Part Four: Reunion/Cage
It had been three years since the Valley of the End. Three years since Naruto had abandoned the Leaf Village and disappeared with two other Jinchuriki.
Three years since Sasuke had lost his left eye to his old teammate.
The aftermath of the battle had seen him rushed to the hospital by Kakashi. No one else on the retrieval team had been quite as badly hurt as he was, which was the only silver lining to the whole situation; the Jinchuriki team had absolutely had the opportunity to kill the majority of them. Even Gaara hadn't seriously hurt anyone.
Sasuke had come out of surgery sans an eye, his right Sharingan crippled with its other half now gone.
Well, not crippled exactly. Whether from the intensity of the fight or the aftermath of it, his dojutsu had evolved to its three tomoe stage. It was stronger, but without the second eye its potential was hindered.
He had needed a transplant. Unfortunately, there were no Sharingan eyes lying around for such a procedure.
Kakashi had, hesitantly, offered for Sasuke to take his Sharingan, but he'd declined. It hadn't felt right, not after his teacher finally spilled the beans on how he'd acquired the eye. To take it from him, offered willingly or not, felt like thievery.
So he had asked for a normal eye in place of his lost Sharingan. It was black like the first had been, but it would never share the strength of the original. Tsunade had performed the operation herself.
After he'd recovered, he'd set to training. Training, missions, and searching for any leads on Naruto's whereabouts. He'd been on half a dozen joint search missions with ninja from the Land of Wind and the Land of Waterfalls, who were working in-tandem with the Leaf Village since their Jinchuriki had also disappeared.
None of their missions had been successful. There were rumors here and there, but those few leads amounted to nothing.
Even Jiraiya had only learned a few things over the years, the most important being that other Jinchuriki had disappeared beyond the first three. No one knew where they were hiding, what their goal was, or what they were up to.
But with Jiraiya on the case, Tsunade had ordered the search missions to cease, at least until the Sannin tracked the Jinchuriki down. He was far more subtle than large groups of ninja running around the countryside chasing rumors and speculation.
Sasuke hadn't liked that, but he begrudgingly admitted Jiraiya had better odds at finding Naruto than he did. It helped that Jiraiya had even set aside his search for Orochimaru (or at least, made Orochimaru a secondary priority) to concentrate on finding the wayward Jinchuriki. So Sasuke focused on himself and improving his abilities.
His entire class in the Leaf Village reached Chunin rank within a year of Naruto's disappearance. But along with Neji, Kankuro, and Temari, Sasuke achieved Jounin rank the year after that.
In the past few months, he'd been given a new duty by the Hokage that he was still figuring out: becoming the leader of a team of Genin.
Hanabi Hyuga strode confidently at his side, keeping up with Sasuke despite the rigorous training he'd put the team through the day before. He had, perhaps, pushed them a little too far–both of his other Genin students were resting at home. Sasuke had given them the day off at Kakashi's suggestion, but Hanabi had shown up today anyway, insistent on training.
He hadn't considered himself to be a teacher until Tsunade put him on the spot, but the Hokage had thought it would be good for him. To be fair, he had made a name for himself in the Leaf Village as a highly-skilled ninja, despite just being sixteen years old.
He supposed it wasn't that odd; Itachi had been a Captain in the ANBU Black Ops when he was just thirteen.
Kakashi had been of some help, helping Sasuke guide his students in the right direction. But the Copy Ninja was busier than ever these days and didn't always have the time to help.
In his absence, Sasuke had taken to relying on Asuma and Kurenai, the latter of whom was on leave due to her recent pregnancy. They were much better at explaining teaching than Kakashi was, no matter the respect Sasuke held for him.
Hanabi's presence on his new team had initially confounded him; nevermind that she was a little young to be on a Genin team, (nearly two years younger than her peers) he'd thought for sure Tsunade would assign her to Neji's team. But apparently conflict of interest due to them being cousins meant that wasn't the case.
He didn't actually mind Hanabi that much. She was smart, quick on the uptake, and she never quit. She reminded Sasuke a bit of his old team. A little bit of him, Sakura, and even Naruto was within her. Smart, stubborn, and eager to claw out a place for herself in the ranks of Leaf ninja.
