Sasuke had awoken to a summons to the hospital first thing the next morning. The genin that had delivered the message had barely spent more than a moment after relaying the message before dashing away with a heavy pant and a satchel full of letters. Hopefully, whatever this was about wouldn't take too long.
Sakura had met him at the hospital's entrance, clipboard in hand and hair pulled back. "Sasuke-kun, Shishou is waiting for you downstairs," she said and started looking through the papers on her clipboard.
"What's this about?" Sasuke asked and followed Sakura's lead through the doors.
"Shishou wanted to talk to you and Naruko about what we found out from Kakuzu's body. The kind of damage we saw… She was curious about the jutsu you two used," Sakura explained.
Sasuke was about to respond, but the sounds of shouting and crashing made him pause. Sakura didn't react to the noise and instead stepped to the side just in time to avoid getting bowled over by a flying Jiraiya. Sasuke watched the large man crash to the ground and lay on his back with a dazed look in his eyes and a broken, bloody nose. "Tsunade-sama," Sakura greeted the blonde woman still glaring at the unconscious Jiraiya.
"Sakura," Tsunade acknowledged and accepted the clipboard from Sakura's hands. The blonde scanned the papers quickly before handing them back. "Get started without me. This should only take a few minutes, but you might finish before I get there."
"Alright. Should I have someone move Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked and pointed a thumb over her shoulder.
Tsunade scoffed. "Leave him. He'll make himself scarce once he wakes up," Tsunade said before turning to Sasuke. The irritated look on her face quickly melted into one of amusement. "Uchiha brat," Tsunade greeted in an almost amiable tone. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
Sakura looked between the two, a look of complete incomprehension on her face. Sakura had always found his interactions with Tsunade to be both puzzling and slightly fascinating. It was well known that Tsunade didn't tolerate disrespect from anyone (except Naruko), but she seemed to have some modicum of tolerance for Sasuke. He could even (unintentionally) make her laugh. Fortunately, the two never spent enough time together for Tsunade to grow tired of him and end up breaking bones.
"Sakura," Tsunade dismissed with a nod before waving Sasuke forward. Sakura left with a bow while Sasuke followed Tsunade into an examination room.
"Teme," Naruko greeted from where she was standing next to the table holding Kakuzu's body.
"I'll make this quick. After examining the body, I have to say that I've never seen damage this extensive from one attack, not even a combination jutsu," Tsunade started pulled back a portion of the sheet covering Kakuzu. "Not only was every individual nerve and chakra pathway within the body severed, but there were also extensive, internal burns. The external burns hardly compare to the amount of damage done to the vital organs. This kind of damage is something that not even I can heal."
Sasuke stared at the splotchy, red burns scattered along Kakuzu's skin. "From what I could see with my sharingan, the Rasenshuriken alone produces countless microscopic blades," Sasuke offered.
Tsunade nodded once in acknowledgement. "The microscopic blades alone don't have to mean a death sentence. The severing of the chakra pathways causes an inability to mold chakra or use jutsu and the added nerve damage can cause immobility and a loss of senses. But even without being able to use chakra or move, a person can still survive…if they are extremely lucky and able to be stabilized soon enough."
'Or they're immortal with multiple hearts,' Sasuke thought and examined the charred hole through Kakuzu's chest.
"In this case, the added fire release put the nail in the coffin," Tsunade started again. "Fire is usually indiscriminate in how or what it attacks. But in this case, it almost seems to follow the path laid by the wind chakra."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the smirk on Tsunade's face.
"An internal attack, not as precise as a blade nor as concentrated. It's more accurate to say that you're setting your opponent on fire from the inside out. The external burns are a spillover effect. I suppose the only consolation to burning from the inside out is that they can barely feel anything by that point," Tsunade said and re-covered Kakuzu's body.
A combination jutsu that was essentially a death sentence. And it wasn't even the most powerful form. Sasuke spared Naruko a glance to try to determine what she was thinking but found that she was already giving him a considering look. Sasuke maintained eye contact for a few more seconds before looking away with a grunt.
"Teme and me make a pretty good team, 'ttebayo! Those Akatsuki bastards better watch out," Naruko proclaimed with her hands planted on her hips and a sagelike nod.
"I suppose you brats really have been training hard," Tsunade said with a shrug.
Naruko frowned. "Of course we have, Baa-chan! I'm going to be the strongest Hokage ever!"
Tsunade smirked, but her eyes still looked fond. "I had my doubts when Minato cried to me about how much time you were spending together. I guess I was wrong, and I owe Jiraiya some ryo."
Tsunade had a bit of a wicked streak to her- taunting and teasing others just to get a reaction. Sasuke refused to take the bait. If only Naruko had done the same. "You and Ero Sennin made bets about-" she started but stopped short as her face flamed.
Tsunade waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't do anything too adult until after I get back with Jiraiya. I've got another bet going and I don't feel like owing Itachi any more money."
'Lies!' Sasuke thought. Itachi would never…
Ignoring the strangled squawking noise coming from Naruko, Sasuke glared bloody murder at Tsunade. The older woman had a wide smirk on her face, silently daring him to say something. While Naruko was stuttering through excuses, Sasuke grabbed her by the collar of her orange jacket and pulled her from the room.
'Fucking Senju.'
