Her Face
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. The votes are in and the results are as follows: 6 Present/Future Vote and 3 Past Votes. That means that Sasuke will be going back to his era in this chapter. Don't worry to my Past Voters. There will be flashbacks to expand on the "Gap Years." Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: Sasuke has altered the timeline in pretty drastic ways. That means there will be a bit of a shakeup in the Leaf's power structure. This is obviously not cannon.
Chapter 21
A few days later, Danzo's body was found and the funeral was held. Sasuke had to admit that the village was apparently filled with good actors. Most of the villagers could at least feign somberness at the "loss" of the elderly ninja. In reality, he was certain that there were far more people who were thrilled at his demise than just his Clan.
"Daisuke, are you able to tell when you can return home?" Mikoto asks as young family heads back to their District.
"I always figured that I'd return home whenever the timeline was set or that I'd try the Jutsu then." Sasuke replies as he sets Itachi back in his crib.
Mikoto and Fugaku sigh as they look at each other. Sasuke recognized those kinds of sighs. Wistful. Heavy sighs. They weren't happy about something.
"We'd love for you to stay with us, but you have your own life in the future and we believe that it's time for you to stop living in the past." Fugaku states as he embraces Sasuke.
Oh this was serious. The Uchiha Patriarch was hardly the type of man who embraced people often. His parents really thought that he should return to his time.
"I will miss you, but I think that it's best if you returned. Danzo is dead. He was the threat, right?" Mikoto asks softly as she caresses his cheek tenderly.
Was Danzo the threat? Well the man was certainly a large part of it. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only threat. Sasuke had to consider Obito.
Obito was a cute kid now, but once upon a time that boy had nearly destroyed reality as the world knew it. Could he really leave his relative behind, knowing that? Could he take that big a risk?
"He was one of them. Probably the largest in a way. There were others. I thought that this day might come. I left a journal filled with instructions behind your wedding portrait. I drilled a whole behind it and covered it up well. You'll know where to find it because the wall will feel hollow there. You can open it, if you pull on it." The raven haired man says with a sigh of his own.
It was a gamble, but his mother was right. Sasuke did need to return to his own time. He didn't really want to think about what would happen when his younger self arrived. Could two Sasukes even exist in this era or would something else happen?
Time Travel had so rarely been done, that he really didn't know the answer to that question and it disturbed him. He or his younger self might both disappear for all he knew. What if the timelines collided and they all just disappeared? Each new possibility that his mind envisioned became steadily more horrific than the last. With that in mind, Sasuke decides the only responsible thing to do was to return to his era.
"Such a clever boy. I'm proud of you. We'll take good care of the journal, your brother, and you when you return to us. Well the smaller you, anyway." Fugaku says.
"I know you will. I've been feeling a pull, ever since Danzo's death. I think that my way home is about to appear." Sasuke says as he smiles down at Itachi and tickles his tummy.
Itachi coos in response and the other Uchiha. Sasuke just smiles more and leans down to poke his forehead. Itachi had had that coming for years. Revenge really was sweet sometimes!
"WAHHHH!" Itachi lets out a mighty wail.
"Daisuke!" Mikoto scolds him as she scoops up Itachi and rocks her firstborn to soothe him.
"I'm sorry. He just used to do that to me all the time in the future. It's just our way of saying we love each other." Sasuke says, trying to defend himself.
The time traveling ninja hears his father chuckle and sighs in relief. If Fugaku wasn't angry, Mikoto likely wouldn't stay mad for long. He was clearly the more hotheaded between the two of them.
"As you're leaving, I think that we can be lenient this time. Though what makes you say that? Why do you believe that your way home is about to emerge?" The Uchiha Patriarch asks.
"The Time Traveling Jutsu anticipated what might happen, if the Rinnegan wasn't available to the user in the past. There was a back up plan. After a certain point, the chakra that the caster used to perform the Jutsu would form a portal. That portal will that will take me back to my time." Sasuke explains.
Mikoto frowns. She wasn't entirely certain she liked the sounds of that. How did Daisuke know that he would be sent back to the right time?