Ugh. He was too young to be sentimental like that.
Tsunade had summoned him (and what members of his team were available) to discuss something. A new mission perhaps, though he did wonder. The missive summoning them had been oddly vague–Sasuke had learned long ago to read between the lines of such things.
They entered the Hokage's office and Sasuke took note of the people present. Tsunade of course, sitting at her desk. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji stood beside Asuma and a trio of people he recognized as Fire Monks.
According to Tsunade, Sasuke's team would be working with Asuma's former students and the Fire Monks to deal with a criminal known as Furido. A grave robber, or so it seemed, though judging from Asuma's face there might've been something more to it. One of the monks did not seem pleased to be there–a boy roughly his age whom he learned was named Sora.
Shortly after the briefing, Asuma left with his team and the monks, but Tsunade asked Sasuke and Hanabi to remain.
"We suspect there is more to the situation than is apparent," she told them. "Sora's father was once a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja who guarded the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. But he and five others betrayed their Lord and were cut down by Asuma."
Sasuke was sensing a 'but' in that summary.
"Some years ago, Sora went on a rampage through the Fire Temple. Recently, there was an incident in which he rampaged again. According to reports, he was enveloped in a cloak of red chakra. It matches the description you gave me of Naruto at the Valley of the End."
Sasuke stiffened. "A Jinchuriki?"
Hanabi looked at him with alarm in her eyes. Tsunade was frowning. "Not one that I'm aware of, but it's possible. I want you to watch him and see what you can learn. I don't think the Fire Temple means to attack us, but Sora resents Asuma for his part in the death of his father. His anger is a poisonous thing. I hate to ask this of you, but if the situation escalates to the point that a Tailed Beast is unleashed, you might be the best at handling it. Your Sharingan has grown significantly in the past few years."
"Maybe so, but you know as well as I do that my abilities will never peak so long as I only have one Sharingan eye."
"I don't think you give yourself enough credit. But I would only ask such a thing of you in the worst-case scenario. For now, just monitor him. If he is a Jinchuriki, it's possible Sora might be approached by a third party."
Sasuke knew immediately what she was getting at. Either the Akatsuki would come for Sora, or Naruto. Both possibilities were daunting.
"We'll keep an eye on him," Sasuke assured her. Hanabi nodded and the pair of them slipped out of the office.
Sasuke spent several hours with Asuma's team and the Fire Monks, during which time he quickly grew to despise Sora's presence. The boy was arrogant, angry, and rude to anyone he spoke to.
He left them to train for a time, escorting Hanabi across the village to the Hyuga Compound.
"Do you think Naruto will come for him?" Hanabi asked suddenly. She'd been quiet since learning that Sora might be a Jinchuriki. Sasuke knew what was going through her mind.
"It's possible," he admitted. "But it's equally possible one of the Akatsuki will come looking for him."
That particular group had been oddly quiet in recent years. They still did odd jobs for the Stone Village according to Jiraiya's reports, but they hadn't made any significant moves. Considering who made up their organization, their inaction only made Sasuke wary.
He couldn't help but wonder when he'd next face Itachi.
For now, he focused on his student. "How is your sister?"
Hanabi pursed her lips. "She's doing well. I think she spent the day with Kurenai Sensei."
"Mm. Kurenai's due to have her baby soon, isn't she?"
"Yes. Hinata's been excited about it," the girl admitted. She took a deep breath. "Sensei, if Naruto comes here–"
"If Naruto comes here you will not be involved," Sasuke told her sharply, stopping to face her. Hanabi spun towards him, anger flashing in her eyes.
"But–"
Sasuke raised one eyebrow, daring her to question the order. The Hyuga Heiress scowled, but looked away. "I'm ready."
"If Naruto hadn't changed since I last saw him, I might entertain the idea of you fighting him," Sasuke said. "But that's not how time works. You've gotten a lot stronger, Hanabi, but you aren't ready to take on a full-fledged Jinchuriki. If he comes here, he will not be alone. He'll bring others. I don't need to remind you that the last time we fought, they overwhelmed our whole team. That includes Neji."