Once they were a decent distance from the morgue and Tsunade's madness, Naruko stopped babbling excuses and broke free of Sasuke's grip on her jacket. She casually rested her hands behind her head with a puzzled look to her face. "Baa-chan was acting pretty weird, 'ttebayo. I didn't think it was possible, but I think she likes you, Teme."
Against his better judgement, Sasuke raised a brow at her in question. "You can be pretty prickly and rude, 'ttebayo. I didn't expect you and Baa-chan to get along," Naruko explained. Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Well, you could always use more friends. You're like a hermit, dattebayo," Naruko said and poked at his shoulder.
"A hermit that has yet to shake you, Usuratonkachi," he replied.
"Yeah right! You can't get rid of me, Teme," she practically shouted for any and everyone walking by to hear. Sasuke felt the tips of his ears warm at the sight of a few people sparring them knowing glances. She was so shameless.
"Usuratonkachi-" Sasuke started.
"But it's okay cause I know you like having me around, 'ttebayo," she said with the utmost confidence. A light pink flush covered Sasuke's cheeks when he heard some older, civilian woman giggling while shooting them glances.
It wasn't untrue… But it's not like he would have declared it so publicly. Even so, Sasuke could see how completely at ease she was. Did she not notice the attention she was garnering, or did she just not care? Maybe both? Sasuke was silently hoping for the latter.
He'd never blatantly asked for confirmation of her feelings for him. Whenever she had spoken the words, he'd taken the words and locked them away deep within that part of himself that she held sway over. He'd never admit out loud how much he cherished them.
Naruko hadn't asked him to speak the words aloud. Sasuke liked to believe that she could just tell how he felt (she was normally very good at deciphering him). He may not be loudly proclaiming his admiration for her in the streets, but he took solace in the fact that he could care for her in his own way. Fortunately, he wouldn't be reciting poetry from underneath her window or writing love notes on the Hokage Monument (sometimes Shisui had the worst ideas).
"Ne, Sasuke. What are you doing later?"
Sasuke could hear the hesitance in her voice and see the hope in her eyes. Whatever she wanted, she was anticipating his "no". Sasuke shot her a look loaded with suspicion.
Naruko was rubbing the back of her neck and head, loosening her pigtails as she looked up and away. "Do you wanna get lunch with me?"
"I'm not eating ramen for the fourth time this week," Sasuke shot down with a narrowed gaze. Truthfully, Sasuke didn't care for ramen. The broth was too salty for his tastes, and he could only ever stomach one bowl of the greasy food. But he was used to it- another facet of his life that was purely Naruko's influence.
"Ramen is the best, 'ttebayo! But I meant BBQ. What do you say?"
She had stopped walking and was fully facing him, a puppy pout on full blast. Externally, Sasuke was completely stoic. He even threw in an exaggerated eye roll for show. But internally, he was slightly anxious. She had no idea how much influence she held over him did she?
It wasn't hard to push her headband back and land a vicious poke to her forehead before she could react. What was usually a nonverbal expression of affection, now acted as a well-deserved retribution. "Usuratonkachi," Sasuke interrupted her complaints about his callous treatment. She must have heard something in his tone, because she stopped and stared at him wide-eyed. "Lunch," he promised with a nod before leaving with a shushin.
~:~
Standing in the doorway of Yakiniku Q, Sasuke wondered if it was already too late to back out. He had been resting comfortably in his room and had purposefully gotten out of bed for what he had assumed to be a private lunch. From across the restaurant, Sasuke could see Naruko surrounded by their graduating class and a few others he couldn't recognize. Maybe he could back out slowly?
As if sensing his thoughts, Naruko's gaze snapped to him despite being in the middle of a conversation. "Sasuke!" she grinned and waved him over, causing the other patrons to stop and stare at her and then him. 'Dobe,' Sasuke thought in fond exasperation before walking over.
Sasuke avoided the noticeably empty seat next to Ino for the seat Naruko had saved between her and Sakura. He'd barely sat down for ten seconds before a boy dressed in a green jumpsuit and flak jacket was leaning across the table and staring intently at him. "Uchiha Sasuke, my name is Rock Lee and I want to fight you," the boy with the bowl cut said, a fierce look in his round eyes.
"Lee, we just started eating," a girl with buns on her head chastised.
"I may not be able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, but I want to prove that with enough hard work, it is possible to surpass natural genius," Lee said, ignoring the girl next to him.
Was Lee inferring that he didn't work hard? Yes, he had natural talent. (It was only natural- he was an Uchiha afterall.) But Sasuke trained regularly, sometimes from sunup until sunset. The fact that Lee would so boldly challenge him while disregarding his work ethic left Sasuke incensed. Sasuke's gaze narrowed.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Sasuke was blindsided by Sakura shoving some cooked gyutan into his open mouth. He would have dodged her had he expected it. When he glared at her, Sakura return his look with a cool one of her own. "You were going to say something rude. Weren't you?"
In the back of his mind, Sasuke vaguely remembered Itachi used to do something similar to spare Sasuke from sticking his foot in his mouth at the dinner table. 'Just as annoying as Itachi,' Sasuke thought and shot Sakura a look that was more annoyed than angry. Sakura ignored his vexation and continued eating.
Once he'd finished chewing, Sasuke replied to Lee, "Sure. Just don't whine about when you lose."
