Sasuke felt the exact moment that Naruko's heart broke.
He watched the emotions play out on her whiskered face, confusion slowly morphing into disbelief and shock. Her arms fell to her sides as her bright eyes dulled and went vacant. She stood absolutely still, frozen in horror. Sasuke wasn't sure if he should try snapping her out of her stupor or if he should wait for her to come back to herself. She broke out of her daze, however, when Minato took a few steps forward.
"He can't be dead. Ero Sennin is..." she trailed off.
Sasuke could read the emotions that flickered past her features- too many feelings all at once. It was easy to put a name to each one. He could feel an echo of her feelings settling lowly in his gut and ripping through him.
"Dead," Minato finished firmly. "Fukasaku-sama was with him in his final moments."
Sasuke felt like someone had punched him in the gut. He watched Naruko hang her head in silence for several seconds before perking up and hopefully asking, "Baa-chan?"
"She's in the hospital. Jiraiya-sensei reversed summoned her to Mount Myouboku before she could succumb to her injuries," Minato explained. Minato hesitated for a few beats before moving towards his daughter and pulling her to him for a comforting hug. Feeling like an outsider, Sasuke watched Minato do his best to support Naruko, but she stood stock still with her arms at her side. Sensing that he wasn't having much luck, Minato shot Naruko another sad look before continuing, "I'm sorry. I have to head back urgently. I'll see you tonight."
The Hokage stepped back from his daughter just before vanishing without a trace. Immediately, Sasuke could feel his emotions compounding upon themselves as if a dam had broken loose. He stared at Naruko for some time, not sure what to say to her. He'd struggled with comforting her when Gaara had died, and he was at even more of a loss now. Frowning slightly, Sasuke took a few steps to close the gap between them. "Naruko, I'm...sorry," he started because he truly was.
Sasuke hadn't been too familiar with Jiraiya, the length of their interactions lasting only a few minutes at a time before their paths diverged. Although Sasuke hadn't been close to the man, he still felt a range of emotions from the man's death- all of them entirely due to Naruko. He was upset for her and her loss, but also angry and frustrated. Angry that Jiraiya had allowed the Akatsuki to kill him, especially after boasting about his strength. Angry that he would do something so careless and thereby hurt Naruko. Frustrated that the Akatsuki had taken someone else from her, permanently this time.
Sasuke wasn't sure whether she would appreciate any attempts at physical comfort. She hadn't responded to her own father after all. He did try, however. He rested a hand to her shoulder and turned her to face him. Whatever he had still been in the process of piecing together to say to her died on his tongue when she looked up at him with glistening, lifeless eyes. It rattled his core to see the animated eyes that he'd gotten used to look so empty. Sasuke frowned deeper, the combination of his pain and her own both filling him and leaving him hollow at the same time. He must have taken too long because she hung her head again while gently removing his hand from her shoulder. "I need to be alone," she said, almost too softly for him to hear, and quickly left him with a shushin.
Once the last trances of her chakra disappeared from the field, Sasuke sighed softly. He stared at the spot where she had stood for a few seconds before glancing around at the destroyed training ground. Not surprisingly, he didn't feel up to training anymore. With a hand of healing chakra pressed to his cheek where Naruko had almost managed to knock a molar loose, Sasuke slowly made his way back to the village.
Of course, he knew that he could chase after her. Despite her words, Sasuke was sure that Naruko never needed to be alone. She thrived amongst others. Any bit of solitude wouldn't do her any good. But he wasn't sure what he could say or do to help her. Maybe it would be best to give her some time, at least for now.
~:~
Almost three days had gone by without any sign of Naruko. Sasuke did his best to keep up his routine, but he couldn't deny how distracted he was. When Sakura had called him on it, he had succinctly explained himself while hoping that she would let the issue drop. Wishful thinking on his part.
"You haven't gone to see her?" Sakura asked incredulously as she paused her eating. Her chopsticks hovered in the air in front of her, her ramen noodles still dripping broth into her bowl.
"She asked to be alone," Sasuke pointed out and frowned down at his ramen.