That managed to make Hanabi simmer down a little. She held immense admiration for Neji. That Naruto had defeated him in single combat during the Chunin Exams three years ago never left her mind, save for when she was angry.
"I don't want him near my sister," she confessed finally.
Sasuke repressed a sigh. Hanabi had every right to be furious with Naruto; the aftermath of him abandoning the Leaf Village had not been pleasant, especially for her family.
"We don't know for sure if he's coming," Sasuke hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. He wasn't good at the whole 'comfort' thing, but Kurenai had helped him at least get a grasp for the basics of it. "And if he is, at least we have some warning."
"What will I be doing? If he does show up?"
"That will depend on the situation. But chances are I'll have you defending civilians," Sasuke admitted.
"Are you sure I can't–"
He gave her another look and Hanabi, stubborn though she was, knew what the answer would be. "Yes, Sensei."
"Come on," he removed his hand and turned to keep walking. "Let's get you home."
The situation with Sora did, in fact, escalate out of control.
There was a whole plot circulating around the boy, led by his thought-to-be-dead father, Kazuma. The plan seemed to consist of assassinating the Hokage rather than the Daimyo this time–not that any Leaf Ninja would allow the enemy to do such a thing.
As for Sora, he had been made into an artificial Jinchuriki with pieces of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra left behind by the beast's attack on the Leaf Village sixteen years prior. Once Kazuma made his move, the boy's power was unleashed and he raised as much hell as he possibly could.
It wasn't a favorable scenario. Sasuke, along with a former ANBU known only as Yamato and the entirety of his old class, had been ordered to capture the rampaging Jinchuriki. He attacked in a frenzy, the chakra cloak making him many times more destructive than he had any right to be.
Sasuke had sent Hanabi away when Kazuma's plan was enacted, but she'd rejoined them after catching a group of the traitor's lackeys trying to sneak up on them. He and his old class were keeping Sora occupied and steadily pulling him away from the Village, where Kazuma wanted the Jinchuriki to be.
It was on the tip of his tongue to send her away now that the threat was dealt with when Sora suddenly twisted towards the east, ignoring the group of Leaf Ninja.
Kiba sniffed the air and frowned. "Someone's coming."
"Another enemy?" Sasuke queried.
"Dunno. The scent is…kind of familiar, but different."
Sora snarled, three chakra tails lashing as he bared his teeth at the shadows in the trees. Sasuke was sorely tempted to slap a genjutsu on the guy, but his last attempt hadn't worked. The Nine-Tails inside of Sora was a primal, raging thing that kept his chakra too disrupted for genjutsu to work.
He saw figures emerging from the darkness. The first one made his gut clench with trepidation–Gaara. The ex-Sand Ninja's brow was furrowed and his arms were crossed. His eyes had changed from what Sasuke remembered; the sclera were black, the irises twin, golden stars. The gourd at his back had become a long, armored tail.
Just behind Gaara was a stranger Sasuke did not recognize, though he had no doubt this one was also a Jinchuriki. He was a huge man covered in armor, concealing nearly all of his body. Five tails–each slender and white, seemingly covered in fur–swayed behind him. Unlike his ally, however, branching white horns with gold tips protruded from the large red kasa atop his head.
The third and last newcomer landed deftly on a large branch overlooking the fight. He heard Hinata's breath hitch somewhere behind him. Sasuke felt ice fill his veins.
It was Naruto.
His former teammate looked like a demon, even compared to the other Jinchuriki. Taller than Sasuke now–though not by much–he donned a red and black kimono as opposed to his old ninja uniform. But he had long, fox-like ears atop his head, where the blonde hair was longer than Sasuke remembered. His fingers and toes had claws, and nine long, red-orange tails bristled behind him. His eyes had slit pupils and occasionally flickered from blue to red.
Naruto stared down at Sora. The boy glared right back. None of the Jinchuriki so much as twitched for several moments.
"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Naruto growled, baring sharp canine teeth. He didn't even look at his old friends.
Sora howled and jumped at him. With a manic slash, he annihilated the tree Naruto stood upon, but the Jinchuriki leapt high into the air with deft grace. He seemed utterly unimpressed by the attack, forming a sign with his hands.
Sasuke caught movement out of the corner of his eye and barely snatched Hanabi by the collar. "Absolutely not."