"And you know for certain that the portal will take you where you want to go?" She asks fretfully.
"I don't know that for certain, but I know that the tablets got me here. So I think they will take me back. It's a risk, but it's one that I have to take. I can't stay here. What happens when the other me is born?" Sasuke inquires gently.
Mikoto looks at Fugaku helplessly. Clearly, the woman was less than convinced. Sasuke couldn't entirely blame her though. If he was in her position, he'd probably be begging his child not to take such a risk. Sadly, it had to be done.
"He's right, Mikoto. I'm sorry, but he's right." The elder Uchiha says.
"Whatever happens after this, I want you all to know that I love you. Also I had the Third Hokage forge some transfer papers. The cover story to explain my disappearance is that I fell in love with a foreign ninja and transferred." He states.
"I didn't even think about that. You should at least say goodbye to Shisui, Obito, and your grandparents before you return. Let them know that you found love. That way, they'll "know"" that you're happy and the loss will be less painful." The dark beauty reasons.
Sasuke nods in response. That was a good point. It would be cruel to leave all of them hanging. They had a right to know what happened to him, even if it was a lie.
"Alright. I'll go and do that now." Sasuke says as he embraces his parents and cuddles Itachi one more, before he Flickers off.
"I'm going to miss him so." Mikoto sniffles as she leans into her husband for support.
"I'll miss him as well. It's not goodbye though. We'll see him again." Fugaku assures his wife as he kisses the top of her head and smiles down at Itachi reassuringly.
Their sons were both enormously perceptive. Fugaku didn't doubt that somehow Itachi knew that something strange was going on. The last thing that he wanted was to scare his infant child. That was why he was going to endure this separation with dignity and grace. (Well at least that's what he was going to try to do, anyway.)
Meanwhile in the present, Hinata's eyes widen. Her Byakugan had caught a strange light coming from the Forest of Death. Upon seeing this, the Hyuga Heiress immediately rushes off to find her friends.
"You have to see this! Come quickly!" Hinata shouts at Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.
"Hinata, what's wrong? Why are you screaming?" Naruto asks in confusion.
"There's a strange light coming from the Forest of Death. I think it might be Sasuke. Kakashi said it himself. The timelines are getting closer together. Maybe they're about to collide." She whispers.
Sakura frowns. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. They had no way of knowing, what would happen when Sasuke got back.
Assuming he was friendly, there were still the physical effects of such an occurrence. There could be an earthquake, a fire, or the force of the timelines realigning could incinerate all of them. There really was no way of knowing and that was a terrifying thought.
"Let's assume Hinata's right. What should we do? Should we really charge right in there? We don't know what is going to happen." Sakura points out.
Now it was Kakashi's turn to frown. His former student had an excellent point. The four of them were playing with fire and hoping that they wouldn't get burned. This might not end well.
"That's true. I don't think we have a choice though. If something goes wrong, we might be able to contain it. If it spreads, the others won't really know what to do." The silver haired ninja reasons.
"We don't really know what to do either." Naruto retorts.
The Hokage could only sigh and nod in agreement. Naruto was right. There wasn't a single one of them, who had ever encountered time travel before. Everything that they were about to do was based off guessing. That wasn't a particularly comforting notion.
"That's also true, but we need to act now. If nothing else, we might be able to protect the Leaf in the worst case scenario." The CopyCat Ninja offers.
"You're right, Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura agrees.
"Yeah. That and I'm so going to kick that bastard's ass! I can't believe that he was this stupid. For a genius, he can be pretty stupid sometimes! I wouldn't even do something as crazy as time travel!" The Jinchuuriki adds.
Kakashi chuckles. Leave it to Naruto to lighten the mood of the room during such a tense time. It was truly one of the bubbly blonde's most powerful gifts. The gift of laughter.
"Naruto!" Hinata protests her friend's assessment.
"Oh right! You guys are kinda engaged now. You totally can kick his ass first. I mean it's only fair. You are going to be married to the bastard. Well at least I think you're going to be married to the bastard!" Naruto says cheerfully.
