Honesty
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Itachi's Perspective: He is a ninja dog. As we can see with Pakkun, Kakashi's ninja dog, some ninja dogs can talk and seem to possess human intelligence. So I added Itachi II's perspective. Let me know what you think. If readers don't care for it, I'll just nix that idea.
Naruto's Question: Oh and Naruto is supportive about Sasuke's sexuality, he's just pretty oblivious.
Chapter Six
Sasuke was working on reconstructing his district when he heard Suigetsu desperately cry out for help. Damn it. That could only mean one thing. Jugo had just gone into another rage.
The last Uchiha rushes inside his house. Suigetsu could be a pain in the ass sometime, but he was also a useful comrade. He didn't want the sword lover to actually die. (Which appeared to be a real possibility at the moment.)
"JUGO! Stop it!" Sasuke snaps at the large orange haired man.
Jugo freezes in his tracks. Suigetsu sighs in relief. Damn that was a close one. Alright, maybe it wasn't a smart idea to tease Jugo about his crush on Sasuke or make jokes about Sasuke's sexuality. Lesson learned.
"I'm sorry." He says with a sigh and looks at his feet like a guilty child.
"Jugo, Suigetsu is our comrade. You can't just attack him. It doesn't matter what stupid stuff he says." Sasuke begins.
The gentle giant nods his head. Damn it. He shouldn't have lost his temper like that. He just didn't want the last Uchiha to think that he had been spilling all his secrets to the other Taka member.
"Exactly! You need to chill, Jugo!" Suigetsu says and nods his head vigorously at this assessment.
"I wasn't finished. I don't know what the fuck you said to him, but knock it off. Jugo's been doing much better with his rages lately. You seem to be deliberately provoking him. I'm going to focus on restoring one of the other houses. I might be able to get it done tonight. You are moving into it. I'm not going to have someone wind up dead because you can't stop taunting him." Sasuke growls.
Suigetsu seems to shrink two sizes. Great. Now he was the target of Sasuke's wrath. This wasn't his fault. He had just been joking around. How as he supposed to know that Jugo didn't have a sense of humor when it came to the Uchiha?
"Arf? Arf?" Itachi barks in confusion and looks up at Sasuke with his big eyes.
"And you scared the dog." Sasuke mutters in disgust and picks up the puppy.
The sword lover sighs. Now he felt like a heel. He didn't mean to set Jugo off like that or scare the puppy. He wasn't a completely heartless bastard.
"I'm sorry…Itachi." Suigetsu says and rubs the puppy's ears.
Itachi's tail wags. He didn't know why everyone had been so loud. Looked like things had settled down now though. Maybe they all just needed a belly rub or he could share his chew toys with them.
"Suigetsu, get your ass outside and help me with finishing up your home. You're being annoying. Maybe you'll be less annoying, if you have your own place." Sasuke says as he sets Itachi down and drags Suigetsu off.
Jugo sighs in relief. Well at least Suigetsu hadn't told Sasuke that the sword lover knew he was gay. The last Uchiha didn't think that he had violated his trust.
"Geez. Sasuke, calm down. Owe! That's my ear!" Suigetsu whines.
"The dog is better behaved than you. What did you do to set him off?" The raven haired ninja demands as he continues working Suigetsu's new home.
Suigetsu gulps. Damn it. He didn't want to get Jugo into trouble, but he knew that the leader of Taka would see through a lie. If Sasuke realized he was lying, it wouldn't end well for him.
"If I tell you, I want you to promise that you won't lose it." The sword lover begins cautiously.
Sasuke raises an eyebrow. That was an interesting way to open the conversation. He knew that Suigetsu had done something to deserve a beating, but he just nods his head.
"I promise that I won't kill you. I might Chidori you, if you did something stupid enough though." He states.
"Alright. Alright. I called you Sas-GAY." He admits.
Sasuke twitches. He shouldn't have promised not to kill Suigetsu. Damn it. Now he couldn't go back on his word. Oh yeah. That definitely deserved a Chidori. Preferably a Chidori to the nuts.
"CHIDORI!" Sasuke yells and charges at his friend.
Suigetsu takes off running. It was not fun to get hit with a Chidori. That was not a fun way to start the day!
A few days later, Naruto blinks. He had gone to Tsunade's office to get his latest mission. He had arrived about an hour early. So he wasn't surprised that Tsunade was talking to someone else.
What did surprise him is what he overheard. The door was shut, but Naruto had good hearing. Kakashi and Tsunade were talking about Sasuke. More specifically, they were talking about Sasuke and Jugo.
"Well he's definitely gay. The test results are conclusive. Whether he is in denial or not, we still don't know. So what would be the best way to go about this?" Kakashi asks.
"A truth serum maybe?" Tsunade wonders.