"But–!"
"Stay with your sister," he ordered, and Hanabi froze. Sasuke was relieved when she hurried to Hinata's side; the older girl had barely breathed since Naruto appeared. At least his student would be focused on something other than the fight.
Any plans to engage, however, were put to the wayside as four of Naruto's clones scattered around the Jinchuriki and created a Barrier Seal Formation. Sasuke and the rest of the Leaf Ninja hesitated, unsure how dangerous the jutsu was.
Then Sora let out a roar. A shockwave burst from his position as the chakra levels spiked dramatically. Sasuke's eyes flicked over to see what had happened.
The boy had changed into–something Sasuke could only describe as a miniature version of the Nine-Tails. Red-black chakra covered his body, four tails now behind him. He had a pair of fox-like ears, claws, and his teeth had all sharpened into vicious points. The eyes burned bright white, the gaping maw a void.
Naruto and the other Jinchuriki appeared unperturbed. They charged Sora regardless.
Sasuke tried to use his Sharingan on one of the clones creating it, but Naruto had been smart enough to ensure his clones kept their eyes closed. So much for that plan. Shikamaru seemed to be trying something with his Shadow Possession, but any attempts by the others were so far fruitless.
He heard a feral scream as Sora lunged at Gaara. Sasuke waited for the Jinchuriki's Absolute Defense to come into play.
Gaara's sand did emerge from the gourd–but the tail shot over his head like a scorpion's stinger, which hammered his enemy face-first into the dirt. It didn't end there, though; Shukaku's tail yanked Sora back up and smashed him into the ground over and over. Once Sora was suitably stunned, he was hurled at the armored Jinchuriki.
The huge man drove a kick into Sora's torso, punting him straight upwards with enough force to unleash a shockwave that was only contained by the Barrier. Naruto leapt after him.
At their height, Naruto snatched Sora in his claws, dragged him back down to earth, and crushed him in a devastating impact.
The cloud of debris blocked everyone's sight of the barrier interior. Sasuke could only wait and watch. The others had stopped trying to get in, at least for the moment.
The dust settled and Sasuke caught sight of Sora at last–still in his four-tailed form, but limp and perhaps…if not unconscious, at least too stunned to move.
Naruto's nine tails held the false Jinchuriki up in the air. Four of them wrapped around Sora's tails, four more took each of his limbs, and the last appeared to be strangling him. Gaara and the armored man had approached, studying Sora's shape with a little interest.
"No!"
Sasuke jerked as Sora's father–damn, he'd completely forgotten about the man in the chaos–tried to get to the barrier, but to no avail. Asuma wasn't about to let him get away.
Kazuma's teeth gnashed. "What do you think you're doing, Sora?! Take the Nine-Tails' power for yourself! I made you for this exact purpose!"
Gaara's eyes flickered to the man before he looked back at Sora. "An artificial Jinchuriki to take the real one's power?"
"Funny joke," Naruto sneered, reaching up to place his hand on Sora's belly. "What sort of garbage seal is this? I could do better when I was thirteen."
Kazuma snarled, but his duel with Asuma kept him from interfering. Not that the Leaf Ninja–or the Jinchuriki, for that matter–would have let him approach regardless.
Naruto's hand pressed more firmly to Sora and within moments, the false Jinchuriki's chakra cloak was being sucked away. Sora screeched, flailing to escape, but the fox tails holding him would not relinquish their grip.
His animal howl faded to a human shriek so suddenly that Sasuke flinched. Sora's flesh was raw and red, as if he'd been badly burnt. His chakra tails disappeared as the power was transferred to Naruto. With those gone, the fox tails of the true Nine-Tails took to holding the boy's writhing shape.
It didn't take long at all before all the Nine-Tails chakra had been siphoned from Sora. The boy went limp, unconscious, and Naruto's tails dropped him like a sack of potatoes.
Kazuma howled in rage, but the Jinchuriki didn't react in the slightest. Naruto flexed his claws a bit, considering the power.
"Huh. There really wasn't much," the blonde muttered. "I'm surprised he got a version two form out of that."
"At least now we know why Kurama was agitated recently," the armored Jinchuriki commented.
