A/N: Due to my own idiocy, chapters six and seven are both being posted at once. Hopefully this won't happen again.
We spent the rest of the day burning bodies on an enormous makeshift funeral pyre on the bridge. Not out of any form of respect, mind, but purely to keep disease from spreading. Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet, and Sakura was dead silent the entire time. It occurred to me that I was the only one who had ever actually killed before today.
Not that killing one chuunin-level shinobi was really comparable to the absolute bloodbath we'd engaged in that morning.
The villagers showed up not long after we were done with Gato's men. It was actually pretty funny to see them all riled up, wearing makeshift armour and wielding farming tools, only for their jaws to drop in shock at the carnage that greeted them. Apparently those Naruto clones at the house had saved Tsunami from a pair of kidnappers and inspired Inari to lead the village in open revolt, just as in canon. Even if it ended up being unnecessary, I hoped the attitude would stick. If anyone else tried to exploit the people of Nami no Kuni, the villagers might just have the spirit to fight back on their own.
Tsunami was horrified to see the state we were in, me in particular, when we arrived back at the house. Sakura was practically in shock, Naruto was scratched and dirtied with a few patches of red, and I… I apparently looked like some kind of spirit of vengeance with all the blood covering me. She insisted that I immediately take a good, hot bath and burn the clothes I was wearing, to which I acquiesced. I actually ended up taking two baths – one to get rid of the blood, then another to relax (after thoroughly cleaning the tub of course). I hadn't noticed in the thick of things, but my body was aching something fierce.
"Um… Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked from the other side of the door, the first words she'd spoken since the battle.
"What is it, Sakura?"
"When you're done in there, can we talk?" It figured she'd need someone to talk to, though she should really be speaking to Kakashi, not me. Still, I couldn't just turn her away.
"Yeah, sure thing. Just give me a few minutes, okay?"
Soon enough I was clean and dressed again, and Naruto took his turn while I sat outside with Sakura.
"How are you holding up?" I asked. She shook her head.
"Bad. I can't stop thinking about them. Their eyes, their faces…" She shuddered. I nodded. The Sharingan's visual clarity had not made the sight of those men's faces as I killed them any easier. Sakura didn't have that, thankfully, but she still got a clear look at the people she'd killed. Maybe clearer than Naruto and I, since while we'd been in the thick of things and unable to focus on any one person for too long, she'd been hanging back, watching the results of every tossed knife and shuriken. She couldn't just stab and look away. "How are you dealing with it so well?"
"I try to think of the people I saved with their deaths," I replied. "When I killed that chuunin on the way here, I tried to think of you, of Naruto, and of Tazuna. Now I'm thinking of the villagers. Tsunami, Inari, Tazuna. The workers from the bridge. The kids we saw in the streets and the shopkeepers we talked to when we passed through the village every morning and evening. Even Haku and Zabuza, who we'd have had to kill otherwise. We took dozens of lives on that bridge, but we saved hundreds, perhaps even thousands more."
"...Kakashi-sensei said something like that. I think it helps a little, but it's still hard."
"I know. Sensei told me it gets easier, but to be honest, I'm not sure that's a good thing. Guess we just have to give it time." She nodded, and we quietly watched the stars for a while until Naruto was done with the bath and Sakura went to take her turn.
The next few days were quiet, but not an oppressive quiet as had been the case until now. Without the shadow of Gato hanging over them, the villagers seemed eager to get back to work and get their lives back on track. Progress on the bridge was swift, and there were no further incidents of note. When the time came to lay the final brick, Tazuna called for the whole village to gather in celebration.
"Today, with the completion of this bridge, our village will finally be truly free from the tyranny of the Gato Shipping Company! This bridge is the artery that will bring the lifeblood of trade to Nami no Kuni, and end the poverty we've been living with! It marks the dawn of a new day for our village, and our country! And so, to honour those brave souls who fought for this freedom and prosperity, this bridge will be named the Great Shinobi Bridge! May it stand evermore as a monument to our liberators!" A great cheer went up from the gathered crowd, hats were tossed into the air, sake was passed around, and there was great revelry and rejoicing.