"Naruko isn't you, Sasuke-kun. She…she can't stand being alone," Sakura said with a sigh and put down her chopsticks. She folded her arms over her chest and fixed him with a stern stare. "Part of being a boyfriend is emotionally supporting your girlfriend, especially when she's had a death in the family."
Sasuke was sure that if he hadn't seen it coming, Sakura would have knocked him out with the punch she had aimed at his head. Sakura looked even more angry with him for dodging, but before she could start a tirade, Sasuke quickly got up from his seat and fled Ichiraku Ramen. He could vaguely hear Sakura shouting at him to come back and pay for his food, but he didn't turn around. It would probably be best to avoid Sakura for a few days as well…
A few hours later, Sasuke returned to Ichiraku and put in an order for miso chashu pork. He'd gotten sympathetic looks from both Ayame and Teuchi and they had given him a second order on the house with only the request that he give Naruko their well wishes and condolences. He wasn't surprised that they had pieced together his plans so easily. He'd only nodded once in response before paying for his ramen.
He considered entering her room through her window like she did for him. But when he spotted no lights coming from her room, he frowned. The sun had just gone down. It was way too early for her to be asleep. Slipping through the front gate to the Hokage's residence, Sasuke tried to detect her chakra in the home. He could sense her upstairs, her chakra still bright and intense, yet subdued. He'd raised his hand to knock, but the front door was pulled open before he could.
Minato had opened the door, a neutral expression on his face. His blue eyes glanced down at the takeout bag in Sasuke's hand before he stood to the side. "Sasuke," he said and gestured for Sasuke to come in. Sasuke thanked him with a nod while stepping through the threshold. He spotted Kushina sitting at the dinner table, a steaming cup of tea in front of her. She looked up from her tea and gave Sasuke a soft smile. "Sasuke," she greeted.
"Good night," Sasuke replied and slipped off his shoes.
Minato closed the door behind him before returning to his seat at the table and taking a sip from his own teacup. As if without her conscious thought, Kushina clasped her husband's free hand in her own. It was a simple gesture, but it felt immensely intimate with the way that Minato seemed to be subconsciously drawing strength from his wife, perking up slightly and regaining color upon contact. Sasuke suddenly felt a bit awkward and intrusive, his eyes glancing to the stairs.
"She's in her room. Maybe you'll have better luck getting her to eat something," Kushina said with a sad smile.
Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement. As he was climbing the steps, Sasuke heard Minato call out, "And leave the door open please!" Sasuke had paused in his ascent but started up once again without replying.
He knocked twice on Naruko's closed door and listened for a response. When he didn't receive one, he didn't bother to knock again. Oddly, her room felt too dark and cold with all the lights shut off, but he hesitated to turn on the lights. The moon's light was sufficient to take in her messy room. Discarded clothes, comics, shuriken, and kunai littered her floor and desk. Sasuke frowned as he made space on the desk for the ramen. "Naruko," he called out when she hadn't acknowledged him.
He waited a few seconds for her to roll over and stare up at him. "Sasuke, I told Kaa-chan that I'm not hungry."
"Usuratonkachi, you're always hungry," he pointed out and started pulling containers and chopsticks out of the bag. When she still hadn't sat up, he pushed the first container into her hands with one hand and pulled her up by the shoulder with the other. He frowned at how easily she let him manhandle her, as if there wasn't any fight in her. Treating her almost like a child, he placed the chopsticks in her right hand and opened the container for her. When she just stared at him, he shot her an annoyed glare. He waited until she started to eat, almost picking at the food, but at least she was eating. "Your room is disgusting," Sasuke criticized and moved to pick up the weapons that were scattered around haphazardly.
She hummed once. "I was gonna clean it today," she replied.
"Why didn't you?" Sasuke asked as he picked up a soiled tank top and held it away from his face to spare his nose from the smell.
"Kaa-chan normally makes me clean when it gets too messy. She hasn't been in my room for the past few days though," Naruko replied and quietly slurped at some noodles.
Sasuke spared her a look from over his shoulder. He watched the lackluster way that she ate her normally favorite meal with a frown. With an almost inaudible sigh, Sasuke tossed some more dirty clothes into her hamper. "Doesn't explain why you didn't clean it like you were going to," Sasuke mused and went back over to her.