"Mmhm," Naruto nodded. "We're done here."
He made a hand sign and his clones all popped out of existence. The barrier faded, but none of the Leaf Ninja moved to attack. Even Yamato, First Hokage's power or no, was hesitant to anger the three missing-nin. Sasuke didn't really blame them.
The Jinchuriki had handled Sora so casually it was a little frightening. The Leaf Ninja would certainly have overwhelmed him with a little more time, but Naruto and his allies didn't even seem tired.
Suddenly a blur darted at the Jinchuriki from Sasuke's right and he realized with horror that it was Hanabi, who ignored her sister's desperate cry. Swearing, he lunged to stop her. Another commotion made itself known nearby, but he was too fixated on Hanabi to see Kazuma coming.
The traitor got to Hanabi first, snatching the girl and pressing a kunai against her throat. Sasuke felt fury surge through him; stupid, how could he have missed the man getting away from Asuma?
Kazuma backed off, eyes flicking from the Leaf Ninja to the Jinchuriki and back again. He kept Hanabi close–the kunai dug in enough for blood to trickle down her skin. She tried to shift her hands, maybe to hit a chakra point on her captor, but the traitor snarled. "If you so much as twitch without my say-so, I'll kill you, girl!"
Sasuke glanced at the Jinchuriki and realized the group had paused to watch. Naruto, he thought, looked angry. The blue eyes shifted completely to red as the teenager twisted fully to face Kazuma.
"Follow me and she dies," Kazuma declared. "This is not the end. I will be avenged. The Land of Fire will be remade! My ambition will not–
Sasuke wasn't sure what happened next. It was too fast.
All he knew was that there was a spray of blood that drenched Hanabi when Kazuma's head–he didn't know. It was just gone. The body slumped to the ground, red spouting from the neck.
Hanabi looked shell-shocked, positively soaking in blood as she tried to process what had happened. Naruto was standing behind her now, leering down at the headless corpse.
Every Leaf Ninja stared at Kazuma's remains, briefly overcome with horror for how swiftly Naruto had–what exactly had he done?
Sasuke watched his old teammate lean down a little to mutter into Hanabi's ear. The girl flinched, but didn't otherwise move. Whatever he said, it was brief enough that when Sasuke began to approach, the blonde vanished. He reappeared beside his allies. One of his hands was dripping red.
The Jinchuriki barely spared the Leaf Ninja a glance before all three of them darted off into the night, leaving a scene of veritable carnage in their wake.
Once cleanup of the battle was done with, Sasuke escorted Hanabi and Hinata back to the Hyuga compound. They would have been fine on their own, but Hanabi was still a little shell-shocked and he was sure Hinata was…probably also out of it.
Naruto's appearance had thrown them all off-balance.
The walk to the compound was mostly silent. Only when they were in sight of their home did the girls relax just the slightest. Sasuke broke the quiet spell then.
"What did he tell you?"
The question was directed at Hanabi. She stiffened briefly and he saw her fists clench.
"He told me not to get caught again," she ground out through her teeth. "Because it would upset Hinata if something happened to me. Like he has any right to tell me that."
"Hanabi, it's not his fault," Hinata frowned. "I've told you before…"
"If he hadn't left–"
"We've been over this. I don't blame him for his decision."
"How can you defend him?" Hanabi stopped walking to stare at Hinata. "He abandoned the village! And if it weren't for him, you wouldn't have–"
"Hanabi," Sasuke interrupted. She glanced at him, met the stern eyes, and deflated. He repressed a sigh; truthfully, he didn't blame her for being angry. It was a fury he understood well. But she didn't have a grip on it and he wanted to spare his student the consequences of losing control.
He, after all, had learned the hard way.
"You're on cat retrieval duty for a week," he told the girl. Hanabi nodded glumly; she knew she'd messed up bigtime, disobeying his orders the way she had. Sasuke didn't need to explain.
They reached the entrance to the compound, where he left them to retire. Sasuke watched them go for a few moments before twisting and slipping away down the dark streets towards his own residence.
He knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped inside the house. Sasuke was the only person who lived in the old Uchiha compound these days and he knew how that solitude felt keenly.