Instead of firing back with an insult as Sasuke expected, Rock Lee seemed to be vibrating in place with a fire growing in his eyes. Sasuke watched in confusion as the boy stood from his seat with a shout of, "Yosh!" From where he towered over the table, Lee held a fist up in front of himself and shot an expectant look at Sasuke.
"Lee, sit down. We're eating," the boy sitting next to Hinata said in authoritarian tone, a look of annoyance all over his face. Sasuke didn't know the boy, but he must have been one of Hinata's clansmen judging by the similarities in their appearances.
"Hai!" Lee exclaimed and quickly sat back down and reclaimed his chopsticks. He sat at attention, slightly tense and far too focused on the task of feeding himself.
How did Naruko know these people?
Once again, she tuned into his thoughts. "Bushy Brows, Tenten, and Neji are on team three together. Neji is Hinata's cousin. He used to be as much of a prickly bastard as you, Teme. But he's better now, 'ttebayo."
"Naruko-chan," Hinata tried to admonish, but it sounded more like a strained plea.
Based on what he gathered from Naruko's less than polite introduction, Sasuke was anticipating at least a nasty look from the Hyuuga to be directed at Naruko. However, the Hyuuga boy only lightly cleared his throat and went back to his food. He almost pulled off the disciplined stoicism, but Sasuke didn't need his sharingan to spot the light pink flush to the boy's cheeks. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"Yes… Well, you were very persuasive even back then, Naruko-chan," Neji said after some time.
Back then?
Sasuke wanted to ask more, but he also didn't want to call the rest of the table's attention to himself. He'd just have to satisfy himself with shooting Neji a wary look before focusing on the food in front of himself.
"Ne, Naruko. Thank you for doing this. Asuma-Sensei would bring us here a lot. Now, it's almost like he's still here with us," Choji said with a soft voice and smile.
"Choji's right. I say we have a toast to Asuma-Sensei and taking down those Akatsuki to avenge him," Ino supplied and raised her glass.
Sasuke hadn't expected much from this unexpected gathering, but he wasn't having a terrible time. The air around the table was amicable and lively. Ino and Sakura were giggling to his left and Naruko was quickly stuffing slices of meat in her mouth while keeping her gaze trained on an equally enthusiastic Lee. Kiba was loudly cheering them on while Hinata watched them warily and Tenten shook her head with a sigh. Shino and Shikamaru seemed to be the only normal ones aside from him, both of them eating their food at normal, healthy rates.
Sooner than expected, Naruko let out a choked noise and dramatically grabbed at her throat. With a roll of his eyes, Sasuke gave her back a few, solid pats. Once she had stopped coughing, he offered her his glass of water which she accepted gratefully. "Dobe," Sasuke chided as he watched her slump over onto the table.
"Naruko-chan, are you alright?" Neji asked in genuine concern. Naruko could only respond with a weak wave of her hand and a low moan. Sasuke's eyes zeroed in on the Hyuuga. He looked a second away from leaping over the table to Naruko's side. Without a second thought, Sasuke rested a hand to the blonde's back and locked eyes with Neji from across the table. Pale, lavender eyes narrowed slightly in return. Sasuke wasn't sure how long he and the Hyuuga stared each other down for, but it must have been a significant amount of time because Shikamaru released a loud sigh and said, "How troublesome."
~:~
Sasuke wasn't sure when or how it was decided. But after lunch, their entire group left the restaurant and proceeded to the nearest, vacant training ground. Kiba was taking everyone's bets on who would win the upcoming fight. Sasuke didn't particularly care what any of the others thought about the results. He was sure that he would win- even in a taijutsu-only fight. But one or two of his nerves did get a bit touched when Neji confidently proclaimed that Lee would be victorious.
Rather than respond to the Hyuuga, Sasuke chose to focus his attention on Naruko. "How do you know them?"
"I met Neji when I was a kid. He was so rude and cold to Hinata that I yelled at him for it. But he kept yammering on about fate and stuff, so I had to knock some sense into him. I set him straight and we've been friends since," Naruko explained. Sasuke was familiar with her friendship with the Hyuuga heiress. Back in the academy, Hinata was the only girl in their class that wasn't openly hostile towards Naruko. Come to think of it, aside from Hinata, Naruko had only made friends with the boys (except himself of course) in their class. Sasuke vaguely recalled constant fights between Naruko and the other girls about monopolizing his attention.
"Ne, Teme. Sorry I lied. I didn't tell you it was a cheering up party for team ten cause I knew you wouldn't come if you knew it was a party," Naruko half-apologized. Her words could count as an apology, but she didn't look or sound apologetic in the slightest. If anything, she was probably proud that she'd gotten him to socialize.
"Hn," Sasuke replied just as they were approaching Training Ground 3.
The others formed a single file line at the edge of the field while Sasuke and Lee stood facing each other in the middle. While Lee began his stretches, Sasuke did a mental check of his weapons' stock- a few kunai, a few dozen shuriken, a few yards of ninja wire…
"Sasuke!" Naruko shouted far louder than necessary. "You better not lose, 'ttebayo!"
Despite Ino and Sakura offering cheers of their own on his behalf, Sasuke locked gazes with Naruko. She looked as fired up as if she were the one taking part in the spar. Despite her words, she looked like she already expected him to win (as she should). Sasuke smirked with a grunt and turned back to Lee. The boy had already taken up a fighting stance with one hand at the ready and one tucked behind his back. Far from the overly enthusiastic and goofy character he'd seen at lunch, the Lee standing before him looked ready and focused. 'At least he's taking this seriously,' Sasuke supposed and activated his sharingan. Lee seemed to pause for a second at the appearance of his doujutsu, but he relaxed back into his stance and waited.
