The Ninja Way continued

When Sasuke had only been Akira, there were some nights he'd hadn't slept; nights he'd spent curled on the ledge by his window, watching the moon and remembering his dreams.

He used to sit there and wonder what he'd do, say, think, when he finally found the person with the blue eyes. He'd thought, when he finally found this person, there'd be no more mysteries, no more gray areas, and it would all unfold before him.

Now Naruto was like an enigma. Someone so head strong, so brave, so full of heart. Yet there was a sadness to his friend, his lover, something Sasuke wasn't sure how to combat.

The wagon hit a bump, and Sasuke felt himself collide with Naruto. Their shoulders bumped, and Sasuke felt Naruto's light hair brush against his cheek. Then Naruto mumbled, "sorry" and straightened himself. Naruto looked away, face still marred with a grimace, and Sasuke knew he was thinking of Tsutomu.

But Naruto wasn't talking to Sasuke about it.

It left Sasuke wanting, frustrated, and confused. He didn't say anything, only looked straight ahead.

They hadn't touched each other since their reunion, and even then, the only times Sasuke had laid a hand on Naruto had been to redress his bandages after the Kyuubi's near surfacing by Suna. To feel their shoulders brush sent a jolt through his gut.

He remembered, how, that night in the desert, Naruto had stared at him, eyes so large Sasuke didn't know whether to laugh, absurdly enough, or look away, feeling shame he didn't really understand.

He found himself wondering what he'd expected to happen. What had he imagined this reunion would bring? He had so many thoughts and reactions: he was relieved, he was grateful, he was upset, he was desperate. He wanted to bow his head and kneel by Naruto and say "look at me the way I remember you looking at me". And another part of him was angry and annoyed for feeling that way. He didn't need anyone else's approval to keep moving, to feel at peace.

He wanted to touch Naruto, but he didn't, only hung back by the light of the fire.

"You're alive," Naruto had whispered, and Sasuke had remained silent, watching him closely. Waiting, waiting, for that pull to subside, or bring them together in a clash of bandages and sand and burned skin and destiny.

But Naruto had only bent his head and closed his eyes. It had taken Sasuke a minute to realize he was crying.

"I thought you were dead," came the hoarse reply.

So did I, Sasuke had thought grimly. He didn't know what to say, what to do. He only looked on helplessly, at a loss. What would he have done before this happened?

He didn't know. He only remembered the key points, flashes here and there from a time long gone. There were some things about himself, or Naruto, he still couldn't remember.

So, he'd redressed Naruto's bandages in silence. He wondered about the child, if it was still alive after such an ordeal, but then Naruto gritted his teeth against the sting of his skin as it moved within him, and Sasuke didn't bring it up, but his thoughts never strayed far from it, making him tense. He told Naruto to get some rest; they only had so long to lie down low before they needed to get moving again. Sasuke remembered his voice had been short, all business, and he was angry with himself later. That night, he kept close but far away, and soon, Naruto slept.

It had been a struggle to leave Suna, and the Akatsuki that were rumored to have begun to litter the dunes. The Yamagatas had not been forgotten and Sasuke still ached, still raged, for their memory. The sun had not yet risen when he had paused at the border with Naruto, who'd cast a curious sidelong glance at him. He'd fought with himself to take another step forward and tell himself later, later. He'd kept his recent past to himself, jealously guarding it, leaving Naruto to wonder what he'd experienced, where he'd been, all those weeks, save for the obvious facts. So Naruto only watched and wondered, and Sasuke only watched and wished.

Three weeks later, they still watched each other, unspoken words hanging at the corners of their mouths, fingers nearly reaching for the other when they walked close enough for their shoulders to brush, until they remembered the gap between them and drifted away.

Fukasaku had joined their little group, and for some reason, it made the silence, the not touching, so much more unbearable, because now someone else was there to try and break up the tension.

Sasuke would catch Fukasaku stealing glances at him, and Sasuke knew the toad was thinking of the child, that he was counting on Sasuke to carry everything out as planned. The memory of the old toad brought back flashes of a time in Konoha. An angry Naruto, the fear that he would never look at Sasuke the same again, the blue flash of a vein of lightning.