He kept his katana handy, closing the door behind him as he made his way to the silent dining room. His Sharingan was activated just in case.
"Never thought you'd be a sensei."
Sasuke stilled, the grip on his sword tightening as he glanced towards the kitchen. Studying the picture he owned of him and his Genin team was a shape both familiar and strange to him.
Naruto, naturally. His fox tails were mostly stationary, although they swayed just the slightest like a lazy cat's. The Jinchuriki's back was turned to him, but clearly he was aware of Sasuke's presence.
"This is my house."
"I hope so, given the pictures," Naruto snarked. He glanced over his shoulder and those red eyes met Sasuke's. He didn't let his Sharingan fade despite the clear distaste in his former teammate's face.
"What are you doing here?"
"I have questions."
"Fuck yourself. You cut my eye out."
"You used the Sharingan on me," Naruto countered, twisting fully to face him. "I warned you that I wouldn't let it control me."
Sasuke's hand drew his sword just a fraction from its sheath. "So why are you here?"
"What were Hanabi and Hinata talking about? What happened after I left?"
His jaw clenched. "You were following us."
"I was making sure they got home safe. At a distance."
Sasuke was really, really tempted to attack him, but truth be told, he didn't know what Naruto was capable of anymore. He'd expanded his repertoire of sealing techniques and his speed was insane just from the brief display he'd put on when murdering Kazuma.
He also didn't want to destroy his house. He'd play nice–for now.
"Fine, but you have to answer questions from me, too."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "About what?"
"Deal or no deal?"
"What are you going to do if I refuse? I could just beat the life out of you and get my answers that way."
"You didn't have it in you to kill me before and I don't think you'll kill me now."
It was a gamble to press him like that–from the way Naruto glowered, Sasuke thought briefly he'd pushed too far, but the Jinchuriki's lashing tails settled after a few moments.
"Fine. Deal. Now what happened after I left?"
Sasuke gathered his thoughts before he spoke. "Tsunade got me set up with a new eye–thanks for that by the way, you prick. We sent out more search missions for you. The Sand and Waterfall Villages coordinated with us, but we never found anything. Last few years, the whole class got to Chunin rank. I reached Jonin with a few others–"
"You know what I was asking," Naruto interrupted him with an edge to his voice. "Stop avoiding the question. What happened to Hinata?"
"Why do you even care?"
Sasuke barely got the words out before he was being slammed against the wall. He gasped as a hand clenched around his throat and powerful tails seized his limbs to prevent him from escaping.
"What happened?" Naruto hissed. He loosened his grip just enough for Sasuke to breathe.
"I don't know the specifics," Sasuke wheezed, scowling at his former friend. "I know her dad and the Hyuga elders got into an argument shortly after you abandoned the village. Hinata told Tsunade that you had planned on leaving after our fight at the Valley of the End."
"I told her she could tell the truth afterwards if it kept her out of trouble."
"Yeah, that wound up not working."
"Sasuke, I swear I'll rip your other eye out if you don't–
"Did you see her forehead protector? She doesn't wear it around her neck anymore. Not ever."
Naruto faltered, frowning. His mouth parted slightly as if he were about to ask, and then…
Sasuke felt a grudging sense of pity as Naruto's face went white with nothing less than pure horror. "No."
"From what I know, her dad argued against it, but the elders intervened when he was away for a conference with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Tsunade was furious when she found out."
"Hinata didn't do anything!"
"I don't know why the elders did what they did–"
"Where are they?" Naruto demanded.
"What are you going to do? Kill them?"
"If they can do this, they can undo this."
"You think no one's tried? Hinata's dad has been arguing with the elders ever since it happened, but they won't give the information up–"
"They're not even imprisoned, are they?"
"It was declared an inner-clan conflict and left for the Hyuga to deal with. Hinata's father legally can't persecute them because it's nothing the elders haven't done before. They did it to his brother, and since Hinata's no longer the heiress…"
Naruto snarled and stormed away, releasing Sasuke from his grip. He watched the Jinchuriki warily; he wasn't sure if he could take him down at this point. His chances were looking pretty low, all things considered.
"My question now," Sasuke told him.
His old friend spun to face him, looking incredulous–as if he had some sort of death wish.
