She was right there, sitting and having a coffee with Minato - apparently they were in some sort of romantic relationship. Not that Sasuke cared. He only cared about the fact that she was in sight, and that he would probably faint in a minute or so.
His Mangekyou Sharingan whirred to life. He caught a brief glimpse of Kushina, realising it almost immediately. He had been right. She wasn't aware of the effect she had on him. Or rather, it wasn't Kushina, but what was inside Kushina.
Sasuke mentally berated himself for not realising it sooner - he should've been more perceptive. Naruto was a Jinchuuriki, and it made sense that his mother would be too. It probably had something to do with the Uzumaki's legendary vitality.
Well, one mystery was solved. He was having an adverse reaction to the Kyuubi inside Kushina.
Frankly, he didn't know how to resolve the issue, but now he knew that it wasn't that bothersome - all he had to do was avoid Kushina and other Jinchuuriki. There were only a few Jinchuuriki in the world, so he'd be fine.
Despite the threat of blacking out, Sasuke stood rooted to the spot. He checked his watch, counting the seconds. It had been 2 minutes and 13 seconds before the familiar pain started up again. Before he could black out, Sasuke flung himself far out of range.
He noted with disappointment that the seals activated again - and his chakra was blocked once again.
He clutched his pounding head. He realised with irritation that he was literally sitting on his ass in the middle of the street. Civilians stared at him, wide-eyed. Annoyed, he got up and began walking back to his shitty apartment. Now that that was solved, he had other shit to do.
Reclining on the rickety couch, Sasuke perused, with growing interest, the details of his next mission. Of course, it was with Minato again. This one was yet another assassination - this time much easier. All he had to do was assassinate some of the Lightning Daimyo's guards, but it was ranked S because he'd run into Kumo ninja.
He reached for the brown envelope that Hiruzen handed him earlier. In other words, it was a fat stack of cash, and he loved it. He counted the money with glee. S-rank missions definitely paid well. At this rate, he'd be able to buy a decent house in a couple of months, although he'd rather save for a nice house.
With that out of the way, Sasuke grabbed a notebook and pen, scrawling out a to-do list. He ticked some items off meticulously and wrote down unfinished tasks.
Tomorrow morning, he'd have to embark on a new mission. Even though he had another mystery to solve - namely, the discrepancies in his bodily functions - his muscles stung and ached, and he felt his eyelids drooping.
For now, he'd just sleep.
"You're late," Sasuke said to Minato, scanning his watch. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently.
"By 3 minutes. Since when did you get so eager to accomplish missions?" Minato rubbed the back of his head, looking tired and confused. Sasuke noted that gradually, Minato's hostility towards him was decreasing.
"I want to get it over with," Sasuke lied seamlessly. In actuality, he was bored half to death in Konoha and needed an escape. Missions and killing and danger excited him - he was a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but Minato didn't have to know that.
Minato may have detected the lie, but he didn't show it. He started gloomily walking towards Lightning Country. There was a slight limp in his walk. Sasuke caught up to him, walking alongside him.
"Why are you so gloomy? And why are you limping?" Sasuke turned to Minato, puzzled. He wouldn't normally give a rat's ass about Minato, but he would when it concerned him and the mission.
"I didn't get any sleep last night. As for the limping...um, how old are you again?" Minato's eyes scanned the ground groggily.
"Old enough to know why you're asking," Sasuke rolled his eyes, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Of course. Minato was with Kushina yesterday. He regretted asking. "We can get some sleep in a bit. Just hold on for 10 hours. It's not like this mission is urgent."
"Hurry up. Isn't your whole schtick being fast?" Deciding that Minato was too slow, Sasuke began speeding up. Minato tiredly kept up.
For several hours, they continued at that speed, until they reached an inn in the middle of some random village.
Both Sasuke and Minato lay in separate beds, about to go to sleep.
"Just out of curiosity, how old are you actually?" Minato said to him, staring at the ceiling. His tone was calm.