Sasuke kept himself from thinking about it, and Naruto kept a wary eye open.

Sometimes, Sasuke would find Naruto still awake when the sun was kicking the moon out of the sky, and Sasuke would feel like wandering over silently. Saying something stupid like "hey" or "what are you thinking about?"

But he never did.

Dark truths had mottled his image, and he accepted this, took responsibility for it. A chasm had been created between him and Naruto. Something large and gaping and sharp, like a sinister maw full of teeth. It was this that kept Naruto brooding, kept him looking pained, that kept him watching Sasuke instead of seeking him.

They rarely spoke. If only to talk about where to go next, or uncomfortable chatter about the child. The old toad never spoke of it, either. Not once, and Sasuke had to wonder what Fukasaku was thinking-

"What brings you to Taiyou?" A voice sliced through his thoughts, and Sasuke blinked, looking up from his hands in his lap.

A young woman was looking at him expectantly, a hand placed over her own slightly swollen belly. Sasuke's eyes automatically darted to Naruto when he noticed this, and he found the blond looking at the evidence of her pregnancy as well. She was pretty, obviously a Wind Country native. Tanned, dark hair, almond shaped eyes, thin lips.

"Are you refugees or are you native to the land of Rivers?" she asked again. Sasuke and Naruto shared a glance, something that sent heat shooting through his veins.

When had they last looked at each other? Sasuke found himself wondering. It was Naruto who broke the pause.

"Yeah," Naruto began earnestly finally breaking eye contact, "well, I mean, we're from Saka," he said lamely, and Sasuke smirked as he stumbled for words to explain themselves and not look suspicious.

"What he means is," said Sasuke, earning a glare from Naruto that he secretly enjoyed, "Is that we left Saka after the riots began. Wind Country is riddled with Brotherhood gangs. It's getting nasty."

The girl readily accepted this. "Oh, I know! It's why my mother and I left!" She looked to the woman to her right, who was covered head to toe, only her eyes peeking through. It was traditional, conservative Wind Country dress.

"You talk of the Brotherhood as if they're common criminals," the girl's mother said icily. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Naruto frowned, but the girl laughed forcefully, smoothing the tension over, but not well.

"Mother likes to think them vigilantes."

"Nagisa," her mother scolded sharply, "they're men with a purpose. They're brave. Finally, a group with honor and resolve. Someone who takes a stand for their people in this war."

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Sasuke could feel Naruto fidget beside him. He didn't have to look to know Naruto was irritated. Nagisa laughed again, and Sasuke was quickly annoyed.

"Then why are you here," he asked, "why are you escaping them if what they're doing is so honorable?"

The woman didn't miss a beat. She sent a scathing glare Sasuke's way. "My daughter will have her baby within the next few months, and our lands have become unsafe, thanks the ninja who wish to destroy the Brotherhood's mission."

Well, that's a believer for you.

Naruto ignored this, but smiled at Nagisa. "Congratulations," he said softly, and Sasuke found himself watching Naruto again. They hadn't spoken much about the child in a few days, and Sasuke mentally sighed. The little demon. He squirmed in his seat uncomfortably as he once again reflected on his business with the toad. He found himself looking at Naruto again, but he turned his gaze away reluctantly. A strange expression was seeming to spasm over Nagisa's face, and Sasuke frowned at her reaction to Naruto's congratulations. Her lips twitched with a smile, but then her brows furrowed and she looked pained.

"Well, I-"

The girls' mother laughed dryly, cutting her daughter off. "Do you not notice the absence of a ring? Congratulations are not in order. My daughter is unmarried. The orphanages in Saka were unable to meet my expectations. We are traveling to the Temple so the child can be taken in by the monks. It is a disgrace-"

"No one is ever a disgrace for existing," Naruto interrupted hotly, surprising them all. "Your choice is your own," he said, looking Nagisa, "and that's something everyone should accept, no matter what. But other people shouldn't tell you what to believe about your own life."

There was a strained silence. Sasuke watched Naruto and quietly, he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto turned to look at him, surprised. HIs blue eyes drifted to Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke's grip tightened. Just a little.