"Are you being cautious or are you afraid of my eyes?" Sasuke taunted and slipped into a low stance.
"I've never faced the Sharingan before, but Guy-Sensei says that it's abilities are not like the Byakugan," Lee offered.
"Of course not," Sasuke agreed. He smirked even wider and said, "They're better" just before he moved.
Ignoring the affronted "tch" from the sidelines, Sasuke focused on the charging Lee. 'Decent speed,' Sasuke judged. Lee was no Shisui, but he was faster than Sasuke had expected. Lee had leapt into the air with a few spins to give his right leg added momentum. "Konoha Senpuu!" Lee shouted as he swung his shin toward Sasuke's head.
With chakra enforced limbs, Sasuke took the brunt of the attack on his forearm. It was a heavy hit, heavy and harder than should be possible without chakra. But no where near as powerful as a hit from Naruko in Sage Mode. Before the boy could dodge, Sasuke grabbed Lee's ankle with his free hand and sent him flying with a quick spin. As Lee was moving through the air, he was already twisting and trying to regain his balance, but Sasuke was already in position to intercept.
If Sasuke had to be honest, Lee's fight style wasn't one that he was intimately familiar with. Their fight moved at a slightly different tempo than what he was used to. The heavy punches and kicks left more of an emphasis on singular, devastating hits as opposed to many quick strikes of moderate strength. Sasuke could recognize some moves and key elements from Kakashi. In fact, he'd copied a few of those very moves a couple times. But it was obvious that Kakashi must have done the same to someone else.
"Sasuke-kun, I have to admit that I'm getting excited. The rumors about you are true," Lee said once they had paused their spar. Sasuke wasn't sure which rumors Lee was referring to, but it hardly mattered. "Please allow me to fight on your level!" Lee said just before he began gathering his chakra.
"If Lee is opening the Gates, this fight is over," Sasuke heard Neji proclaim.
He had half a mind to put the Hyuuga in a genjutsu, but Naruko's loud exclamation stopped him. "Teme'll win for sure, dattebayo! Just watch! That stubborn bastard hates to lose almost as much as I do."
Despite her support being laden with insults and a backhanded compliment, the words did have some effect on him. He didn't need a cheerleader. He was well aware of his power and capabilities. But it did please him to know how much faith she had in him.
"The second gate, Gate of Healing, open!" Lee shouted just as his chakra levels peaked. With a loud battle cry, Lee rushed into the fray again. If it weren't for his sharingan, Lee's increased speed would have caught him off guard. Punches and strikes that were manageable before necessitated evasive maneuvers now. Sasuke moved half on reflex, deflecting and dodging Lee's powerful blows while paying close attention to the patterns of his movements.
What had the Hyuuga called it? The Gates? Sasuke had never heard of a technique like this before. It seemed to enhance strength and speed, similar to senjutsu. If this was only the second gate, how far could Lee go? It was mildly impressive. But for as powerful as he seemed, Sasuke could see that Lee was starting to slow down. The technique must be too taxing to maintain for long periods of time. In that case, he'd just have to wait Lee out.
Lee moved precisely, his fists, knees, elbows all aiming for vital areas and weak spots. In an unexpected move, while Sasuke had raised both arms to block a punch to the face, Lee slammed his thigh into Sasuke's gut and knocked the wind from his body with a wheeze. As Sasuke stumbled backwards from the blow, Lee shot out his hand palm-first and cracked Sasuke's nose. Acting reflexively, Sasuke jumped back and away to put some distance between them.
Wiping the blood from his nose while spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth, Sasuke watched Lee stand at the ready. "Hn," Sasuke said and stood up from his lowered, defensive stance. "Your hits aren't landing as hard as before. You won't last much longer at this rate," Sasuke taunted. He could see Lee tense and frown slightly. The boy must have already realized it. He should be getting ready for a final assault then.
Sasuke channeled healing chakra to his damaged torso, already starting the healing process while simultaneously supporting the area. If Lee was going to use another new technique, he'd need to be ready. Instead of allowing Lee to take control of the battle flow, Sasuke charged in this time. This time, Sasuke changed his fighting style to more resemble Lee's. The other boy seemed surprised to see his moves countered so readily. "My eyes can see through your technique," Sasuke informed with a smirk just before stopping a punch to his still healing gut. With chakra enforced grip, Sasuke grabbed Lee's other fist long enough to restrain the other boy. A short tug was all he needed to close the gap between them and ram the top of his head into Lee's face. Sasuke could hear the cracking of Lee's nose and even feel some of the other boy's blood on his head. While Lee was dazed from the hit, Sasuke sent him rolling away with a kick to the gut.
Lee was quick to regain his footing, however. Within seconds, he was once again charging at Sasuke with a cry. Sasuke moved to meet him halfway but was surprised when Lee put on another burst of speed that had him blurring out of sight. Automatically, Sasuke stopped on the spot, but that only served to make him an easier target when Rock Lee manifested right in front of him. His eyes could see the upward kick coming in slow motion. Sasuke had just enough time to guard against the kick, but it still sent him flying into the air.
