A/N: Beta'd by Shira_Taka!
just beyond reach
"They could have recognized them," Shikamaru said. "No, we'd be safer assuming that they recognized them. Especially Sasuke when he summoned his hawk."
"But why is the Village of Dew manufacturing guns—unauthorized, at that—" Kakashi was cut off when the door to the meeting room banged open.
Sasuke limped in, followed by a fretting Sakura. "Sasuke-kun, please, you need to—"
"I'm going back," Sasuke said, leaning heavily on the back of a chair. The bandages on his leg were turning red.
"No, you're not," Sakura scolded, kneeling to take another look at his wound.
Kakashi sighed. "Sasuke, sit down. You're not going anywhere."
Sasuke scowled. "Didn't you hear what I said? They're making guns in that village—"
"As if we needed more ways to hurt people," Tsunade muttered.
"—and we need to stop them before more people get hurt."
Kakashi doubted it was just the notion of more people getting hurt that really motivated Sasuke.
"What doesn't make sense is how a small village like Dew got the resources to manufacture these weapons undercover," Shikamaru said. "They're sure to be expensive to produce."
Tsunade bit down on her nail. "Which means they're getting help," she muttered. "But who…?"
"That's why I need to leave—" Sasuke's leg finally gave out. Sakura caught him in time and helped him into the chair, glaring at him as she went back to working on his leg.
"The shape you're in now, you'll only draw attention to yourself," Kakashi said. "We'll send another team in to investigate this further, alright?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
"Let's talk more about this tomorrow morning." Shikamaru scratched his head. "It's late enough, as is."
"Sure," Kakashi said.
Sakura also seemed to be of the same mind and stood up. "Sasuke-kun, come on. We should leave too."
Sasuke stared stonily at Kakashi. "Who are you sending?"
"All that will be discussed—"
"There's no time to waste—"
Sakura interrupted him. "For gods' sake, Sasuke, there's nothing we can do right now. Everyone's asleep. And Sarada's waiting outside."
Sasuke's eyes flicked to the door and he pursed his lips. "Okay." He allowed Sakura to help him up, but before they moved, Sasuke turned to Tsunade. "How is he?"
"He's stabilized," Tsunade said. "Several of his internal organs took quite a beating, but the Kyuubi was already healing the worst of it when you arrived. He should be fine, but he is going to be monitored for a few days before he can be discharged. You did good, Uchiha. Now, you go get yourself taken care of."
Sasuke nodded. At Sakura's nudging, they left.
Tsunade gazed at the door with a curious look in her eyes. Instead of probing, Kakashi decided to wait it out and took his book out.
"So…how much do you wanna bet that those two banged?" Tsunade eventually asked.
Kakashi almost choked on his spit. He cleared his throat. "Tsunade-sama—they're—married—of course they'd—what?"
"Naruto and Sasuke, I meant."
Kakashi had to take a minute to process that. "What—what are you talking about?"
Tsunade shrugged. "You saw Boruto earlier."
There was no way he could read during this conversation. He tucked his book away. "What do you mean?"
"It's the kids." Tsunade folded her arms, still staring at the door. "Kids are always watching. They're smarter than we give them credit for."
What was visible of Kakashi's face turned pale. "You mean—you think Boruto—walked in on them…"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "How much of an idiot are you going to pretend to be? You saw that outburst. The kid may not have seen anything—thank god for that—" she added under her breath "—but he clearly sensed…something."
"You don't think—you think he saw hickeys? Wait—Tsunade-sama, did you see…hickeys…on Naruto?"
Tsunade looked like she was only seconds away from smacking him. "Even if Naruto did have them, the Kyuubi would have healed them ages ago."
"Then—how—"
"Naruto was muttering Sasuke's name in his sleep. The kid likely heard it."
Like a light switched off, Kakashi dropped all pretense. "Tsunade-sama, Hinata's in there with him right now."
"It's fine." Tsunade leaned back against the wall. "I put him under a higher dose of sedatives.
Kakashi studied Tsunade, intrigued. "You're…covering for him."
"I know."
"So…you knew this might happen and still suggested this…break…to him?"