"You said there were three Uchiha left at the Valley of the End. Who's the third? The guy that stole the fox sixteen years ago?"
"I don't know his name," Naruto answered, perhaps surprisingly, without arguing. He looked more annoyed by the mention of the mystery Uchiha than anything. "Itachi thought it was Madara Uchiha, but the Nine-Tails knows Madara's chakra. It wasn't him. He'd be dead by now, anyway. All I know for sure is that he's a part of the Akatsuki."
The Akatsuki. They'd been quiet in recent years, nothing nearly so dramatic as their failed attempt to kidnap Naruto. Jiraiya had been terribly suspicious about their silence, but hadn't uncovered anything concrete about their goals.
"We're done here," Naruto decided suddenly. He strode towards the door.
"Why'd you leave me alive?" Sasuke demanded. "You said you wanted me dead. Why didn't you go through with it?"
The Jinchuriki paused only briefly, staring at his former teammate with a slightly troubled expression. "I'm still trying to work that out. Just stay out of my way, alright?"
He vanished before Sasuke could fire off a retort. The Uchiha sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, and resigned himself to another meeting with Tsunade. She needed to know Naruto had gotten back into the Village.
It was going to be a long night.
A week after the incident with Sora and Kazuma saw Hinata walking home from dinner at Kurenai's house.
She'd spent a great deal of time with Kurenai as her sensei's pregnancy progressed. Her and Asuma had quietly married before her belly really began to show. They'd invited their students and a few of their peers, but the ceremony itself had been very private.
She was due to give birth within the next couple of months. Hinata had been so excited–she and Ino had been on several trips with Kurenai to get things for the baby, seeing as the boys on their teams had little interest in such things.
Well, Shino actually didn't mind helping. He seemed to think he made them uncomfortable, so he stayed out of it for the most part, but he was happy to offer his input from time to time.
Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji, though? No, not a chance.
Her lips twitched up at the thought of her friends. They'd all been going on a lot of simple missions to make some extra cash specifically to buy gifts for the new family. It wasn't like Kurenai and Asuma were wanting for money, but the thoughtfulness was appreciated.
She wished her own family could be so happy.
Oh, she was closer to her father, Hanabi, and Neji than ever, but it was overshadowed by the aftermath of Naruto leaving the Village three years prior. None of them had expected things to go so wrong.
Hinata sighed in the cold December air, watching her breath fog up. She hadn't been able to completely stop thinking about Naruto after he'd left. He had been a presence in the back of her mind, always wondering where he was and if he was doing well.
His recent appearance had brought such thoughts up more than ever. Seeing him again had been–well, the circumstances hadn't been good, but he'd looked…
She tilted her head back to look at the stars overhead. Did he ever think about her the way she thought of him? She couldn't help but wonder if he'd just left his life here behind him when he'd abandoned the Leaf Village. The idea of her friend dismissing her completely from his mind had been the cause of several sleepless nights.
But then he'd gone and saved Hanabi, told her not to get caught because it would upset Hinata. He'd even interrogated Sasuke that same night regarding her.
The Uchiha heir had been disgruntled and annoyed by that when he told her, but more concerning was the fury Naruto had worked himself into. Hinata was worried he'd do something reckless, knowing what he knew.
She brought her eyes back down to the street and blinked.
A small, red fox trotted out of an alley just a few paces ahead of her. It stared at the girl, tail swishing gently. Red eyes gleamed, a shade she'd seen before, but never in a common fox.
Her breath caught and she stopped in her tracks. The fox did not move for several moments, then turned and padded back into the alley. It paused only briefly to look back at her–as if checking to see if she would follow.
She definitely shouldn't have, but rationality seemed to leave her when it came to him.
Hinata glanced around carefully before she slipped into the alley after the fox. It kept walking ahead, slipping through shadows until they were hidden under a small alcove in one of the quietest parts of the Village.
Only then did the fox change shape and in its place was–
She felt her heart rise into her throat. He didn't have the features of the Nine-Tails he'd had when last she saw him. His hair was a little longer and he was again wearing that red and black kimono. He was taller than her by almost a full head, lean and strong and older, but it was still him.