"Naruto, will you please stop calling my fiancée names?" Hinata demands.
The CopyCat Ninja could only shake his head in disbelief. Life could be strange sometimes. Not only had Sasuke gone back to the past, he had somehow gotten engaged. Only Sasuke.
"I'm sure that Sasuke will find it deeply touching that you defended his honor while he was away, but for now we have more important things to focus on than what nicknames Naruto gives out." Kakashi states.
The three other ninjas nod their heads in understanding and with that, they depart from the Hokage Office. They had only one thought on their minds. They had to get to the Forest of Death and keep everyone safe.
Back in the past, Sasuke was having dinner with his family. If there was one thing that he was going to miss about the past, it was definitely his grandmother's and mother's cooking. Really, the two of them should have been chefs or bakers. They were that good at cooking.
"This is great, but I have important news." Sasuke says.
"Important news?" Aiya asks curiously and Sasuke nods in confirmation.
"I'm moving to another village. I've fallen in love with a foreign ninja. The Hokage has approved the transfer and I'm leaving soon. I love all of you and our Clan, but she's the one. I know that it's sudden, but sometimes you just know." Sasuke says.
Kenji blinks. Whatever he had been expecting Daisuke to say, that hadn't been it. He could scarcely believe his ears.
How had the shy boy that he adored, changed so suddenly? Daisuke was really going to move to another village to be with a woman whom he'd had a whirlwind romance with? It was shocking to say the least.
"Well I think that I speak for everyone here, when I say congratulations. We're very happy for you. We'll all miss you, of course. Still if this woman is your most precious person, certain sacrifices can be made." Kenji assures him with a twinkle in his eyes.
"You're really leaving?!" Obito asks as he looks positively crestfallen.
"Yes, I am. You're still my favorite student though. Don't tell Kakashi or Rin." Sasuke says with a smile as he messes up Obito's hair affectionately.
He couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to them all. They all looked so sad and yet happy for him. This was what it meant to be a family though. It meant that you loved someone enough to put their happiness above your own. Unconditional love.
"Alright! I won't tell him. Is she pretty?" Obito asks slyly as he crosses his fingers behind his back.
Sasuke decides to pretend not to notice that gesture. Obito was definitely going to tell Kakashi and Rin that he was Daisuke's favorite student. Whatever. He supposed in the end, that didn't really matter.
"She's the most beautiful woman in the world to me." Sasuke lies with ease.
"Girls like flowers." Shisui suggests helpfully.
"Yes. Yes, they do. Thanks for the advice. Oh and you be nice to Itachi. He's going to look up to you because you're older than him." Sasuke says as he pokes the four year old's head teasingly.
Shisui grumbles. Sasuke snorts in amusement. He could see why Itachi did this so much. It was pretty funny.
"We wish you all the luck and happiness in the world. If it doesn't work out for some reason, you'll always have a home here." Aiya promises him as she kisses his cheek.
"Thank you. That means a lot to me. Make sure to keep Kenji in line. He needs a firm hand or else he'll get out of control at Bachelor Parties." Sasuke says with a smirk.
Aiya twitches and turns her attention towards Kenji. Sasuke couldn't help but delight in this reaction. Ha! That will teach Kenji for trying to play matchmaker.
"I just went with our son to make sure that he didn't get into any trouble! That's all!" Kenji protests.
"Right. Well I'm going to go. Thanks for dinner and I love all of you." Sasuke says with a smile and with that, he darts off.
Meanwhile Sarutobi was dining with Orochimaru. He had to try to save his student. The man was slipping down the Path of Darkness.
That meant that it was up to him to save the other ninja. The Third Hokage had no intention of losing such a talented and brilliant fighter, if he could help it. That was why he was going to take drastic measures.
"I must admit that I am rather fascinated by the research you're doing. I believe in time, it will provide significant benefits to the Ninja World." He begins.
Flattery was generally a wise place to start. While Orochimaru might not have a burning desire to be Hokage, he still wanted to be acknowledged. Such a desire was only natural. Most people wanted to be acknowledged.