"I was tired of seeing him dragging himself from one day to the next and I…" Tsunade trailed off, suddenly looking closer to her actual age than usual. "You remember how Naruto used to be as a kid, don't you?"
Kakashi remembered too well. He wondered when that bright-eyed boy with big dreams started fading away. Naruto never used to let anything take that spark from his eyes, even at his lowest point. But as the years passed…the change was so gradual Kakashi hadn't noticed it until it was too late. He couldn't remember the last time he saw that light shine as brightly as it used to.
But still.
"I can…understand why you…did it, but they have families now who will be affected by this," Kakashi said. "You just saw Boruto blow his gaskets."
"I know. I just wish I said something earlier." Tsunade frowned. "I thought it would have been healthier for them to be with their wives. I hoped they'd move on from each other as they build their own families, but…"
Kakashi leaned back on the wall with her. He'd hoped for the same, too. He'd hoped their respective wives would be what they needed. After all those years they'd spent fighting each other, Kakashi had thought it would have been best if they spent time apart.
Kakashi should have known. There had always been an unseen force between Naruto and Sasuke that was always present no matter how far they were from each other. Like a rubberband, theirs was a bond that always brought them back to each other no matter how much it stretched. And the further it stretched, the more intense their collision. But still intact, because, unlike a rubberband, their connection didn't seem to have a breaking point. No matter what stood in their way, no matter what either of them might feel about it.
Kakashi should have known better than to underestimate that strength. Especially with those two.
But wasn't it too late, now? They have both gone their separate ways, set down roots that have grown stronger and deeper over the years. To dig all that out and separate them…
"Kakashi, you should've seen Sasuke," Tsunade said. "He burst into my house, bleeding out like crazy, looking like he'd just seen a ghost. He didn't let anyone touch him until Naruto was seen to. I don't think I've ever seen him like that."
Kakashi wished he was surprised. "But…that couldn't mean that they…" He cleared his throat, feeling rather uncomfortable at the idea of his two students…
Well.
"Well, no. I just have a feeling," Tsunade said. "But…if they did bang, things are going to get interesting."
Disturbed, Kakashi glance at Tsunade. She looked deep in thought, as if she was trying to figure out a complex medical problem.
What is she planning?
…
With Naruto out of commission for the time being, Kakashi decided to take a little pity on poor Shikamaru and help him while Naruto recovered. He'd known why Naruto had gone off on the mission, but it was no real break. It was good he was confined to the hospital bed and had no choice but to rest properly, this time.
Within a couple days, Kakashi and Shikamaru put together another team to investigate the Village of Dew further, armed with Sasuke's report and vests that would protect them from the destructive force of guns. Kakashi was on his way to Naruto to make the report, when he saw Hinata and Himawari emerge from his room.
Hinata bowed when she spotted Kakashi. "Rokudaime-sama." She nudged Himawari. "Himawari, greet the—"
"You don't have to do that," Kakashi said awkwardly, lifting Hinata out of her bow. Her usually pale face had grown paler within the past few days, with shadows cradling her white eyes. "How are you, Hinata?"
Hinata blinked. "I—me? I'm—I'm okay." She gave him a strained smile, and clutched Himawari's hand to her side. "Naruto's doing a lot better now, so we're all relieved."
"That's good." Kakashi wasn't entirely close to Hinata, so he could understand why she seemed startled at his show of concern. But as he watched them go, he couldn't help feeling somewhat responsible. He wondered if it was just recent events that had Hinata look so drawn, or if there was something more to it.
Well, he would confirm his suspicions today.
Kakashi found Naruto sitting in his bed, staring intently at the sunflower in his hand.
"Pretty flower," Kakashi said.
"Himawari gave it to me," Naruto said. "My little…sunflower." His eyes softened as he traced each petal. "'Come back home, soon,' she said. 'We miss you.'" His voice cracked. "Kakashi-sensei—I—I don't know if I can go back home."
That was easier than expected.
Kakashi leaned against the wall, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Why is that?"
"Because I—" Naruto bowed his head, his hair hiding his eyes. He spoke so quietly Kakashi strained to hear him. "I—made a mistake."