He had to move some more clothes to the side to make a spot for him to sit on the bed. He watched her swirl the remaining broth with her chopsticks and shrug. "I just didn't feel up to it. That's all," she explained. He waited for her to tip the bowl back and drain the broth like she normally did, but when she continued to play with it, he took it away and replaced it with the untouched container. "Thanks," she said and started eating again.
"You want to train with me tomorrow?" he offered. "I want to test something, and I need you to go into Sage Mode."
"…Maybe."
If the warning bells hadn't been going off from the moment that he stepped into her room, that one word would have more than enough for him to know that something was desperately wrong. "Since when do you run from a fight, Usuratonkachi?"
"'M not running. I've just been tired and I don't want to make a promise I might not be able to keep," she said and took a bite of pork.
"You always keep your promises, Usuratonkachi," Sasuke pointed out.
Her unenthusiastic chewing slowed to a stop as she stared at the ramen in thought. Swallowing once, she replied, "I know." Sasuke waited less than patiently for her to say something else. He felt tense and unsure around this new Naruko. He felt destabilized, like he was navigating through uncharted territory (which it was).
"Ero Sennin wasn't just my teacher. He was my godfather, and he was also more than that," she started. "He came to see me once when I was a baby, but I don't remember it. I didn't even know him when he came back to the village after we became genin.
"When he told me who he was, I practically demanded that he train me. I wanted him to teach me the Rasengan because Tou-chan wouldn't. Tou-chan thought I wasn't ready but, Ero Sennin did. He taught me how to summon toads, too," she said and quickly wiped at her cheek.
"When we were travelling together, I told him that my goal was to become stronger than you and he spent three weeks straight teaching me how to break out of genjutsu. He usually left me training by myself so he could chase and peep on women, but he stayed with me for the whole three weeks," she said and smiled softly. The smile quickly fell into a frown, however.
Sasuke wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He had no idea how to relate to her. He'd never experienced a loss like hers, but he could sympathize. He took the half-eaten ramen from her hands and put them down on her nightstand. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her face into his chest. He could feel her shaking lightly before she let out a shaky exhale. Rubbing a hand along her back, Sasuke said, "I didn't know him well. He seemed like an idiot to me."
"He wasn't so bad when there weren't pretty women around," Naruko excused with a choked chuckle.
Sasuke scoffed once before sobering up. "I'm sorry, Naruko."
"I know. It's okay," she replied. "Ero Sennin wouldn't want me to be sad. He used to say that crying women were his only weakness."
Sasuke rolled his eyes and rested his chin on the top of her head. "He's gone… Gone, but not forgotten," Sasuke tentatively tried. "He left behind a lot of people to remember him- to continue on in his place."
"Thanks, Sasuke. Everyone's already stopped by to try to cheer me up. Hinata brought me sweets that she made. Shikamaru brought me ramen, too. It's nice to know so many people care," she said and pulled back. A little reluctantly, he let her go. Her eyes were red, but she thankfully didn't look like she was about to break out in tears. She wiped at her red nose and sniffled once. Mildly disgusted by her messy face, Sasuke used the bottom of his shirt to clean her up. When he was done, she stared up at him in deep thought for several seconds. Eventually, she posed the question, "Sasuke, how did it feel when you killed Orochimaru?"
Sasuke blinked at her in surprise before furrowing his brows in confusion. "Satisfying, but not as much as I expected. He was dead, but the rest of the Akatsuki isn't," he answered honestly. The catharsis from watching Orochimaru burn away was as intense as he expected. But how could he have expected it to be when the rest of the Akatsuki still lived? The perfect revenge would only be achieved after all of the Akatsuki were dead at his feet.
"Oh," she replied and frowned. "I've never killed anyone before. But the leader of the Akatsuki, the one that killed Ero Sennin, I want to kill him," she admitted, almost as if she were expecting backlash for it.