"Thank you. I'm glad that you agree." Orochimaru says with a positively predatory smile.
"That's why I would like to help you with it. With Danzo's death, I think that it's time that I face the truth. I'm not getting any younger. I can be of more use to our people helping you than I can be as an aging Hokage." He continues.
Sarutobi could tell that he had shocked the other man into silence because Orochimaru was now gaping at him. In all fairness, he knew that this decision had been a major curveball. He would have been concerned, if Orochimaru WASN'T surprised.
"That's very generous of you. I think that you are selling yourself short though. You're still a very powerful ninja. Your age hasn't stopped you fight performing incredible feats on the battlefield and your wisdom is most helpful to our village." The Sannin replies.
"Oh I know that I'm healthy now, but how long will that last? I'd rather bow out gracefully, while I can still help in other ways. I've decided to ask Jirayia to become Hokage. He's young, powerful, and loyal. I would ask Tsunade, but she is busy at the hospital. I considered you as well, but you're better suited to your research." He explains.
Sarutobi watches as Orochimaru's expression changes from shock to anger and finally to acceptance. Thankfully, it appeared that the flattery might have worked. It was a miracle.
"I'm certain that Jirayia will thrive in the position, if he can tear himself away from women's bathhouses long enough to actually perform his duties. You're right about Tsunade and I though. That and I can certainly use the help." He says with a smile.
The Third Hokage nods approvingly. Well that was the first step. That was the first step towards saving Orochimaru.
Sarutobi could only hope that it wasn't already too late. He knew that he should have stepped in sooner, but he just hadn't wanted to believe the worst of his former student. Hopefully, that wouldn't be Orochimaru's undoing.
Elsewhere in the Leaf Village, Sasuke heads towards the Forest. He could now see purple light. The light was clearly his chakra and it was forming into a door. The door that would take him home.
"This has to work." Sasuke whispers to himself as he takes several blood and chakra replenishing pills.
He really didn't know what the difference would be between the way he came here and the way he was leaving. That was why he had decided to prepare for the worse. The pills should prevent him from dying of blood or chakra loss, if worse came to worst.
Sasuke opens the door and walks through. That's when he was caught in a swirling void of purple light and suddenly, he felt like he was hurtling toward something and was being assaulted by a barrage of images. Images that were now apparently his memories.
"What's that, Itachi?" Mikoto asked with a smile as her young child whispered something in her ear.
She had just given birth to him. Sasuke saw himself safely nestled in his mother's arms, with his father watching his family proudly. Itachi was only a child, but apparently determined.
"Oh I think that's a good idea. If we name him after a powerful ninja, he might become strong himself one day. Sasuke. What do you think, My Loves?" The dark beauty asked her husband and Itachi.
"I like it. It's rather close to the other one's name. I wonder if that was a coincidence or if he had to improvise." Fugaku observed with a chuckle.
"Other one?" Itachi inquired in an adorably confused voice.
"Nevermind, sweetheart. We'll be going home soon. For now, I think your baby brother needs some rest. I know that I sure do." Mikoto told Itachi as she kissed his forehead.
That wasn't the only image though. There were more. A lot more. Sasuke could scarcely keep up with them.
He was riding on Itachi's back. Itachi was taking him to the Entrance Day at the Academy, but they weren't alone. Mikoto, Fugaku, Aiya, and Kenji were with them. Not to mention, Shisui and Obito had decided to tag along as well.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. I'm certain that you will excel. All Uchihas do, really." Fugaku told him proudly and Mikoto giggled.
"As you can tell, your father is a very modest man." His mother told him as if she was sharing a great secret.
"Whoa. Pretty big class, this year. Oh look, there's the Hokage's family." Obito observed.
Indeed. He was right. Minato, Kushina, and Naruto were there. The bubbly blonde toddles over to greet his playmate, who was still on Itachi's back.
"Alright, Sasuke. I'll let you down so you can go play with your friend now." He said as he let the younger Uchiha climb off his shoulders.