Naruto didn't move away. Their gazes locked, but suddenly that infuriating Wind woman was speaking again and the moment of understanding was gone.

"How dare you-!"

"Now, now, now," another voice erupted from the right, a new voice in the conversation. "Whatever your daughter may decide, I can assure you the Temple is an excellent place for children, and the monks there are wise and Enlightened and very kind. It's why me and my friend are headed there ourselves! It's a beautiful place. Full of tranquility. We're headed there join the monks-"

"And who are you?" the Wind woman snapped, and Sasuke and Naruto slowly disconnected their gaze to look. In the gloom of the cart, they hadn't noticed the faces of the two strangers sitting crammed in a corner. One was a bald, exuberant looking young man with blue eyes and simple clothing. To his left, another bald boy, hunched over with a scowl on his face and a bandage wrapped tightly around his head to hide his eyes, cracked his knuckles.

The happy young man laughed, holding up a hand as if to apologize for interrupting. "Excuse me, I'm sorry. I'm Daisuke Hara. I'm actually a native! Anyone know Tani, the Valley? No? Oh, it's a lovely place. Anyway, I was on my way to the temple (I finally decided to follow my calling) when I came across my friend here! So now we've traveling together." He gestured to the boy beside him, who grimaced. Daisuke nudged him a little, and the boy pursed his lips.

"Name's Akira," he said lowly, and Sasuke's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

Well, well, well. What were the odds? For a reason Sasuke couldn't shake, a dark feeling of foreboding crawled over his skin, and he looked over at Naruto, who had leaned back in his seat and was nodding at the newly introduced travelers.

"Akira lost his eyes in a raid. Well, not entirely. His sight, during a fight. He was burned, but well, er, you get the picture. Anyway, we've been traveling together ever since. We make a great team! Akira's kinda shy, but he's great, really. Oh, look at me, talking so much, what must you all think of me? You haven't introduced yourselves! And you, toad! I've never seen a talking beast before! You must tell us of the Toad Lands!"

Every eye turned to look at Fukasaku, and Sasuke grinned at the old toad's obvious discomfort from the attention. Fukasaku scoffed and said, "Any human who comes to know of the Toad Lands without being invited to learn so is sentenced to die a cruel and horrible death."

Daisuke's eyes widened comically, and Sasuke' bit the inside of his cheek. Naruto hid a snort behind a cough, but he was still squirming in his seat to keep from laughing.

The conversation died down quickly after that, and the cart came to a halt in a clearing. Night had come, and the driver could not continue his journey without some rest. Camp was made, and Fukasaku had gone to forage for mushrooms for dinner.

The toad had been unusually quiet since his reunion with Sasuke and Naruto.

Suddenly, Sasuke found himself alone with Naruto in the grass, and he wasn't sure what to say. Then Naruto spoke, much to his surprise.

"Sasuke, we need to talk." Naruto walked towards the trees, looking back at him, and Sasuke hesitantly followed. He had an idea what kind of conversation would take place.

He hadn't forgotten Tsutomu, and neither had Naruto.

Naruto was pacing, hands behind his back, looking deadly serious once they reached the trees. It reminded him of flashes he'd have of both of them in Team Seven. How Naruto was always so annoyingly persistent, so loyal. A diehard.

Maybe, Sasuke wondered, it was how he had noticed Naruto in the first place. He tried to remember the loud, obnoxious blond boy hidden somewhere in his memories. He remembered little things. Watching Naruto after a spar, seeing the grin on his face. Feeling warm whenever that grin was directed at him. He admired how Naruto never gave up, even if he'd eat his own head before admitting it. And Naruto just knew how to keep Sasuke moving every damn morning, even if it was by taunting him.

And that was what Sasuke remembered the most: the boy who never gave up on him. He wished he could see that boy now-

"We have to do something about the shrine-" Naruto began, slicing through his thoughts.