The fact that she had managed to go so long without killing anyone was commendable in his books. Sasuke had taken several lives before. He'd had to on past missions to save his life or the life of a teammate. It was an unavoidable part of being a shinobi, in his opinion. "I don't blame you," Sasuke replied and took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand once and thread their fingers together in response. The knot in his chest loosened slightly at the sight of some life returning to her eyes. "I would help you," he admitted. She wouldn't even need to ask. Kill the ones who had inadvertently and advertently caused her pain? He would die trying before he let them get away with what they'd done.
Naruko smiled softly, her free hand sliding up and around the back of his neck before pulling him in towards her. He rested his forehead against hers, squeezing her hand once in reassurance. With her fingers tangled in the hair at the back of his head, Sasuke leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. What was intended to be chaste quickly turned passionate and heavy. Bit by bit, he could feel her returning to her former glory, becoming more animated by the second. His free hand rested on her knee, lightly massaging its way up the top of her thigh. His entire body felt tense and too warm, almost overheating. Grudgingly, he pulled away from her with a deep sigh.
"Can I come over later?" she whispered into the still heated space between them.
"Make sure you shower and change first. You reek," he teased with a smirk.
"Teme," she cursed and lightly punched him on the shoulder.
~:~
When a week had gone by without any surprise visits from Itachi, Sasuke had started to feel a bit guilty for how he had spoken to his brother. He didn't regret his words, but he wished that he'd found a better way to say them. In the past, Sasuke had never once apologized to Itachi- he'd never needed to. Itachi had always been an understanding and lenient brother, ready to offer a forgiving smile long before Sasuke could get the words for an apology out. Sasuke supposed that his brother's never-ending patience and love for him made up for the intense overprotectiveness and relentless teasing.
Sasuke had been on his way to visit Itachi at the Tower when he'd sensed his brother's chakra in a tea shop along the way. He'd ducked inside, finding his brother almost immediately. Itachi was sitting at a table in the corner, his eyes already locked on Sasuke. His brother's face was mostly neutral, but Sasuke could see the surprise in Itachi's slightly raised brows. His face didn't return to a completely blank look until Sasuke was taking the seat opposite of him. "Sasuke," Itachi greeted.
"I was heading to the Tower, but I should have known that you'd be stuffing your face with sugar," Sasuke said and eyed the plate of dango in front of Itachi.
Itachi smirked and picked up a stick. "That's hardly fair. I don't recall teasing you for your strange love for tomatoes."
Sasuke scoffed. "You always teased me for it. You gave me a basket of tomatoes for by eighth birthday," Sasuke pointed out dryly.
"I thought that it was a considerate gift. I grew them for you myself and you enjoyed them well enough," Itachi said and took a bite of his treat. He chewed slowly, staring at Sasuke as he silently deliberated. Once he'd finished swallowing, he said, "It's good to see you, Sasuke."
"I saw you a few days ago," Sasuke brushed him off.
"I know."
Sasuke looked down at the table, awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact as he put his thoughts in order. He could feel Itachi's eyes on him, that eternal patience lighting his gaze. "Nii-san, I'm sorry for how I spoke to you. I'm not apologizing for what I said, just how I said it."
"It's alright, Sasuke. You weren't wrong for saying what you did. I don't hold anything against you," Itachi said and quickly poked at Sasuke's forehead. Despite the poke not even hurting, Sasuke's hand lifted to feel at the spot on his forehead. "Besides, it's not the rudest thing that you've said to me. To be honest, I've given up on teaching you manners."
Sasuke rolled his eyes with a snort. He didn't show it, but Sasuke was relieved that Itachi was so quick to understand and accept his apology. Locking eyes with his brother, Sasuke could see the minor hints of apprehension fading away from his brother's demeanor. Sasuke hadn't expected for Itachi to be so unsettled from their fight.
"Has mother spoken to you about Fugaku?" Sasuke abruptly changed the subject.
Itachi frowned lightly before saying, "Not recently. I saw her a few days ago, but she never brought him up. I got the impression that she was upset with him."
"Who isn't?" Sasuke asked rhetorically with a roll of his eyes.
"Sasuke, I'm sorry for the part I played with what happened between you and father. I had truly hoped that he would use the opportunity to become closer to you- to bridge the gap between you both," Itachi sincerely apologized.
"You weren't trying to get rid of him?"