That evening, we stood at the edge of the bridge, ready to return to Konoha, when Tazuna and his family stopped us.
"Hey, before you go, we just wanted to tell you that you're welcome to stop by and stay with us anytime you're in Nami again, okay?"
"Thank you Tazuna," Kakashi thanked him warmly. "We'll be happy to visit if we're ever in the area."
"Don't worry, Naruto-nii!" Inari spoke up confidently. "I'll step up and be a hero to this land too, just like you and my dad!"
"Heh, I'm sure your dad'll be proud of you kid. I'll be sure to come back and see you when I'm Hokage, dattebayo!" We thanked them again for their hospitality before leaving across the Great Shinobi Bridge that had been built thanks to our efforts.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," I asked as we crossed back into Hi no Kuni again, "considering the way this mission went, do you think we'll get paid for a regular C-rank, or a proper A- or B-rank mission?"
"Seeing as we ended up facing off against an elite jounin, I'd expect the mission to be recategorised as A-ranked, along with a matching pay rise."
"Cool. So I might have made a profit even after paying for Naruto's ramen."
Elsewhere in Hi no Kuni, two men were meeting up to share intel after an information-gathering run. One was a pale man with dark hair and a wide-brimmed straw hat, the other had blue skin and gills and almost resembled a shark. Both wore black cloaks with a red cloud pattern.
"Hey Itachi-san," the latter spoke first. "Did you hear what happened in Nami no Kuni? Apparently some Konoha brats helped Momochi Zabuza take down over a hundred men in the employ of Gato Company and execute Gato himself."
"Why would I care about such trivial things, Kisame?"
"Because rumour has it one of them was an Uchiha who slew more than two dozen men singlehandedly."
"...I see." Itachi's lip twitched just a little. It seems my little brother is doing quite well. Maybe I'll pay a visit to Konoha to check on him. After the chuunin exams, perhaps? I'm sure Pain could be persuaded to sanction a little 'scouting mission'. And while he was there, he would make sure to remind Danzo of their deal. Itachi was not a naturally cruel or violent man, but he had to admit, he did enjoy seeing that particular rat squirm.
Relaying the events of the mission to the Hokage took quite some time. Under normal circumstances, a written report would suffice, which Kakashi had already delivered through Pakkun. Given the exceptional circumstances of this particular mission, however, Hiruzen had requested an in-person meeting to confirm the details of the report. We had arrived in the early afternoon, and by the time we left, the sun was already setting. I was tired and Sakura was visibly exhausted. Kakashi was inscrutable as always. And Naruto… Naruto was as energetic as ever.
"Alright, Sasuke, ramen time!" I sighed, considering begging off until tomorrow. Ultimately, however, I decided I would rather not have to cook tonight, so ramen it was. Fortunately, Kakashi had been right, and the mission had been immediately reclassified as A-rank, with payment increasing accordingly. Apparently, the village would be extracting proper payment from Tazuna via a bridge toll that would stay in place until the full cost of an A-rank mission had been recouped, plus a little extra as compensation for the deception.
"Yeah, sure. I'll see you tomorrow Sakura, Kakashi-sensei."
"Wait a moment, you two," Kakashi stopped us before we left. "Seeing as that mission was such a gruelling one, I'm giving you three a few days off. Report to the usual place next Tuesday instead." We were all grateful, and thanked him before heading our separate ways.
On the way to Ichiraku, Naruto and I ran into Iruka, who Naruto invited to join us in celebration of our first successful mission outside the village walls. We soon arrived at the ramen stand, and the owner gave a warm greeting.
"Naruto-kun, it's good to have you back! And a new customer as well! I'm Teuchi, and this is my daughter Ayame, welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!"
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I've heard great things about your ramen, Teuchi-san."