Sasuke scoffed, abandoning his musings. "Like that'll be easy to do? Naruto, we're being hunted. The Fire Lord wants you dead. Show up at the shrine and who knows what'll happen. Tsunade wants you to stay lost, hidden. We can't just run to-"

"I gave Tsutomu my word! I gave my village my word the minute I took my hitai-ate. We can't just look out for ourselves!" Naruto looked fierce as he said it. Sasuke sighed. Naruto was never one to give up, or back on his word.

The thought brought a painful memory to mind.

Promise me. You'll trust me, you'll forgive me, he remembered asking of Naruto.

It would make things easier, Sasuke thought angrily. Suddenly, shadow clones poofed into existence.

"Maybe I can't go there in person," Naruto said grudgingly, "But I can send word." He quickly gave orders, information, and dispatched his clones with a curt nod.

With that, Naruto turned to leave, and suddenly Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore. "Wait, Naruto," he bit out, and the blond stopped short before he broke through the trees into the clearing. He waited.

Sasuke found he didn't know what to say. It made him angry. So he said, "Without the medic nin around, I have no idea how to assess whether or not everything is normal. Are you feeling-?"

"Fine," Naruto interrupted, looking a little crestfallen. "Fine."

Sasuke bit his tongue. Maybe he wasn't cut out for this. A part of him wanted to just reach out, smile coyly and go along for the ride, but it reminded him too much of how he'd acted in Iwa looking for action, and the thought left him strangely ashamed.

Truth was, Sasuke didn't know how to fix what he'd broken. Or even that he'd had something whole in the first place.

In the dark, Sasuke's face was eclipsed in shadow, and Naruto was grateful for it.

It helped a little, when it was hard to look the bastard in the face without his chest feeling like it was going to cave in. But tonight, after all he'd learned from the Guardian nin, it was easy not to focus on it. Easy to slip into the ninja side of himself, and forget his personal troubles.

This was not the time to think about Sasuke. Not now. Too much shit was about to hit the fan.

He almost wanted to laugh at himself when Sasuke asked how he was doing-or rather, how the child was. Naruto felt his defenses begin to form, and he interrupted.

"Fine," he said, shaking his head. "Fine."

What else would Sasuke want to say to him? he thought. Naruto never said it out loud, never dared to ask, but Kabuto's words, all those weeks ago, and left an ugly, bitter reminder:

Sasuke wanted the child dead. It was possible Sasuke had gotten so close to him after knowing the truth of the child only for that reason.

Fukasaku as well, and Naruto kept a wary eye on both of them. There had been many times the toad had tried to speak with him, tried to appeal to him once more, but Naruto had turned him away. Now Fukasaku seemed older and more bitter. But Naruto couldn't say he disliked the toad's silence.

He wasn't sure what he'd do, how he'd escape them when the time came, but for now, he needed them. For now, he'd stay with them.

It hurt to think of it.

Sasuke was still watching him, and Naruto had paused, waiting for him to say something, do something. He wished, when their eyes locked, that he couldn't feel that insatiable pull towards Sasuke that made being near him sharp and painful and hard to ignore.

Was there anything left for him to expect of Sasuke? he thought. For so long, he'd mourned Sasuke. For so long, he'd felt a terrible hole in his heart and briefly, it had been filled. And now, he'd come to find Sasuke alive again, after being forced to deal with his death. Here with Sasuke, again.

Naruto looked to the clearing, trying to distract himself. He brought angry thoughts to mind.

Sasuke hadn't even told him where he'd been all that time. All Naruto knew was that he'd had an accident following his escape from the Elders, and a concussion had given him memory loss.

Oh, and you know, he'd joined the Brotherhood.

Naruto was about to open his mouth, say something short like "goodnight," but suddenly Sasuke was behind him.

"Stay here and talk to me," came the rough whisper, and Naruto was reminded of a time in Mount Myoboku when he'd asked the same thing of Sasuke. He wanted to shout, laugh at the irony of the situation.

I asked you the same thing once, and you denied me.

Instead, Naruto shook his head. Sometimes, he wasn't sure how to handle the emotions Sasuke inflicted. Sometimes, he wished it would just all go away, gone with his next breath.

"What do you want?" he ground out, not daring to look behind him. Sasuke's hand caught his wrist, held it tight, and Naruto swallowed, steeling himself. Already, his nerves were fire, his heart on overdrive.

