and Fugaku a month before you were born. Sasuke had already been born, and Kushina and Mikoto were talking about if you were a girl like Kushina believed," Jiraiya said out of nowhere as she saw Sasuke disappear from sight.
Kiyoshi and Nariko were both held to her chest, not an easy thing to do at first but she'd been practicing holding the twins at the same time. It was easier everyday.
Turning to her sensei she raised an eyebrow.
"How does this remind you of that?" she asked.
Jiraiya snickered.
"Well, lets just say Minato realized what having a daughter would Intel and nearly went ballistic. He never stopped glaring at baby Sasuke."
Naruto snorted and shook her head.
Jiraiya smirked.
"I wasn't finished," he said. "The whole time, according to your mother, baby Sasuke never stopped glaring at him."
Naruto burst into laughter, and Kiyoshi and Nariko blinked owlishly but paid no mind as they went back to playing with their mothers long, bright, loose hair.
"That's ridiculous, babies don't glare," she said, but smirked widely. "Though if anyone could, I wouldn't put it past Sasuke or an Uchiha in general to pull it off."
Jiraiya nodded.
"Probably," he said. "Come on brats, and brats brats... we should get back to the house. We'll only be here another month while Tazuna and his crew finish building the bridge."
Naruto nodded, and thanked whoever made the Kage Bunshin because without it Tazuna and his builders would have taken longer to finish the bridge connecting Nami to Uzu.