Was this the peak of Lee's speed? He was fast, very fast. Sasuke could give him the credit he was due. While he was still mid-air, he could sense that Lee was still on the move. Preemptively, Sasuke turned his head to keep better track of Lee's movements.
"You truly are a genius, Sasuke-kun. But with this move, I will show you the value of hard work," Lee said and loosened the bandages on his hands and forearms.
"I'd like to see you try," Sasuke responded. He'd need to time this perfectly. When the first bandage started to slide around his wrist, Sasuke silently summoned a kunai from the seal on his arm band on his opposite hand. Fortunately, Lee still hadn't noticed and was still attempting to subdue him. More bandages came for his other wrist, Sasuke cut the fabric and used a burst of chakra to increase his speed and face Lee. Lee's eyes widened in shock when Sasuke grabbed his bandages, pulled him in closer, just before trapping Lee in his arms and legs. Less than a minute had passed but Lee's small advantage had disappeared as both he and Sasuke plummeted to the ground.
Sasuke made sure to keep Lee restrained until the very last second before moving away and letting the other boy slam into the ground with a loud boom. Sasuke could both sense and see Lee's chakra dwindling from where he laid in the medium-sized crater he'd landed in. As Lee was groaning softly and rubbing at his head, Sasuke stared down at him in consideration. Lee definitely wasn't the strongest opponent that he'd faced, but Sasuke had a feeling that the boy was holding back. Curiously, he wondered just how strong Lee was.
As Lee was starting to pick himself up from the ground, Sasuke offered out a hand to the boy. Lee seemed genuinely surprised to see the gesture but accepted the hand with a small grin. "Thank you for the spar, Sasuke-kun. I can see that I must work even harder if I am to fulfill my nindo."
"Don't sell yourself short. You nearly had Sasuke on the ropes for a second there."
How had he not sensed them? Sasuke looked over his shoulder to glare at Shisui's grinning face. Thankfully, Itachi was much less obvious, but his eyes were focused on Sasuke's still-healing torso. "I wonder just how much your taijutsu is lacking, little brother," Itachi teased.
Sasuke scoffed, "I imagine it's gotten better than yours since you've been hiding behind a desk." Itachi smirked, a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Hope you don't mind, Sasuke. Itachi invited himself to our training session today. But you're right. He could probably use the exercise," Shisui said and poked at an imaginary fold of fat on Itachi's side.
Itachi glared at Shisui while smacking his hand away. "You're both ridiculous."
"Oi! If you're training, I want to join, 'ttebayo!" Naruko exclaimed as she approached. The others took that as a cue to approach as well, albeit more cautiously. Aside from Sakura, the others seemed to be watching his brother and Shisui with a sense of awe. Sasuke supposed it was a bit much to see both Itachi and Shisui. He was sure that they were like living legends to the others.
"You can't," Sasuke replied.
Immediately, Naruko frowned at him. "Is it because you're worried that I'll do better than you, Teme?"
"We're training with the Sharingan, Naruko-chan. I'm afraid you lack the tools necessary," Itachi explained with a patient smile.
Naruko pouted as she stared at Sasuke's sharingan, her arms folded over her chest. "Maybe you can work on getting your Sage Mode to last more than ten minutes. It's been getting boring sparring with you," Sasuke lied with a condescending smirk.
Sensing Naruko's impending explosion, Shisui quickly cut in, "No time for a lover's quarrel!", grabbed Sasuke and Itachi by the shoulders, and shushined away.
"Tch… Lover's quarrel?" Sasuke repeated once they had landed at the clearing that he and Shisui normally used for their training.
"Don't play dumb. You and Naruko-chan argue like an old married couple. I don't even think you're truly upset when you do. You just like to push each other's buttons," Shisui said with a shrug.
He wasn't wrong. Sasuke had long since stopped getting genuinely upset whenever he and Naruko fought. He could tell that it was the same for Naruko. She liked to make it her personal mission to get a reaction out of him in an effort to break his aloof exterior.
"Every couple has their own, unique dynamic," Itachi said, both playing mediator and bringing the discussion to an end.
"Speaking of couples. Sasuke, I was wondering about your teammate, Haruno Sakura," Shisui said catching Sasuke completely off-guard. Even Itachi stopped with a brow raised. Shisui looked between the two brothers and frowned. "What?"
"For your sake, I'll pretend that you didn't just say that," Sasuke said in a dry voice. Itachi nodded once in agreement.
"Is she already seeing someone? I wouldn't want to step on any toes."
Sasuke wasn't sure how to respond to his cousin's novel interest in Sakura. But after a couple seconds of thought, Sasuke decided to ignore the notion completely and hoped it went away. Truthfully, Sasuke had no idea about Sakura's romantic life (he'd never asked, and she never told him) and he didn't want to know.
"How about we start training?" Itachi suggested and moved to the middle of the clearing, signifying his disinterest in the current topic.
Sasuke was surprised to see Itachi facing him instead of Shisui. He had assumed that Itachi had come to observe their training since he lacked a Mangekyo Sharingan. "Shisui tells me that you've been working on a new attack with your Mangekyo. It's gotten me curious. I hope you'll accept me as your training partner today," Itachi said and activated his sharingan.
Was this a test? Sasuke looked to Shisui for confirmation, but his cousin was standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets. "Don't look at me. He made me train with him like this too."