"They're so cute at that age." Aiya observed with a smile.
"Yes. Yes, they are." Kenji agreed as he placed a kiss on his wife's cheek and the two boys took off to go play with some other children, while waiting for the Ceremony to officially begin.
"Ahhh!" Sasuke hisses in pain.
The barrage just kept coming and coming. It was fast and furious. It was almost as if some damn had burst.
"I wanna know what's in that book!" A twelve year old Naruto exclaimed.
"Naruto, that's Kakashi Sensei's private property. You can't just go stealing it from him." Sakura replied.
"That's a good point. Stealing is wrong, unless it's for a mission." Sasuke said somberly.
Sakura nodded. Clearly, she was pleased that Sasuke was going to be reasonable. Ha! That girl really didn't know him very well!
"Which is why we aren't going to steal it. We're merely going to borrow it and take a peek." Sasuke said with a smirk.
"SASUKE!" Sakura howls in outrage and the two boys just laughed as they took off to "borrow" Kakashi's book.
Sasuke winces in pain as he kept falling and falling. The memories just wouldn't stop. It was all too much!
"So let me get this straight, your family wants an official alliance with the Hyuga's right?" Suigetsu asked Sasuke as they faced off during training.
Sasuke had made friends with a group that he had dubbed Taka during one of his many missions. Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu were the three ninjas who had been assigned to Orochimaru's squad.
Somehow, the young Uchiha had grown close to them for different reasons. Jugo viewed him as his Cage and Sasuke liked being needed. Karin was really smart and her healing/sensory abilities were useful, once he overlooked the fact that the girl was completely obsessed with him. Finally, there was Suigetsu. Sasuke liked his mischievous nature and it was nice to have a training partner who was arguably at least, if not more, skilled with a blade than he was.
"That's right. They want it to be through a marriage. Normally, that would fall to Itachi. He's the eldest, but he's already married. He and Izumi were childhood sweethearts. The two were made for each other. So that means that I'm the one that has to take his place." Sasuke answered as he blocked his friend's sword.
"Oh goodie. So you have to marry Hinata, right?" The violet eyed swordsmen asked.
Sasuke nodded. Honestly, he had never really thought much about marriage, but Hinata seemed like a good choice. It wasn't like he was in love with anyone else and she was a good woman.
"That's right. I mean I didn't really expect that my marriage would be an arranged one, but I'm sure she'll be a good wife. She's kind, strong in her own way, and beautiful. She's really shy, but this was my choice. My parents wouldn't force me into a marriage against my will." Sasuke informed the other man.
"Poor girl. She probably is happy about it because you have a pretty face, but she's in for a surprise. Naruto's right about one thing. You can be such a bastard. If it doesn't work out though, I'll take her. She has one Hell of a rack." The former Mist Ninja observed thoughtfully.
Sasuke twitched. There were days, when he was confident that Suigetsu LIKED getting beaten up. That could be the only logical explanation for why he would say something like that.
"CHIDORI!" The young Uchiha roared as he lunged at his friend with his trademark technique blazing.
"Hey! Hey! No need to go all psychotic like that! I'm just saying that she's nice to look at!" Suigetsu gulped as he dodged.
"And I'm just saying that if you talk about my future wife like that again, I'll cut your OTHER sword off." Sasuke warned him.
It was all too much. Sasuke couldn't process anymore. That's when he landed on the ground with a loud crash. The impact knocked him unconscious.
That was how Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Hinata found Sasuke. They found him laying in the middle of a fairly sizable crater in the Forest of Death next to a door made of chakra. Things only got stranger from there though.
"The chakra is moving!" Naruto shouts out in terror.
"I think that the timeline is resetting. It's a good thing that we wrote those notes." Hinata says quickly as she holds onto Sakura's hand tightly for support.
She was scared about what was going to happen next. Hinata supposed they all were. This was the moment that they had been dreading for a long time. The timelines were about to merge.
"I guess now we'll finally know what kind of world Sasuke has created for all of us." Kakashi whispers as the bright light engulfs the entire Leaf Village.