Naruto blinks. They wanted to give Sasuke truth serum to see if he knew he was gay? Why? That didn't make any sense? That and did they have a death wish? If Sasuke found out what they were doing, he'd probably kill them.
The blonde did what anyone else would have done. He continued listening in. His eyes kept getting wider and wider as he heard more of their conversation.
"Sasuke's too smart to find out about that. It's obvious that Jugo has feelings for Sasuke and is conscious of them. We don't know about Sasuke though. It'd be good for Sasuke to have a strong tie to someone, other than just Naruto and to a lesser extent platonic friendships with the rest of Taka." Kakashi observes.
No way. Jugo had a thing for Sasuke? Well that made a lot of sense. Maybe the large man hadn't only moved in with Sasuke to control his rages. There might be real feelings there.
"We could assign them a mission together. Maybe nature would just take it's course." Tsunade suggests.
"What mission though? We don't want it to be too obvious what w are doing, but it has to be a good setting to encourage romance." The CopyCat ninja replies.
Naruto tries to picture Sasuke in a romantic relationship with anyone. He couldn't do it. Of course, he had always figured that somehow Sasuke would start spawning an army of Uchiha super babies at some point.
That had always been in the abstract though. Now that he knew Sasuke was gay and apparently willing to use surrogates to achieve said super baby army, it was even harder to imagine him in a relationship. It was even harder to imagine the last Uchiha shacking up with the gentle giant.
"Can't be a bodyguard mission. Sasuke specifically requested not to be assigned to those types of missions." The busty blonde says with a sigh.
The boisterous blonde ninja tries to suppress a snicker at that one. Oh yeah. Lord Tao had been really asking for a beating. He still couldn't believe the noble thought that they were lovers! Honestly, where did people get these crazy ideas?!
"A trade mission to the Land of Tea?" Tsunade muses after a few moments.
"That sounds perfect. It's a beautiful place. They also have some very nice hot springs." Kakashi offers.
"Alright. It's decided then." She says.
Naruto darts off. He knew that his former teacher would be leaving Tsunade's office soon. The blue eyed ninja just didn't want to get caught ease dropping.
A short while later, he heads back and knocks on Tsunade's door. The Hokage tells him to come in. Naruto walks inside.
"Hmm that's not like you. You actually knocked. What's wrong brat?" Tsunade asks.
"Nothing's wrong! So um do you have a new mission for me?" He inquires cheerfully.
Tsunade raises an eyebrow. She didn't believe that for a minute. Naruto was up to something. She would figure out what it was one way or another. The medic shakes her head and hands Naruto the details for his latest mission.
"Think you can handle that?" She asks.
"Piece of cake! Come on Granny Tsunade, challenge me a little." He replies.
"After the war, it's hard to find something to challenge you. Just take the mission. Be happy that this is the most serious mission that you are likely to get for awhile. It means the peace is holding." She chides him gently.
Naruto sighs and nods. Yeah that was true. It was as good thing. He was getting a little bored though. Maybe he should try to beat some answers out of Sasuke. Yeah. That could be fun.
"Alright. I'll see you around later." He says and heads off towards the Uchiha District.
Naruto blinks when he arrives. Suigetsu and Sasuke were working hardcore on one of the houses. Damn. They looked pretty determined.
"Hey, bastard! I was going to ask if you wanted to train, but you look a little busy." The blue eyed ninja observes.
"We are almost done here. Suigetsu, it's your house. If you fuck it up, you have to live with it. Yeah. I got time." Sasuke says as he heads off with Naruto.
A few hours later, they both collapse in exhaustion. They might have only been using Taijutsu, but it was still intense. Training with Naruto was one of the few things that honestly pushed Sasuke to his limits. He liked having a real challenge. He didn't get much satisfaction from winning easy fights.
"So I was kinda wondering about something…" Naruto says.
"Yes, orange is a hideous color. Yes, it makes you stick out like a sore thumb. Yes, you should get a new wardrobe. No, you can't borrow any of my clothes." Sasuke says smugly.
Naruto twitches. Sasuke really could be such a bastard sometimes. Well actually he was a bastard most of the time, but that wasn't what was important right now!
"You are such a jerk. But I was wondering, you know about…everything?" The boisterous member of Team Seven begins.
"Uh huh. That's very specific. Naruto, despite the Sharingan's many talents, I still can't read minds. Quit beating around the bush and tell me what you want. It's annoying when you draw it out." Sasuke mutters.
"Alright. Alright. Well you are gay, right? So is there anyone that you like? Do you have a type? How does that even work anyway?" The blonde asks.
Sasuke blinks in disbelief. Naruto had actually went there? He knew what his friend meant by how does that even work. He was asking about the mechanics of sex between two men.