Sasuke watched Itachi waiting with his sharingan ready. His brother looked almost relaxed, but Sasuke could see the subtle tenseness to his muscles. Technically speaking, Itachi would be at a great disadvantage. But Sasuke was sure that his brother wasn't going to let him have an easy victory. "I've gotten pretty used to Shisui. Maybe you'll be more of a challenge, Nii-san," Sasuke said with a grin that Itachi matched.
~:~
Itachi subtly rubbed at the sore muscles in his thigh as he read through some documents on his desk. Sasuke really was getting strong… His little brother hadn't gone easy on him, utilizing techniques that Itachi had never seen Shisui use. Itachi wasn't sure that he would have been able to outlast Sasuke had they not cut the spar short once Sasuke's eyes had started leaking blood.
"Are you feeling alright, Itachi-kun?" Minato asked as he eyed Itachi from across the Hokage's office.
"Don't worry, Minato-san. I strained a muscle during training with Sasuke yesterday," Itachi replied.
Minato hummed once. "Your brother has been training a fair bit lately."
"I think it has to do with Naruko-chan's influence and the threat of the Akatsuki," Itachi explained.
"Ah. Naruko spends nearly every free moment training. I wish I could spare more time to help her, but it seems that she's found a permanent sparring partner in your brother," Minato mused.
"Their rivalry is as strong as ever," Itachi said just before a knock sounded on the door.
The person on the other side waited a second before cracking the door open and sticking their head through. The scarred face of Umino Iruka smiled at both men before pushing the door open further and allowing a young woman into the office. "Hokage-sama, Naho-san has arrived," Iruka informed. The young woman with the buns in her hair strode into the room, dressed in fine clothing that signified her noble upbringing.
"Thank you, Iruka. Could you please send for Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Sasuke?" Minato asked.
"Of course, Hokage-sama," Iruka said while pulling out a scroll from his flak jacket. Suddenly, the pleasant smile on the tanned man's face vanished and an irate look took its place. "Hokage-sama, here is the report Kakashi-san submitted from his most recent mission with team ten," Iruka said, his voice strained. From where he sat at his desk, Itachi could see the deplorable state of the report in Iruka's hand- dirty and riddled with holes that looked like bite marks from a dog.
"Thank you, Iruka. I'll… speak to him about re-writing it," Minato said as he accepted the report with an exasperated look.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Iruka said rather stiffly. His lips pursed as he turned and silently stomped from the room. Itachi watched Minato place the report into one of the drawers in his desk before subtly wiping his hand on his pants. Must have been another report still damp with dog saliva.
"Ano… Did you say Uchiha Sasuke?" the young woman asked, a light flush to her face. She was twirling one of her brown bangs around a finger, her other hand resting on her heated cheek.
"You know my brother, Naho-san?" Itachi asked.
The young woman seemed to look him over for a second before deeming him worthy of a response, "Yes. He saved my life a few years ago."
When Minato had offered up this low-level escort mission for his father and Sasuke, Itachi hadn't expected this. The mission was supposed to be something easy that required little effort to give his father and brother a slightly relaxed environment away from the village in order to bond. But if this young woman (who very clearly was infatuated with his brother) would be accompanying them, it was very likely that Sasuke's temper would run short with her and possibly their father.
"He has a tendency to do that," Minato supplied, only a little grumpily. To his credit, Minato had been complaining much less frequently about his brother and Naruko's relationship. He seemed to be slowly accepting it, convinced that this was years in the making- starting from the first time Sasuke had risked his life for Naruko's.
"What does that mean?" Naho asked, but before she could get an answer, someone was at the door.
Itachi still wasn't sure how he felt about his father. He could identify sadness and regret at how he handled the situation with Fugaku. While he had no intention of compromising his beliefs, Itachi did wonder if it was time to try a different approach. His father was standing at attention before the Hokage, but his eyes kept straying over to Itachi.
"Thank you for heeding my request, Hokage-sama," Fugaku said, but Minato waved him off with an easy-going smile.
"Of course. It was good timing," Minato said, but stopped when another person entered the room through the open window. "Sasuke, now that you're here, I can give you the details of your mission," Minato said. Already, Fugaku looked as though he wanted to speak, but wisely kept silent.
"Fugaku, I want you to partner with Sasuke for this escort mission," Minato started. Itachi did his best to appear busy, resolutely avoiding eye contact with his father. "Naho-san is a relative of the fire daimyo. She's decided to request Konoha shinobi to act as her guards while she is on holiday in the Land of Hot Water."
Judging by the slight twitch in Sasuke's brow, he didn't look too pleased to be assigned this mission. His father was a bit harder to read, but Itachi could still detect the displeasure on his face. While he was sure that Sasuke felt this mission to be beneath him (and he wasn't wrong), Itachi knew that his father wanted to object the Hokage's choice for his mission partner.
"Good luck," Minato finished and offered Fugaku the scroll containing Naho-san's itinerary. Fugaku took the scroll with only slight hesitation, shot Itachi a quick look, bowed and left the room. Sasuke watched him go, his face unreadable.
"Sasuke," Itachi called out. "Do me a favor while you're out. You should be passing through Tsuki Village. Would you pick up some green tea for me?" Itachi asked and approached Sasuke. He offered his brother a pouch of money, but Sasuke silently glared.
"I don't know what you're scheming, but it won't work," Sasuke hissed and took the money.