"You won't be disappointed! So, what'll it be?"
We made small talk until the ramen was ready, at which point I had to stop Naruto and remind him of our bet.
"Oh yeah, right. Oiroke no Jutsu." I had to hold back laughter at everyone's reactions to the conveniently-censored naked girl that now sat in Naruto's place.
"Naruto, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Iruka yelled. Naruto quickly raised his hands in surrender.
"It's part of a bet, Iruka-sensei! Sasuke and I bet on who would master the tree-climbing exercise first, but we ended up tying, so he has to buy me five bowls of ramen and I have to eat it like this!" Iruka turned his wrath on me.
"So this is your fault, Sasuke!?"
"Hey, it's not like I forced him into the bet!" I protested. "And it was good motivation for us!" The academy teacher calmed down at that, though still looked at both of us disapprovingly, and asked Naruto to begin telling the story about our mission. Both he and the two shop owners paled when he got to the battle- no, the massacre on the bridge. Naruto seemed to be doing much better than before, at least. Iruka also looked at me with concern.
"You negotiated with an enemy ninja by yourself? With no backup?"
"Technically it was a Shadow Clone that did the negotiating, but yes."
"What would you have done if it had gone wrong?"
"My clone would have hit him with a genjutsu, and I would have dropped down behind him and slit his throat. While it was dangerous, I judged the possibility of avoiding conflict with Zabuza and Haku to be worth the risk."
"Hmm… I can't say I approve of you endangering yourself like that, but it sounds like you had a plan, and it turned out okay in the end. So what happened next?"
Once the story was over and I was all done with my ramen, I stood up and paid Teuchi.
"Thank you for the meal, Teuchi-san. It was just as good as I'd heard, I'll definitely be back. Naruto, Iruka-sensei, good night to you both." I headed off down the street and ducked into a nearby alleyway, making sure no one was watching me. "Henge no Jutsu." One puff of smoke later, and I was once again in the female form I'd created back in Nami no Kuni. "Ahh, that's much better!" Already I was feeling more comfortable. Brushing my lengthened hair out of my eye, I was about to slip back onto the street when a voice from above made me jump.
"Hmm, that's certainly an interesting Henge, Sasuke."
"K-Kakashi-sensei!" I sheepishly rubbed my neck. "It's for, um… Endurance training!"
"Yes, wearing a Henge for long periods of time would increase both your chakra levels and your control," he commented. "But would I be correct in guessing there's more to it than that?"
"Y-you would. Um, if we must talk about it, though, can we do it somewhere else? Naruto could walk by at any minute." Kakashi nodded and I followed him onto the roof and across town until we reached a bridge.
"So, how often do you wear that henge and why?"
"I came up with it while we were on the mission in Nami," I explained, "and I've been wearing it whenever I've been able to get time to myself. As for why, it's kind of hard to explain. I just feel… More comfortable like this. Like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders."
"I see… And how… Thorough… Is this Henge?" Well, that was awkward. He was basically asking me what was in my pants.
"It's a complete transformation, down to the organs."
"I see." He paused for a few seconds. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in keeping it." I breathed a sigh of relief.
"If that's all, may I leave now, Sensei?"
"Okay. I'll see you in a couple days, Sasuke."
Kakashi watched his student Body Flicker from rooftop to rooftop on the way back to the Uchiha Compound, impressed with the kid's ability to keep a Henge while performing so many hops. He considered what he'd been told. He had heard of such a condition before, but had never personally met anyone who had it, and he wasn't exactly qualified to do anything about it.
I'll have to speak with Hokage-sama, he decided reluctantly. Sasuke might see it as a betrayal of trust, but at the end of the day, his student's mental health was paramount, and this was something he had no idea how to deal with himself.
It was only when he was halfway to the Hokage Tower that he realised he had neglected to talk to Sasuke about the reason he had sought him out in the first place: Sharingan training. Another time, he decided. This is more important.