"A mistake that can't be forgiven?" Kakashi asked softly, starting to feel like Tsunade's assumptions may be true.
"I don't—know. But—" Naruto looked up, his eyes wet. "Sensei—how could a mistake feel so right at the same time?"
There was a depth to his eyes that wasn't there before. They were filled with pain, but his eyes seemed a lot more…alive than they used to be.
Maybe Tsunade was right.
Kakashi should have known. He'd watched Naruto push himself beyond exhaustion, beyond what was humanly possible, all with Sasuke in mind. No one else had gone as far for Sasuke as Naruto did. No one else had believed in Sasuke's humanity as much as Naruto did. Kakashi himself thought Sasuke had to die at one point.
He was supposed to be their sensei, but no one botched their job as much as he did.
Where did he go wrong?
Naruto broke his reverie. "He hasn't even visited me. The cold bastard."
Kakashi didn't need to ask who Naruto was talking about. Looking back on it, there really was only one person that Naruto always went back to. Even back when he'd defeated Pain and the whole village was celebrating him, carrying him and passing him from one pair of adoring hands to the next. The whole village was acknowledging him, loving him, showering him with everything he'd wanted as a child, and Kakashi would have felt proud of him had he not noticed that faraway look in Naruto's eyes. Looking beyond the crowd, searching for the one face that wasn't there.
Kakashi should have known.
The moment Sarada spotted Boruto, she jumped him. "Bo-ru-tooooo!"
Boruto barely had time to dodge and could only stare wildly before her fist connected with his face and he flew back a good ten yards.
Seeing Boruto groan, clearly in pain, wasn't satisfying. Sarada stalked toward him. "You know what that was for, right?"
Boruto crawled backwards, eyeing her fists warily. "I—I'm sorry."
"It's not me you should say sorry to."
Boruto's expression darkened. "I'm not gonna apologize to him."
"You don't get to talk to Papa like that." Sarada cracked her knuckles, ready to punch him one more time. She had to admit, watching him grow pale at that was a little satisfying.
But Boruto held his ground, his face set. "Do you know what my dad was whispering in his sleep?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Boruto scowled. "He was mumbling Sasuke."
Sarada lowered her fist. "…So?"
"So?" Boruto looked like he was going to explode. "SO? Are you kidding me?
"No." Sarada folded her arms. "They were in a battle together. Wouldn't it make sense for Naruto-san to think about Papa and wonder if he's alright?
Boruto hesitated. Then balled his fists. "You saw your dad's face, didn't you?."
Sarada knew exactly what he was talking about, but she pushed that back to deal with later. "That still doesn't give you any excuse to yell at Papa like that. You just assumed things! I know you were upset that your dad was hurt but that doesn't give you any right to take it out on Papa! What exactly did he do to deserve that? So, he was devastated that his closest friend was hurt like that. Does that have to be romantic?"
Boruto looked away. "I just…I just know," he mumbled. "I just…know…something's up."
Sarada wished she could disagree with him. She had a…feeling…too. Though she had nothing to substantiate her suspicions, she just had a…feeling.
Still, she stood her ground. "You still don't get to treat Papa like that, whatever you think might have happened between them. He's your mentor. He didn't have to take you on, but he did."
Boruto shifted. After a long moment, his lips slanted downward. "Fine. Whatever."
Sarada cracked her knuckles. "If you talk to Papa like that ever again, I'm gonna make sure you will never be able to open your mouth again."
She was quite satisfied to see Boruto's very visible gulp.
"Okay?"
"Uhuh!" Boruto nodded quickly, his eyes flitting warily to her fists. "Understood."
"Good."
And with that out of the way, Sarada set about trying to follow her father. Which was much more difficult than she expected it to be.
She cursed inwardly when he disappeared—again. Why was he so slippery?
But she had an inkling as to where he might be.
Hoping she was wrong, she made her way to the hospital.
Because whatever she might have told Boruto, Sarada did harbor her own suspicions. Something just felt…different…about Papa. He was distracted at home. The expression he often wore nagged at Sarada, and though she hoped it was just the whole mission and Naruto-san being hurt, deep down she knew it was something else and it made her restless.