"…Perhaps…that may have played a small role in my decision," Itachi admitted. Sasuke gave Itachi an unamused stare. At least his brother had the decency to look cowed. "Trust that I won't interfere in your affairs again without your permission."
"Thank you."
Itachi nodded once and lifted his teacup to his lips. "I'm glad that I got to speak to you before I left."
Sasuke frowned. "You have a mission?"
"No. I'm leaving tomorrow for a kage summit with Minato-sama," Itachi said in a soft voice. Sasuke watched Itachi quickly and subtly go through some privacy seals. The tea shop was mostly deserted, but Itachi was never one to take chances. "A member of the Akatsuki attacked the eight tails' jinchuuriki."
Sasuke's blood ran cold.
"The member that you identified, Kisame Hoshigaki, tried to capture the eight tails alone. Fortunately, he wasn't successful, but it was still close enough that the Raikage is demanding that the summit be held. The eight tails is kept in Kumogakure and their jinchuuriki is close to the Raikage. Obviously, he's not pleased," Itachi said.
"What's going to happen to Naruko?" Sasuke asked.
Itachi hesitated for a second before admitting, "Hokage-sama has a plan to keep her and Kushina-san safe while he's out of the village. We'll be gone for three days, but we can't afford to take any chances."
Sasuke nodded once in acceptance. Honestly, the only thing that would have made him feel more reassured would be being directly involved in the plans to protect Naruko. But he knew that the Hokage wouldn't take any chances when it came to the safety of his wife and daughter.
"Sasuke, promise me that you won't do anything reckless," Itachi requested with a frown.
"Itachi-" Sasuke started, but Itachi cut him off.
"Sasuke," Itachi implored and reached across the table to grip Sasuke's wrist. His grip was firm, but not uncomfortable. "I know that you are capable of defending yourself and you don't need me hovering over you. I am aware of your strength. I am also aware of your weaknesses."
Sasuke felt the urge to pull out of Itachi's grip in annoyance. As if sensing where his thoughts were heading, Itachi squeezed once at Sasuke wrist to regain his attention. "You have the same weakness as any Uchiha," Itachi explained meaningfully.
Sasuke felt the fight leave him slowly. The Uchiha were known for their deep emotional ties- a major weakness according to the Shinobi Rulebook.
He waited for Sasuke to grasp his words before continuing, "Nothing should happen to Naruko-chan while we're away, but there is the possibility that the Akatsuki may try to infiltrate the village with the Hokage away. Should anything happen, I want you to carefully consider the situation before you act. I mean no offense, otouto, but you can be very emotional and vengeful."
Once he'd gotten his message across, Itachi released Sasuke's wrist and sat back in his seat. Itachi waited patiently, as if he was waiting for Sasuke to immediately deny his claims. Sasuke frowned in thought. Emotional and vengeful? Sasuke initially wanted to scoff at his brother's assessment, but he the more he thought about it… His vengeance still inhabited a corner of his mind, like a slumbering beast that only reacted whenever the topic of the Akatsuki was brought up. If the Akatsuki did attack, Sasuke knew that he'd have to be knocked unconscious or dead to keep him from fighting. But emotional?
"Emotional?" Sasuke scoffed.
Itachi nodded. "Particularly where Naruko-chan is involved."
Sasuke almost started denying his brother's claims, but then he remembered the rage and cold fury that he felt when he'd killed Orochimaru. He remembered the hate that flooded him when he'd seen the mournful tears in Naruko's eyes. His blood still heated when he thought about the black cloaks with red clouds. At Itachi's raised brow, Sasuke sighed through his nose. "Fine. I won't be reckless."
Itachi stared at him for several seconds without blinking. Sasuke wasn't sure what his brother was seeing, nor what he was looking for. The two stayed like this for some time until Itachi sighed as well and hung his head slightly. "Thank you, Sasuke," Itachi said, somehow still sounding worried.
~:~
Aside from the worrying news about the Akatsuki, tea with Itachi had gone well. It was almost as if nothing had changed in his relationship with his brother. Itachi was still his loving, mildly annoying, know-it-all of an elder brother. But Sasuke could see the slight hesitation and caution in Itachi's expression and actions- his efforts not to offend Sasuke or overstep his boundaries. Sasuke was sure that they would go away in time.
