Kakashi: Riddles

Kakashi body-flickered Sasuke out of the tower arena up to a small stone room with no windows where Ame was waiting for them. Sasuke stumbled slightly on landing, then bowed low to the copy-nin's starry-eyed fiancée.

"Ame-san."

"Sasuke-kun," Ame responded with a smile. "Come over here and let me have a Look at you."

The black-haired genin walked forwards obediently, tilting his head up to meed her gaze.

"Well, look at you," Ame murmured, voice slipping into the absent, sing-song tones that indicated she was Seeing beyond the merely physical. "Such potential you have, little crow. You will be great, no doubt about it, but whom will you serve? Choose your master carefully, little crow, for he will shape you to his will. No matter the master you will be great, so all that remains is the type of greatness you choose to pursue. Will you support and protect the greatest peace the world has seen in centuries or help to push the Elemental Nations into a downward spiral of chaos and death, leaving every man scrambling to protect what is his against the rest? You will not be forgotten, regardless of your choice; what is it you wish to be remembered for, little crow?"

"What of my clan?" Sasuke asked timidly, visibly awed by this blatant demonstration of the night-eyed woman's power.

"The Uchiha clan is neither dead nor dying and its return to prominence is not your burden to shoulder," Ame responded calmly, the points of light in her eyesockets flickering brightly. "Now let me look at that seal of yours."

Sasuke tipped his head to one side, revealing the trio of dark red commas clustered on the side of his neck.

"Juin jutsu; the Cursed Seal of Heaven," Ame whispered softly. "Naruto saved more than just your life with his quick thinking and selfless sacrifice."

"Can you remove it?" Sasuke rasped, eyes wide.

"Do you want it removed?" Ame countered, features brightening as a whimsical smile blossomed on her lips. "It will do you no serious harm as it is now, though you may find yourself changed by it in time."

Sasuke opened his mouth then closed it again, expression thoughtful. "If you take it off Naruto and Yoko won't be obliged to teach me about youkai, will they?"

"Aa, true."

"Then... I think I'll keep it for the time being," Sasuke decided. "Is that allowed?"

"Of course; it is your choice. I will however settle an additional barrier around it to reduce the risk of youki poisoning," Ame said, fingers flicking as she traced glowing symbols in the air around the young Uchiha. "Kneel down; this may hurt."

Sasuke knelt obediently and cringed as Ame's right hand dropped over the seal on his neck. There was a hiss like water on hot metal, the genin gasped, eyes wide then keeled over forwards. A neat ring of sealing script appeared around the three commas, looking very much like the Fuuja Houin Kakashi knew how to use.

Well, isn't this cosy," said a voice by the door.

Kakashi spun around, lightning dancing between his fingertips. Orochimaru!

"Kashi, please take Sasuke to the hospital to sleep off the sealing process," Ame said quietly, stepping forwards and pushing the genin's limp body into the silver-haired jounin's arms. The copy-nin let go of the elemental chakra he'd been channelling and backed away from the snake sannin, cradling his student protectively.

"Ku ku ku, who might you be? Kakashi-kun's foreign fiancée? The woman who had careful, cautious Shimura Danzou arrested for treason?" Orochimaru said with a cruel, hungry smile. "What pretty eyes you have. I've never seen a doujutsu like it."

"I assure you that I do not have a doujustu, Serpent-tongue," Ame replied lightly, "for eyes such as those blind the wielder to the truth unless they be ever so humble."

"Oh really? What is your power then?"

"There's more to life than power and more to power than knowledge and strength," Ame carolled, a smile lurking in the corners of her mouth. "You're just a dead man walking around in someone else's skin; your choices have placed my power forever beyond your grasp."

"Well aren't you observant for a little civilian," the snake sannin said flatly, pulling back a little as one of his eyebrows twitched in irritation.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Snake-kin; Sasuke will be participating in the finals," Ame went on airily as if the most infamous of Konoha's defectors wasn't standing a few feet in front of her, "and nobody knows what I've seen except me, myself and I. Some fates are inescapable and none more so than those we weave for ourselves, for all good things must come to an end."

"Clever little child," Orochimaru chuckled. "I will definitely be looking you up later, little Seer. Ja ne." He vanished, leaving behind Ame -who was humming to herself- and a very confused Hatake.

"Ame, what on earth was-" Kakashi was interrupted by a slim finger pressed to his lips.

"Ssh, Kashi. The walls have ears and all's fair in love and war. Change is coming and what better trap for the enemy than the pit he dug himself? The ambush is always more successful when the ambushed ambushes the ambusher, don't you think?"

Kakashi ran this over in his head a few times and deduced that Orochimaru had some scheme in mind and Ame planned to foil it at the critical moment.

"He's already beaten," The night-eyed woman added smugly, "he just hasn't noticed yet."

The copy-nin accepted that he wouldn't get any more coherent information out of her right now and left for the hospital, Sasuke still out cold in his arms. What an odd little tongue-twister that was that my koi told Orochimaru; her prediction to Sasuke was far more coherent. I know she never lies when she's like this but what she told the snake sannin was so ambiguous it could mean almost anything.

Except that there is something coming, something he has planned that cannot be avoided. And I have three students that need training for the finals next month.

Notes

Fuuja Houin = evil sealing method

A/N: Oh dear, someone's keeping secrets... words are such tricksy things, don't you think?