"I'm seventeen-" Sasuke replied, but Minato quickly cut in."What?! You're a literal baby!" Minato exclaimed, seeming shocked. Sasuke was a little offended at being called a baby.
"Why are you shocked? It's common for ninja to start young," Sasuke said, with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
"That's not it," Minato denied, "It's the fact that you're only seventeen and already S-rank." There was a very minute hint of admiration in his voice.
"Actually, I've been S-rank since I was fifteen or sixteen. It's not that surprising."
"It kind of is though," Minato muttered, sounding half awed and half suspicious. Sasuke let out a sigh. He supposed Minato was right - he was unusually strong for a ninja his age. Itachi had always overshadowed him, so his accomplishments never seemed like much.
But still, how much of his strength was actually his own? His eyes stung, tears pricking his eyes at the reminder. The Mangekyou Sharingan was like a constant reminder of everything and everyone he had lost. Even though almost everybody was back, he still lived ten years of his life getting used to the loss.
Sasuke mentally steeled himself. None of it mattered anymore. He was in the past, and now, he could prevent it all. Perhaps it was a good thing Konoha had kidnapped him like this. Now, he was close to his enemies, and ready to slit anyone's throat if they got in his way.
"I was forced to mature early. That's all," Sasuke replied nonchalantly to Minato, eliminating every trace of bitterness in his voice. He turned away and pulled the blanket closer, signalling that he was done with the conversation.
"What are you, Sasuke?" Apparently, Minato either didn't get it, or didn't care. Sasuke sighed in irritation.
"Sleepy. That's what I am. Now shut up and sleep," he commanded, hoping that Minato would stop talking. He did.
They both drifted off to sleep.
"We're just going to sneak in, stab them, and get out?" Sasuke studied the map carefully, memorising it. He traced the route from the back entrance to the Daimyo's bedroom, where the guards would be.
"Pretty much," Minato nodded. "Do you know why we're doing this, by the way?"
"Not really."
"Kumo receives funds from the Lightning Daimyo," Minato began patiently explaining, "So killing his guards would make the Daimyo reduce funds and demand ninja from Kumo. This pressurises Kumo, who are in a bad position right now. One little push, and Kumo will have to drop out of the war, or get defeated."
Sasuke nodded along to what Minato was saying. It was a pretty clever move - he had to hand it to whoever was strategising.
"I'm going to look around the building," Sasuke said, as he snuck into the Daimyo's castle. Minato didn't follow.
It was so large and ornate that it'd be difficult to find any potential assassins. Sasuke wandered through the castle, walking on soft purple carpet and staring at the high, embossed ceilings. He typically liked big, fancy places, but this one was too showy and elaborate, less homely and more extravagant - as if the architect prioritised impressing any visitors over the comfort of the home.
He had to carefully navigate the castle so as to avoid any staff or visitors - he couldn't risk anyone seeing him. Once he was done exploring, Sasuke decided to exit the same way he came.
Unfortunately, just as he walked out the door, he ran into someone. He halted in his tracks. They stared at each other, both shocked.
She was pretty, blonde, with tan skin, chocolate brown eyes and innocent-looking, doll-like features. Honestly, she didn't look like a ninja, which is why she probably was one. If she was, Sasuke mentally prepped himself for a fight - though, given his casual attire, she may think he was just a regular tourist.
"Er, excuse me, sorry," she hesitantly sidestepped around him, just as he sidestepped also. They accidentally blocked each other. Given her reaction, they weren't going to fight - if they were, that would be cumbersome, since he would attract a lot of attention.
Just as he was about to move around her, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his stomach; it was too familiar to him, by now. His vision went hazy again. This time, there was no time to retreat.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," he muttered, levelling an accusatory glare at the girl.
Maybe the whole Jinchuuriki thing is a problem after all, he had time to think. He hoped that, for his sake, she wouldn't take the opportunity to kill him.
Then, Sasuke passed out.