"Tell me what it was like," Sasuke whispered in his ear, and Naruto wondered what he could mean when he continued, "Tell me what it was like on that mountain. When we were together. I need to know."

Sasuke was closer now, closer, and Naruto could feel the fan of Sasuke's breath on the back of his neck. He wanted to push Sasuke away, but he didn't.

"You can't remember?" Naruto asked gruffly, pulling away to escape the heat. Sasuke was quiet for a moment.

"Only a little," Sasuke admitted, and Naruto's thoughts gave way to memories.

You used to hold me close when you thought I was too asleep to notice, Naruto thought. Back on the mountain, you used to talk to me. Sometimes you'd tell me about your mother, your father, your brother. Once, you told me that story about how you tripped and fell on your face in front of your father and you'd been upset for days. You thought it was one of your most embarrassing moments, even though you were so small then.

When I laughed, you acted all high and mighty and annoyed, but you laughed too. I would tell you about my days alone. I would tell you things I thought were funny about it, and you'd give me this look, and maybe you noticed you did it, but you always walked closer to me after. Naruto looked up at Sasuke, still silent.

"It was..." he faltered, throat tightening, and he blinked. Stop it, he ordered himself. "It was good," he admitted quietly. "You know, we were...fine, I guess." Sasuke was watching him closely, and Naruto pretended not to notice.

"Everything's changed since then," Sasuke observed.

Naruto sighed, wincing. He was tired and it was hitting him like a stack of bricks over the head. "I don't want to talk about this right now. There's too much going on and-"

"You don't trust me," was the flat reply. Naruto looked away, and absently, his fingers grazed over the newly subtle, and hidden, swell where the child resided. The child stretched within him, knobby little feet pushing into his side. He'd noticed it often squirmed when he and Sasuke spoke. The movement, the reminder of what they'd created together, was a bitter statement of the past. It was true. How could Naruto trust Sasuke? After all of this? How could he? His hands balled into fists and the gaping hole in his chest returned.

Before he knew it, he was talking, and everything he'd been feeling came up like vomit. "All that time, you were alive. All that time, I thought i'd never see you again. When the Elder's quarters went up in flames, I thought you were gone, and all I could think about was how angry I'd been at you. The last time I saw you, I wanted you to leave me alone, I wanted you gone for lying to me, and then you were. And you made me keep believing it!"

It was what hurt the most. Sasuke said nothing, and his expression remained set in stone, much to Naruto's dismay. He felt that sharp, bitter pain again.

"You knew where I was! You had to have fucking known, because you were there when I lost control. And you saw me at the bar, you saw me, and you didn't say anything. You looked at me like you didn't even know me. Made me think I was freakin' delusional!" Naruto threw his hands up in the air, pacing once more, so angry he wanted to hit something.

Or just hit Sasuke. That would work, too. Sasuke was silent

"Were you...did you keep on being with me just to get at the kid after a while?" he dared to ask.

Silence. Of course. Naruto shut his eyes against a new wave of pain. It was the fact that Naruto had trusted him, insanely, completely.

"You know, I'll never forget when I first saw you. All stuck up and prissy and angry. And I thought, there's a kid who knows what it's like. There's a kid I can talk to. And I only wanted to be your friend," he chuckled. "Later, I only wanted you to see me. Then I wanted you home. More than anything. After that, I only wanted you to love me back." He paused, stopping short.

"But maybe that's stupid. It was like, when you were gone,you were somehow a part of who I was. Pretty fucking lame, huh? But you know what?" He fingered the kunai in his sleeve, grimacing, heart torn.

"I don't need you, and I'm not gonna wait around for you and Fukasaku to put a knife in my back," he whispered. He expected the words to anger Sasuke, make him bite out an venomous retort. Suddenly Sasuke was gliding forward, and Naruto tensed, not sure what to expect.

Sasuke reached into the fold of his sleeve, eyes never leaving Naruto's blue gaze. Naruto tensed, his own kunai sliding into his palm, cold against his fingers and ready. Then with a nimble flick of his wrist, Sasuke sent his kunai flying, straight into the ground by Naruto's feet. It sank into the dirt up to its handle, useless.