When he could no longer put off returning to work, Itachi had clasped a hand over Sasuke's shoulder with a heavy look in his eyes. An incredibly simple gesture that Sasuke was sure was intended to convey a wide range of emotions and sentiments. Then, Itachi had offered a farewell before the two of them had gone separate ways.
Sasuke had spent a few hours just walking around the village, taking backstreets and a long, winding route back to the Uchiha compound. The sun had long since set by the time he'd made it home. Hopefully, his parents would have finished eating by now so that he could eat something in peace before bed.
Every day, he could see the situation between his parents getting worse. They always made sure not to argue within hearing distance, but Sasuke could see the way that his mother was distancing herself from his father. When he'd confessed his guilt over the situation to Itachi, Itachi had been quick to soothe Sasuke's worries over their parents' relationship.
"They are both adults, Sasuke. You're not to blame for how they behave. Whether or not they are able to repair the damage that's been done is entirely up to them."
Sasuke had found a plate of food set aside for him in the refrigerator when he'd gotten home. He'd silently reheat it before sitting at the table and trying to enjoy the food his mother had prepared. He'd gotten about halfway through his meal before giving up, clearing and washing his dishes, and heading to his room.
His home felt abnormally quiet, the sounds of the crickets chirping outside seemingly magnified. He could sense his parents' chakra signatures, his mother in her room and his father in his study again. As he was passing his parents', open door, he glanced inside to see his mother relaxing in bed with a book. She looked content and peaceful, but Sasuke could feel the uneasy way her chakra was emanating from her. He wasn't sure how long that he'd been staring at her before she looked up at him and smiled softly. "Sasuke, is everything alright?"
'No.' Sasuke shrugged carefully carelessly and replied, "Fine. Itachi told me to tell you thank you for the food you sent him."
"You spoke to your brother? That's good," Mikoto said with a much more genuine smile. She got up from the bed and made her way over to him. Once she was standing before him, she rested a hand to his cheek before brushing some of his hair out of his face. "I'm glad that you and Itachi are speaking again. Brothers shouldn't fight."
"Hn. What about a father and son?" Sasuke couldn't stop the words from tumbling from his mouth.
Mikoto was momentarily stunned by his words, but she quickly recovered. "Don't worry yourself, Sasuke. This could have all been avoided, but your father likes to drag his feet. I'm sure that Itachi would be willing to sit and talk things out."
"Itachi, but not me," Sasuke said, picking up on the words his mother wasn't saying.
Mikoto gave him a strained smile. "I'm afraid you're a bit too much like me, Sasuke. We both find it hard to let things go. Itachi would be the same, but your brother's always been more compromising."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Mikoto paused to consider his question before replying, "Perhaps. It's a very mature approach to have. But Kushina was the one that taught me that it's okay to be unapologetically yourself." As he was silently considering her words, Mikoto smiled again before pulling him down by his cheeks so that she could kiss his forehead. "Good night, Sasuke."
Sasuke made quick work of getting ready for bed. He wasn't physically tired, but he could already feel the mental exhaustion setting in. Before he could retire to his room, however, he stopped at the feel of someone already inside. Pushing the door open, Sasuke raised a brow when he spotted Naruko climbing in through his window.
"Sasuke, guess what," Naruko's lively voice urged him in the dark.
"You figured out a way to stop snoring loud enough to wake the village?" Sasuke guessed in a dry voice.
He didn't try to block the light thump she aimed at his side. "No," she denied. "Tou-chan agreed to teach me the hiraishin."
Sasuke had paused in his efforts to turn down his bed when he'd heard her words, but she continued on as if she hadn't noticed. "He can't do it now. He's got Hokage duties to take care of for the next few days, but he'll teach me when he gets back. I just need to get better with Sage Mode and he wants me to learn some fuuinjutsu basics first."