Itachi gave him a soft smile. "Otouto, it already is. Enjoy your trip," Itachi said and slid his gaze over to where Naho was silently swooning. Itachi nearly laughed at Sasuke's obvious cringe and disgruntled expression.
"Hopefully your leg heals by the time I get back. I'll need a sparring partner if you're up for the challenge," Sasuke taunted and blatantly glanced at Itachi's sore leg.
Sometimes Itachi missed the days when Sasuke would hang on his every word and looked up to him with eyes filled with admiration. Now, he usually got sass and cheek. Where had his adorable little brother gone? "I agree. Maybe with more practice you'll get more than one, good hit in," Itachi smirked.
Just as Sasuke was about to (most likely very loudly) reply, Minato loudly cleared his throat. The Hokage was watching them, slightly amused but expectant. Itachi watched Sasuke barely hold his tongue as he approached the waiting Naho. The young woman clearly wanted to speak to him and had taken the past few minutes to decide what to say. But all of that meant nothing to his brother who walked right past her without acknowledgement. The girl deflated slightly before softly swooning over his brother's aloof nature and quickly leaving. "I hope you're right about this, Itachi-kun," Minato sighed. Itachi silently agreed.
~Omake~
When Ino had shown up on Sakura's doorstep to coerce her into helping gather others for an impromptu sleepover, Sakura had been more than a little skeptical.
"Aren't we a bit too old for sleepovers, Ino?" Sakura had asked. The last time she had had a sleepover (AND with Ino no less), she'd been eight.
"You got me there, Forehead. But Hinata would never agree to go out drinking with us and Kushina-san would lock Naruko up forever if she heard that we wanted to take her out drinking," Ino explained.
So, Sakura had gone along with Ino's wishes. It was just easier not to argue when Ino got it in her head to do something like this. Together, they had convinced Hinata with only minor trouble. (Hinata was much more agreeable once she'd heard that Naruko would be joining them.) Thankfully, Hinata knew where Tenten lived, and the older girl was more than willing to join them and give life to her boring, Friday night. When their party of four had shown up at the Uzumaki-Namikaze residence, Naruko had looked positively puzzled at their reasoning for coming over.
It was then that Sakura realized that Naruko had never participated in their sleepovers in the past. Ino had always invited the girls from their class, but Naruko had somehow never gotten an invitation. Looking back on it, Sakura felt a bit ashamed when she remembered how much better she had felt at alienating Naruko for simply daring to capture Sasuke-kun's attention. It was a wonder that Naruko had still wanted to be friends with her once they'd become teammates.
"I still don't get it. What are we supposed to be doing?" Naruko asked.
Ino sighed loudly and said, "Girl things, Naruko. Like reading magazines, eating junk food, talking about boys, and giving each other makeovers."
If anything, Naruko looked even more confused. Sakura pulled a hairbrush from her bag and turned to the sunshine blonde, "Naruko, why don't you let me braid your hair?" While looking still a bit confused, Naruko acquiesced and scooted over to sit in front of Sakura.
As Sakura was going through the strands and gently removing any knots that she found, she couldn't help but notice something red on Naruko's back that was peeking through the loose strands of hair. Curiously, Sakura brushed some hair aside just only to have her jaw drop. Smack dab in the middle of Naruko's back was the Uchiha clan crest. Now that Sakura was truly examining the shirt, it did appear too large on Naruko's frame. Unfortunately, Sakura hadn't hidden her surprise fast enough because Ino was already taking a peek at Naruko's back.
"Naruko!" Ino gasped just before the most devilish grin slipped onto her face. "Is this Sasuke-kun's?" Ino asked pointed at the dark blue shirt.
Naruko hummed once as she looked down at the shirt and then nodded, "I think so. Why?"
Sakura watched Ino slowly turn into a cat that had caught a canary. She felt a bit of pity at the interrogation that Naruko was about to receive, but she knew that nothing would stop Ino when it came to village gossip.
"Did he give it to you, or did you take it?" Ino asked. Tenten and Hinata were listening as well, but the Hyuuga heiress looked a little pink in the cheeks.
"He gave it to me, 'ttebayo. I'm not a thief!" Naruko objected.
"I didn't say that you were. I was just wondering why it'd be necessary for you to wear his clothes," Ino responded with a cheeky smile. Sakura almost facepalmed. Naruko had no hope of fending off Ino. Sakura was sure that Naruko probably didn't realize what Ino was fishing for.
"He said that I wasn't allowed to wear my jumpsuit in his bed, 'ttebayo. He said it was dirty from training. It wasn't even that dirty!" Naruko loudly defended.
"Eh?" Sakura exclaimed and peered around to look Naruko in the eye. Sakura had already promised herself a long time ago that she would give Sasuke-kun the space he needed. His personal life was his own and whatever he wanted to share with her would be enough. So, it came as a huge surprise to hear that Naruko and Sasuke-kun were already…
Hinata released a small squeak as her face flamed. Tenten's jaw dropped slightly, her hand pausing on the way to feed herself another amanatto. Ino looked ready to go in for the kill. "And here I thought I was the only girl from our class that wasn't a virgin," Ino said with a sly look. If it were even possible, Hinata's face turned even redder.
Naruko's brows furrowed in confusion for a second before the realization hit and her face immediately flamed. Naruko backed away from Ino, her hands waving in front of her as she offered stuttered denials. "I-it's not like that, 'ttebayo! We just sleep!"