Naruto stared at it. It was a surrender. A truce. He swallowed hard. Slowly, he raised his eyes, looked into Sasuke's pale face and straightened his back, masking his emotions.

"I haven't forgiven you, yet."

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, studying Naruto silently before he made his move. Then Sasuke was everywhere. Against his mouth, pressed flush against his chest, their fingers intertwined, having finally found each other. Sasuke was pinning him against a tree, and while Naruto tried to gather his surprise, his thoughts, his elation, his anger. Sasuke said against his mouth, "But you still want me."

There was so much Naruto wanted to say: Let me go. Don't do this to me. I still love you. I'm trying to forgive you, but it's hard.

He lost himself.

Sasuke was ripping his cloak away, capturing his lips in bruising kisses that would fade into something softer and passionate as their hands roamed. Naruto groaned, letting his head loll back so Sasuke could taste his neck, his shoulders, his jaw, his mouth again. Sasuke's hands ran up his smooth torso, taking Naruto's shirt with his touches.

I'm a goner, he thought bitterly as he reversed their position and pinned Sasuke roughly, lifting his shirt over his head. Already, his body was humming in pleasure at what lay ahead, his arousal thick and full of a heat he couldn't hope to douse unless Sasuke was pressed against him. Their hips bucked, colliding against one another as the touches became frantic, the kisses desperate, and the stars looked so bright, Naruto could still see them behind the black of his eyelids when he closed his eyes in raw abandon. In that moment, he wanted to hate Sasuke.

But he couldn't.

There, in that moment, as they sank to the forest floor together, it was like nothing had ever gone awry. Sasuke's hands gripped his shoulders, and Naruto gritted his teeth, arching into him. They rocked together, and Sasuke never looked away as Naruto held him tight, biting his lip to keep from crying out.

Sasuke whispered, "Naruto..." like it was the only word in the world.

The campsite fires were dead and dying, just a flicker in the distance, by the time they lay on the grass, spent, panting, and too warm. Naruto took a deep breath, breathing in the night and the cricket song and the cool air still damp with rain, but Sasuke was warm and won over the beauty of the night. Naruto breathed him in, something he never thought he'd do again, his nose in Sasuke's neck, their legs still entwined. Sasuke's fingers were still knotted in his hair.

Naruto wondered what he could possibly say now. He closed his eyes, taking a breath, but Sasuke spoke first.

"I didn't know where you were all that time," he said slowly. "And when I saw you at the pub, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew you somehow. It ate me alive until I remembered."

Naruto angled his head to look up at him, studying him. He cracked a tiny smile despite himself and shook his head, rolling away on his back just far enough to hook his hands under his head without jabbing Sasuke in the head with an elbow. For a few minutes, they listened to the sounds of the forests, side by side, and Naruto wasn't sure he wanted to break this new found peace.

But, in the end, he couldn't help it.

"So," he said, stretching and sneaking a peek, "wanna tell me where you were all that time?"

Sasuke smirked a little, and Naruto thought he could see the Sasuke he remembered, but the body beside him remained silent. Naruto looked up to the sky, wondering if he'd ever know. Then, unbelievably, Sasuke started to talk.

Alone near the fire, Fukasaku watched through narrowed eyes as Uchiha and Naruto emerged from the woods.

He let out a small sigh of relief.

The two had disappeared long enough to make the old toad consider going to look for them. This far in the game, Fukasaku couldn't afford them splitting off, defying him. He watched uneasily as the two said goodnight to each other, how their words seemed to linger in the air longer than their gazes.

All those weeks as someone else had changed Sasuke. Not a lot, not completely, but just enough to make the boy who'd been buried beneath leak out into the hardened man Uchiha had become.

Fukasaku didn't like it. He'd been counting on that hardened man, on that cold man, on that man without reservation or regret. A new man could feel pity. A new man could see his own flesh and blood beneath the demon once he actually looked upon it. Fukasaku stared into the spitting embers of the little fire he'd made. A moment later, a shadow fell over him. He didn't need to look up to see who it was .