Sasuke didn't know much about fuuinjutsu besides the barest of instructions that he'd gotten in the academy. He did know that the practice had fallen out of style, however. Aside from the Hokage, Sasuke couldn't think of any shinobi that regularly utilized Fuji jutsu in their fighting style. "Who's going to teach you that?" he asked to make conversation. He could hear her getting ready for bed, the sounds of her shoes, jacket, and pants hitting the carpets. He resisted the urge to pick them up and neatly set them aside.
"Kaa-chan," she replied as if it were obvious. Once Sasuke had finished pulling back the covers on his bed, Naruko didn't hesitate to crawl over the bed and settle in on her side. "The Uzumaki were fuuinjutsu specialists. Kaa-chan showed me a few seals a long time ago to help with my pranks, but she's gonna teach me everything she knows now."
"Maybe fuuinjutsu will help you finally catch up to me," Sasuke teased and slid under the covers.
"Teme," Naruko insulted. "I have to leave the village for a few days for the training. Kaa-chan and I are going to Mount Myouboku so that I can work on fuuinjutsu and sage training at the same time."
So that was the Yondaime's plan. Sasuke could see the benefits of not telling Naruko the truth about her stay away from the village. He highly doubted that she would willingly hide from anyone, even the leader of the Akatsuki. "I'll see you when you get back then. Hopefully, your training trip won't be a waste of time," Sasuke said with a smirk.
"Don't make me kick your ass, Teme," she warned before wiggling under his arm and practically latching onto his side. Sasuke scoffed once while relaxing into his mattress and willing himself to sleep.
~:~
The next morning, Sasuke had awoken to Naruko frantically slipping on her shoes and jacket at the same time. Glancing at the clock, he could see that she must have overslept. He watched her struggles through a lidded gaze, not bothering to offer her assistance. Still half asleep, Sasuke stretched deeply with a yawn. Feeling her gaze weighing on him, Sasuke rolled over onto his stomach and reminded, "You're going to be late, Usuratonkachi."
He could hear a new round of curses escape her as she zipped up her jacket. He cracked an eye open in time to see her push his squeaky window open. But before she jumped, she turned back to him. Unexpectedly, she quickly crawled over the top of his bed to roll him back over onto his back and quickly kiss him. He'd been surprised by the spontaneous show of affection, but he'd been quick to reciprocate.
If he could have, he would have spent the entire day with her locked in his room and ignoring the outside world. Unfortunately, a lazy morning in bed wasn't a part of the plan. Summing up his self-control, Sasuke broke off the kiss and held her at a distance. Sasuke could feel his heart rate picking up at the heated look she shot him. Her bright blues were lidded dreamily, a soft smile on her face. "You're officially late, Dobe."
It took a few seconds for his words to break through her reverie. When they did, her eyes widened comically, and she cursed again. "Shit! Later, Teme!" she tossed over her shoulder as she ducked out through his open window. Sasuke leaned on his elbows as he watched her go, a fond smile on his face. Doubtful that he'd be able to fall asleep again now that Naruko had sufficiently woken him up, Sasuke pushed his covers aside and made his way to the bathroom.
He'd never say it out loud, but Sasuke knew that the next few days would be lackluster without Naruko in the village. Naruko had always brought enthusiastic mischief and vivacity into his life from the moment that he'd met her. She'd returned to the village a few, short months ago and his life had already been more than eventful. There used to be a time when he cursed the obnoxious energy she introduced into his daily life. But now, he found himself craving it. Sasuke supposed that a few, mundane days of peace and quiet were a small price to pay for her safety.
To distract himself from thoughts of Naruko, Sasuke made sure to spend his time staying as busy as possible. Without Itachi, Kakashi, or Sakura (who was far too busy tending to Tsunade's injuries and responsibilities in the hospital) to train with, Sasuke found himself monopolizing Shisui's and, surprisingly, Lee's time. It had been by chance that Sasuke had run into the youthful boy while in the middle of a run. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective), Lee had been with his jounin sensei, Might Guy, at the time. Sasuke's ears were still ringing with speeches of "youth" and "eternal rivalries". Despite the pair's eccentricities, they did make decent sparring partners.
Sasuke never thought he'd meet another person with as much energy as Naruko, but he'd been sorely mistaken. "I am impressed with your strength, Sasuke! I should have expected that a student of my eternal rival would be top tier!" Might Guy had declared after Sasuke's second day of training with the pair.