"Yes, I'm gay. Maybe. Not exactly. You aren't actually asking me to draw you a diagram or something are you? Why do you care? You've always been into women." Sasuke replies.
"Oh that was very helpful, bastard. I care because I'm your friend and I want you to be happy. As for the last part, well I guess that I was just curious. How do you figure out who the girl is in the relationship? I mean obviously, someone has throwing their kunai and the other person catches it." The blonde says.
Sasuke twitches. That was it. SMACK. Naruto needed to be smacked for that one. Who was the girl?! Honestly!
That was extremely offensive. He knew that Naruto didn't mean any harm by it. The idiot probably really thought that it was a logical question to ask. What Naruto really meant to ask was how do you tell who tops? But he had asked in just such a ridiculous way, that Sasuke HAD to smack him.
"You really are such an idiot sometimes." Sasuke mutters.
Later that day, Jugo goes shopping. He was picking up some supplies. Mostly tools like hammers, nails, and things of that nature. Sasuke thought it would be a good idea for him to get used to doing such simple tasks, without him next to him.
Jugo didn't think this was a good idea, but he didn't want to argue the point. He just really hoped that Suigetsu wouldn't tell Sasuke the truth. That would only end in disaster.
"You look like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders." He hears someone say.
The gentle giant looks around. He blinks in surprise. It was Kakashi. The silver haired ninja used to be Sasuke's Sensei back when he was a Genin. So Jugo knew him in passing.
What he didn't know is why the man was talking to him? He debates for a moment before walking over to him. He might as well see what the other man wanted. There was no reason to be impolite, after all.
"I have a few things on my mind. Did you need something?" He asks.
"It's about Sasuke. We got the results back from his mental health evaluation." The CopyCat Ninja beings.
Jugo gulps. He knew that those probably hadn't been good. Sasuke was likely suffering from PTSD. It had never been treated. The results of that were evident on an almost nightly basis. Sasuke's nightmares were intense to say the least.
"Oh it's nothing that bad. Well it is, but nothing that we didn't expect. We did find out something rather surprising though. Based on his responses to various visual stimuli, he's attracted to men." He says.
"I know that you were his teacher, but I don't think that it's appropriate for you to be looking into his medical results like that. You aren't trained as a counselor or a medic. I don't see what his sexuality has to do with anything or how you would even know if the results were accurate." Jugo says.
The last thing Sasuke needed was to deal with a concerned teacher. Maybe Kakashi would try to "fix" Sasuke, so that the last Uchiha would become attracted to women. Even worse, what if Kakashi tried to set Sasuke up with someone?!
"He's lucky to have such a good friend in you. I know that I'm not a counselor or a medic, but I was his instructor. Tsunade thought my opinion would be helpful in evaluating his results because I know him better than the medics do." The silver haired ninja points out in a disturbingly logical fashion.
The gentle giant mentally sighs. He couldn't exactly argue with that. Sasuke was a difficult person to understand, no matter how long you had known him. It would be a nearly impossible task for a stranger to manage.
"That's true. Is his sexuality a concern? There's nothing wrong with preferring the company of your own gender." He insists.
"Oh I know that. It's not the fact that he prefers men that is the concern. We just don't know if he has consciously admitted that to himself yet. If he's ever going to move on from the past, it would be helpful if he had more strong bonds. A lover would be ideal." The older ninja continues.
Kakashi was trying to set Sasuke up. Jugo counts to ten mentally. He was trying his best not to go into another rage. Sasuke wasn't close enough to hear his battle cries, if he did.
There would be no stopping him, if he lost control. He couldn't lose control. The orange haired man knew that the Jonin was only trying to help Sasuke. It would be wrong to hurt him for caring.
"Why don't you ask him that? I don't think he'd appreciate this sneaking around. He wouldn't like it, if he finds out you have been going behind his back. A lover might be a good idea, but that's up to him. Not you and not even the Lady Hokage." The former S Class Criminal says.
"Still it would be good if Sasuke can at least admit to himself that he's gay, if he hadn't already. It would be much healthier for him not to live in denial. You want him to be happy, do you not?" The silver haired man inquires.
That was such a dirty trick. Of course, he wanted Sasuke to be happy. He loved the last Uchiha. Thankfully, the Jonin didn't know that. Still it was a dirty trick because Kakashi knew that Sasuke was his friend and he wanted him to be happy.
"You know that I do." He grumbles.
"Excellent. So you and Sasuke are about to be assigned on a mission together." He states.
Jugo raises an eyebrow. He wasn't sure where the other man was going with this. He was almost afraid to ask really. Despite this reservation, he nods his head encouragingly at the CopyCat ninja and urges him to continue.