Naruto-san also seemed—different, when she went to visit him with her mother. Papa hadn't joined them, apparently keeping his word to Boruto. Which was suspicious in and of itself. Because if there really was nothing going on, Papa wouldn't have any reason to heed the words of an overimaginative and upset kid, right?
Either way, it was just her and her mom who went to visit the Hokage. On the way there, Sarada wondered what Mama thought of the whole thing. There was that little wrinkle between her eyebrows that she always got whenever she was deep in thought, but that really could be attributed to the situation in general.
Naruto-san, on the other hand, had that same expression Boruto always had whenever he knew he did something wrong. Sarada wasn't entirely sure what to make of that, except for the fact that something definitely happened. Something that made Naruto-san look guilty around her mother.
She did not know how to feel about that. She didn't know the whole story. She didn't know what happened, if anything happened at all. Nor did she think she really wanted to know.
She would have thought that it was just her imagination running wild if it weren't for Boruto blowing up at her father like that. Because that meant he sensed it, too.
So, Sarada decided it would be safer to assume that…something…happened. Better be overprepared than underprepared, as Shino-sensei always used to say in class. Either way, in this current situation, no one seemed to be happy. She didn't like seeing her mom so unhappy. She didn't like seeing her dad so unhappy. Which meant something had to change.
All Sarada had wanted was to feel like everything was alright. She wanted to see Mama and Papa get along, live in a household that didn't feel so strained. She hated all this…pretending…that her parents seem to be doing, pretending that the elephant in the room isn't there, taking up all the space in their house. As if Sarada wouldn't see right through it. She hated how it felt like just one wrong move might break the brittle atmosphere at home.
Yet, she had no idea what the solution was in this situation. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that Papa only saw Mama as a friend. He cared for her, deeply, but…it wasn't…love.
But what would a twelve-year-old know about love, anyway?
But even a twelve-year-old could see that there was something—more—between her father and the Hokage. What that more was, Sarada didn't know. What she had noticed, though, was that Naruto-san and Papa had so much more between them than what they had with either of their wives, and it made Sarada wonder.
Their fathers seemed more like themselves around each other than with anyone else. They seemed to bring out the best in each other. Things felt natural between them. Whenever she was with the two of them, she felt…at ease. Naruto-san always had that way about him, a charm about him that made everyone around him feel comfortable, including her father. Only after Boruto pointed it out did she start to notice. How Papa's eyes would soften around Naruto-san in a way it never did around Mama. How Papa seemed more at ease around Naruto-san than anyone else. More like himself, as if he wasn't…pretending, as if he wasn't wearing a mask. Sarada longed for him to show that face to her. She longed to know her father as he truly was, get to know the real him.
Upon reaching the hospital, she cloaked her chakra and scanned the perimeter of the hospital before making her way to the side of the building where the window to Naruto's room was and scanned the area around it. She didn't dare activate her own Sharingan, knowing Papa would sense her the moment she did. When she didn't find him, she sneaked into the hospital and found Naruto's room. She peeked in, and saw Hinata-san, dozing off in a chair with her head resting on Naruto's lap. The Hokage himself was awake, brushing his hand through Hinata's hair with a distant look on his face.
Distant as they were, his eyes found her quickly. "Hey, Sarada."
Flushing at being caught, Sarada slipped in. "Sorry…Hokage-sama."
Naruto-san smiled. "It's alright. Did you need anything? Did Sas—" He winced. "Sorry." He cleared his throat. "Um, what's up, Sarada?"
Sarada wished she'd missed the slip, but she didn't. She shoved it aside to ponder over later. "I was looking for Papa. I thought he might be here."
Naruto-san's expression shifted. "We're all always looking for Sasuke, aren't we?"
"Um…I guess?"
"Well, he's not here. He's never been here. Gods know if he's even in the village."
Sarada tried not to think too hard about the sadness she heard in his voice. "Um…Papa's still in the village."
Naruto-san slumped, leaning back against the headboard. "Of course, he is."
This was getting too weird. "Well—um, I'm gonna keep looking, then."
"Would you tell him to visit me? I'm apparently not allowed out of this hospital till the end of this week." Naruto-san rolled his eyes. "I tell everyone that I'm fine, but apparently I'm not as young as I used to be."