"Yeah. Together," Ino prompted.
"Oh my," Hinata whispered in a high pitch with her hands covering her flaming cheeks.
"Wait. If you're with Uchiha Sasuke, then what about Neji?" Tenten asked, her snack forgotten.
Embarrassment forgotten, Naruko gave Tenten a weird look. "What about Neji?" Naruko asked. It took less time for her to catch on than before. When she did, Naruko made a show of making an 'X' with her arms and turning her face away. "That's so weird, 'ttebayo. Neji is my friend, like Shikamaru or Chouji."
"Can you blame her? You call Sasuke-kun your friend," Ino said and claimed Tenten treats as her own.
Naruko stopped for a second. She pouted and hummed in thought before announcing with the utmost conviction, "Sasuke's my best friend."
Sakura moved behind Naruko again and returned to her task while saying, "I'm not surprised. Sasuke-kun is the same way."
"Ano… Did he say that?" Naruko asked, her wide blue eye barely peeking back over her shoulder.
Sakura could hear the hesitation and read the vulnerable hope in the other girl's eyes. While she wasn't privy to the intricacies of their relationship, Sakura supposed that she shouldn't be surprised. Sasuke-kun had always been very private with his feelings. "Something to that extent. He told me about the bond you two share. He said that you're the only one he feels it with and that it's like magnets."
"Magnets?" Tenten repeated with a raised brow.
"Like you were constantly pulled back together no matter how much distance there was between you. He didn't really understand it, but he made it sound romantic to me, like you two were drawn to each other," Sakura said.
Sakura wasn't sure what kind of response she had expected from Naruko, but thoughtful silence wasn't it. Had she spoken too much? Sakura knew that Sasuke had liked Naruko from the time they were thirteen (although Sasuke would never admit it). Was she wrong to reveal the full scope of Sasuke's feelings to Naruko too soon?
"He feels it too then," Naruko said and rubbed at a spot on her chest over her heart. "I don't really know how to explain it. When we were kids, I wanted him to acknowledge me. He was my rival and then my friend. But it's always been different. It feels like we understand each other in a way that no one else does. Sometimes, it's like I can feel his pain, 'ttebayo."
They all went some time without anyone saying a word. Ino was the first to break the silence with a stunned, "Wow."
"That sounds really beautiful, Naruko-chan," Hinata offered with a small smile.
"It sounds like something straight out of a romance novel," Tenten supplied.
Sakura had never been more grateful for her decision to give up on her crush. When she had first been assigned to team seven, she had been ecstatic to be on the same team as Sasuke-kun. If they were on the same team, he would have to pay attention to her- acknowledge her. But as the days went by, it became increasingly obvious that Sasuke only afforded Naruko his full attention. At first, Sakura took solace in the fact that the two of them only argued and fought with each other, often times leading to Kakashi-Sensei forcefully separating them. But then the jealousy had reared its ugly head and Sakura had found herself wishing to switch places with Naruko. Even Sasuke-kun's irritation and frustration had to be better than the cold dismissals that she was used to.
It happened so gradually that Sakura hadn't noticed when their violent and explosive relationship had simmered to an easy camaraderie. If she had to pick a point to attribute it to, it would have to be after their mission to Wave. Naruko had lived through a twelve-year-old Sakura's dream of having Sasuke-kun risk his life to protect her and it had brought them closer. They fought less with fists and more with words, their words became less biting, and there was more playful ribbing and physicality. Sasuke, who never tolerated physical contact outside of sparring, willingly allowed Naruko to hang off him as she tried to coerce him into whatever idea or mischief she had in mind.
Sakura had watched their relationship grow and change from the very beginning. She was truly happy for her friends. The kind of bond they shared sounded like a once in a lifetime occurrence- finding an actual soulmate. Would she ever find something so deep?
"I don't know how the rest of us are supposed to follow that," Ino playfully griped. Naruko snapped out of whatever daze she had been in to rub at the back of her head with a nervous laugh.
"Uchiha Shisui asked me out yesterday," Sakura said, completely unprompted. The other girls seemed to simultaneously pause to process what Sakura had just admitted before having different reactions.
"Shisui!?" Naruko exclaimed in pure shock.
"He's pretty cute. Please tell me you said yes," Ino pleaded.
"Was he one of the Uchiha that came after Lee and Sasuke's fight?" Tenten asked.
"Yes. He was the short-haired one with the unfairly long eyelashes. They have to be feeding those Uchiha boys some type of magic formula from young for them to all be so gorgeous," Ino surmised.
"Ino-chan," Hinata admonished with pink cheeks.
"I said no," Sakura answered dryly.
"What!? Why? Did you miss the part about him being gorgeous?" Ino practically shrieked.
"Because I'm too busy for dating. Besides, I heard Shisui just broke up with Tanaka Emi. Isn't it too soon for him to be dating again?" Sakura pointed out.
"His heart heals fast. That's not a crime. The only crime here is you rejecting him, Forehead. We have to fix this," Ino said and pointed a finger at Sakura.
"There's nothing to fix, Pig!"
"It's like I taught you nothing. Where did I go wrong?" Ino sighed with a shake of her head. Sakura couldn't resist rolling her eyes. She'd let Ino get it out of her system now. She'd give up playing matchmaker soon enough.