The next day, I was practicing my fire jutsu out at the lake in the Uchiha Training Ground when I noticed a familiar presence arrive.
"Your fire release is impressive, Sasuke-kun."
"Hokage-sama!" I bowed low in greeting. "Is there anything I can help you with, sir?"
"I was hoping you would have time for a chat?"
"Of course, any time. If you would follow me to my home, I could make us some tea?"
Hiruzen sipped his drink and nodded.
"This is good tea, Sasuke-kun. Thank you. How are you getting along with the rest of Team Seven?"
"Quite well, I think. Kakashi is an excellent sensei, and Naruto and I work together quite well. And Sakura…" I paused to sip my own tea. "Sakura has great potential, I think, but she'll never reach it unless she stops obsessing over me."
"I see. Have you tried asking her to stop." I wanted to snort at that.
Asking her? Not bloody likely. Canon Sakura had almost been killed by Sasuke, and had still ended up marrying the guy. If attempted murder wasn't enough to break her obsession, asking nicely certainly wouldn't be. "I severely doubt that will work, Hokage-sama," was all I said.
"I believe you should try anyway. How will you know if you don't try?"
Trust me, Hiruzen, I know. Still, I nodded and conceded anyway. At least if I made the effort, that might make things easier in the event I needed to see about getting her removed from the team. "Hokage-sama," I began after another drink of tea, "forgive my bluntness, but I can't imagine you came by just to talk about my teammates."
"Very observant of you, Sasuke-kun. In truth, I wanted to ask about something your sensei talked to me about last night. He tells me you have been using a certain Henge during everyday life. Would you show it to me?" I sighed.
Shoulda figured. "Henge no Jutsu."
Hiruzen seemed to be observing carefully for quite a while. Finally, he spoke.
"You say you use this form because it relieves stress?"
"To greatly understate the issue, yes."
"Understate?"
"This is the only way I can really feel like myself, Hokage-sama. Not using it feels… Well, it's hard to put into words beyond 'severely uncomfortable'. Something about looking like a man, and being perceived as such, causes an extreme sensation of… Wrongness. This is the only method I've found to cope."
"And if you were asked to cease using it?"
"I would refuse." His eyes narrowed at that blatant display of insubordination, so I hurried to clarify. "Imagine, Hokage-sama, that you were born with a chronic pain condition. This condition has caused you to live your entire life in constant suffering, but since it was all you'd ever known, you just assumed it was normal. Then one day you find a treatment, and for the first time you experience what it's like to live free of pain. But others find your treatment disturbing. They do not believe your condition even exists, either. So they demand you stop using it, even though the treatment effects no one else and causes no harm to anyone. And now that you've had the treatment, going back only hurts more than it ever has before. Would you listen to those people?"
"No," he agreed. "No I would not."
"Then you understand my position."
"Hmm… Alright then."
"Hokage-sama?"
"I cannot pretend to understand what you are experiencing, but you are not the first shinobi of the Leaf to express such discomfort," he explained. "Generally, such individuals will operate as their preferred gender amongst their teammates for a while to ensure they are comfortable before any official changes are made. If all is well, then legal documentation can be considered. Is such an arrangement acceptable to you?"
"H-Hokage-sama…" I wasn't sure what to say. Of all possible outcomes, I had not expected this one. "Yes, Hokage-sama. This seems very reasonable, thank you."
"Good. I hope this works out for you." He drained his tea, then stood up to leave. "Thank you again for the tea."
For a long time after the Hokage left, I sat thinking. I was still surprised, having expected a much more conservative attitude from not just the Hokage but from ninja society in general. Then again, I supposed it made sense that in a society in which physical transformation techniques were a standard ability, concepts of sex and gender would naturally be a little less rigid.
I smiled. Finally, I would be able to be myself, rather than having to be Sasuke Uchiha.
Now I just needed a name. My old name was obviously out of the question, it would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the Japanese names of the Elemental Countries. It was time for something new.