"You're walking a fine line, boy," the toad said lowly. Sasuke Uchiha chuckled and took a seat on the grass. He took out a kunai out and began to sharpen its edges. Fukasaku raised a brow.

Who did this boy think he was?

Sasuke met his gaze as if reading his thoughts. "If I were you," he said lightly, testing the point against his palm before raising his eyes, "I'd be wary of the line I was walking."

The toad puffed up instantly. "How dare you?"" he croaked, outraged, and Sasuke watched him out of the corner of his eye, twirling the kunai expertly before holding it rigid and straight, the point aiming at Fukasaku's nose.

Fukasaku was too angry to speak. Let alone think in coherent sentences.

Why that little-!

"You mean well," Sasuke said quietly, catching the toad by surprise, "I know that. But you can't count on me. When the time comes, the child will face my own judgment."

So it was true; what Fukasaku had feared had come to pass. The toad shook his head sadly. "You've grown too close to Naruto-boy," the toad said wearily. It was just as he had always feared. Perhaps, he thought, it was something that couldn't have been helped.

Great Elder, help me, he prayed.

"You don't even love it," he said, as if this cancelled out everything Sasuke had just said.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed, and he grimaced. "I don't have to." With that, he walked away to leave Fukasaku with his thoughts. Just to anger the conservative old toad, he walked right into Naruto's tent with a backwards glance.

Seething, Fukasaku looked back into the embers.

It didn't matter. Didn't matter if the boys had reconnected. What needed to be done would be done, and when Naruto raged and screamed for a justice that had never been earned, Fukasaku would only pray for the end of the war.

One day, Naruto would forgive him. Fukasaku wouldn't lose another student, another boy he thought of as a son, to an ill-cast fortune. He would only be protecting Naruto from a terrible end the child would surely cause. Its birth would only mean Naruto's death.

He prayed for wisdom until he could no longer feel the bite of his anger and sorrow.

The sake was too bitter, and Tsunade dumped her glass outside, listening to the splash on the grass before pacing her room irritably. The inn that had been chosen for the night was lavish with koi ponds and gardens, beautiful baths, exquisite oil and watercolor paintings, and down beds, but Tsunade didn't care for any of it.

It had been three weeks since she had last heard of Naruto. Even longer since the kid had tried, or wanted, to talk to her. The thought left her angry, hollow. It eventually wore on her mind, until every thought pricked her brain with an image of him.

But it was better this way, she knew. If even Tsunade didn't know the Jinchuuriki's whereabouts, it was less likely he'd be found too soon by the enemy, fates forbid the Akatsuki got a hold of anyone who knew anything.

She was gritting her teeth, not looking forward to the following morning, when a disturbance in the air whispered past her cheek. She acted quickly, but almost fell over in her surprise.

"Naruto!" she hissed, stunned, excited, outraged (how stupid could this brat be? And how was he still so agile!?).

Naruto leaped into the bedroom with a pump of his fist and a shout of "Ha! I win! I found you first!" He looked around the colorful room with its orchids and oil paintings and bright aquarium with shoals of glittering fish and the too large bed with a foxy grin.

He whistled. "Oh, hey, nice digs Granny-"

She seized him by the collar, and nearly lifted him off the ground. He yelped and struggled.

"Careful, geez-!" Any other words he might have said were cut off by a crushing bear hug. And then he sounded like he was choking.

"You stupid, stupid brat!" she hissed, setting him down. "But I'm glad you're alright. What are you doing here? How could you be so careless-!"

"Listen, Granny, I don't have a lot of time. And it's not really me, I'm a clone! We're not that stupid, you know!" said the clone with a roll of his eyes. "And I'm not careless!" The clone looked fierce. "I made a promise to protect my village the minute I decided to become a ninja, and I'm not about to forget it!" He nodded at this, satisfied with himself.

Tsunade blinked, frowning. Well, that explained why this Naruto didn't seem to be weighed down and was jumping all over the place like the boy she knew without any physical consequences.

The shadow clone waved her away, face twisting in annoyance. "Anyway you need to stop interrupting and let me talk! Geez, so pushy!"

Tsunade resisted the urge to pop the clone out of existence.