The sun had set over two hours ago, but Guy had been adamant that they didn't need sunlight to experience the true joys of their youth. Sasuke had been baffled by the man but hadn't questioned Guy to spare himself the chance of receiving another lengthy monologue about the Springtime of Youth.
"Will you be joining us again tomorrow?" Guy asked while doing his cooldown stretches.
"Maybe in the evening if I don't have things to do," Sasuke replied.
"Yosh!" Guy exclaimed and saluted. "Come, Lee. Let us finish our laps around the village."
"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee saluted and quickly flipped onto his hands. Sasuke watched the both of them perform a few vertical pushups before they took off, leaving a light trail of dust in their wake. For the umpteenth time, Sasuke wondered how a man like Guy had managed to become rivals and friend with Kakashi.
~:~
Despite being still slightly sore from yesterday's training, Sasuke had awoken feeling uncharacteristically optimistic. Still clinging to sleep, he'd rolled over and away from the sunlight beaming on his face and gotten a whiff of a light, citrus scent. 'Oranges,' he'd thought fondly while burying his face in his pillow. Realization had hit him like a bucket of cold water. With a frown, Sasuke lifted his face and stared down at his pillow- or was it Naruko's now? Plucking a strand of long, blonde hair from his pillowcase, Sasuke stared at it and did his best not to wonder what she was doing at that moment.
Sasuke had gotten up and dressed while on autopilot, his mind miles away in spite of his wishes. When he'd walked into the kitchen, his mother was in the process of tossing out some old food from the fridge. "Sasuke, can you run to the market for me? I need a few things to make dinner tonight," Mikoto said and handed Sasuke a list of groceries. "If you get some katsuobushi, I'll make you some onigiri," she promised with a smile. After accepting the piece of paper and some money from his mother, Sasuke had left without a word.
It felt foolish to miss her when he'd seen her just days ago. During the three years that they'd spent apart, he hadn't missed her to this extent. Sure, he'd thought of her occasionally. But never to this extent. To his credit, she hadn't been so rooted into his daily life three years ago. She was always around him, whether it was at his side, right behind him, or facing him head on.
The marketplace was livelier than usual today. Sasuke weaved in and out of the bustling crowd, doing his best to avoid screeching children and haggling shoppers. He could have gotten most of the things on his mother's list in the Uchiha district, but lately his mother was dead set on shopping outside of the clan. Sasuke suspected that Itachi had to do with his mother's change of heart.
"Sasuke," Ikeda-san greeted with a smile from behind her stall.
"Ikeda-san," Sasuke greeted politely and handed the elderly woman his mother's list. He'd never hear the end of it from his mother if he disrespected Ikeda-san.
Ikeda-san took the paper from him and squinted at it for a few seconds while muttering to herself. After some time, she returned with a few bags filled with produce. "How is your brother doing? I made some hakuto jelly for him with the peaches that my granddaughter brought from Kusagakure. Have you met my granddaughter? She's about your age."
Sasuke tried not to grimace as he accepted the bags from the woman. "Itachi is fine. He's out of the village, but he should be back within a day or two," Sasuke replied and placed some money in the woman's hand.
"Before you go, I should introduce you to Hitomi."
"That won't be necessary, Ikeda-san. I need to get these to my-" Sasuke started to excuse himself but stopped. Without any warning or explanation, the hairs on the back of his neck had stood at attention and he'd gotten an intense feeling that something was awry.
"Sasuke?" Ikeda-san prompted, milliseconds before explosions rocked the surrounding buildings. The sound of Ikeda-san's panicked cries were nearly drowned out by the cries of other villagers and the cracking and crashing of buildings collapsing into the main street. The crowd of people around him had quickly turned into a frantic mob, pushing and shoving at each other to avoid the falling debris and duck for cover.
Using chakra to help ground him, Sasuke activated his sharingan and quickly searched the surrounding area for any sign of whoever had caused this. He'd almost missed it, but his eyes had spotted a flash of black and red in the distance. Running over the rooftops was a man with an inordinate number of piercings in a black cloak with red clouds.