Well, it made sense. The Hokage was shot. She didn't think the hospital knew much about guns and its impact, since they were civilian weapons and were different from the chakra tools they made here, so she understood why they might want to keep a closer eye on their Hokage, just in case.
"Okay," Sarada said, not really wanting to let Naruto know that Boruto had essentially banned Papa from visiting, and that he was likely to obey. Well—as far as making contact with Naruto-san was concerned. She was sure Papa was still watching him, though. From somewhere.
Which was why she was here in the first place.
"I gotta go, Hokage-sama. Hope you feel better soon."
"Of course, Sarada." Naruto-san smiled again. "You take care now."
"I will. Bye!"
Sarada hightailed it out of there, finding herself missing that familiar twinkle in his blue eyes whenever his smile reached his eyes.
Sarada had always had great respect for Naruto-san. He inspired her to work hard, and she'd often seen him as a father figure. She still saw him as one. If she was being really honest, she had seen Naruto-san as more of a father than her own father until recently. But it was like Naruto-san made Papa be a better parent. And she liked that. But, to her, even though Papa was back in her life, she still had two fathers.
As much as Boruto may have complained about Naruto-san, and as much as Sarada might have sympathized with him (she, too, had an absent father, after all) she still admired him. She admired how hard he worked for the village, how he saw everyone as part of his family, not just his immediate family. And she understood why that bothered Boruto. She would probably have felt the same way had she been Naruto-san's real daughter. But she wasn't, and it had felt nice knowing that Naruto-san cared about her and treated her like she was his own.
And her father always talked about Naruto in a positive light, which had only encouraged her to aspire to be just as strong, just as loving as him. He was someone she knew to be dependable, someone she could always count on for support, and she wanted to be just like him. She wanted to be just as powerful and steadfast and indomitable as him, someone who everyone could look up to and feel at ease in their presence.
But she was beginning to see Naruto-san in another light. She was beginning to see his human side. That he wasn't as invincible as she'd once thought he was. That he wasn't perfect.
To her surprise, it didn't necessarily disillusion her. Nor did it make her respect him any less. On the contrary, really. She realized that he always tried hard to do his best even though he was also only human. Naruto had always striven to inhuman standards, and Sarada had gotten swept along with it, preventing her from seeing the very real human being that Uzumaki Naruto really was.
A human being who'd been putting everyone else's needs above his own for far too long. And the cracks were beginning to show.
"Oof—!" Sarada bumped into something hard and found her face full of clothing. She jumped back quickly. "I'm so sorry—I was—oh!" She flushed when she discovered who she bumped into.
Papa looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Mind telling me why you've been following me?"
"I—I wasn't following you now, I genuinely just bumped into you!"
Papa's eyebrow climbed higher. "'Now'?"
Sarada felt her face heating up. "Ah—um—well—uh—"
He snorted. "You're too much like Naruto, you know. You've always been obvious."
Sarada didn't know whether to take that as a complement or an insult.
Papa puffed out a breath, almost like a laugh and Sarada scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly. I made him laugh!
He touched her face lightly, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Did you have lunch?"
"Um…no. Not yet."
"Hm." Sasuke straightened up and gently touched her back. His hand felt warm. "Come on, then. Let's go have some lunch. Then maybe you can tell me what's going on."
Sarada's smile melted right off her face.
It's been a while, I know! I just started grad school, so that on top of a full-time job really made things hectic for a little bit, but I'm back in the swing of things (maybe). I'll be posting the next chapter in a few days to make up for the time!
Reply to comments:
nosimphere0: Yep, Sasuke's not having the best of times at the moment, and it's going to get a little worse before it can get better. Same goes for Naruto. You're right, overall, it's not a good atmosphere, things have shifted greatly between the two, and everyone's going to feel its effects one way or another. Thank you for your thoughts, I loved reading them, and also for your sweet words, gosh. Sometimes it's hard to believe we're worth it, so it does mean a lot when someone affirms you about it from time to time. You're a beautiful person as well, to extend so much compassion to some stranger on the internet. Thank you 3/p