"So, anyway," he said again, poking an orchid and scrambling away when the petals fell, but this time the smile melted off his face when he looked at Tsunade fully. A darker expression took hold. "We came in contact with one of the Fire Lord's Guardian nin today."

Tsunade was surprised. She lifted an eyebrow. "All the way out here? There's hardly any trouble." She didn't understand why such a high-ranking nin wouldn't be closer to the Akatsuki or Brotherhood raids.

"Last week some new laws passed. It's supposed to be pretty hush hush until it's all said and done. The Fire Lord's outlawed all sealing jutsus and Jinchuurikis. I'm a dead man if they find me."

Tsunade was too stunned to speak. Her thoughts whirled together in a frantic mess. How could something like this have been passed?

But it already had been.

"They want time, and they're hoping this act will foil Madara. They also seem to think this is partly where the issue with villains like Madara stems from. So they're forbidding it. Other things are about to change. Big things, and they're coming for you. They'll be here the day after tomorrow. The Kage meeting is a trap. "

Tsunade's blood ran cold. She demanded more information. Anything and everything.

That night, after the clone had leaped away into the night, Tsunade sat on her bed, staring at the aquarium. At the moon. At the sake on the dresser.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. A hidden ANBU appeared in a far left corner, by the bathroom.

"Don't worry my Lady, it'll never come to pass," the guard assured her, but Tsunade wasn't worried. Not about herself.

"It already has. Listen to me, Naoki. This may be one of my last orders." The ANBU guard immediately began to protest but Tsunade silenced him.

"Anything could go wrong. They might expect us to know if it's discovered Naruto knows of this treachery." She felt herself break out in a cold sweat. Tsunade had felt death's rotting breath on her shoulder before, had stared it square in the face, and yet, this was different.

This was her Fire Lord ordering her death. It felt final. Like a cage she'd been trapped in. Not that she was willing to lie down and show him her neck while she could help it.

"Split the group. Find Naruto. Watch him from a distance. Step in to help Uchiha should they be found. I want him kept alive."

There was a stunned silence.

"But-but my Lady, by protecting him you may allow the child into existence-"

It wasn't as if it hadn't already occurred to her. But Tsunade could only make so many sacrifices. Mei had called her weak, too soft. "You watch out for that boy like you're his mother! It'll be the end of you!" the furious Mizukage had screamed the night of the Elder's deaths. Perhaps, Tsunade mused, her peer had seen a part of her she hadn't yet accepted.

Tsunade remembered Naruto saying, all those months ago Like you know what it's like to raise a child? She took out another bottle of sake and took a healthy sip. Maybe she didn't know, but she thought of the blond boy she had once given her necklace too. Of the boy she'd watched grow, and had done everything to hide away the past few months, had done everything to fix the problem herself without involving others. He'd turned into a fine young man, and she was proud. Just this once, she could say she thought she had a clue of what it could be like. She looked to the ANBU.

"Do it before I take your mask and send you home, Naoki."

With that, she dismissed the guard. Tsunade slipped under the covers of her bed, noticing how soft it was.

For once she found herself appreciating it.

A/N: Long update. Interesting developments, I hated killing Tsutomu even though he only appeared twice but I liked the guy, and why did I take the time to introduce those refugees? What will Fukasaku do? And yay for romance ^_^

Split it into two because, well, in one read it was over 11,000 words xD Going on vacation for a week tomorrow so hopefully this satisfies you until I return, unless I decide to post while on vacation. Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Oh, I apologize in advance if there's any spelling/grammar mistakes OR strange words that don't seem to fit in a sentence or make sense. I noticed this problem (the sentences that don't make sense) in a chapter yesterday.

Only I go over this, and sometimes I miss stuff. Sometimes I get it all better if I read it out loud, and I read a lot of this out loud, lol, so hopefully there are minimal mistakes.

Next chapter: The Temple of Izanami

Stuff's about to get serious. The Kage meeting is a trap, and a lot of real bad guys are headed to the Temple. This chapter will be the climax of the story. Izanami may also be split into parts due to length.

Afterward, we'll have a final chapter and the Epilogue!