"To the Land of Tea. Just a trade mission, but you will have lots of time for teammate bonding. Perhaps you can get him to open up to you. You don't have to reveal anything he says to you. I don't expect you to betray his confidence. You're his teammate. He trusts you." Kakashi finishes.
"…" Jugo is speechless.
He wasn't entirely sure, but was the silver haired ninja asking him to seduce Sasuke? He looks at him in shock. Jugo was positive that he must be openly gaping at the other man.
"It should be a relatively simple mission to complete. The Land of Tea is truly a beautiful place." The masked ninja continues.
"Yes, it sounds easy enough. I can't deny that the Land of Tea is beautiful. That's why it's such a popular tourist destination. Did you just…indirectly tell me to try to seduce Sasuke?" He asks bluntly.
Kakashi rubs the back of his head sheepishly. He hadn't expected Jugo to be so direct. This was going to get awkward, he muses.
"Well if you have an interest in doing that, I wouldn't discourage you. I was more suggesting that you should try to talk to Sasuke. Maybe he will feel more comfortable opening up to you than most other people." He says with a smile.
"Uh huh. Well I can't exactly turn down the mission. I'm a new ninja for the Leaf Village. It wouldn't look good. Glad that you don't expect me to violate his confidence because even if he told me something that personal, I wouldn't go around and spill his secrets to everyone." Jugo says as storms off into the market.
Kakashi blinks. Well that could have gone better. Still at least the seeds had been planted. Maybe he should send Pakkun after them to observe what, if anything, happened between the two former criminal ninjas.
"Well it's a start." He says to himself and Pakkun.
"Don't even think about sending me after them. I'm a Ninja Dog. I'm not a Ninja Cat. I don't have nine lives. Sasuke will kill me, if he finds out I was spying on them. Don't do it, Kakashi." The dog warns him.
"Was I being that obvious in my thoughts?" He inquires in amusement and the ninja dog nods in confirmation.
The Jonin sighs. Damn. He was getting so easy to read that Pakkun knew what he was plotting. He had to work on that. If Sasuke found out about his matchmaking attempts, well it wouldn't be pleasant.
He knew that it was a risk to meddle like this, but it was one that he had to take. Sasuke clearly needed someone in his life. Someone other than Naruto. Jugo might very well be able to fill that role.
"Well I suppose that this does make Clan Restoration more complicated, but I doubt it will stop him." He observes to himself.
Pakkun nods. Now that was a scary thought. A bunch of mini Uchihas running around and setting everything on fire when they had temper tantrums. The Terrible Twos were going to be a real bitch to deal with.
"Are you sure that we should be encouraging them?" He asks cautiously.
"I think it's a good idea. He needs someone in his life. You saw how Jugo defended him, while he wasn't around. That's a sign of a good lover. Come on. Let's go pick you up some of those doggie biscuits you like so much." Kakashi says with a smile and his ninja dog follows him into the market.
Meanwhile back at the Uchiha District, Sasuke shakes his head. Suigetsu and Karin were fighting again. He really should have told Jugo to pick up some earplugs. Honestly, where did they find the energy to bicker with each other 24/7?
"Stop shrieking at me!" Suigetsu snaps at her.
"Well stop being annoying again. Now tell me the truth, did you eat MY cookies?!" She demands.
"Yeah. I ate them. I was fucking hungry. Sasuke and I have been working on this house, all day. So what?" The violet eyed man demands.
Karin twitches. She was going to throttle Suigetsu. How dare he eat her cookies?! She had made those for Sasuke!
They always said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. So she had thought maybe he'd warm up to her, if she made him some cookies. Of course, Suigetsu had to go and ruin it! The pig!
"THOSE WERE FOR SASUKE, NOT FOR YOU!" She screams.
"Karin, that was nice of you. But I don't like sweets." He mutters and shakes his head when his comment is ignored.
Karin and Suigetsu were soon rolling around on the sidewalk. He sighs and looks up at the sky as if to ask, "Why me?" Just once he would like to be part of a normal team.
He sighs in relief when he saw Jugo entering the District. Sasuke walks over to him. The last Uchiha offers to help him carry the bags of stuff. An offer that Jugo accepted gratefully.
"Again?" He asks in disbelief.
"Yes, they are fighting. Again." Sasuke confirms as he begins carrying the bags over.
"What was the fight about this time? You would think that they would have run out of things to bicker about, by now." He muses.
Sasuke sighs. The raven haired man explains. This fight was about cookies. Yes, fucking cookies. There really wasn't anything that the two of them wouldn't fight about. Truly, they were like oil and water.
"You want to go get something to eat at the ramen shop, while they wear themselves out?" Sasuke asks.
"Sounds good to me." Jugo says and he walks off with Sasuke, it was his lucky day…dinner with a view.