His mouth twitched into a hesitant smile. "Um…Hi."
"Hi," her response was a hoarse whisper. Was she going to faint? Please no, she had definitely left that sort of response behind her.
Naruto's eyes were wonderfully blue, studying her in silence for a minute before he spoke again. "You got taller."
Hinata raised an eyebrow and made a gesture regarding the height difference between them. The hesitance in his smile faded, becoming more genuine, and her heart stuttered. He had been sweet and kind as a boy, but now–now he was dangerously handsome, with a gleam in his eyes and a crooked smile that suited him far too well.
She was blushing. Her face hadn't felt this hot in a long time.
He seemed to struggle with words for a time. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, per se; they were just drinking each other in, trying to replace the image of their friend with faces that were familiar, yet not quite the same.
"I like your hair," he said at last. That did no favors for the heat roiling off her face. He couldn't just say things like that, it wasn't fair.
"Kimono," she replied lamely, gesturing to the outfit.
Naruto looked down at it. "Yeah. They're easier on me when I need to transform. I think Kurama likes them, too."
"It suits you."
"I hope so."
Silence again formed between them. Naruto's face lost a bit of its light as he took a deep breath.
"Hinata…"
His hand rose, hesitantly, and hovered close to her forehead protector. She froze, but he didn't try to remove it.
She watched his throat bob as he swallowed. "Sasuke said–well, he didn't say it, but it was implied–you were…"
Hinata bit her bottom lip so hard it almost bled. His hands moved and she thought he was going to take the protector off, but then–
Warm hands cupped her cheeks and tilted her head to look at him. He looked agonized. "Was it really because of me?"
"No–no," she reached up without thinking and held his wrists, squeezing tight. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to touch him. "The elders had been pushing for it for years, ever since Hanabi became heiress. They just used our talk as an excuse to get away with it…"
She faltered as his eyes smoldered, mouth pressed into a thin line. But his anger was harnessed quickly and his gaze rose above her eyes to the protector.
Hinata let him go reluctantly and reached behind her head to undo the tie.
"You don't have to."
"I think I need to."
He didn't stop her. She pulled the protector away, shaking her hair out, and exposed the Caged Bird Seal on her forehead.
Naruto's eyes flashed red for an instant. His hand rose and brushed the marked skin. Hinata just closed her eyes, soaking up his warmth despite the situation.
"It's not your fault," she whispered.
He breathed in loudly through his nose and she thought the exhale was shaky. He was trembling–or was that her? She couldn't tell.
She calmed herself enough to open her eyes again, peering up at his face. He hadn't pulled back, still holding her face in his hands with a delicacy she'd rarely seen in him. Naruto's eyes were narrowed, not with rage–well, not only with rage, it should be said–but with thought.
"...Give me three months."
Hinata blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Just…" Naruto shook his head and pulled back reluctantly, taking his warmth with him. She shivered at the loss.
"I have to go," he said.
Hinata blinked. Already? But it made sense; he was a missing-nin, and a Jinchuriki besides. He was one of the most wanted men in the Land of Fire.
"I'll be back," Naruto promised. He reached down to her hand and squeezed it tight.
"Be safe," she pleaded. Some emotion she couldn't discern flashed across his face.
Then he vanished.
Naruto reappeared miles away from the Leaf Village at a teleportation point he'd set up before infiltrating the Village. He closed his eyes, fighting off the urge to just run back and take Hinata away, where he could keep her safe from the people that had seen her marked so cruelly.
But he knew he couldn't do that. He would never steal her against her will.
One of his clones slipped out of the shadows and handed over three scrolls. Naruto studied them briefly. "No trouble?"
"None. They clearly weren't expecting someone to infiltrate the Hyuga compound of all places," the clone told him. "Maybe they thought no one would be stupid enough to sneak around the home of the Byakugan."
"If it works," Naruto remarked, making a sign that popped his clone out of existence. He stuffed the stolen scrolls into his bag and rushed off to the east. It was time to get back home, before Han became worried and decided to come find him.
He had work to do.
A/N: Shorter chapter than the previous ones, but I didn't want to stretch it into the next arc I have planned. A lot happens in the next chapter.
As ever, please review and thanks for reading!